Update: BREAKING NEWS...Spectrum Labs Raided by Feds...all a/k/a Tommy Chong DVDs Confiscated

WE TOLD YOU THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SEE THIS DOCUMENTARY!!!

The FBI has raided Spectrum Labs, the company that partially owns and is distributing the film a/k/a Tommy Chong. The raids occured Wednesday night at their office in Newport, Ohio.

Spectrum Labs' primary business is selling detoxification products.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Congress held hearings on detox products back in 2005. The founder of Spectrum Labs, Matt Stephens, was subpoenaed, but he pleaded the fifth. Congress was unable to pass legislation on detox products.

They confiscated all the remaining 10,000 of the DVDs possibly because Tommy Chong is not allowed to profit from his conviction (wrongful conviction).

"I'm not profiting off the story of my first amendment violation at all," said Chong.

The fact that another company which doesn't sell the dvds was also busted seems to indicate that it may be primarily related to detoxification products. However, the feds are being tight-lipped.

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Cheech Attends Kidney Foundation Golf Tournament

Cheech Marin, Ray Romano, Joe Pesci, Andy Garcia and more attended the first annual National Kidney Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic at Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank, California. The event was hosted by George Lopez who received a kidney transplant from his wife in 2005.

Everyone was joking around and having a lot of fun.

The best quote was from Cheech...
"George is my best bud...It’s very important for him, the kidney foundation, and it also wipes out 150 hours of court mandated community service for me, so everybody wins."

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Tommy Chong Tour Dates Added

Tommy and Shelby Chong are touring all over the place. Check out the dates we've added under "Current Events."

The show is really farrrr out!

Video: Trailer for Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Apple Computer has posted the trailer for their new film Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

In the Disney comedy, BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, a pampered Beverly Hills Chihuahua named Chloe (voice of DREW BARRYMORE) finds herself accidentally lost in the mean streets of Mexico without a day spa or Rodeo Drive boutique anywhere in sight. Now alone for the first time in her spoiled life, she must rely on some unexpected new friends -- including a street-hardened German Shepherd named Delgado (voice of ANDY GARCIA) and an amorous pup named Papi (voice of GEORGE LOPEZ) -- to lend her a paw and help her to find her inner strength on their incredible journey back home.

Walt Disney Pictures presents BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, directed by Raja Gosnell (“Scooby Doo”), written by Jeff Bushell and Analisa LaBianco and starring an all-star cast including Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona and Jamie Lee Curtis, with the voices of Andy Garcia, Plácido Domingo, George Lopez, Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos, Paul Rodriguez, Cheech Marin and Drew Barrymore.

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Tommy Chong to Judge Super U Film Contest

The web site, Super U, is having a short film contest where you can win $10,000 and have it screened at the Just for Laughs Comedia Film Festival.

Tommy Chong is one of the judges.

For more info...

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Bruce Springsteen Recalls Opening for Cheech and Chong

A long long time ago, there was this young musician, Bruce Springsteen, who was trying to make it big. His band's first gig was opening up for Cheech and Chong.

Earlier this week, Bruce told this story on stage in Charlottesville, Virginia. He recalled that during their set, someone tugged on his shirt with the message, "Cheech says it's time to get off the stage."

Maybe, Tommy Chong will talk about this in his new book, Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Biography, which will be released this August.

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Far Out Man Animator was a USC Dropout

University of Southern California dropout, Dan Povenmire, was a child prodigy. By age 10, he started selling his artwork at galleries. In 1989, he friend hooked him up with Tommy Chong. He was hired to create two minutes of animation for Chong's film, "Far out Man."

Eventually, he went on to create and direct episodes of The Simpsons, Family Guy and more.

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a/k/a Tommy Chong Screening in Toronto

The award-winning documentary, a/k/a Tommy Chong, will have a special screening this Saturday at the Toronto Freedom Festival. Tommy won't be attending because "The media isn’t going to portray this as anything but a big smoke-out" so it won't help the legalization movement.

Eye Weekly asked Tommy about the Jimi Hendrix sex tape that was announced today. "It certainly gives new meaning to the term ‘Purple Haze,’" Tommy said.

When asked about Cheech and Chong being compared to Harold and Kumar, he said the difference is "The movies we did never presented our characters as victims — we were the ones responsible for all the mishaps. And we were playing up certain stereotypes."

Purchase the a/k/a Tommy Chong DVD.

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Cheech to Star in Remake of Witch Mountain

Cheech Marin will star in Disney's Race to Witch Mountain, a remake of the 1970s Witch Mountain movies.

