Following up

So even tho Herman REALLY wanted to talk about Avatar, I managed to hold off of most of our comments till this week's episode (Thanks Everett!)

To Avatar or not

Here's a little "behind the scenes" of the radio show.

After watching Avatar, and realizing that former WWE Superstar Tazz may not be a call-in guest for next weeks show, I was considering to make next week's show all about Avatar. I feel we can easily fill an hour talking about the movie.

I mentioned this to (co-host) Herman, and he thinks we should stick to the plan on do Avatar tonight. I'm going to talk to the rest of the team, and you'll have to tune in (or wait till next week) to see what is decided!

Good Times

My newest webmaster is working on the new totally redesigned site, so hopefully I'll be able to upload new shows myself on there. As of right now, I still can't figure out how to get it on the "ICFTR" site....

The show is going quite well, Charlie did very good, and we had a good time. This week we will have a call in guest.

So things are looking up right now! I look forward to the new calendar year.

So now what?

I have been spending the better part of the day trying to upload last nights show to the "It came from the Radio" site (it was pretty good with the new addition). Still no go. I guess I still need a computer guy....

Just in time for the holidays

I had something else in mind for this week's post, but it seems that Santa came early and we have a holiday run of "It Came From The Radio" shows starting next week. The schedule is tentative, but this is what I have lined up so far:

12/8: Re-cap of the time between shows, a "duel of the cons" follow up, and then well have a discussion of re-makes and the new "re-imaginations"

12/15: Call-in guest from the comic Serpent Wars, then a discussion of the new 3-D trend in movies

12/22: Sky Pirates, and Avatar

and finally, 12/29: I hope to get former WWE superstar Taz to be a guest and have a discussion of the new "Sherlock Holmes" movie.

Remember they are all live, so listen in call in and spread the word!

Random Thought

I was thinking about this the other day. They do covers of songs (where one artist sings the exact same lyrics of another artist's song, re-make movies and TV shows, but they never re-write books. Why is that?

Why is it that people feel a tv show is "old" or "dated" where there are books much older? I mean there is no new "Romeo and Juliet". Yes, there are new "takes" of the story, but the book is never "remade".

Just something I was thinking about....

The day after Godzilla attacked our Independence in the year 2012

If you didn't get my attempt at humor, I am talking about the new disaster movie 2012 (made by the guys who did Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, and the American Godzilla (amongst others)).

And as with all my movie discussions, spoilers may (and most likely) will be mentioned.






First off, this movie is looong, but it didn't feel like it, so that tells me the pacing was good. The movie starts off in 2009 (which was a bit of a surprise to me) where they get right to the plot. Crap is going to go down "very soon". Usually, there is one guy who knows everything and no on else believes him, but not in this movie. Right away, the President (played by Danny Glover) is notified and he let's all the "important people" know.

Soon after that, we are introduced to the "every man" the people who are going to have to survive (or at least try to) the disaster. Usually, these people are introduced separately and brought together by what ever the movie throws at them. Not in this movie, everyone is connected together in some way before crap goes down (which was a nice touch).

Now lets get to the destruction: Computers have come along way, but it still looks..."not right" somehow. But, these guys went all out (so far as to stretch your limits of plausibility to the max) with stuff blowing up (or down, or out) all over the place. No inch of the screen was spared. Usually, it's just one (or possibly two) big events and the rest id build up. Not in this movie. There are at least 5 different events (each equally huge) scattered throughout the movie (which once again helps with the pacing.

Out of everything going on, there was one guy who stood out for me....



Johann Urb (shame there is no dude-ipidea) He has "Hero" written all over him. Every time he showed up on screen, I was thinking, he could be Captain America, or maybe even the next action hero.

Now for the bad stuff....
The only thing that really bothered me (and only after I left the movie) was the really really good cell phones every one was having. As it stand now most phones don't work properly (dropping calls and bad connections and what not). But not in this movie. Despite the cell towers being destroyed (either by flood, earthquake, or just you know blowing up) everyone was able to call everyone else with no problems at all. They even mentioned that they had to turn off the switchboard because of all the phone traffic, and yet everyone was still able to make calls! In most horror movies, there is no reception and that is just with a guy in a hockey mask running around. Here, the world is coming to an end and everyone can still reach out and touch someone!

So overall, it was a decent disaster movie, the characters were more fleshed out than usual, the destruction levels were high and the cast was pretty decent. So go out and see it you only have 3 years to do so!

It's (still) hard to find good help these days

I know alot of people. Every time I go to a con, I realize that. Publishers, Artists, Writers, and even "names" in the comic book biz. I have called upon them for tips, advice, and even help with my various projects. I have even gone beyond that and even recruited my friends.

But sometimes (more often than not) their stuff comes first. It's how they make their living and get their product done. The reason I mention this is because I just got word that one of those contacts cannot help me out in regards to my latest radio show. While I understand, the end result doesn't help me.

So for the time being, 3 of the six shows (as well as the compilation "best of") will be in Internet limbo for the foreseeable future.

They say you should surround yourself with people who have the same passion and desire as you do to succeed. I have an addendum to make to that...you should also have someone who can devote the time needed also. With the world getting smaller (because of the digital technology), I still find it difficult to find that right partner(s). But I'll keep plugging along.....

Red Vs Blue

ok, I finally got this figured out...so you now will get 2 posts today (seeing as how I am missing a week)

I just wanted to gripe about something here....I love Red Box. It's a little (red colored) vending machine to rent movies for only $1.00 a day and return them to any other red box by 9pm. Miss a day? Pay one more dollar...what more can you ask for?



They are becoming very big and the movie companies are trying to stop them sayin that it is hurting dvd sales and costing them millions. But as it stands, they are here to stay and only growing. So what does my arch-nemesis Blockbuster do? they make a Blue Box..



They cant come up with an original idea? Why try to steal a good idea? Well, we all know the answer to that one, it's the American way....

So if you are out there and see a red box, try it, see a blue box, keep on trucking my man!

Man I hate those guys.

Very Normal No Activity

The hype (the scariest movie of ALL TIME!!!!) is crazy, and since I get free movies, I was able to travel and see it when it was still in limited release.

I guess first let me say that the movie was shot in some guy's house and it cost only $11,000 to make (the re-shot of the ending cost an additional $4,000). With that in mind...this will be a free flowing discussion of the movie "Paranormal Activity" and spoilers may (and most likely will) be mentioned.




Right off the bat my interest was peaked. The last time I had seen a marketing campaign like this was when the first Final Destination came out (they showed the audience reaction jumping at a scene, which was the girl getting hit by the bus). So I figured it might be a good movie. However, just before seeing it I was told that it was a whole lot of waiting for nothing to happen. So going in, I was already negative, which means that the movie would have to work twice as hard to make it rate a zero on my scale.

Not only did it fail, it didn't even move me at all, (well, it did get one or two points, but I'll get to that in a moment) in the positive direction.

As a little research turned out, there really was no "script" just a general direction from the director so most of the movie was "dialog-improv" which actually made the two characters...believable. They also hit upon something that one always wonders about..."if the place is haunted why not get the hell out of there?". Well, it's the girl not the house, so it doesn't matter where they go. That and the re-shot ending (and maybe one or two short scenes before that) were the only scary (I wouldn't even go that far...maybe creepy) part of the entire movie. So in short, (almost) NOTHING HAPPENS until the ending and even that was too short. Think Blair Witch in a house, but less stuff happens....Quarantine was sooo much better..

