Sunday, July 31, 2011

The New Ghost Rider in Town

If you were following me on Twitter or Facebook during San Diego Comic Con, you got a flurry of Twitpics and among them was a nice look at Ghost Riders new cycle for the upcoming film "Spirit of Vengeance"! Now Sony kick it into high gear with your first look at the ashy, bombed out look for the guy who is hotter than hellfire. Thoughts? Mine would be..Toasty, much? They went for a gonzo super stylized look for his bike in the first film and a fairly true to the comic look for the demon himself. Now we seem to have the charred remains of what could be Ghost Rider? Not sure of the impact its going to have, but if anyone can pull off a sequel to Ghost Rider WITH Nick Cage still in play, its those boys who brought you Crank! Crossing my fingers for something awesome. Here's the story line...

The film sees Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider (Cage), hiding out in remote Eastern Europe and struggling to repress his curse. Blaze is recruited by a sect to take on the devil (Ciaran Hinds), who wants to take over his mortal son’s body on the kid’s birthday.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance opens on February 17, 2012.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Thundercats Cartoon Premiere: Pop Culture Shock's Lion-O

Thought we might take a break from all the SDCC posting to celebrate the premiere of the NEW Thundercats cartoon which hits your TV upside the head TONIGHT on Cartoon Network. We don't have very much in the way of party favors, so we took what we had and made it count! Up first we take a close look at the new mixed media statue of Lion-O in his classic look from Pop Culture Shock Collectibles, due to hit your shelves very soon! This leader of the mighty Thundercats is the Sideshow Exclusive version with light up eyes and Eye of Thundera on his sword, and is long sold out BUT your favorite etailer and local retailers may have pre-ordered some, so start making calls now! Here are the details from Sideshow...

Sideshow Collectibles is proud to bring you this fantastic new addition to Pop Culture Shock Collectibles' offerings - Lion-O from the Thundercats animated series. The Lion-O Statue - Sideshow Exclusive Edition features light-up eyes and sword detail. This mixed media statue stands an imposing 32 inches high and is expertly cast in high-quality polystone, then dressed in real fabric clothing. Each figure includes a signed certificate of authenticity.













Notes on Photography: The objective wasn't to just show off Lion-O, as you've seen plenty of pics of him at this point. We wanted to really reveal all the sculptural details. Lion-O was shot in fairly direct sunlight, which washes the color a bit but provides for a little drama with shadows and light fall. Still, the colors are very true to what you would see with the naked eye in sunlight. Also note this was the piece closest to finished on hand, as Lion-O hasn't actually shipped yet, so very minor details will be tighter on the finished pieces (like the symbol on the sword.)

For a whole pile of Lion-O pics, click HERE to hit the Flickr!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

SDCC: The Condensed San Diego Comic Con Part 1

As we fill up the Flickr and begin gathering toy stories for Cool Toy Review, I wanted to give you a run down of what the 2011 San Diego Comic Con was like.

Day 1: Preview Night - For me this is preview afternoon into evening. My plane touched down at 11:30 and by 12:30 I was in the show ready to run through it like a psychopath with an R2-D2 Droid camera phone at the ready. The objective is to give you at home an overview of the show, reveal new movie posters, booth displays and then hunt down the coolest toys as a sneak preview of what's to come, coverage wise. Responses to my flurry of tweets ranged from Brian of Horror Movie A Day telling me he is unfollowing me til after the show is done with to requests for pics of Minimates and Marvel figures. I was working my typing thumbs and hunting down things to shoot so fast I was covered in sweat. KW of Dread Central said he was waiting for my little (twitter) bird to off himself to avoid further torture. As it was, I had to reload several posts as there would always be two birds loading and two birds who died in transit, represented by upside down birds as if they'd keeled over from the stress. All this tweeting and picture taking is done in a sort of video game setting with fork lifts going forward and back, whipping around corners and beeping frantically at those walking by in a daze. Its a wonder that no one gets knocked on their ass at the very least. Highlights of my shooting include the giant alien device of "Men in Black 3", the "Ghostrider 2" bike, hunting down evidence of Conan's new project "The Flaming C", NECA's Evil Dead 2 figures, Diamond Select's "Alice: The Madness Returns" video game action figure line and an excellent Mohawk Storm statue at Sideshow! The day of shooting ends abruptly around 6, shortly after the throng of exclusives hunters hit the show floor. I'm off to an Activision preview event to meet up with the Dread Central crew, Joe Lynch of the new movie "Knights of Badassdom" (which seems to be about larping and demons!!) and a little console time with Prototype 2 and Spider-Man: Edge of Time which look mind blowing, as you would expect!
























