Free Comic Book Day Sat. May 5

Click the logo above to go to the website and find out everything you want to know about Free Comic Book Day. The site includes a store locator to find a participating comic book shop in your area. Below are some of the FREE comics you could get this Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Comicon

The Pittsburgh Comicon starts today. I'll be there tomorrow. The main reason I'm going is to get Peter Mayhew's autograph to add to my Star Wars collection. I'm such a geek. Here's some highlights of the show --
• George Perez's last appearance at a U.S. Convention until 2009
• Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise farewell tour
• The return to Pittsburgh of such comic superstars as: Adam Hughes, Mike Deodato, Joe Linsner, David Mack, Rags Morales, Mike Oeming, Brian Pulido, Arthur Suydam and others.
• First time appearances of such artists as: Eric "Ebas" Basaldua, Alex Saviuk and Mike Grell
• Star Wars guests, Peter "Chewbacca" Mayhew, Matthew "Gen. Grievous" Wood and Wayne "Gov. Tarkin" Pygram
• Other Media Guests: Star Trek:DS9's Chase Masterson, Friday the 13th's Kane Hodder, Farscape's Gigi Edgley, Beastmaster-Marc Singer, the Ultimate Bad Guy, Scott L. Schwartz and Ghost Hunter-Steve Gonsalves.
• New Events like, The Comic's Match Game, Comicon Karaoke and a plethora of Star Wars Events
• Fan Favorite Events like, The CBLDF Quick Sketch, Comics Trivia, The Comicon Costume Contest and of course the 2007 Charity Auction
• Exclusive screenings of The Alchemy of Art:David Mack and Terry Moore:Paradise Found Documentaries
• The Best Comic Book and Sci-Fi Shopping on the East Coast with the best retailers in the business!!!!! And so much more!!!

Bobby "Boris" Pickett, R.I.P.

By LARRY McSHANE
Associated Press Writer

He does the "Monster Mash" no more. Bobby "Boris" Pickett, whose dead-on Boris Karloff impression propelled the Halloween anthem to the top of the charts in 1962, making him one of pop music's most enduring one-hit wonders, has died of leukemia. He was 69.

Pickett, dubbed "The Guy Lombardo of Halloween," died Wednesday night at the West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital, said his longtime manager, Stuart Hersh. His daughter, Nancy, and his sister, Lynda, were at Pickett's bedside.


"Monster Mash" hit the Billboard chart three times: when it debuted in 1962, reaching No. 1 the week before Halloween; again in August 1970, and for a third time in May 1973. The resurrections were appropriate for a song where Pickett gravely intoned the forever-stuck-in-your-head chorus: "He did the monster mash. ... It was a graveyard smash."

Read the full story here.

As a tribute, here's five versions of The Monster Mash --

1. Bobby 'Boris' Pickett (new stereo recording)
2. MISFITS
3. Sha Na Na
4. Stephen Bishop w/ Linda Ronstadt, Karla Bonoff & Andrew Gold
5. The Count, Zoe & Telly Monster (from Sesame Street)

Click below to download

--> The Monster Mash <--

Groovie Goolies

Here's the soundtrack album for the early 70's cartoon 'Groovie Goolies'. I believe I got this from the late-great Mondo Daddykin blog. I loved this toon when I was a kid, I hope to get the DVD some day. Enjoy.

Track Listing

1. Save Your Good Lovin' For Me
2. Bumble Goolie
3. We Go So Good Together
4. Frankie
5. Goolie Get-Together (Theme)
6. First Annual Semi-Formal Combination Celebration Meet The Monster Population Party
7. Spend Some Time Together
8. Cling, Clang
9. Goolie Garden
10. One, Two, Three

Click below to download

--> Groovie Goolies <--

Request

Way back on March 11, I made a post about The Best Movies Based On Comic Books. I said if I found the theme music to all of these movies I'd post a compilation of them. Well, I've found all but ONE!!! If anyone has the following track could you post a link to it? I'd really appreciate it.

