LOST Recap Season 6 Episode 13 'The Last Recruit'

I've been writing LOST episode recap blogs on my own for years now. Posting them everywhere from my large email friend-base to Myspace, to Lost board websites, to Facebook, to the blog site's of other friendly 'Losties'. This season I am honored to be posting the remaining recaps EXCLUSIVELY for Cultural Compulsive Disorder!!! Join me here each week for my futile Lost TV show ramblings, but tune in daily, for an endless array of movie, TV, music, comic book, fashion, and general geekdom that Mr. Mike D and his staff provides. Take a moment right now to make C.C.D one of your favorites, and please become a follower of the blog. (Just click follow over on the right hand side, sign in using one of the accounts provided Google, Aol IM, Yahoo, etc and watch your picture pop up.) Comments are always appreciated. Let's try and keep the spoilers limited to no more than the title and centricity (if that's a word) of the following weeks episode.

Not a exactly a phenomenal episode in way of revelations, mysterious happenings or jaw dropping situations but this episode seemed to do a sturdy job setting the stage for the final showdown which will be happening in the final 4 episodes we have left. I did notice a couple of strange things and I will ponder them with you as we coast through another recap together.........

John Locke-X is being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with Ben Linus-X accompanying him. We hear that John-X may have some internal bleeding and that he has no response in his lower extremities. Ben-X informs them that he was paralyzed BEFORE the hit & run near the school that they work at together. Ben-X has information about the assailant (whom we know to be Desmond) and the EMT instructs him to tell the cops that will, no doubt, be at the hospital. (Maybe Miles-X and James-X will be on THIS case as well.) As one EMT rushes John-X into the hospital ER, Sun-X is rushed in by another. (Sun-X, you'll recall, is suffering from abdominal gunshot wounds due to a shootout with Keamy-X and his goon Mikhail-X....and furthermore, she has been revealed to be carrying Jin-X's baby!) Sun-X recognizes John-X as 'HIM' as she is carted off. (I'm inferring from this sequence that the trauma has caused Sun-X to retain memories of John from Universe 1.0...possibly even knowledge of John being 'HIM'...the Smoke Monster!)

At the police precinct, Det. James Ford-X arrives at a desk where Kate-X is being processed, after her arrest, and offers her an apple (shades of the temptation of Adam & Eve by Satan, maybe?) which she refuses. James-X eats his though. (a clue? a red herring?) Ford-X reads aloud the laundry list of charges Kate-X has mounting against her. When he gets to 'murder' Kate-X insists she's not a murderer. Ford-X reveals to her that he remembers her from the airport, and she him. "Don't you think it's weird," he asks her. Kate-X wonders if he's hitting on her to which Ford-X suggests her being a murderer and he a cop may not be such a good look for them. That she should save her pleas of innocence for the Feds. Kate-X wonders why he didn't arrest her when he saw her in handcuffs on the airport elevator. James-X slyly remarks that he didn't SEE her handcuffs. Kate-X imagines that he may not have turned her in because he didn't want anyone to know he had been on a trip to Australia. She wonders what the 'Feds' would have to say about THAT. Miles-X, James-X's partner in this timeline, interrupts. They have a multiple homicide on their hands. Keamy-X and 3 goons (all dead). Korean 'GSW' (did I hear this correctly? What the hell is a GSW?) brought to the hospital with gunshot wounds..her 'boyfriend' is a witness. Miles-X, has surveillance footage of the perp leaving the scene of the crime. Sayid-X! "That's our bad guy," Ford-X exclaims.

Claire-X enters an office building where she has a meeting with the 'Western Pacific Adoption Agency' and signs in at the front desk. The clerk instructs her to go to the 15th floor (THE numbers!!) Desmond sneaks up behind her.(creep!) (side note: I've now been referring to both Desmond-X and Desmond 1.0 as just 'Desmond' since I am convinced that he now has FULL conscious insight into his lives in both universes.) Desmond appears to be following her as he has done with other LOST island castaways in Universe-X. Apparently he's attempting to have them connect with their mirror selves from the other universe. He reads her name 'Claire Littleton' from the sign-in sheet but one might infer that he already knows full well who she is in order to have been following her all this time. (remember that it's safe to assume that his 'special' driver Minkowski-X had been asked by Desmond to fetch the flight manifest. By now he probably has and Desmond has probably been going over it with a fine toothed comb) Either way, he's acting a little too creepy for my blood. Claire-X remembers him from the plane and seems to think he's quite harmless, otherwise Claire-X is just in the habit of surrounding herself with creepy guys...putting her unborn baby in harms way. She informs him that he was correct about her baby. It IS a boy has Desmond 'predicted'. Desmond couldn't help but overhear that Claire-X is headed to an adoption agency without representation and, although he's not a lawyer, he's there to meet one who owes him a favor so Claire-X's monetary worries won't be an issue. He insists she speak with her before getting herself into an 'irreverable situation' (Ominous, very ominous, indeed!). Up on the 15th floor, the same floor for both the adoption agency and the lawyers office, Desmond and Claire-X enter the offices of Sweetzer and Verdansky ('Sweetzer' is also the name, you'll recall of the street on which Desmond meets Penny-X for coffee. Any significance?) Verdanksy is the surname of Universe-X lawyer Ilana-X. Ilana-X, the lawyer whom owes Desmond a favor, (Just what is this FAVOR? Has Desmond already 'awakened' his lawyer friend, and now she feels as though she owes him? Or is this all just a way of getting Claire-X to come with him and that this will all work out once Ilana-X realizes this is the woman she's been scouring the globe for? Am I wasting to much of my energy on this?) Illana-X arrives and is pleased to see Claire Littleton-X who she, 'coincidentally' has been looking for.

