Wednesday, January 30, 2013

40 Years Of KISS

40 Years ago today, the hottest band in the world played their first gig in a small club in Queens. Click here to read a cool little article called "40 Years Later: The Story Of KISS & Makeup".

What are some of your favorite KISS songs? I don't think they have any bad songs, just some are better than others. I even really like Music From The Elder! I've been a fan of Gene's songs since I was a kid. Some of my favorites are Charisma, Unholy, Mr. Blackwell and all of Gene's solo album.

To celebrate, here are some videos courtesy of KissVEVO.


















Sunday, January 27, 2013

Comicazi


Way back in June of 2012 my wife and I took a trip to Boston, MA. While there I visited Comicazi in neighboring Somerville. It's a wonderful store full of vintage comics and toys. I could live there and be happy! They let me take some pictures and here they are.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

What's Big And Green And Comes From Japan?

THE HULK!

I would like to give a great big 'thank you' to Michael Jones from the blog My Two Yen Worth for the wonderful Hulk care package he sent me all the way from Japan. In return, I sent him a bunch of trading cards including a set of Mars Attacks Heritage and other cards. I hope he likes the cards because I sure do love all of my new Hulk goodies. Here's what he sent me --

Avengers cup with a Hulk topper from a movie theater.

These little figures came in those green capsules which were inside a chocolate egg.

Hulk Be@rbrick.

This little guy comes on a string and can be hung anywhere.

Justice League Green Lantern Blockhead figure.

There sure were a lot of stamps on that package!


Thanks again Michael. I really appreciate it!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

More Sketch Cards!

I've added a few hand-drawn sketch cards to my collection over the last few months, so I thought I should share them with everyone. I've also included some older sketches that I've never shared before.
Boba Fett by Gabe Farber from Star Wars Galaxy 6 (Topps, 2011)

Jawa by Linzy Zorn from Star Wars Galaxy 7 (Topps, 2012)

Punisher vs Wolverine by Mauro Fodra from Marvel: The Bronze Age (1970-1985) (Rittenhouse Archives, 2012)

FUBAR II by Steve Willhite from Alterna Originals (Alterna Comics, 2012)

Anakin Skywalker and Clone Trooper by Lak Lim (I won this card in a give-away from the Sketch Card Fanatics Facebook page, Nov. 2011)

Hulk by Kirk Jarvinen (I "met" Kirk through the Mego Museum Forums where we traded some cards. He graciously sketched this card for me in 2008)

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Gone In '12

Here's my list of notable deaths from 2012. I've been doing this annual list since 2006. It's sad to see all of the great entertainers we lose each year. May they rest in peace.

Information for this list comes from Who's Alive and Who's Dead. Check out the Yahoo! Group and Website.

My past lists can be viewed here.

