Sunday, October 30, 2011

Quickie Costumes for Last Minute Halloween Hijinks

Twas the night before Halloween and in this screwed economy, you've had to work straight through the weekend. Not to be called an old lady/man, you've agreed to hit up six parties after working, as is the custom if one wishes to maintain a punk rock status. Disguise Costumes to the rescue. This year, our friends sent over a box of goodies that prove there are more options in the isles of Party City beyond "Sexy So-and-So" and "The Situation". Once more, the following awesomeness will no doubt be noted and purchased for year round convention fun by my excellent readers who refuse to let dust settle upon their asses. Let's begin!

For the horror lot...Clive barker is back! Last year, our macabre buddy created a horde of monsters plucked straight from his horrific, yet still artistic mind. The peach of the batch was a white, plastic mask called "Faces" that covers the upper part of your face and, while simple in construction, held a great deal of detail and intensity. I'm still seeing pictures of this piece posted today, so I hope they are still selling it somewhere! This year, Clive went straight for the jugular with three Cenobite creations to round out an extended Hellraiser universe! As the topic is "quick fix costumes", I'll first mention that these creations take very little extra leg work to form a complete costume. The "Scorn Cenobite" and "Flay Face Cenobite" require only your best goth pants, boots, and perhaps an ominous black trench coat to complete the effect. Each kit comes with a mask and stretchy top with the art printed right on it. The Scorn also comes with some vacu-form plastic weapons to slide into your flayed belly slits. From a distance, the effect far exceeds anything else on the market you can throw on in under 30 minutes. For the ladies, there is the "Tormented Nurse" and the "Hooker Cenobite", which honestly is not the most inspired name for a denizen of pleasure hell. One would assume there are plenty of hooker Cenobites down there already. The Nurse may not blow your hair back (as we expect more from a costume with Clive's name on it), but the Hooker has some sinister elements you can work with, or expand on with a flesh-less arm deco, perhaps? Just take note that the head piece on this one is vacu-formed and not very well constructed, so you would do well to add some padding behind it, lest you look like you've been wearing a crown of thorns after. Both require footwear. I expect some Barker fans will be hunting for the "Scorn Cenobite" kit on sale after our high holy holiday, if not to just put that sucker up on the wall!











For the rest of the world who need little excuse to dress up, but have no time and are looking for something a little less severe, we've got the following solutions.

Disguise's H2Go line is tailor made for the pop culture enthusiast (aka mega dork) looking to throw on a shirt and mask and get the drinks flowing as quickly as possible. Consider these the "costume in a box" kits from our youth, only more comfortable and not made of that plastic they construct dollar store table cloths from! A quick look on the Disguise website will reveal designs for Bert and Ernie, Cobra Commander, Nightmare Before Christmas, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel Super Heroes and more. Each look generally involves donning a shirt and mask / head piece and you are free and clear for a night of debauchery as a character that is clearly not meant to be doing the dirty things you are planning.

You are shaking your head. You say you've worked a long day and if you are going to fight your way through traffic to a decent party, your costume needs to be as simple as is humanly possible. How does an option where you don't even have to fix your hair grab you??!! Dig on Disguise's D Composed line! These are beanie hats with sculpted elements to turn you into a devil, zombie, werewolf or Frankenstein monster with just a tug over your extra large cranium. The most intricate is the Werewolf which includes a snout, while the rest range from ever so slightly cumbersome to "you won't even know you are wearing it after 3 drinks." These should be a big hit at year round horror conventions, so a note to vendors...stock up!

Putting on store bought items doesn't mean you can't be creative! To show you just how versatile these lines are, we brought in our Halloween expert Heather Buckley who created some mash ups we expect to see repeated at the hottest parties in LA tomorrow. She's quite the trend setter. My favorite of the bunch employs the Scorn Cenobite mask with the Cookie Monster hairpiece to form a creation I dubbed "COOOOOKIE HELLLLLL..Nom Nom Nom"!!! Second runner up is FrankenCap..with the obvious mash-up of Captain America and the Frankenstein beanie. The point here being that the only limit is your imagination. Disguise offers a wide range of comfortable and inexpensive costume options, so hit those last minute sales and create your own Sesame Street Cenobite today!!