The Big Showdown in the Big Apple

So...I did the Wizard/Big Apple con (well, "did" is the wrong word....attended is more up my alley). First, let me say that it felt (for the lack of a better term) weird. I have had tables at both the Wizard and Big Apple cons, and even at times when I didnt have a table (such as this time) I have attented them. So, it felt like 2 different cons, the "A" (Wizard) con complete with the big celebs, video game companies and big comic guys booths (and they also had a carpet!), and the "B" (Big Apple) con with the usual gang of dealers and artists (but I still love them!).

I sooo wanted to take a photo of myself with the Batmobile, but they were charging $10 bucks (At the Philly con, Knight Rider was free)! I got to see Kelly Hu but was dissapointed (not as hot as I had hoped!). However, Miracle Laurie was a pleasant surprise, very nice, friendly (really tall!) and very attractive!



But the big talk was what was mentioned in our (I believe) 3rd episode of It came from the radio. during that show, we talked about Wizard and the NYCC having their respective cons during the same month next year. At the time it was heavily rumored that was the case, but it took an even more serious turn when Wizard decided to have their con on THE EXACT SAME WEEKEND!!!!

Yep, the 2 out of the 3 biggest comic book convetnion companites are going head to head during October of 2010. If fairness, I am friends with Lance Fensterman (head of the NYCC) and I have dealings in the past with Wizard, but the NYCC had secured the date well before the Wizard guys stepped in and from the talk on the show floor, it seems that the NYCC has already won.

As a person who runs a company I know that you don't go into a venture thinking that you are going to lose, if that is the case, why do it? So (purley speculating here) I believe that Wizard has a big surprise up their sleeves which they will reveal just before (but long enough to get the attendance from the NYCC) the con. I think maybe the entire cast of Star Trek, or maybe Iron Man2 (but since Marvel has a booth at the NYCC, I highly doubt the second one).

So we got one year to go...This will only get better!

Big Apple Con

Yep, I will be there all three days. Brian (and hopefully Herman) will be there also. Stop by the Terminal Press Booth and say "HI". I'll be walking around, but Brian will be there. Sadly, the new CD won't be ready......

Phase one

So the 6 weeks is over. I think we got a good dynamic going. While I had hoped to be picked up for more than 6 weeks, I got enough to make a sample CD to give to people. Funny how out of 6 shows, only 3 are available online, only 3 had all four of us in the studio, and (IMHO) 3 were really good. Hopefully I will get the CD done before the Big Apple Con

I am not a jerk, I just play one on TV

The is one of those times that I am glad that the blog is updated on Tuesdays! My episode of Judge Alex aired yesterday. I have to say, that they edited out ALOT which (to my benifit) made me look less skeezy and more...um not creepy? They did include a few things, and (according to my firends that have seen it) the defendant looked worse than I did, but I was still pretty bad, just not as bad as I had led them to believe. So it's out there for the world to see.... I would have posted the show description, but it's already taken down from the site!

Jennifer's Body, a review

Just coming back from the station, I really didn't get to discuss what I thought about Jennifer's Body. Because everyone on the show didn't see the movie we really didn't have a free flowing conversation. Yet somehow, I managed to throw out a spoiler without the warning. [edit: after listening to the show again, It wasn't me, but Hassan that spolied it (or at least baited me into spoiling the movie)]

"This is a free flowing discussion and spoilers may be mentioned".





I won't try to go over what I said on the show, but I will say what I liked and didn't like about the movie. Megan fox definitely a like. The movie was all about her. If you don't like her, you will not like this movie. However, she is the bad guy in the movie. So our heroine played by Amanda Seyfried from Veronica Mars. She too did a fine job, believable, and sexy in her own way. Also, the movie was funny. It had some great one-liners and an overall general funny vibe.

On the dislike side, I thought they should have had the (I believe) deleted scene where Megan Fox was topless. As for story, I felt it was slightly lacking, yet, upon multiple watchings, I noticed that I missed a few things that I had questions on, such as the two leads "special connection" or why did it seem that Jennifer lost her powers when the "BFF" necklace was torn. Turns out that I was too busy distracted by Megan Fox's hot body.

So overall, a good fun sexy movie.

Week 3

So here I am running on full steam on the new radio show. This week we will have our first guest on the show so I'm wondering how that is going to work out. No movie this week either, so the show may not be as smooth as last week's. Also, (fingers crossed) we'll have stuff to give away on tonight's show! Who doesn't like free stuff?

Now That's a show

Just got back in from doing this weeks live show of "It Came From The Radio" (Which should be uploaded to the site shortly) and I have to say how pleased I was with it. Just a few adjustments made a huge difference. Next week we are going to have a call-in guest, so that will be interesting. . . .

9/1 radio show

Tonight (LIVE!) on "It Came From The Radio" Join Terminal Press' Brain Ferrera, Hassan Godwin, (our new co-host) Herman Senerchia and yours truly as we premiere our new show. Tonight's movie discussion will be the new Halloween movie. 11pm (est) listen live via audio streaming at It Came from The Radio

The King is dead. Long Live the King!

Just got back from a meeting. It is official. The radio show "The Comic Book Novice" is done (I may one day go back to it). Starting a week from today, I will be producing a new radio show called "It Came From The Radio". It will be on each Tuesday night from 11pm-12am on WGBB. Just Like CBN, it will be a live call in show with guests, movie discussions, and the occasional contest. I am bringing in a new fourth co-host Herman Senercha (I think that's how you spell his name). He has work as a movie theatre projectionist for over 25 years. He has a unique insight on the movie industry and just happens to be former WWE Superstar Tazz's brother. We are going to be an hour long and while keeping the core of CBN alive, we will have a few new segments. Next week's show will be us talking about the new Halloween movie. So watch it, and call in!

Yep it just had to wait. . .

I am torn (along with my computer monitor being on the fritz). I really couldn't decide to talk about the Movie District 9 or tell you all about some big news that has been floating around for a while. New developments popped up at the last second, so another movie review it is. . . .




I really have to start off with I didn't really know what I was getting into when I went to see this movie. Best guess was something like Alien Nation. But what I got instead, was...ORIGINAL. This was (for me) a new take on an "alien invasion" story. They really didn't invade as much as being stranded. Because of which, the humans did what they normally try to do, control, and experiment on them. However because there was a huge freaking mother ship just floating in the sky "lifeless" the couldn't cover it up. Once the fascination of the aliens wore off (they weren't "cool" or had "powers" or really even any useful tech, they were just there and taking up space), the humans just wanted them to go away. This movie is about the aliens being moved from the (for lack of a better term) slum, to a nice new spiffy concentration camp.

From what I hear, this was a "low budget" (30 million) movie so it had basically no known actors, and they relied on STORY to make this movie work. At some point, you really feel for the characters, and are rooting for them not really sure of the outcome. While, yes, they did leave it with an ambiguous ending, it was still an enjoyable movie.

And knowing is half the battle......

With that one phrase (spoken twice!) I knew what kind of movie GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra would be. Yes, this is where I talk all about this movie, so......

This is a free flowing discussion, so spoilers may (and most likely will be) mentioned.



Yes, that is the one and only Rachel Nichols as Scarlett. Some of you may know her from shows such as The Inside or even the last season of Alias. she even starred in her own movie P2, but for some reason, most remember her as the half naked green girl in the new Star Trek movie.