A History Of Violence (2005) music by Howard Shore - Track 1) Motel

Warners Forges 'Metal Men'

I also used to read The Metal Men when I was a kid. My brother still has the comic books. This story is from The Hollywood Reporter.

By Borys Kit

April 4, 2007

Mining for new projects, Warner Bros. Pictures is hoping to strike gold with the robotic superhero team "Metal Men," setting up the project with producer Lauren Shuler Donner. Eric Champnella has been brought on board to write.

Based on a DC Comics hero created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru in 1962, "Metal" revolves around a brilliant scientist, William Magnus, and his creations: six highly advanced robots who have powers associated with their respective metals -- gold, iron, lead, tin, mercury and platinum. Instead of having to be programd, the Metal Men can think for themselves, which is both their genius and their biggest flaw.

The heroes made their first appearance in "Showcase," where they were created as filler but proved to be unexpectedly popular and received their own title. The heroes served as a dysfunctional family, and the stories balanced sentimentality, humor and action.

Jack Leslie of the Donners' Co. also is producing.

Geoff Johns, who was an assistant to Richard Donner before becoming one of the comic world's renowned writers, helped develop the take and will executive produce.

Dan Lin and Elishia Holmes are shepherding for Warners. Gregory Noveck is overseeing for DC Comics.

Shuler Donner has a history of bringing comic books to the silver screen. She was behind the "X-Men" movies at Fox, which were based on the Marvel Comics superheroes, and 2005's "Constantine" at Warners, based on a DC Comics/Vertigo title.

Champnella wrote "Mr. 3000" and most recently "Say Uncle" for Warners. He is repped by ICM, Mosaic and attorney Dave Feldman.

HULK SMASH!!!

The Incredible Hulk has been my favorite comic book ever since I was a youngin'. I have every issue, except #'s 1-6 and a few Tales To Astonish. This story is from Variety.com.

Edward Norton has been set by Marvel Studios to play Bruce Banner in "The Incredible Hulk."

The Louis Leterrier-directed drama will be distributed by Universal Pictures, with an opening set for June 13, 2008.

It is a decided return to the mainstream for Norton, who recently has starred in such indies as "Down in the Valley," "The Painted Veil," and "The Illusionist." Pic will shoot this summer in Toronto.

Norton takes over a role played in the Ang Lee-directed "Hulk" by Eric Bana. Though that film opened strongly, it didn’t fare as well as other Marvel efforts, including "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Fantastic Four" and, most recently, "Ghost Rider."

Marvel Studios, which has a $525 million credit facility obtained through Merrill Lynch, made "The Incredible Hulk" its second film under that arrangement, and seeks to make a sequel that is less self-serious and more in line with the comic series and TV show. Leterrier directed the action-filled "Transporter 2," and "Unleashed."

The new pic begins with Banner on the run, trying to avoid capture long enough to cure the condition that turns him into a misunderstood green menace.

"Edward Norton is a rare talent and one of the most versatile actors in the business," Marvel Studios production president Kevin Feige said in a statement. "His ability to transform into a particular role makes him the ideal choice to take on the character of Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Edward is perfectly suited to bring one of the most popular and important Marvel icons to the bigscreen in a new and exciting way."

The script for "The Incredible Hulk" was written by Zak Penn, who had a hand in crafting two "X-Men" films, "Fantastic Four" and "Elektra" for Marvel.

"The Incredible Hulk" is being produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel’s Feige. Jim Van Wyck, David Maisel, Ari Arad and Stan Lee are exec producing.

Don Ho, R.I.P.

It seems like all I've been posting lately is death notices. A lot of people I admire are dying. It's kinda sad.

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Legendary crooner Don Ho, who entertained tourists for decades wearing raspberry-tinted sunglasses and singing the catchy signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," has died. He was 76.

He died Saturday morning of heart failure, publicist Donna Jung said.

Ho had suffered with heart problems for the past several years and had a pacemaker installed last fall. In 2005, he underwent an experimental stem cell procedure on his ailing heart in Thailand.

