Kevin, What Are We Gonna Do?

The Pentagon announced Monday that Camp Snoopy, the largest indoor family theme park in America, is one of 34 major bases scheduled for closing as part of a vast military repurposing and realignment designed to save almost $50 billion.

Military bases are one thing, but to close a spot that brings so much joy to so many young boys and girls seems evil. Even by Donald Rumsfeld's standards.

Read the full shocking story at The Onion

I'm Buying One of These

Nobody's gettin' into my ice cream again

I Got To See Revenge of the Sith

My Dad and brother humored one more time and accompanied me to a screening of a Star Wars film last night. We caught an early evening showing of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

My Dad took Kevin and I to see the original Star Wars back in 1978 or so and has some wonderful stories about how we reacted to the film. To put it one way; this time Kevin could proudly declare, that unlike back in 1978, the first time Darth Vader appeared on screen in Sith he did not jump into my Dad's lap and demand that we go home.

My thoughts on Sith? I think my Dad put it best as we were walking out of the theater, "Now that was good!" This from a man who was obviously so impressed with Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones that my brother and I had to repeatedly convince him that he had actually seen those films.

It's obvious that Sith benefits from a singular line of storytelling. This movie is all about Anakin and his fall. No more politics, no more mystery stories, no more war stories. Anakin is front and center as the star and his story is the sole focus. I think it gives the movie clarity and a continuity that was probably lacking in the first two prequel films. Additionally, this singularity in focus allowed Lucas to create film with an emotional core. I forgot when it hit me, but at one point while watching Sith I actually said to myself, "this is a film, not just a movie."

For as much as I love all the Star Wars movies, Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones are just good movies. Fun action flicks that I enjoy watching and escaping into. But when you start breaking them down, there isn't a whole lot of meat to them. But that's fine. It's good to have entertainment like that. But Sith is different. While it's wildly entertaining, it has an emotional core to its story that raises it above popcorn flick. Something real and meaningful happens to a character in the story and we get to see it gradually happen.

Hayden Christiansen gives a solid performance as Anakin and Ewan McGregor continues to show me why I've made Obi-Wan one of my favorite Star Wars characters - Ewan makes Obi-Wan a kick-ass Jedi and a great adventurer. Plus, Samuel Jackson is finally given the opportunity to prove to everyone why Mace Windu is considered the best lightsaber fighter within the Jedi order.

The action is great, the duels are fantastic, and with an emotional core, Revenge of the Sith makes its case as one of the best Star Wars movies off all time.

When are we going back to see it again?

Ultimate Superhero - Spiderman?

Like I mentioned last week, BRAVO pulled together a little three-night series that counted down the top 20 heroes, vixens, and villains. Each night was given over to one of the categories. It was fun to watch.

They got the number one villain and vixen right in my opinion - Darth Vader as the top villain and Catwoman as the top vixen. Was a little disappointed at how low they had Wonder Woman on the vixen list. Wonder Woman should be a top fiver on any list of female heroes. She's got the powers, the name recognition, and the history to demand that sort of respect.

What shocked me was their naming of Spiderman as the ultimate superhero. Now before you start filling up the comments section about how fantastic the webslinger is, let me tell you Spiderman is a great character. His comics can be fun, even great at times, he's got a killer costume design, and his movies are great. In fact, I think Spiderman 2 is the best superhero movie ever made. Spidey's easily a top three guy on any list. I think it would be safe to say that Spiderman, Superman, and Batman really are the top three superheroes.

However, how you cannot put Superman at the top of the ultimate list is beyond me. Without Superman there would be no superheroes. He is, he who came first. That has to count for something, and in this case I think it counts enough that Supes needs to get the top spot. Hell, even if you use the loose criteria that kids at BRAVO were using to compile this list, you gotta put the Man of Steel at #1. He's been in more movies, more TV shows, more comics, more cartoons, and more merchandising than Spidey. Superman has reached icon status in literature and pop culture. I'm sorry. Even as much as I love Batman, Superman needs to be the ultimate superhero.

On a side gripe: I absolutely hated the excessive use of clips from the campy Batman TV show from the late 60's when doing their lists. They got clips in when not only talking about Batman, but Catwoman, Batman villains in general, and the Joker. Was it because they couldn't get clips from any of the Batman movies or because Adam West was narrating? And where were the plugs for Batman Begins? Everyone else got to plug their superhero movies coming out in the next year?

Guinness-cicles

A wonderful "how-to" demonstrating what you need and the steps you take to make your own Guinness-cicles.

I wonder how these would taste? I love Guinness, but a Guinness popcicle? That might be a little weird.

Can You Order In Bulk?

I plan to get me a few cases of these in a bunch of different sizes for Emma and Zoe to start wearing when they turn 13.

Because It's Flat Out Funny

You have to check out the Unfortunate Star Wars Costumes

Ultimate Super Heroes, Villians, and Vixens

Starting tonight, BRAVO is airing a three-hour special on comic books in film.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Bravo's three-part special "Ultimate Super Heroes, Ultimate Super Villains, Ultimate Super Vixens." The series premieres Thursday, May 26 (10-11 p.m. EST) and will air the same bat time, same bat channel for three consecutive nights.

Narrated by one of television's classic super heroes Adam West, who portrayed Batman in the hit TV series, Bravo's upcoming special celebrates the heroes, villains and vixens who have created powerful impressions on fans throughout the years. More than 50 experts, ranging from comic book creators to filmmakers and producers to the actors who brought these characters to life, were consulted for the formation of the super-powered top 20 countdown lists in each category.

The super heroes, super villains and super vixens were chosen from characters who have appeared in comic books, movies, television, and/or video games. All choices were based on the characters’ longevity, their iconic pop-culture status, and their overall "cool factor." Comic buffs won't want to miss celebrities dishing on the ins and outs of their favorite characters, including Lou Ferrigno discussing The Hulk's relatable human side and Mark Hamill talking about his total commitment to creating the fantasy that surrounded "Star Wars."

If you can't watch it at its original airing, check out the schedule, BRAVO is showing it quite a bit. I know I'll be plopping myself in front of the tube to catch this all three nights.

Making Money From Our Crap

If you like comics and are looking to pick up some good stuff, I've got a number of auctions running right now.

