Ben Week 35

Ben and Ozzy have a precarious relationship. They both mean well. They simply have different views on affection.

Here's Ozzy before Ben shows up:



And this is what happens:















Fozzie on the other hand just stays the hell away.

My name is Bruce

This has no release date. Hell, it probably doesn't have distribution. But it has Bruce Campbell so however I get to this, I will see it.

New Play Cole Podcast!

Jessica Alba is a fascinating woman. Not in what she knows, but how she expresses what she doesn't know. Join her and Jon Clarke, Mike Drucker and Billy the Kid as they trudge through the actors' audio commentary of the most mundane of Marvel movies, Fantastic Four.

Touchdown!

Spider-Man 3 Minimates Review at figures.com!

I try not to review Art Asylum stuff for figures.com. I know the guys too well and I doubt I'd be objective. But the newest set of Spider-Man 3 Minimates is so good, I had to tell you about them in detail.

Read the review!

Ben Week 34

The LAST Writer's Room @ Rififi's?

Rififi's keeps talking about closing. The exact date of when this will happen is unknown but they will be open for our next show. It's a great one, the winter's over and I want to see you there. If you've never been to Rififi's, this may be your last chance.

featuring:

Bryan Tucker (SNL, Chris Rock Show, Chappelle's Show)
Joe Mande (Totally J/K)
Sven Weschler (Law and Order)
Dan St. Germain (King Awesome)
Ed Murray (Yankee Pot Roast)
Jon Clarke (McSweeneys)
Mike Drucker (23/6.com)

hosted by Mark Normand

Sunday, March 2, 8:00 p.m.
Rififi / Cinema Classics
332 E 11th St
(Between 1st and 2nd Ave)
$5, No Drink Minimum

Toy Fair Is Over!

And I'm tired. I've never seen so many new toys and not bought any.

Thanks again to the guys at figures.com who not only let me write what I want but let me enjoy the perks of the industry again.

Sideshow Indy

The greatest thing at this year's Toy Fair isn't in New York. Sideshow decided to sit out the show and launch all their new products online. And I've been waiting 25 years for this one. The Indiana Jones from the Tomart's cover is now up for pre order and looks even better in their press shots.



It's a little pricy but if you're as big an Indy fan as I am (and judging from your comments, no one is)you can't live without this piece.

Order one now!

Toy Fair 2008

Thanks to figures.com, I've been spending the entire weekend at Toy Fair. Everything I've seen is better expressed by going to their site but here's a few things I've learned.

1. Indiana Jones is back. And everywhere. And it will bankrupt me.

2. Everyone is going 3 3/4" scale this year. With the rising oil cost, dwindling fan base and preeminence of Star Wars it just makes sense.

3. When you're at Toy Fair, people treat you well. They assume you're somebody. They have no idea.

See what I saw!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull TRAILER

It's about time.



Tears in my eyes. You?

UPDATE: This morning Sideshow released this image:



Quite a day.

Ben Week 33

Happy Valentine's Day! Why look at an ugly SOB like me today when you can see a cute baby? He's tailor made for this holiday.

Ben went to my cousin Jen's baby shower this week. I'm told he had a delightful time.

Prison Orgies

Florida's prison secretary says when he took the job two years ago, he had to put a stop to wardens having drunken orgies on prison grounds. Proving, once again, that prison life is better than mine.

Read.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

I've been meaning to post this for a few weeks now. The first one was a cross between Raiders of the Lost Ark and X-Men. It made me a life long fan of the character. This one looks bigger and freakier. Now that Del Toro has made Pan's Labyrinth it looks like he's putting his style in front of Mignola's.

figures.com FF review!

This one slipped by me. I got these figures in October, reviewed them by November, they went up in December and I found out about it last week. But since the Fantastic Four is my favorite comic, they were worth the wait.

Read the FF!

Ben Week 32

The second installment of my photo essay, "Ben Eats Guitars". This week, the Fender Strat Renee gave me for Christmas:

Arrested Development movie?

God, I hope so. Both Jason Bateman and Jeffrey Tambor say they're in negotiations about it.

A movie is the perfect way to get more Bluthy goodness. The show may have had a small following but the cast has only gotten bigger since the show ended two years ago. You can't even get Michael Cera to do tv anymore! I don't need a plot synopisis, I don't need a trailer. Just give me a release date and I will be there.

More Indy

I'll take any Indy I can get (three months away and still no trailer?)but here's a great new shot.

The Bribe

The show last night went well. Not a lot of real audience but a kick-ass lineup and a great energy. We took the opportunity to premiere the latest Play Cole sketch. It's been eight months since our last live action digital video so I think we're all overdue.

Drucker and I wrote this and we were smart enough to cast John Knefel. Billy the Kid worked the lights and tried not to laugh through John's takes.

Enjoy!

Dont Forget the Anti-Bowl!

Because the game doesn't care if you're watching or not.

