cannabisnews.com: Showtime Rolls Out 'Reefer' Pic 





Showtime Rolls Out 'Reefer' Pic 
Posted by CN Staff on January 30, 2004 at 09:09:02 PT
By Andrew Wallenstein 
Source: Reuters 
New York --  Showtime is lighting up "Reefer Madness," the off-Broadway musical satirizing the evils of marijuana, as an original film. "Reefer" will reunite the creative team behind the stage version -- writers Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney and director Andy Fickman -- which won numerous awards and had an extended run at the Hudson Backstage Theater in Hollywood in 2000.
Acknowledging that greenlighting a comedy musical is an unusual choice, Showtime entertainment president Roger Greenblatt said the network has diverse ambitions for its original films. "I do want people to see that we are open to doing all kinds of different things," he said. "Reefer" is a parody of the 1936 film that offered an overblown estimation of the dangers of marijuana usage. Future generations of college students came to enjoy the original for its unintentional comedic effect. The stage version made light of the hysteria-whipping "Reefer" by imagining marijuana as a gateway to ghastly consequences like animal cruelty and cannibalism. Murphy acknowledged that premium cable is the only place the racy "Reefer" could run without compromising the content. "We don't have the restrictions on where we can go for humor that we would have had on broadcast television," he said. Added Studney: "It never leaves the realm of good rock musical theater." Fickman said he always envisioned the production as a musical movie. "From the very first time Kevin and Dan gave me the script, it was impossible for me not to think 'Rocky Horror (Picture Show)' or 'Little Shop of Horrors,"' he said. The addition of an orchestra and the elimination of a few songs is expected for the Showtime version of "Reefer," but fans will still recognize the finished product. No casting has been set, but Greenblatt promises cameos aplenty. "Reefer" will be shot on a Vancouver soundstage starting in April in anticipation of a 2005 airdate. Reuters: Hollywood Reporter Source: Reuters Author: Andrew Wallenstein Published: January 30, 2004Copyright: 2004 Reuters Limited Reefer Madness The Moviehttp://www.crrh.org/hemptv/misc_reefer.htmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 31, 2004 at 09:17:22 PT
That Sounds Wonderful
It was down to zero here last night. I put bath towels near the wood stove and made then nice and warm and put them over our shoulders and it felt so good! I was in LA in 94 in late January thru early February and when I called home we were having ice storms where you couldn't do anything but in LA the weather was almost like what I think the weather would be like in heaven. No bugs, no humidity, wonderfully warm sun. The climate is great and I know why you love it. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on January 31, 2004 at 08:48:56 PT
FoM I hope you stay warm!
Here in LA I just harvested my winter lemon crop and turned it into marmalade.The magnolia and narcissus are just starting to bloom and the night air is becoming fragrant.
Everyone's pruned their roses and the first new canes are beginning to show.How do you tell it's winter in LA?It's easy! It's when the backyard citrus trees are heavy with fruit!And the lawn has rye grass instead of Bermuda.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 30, 2004 at 11:37:23 PT
Related Press Release from PRNewswire
Showtime Is High On 'Reefer Madness'Friday January 30, 2004Film Version Of Hit Marijuana Musical Is Greenlighted Apollo Screen To Produce With Premium Network NEW YORK, Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Showtime Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt, on the heels of picking up his first dramatic series, HUFF, has just greenlighted his first SHOWTIME Original Picture: REEFER MADNESS, which will be produced with Apollo Screen. This raucous film musical is adapted from the hit stage musical, which is based loosely on the cult exploitation film of the 1930s. The highly-stylized film is slated for pre-production in early February and will go into production in April 2004. No airdate has yet been set. 