Day 2: I was going to run over to the show before it opened to get in some quality time with the little plastic people, but not having slept the night before had taken its toll and at the very least, I needed a full 6 hours rest and some time to post the awesome things I shot the day before. This meant my day would begin off-site at the Pacific Gasslamp to meet up with the actors and creator of the indie film hit "Bellflower", a story of bromance, failed romance and a car called Medusa, built to survive the oncoming apocalypse. It seemed I was the first to arrive as all the doors were locked and two of the actors were waiting outside. When we finally entered we were greeted with a 2 flight walk up; a special torture first thing in the morning. As I caught my breathe and looked out over the balcony I was joined by Jessie Wiseman who plays Millie in the film. We shared a moment of mutual revulsion at the creepiness of the ultra realistic Smurfs in the film to come. It was the texture of their skin that bothered her the most. I suspected they would be sticky to the touch and maybe secrete an enzyme that puts the victim in a hallucinatory state so they can eat him while still alive. I'd definitely watch that movie. I do hope Neil Patrick Harris doesn't get eaten though. The interview itself flew by with topics ranging from the drama of Shakespeare to the question of whose actor hair would win in a fight and then the obvious conversation closer...Robocop. Look for that vid as soon as I'm not hopped up on Dayquil to fight off my post SDCC plague!

I had a bit of time between gigs and running back to the show seemed futile, so I decided to hunt down some food when amid a crowd of fans came the beating of drums and from their center, a unicorn head popped up! This was revealed to be Lady Rainicorn from Cartoon Network's "Adventure Time", whom I followed to a pizza place decked out with AT trappings. I was given a coin for a free piece of pizza and soda and joined the fans on line to enter. Even in the heat and intense sun, this group never hesitated to sing their favorite songs from the show and express their undying love for Beemo (the sentient video game console). When we finally got in..a little scorched by the sun..we all got the foods promised and a little stuffed Jake with an SDCC 2011 stamped on his butt. Oh yea..and the pizza was goooood. Oddly my young line partners were adverse to sitting directly on the pavement across the street, opting for hovering above it in a sort of "cat ready to pounce pose" or maybe "monkeys grooming each other". I asked what germs they feared they might pick up from over touching of their butts, which launched into a conversation of causes for touching one's own but. Sometimes, you are just too damn sexy for your own good.

After some toy interviewing and more pictures where ever I could squeeze in on the show floor, I had to head out to a "Final Destination 5" happy hour and 3D film preview. When I asked a security person where petco park was, they pointed waaaaay off into the distance. With a sigh, I was off. This would be a re-occurring theme of the show, having to run from one end to another in 10 minute's time. After the third time, you don't care that you look like a sweaty mess when you arrive. The "Final Destination 5" footage was beautiful and gut wrenching all at once; like a series of Wile E Coyote calamities taking place as a suspension bridge crumbles, sending its living contents to their doom. This is the most excellent use of 3D in a horror movie that I've seen in a very long time. You may find yourself ducking to avoid the flying guts! I met up with Arlen Escarpeta (who enjoys a particularly juicy demise in this scene) to shoot the shit and had to bum him out by saying there were no new Ninja Turtles things to check out on the floor of the show. Major downer when we don't have any TMNT to look forward to. I'd also promised producer Craig Perry that I would catch up with him after seeing the fottage but my time was short so this one is for you Craig. HOLY SHIT!! I think that says it all. I was also briefly interviewed by Spike TV so let me know if you see me on there! The hostess seemed convinced I would relish the idea of being bathed in blood so we had a bit of a debate on the topic.

