Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Conan: The Movie Blog recently posted some previously unseen shots from the new Conan film. Like a lot of folks, I’ve been watching the filming reports wondering how the new Conan will compare to the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger/John Mlius “Conan: The Barbarian.” My guess was it wouldn’t be as good as the original, but probably better than Schwarzenegger’s second outing as “Conan: The Destroyer.” The new photos raise my expectations a bit…
Sean Gordon Murphy is one of those artists who just seems to come out of nowhere with his own distinctive style that you can’t help but love. I met Sean at last year’s Heroes Con. His sketch list was full, but he said he started a new list each day and I should check back the next day. I made sure I was first in line and ended up with this classic piece of Rocky and Butkus.
You can see more of Sean’s art at his site. Sean is going to be at Heroes again this year and I’m hoping that lighting strikes twice.
“The President’s Speech” starring President George W. Bush and Sir Michael Tyson in a Tyler Perry film thanks to Jimmy Kimmel via Bits and Pieces.
Brian Stelfreeze. Barney Ross from The Expendables. What else needs to be said? Simply enjoy the genius of Brian Stelfreeze.
Ok. For those new to the show, Brian Stelfreeze is one of the most amazing artists working today. He can do it all… pencil, ink, color, design. I have never seen a bad piece by Brian. Yet, he is one of the most humble, approachable and appreciative artists you’ll ever meet. This is my second piece by Mr. Stelfreeze. [You can see my first here. Both are “cornerstones” of my collection.] I hope it is not my last.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Secret Life of Houdini, The Making of America’s First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman is being developed as an…
…action thriller featuring a character who is part Indiana Jones and part Sherlock Holmes, documenting his rise as a magician along with his covert involvement with the Secret Service.
“Sly Stallone‘s still the man for international buyers. IM Global’s $40 million-budgeted Sylvester Stallone action project Headshot attracted heat here at the European Film Market with German giant Constantin taking the hit for local territory rights in a major pre-sale deal.” – that’s a quote from The Hollywood Reporter and you can read the full piece here.
This weekend, despite being a scheduled guest, Robert Blake was kicked out of a Hollywood Stars Show. If you’ve never heard of it, The Hollywood Stars Show takes place every couple of months in Burbank, California. Celebrities such as Ernest Borgnine, Larry Hagman, Corey Feldman, and others show up to sign autographs and pose for photos with their fans for a fee. This weekend was Robert Blake’s first and most likely last appearance at the show. Let me explain.
The Hollywood Stars show ran on Saturday and Sunday. When Mr. Blake arrived on Saturday he requested and received a private side area for his photos and autograph signings. After a short period of time, Mr. Blake became upset because his line was much shorter than some other celebs in attendance. After a shouting match with the show’s organizers, Mr. Blake left.
Then on Sunday, Mr. Blake returned unannounced and unexpected. According to both sides, Mr. Blake wanted to sign autographs and photos for free. According to both sides, that was going to happen despite the chaos it caused and the fact that it upset other celebs in attendance who were charging. At some point everything went south and Mr. Blake was asked to leave. Before he was escorted out, he stood on a chair telling his fans that he would be out in the parking lot signing for free. You can imagine the problems that caused. He was escorted out of the building and then asked to leave the parking lot.
Mark Evanier comments on the incident here. TMZ has video of the incident. And there was even an “open letter” from The Hollywood Show explaining what happened.
Robert Blake is such a talented person, but he’s always been a bit out there.
A little over a month ago my wife and I planned a “breakfast get-together” with Jim Ivey and Rob Smith. Both Jim and Rob are old friends that I don’t get to see as much as I’d like.
Our meetings start as get-togethers for breakfast, but without fail turn into “gift” exchanges, sketching, reminiscing and a whole lot of laughing.
Jim and Rob just before they break out the sketch pads and throw-down.
Rob breaks out the smart phone to video Jim as he works his magic.
Jim may not have a smart-phone but he was mentally recording his former student’s every move. Here’s a look at Rob’s creation.
You know, looking at these pictures makes me think it’s about time for another get-together.
Jesse Munoz is back with his riff on Rocky. I discovered Jesse though his DA site and his website. This is my second Stallone piece by Jesse. You can see the first, Rambo, here. I’ll show you the others soon. Until then, why not check out Jesse’s sites?
I’m a fan of Jesse Munoz’s art. I discovered him though his DA site and then a web search to his website. Recently Jesse ran a contest where the person who could send him a screenshot of his DA site the closest to hitting the 25,000 page view mark would win a 3 card sketch set.
I watched as the days went by and the hits got closer to 25,000. I hoped to be around when the number was hit. I had been sick with a bronchial infection and woke up in the middle of the night coughing. I decided to get up and check my e-mail. Then I decided to check in on Jesse’s site. Guess what page view number I landed on? 25,000. Unreal.
Jesse came through in flying colors with three cool Stallone themed cards. This Rambo piece is the first. I’ll show you the other two soon. Until then, why not visit Jesse’s sites and show him some love?
Since some of you may not be regular readers of my StalloneZone site, I thought I’d share this cool Stallone poster here too.
I found this overseas movie poster for “Capone” and really liked the art. Of course the poster design is pretty deceptive in that Sly doesn’t star or even play Capone in the movie. Most SZoners know that Sly had a small, but important role as Frank Nitti. Ben Gazara played Capone. Did you notice that Sly was even given top billing in the poster credits?
Oh well, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a pretty cool poster.
This is the third, and at this point, last sketch by Thomas Boatwright that I have to post. My first was this First Blood piece. This sketch of Sly as Barney Ross from The Expendables was the second piece. I totally dig them all [although the Jack Carter is probably my favorite].
If you’d like to see more of Thomas Boatwright’s art check out his blog and his DA site. Send him some love. If you get commissions, you should consider a piece from Thomas. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices and is a fantastic artist! – Craig
I came across this photo of Jack LaLane yesterday. It was in a photo series called Bodybuilders Through the Ages posted by the Smithsonian.com.
If you look closely at the photo you’ll notice that Mr. LaLane is wearing a handcuff on his right wrist. Oh, and that island you see in the background, that’s Alcatraz. In 1955, at the age of 41 and while handcuffed, Jack LaLane swam from Alcatraz island to Fisherman’s Wharf. Mr. LaLane did it again when he was 60! While most folks would think that swimming from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf was a crazy stunt [at any age], to Jack LaLane it was just another way to celebrate a birthday.
