Dwayne Johnson Tells JoBlo What’s Cookin’
JoBlow.com has a nice interview with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who talks about co-starring with Vin Diesel, how he picks his roles, how he develops his characters and more.
Category: Celebs
RIP – Jack LaLane
Jack LaLane died yesterday of respiratory failure due to pneumonia. Mr. LaLane was 96. He was an amazing man as well as a pioneer in the field of nutrition and exercise. He will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
Hennie Blaauw’s Barney Ross
Long time SZoner, Hennie Blaauw sent in the piece above with this e-mail:
- Hi there,Looong time hey… Just thought I’d send you something I did in my free time at the studio…should animate it one of these days..hehe.
Keep well, thanks for a rocking site!
Cheers
Hennie Blaauw
+++++
Thanks to Hennie for sharing his talents. And, yes, we’d love to see it animated! – Craig
Good Lord, John Beatty!
Can you tell who those eyes belong to?
My buddy, John Beatty created a classic shot of the character and the full image is available for free download thanks to Big John.
Dustin Harbin Goes to Cop Land
This week we have Dustin Harbin’s look at Freddy from Cop Land.
Dustin is a freelance illustrator working out of Charlotte, NC. I’ve known Dustin for years through his outstanding work with Heroes Con. It was only recently that I discovered Dustin’s talent for cartooning. So I hit him up for two Stallone sketches. You can see the first, Dustin’s take on Jack Carter, here.
Who is Jake Ellis?
I don’t read many comic books these days, but one I am really looking forward to is, Who is Jake Ellis. Written by Nathan Edmondson and with art by Tonci Zonjic, this comic series looks to be not only a change of pace, but a lot of fun. Here’s how Josh Wigler at CBR.com describes, Who is Jake Ellis?…
- “The story centers on Jon Moore, a highly sought-after espionage expert working in the European underground. Unknown to his clients — to anyone, for that matter — is the fact that he’s assisted by Jake Ellis, a seemingly all-knowing entity that nobody can see. Nobody, that is, except for Jon himself. The high-octane comic book series spans five issues and multiple European locations, providing fans with a reading experience that sits comfortably alongside the tensest thrillers the spy genre has to offer.”
And speaking of CBR.com, they are running the first eight pages of issue one with commentary by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic. Who is Jake Ellis? #1 is available at comic shops now.
Rob Smith’s Santa Stallone
I’ve known Rob Smith Jr. for over 30 years. In addition to being a talented artist, Rob is one of the most passionate, committed and dedicated people I’ve ever met. Rob absolutely loves the state of Florida, nature, art, politics, reading and more. Rob’s enthusiasm is contagious and he is always on the go. Another thing I admire about Rob is he doesn’t just talk about his passions, he gets actively involved.
Rob and I met up for breakfast with another old friend [Jim Ivey] earlier this week. As we were eating, talking and doing a lot of laughing, Rob whipped up his take on Sly as Santa. After our breakfast, Rob headed out to another meeting about preserving an old Florida school and then to an evening meeting with the Florida Trail Association. Whew!
You can check out Rob’s site and learn about more of his passions!
A Quick Look Back…
As we head into a new year, I always take a moment or two to look back. Since today is the first day of 2011… The top photo is of me taken during the middle of a tough game. I was a sophomore at Mainland High School and played defensive tackle.
This photo is of me and Mike Singletary. The Chicago Bears have always been my favorite pro football team. Mike Singletary is one of my all-time favorite players [and he would have been even if he wasn’t a Chicago Bear]. Singletary was never the biggest player on the field, but he always played with the most heart. I got a chance to meet Mike back in 1993 or 1994. He had been brought in as an inspirational speaker and I was lucky enough to get some face to face time with him afterward. Funny, but my hair doesn’t look as gray in that photo…
The Greatest Pro Wrestlers of All Time
Recently UGO listed their choices for The Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time. Using just their list, here is my top ten:
- Hulk Hogan – Without a doubt one of the worst “wrestlers” to make the list, but also without a doubt one of the most popular of all time. Hogan at the top of his game could sell out any arena no matter who he was wrestling. Everyone knew who Hulk Hogan was and he was one of the first wrestlers to successfully move into movies.
- Ric Flair – The “jet-flying, limo-riding, kiss-stealing, dirtiest player in the game.” Flair wrestled for so long, for so many organizations and always at the top of the card that he became a fan favorite despite his bad guy image.
- “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – came in and changed the face of wrestling at a time when it was fading. Austin had “tried” other personas with limited success, but his no-nonsense, take no guff from the boss attitude struck a chord with fans. Austin has made the transition to movies.
- Bruno Sammartino – one of the most popular wrestlers of all time. Because of his popularity, Bruno held the title for over ten years in two runs [something unheard of in the last few decades] and at one time held the record [perhaps still does?] for selling out Madison Square Garden.
- Dusty Rhodes – After a run in the midwest as part of a “bad guy” tag team, Dusty came south and became a literal Superstar.
- Mick Foley – has had more wrestling personas than most, but it’s Mick Foley the fans love. His “hell in the cell” match with the Undertaker made him a legend.