Ho entertained Hollywood's biggest stars and thousands of tourists for four decades. For many, no trip to Hawaii was complete without seeing his Waikiki show -- a mix of songs, jokes, double entendres, Hawaii history and audience participation.

Click here for the rest of the obituary.

Here's some of Mr. Ho's songs for your enjoyment--

1. Hawaiian Wedding Song
2. I'll Remember You
3. Mele Kalikimaka
4. Tiny Bubbles

Click below to download--

--> Don Ho <--

Here's some other sites that have Don Ho songs that you can download:

Armagideon Time -- Shock The Monkey
Probe Is Turning-On The People! -- Galveston and Has Anybody Lost A Love
Musical Fruitcake -- This Christmas

Roscoe Lee Browne, R.I.P.

LOS ANGELES: Actor Roscoe Lee Browne, whose rich voice and dignified bearing brought him an Emmy Award and a Tony nomination, has died. He was 81.

Browne died early Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles following a long battle with cancer, said Alan Nierob, a spokesman for the family.

Browne had a decades-long career that ranged from classic theater to TV cartoons. He also was a poet and a former world-class athlete.

His deep, cultured voice was heard narrating the 1995 hit movie "Babe." On screen, his character often was smart, cynical and well-educated, whether a congressman, a judge or a butler.

Born May 2, 1925, to a Baptist minister in Woodbury, New Jersey, Browne graduated from historically black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where he later returned to teach comparative literature and French.

He also was a track star, winning a 1951 world championship in the 800-yard (731-meters) dash.

He was selling wine for an import company when he decided to become a full-time actor in 1956 and had roles that year in the inaugural season of the New York Shakespeare Festival in a production of "Julius Caesar."

In 1961, he starred in an English-language version of Jean Genet's play "The Blacks." Two years later, he was The Narrator in a Broadway production of "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe," a play by Edward Albee from a novella by Carson McCullers. In a front page article on the advances made by blacks in the theater, the New York Times noted that Browne's understudy was white.

He won an Obie Award in 1965 for his role as a rebellious slave in the off-Broadway "Benito Cereno."

In movies, he was a spy in the 1969 Alfred Hitchcock feature "Topaz" and a camp cook in 1972's "The Cowboys," which starred John Wayne.

"Some critics complained that I spoke too well to be believable" in the cook's role, Browne told The Washington Post in 1972. "When a critic makes that remark, I think, if I had said, 'Yassuh, boss' to John Wayne, then the critic would have taken a shine to me."

He also said he liked Wayne, "a genuine wit, capable of a splendid bon mot," despite having little use for his conservative politics.

On television, he had several memorable guest roles. He was a snobbish black lawyer trapped in an elevator with bigot Archie Bunker in an episode of the 1970s TV comedy "All in the Family" and the butler Saunders in the comedy "Soap." He won an Emmy in 1986 for a guest role as Professor Foster on "The Cosby Show."

In 1992, Browne returned to Broadway in "Two Trains Running," one of August Wilson's acclaimed series of plays on the black experience. It won the Tony for best play and brought Browne a Tony nomination for best featured (supporting) actor.

Browne "brings an infectious good humor to the role of Holloway, the resident philosopher who dispenses most of Wilson's common sense," wrote Michael Kuchwara, The Associated Press drama critic.

The New York Times said he portrayed "the wry perspective of one who believes that human folly knows few bounds and certainly no racial bounds. The performance is wise and slyly life-affirming."

Browne also wrote poetry and included some of it along with works by masters such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William Butler Yeats in "Behind the Broken Words," a poetry anthology stage piece that he and Anthony Zerbe performed annually for three decades.

Some of his other credits include--
Spider-Man (30 episodes, 1995-1998) - Kingpin/Wilson Fisk (voice)
Logan's Run (1976) - Box
Planet Of The Apes (Tomorrow's Tide episode, 1974) - Hurton

He also narrated "The Story Of Star Wars" album from 1977. I listened to this LP over and over when I was a kid. We didn't have VHS or DVD's, so this was the only way to relive the greatest movie of all time!

