The Face of Evil

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Hearing Charles Manson talking always stops me in my tracks. Maybe it’s because I was ten years old when the murders that made Manson infamous were committed. Then seeing Manson during his trial with his defiant attitude, “hypnotic” eyes, “creepy crawlers,” shaved and carved heads and family of followers — all of it definitely made an impact on this little kid… especially when I learned that Manson had served time in my hometown of Terre Haute, Ind.

When I was in high school I read Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter and at the time it was one of the most shocking books I’d ever devoured. I remember watching Tom Snyder’s interview with Manson when it originally aired in 1981. Since then, whenever an interview with Manson [and they are rare], airs, I find myself tuning in to hear his rants. It’s hard to believe that this little man who had less than twenty years of freedom his entire life became the embodiment of evil for at least one generation.

Fighters Fight

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Matt Hughes lost via TKO in the second yesterday to Thiago Alves in UFC 85. I didn’t see the fight since we passed on the pay-per-view. One a month is pushing it, especially when the last PPV was just two weeks ago. In a way, since I’m a Matt Hughes fan, I’m glad that we didn’t order it.

Despite three losses in his last four fights, Hughes is a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. For a while no other fighter in any weight class dominated the way that Hughes did. As the UFC Welter-Weight Champion, Hughes won 9 title fights. He also had a streak of 19 wins in 20 fights and did it by fighting everyone put in front of him including BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre. Hughes took fights on short notice, fought when injured and represented the sport well. It’s pretty clear that Hughes is no longer the fighter he once was. Not many people will ever be the fighter Matt Hughes once was… but that’s not really the point is it?

Hughes is just 34 years old. If he was in a higher weight class, where power is usually more important than speed, he’d still be fighting and probably at the top of his game. Hughes isn’t big enough to go up in weight. So what should he do? Retire? Stick around and get beat by the top fighters? Fight lesser opponents to pad his record to keep a hand in the game?

Kevin Iole, who covers MMA for Yahoo Sports, says it’s time for Matt Hughes to retire. I don’t think so. I think that Matt Hughes has one more fight that should happen before he hangs it up. Hughes and Matt Serra have had bad blood for a couple of years now. Both feel that they have been legitimately disrespected by the other. It’s a fight that fans want to see. It’s a fight that both want to have.

Ioloe believes that Hughes should retire without fighting Serra. Iole’s contention is twofold: 1] Hughes doesn’t need the fight [he’s set for the Hall of Fame and 2] Serra could win and this would further tarnish Hughes’ record.

Obviously the decision belongs to Matt Hughes alone. But here’s my two cents: Hughes should take the fight. First of all, he wants to settle his grudge with Serra in the octagon. Second, it’s a fight that Hughes, Serra and fans around the world want. Third, it would be a headline fight and what better way to go out than with a win as a headliner. Fourth, even if he loses, he does it on his own terms. He’s still a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame, only now he’s a bit richer. Fifth, fighters fight. Matt Hughes is a fighter.

Dana White has said that if Matt Hughes wants the fight, it will happen. So the ball is in Matt Hughes’ court. My guess is that Hughes will want the match. See, fighters fight. Matt Hughes is a fighter.

And that’s why I’m a Matt Hughes fan.

Fear It Won’t Be Good

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Anyone planning to tune in to NBC’s new horror series, Fear Itself? The series is being billed as weekly one hour horror movies from the creators of “Saw,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Freddy vs Jason” and some other recent scarefests. Truth be told, I plan to DVR the series, but I’m not expecting too much. Still, a little good horror goes a long way.

3 Less Heroes

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Shelton Drum’s Heroes Convention is without a doubt one of the best comic book – media shows anywhere. Over the years longtime ZONErs have read about my adventures at Heroes Con meeting favorite artists, writers, as well as friends old and new. It was always a blast seeing who was going to add their work to my Stallone Theme Gallery or who was going to join the crowd for dinner or whose room would become “the spot” for the evening. And that’s not even taking into account the art auction, book signings, costumes, etc.
Most years the convention would be held on a date that worked for the entire Zablo family vacation. Other times my oldest son, Mike [who is into conventions] and I would share a room with John Beatty. Unfortunately this year the show is being held on a date that doesn’t work out for either plan.

Still, if YOU are able to attend the show, you should. I can guarantee you’ll have a great time. Even if Beatty, Mike and I aren’t there to add to the fun.

EliteXC Not So

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Let’s take a look at last night’s CBS broadcast of the EliteXC MMA card.Heavyweights Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy led off the broadcast. Neither man was well known to me. After watching them fight I don’t know much more. Rogers won by first round KO. Yawn.

