Saturday, January 31, 2009

Punisher and Jigsaw Mighty Muggs on ToysRUS.com

The Blot doesn’t usually blog on the weekends, but I know this info might be helpful to a lot of the Mighty Muggs collectors out there. As everyone is aware, the Toys R Us exclusive Punisher and Jigsaw Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs are two of the hardest figures to track down. Thankfully it just got a little easier as ToysRUs.com has finally added the two exclusive figures (and G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs Wave 1) to their online store.

Toys R Us Exclusive Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs - the Punisher and Jigsaw Mighty Muggs
The figures are currently sold out, but it can’t hurt to bookmark the pages and then check back often to see if they have been restocked. Hopefully this will help a lot of people complete their Marvel Mighty Muggs collections! You can find the Punisher Mighty Mugg listed here and the Jigsaw Mighty Mugg listed here.
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Friday, January 30, 2009

Watchmen Final Theatrical One Sheet Movie Poster

With news coming out that Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox have resolved their lawsuit over the distribution rights to the move adaptation of Watchmen, it is all but guaranteed now that Zack Snyder’s film will be allowed to debut in theaters on its scheduled release date of March 6, 2009. (link) It’s pretty amazing to think we’re just 5 weeks away from finally being able to see this much hyped and long talked about film.

Watchmen Final Theatrical One Sheet Movie Poster
Above is Watchmen’s final theatrical one sheet movie poster. It features all six of the film’s main characters: Rorschach, Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II and the Comedian. The poster is pretty standard, but I still can’t wait to watch this film in IMAX high definition. Here’s hoping Watchmen can live up to the high standards set by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ comic book miniseries (published by DC Comics).
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2009 Coachella Poster and Line-Up

The Road to the 2009 Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CAAfter seeing the official line up for the 2009 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, The Blot realizes the rumor of the decline of the three day music festival has been greatly exaggerated. The Blot was as turned off as anyone by the recycled lineups of last year’s music festivals, but Coachell seems to be making a concerted effort to turn things around. While headliner Paul McCartney continues the trend of festivals bringing in an established act from decades ago, it’s still freaking Paul McCartney! He’s a Beatle for god sake and I think it would be pretty cool to see him perform even if he is 20-30 years past his prime.

The 2009 Coachella Music and Arts Festival Line-Up Poster
The other two headliners, The Killers and The Cure, leave a little to be desired for a big music festival’s closing acts, but I do love me some Killers so I can’t complain too much. Plus, the rest of this year’s Coachella schedule is pretty sick. It includes acts such as Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst, Beirut, the Black Keys, Girl Talk, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Lupe Fiasco, Peter Bjorn and John, the Hold Steady, M. Ward and (surprisingly) Shepard Fairey!

What Fairey will be doing at Coachella is anyone’s guess. Maybe some live painting on stage while another act performs? You can check out the entire 2009 Coachella line-up by clicking on the Coachella 2009 line-up poster above.

The Coachella Music and Arts Festival takes place April 17th, 18th and 19th in Indio, California. It is recommended to purchase your tickets in advance, which you can do so directly from Coachella on their website here. 3 day weekend passes are $269 and single day passes are $99.
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Cadence Weapon - Separation Anxiety Mixtape

Cadence WeaponThe Blot hasn’t done a Free Music Friday post in a while, but that’s mainly because there hadn’t been a really great free release to talk about. That changed this week when The Blot’s favorite Canadian indie rapper Cadence Weapon released his Separation Anxiety mixtape. Now I have to warn you that this isn’t a purely free release, it actually follows the Radiohead model where fans are allowed to name their own price to download the album. So you have the option of donating as much or as little as you want to hear a really talented artist’s music.

Separation Anxiety features 20 new Cadence Weapon tracks, remixes and collaborations, and can be downloaded here. And, if you dig the album make sure you go back and donate a little something to help an up and coming artist hit the big time!

Cadence Weapon - Separation Anxiety Mixtape Album Cover
Cadence Weapon and Final Fantasy (Owen Pallett)I’ve never had the opportunity to see Cadence Weapon perform live, but I’ve listened to his debut album Breaking Kayfabe a ton and really enjoy it. Plus he went on tour with The Blot’s favorite Canadian indie violinist Final Fantasy (a.k.a. Owen Pallett), so you know he has a great appreciation for all types of music. If you can find a bootleg of the 2007 CBC Radio performance where Cadence and Final Fantasy perform in concert together it’s a must download!

The radio performance included a 6 song set (three Cadence Weapon songs and three Final Fantasy songs) featuring the two Canadian indie artists blending their very unique styles in a really fresh way. Let me just tell you, this bootleg was in heavy rotation on The Blot's iPod for a really long time. Needless to say, The Blot expects some really big things from Cadence Weapon in the very near future.
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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Lost - Jughead

Lost - Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday and the hydrogen bomb JugheadThe Blot thought this week’s episode of Lost, entitled “Jughead,” was excellent. It didn’t have any crazy twists or turns, but it gave us a few answers and really started to connect some dots as we inch ever so close to the series finale next season. The best part of “Jughead” is that it was a Desmond-centric episode. In many ways Henry Ian Cusick’s Desmond has become the heart and soul of Lost. Des is an altruistic character in the truest sense of the term who only wants to help his fellow castaways and find his one true love, Penelope Widmore.