So why am I taking up all this time talking about her? Well, mostly because she was one of the best things about the GI Joe Movie! Yes there was plenty of action, and yes Snake Eyes was pretty cool in it, but if my eyes were not distracted by Rachel, I might have hated this movie.

It tried so hard for me not to like it (plot holes, bad acting, bad writing), yet because Transformers was sooooo much worse, AND the fact that the movie didn't take itself too seriously, it gets a "pass". So yes despite its best efforts, I enjoyed GI Joe.

The best way to explain this is to compare the 2 Street Fighter movies. As mentioned in a previous post, by no stretch of the imagination was the VanDamme version a good movie, yet because the Chun-Li version was such a far inferior product, it actually raises the appreciation level of the VanDamme one. Now (probably because they are from the same "family") alot of people (myself included) are comparing the Transformer movies to GI Joe, and once again, GI Joe is raised by comparison of the sheer sucky-ness of Transformers.

While hanging around the Internet, I came across This guy's play-by-play of the movie. He pretty much nails it on the head.

"limited run" or "X week engagement"

Now that we are in August, and the best case scenario has passed, I am thinking about how to make sure the radio show come back to the airwaves. It just doesn't makes sense to me to go back to funding the show myself and (despite my best effort) I have been unable to get enough sponsors to carry the show on it's own. Then it occurred to me.

I thought way not do like a 6-8 week limited run? I actually have a few guests lined up and there are plenty of subjects that we haven't covered as of yet (as well as some good movies coming up for us to review). So really, content isn't a problem. I also have thought about what things I can do to fine tune the show slightly, and there may be some minor changes, but the core of the show (which is us talking to the general public about comics, sci-fi, and horror in a light hearted manner) will remain the same. So as promised, we will be back this month on Thursdays 9PM EST (as always). Once we are, I'll post on Thursday with the topic (or guest) of the week and Fridays the show will be archived on my site. I have to talk to a few people before I have an exact number of shows that we will do, so I'll have all that info next week! Stay tuned!

A year ago today

It was exactly one year ago that I was flying back from a crazy week at the SDCC. So many comic companies have come and gone. So much has changed, yet alot of things still stayed the same. I didn't get to go this year, and I probably won't go next year, but to those of you out there considering it...it is something you have to do at least once. It's kinda werid when I see the coverage of the con. I guess it's like when you visit somewhere and then see it on tv (or the Internet) you're like, "Hey I was standing right there!".

While I have never been, I guess the SDCC is like the Superbowl of comics with all the celebs and media hype.

On a side note, things are looking promising for the show re-launch this month. So everything is still going according to plan.

The Deal of the Art

I was talking with Lindsay Kramer of C.A.G. and the subject of "What not to do" came up. Now throughout the years, I have made plenty of mistakes the biggest of which is making "hadshake deals". Don't get me wrong, handshake deals can be very good and is common practice in many places. It'sjust that some of the ones I made werent too helpful.

For those of you that don't know, hadnshake deals are agreements between two people in lieu of a written contract. Most bets are done in this way.

Anyways, I have given time (and in most cases money) in return for services that I never got. this is no way to run a buisness (well, a sucessful one at any rate). So I want all of you aspiring comic book guys to GET A WRITTEN CONTRACT. Of course the saying goes that you can't get blood from a stone. So even with a written contract, you may still be (or in some cases, may not be) getting screwed over. After all, if you do work (or pay for work) and the other party does not deliver on their end and the have no money (or go bankrupt) you get nothing by taking them to court (which is really what you do with contracts). Well, that isn't entirely true. If it's small claims you might be lucky (or unlucky enough) to be contacted by a Judge show (it still hasn't aired).

So what does this mean? Should I not make handshake deals anymore and spend hours writing and then convincing people to sign contracts? No. I should be more careful who I do buisness with. Sometimes I feel that everyone wants the same thing, but turns out not as much as I (or have different wasys of going about it).

Internal Affairs 4

Alot of things has been happening this week, but Most importantly (company wise) is that it looks like we finally got an intern. I have spoken to someone who is interested is working with me at the radio station as an intern. If she works out, I may extend her duties. The way things are looking we should be back on the air mid August.

The web site has been updated at an incredible rate. There are new (well, new to you) video and audio interviews posted. The videos are on the YouTube page. at this rate everything should (finally) be up by the time we o back on the air...now only if the intern knew about computers......

Finally, some sad news. My second dog Nikki died. I wasn't there, but I'm told that her hind legs gave out and there was nothing the vet could do. she was 15 and I will miss her dearly.

the last Hurrah

So, once again I am without a webmaster. The good news is that before he quit, he is (finally) getting up all the video interviews and audio interviews that I did over the CBN's second run. It is a huge task (made...er, more huge with each additional interview I did), but it is making it's way to cyberspace. So go to our You Tube channel and see what I was doing during the cons. Hopefully (at this rate) the audio stuff will be up on my regular site shortly.

Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen

First let me say a few things: I hated the first Transformer live action movie (LOVED the original however). Second, I just found out a little bit of information from my friends over at Comicmix with that in mind, let us continue....





This is a free flowing conversation and spoilers (most likely) may be mentioned.




Yeah, this is what this movie really is about. What can I say about Megan Fox that hasn't been said? She was one (of two) reasons I went to see the sequel. But enough about the fluff. What did I think of the plot, story, the special effects? Well, I just can't say this enough. I like things to make sense. Even with guilty pleasures at least some of it needs to make sense. I enjoy stupid comedies, but they don't take themselves seriously. Transformers takes itself very seriously (during the serious parts of the movie). Since that is the case, then I usually do the same.

Before I go into all the problems this movie had, let me say a few (actually four) good things about it.

1) Frank Welker. I was so excited that he voiced Soundwave in the movie. As most of you may know, he was the original voice of Megatron AND Soundwave (to name a few) in the cartoon. Of course, (for some reason) he still wasn't good enough to reprise Megatron in this movie....

2) The fight where Prime dies. Even tho it was hard to tell what was going on and who was who, Seeing Prime kick some serious butt is always awesome.

3) Optimal Optimus. Even tho he really didn't look like it, when Prime was...upgraded it reminded me of the cartoon Beast Wars where Prime got a similar upgrade.



Lastly, 4) Dog/Robot humping....that's just really funny.

Now onto my questions/problems:

1) Why is it when Spike died and went to..Transformer Heaven he was told that one doesn't take the matrix, one must earn it. Only 5 minutes later does The Fallen come by and say "Thanks for the Matrix!" and TAKES IT!

2) There are two pieces of the All spark cube left: the military has one under lock and key, and Sam discovers another. How is it that a) it can be used to bring back Megatron (even tho it killed him in the first movie) and not bring back Prime? Why go all over the world when they had the answer with them the whole time?

3) How did Ravage get back into space? He was launched from Soundwave in space twice....

4) The robot had a gold tooth!

5) If they can make a terminatrix why do they even have giant robots? They can infiltrate and you know...kill humans much better than any Transformer.

6) Sooo, what exactly was The Fallen doing throughout the entire first movie (or even all the time while Megatron was frozen in ice)? just sitting around on the moon (or some other planet)?

7) If the Fallen could only be destroyed by a Prime, why didn't the originals just gang up on him back in the day?

8) Speaking of The Fallen and the Primes...Why not just destroy the Matirx?

9) How does one satellite receive transmissions from everywhere on the planet? And in the original movie aren't they susceptible to cold based weapons? Hey Micheal Bay, In space it's cold! (as he counts all the money he's made!)