January 6 - John Celardo, cartoonist ("Tarzan"), 93
January 16 - Nicol Williamson, actor ("Excalibur"), 75
January 20 - Etta James, blues singer ("At Last"), 73
January 22 - Joe Paterno, college football coach (Penn State), 85
January 22 - Dick Tufeld, actor (voice of the Robot in "Lost in Space"), 85
January 24 - James Farentino, actor (Dr. Nick toscanni on "Dynasty"), 73
January 25 - Nick Santino, actor (Officer Anton on "All My Children"), 47
January 26 - Ian Abercrombie, actor (Mr. Pitt on "Seinfeld"), 77
January 26 - Robert Hegyes, actor (Juan Epstein on "Welcome Back, Kotter"), 60
January 31 - Mike Kelley, artist, 57
January 31 - Al Rio, comic book artist ("Gen 13"), 49
February 1 - Don Cornelius, TV host & producer ("Soul Train"), 75
February 3 - Ben Gazzara, actor (Paul Bryan on "Run for Your Life"), 81
February 5 - Sam Coppola, actor ("Saturday Night Fever"), 79
February 6 - Peter Breck, actor (Nick Barkley in "The Big Valley"), 82
February 8 - Philip Bruns, actor (George Shumway on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman"), 80
February 11 - Whitney Houston, pop singer ("Saving All My Love For You"), 48
February 12 - David Kelly, actor ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"), 82
February 12 - John Severin, comic artist ("Cracked"), 90
February 16 - Gary Carter, major leaguer (New York Mets), 57
February 16 - Elyse Knox, actress ("The Mummy's Tomb"), 94
February 16 - Dick Anthony Williams, actor ("The Jerk"), 77
February 22 - Billy Strange, guitarist/arranger (Nancy Sinatra), 81
February 24 - Jan Berenstain, children's author (The Berenstain Bears), 88
February 29 - Davy Jones, actor/singer ("The Monkees"), 66
February 29 - Sheldon Moldoff, comic book artist (Batman), 91
March 1 - Andrew Breitbart, web publisher (Breitbart.com), 43
March 2 - James Q. Wilson, criminologist ("Thinking About Crime"), 80
March 3 - Ralph McQuarrie, artist ("Star Wars" concept art), 82
March 3 - Ronnie Montrose, rock guitarist, of prostate cancer, 64
March 3 - Leonardo Cimino, actor ("Dune"), 94
March 4 - Joan Taylor, r.n. Rose Freeman, actress ("Earth vs. the Flying Saucers"), 82
March 5 - Robert Sherman, songwriter ("It's a Small World After All"), 86
March 8 - Jimmy Ellis, disco singer ("Disco Inferno"), 74
March 10 - Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, cartoonist, 73
March 12 - Michael Hossack, rock drummer (Doobie Brothers), 65
March 15 - Fran Matera, comics artist ("Steve Roper and Mike Nomad"), 87
March 17 - John Demjanjuk, convicted Nazi war criminal, 91
March 21 - Murray Lender, baker (Lender's Bagel Bakery), 81
March 27 - Warren Stevens, actor ("Forbidden Planet"), 92
March 28 - Earl Scruggs, banjo player ("The Ballad of Jed Clampett"), 88
April 3 - Chief Jay Strongbow, r.n. Joe Scarpa, pro wrestler, 83
April 5 - Jim Marshall, inventor (Marshall Amp), 88
April 6 - Thomas Kinkade, painter, 54
April 7 - Mike Wallace, news correspondent ("60 Minutes"), 93
April 13 - Jonathan Frid, actor (Barnabas Collins in "Dark Shadows"), 91
April 18 - Dick Clark, TV host & producer ("New Year's Rockin' Eve"), 82
April 19 - Greg Ham, flute & saxophone player (Men at Work), 58
April 19 - Levon Helm, rock musician (The Band), 71
April 21 - Chuck Colson, Nixon White House counsel (Watergate) and evangelist (Prison Fellowship Ministries), 80
May 2 - Junior Seau, NFL football player (San Diego Chargers), 43
May 4 - Adam Yauch, aka MCA, rapper (Beastie Boys), 47
May 6 - George Lindsey, actor (Goober Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show"), 83
May 8 - Maurice Sendak, children's author ("Where the Wild Things Are"), 83
May 9 - Vidal Sassoon, hairdresser, 89
May 13 - Donald "Duck" Dunn, soul bassist (The Blues Brothers), 70
May 16 - Doug Dillard, banjo player (The Darlings on "The Andy Griffith Show"), 75
May 17 - Donna Summer, disco singer ("Bad Girls"), 63
May 20 - Robin Gibb, pop singer (The Bee Gees), 62
May 29 - Dick Beals, voice actor (Davey in "Davey and Goliath"), 85
May 29 - Jim Unger, cartoonist ("Herman"), 75