At the Jarrah home, where Nadia-X is married to Omar-X ....Sayid-X's brother, Sayid-X hurriedly packs his luggage. He's been staying there with his family since arriving in L.A.-X but, after the shootout at the restaurant which led to the deaths of underhanded Keamy-X and his men, Sayid-X will now have to flee and never return. He's shady about his reasons for leaving to Nadia-X as the doorbell rings and Sayid-X orders her to stall them. It's the L.A.P.D., specifically Det. Miles Straume who has questions for Nadia-X. As he notices partially packed luggage on the living room table, the cameras shoot to Sayid-X who makes his getaway out the back door of the house where Miles-X's partner, James-X trips him up using a garden hose and places him under arrest.

Jack-X and David, his son, arrive at the same office building where we know Desmond, Claire-X and Ilana-X to be meeting already.Jack-X takes a cellphone call from his Ex-wife, David's mother who still remains a mystery. He promises to have David home by 7pm after a look from David implies 5pm is too early. This banter, besides further teasing us about the identity of the boys mother, also seems to be geared up to show us how strong Jack-X's relationship has become with his son who wants to spend as much time with him now as possible. Jack-X is heading in for the reading of his father's Will. He informs his son that it will be a sad situation but David, who you'll recall only exists in Universe-X and not Universe 1.0, insists he'll only be sad for his father. The lawyer responsible for the will of Christian Shepherd-X is none other that Ilana-X who has a surprise for Jack-X. She introduces him to Claire Littleton-X who informs him she is mentioned in Christian-X's Will because, she too is his offspring. Jack-X's phone interrupts again, this time it's the hospital service informing him about an emergency. He tells them to 'prep him for surgery' and reschedules the reading of Will.

At the hospital, Sun-X awakens from her hospital bed to find her not-so-secret lover Jin-X asleep at her side, grasping her hand. Jin-X awakens and tells her that she will be fine and that their unborn baby will be fine as well. "It's over," he assures her in Korean. "We're all going to be OK," he adds. With all that has happened to these two, in both universes, I find myself hoping that Jin-X isn't just sugar coating the situation so that he doesn't stress Sun-X out and make her worse. Is their unborn child REALLY out of harms way?

Next, Jack-X and David arrive at the hospital, passing the Korean couples room as the do. (I laughed to myself because these two reminded me of Dr. Evil and his Mini Me) David finds it hard to believe that his grandfather was able to keep a secret of this magnitude. Jack-X insists that his father always kept a lot of things to himself. David suggests that this is his where Jack-X has gotten it from. I would suggest that this is where David has also gotten it from. Secrecy seems to be a huge Shepherd trait. David wishes his father good luck in surgery and Jack-X seems deeply grateful to have such a supportive son. David will wait for him outside. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this type of surgery take hours and hours? Nitpicking am I?) In the operating room, Jack-X is informed about the patient's stats. He was in a wheelchair before the hit and run incident and his dural sac has been 'obliterated'. They are over their heads and that is why Jack-X needed to be called in. "I got this," Jack-X insists. (I'm getting the impression that this.version of Jack is a much more successful surgeon. He's certainly more confident than his counterpart would be and Jack 1.0 only had to deal with a couple of dural sacks which he sliced open himself. This dural sac is 'obliterated' and the hospital staff was 'over their heads' until they called him.) Alpha male to the rescue. Jack-X glances down at the patient before surgery begins, a MIRROR placed in the path of both he and the patient reveals that John Locke-X is, of course the patient. "I think I know this guy," He eerily insists.