Back in January I went through my collection and pulled out a bunch of stuff I just didn't want any more. Mostly things that I either had bought in trade paperback, plan to buy in trade paperback, or simply don't want. The stuff that I thought I might be able to make some reasonable money on has gone up for auction. The rest of the stuff I took to Graham Cracker Comics today. Those guys gave me a fair deal and set me up with up with some in-store credit that means I essentially have my next two months of new comics paid for.

Heather has even decided to dip her toe into the selling on eBay pool. We've been going through the house pulling stuff out we were looking to sell at an upcoming garage sale. But she had some items that we thought we could sell bigger in an auction and she had a free insertion offer from eBay, so Heather is selling on eBay.

If things go well enough, we might just forgo the whole garage sale thing.

Darth Vader Is My Father

Last night Heather and I were watching the season finale of Alias - which was pretty good, by the way. Killer cliffhanger - when I saw a Burger King commercial starring Darth Vader. Not big news, I know. Star Wars characters are everywhere this summer. Selling everthing from breakfast cereal to cell phones. What made this one memorable for me, was that Lord Vader actually utters my name during the 30-second spot.

The premise for the commercial is this: young guy at home sitting down to his meal he just purchased at the local BK. He's scratching off the "Choose Your Destiny" game card and discovers that he's won a million dollars. Suddenly there is a knock at his door. He gets up to answer it. When he opens the door to his apartment, there stands Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith.

Dramatic pause as Vader gives us some signature deep, mechanically-enhanced breathing.

"Brendan, I am you father," Vader bellows.

(Actually, he could be saying "Brandon," but with all the breathing and the heavy mask it's easily to slur things. I like to think he says "Brendan.")

The guy doesn't say anything, so Vader repeats it.

The guy's response: "No you're not. You just want my million dollars."

The guy goes to shut the door. Vader asks him to wait, and then says.

"Brendan, I am your uncle."

Guy shuts door and commercial ends.

I've searched all over the web today and can't find a video file of the commerical. Not even just the audio. I've just got to have a copy of this. It's too good to pass up.

I do know that there people who read this blog who know better places than I do to find such material (hint, hint, Mr. Christiansen!) and hopefully someone can help me out.

Finally, Someone With Common Sense

The judge in the Michael Jackson molestation trial barred photos of Jackson's genitalia frm being shown to jurors.

I don't think anyone involved in the trial or not involved wants to see that. Hell, I feel horrible for the photographer who had to snap those shots. Ewww.

First Major Setback

Had the first major setback in the search for a new job today. For the past month I've been talking to company about the possibility of becoming their new Director of Operations. I'd had a number of interviews - they even checked up on my references. Unfortunately today I got the news that they were going with someone else. It's very disappointing to say the least.

I had felt really good about the job opportunity. All the interviews had gone well - or so I thought. And they were talking to all my references - another good sign. Plus, I really felt like I had the perfect skills and background to handle this position. The job seemed like a perfect fit for me. I wish I knew where things went wrong.

Of course, in the age of the Internet the rejection is delivered via email so I couldn't immediately question them as to the "why" I lost. I responded with an email asking for as much, and if I don't receive it I might follow up with a call. I am not sure though. I don't want to dwell too much on what I've lost and want to instead focus on what's ahead. I've got an interview with a company this Friday in Oakbrook, there is still a strong possibility with a company in downtown Chicago, and I have what amounts to an open offer for employment - except it would be a business development/sales position. That's something I not too familiar with. So I’m not out of options yet.

Still, this rejection did put a blow to the old confidence levels. I just have to dust myself off and keep moving.

The Voice of Tony The Tiger Has Been Silenced

Thurl Ravenscroft, best known as the voice of Tony the Tiger from Frosted Flakes, passed away after a fight with prostate cancer at the age of 91. His voice was immediately recognizable. Besides singing "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"in the animated version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, his voice is used all over Disneyland, particularly the voice singing "Grim, Grinning Ghosts" in the Haunted Mansion. I know Heather and I picked him out as the vocie of Kirby, the vaccum, in the animated film, The Brave Little Toaster

To read a fine tribute to the fine voice talent, check out Mark Evanier's website.

Wooden Balloons

In my earlier post, I talked about one of the perks of staying home is getting to spend more time with Emma and Zoe. I didn't mention Ian, because he's at school most of the day - so really no gain there. I get a extra little time in the morning and the afternoon with him.

Leave it to Ian to make those few extra moments really count. This morning I was blowing up some balloon for the kids to play with before Ian left for school. Ian had a question:

"Why are balloons made out of rubber?"

My first instinct was to correct him - that they really weren't technically made out of rubber - and then go on to explain the elastic properties of latex and the physics air pressure, but then my sarcastic side took over. My response was:

"Because the balloons made out of wood didn't work very well."

(Comments liks this are why Heather finds me to be a frustrating father to deal with.)

Ian thought what I said made sense, and even saw some deeper reasons behind the failures of the wooden balloon.

"Yeah. I bet the nails kept making the (wood) balloons pop."

Can't argue with that logic.

"Calvin & Hobbes" Comes Back - Sort Of

To help drive up interest in this fall's release of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, a collection of past Calvin & Hobbes comic strips will be made available to newspapers for publishing between September and December.

Like something like that is even needed. Calvin & Hobbes is one of the finest comic strips in the history of comic strips. I'm really hoping to aquire a cop of the Complete collection, comics strips in the paper or not. Though it will be nice to see a comic strip of quality like C & H in the paper out-shining much of the crap that gets produced today.

Unemployment: The Next Frontier

Yesterday started a new chapter in my career – unemployment. It’s something I haven’t talked about here on the blog, mostly because I didn’t want to. But now that I’m home without work it’s obviously playing more significantly in what I want to talk about.

I’ve never mentioned where I work or what I do here in the blog. No particular reason, just didn’t want to. But now that I don’t work there, I figure what the hell. For the last five and half years I was the Product Manager for Apartments.com and MovingCenter.com. My title was Product Manager, but really I was equal parts product manager and equal parts development manager/executive producer. Not only was I charged with try to chart out where the sites were going from a business perspective, I had to oversee and manage the execution of that plan operationally. It was exciting work – at times. Though I preferred the operations side to the product manager side.

Six weeks ago I met with, now, my former manager. He knew I wasn’t happy with my situation at Apartments.com and he wanted to change the focus of the team I was heading up. Frankly, five plus years was a long time to work on essentially one site – and a site very limited in its scope. There’s only so much you can do with online rental listings. It was decided that I should leave the company. And there were some political aspects of working at Apartmetns.com that were starting to get to be too much for me. Apartments.com had big goals this year, and with someone like me who didn’t have his head totally in the game and was considering jumping ship, it was better if they brought in someone who could help them hit those objectives in 2005. I couldn’t argue with the logic.

The truth was that I was trying to look for jobs elsewhere, I was just so busy at Apartments.com and at home that I wasn’t giving it my full attention. The benefit of leaving before having a new job lined up was that with a hard end date I could focus my attention and energies on moving on in my career. Plus, there was the fear of being out of work with a mortgage and three kids. That’s always a motivator.

Of course, rarely are new jobs found over night – hence here I sit at home now. Nobody’s panicking yet though. I’ve had some interviews and am currently in the running for some positions, but I at the mercy of those companies’ timelines for hiring – not mine. Plus, Apartments.com made it financially appealing for me to stay the full six weeks. However, if things extend much past June things could start get rough here at the McKillip castle – both financially and emotionally.

So for the time being I am enjoying my time at home. Plan to get some work done around the house – no “honey-do” list for me, I create a “Brendan-do” list for myself that dwarfs anything Heather could put together. I’m a freak when it comes to keeping up the house. Just ask Heather. I physically cannot rest if I know there is something, somewhere, anywhere in the house that needs to be done. It’s a curse.

Still I’m finding time to read some comics and spend time with Emma and Zoe. Maybe later this week I’ll get into some of the DVDs that I’ve neglected.

And if my brother is reading –DUDE! I want to go see Revenge of the Sith with you. Call me back you slacker and lets set a date/time.

Keep checking back and I’ll let you know how the job search is going. In the meantime, if you know of anyone looking for a guy with 10 years experience building and managing websites, send them my way.

Rare Charles Shulz Artwork

It's fairly well known that Charles Shulz never drew adults in his "Peanuts" comic strips. You simply never saw them. "Peanuts" was a world completely owned by children. So the fact that Philip Weiss Auctions is currently auctioning off a strip drawn by Shulz with adults in it is simply fasinating.

This strip was apparently an experiment Shulz did back in the day using a blank "Peanuts" strip template.

Vader Reads Your Mind

Give it a try. It's pretty cool. Darth Vader can read your mind.

He correctly read Ian's mind and mine, but Heather tripped him up by thinking of "popcorn". I guess the Dark Lord of the Sith doesn't spend a lot of time eating snacks.

Crosstown Classic

This weekend is the first of two series that the Cubs and White Sox will play against each other as part of MLB's interleague play weekends. The Sox visit the Friendly Confines here in May, and the Cubs will travel south in June to take on the Sox at the Cell.

With as well as the Sox have been playing and as poorly as the Cubs have been playing, I'm really not expecting a whole lot from the Cubs. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the White Sox sweep both series against their North Side rivals.

None the less, I still have fun watching the two Chicago teams go at it against each other.

It's the top of the 6th and White Sox lead 4 - 0. The Cubs have only managed 2 hits.

(image thanks to Chicagoist)

Putting Kids Last

Say what you will about Arianna Huffington's new experiment in blogging, The Huffington Post, some of the entries are quite interesting. Today Mike Pisca, founder of LA's Inner City Education Foundation, has something to say about how teacher unions are ruining public education. It's a position that I have believed for some time now. Unlike me, who will argue this point only from my gut, Mike has some solid facts and experiences to back up his side of the argument.

How Much Is A Body Worth?

About $11,300 if the recent auction run by 21-year-old college student Courtney Van Dunk is any indication. Van Dunk recently auctioned off space on her body for advertisers to try and get their messages through to a media-saturated society.

To be perfectly honest, this story isn't that interesting to me. It just provided me with an excuse to post a picture of a pretty girl in a bikini, which I figure is a nice respite from the repeated postings of comic book and Star Wars stuff that I have been flooding onto this blog for the last few weeks.

Personally, I think it's the same reason any of the media outlets are carrying this story. Slapping advertising on people isn't anything new. People auctioning off their body to advertisers isn't anything new. This time however, we've got a good looking woman in a bikini - so the story is run everywhere.

Cary Grant - A Class Apart

Wednesday, May 25, at 9 pm, the PBS station in Chicago - WTTW - will be airing Cary Grant: A Class Apart. I'm pretty sure this is the same documentary that Turner Classic Movies aired about two years ago, but I wasn't able to see the whole thing. So here's my chance to watch this biography/documentary of one of my favorite actors of all time.

In his films, Cary Grant has always represented class, style, and witty charm. Things I would aspire to if I wasn't such a comic book geek and pop-culture junky. It's probably why I enjoy his movies so much. I desperately want to by Cary Grant's characters in his films.

Star Wars Cliche Hell

Website Worth1000.com is having a photoshop contest to create Star Wars-inspired mashups. There are a lot of funny entries. Some of my favorites:

Custom Star Wars M&Ms

How cool is this! At the M&M's online store, you can order your own custom mix of Star Wars-colored M&Ms, have them delivered in a special edition Star Wars tin, and even get you own custom messages put on the M&Ms!

I want to get me some of these. I think I would get a bunch of M&Ms with "So be it, Jedi!" and "Nerf Herder?!" printed on them.

Mom's Cancer

Mom's Cancer is - was - an online comic strip created by Brian Fies where he tells the story of his mom's battle with metastatic lung cancer. It's a story about how a serious illness not only affects the afflicted, but also those close to them.

Recently Mom's Cancer was honored in two ways. One, it received a nomination for a 2005 Eisner Award, the comic industry's premiere award, for "Best Digital Comic." Two, Fies and publisher Harry N. Abrams reached a deal where Mom's Cancer will be published as a hardcover book collecting the entire run of the series. It's set to be published in Spring 2006.

Unfortunately, with the new book deal, the comic strip is no longer available to be viewed online. Fies does still have a few samples on the site however, and what I see there gets me more interested in his work. I will be looking for this collection when it is published next spring.

