CinemaRetro Magazine

I buy a lot of magazines. One reason is that I'm constantly looking for reference, Like an 18th century pirate ship or a photo of Genghis Khan or something. I will visit my local newsstand and go through Esquire Magazine to Marie Claire, and if I see a photo that I can keep as reference, then I will shell out my five bucks happily. A bonus is that I will read the articles within and learn something. If you read a few issues of Marie Claire you'll get good advice on body image...But that's another posting.

Anyway, while checking out the racks at Astonishing Comics in Burbank, I found a groovy UK import Magazine. Cinema Retro is a magazine covering A list and B list Movies during the 60s and 70s. They have really serious views on English Horror flicks as well as David Lean's lesser known efforts. A big draw for me was a photo essay on Frank Sinatra and his "Tony Rome" movies!
The latest Issue features Vincent Price and a movie he did in the Sixties called "Witchfinder General". Lots of photos of witch hunt era Salem and a few comments on how they had to edit the film for American audiences. I guess the English didn't have a problem with topless actresses.

If you enjoy B movies, do yourself a favor and get this mag. Cinemaretro.com

X-Men movie REVIEW!

The X-men movie surprised me. If you have not seen the movie yet, turn away from the screen. What shocked me is that so many important characters die! I liked the movie and it was very entertaining, but action and special effects won over character development. The Colossus guy had maybe one line and the Kitty Pryde character could have been focused on a little bit more. The actress Ellen Page is the cutest thing!( I had to point that out!)

Some noteworthy parts of the film was the nice Danger Room sequence, the Moira MacTaggart Cameo and the introduction of the Bolivar Trask character. That sets up a sentinel sequel idea. Gosh, I am such a Marvel geek...
I spoke with The Bucce about the movie. He hopes that the DVD will add some more quality footage and help flesh out the characters a bit more. That would be an excellent Idea.

I remember The GO-GOs

I called my friend Vince the other day. We had a chat and he mentioned that his wife Laurie had gone out with some friends to a concert. She went out to see the GO-GOs! I love that band! I first saw them with Laurie almost 12 years ago at The Academy in Times Square. Before the makeover in Times Square, it was the place to see good bands at a sweet price.
So many cool memories of that show. I hope the band still rocks!

E3_Revisited!

Three more E3 photos that shows a favorite activity at the show! Being interviewed! Right over here Mr. Cameraman!

Work in progress

I am working on an issue of KOLCHAK for Moonstone Books. The character is a reporter that chases after bizarre stories that involves monsters or weird creatures. One of the things that makes the this project interesting to me, is the chance to work with David Michelinie. When I did IRON MAN backgrounds for Bob Layton all those years ago, he was the writer on the book. That was a long time ago! This is page one pencils and inks.

Jersey Boys NOMINATIONS!

Excellent news from Broadway! Jersey Boys, the Musical I worked on has been nominated for 8 Tony Awards and I am so happy for the cast and crew. I hope I can add "Tony Award winning Musical" on my resume!

E3_Day three

What do I do at E3? I stay near the entrance of the Sony Online Entertainment booth and keep out the riff raff. That's it. It's not really violent but it can be confrontational. Theres a lot of "What's going on in there?" or "Why can't I go in?" Most people understand. Sometimes I make a mistake and block someone who is supposed to be there. Oh well. It helps to have a who cares type of attitude. It keeps me from getting personal, and now that I have a chair to sit on, I'm in a much better mood!

Good news today! Lauren The Medusa Girl is on the front page of the LA Times Calendar section! It's a beautiful photo that stands out! The entire booth was abuzz! Medusa girl spent a lot of time on her cell phone before getting into costume, calling friends and family. You can see a lot of photos taken with the paper. Maybe this is not what I should be bothering with, but it happens right in front of me! I must say that I am happy for her. She really is pretty and If you have to wear a foam rubber snake costume with a snake headress, you deserve some positive press.

The last day is a little slower. The previous two days were filled with meetings and camera crews going in and out. Not mention the open bar in the afternoons (No, I didn't drink). Today with the meetings over and done with, the booth opened for the average Sony employee. Ugg... The one thing I will say is that some of those guys should eat a salad or something. Bigger is not better. I took a lunch hour to get as much swag as I could. T-shirts, Magazines and a cool poster. I could not play many games because I couldn't wait on line.

The managers started to leave around 1:00. I stayed at my post until my supervisor let me split around 4:00. Another job well done! I stood around checking badges and got senses stimulated for three days. Was it worth it? Well, nobody took a swing at me, so I guess it was!

E3_Day two

I love walking around E3 before it opens to the public. Very early, like around 7:00. The hall is well lit and there is security standing around but in comparison to the rest of the day, it's like an abandoned Times Square. I can walk around and enjoy the effort the corporations put into getting my attention. I'm not a big gamer but I love great design. And some of these booths are gorgeous! The N-Gage booth was sherbert colored with groovy chairs. The Final Fantasy area had the best trailer playing and a great game set-up. The SEGA booth with Virtua Fighter knocked my socks off. My favorite is still the PSP booth with the cutaway subway car!