There is so much more I can ask....but I'll end with

10) If the source of power is the sun, then why did they land on earth? If there was an energy source, wouldn't you build closest to the source (like say Mars or Mercury)?

I'd say don't watch it, but based on the numbers, you already have!

Philly Wizard con

So despite the bad trip I had to the Wizard Philly con, it was a nice one. Empty, but nice. A weird thing about this con was that even tho you got a badge, all you needed was a wrist band....I wonder how many people used the same band for all three days?

Marvel and DC opted out this year (which may be a sign of the times...), But alot of my good buddies were there. I ran into Jose Caldron and Daphne Lange,
The HBC guys, and
Brian Kong just to name a few. Because of car trouble, I only got to really enjoy the con on Saturday. So here's what I did/saw...

On the show floor, not one, not twice, but three times did I run into Jill Pantozzi, better known as The Nerdy Bird. We attended an Archaia panel together. Seems that they just recently went under a re-structuring and are back on track publishing their titles. I really, really, really wanted to see Cerina Vincent (as mentioned before) but it turned out that she was.....not as hot as I had hoped. So I actually saw her all by her lonesome, but didn't approach her. Besides, she didn't have any power ranger stuff with her and if I am paying for an autograph/photo It will be a higher caliber ranger (maybe Amy Jo Johnson...). The only people that I noticed that had any kind of crowd was Edward James Olmos, Ray Park, and Ted Rami. Oh! I got to see the original Kight Rider car! Took a photo with it (it had its own table..).



Here is some insider info, I ran into The Last Dragon's Taimak very nice guy! He tells me that there is a remake of "The Last Dragon" in the works...Sadly he was asked to have a cameo and nothing more....To me, he looks like he still has the glow!

Just to clear things up

OK, I went to the free (and final) Big Apple Con this past Saturday and I got "the scoop" on what is actually going on there. First and foremost, Mike Carbanaro (who we have interviewed a few times, and who has supported me for many years), former head of the con will still be running his own one day shows (much like this past week's) under a new name! Mike Carbo's showcase cons (or something like that, I don't have the official title yet). The locations will change from time to time, but it will be the same little con that could. The (former) "National" con (which was the Big Apple's 3 day event usually in November), is now taken over by Wizard and is the Wizard Big Apple Con. Mike Will still be running the con, but it will (most likely, cause with Mike you never know) be like a franchise as opposed to an actual "Wizard" con.

As for this past con, it was actually in the Hotel Pennsylvania (as opposed to right next to it) with two separate rooms. One for the dealers and one for the celebs (and artists). I did a once over, but mostly hanged out with Brian Kong while I was waiting to meet up with the head potential company who has expressed interest in re-branding our radio show (more on that later!). The thing that stuck out in my mind at the con was Tiffany Taylor she was sitting right across from Brian. I didn't know who she was but I did think she had a "natural beauty".

Speaking of hot chicks, I'll be "unofficially" at the Wizard Philly con this weekend. I really want to meet Cerina Vincent (she used to be a Power Ranger). The Bonus is that she is still smoking hot (or I hope so)!

Who wants to go for free?

Hello all,
I had planned to talk about the new Land of the Lost movie, but since it really isnt worth it, I'd figure I'd mention something of importance!
The Big Apple con is having a Free con this (6/13) Saturday! This will be the last con before Wizard takes over. The con will be in Manhattan across the street from Madison Square Garden. Best of all, it's a free one! So go there, buy stuff, support the vendors, artists and celebs, and give the Big Apple Con a great send-off!

I was Dragged to Hell and this is what I thought

This past week, I saw the Sam Rami movie Drag me to Hell. Now alot of people are saying that this movie is Sam's (like I'm on a first name basis with him) "return to his horror roots". He only has directed a handful of movies and only 3 were "horror" movies (two of which were sequels). So I wouldn't say all that.



I will say that it was a pretty decent horror movie (as decent as a pg-13 horror movie can be). I didn't include The Ring only because that is an exception to the rule.

Before I go any further, this is a free flowing conversation and spoilers may (and most likely will) be mentioned.

Drag me to Hell is about a girl who gets cursed by a Gypsy and well... get's dragged to Hell. A simple plot really, but what made this movie enjoyable were the "low key" effects. Lots of shadows, loud noises, stuff that makes you use your imagination to try and spook you. The horor elements were mixed pretty well with humor and I actually cared for the main character as I watched her 3 day quest to rid herself of this curse. It was a small cast, so no role was wasted altho I have to say that I just could not see Justin Long (who is 31!) as a college professor. To me he is still just the kid from Galaxy Quest and the TV show Ed.

There were a few things that bothered me, but this movie gets a pass because it didn't take itself too seriously. And since this movie delivered on the title (even tho it tried to make you think otherwise) it can be forgiven for any slip-ups along the way. Of course the ending was telegraphed pretty well (for anyone who was paying attention) but it was still an enjoyable ride. I did expect to see Bruce Cambell b/c he and Rami are friends (so much so that he is in all 3 Spidey films) but that was not the case.

So while not "scary" it was a decent movie to see.

Terminator: Review

I was going to think of something witty, but because I got my days confused (and then was computer lacking yesterday), I figured I just play it straight. So....This will be a free flowing discussion so spoilers may (and most likely will) be mentioned.




Much like most franchises (most recently Star Trek), Terminator had keep the original fans happy, update the story (to appeal to the younger audience) and make it entertaining. Since I am not a Terminator fan (only liked the third one), I cannot speak for the fan base. Was I entertained? Well, I didn't hate it....

As I have said many many many times by now, I like things to make sense. I felt that the second act (and even more so in the third) left me trying to figure out the logic behind the people's actions. But I think I am getting ahead of myself. Let's talk about the first act.

Terminator continues the story of John Connor (who was conceived in the first movie, and will become the sole reason for the computers to send a couple of killer robots (or Terminators) to the past) who in this movie is a high ranking officer in the human/computer war (it isn't called that in the movie, but that's what it is!). It starts off pretty good and gives us a quick background on the other movies and tries to further the story as opposed to re-boot it. While the past 3 movies were set in the present day and the terminators come from the future (along with an equally from-the-future protector) this one takes us ahead to the actual war (which makes it a prequel and a sequel at the same time).

We are quickly introduced (or in some cases re-introduced) to all the players. Events are set in motion and we get a few nods to the other 3 movies, a few surprises then then we are left awaiting the next two sequels (which if they do this right (and they probably won't) will leave us with Connor's father (Kyle Reese) going back in time which will take us right to the first movie.

At the end of the movie I was left wondering a few things: 1) how did the machines know who Kyle Reese was? and if they did, why not kill him the second they had the chance (seeing as how he was #1 on their kill list)? 2) If Marcus (a special prototype of Terminator) could interact and control Skynet (the main computer bad guy) why not just destroy them instead of shutting down ONE gun? and 3) How is John Connor supposed to lead anything if his great plan is to waltz into Skynet all by himself and then let all the humans escape? Even Neo (from the Matrix couldn't pull that one off).....

RUBRUBRUBBIRUBBARUBRUBRBRUB

Some things out there just really hit all my funny buttons. This video is one of them.



Now here is where all you faithful readers come into play. If you enjoyed this as much as I did, sign on to facebook (if you don't have one sign up!) and become grassman's friend. If there is enough people as his friend, there will be a sequel video.

Click the title of this entry for the link!

Star Trek: The Movie Review

OK, what does Felicity, Lost, and the new Star Trek movie have in common? Answer: right after my obligitory notice.....