This Is Wonderful

Bubble wrap on the web.

Thanks to Celi for passing that along to me.

More Mysteries Solved

Scientists have figured out why teens are so lousy at chores. Just in time for me to benefit as a parent, too.

In a nutshell - their brains haven't finished growing. The adolescent brain can't handle multi-tasking yet.

Where's Bumper? I've Got A Game To Play

Kitty Bounce
Kitten Attack

Frank Gorshin Dies at 72

Frank Gorshin, the original Riddler on the 60's Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward, passed away on Tuesday. Gorshin had been suffering from lung cancer, emphysema and pneumonia when he died with his wife at his side.

While Gorshin appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, he is best remembered for his portrayal of the Riddler. He brought a manic, hyper approach to the character that eventually filtered over into the Batman comics for awhile and even influenced Jim Carrey's portrayal of the Riddler in Batman Forever. It was certainly more enjoyable than John Astin's turn in the question mark covered green tights.

Reading through the stories and biographies about Gorshin, I learned today that he was accomplished on stage as well as on screen - both TV and film. There was a lot more to Gorshin than the guy who played the Riddler. In fact, he was still acting close up to his death. His final performance will be televised on Thursday when he has a guest-appearance on CSI. I think I owe it to Frank Gorshin to check out CSI this Thursday night and enjoy his acting talent one last time.

Hot Dog Eaters Rejoice! - UPDATE

Although I was unable to attend yesterday's historic Great Peace Treaty signing between hot dog makers and bun bakers, my operatives in the field were able to report back to me with this photo.

Hot dogs (in buns) were going for a $1 donation to the Greater Chicago Food Depository - and people were angling to get two Chicago-style dawgs.

Thanks to Liz for the photo.

Art Is What You Can Get Away With

Ricky Pearce, a backhoe contractor in Henderson, N.C., constucted 17-foot-high female legs out fo concrete. He says he was "inspired by Marilyn Monroe's legs, with the skirt blowing."

How does the artist respond to claims that sculpture is innapropriate for young children?

"If they learned a little bit more about this and stayed away from drugs, they'd be better off."

And the "this" Ricky is refering to? Well, it's either the right of expression through art or how to wire the garter on the right leg to light up at night. He really wasn't too clear in his statements.

How To Fake A Fingerprint

Don't let it be said that this blog isn't educational

How to fake a fingerprint. 12 easy steps.

Star Wars Last Supper

It's a big-ass image. Suitable for a computer desktop. So click through to see the whole image.

My Guess? Hoax

The mysterious Piano Man has been getting a lot of press lately. For the uninitiated, about six weeks ago a man in a soaking wet suit was found walking around in Kent county, England. All the tags had been cut out of his clothing and he has yet to speak any words.

About a week ago the staff at the hospital where he is staying gave him some paper and a pencil. He drew a detailed picture of a piano, so they put him front of one. He started playing some simple tunes. Up to this point, that's all he's done. Sit around and refuse to talk. Play the piano.

Members of the press are comparing him to pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a nervous breakdown while playing. But this "Piano Man" has no where the skills of Helfgott.

I think it's a hoax. A low-rent performance artist or con-man is trying to see who he can fool. Certainly it could be legit, but there are just too many odd circumstances. The guy is wandering around in a soaking suit of clothes with all the tags cut out? He won't talk but bangs out some basic John Lennon tunes on an old piano? This sounds like something you come up with while sitting around with you buddies drinking, then someone puts enough money into the bet that one guy tries to pull it off.

We're So Funny

At dinner tonight Ian launched into a story from school.

"One time at school Ez (short for Eziekel) threw his lunch box high into the air and it got stuck in the tree."

"Really?" Heather replied.

"Yup. And he couldn't get it down," Ian explained.

Then Emma let us know that she had a story.

"One time my cousin threw his lunch box way up in the sky and it got stuck in a tree."

Now, mind you, Emma has never been in a situation with one of her cousins where they could have thrown a lunch box into a tree. This fact did not stop her from telling her story, or many variations of it.

"One time my cousin threw his hat way up in the sky and it got stuck in a tree."

"One time baby Tommy threw his lunch box up in the sky and it got stuck in a tree. Then he got lost and cried."

(That was a particularly sad version of the lunch box-in-tree tale. I almost cried - almost.)

After going on like this for about five minutes, Heather and I thought Emma had reached her creative limit.

"Mommy, I want to tell you somethin'?"

"Emma, no more lunch box-in-tree stories please. Is this a lunch box-in-tree story?"

"No," she replied earnestly.

"Okay, what do you want to tell me?" Heather asked.

"One time, Kiera threw her lunch box up in the sky . . ."

At this point, frankly, I was feeling a bit left out of the impromtu lunch box-in-tree story jam session that was going on. It was a like a cool laid back jazz improve. I wanted in on the action.

"Ian," I said, "I want to tell you something."

"What"

"One time Jerry threw his lunch box up so high it got stuck on top of a building."

"Really?" Ian responded with eyes wide.

"Yup"

"How did he get it down, " Ian wondered.

"A janitor got it down."

"Wow!"

Heather was not amused. I thought it was great.

Cool Unmasked DC Action Figures

DC Comics, makers of some of the coolest direct market action figures around, released pictures today of a line coming out in January 2006 called Unmasked!. There are some definitely interesting figures in the line.

The Batman/Bruce Wayne figure looks very cool. Nice sculpt on the head with the mask pulled back.

The Joker/Red Hood figure also looks pretty cool. It's one of the better-looking Joker figures I've seen. Usually the sculpt for Joker is too overblown on the features. This one is more subdued and I think it works well. Plus, how cool is it that they tie in the old Red Hood persona.

The Clark Kent/Superman is disappointing. All you get is a guy in a suit who you switch out the head and pull off the front of the shirt. That's not cool at all. I understand why they did it the way they did - Superman doesn't wear a mask or anything, but it isn't really that much fun when you look at the other offerings.

I've already got plenty of figures (including Batman), but it's will be hard to resist these great looking figures. Luckily I have until January of next year to decide whether I can get them or not.

Turn Superman On

This is an interesting item up for bid at eBay.

Hot Dog Eaters Rejoice!

