Cousin, It Ain’t My Bidness
IMPAwards.com has four new character posters for Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”. I like ’em all, but this one is my favorite. They really should have written “business” as “bidness” though.
CNN Michael Jackson Video
CNN.com has posted video of Michael Jackson rehearsing with dancers during a June 23rd session at the Staples Center. In that one minute and 34 seconds, we can see just how magical it was when MJ was on stage. Anyone doubt that when the rehearsal tapes are released on dvd, they’ll shoot straight to number 1… as will the CD?
Alexis Arguello & Karl Malden – R.I.P.
Alexis Arguello and Karl Malden passed on today.
Alexis Arguello, who was a champion in three weight divisions, died at the age of 57 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Arguello, was a charismatic champion who compiled an amazing 82 – 8 record before finally retiring in 1995. Although Arguello never lost a fight 130 pounds he is best known for his first brutal and controversial war against Aaron Pryor in 1982. Arguello moved up in weight with the hope of being the first champion in four weight divisions. Pryor won the fight by knocking out Arguello in the 14th round of the epic fight which had seen both fighters taking and giving as good as they were getting. Arguello seemed to be gaining the advantage, but in the respite before the 14th round, Pryor’s trainer, Panama Lewis, called for a specific water bottle — “the one I mixed” — the mysterious drink seemed to revive Pryor who went on to win. The fight against Pryor was voted Fight of the Year and Fight of the Decade by Ring magazine. Arguello fought for 13 more years and remained a popular figure after leaving the squared circle. He appeared in commercials, carried his country’s flag in the Olympics and was currently the mayor of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.
Karl Malden, 97, died today from natural causes. An Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor in 1951 for his role in “A Streetcar Named Desire” which starred Marlon Brando. Malden also appeared with Brando in “On the Waterfront” and “One-Eyed Jacks” as well as several dozen movies without him. Malden had a five year run with Michael Douglas in the popular “Streets of San Francisco” tv series which ran from 1972 – 1977.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families, friends and fans of Alexis Arguello and Karl Malden.
“Carriers”
I’m a sucker for movies about a small band of folks working to survive against insurmountable odds. This trailer and especially this trailer for “Carriers” makes it look like it will fit the bill.
More Collected Chaykin Goodness
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Howard Chaykin fan. It’s also no secret that Chaykin’s classic American Flagg series is being reprinted in nice hardcover editions. What I didn’t know until reading this interview with Chaykin at Newsarama today, is that Power and Glory, Black Kiss and Midnight Men are going to be collected and reprinted in their own hardcover editions!
The Nocturnals Together Again
CBR.com caught up with Dan Brereton and he gives us the lowdown on the Nocturnals collected editions. I dig the Nocturnals, but would really love to see Dan’s work on The Black Terror reprinted in a nice hardcover.
Oh Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!
The new International trailer for “Inglourious Basterds”, like Harry @ AICN says, “is the first trailer that I feel conveys the sort of vibe I am expecting from the film.” From Harry’s keyboard to Quentin in the editing room, I say.
Catching Up with Andrew Robinson
Newsarama.com has a nice little interview with Andrew Robinson that’s worth a look!
Michael Jackson – RIP
It’s still hard to believe that Michael Jackson died today. He was only 50 years old and in preparation for a new tour. At first it was thought that perhaps MJ had gone too far in his rehearsals and was exhausted, but when word kept coming out that he died, we knew at the very least the situation was grave.
Unfortunately for some, the bizarre behavior of Michaeal Jackson’s later years, and the allegations of child abuse will overshadow his accomplishments in the entertainment industry. But most will remember the first time they heard a Michael Jackson song that made them move [even if they couldn’t dance a lick]. they’ll remember the Michael Jackson song that made them smile when everything was going wrong, or the first time that they saw him moonwalk, or the video that they kept rewinding to watch again.
That’s the Michael Jackson I want to remember. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
Evan Bryce’s Stallone
I’m a big Evan Bryce fan. I’ve been following his work for a few years now and we’ve become friends via the internet.
When I saw that Evan was going to be at this year’s Heroes Convention, I knew that I’d want to get a sketch from him to go with my other two. We talked and Evan asked what character I wanted. I told him it was his choice and handed him the reference photos. I had high expectations for what Evan would come up with. He exceeded them all.
