G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra Official Full Length Trailer

The Blot’s been ragging on G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra ever since I saw the very first photo of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cobra Commander. The movie’s teaser trailer didn’t do much to help put my mind at ease, but then yesterday I saw G.I. Joe’s first official full length movie trailer. Now I’m not saying Rise of Cobra is going to be great (or even good for that matter), but I can now at least see it has the potential to be a legit summer blockbuster and fill the need many of us have for some mindless entertainment with lots of action and explosions.



Do you know what I liked most about this new G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra trailer? There wasn’t a single scene featuring Cobra Commander. My recommendation to G.I. Joe director Stephen Sommers, focus more on Destro and the Baroness and cut Cobra Commander’s screen time in half. Even without the mask, Christopher Eccleston seems to exude Destro’s confidence and bravado. So thankfully that's one less concern I have to worry about. I am now trying to be cautiously optimistic, but I still have serious concerns that this film will end up a huge flop. The Blot's waited 25 years for the first ever live action adaptation of my all time favorite toy line and I really hope Hasbro and Paramount don’t screw it up!

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra deploys into theaters on Friday, August 7th, 2009.

Barneyism of the Week - Finding Number 199

“Well what are you going to do? It’s not like you’re going to find someone new to have sex with in the next two hours.” - Ted

Hi, Barney Stinson, millionaire astronaut, want to come back to my place and see some moon shells?

“Go away.” - Random Hot Girl #1

Just got back from my wife’s grave, put her in the ground a year ago today. Man I miss her, I sure could use some comfort.

“You’re creepy.” - Random Hot Girl #2

Man aren’t you sick of all the games? I just want to settle down and have a gaggle of rugrats. Like right now.

“I have mace and I enjoy using it.” - Random Hot Girl #3

Marshall, knowing how important this is to me do you think Lily would even consider, and by the way I would do all the work…

“I would end your life.” - Marshall

Right…

- Barney Stinson

"Right Place Right Time"

How I Met Your Mother

While The Blot really, really wants to talk about last night’s surprise ending to How I Met Your Mother, I know there are probably a lot of people out there who still haven’t seen it yet (aren’t DVRs great?). In order not to spoil the ending to “Right Place Right Time,” The Blot will instead talk about my brand new How I Met Your Mother Barney Stinson talking bobble head!


If you were following The Blot on Twitter at Twitter.com/TheBlotSays (hint, hint) you would have known that @CBSTweet, CBS’s official Twitter page, was giving away free HIMYM Barney Stinson talking bobble heads to the first 500 people to send them an email with their name and address. Yup, all it took was a simple email to get the bobble head you see above. A free How I Met Your Mother bobble head would have been cool enough, but with the click of a button the lil’ suited up Barney bobble head shouts out one of three awesome sayings. I’d share those sayings with all of you, but I don’t want to make you even more jealous than you already are!

I have no clue if CBS has given out all 500 of the Barney Stinson talking bobble heads it allotted for this giveaway, but if you want one it couldn’t hurt emailing media.intern@cbs.com to see if they have any more. Make sure to include your name and address in the email, and who knows, you too may be the proud owner of a brand new How I Met Your Mother Barney Stinson talking bobble head.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Slashes Its Way To An $87 Million Opening Weekend

Despite concerns by 20th Century Fox over the leaking of an unfinished copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine just a few weeks ago, the prequel to Fox’s hugely successful X-Men franchise came up smelling like roses with a solid opening weekend. Not only did the Hugh Jackman starring film bring in $87 million domestically, it also made an additional $73 million internationally for a grand total $160 million worldwide gross. (link) Wolverine now boasts 20th Century Fox’s highest grossing opening weekend for a film released on a non-holiday weekend. When you take into consideration that the potential new franchise was “best by cyber-pirates, cranky critics and even the threat of a global pandemic,” the weekend tally ended up being quite remarkable. (link)