Next stop was the FEARnet party and sneak preview of their newest shows "Psychovlle" and "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil". "Psychoville" looks exceptionally fun with the sensibilities of UK hit Little Brittain and a story that seems to revolve around a sadistic party clown who seems confused that the parents who hire him don't want him to use the hooks and saws as part of his act. Go figure. After agreeing that we need to book an interview with Rob Lowe, the new master of horror, we were off to our own Dread Central/Magnet party! We did a quick red carpet with the creators and actors of "Tucker and Dale VS Evil" which stars Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk (Wash from Firefly!) in a tale of two friends trying to decompress at their woodland vacation home when they are set upon by over-privileged teens who think T&D are the a-typical horror movie rednecks and proceed to off themselves while trying to battle them. It's hysterical and wrong in all the right ways. There were several celebs hitting the carpet that night including the boys from the "Falling Skies" TV series and Stephen Lunsford of "Private Practice" and the upcoming film "Beneath the Darkness". In the spirit of SDCC, Stephen showed up dressed as Nathan Drake from Uncharted! We also caught up with Rob Hall, creator of "Chrome Skull: Laid to Rest 2". The sequel looks to be more viscious and blood soaked than the first instalment! My apologies to Rob that I couldn't see it AT SDCC, but watching movies while at the show just assures me a place to nod off half way through. At SDCC, If I'm not running or drinking, I'm sleeping. I can't help it. Lights go off, my brain says sleep mode.


I'm going to split this into 2 parts so it's not too incredibly long...and so I can get back to posting all the coverage I shot and recorded at the show! Stay tuned for more.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

SDCC: Marvel VS Capcom Minimates

It's 2am on the east coast..so you know what that means..... IT'S MUTHA FUCKIN SAN DIEGO COMIC CON TIME!!!! wooooooooooooooooo GET UP ya filthy animals! It's like Christmas Eve for dorks! Diamond Select knows how to get in the holiday spirit and does so with pretty new pics and info of their shiny new Marvel VS Capcom Minimates series. Nuthin like scooping your own product boys!!

So we're mostly set up over at booth 2607 in the San Diego Convention Center, but we couldn't wait until the show opens tomorrow, and we know not everybody can get to Comic-Con, so we thought we'd leak some stuff early. First up: The rest of Marvel vs. Capcom Series 2! You saw the first series and some of Wave 2 a while back, but the rest of the line-up is shown here:


Specialty Assortment:
- Spider-Man vs. Chris Redfield
- Wolverine vs. Viewtiful Joe
- Super Skrull vs. Crimson Viper (exclusive)
- Storm vs. Jill Valentine (exclusive)

Toys "R" Us Assortment:

- Spider-Man vs. Chris Redfield
- Wolverine vs. Viewtiful Joe
- Taskmaster vs. Spencer (exclusive)
- Sentinel vs. First Appearance Ryu (exclusive)

The second series hits in October! Enjoy the pictures
!

SDCC: Shout! Factory Release Jem and the Holograms


America’s best-loved and truly outrageous animated pop star was Jem from the memorable 80’s pop culture series JEM and The Holograms. Best known for her iconic pink hair, star shape earrings, rousing musical numbers and trend setting fashion, Jem knew how to rock her glamour, glitter, fashion and fame and influenced a generation of viewers who grew up watching this animated series.


On October 11, 2011, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Hasbro Inc., will release the long-awaited JEM and The Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series! 11-DVD box set, sparkling with all the episodes in the order they were intended and an exclusive extra DVD packed with bonus features, including archival material rarely seen by fans! Poised to present a hard-to-refuse offer for loyal fans, this uncompromising 11-DVD box set is collected in a specially designed box and will be made available in stores nationwide. Also available to own on the same day is the single season DVD debut of JEM and The Holograms: Season One in a 4-DVD box set.


The series “JEM and The Holograms” ran from 1985-’88 in first-run syndication and still boasts a loyal and vocal fan base. It is frequently credited with influencing fashion in the late 1980s and beyond, and launching the careers of female pop-rock stars and music groups. The series follows Jerrica Benton, whose discovery of Synergy, a powerful computer companion, allows her to transform from co-owner of Starlight Music into rock star Jem. Teaming with her sister and best friends who form The Holograms, Jem sets out to make their musical dreams come true, even as she battles against the ruthless Eric Raymond and his musical protégés.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

SDCC: Pop Culture Shock Take On Mortal Kombat

Pop Culture Shock Collectibles are pleased to announce a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to bring 1/4 scale mixed media statues of characters from the most brutal fighting game of all time, the legendary Mortal Kombat, to die-hard collectors’ homes this year.