Okay, so I finish walking around the convention floor and I get ready for the show. I was so busted from yesterday and I have all kinds of anxieties. I worry that I can't finish the day. Then a surprise! A few hours into the show, my boss walks up and asks me if I'd like a chair to sit down in! What a shock! She says"It must be tough to stand up all day." I respond, " I didn't think that I was allowed to sit down." Silly old me. I now have a chair to relax in in between telling some Korean guy that he can't come inside the exclusive booth. Ever been to E3? There are a lot of Korean people walking around, believe me.

You will find a beautiful girl at every booth at E3. They could be working reception or just standing around in a costume passing out T-shirts. They exist to get your attention. You are allowed to look but not touch, but they are not fragile artifacts, just a normal beautiful girl being paid to pose for photos. I have spent two days listening to their unfiltered thoughts in the break room and this what they think about YOU!

They hate the guy that puts their arms around their waist and hugs! Gross! The outfit that they wear shows a lot of skin and they don't need to be that close to you buddy. If you smell, they will make a face after you leave. That's Guaranteed. They start seeing double after 3 or 4 hours because of the constant camera flashing. When they take a break, they take the costume off and relax. They will chat about the next job or where they are headed next. If you were the weirdest guy at the convention, they will goof on you. One last thing. They LOVE a TV camera. If someone with a mic and a camera shows up, Get out of the way! I wonder if Jennifer Aniston started out posing in an iron brassier?

Next time- "I'm on the front Page! It's all about ME!"

E3_Day one

I attended The Electronic Entertainment Expo last year. It's basically a video game convention. I was not an attendee or an exhibitor, but hired security! I got a call from a friend who runs a west coast talent agency. She needed someone to work the door at Sony booth at E3 and I was the only black guy she knew(or something like that). I had never done anything like that before! I'm tall and I can be menacing if I need to be, but I'm a lover not a fighter. The pay was alright and it was something different, so I said Yes!

Jump ahead one year and I get a call from my friends talent agency. E3 is coming up again and the Sony people want me to reprise my 2005 performance. How nice! The biggest change between then and now is this Blog and a digital camera, so I will tell you of my three days and of standing for 9 straight hours.
Day One

So I get there early but the person with my badge gets there late. I wait for about an hour and enjoy the point of entry promotions. Stuff like an artist drawing a 10x10 pastel illustration on the floor or some live cable broadcast shot in the lobby. Lots of people waiting to enter and I'm starting to remember the worst thing about this job. Standing around and my aching back. More on that later.

I get inside and WOW! The booths are so extravagant and you can see that video games make a lot of money. The Sony booth was larger with a better location. Most of the people were the same and my duties were unchanged as well. Make sure that the geeks and clowns did not enter the VIP booth. The booth was meant for meetings and smoozing, and you can get a beer or a vodka shot if you get in. E3 is an industry only con, so only adults are permitted inside the hall. Most of the companies there have some kind of comfort station for their clients.

My job consists of standing in one place for hours at a time. This was a problem last year. On the third day, my back felt like somebody had been kicking me with steel toed boots on. Horrible pain. I'm not as young as I used to be! By the time my lunch break came around, I had to walk to get the blood moving in my feet. I thought about eating lunch. The booth has some sandwiches sent in, but it's all picked over by the time I get to it. The Convention Center food service is a ripoff so I decide to take a look around instead of eat.

Every booth looks like a million bucks. They want you to notice, so the booths are like small fantasies that engage you. One place was dressed up like a battlefield and another had a skateboard half pipe built for skaters to perform on. My favorite was the PSP booth with a partial subway train built with mobile games installed in the seats! Take a look at the photos.

I did not have time to see what I wanted to. By back was aching and I had another 5 hours to go. I also had a birthday dinner to attend later that night, so I was wilting. This was just the first day and I was thinking about calling in sick.

Next Time: Booth Babes, the stuff they don't want you to know!

X-men Movie

I had a chance to see the latest X-men 3 trailer and I am looking forward to it!

I also have a quick review for MI-3: It's quick paced to the point of being frantic. The story is less important than the energetic camera angles and the wide eyed chases. The slowest part of the film was funeral scene and the camera panned across the mourners like they wanted to save film or something. I would have enjoyed the film much more if they had not blown up the screen so much.

Spidey's Wedding

I recently read an interview with Joe Quesada on the Newsarama website. He made a comment that Peter Parker marrying Mary Jane Watson was not a good idea. I disagree! The wedding was so much fun, and I know because I was there! It was in 1988 when they tied the knot at Shea stadium in NYC. Everyone was given tickets to the game and a reception afterwards. The party was at The Tunnel, it was a trendy place at the time and I was just old enough to drink!

Spidey getting married put him on a different path and showed the character maturing. I think the people at Marvel need to try harder to explore the drama of married life instead of lamenting over his single days.

Work in progress

In my ongoing efforts to not suck, I am posting some more of my artwork with self-criticisms included. If you have any comments, let me know!

Time to VOTE!

If you have received your ballot for the Eisners, don't forget to check the appropriate box! Vote for Richard Starkings for best Letterer! It's really cool that my book GunpowderGirl and The Outlaw Squaw was included on his nomination, it's a first for me having something I created recognized by the Eisners. Vote early and often!