Lost - Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke and Josh Holloway as James 'Sawyer' FordWhat was kind of shocking to The Blot was how great an episode “Jughead” was considering it didn’t feature a single member of the Oceanic 6. This just reiterates to me how strong Lost’s ensemble cast really is. The additions of the Freighter Folk and Nestor Carbonell’s Richard Alpert to the main cast this season has definitely breathed new intrigue and excitement into the craziness of life on the island.

Lost - Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert and Tom Connolly as a young Charles WidmoreI felt like there were two huge reveals this week and one truly heart whelming moment. The first big reveal is that we now know what Charles Widmore meant when he yelled at Ben Linus about how Ben stole the island from him but that it would be his again one day. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected Widmore to have once lived on the island as an Other. I always guessed Widmore to be the financer of the Dharma Initiative and that Ben "stole" the island from him when Ben helped the Others wipe out (i.e. murder) the members of Dharma Initiative. But now that we know Widmore was once an Other, it’ll be really interesting to see what eventually drives him away from a place he holds so dear.

Lost - Rebecca Mader as Charlotte Lewis, Ken Leung as Miles Straume, Jeremy Davies as Jeremy Faraday & Nestor Carbonell as Richard AlpertThe second huge reveal wasn’t as much of a reveal as it was a tease about what’s to come surrounding Daniel Faraday. We learned more (although not enough) about Dan’s life before coming to the island, including the very interesting fact that his research was financed by Charles Widmore. It was also revealed that his experiments left a woman in a semi-comatose state and it was alluded to the he performed his time travel experiments on her, as well as on himself. How else do you explain Faraday’s travels to the island’s past? Although, I guess his time travels could be explained in a future episode as a byproduct of the castaways current time traveling experience because of Ben's "moving the island."

This week's big shocker to me was Desmond's going to Charles Widmore for help in finding Daniel’s mother! I just couldn’t believe he would turn to a man he despises that much for help. It just goes to show you what kind of man Desmond truly is, that he would put Penny and himself in such danger to help his friends. As it turns out, not only did Charles help Desmond by directing him to LA, but Widmore also showed real compassion for Des and Penny in warning them to stay away from the island. This was obviously a warning meant to keep Penny away from Ben, who has sworn to kill her as payback for Widmore having Ben’s adopted daughter murdered.

Lost - Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond Hume on the trail of Daniel Faraday's Mother
The saying use to be "all roads lead to Rome," but in the instance of Lost it seems more appropriate to say all roads lead to Los Angeles as the Oceanic 6 (and Desmond) all seem to be making their way to the City of Angels. This doesn’t bode well for Penny as she is sure to have an eventual run in with Benjamin Linus. Any guess as to what significance Faraday’s mom will play in all this? I have a pretty good hunch it’s no coincidence that it’s Desmond looking for her.

Lost - Fionnula Flanagan as Ms. HawkingThis is a potential spoiler, but my guess is Faraday’s mom is none other than Desmond’s friend from the antique store and the time traveling police woman, Ms. Hawking! It just makes sense, right? She deals with time travel, which fits into Faraday’s time experiments, she knows a lot about the island and what Desmond was doing on it, and in last week’s episode she is shown to be working with Ben in LA on locating the new location of the island. If she turns out to be Faraday’s mom this would be another great example of a minor character having a huge impact on the course of the show.

The heart warming part of the episode came in the reveal that not only have Desmond and Penny had a child in the three years since the Losties got off the island, but they named him Charlie! What a sweet and fitting tribute to a friend Desmond tried so desperately to save from all but certain death. Here’s hoping we get a Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) appearance in a forthcoming flashback or a mysterious reappearance of a dead Charlie on the island in the future.

That’s it for The Blot’s weekly Lost Episode Review, sorry there was no Lost Wednesdays yesterday but there was just too much good stuff going on in the world of pop culture. Make sure to be here again next week as The Blot Says... delves further into the mysteries of Lost.
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NYCC 09 Exclusive Translucent Maxx and SCUD Indie Spotlight Action Figures

New York Comic Con 2009 is just around the corner and Shocker Toys has a very cool NYCC exclusive release lined up that The Blot is sure every fan of 90’s comic books will want to grab! Shocker Toys will be releasing exclusively at NYCC ‘09 translucent versions of their SCUD the Disposable Assassin and the Maxx action figures. These fully poseable action figures are limited edition versions of figures previously released as a part of Shocker Toys’ Indie Spotlight toy line, a toy line that features some of the most popular independent comic books characters of all time.

Shocker Toys Indie Spotlight - Rob Schrab’s SCUD the Disposable Assassin New York Comic Con 2009 Exclusive Translucent Action Figure
Rob Schrab’s Scud NYCC ’09 exclusive figure will be featured in a smokey translucent yellow with a translucent yellow Isz and interchangeable hands with 11mm guns. The NY Comic Con exclusive translucent SCUD will retail for $25 each. Sam Keith’s the Maxx will be featured in smokey translucent purple and come with 2 heads and 3 translucent purple Isz. The NY Comic Con exclusive translucent Maxx will retail for $30 each.