This is a free flowing conversation so spoilers may (and most likley will) be mentioned.

Time Travel. Yep the last few episodes of Felicity had (a sort of) time travel. Turns out that the only way to stay faithful to the Trekkies, and to update/reboot the Trek franchise was to have a story that includes time travel and alternate universes (Back to the Future 2 anyone?)

Basically, Spock (one of three, (well four if you count Generations) original series characters who were featured in Star Trek:TNG) accidently travels back in time (along with our main villian for the movie, Nero, a Romulan) and inadvertenatly creates an alternate universe (just by being there).

The alternate universe created gives Director J.J. Abrams the ability to have new stories of the original cast while not messing up with anything that has come before. There are no tweakings or things "left out" (unlike any other movie based on a product that spans a couple of decades such as, say a comic book movie). And as a bonus, the movie was pretty good. I'll go as far as to say it was AWESOME!

I consider myself a "moderate" trek fan, having watched all of TNG (excluding Nemisis), and most of Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Enterprise. So I can say that as a fan, I was blown away. The effects, the story, and the cast were top notch and it all made sense (a big point for me).

Just a few quick notes, Did anyone get the "Slusho" mention? Howsabout Wynonna Ryder cameo? or possibly all the movie dialogs lifted from the other Trek films?

Also, this past week, I saw Next Day Air. I just wanted to mention that the female lead is smoking hot!!!!

Wolverine movie review

Wolverine is out (made $87 Mil), which means that it is summer movie season (yay?)!
I got to see a special screening of wolv...err "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and here are my thoughts....

As usual, this is a free flowing conversation, so spoilers may be mentioned.



Let me say first off, I have never been a "fan" of the X-Men. I'm even less of a Wolverine fan. However, I have seen (and enjoyed to varying levels) the three X-Men movies.

So with that bit of info, I have to say that I did not enjoy this movie that much. It was nice to see how they decided to prequel Wolverine's story tho. As a non-Wolverine fan, I have an idea on the comic's version of his history, but (to me) it's like watching a cartoon of a comic to see how close they get to the "real thing".

The movie had alot of X-Men cameos, most importantly (to me) was Cyclops (how did more in this movie than he did in the other three!). I also was surprised that Patrick Stewart actually showed up (the scene was leading me to believe that it was just going to be a voice over with a back of some other bald guys head on camera). Gambit finally shows up and had an important role (sort of).

As I have mentioned many many times before, I like things to make sense and because of this reason I couldn't fully enjoy the movie. Gambit's role was really unnecessary. Not only does he stop a fight between Wolvie and Sabertooth (who was in the first movie) to turn around and help Wolvie go and get Sabertooth, but then leaves only to come back to "save" them from Deadpool at the end of the movie. Speaking of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds did a good job playing the character and out of all of them, he was the one that (I felt) was closest to what I have read of him in the comics.

The two things that bother me the most is that (in the movie) they said that if Wolvie was shot in the head (with adamantium bullets, the indestructible metal which Wolvie's bones are coated with)) it would make him lose his memory! First, the bullets would not penetrate his skull, and secondly how would they know it would affect his memory?

Overall, I'd say it was worth a look if you wanted a quick "insight" on Wolvie. If you have already seen the movie (either online or in the theaters), you probably have only seen one of the two different endings. It's a little bit after all the credits (about 2 minutes long) where 1) Wolvie is at a bar which leads you to believe that he is in Japan for the sequel (fighting ninjas) or 2) they show you how tough Deadpool is.

So close I could have tasted it.

Not too long ago, I mentioned our possible "re-branding" of "The Comic Book Novice" radio show. I sent out a few feelers and one of the most promising of the replies came from the NYCC (and now also the C2E2) guys. Unfortunately, nothing came out of it. Seems (and rightly so) that they want to not have an "official voice" to keep relations copacetic with all the other media outlets that they work with to promote their con. That position didn't occur to me until it was brought to my attention. The good news is that we still have their continued support, just not use of their name.....

You be the Judge

Last post, I (very badly) Hinted I was going to be on Judge Alex. As (most of) you may know, there are only 2 reasons to be on a judge show. You are being sued, or are suing someone. Turns out I was suing someone. I was contacted by The People's Court, Judge Judy and Judge Alex.

Now here is where it gets interesting. Seems that if you agree to be on a show, 1) both parties have to agree to do it, 2) The show gives you an all expense paid trip to and from the show (including a hotel stay), and 3) Whoever the judgement is for, the show pays it (not the person you are suing, or yourself if you lose a counter claim). I had wanted to go on Judy because I watch that show and I really wanted the defendant to get yelled at. However, sadly this was not the case. I wound up on Alex. Another thing you may (or may not) know is that "you can't get blood from a rock". Meaning that if you sue someone and they have no money, you still get no money (something to think about when doing business for services rendered). So that is the draw for both parties involved.

So I decided it was the best way for me to get my money back and I get a free trip to Texas (where the show is filmed). BTW, After taking 4 planes in the course of 2 days, I think I no longer have a fear of flying.

In Texas, I was disappointed that I didn't see one person with a cowboy hat nor boots. I actually have seen more cowboys in NY than in Texas! Also, not a single person with a Texas accent! But, I had the best steak. It was at Pappa Bros Steakhouse. It was pricey, and all the food was A-La-Cart, but it was worth it. The show was another story.

While My Texas Trip was pleasant, being on the show was not. Let me put it to you this way. It was as if I was going to a boxing match where I was the favored contender but it turns out that I was in a wrestling match instead. Meaning they fought dirty, and while I got my money, I don't think I won the fight. Maybe when the show airs I won't look so bad, but after taping, I felt a little dirty and used...

A few days later, I think about it like this: it's TV. The end result is to make for a good show. I guess that's why Judge Judy's tag line is "Real cases, real people". Because a lot of other shows are fake. Just look at the "reality" shows. they aren't real at all.

At least (while I didn't mention it by name) I did talk about my show!

Big Apple....Better or Worse?

I was going to talk about Judge Alex this week, but this bit of information came along this past week. A while ago, I mentioned the state of the compared to the NYCC. Also, as you may know, Wizard has been pulling back by cancelling 2 of their conventions. I had know the state of Wizard for a while but this news too me by surprise. Seems that Wizard decided to buy up the Big Apple Con, and (finally) have their own NY con.

I say finally because for years people had been saying that NY was a bad place to have a con. This is despite that Michael Carbanaro (head of the Big Apple Cons) had been running cons in NY for many many years. Yes they werent big cons, but they were cons nevertheless. It took Reed publications (the NYCC and now C2E2 guys) to give Wizard a wake up call. So instead of going in there cold, they decided to buy out the Big Apple con and use that foundation to take on the NYCC.

The question is this: Is NY big enough for 2 Major cons in the same year? Maybe Is NY big enough for 2 big cons in the same MONTH? Yep, while it's not "official" Wizard has announced that their NY con will be October 16-18, 2009. Of course one would think that it would be around the same time every following year (like all thier other conventions). The NYCC had already announced that in 2010 their con will be on October 8-10. So what's going to happen in 2010? We'll just have to wait and see.

So...where's #2?

I have been wondering the same thing. Turns out that my Publisher and I were on two differnt pages regarding the release schedule of my book The Chosen Few (BTW, you can still buy the preview issue, and if you do, write a review!). Lack of communication between myself and the publisher is to blame.