This file is not my rip. Thanks to the original uploader. Click the link below to download.

-->The Story Of Star Wars<--

Joe Lentine, R.I.P.

Anyone living is Northeast Ohio knew the jingle for Lentine's Music -- "When you think of music, think of Lentine's". I worked at the main store in Akron for 10 years, until they went out of business this past February. Joe Lentine worked at the store until the day it closed. He will be missed. Here is his obituary.

Joe Lentine, owner of five music shops
A talented musician, he taught in Akron before opening stores

By Linda Golz
Beacon Journal staff writer

Joe Lentine was known as a musician, a businessman, an outdoorsman and a family man, but to those who knew him best, Joe was a people-person.

Joseph P. Lentine, 85, died Monday of a heart attack.

``There's not enough adjectives to describe this man,'' said James Stahl, owner of Central Instrument Co. in Cuyahoga Falls and Mr. Lentine's longtime friend and business competitor. ``Even though we were rivals, he was an inspiration. I just followed him. If he did it, I knew it was the right thing to do.''

Stahl said area musicians were coming to his store to express sorrow and surprise over Mr Lentine's death.

For 32 years, Mr. Lentine was a band teacher for the Akron Public Schools, where he touched the lives of not only the music students, but other students as well, Stahl said.

When he retired in 1977, he opened Lentine's Music on North Main Street with his son, Michael, and continued to work there until the five stories closed earlier this year.

Mr. Lentine could play most instruments, though his wife, Vilma, said he mostly played the piano at home and the bass violin with bands.

Vilma Lentine said her husband had been ill on and off the past couple of years, but he had always rebounded.

``He was always able to bounce back. We have five acres of land he mowed,'' she said.

``He loved to go gambling.''

She said they often took gambling excursions to West Virginia and Erie, Pa.

He also liked to garden, go fishing, boating and golfing, and spending time with his family, his wife said.

Mr. Lentine was born in South Fork, Pa., on May 31, 1921.

Survivors include his wife; sons Martin, Michael and Matthew; and six grandchildren.

Calling hours will be 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Dunn-Quigley Ciriello & Carr Funeral Home, 39 S. Miller Road, Fairlawn.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday at Guardian Angels in Copley Township. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery.

The family suggests memorials to Copley Fire & Rescue, 1540 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Copley, OH 44321.

Ex-KISS Guitarist Mark St. John, R.I.P.

By Greg Prato
Reuters
Sunday, April 8, 2007; 3:16 AM

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Former Kiss guitarist Mark St. John died Thursday from an apparent brain hemorrhage. He was 51.

Born Mark Norton in Hollywood, St. John was Kiss' third official guitarist, having replaced Vinnie Vincent -- the substitute for Ace Frehley -- in 1984.

By this point, Kiss had done away with its trademark makeup and costumes, but the group was enjoying a career renaissance. The lone Kiss album on which St. John appeared, "Animalize," re-established the group as one of the world's top arena metal bands. The album spawned the popular MTV video, "Heaven's on Fire" (the only Kiss video to feature St. John).

St. John's flashy playing reflected the era's Van Halen-influenced rock guitarists, but it certainly helped spark the material on "Animalize," which many fans consider one of Kiss' strongest non-makeup releases. However, right around the time Kiss was to launch a worldwide tour in support of the album, St. John was diagnosed with a form of arthritis called Reiter's Syndrome, which caused his hands and arms to swell, and prevented him from playing guitar.

Guitarist Bruce Kulick filled in (St. John did manage to play one full show with the group, and portions of a few others) and eventually replaced St. John as Kiss' permanent guitarist.

His medical condition improved after leaving Kiss, and St. John launched a pop/metal outfit, White Tiger, with ex-Black Sabbath singer David Donato. St. John briefly teamed up with original Kiss drummer Peter Criss in a group that didn't release any recordings, and appeared as a guest speaker at Kiss conventions. In 2001, he released an all-instrumental album, "Magic Bullet Theory."