Shocker Toys Indie Spotlight - Sam Keith’s the Maxx New York Comic Con 2009 Exclusive Translucent Action Figure
Shocker Toys is only producing 250 of both of these translucent action figures, so if you think you might want one to add to your collection act now! The translucent SCUD the Disposable Assassin and the Maxx action figures will be available at Shocker Toys’ NY Comic Con booth #1051 throughout the weekend of February 6-8, but are also available right now for pre-sale for both NYCC attendees and non-attendees at Shocker Toys’ online store.
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Corporal E.E. Lensman Custom Munny by Huck Gee

It’s funny, because The Blot was just saying on Monday how shocked I was that we hadn’t seen a new custom from Huck Gee in a while. Then low and behold we find out about this, a brand new hand painted limited edition custom Munny by Huck. Continuing his Colonial Life series comes the third member of the UTCMC “ZOR” Dread Squad, Cpl. E.E. Lensman.

Corporal E.E. Lensman Hand Painted Custom Munny by Huck Gee
Cpl. Lensman is the long range, planetary orbit assisted, head shot specialist of the ZOR Dread Squad, and while I have no idea what that means it sounds really intimidating and really deadly! Each signed and numbered figure comes with all of the accessories shown here, and will be a great addition to the vinyl collections of the very few fast enough to actually purchase one from Huck’s online store.

Huck Gee - The UTCMC ZOR Dread Squad: Corporal E.E. Lensman, Sergeant Vasquez & Corporal Thundersticks Anson
Only 10 custom hand painted E.E. Lensman Munnys were created and each figure will be sold for $750. The 10 figure set will go on sale at Huck’s eBay store this Friday, January 30, 2009 at Noon PST.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 2

Today, The Blot is excited to bring to you the second set of G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra character movie posters. You can see the first set of G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra character movie posters here. I have to say, I’m more than a little disappointed that these new promo movie posters aren’t that different from the first set of black and white character posters. I was really hoping for a new look at the movie version of some of my favorite G.I. Joes.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 2 - Ray Park as Snake Eyes
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 2 - Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow
When it comes to this upcoming live action G.I. Joe movie, The Blot is trying to be a realist. The fact is there is a better than good chance the movie sucks. There, I said it. Yes, I felt the same way about the Transformers live action movie and it was a huge success. But more often than movies like this one end up being a big disappointment to fans, and this is coming from a huge lifelong G.I. Joe fan.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 2 - Rachel Nichols as Scarlett
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 2 - Marlon Wayans as RipcordI think the one thing Transformers had going for it is that TF fans are used to the franchise being rebooted (i.e. Generation 2, Beast Wars, Universe, Animated) every few years. While G.I. Joe has launched some minor not-in-continuity series (including the Sigma 6 television show and Valor vs. Venom toy line), the upcoming movie (along with the new line of comic books from publisher IDW) is the first time Hasbro’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero franchise has been officially rebooted.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 2 - Sienna Miller as The Baroness
This new direction for the franchise has some fans really nervous, while others are excited to see what comes out of all this new hoopla surrounding their favorite action figures. I guess only time will tell what the real impact this relaunch will have on the popularity of these characters.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Character Movie Posters Set 2 - Channing Tatum as Duke
The G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra live action movie will debut in theaters sometime in August, 2009. It stars Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, Channing Tatum as Duke, Marlon Wayans as Ripcord, Rachel Nichols as Scarlett, Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Sienna Miller as The Baroness, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cobra Commander, Said Taghmaoui as Breaker, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty, Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow and Christopher Eccleston as Destro.
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ESC Toy's 3 New York Comic Con Exclusive Releases by Erick Scarecrow

New York Comic Con 2009 is upon us! We’re just under two weeks away from the Big Apple’s signature event, and the NYCC exclusives The Blot’s seen so far look amazing. This is the second year in a row that ESC Toy’s Erick Scarecrow has launched a brand new figure at NYCC and I think the New York based artist has really outdone himself. His new 10.5 inch Medusa vinyl figure is really quite stunning, and its black and red “Black Mamba” colorway is a great complement to his wicked design. Just look at her shoes! I can’t wait to see what colorway he’s got lined up for his next Medusa release.

ESC Toy – Medusa New York Comic Con Black Mamba Colorway Vinyl Figure by Erick Scarecrow
ESC Toy – Medusa Stone Shiitake Resin Figure by Erick ScarecrowBut that’s not all, Scarecrow will also be releasing two new colorways of previously released figures exclusive for NYCC 2009. First up is the 3” Medusa Stone Shiitake resin figure. ESC is only making 50 of these hand painted resin figures, so if you are planning on getting a Medusa make sure you get there early so you can also purchase the matching Medusa Stone Shiitake. Just look at the picture below to see how great they go together. Plus, the Medusa Stone Shiitake figure is only $14.99! At that price Scarecrow is basically giving it away, right? That is a ridiculously low price for a hand painted figure.