- The Undertaker – Biker or Spawn of Hell? “It doesn’t matter!” said in the best Rock voice. The fans love him.
- The Rock – had the Rock stuck with wrestling he’d be higher on the list. Actually I’m glad he didn’t since I dig most of his movies.
- Andre the Giant – a living legend. Fans came to see Andre. It didn’t matter who or how many wrestlers he was wrestling.
- Superstar Billy Graham – Paved the way for Hulk Hogan and all the musclebound, roided wrestlers of the 80’s and on…
UGO’s list is very limited. Where was Dick the Bruiser [my personal choice for #1], Mil Mascaras, Blackjack Mulligan, Wilbur Snyder, and so many others. And yes. Andy, I did see Moose Cholak wrestle many times, but he wouldn’t have made my top 50. Sorry Moose.
Falling Skies, Raising Expectations
Have you seen this trailer for Falling Skies? So, what’d you think? Although I’m not sold from just seeing the preview, I do like the concept…
… FALLING SKIES opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force…
… and the people involved…
FALLING SKIES is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, along with DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, Graham Yost (Justified, The Pacific) and screenwriter Robert Rodat. Rodat, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay for Saving Private Ryan, wrote the pilot from an idea he co-conceived with Spielberg. Mark Verheiden (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica) and Greg Beeman (Heroes, Smallville) are co-executive producers. The pilot was directed by Carl Franklin (One False Move, Out of Time)…
The series stars: Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, and Colin Cunningham.
Hero, Dynamite and Henchman
That’s the cover above to Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1. I can remember buying the first issue off the stands [cover date June 1972]. Lucas was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In an effort to get early release, Lucas agreed to an experimental treatment designed to boost a person’s immunity to illness. Instead it gave him super-strength and steel hard skin. Lucas used his new powers to escape prison and take on the identity of Luke Cage, Hero for Hire.
I loved the idea of a hero who took on cases like a private eye. And although Cage was a “Hero for Hire” he often took on cases for no pay when the cause was right. I really got into the comic. In “shop” class we had to create business cards, so while other kids were creating cards as lawyers, plumbers and the like, I created cards that read “Blackjack Joey, Hero for Hire.” I explained to the teacher that “Blackjack Joey” was my secret identity [taking the moniker of my favorite professional wrestler, Blackjack Mulligan, and combining it with my middle name Joseph].
That was over 38 years ago. So you can imagine my amusement when looking through the December issue of Previews to see these two comics coming out in the early months of 2011.
That’s the cover to Black Dynamite: Slave Island coming from Ape Entertainment. It’s a 48 page full color graphic novel based on the “Black Dynamite” movie which starred Michael Jai White. Black Dynamite: Slave Island was written by Brian Ash with art by Jun Lofamia. The book is suggested for mature readers and will set you back $5.95.
Harry Walton: Henchman for Hire is a 62 page full color graphic novel [$9.95] from Arcana Studio. Written by Zak Sherman with art by Tom Martinek and Jason Worthington, it is the story of a “disenfranchised ex-super-hero sidekick” who decides to “work his way up the ranks” and become a super-villain.
I’m not sure either of the two books are my cup of tea, but they did make me want to go back and re-read Luke Cage, Hero for Hire.
Andy Kuhn Gets Carter
Andy Kuhn does the best sketches! He is a master of spotting blacks and knowing just what needs to be put in and more importantly left out. I love Andy’s sense of design so I was extremely pleased to get on his sketch list at Heroes Con and asked him for Jack Carter. As you can see he rocked it. You can check out more of Andy’s art at his blog and his DA site.
Riddick Returns
Earlier this afternoon, Vin Diesel posted on his facebook page the art above and a tidbit about the third Riddick movie:
So the director of Riddick, my partner on COR [Chronicles of Riddick] since the beginning, DT [David Twohy]… has a new challenge in store. He wants me to have 3 different body looks for this next chapter… There is the DiNorscio type, the Dom type, and the lean Furyan type… but all in the same movie, haha… When it comes to art, we all like a challenge.
You can read more about the third Riddick movie here at Bloody Disgusting.
Indiana Jones and the Death Rumors
There’s been quite a bit of speculation lately, that Harrison Ford would like to see Indy killed off in the next Indiana Jones movie. Depending on which article you read, Ford either…
- wants Indy to die and pass the fedora and bullwhip on to his movie son played by Shia LaBeouf or…
- … the reports that Ford wanted to kill off Indy are false.
Either way, the rumors have some die hard Indiana Jones worried. Although I’m an Indiana Jones fan and would look forward to another outing, I’m not in the least bit worried about the character. Seriously, if Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull didn’t kill off the character, nothing will.
Dustin Harbin Gets Carter
This week we have Dustin Harbin‘s look at Jack Carter. Dustin is a freelance illustrator working out of Charlotte, NC. I’ve known Dustin for years through his outstanding work with Heroes Con. It was only recently that I discovered Dustin’s talent for cartooning.
Well, you just know I had to see Dustin’s riff on Sly. I hope you dig it as much as me. Dustin will be back soon with his take on Sly as Freddy from “Cop Land.”