 Garnering strong critical acclaim for its off-Broadway run in 2001, the musical took Los Angeles theatergoers by storm in the 1999-2000 season and broke records at the Hudson Theatre. It also swept the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Backstage West Garland and Los Angeles Theatre League Alliance Ovation awards, winning Best Musical or Best Production honors from all three organizations.Reuniting the stage version's creative team, the film will be directed by veteran director Andy Fickman and written by Kevin Murphy (book and lyrics) and Dan Studney (book and music), all of whom will also executive produce. Fickman, Studney, and Murphy all received the Ovation and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards for the stage version."We are very excited about this musical which I would describe as a cross between Grease and The Rocky Horror Picture Show," stated Greenblatt. "It's ideal for premium cable because you will see nothing like this anywhere else on television. And the cleverness of the musical satire makes it both highly entertaining and sophisticated at the same time. If Rocky Horror were being made today, it would probably only happen at Miramax or on premium cable."REEFER MADNESS is a tongue-in-cheek comedy adaptation of the classic anti-marijuana propaganda film of the same name that was released in 1936 as a cautionary tale. The musical begins with the gathering of a group of concerned parents at the local high school to view an informational film dramatizing some of the consequences of their kids getting hooked on drugs. The drab black and white of Smalltown USA quickly segues into the bright Technicolor of the film-within-a-film that focuses on sweet 17-year-old Jimmy who falls in with an evil marijuana dealer. With just one drag of the demon weed, the clean-cut Jimmy quickly goes into a twisted, hilarious downward spiral of reefer, sex and mayhem.Filled with a highly original score of songs and musical sequences, the stage version quickly developed a cult audience that knew every lyric and line of dialogue in the show. When the original Los Angeles production closed, it had run 150 performances and was the longest-running show of its size in L.A., as well as one of the longest-running shows in L.A. history. It then won an unprecedented 20 of its record 22 award nominations from the various Los Angeles critics groups, often beating out big-budget commercial productions such as Fosse and Cabaret in head-to-head competition. The show also appropriately won "High Times" Magazine's Production of the Year award.Andy Fickman is a familiar Los Angeles stage director, most recently represented by the long-running Jewtopia. His film directing credits include the indie comedy Who's Your Daddy for Vernah Harrah's Middle Fork Productions. In addition to their stage musical partnership, the authors have written separately on many television projects including Ed (Kevin Murphy) and Honey I Shrunk The Kids (Dan Studney).The film is the first project in a new partnership between Showtime and Apollo Screen, a relationship that was facilitated by industry veteran Jim Veres who will serve as Executive Producer of the movie along with Jan Korbelin, Managing Director and CEO of Apollo Screen, a German funding and production company. "It is crucial to find and nurture productive relationships that allow the creative process to continue in today's challenging market," Veres remarked. Jan Korbelin commented, "Aligning our resources with the unique vision of Showtime's Bob Greenblatt is an opportunity we would not miss."The talent deals were brokered by Paul Haas at Endeavor and lawyers Jamie Mandelbaum and Darren Trattner on behalf of Kevin Murphy; by Ken Greenblatt at Genesis and Evan Corday at Evolution for Fickman; and by Greenblatt, Mandelbaum and Trattner for Studney. David Stern negotiated the talent and financing deals for Showtime.Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI)Press Release Source: Showtime Networks Inc. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040130/nyf074_1.html
Cannabis News Breaking News Archives
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 30, 2004 at 11:21:06 PT
It's So Cold and Snowy
It is very cold and snowy here. I hope everyone is staying warm that is being effected by this cold snap. I'm singing this song today.SNOW MISER SONG[Snow Miser]I'm Mister White ChristmasI'm Mister SnowI'm Mister IcicleI'm Mister Ten BelowFriends call me Snow Miser,What ever I touchTurns to snow in my clutchI'm too much!http://www.geocities.com/etheltheaardvark/snowmisersonglyrics.txt
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by yippierevolutionary on January 30, 2004 at 11:16:38 PT
On Suites
We need two suites for prohibs and two for the legas, for the prohibs I have three ideas so far handcuffs, the gavel, and bars and in prison bars. Any other ideas?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Virgil on January 30, 2004 at 10:32:50 PT
On cards
I would only want to encourage you to do a first quality job on things you distribute. Quality is job 1.It was a joy to see the pictures on Outlaw Jose Inhales' website. I wanted to copy one to HempCity but the cards do not copy as a picture. The need for a customizable deck is answered by printing from stock. If you had a card for Cnews that printed to 8.5 x 11 I would have it on the wall in a few minutes. You guys are so avant-garde. I will have to get my strength up to print some out later tonight. Give it H. I also thought of another suite- paraphanalia.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by yippierevolutionary on January 30, 2004 at 10:08:59 PT
Virgil I tried registering at DU
But they said you need a non-anonymous e-mail address unless you e-mail them and ask for a waiver.I did and they never responded.You are right, perhaps we should communicate through e-mail.Printing at home is easy and maybe good for a trial deck, but I really do want this to be a proffesional job.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by Virgil on January 30, 2004 at 09:27:41 PT
U R right FoM. Not a chance.
There is an injustice here that will be corrected. To defend CP is to say that you are for injustice. The call to go onward with failure and injustice is going to show the "just say no" crowd a new level of zero tolerence.The jig is not just up on MLG, it is up on prohibition. Among the functionally literate, there has to be a strong majority calling for the end of cannabis prohibition. I really would like to see an poll that actually took to the street and would give us a take on what everyone thinks and what the college graduates think.Yippie, there is something I would like you to read in a thread I started at DU on printing your own cards at home using a template. I wish you would register at DU and respond in this thread so as not to bore people here- http://tinyurl.com/36bjt
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 30, 2004 at 09:10:12 PT
We Aren't Going Away!
We're here for the duration and maybe soon the government will understand!
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment