A Picture Is Worth...

The international poster for "Die Hard 4.0" is a throwback to the good ole days of action movies. It's a simple but effective shot of Bruce Willis as McClane, looking banged up, dirty and ready to kick some terrorist butt.

Let's just hope the movie is as good as the poster.

King Loves Huston

One of the cool things about running the ZONE is getting to be one of the first to tell you about cool movies, comics, tv shows, artists and authors.

I've been talking up Charlie Huston since his first novel, Caught Stealing. I selected him as my favorite author of 2006 HERE. Guess who else is a Charlie Huston fan. Stephen King!

Stephen King said this about Charlie Huston in a recent interview: "When you came in we were talking about Charlie Huston, this guy who has written a trilogy. One’s called Caught Stealing and one’s called Six Bad Things and the last one, which I’m reading now, is called The Dangerous Man. I feel the same way..." ...you don't want the series to end.

Just another example of ZONErs being ahead of the pack!

Making Like Neo

Last Thursday, Antonella Barba dodged a bullet when she missed being elminated from American Idol. As I told you HERE, on Friday, "racy photos" of Ms. Barba began appearing on the net. Because some of the photos were very "racy," I thought that Ms. Barba would probably be asked to leave the show. Things may have changed though.

Today Barba's best friend, Amanda Coluccio was quoted in The Star-Ledger of Newark as saying, "The really bad ones aren't her. I've studied them. It's not her nose. She's never had (acrylic nail) tips (like the woman in the photo) in her life. She's the least slutty person I know."

If that is the case, Ms. Barba has probably dodged another bullet.

American Idol: Picture That

Antonella Barba is one of the contestants on American Idol. Although she is a pretty young lady and can sing [well enough to make the show anyway], I thought that she would probably get the boot in the first round of eliminations. I was surprised when she made it to the second round.

If you've read this far then you've probably heard the news that "racy photos" of Ms. Barba have been popping up all over the internet since Friday. The first photos were of Ms. Barba posing with friends on the beach [topless but covering themselves with their hands] and of her in sexy outfits / poses. Then another round of photos came to light and they reportedly were of Ms. Barba engaged in a sex act. Still more photos of Ms. Barba are making their way to the net. My guess is that Antonella Barba will be asked to leave the show before the second round of eliminations begin... which is what I thought should have happened in the first place.

Another Youtube Gem

It never ceases to amaze me the things that can discover on Youtube.com. I've found everything from clips from old Sammy Terry shows to news about a fire that took out much of the downtown in my home town of Terre Haute back in the early 60's. I've found intros to tv shows that I haven't seen in 40 years and fan made trailers as good as what you'd see in theaters.

Today I found video of a wrestling match that took place in the early 70's pitting The Blackjacks [Mulligan and Lanza] and their manager "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan against Dick the Bruiser, his cousin The Crusher and midget wrestler "Little Bruiser." What makes this match so appealing to me is that in addition to it being over 30 years old, and featuring my favorite wrestlers of the time, I actually saw this match live!

Well, maybe I did. See, I did see these same guys wrestle each other in Indianapolis live, but they probably wrestled against each other around the country and the video may have been from one of those matches. Either way, it was still a hoot seeing it after all of these years.

I'll continue searching out Youtube for cool videos. I'd love to find intros to "T.H.E. Cat" [I can't imagine that it was good as I remember it being] and "Garrison's Guerillas." Hey, and if you find any cool videos, post the links here. I'd love to see what gems you've come across.

What I Do Know

I'm sure that most ZONErs have, by this point, heard about the break-down that Britney Spears went through this week. She checked herself into rehab, checked herself out, went out on the town, got a new tat, and shaved her head. Rumors are rampant about the reasons for Britney's breakdown. Some say drugs, some say she never has gotten over Justin Timberlake and some claim it was because she read THIS.

I don't know the cause of Britney's problems, but I do know THIS is well done.

