Totally Tracey Online

Here we are near the end of 2006, and there's a lot for me to say. First of all, I want to wish Tracey a happy 47th birthday (Dec. 30) and a happy 23rd anniversary (Dec. 27, I believe). And to all of you reading this, a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah and a Happy New Year.

Next, I want to direct your attention to a DVD collection of Kirsty MacColl videos, entitled Kirsty MacColl - From Croydon To Cuba - The Videos. Among the 15 videos are her original version of "Terry" and the Christmas favorite "A Fairytale Of New York." It's not available in the US, but you can order it from Amazon.co.uk, although you'll most likely be able to play it only on your PC's DVD player (side note: here's a source for DVD players that can play discs from around the world). It was six years ago this week that she was killed, and when I watched it today, I was reminded of who and what we lost.

There are some reports going around that I Could Never Be Your Woman may be delayed yet again due to problems at the Bauer Martinez studio and the pending loss of its distribution through MGM. I sure hope those reports prove inaccurate.

Well, the trailer for I Could Never Be Your Woman is finally out, and it looks to be a cute film. There is also a site intended for the press that has some stills, including one of Tracey as Mother Nature (looking rather attractive, I might add). The release date is still March 2.

Update (Jan. 13, 2007): the trailer on YouTube has been removed; it was not legitimately posted. The release date for the movie is now TBD.

While doing a Google search, I happened to come across a website devoted to Dr. N!Godatu. These were the other cartoons that aired on The Tracey Ullman Show during the first season along with the Simpson shorts. There are screen captures and transcripts of the six cartoons that aired. It turns out there were two of those cartoons that never aired. If you want to know what they were about, go to the site.

Update: this is actually part of the official website for M. K. Brown, the creator of Dr. N!Godatu.

# posted by Roger @ 3:58 PM 0 comments

Last year at this time, in the realm of DVD releases, we were looking forward to the release of the first season of Tracey Takes On (TTO) on DVD. The second season came out in June, so one might expect that season 3 would be coming out this month. But it's not, nor is it expected any time soon. Is it due to slow sales of the first two season sets? I did my part in that regard. Might it be delayed until the rights to the original version of "They Don't Know" can be obtained so that the credits can be restored to their rightful glory? Interested people want to know....

One of the questions I regularly am asked is "When will The Tracey Ullman Show be released on DVD?" I wish I knew. I had the foresight to record every original broadcast, to hold onto those tapes and take good care of them, and eventually to put them onto my own DVD's. But not everyone was in a position to do so. And what about those fans of Tracey who were too young to watch it or to fully understand it? So far, their hopes for a DVD release have gone unanswered.

Is there any likelihood of a DVD release for TTUS any time soon? It seems doubtful. I see two roadblocks: rights fees for the music, and the size of the market for the product. Music rights have been a significant problem for many DVD sets. Sadly, it's not uncommon for programs to use replacement music, but this changes the episodes. Obviously, you can't substitute for all of the TTUS production numbers. Now this could be bypassed by putting out compilations that don't include any of the music, and it would be better than nothing, but it wouldn't be the same.

The size of the potential market may also be a problem. Fondly remembered as TTUS may be, it was never a ratings success. There just might not be enough potential buyers for Fox to make money selling it. And that's a shame, a rotten shame (but not a dirty shame). Perhaps a boutique seller such as Rhino Handmade or Shout Factory might be able to make a go of it, though the prices would have to be higher.

The She Made It website mentioned in yesterday's post has been updated with information about this year's 50 honorees, of whom Tracey is one. Here are links to her information page, her profile, and a list of what the museum has of hers in its collection. If you want to see everyone who's being honored this year, go here. She's in illustrious company.

An observation about the museum's collection of Tracey-related material: my collection's a lot better. Then again, their total collection's a lot bigger than mine!

Two news items to report, one good, one not so good.

The good: There are reports that Tracey will be inducted into the Museum of Television and Radio as part of the She Made It initiative, along with Carol Burnett, Betty White, newscasters Jane Pauley and Lesley Stahl, and sportscaster Lesley Visser. All are deserving of the honor.

The not-so-good: it looks like I Could Never Be Your Woman is now slated to open March 2, according to comingsoon.net. Sigh....