The Final Battle (Tyson vs. Douglas) Screen Print by Eric Tan

From March 4–26, 2010, Gallery1988 LA and OMG Posters! will be hosting an awesome new art exhibit entitled The Greatest Moments in Sports History (A Poster Show). Featuring some of the world’s top screen print artists, The Greatest Moments in Sports History gave these talented artists an opportunity to pick their favorite sports moments and transform them into art. Currently, only a few of the prints for this show have been unveiled, and my favorite one so far is "The Final Battle," a Manga inspired boxing print featuring “Iron” Mike Tyson vs. James “Buster” Douglas by Eric Tan.


Tan explained the reason he chose this moment in sports history his blog:

If you follow boxing, or sports in general, you're well aware of the shocker that took place in the heavyweight division 20 years ago. “Iron” Mike Tyson was as close to a sure bet as we had ever seen in the ring. He was an undefeated and indestructible superhero who would annihilate everyone who stood in his path. NO ONE gave his opponent, James “Buster” Douglas an ounce of hope that fateful night in Tokyo. When something impossible happens in front of your eyes, it's something you'll remember forever. Mike Tyson's defeat changed not only the landscape of the division, but the rest of his life as well. That's why I decided to capture this historic event for my contribution to Gallery1988’s "The Greatest Moments in Sports History."

The Manga look was influenced by the fight taking place in Tokyo. I was definitely inspired by video games like Street Fighter when it came to the action. I highlighted their trademark moves (a la Ryu's Fireball or Guile's Sonic Boom) with Tyson's uppercut and Douglas' jab.

Eric Tan’s "The Final Battle" screen print is a 24" x 36" signed and numbered 3 color screen print, is limited to just 100 pieces and retails for $70 each.

MINDstyle x Disney Figaro 5 Inch Stitch Vinyl Figure Sneak Peek

It looks like MINDstyle is already planning additional Stitches of classic Disney characters past its 3” Stitch Mini Figure Series 1. In fact, the designer toy company is now working on 5” versions of their already in production 3” Disney Stitches. The Blot doesn’t know much about MINDstyle’s plans for its Stitch platform, but from the looks of the photo below, we’ll be seeing 5 inch Figaro Stitches sometime soon.


To be honest, I’m a little surprised MINDstyle is making one, much less two, Figaro vinyl figures. Is Pinocchio’s black and white kitten really that popular!?! More details to come as they become available…

9 100% Be@rbrick

The Blot has a confession to make, I still haven’t seen the animated movie 9 yet. While it looks like a movie I’d really enjoy, I’ve been slow to watch either of the “9” movies from last summer, 9 and District 9. With that being said, I’m still pretty intrigued by Medicom’s upcoming 9 100% Be@rbrick.


While it’s not the most visually stunning Be@rbrick design I’ve ever seen, the figure’s eyes and zipper make it an unmistakable homage to the film. Plus, I always think it’s always impressive when a figure is able to convey a tie-in to a specific character with such minimal features. The 9 100% Be@rbrick is limited to 3,000 pieces and will be released sometime in March 2010.

Barneyism of the Week - Pharma Girls

Ted, throughout time there has always been one
cutting edge profession to which
hot girls like Tiffany have flocked.

Should I walk you through the history?

“I’m going to explicitly say no.” - Ted

It all started 2.5 million years ago.

Man was a hunter,
so the hottest profession of the day…gather:
Homo-erectus indeed!

As man mastered technology,
the hottest profession of the day evolved:
I’m pretty sure it’s a hernia, can you check again?

And then man took to the skies,
and so hot women put on high heels
and become stewardesses:
I am in the upright and locked position.

And then man said,
“Life is hard, I should start taking lots of prescription drugs.”
And so hot girls rolled into doctor’s offices
looking sexy enough to render the very erection pills
they peddled ironically redundant.

So now, pharma girls are today’s hottest profession.
_________________________________

Dude, ditch Tiffany and join the Barnacle
in the Pharma Girl free for all.

Side effects may include: loss of clothing,
rug burns, shortness of breath and
soar abdominals the next morning.

What in the world is up is up!

- Barney Stinson

"Hooked"

How I Met Your Mother

Johnny Cupcakes Artist Series 1 by Danny Jones / YASLY

Johnny Cupcakes just released its very first line of Artist Series t-shirts. These exclusive designs have been specially crafted by Danny Jones / YASLY for Johnny Cupcakes’ Artist Series 1 tees. YASLY is known for cultivating old world techniques into tangible expressions of thought, and the Johnny Cupcakes Artist Series 1 turned out pretty cool.