It’s amazing how quickly a movie can go from being considered one of the surefire blockbusters of the summer to a colossal flop. Less than a year ago fans were ecstatic to hear Jackman would be reprising his role as “the best there is at what he does,” but once the film leaked and the first reviews started coming in Wolverine became persona non grada. Even with the mildly negative press The Blot still wanted to see Wolverine this past weekend, but everyone else seemed uninterested in the film anymore. In fact, it was hard finding anyone excited about Wolverine’s impending opening. I think this lowering of expectations actually helped the movie, because by the time I saw Wolverine on Sunday afternoon the theater was packed and everyone seemed to have really enjoyed it.


I did have a few problems with the liberties the film took with Logan’s back story and the handling of one of comicdom’s favorite mutants, the merc with a mouth Deadpool, but the film did prove to be thoroughly entertaining. Even my girlfriend Aly (who doesn’t like comic books or their live action adaptations) liked Wolverine. In some ways it helps not knowing these characters “true” back stories. The worst part of film for me came at the very end, but I don’t want to spoil anything for those of you haven’t seen it yet.


If you want a humorous take on the ridiculous way X-Men Origins: Wolverine tied up one of its many loose ends to close the movie, head over to Matt Moylan’s Lil Formers for a great movie Wolverine webcomic. Moylan’s views of the film are very similar to my own, but he says much more succinctly. Whether you love or hate Fox’s take on Marvel’s merry mutant, after this past weekend it looks like we can expect many more X-Men and Wolverine films in the very near future. Next up, if all goes according to plan, is X-Men Origins: Magneto.

Universal Bunny 9 Inch Custom Qee by FOOX

FOOX, designer of the upcoming Organ Donors blind box series, debuted an awesome looking hand painted custom 9” Qee entitled Universal Bunny on the FOOX-U.com blog last week and The Blot wanted to make sure everyone got a look at it! Created for a show at LA’s Munky King, the Universal Bunny and its hand painted Sarcofaguss packaging is incredibly detailed and features some seriously profound symbolism.


Since The Blot wouldn’t dare try to interpret the meaning behind FOOX’s Universal Bunny Qee, I thought it best to find out more from the man himself. According to FOOX, the artwork on his Universal Bunny symbolizes that “life as we know it is wrong. We are not separate from nature. We are not separate from God. Yes we are man, but no there is no division between any of these things. Nature is God is man is nature. That just like a head can’t be without a body, so too does man need to be one with god and nature. Simply put we are the system and we are the universe.” (link) Pretty deep stuff huh!?!


To learn more about Foox’s Universal Bunny and Sarcofaguss packaging, as well as see more pictures of this incredible custom Qee, click here.

ZacPac Exclusive Charlie GRIN Vinyl Figure Orange Shirt Colorway by Ron English

This ZacPac Exclusive is the third official colorway of the Ron English created, Made by Monsters produced Charlie GRIN­ vinyl figure. While The Blot loves Enlish’s GRIN figure, this exclusive isn’t getting me as excited as the two previous colorways. I think I need more of a change than just a figure's shirt color, but for the RE completists out there this is still a must get figure.


Everyone’s favorite ­loveable looser Charlie GRIN is available now for pre-sale through the ZacPac online store for around $100 each. The ZacPac Exclusive Charlie GRIN orange colorway is limited to 200 pieces and will ship sometime at the end of this month (May 2009).

2009 SDCC Exclusive Translucent Domo 2 Inch Qee

Dark Horse will be offering attendees of this year’s San Diego Comic Con the chance to grab a special exclusive variant of their upcoming series of Domo Qee vinyl figures. (link) The 2009 SDCC exclusive Domo Qee is a translucent variant produced in conjunction with Hong Kong based Toy2R. This SDCC exclusive 2” translucent version of Domo, the lovable mascot turned iconic viral superstar from Japan’s NHK television network, is the first figure from Dark Horse's new line of blind boxed Domo Qees to be released. The Domo Qee series, to be launched nationwide in August, is Dark Horse’s first try at the popular “blind box” or “mystery box” format. This special version will only be available directly from Dark Horse and Toy2R at the 2009 SDCC.


