The Young Ones

Merna has me thinking about The young Ones the oh-so-funny britcom from the early 80's so I thought I would post some of my favorite segments from the show.

Prick's Pollution Poem:


Trading Places:


Motorhead Performs Ace of Spades:


Vyv vs the pick axe:


And of course my favorite neil asks for an overdraft:

Charisma Carpenter Would be Much Better!

From TMZ.com
HOLLYWOOD - American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee has become the latest front-runner to play Wonder Woman on the big screen, according to Internet reports. The pretty Californian has overcome bronchitis, laryngitis and a fractured foot in recent weeks to perform on the American Idols Live Tour, and it seems her real-life heroics have impressed moviemaker Joss Whedon.

A source tells TMZ.com that McPhee is among the hopefuls up for the highly coveted lead in the Wonder Woman movie.

Katherine McPhee as Wonder Woman? It's bad enough that Joss (one trick pony) Whedon is directing the movie but Katherine McPhee? Sure she's an okay singer but can she act? Why not hire an adult to play Wonder Woman like say Charisma Carpenter not only is she amazingly beautiful and a real actress, but she's got real stature and looks like she could kick your ass.

Overlooked Movie: The Serpent and the Rainbow

"You know, it's interesting that Wes Craven had to take out some footage when this came out so he could get an R rating. Otherwise they were gonna give it an X for violence. But that's something that's happened with every film he's ever made, beginning with "Last House on the Left," the ultra-low-budget film he made in 1972 that's still one of the most intense of all horror films. When "Last House on the Left" came out, they kept sending it back to the MPAA Ratings Board, and every time they sent it in the board said "X rating." They'd take out more footage. "X rating." They'd argue with the board. "X rating." So finally, Wes put all the violent and gory footage back in and he went to his producer, a Boston theater owner, and he said, "Do you have any of those little pieces of film that go on the front of the movie saying 'This movie is rated R'?" And he said, "Sure." And so Wes just ASSIGNED HIMSELF an R rating and started showing the film. And he never got caught, because what member of the ratings board is ever gonna go watch a violent horror film in its natural setting? Downtown theaters, drive-ins in the Deep South. And so I asked Wes, "Why don't you do that on your movies today?" And he said, "Because, unfortunately, now I'm Wes Craven. I can't get away with it." My kinda guy." ~Joe Bob Briggs

Dennis Allan is an scientist who visits Haiti on the strength of a rumour of a drug which renders the recipient totally paralyzed but conscious. The drug's effects often fool doctors, who declare the victims dead. Could this be the origin of the "zombie" legend? Alan embarks on a surprising and often surreal investigation of the turbulent social chaos that is Haiti during the revolution which ousted hated dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Often a pawn in a greater game, Alan must decide what is science, what is superstition, and what is the unknown in a anarchistic society where police corruption and witch-doctory are commonplace.

Click Here to Watch the Preview:


Tagline: Don't bury me...I'm not dead!

Fun Trivia:
The CD Soundtrack to this film is rated one of the most expensive rarities in the world of film music trading because the principal release was on vinyl LP and fewer than 10 CDs were pressed.

Author Wade Davis agreed to sell the book rights on the condition that Peter Weir direct and Mel Gibson star. Neither man had any involvement in the project.

This was the first American movie to be made on Haiti and possibly the last, this production was seriously troubled. Starting with it's nearly 2,000 Haitian extras who were paid five bucks apiece, but when it got close to the time to leave Haiti, the locals started realizing that, once the Hollywood people were gone, the five-bucks-a-day gig would evaporate. So three times they threatened to strike unless they got raises, each time the producers gave them a little raise to keep them happy. Various local leaders would negotiate with rocks in their hands (it's exactly as awful as it sounds), this guy represents 50 people, this guy over here represents 300, and the Haitian government kept saying, "We'll be happy to send in government troops to keep them under control," but the producers weren't too crazy about that idea, cause they didn't think having 2,000 Haitian villagers beaten over the head with rubber truncheons would look too good in the tabloids. Then one day all the Haitians came to the production office and announced that they wanted more money right then--that night--or else they would start rioting. David Ladd, the producer, stood up on top of a car and talked to them with a bullhorn, they all had rocks in their hands, and he promised em some more money. The only problem was, they didn't have that much cash in the production office. So they had to call somebody to fly cash in from Miami. Meanwhile, the producers gave the order for everybody to get out of the country, and they finished the rest of the movie in the Dominican Republic.