The Invaders

I'm not sure how many ZONErs will remember or be aware of the tv series, "The Invaders." It ran for only 43 episodes in 1967 - 1968. I was 8 years old when the series premiered and since I haven't seen an episode since it went off the air, I don't really know how well it would hold up. If it was any where as good as this intro or this promo, I think I'd still enjoy watching it!

Already Dead Gets New Life

Remember when I first told you here about how much I enjoyed Charlie Huston's writing? And then here when I wrote that Huston placed 2 books in my top five for 2006? [Actually it was 4 out of the top 7, if you want to get technical about it.]

Anyway, seems like I'm not the only one enjoying Huston's work. Already Dead has been optioned for a potential movie franchise. You can read the full story here.

Just another example of ZONErs being ahead of the crowd!

Which Bot is Best?

I took the photo above at MegaCon on Sunday. There was a company there that had life-size recreations of famous robots.

For my money, these three are probably the MOST famous robots in the world. There's 3CPO from Star Wars, the robot from Lost in Space, and Robbie the Robot.

Given my pick, I'd take the Lost in Space robot. Of course, I grew up watching Lost in Space. If I was a child of the 70's, I'd probably want 3CPO and someone a bit older than me would want Robbie.

Would a child of the 80's want KITT?

One Mega-Great Day

Usually when I'm going to a comic convention, I try to post the news well in advance in case there are other friends/ZONErs who are planning to be there. A lot of the fun of these shows is hanging with friends you seldom get to see! I hadn't posted anything about this weekend's Orlando MegaCon because I had decided not to attend. Just two weekends ago I was at FX and decided that my wallet needed a break. So even though Darwyn Cooke was scheduled for MegaCon [and I really wanted a shot at a Stallone piece from him], I figured that I would sit this one out.

You can imagine my surprise when at 7:30 on Saturday morning I received a call from my good buddy, John Higashi. John knew how badly I wanted a Stallone piece from Darwyn and he called to say that it might be possible! Darwyn was sketching and his prices were very reasonable. Unfortunately, there was no way that I could get over there on Saturday since I had made plans with my son Chris [who only moderately enjoys comic conventions].

At 11:30pm John Higashi called me again. He said that Darwyn still had a couple of slots open and if I could get there bright and early on Sunday, I might still have a shot at one! To sweeten the deal, John [knowing that I was trying to watch my $$] had managed to come up with two one day passes! [Talk about a true friend!] I spoke with Chris and he wanted to go [if only to hang with the crew].

That's Chris and "The James" Howell looking all gangsterish. Now back to the con report... Chris and I get up bright and early and drive over. I'm the first one at Darwyn's table. Right behind me comes Randy Martin who's hoping to get a piece for his Edward Scissorhands collection. A few minutes later and the line behind us is huge! When Darwyn arrives, he says that he has room for just two more sketches. I'm in! As long as Darwyn doesn't run out of time, I'll get my Stallone piece!!

Usually when I hit cons, I have two or three days [depending on the show] to hang with friends, set up sketches and look at what the dealers are hawking. Since this was the last day of the show, I had to make the rounds fairly quickly. I was able to visit briefly with Cadre and his crew, Alex Saviuk, as well as Joe Pekar and Alberto Ruiz. [That's Joe and Alberto in the photo above. Alberto's the one flashing the lettuce!] Keith and Monica Mallow were there. They joined Chris and I for lunch at the convention center cafe. Chris is pretty reserved the first time he meets someone, so he REALLY didn't know what to make of Mallow, who's a joke a minute guy. [Unfortunately his funny jokes only show up every five minutes or so... but I kid...] Keith is planing a one day show in Port St. Lucie, Florida on April 22nd. I'll post more about that as the date draws near.

