Thursday, February 14, 2013
Valentine's Day T-Shirt
I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. I gave my honey 10 yellow tulips (yellow is her favorite color) and I made meatloaf for dinner. I'm good. ;)
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Freddy In Space's 2013 Horror Movie Valentines!
Check them out on his blog here of his Facebook page here.
Toy Fair '13 - Hasbro Marvel Action Figures
A lot of wonderful toys were revealed at Toy Fair this year. But, the ones I'm most interested in are the Hasbro Marvel figures. I collect almost anything Hulk related, so a bunch of these are a must buy for me. I will be picking up A-Bomb, Abomination and Red She-Hulk for sure. The Rhino is a Spider-Man villain, but he's battled the Hulk many times. I'll have to add Valkyrie and Nighthawk to my Defenders collection. And I might buy Hercules, Puck and Rocket Raccoon just because they are cool. (all pictures courtesy of Super Hero Hype)
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Meeting Eric Singer
I met KISS' current drummer, Eric Singer, back in the late 90s at a music store I worked at. It wasn't long after KISS had "let him go" in favor of reuniting the original band. If I remember correctly, Eric didn't have many kind words to say about Gene Simmons.
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| Eric in his Catman makeup |
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Stuart Freeborn, R.I.P.
Makeup and creature effects legend Stuart Freeborn has passed away at age 98, leaving a legacy of unforgettable contributions to film, including classic characters Chewbacca, Yoda, and Jabba the Hutt from the original Star Wars trilogy. Before his involvement on Star Wars, Freeborn was responsible for the creation of the apelike human ancestors in the "Dawn of Man" sequence of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and memorably transformed Peter Sellers into multiple roles in Doctor Strangelove.
"Stuart was already a makeup legend when he started on Star Wars," said George Lucas. "He brought with him not only decades of experience, but boundless creative energy. His artistry and craftsmanship will live on forever in the characters he created. His Star Wars creatures may be reinterpreted in new forms by new generations, but at their heart, they continue to be what Stuart created for the original films."
Leading the makeup department for Star Wars, Freeborn was responsible for the creation of Chewbacca. He and his team designed and built many of the fan favorite creatures in the Mos Eisley Cantina sequence, including Greedo, Walrus Man, and Snaggletooth. For The Empire Strikes Back, in addition to his work on the tauntaun and wampa ice creature, Freeborn's pivotal contribution was the development of Yoda. Empire director Irvin Kershner would note that Freeborn quite literally put himself into Yoda, as the Jedi Master's inquisitive and mischievous elfin features had more than a passing resemblance to Freeborn himself.
For Return of the Jedi, the definitive "monster movie" of the Star Wars trilogy, creature development was split between two teams: an ILM team led by Phil Tippett, and a UK-based shop led by Freeborn. Freeborn oversaw the development and fabrication of the massive Jabba the Hutt puppet, as well as the creation of the memorable Ewoks.
Throughout his career, Freeborn was joined by his wife, Kay (who passed away in 2012), and his son, Graham (who passed away in 1986), in his makeup work. His other credits include Oliver Twist, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Omen, Superman I-IV, Top Secret!, and The Great Muppet Caper.
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Etch A Sketch Creator Dies
While tinkering in his garage, French electrician Andre Cassagnes dreamed up a drawing toy that kids could shake up and start over.
Little did he know that more than 50 years later, the toy that became the Etch A Sketch would continue to delight children.
Cassagnes died January 16 in a Paris suburb at age 86, according to a statement released Saturday by The Ohio Art Company. His cause of his death was not disclosed.
Cassagnes created what would become the Etch A Sketch in his garage in 1950. The drawing toy was made up of a joystick, glass and aluminum powder.
Initially dubbed the Telecran, the toy was renamed L’Ecran Magique, or ‘The Magic Screen,’ and made its debut at a toy fair in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1959.
Fascinated by the invention, American Henry Winzeler, founder and president of The Ohio Art Company, licensed L’Ecran Magique for $25,000 and introduced it as Etch A Sketch in the United States in 1960.
Winzeler connected Cassagnes with Jerry Burger, an engineer at the company, so they could collaborate to improve the toy’s drawing capability.
Among the changes made to the Etch A Sketch in 1960 was replacing the joystick with two white knobs in the left and right corners of the screen. The idea was to make the toy look like the hot new adult toy of the time: a television.
It quickly became the most popular selling toy during the Christmas season that year, according to the manufacturer. Since then, the company has sold more than 150 million of them.
A mainstay in popular culture
The toy was thrust into the political spotlight during last year during a highly publicized gaffe by Mitt Romney’s senior campaign adviser, who compared his candidate’s positions to an Etch A Sketch.
“I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes,” the aide said. “It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again.”
The Ohio Art Company seized on the publicity, manufacturing red and blue Etch A Sketches during the campaign season.
The toy’s “magic screen” was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998, and it was added by the Toy Industry Association to its “Century of Toys” list in 2003.
“I remember making works of art of the Etch A Sketch as a child, in hindsight — realizing that they were merely poorly drawn stick figures,” said Larry Killgallon, the current president of The Ohio Art Company. “Nonetheless, I, as well as many others, owe thanks to Mr. Cassagnes for a toy embedded in so many of my childhood memories.”
Cassanges went on to become a well-known kite-maker, developing a series of ring-shaped kites to celebrate the Olympic Games.
He is survived by his wife, Renee.
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