A UFO expert enlists the help of a cabbie to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their evil plans.

The film also stars Wayne "The Rock" Johnson and from the original film, Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann. Cheech will play a helpful mechanic.

Race to Witch Mountain will be released in 2009.

Video: Interview with Tommy and Shelby Chong and Josh Gilbert

AndyCamsHits posted an interview with Tommy and Shelby Chong and a/k/a Tommy Chong director Josh Gilbert. It was filmed at Liberace's penthouse.

Video: Cheech and Chong on KRTH Radio

Last Friday, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong were on the KRTH morning show. They were promoting the 30th anniversary screening of Up In Smoke.

KRTH was nice enough to post video.

Special Screening of a/k/a Tommy Chong Thursday

There will a special screening of the award-winning film a/k/a Tommy Chong Thursday night at the Modernist Society in Washington DC.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director, Josh Gilbert. The screening starts at 9PM.

For more details.

Tommy Chong Talks Obama

Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin both agree that they want Obama to be President.

During a recent interview with Stumped Magazine, Tommy told writer Zach Freeman
“Obama will be our next president. And within his first year as president he will have decriminalized [marijuana]."

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Cheech has also been to at least one Obama rally in recent months.

Celebrate 4/20 with a/k/a Tommy Chong

To celebrate the most important day of the year pick up a/k/a Tommy Chong.

a/k/a Tommy Chong chronicles the entrapment and incarceration of comedic legend Tommy Chong. Josh Gilbert's "a/k/a Tommy Chong" offers a sometimes frightening, often hilarious account of Operation Pipe Dreams, a nationwide drug paraphernalia sting operation spearheaded by former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

After a fully armed SWAT team raided the 65 year-old comedian's home in February of 2003, Tommy Chong was sentenced to 9 months in federal prison for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute drug paraphernalia through Chong Glass, a family business specializing in handmade glass water pipes, or "bongs." Of the 55 defendants prosecuted, Tommy Chong was the only one with no prior convicitons to receive jail time. Justifying the 9 month sentance, the prosecutor cited the classic 1978 movie Cheech & Chong film "Up In Smoke" as evidence that he had become wealthy "trivializing law enforcement efforts to combat marijuana trafficking and use."

a/k/a Tommy Chong depicts the government's wrongful persecution of Tommy Chong via Operation Pipedream. I don't care if you're a pothead, college professor, pro-drugs, anti-drugs, or never even heard of Tommy chong...you'll enjoy this film.

For Cheech and Chong fans, they've included tons of rare home movies, Tommy's stand-up act, old interviews and tv appearances. Director Lou Adler, Cheech and Chong's first agent, Chong's family and other people supply candid stories about Cheech and Chong.

For those interested in free speech and politics, the film discusses how Tommy was the only person from Operation Pipedream to receive a prison sentence. The film also talks about how 9/11 and Tommy Chong's bust helped launch US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan's career.

The frame job...Did you know that an undercover DEA agent repeatedly called and emailed employee's of Chong Glass trying to get them to ship to Pennsylvania? They repeatedly told him no. Josh Gilbert, this film's director, includes the audio of these phone calls.

The DEA agent called and emailed them approximately twenty times stating that he has a tobacco license and asking what the problem was. The employees kept telling him it's against the law. The agent said he spoke to his lawyer and his lawyer said it was legal.

The DEA agent then visited the Chong Glass factory and ordered anything that wasn't in stock. After creating the glass, the DEA agent said he couldn't make it back there to pick up the order. Unfortunately for Chong Glass, this order was taking up a lot of space in the warehouse and was preventing them from fullfilling other orders. Out of desperation, Chong Glass shipped the order to PA.

Forty-five armed agents raided factory which only had one employee there at the time.

It was a setup from the start. Tommy was completely railroaded.

We could write about this film for hours. There is so much content which is edited together brilliantly. The film is very touching. Check out a/k/a Tommy Chong when it comes to your neighborhood.

Purchase Here

Tommy Chong Signs Deal with Live Universe

Tommy Chong has signed a deal with Live Universe, owners of livevideo.com. Tommy's video channel will go live very soon. We'll provide a link when it does.

The first episode will feature video from tonight's 30th anniversary screening of Up In Smoke in Sherman Oaks, CA, including the Q&A session with Cheech and Tommy.

Live Universe was founded by myspace founder Brad Greenspan.

Cheech and Tommy also did a radio show promoting Up In Smoke. If anyone has audio of that, please let us know.