So I am working out all the details with the aforementioned publisher and the books will see print (most likely in color) shortly. Anyone out there who read the first issue, send us a letter! When we re-solicit the first issue I'll see if we can get a letters page going.

You can e-mail your comments questions or complaints directly to me @ mfc_studios@hotmail.com. In the subject line put "Chosen Few".

Monsters vs. Aliens in 5D?

Well, If you see the 2D and 3D version of the movie isn't that 5D? Hey, they all can't be winners!

At any rate, I had the luxury to see both versions of Monsters vs Aliens (for free of course) just a few days apart.

I saw the 2D first then upon enjoying it and realizing that some parts would look really cool in 3D, I went to see it again. Let me say that the 3D felt like an "enhancement" (or maybe whipped cream on top of an already tasty dessert) to the already good movie.


As with all of my movie reviews, Spoilers may be mentioned.



Keeping in mind that the target audience are kids, I think the guys at Dreamworks put enough jokes and classic movie references (such as The Blob, or B.O.B.'s origin or the use of the Close Encounters theme) to keep adults entertained. It's a simple story about Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) who is hit by a meteor and becomes the 50 foot woman. During this time, there is an alien invasion and Susan (now called Ginormica) along with her fellow monsters must defend the earth. Like I said, simple.

The movie was funny, the animation was top notch (even in 2D, you can appreciate the depth and the movements of the characters) and above all, it was entertaining.

If I had any complaints it was the under use of Insectasarus (a Godzilla-type monster, eats Tokyo). For his size, his abilities were lacking and even tho he did save the day (or at least our heroes) at the end, I felt he could have done more against the giant robot in the initial battle. Then again, it's not his story, it's Susan's.

So go see it. If you can't afford the extra $$ for the 3D, it's still a good 2D movie.

Hold The Table

Here's something that happend to me a while ago, but I hadn't thought about it until I found out that the SDCC is sold out (for the 4-day passes, yes already).

A few weeks ago I was at the C.A.G. Indy after-party for the NYCC. I was talkng with a few comic guys about my not being able to get a table for the SDCC of last year. A good friend of mine did have a table, but wasn't sure if he was going to attend. At the party, it was suggested to me that I just should have hijacked the table (because when I got there, the table was empty). I replied that I was too afraid that I would have been caught and kicked out of the con. Then, it was suggested that I say to anyone that came along, "Yeah, I'm just holding the table till the guy gets here.". And Since I knew that A-I would have had the blessing of my friend to sit there and B-aat that point in time I knew he wasn't going to attend, it would have been fine for all involved! Of course this revelation was about 7 months too late! Live and learn, live and learn....

New brand?

These past few weeks, I have been talking with one of my Co-hosts of the (still on hiatus) Comic Book Novice radio show, and he was like, "what you need to do is to (possibly) make a brand new show."

What he meant was that perhaps "the Comic Book Novice" has ran it's course and it's time to do a new show. Much like Conan O'brien has moved on to the Tonight Show...

It would be like a 2.0 version of the show. Or maybe I'll get the 1.0 back on and continute to mold it that way....

Either way we are coming back. I just hope it won't be like "New Coke".

I watched "The Watchmen"

OK, I read the comic a hundred years ago and barely remembered anything from it except that I enjoyed it waaaay back then. Keeping that in mind, I went in pretty blind in the theatre. However, after watching the movie, I managed to borrow a copy and re-read the book.

As with all of my movie reviews, spoilers may be mentioned.....


My Favorite writer of all time Peter David once said that the real purpose of a comic book movie (or any movie that is based on "X") is to get people to buy (or research) the source material. After watching Watchmen, I did just that. It's funny, I believe this is the first time that the movie was better than the book. To me, re-reading the book was like watching a "director's cut" of a movie. I can see why it was cut to begin with. The only main difference between the book and the movie was the dynamic between

Night Owl

and Silk Spectre II. I really wasn't feeling the chemistry between the two in the book, whereas in the film, they just clicked so well. The end of their story arc was also altered, but I liked this version better.

Speaking of endings, the how (but not the why) was...adapted for the movie. Seeing as how a lot of key scenes were dropped/edited out (and rightfully so)leading up to the giant squid invading N.Y., it made sense to keep him only in the pages of the comic. To me, I felt that blaming Dr. Manhattan was a better way to go to tie the movie together.

There are a few things that were explained in the book that were left out in the movie such as the symbol on Dr. Manhattan's head (a hydrogen atom) and Rorschach's moving mask (special heat sensitive fabric).

The one that stood out the most to me was, where did the Silk Specter get her costume from? (in the comic, instead of just showing up on Nigh Owl's apt empty handed, she moved in a few days later having her things sent from the military base to the apt).

Many shots/Dialog were lifted directly from the book, further showing that a comic book can translate well into a movie form. Speaking of which, I am reminded of last week's post about Chun Li and the director saying that he didn't want costumes in his movie because he wanted to ground his movie in reality. There were costumes in Watchmen, (hell there was a giant blue guy walking around!) yet it felt more "real" than any part of Chun Li. So it's not the costumes, it's how you use them.

Since I am on the topic of the giant blue guy, I have to mention his.....Pepe' Grande Azul. I didn't remember seeing it in the comic the first time and I sure as hell didn't expect to see it featured in the movie, but there it was, just hanging out for all to see.

Lastly, I wanted to mention a couple of things that were added to the movie that weren't in the book, such as the actual fight between The Comedian and his killer, how Rorschach got his costume back in the prison as opposed to going back into his place for a "spare" and the actual fight in the prison. Good stuff all around.

Keep in mind that when you go see this one, leave the kiddies at home. It's rated "R" for a reason!

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chin Li

You read right, that is what the marquee said for the new Kristen Kreuk movie Street Fighter: The Legend of CHUN Li. That right there should have been a omen of things to come in the horrible, horrible movie. It's so bad that it makes the original an oscar contender by comparison!

As with all my movie reviews, spoliers may be mentioned.


For those of you that don't know, Street Fighter is an arcade game which was super popular in the late 80's. So much so that Street Fighter 4 was just released a few days ago. This movie focuses on one of (if not the first) female playable character in a fighting game. Chun Li is Chinese and (even if she doesn't look it, Kristen is also of Chinese decent)








Wait a second! Those last two pics arent of Kristen, but of Ming-Na Wen (she played Chun Li in the original). Which one looks more authentic? now to be fair, I didn't post a shot from the actual movie, but there are no costumes (well, maybe except for Vega)


Now I'm not going to get into the whole "Hey this wasn't in the game!". Instead, I'm going to take a look at it strictly from a "stand alone movie" view. In an interview, the Director stated that he wanted to "ground this movie in reality, like the X-men movies (referring to the lack of colorful/original costumes as seen in the comics/video games/cartoons)". That's fine, but except for the fact there there was no costumes, the "reality" was not real at all. The dialog, motivations, even just plain simple actions left me wondering, "What are these people thinking?". For example, the evil scheme (which really was just something to fill up time in the movie) was this: Bison (played by Neal McDonough Blackmails (I believe) some important people in the Chinese govenment to sign over some public property to a company so that he can buy it back for a profit? Or for no reason at all (well, after recieving a mysterious scroll and talking to some random lady) Chun Li has to leave all her possesions behind and live on the streets so she can meet Gen, a Kung-fu master (played by Mortal Kombat's Robin Shou). Or even when Bison decides to destroy Gen's home (where Chun Li is now training/staying at). He send in a (for lack of a better term) a SWAT team, THEN has the place blown up with a rocket, THEN hires his Assassin to go and Kill them? Shouldn't that be the other way around? Finally, to learn more about the evil corporation run by Bison (after looking him up on the internet), Chun Li goes into a club where she does what can only be described as a pseduo-lesbian dance-invite/lure (you just have to trust me on this) so she can get Bison's right hand woman away from her bodyguards to interrogate her.