Evan is an exciting artist and one to keep an eye on. You can see more of his work at his blog or his Deviant Art site. Plan to spend a while.
Farrah Fawcett – R.I.P.
Farrah Fawcett passed away today at the age of 62 after a long battle with cancer.
Although best known as a 70’s sex symbol, Farrah actually started working in commercials and bit parts in television in the late 60’s. Anyone besides me old enough to remember her 1973 commercial with Joe Namath? Then in September of 1976, and the premiere of Charlie’s Angels, Farrah shot to superstardom. The show was a hit and Farrah was the fan favorite angel. Her poster sold millions of copies and became a 70’s icon. Farrah stayed with the series for just one year before leaving to try her hand at movies. Although her theatrical movies didn’t do well [I do remember liking “Saturn 3” with Kirk Douglas], she continued to be a fan favorite.
In 1984, Farrah earned an Emmy nomination for “The Burning Bed”. She would earn two more before her career was over [“Small Sacrifices” and “The Guardian”]. In 1995, at the age of 48, Farrah posed nude for Playboy. It became the best selling issue of the decade.
The last few years had been tough ones for Farrah as she struggled to beat the cancer that ultimately took her life. Farrah has passed on, but her icon status will be outlive most of us. Growing up in the late 60’s and 70’s, Farrah Fawcett was our Marilyn Monroe.
Our thoughts go out to her family, friends and fans.
Heroes Con 2009 Report
Heroes Con 2009 was an amazing show. There’s just something about the friendly, laid back atmosphere that runs through the Heroes convention that makes it so appealing. That and the guest list… and the panels… and the auction… and the costumes… and the…
What follows is a long, but abbreviated con report [as if THAT makes any sense]. If you just want to see the photos, then click here. Otherwise, read on, Leon…
I drove up to Charlotte the day before the show with a brief stop in Jacksonville to meet up with “The James”, Matt “Pecker” and “Sweet” Will. We took two cars [in order to accommodate “The James” protein shakes, vitamin pills, yogurt, cheese, water and other supplements — the dude has gone hard core after losing nearly 100 pounds in the past year]. The 6 plus hour ride went by quickly as we rotated who was in each car.
We stayed at the Hilton directly across the street from the convention center. Hal, who had reserved the room, was already there. After the normal amount of visiting, blowing up air mattresses [and popping one – don’t ask], we decided it was time for lights out. Of course we didn’t go to sleep and instead got on the topic of strange sketch requests — which led to a long riff about a mythical guy who wanted “Granny Goodness” drawn the way he likes her. Yes, it was all silly and we’d been up for far too many hours, but I can’t remember when I’ve laughed so hard. The laughter would die down and then someone would start up with “I want ya to draw Granny Goodness…” and then we’d all be howling again. Guess you had to be there.
Friday at the show I was able to pick up sketchbooks [with head sketches] from Francesco Francavilla and Gene Gonzales. I also picked up a model sheet that Dick Giordano had drawn prior to working on the Demolition Man comic adaptation. I saw Craig Rousseau and dropped off reference for a sketchbook sketch. I visited with Evan Bryce and gave him reference for a sketch. I met Chris Samnee for the first time and entered his Heroes Initiative Charity Raffle. I got autographs from: Eric Powell in my Goon: Chinatown hardcover, Ed Brubaker in my Sleeper trade and Ivan Brandon signed my Viking #1. I talked a bit with Steve Niles, but he’d already signed my novels. I also made it a point to stop by and say hello to all of the guests that I knew. It’s always great to see them again. Everyone said that they were having a great show.
“Superman” Dave set up dinner for us at the Fox and Hound. I’d never eaten there, but enjoyed the food and company. In addition to “Superman” Dave, there was “The James”, “Sweet” Will, Matt “Pecker”, Zack and his soon-to-be-wife, Gary McKee, Jason Walker, Matt Haloub, Tom Fleming and at least 8 or ten others that I didn’t know. On the walk back to the hotel, we ran into Evan Bryce. He had his IPhone and showed me a photo of the sketch that he’d done for me. Whoa! Evan is a really talented artist, and I was expecting good things, but he went beyond my expectations. I’m saving the scan of Evan’s Stallone sketch for a separate post soon to come.