Back on the island in 2007...Universe 1.0, Smoke Monster/Locke is pleased that the remaining 'candidates'  Hurley, Sun, and Jack have come to their senses and joined his tribe. He was particularly hoping Jack would come. He immediately wants to play catch up with Jack so he asks him to accompany him further into the woods where they can speak privately as he has done with the other 'candidates'. (MIB isn't very big on speaking in front of large groups it seems. Divide and conquer perhaps?) Jack has let Hurley take the lead since Jack's enlightenment at the lighthouse, so he gets Hurley's permission before leaving with Smokey. Off in the secluded spot, Smoke/Locke begins his meet-and-greet by planting his torch in the ground at his feet where he sits regally on a boulder, very 'campfire ghost story' like. Jack is in no mood to waste time. He knows there's very few episodes left! "WHAT are you," Jack asks. He knows Smoke Thing isn't John Locke. John Locke was stupid enough to be manipulated, Smokey insists, so now he has taken his form in the event of his death. Jack figures out that since John Locke had to be dead first, before Smokey could assume his identity, there might be others among the island's dead that Smoke Thing has appeared as. You see where THIS is leading? Jack seems saddened at the realization that Smoke Monster has taken the form of his own dead father, Christian Shepherd, whose body had gone missing after the crash of Oceanic 815. Jack asks why he would do that to which Smokey nonchalantly remarks, "You needed to find water". All Smoke Thing has ever been interested in is helping them....helping them to leave. Since Jacob chose them they are trapped there. With Jacob gone, now they are free to leave but, it has to be ALL of them. Jack is puzzled when it comes to the manipulation of John Locke. Jack himself has been flirting with a similar belief system to the one that got John Locke killed. John was a 'believer' in the island's mysticism. If it weren't enough to hear Smokey refer to John Locke as being 'stupid'...now he says Locke was nothing but a 'sucker'...and NOT a believer as Jack submits. Smoke Thing senses the two are being watched and tells the voyeur to show themselves. Claire reveals herself and her dirt-hair blowout from behind some palms. Smoke Thing excuses himself to let the siblings speak to each other alone. (Tell me this didn't smell like a filthy-hair set up to you? Apparently MIB has nothing left to say to Jack, or perhaps he just thinks Claire can do a better job convincing Jack that, if he stays, he'll finally be on the appropriate team.) Jack wonders if Claire knows Smoke Thing once posed as their father, the deceased Christian Shepherd.  Claire is fully aware. (Reminder: Claire was chilling with Smoke Shepherd back in what we believed to be Jacob's cabin last we saw of her several seasons ago. Right after she was 'saved' by sawyer from an explosion in Dharmaville) Claire seems unfazed by the many faces of Smoke Thing. After all, IT was there for her when all her friends had abandoned her. (Keep rubbbbbbin' it in, filthy!) She's glad Jack's decided to join them, though. Jack notes that he hasn't really 'decided'. Claire insists that he decided the moment Jack let Smokey speak to him. "Like it or not you're with HIM, now." Claire predicts. (I'm getting the impression 'free will' goes out the window if you give either Smokey or Jacob a free forum to plead their cases before you press forward with your own agenda. Master manipulators are they. One might even say two peas in a pod....two sides of the same....coin.)

By the light of day, James gets Hurley's attention and reveals his plan to double cross Smoke Thing. Kate does the same with Sun. Sayid won't be told because of his progression to the 'dark side'. "You can always bring people back from the Dark Side," Hurley offers...as he begins to explain the plight and redemption of Star Wars' Anakin Skywalker to a hasty James Ford. (Something tells me Hurley has more of a grasp on what's really going on here than most do, as per usual. Unlike me, Hurley always goes with the simplest line of reasoning when it comes to Lost's island happenings.) The Oceanic survivors and 'candidates' greet each other. "Hey...Claire...you look......great," Hurley lies, as he is reunited with the woman that was once Claire. Kate points out to Jack that Sayid is now 'different' to which Jack remarks that they ALL are....now. The reunion is cut short, however, by Zoe and the rest of Widmore's footloose soldiers. In the least imposing way ever, Zoe demands from Smokey the package that he confiscated from Widmore's camp. Smokey, of course, is unfazed by her idle threats...and also unfazed by her not so idle threats as she instructs her cohorts via walkie-talkie to "show them what we're capable of". (Need I say what you obviously were all thinking: 'Is this when Smokey is finally gonna rip this useless bitch into a million useless pieces?') Doh! Just than, The forest directly behind Smoke/Locke erupts in missile fire and Smoke Thing barely flinches. Regardless, they have until 'nightfall' to return what they took from them or next time the miss-iles won't miss. Zoe gives Smoke/Locke a two-way on which he can contact her. A two way Smokey quickly disposes of after Team Widmore's departure. (I wonder if Smokey has the same aversion to technology that his 'adversary' Jacob has? Remember no flashlights aloud in Jacob's Cabin...unless of course that WAS Smokey's Cabin. Tangent!) Smoke Thing addresses his people. He claims their hand has been forced, siting the 'lie' that they have something that belongs to Team Widmore. (We know this is an out-and-out lie since we know they do, in fact,  have custody of 'the package', Desmond Hume. Why do we ever begin to believe this THING when he obviously lies so easily, so effortlessly?) Anyhoo, the time is now! They will be be heading to Hydra island and boarding the Ajira plane for escapesville. Smoke Thing instructs James to split from the group and secure their boat. He may even take Kate along with him. Ford heads out, but not before he corners Jack and tells him to secure the others (Hurley, Sun, Frank) and double back to where James will be with the boat so that they can get the f*ck out of there. No Claire, though, since she tried to kill Kate and will inevitably try again. (I'm reminded that James probably doesn't know yet that Jack is Claire's brother otherwise he Wouldn't have made this request.) All I have to say is Great! James' is playing right into Smokey's hand.err...ummm...I mean, James' double-cross plan is working out just as he imagined it.