Jerry Macaluso Takes On Face Off Season 2!

Ever watch a trailer for a movie or TV show and go "Hey! I know that guy!!" Well, the trailer for the new season of Syfy channel's Face Off just did that to me! You all will recognize Jerry Macaluso as the guy behind SOTA Toys wildly successful Street Fighter action figure line, and more recently, head of Pop Culture Shock Collectibles (who have just launched a Thundercats statue line that will blow your mind), but what many people don't realize is he has an insane background in the special effects world. One look at his IMDB listing will reveal titles like Ed Wood, Mystery Men, Little Nicky, Darkman, Fist of the North Star and House on Haunted Hill, among many others. Now, Jerry will be pitting his considerable skills against the chosen few picked to compete in this annual competition/reality show! Here's the skinny for those that missed last season...

Face Off is a competition/elimination series exploring the world of special-effects make-up artists and the unlimited imagination that allows them to create amazing works of living art. The contestants are tasked with elaborate feature challenges including executing full body paint make up on models and creating their own horror villain. Not only will the show incorporate effects make-up, it will include a wide range of skill sets including prosthetics, 3-D design, sculpting, eye enhancers, casting and molding. Each episode involves incredible reveals of the competitors' finished work, and the drama of one contestant being sent home by the panel of expert and celebrity judges. It all culminates in one winner and one grand prize that will launch a career.

Here's the trailer!



Tune in to the Syfy channel Wed, January 11th, 2012 and cheer on one of our own!!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Halloween Pride in Freehold, NJ

When Eileen and me set out for Halloween costume hunting and decided to search Yelp for the best Falafel in the area, we never thought we'd get a healthy kick in the ass to our Halloween spirit in the process! Rolling down Main Street in Freehold, NJ revealed countless store windows painted up with all manor of ghouls, love struck ghosts, Taco starved demons and more than one toothy fiend just out for a good scare. The event is called the "Freehold Spooktacular" and apparently, I've been missing out on this every year I've been living in the area. I blame my friends, because I have no one else to blame. The Spooktacular website mentions the windows only briefly...

"Artistic students from each of the six high schools in the Freehold Regional School district compete for honors in this long standing Borough tradition that is not to be missed. Bring your family and your camera and take a leisurely stroll to see the award winning windows. We're sure you will love it !"

After eating our fill at Ibby's Falafel, we took took to the streets where I couldn't resist shooting as many windows as I could find. CLICK HERE for the whole HALLOWEEN GALLERY along with some other random fun we've been having in Central NJ!

Zombies Devour Asbury Park, NJ



We watch the films and laugh at the gore, knowing this sort of thing would never happen to us...until THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENS TO US!!! This past weekend, the sleepy sea side town of Asbury Park was completely over-run by drooling, grunting, shambling undead hordes who seemed less interested in cracking open the craniums of the local populace and more into hitting vendors selling creepy goods, watching top notch entertainment, meeting the undead stars of their favorite TV shows and films and most importantly, just being themselves on a beautiful October day! Over 12 thousand re-animated Americans hit the Undead Festival and we survived to tell the tale and came home with a flash card over flowing with images of the most polite zombie rampage ever recorded. For the full story, hit up DREAD CENTRAL ! To dive straight into the images, just CLICK HERE!


Friday, October 21, 2011

An Animated Avengers Trailer


How could they animate this bad boy in a week?! Using cutting age Taiwanese animation rivaling the most powerful of your SIMS games, that's how! The love for Marvel Studios next big blockbuster has now indisputably gone global and one group is expressing their love in a way only they can. Dig Next Media's take on the trailer people will be remaking until next May when the Marve Heroes take to the big screen and blow out your eyeballs! Happily, this vid gets us off to a great start and will no doubt act as a pallet cleanser for all of the drek to come. ENJOY!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Think Geek's Star Trek Baby Spoon!

Take your baby's taste buds where NO BABY TASTE BUDS HAVE GONE BEFORE!!! Had to go there. I r cheesy. Here's the skinny...

