Chris Z Runs His 1st Half Marathon

Last weekend my son Chris, ran his first half marathon.  He was joined in the race by his girlfriend Mikala, and her mother.

Of course Chris’ mom and I were there for moral support.  [I’m the guy behind the camera.]

Before the race Mikala and Chris are all smiles.

In fact everyone is smiling…

Once the race starts Chris moves from smiles to all out laughter!

At the halfway point and he’s still smiling.

Chris about to pass the older couple in the blue.  ; )

My wife is terrible at taking pictures.  She always cuts off heads.  Perhaps in a past life she was an executioner.  Mikala and her mom are also all smiles at the halfway point.

Chris coming in for his final lap!

Mikala and her mom finishing the race!

Sly Stallone Scores a Headshot

  • Way back in October of 2008, I posted about a French crime comic called “Headshot” that had been optioned by Warner Bros“Headshot” was about a hitman and cop who, when their partners are killed, form an uneasy alliance to get revenge on the powers that set them up.  At that time, I said that I’d love to see an American edition of the comic and that I’d keep an eye out on the progress of the movie.
  • Today I’m happy to report that “Headshot” is moving forward with Sylvester Stallone playing one of the hitmen and Wayne “Running Scared” Kramer set to direct.
  • Here’s how /Film describes “Headshot”… In the film, Stallone’s character “teams with a young NYPD detective in a high-stakes investigation that leads from the dingy back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the power corridors of Washington, D.C. The unlikely duo, brought together by two vicious murders, take on all who stand in their way, and are willing to sacrifice everything to exact revenge.”
  • IM Global [the company making “Headshot”] CEO Stuart Ford said… Headshot is exactly the type of fast-paced, universally themed project that suits our business model. Sylvester Stallone is an international icon and we’re really excited to be in business with him.”
  • “Headshot” is set to being filming in May and I couldn’t be happier.

Jesse Munoz Rocks Rambo

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?

TV Shows We Miss

Recently Bits and Pieces ran a piece listing tv shows that have ceased production but would be welcomed if they returned.  Here is the list with my comments in [ ].

  • 24 [I totally agree.  I never missed an episode and would rather see it return to tv as a series or mini-series than go to the big screen as a movie.]
  • Hill Street Blues [Although I never missed Hill Street Blues back in the day, I think it’s time has passed.]
  • Cheers [Was a great show when it first started but ran it’s course.]
  • The Shield [I never missed an episode and would be a faithful viewer if The Shield returned.  It’d be interesting to see where life has taken Vic Mackey.]
  • Sopranos [Since I didn’t have HBO, I came to The Sopranos late.  I’m not even sure I’ve seen every episode, but I’d love to see it return.]
  • All in the Family [I used to watch it every week in the early years of it’s run.  Then when the cast started to leave, I lost interest.  Plus, what would the show have to do in this era to be controversial?]
  • Everybody Loves Raymond [This is another show I didn’t watch in it’s prime time run.  I do enjoy the reruns though.  If they could get the cast back together — Peter Boyle would be missed — it could work.]
  • Seinfeld [My all time favorite comedy.  I didn’t start right watching right away — who did? — but once I did, I never missed an episode.  If they could get the original cast back along with the show’s writers, could they catch lighting in a bottle again?  I don’t know, but I’d tune in to find out.]
  • Six Feet Under [Never watched it.]
  • NYPD Blue [Never watched it.]
  • The West Wing [Never missed an episode.  I’d tune in if it was brought back — even with a new cast, if the writing was as good.]
  • E.R. [I used to watch every episode until it became more of a soap opera than stories about the ER.]
  • 3rd rock From The Sun [It was fun and I’d tune in from time to time, but nah, for me, it ran it’s course.]
  • Police Squad! [If they could get Leslie Nielsen back, I’d tune in.  Zombies are in!]

Going way back

  • The Monkees [Loved the show as a kid, but unless you have the original Monkees, it’s not the same… and who wants to watch 4 zany 6o plus year old musicians?  Hey, maybe we’re on to something!]
  • Superman [Loved the show as a kid.  I’d tune in to check it out… especially if they did it in black and white and tried to recapture the feel of the original.]
  • Wild Bill Hickok [[Don’t remember ever seeing it.]
  • Sky King [Watched it as a kid and remember liking it.  Saw a clip as an adult and thought “time for a nap.”]
  • Dragnet [Times have changed and I thought it was slow back in the 60’s.]
  • Roy Rogers [Loved it as a kid.  Would tune in to check it out.]
  • Tonight Show with Johnny Carson [That show was fun… and as history has shown the magic could not be recreated]
  • Red Skelton Show [Another fun show.]
  • Carol Burnett Show [Part of the Saturday line-up that made CBS the network to watch!]
  • Dick Van Dyke Show [The supporting characters were the best… I loved that series!]
  • The Fugitive [It uh, ran it’s course.  A remake might be fun… as a mini-series.]
  • Get Smart [It was okay… could it be re-invented?  Ah, let’s do Police Squad instead!]
  • Hawaii Five-O [The new series was more fun than the original and I’ve already lost interest in it.]
  • Leave It To Beaver [ A classic when the Beaver was younger… not so much when he aged.]
  • Ozzie and Harriet [Never watched it.]
  • People Are Funny [Might have seen an episode or two…]
  • Laugh-In [A product of it’s times… and times have changed.]

What about The Wild, Wild WestCheyenneUC Undercover?

Stallone Not Capone

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.

Thomas Boatwright Gets Carter

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

Famous Movies That Left Us Hanging

Cracked.com posted an interesting article about famous movies that left important plot threads unresolved.  The movies are “Spider-Man 3”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “The Shawshank Redemption”, “Fantastic Voyage”, “The Departed” and “Inception.”

I’ve seen all of the movies listed except for “Spider-Man 3” and in each case had totally missed the hanging thread.  Perhaps you did as well?  Check them out here, but be aware that there are spoilers.