The Blot is really looking forward to finding out who the next guest artist will be in JC’s Artist Series. It’s always cool to see other artists’ take on JC’s classic logo and signature design elements. Available online and in-stores, the Johnny Cupcakes Artist Series 1 by Danny Jones / YASLY is sure to sell out quickly. Be sure to snag these pieces of wearable art before they’re gone!


Artist Series 1 consists of two designs, “Optical” and “Haus”, both designed by Danny Jones / YASLY. The Optical t-shirt by YASLY retails for $39.99 and can be purchased in guys and girls tees in sizes S–3XL. The Haus t-shirt by YASLY also retails for $39.99 and can be purchased in guys and girls tees in sizes S–3XL.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Ecuador

After a two week break for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Anthony Bourdain and No Reservations is back! This week Tony travels to Ecuador, which literally translates to "Republic of the Equator." Ecuador is 1,200 miles of beautiful coastline and is well-known for its unique stews and soups. Tony starts his adventure visiting with Santiago Rosero and his band Ro*Cola Bacalao at El Pobre Diablo in Quito. A night out isn't complete without street food, so after some drinks Tony and Santiago head out to find some cheap indigenous eats. The menu includes roast pork, chitlins, guatito (a tripe stew) and cheese empanadas.


Next, Tony heads to Esquina de la Ronda for some calf fetus soup and bull penis stew. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? The Blot can’t wait to watch Tony eat these two, and these dishes aren't even the most bizarre thing Tony tries in Ecuador! Bourdain then visits Picanteria el Hueco to try a dish that dates back to pre-Columbian times: guinea pig. Yes, you read that right. Check out the sneak peek video clip from tonight’s episode and see Tony chow down on the popular pet:



Tony then visits La Ruta del Sol ("The Route of the Sun"), a strip of beaches with sleepy, seaside towns, where he gets his fill of fish, ceviche (with ketchup), and of course stews and soups. The best meal of the entire trip, according to Tony, is at La Calderada in Puerto Lopez, which features stews made with peanut sauce and soups with stock from octopus (and blended beer and bread) on the menu. To round out his visit to Ecuador, Bourdain also visits the commercial capital of Ecuador and a Day of the Dead crab feast.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations airs Monday nights at 10/9c on the Travel Channel.

Lost - Lighthouse

Like many of you, The Blot has been watching Lost since the show’s very first episode. I was really excited about the show’s series premiere back in 2004 for a few reasons, but mainly because it was co-created by J.J. Abrams and starred Party of Five’s Matthew Fox and the Lord of the Rings’ Dominic Monaghan. Isn’t it amazing how much has changed since then?


Abrams and Monaghan have since departed the show, and Fox’ Jack Shephard is far from most fans’ favorite character. While the reasons I watch Lost may have changed over the years, there is one thing that’s stayed the same year in and year out…you could even say it’s the show’s one constant…that I have no fraking idea what’s going on!

It’s been five and a half years since Lost debuted and I’m more confused now than ever (and loving every minute of it!). Come on, how killer was that scene between Claire and Jin!?! Crazy Claire takes the whole Rousseau shtick to another level, and her all but too brief appearances this season have me almost ready to forgive Carlton and Damon for sideling the talented Emilie de Ravin all of last year. I’m not sure where this whole Claire/FLocke relationship is going, but I’ve got a feeling it doesn’t bode well for Kate. Claire’s definitely going to be gunning for Ms. Austin sooner or later. On a side note, if FLocke is with Claire and Jin, where’s Sawyer?


And I’m still trying to decide which of Jin’s shocked looks I liked the most: 1) the look he gave when he saw Claire’s freakish looking fake baby, 2) the look he gave after seeing Claire murder the Other in cold blood, or 3) the look he gave as FLocke walked into Claire’s hut. All three looks were great, and Daniel Dae Kim did a great job conveying multiple emotions all while laying on the ground injured and scared. Hopefully Jin’s introduction to the Man-in-Locke will speed up his reunion with his beloved Sun. I’m getting a little sick of their pining for one another. Let’s get their storyline moving in a new direction already.