Just learned from the fantastic Chicagoist that today at 11:45 am Chicago-based companies Alpha Baking Co., bun bakers, and Vienna Beef, hot dog producers, will sign "The Great Piece Treaty." The purpose of the treaty is to bind both companies to produce their products in counts of eight until the end of time. No more mismatched weiners and buns.

It's about damn time!

Ralph McQuarrie

The story and the vision might have sprung from the mind of George Lucas, but the visuals came from artist Ralph McQuarrie.

Plenty of blogs and sites are writing aboutStar Wars on the eve of the release of Revenge of the Sith. Leave it to Drawn! to call attention to the artist who set the visual tone for Lucas' galaxy far, far away. After the story has been written but before the movie can be put to film, someone has to help bridge the world of words and pictures. McQuarrie's conceptual and production artwork brought Lucas' world to life. McQuarrie did the artwork for the original Star Wars trilogy and set the tone for all the comics and movie that came after.

Spend some time going through his gallery of artwork and you'll see an artist who brought an ethereal and haunting look his illustrations. He really has a gift for realizing futuristic imaginary worlds.

Amanda Morley

One word comes to mind when I view Amanda Morley's wonderful illustrations - beautiful. I can honestly say I have never seen anyone create pieces of art with colored pencils quite as beautiful as she does. You should really check out her gallery.

See A Need And Meet It

That's what this guy did.

Store Wars

Thanks to Ed for pointing this funny spoof out. Sure the makers of this Star Wars spoof are out to sell you on organic foods, but you have to admire and enjoy the creative power that went into putting together this short film.

Well, Duh!

A recently released survey conducted by Life, the Time Inc. newspaper supplement, found that 55% of adults spend more weekend time doing what they have to do than what they want to do. In other words, we're busy running around shopping, doing chores, and attending family activities. Not kicking back to relax and re-charge before another work week begins.

Can you blame us? With longer work hours and more time stuck in traffic, who has time to run errands during the week?

Personally I get sick of all the time I spend during the weekend running around attending to crap I feel needs to get done. I'd much rather take the kids outside for the afternoon and watch a movie at night. The reality is that Heather and I spend a considerable amount of time running the errands we can't get in during the week and household chores, leaving little time playing with the kids or with ourselves. The weekends can be more stressful than the work week.

Reviews of Sith From The Big Papers

Michael Wilmington, the head movie critic of the Chicago Tribune, gives his review of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in today's paper. Claiming Sith a "smashing success on its own terms, achieving exactly what Lucas wanted and carrying most of its viewers where they want to go," Wilmington gives the film 4 out of 4 stars.

Sith "approaches a darkness even deeper than that of 1980's The Empire Strikes Back" according to Wilmington, "Yet the final effect is exhilarating."

Roger Ebert also published his review of Sith in today's Sun Times, and although it is not as glowingly as Wilmington's, Ebert does give the film 3.5 stars out of 4, calling the film "great entertainment."

A. O. Scott of the New York Times also weighed in with his Sith review today. Scott doesn't award movies with stars, but his review is glowing none-the-less.

"This is by far the best film in the more recent trilogy, and also the best of the four episodes Mr. Lucas has directed. That's right (and my inner 11-year-old shudders as I type this): it's better than Star Wars."

Scott goes on to say that Revenge of the Sith rivals The Empire Strikes Back as the "richest and most challenging movie in the cycle."

Not that reviews were gonna sway my decision on seeing the film (nor the millions of other Star Wars fans), but it is comforting to know that the guys whose job it is to watch and review movies thinks that Sith is a good one. It only manages to heighten my excitement for see this movie to un-heard of levels. I really think I'm gonna have to leave work early on Friday.

What?!

Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward said that current Vice President Dick Cheney is a serious dark horse candidate for a 2008 run for the White House.

Isn't Cheney about 106-years old? I know the guy's lived through about 12 heart attacks, but does he really have it to live through another four years in the White House?

The Rise of the Superhero

New York Times writer A. O. Scott had an interesting piece a couple of days ago. In it he notes how comic book superheroes are overtaking movie stars as the big bankable commodity for movie studios.

Not only are comic heroes the big players in the movies, but Scott argues that comics have finally moved "from the disreputable, juvenile margins of pop culture to its center." And it isn't just a move to the center of pop culture awareness, but that writers like Michael Chabon and Jonathan Lethem have helped elevate comics into the higher realms of upper-literature.

I guess I just like seeing a real rah-rah moment for comics in a publication like the New ork Times.

Light Side Or Dark Side?

And I ain't talking chicken meat here kids.

Ed pointed me in the direction of the Force-o-meter. This online quiz determines if you lean towards the light side of the force or the dark side on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being the Emperor, 10 being Yoda.

I'm a 4, which makes me most like Han Solo.

Give it a try.

Revenge of the Sith TV Ad

There are plenty of Revenge of the Sith TV ads out there, and you can see them all at StarWars.com.

My favorite that I've seen is the one title "End of Wars." It's a 60-second spot that really delivers on selling how dark and tragic this final film will be.

Despite all the cheesy merchandising tie-ins and the massive media exposure Sith is receiving as the film's official release approaches, my excitement for seeing Revenge of the Sith continue to mount. I'm seriously considering going to see it on Friday, May 20th. It will be last day working there (I'm leaving the company). Why not cut out early and take in a Star Wars movie?

Kids At Play

The warm weather of Spring has finally come to Chicago - kinda - and the kids just have to get out and play in the backyard.

This is why I don't mind dealing with a long commute from Aurora all the way in to Chicago to work each day. By living out in the suburbs I can give my kids a nice big backyard with lots of grass and space to run and play.

Science Fiction Becomes Fact

U.S. Scientists have created self-replicating robots. Consisting of several 4-inch cubes, the robots can create duplicate robots by pulling parts from a "feeding location." The robots can only create other robots right now, but scientists believe that the basic design principle could be used to make more complex robots that could repair themselves or even grow in number, as more work is needed. Take a look at them in action.

I remember reading about stuff like this in the works of Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick. Alan Moore even threw in the idea of the self-replicating robot in some issues of the Tom Strong comic book. This is so wild. Robots that can create other versions of themselves. If you read the stories where Philip K. Dick and Alan Moore use the concept, it can be rather frightening as well - robots that keep replicating themselves until they have over-run everything organic. Now these types of robots actually exist, albeit in a simple form. But then again, there was a time when a computer took up an entire room and could only do simple arithmetic.

