The hilarious and inspired first season of The Sarah Silverman Program must have proven a pretty hot seller; Paramount went and rushed the first six episodes of season two onto a DVD streeting today, even as the rest of the season continues to air on Comedy Central.
COMMENTARIES:
2.1 “Bored of the Rings.” Sarah Silverman & Laura Silverman. Learn that Letterman/Kimmel writer Steve O’Donnell played the minister. Learn that the actress playing the taller pro-choice nut is Schrab’s girlfriend. Learn that Justin Roiland, who plays one of Steve’s nerd pals, used to sell his comic books to people waiting in line to see “Mr. Show.” Learn that Posehn, a real-life Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast, is embarrassed by the episode’s inaccurate depiction of the game’s rules. Learn that Sarah and Steve enjoy playing You Don’t Know Jack and peeing into ziplock bags together. Learn that one of the pro-lifers is played by Jimmy Kimmel’s brother Jonathan, a “South Park” writer.
2.3 “Face Wars.” Laura Silverman & Jay Johnston. Learn that the tennis-club girl bore Kevin Nealon’s spawn. Learn that, as the episode was shot in South Central Los Angeles, a catfight broke out on Sarah’s car and left a person-sized dent in its hood.
2.4 “Doody.” Sarah Silverman & Laura Silverman. Learn that “Monster House” writer-director Rob Schrab plays “Cookie Party” host Mini Coffee. Learn that that this episode’s political b-story was part of the pilot, but excised. Learn that Sarah watched “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” Learn that the episode was written around Laura’s song about white poop from the ‘70s. Learn that the smaller of the Mustangs was played by series writer Chris Romano.
2.4 “Doody.” Writer-director Rob Schrab & head writer Daniel Sterling. Learn that Paul Tomkins’ character always reaches for his gun when Laura’s around because he’s jealous of Jay and Laura’s relationship. Learn that Jay’s mustache was real during season one but fake during the first half of season two because Johnston thinks it makes him look like a douche in real life too. Learn that Mini Coffee began life in Schrab’s Channel 101 work. Learn that Schrab lost 15 pounds after seeing himself in this episode. Learn that this episode made Sterling cry.
2.5 “Ah. Men.” Brian Posehn & Steve Agee. Learn that the high-school flashbacks featuring a beardless Posehn was the last thing shot that season. Learn that when he had long hair, Posehn was called “Edgar Winter” a lot. Learn the Greg Pitts’ name tag at the reunion reads “The O-Face Guy.” Learn that the fake-looking rooftop in downtown L.A. was actually real.
2.5 “Ah. Men.” Schrab & Sterling. Learn that Dan Harmon wrote the flashback scenes during season one. Learn that the writers are reticent to put Sarah in romantic situations because they’re so overdone in sitcoms. Learn that the actor playing God, Tucker Smallwood, really plays the guitar. Learn that the sixtysomething Smallwood fought in Vietnam. Learn that after God kills a neighbor with a TV remote, there was to be a subplot about the authorities searching for neighboring apartments with a missing remote. Learn that showing the exhalation of bong smoke is forbidden on Comedy Central. Learn that YouTube’s “Afro-Ninja” was Smallwood’s staircase double.
2.6 “Maid To Border.” Posehn & Agee. Learn that Sarah’s maid will be back in the second half of season two. Learn that Posehn suspects the older guest-stars don’t get a lot of the jokes. Learn that the scenes set in Mexico were shot in San Diego. Learn that Posehn and Agee, consigned so often to segregated b-plots, seldom actually see Sarah Silverman even though they’re on her show.
OTHER EXTRAS:
* “2007 Comic Con.” (29:35) Zach Galefienakis hosts a post-season-one panel will all five of the main cast members, as well as co-creator Schrab and writer Sterling. Discover that Jay Johnston doesn’t really have a mustache. Learn that Sarah’s influences include Woody Allen, Albert Brooks and “my boyfriend” Steve Martin (whose name is written on her bedroom ceiling). Learn that the creators are frustrated at how many quality jokes wind up on the cutting-room floor. Learn that they were hopeful that deleted material would end up on this DVD. Silverman, Posehn and Johnson share “Mr. Show” stories. Learn that each director shoots two episodes at a time. Learn that dope is smoked during show writing sessions.
