Film Make Room for Tommy

July 26, 2009 - 10:33 am

Tommy Wiseau

“No one inspired me, I inspired myself.”  This is the proud proclamation of one Tommy Wiseau, the writer, director and star, really the entire brains behind The Room.  Maybe you’ve heard about this cult film and the crazy things people do when they see it.  Maybe you’ve heard someone quote the movie casually saying, “Oh. Hi, Mark.”  Or perhaps you remember the billboard of The Room featuring only Tommy’s pensive and pained expression looking down upon the traffic on Highland Avenue just south of Hollywood.  It was in Los Angeles, that this phenomenon was born when midnight screenings of the movie erupted in chaos… much of it planned.

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Art/Design The Ghetto George Lucas

July 26, 2009 - 10:33 am

Morgan Phillips

The next underground sensation is often discovered at Comic Con and plenty of candidates can be found in Artist’s Alley, or what is referred to at the con as “the ghetto.”  Perhaps this name comes from the fact that these simple tables display the wares of hopefuls selling their paintings, drawings or toys in the shadow of the looming booths from major film studios hawking the next Twilight. But it’s in this creative shanty town that you’ll find the not-so-humble Morgan Phillips aka DJ SuperGenius aka the Sucklord, his preferred name.  And he is the mogul and the mastermind behind all things Suckadelic.  A New York-based artist who is mult-faceted.  He makes music.  He makes films.  He makes toys based on his films.  He rolls through Comic Con wearing a badass Boba Fett custom costume wooing the ladies… he is a ghetto George Lucas.

Morgan Phillips

His Star Wars breakbeats CDs have sold over 1 billion copies… okay, not in reality, but in some imaginary universe.  What is not imaginary is his love of fandom which inspired his music. These tunes could only have been made by a true nerd with a wealth of geek knowledge — someone who knows music as well as the origins of the Sandpeople.  But how can breakbeat music that samples from the Star Wars films get noticed by fans, but go completely unnoticed by Lucas’ lawyers? “I’ve been pimping the Star Wars breakbeats for 10 years now and contrary to popular mythology, I’ve never received any cease and desist orders,” says the Sucklord, “I kind of sail under the radar.  I honestly think that it’s so small and niche that it doesn’t matter.”

Morgan Phillips

Everything the Sucklord does ties in: the music, the short films, even the toys which he makes himself.  The spray-painted and moded action figures are kind of cheap-looking, but that does not mean they are not cool.  “After  trying to navigate the designer toy industry, I couldn’t crack in, so I decided to hand manufacture the stuff myself.”

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Art/Design I Found Waldo, and He’s a Dick

July 25, 2009 - 10:28 pm

Ray Sumser

Meet Ray Sumser, a twenty something artist in Residence at the Tannery Arts Center of Santa Cruz, California. He has not one, but two pieces of parchment from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (Alumni: Seth Macfarlane & Tara Packard) which state that he can color in the lines and direct nudie pictures. Whilst the letters B.F.A. may impress the bluebloods and those snobs over at Juggs magazine, I feel much as my wise grandfather used to say, “Show me yours and I’ll show you mine?” With this piece before me, “Comicosm”, Ray has shown.

Waldo

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Comic Books The New R. Black

July 25, 2009 - 10:01 pm

R. Black

Dark and sensuous, the art of R. Black has a look all its own. Immediately identifiable, the mix of futuristic vinyl with pulpy pinups entwine to create some of the most evocative poster work to date.   Collectors can recognize a piece instantly, while the uninitiated just know they’re staring at a particularly striking piece of print.

R. has a keen eye for the  avant-garde and his work shows that he has a mind and imagination made for creating provocative and intriguing  pieces of futuristic art. In awe of his work, I had to stop and ask him more about his method, mind and  motivation.

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Event Not So Free Hugs

July 25, 2009 - 10:01 pm

Free Hugger

Started in 2004 and popularized by nerds at conventions across the globe, “Free Hugs” have been the latest random act of kindness to sweep the world. Whether it be t-shirts or signs, people advertise the enticing offer of “Free Hugs” and, surprisingly, the masses accept …with open arms.

Out of the hundreds of thousands of people at Comic Con, it’s hard to go a couple of feet without being privy to this phenomenon. Even booths are getting into the action, selling “Free Hug” t-shirts.

