The Corner Penthouse

Usually the Halloween Treat is exclusive to Spook Central, but this year The Corner Penthouse gets one, too. It's a simple collection of random videos that I have uploaded to my accounts on Critical Commons and Internet Archive (there's also old stuff on YouTube and DailyMotion you can check out).

The videos that appear below are in no particular order. They were originally used on The Corner Penthouse Facebook page, but I moved them over to the Internet Archive.

• Hanukkah Harry (song download: MP3, Flac) - This was originally going to be Spook Central's "Unusual Holiday Song" for 2016 or 2017, but I have since ended that feature, so I'm putting it here. "The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Christmas" sketch, which as Hanukkah Harry's first appearance on SNL, was first broadcast on December 16, 1989, in the episode with guest host Andie MacDowell (Season 15, Episode 9). The sketch, as seen here, can be found on the Saturday Night Live Christmas DVD.

• Windows 98 Crashes on Bill Gates (April 1998) - During a demonstration of a beta version of Win98 at COMDEX on April 20, 1998, the computer crashed with a Blue Screen of Death when Gates' assistant Chris Capossela connected a scanner to demonstrate 98's support for Plug and Play devices. This brought applause from the crowd, and Gates replied after a pause: "That must be why we're not shipping Win98 yet.

• Universal UK - Thank You - "By purchasing this Blu-ray Disc, you are supporting your local film and television industry. THANK YOU" Instead of anti-piracy propaganda, the folks who buy DVDs and Blu-ray discs released in the United Kingdom see this very short video on disc boot-up THANKING them for supporting their local film and television industry. The studios here in the United States could learn a thing or two from their UK counterparts. THIS is how you get people to buy legitimate products, not with unskippable anti-piracy propaganda laughably attempting to "scare" them or make them "care" about people who make more money than they do. I saw this video on the Universal Studios UK Blu-ray releases of the Back To The Future Trilogy and the Jurassic Park Trilogy that I imported into the US, and it actually made me smile when I first saw it. I like being treated with respect, not like a criminal. (The original video in 1920x1080.)

• Molly Ephraim Is Stunning In Orange - Molly Ephraim as Mandy Baxter in the Last Man Standing episode "Summer Internship" (March 20, 2015). Someone must have told the costume designer that I think Molly Ephraim is gorgeous, and that my favorite color is orange. Even the lipstick matches! That's awesome.

• Jason Ritter and Linda Cardellini - Jason Ritter and Linda Cardellini normally just provide the voices for the Dipper and Wendy, respectively, in Gravity Falls. This is a rare glimpse at the actors dressed as their characters. I've seen this done a few times in other animated series, but not that often. FUN FACT: Linda Cardellini and I share a birthday.

• Booker T's Impassionate Promo - Booker T accidentally called Hulk Hogan the "N word" at Spring Stampede held on April 6, 1997 at the Tupelo Coliseum in Tupelo, Mississippi. The moment happens at 1:08:50 in the entire show. It was just after Hogan joined the nWo, so everyone was against them, be it heel or face. Harlem Heat was giving a pre-match promo and as Booker was wrapping up his piece he started to say how after this match, the nWo was next. Well, he got so caught up in the moment that he ended up closing his statement by yelling "Hulk Hogan, we're coming for you, N***A!!!" After proclaiming this, he immediately put his hand over his eyes and turned away. Booker could do nothing but mug harder than ever thought humanly possible just to keep from laughing himself. Well, there you go. As you can see no racial storyline, just pure emotion. The word was changed to "sucka" when this aired on 24-7. Later, it was left uncensored in the PPV on the Network. Booker T explains what happened in this interview clip from 2011: 360p, 720p.

• Crash and Burn DVD Blackness Spots - This 1990 low-budget movie stars Megan Ward and Bill Moseley, has been released on DVD a few times. Koch Vision released it in 2000, Shout Factory in 2011, and Full Moon themselves in 2013. There might be more releases, but these are the three I know about, and probably the three most notable. I own the Koch and Full Moon DVDs and both use the same video transfer, which has the movie in it's original (?) 1.66:1 aspect ratio, letterboxed into 4:3. The Shout Factory DVD presents it in open matte 1.33:1/4:3 fullscreen (info provided to me by a user at DVDCompare.net). Anyway, one problem with the Koch/FM DVDs, besides a very dirty film print, is that at these four spots in the movie, it will suddenly cut to black for two seconds: 19:37, 37:24, 57:21, and 1:14:38 (74:38). I believe that these are spots where the movie was split in the original source (likely a laserdisc master). In an effort to document this, I have put together this short video showing what the DVD looks like at these four spots.