Pop Culture Shock has made a name for themselves with their Darkstalkers™ and ThunderCats statue lines, distributed through Sideshow Collectibles and Diamond Distribution. The Mortal Kombat fighters are the perfect addition to this ever-growing collectibles universe offering highly detailed sculpting and meticulous painting which captures every determined scowl and evil grin to perfection.

“Having spent many years bringing the world warriors of Street Fighter to sculptural life, I'm extremely excited to add the unstoppable Mortal Kombat fighters to the Pop Culture Shock Collectibles lineup,” stated Jerry Macaluso, President and Founder of Pop Culture Shock Collectibles. “The Mortal Kombat video game series presents the player with a diverse collection of complex warriors each as unique as they are deadly. It is every artist's dream to tackle a license like this and create sculptures so real you think they might attack!"

Pop Culture Shock Collectibles' first sculpture for their Mortal Kombat line will be SCORPION, a collectible so jam-packed with detail, a true fan's only response will be "GET OVER HERE!" SCORPION makes his debut wearing his costume from the latest Mortal Kombat video game, developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and is posed mid-action with his spear atop a glow-in-the-dark base riddled with the remains of fallen enemies. The Sideshow Collectibles exclusive version will come packed with a bonus piece - Scorpion's true skeletal head!

Scorpion will make his first appearance in the Sideshow Collectibles Booth (#1929) at San Diego Comic-Con this July 20-24 and will be available for pre-order at Sideshowtoy.com , Tuesday July 19th !

Keep watching
for more info as it develops at http://www.popcultureshocktoys.com/ and http://blog.popcultureshocktoys.com/

SDCC: In the Beginning... There Were SDCC Exclusives

San Diego Comic Con Coverage is brought to you by Teddy Scares!! ..because your life is incomplete unless you have an evil, creepy little plush bear sitting across from you.. judging you.. like your mom used to.

Exactly 1 day away from the biggest geek show on the planet. San Diego Comic Con draws people of all ages, from all walks of life and varying degrees of body stink all under one roof to partake of free swag, meet celebs, watch movies before anyone else, buy exclusive collectibles....OOH YEA..AND THERE ARE SOME COMIC BOOKS THERE TOO!! Since this show is such a beast, this year Emilie Noetzel (all pro photographer) and myself (Paul Nomad) are teaming up with the crew of the SS. Mighty Mighty Cool Toy Review! Now you know how ADD prone I am, so while you will be getting updates here and especially on the Flickr, the bulk of the images and info will be hitting Cool Toy Review first...mainly because they are flesh eating pirate robots that don't need sleep..or free drinks.. like I do...so check their site as often as you need your SDCC fix throughout the show. Also, make sure you are following me on TWITTER for live updates from the show floor whenever I see something awesome or meet a celeb who feels like flipping me the bird. I'm also on FACEBOOK if you are not twitterfied yet.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Big Chief's 12 Inch Doctor Who Figure: The11th Doctor

When we last heard from Big Cheif Studios, they were rocking the geek world with their announcement of high-end collector 1:6 scale figures and 1:4 scale mixed media statues for the entire Doctor Who-niverse! Now they jump back into the fires of dorkdom in the midst of Pre- San Diego Comic Con chaos to grab a bit of the spotlight for their newest creation...the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith!











BIG Chief Studios are proud to preview the final approved 1:6 scale portrait of the Eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith, from the flagship BBC TV series Doctor Who.

The highly authentic sculpt captures the Doctor in a pensive moment in the most minute detail. Each hand-painted head features subtle skin tones, highly realistic eyes and life-like hair.

I think I speak for everyone when I say.....wow. For those worried they will find it hard to find these excellent UK created plastics, I mentioned previously it is very likely Sideshow will pick up the ball here and run with it. In fact, I'd be shocked all to hell if they didn't! Keep watching for more news as it drops.

SDCC: Adventure Time Exclusive Figures!

Should be no great surprise I love this cartoon. Adventure Time is the most insane show I've watched...probably since Fooly Cooly but its also ridiculously adorable and random all at the same time. Jazwares will be cranking out the plastic babies for our collections, but until that time, we get a sneak preview at San Diego Comic Con!