* “Digital Short: Steve and Brian’s Basement Adventure.” (2:39) A funny, fast-moving and agreeably strange cartoon written and directed by Justin Roiland, who also wrote and co-directed “House of Cosbys”:
“Basement” depicts what happens when Sarah’s enormous homosexual stoner nerd neighbors find a gigantic egg near their fuse box. Comedy Central should, seriously, greenlight six half-hour episodes immediately.
* “Digital Short: Brian’s New Office.” (1:57) Posehn deals with the ghost of a stuntman. Also very funny. The Silverman sisters guest star.
* “Cookies Come Alive! Part I.” (3:42) An animated short about living cookies who refuse to be eaten by anyone but the man who made them, Michael Cookieson. One of them drives away an interloper with a fart.
* “Cookies Come Alive! Part II.” (4:14) Michael creates a robotic oven and gets a visit from a former love who wants to use his living cookies as currency.
* “Cookies Come Alive! Part III.” (4:27) An evil octagon robot seduces the living cookies with alcohol. Schrab plays Cookie #2 in these “Cookie Come Alive” cartoons, all written and directed by Roiland.
* “Cookie Party Video Game.” (:57) “Cookie Party” host Mini Coffee hawks the extraordinarily lame X-Box version of her show, rated M for mature.
* “Behind The Scenes: Jay’s Cape.” (3:03) The cast and crew speculate on the purple cape Jay wears offscreen.
* “Behind The Scenes: Jay’s X-Box.” (1:04) Jay refuses to share his videogame fun with Steve.
* “Behind The Scenes: Justin Sketch.” (1:52) Justin Roiland tries to offer five acting tips.
* “Behind The Scenes: The Silverman Report (Jay)” (2:11) Spazzy, bearded Michael Smith asks Jay why Sarah hates Jay so much.
* “Behind The Scenes: The Silverman Report (Ookie)” (1:34) Smith finds “Cookie Party’s” puppet co-host uncooperative.
* “Behind The Scenes: The Silverman Report (Steve)” (2:14) Smith asks which cast-member Steve would most like to see die.
* “Behind The Scenes: The Silverman Report (Paul F. Tomkins)” (1:39) Actor Chris Tallman, who plays a cop in “Face Wars,” substitutes for Tomkins, who also plays a cop. Smith is dismayed.
* “Behind The Scenes: On The Set With Steve (Steve’s Talent)” (2:53) Steve pitches a disturbing episode idea.
Syndicated to a fleet of UHF stations in the pre-cable 1970s, “Ultraman” is about Shin Hayata, a member of Capt. Toshiro Muramatsu’s Science Patrol who – thanks to a deadly air collision with a giant superhero from Nebula M7B – can transform into the 130-foot-tall martial-arts-loving merged-being Ultraman. Hayata’s ability came in handy, as Japan in Hayata’s far future era (1993) would routinely find itself menaced by gargantuan monsters that looked very much like the ones from the Godzilla movies, only spray-painted different colors.
The series was created by Eiji Tsuburaya, the effects man behind 1954’s “Godzilla” who had access to all the monster suits. “Ultraman” originally aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System in 1966 and 1967, spawned at least 25 series sequels, and apparently served as a key inspiration for the Super Sentai franchise that spawned the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
$44.99gets you the original 39 episodes on six discs.
I'm obliged to point out that "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan and "Lost" showrunners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof all worked on "Nash Bridges," if not necessarily its first season.
Just a few years after making "12 Angry Men," Henry Fonda starred in a TV western called "The Deputy"? Does Harry know about this?
must have proven a pretty hot seller; Paramount went and rushed 
