Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
[STK]
[IN] TVN ENT
[SU]
TO ENTERTAINMENT, NATIONAL, AND RADIO-TELEVISION EDITORS:
The Joke's On National Geographic Channel When RiffTrax Turns April
Fools' Programming Into A Total Riff Off
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Don't be alarmed
when you turn on National Geographic Channel (NGC) on April Fools' Day
and see a mantis shrimp talking about its dinner or bloodthirsty
monsters being compared to celebrities. We've just decided to have a
little fun this year.
For the first time, National Geographic Channel has teamed up with
RiffTrax, the movie and television commentary group created by the
guys responsible for "Mystery Science Theater 3000." So what does this
mean? Your favorite Nat Geo programming with some unconventional
commentary worked in around the narration and dialogue - three hours
of it. Total Riff Off premieres Tuesday, April 1, from 8 to 11 p.m.
ET/PT only on NGC. For more information, visit
www.natgeotv.com/totalriffoff and follow us on Twitter at @NGC_PR.
After "Mystery Science Theater 3000" went off the air, Mike Nelson,
Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett continued to receive requests from fans
to revive the show in some form. And so grew RiffTrax, a website where
fans can download commentary to play along with their favorite movies
or television shows. And National Geographic Channel has booked them
for one night only.
In Total Riff Off, it's all about the animals, but not as you're used
to seeing them on Nat Geo. RiffTrax takes on the honey badger, mantis
shrimp and geographer's cone snail of Bad@$$ Animals. These seriously
unsuspecting creatures are funnier than you might think.
The guys then work their commentary magic on some unlikely
relationships between man and his animals - in one instance a goose
and in the other, a seal - in segments from Unlikely Animal Friends.
And they get their hands on a segment from My Dog Ate What? to riff
about a pup with an affinity for thongs.
Finally, riffers Nelson, Murphy and Corbett add their hilarious
commentary to an episode of Man v. Monster. Imagine the jokes when
they sink their teeth into host Richard Terry's suspenseful hunt for
an elusive flesh-eating bat.
At the end of the three hours of Total Riff Off, you may be a little
wiser and you may have even learned a thing or two. You will
definitely have had a fun ride listening to RiffTrax have a little
April Fools' Day fun with some of NGC's already entertaining
programming.
National Geographic Channels Based at the National Geographic Society
headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US
are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable
Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's
commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart,
innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission.
Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated
its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife
and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in
2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The
Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and
satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 84
million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available
in 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages. For more
information, visit www.natgeotv.com.
About RiffTrax RiffTrax is
an entertainment and comedy e-commerce company featuring the stars of
the Emmy-nominated, Peabody Award-winning show "Mystery Science
Theater 3000." The guys at RiffTrax have added their comedic riffing
treatment to more than 200 feature films and over 200 classic
educational shorts over the past 7 years, as well as broadcasted live
theater events to over 700 theaters in the United States and Canada.
RiffTrax is composed of Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill
Corbett. In addition to their starring roles as Mike, Tom Servo, and
Crow on "Mystery Science Theater 3000," they have appeared on numerous
radio and TV shows, penned the screenplays for Hollywood Blockbuster
films, and authored numerous best-selling books. To find out more
about RiffTrax, visit www.rifftrax.com.
SOURCE National Geographic Channel
-0- 03/24/2014
/CONTACT: Chris Albert, National Geographic Channel, 202-912-6526; Jenn Brehm, National Geographic Channel, 202-912-6536, jbrehm@natgeotv.com
/Web Site: http://www.rifftrax.com
CO: National Geographic Channel
ST: District of Columbia
IN: TVN ENT
PRN
-- DC89740 --
0000 03/24/2014 21:30:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