Phil Baroni vs. Joe Villasenor was up next. I’d seen Baroni [who calls himself the “New York Bad Ass”] fight before, so I felt that we had to be in for a better bout. Baroni came out dancing and wearing what looked like a glitter-robe that Ric Flair might have thrown away. Then they posted Baroni’s 10-9 record. I respect anyone who enters the cage, but don’t ya think that if you call yourself the New York BA, then you should have a better record? Well, before you start to consider that, don’t. Villasenor KO’d Baroni in the first round. We have our answer.

Kaitlin Young vs. Gina Carano was a highly anticipated fight and not just because the combatants are female. These ladies are skilled warriors and proved it. Both threw disciplined kicks, punches, and took the fight to the mat. There was a real ebb and flow to the fight as each attempted what would work best. Ultimately Carano won when Young was unable to answer for round three. Easily the best fight of the night to that point.

Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith was for Lawler’s EliteXC Middleweight title. Although the fight started out slow with both fighters feeling each other out, Lawler took an early lead by winning the first round with major kicks and punches. Smith surprisingly came back in the second round since it had looked as if Lawler had figured him out. The third round was going to be very interesting. Both men came out throwing bombs… Smith seemed to be gaining momentum when he was inadvertently poked in the eye. The fight was halted so the doctor could check out the damage. Because Smith said he couldn’t see, the fight was declared a no-contest. Everyone was upset with the decision. Smith said that if he’d been given the full five minutes allowed for recovery, he’d have continued. That wasn’t to be. Both men were told that because of their performances that they’d still get a winner’s bonus. It’s sad that what could have been the best fight of the night became a “no contest.”

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. James Thompson was the main event of the night. Surprisingly, what most figured would be a quick knockout by Slice turned out to be anything but. Thompson easily took Kimbo down and attempted to pound away. Kimbo muscled up and the way the fight was to go was evident. Kimbo would throw bombs and try to use his his strength to muscle out of bad situations and Thompson would takedown Kimbo and attempt to submit him. In the second round, it appeared as if Kimbo was tapping but the commentator said that he was just showing that he was okay. After nearly a minute of being pummeled by Thompson in the second round, Kimbo was saved by the bell. The third round started with Kimbo coming out throwing haymakers. He tagged Thompson and the ref quickly [some say too quickly] stepped in to stop the contest. Kimbo collapsed in the middle of the ring, his undefeated record intact.

So, what did we learn from the first mainstream telecast of MMA? The folks behind EliteXC believe that the WWE has the right plan to bring in fans. EliteXC dancers performed on the walkway between rounds. The fighters strolled out to the octagon down a walkway with music a la WWE. Kimbo Slice isn’t anywhere near where he needs to be if he is to fight any top ten fighters. Kimbo did show some skills and a lot of heart, and it’s unfortunate that he’s in the position he’s in… if you can call making what should be hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions unfortunate.

I’m looking to much better fights tonight on the Faber / Pulver card.

Shuttle Launch

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Yesterday Doralya, Chris and I decided to drive down and get as close as possible to Cape Canaveral at the Kennedy Space Center to see the launch of space shuttle Discovery. This was our first trip to see a lift-off and things went smoothly. Although I hate crowds, it was worth it to be so close to the launch. Everything worked out perfectly from the drive down, finding a perfect spot in a little park across from the space center to the weather and lift-off. I guess if I wanted to nitpick I could complain about the traffic going home, but even I’m not that much of a grouse.

Harvey Korman – RIP

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For a period of time, Harvey Korman was a member of one of the funniest comedy ensembles on tv as part of The Carol Burnett Show. I, along with millions of other folks loved to tune in each week to see how Mr. Korman and the others were going to make us [and each other] laugh. In fact that was one of the joys of the show, seeing the cast members attempt to not crack up as they played out their scenes. Mr. Korman won four Emmys for his work on the show.

After leaving The Carol Burnett Show, Mr. Korman went on to make other guest appearances in movies and tv. Mel Brooks used Harvey Korman regularly because every time Mr. Korman appeared on screen he made things at the very least just a bit funnier. Here’s a link to a classic bit with Mr. Korman from The Carol Burnett Show plus a photo tribute.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Kimbo: the Face of MMA?

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This weekend there are two nights of MMA action available to fans. On Saturday night CBS teams with EliteXC and jumps into the mix with Kimbo Slice headlining a card that also features a female MMA fighter. Sunday Jens Pulver challenges Urijah Faber for his World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title belt on the VS channel.

There’s no doubt that I plan to tune in both nights. I’m a fan of MMA fighting and will enjoy the bouts. Saturday night my guess is a lot of folks who aren’t already MMA fans will tune in to see what all the fuss is about. Thinking along those lines I planned a post about why Kimbo shouldn’t become the face of MMA, but why he might be [at least for a while]. Then I read Dan Wetzel’s column today and realized that he said everything I planned to and more.