Four crew members had voodoo experiences--all bad--one guy went completely insane and had to be sent back to the states. He was a raving paranoid for four more days, and then he became perfectly normal and couldn't remember what happened. Wes Craven believes that one of the local priests had put a curse on him, and from the moment they arrived, at least three-fourths of the crew was sick at all times. But Wes never got sick. And he was the guy who took the voodoo the MOST seriously.

Fun Quotes:
Dennis Alan: I'm a U.S. citizen! Think about that!
Dargent Peytraud: I don't see the Ambassador here, do you?

Dennis Alan: Don't let them bury me! I'm not dead!

Dargent Peytraud: When you wake up scream, Doctor Allen. Scream all you want. There is no escape from the grave.

Marielle Duchamp: The way Dr. Schoonbacher spoke of you, it was as though you could walk on water! Now I know why. Shit floats!

Louis Mozart: You are still alive.
Dennis Alan: Yeah, I noticed.

Joe Bob Brigg's Drive-in Totals:
We've got two breasts.
Six dead bodies.
Four undead bodies.
Voodoo funeral.
Exploding coffin.
Fire-eating.
Glass-eating.
Graveyard voodoo Catholic candle zombie face-eating.
One dead wall-pig.
Aardvarking.
Orgasm Cam.
Heads roll.
Heads thrown.
Gratuitous face needles.
Jaguar Fu.
Zombie Fu.
Scorpion Fu.
Tarantula Fu.
Snake Fu.
Scrotum Fu.
Buried-alive Fu.
Froth-face debutante Fu.

Danny Elfman & Oingo Boingo fun!

Oingo Boingo - Little Girls


Chanel no5 - Little Red Riding Hood


Danny Elfman - Gratitude


Danny Elfman & Oingo Boingo for Budweiser

Unemployed Skeletor's Blog of Evil: Part 8

Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 24


Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 25 part 1


Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 25 part 2


Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 25 part 3

Girls with Guns # 10: Claudia Black

Claudia Black

Music With a Personality Crisis

If you dig Glam Rock check out the latest post on Positive Ape Index where Coop has put up a ton of great glam videos.

T. Rex: 20th Century Boy

A Quick Sketch I Did Last Night

"Skates"

Overlooked Movies: Big Trouble in Little China

I enjoyed working with Mr. Carpenter. He was an easy director to get along with, no difficulties. He's an actor's director. He was right in there getting his point across yet making you feel comfortable, his appreciation of actors, understanding. He doesn't make things difficult for you, he did everything to make things easier. ~Carter Wong on John Carpenter

When trucker Jack Burton agreed to take his friend Wang Chi to pick up his fiancee at the airport, he never expected to get involved in a supernatural battle between good and evil. Wang's fiancee has emerald green eyes, which make her a perfect target for an immortal sorcerer named Lo Pan and his three invincible cronies. Lo Pan must marry a girl with green eyes so he can regain his physical form. Now, Jack must save Wang's fiancee from Lo Pan and his henchmen, and win back his stolen truck. But how can he defeat an enemy who has no body?

Click here to watch the trailer:


Taglines:
Adventure doesn't come any bigger!
Some people pick the darnedest places to start a fight!
Try to find big reason before you visit world of magic...
Jack Burton's in for some serious trouble and you're in for some serious fun.
A Mystical, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Kung Fu, Monster, Ghost Story!

Fun Trivia:
As Lightning (the character, one of the Three Storms) is crushed to death near the end of the film, some of the lightning he emits forms a small Chinese symbol as it disappears (near the top middle of the screen). The symbol translates as "carpenter". This film was directed by John Carpenter.

The ending song is written and sung by The Coupe De Ville. A band formed with: John Carpenter, Nick Castle and Tommy Lee Wallace (second unit director on this picture)

Watch the Video Here:


The Chinese characters in the main title translate to "Evil Spirits Make a Big Scene in Little Spiritual State".The characters on the front of "Egg" Shen's bus say, "Uncle Egg's Tours Guarantee a Good Time".

Although Kurt Russell was John Carpenter's only choice for the lead role the studio suggested Jack Nicholson or Clint Eastwood. Once they proved unavailable, Carpenter was able to cast Russell.