Update: added a picture of the robot and a link to the robots in action building themselves.

News You Can Use

Speaking of Dave Barry, found this article linked from his blog.

Maggots Chew Toward Woman's Brain

The Reason for Humor

While reading one of my new favorite blogs, Booklust, I discovered this quote from Dave Barry about humor:

A sense of humor is a measurement of the extent to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge.

I found that quote rather profound, especially coming from someone as silly a Dave Barry. Mr. Barry's humor seems to run the lines of exploding cows and confused Dads, not something speaking to a world without reason.

The quote made me think about myself and how I relate to the world. A few days before my sister's wedding my brother and I were talking on the phone about what we were going to say at the wedding reception. We were both scheduled for toasts. I was running through some of the notes I had written down, but eventually I told Kevin this, "Essentially Kevin, I'll be making fun of Elizabeth. It's how I relate to people. If I can't make fun, I don't know what to do." Which is true. In almost any situation I find myself in, I want to make jokes about what going on or the people involved. Is it a defense mechanism preventing me from honestly facing what's going on or keeping people at a safe emotional distance from me? Probably. But that wouldn't explain why I want to tease my sister on her wedding day.

Maybe, as I spend a little time navel gazing - which I rarely do in this blog, I'm just overwhelmed by the lack of reason in the world. I'm overcome by the chaos that surrounds us. If what Mr. Barry says about humor is true, than my best response is to come back with humor. I've just incorporated it into how I face life in general - from the most intimate of relationships all the way up to world events and my place in the universe.

I guess I either do things that way or I don a cowl and cape, get me a bitchin' car, and drive around the streets at night beating the tar out of two-bit thugs.

While the cowl and cape route would be fun, I think I'll stick with the humor route. I'll get more sleep.

Wow!

Now this is driving

Calvin & Hobbes Inspired Sin City?

Carlitos over at the Sun of Gelatometti blog thinks so, and he's got some clips from an old Calvin & Hobbes storyline to help make his argument.

There's no denying the Bill Waterson influenced and inspired a lot of people in cartooning and comics with phenomenal work in Calvin & Hobbes. Did he give Frank Miller ideas? Possibly. It's definitely an interesting idea to think about.

True Evil

I believe that people are inherently good. People do bad things because of circumstances or poor judgment. Not to say that this excuses people of doing bad things; people need to be held accountable for their actions regardless of what might have influenced their actions. It just explains why they did what they did.

However, every now and then people come to my attention that I think are truly evil. Case in point: Jerry Hobbs is charged with the stabbing death of his 8-year-old daughter and her 9-year-old friend in Zion, IL (a northern suburb of Chicago).

How a father can repeated stab his own daughter in the neck and eyes because he was upset she broke curfew goes beyond my understanding. It boggles my mind that any situation could drive a person to do that unless they were truly evil in their core. That's the only way I can reconcile this news in my head.

Jerry Hobbs is evil and he should die a horrible, painful death to atone for the two young lives he has stolen.

Gonna Have To Start Eating at Burger King

SW Burger King Promotion, originally uploaded by bmckillip.

Starting May 11th, Burger King launches their Star Wars tie-in.

Read a snippet from the press release:

"Using a hot new trend in toys that combines oversized heads with small bodies, the Super Star Wars Collection captures the magic of memorable Star Wars icons in five unique toy genres: pull-back vehicles that speed away, wind-up figures, water squirters, plush toys and image viewers with scenes from each Star Wars episode."

Some of the items look like they might be neat. But who wants a Jar Jar? I can see plenty of those ending up in the trash can at the local BK.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick - Online

In case you missed it when it was shown on Cartoon Network this past Sunday, the Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick LEGO animated short is now showing on the LEGO Star Wars site.

Ian and I did get to watch it, though we almost missed it. It played at 6 pm Central time, but only after CN had already ran the intro to "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends." It was a little confusing.

Anyway, the short is a lot of fun. A little disjointed in its storytelling, but fun none the less. One of my favorite parts is Darth Vader conducting an orchestra of Stormtroopers at the end.

Can The Newspaper Industry Be Saved?

Michael Kinsley, of Slate.com and "Crossfire" fame, thinks he has the answer.

Windu's Final Battle?

While checking out the Time magazine special section for Revenge of the Sith I came across this shot of Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) finding out that there's more to Palpatine than meets the eye. Jackson has gone on record saying that he want Mace Windu's death to be glorious one. Let's hope that Mace gives Palpatine a good fight before he meets the end.

Make sure you click thru the image to see it in a larger size.

End Of An Era

Over at The Beat, Heidi MacDonald waxes poetic about the fact that the two major sci-fi franchises of all time - Star Wars and Star Trek - will both come to an end within five days of each other. It truly will be Nerdpocalypse

On Friday, May 13th, Star Trek: Enterprise will air its final episode. The keepers of the Star Trek franchise have decided to postpone any new Star Trek related TV or movie material for a while. Cleanse the palate of the masses, as it were.

Five days later, on May 19th, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith hits screens all across America as George Lucas brings us the last official Star Wars motion picture. As Heidi points out, there will still be books, comics, toys, and probably a cartoon or live-action TV show, but the canon of Star Wars - the movies - will be done.

Heidi, like myself, isn't much of a Star Trek fan, so her essay quickly settles on talking about the adventures "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" that have captivated millions for almost 30 years. She and some friends spent a weekend watching episodes I, II, IV, V to prepare for Sith, and she spends the remainder of her essay comparing the original trilogy with Lucas' prequel flicks. I found her insights, comments, and opinions not only interesting, but in many cases very much on the mark with my own thoughts. I encourage you to read what Heidi has to say.

Our Legal System At Work

A chicken received a ticket for crossing the road.

DC Comics Updates Its Look

DC Comics has fallen under the makeover madness that grips this country currently. The New York Times reported this morning that my favorite comic book publisher will unveil a new logo on comics be published at the end of May.