Locke prepares for the big move by sending Sayid to kill Desmond. Sayid doesn't HAVE TO of course. He could always just reneg on their agreement which would have resulted in Nadia's resurrection. (Just how long does Sayid have to do anything MIB asks of him? How open ended is this agreement?) Sayid's his bitch now, so he's immediatley peering  down the well gun drawn on the helpless Mr. Hume. Desmond appears to be very focused. As a dieing wish, he wants to know what 'Locke' offered Sayid to do his bidding. Sayid informs him that Smoke Monster has promised to return something he lost...the woman he loved. Desmond knows all about losing contact with the one you love but wonders how Sayid would explain himself. "What would you tell her when she asks what you did to be with her," Desmond implores him.

Kate and James are near the shoreline where their boat awaits them a few strokes out. James takes a moment to clue Kate in on the new plan. Hurley, Jack, Sun, Frank........yada yada yada..ditch Locke....blahzay blazhzay blah....No Claire! Claire's been drinking the Smoke-KoolAid, James insists. "Do you want HER around Aaron," James implores. Kate's not arguing and the two make their way to the boat.

As Team Smokey moves out, Jack makes some small talk with his sister Claire who's obviously having some issues with her grasp of reality. Jack seems to be feeling Claire out while also trying to get a better understanding of just what this Smoke Monster really is. Claire rubs it in again that Jack and crew left her alone on the island for 3 years and that she made due with the people that DID show they cared about her. (Boohoo, bitch. Take a shower! There's not enough water around you for one?) MIB asks Sun where Sayid is and confuses her loss of English for the silent treatment. Sun yells at him via her notepad but Smokey's got more pressing issues. He's going to make sure no one 'got left behind'. (Right) Disappearing again and leaving half of his precious 'candidates' to wander away. Jack does his bit for Sawyer, cluing his friends in on the rendezvous point with James & Kate. They hightail it out of there but not before Claire notices she's being abandoned again.

Smokey has made it back near Sayid's assassination mission and it is clear that something has changed with our 'Anakin'. Sayid insists he did the job and that Desmond is dead but, that he just needed a moment after killing an 'unarmed man'. He suggests his boss go back and check if he doesn't believe him. (There's a moment where Smokey's reaction has me wondering if Smokey is more afraid to go find Desmond alive or to find him dead. Either way I think Smoke Thing is confident about the outcome of this little test of Sayid. What he wanted that test to reveal I couldn't tell you. What exactly is going on here?!)

 All the party people make it to the boat. Hurley, Jack, Frank, Sun and, oh yeah, Claire with a loaded rifle pointed right AT these traitors. Kate volunteers to alleviate the situation. She calms Claire down by insisting the only reason she came back to the island was to reunite Claire with Aaron and that she's not leaving without her. She reminds Claire that Kate was there when Aaron was born but she never should have raised him. To James' dismay, Kate announces that either Claire comes along or Kate doesn't. Claire's in but, that doesn't stop her from creating one more douche kill comment about how HE is going to be 'mad' when he finds out they're all gone. (...sure he is) At sea on the boat, Frank heads down below to get some viddles and Claire follows him. (Do dead people eat? Just wondering.) Sawyer refers to Frank as 'Chesty' and I chuckle. Jack strikes his 'looking out into enlightment' pose at the edge of the boat and James approaches him to make small talk. Worst thing he ever did. Jack starts spouting some last minute bullshit about how  they came back to the island for a reason and how the island 'isn't done with them yet'. I do agree with Jack, though, that Smoke Monster seems to want them to leave so badly because 'he's afraid of what'll happen if they stay'. We've been down this road, though, before  and we know how this all turns out. Maybe a Jack-xedo will fit snugger on smoke monster than that floppy baloney tit Lockesuit he's been wearing for two seasons. I like when James says 'get the hell off my damn boat' real Clint Eastwood-like (if dirty Harry drove around in a yacht.) 'Get the hell off my damn boat'...'Get the hell off my damn boat'. I could repeat that all day long. Jack apologizes for his role in getting Juliet killed and takes his 'leap of faith' which is significantly less dramatic than Sawyer's helicopter jump but reminiscent none the less. Kate demands that James turns back to fish him out, to which Clint replies "We're done going back, Kate."

