From Bill Hunt's column at The Digital Bits: "Universal has let it be known that Airwolf: Season One [is] on the way ... Street date and features are TBA." This comes nearly three years after the feature-length pilot starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine was captured by CineSchlock-O-Rama's Most Wanted.

Update: Street date for 2-disc, $39.98 set is May 24th. Here's the cover:

HUNTER S. THOMPSON 1937-2005

Hunter on the '60s: "There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere.

There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. And that, I think, was the handle -- that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting -- on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave.

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark -- that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:
A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Also: Read this interview.

Since shadowing the production of Blood Feast 2, I've enjoyed swapping e-mails with the irrepressible Herschell Gordon Lewis and sheepishly quizzed the Godfather of Gore this week regarding his feelings about the long-stalled, now Fangoria-ballyhoo'd 2001 Maniacs (co-produced by Eli Roth and blessed by David F. Friedman). In his typical rapier fashion, Herschell writes of the sequel: "I haven't seen 2001 Maniacs and wonder mildly -- at a respectable distance -- what plans for distribution are being made."

His polite pessimism is understandable, especially when talk turned to Grim Fairy Tale ... Win, Lose or Die. Herschell hoped to start rolling this month with 2001 Maniacs money-man Chris Tuffin, yet "production seems to be a more and more distant prospect." Still, the 70-something goretur is undaunted and regaled me with his next barbarous brainstorm:

"Gory Story centers on a guy with a prosthetic arm that, like a Dr. Strangelove device, has a mind of its own. He gets on a bus and creates a disgusting mess. He accidentally pokes out one of his own eyes," Herschell beamed. "So I'm ready and willing if somebody is able."

Just got an amusing e-mail from a gal asking my professional opinion on the legitimacy of a B-producer who offered her "between $25,000 and $75,000 depending on the importance of my role, and whether or not I had any nude scenes." Naturally, I reached into the cliche hopper and cautioned the wouldbe ingenue: If it sounds too good to be true, it is ... but it just so happens I'm producing a pro bono picture you'd be just perfect for!

Those of us anxiously awaiting the final four discs of The Andy Sidaris Collection may need to keep a closer eye on late-night cable. Andy and Arlene, having recently split with their distributor, are considering following Girls Gone Wild mogul Joe Francis' marketing model by adopting a "direct response" TV campaign. From Red Hot Planet ...

"We were with a company named Ventura for our video and we since dropped them. They're a terrific company and a nice bright, young company. But they weren’t for us. They have like 40 or 50 titles come out every month. We need a little more attention than that. We’re gonna come out at night with a lot of programming and 20 minutes of really hard hitting explosions and fun and action. You get two for $14.95 and then the next 10 will come at you once a month. Like they do with Time-Life. And at the end, if you buy all 12, you get a free book."

Scanning through the latest ei Cinema communique, several things caught my eye, though especially intriguing is that undersung '70s sleaze sultan Nick Phillips (Roxanna) has recorded a commentary for Chantal as part of the studio's ongoing pairing of his artful erotica with contemporary, usually Misty Mundae-infused remakes. Other news of note:

- Restoration of Doris Wishman's 1959 debut Hideout in the Sun is underway!

- Breast auteur Jim Wynorski has tapped Seduction Cinema to distribute his Glori-Anne Gilbert jigglers Lust Connection, The Breastford Wives, House on Hooter Hill and The Witches of Breastwicke.

- Stop-motion maestro Brett Piper lent his talents to the five-years-in-the-offing Bikini Girls on Dinosaur Planet.

Best of Schlock '04 honorees Rick Popko, Dan West and the whole Butte County gang of Monsturd fame are busily polishing their latest -- well, you know. RetarDEAD begins where the sewer cinema sensation's plot plopped off and, judging by the toe-tappin' teaser trailer, it appears Rick's right when he told me every cent -- both of 'em -- is going on the screen:

"We've shot more than the first half of the movie. ... This one is taking longer to make, because we have a larger cast. We also want it to look better. We're using a dolly, so we have a lot of really cool tracking shots. We've also employed a real special effects makeup artist (the only guy to actually get paid on this production so far). The guy's previous work included doing all of the major makeup effects of the '80s zombie flick The Dead Pit. I'll tell you, we've got some hardcore gore! I doubt Blockbuster will be picking this one up anytime soon!"

Sure, he's pretty much the greatest actor working in genre films today, but did you know Lance Henriksen is also an artist? One who, like, makes stuff? It's true! Ceramics is Lance's media of choice and, for an investment of 300-to-500 smackers, you can leap from mere fan to collector.

He's recently handmade more than 2,000 limited-edition Alien vs. Predator odes "preserved in the permanency of porcelain." Each of his four tile designs measure a foot square, vary in price based on finish and can be ordered securely via Henriksen's official site.

"It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's Fritters!"

But, if it's hiney kickin' tees you're hankering for, surf directly to Rotten Cotton! Their new Motel Hell shirt was the best 20 bucks I've spent on wardrobe enhancement in a coon's age. Name-brand, high-quality, pre-shrunk cotton. Hand-screened artwork. Superb service that belies their acidically-attitudinal website. (J. Peterman, they ain't.)