ESC Toy – Medusa New York Comic Con Black Mamba Colorway Vinyl Figure and Medusa Stone Shiitake Resin Figure by Erick Scarecrow
And last but not least is the third colorway of ESC’s Muraida vinyl figure. The NYCC exclusive Magma colorway is a great complement to Muraida’s crazy look. All of his murky details really shine in this colorway’s bright yellow, orange and red hues. I got to finally see one of the previously released Muraida colorways last week and the figure is even cooler in person than it is in pictures.

ESC Toy – Muraida New York Comic Con Magma Colorway Vinyl Figure by Erick Scarecrow
All three Erick Scarecrow New York Comic Con exclusive releases can be purchased at the ESC Toy booth #864. The Black Mamba Medusa figure is limited to just 500 pieces and will be sold for $54.99. The Medusa Stone Shiitake is limited to just 50 pieces and will be sold for $14.99, while the Magma Muraida is limited to just 200 pieces and will for $49.99.

For those of you lucky enough to attend NYCC 2009 you will have the opportunity to meet Erick Scarecrow and have him sign your ESC Toy figures at the ESC Toy booth #864 on Friday, February 6th from 12-4, on Saturday, February 7th from 10-4 and Sunday, February 8th from 10-4.
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Starscream Transformers Mighty Muggs Wave 2 Photo

An actual photo of the Starscream Mighty Muggs vinyl figure finally surfaced yesterday! Of course it comes to us via an eBay auction, where seemingly all early Mighty Muggs photos come from these days. This auction, like the earlier Target Exclusive Shock Trooper Mighty Mugg, is based out of Hong Kong. I guess it really is true, Hong Kong has all the best vinyl. I can't even begin to guess at how high this figure will end up selling for.

Transformers Mighty Muggs Wave 2 - Starscream Mighty Mugg
The figure looks pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I really like the fact that Starscream has his wings sticking out from his back. It’s just too bad they didn’t include Grimlock’s wing-like appendages that open up from his Tyrannosaurus Rex mode when he transformers into his robot mode. That would have made the Grimlock Mighty Mugg that much cooler.

Thanks to The Blot Says… reader Brian for the heads up on this new Starscream Mighty Muggs photo!
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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Coraline Nike Dunk High Sneakers

Win Coraline Nike Dunk High Sneakers at Coraline.comThis is definitely one movie tie-in The Blot never expected to see. Earlier this month Neil Gaiman, author of the Coraline novel, announced the impending release of limited edition Coraline x Nike Dunk sneakers. (link) The Coraline Nike Dunk sneakers feature prominently the story’s trademark black buttons, what looks to be hand stitching along its seams and glow in the dark soles. But if you want to add a pair of the Coraline Nike Dunks to your sneaker collection, the odds are against you. These cool shoes are limited to just 1,000 pairs and you can only get your hands on a pair by winning them directly from Coraline.com.

Coraline Nike Dunk High Sneakers
If you click here you can head to the official Coraline website to find out more about the Coraline Nike Dunk sneaker contest. According to the stop animation movie’s website, there will be a secret password given after the film’s end credits that you can then enter online for a chance to win the coveted Coraline Dunks. No word yet on when fans can start entering the secret password, but I would assume it will start the same day the movie debuts in theaters, February 6, 2009.

Coraline Nike Dunk High Sneakers Special Edition Artist Pack Shoebox
So, make sure you go see Coraline in two weeks on opening weekend and don’t forget to stay through its end credits for a chance at winning some very cool Coraline apparel! Here’s hoping they made a few pairs in larger sizes so maybe The Blot can get his hands on a size 14.
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Travel Channel’s Man v. Food

The Blot doesn’t know when the Travel Channel became the new (and decisively better) Food Network, but they’re doing a great job of it! Joining Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern comes their newest food oriented travel show Man v. Food hosted by television newcomer Adam Richman.

Travel Channel's Man v. Food hosted by Adam Richman
Man v. Food - Adam Richman eating his way through the Atomic Hot Wings Challenge at Quaker Steak & LubeIn this new series, Richman sets out to travel the country in search of the best places to do some serious indulging. Adam begins his quest to find the best traditional food the nation can serve up and after hunting down the can't-miss flavors that make up each region's unique culinary history, he takes on the city's toughest food challenge. Man v. Food’s first season takes us to cities both big and small, with stops in cities such as Amarillo, TX, Memphis, TN, Columbus, OH, New Orleans, New York City and LA.

Man v. Food - Adam Richman eating Bar-B-Q at The Salt Lick outside of Austin, TX
Man v. Food - Adam Richman sitting at a booth with Gladys Knight at Gladys Knight and Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles in Atlanta, GAThe show debuted last December, but I had never heard of it until this past week when I caught a few repeats including an episode that featured Richman traveling to a city that I hold dear, Austin, TX. The show is really entertaining, but definitely not for the faint at heart. Adam partakes in some seriously hardcore food challenges including the Atomic hot wings challenge at Pittsburgh, PA’s Quaker Steak & Lube, the disgusting ultimate burger challenge at Boston, MA’s Eagles Deli and the Carnivore Pizza Challenge at Atlanta, GA’s Big Pie in the Sky.