On Saturday I set up sketch commissions with Robbi Rodriguez, Andy Kuhn, and Jeff Wamester. I picked up my Craig Rousseau sketchbook/sketch, and Evan Bryce sketch. “The James” was impressed with Evan’s piece and so I introduced him to Evan. “The James” being the sketch master that he is, set up a watercolor commission with Evan. I bought Jason Walker’s sketchbook and he threw in a Demolition Man headsketch. When I wasn’t visiting with artists around the convention floor and taking photos, I hung out with Jason and Gary as they worked on their commissions. By accident I ran into Mike and Sandy who put on the Florida SuperCon. They were there supporting Heroes and talking to artists about a possible appearance at the next FSC.
Dinner was going to be at a Mexican joint across from the convention center. Unfortunately it was full and the place was hot. Since some of us wanted to hit the auction, we decided to split up. I ate at Fuel [a Heroes Con tradition] along with Matt Haloub, Zack & his better half, and Tom Fleming. Tom is into MMA and we had a great discussion during dinner. He’s really a funny and cool guy. I was glad I got to get to know him a bit better at this show.
We then headed over to the auction. Eric Cante’s auction piece was stunning, but I had a feeling that the Frank Cho painting would break the previous Heroes Con Auction Record of $4,200+. I took several pictures and decided to tweet results of key pieces from the auction floor. The Cho piece ended up going for 5 grand… and so did the Mark Brooks’ Scarlet Witch painting! Evan Bryce came in and we talked for a bit. I stuck around to the end of the auction since I wanted to see if Rico would win the Andrew Robinson painting. I was pulling for him, but unfortunately he didn’t get it. I was happy to learn that Dexter Vines was the winner — it’s always cool when someone you know wins.
Matt Haloub and I headed back to the Hilton. When we entered the room the place was empty. Everyone was still out partying. Matt asked me my plans for the last day of the show. I said, “’The James’ still has a couple of pieces to pick up and that it would depend on when they were ready as to when we left. “The James” is really excited about them.” At that point Hal came out of the bathroom laughing. He had heard us speaking and he thought I was “The James” and couldn’t figure out why he was speaking about himself in third person. Of course that led to each of us speaking in third person.
Soon after “The James” and crew showed up at the room. Matt Haloub called it a night and headed to his hotel. “The James” was feeling pretty woozy and conked out… followed by Will. It seemed like a good idea and so it was lights out. I was expecting some “Granny Goodness” talk, but instead we got on a riff which began… “So You’ve Been Dating This Chick for Six Months…” she would then proceed to provide you with some information about herself and the question was, was the info a deal breaker? Some were easy [she has a vitamin B deficiency] but most were strange and totally funny. Again, it was one of those things where you just had to be there.
Sunday, as I was going over my list, I realized that there were two artists that I really wanted to see, but up to this point had missed. Otis Frampton wasn’t there [I later learned that his father had passed away. My condolences to Otis and his family] but Derek Fridolfs was. I walked over with Hal and “The James” to see if Derek was available for a sketch. He was. I got him to do his take on Cosmo from “Paradise Alley”, “The James” and Matt liked Derek’s work and so they got sketches too! James got a sketchbook and a Batman sketch and Matt got a two figure commission of Zatanna and The Demon. I also set up a sketch with Dave Wachter who said he’d have to finish it and mail it to me. [Dave has already sent me a scan of the piece — he went above and beyond on it since he didn’t have it ready at the show!]
Finally we said our goodbyes and packed out gear. It had been a great show. As I was pulling up to pay for parking [$18 a day times three days] I couldn’t imagine how the weekend could have been any better and that’s when the parking attendant waved us on through with no charge!
I am already looking forward to Heroes Con 2010.
All Aboard for Shutter Island
I really like the look of this poster for Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. Let’s hope the movie is half as good as Dennis Lehane’s novel. If so, we’ll be in for a fun couple of hours.
Great Teaser for TUF 10
This teaser for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter lasts for just 22 seconds, but boy are they well done. Rampage Jackson… “Sugar” Rashad Evans… that GIANT standing behind them… and of course Kimbo Slice. After watching that teaser I want the season to start NOW.
A New Existence
Ron Salas [artist] and Nick Spencer [writer] discussed their new mini-series Existence 2.0 with the folks at Newsarama.com. You’ve heard me talking up the series, but now you can hear what the creators of it have to say simply by clicking here.