Starfleet technology certainly made eating easier. We yearn for the day when we can walk over to a food slot, shove in our card, and get a sandwich and a coffee. Or a little later, when we have a bigger budget and can ask for tea, Earl Grey, hot and have it materialize before our eyes. Especially with our time so crunched because of the wee geeks in our care.

Introducing the Star Trek Light-Up Feeding System, with starship spoon and motion sensitive, light-up bib. The spoon is a replica of The Original Series USS Enterprise NCC-1701, captained by James T. Kirk himself. Flashing LEDs on the nacelles keep baby aligned for mess-free docking at the face station, while lights on the bib act like a tractor beam for you. Dinnertime won’t be this fun again until we get replicators!


Product Specifications:

  • For ages 12 months and older
  • Feed your baby in Star Trek style with this bib & spoon set
  • Keeps baby’s attention and makes mealtime more fun
  • LED lights in bib are motion activated
  • Enterprise has on on/off switch
  • Spoon modeled after the USS Enterprise NCC-1701
  • Comes with three spoon attachments
  • Spoon attachments are dishwasher safe
  • Bib and Enterprise washable with a damp cloth
  • Button cell batteries required are included
  • Batteries are replaceable in plane but not replaceable in bib
  • Bib Dimensions: 7.5" at widest point x 12" tall
  • Enterprise Spoon Dimensions: 8.5" long (with spoon attached) x 3" wide (saucer of Enterprise)
  • Officially licensed Star Trek collectible
  • Meets ASTM & CPSC regulations

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Beware the Coming of Pet Zombies!

Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, announced today that Pet Zombies is now available on Nintendo 3DS™ at retailers everywhere. Developed by 1st Playable Productions, Pet Zombies is the first undead pet sim that lets you raise your own zombie, customize it to your liking, manage its diet, and play truly twisted games to unlock even more macabre fun – all in 3D!

Pet Zombies is a pet simulation spoof with a horrific twist – nurture or punish, it’s your choice. Reanimate your very own customizable zombies that you can play with, care for, or torment in a variety of environments where they can shamble, shuffle and lurch. Form a bond with your zombie by providing it with food, toys, and entertainment. Pet Zombies offers lots of gory effects and games to keep players fully entertained and challenged. Customize your zombie to look as grotesque and scary as you desire. It’s your pet, your rules, however twisted they may be.

GAME FEATURES INCLUDE:

  • Raise your very own zombie and manage and control its every need.
  • Play a variety of mini games: Zombie Launch, Luck of the Dead, Dumpster Dive and more!
  • Nurture your zombie with tasty treats and toys, or torment them with a torch, shock collar or cattle prod!
  • Customize everything about your zombies: facial deformations, variable decay, clothing, and un-lockable items.
  • Unlock themed backgrounds and decor to create the best environment for your pet zombie.Link
  • Trigger eye popping gory effects: throw food, drinks, toys or brains with the stereoscopic 3D screen.
  • Earn badges, Zombucks for use in the pet shop, and unlockables by completing games and gameplay challenges.


Rated T for Teen, Pet Zombies is available now for the suggested retail price of $29.99. For more information, please visit www.majescoentertainment.com.

Friday, October 14, 2011

NYCC: Day 1 Kicked My Ass, But We've Got Hasbro and Mattel!

But I do it out of love, so my butt will survive. Conni, my second unit photographer is a freaking rock star and has turned in over a thousand pics. She may have shot more than me today. SHOCKER. I am humbled and ashamed. Got home a bit late and had to do the dump and sorting first, but we've battled through the pain and posted a few choice folders to the Flickr. Here's the skinny...
Link
It all started with an (admittedly) rather pathetic exclusives selection you'll find at the bottom of the pile. I blame the companies for making exclusives and not telling anyone about them, but I was just lazy about it. CLICK HERE for the NYCC overview with separate folders for the most awesome of those exclusives. This should also be the link you bookmark, as it gives you an aerial view of the show.