Jack swims back to the beach where he is met by a surprisingly not so angry Smoke Lockester. "Sawyer took my boat, didn't he," Locke inquires knowingly. (C'mon! This was a Rebel Trap! Don'tchya think this boat trip was a trap like me? Don'tchya....Don'tchya??)

Hydra Island. The crew of the 'Elizabeth' lead by James Ford arrive Jackless.  Zoe (aka Princess Useless) steps up near the sonic barriers, with the rest of Widmore's crew, guns drawn, in a not-so-welcoming way. Jin appears from behind the tree line. He and Sun lock eyes. Three years have passed since they've last seen each other alive. They run toward each other.........and collapse. Ears bleeding, the result of the fully operational sonic barriers. Just kidding, that last part didn't happen because the sonic barriers are off again....but you know you were betting on it, you little sadomasochist, you! Seriously, though, their reunion was sweet and long awaited. Could have been a 9 on the 'Constant' meter but, instead was about a 4 or 4 1/2. Zoe and crew lower their guns when they see James 'Sawyer' Ford whom Widmore has made a deal with. When he confirms that Smoke Monster IS NOT with him  Zoe makes a walkie talkie call, presumably to Charles himself who orders her to treat them as hostiles. "On your knees. All of you" Zoe barks, "Deals off," She adds. (I don't wanna pick nits here but Zoe's right. James broke the deal. He promised to deliver Smoke E. Monster, himself, bound and gagged with an apple in his mouth..... and didn't. What had he expected turning up empty handed like this?)

Island number 1, Jack steps out of the water as Smoke Lockester approaches. Just than, the beach is bombarded by similar missile explosions to the one Zoe ordered fired upon Team Smokey's camp earlier.....decimating Smokey's followers at the beach and sending Jack hurdling toward the camera. Jack lays motionless, ears ringing, eyes open on the beach. Smoke Locke scoops him up and carries him to a nearby tree where he props him up in a seated position against it. "Jack, you all right" he asks. "Don't worry, every thing's going to be OK," he adds in a menacing yet nurturing way. "You're WITH ME now!"
BwooHoohahaha.....(I added that menacing wizard laugh myself...scary......ain't it.)

Things I'm Pondering:

• I am being told, however, that the timeline in which both Locke-X and Sun-X are being rushed to the hospital is super-fucked-up! Sun-X was shot the DAY AFTER Oceanic Flight 815 landed in L.A. in Universe-X. John Locke-X was hit by Desmond at least A FEW DAYS, IF NOT A WEEK, after the flight landed once you take into account the day his baggage went missing, his firing from the box company, his visit to the job placement center, his days of work as a substitute teacher. Is this another continuity error or is the timeline in this universe truncated somehow?!? This stuff makes me mental! Can you figure out how these two events could piece together better given what we know?
• Last week I predicted that the 'candidates' all seem to be heading to the hospital in Universe-X. This week it seems as though 1/3 of them are making their way to the hospital while the another 1/3 make their way to the police precinct....the final 1/3 are all congregating at the law office building. I wonder if one of these buildings will be the stage for a climactic scene involving all of our 'candidates'? Either way, these scenarios make for a few giant instances of Deja Vu for our cast.
• I know the storyline about Christian Shepherd's Will has been devised to have Claire-X and Jack-X become acquainted with each other but, is it possible the contents of the Will, itself, will reveal something shocking to us!? Just what might that be? Is there another Shepherd? Snap out of it JB!
• Did anyone else notice that Jack and the Smoke Monster began their 5 minute conversation by torch fire in the DARK of night, yet returned from that very same discussion in DAYLIGHT. WHATSUPWITDAT?
• Why is Smoke Thing always so supportive of splitting the 'candidates' up at the drop of a hat when he insists they all need to leave together? Sending Sayid on a solo mission. Letting James and Kate secure their inter-island shuttle boat. Allowing Jin to be kept prisoner by team Widmore. Seems to me that if he needed them all to leave the island TOGETHER he'd make sure they were all always herded around TOGETHER like sheep. Makes me wonder if he even needs all of them to escape at all, or if he even wants to escape to begin with. Get your bitches in pocket Pimp Thing! What's really going on here? Please she some light on this my disciples. Please?
• The boat James and his crew secured was none other than 'The Elizabeth'. A boat rich in LOST history. Memory would serve you if you remember that it was the boat used by Desmond in the race to win the respect of his lover's father, Charles Widmore. The boat named after it's mysterious owner's wife Elizabeth (aka Crazy 'Libby'...yep...Hurley's Libby) and donated to him to prove his mirth. A boat repaired and kept hidden by Desmond's hatch mate Kelvin, unbeknownst to him, as Kelvin prepared to ditch Desmond and leave him to his button pushing on the solo tip. This boat's kind of like the R2-D2 or C-3P0 of Lost...always around! It garners a larger Lostpedia entry than Nikki and Paolo.
• Upon second viewing, when I saw Smokey propping Jack up against the tree at the end I couldn't help but think "OMG Jack's paralyzed!...4 episodes left and Jack's paralyzed!!" than I calmed myself down and rewound it, rewatched it and said to myself "OMG Jack's dead! Jack fuckin' dead. He died in that explosion with 4 episodes left and Smokey infected him with that sickness and now he's WITH HIM like Claire and Sayid are WITH HIM." I had to shut the show off, I don't know what I'd diagnose Jack with next. OMG...just OMG!