As the story notes, the move might have as much to do with updating a logo that hasn't changed since the early 70's as with Warner Brothers, which owns DC Comics, wanting to get behind the DC brand more. For the most part over the years WB has ignored DC Comics and its stable of characters. With the recent big success of Marvel characters in movies and the cartoons based on DC Comic characters (Justice League, Teen Titans, Krypto The Superdog, etc.), WB might be looking to exploit . . . er market their tie to granddaddy of comic book publishers.

Unlike the naysayers who dominate the online discussion concerning all things comics, the new logo doesn't bother me. I mean, come on, it's just a corporate logo. It doesn't affect my enjoyment (or lack of enjoyment) of their product.

Radio-Locator

Just stumbled upon this site. Radio-Locator.com

The site helps you do what the URL says, find any web-published info about radio stations broadcasting in America.

What is pretty cool is that they are able to provide a broadcast coverage pattern for the station. For example, here's a link to the coverage map for the greatest radio station on the planet: WXRT. How cool is that?

ZabaSearch - Full of Crap

Wired has an interview with the founders of ZabaSearch, the new personal search website that can return residential addresses, phone numbers both listed and unlisted, birth year, even satellite photos of homes for a person.

As I read it, Robert Zakari and Nicholas Matzorkis come off as real shady and kinda creepy. They admit that the data is not always correct or horribly out of date, they offer no certain way for anyone to get the information corrected, and they repeatedly talk about how what they are doing is within the rules of the law. If they know the public databases they are looking at have wrong or out of date data, why did they bother building and launching this search engine now? All it's doing is stirring up more fears about identity theft and perpetuating the spreading of incorrect information.

For instance, I look up Brendan H McKillip (myself), I get a return that includes a correct birthday, but all the addresses are at least six years old. Not a single one is my current address. A search on Heather McKillip is worse - it has our current address, but with my Dad's birthday. How does that happen? I'm scared to think what the $20 background check shows. How is this service benefiting anyone?

Maybe Someone Should Have Listened to Their Dad

From an article in Salon today by Juan Cole:

Iraq's elected Parliament finally swore in a new Cabinet on Tuesday -- yet another milestone that the Bush administration hoped would represent a decisive turning point in its campaign to remake Iraq. But like the toppling of Saddam's statue, the dictator's capture, the formation of an interim government, the siege of Fallujah, the national elections, and the formation of a new government, this latest development offered little reason for hope that the bloody insurrection would subside.

Years ago, George Bush the elder explained why he did not push on to Baghdad at the end of the first Gulf War: He feared the breakup of the Iraqi state. The most dangerous fissure was and is between Iraq's majority group, the Shiites, and the formerly ascendant Sunnis. Those divisions have now exploded into a horrific guerrilla war in which disaffected Sunnis increasingly target Shiites and Kurds. In the week after the Cabinet was presented to Parliament, Sunni Arab guerrillas went on a bombing spree that left some 200 dead and hundreds more wounded.

I've Got A Bad Feeling About This

Vader. Maul. Tyranus. Sidious. Dew. What's that? Haven't heard of the latest addition to the Empire's den of Darths? Pepsi's latest Slurpee exclusive, Darth Dew, joins the Sith set this week, infiltrating some 5,800 7-Eleven stores across the U.S. and Canada.

Dew was seduced by the dark side of the Force. Once called Mountain Dew Pitch Black, Pepsi has twisted the grape-flavored Dew into a devilishly delicious Sith Slurpee, destined to send chills through legions of thirsty Star Wars fans.

From May 2-31, Darth Dew will be available at participating 7-Eleven stores in four different action-illustrated cups complete with 3D Darth Vader topper.

From all the advance screening reviews I've seen, Revenge of the Sith is the Star Wars prequel flick all of us old-timers have been klammering for. Unfortunately, it would appear that with a great movie comes an even bigger marketing tie-in blitz.

Oh well. What are you gonna do?

Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick

It's Star Wars. It's LEGO. It's a Star Wars LEGO movie.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
Sunday, May 8th at 6pm (central)
Cartoon Network

And The Oscar Goes To . . .

Emma McKillip, for her stirring portrayal of a girl suffering from a debilitating wrist injury. It was so convincing that we ended up taking the girl to the emergency room at 8:15 at night.

It started earlier in the night when Emma and I were playing - dancing actually. I was swinging her around and we were having a good time. She spun-out and fell to the floor, so I reached down to help her up. She extended one hand for me to lift by, which I did, but then she decided to go limp - making it difficult for me to hold her. She thought this was fun too. That is, until my grip slipped and something got twisted or pinched in her wrist. That's when all the crying began.

The next 20 minutes were filled with a lot of crying and screaming and complaints that she can't move her hand. She was selling it to the cheap seats.

I kept looking at her wrist. There wasn't any swelling, no marks, no anything. When I squeezed her wrist or turned it, she didn't cry any louder. I really didn't think that anything could have happened. I always thought kids joints and such were more flexible at this young age because they are still growing, that's why you can spin them around by the hands and they don't break anything.

But the crying just wouldn't stop and she kept complaining about how much it hurt. Eventually Heather and I started to think that maybe something really was wrong, even though deep down we didn't suspect it. Heather gathered up the whimpering Emma and drove to the ER. Better safe then getting picked up by Child Protective Services later on.

I got a phone call at home about thirty minutes after they left saying that Emma's arm had been immobilized on a split as a precautionary measure and x-rays had been taken. They were just waiting around to see a doctor. Oh my.

Around 9:45 pm I hear the garage door open and go to meet Heather and Emma as the come in the house. Heather is standing there with a "wait til you see this" smile on her face. I'm expecting to see Emma with a big old cast on her little arm. Around the back of the van comes Emma, huge smile on her face and sucker in her mouth. But the sucker is the only new accessory to Emma's wardrobe. There's no cast, no split, no bandage, no nothing. Everything looks just fine.

"Daddy, I all better now!" she proudly proclaims as I lift her up.

"You certainly look it," I respond.

"I got TWO suckers!" she says with a grin.

"I'm sure that helped fix everything."

Defunker

Defunker sells all sorts of tricked out shirts with some wild designs. Personally, my favorite was the shirt design called "Nuts"

Norman Rockwell - Artist

The Art Renewal Center has a wonderful section devoted to American artist Norman Rockwell. There are over eight pages of quality scans of his painting. It is really fantastic stuff.