Man v. Food airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on the Travel Channel.
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Kidrobot x Stones Throw Quasimoto Vinyl Figure

Kidrobot x Stones Throw Madvillain Vinyl FigureThe Blot cannot believe that this long rumored figure is finally being produced! As you all may remember, it was the Kidrobot x Stones Throw Madvillain vinyl figure (released back in January 2007) that originally got me into the designer vinyl scene. Since that time it had been heavily rumored that a Kidrobot x Stones Throw Quasimoto would be following it, but after two years I had basically given up hope. Then yesterday Stones Throw announced that not only was the figure in production, but it would be hitting store shelves next month! (link) Needless to say The Blot is all kinds of excited.

Kidrobot x Stones Throw Yellow Quasimoto Vinyl Figure
Quasimoto (a.k.a Lord Quas) is the alter ego of California hip-hop producer/rapper Madlib, who has released two albums under the guise of this fictional high pitched hip-hop artist. Coincidently, Madlib is also one half of the hip-hop duo (along with MF DOOM) that makes up Madvillain, the fictional rapper the first Kidrobot x Stones Throw vinyl collaboration was based on. The Quasimoto vinyl figure is based on the drawings of Jeff Jank, but the “character we know today was first drawn by DJ Design (credited as Keith Beats) for Quasimoto’s ‘Microphone Mathematics’ single. (link) To find out more about the history of Lord Quas check out this great article here.

Kidrobot x Stones Throw Blue Quasimoto Vinyl Figure
Each 8 inch Quasimoto vinyl figure comes with a brick and spliff “cigarette” accessories, and will be produced in two different colorways, yellow and blue. Both colorways will be produced in equal quantities and retail for $49.95 each. The figure will be released on February 19, 2009, but a limited number of the Quasimoto 8” vinyl figures are available right now for pre-sale at Stones Throw's online store. You can pre-order the yellow Kidrobot x Stones Throw Quasimoto vinyl figure here and the blue Kidrobot x Stones Throw Quasimoto vinyl figure here.
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Monday, January 26, 2009

Superman Uni-Formz Vinyl Figures

The Blot had been waiting for DC Direct to announce the second DC Comics character to join their new line of limited edition Uni-Formz vinyl action figures for a while now, and to no one’s surprise it was unveiled to be the Man of Steel himself, Superman! The common figure in this second Uni-Formz three figure set is the Classic Superman vinyl figure, while it’s rarer variant colorways are the villainous Cyborg Superman and the Kryptonian Life-Suit Superman.

DC Direct - Classic Superman Uni-Formz Vinyl Action Figure
DC Direct - Kryptonian Life-Suit Superman Uni-Formz Vinyl Action FigureI am more than a little disappointed in the Kryptonian Life-Suite Superman colorway because it is so unoriginal. I am not sure when it happened, but ever since Superman returned to life in his Kryptonian Life-Suite it has been considered a “second costume” for any Superman action figures released. It must sell really well because they keep using it over and over, and I hate it! The Cyborg Superman makes sense because it fits with the previously released Armored Batman, but isn’t Cyborg Superman really more of a Green Lantern villain at this point than a Superman Villain? I would have preferred a Bizarro Superman variant figure or a Red Sun Superman colorway to either of these two figures being produced.

DC Direct - Cyborg Superman Uni-Formz Vinyl Action Figure
The limited-edition Superman Uni-Formz vinyl figures feature 12 points of articulation, stands approximately 8 inches tall, are packaged in a deluxe 4-color window box and will retail for around $60 each. The Superman Uni-Formz figures will go on sale in early September, 2009.
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Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Azores

Interestingly enough, The Blot had never heard of the Portuguese Azores islands before reading about this week’s episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. It’s pretty rare for Tony to travel to an area of the world that I have never even heard of, so it definitely brings a new, exciting dynamic to the episode. Having worked in kitchens alongside many generations of Azorean Portuguese immigrants, Tony decides it's time to find out more about their motherland and explore the culture that molded so much of New England's heritage. Check out this great clip below from tonight’s episode of No Reservations:



In tonight’s episode No Reservations - Azores, Bourdain hops from one island to the next while on the archipelago, dining on potatoes, pork, sausage, cabbage, shellfish, Portuguese soup and washing it all down with Gin and Tonics. From the hot springs in Furnas on Sao Miguel to one of the most remote locations in the world on Sao Jorge, and onto the beautiful wine making region of Pico, Tony experiences the best of Azores.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations airs Mondays at 10/9c on the Travel Channel.
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New Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave 8

The Blot is getting royally confused on the numbering of these Star Wars Mighty Muggs Waves. First there was the confusion over the Target Exclusive Wave and now we have pictures coming from JediInsider.com about an all new wave of Star Wars Mighty Muggs, which includes Wicket the Ewok, Jedi Qui-Gon Jin, a member of the Emperor’s Royal Guard and a Wampa beast from the frozen planet of Hoth.

Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave 8 - Wicket the Ewok, Qui-Gon Jin, Emperor's Royal Guard & a Wampa
The reason I can’t figure out exactly where this Wave fits into future releases and what number we should be calling it is because it didn’t include the previously seen Episode IV Obi-Wan Kenobi and Gamorrean Guard figures. Since those two figures and Wicket were on the back of the Target Exclusive Wave, it was easy to assume they were going to be making up the upcoming Wave 8. Either Wicket is in both Waves or the Episode IV Obi-Wan and Gamorrean Guard have been pushed back for a later release.

UPDATE: It looks like this line-up is officially Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave 8! I guess only time will tell when and in what capacity Episode IV Obi-Wan Kenobi and Gamorrean Guard will be released released.
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Friday, January 23, 2009

Lost - Because You Left and The Lie

You know normally The Blot has these really long winded blog posts about episodes of Lost where I delve into and analyze every single little detail of the show. But for some reason I couldn’t find that much to talk about after watching “Because You Left” and “The Lie,” the two episodes that made up Lost’s Season 5 2-hour premiere last Wednesday. It’s not because a lot didn’t happen, because ever since they determined the show would end after 6 seasons the storylines have really picked up. No, I think it’s because the two episodes felt more like a set up for the next two years than an advancement of the show’s storyline and its characters.

Lost
Lost - Matthew Fox as Jack and Michael Emerson as BenYes, we got caught up with everyone, and I do mean everyone: the Oceanic 6, the Losties back on the island, the freighter folk, the Others and even the Dharma Initiative circa 1970s. But I felt like everything we saw were things we’d find out more about in future episodes. In some ways that makes sense since the season premiere is the opening for an entire season to come, but by the end of the night I just felt unfulfilled. Evidently so did a lot of other fans according to this Los Angeles Times article that analyzed Lost’s ratings on Wednesday and found that not only did Lost return “to its lowest season-premiere numbers ever,” but “the premiere lost viewers every half-hour it was on.” (link) Now that is some really bad news for a show entering its fifth season.

Lost - Josh Holloway as Sawyer and Elizabeth Mitchell as JulietI think part of the problem with this week’s episodes is that they were so heavily focused on the sci-fi aspect of Lost’s mythology. Obviously Lost has always had a sci-fi tent to it with a deadly smoke monster, ageless Others and at the center of the show a mysterious and magical island, but this week was different. The time traveling seemed to have taken Lost to the next sci-fi level, and even for a big sci-fi fan like myself it didn’t all make sense. The biggest question I have is why are the Losties affected by the time travel while others on the island are not.

Lost - Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday and the Mysterious Time Traveling MotorboatIt seems like the writers of Lost make up these rules but pick and choose when they want to break them. Like why does the time travel not affect the Others but it does affect Juliet, a former Other? Also, it’s obviously affecting the Losties on the beach, so is it also affecting the other passengers of Flight 815 who now live with the Others (like Cindy the flight attendant and Emma and Zack, the kids from the tail end of the plane)? Then we get the horribly hoaky explanation from Daniel Faraday that everything with them like their clothing, backpacks and the motorboat are being transported through time with them, but the Losties’ camp and their other supplies are not. Now how does that make any sense at all?!?

Oh yeah, and can you believe they’ve brought back Ana Lucia for the second time? I’d take a Libby appearance over Ana Lucia any day! Speaking of dead former cast members, I was really hoping to have a Nikki cameo when Hurley’s dad sat down to start watching a repeat of Expose.

Lost - Jorge Garcia as Hurley and Michelle Rodriguez as Ana Lucia
There were some things I did like about the episode though. Like how quickly the show is killing off every survivor of Flight 815 who is not a main character. After this week’s attack of flying flaming arrows is there even anyone left at this point? It was also nice to see Ben’s network of Others working together in the present time to find the island. But, was anyone else not surprised to see Desmond’s friend from the clock shop show up working with Ben?

Lost - L. Scott Caldwell as Rose, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, Josh Holloway as Sawyer and Sam Anderson as Bernard
Some other little interesting tidbits we learned this week include Marvin Candle a.k.a. Mark Wickmund a.ka. Edgar Halliwax’s real name (it’s Dr. Pierre Chang), that Frank Lapidus will show up in Season 5 (for at least one scene so far!), and that Desmond really is Lost’s constant. Here’s hoping we find out more lingering questions (like why does Richard Alpert never age and how does he know Locke needs to die to bring back the Oceanic 6 and save the island) in the coming weeks.
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Star Wars Mighty Muggs Target Exclusive Wave

The Blot was completely wrong last week (here and here) when I announced there would be two different upcoming Star Wars Mighty Muggs releases, because they are actually all one big release. As it turns out, Target is not releasing just one store exclusive figure but an entire 5 figure Target Exclusive Wave! I’m pretty shocked to say the least and am a little disappointed Hasbro didn’t hype up these store exclusive figures at all. What’s even worse (or cooler depending on how you look at it), is that in select parts of the country the Target Exclusive Wave has already hit store shelves.

Target Exclusive Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave - Teebo, Shock Trooper,Biggs Darklighter, Bossk, & Snowtrooper
The Target Exclusive Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave includes Ewok Teebo, Biggs Darklighter, Bossk, a Snowtrooper and a Shock Trooper. When I heard the news that these great figures were already out I headed straight to my local Target, but evidently they haven’t hit Texas yet. What’s really great about this Wave being released this week is that Target’s Mighty Muggs sale is still going on, so you can get all five figures at the discounted price of $8.99.