I have no idea what's in store for us next week. The promo seemed pretty vague, yet centered around Smoke/Locke. they made is seem Pre-tty scary, though. Can't wait for this one...whatever it holds. After this two week stretch it has become abundantly clear that I've lost my patience, lost my sense of direction and completely lost my marbles. In any rate, these are all good indications that I'm still quite.......LOST!

click below for previous recap

LOST Recap Season 6 Episode12 'Everybody Loves Hugo'

The Comic Book Pull List #5 by James West

If you are not reading these books...

You should be... 'nuff said!

Hey kids. Now that my classes are over (finally) and finals are starting, I’ll have a little more time to keep up to date with the List here at CCD. Less homework and all that stuff. Here’s a quick review of the latest issues of the two best books, in my opinion, Marvel is currently putting out:

Nova #35

Last we saw Nova, he was stuck in a non-universe that’s a universe unto itself called “The Fault”, which is proving to be a bitch for everyone. He’s stuck in a “game”, on a team with and fighting against time-displaced heroes (namely an early Mr. Fantastic), which is being controlled by The Sphinx, who is fighting against his younger self for control of crystals. It’s a tad confusing trying to sum it up, but the book flows pretty well. It’s a bad sad though, as this may be one of the last issues. Nova and GotG will be put on temporary hiatus as Nova joins the Avengers and the Guardians…well…

Guardians of the Galaxy #24

Guardians has consistently been one of, if not my favorite comic book every month. I didn’t even know about pretty much any of the characters before it started back in Annihilation. Regardless, the sh*t hit the fan an ish or so ago when Adam Warlock became the Magus, who’s pretty much just an unimaginably powerful crazy version of himself. Lots of twists in this one, so I won’t give away too much…but I was totally shocked to find out who was in the cocoon. Seriously.

Ok kids, that was fun... make sure you support your local Mom n Pop Comic Shops... happy reading!!!

Throwback Thursdays Vol #13, 4/29/2010

Back to the old format boys and girls... Gonna pick four videos in four genres that I loved back in the day. And If I liked them, I'm sure you loved 'em too. Lets Go!!!

Hip Hop - Shyheim Da Rugged Child - On and On



RnB - Shades - Tell Me



80's Rock - Tom Petty - Free Fallin



Reggae - Beenie Man - DanceHall Queen

"Artin' It Up" Volume #4 by Tommy Lombardozzi

Ahhh, week four. A month already?!

I gotta say, it’s not easy coming up with a theme for my little C.C.D. contribution every week. I thought I was just gonna have to put some older art together with some kinda theme and submit to Mr. Mike D. But once again, my fanatic followers, I have created some ALL NEW ART for the blizzog! I threw a couple of older ones in this week as well to give you a nice handful of viewing pleasurable.

The theme for this week is just… PEOPLE. Creepy people, to be precise. This may be a theme I reuse often, as the world is full of so many creepies! And, they’re fun to draw! Fuckin’ creeps. Every so often I’ll decide to draw a fucked up looking individual. Ugly, grotesque, perverted, skeevy… and then I draw the fucked up looking people! (Nyuk nyuk.) So last night as I was about to submit to Mike some older stuff, I put pen to paper (and colored pencil to paper, and marker to paper, etc etc.) and started to create three new creeps, which I rounded out by three older pieces.

And hey, before I move on to the art, I want to thank everyone that’s been showing an interest in my stuff. I really appreciate it, and I love the feedback. Keep it coming (join the page so you can leave comments, questions, love notes). Also, as always, I press you to SPREAD THE WORD about the C.C.D. blog! Alotta people put their time (I was up again till past 6am last night!) and talents into bringing you, YOU- the genital public!- fun stuff to read and enjoy every damned day. Stop fuckin’ around!!!