What I found very interesting about the section at Art Renewal, was that it has an introduction of sorts consisting of a response by Gabriela Dellosso to a review by Jerry Saltz of the "Norman Rockwell: Pictures of American People" show that ran at the Guggenheim Museum in 2002. In effect, Slatz takes Rockwell to task for being an unimaginative painter who was nothing more than a simple illustrator. The introduction continues with a reproduction from a 2004 email dialogue what also was criticizing Rockwell for being a "commercial" artist.

In both cases, Rockwell is defended quite eloquently and thoughtfully. They argue effectively that just because most of Rockwell's artwork was commissioned, doesn't make it any less a piece of art. As Ms. Dellosso makes the point, "Wasn't the Sistine Chapel commissioned by the church?"

Norman Rockwell was a great American painter who wonderfully captured the brightness of American life and at times exposed it's dark side. His paintings were illustrations in that they almost always told a story. A Rockwell painting truly was worth a thousand words. Regardless of what anyone else might argue, I'll always consider Norman Rockwell a great artist.

Cup-A-Cake

I need me one of these.

CUP-A-CAKE was designed and patented by mothers to solve the age old problem of sending cupcakes to school or outings with their children. Before CUP-A-CAKE, taking cupcakes anywhere caused a mess.

This unique container will hold a frosted cupcake in place with protrusions positioned in such a way that the cupcake will not move within the container if bounced, jiggled, or turned upside down.

Heather, you can buy me one (and you should probably buy some for Ian, Emma, and Zoe too) right from their website. I mean click through and take a look at some of the photos. the container will even protect the cup cake if it gets flipped upside down! That's American Know-How at work.

The Seven Gummie Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins represented using gummi bears. Inspired.

envy

Darth Vader Sells M&M's

I don't remember Darth Vader (or any Star Wars character) being worked into a commercial like this. Maybe I'm wrong.

Matrix Pong

This is genius. Watch it. Love it. Live it.

I'm Starting To Notice A Trend Here

Today's USA Today has an article that looks at how teachers are using comics to help foster a love a reading in kids.

Again, like the article I linked to in yesterday's post, more proof that comics are more than mindless fodder. Librarians have for a number of years now been building their graphic novel collections, because as far back as five or six years ago the realized the power of the comic to draw children and teens into getting excited about reading. Now that insight seems to be percolating up to teachers, who are beginning to introduce comics into the curriculum.

Get kids excited about reading by using comics and they will graduate up to more difficult and complex full-text literature. Though, I'd also hope that these kids would still retain an interest, if not a love, of the comic book art form as they expand their reading horizons. Comics really are a unique and powerful storytelling medium.

Comics Are Powerful

In today's Chicago Sun-Times, Deborah Abbott asks whether comic books could be the key to increasing America's alliterate masses.

It's no surprise that kids who have grown up with a visual connection -- TV, movies, videos and video games -- also love graphic novels. Many young adult readers, in fact, prefer graphic novels to conventional books. Today all varieties of graphic books are available -- original stories, biographies, and even the classics.

Accept and support what kids like, and they will begin to become comfortable with reading. Let them read the illustrated version of Red Badge of Courage and eventually they will branch out into other forms of literature.

I'd argue that not only would bringing kids comics will help them develop a love of reading that will transfer over to other forms of literature, you introduce comics early enough you can help with the illiterate masses.

I used to have a link to a study conducted in Europe that showed the higher the popularity rate of comics, the lower the illiteracy rate. Even to kids who haven't learned how to read, looking over a comic book page primes them to read. It starts establishing the visual clues for story structure and flow.

I wish more people understood this.

Mmmm, Tastey

Bacon bandages

That's My Boy

My sister got married this past weekend. We're all very happy. Maybe she'll leave us alone for a while now. Anyway, being the oldest brother to the bride, I got up to say a few things before anyone was allowed to eat.

Being a true-blue older brother and because I don't have the gift my brother has for pulling together an emotionally resonant and heart-felt speech, I went with what I know - making fun of my sister. What can I say; it's how I show my love.

During my speech I mention how my brother and I, when we were much younger, used to steal my sister's Care Bears or Cabbage Patch Kids and run with them into the bathroom. Then we would feign flushing them while Elizabeth screamed bloody murder outside the bathroom door.

Of course we never actually flushed the toys, we just had fun torturing our little sister. It's what big brothers do. It's how we show our love.

Ian was in the audience Saturday night, of course, and while delivering my speech I actually wondered if he would connect the stories I was telling with the people he knew in the room. Would he understand that his own dad and Uncle Kevin used to steal his Aunt Elizabeth toys and pretend to flush them in the toilet? Here I was standing up in front of room full of people talking about activities I partook in that I will scold Ian for doing now. The hypocrisy was apparent to me. Would it be for him?

I got my answer Sunday afternoon. If Ian noticed the hypocrisy, or even understands hypocrisy for that matter, I can't say. What I do know is that he asked me if I really had taken Aunt Elizabeth's toys and flushed them down the toilet. I told him that I did take her toys, but I never actually flushed them. I only pretended to do that, and I always gave Aunt Elizabeth back her toys. (Trying to salvage some good behavior to teach the boy)

"Oh," was Ian's response. "You know what I would do? I would create a duplicate of the toy and flush that. Then she would think I had really flushed the toy!"

Ah, that's my boy. He's turning into a good big brother, plus learning from his father's experiences. A duplicate toy! Now why didn't Kevin or I ever think of that?

Just So Crazy It Might Just Work

Those crazy kids at M.I.T. are holding the first ever Time Traveler's Convention (and when you think about it, it's the only one that they ever have to have).

From their FAQ:

Great idea, I'd love to help! What should I do?

Write the details down on a piece of acid-free paper, and slip them into obscure books in academic libraries! Carve them into a clay tablet! If you write for a newspaper, insert a few details about the convention! Tell your friends, so that word of the convention will be preserved in our oral history! A note: Time travel is a hard problem, and it may not be invented until long after MIT has faded into oblivion. Thus, we ask that you include the latitude/longitude information when you publicize the convention.

Wild, wild stuff. I think I finally found a use for all those old clay tablets I've had sitting in the basement for the last 5 years.