June 1 - Kathryn Joosten, actress (Karen McKluskey on "Desperate Housewives"), 72
June 2 - Richard Dawson, actor & TV host ("Family Feud"), 79
June 5 - Ray Bradbury, science fiction writer ("The Martian Chronicles"), 91
June 5 - Turk Muller, actor (Turk on "Crime Story"), 70
June 5 - Caroline John, actress (Liz Shaw on "Doctor Who"), 71
June 7 - Bob Welch, rock and roll guitarist (Fleetwood Mac), 66
June 9 - Frank Cady, actor (Sam Drucker on "Green Acres"), 96
June 11 - Ann Rutherford, actress ("Gone With the Wind"), 94
June 12 - Henry Hill, organized crime figure ("Goodfellas"), 69
June 14 - Yvette Wilson, comedian & actress (Andell Wilkerson on "Moesha"), 48
June 17 - Rodney King, police beating victim, 47
June 18 - Victor Spinetti, actor ("Help!"), 82.
June 19 - Richard Lynch, actor ("Halloween"), 76
June 21 - Richard Adler, Broadway composer ("Damn Yankees"), 90
June 25 - Norman Felton, TV producer ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E."), 99
June 26 - Nora Ephron, filmmaker ("Sleepless in Seattle"), 71
June 26 - Doris Singleton, actress (Caroline Appleby on "I Love Lucy"), 92
June 27 - Don Grady, actor (Robbie Douglas on "My Three Sons"), 68
June 30 - Yitzhak Shamir, Israeli prime minister (Likud party, 1983-84, 1986-92), 96
July 3 - Andy Griffith, actor (Sherrif Andy Taylor on "The Andy Griffith Show"), 86
July 8 - Ernest Borgnine, actor ("From Here to Eternity"), 95
July 13 - Richard D. Zanuck, film producer ("Jaws"), 77
July 14 - Don Brinkley, TV writer/producer ("Trapper John, M.D."), 91
July 15 - Celeste Holm, actress ("All About Eve"), 95
July 16 - William Asher, TV director ("Bewitched"), 90
July 16 - Jon Lord, rock keyboardist (Deep Purple), 71
July 16 - Donald J. Sobol, children's author ("Encyclopedia Brown"), 87
July 16 - Kitty Wells, country singer ("It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"), 92
July 17 - Morgan Paull, actor ("Blade Runner"), 67
July 22 - Fern Persons, actress ("Field of Dreams"), 101
July 23 - Sally Ride, U.S. astronaut (Shuttle), 61
July 24 - Chad Everett, actor (Dr. Joe Gannon on "Medical Center"), 76
July 24 - Sherman Hemsley, actor (George Jefferson on "The Jeffersons"), 74
July 26 - Lupe Ontiveros, actress ("Selena"), 69
July 26 - Mary Tamm, actress (Romana in "Doctor Who"), 62
July 27 - Norman Alden, actor (Coach Leroy Fedders on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman"), 87
July 27 - R. G. Armstrong, actor ("Dick Tracy"), 95
July 27 - Tony Martin, singer ("I Get Ideas"), 98
July 31 - Gore Vidal, novelist ("Lincoln"), 86
August 4 - Stuart Swanlund, rock guitarist (Marshall Tucker Band), 54
August 6 - Marvin Hamlisch, songwriter ("Nobody Does It Better"), 68
August 7 - Judith Crist, film critic ("Today"), 90
August 9 - Mel Stuart, film director ("Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"), 83
August 11 - Michael Dokes, pro boxer (WBA heavyweight champion, 1982-83), 54
August 12 - Joe Kubert, comic book artist ("Sgt. Rock"), 85
August 13 - Helen Gurley Brown, magazine editor ("Cosmopolitan"), 90
August 14 - Ron Palillo, actor (Arnold Horshack in "Welcome Back, Kotter"), 63
August 14 - Phyllis Thaxter, actress ("Superman"), 92
August 16 - William Windom, actor (Dr. Seth Hazlitt in "Murder, She Wrote"), 88
August 19 - Tony Scott, film director ("Top Gun"), 68
August 20 - Phyllis Diller, comedienne & actress, 95
August 20 - Virginia Dywer, actress (Mary Matthews on "Another World"), 92
August 23 - Jerry Nelson, puppeteer (Count von Count on "Sesame Street"), 78
August 23 - Steve Van Buren, NFL football player (Philadelphia Eagles), 91
August 24 - Steve Franken, actor (Chatsworth on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"), 80
August 25 - Neil Armstrong, U.S. astronaut (Apollo 11), 82
September 1 - Hal David, pop lyricist ("What the World Needs Now is Love"), 91
September 2 - Sun Myung Moon, Unifcation Church founder, 92
September 3 - Michael Clarke Duncan, actor ("The Green Mile"), 54
September 6 - Art Modell, football executive (Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens), 87