So, without further ado, I bring you… CREEPY PEOPLE: VOLUME 1!

Creep #1: “BLUEGIRL”

I don’t’ know if this is too creepy, but, this is a drawing I did awhile back while at work (look at the work I did! Ha!) It’s marker, with digital coloring and effects. It was a drawing of some model chick whose picture I saw online, but some have said it looks like Ashley Judd. Yeah? Whatever. I wanted to do a simple drawing just so I could mess around on Photoshop. The thing that took the longest was copying and pasting her head several times, and then resizing those heads to make her “hair”. It was a productive and creative way to avoid doing some real work. I haven’t posted this anywhere yet, so it’s making its debut on C.C.D.! I call it “BLUEGIRL”.

Creep #2: “THE CURMUDGEON”

This is one of my favorites. I did it awhile back… I’d say about 2007 sometime… and I’ve always liked it. If you seen my Myspace art page or my Facebook art folder, than you’ve seen this before. If you haven’t, well then it’s new to you so shut up and enjoy it!!! This is another one of those drawings that I did in a “loose”, no-preliminary-sketch style; sorta childish in my approach. Cartoony. Just an old, grouchy bastard! THE CURMUDGEON! Smokin’ his stogie, givin’ you the stink-eye! It’s paint marker with digital colors and texturizing. I don’t know about you, but I like this old fuck. “Bah!”

Creep #3: “PROFESSOR FUCKFACE”

This guy! This was a psychology professor I had in Kingsborough. He was a real dick! He’d mock students, make snide remarks, crack jokes, tell kids they were dumb… I loved him! And, he was such an interesting looking character that I’d make drawings of him in my notebooks. This drawing is a “remake” of one of my sketchbook doodles from 2004. I did it last year, with pen marker. I should have given you the original doodle too, but I never scanned it in. Maybe one day I’ll submit a bunch of notebook doodles! That’s a cool idea for a future C.C.D. ‘Artin’ It Up’ page! But for now, you get this one; Professor Fuckface! (I forget his real name.)

OK, now on to the all-new stuff!

Creep #4: “ROCK GUY”

This was the first new one I did last night… which inspired the other two new ones. I started with the face and it went from there. As I was drawing it, I’d decided that I didn’t want any one medium to be the dominant one for this drawing. So where I’d start with a pen marker, I’d continue from with a colored pencil. From there, I’d do the next line with a marker, and so on. Good fun. Chaotic! Which is why I decided to depict my idea of an anarchist punk rocker-type dude. (It reminds me of a Ralph Steadman drawing. If you don’t know who he is, go look it up.)

Creep #5: “STRIPPER POLE”

Check out the rump roast on this bitch! Yowza! I’m hungry! Anyway... The approach to this was the same as above. I wanted to do a woman (yeah yeah, make a joke), but not in the usual “beautiful” fashion. The idea was to feature an attractive woman in a non-attractive way; the crazy lines, distorted dimensions, no color scheme. Just a downright mess, basically… like strippers tend to be (maybe not always psychically, but mentally!)The model for this came from a spread in Hustler magazine. Ho.

Creep #6: “TONGUE-MAN”

At this point it was about 5am. I figured with the two new drawings, plus some older ones, I’d had enough for my weekly article. But no! One more… I knew I could pump out one more for my C.C.Degenerates!!! Initially I wanted to draw a garbage man. Not sure why. Then I decided to go wackier and draw this fucked up chap! I just thought it’d be a nice, wacky way to end off this week’s ‘Artin’ It Up’. It’s Sharpie marker with colored pencils and Crayola marker for the hair. And ladies… yes, he IS single.

So that’s it for now, kiddies. I hope you’ve enjoyed my stuff this week and I thank you for letting me share my work with you. Again, I ask you to spread the word of Mike D.’s C.C.D. blog, join up, follow us on Facebook, and leave us comments. There’s something on here for everyone, and we’re all chipping in to make sure you get a daily dose of Pop Culture Fun! Support the cause.

I’ll see you suckas here next week… so until then…

Smile up!
~TL

NO MORE REALITY SHOWS FROM NEW JERSEY... Please???

You know what... when I started this post, I was mad as hell. I have had enough of all these terrible ass New Jersey reality shows hitting the airwaves in the last few months. But by the end of composing the title, I realized that instead of being mad... maybe I should be nice. Beg even... Please, no more terrible Hair Do's and Fake and Bake tans... Please, Please, no more fake Soprano wannabees who would probably get knocked out if the wind blew to hard... Please, Please, Please, no more of these horrible girls that have so many STD's that they are dripping them out of their make-up clogged pores... PLEASE, WHOEVER YOU ARE PRODUCING THESE SHOWS.. I BEG YOU TO MAKE IT STOP!!!