The Black Sleep

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Last night I was in the mood for an old-time horror movie. But what to watch? How about one starring Basil [Sherlock Holmes] Rathbone [as the mad scientist], Lon [The Wolfman] Chaney, Jr. [as one of the monsters], Bela [Dracula] Lugosi [as Rathbone’s assistant], John [Dracula] Carradine [as a madman] and Tor [“Plan 9 from Outer Space] Johnson [as another monster]? Yep, “The Black Sleep” fit the bill perfectly!

 

What, you’ve never heard of “The Black Sleep”? I wouldn’t be surprised. Unless you’re a real aficionado of the horror genre, you probably haven’t. I guess that’s what makes it a cult film. The sad thing is, “The Black Sleep” is one of the better low-budget 50’s horror films. So let’s take a look at it…

The Pitch: “Frankenstein” meets “The Island of Doctor Moreau.” A mad scientist [Rathbone] frames a former student [Herbert Rudley] for murder and then helps him escape the gallows. In return Rudley must help Rathbone with his evil experiments which turn his subjects into monsters.

The Good: The movie is introduced by Lon Madnight! Having Lugosi [in his final role] along with Chaney, Carradine, Johnson and Rathbone sharing screen-time is a hoot for any horror fan. Akim Tamiroff as Odo the Gypsy steals every scene he’s in. The screenplay is more complex than most of the genre — we have the mad scientist performing evil experiments, but he does so in hopes of learning a way to save his dying wife — we have a framed hero who must solve a murder mystery in order to clear his name — we have monsters chained in hidden cells below the castle, but they are victims of Rathbone’s experiments — at the same time the police are following leads leading to… a great climax with the monsters breaking free just as… ah, but that would be giving it away! [Be sure to keep watching after “The End” credit appears — there’s an added bonus!]

The Bad: What the experiments do to the subjects! Poor Bela is regulated to the role of a mute assistant — he was in terrible health in his final days. The hero’s name is Gordon Ramsay.  (Yep, reminded me of the Hell’s Kitchen guy.)

The Ugly: Tor Johnson, Lon Chaney and the rest of the monsters! Also there’s a great scare with a beautiful girl who’s suddenly revealed to be one of the monsters!

In Summary: “The Black Sleep” is a welcome addition to any horror fan’s library. The transfer is crisp and clean with excellent sound. The disc also includes trailers for other films in the AC DVD library as well as the first chapter of a Blackhawk cliffhanger serial. “The Black Sleep” is another winner from Bill Black.

 

UFC 84 Results

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UFC 84: Ill Will lived up to the hype. The three main fights were all worthy of their headline status. Let’s take a look at them and the results:

  • BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk for the lightweight championship. BJ and Sherk were both in great shape. I thought it would be a great fight and it was. Although most predicted a BJ win by submission, the fight turned into a stand up slugfest! Neither man was willing to back down. BJ got the better of Sherk in the first two rounds, but Sherk kept it close. In the third round it appeared that Sherk may have hurt his right hand because he wasn’t throwing it with conviction and seemed to be favoring it. At the very end of the round, Penn landed a solid punch that sent Sherk back into the cage. BJ immediately followed with a running knee to the head and Sherk went down. BJ rained blows as the ref stood by ready to stop the fight — and the round ended. There was immediate confusion as BJ walked around the ring in apparent victory. Then we learned that Sherk’s corner called the fight. When both fighters met in the center of the ring for the decision, each praised the other. A great ending to a great fight.
  • Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine. I predicted it to be the slugfest of the night and it was.. Both men came out throwing bombs. Jardine was KO’d despite landing some of his own.


  • Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida. When the two met in the center of the cage, the bad blood with Dana White no longer mattered. It was two of the best fighters in the weight class ready to wage war. Machida fought the entire fight backing up which is his style. Tito was willing to fight standing up, and it was a good thing because he just couldn’t get Machida down. Although Tito pressured the fight, Machida landed better counter-punches and at times made Tito look bad. In the third round, and with Tito way behind on the scorecards both fighters ended up on the mat. With just seconds left in the fight, Tito locked in a triangle choke. To Machida’s credit he continued to fight and roll, and to Tito’s credit he rolled with Machida holding on to the choke… unfortunately the new position allowed Marchida to come out as the bell sounded the end of the fight. Machida won by decision but Tito showed he still has more fights in him.
Next week it’s Kimbo Slice on CBS!

Rambo Collector’s Set Contest

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On Tuesday, May 27th, for the first time, LIONSGATE will release all four Rambo films together in Rambo: The Complete Collector’s Set. To celebrate the release of these great action movies, LIONSGATE has provided me with three sets to award to three lucky winners.

The contest is being run through my StalloneZone site. Click HERE to learn more about it!