Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
This week we have Sly from The Expendables by Tom Hodges. I discovered Tom’s art through his DA site. I saw that Tom was going to be drawing live on UStream so I commissioned several sketches which will be posted in the coming weeks. Tom still draws regularly on UStream and it’s always a blast watching him sketch and interacting with the crowd.
Last night, at a little after 7pm est, as my wife and I were watching The Double on Netflix, our son, Chris, texted us that Whitney Houston had died. Like most of the rest of the world, we were saddened and surprised, but not shocked.
Whitney Houston was a superstar. A singer beyond compare. She was the first female to have an album debut at #1. She was the first and only recording artist to have 7 straight number one hits. These are only two of her many recording records. Whitney Houston was also an actress appearing in several films, the best known being The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale.
Ms. Houston married singer, Bobby Brown, in 1992. Many blame him for Whitney’s descent into drug addiction. Houston and Brown were married for 16 years and had one daughter, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Sadly, as the years passed, Whitney made fewer and fewer albums or movies and her appearances in the press were usually something drug-related. Ms. Houston made at least three attempts at rehab and talked openly about her struggles with drugs in a famous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009. Fans hoped that Whitney had kicked the drugs and things looked promising in 2010 when she began her “Nothing But Love” world tour. Although drugs had a taken a toll on her, Whitney was back on stage and touring and things seemed to be headed in the right direction. Whitney Houston was set to appear on the Grammy awards tonight. It would have been a wonderful step in her comeback. Unfortunately that was not to be. Instead the Grammy’s will feature a tribute to the once-reigning queen of pop.
Rest in Peace, Whitney Houston. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and fans.
For years fans hoped to see Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger appear in a movie together. The dream team-up finally occurred in The Expendables. When it was announced that Arnold would be back in a bigger role for The Expendables 2, fans couldn’t believe their luck.
Speaking of luck, what are the odds that both Arnold and Sly would find themselves side by side in a hospital prep room with both going in for shoulder surgery? Not to worry though, once they are healed both Arnold and Sly are set to team once again in The Tomb.
The on-set photos of Vin Diesel as Riddick just keep coming and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.
Lance Sawyer makes his third [and hopefully not last] appearance, this time with his take on Sly as Jack Carter from “Get Carter.” I’ve been a fan of Lance’s art for a while. Recently I had a chance to purchase a few sketches from him and I could not be happier in how they turned out!
If you’d like to see more of Lance’s art, you can right here.
It feels like it’s Riddick week here at CZ.com. Bleeding Cool posted some interesting news from the latest Riddick press release. In addition to listing recently added cast members, they also posted a plot summary:
I think that Vin Diesel may be as excited about bringing Riddick back to the big screen as we are to have him back. This is the third photo that Diesel has recently posted on his Facebook page. You can see all three there.
If you’re planning to see Mel Gibson’s next actioner Get the Gringo when it’s released then you’re going to have to live in driving distance of Austin, Texas [or one of ten other cities] or be a DIRECTV subscriber. You see, Mel has decided to roll the dice and see how the video on demand market treats him [and his production company].
Coming Soon scored a shot of Vin Diesel on set and in character as Riddick.
This week we have Sly from Cop Land by Tom Hodges. I discovered Tom’s art through his DA site. I saw that Tom was going to be drawing live on UStream so I commissioned several sketches which will be posted in the coming weeks. Tom still draws regularly on UStream and it’s always a blast watching him sketch and interacting with the crowd.
Hey, here’s a recent photo of Sly that was sent to me yesterday from a source that wanted to remain anonymous. That’s an unusual request, so I cleared it with Sly and he was cool with me posting it. And yes, the photo was taken this week. Yes, Sly has found the fountain of youth — and it consists of discipline, diet and time in the gym!
This is the trailer for The Hunter starring Willem Dafoe! It looks interesting, but not as cool as the poster. [And I’m still hoping for a big-screen version of The Hunter by James Byron Huggins starring Sly Stallone.]
Lance Sawyer makes his second appearance, this time with his riff on Sly as John Rambo from “First Blood.” I’ve been a fan of Lance’s art for a while. Recently I had a chance to purchase a few sketches from him and I could not be happier in how they turned out!
If you’d like to see more of Lance’s art, you can right here.
That’s Vin Diesel on the set and in character as Riddick. I have a lot of hope that his next outing as one of our favorite anti-heroes will be on par with his introduction in Pitch Black. (Although I have to admit if it’s at least as good as Chronicles of Riddick, I’ll still be happy.)
Did you know that Mick Foley has a new blog? Well, he does. He calls it Countdown to Lockdown and if you’re still reading this, then you should be interested enough to check it out.
We all know that Mick’s an excellent pro wrestler, has mad mic skills, and is a best-selling author [Have a Good Day] so my guess is that his blog is going to be a blast. [And I’d have said that even if Mick didn’t hook me up at Heroes Con.]
