In a Zombie-Apocalypse: I Will be Your Father Figure

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Did you ever wonder how well you’d survive if the world fell to a zombie-apocalypse?  Now you can find out thanks to the folks behind AMC’s The Walking Dead website.  I took The Walking Dead – Survival Test and my survival skills rated me as a…

FATHER FIGURE

  • You’ve got the life experience, and your gentle manner, compassion and wisdom attracts others, making you the nucleus of your group.  That’s just fine because you need people as much as they need you.
  • You’ve lost a lot [both before the apocalypse and after], and a sense of community helps ease your depression and gives you purpose.

The Cost of Being an American Idol

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Have you ever wondered how much contestants on American Idol make?  I’m not talking about the winners, I’m referring to the guys and gals that make the cut to get on the show but don’t go all the way.  And who pays for their outfits?  Do they get meal allowances?  How much cheese do they get for the Ford commercials?

You can find out the answers to all those questions and more right here thanks to Bankrate.com.

A Preview of my Heroes Con Report

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I spent this past weekend at HeroesCon and had a blast.  I will do a proper con report later in the week with some photos and more details.  Each year Heroes is a lot of fun, but this year was especially so.  I attended panels, got several new sketches for my Stallone theme collection, discovered some amazing new [at least to me] artists, got to visit with old friends, attended a Drink & Draw session hosted by Urbanbarbarian Dan Panosian, Rev. Dave Johnson and Jeff Johnson [the talents who created D&D], hung out with my wife, LittleJohn and his bride, got the inside scoop on a long-running joke played on Mr. Mean Green Jeans himself, and so much more.

If you’re at all interested in Heroes tune in this weekend!

RIP – James Arness

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I was sad to hear that James Arness died on Friday, June 5, 2011, at the age of 88 of natural causes.  Most fans know Mr. Arness as Marshall Matt Dillon from the long-running tv series Gunsmoke which aired from 1955 to 1975 and then returned in the form of five made-for-television movies.  If Matt Dillon was the only role that James Arness was known for, it’d still be enough reason to post about his passing.  I spent many hours watching Gunsmoke with my grandfather and those are memories I’ll always treasure.   [It was my grandfather who informed me that James Arness and Peter Graves [Mission Impossible] were brothers.  LOL.  The things that we remember.]

James Arness was also an important part of my childhood because he played roles in two of my favorite monster movies.  Mr. Arness was the thing in the classic The Thing from Another Planet.  He also played the romantic lead in another sci-fi classic, Them! You can also find James Arness in the John Wayne classic, Hondo!    One of my favorite James Arness‘ roles was as the mountain man Zeb McCahan [a role that he played in a made-for-tv movie and two mini-series].

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fans of James Arness.

The Last of the Innocent

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Whenever Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips get together for a crime comic series they create magic.  Well, the boys are at it again with their latest arc Criminal: The Last of the Innocent.  Based on Brubaker & Phillips track record, I like many of you, pre-ordered it, sight unseen.  Well according to this five star review at CBR.com, we made an excellent decision in getting on board early.

If you haven’t ordered yours yet, it’s not to late to contact your local comic shop.  You’ll be glad you did.

Playing for Change: Gimme Shelter

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This cover of The Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter by Playing for Change really works.  It’s a cool video made cooler when you know the process of getting people from around the world to join in…

  • Gimme Shelter was recorded by unknown artists in a virtual worldwide street studio all around the world. It all starts with the base percussion, which is recorded first and sets the rhythm to it all, played by Greg Ellis in Hollywood. Then, the track flies all over the world, where other artists use it to play their own parts of the song.

[Via Gizmodo]

Vincent Price: 100 for his 100th

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On Friday, May 27, 2011, if he was still alive, Vincent Price would have celebrated his 100th birthday.  Zach Bellissimo decided to honor the milestone by creating 100 Vincent Price drawings of the horror legend in the roles that made him famous.  What a cool idea!

Well done, Zach.  I’m sure Vincent Price would have gotten a kick out of them!

Billy Fowler Got Carter

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I met Billy Fowler at Heroes Con last year. I hadn’t seen Billy’s art prior to the show, but I really liked the sketches that he was doing. Luckily, I was just able to get on Billy’s sketch last. He worked up this really great take on Sly as Jack Carter.

Billy is scheduled to be at Heroes Con again this year. I wonder if lightning can strike twice. You can see more of Billy’s art at his blog.

UFC 130 Results

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There was maybe one person who had a worse night that me when it came to UFC 130.  Who?  Oh, I’d say maybe Stefan Struve… maybe. Let’s see what made it so bad…

  • Thiago Alves [18-7] vs. Rick Story [12-3]
    Prediction: Alves wins by decision
    Result: Story wins by unanimous decision making me 0-1 for the night.


  • Jorge Santiago [23-8] vs. Brian Stann [10-3]
    Prediction: Stann wins by TKO.
    Result: Stann wins by TKO making me 1-1 for the night


  • Travis Browne [10-0] vs. Stefan Struve [21-4]
    Prediction: Struve by TKO
    Result: Browne by KO in the first round making me 1-2 for the night


  • Frank Mir [14-5] vs. Roy Nelson [15-5]
    Prediction: Mir by decision
    Result: Mir by decision making me 2-2 for the night


  • Matt Hamill [10-2] vs. Quinton Jackson [31-8]
    Prediction: Hamill by decision.
    Result: Jackson by unanimous decision making me 2-3 for the night

Final Thoughts:

  • Rick Story is a tough kid who just won’t quit!
  • Brian Stann has a great future ahead of him.
  • Stefan Struve got KO’d!
  • I wish Mir could have ended the fight against Nelson.  Unfortunately, Nelson was tough enough to hang in but not in shape enough to make it really competitive.
  • Hamill fought a dumb fight.  I thought he’d have tried to stay on the outside of Jackson and just keep kicking and punching.  Instead, Hamill continued to shoot for takedowns [which Jackson easily stuffed] and then would get clocked each time he tried to disengage.
  • Bring on Caine vs Do Santos!

UFC 130 Predictions

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  • Thiago Alves [18-7] vs. Rick Story [12-3] If Alves didn’t weaken himself making weight and he doesn’t have too much ring [mat] rust, he should do okay.
    Prediction: Alves wins by decision


  • Jorge Santiago [23-8] vs. Brian Stann [10-3] Stann is a star on the rise and Santiago hasn’t fought in the UFC in five years.
    Prediction: Stann wins by TKO.


  • Travis Browne [10-0] vs. Stefan Struve [21-4]  These are two giants!  Browne is 6’7″ and Struve is 6’11”.  If there’s a KO someone has a long way to fall.
    Prediction: Struve by TKO


  • Frank Mir [14-5] vs. Roy Nelson [15-5]  This should be the main event.  I like both of these warriors, but Mir is my favorite fighter.  Nelson can take a punch and has a great ground game.  Mir is a submission artist but does he want to go to the ground with Big Country?
    Prediction: Mir by decision


  • Matt Hamill [10-2] vs. Quinton Jackson [31-8]  Jackson has the experience and usually does well against wrestlers.  What worries me is that Rampage has been talking about quitting the fight game in a few years.  In my opinion that signals trouble.
    Prediction; Hamill by decision.

    HeroesCon: One Week to Go

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    In just one short week I’ll be heading up to Charlotte for my annual pilgrimage to HeroesCon.  I can’t wait.  It’ll be nice to get away for a “long” weekend… especially since I’ll be spending it at Heroes.   There’s always plenty to do to stay busy and the guest list this year is the best ever.

    If you’re planning to attend, here are some great tips [posted by Neil] so you can get the most out of the show.