Today, I wrangled a “Hugger” just to see the motivation behind the movement; the drive and the reason to offer physical contact to perfect strangers. I found it was a little bit of comedy and a little bit of love.

Not So Free Hugs

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Event Walk of the Undead

July 25, 2009 - 10:01 pm

Zombie Walk 2009

Young, old, tall, small, fat, fit and some were pregnant, but what they all had in common was a love of zombies.  A love so deep for films and fiction featuring the undead, they had no fear getting slathered in blood and make up. Nearly 500 Comic Con attendees gathered in the heart of San Diego for Zombie Walk 2009.  The 8 block hike through the downtown gaslamp district near the convention center was put together as a way to promote the Woody Harrelson zomedy Zombieland coming to theaters in the fall.  But this fact may have been lost during the walk, or stumble, through downtown.

Zombie Walk 2009

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Comic Books Me Wantee! 10 Objects of Desire from Comic Con

July 24, 2009 - 9:23 am

Toys at Comic Con

Many attend the San Diego Comic Con with an empty piece of luggage in tow.  These are the seasoned Comic-Coneers who have learned from their long years of attendance that they’ll be leaving with more than they came with.  There’s nothing like that thrill in finding that one rare item to take back home.  Okay, maybe it’s like how Indiana Jones might feel when he acquires an ancient idol.  So, in a way, all Comic Con shoppers are like Indy — searching for that prized item that they don’t need, but must have.

Preview night at Comic Con takes place Wednesday, when booths are still setting up, and certain exclusive items are first made available for purchase.  There are two schools of thought on getting the best deal.  One is to buy it early, to be sure you actually get what you want.  The second is to scout out the item you want and wait until Sunday to get a deal.  Sunday is when Comic Con ends and dealers are more likely to drop the price so they don’t have to lug it back.  Choosing a wise shopping strategy is the secret to getting your hands on one of these…

T-Shirts at Comic Con

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Event Twilight’s First Girls in Line

July 24, 2009 - 9:23 am

Twilight First Girls in Line

As of 9:45 PM there were only a few of them in line, but they’d already been waiting since 1:30 pm.  They were queing up and camping out for Comic Con’s biggest event… the Twilight: New Moon panel that would feature bloodthirsty thespian Rob Pattinson.

Oddly, fandom for sexy teen vampire movies attracts girls who enjoy being out all night… in the dark.  By morning, the line circled the entire San Diego Convention Center, but only those die-hards willing to spend long hours will get in…  and those first in line will get the best seats right up front.

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Comic Books Event Comic Con Survival Guide

July 23, 2009 - 1:59 pm
Comic Con Souvenir Book by Robjtak off FlickrComic Con Souvenir Book by Robjtak via Flickr

On the surface is would be easy to say: pack as though you’re preparing for the zombie apocalypse (but with more deodorant).  With hoards of fans all screeching and clawing to vie for that special issue or exclusive toy, the outbreak is SURE to start In San Diego.

However, there are a few minor differences between the biggest comic convention in the US and the impending undead apocalypse.

Comic Con booth babes by W10002 off Flickr
Comic Con booth babes by W10002 via Flickr

PACK MORE DEODORANT!

I can’t stress this seemingly inconsequential item.  Whatever amount you consider sufficient for a mere mortal, double it….triple it if you’ve got “heat powers.”  I’ve seen the best of men fall victim to the monster that is under-arm funk.  Think of it as your “Boomstick,” a double-barrel of armpit freshness that will aid you in your quest to get up-close and personal with the hottest of booth babes.

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Contributors A Girl Named Bob

July 23, 2009 - 10:48 am

Bob Suicide

Bob Suicide hacked into the mainframe in 1984 and has been nerding it up ever since.  A mild-mannered, computer programmer by day in the silicon-coated Bay Area and a video game vixen by night, Bob has a penchant for all things geeky, techy, and nerdy.  When she’s not writing for ChinaShop, you can find her touring convention after convention; Jayne hat securely fastened or trolling the interwebs at http:/suicidegirl.com/girls/Bob/ .

For the best in hourly nerdy banter, you can flutter over to Bob’s twitter at http://twitter.com/bobsuicide