Hasbro may have showed a ton of new toys at San Diego Comic Con, but that doesn't mean they hit the big apple without premium plastics at the ready. I managed to get an awesome viewpoint of those figures you wanted a closer look at from the Marvel Universe line as well as pretty zooms of the new Marvel Legends including Daken, Madam Masque, Thunderball, Fantomex, Bucky Captain America, Arnim Zola and more! We also found an 8 inch Destroyer to tower over your Thor as well as a Frost Giant to knock around, and the stars of the case...THE AVENGERS! This grouping includes your first really good look at Hulk, who seems a bit bland in action figure form. Still, I'm sure I'll love every second of screen time he gets.

Also booted up for New york Comic Con 2011 coverage is Hasbro Star Wars, which I hear includes more than a couple of items that mysteriously disappeared from the cases, and Hasbro's amazing G.I. Joe figures and multi-packs that I can't stop raving about. DREADNOKS MULTI PACK!! SLAUGHTER'S MARAUDERS MULTI PACK!!! The geeky mind spins.

I had just enough awake time to squeeze out two folders for Mattel including DC Universe Classics, 2 packs and METRON, the first of those subscription figures along side the long awaited Larfleeze action figure!! Stop paying 100 bucks for that DC Direct one on ebay, kids!! Before I collapsed into a heap, I launched the WWE folder so you can get your testosterone driven he-man fix. You're welcome.

WANT MORE?? Well fuck, you should have been watching my Twitter this morning!! Go get em.

Thanks to Matt Booker for ridiculous conversation, Conni & Dave for awesome back up and Zach Oat for having wonderful old timey mutton chops. More tomorrow!!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Re-Live the Madness of CATDOG!!

Running in circles has never been funnier or more exasperating unless you’re CatDog. Nickelodeon’s fraternal twins arrive kicking and screaming on DVD, October 18, 2011 from Shout! Factory. Featuring the first 10 episodes from the show’s premiere season, CatDog: Season 1 - Part 1 follows the adventures of the feline-canine brothers Cat and Dog, conjoinedtwins, who adore and irritate each other like fleas. Long anticipated by fans, CatDog: Season One - Part One has not been available in stores until now. A must have for fans of Nickelodeon, cartoon fanatics and DVD collectors, the two-disc DVD set has a suggested retail price of $19.93.

Like all of Nickelodeon’s classic shows, CatDog: Season One - Part One features an all-star voice cast, which includes Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants, Rocko’s Modern Life), Jim Cummings (The Super Hero Squad Show, Reno 911) and Carlos Alazraqui (The Fairly OddParents, Rocko’s Modern Life).

A fan favorite, CatDog: Season One - Part One, is a tale of opposites attached starring CatDog, the most unlikely brother duo ever seen. The conjoined brothers love each other yet they are so different, they can’t help but annoy themselves silly with their contrarian activities. Prim and proper, Cat is the very definition of culture, while Dog is the ultimate tail-wagging, sofa-jumping, car-chasing roughneck. But despite their very different personalities, CatDog are the best of friends, sticking to one another — literally — through thick and thin, even when it comes to facing off against their devious neighbor Winslow and the rough ’n’ tough gang of Greaser Dogs!

The Complete Terminal City

Visionary designer and comics creator Dean Motter (Mister X, Electropolis, Batman: Nine Lives) returns with the purest expression of his patented retro futurism. The Complete Terminal City collects all fourteen issues of the classic series, originally published in 1996, for the first time.
Terminal City is a place where transistor-tube robots rub elbows with old-time gangsters, where bright, shiny technologies cast deep noir shadows. The city has been in decline since a group of celebrated adventurers—Kid Gloves, the boxer; Monty Vickers, the explorer; Eno Orez, the man of 1,000 faces, and Cosmo Quinn, the human fly—were each disgraced or disappeared into obscurity. Now a series of mysteries involving an un-openable briefcase, a missing link in evolution, a daring lady in red, and an obscene skywriter brings the four men together once again—some on the side of the law, some involved in shady business—with explosive results!

“This is one of the best marriages of story and art I’ve seen in years and an absolute delight to read.”—Alex Ross, artist of Marvels and Kingdom Come

Teaming Motter with celebrated artist Michael Lark (Daredevil, Gotham Central) and cover artist Mark Chiarello, this massive collection reprints the original Eisner- and Harvey-nominated series, along with its sequel, Terminal City: Aerial Graffiti.