After lunch Chris and I headed over to hang out with the guys from Tsunami Studios [Gary McKee, Mike Torrance, and Jason Walker]. "The James" has been friends with the guys for years, and I've hung with them since I started doing shows again. They'd prepared a studio sketchbook. It was a bargain, especially since they all drew small headshots free with every purchase. I'll post up mine later this week.

The cool thing about hanging at the table is you get to see the guys working on the sketches that fans commission, plus you get to see other artists who stop by, as well as the folks who come to the show in costume. [Hopefully "The James" will post some of the photos we took on his blog.] Although he wasn't in costume, I was surprised to see Jimmy Sanders III! It had been about 12 years since I last saw him. He'd made a splash in the comic biz as an inker and was going full bore for a while. Then a lot of things happened and he seemed to have dropped off the planet. He said that he's hoping to back into comics.

As the afternoon wore on, I began to wonder if Darwyn would get to my sketch. He always seemed to have a huge line of fans who wanted to shake his hand, get a photo, and have him autograph a stack of comics. Darwyn was always friendly and took the time to make sure each fan left happy. He was making progress on his sketch list, but the clock was ticking.

Matt Halloub hung at the table for a bit. He picked up some great additions to his collection. Hawaiian Dave visited and shared some of the great pieces that he scored at MegaCon. John Higashi would suddenly teleport in, and then just as quickly be off again. "The James" rounded up all the sketches that he'd set up. I had come to the show hoping to set up one sketch with Darwyn Cooke. I'd been able to, but the show was almost over when...

...word got back to me that Darwyn was working on a drawing of Sly! I swung by his table and it was ready! I thanked [and paid] him. I then made my way back to table Tsunami. After just a few minutes the end of show announcements started. Before we said our goodbyes, Chris snapped a photo of us. That's Gary looking proud of his pencil, and Jason to our right. I'm behind Gary, and Mike Torrance is behind me. Hawaiian Dave is directly behind "The James" who seems to be putting the Vulcan grip on Jason.

Before I go... let me leave you with a shot of Darwyn and his take on Sly as Jack Carter!

100 Greatest Love Songs

Recently Jim Farber, the New York Daily News music critic posted his list of the 100 Greatest Love Songs of All Time. Here's what it took to qualify:

"Eligible songs had to have endured at least a decade in the public consciousness, if not two or three. And they had to have been popular enough to have ranked among the top 20 pop songs in whatever year they were released. These aren't necessarily the sexiest songs. If they had been, you'd see cuts by James Brown and Prince. But they are all classic serenades to a love achieved, the kind of songs meant to make listeners swoon."

I took a look at his list and compiled my top ten favorites [ranking could switch depending on my mood]...

"Wonderful Tonight" Eric Clapton
"You Are So Beautiful" Joe Cocker
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" Roberta Flack
"Killing Me Softly With His Song" Roberta Flack
"(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" The Righteous Brothers
"When a Man Loves a Woman" Percy Sledge
"This Guy's in Love With You" Herb Alpert
"The Long and Winding Road" The Beatles
"How Deep Is Your Love" The Bee Gees
"Just the Way You Are" Billy Joel

So ZONErs... do you agree?

What's Next for Mr. Tarver

I happened to get a few minutes to talk to Antonio Tarver tonight. Yes, the former Light-Heavyweight Champion of the World. Yes, the guy who played Mason Dixon in "Rocky Balboa."

Mr. Tarver was at the high school, where I work, to watch his son play in the first round of the state basketball playoffs. We are the district champs and hope to move forward toward the state title. At any rate, Mr. Tarver arrived early and we chatted for a few minutes.

He said that he never did as many interviews as he did while promoting "Rocky Balboa." He was very gracious about the praise he and the movie received. Antonio enjoyed working with Sly. Antonio's next fight will be at the end of April and will be televised on ABC. He's got another movie lined up which will be a comedy. As always Antonio was very cool, very approachable.

And, yes, our team won [and won big]!

Another "300" Trifecta

It's time for another "300" trifecta...

Click HERE and you'll get an interview with Spartan King Gerard Butler.

