Cheech and Chong News

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:30:00 +0000

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.

Read Here
and Here

Cheech Attends Kidney Foundation Golf Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:09:00 +0000

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."

Read Here

Tommy Chong Tour Dates Added

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:12:00 +0000

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.

Watch Here

Tommy Chong to Judge Super U Film Contest

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:07:00 +0000

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...

Read Here

Bruce Springsteen Recalls Opening for Cheech and Chong

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:58:00 +0000

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.

Read Here

Far Out Man Animator was a USC Dropout

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:36:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:32:00 +0000

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.

Read Here

Cheech to Star in Remake of Witch Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:02:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:21:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:50:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:16:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:53:00 +0000

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]."

Read Here

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

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:18:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:13:00 +0000

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.

The Highest People of All-Time

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:14:00 +0000

G4 created a list of the highest people of all-time. Willie Nelson, Snoop Dog and the dopemaster himself, Tommy Chong, are some of the people on the list.

They say that they're "pretty sure that at this point Tommy Chong is weed."

Number one on the list is the crew of Apollo 13 because they were so high up in space. G4 must have been high when they wrote that joke. So not funny!

Read Here

The Winnipeg Sun listed Cheech and Chong as the top stoner duo.

Read Here

Happy 4/20 Everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Happy 4/20 everyone!

To celebrate watch G4 channel's “Code Monkeys: The Story of 420,” featuring guest star, Tommy Chong at 5:00 pm ET/PT,

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong to Attend Up in Smoke Screening

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:43:00 +0000

How cool is this?

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong will be attending a 30th anniversary screening of Up In Smoke this Sunday (4/20) in Sherman Oaks, California.

Raise a glass with us as ArcLight Sherman Oaks helps UP IN SMOKE celebrate its 30 birthday, Sunday, April 20 with a newly restored, 35mm print of this '70's classic. Two directionless musicans, a Chicano guitarist (Cheech Marin) and a White drummer (Tommy Chong), meet up in a chance encounter and embark on a series of odd adventures, including being the unwitting partcipants of a bizarre marijuana smuggling plot.

Q&A TO IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THE 7:30PM SCREENING WITH WRITER/ACTOR/ACTIVIST TOMMY CHONG AND WRITER/ACTOR CHEECH MARIN.

Sorry, it is sold out.

Read Here

Cheech Marin Shooting Another Episode of Lost

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Cheech Marin will be returning to ABC-TV's Lost as Hurley's dad. The shoot takes place in Hawaii next week. It is the last episode of the season. It airs May 15th and is titled "There's No Place Like Home (1)." Sounds like a cliff hanger.

Cheech last appeared in two flashback scenes in the February 28, 2007 episode. The scenes were amazing. It's available on itunes if you missed it.

Download Here

Natasha Rubin to Perform at LACMA

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:55:00 +0000

Pianist and Cheech Marin's girlfriend, Natasha Rubin, will be performing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on June 22nd. Cheech Marin will be there.

Cheech's art exhibit will also be on display at LACMA from June 15 thru November 2.

Tommy Chong Provides Foreward for Pot Culture Book

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:56:00 +0000

The new marijuana bible - POT CULTURE: The A-Z Guide to Stoner Language & Life, written by Shirley Halperin and Steve Bloom, with a foreword by Tommy Chong - is officially being released on 4/20.

POT CULTURE lists more than 500 people, places, words and slang phrases (from “Acapulco Gold” to “zooted”). It’s also a how-to guide, an atlas, a book of manners, a cultural manifesto, a cookbook, and a cross-referenced history lesson on the world of weed. With hundreds of photos and illustrations, maps and charts, sidebars and first-person accounts, POT CULTURE dazzles and informs, educates and entertains about a subject that’s gone from taboo to practically mainstream.

POT CULTURE also brings you closer to the high-life of celebrity stoners, with facts, quotes, and photos of the famous (Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Dave Chappelle) and the legendary (Bob Marley, Willie Nelson), as well as contributions by Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman, Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Superbad star Jonah Hill, America’s Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry, and many more.

From Howard Stern's Vault: Tommy Chong Needs Crackhead Bob

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:27:00 +0000

Howard TV, Howard Stern's on-demand cable television channel, is now showing a classic episode From The Vault. In "Tommy Chong needs Crackhead Bob," Stern proposes that Tommy use wackpacker Crackhead Bob as his new movie co-star.

It's hysterical, uncensored and is found under "Favorite Guests."

Howard TV is only $10-12 month (depending on your cable provider). It's well-worth it.

Cheech is Guest Judge on VH1's Viva Hollywood

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:44:00 +0000

VH1 is gathering the hottest group of aspiring Latino actors who think they have the stuff to be America's Numero Uno Telenovela Star.

The cast of fiery wannabes will live together, fight together, make love together...while competing for the coveted title and a Hollywood prize package that includes a contract with Telemundo, the biggest telenovela production company in the United States.