Fans of Cartoon Network's Adventure Time heading to San Diego Comic-Con this weekend will be able to pick up the first items from the upcoming toyline from Jazwares before they launch at Toys"R"Us next month! The ADVENTURE TIME COLLECTOR PACK FINN AND JAKE two-figure set will be available for sale for a crisp $10 bill at the Entertainment Earth booth (#2343) at this year's annual fanfest. Annnnnnnndddddddd, to sweeten the deal even more, series creator Pendleton Ward will be on hand at the booth for a two hour signing on Saturday from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) announced a partnership with Jazwares (some weeks back if u were paying attention) to create a full line of toys based on the quirky and loveable characters from the series including Jake the dog, Finn the human, Princess Bubblegum, The Ice King and many others. Available at Toys“R”Us retailers in the U.S. and Canada starting this fall, the Adventure Time toy line will be comprised of a wide range of characters and SKUs sure to satisfy the needs of even the most discerning fans.

As master toy partner for Adventure Time, Jazwares has worked closely with show creators and CNE’s internal design team to capture the unique look and feel of the series and will introduce a line of highly-inspired product in to the toy category later this year. Highlights from the toy line include: 2” collectible figure packs featuring some of the show’s most popular characters, 5” pose-able action figures of Finn, Jake and the Ice King, assorted basic and signature plush – even some that talk, grow-able Finns and Jakes and a 24” role play sword. Put them all together and you have the most outrageous line up of Adventure Time toys that you could ask for.

"Cartoon Network is redefining the animated comedy genre led by shows like Adventure Time that fuse great stories told by characters with heart and an endearing voice," said Pete Yoder, vice president, consumer products North America for CNE. "Partnering with the talented team at Jazwares, we have captured the unique humor that has made Adventure Time so successful and translated it into a toy line that will amuse and engage fans of all ages."

“Jazwares is thrilled to partner with Cartoon Network on the Adventure Time toy line,” said Laura Zebersky, executive vice president of sales for Jazwares. “It has been a great experience working closely with the creators of the show to launch a line that brings the unique and quirky characters of Adventure Time to life.”

In addition to the full toy line launching this fall, fans should stay tuned for a Comic-con exclusive item that will help promote the toy line to the legions of fan boys who descend on San Diego each July.

Adventure Time is produced in partnership with Frederator Studios with Fred Seibert serving as an executive producer. Teeming with imposing mountains, lush green plains, accessible forests, ubiquitous prairies and winding rivers, the Land of Ooo is filled with bizarre characters in need of unique assistance. Whether it’s saving Princess Bubblegum, defeating zombie candy, mocking the “oxy-moronic” Ice King, or rocking out with undead music wiz Marceline the Vampire Queen, with Finn & Jake it’s always Adventure Time.

Since its debut on Cartoon Network in April 2010, the Adventure Time animated series has emerged as a a Cartoon Network fan favorite across both adults and kids. The series’ first season was watched by more than 37 million people according to Nielsen Media Research, and new fans have continued to join on as new episodes from the second season currently air on Cartoon Network on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. (ET, PT).

Friday, July 15, 2011

Happy Potter Eve!

Just back from the theater where 12 screens ran Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, in 3D, all at the same time. Every seat was sold out. The kids came out in force wearing their robes and uniforms..holding their wands and charms..in hats and scarves and beards and sorting hats and every single person you walked past was smiling. Such a wonderful, rare thing these days. Rarer still was the moment the actual movie started when everyone grew stone silent. Not a whisper or a cell phone beep could be heard. Inadvertently, I'd picked the most well behaved group of people on the planet to watch this movie with! As a surprise that at the very least I was unaware of before hand, the theater ushers gave us special Harry shaped 3D glasses. Being the psychotic collector that I am, I couldn't bring myself to open mine, so they remain mint in package!








To sum up, this was the perfect way to end a fantastic series of films. A packed theater with enthusiastic, cheering fans is the best way to reinvigorate a grouchy mother fucker like me who dreads watching a movie with a normal evening crowd. Thanks to team Harry for creating years of beautiful movie magic, and to the fans at the Hazlet Multiplex for making me laugh for an entire night.