"What about the fighting?" you may ask. The Jackie Chan/Jet Li movie The Forbidden Kingdom was a below average movie. However the fight between the two aformentioned actors made everything bad about that movie go away. Sadly this is not the case. Now just about everyone cast in the movie is not a fighter so I didn't expect much. But I know fake fighting can be just as good (IE: Charlie's Angels). The fighting was sub par and the slow motion effects didnt help maters any.

So Story/acting/casting-nope
Action scenes-sub par
Costumes-not here

So is there anything good about this movie?

Maya. (Played by Moon Bloodgood)



At least, she was smoking hot (even if she really didn't have much to say/do that made any sense)....

Power Rangers vs Buffy

OK, ok. Everyone (well, not everyone) has been talking about the new Joss Whedon show Dollhouse starring executive producer Eliza Dushku (Faith From Buffy (as if I had to tell you!)). I had to give it a second showing before I could make my decision.

First let me say that I know all about the Joss vs FOX feud (for those of you that don't know, Fox has been all over this show making Joss re-write and re-shoot the pilot to make it more of a "stand alone series with a looming story arc" (such as
The X-Files or more recently Fringe) as opposed to an on-going full on story arc (such as 24 or Lost). Also, I have to say that (as most of you know (or should know by now) I am a HUGE fan of Power Rangers.

As mentioned in a previous post, the original Pink Power Ranger is starring in a new CBS show called Flashpoint. Dollhouse happens to air opposite said show. That said, Dollhouse has to be pretty good to tear me away from watching Kimmy. It really isn't. After two episodes, I still have no reason to watch this show other than Eliza herself (and I have watched shows just because of a certain actor,/actress is in it). I really don't care for the characters or even the story behind this dollhouse. I am left to wonder if the original pilot was any better and would have hooked me. So far each week we learn alittle more about the cast and we see Eliza stretch her acting chops as she "becomes" a completely different person with the knowledge and the skills needed for the particular episode. It was brought up in another blogger's entry about the show, but why go to the Dollhouse in the first place? If you have that much money and need a negotiator/date/target practice, why not just pay for one? They gotta be cheaper than the dolls in the show.

If has been said that after 6 episodes, the show will shift in a new direction. I can give it till then. If it will make it that long is another story....

Even 3 pairs of boobs couldn't save.....

Yes, I said it. Despite the fact that there was a generous amount of nudity, blood, and gore, the "re-imagined" version of Friday The 13th was a (pardon the pun) a horrible movie.

As with all my movie reviews, Spoilers may be mentioned.....


First of all, This new movie is actually re-telling the first 4 Friday the 13th movies. Starting with the mom killing the camp counselors (part 1) to Jason with a bag over his head killing people (part 2) to the Hockey mask (part 3-D), to finally killing Jason (part 4). For those of you that don't know, part 5 had a fake Jason, part 6 made him a zombie, part 7 had him fight a psychic, part 8 had him in Manhattan, part 9 took him to hell, he fought Freddy in Freddy Vs Jason, and (even tho this was released prior) went into space.

They took the original timestamp from the release of the original movie (1980) and using "real time" Jason is now up and about in 2009 as an adult killer. That leads me to my first problem. It's 2009 people. Why are the people in the movie as stupid (or stupider) than they were 20 years ago? The only "real" indication that they are in present day is the Technology the victims are using (G.P.S., cell phones, etc).

Through out the movie I kept on wondering a few things:

1) Why were people doing what they were doing.
2) Why are the people living there still alive (since there really is no motivation for Jason killing people except that they are near the camp)
3) Why was this movie even being made.

Unlike the new Halloween which enhanced the original film, this one, just rehashed what was already done. There was nothing special, nothing different, nothing...just nothing to say about this movie except that it was a huge waste of time.

When I was in the SDCC, I actually sat in on the Friday the 13th panel where the cast and writer/director was present. Even at that time, I wasn't feeling it despite the good intentions I felt the panel had.

One quick note, (for those of you who actually saw this movie) when they finally killed Jason at the end of the movie, I was left wondering why he wasn't fully destroyed as opposed to just his brain being chopped up. And why would they dump him into the lake (which led to the oh-so-obvious ending)?

"This will probably be..." or "the good the not so good and Fringe", or "Rejuvinated"

OK, While I am undecided on my title, my review of the New York Comic-con will be as complete as possible, which may make this my longest post to date.

I live about 2 hours away from the con (and I drove each day!) so I got to the con around 2:30pm on Friday. I just had a late start and planned to be there around noon. As soon as I got there, I went right to the press room got my badge (Thanks Lance!) and headed into the con. They did say that the show was to be bigger, but to me it felt somehow smaller (I didn't realize that there was a third floor till around 4:30pm on Sunday). I made sure to hit up my buddies Sam Vera from Crazee Comics, Rich Bernatovech from Sentinels, Brian Kong, Brian and Jess Ferrera from Terminal Press (who also have been co-hosts to my radio show), Christian and Antonio Montalvo from Alpha Godz, the Lazerman guys, and all my buddies from The Comic Artists Guild (C.A.G.) as well as James Seetal and Mark Mazz (more on him later).

Once that was done, I walked around the con and tried to take it all in. After all these years (and finally making it to the SDCC), I feel it's just more of the same (not that that is a bad thing). I attended a C.A.G. panel (if you are into comics as a craft, you should join them!) and then the C.A.G. awards (hosted by Samuel Vera.)

The Categories and winners are:

(I'll try to upload the images as time goes on)

Best Story Writing: Shawnti Therrien for Meth: A Reason to live




Best Story Art: Hector Rodriguez for Hell's Blood



Best Single Story created by a team: Hector Rodriguez, Keith Murphey and Scott
Murphey for Hell's Blood

Best Writer: Everett Soares



Best Penciler: Hector Rodriguez

Best Inker: Alex Rivera



Best Colorist: Liz Ortiz



Best Letterer: Ed Traquino



Best Cartoonist: Matt Ryan



Best New Talent: James Rodriguez



Production Excellence: Ed Traquino

Best Workshop/Panel: Matt Ryan for "Sales Techniques"

Best Web Comic Creator: ZMAN



and C.A.G. MVP: Keith Murphey


Afterwards, I hung out with Arlen Schumer (after his fine lecture on "The Twilight Zone" original TV series). He was kind enough to treat me to dinner at The Empire Diner. Never been there before, and as promised it had one of the best burgers I have ever had. Special shout out to Brigador Stamback


Saturday:

I had a plan for Saturday. 1) meet Seth Green. Now the thought had occurred to me during the SDCC as Seth had walked right past me (I originally thought that he was a guy who looked like Seth, and then realized that it was him!). I thought, "Hey maybe If I gave him some copies of our best of CD, it might lead somewhere.". Alas, I wasn't ready back then. So today was the day. I went to the Robot Chicken panel, and it was a blast! I managed to get a good seat b/c I actually went into the earlier Cup O' Joe panel. it was basically a "what is coming up in Marvel Comics" panel with an interesting Q&A. I say interesting, because some fans questions were more like complaints. The Marvel guys took a page from the Obama book and was like "I'm sorry" and "it won't happen again". I was impressed with that. Getting back to the Robot Chicken panel...They brought a couple guys from the show most notably Seth Green and Breckin Meyer. All of them were funny and I had a feel that they really wanted to be there and generally are fans of comics and the like. During the panel it was announced that they all would be signing stuff for free on a first com first serve basis but only for an hour right after the panel in a completely different room. So with about 5 minutes to go I took off left the panel to get in line for the signing. Met them (asked Breckin about Rat Race 2, "Never gonna happen he replied."), and gave Seth all of the Cd's.