"I wish to express my sympathy to Mark St. John's family and friends," Kulick said in a statement. "Though Mark was the guitarist I replaced, I respected his talent and contribution to Kiss. May he rest in peace."

Click here --> Heaven's On Fire <-- to download.

"B.C." Cartoonist Johnny, R.I.P.

Endicott, N.Y. (AP) -- Cartoonist Johnny Hart, whose award-winning "B.C." comic strip appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers worldwide, died at his home on Saturday, April 7. He was 76.

"He had a stroke," Hart's wife, Bobby, said on Sunday. "He died at his storyboard."

"B.C.," populated by prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs, was launched in 1958 and eventually appeared in more than 1,300 newspapers with an audience of 100 million, according to Creators Syndicate, Inc., which distributes it.

After he graduated from Union-Endicott High School, Hart met Brant Parker, a young cartoonist who became a prime influence and co-creator with Hart of the "Wizard of Id" comic strip.

Hart enlisted in the Air Force and began producing cartoons for Pacific Stars and Stripes. He sold his first freelance cartoon to the Saturday Evening Post after his discharge from the military in 1954.

Later in his career, some of Hart's cartoons had religious themes, a reflection of his own Christian faith. That sometimes led to controversy.

A strip published on Easter Sunday in 2001 drew protests from Jewish groups and led several newspapers to drop the strip. The cartoon depicted a menorah transforming into a cross, with accompanying text quoting some of Jesus Christ's dying words. Critics said it implied that Christianity supersedes Judaism.

Hart said he intended as a tribute to both faiths.

Besides his wife, Hart is survived by two daughters, Patti and Perri. He was a native of Endicott, about 135 miles northwest of New York City, and drew his comic strip at a studio in his home there until the day he died.

Easter Mix

Me and my son coloring Easter eggs (2002)

Here's a compilation of Easter tunes I put together. I think it turned out pretty good, considering I put it together in less than a week. There's not a lot of Easter songs to choose from, that's why there are five versions of Easter Parade on here. You can download the Easter songs from the other blogs I posted about to fill a CD, if you're so inclined. I hope you enjoy it.

Track Listing

1. Another Easter Day - Veggie Tales
2. Another Easter Day (Reprise) - Veggie Tales
3. Easter Parade - Judy Garland, Fred Astaire & Chorus
4. Easter - Bob Hope
5. Easter Parade - Bing Crosby
6. Easter Monday On The White House Lawn - United States Marine Band
7. Egbert The Easter Egg - Betty Clooney & The Sandpipers w/ Mitch Miller & Orch.
8. Easter Parade - Gene Autry
9. Happy Easter - Fred Astaire & Chorus
10. (Here Comes) Peter Cottontail - Gene Autry
11. Easter Parade - Guy Lombardo
12. It's Easter Time - Mouseketeer Ensemble
13. My Easter Rubber Duck - Roberts & Katz
14. Easter Parade - Andy Russell

Easter Mix (38.50 MB)

I'm not sure if the other link is working, so here's a Rapidshare link.

Easter Sunday at MY(P)WHAE!

Lee at MY(P)WHAE has posted some great Easter music at his blog. Check it out.

Hippity-Hoppity

fudgeland has posted a couple of Easter songs by Roy Rogers.

Either late tonight or tomorrow, I'll have my Easter mix posted. Stay tuned.

Monster Jigglers For Easter

I was looking through some old photo albums from the 70's for old Easter pictures, when I came across this one. My brother got a Frankenstein Jiggler and I got a Mummy Jiggler. We had the coolest parents in the world, and we had really bad hair cuts.

Click here to read the history of The Easter Bunny and The Australian Easter Bilby.

Here Comes Peter Cotton Claus

Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else has posted a song called "Here Comes Peter Cotton Claus". It's a cute song that you can listen to at Easter or Christmas.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Go to Dartman's World Of Wonder to download this children's Easter album from 1975. Be sure to come back here in the next couple of days, I'm going to post my own Easter compilation.