I can’t take credit for the above picture since these figures are not being sold in Houston yet. Thanks to the lucky collector who posted this great photo online!
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The Blot Reviews The 81st Annual Academy Awards Nominations

Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences unveiled the nominees for their 81st Annual Academy Awards show and The Blot is more than a little disappointed in who was left off the ballot. Neither The Dark Knight nor its director Christopher Nolan were shown any love from Oscar! This is just another example of why the Academy Awards have take such a huge ratings hit over the past few years. It’s like they are trying to push viewers away from their telecast.

The Oscars hosted by Hugh Jackman - Official 81st Annual Academy Awards Poster
Too often the Academy gets wrapped up in art films no one sees and refuses to acknowledge the artistic majesty of films embraced by the masses. Yes, The Dark Knight was a superhero movie, but once you look past its comic book origins the film truly is an artistic masterpiece. The truth is, very few films in recent memory have resonated with the American people like The Dark Knight did this past summer, and I really believe that grossing as much money as The Dark Knight did says something about the quality of the film.

Thankfully the real star of that movie, the amazing Heath Ledger who was taken from his friends and family too soon, received the Best Supporting Actor nomination he so richly deserved. I will be tuning in to the Oscar telecast next month if for no other reason than to see Mr. Ledger win this award. I have no idea who will be accepting the award on his behalf, but I expect a rousing tribute to an amazing talent.

I was also unbelievably shocked to find out that Bruce Springsteen was not nominated for his song “The Wrestler” from the movie of the same name considering he just won a Golden Globe for the very same song a few weeks ago. Not only that, but the Academy only nominated three songs this year for its Best Song category. Something about that just doesn’t sit well with The Blot!

81st Annual Academy Awards Best Movie Nominees - Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader, Frost/Nixon, Milk
Regardless, I was really happy to see a Best Actor nomination go to Mickey Rourke for his performance in The Wrestler and a surprising nomination in that very same category go to Richard Jenkins for his role in The Visitor. I also thought Robert Downey Jr.’s Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Tropic Thunder was the perfect way to cap off his 2008 comeback. The other interesting storyline brewing is if Kate Winslet will finally win an Oscar this year after having lost 5 times before. All in all, it should be a very interested awards ceremony to say the least!

The 81st Annual Academy Awards will be hosted by Hugh Jackman and air on February 22nd at 8/7c on ABC.

The 2009 Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

Director
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Original Song
“Down to Earth” from WALL-E (Peter Gabriel and
Thomas Newman)
“Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire (A.R. Rahman and Gulzar)
“O Saya” from Slumdog Millionaire (A.R. Rahman and M.I.A.)
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Thursday, January 22, 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Cast Photo

This awesome promo photo of the cast of X-Men Origins: Wolverine comes directly from the main man himself, Wolverine (a.k.a. Hugh Jackman), and is a real who’s who of the mutant Marvel Universe. Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News had it emailed to him by Jackman to help hype the movie and put fans minds at ease about the rumors of onset issues and the need for potential reshoots. I don’t know about you guys, but seeing the photo below of what could be the movie's Weapon X team really has me stoked for the upcoming mutant movie.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Cast Photo - Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Taylor Kitsch as Gambit, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Live Schreiber as Sabretooth & Lynn Collins as Silver Fox
Click Above Picture To Enlarge

The photo above would definitely be a bad ass X-Men team if you ask me. It features Ryan Reynolds as the merc with a mouth Deadpool, Taylor Kitsch as the Cajun Gambit, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine the best there is at what he does, Live Schreiber as the murderous Sabretooth and Lynn Collins as the not too long for this world Silver Fox.

Hopefully we’ll get a better look at some of the other mutants making a planned appearance in this film such Dominic Monaghan’s Beak, Daniel Henney’s Agent Zero, Kevin Durand’s The Blob and Will.I.Am’s Wraith.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, directed by Gavin Hood, opens on May 1, 2009.

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Burn Notice Returns to the USA Network Tonight!

I know this is a little last minute, but there has been so much good stuff going on this week! Burn Notice Season 2, Part II premieres tonight, January 22nd on the USA Network and The Blot is pumped. Burn Notice has something special that a lot of the new network television shows lack, fun. The action/spy thriller never takes itself too seriously and no matter what’s happening on screen, the actors seem to be enjoying themselves almost as much as their fans enjoy watching Burn Notice's storylines play out. Plus, Burn Notice stars the timeless Bruce Campbell, so what’s not to love?

Burn Notice Season 2, Part II Television Poster
I’ve heard that over the course of Burn Notice Season 2.5 we can expect some exciting new developments in Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) quest to discover the reason he was burned as he gets ever so close to finding out the true identity of the mastermind behind it all. We can also expect several more guest appearances by Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer as Michael’s new handler Carla. Burn Notice’s overarching storyline seems to be really picking up steam, and I know you won’t want to miss even a single minute of this great hour-long espionage dramedy.