• Trancers 1 DVD Blackness Side Change Spot - This is what happens on the DVD at 39:33, in the middle of the club scene right when the punks walk in. Apparently, every DVD release of the first Trancers movie, starring Tim Thomerson and Helen Hunt, includes a now infamous "side change". All of these DVDs were sourced from an old Vestron Video laserdisc, and since the laserdisc source was double-sided, the image abruptly goes to black midway through the movie and then fades back in. This is where the DVD creators had to flip over the laserdisc to continue the movie. I bought the "3 DVD Set" that was released by Full Moon themselves in 2013 (according to the info on the back of the case). I'm sure this is the same disc they sell separately. Previous DVDs have been released by Echo Bridge Entertainment, and a few others, and by all reports, ALL have the same issue. This issue was eliminated with the Blu-ray release. The Full Moon DVD I had doesn't have the Vestron Video Logo and "End Of Side Two" screen after the end credits that I've read about. However, the closing credits now feature the trailer for the second film superimposed in a window in the upper-middle of the screen as the credits roll.

The remaining videos are for the 2010 adult film Body Heat, not to be confused with the mainstream Kathleen Turner film of the same name. Don't worry, these videos are clean G-rated or PG-rated clips. The movie was filmed in the same Los Angeles firehouse used as the interiors of Ghostbusters headquarters in both films. After grabbing images for Spook Central, I grabbed a few movie clips I thought were funny or interesting.

• Body Heat (2010) - Fire Poles Dialog - For whatever reason, this one bit of a dialog got stuck in my head. Maybe it's the delivery; maybe it's just the absurdness of it. I don't know, but here it is.
    [Riley runs into the Captain's Office out of breath]
    -Kayden: We really need to get an elevator.
    -Katsuni: That's why we have fire poles.
    -Kayden: Yeah, but you know, Cap'. The last time I checked, that was more of a one-way only deal. You know, kinda directional.
The scene was filmed in the Captain's Quarters of the Engine #23 firehouse in downtown Los Angeles.

• Body Heat (2010) - Firehouse 3rd Floor Walkthrough - Two shots I edited together from the Behind the Scenes featurette showing a walkthrough of the third floor of the Engine #23 firehouse in downtown Los Angeles. First, Kayden walks from the hallway into the Captain's Quarters. After that, Jesse and Riley start outside the Captain's Quarters, walk through a long hall, another room, a small kitchen (seen in Suicide Kings and Enrique Iglesias' "Lloro Por Ti"), a small storage room, into the third floor stairway hallway, then down the stairs to the second floor. Dialog is a bit PG-13, but kinda muffled so it's not 100% clear - and if you object to seeing a woman's butt in thong panties, you shouldn't watch the video :-)

• Body Heat (2010) - Exploding Firefighter Scene - This is just so absurd. A firefighter is sent in by the Bomb Squad to diffuse a bomb. Yes, you read that right. He finds the bomb, gives a "thumbs up" to his firefighter comrades, who are just standing around watching with the Bomb Squad guy. He smiles, then blows up!

• Body Heat (2010) - Exploding Firefighter Scene (No Reactions) - This is just so absurd. A firefighter is sent in by the Bomb Squad to diffuse a bomb. Yes, you read that right. He finds the bomb, gives a "thumbs up" to his firefighter comrades, who are just standing around watching with the Bomb Squad guy. He smiles, then blows up! I removed all of the reaction shots in this version, which makes it even funnier. Perfect for one of those animated gifs that spread online, if anyone wants to make one :-)

• Body Heat (2010) - Movie & BTS Comparison - Comparison of a scene in the movie with the Behind The Scenes footage. For those who don't know, RED is the brand of digital camera used to make the movie. The scene was filmed in the engine bay of the Engine #23 firehouse in downtown Los Angeles.

That's all folks.