September 7 - Dorothy McGuire, pop singer (The McGuire Sisters), 84
September 10 - John Moffatt, actor (British), 89
September 16 - John Ingle, actor (Edward Quartermaine on "General Hospital"), 84
September 18 - Steve Sabol, filmmaker (NFL films), 69
September 21 - Michael Rye, voice actor (Green Lantern on "Super Friends"), 94
September 25 - Andy Williams, singer ("Moon River"), 84
September 26 - Johnny Lewis, actor (Kip "Half-Sack" Epps on "Sons of Anarchy"), 28
September 27 - Herbert Lom, actor ("The Return of the Pink Panther"), 95
September 28 - Michael O'Hare, actor (Jeffrey Sinclair on "Babylon 5"), 60
September 30 - Turhan Bey, actor ("The Amazing Mr. X"), 90
October 8 - Ken Sansom, voice actor (Rabbit in "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh"), 85
October 10 - Alex Karras, NFL football player (Detroit Lions) and actor (Blazing Saddles), 77
October 13 - Gary Collins, actor and TV host ((Miss America Pageant)), 74
October 14 - Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator (R-PA, 1981-2009, D-PA, 2009-11), 82
October 15 - John Clive, actor ("Yellow Submarine"), 79
October 17 - Sylvia Kristel, actress ("Emmanuelle"), 60
October 21 - George McGovern, U.S. Senator (D-SD, 1963-81) and Democratic presidential nominee (1972), 90
October 24 - Bill Dees, songwriter ("Oh, Pretty Woman"), 73
October 26 - Louis Nunley, singer (The Jordanaires), 81
October 28 - Bob Brunner, TV writer/producer ("Happy Days"), 78
November 7 - Frank Peppiatt, TV producer ("Hee Haw"), 85
November 7 - Darrell Royal, college football coach (University of Texas), 88
November 7 - Henry Colman, TV producer ("The Love Boat"), 89
November 8 - Lucille Bliss, voice actress (Smurfette on "The Smurfs"), 96
November 8 - Lee MacPhail, baseball executive, 95
November 9 - Pat Renella, actor ("Bullitt"), 83
November 17 - Bonnie Lynn Fields, dancer ("The Mickey Mouse Club"), 68
November 21 - Art Ginsburg, aka Mr. Food, TV chef, 81
November 21 - Deborah Raffin, actress (Julie Camden on "7th Heaven") and audiobook publisher, 59
November 23 - Larry Hagman, actor (J.R. Ewing on "Dallas"), 81
November 24 - Hector Camacho, aka Macho Camacho, boxer, 50
November 27 - Marvin Miller, baseball players negotiator, 95
November 28 - Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker and author ("See You at the Top"), 86
November 29 - Buddy Roberts, r.n. Dale Hey, pro wrestler (The Fabulous Freebirds), 65
November 29 - Susan Luckey, actress ("The Music Man"), 74
November 30 - Jeff Millar, cartoonist ("Tank McNamara"), 70
December 1 - Reinhold Weege, TV producer ("Night Court"), 62
December 5 - Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist ("Take Five"), 91
December 7 - Rusty Mills, TV cartoon director ("Pinky and the Brain"), 49
December 11 - Ravi Shankar, sitar player (Concert for Bangladesh), 92
December 17 - Daniel Inouye, U.S. Senator (D-HI, 1963-2012), 88
December 19 - Robert Bork, U.S. judge (1987 Supreme Court nominee), 85
December 20 - Larry L. King, author ("The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"), 83
December 21 - Lee Dorman, rock bassist (Iron Butterfly), 70
December 22 - Cliff Osmond, actor ("The Fortune Cookie"), 75
December 22 - Mike Scaccia, rock guitarist (Ministry), 47
December 23 - Evelyn Ward, actress ("The Big Brain"), 89
December 24 - Richard Rodney Bennett, film score composer ("Murder on the Orient Express"), 76
December 24 - Charles Durning, actor ("The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"), 89
December 24 - Jack Klugman, actor (Oscar Madison on "The Odd Couple"), 90
December 26 - Gerry Anderson, TV producer ("Thunderbirds"), 83
December 26 - Fontella Bass, R&B singer ("Rescue Me"), 72
December 27 - Harry Carey Jr., actor ("She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"), 91
December 27 - Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army general (Persian Gulf War), 78
December 30 - Gloria Pall, actress ("Voluptua" on KABC-TV Los Angeles), 85