Click HERE and it's an interview with the "God King" Rodrigo Santoro. a

And finally, click HERE and you'll get an advance review of "300."

All of this low-cal, low-sodium goodness is brought to us from the good folks at ComicBookResrouces.com.

Batteries to Power...

If I was a rich man, this would be my ride.

Pics from the D.A.D, Launch Party

Remember when I first told you about the Drink and Draw Social Club? Then I told you about the launch party for their cool art book The Drink and Draw Social Club Vol. 1.

Now I'm here to tell you that you can check out some cool pics from the launch party posted by LeSean Thomas and Dan Panosian.

So check out the pics, order the book and thank me later!

"Big" John Checks In

For all of you following "Big" John Beatty's trip to Manila... we've received our first e-mail from him. He made it [despite a late connection from Japan].

He's met Bella. John said that the camera did lie to him... but it lied in the "opposite way"... she is even prettier than her pictures! John says that he'll write more later.

I just wonder if Bella thinks John's prettier than his pictures?

Don't Walk, Start Ronin

It's time for our hourly "300" update...

Newsarama is reporting that "300" producer Gianni Nunnari, was asked about other comic projects is working on and he responded by saying Frank Miller's Ronin!

Ronin was a six issue miniseries published by DC after Frank's initial run on Daredevil. It's the story of a young Ronin in feudal Japan who seeks to avenge his master who was killed by a demon.

If the story pans out and the producer can get a director with the same passion that Zack Snyder has shown in translating "300" to the big screen, we could be in for another great ride. To check out "Ronin" click HERE. To get the full details from Newsarama, click HERE.

A MAGICal Night

This evening I attended the Orlando Magic / San Antonio Spurs game. If you're a hoops fan, my guess is that you already heard about "THE DUNK."

Before I tell you about the amazing ending to one of the best comebacks ever, let me tell you that it was a perfect evening. My son is a Magic fan and for Christmas I got him tickets to see them play against San Antonio. Our drive to Orlando was smooth and we arrived exactly at the planned time. I had pre-purchased a parking ticket for the lot directly across from the arena. We drove right in [despite the game and all parking lots being sold out]. Before the game we were able to go down almost courtside and watch the players warm up. It's easy to forget just how BIG these guys are in real life. At half time, they brought out Chris Leak, the Heisman-winning quarterback for the National Champion Florida Gators [which just happens to be my son's favorite college team].

Now back to the exciting climax... Despite being down as much as 20, and behind most of the game, the Magic tied it up with less than a minute left in regulation. Then when Tim Duncan's attempt at a winning shot was rejected by Dwight Howard, the Magic grabbed ball and called a time out. They had 8/10's of a second left on the clock to win the game. They didn't even need that much time. Hedo Turkoglu lobed the ball towards the goal and Dwight Howard soared over Tim Duncan and slammed home a one-handed dunk to give the Magic the lead and the win.

It was an amazing ending to one of the most exciting basketball games I've ever had a chance to witness. More importantly, my son said it was the best game that he'd ever seen and he saw it in person. Talk about a Magical night...

9112 Miles to Graceland

"Big" John Beatty boarded a plane this morning for the start of a journey that may last him the rest of his days. You see, he's off to meet a young lady that may be the love of his life. John and Bella met nearly six months ago through the internet. They've been talking and e-mailing and video conferencing nearly daily since then. So they decided it was time to meet face to face!

This morning John boarded a plane that will fly him from Orlando to Detroit to Japan to Manila. Whew! That's one heck of a trip. Big J says that he'll e-mail when he can, and update his blog if possible.

Let's all wish the big guy a safe trip. If he doesn't scare off Bella when he meets her after spending all those hours on the plane, this thing may just work out!

Interview with the King

It's time for our hourly update on "300." This time we have a link to an interview with "300" star Gerard Butler brought to us from the kind folks at comicbookresources.com!