This season, guest judges include Cheech Marin, Cristian de la Fuente, Daisy Fuentes, Charo and Perez Hilton.

video.vh1.com

International Songwriting Competition Announces 2007 Winners

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:45:00 +0000

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is pleased to announce its 2007 winners. Renowned for its prestigious celebrity judges, ISC received over 15,000 songs from amateur and professional songwriters from 100 countries worldwide, confirming ISC's status as the leading global songwriting event. More than $150,000 in cash and prizes is shared among the 59 winners, including an overall Grand Prize of $25,000 (US) cash, the largest cash Grand Prize of any songwriting competition in the world, and $30,000 in merchandise and services.

For a complete list of 2007 ISC winners and to hear the winning songs, go to www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.htm

It is with great pleasure that ISC bestows its highest honor, this year's Grand Prize, to Eduard Glumov (Aktobe, Kazakhstan) and Z. Mulls (Swarthmore, PA, USA) for their song "I'm Not Your Friend." The song, entered in the Rock category, was lauded by the ISC judges for its originality, arrangement, and compelling melody.

The collaboration between Eduard Glumov and Z. Mulls - from Kazakhstan to the USA, from one side of the globe to the other, perfectly reflects ISC's mission of creating a competition that is inclusive of songwriters worldwide. Glumov, a singer/songwriter, and Z. Mulls, a lyricist, met each other on MusesMuse.com, a songwriting resource website, and their musical collaboration produced the winning song.

Candace Avery, the founder and director of ISC, states, "It is amazing the way technology and the Internet allow songwriters from different parts of the world and cultures to collaborate, culminating in international partnerships such as this. I'm very proud that "I'm Not Your Friend" is the ISC Grand Prize winner because it epitomizes the core intention of ISC, to foster songwriting around the world."

Eduard Glumov, born in a small province town in the Soviet Union, started writing songs very early but became serious about songwriting at the age of 13 when his father was arrested and imprisoned for anti-Soviet activity. Later in the '80s, the era of political turmoil and unrest gave way to Perestroika, enabling Eduard to tour with his rock band. In the '90s, he began a studio career, writing, recording and producing songs and instrumental music for different artists, for theaters, and TV. He plans to release an indie CD in the USA in the near future.

Z. Mulls professes that writing lyrics is not a profession, but an avocation, stemming from a lifelong love of musical theatre and songwriting in general. He posts his lyrics on various websites, looking for collaborations with artists. He calls himself "a wordsmith in search of a melody."

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, many other deserving songwriters also share in the prestige and kudos of winning their respective categories in ISC 2007. With a total of 19 categories and First, Second, and Third Place in each, (along with a list of Honorable Mentions), ISC covers all genres of contemporary music, including rock, jazz, r&b/hip-hop, blues, and much more.

For the first time in the competition's history, the majority of winners (59%) come from outside the USA. The winners represent diverse cultures and come from all corners of the globe, from Brazil to Senegal, Scotland to Iceland, New Zealand to Brazil, Canada to the USA, and beyond. Receiving more international entries than any other songwriting competition, ISC is recognized as the pinnacle of excellence in rewarding achievements in songwriting throughout the world.

The big news for ISC this year is the dominance of Australian songwriters as winners in many different categories, including a clean sweep of the Rock category. This is the first time that songwriters from a country outside the USA have won First, Second, and Third Place in a specific category. It is especially remarkable that Australia, a country of only 20 million residents, has produced ten winners in this year's ISC, attesting to its dynamic music scene. Aussie winners range from up-and-coming, unsigned songwriters to established award-winning artists such as Gotye, Eskimo Joe, Clare Bowditch, Abby Dobson, and more.

Applauded for its high caliber of judges, ISC compiled a stellar panel of judges for the 2007 competition, including: Tom Waits; Loretta Lynn; Julian Casablancas (The Strokes); Nelly Furtado; Ray Davies (The Kinks); Kenny Wayne Shepherd; Ornette Coleman; Youssou N'Dour; Sean Paul; Jerry Lee Lewis; "Weird Al" Yankovic; Black Francis (Pixies); Robert Smith (The Cure); Cassandra Wilson; David Cross; Craig Morgan; John Mayall; Joe Satriani; Toby Mac; Michael W. Smith; Chris Hillman (The Byrds); John Scofield; Hinder; Amy Ray (Indigo Girls); Cheech Marin (Cheech & Chong); Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Macy Gray; Peter Hook (New Order); Paulina Rubio; Tiesto; Charlie Walk (President, Epic Records); Monte Lipman (President, Universal Records); Mona Scott-Young (President, Violator Records); Cameron Strang (President, New West Records); Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Betty Pino (DJ, WAMR Miami, pioneer of Latin radio); Angel Carrasco (President, 605 Discos and Sr. VP A&R, Sony BMG Latin America); Thomas Brooman (Co-Founder/Artistic Director, WOMAD); Dan Storper (President, Putumayo World Music); Nancy Wolpert (VP Home Entertainment and Nick Records, Nickelodeon/BMG); Leib Ostrow (CEO, Music For Little People); and Paul Majors (CEO/Founder Majors Music).

Tommy Chong Tells TMZ Cheech is Mad at Him

noreply@blogger.com (and relayed by the weedmaster) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:10:00 +0000

TMZ asked Tommy Chong if Cheech and Chong will ever reunite. Tommy tells TMZ that Cheech is mad at him right now because of things he'll be saying in his book Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Biography.

Watch TMZ interview here.

The book will be released in August.

Pre-order Here.