Thunder, is played by the great Carter Wong. He's a household name in Hong Kong, he's a great martial arts star; right up there with Jackie Chan and this was the first time he was ever seen on the American screen. Carter Wong was born in Macao, and when he was ten years old, he was sent away to one of those Shaolin-Kung Fu temples so he could be disciplined in the fighting arts. He studied with the Grand Masters of the Dragon style, the White Brow style, Chow Kaquin, Hung Car Quell, and Choi Lee Foot. At the age of 17 he went to Okinawa to practice under a 10th Red Belt Grand Master, resulting in becoming a Grand Master himself in 4 different martial arts forms; karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, and hapkwido. Not only is he the only master in all four but he's also been the Chief Martial Arts Instructor for the police departments of Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao, and New York City. He even taught kung fu to the New York City cops. He invented and teaches his own style of kung fu, "Patient People Kung Fu,".

Lo Pan is played by James Hong, the veteran Chinese-American character actor. He actually started out as a standup comic back in the '50s. But he was so bad as a comedian, that he had to give that up, he went to U.S.C. He got an engineering degree, but he was bored by that, that's when he started acting and he's been in more than 300 tv-shows and films and commercials.

In World of Warcraft, there is a rare item called a "six-demon bag," whose name and description come from the movie.

Many fans of the video game Mortal Kombat that came of age in the 1980s notice a similarity between "Raiden" and the Storm "Lightning" in the film. Raiden and Shang Tsung were inspired by "Lightning" and "Lo Pan". John Tobias has confirmed this.

The Quotable Jack Burton:
You know what Jack Burton always says... what the hell?

Like I told my last wife, I said, "Honey, I never drive faster than I can see, and besides... it's all in the reflexes."

Now I'm not saying that I've been everywhere and I've done everything, but I do know it's a pretty amazing planet we live on, and a man would have to be some kind of FOOL to think we're alone in THIS universe.

Everybody relax, I'm here.

Just remember what ol' Jack Burton does when the earth quakes, the poison arrows fall from the sky, and the pillars of Heaven shake. Yeah, Jack Burton just looks that big old storm right in the eye and says, "Give me your best shot. I can take it."

When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, looks you crooked in the eye and asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."

and one last scene Egg-Shen vs Lopan:

Yet another reason to skip the Neil LaBute's Wickerman remake...

It's bad enough Nicholas Cage is the star of this thing but now I hear there's no nudity! Okay, okay a movie doesn't necessarily need nudity to be good, but I guess the way LaBute explains this decision annoys me a little, claiming the women of this new Summerisle will be less wild and calling the nudity, the sexuality of the original movie dated. I couldn't disagree more.

One of the most fascinating parts of the original movie was it's comparison of the pagan beliefs of the island to that of intense Christian beliefs of Sergeant Howie. The movie was an exploration of sexual ideas and identity in religion. To me the nudity in the original movie wasn't supposed to be sensational or shocking; it was supposed to be representative of this community's lifestyle and religion. It wasn't nudity for the sake of nudity it was necessary to the story, necessary to the movie's message...take the nudity out of the original movie and it just doesn't work.

So when LaBute calls the nudity in the original Wickerman dated what does that say for his remake? The original movie was a thought provoking mystery film, rich in colorful songs, images and religious exploration. This new version feels like it started with a rating and a release date instead of a story.


What is it about America these days? It seems as though day by day we grow more and more conservative and less interested in exploring different ideas and philosophies. Half our nation was up in arms just a few years ago because of an exposed breast on TV. We are so messed up as a nation we seem to be overcompensating for our fear of sexuality by ramping up the exploitive violence we see on TV and at the movies. How is that healthy?

...on the other hand at least I don't have to see Nicholas Cage naked and that's certainly a plus.

Unemployed Skeletor's Video Blog of Evil: Part 7

What's old Skelly up to this week kids? Let's find out!

Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 21


Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 22


Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 23

Thank god it's not just me!

From Johnen Vasquez's Tickle Me Hellmo

I used to love Sesame Street and even beyond I'm not as ashamed to admit as I should be but I admit since the introduction of Elmo I've watched the show very little. I was never really sure why but now Joel Stein has finally put my feelings into words. Check out one of his recent columns on the topic:

Elmo is an Evildoer by Joel Stein

A New Banner

A new banner...

Some Great Illustrators

Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and writer, primarily of books for young audiences. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy, where he died. In 1894 he began teaching illustration at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science and Industry (now Drexel University), and after 1900 founded a school, where his students included Olive Rush and N. C. Wyeth. He taught others of the Brandywine school, including N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Frank Schoonover, and Jessie Willcox Smith. His 1883 classic The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood remains in print to this day, and his other books, frequently with mediaeval European settings, included a four-volume set on King Arthur that cemented his reputation. He wrote an original work, Otto of the Silver Hand (1888). He also illustrated historical and adventure stories for periodicals such as Harper's Weekly and St. Nicholas.