I honestly believe that he'll listen to them. He also liked the artwork so Kudos to Brian Kong! Once my mission was over, I went around the show floor s'more and then headed out to the Indy After party. It was a great party. Free (great Mark friendly) food, (cash bar tho, but since I don't drink, it's all good) great company, and a performance by a Tool Fist cover band (well, the band didn't actually show, but the Lead singer rocked on, so Kudos to him!).

Sunday:

Sunday I got a super late start. Got to the con around 12:30pm. today was all about Fringe. I had always planned to see the Fringe panel, but because of the special signing area for Seth the day before, I decided to check that area first to gauge the line. At 1pm (the panel was at 2pm) there were about 5 people on the signing line. I was informed that there was going to be a (non-ticket) signing at 3pm. First come, first serve, and they were only signing for an hour. Which was fine. I decided to go to the panel and leave early as I had done the day before. First off, I have to say how impressed I was to see the entire cast from the show. Best thing was that it wasn't announced, so it was a pleasant surprise. Around 2:50pm, I ran out of the room to the signing area. When I got there, the line was longer (about 25-30 people, which wasn't so bad). While on line I met a group of people that were waiting on the line since 1:30 and they were just in front of me. They had no idea there was a fringe panel and had just read the autograph sign upstairs and headed down to the signing area. we talked for a while and then a staffer came along and said (this was a little after 3pm) "there are already 150 people inside the waiting area for signatures there is no guarantee that you will get an autograph." Seems that the original group of and anyone who got there before 1:30 got to go inside while everyone else was waiting outside. So the panel ends late (I know this b/c a huge rush of people came out and get on line (around 3:20pm)) and another announcement was made, "there are 150 people inside already and you may not get an autograph.". Once again fine, I was near the front of the line so I'll take my chances. 4:10pm rolls around and there are now about 10-15 people in front of me (and this is just to the door). Seems alot of people gave up and left the line. During this time information was very light. they should have had someone go to the back of the line and tell them there was no way they would get anything signed, or at very least tell everyone on the line that the chances were slim, or even that we were on the "stand by line". I even tried to use the power of the press pass to just get a photo of them signing other people's stuff (which wouldn't hold up the line or anything) and I was told that FOX said "no press." Now that sucked (but I know it had nothing to do with the NYCC). So at 4:20pm, (keep in mind that no one on the line had been let in the door which led to the actual signing area since I got there, nor the group who was there since 1:30) the guy came out and said, "Not gonna happen." A lot of people were upset. My thoughts is this: once the 150 people were inside, there should have been better communication with the people outside, or just make it a ticketed event (since the entire cast was there).

Oh, Special shout out to Lindsay from C.A.G.!

Uninvited Movie review

It's not the same as doing a show on a movie, but why not tell you what I thought about it. as with all my movie reviews, spoilers may be mentioned.

Overall, it was a slow movie. and while things "happened" it really didn't have that "horror movie" feel. The main girl of the movie comes home after a 10 month stay at a looney bin due to the PTS of seeing her mom die in an explosion. And we are led to believe that the mom's home health aid (who happens to be sharing a bed with the father now) that she killed the mom. During this time the girl accompanied by her sister is being (for lack of a better term) haunted by ghosts of people the aid had killed.

Now here is the thing. If this movie was a straight suspense movie i think it would have been fine. but it is billed as a horror movie. Now with a pg-13 raiting you can't expect mmuch (altho The Ring was pg-13). This remminds me of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. If it would have been billed as a straight drama, i think i would have enjoyed it better.

I saw this movie with some frined's of mine and one of them turns to me and says "there is supposed to be a big twist in this movie". That set off all kinds of alarms, so now I'm looking for anything that could be clues so I can figure out the ending. I was half right. My friend was (the other) half right also. But he figured it out from the very beginning.

Once the twist was revealed, alot of things make more sense, but it raises some big questions, like why the hell was she being haunted at all....

So if you keep in mind that this is no horror movie you might this movie. If you are looking for a good horror movie, go watch My Bloody Valentine instead

"Smash, SMASH?"

In the world of entertainment, people... "borrow" ideas from each other all the time. I mean how many shows or movies have the same concept? I recall somewhere that there are only 7 original stories. So it's understandable that alot of stuff is similar.

Some things go too far. Any one remember Go-bots? At the time, many people thought that it was a rip-off of Transformers (actually, Go-bots came to the USA first).

It's the same for comics (since they are also part of the entertainment world). How many Batman (Night thrasher), Superman (Supreme), and Hulk (Pitt) clones are there out there? Even stories are used more than once. Really, how many nefarious plans can one guy have? There was an episode of South Park called "The Simpson's did it". In it, the mentioned that since Simpson's have been on the air for so long, there was no more new ideas out there. Many comic characters have been around for decades, so it is understandable that a story may repeat (or recycle) here and there.

Let's take a look at the Spider-Man/Obama comic. Image co-founder Eric Larsen was quoted as being upset that Marvel comics "stole" his idea from a Savage Dragon comic where his main character saves a president in an (almost) similar way. Ironically, he was also accused of doing the same thing with a Hulk comic (issue #420), where the main character (both Hulk, and Savage Dragon, in their own titles of course) had to face the dilemma of giving a friend a blood transfusion in the hopes that it would cure him of AIDS.

This one however takes the cake. According to Comic Mix, (another) Image co-founder, Rob Liefeld is going to have a massive multi-part inter-company crossover where his character "SMASH" declares war on his entire World. Just for the record, the pencils are supposedly unused pages from his Heroes Reborn work. I bet if World War Hulk wasn't successful, SMASH would not have been seen again....

Got any change for me?

It still amazes me on just how many "important Tuesdays" there have been since I started writing this blog.

So today is the day. President Obama.....

I have to say, I never thought this day would come.

Now, lets see what will happen. Since everyone is all about "change" now. Maybe things will change for me and the book (well, the rest of the book) will be published, and the show (in what ever form) will go live once again. A better economy means more sponsors for me! Everybody wins!

But, I look around and nothing has "changed" for me yet!

But to quote Ed O' Neil as Al Bundy "As the man in the stall said to the man waiting, "Give it time."."

Still Morphenomenal after all these years

As I have mentioned many times in the past, I was (and still am) a HUGE Power Rangers fan. Because of which I have watched a few movies or TV shows because they have a former cast member in it. Out of everyone, there has been two that have done the most work Cerina Vincent from Lost Galaxy and Amy Jo Johnson the original Pink Ranger.

Cerina has done quite a few direct-to-dvd movies and has had two Feature films.

But I wanted to talk about Amy in this paticular post. She was a main character in the J.J. Abrams' (yes, that one) show Felicity and now she is on a new show (which got picked up for a second season, airing now) Flashpoint. The show isn't so bad, but because Amy is in it, I'll watch it (of course it doesnt hurt that she is still kinda hot).