What separates this Domo Qee blind boxed series and other similar mini-figure blind box series is that each Domo Qee box contains one component of a “Build-A-Domo” clear transparent figure. When the correct six components are accumulated, the buyer can put together the pieces to complete the bonus figure. There will not be a “Build-A-Domo” component in the 2009 San Diego Comic Con exclusive Domo Qee.

The Blot knows everyone recognizes Domo either from his many internet videos clips or his new found celebrity status at Target, but you may be unfamiliar on where this furry lil monster came from. Domo started from a very unusual place as an advertising icon. His unique look and personality catapulted the character from 400 television spots in Japan into one of the internet’s biggest sensations, sparking worldwide recognition. As the poster child for personalized, user-generated content, Domo has been able to transition from popularity within Japan to a worldwide following, spawning countless fan-made images, websites and videos, along with a varitey of licensed products including plush, toys, fashion and collectibles. Most recently Domo has taken America by storm, being featured prominently at major retailers all over the U.S. and even starring in his first worldwide manga.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Dunny Series by Nikejerk

When The Blot first saw this amazing hand painted set of 3 inch custom Dunnys I knew I was going to have to blog about them. The Blot has always been a huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I, like most people in their late 20s/early 30s, first learned about the heroes in a half shell through their popular afternoon cartoon series, which also spawned a long running Archie comic books series and the awesomely cheesy Playmates Toys TMNT toy line. It is this version of the Ninja Turtles that Nikejerk’s Dunny series is based on.


As I got older I moved on from the “kiddie” version and became an even bigger fan of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series by Eastman and Laird (and produced by Mirage Studios). The original black and white Mirage Studios series is still one of my favorites, but I will always have a special place in my heart for the animated/comedic version of the Turtles. That’s why I love this blind boxed TMND series by Nikejerk. If you don’t recognize everyone in the picture above, here is the complete list of TMNT characters included in Nikejerk’s TMND set: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello), Master Splinter, Shredder, April O’Neil, Casey Jones, Krang and his mechanical body, Bebop, Rocksteady, Metalhead, the Rat King, Baxter Stockman and Usagi Yojimbo.


For more pictures of these amazing (and to see each figure close up) check out NikeJerk’s Flickr page here. While Nikejerk is selling this blind boxed series for $50 per figure, the list you need to get on to purchase one of these amazing custom Dunnys is closed. If you missed out in getting on the list there is still one other option, head over to Blindboxed.com and enter their Nikejerk TMND Giveaway!

Lost - Some Like It Hoth

After a week off due to a last week’s recap episode, The Blot is excited to talk a little Lost again. From the moment I read the title of this episode, “Some Like It Hoth,” I knew I was going to like it. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a good Star Wars reference. With the title referring to the frozen planet Hoth, I was wondering how the writers were going to tie Star Wars and/or Empires Strikes Back in to the story/back story of Miles Straume.

The writers of Lost didn’t disappoint with the awesome Star Wars themed discussion between Hurley and Miles. I know I’ve said this before, but it is amazing how two characters who had never interacted on screen before could instant chemistry. In past seasons I always felt like Sawyer and Hurley had the best verbal sparring on the show, but Hurley and Miles have officially taken over as The Blot's favorite "on screen couple" this season. The extended car ride between Hurley and Miles was a great scene, especially when you consider it was just these two tormented characters sitting there talking. It also helps when at one point they are talking about the parallels of Miles relationship to his father and the paternal relationship of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Miles has become the main character on Lost we know the least about, even less than the mysterious Daniel Faraday and that’s saying a lot. But by the end of the episode I think everyone now has a better understanding of who Miles is and what drove him to the island. A friend of mine has been saying for months that Miles would end up being the son of Dr. Pierre Chang (a.k.a. Dr. Marvin Candle, a.ka. Dr. Mark Wickmund, a.k.a. Dr. Edgar Halliwax) that we met way back in Season 5, Episode 1. Needless to say, The Blot had to eat a lot of crow on this one when we quickly learned that Miles was in fact Chang’s son. I think the episode really was as much about Dr. Chang as it was about Miles. I thought it was neat to learn how much Chang really did love his son and that he probably drove off both Miles and his wife to save their lives from the impending purge.

