Sketch Society Round 2

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That’s Big John Beatty getting caffined up before he starts sketching away at the second gathering of his Sketch Society. This time we’re meeting at Java Junction in Holly Hill, Florida. As you can see in the shot below there’s already a dozen folks here drawing away. I’ll post more as the session goes on!

ALWAYS… Look Before You Leap

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Three armed robbers held up the Applebee’s in Orange City, Florida. They then made their getaway speeding down I-4 with the police in hot pursuit.

When their getaway car broke down on the St. John’s river bridge, the criminal masterminds decided to continue their escape by jumping off the bridge and swimming away.

They didn’t care that it was the middle of the night. They didn’t care that they were about 35 up. They didn’t care that they jumped over a section of bridge that wasn’t over water…

How Fast Can Mel Run?

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The trailer to Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is up and can be seen here.

I like the look of the movie and Gibson has already proved he can direct. I just wonder if the movie is going to die at the box office because of Mel’s drunken driving / racist tirade…

Well… like the movie’s tagline says: No One Can Outrun Their Destiny.


Sketch Society II

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That’s Lon Midnight in the pic with me. I’m the mug on the left. I’ll tell you more about Lon sometime…

… but right now I just want to remind you that John Beatty is bringing together the Sketch Society this Saturday at 2pm. If the gathering is anything like last time, it’ll be a blast. For full details click HERE. I plan to do some live blogging during the get-together so even if you can’t be there, you can take part via the internet!

And You Shouldn’t

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9-11-01.

You know where you were. You know what you saw. You know what you felt.

Five years later.

You still remember like it was yesterday. You won’t forget… ever.

And you shouldn’t.

Balboa, 300, and Royale

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Besides “Rocky Balboa” the movie that I’m most looking forward to seeing is… 300.

Okay, but the movie that I’m most looking forward to after 300 is Casino Royale. It just keeps looking better and better. Now if only we could get word from someone who’s seen a rough cut.

What’s that you say? We can by looking HERE!

Wow! After reading that, I may have to move 300 down a notch!

 

It Was Forty Years Ago Today

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It was forty years ago today. September 8, 1966. I was seven years old. Star Trek premiered with “The Man Trap” episode.

Although I was never a “Trekkie” [or even a “Trekker”], I did love me some Star Trek. My favorite character was Spock and I convinced my mom to let me have my hair cut in the same style as his [although she did draw the line when I told her I wanted to have my ears made pointed].

Tonight at 8pm, in honor of Star Trek’s 40th, TV Land is airing four episodes from the original series [including “The Man Trap”]. I just hope that it doesn’t bring on a strong desire for me to go back to Spock’s haircut.

Bond is Back!

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It’s been years since I’ve had a desire to see a James Bond film as soon as it came out. For me, as I’ve said before, Sean Connery was James Bond. Everyone that came after Connery could get parts of the character right, but no one had the Connery cool or made Bond seem dangerous.It looks like that is about to change on November 17th. Check out the new Bond trailer and you’ll see why.

Blade Looking Sharp!

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I’ve been watching “Blade” since it’s premiere. I thought “Blade” had a lot of promise and stuck with it. With each passing episode, the series was getting better. I loved the concept of Vampire “houses” and backstories of the major characters. The “young” old vampiress and her giant vampire bodyguard were cool additions. I also liked that Blade, wasn’t always the focal point of the episodes. In fact, at times many other characters [and their story threads] were more interesting than his!
This Sunday, there’s a Blade Marathon.  You might want to check it out.  If you do, you’re in for a bloody good time. [Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.]

A Weekend Like The James’

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My buddy, The James, just got back from DragonCon.

DragonCon is a smorgasbord of fun… movie & TV celebs, directors, authors, artists, bands, professional wrestlers… well, you get the idea.

I’ve never been to a DragonCon, but if I went, I’d want a weekend like The James had. Yeah, that’s The James sitting with George “Night of the Living Dead” Romero. [And that wasn’t the highlight of his weekend.] Click here to find out what was.

 

RIP: Steve "Croc Hunter" Irwin

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When I first read the news this morning that Steve “Croc Hunter” Irwin had been killed by a stingray, I have to admit that I thought it might have been a sick hoax. So I immediately started checking legitimate news sources and found that the news was true and had spread all over the internet and tv.

Irwin became an international celebrity in 1992 when his “Croc Hunter” television show was picked up by the Discovery Channel. Irwin’s genuine love of nature and animals was infectious and I don’t know anyone who didn’t know and enjoy his work.

Steve Irwin leaves behind a wife and two children as well as a world of fans. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them all.


Andrew Robinson Gets Carter [2006]

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I first met Andrew Robinson when he was crashing at my buddy John Beatty‘s joint years ago. Andrew was just breaking into comics with his creation “Dusty Starr.” A blind man could see that this kid had TALENT. Andrew was also cool to hang with because he was so friendly and humble. I wasn’t back in to collecting original art then and so I missed my chance at a Andrew Robinson “Stallone.”

 

I was excited to see that Andrew was going to be a guest at this year’s Heroes Con. I figured that if I was lucky Andrew might agree to a Stallone drawing [if I could get on his sketch list]. I shouldn’t have worried. Beatty stopped by Andrew‘s table and it was as if the years melted away. They were like brothers who hadn’t talked in months. As it turned out, after Heroes, Andrew was coming to Florida to visit his family [who now lived less than an hour from Daytona]. One thing led to another and Andrew decided to ride back with Beatty and John Highasi. The bad news was that I would miss out on the drive back since I had other commitments. The good news was that Andrew was going to do a Stallone drawing for me… and he wanted to wait until he got to Florida to do it!

 

Andrew ended up drawing Sly as Jack Carter during one of his visits to Big Beatty’s. Not only did Andrew do a killer job, but he was having so much fun that he decided to throw some colors on it as well! Here’s the original, the first color piece the second color piece and even the third!

If you like what you’ve seen of Andrew‘s art, then be sure to check out Next Exit Productions which is Andrew‘s home on the web. You’ll also be glad to hear that Dusty Starr #1 is now available. If you can’t get it from your local comic book shop, you can get it straight from Andrew by clicking HERE. Be sure and also check out the first ever Dusty Starr Sketchbook. Like everything else that Andrew works on, it will make a fine addition to your collection!