Burn Notice airs every Thursday at 10/9c on the USA Network.
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Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series Chase and Variant Figures

Kidrobot - Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series
Well the UK Dunny Series officially launches today and I wanted to share some pictures of the two mystery chase Dunnys and the variant colorway Dunny. The two chase Dunnys below are by Keanan Duffty and Shok-1. The Duffty Dunny is the rarer of the figures (with a ratio of 1/50), so it should be one of the two hardest figures to collect. The Shok-1 figure on the other hand is pretty common with a ratio of 2/25.

Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series - Keanan Duffty and Shok-1 Mystery Dunnys
The second picture is of the red glow in the dark Mimic variant Dunny. There is no word yet as to how rare this red GID version of the Mimic Dunny is though. It will either be extremely common, like with the two Tizieu’s Afro Dunnys from the French Series, or slightly rarer than the standard black Mimic Dunny like with Series 4’s open eyed/closed eyed Lucky Cat Dunnys.

Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series - Red Glow In The Dark Mimic Variant Dunny
The worst news surrounding Kidrobot's latest release is that it looks like there are no Golden Tickets being randomly inserted in this Series' blind boxes. I have no clue why Kidrobot decided to do away with the GTs this time around, but I’m pretty bummed by their decision. I’m really interested in seeing what effect this has on collectors buying extra cases/blind boxes.

To be honest, I’m not really feeling any of the UK Series’ mystery Dunnys. The only saving grace to this Series would be if the mystery ratio figures by Doktor A and HiCalorie x Julie West end up being fairly common so I have a chance of pulling them. Those two figures and the extremely common Rainhead Dunny by Triclops are really the only figures I want to get.

Thanks to Rotofugi for the top picture! You can purchase Ye Olde English Dunny Series blind boxes from Rotofugi for $7.95 here and a case of 25 blind boxes from them for $188.75 here.
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Lost Wednesdays - Rose and Bernard

Since we’re just a few hours away from the season premiere of Lost’s fifth season I’ll limit this week’s installment of Lost Wednesdays to one topic.

Last week USAToday had a great article about the return of Lost (you can find the article here). While the article itself is just a cursory overview of the history of the show and doesn’t really give any in-depth information or spoilers for the upcoming season, the photo attached to the article answered one of The Blot’s lingering questions from last year’s season finale, what happened to Rose (L. Scott Caldwell) and Bernard (Sam Anderson)? *A very minor spoiler follows*

Lost Season 4 Cast Photo
As you may or may not remember, the last time we had seen this entertaining couple Rose had changed her mind and given in to Bernard’s wish to leave the island. The question I needed answered was did they ever get on Daniel Faraday’s boat to go to the freighter, and if so were they on the freighter when it exploded? If not then they should still be on the island and have been transported to god knows where. Well, The Blot’s questions have now been answered by the photo below from an upcoming scene in Lost’s fifth season. As you can see Rose and Bernard apparently never made it to the freighter and are still alive, stranded on the island.

Lost Season 5 - Elizabeth Mitchell, Ken Leung, Josh Holloway, L. Scott Caldwell and Sam Anderson
While being stranded on a mysterious island is not normally good news, it’s great news for The Blot’s favorite secondary Lost characters because it mean's they're still alive! While Rose and Bernard often go episodes without being seen, when they do show up you know it's for a big, memorable scene. Here’s hoping the still lost Rose and Bernard get the happy ending they so richly deserve as the show wraps up over the next two seasons.
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Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series Official Collector’s Checklist and Photos

This Thursday, January 22nd, Kidrobot will be releasing their newest series of 3” Dunnys, the Ye Olde English Series. This new series of 3 inch vinyl figures features designs from some of the top UK artists and you can purchase them here directly from Kidrobot. If you plan on collecting the entire set then you’ll need the official Collector’s Checklist below which show’s you the design of each figure and their ratios.

Kidrobot - Ye Olde English Dunny Series Official Collector's Checklist
Click Above Picture To Enlarge

Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series - Jon Burgerman, HiCalorie x Julie West, Triclops, Tado, Doktor A & Clutter DunnysSome of the best looking designs seem to be pretty easy to get, and even the rarest figures are only 1/50. Here’s hoping the mystery ratio figures aren’t any harder to get, because I really love the Doktor A and HiCalorie x Julie West Dunnys. I'm not really sure how many of these UK Dunnys I’ll actually be trying to get, but I will definitely be attending the local Dunny Trading Party here in Houston, TX at Domy Books on Thursday night. Below are the latest pictures of most of the Ye Olde English Dunny Series (still cant find pictures of the Shok-1 or Keanan Duffty chase figures).

A Case of Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series Blind Boxes
Ye Olde English UK Dunny Series - ilovedust, Doktor A, McFaul, Triclops & Mimic Dunnys
Each blind box of the UK Dunny Series will retail for $7.95. The Ye Olde English Dunny Series includes fantastic designs by UK artists Clutter, Doktor A, Frames, HiCalorie x Julie West, ilovedust, Jon Burgerman, Keanan Duffty, McFaul, Mimic, Peskimo, Shok 1, Tado, Triclops and UAMOU.

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