The Complete Terminal City is on sale March 21, 2012.

NYCC: Anchor Bay & Roger Corman Class the Show Up a Bit

WHAT: Legendary producer Roger Corman and Corman’s World documentary preview highlight Anchor Bay Films Theatrical and Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD/Blu-ray™ Releases at the 2011 New York Comic Con show – the East Coast’s largest fan and genre gathering!

WHEN: Thursday, October 13th through Sunday, October 16th

WHERE: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center – Booth #430 - 655 W. 34th Street, New York, NY 10001

DETAILS: Oscar™-winning producer Roger Corman will be making a rare appearance at the 2011 New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 15th to sign posters from the upcoming ABF documentary Corman’s World. ABE will also showcase the latest previews and posters for their upcoming Blu-ray™ and DVD titles!

EVENTS: Saturday, October 15th 5:30 – 6:30pm : Roger Corman poster signing at ABE Booth #430 - Mr. Corman will sign exclusive Corman’s World theatrical posters specially printed for NYCC. PLEASE NOTE: Autographs are limited to the Corman’s World poster and ONE other Roger Corman related item only!!!

In addition, watch the latest previews from upcoming Anchor Bay Entertainment Blu-ray™ and DVD releases, spanning every major genre including:

Television: “Camelot: The Complete First Season,” “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” “Spartacus: Vengeance,” “The Walking Dead S1 Special Edition,” and “The Walking Dead Season 2”

Horror/Sci-Fi: Apollo 18, The Divide, The Howling Reborn, Ice Quake, Metal Shifters, Scream 4 and The Wicker Tree

Action/Thrillers: 13, 5 Days of War, Battle Royale and Carjacked

Manga: First Squad, Redline

In what’s become a NYCC tradition, there will be daily (sometimes hourly!) giveaways of exclusive ABE DVDs, Blu-rays™, merchandise and premiums during all four days of the 2011 New York Comic-Con!

NYCC: Toy2R / Tenacious Toys Signing Schedule

Toy2R, masters of vinyl art toy, have their all star lineup prepared to strike New York Comic Con this weekend, fully armed with one of a kind creations and short run exclusives that will BLOW YOUR DAMN MIND!! Here's the skinny...

Toy2R / Tenacious Toys Booth #876

FRIDAY OCTOBER 14TH:
- 1PM: Rsin & Matt Anderson
- 3PM: Mr. Munk
- 4PM: Nasty Neil & David Foox

SATURDAY OCTOBER 15TH:
- 11AM: JCRivera
- Noon: Jon-Paul Kaiser
- 2PM: Jason Freeny
- 3PM: OsirisOrion, NEMO & Bob Conge (Plaseebo)

Also on hand will be original customs by the artists above but also these talented artists from around the globe (most available for purchase):

Kid Ink Industries
Pocket Wookie
DUST
Ian Ziobrowski
JAY222
Wasted Talent
Valerie Gudell
Carson Catlin
AW177
ViseOne
Monster Kolor
Nerviswr3k
Jon Malmstedt
Mesmithy
Zam
Frank Mysterio
Mister Darkboy

I, personally, am hoping they bring their little plastic bear that looks like it is growing grass all over its body. I will have one of those, please. Moss Man needs a buddy.

For more images and info of the exclusives of NYCC, CLICK HERE!!

The Avengers Trailer Goes LIVE!

..And this time, the footage isn't shot by some dork with a steady cam pointing at his mom's TV playing Entertainment Tonight! We whipped you into a frothy frenzy with coverage of the Avengers teaser shown at Disney's D23 convention. We are highly anticipating a repeat performance or...dare I dream...even MORE footage at New York Comic Con this weekend. And NOW, we get to show off the first official trailer for the movie every geek turns into a giggling school girl over. With a powerhouse cast and a driving rock anthem from Trent Reznor, how can you describe this trailer as anything less than EPIC??!! LET'S WATCH!!



Marvel Studios presents “Marvel’s The Avengers”—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.









Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.