N.C. Wyeth (Newell Convers) was an American artist and illustrator. Born in Needham, Massachusetts, he studied under Howard Pyle. His first published work appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in 1903. In 1911 he painted a series of illustrations for an edition of the book, Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. He also illustrated editions of The Yearling, The White Company, Robinson Crusoe, The Last of the Mohicans, Kidnapped (1937), and Robin Hood. During his lifetime, Wyeth illustrated over twenty-five books for Scribner's.



Mary Blair was an American artist best remembered today for work done for The Walt Disney Company. Blair produced striking conceptual art for such films as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Her style also lives on through the character designs for the Disney attraction "it's a small world", as well as an enormous mosaic inside Disney's Contemporary Resort. Blair was honored as a Disney Legend in 1991.



Gustaf Tenggren was born November 3, 1896 in Vastergotland, Sweden. His early schooling and artistic influences were solidly grounded in Scandinavian techniques, motifs and myths. At the age of 20 he succeeded John Bauer as the illustrator for Bland Tomtar och Troll (Among Elves and Trolls), a famous Swedish Christmas annual for children. He illustrated the fairy tales by Swedish artists in the annual from 1917 through 1926 - the last six years from America. During this period he also illustrated an Andersen's Fairy Tales for a publisher in Denmark. In 1920 he immigrated to the U.S., to Cleveland and then in 1922 to New York. During his time in America he did illustrations for many well known books including; The Good Dog Book, The Red Fairy Book, Peggy's Playhouses, A Dog of Flanders, a "1925 Fairy Tale Calendar" for Beck Engraving Co, a dust jacket for a novel Quest, Small Fry and the Winged Horse. In the 30's he went to work for Walt Disney and you can see his artistic influence in movies like Snow White and Pinnochio. After his work with Disney ended he went on to illustrate several of the best known Little Golden Books and a version of King Arthur. He died in 1970 leaving behind a half century of art that continues to amaze and entertain to this day.

The Lost Girls

You Alan Moore fans out there already hear about this one? I hadn't until this evening and it sounds facinating, akin to great euro-erotica like Vittorio Giardino’s Little Ego or Milo Manara’s Click. Here’s the description from the publisher, Top Shelf’s website:

For more than a century, Alice, Wendy and Dorothy have been our guides through the Wonderland, Neverland and Land of Oz of our childhoods. Now like us, these three lost girls have grown up and are ready to guide us again, this time through the realms of our sexual awakening and fulfillment. Through their familiar fairytales they share with us their most intimate revelations of desire in its many forms, revelations that shine out radiantly through the dark clouds of war gathering around a luxury Austrian hotel. Drawing on the rich heritage of erotica, Lost Girls is the rediscovery of the power of ecstatic writing and art in a sublime union that only the medium of comics can achieve. Exquisite, thoughtful, and human, Lost Girls is a work of breathtaking scope that challenges the very notion of art fettered by convention. This is erotic fiction at its finest.

Similar to DC's Absolute editions of Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Lost Girls will be published as three, 112-page, super-deluxe, oversized hardcover volumes, all sealed in a gorgeous slipcase. It will truly be an edition for the ages.

Like everything I’m interested in lately, this 3 volume set is really expensive retailing at $75.00! Still I love Alan Moore and the story sounds fascinating.



"I just received your amazing book. This is unlike anything else I've ever seen: intriguing, entrancing and erotic too. It really is fantastic. I suddenly feel very lazy by comparison. Congratulations on an epoch-making -- or at least 'epoch-shaking' -- piece of work." -- Brian Eno

Wow! and that's saying alot coming from Eno.