Like always Lost slipped in a few references to prior episodes, which always makes The Blot very happy. It was interesting to learn how Miles was first recruited by Naomi to work for Charles Widmore, but what I really found interesting was finding out the significance of the amount it would cost Ben to have Miles switch sides and help him against Widmore’s people. While I always knew there had to be more to it than just a random number, it was funny to have it confirmed as double the amount Widmore was paying Miles to go on this mission. Miles really is always about the money isn’t he? And of course who didn’t love the random scene with Lost's newest bad guys who seem to always be spouting the phrase "what lies under the shadow of the statue?"

Tonight’s episode “The Variable,” Lost’s 100th episode, should be another good one. It looks to be a Daniel Faraday-centric episode, so I expect to learn some all new facts about the history/mythology of the island and where Faraday’s been the last three years (especially after reading the teaser for tonight’s episode). According to Lost’s official website “on the 100th milestone for the series, the time of reckoning has begun when Daniel Faraday comes clean regarding what he knows about the island.” If I didn’t know any better I’d swear that the beginning of the end was starting tonight!

2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival Lineup Poster

Last night when The Blot finally got a chance to look at this year's ACL line up I got so excited I couldn't go to sleep. What got me this worked up!?! Two words: Pearl Jam. Yup, you read that right, Pearl Jam is finally returning to the Lone Star state to headline the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival. Did you know its been almost 6 years since PJ last played a show here in Texas? It's a fact that has bothered The Blot greatly these past few years, but thankfully the drought ends this October 2-4, 2009 at Zilker Park in Austin, TX!


I've never attended ACL before, but you can rest assured I will this year. Although, now that weekend passes are $185 each I might have to settle with just going on Sunday to see Eddie Vedder and Co. It's a shame that weekend passes are so expensive because the 2009 initial lineup looks really awesome. It's definitely a huge improvement on last year's lineup.

2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival Line
Pearl Jam
Dave Matthews Band
Beastie Boys
Kings of Leon
Ben Harper and Relentless7
Thievery Corporation - John Legend
Ghostland Observatory - Sonic Youth
Mos Def - Toadies - Flogging Molly
The B-52s - Lily Allen - Arctic Monkeys
The Decemberists - Coheed and Cambria
Andrew Bird - Girl Talk - Phoenix
!!! - Medeski, Martin & Wood
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Grizzly Bear - Reckless Kelly - Devotchka
Blitzen Trapper - K' Naan - Daniel Johnston
Asleep at the Wheel - Dr. Dog - The Knux
Click here to see the entire 2009 ACL Lineup!

OBEY Giant - Flower Vine Prints by Shepard Fairey

The Blot found out via Twitter yesterday that Obey Giant would be releasing its second print this week. The “Flower Vine” screen print, which will be released later today, comes in three colors, Black & Red, Black, and Red. I love Fairey’s pattern prints and the “Flower Vine” is no exception, especially when two of the flowers are replaced with the Obey/Andre the Giant has a Posse Star logo.

Black and Red Flower Vine Screen Print


Black Flower Vine Screen Print


Red Flower Vine Screen Print

All three 18” x 24” “Flower Vine” screen prints go on sale later today, Wednesday, April 29th, at a random time. Each color of the print is limited to just 100 pieces, comes signed and numbered by Shepard and will be sold for $45 at the official OBEY Giant online store.