John F. O'Donnell (Live at Gotham)
Ed Murray (NY Laff Off)
Jon Clarke (McSweeney's)
Mike Drucker (Black20.com)
Zach Sims
Adrienne

hosted by Jason Quarles

Sunday, February 3, 8:00 p.m.
Rififi / Cinema Classics
332 E 11th St
(Between 1st and 2nd Ave)
$5, No Drink Minimum

Ben Week 31

Teething is coming. Any minute now.

New figures.com review!

Renee wasn't too crazy about having these in the house but they were free and showed up right when I was reading a lot of X-Men.

Read my review of Marvel Select Emma Frost and Phoenix.

New Raging Face article!

Here's the first piece I wrote after Ben was born. Raging Face was backed up but it's finally up. And I still really like it.

Read "Brainiac Responds To His Emails".

Questions Asked By the Guitar Hero III Champion When He Is Invited to Join Pantera

Do you guys play all five buttons?

Who wants to be Judy Nails?

What’s ”chlamydia”?

Tour bus? Why can’t we play online?

Anyone want to watch “High School Musical”?

Can’t we play some Franz Ferdinand?

You guys know any girls?

Will you stop hitting me?

Ben Week 30

This happens every time I play for him.

Writer's Room :The Anti-Bowl!

Maybe you hate football. Maybe you can't think of a reason to say no to another boring Super Bowl party where people eat chili and judge commercials.

Then we've got a show for you.

Writer's Room appears at Rififi's on the first Sunday of every month. The NFL arbitrarily picked the same night and they will suffer for it. Cause we've got a hell of a lineup, with:

Kristen Schaal (Flight of the Conchords)
John F. O'Donnell (Live at Gotham)
Liam MacEneaney (Best Week Ever)
Ed Murray (NY Laff Off)
Jon Clarke (McSweeney's)
Mike Drucker (Black20.com)
Adrienne

hosted by Zach Sims

Sunday, February 3, 8:00 p.m.
Rififi / Cinema Classics
332 E 11th St
(Between 1st and 2nd Ave)
$5, No Drink Minimum

We just saved your weekend.

Iron Man Trailer

This one I'm really excited about. I've watched this at least once a week since it premiered. I love Iron Man and the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as the brilliant, alcoholic and questionable moral Tony Stark is inspired. It's so perfect he'll reprise the role in The Hulk a month later.




And here's the 2nd trailer. Little more action, little less story. Still looks great.

The Dark Knight Trailer

Speaking of big summer movies, here's the trailer for The Dark Knight. Batman Begins was so good I have every confidence in this film. In fact, I'm so confident I'm not as excited as I am for Iron Man or Indiana Jones. This movie will be great, it will come out in the summer and I will see it.



UPDATE: Heath Ledger was just found dead. So you're going to want to see his final performance.

They're Shooting X Files 2!!!!!

Here's undeniable proof:



I don't care if you don't care. The first X Files movie got me into the series after five years of recommendations. That summer I watched rerun after rerun and fell in love. I stayed with it until the unfortunate final season which came two years too late and still watch the complete series on dvd. I count it as the third greatest sci fi series to ever air (after the Twilight Zone and Star Trek) and I need another story bad. That last season was so awful the franchise needs a great movie just to remind us why we liked it. After six years in limbo, now feels like the right time.

And I just read this:

The X-Files 2 opens July 25th, 2008.

Add this to the teetering pile for Summer 2008. We've already got Iron Man, the Dark Knight, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. With another X Files movie planned I'm gonna need a babysitter.

So I Decided...

...to quit buying Marvel action figures. I've got everyone I need, my old ones keep breaking and the new Hasbro stuff is substandard. Ben has his own collection by now so I'm stopping. And it feels good. Then I went and bought this:



There's no way out.

Ben Week 28 and 29

Ben's still sick but here he is in happier times.

Maraka

We're all sick and watching Nick Jr. And apart from Yo Gabba Gabba it sucks. Especially Dora. That's why I love this clip from TV Funhouse Monica showed me long ago. You can hear Louis CK pitching in on this.

Things I Won't Do When I Meet an Alien

Rub it in Scully's face.

Misinterpret his cookbook.

Say "Welcome to Earth", then punch him in the face.

Crush him with my power loader.

Go on and on about the Prime Directive.

Fire indiscriminately into the jungle.

Surf with him.

Pee my pants.

Cathedral Prep

Man did we hate high school. We hated high school so much last night we had our 18 year reunion in a bar a borough away from the school.

As much as none of us wanted to revisit our alma mater (which is slowly being devoured by a mall) it was important that we saw each other. The four years you spend in high school are the worst you'll ever experience. The amount of hormones coursing through your body will see to that. Everyone you know is crazy.

That's why it's good to find out they didn't stay that way. Most of them are married. Half of them have kids. One guy married and divorced a girl I stole from him junior year. But they're all fine. And we got along as well as we ever did. In a class odf only 24 graduates, you get to know everyone pretty well. The priests always instilled in us a sense of class unity. Then they got mad when we filed into the bathroom after a fire drill. Or distracted the principal with Planned Parenthood sound bites. Or performed a class pageant that got them cancelled forever. They probably wouldn't be happy to see us over drinks either. So why tell them?