My favorite part of this episode was the interaction between Hurley and Jack (and to a lesser extent Hurley and Jacob). It’s been a really long time since these two central characters shared so much screen time, and yet it felt like they’ve been playing off one another for years. It's been very interesting watching Hurley and Jack try to figure out their roles on the island, but I’m not so sure either will like where they end up. Jacob’s meddling is definitely far from over.


What I’m most concerned about is the safety of En Leung's Miles Straume. Jacob’s final message to Hurley was that he sent Hurley to the lighthouse with Jack to keep him safe because trouble was coming to the temple. Could it have been there all the time in the form of Sayid? I’m not so sure, but I’ve got a feeling Miles’ days are numbered. Even though fans love Miles' one liners, the minute I saw his name scratched out in FLocke’s cave and Jacob’s lighthouse, I knew his days on the island were numbered. I don’t think the same can be said for Sayid though, at least so long as his name remains listed as a possible candidate.


And lastly, while there are a million theories being batted around as to the significance of Lost’s Flash Sideways storyline, let me just say how amazed I am at how quickly the show’s writers turned things around. In five short hours I’ve gone from hating the Flash Sideways storyline to absolutely loving it. There were moments in this week’s episode where I actually preferred the Flash Sideways storyline. But best of all, this storyline made me actually care to ask questions about Jack again…like where did Jack’s appendix go, where did his son David come from, and who is David’s mother? I’m not as concerned with who David’s mother is as some fans are, but I would like to know what role Flash Sideways Dogan will play in all this. He must be somewhat important, because otherwise they should have made that reveal be a character we actually care about!


Again I’m at a loss for theories this week, but I am starting to wonder at this point what the show’s end game is going to be. The storyline is still picking up steam, and if I didn’t know any better I’d say Lost still had a few more seasons in it. With that being said, is it possible for even half of our questions to be tied up in a neat little bow? Or were Hurley’s comments about the skeletons of Adam and Eve a hint to us all that the writers will be answering the questions they want and fans be damned!?! I hope not, but who knows at this point. Namaste…

David Flores Collective Clothing Line - New Star Wars T-Shirts

David Flores is about to launch a brand new line of clothing, and he’s christened it the David Flores Collective. The Blot is pretty excited about Flores’ latest endeavor, especially since his first release will be a series of Star Wars t-shirts featuring R2-D2, Boba Fett and Tusken Raider.


This is really all The Blot knows about the David Flores Collective and its Star Wars themed clothing, but how cool does Flores’ R2-D2 look? I’m pretty excited for this new brand of clothing, and can’t wait to see what other t-shirt designs Flores has been working on.

Disney x Medicom Chip 'n Dale 100% Be@rbrick 2 Pack

Can someone explain to The Blot what happened to Disney’s Chip ‘n Dale!?! They used to be two of Disney’s most popular characters, but nowadays they’re not even the most popular animated chipmunks in pop culture. That title now belongs to Alvin, Simon and Theodore. Chip ‘n Dale first became popular in the ‘40s and 50’s after being featured prominently in some now classic Disney shorts. Then forty years later (in the ‘90s), their popularity reached an all time high as the stars of the animated series Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, only to never be heard from again once that show was canceled.


It seems like now Chip ‘n Dale can only be seen in the friendly confines of Disneyland and Disneyworld…oh how the might have fallen! Now thanks to Medicom, Chip ‘n Dale can live on in your designer vinyl collection! The Disney x Medicom Chip 'n Dale 100% Be@rbrick 2 pack continues Medicom’s hugely successful Disney Be@rbricks toy line, and can be yours for just $25. The Chip ‘n Dale 100% Bearbricks stand around 3 inches tall and will hit stores sometime during July of 2010.

Star Wars x Medicom C-3PO 400% Kubrick

As a huge Star Wars fan, it probably comes as no surprise to readers of The Blot Says… that I’m really excited about this huge 400% C-3PO Kubrick from Medicom Toy. I love all of the little details Medicom included on both the figure’s front and back, and Threepio’s chrome body looks even more amazing at this size. I have to say, making C-3PO’s body a golden metallic instead of a bright yellow really makes all the difference!


The Star Wars x Medicom C-3PO 400% Kubrick stands around 12 inches tall, has a limited run size of 1,000 figures, and will retail for around $100. Fans can expect the world's favorite protocol droid in stores sometime around August or September of 2010.