Overlooked Movie: Turkish Delight

The nudity had been part of this all along and I gave it a 5min thought because I was and am relatively shy. But so what. It's skin. Isn't that really our outfit. Puritanism. Conventionalism. Hypocrisy have helped to make it overrated. Women have had to do this for so long. Big deal. Nope. There is more than enough to say about this film but I leave it here for now. ~Rutger Hauer on his role in Turkish Delight



Sort of a cross between "Love Story" and an earthy Rembrandt painting, this movie stars Rutger Hauer as a gifted Dutch sculptor who has a stormy, erotic, and star-crossed romance with a beautiful young girl. The story follows the arc of their relationship and his interaction with her family. Told in flashback form, initially Hauer is seen as a libertine lothario collector, taking trophies from his sexual conquests and pasting them in a book. He sees a sculpture he made of his lost lover and goes into a flashback of his relationship with his wife. He meets the girl, falls in love with/marries her, and we meet her parents: a charming, well meaning, bumbling father, and his shrew of a wife, who's convinced Hauer's too much of a bohemian to make a good mate for her daughter. Eventually, the petty jealousies, the sexual hijinks, and the climactic vomit scene prove too much for the marriage, and sculptor and his lady fair separate. Flash forward several months, and Hauer finds the girl back in Holland after an American sojourn. Their reunion is short lived; the somewhat melodramatic ending mirrors "Love Story".

Some scenes from the movie set to Enya's Only Time... Too cheesy for words, watch it with the sound off. What is with this silly musical montages on You Tube?


Fun Trivia:
Although forbidden in the Netherlands because of being a commercial in disguise, all cars driven in the film were made by British Leyland (Rover, Triumph, et cetera).

In 1973 it was the most successful Dutch film ever and a as of 2005 is still the most attended Dutch film in the Netherlands.

In 1995, in order to celebrate the centenary of the birth of cinema, the Dutch Postal Service issued a stamp with a famous scene taken from “Turks Fruit”.



Fun Quotes:
Eric Vonk: I screw better than God.

Rutger Hauer on his role in Turkish Delight
Time, although the videotape gets old and the celluloid is about to crumble, does not matter memory. The book by Jan Wolkers was such a beautiful story. More than anything the "feel" of the story was so close to me. After going through the rather new and unusual testing & casting process the role did land me as its "tool". I got to practice sculpture with the man who had sort of lived and sculptured the book. The writer was and still is an unusual sculpturer of words. I had three different sources to draw from other than the screenplay. The brand new feature director Paul Verhoeven, the writer and his book. Such a luxury for any actor. My biggest difficulty I would experience was a kind of a nasty/cruel and ugly sense of humour which was in the script as well as in the director. I hated some of those moments. Dog/Fist on fake breast of mother/some nasty and rudeness with the women Erik fucks/dancing on a table in a restaurant. Some of that was a bit much. But Paul just wanted that. There were more things. But the thing that carried me was what I knew about love. And my newfound love: "Making movies". What a blast.

Erik's character is "cool" enough to know he does not possess this woman. And it is forever. He and I shared a certain understanding that life goes on no matter what. Without diminishing any meaning of depth that was before. I had hardly any ideas of what it was I was doing as an actor. I enjoyed it immensely. The fact that it caught an enormous international audience had not even dawned on me. Not that it seemed important but it opened my eyes to the chance it gave me.

A very special public service announcement from Unemployed Skeletor.

Marie Antoinette

Even though I'm afriad it will be really bad based on all the hate showered upon it at Cannes, & some really bad casting like Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman I am still really looking forward to seeing this new Marie Antoinette movie.

Heres the trailer:


I adore this trailer with it's modern feel and New Order music, I only hope the movie will have half as much energy as this trailer.

Here's some more pics from the movie:

Unemployed Skeletor's Video Blog of Evil: Part 6

Skeletor's cooking show is pure genius!

Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 18

Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 19


Unemployed Skeletor's video blog of evil # 20

The Best of MTV's Movie Awards

In honor of MTV's anniversary celebration here are some of the best clips from the MTV Movie Awards over the years.

Jack Black & Sarah michelle Gellar in Spiderman


Gnarls Barkley: Crazy


William Shatner's Seven

An old drawing..

I don't have much to post today so I thought I'd just put up an old sketch.

Phew! Hef's okay!

It was rumored that earlier this week after one of the Playboy mansions extravagant parties Hugh Hefner suffered a stroke and with his army of satisfied girlfriends who could blame him. But relax he says he's okay that the rumor was that just a rumor and all is well in Bunnyland. It will be a sad day when we lose that man, sad indeed.

My lateset piece of photoshop art..

It's a bit dark but looks much better in the full view.

Strange Old Kids Books

A few questions...
Don't these policemen on these covers look just a bit too friendly?

Ding Dong School? What's that? A school for dummies? Are these books for stupid children?

What exactly is a pajama wagon and why does the guy who drives the pajama wagon look like a pervert?

Flash Gordon and the Baby Animals? What now that he's defeated Ming the Merciless he's got time to play with the baby animals?