Why am I so mad. This is why:

This is a subway poster for Oxygen's newest show, "Jersey Couture". This follows Style Networks "JerseyLicious", Bravo's "Real Housewives Of New Jersey" TLC's "Cake Boss" and most notably MTV's "Jersey Shore".... come on, What The Fuck.

First of all, Jersey is mad corny... it will always be inferior to big brother New York, and so its residents will always overcompensate for it. This makes the people on these shows even harder to stomach, especially for New Yorkers. Secondly, I'll admit that "The Jersey Shore" was kinda cool... but that because the whole cast WAS NOT FROM JERSEY. They were just on vacation there. Anyone who goes to Belmar, Point Pleasant or Seaside during the summer knows that its like being smack in the middle of a Brooklyn Block Party. The Jersey Shore as a place is dope... but the locals? Not so much... And Finally, how the fuck are the people of Jersey even being considered for style type shows about hair and clothes??? These people, especially the women, are absolute disasters. Would you want these messes doing your hair or makeup??? 

I didn't think so... Enough with New Jersey and it's trashy, lame, no style, juice head, fake tanned, caked on makeup clown faced, sexual transmittable infected mutants... doesn't anybody want to shoot a show in Michigan or North Carolina... Please!!! Thanks. I'm done now. See you at the Shore in a few months... hahahahaha!

Tarantino/Coen Brothers Awesomeness Courtesy Of Elizabeth Banks

If you don't know who Elizabeth Banks is, then you must live under a f'n rock... or maybe you are stuck in some Avatar body on Pandora... either way, you better make sure you know who this chick is. She starred in Zack and Miri Make A Porno, but has lots of memorable small roles like the book store clerk in The 40 Year Old Virgin and JJ Jameson's secretary in Spiderman . But that's not why she is gracing our presence over here at CCD today. Yesterday, on her twitter account, Ms. Banks posted this amazing link and absolutely made my day. Quentin Tarantino is my favorite director that is still alive (Kubrick is King!!!) and The Coen Brothers are in my top ten filmmakers of all time as well. Both of them have had some great flicks, memorable characters, and awesome soundtracks to accompany their films. So why not mash it up and see what you end up with. Well... this is what you come up with, and it is FUCKING AWESOME!!! Thank you, Ms. Banks, for showing your inner geek to the world and being cool as shit on top of smoking hot. If you want to follow her on Twitter, click here. Enjoy the video, cause we sure did!!!

Boobquake Is A Failure Of Epic Proportions

On April 26th, women all over the United States participated in Boobquake. Boobquake was the idea of Jen McCreight, an Purdue University student. She was outraged at ridiculous comments made by Muslim Cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi that woman's cleavage are the cause of earthquakes... so she did the logical thing. She organized a multi city "titty-pact" in which woman all over the USA would wear cleavage bearing shirts to prove to those crazy Islamic bastards that juggs do not cause natural disasters. The date was set for Monday, April 26th, and women all over were willing and able to participate. Twitter was ablaze with the trending topic #Boobquake, and they even had a Facebook page. On Monday, newspapers all over the country covered the upcoming event, and titties were barely being covered all over the country. And then the worst thing that all of these lovely ladies could ever dream of happened... THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE IN TAIWAN THAT MEASURED 6.5 ON THE RICHTER SCALE!!!

Way to go ladies... not only did you objectify yourself by popping your boobs out, but you proved the crazy cleric to be right... 100% correct!!! Your tits caused this disaster. Unreal. And all my life, I loved tits. All kinds of tits: Big, Small, Fake, Real, Floppy, Saggy, Perky... you name them, I loved them. But now... I don't think I can love boobies anymore... FOR MY OWN SAFETY!!! OK, OK... I'm just kidding. Of course the titties DID NOT cause the tragedy in Taiwan on Monday. But it is a tad ironic, no??? Hey Jen, next time you wanna question someone on statements they make, just make sure that whatever you plan on doing can be controlled... SO YOU DO NOT PROVE THE PSYCHO'S CORRECT!!! K. Thanks. Bye.

P.S. - I still love boobies... fuck an earthquake. I live in New York!!! Bwahahahahahaha!!!

King Tut Is Back In The NYC...

No, not the Arch Villian from the 1960's Batman TV series featured to your left... the real thing!!! There is a major Ancient Egyptian exhibit on display over at the Discovery Time Square Exposition, located on 44 st. between 7th and 8th Avenues in Manhattan. The exhibit features thousands of Egyptian items, but the highlight would have to be King Tut's coffinette and the crown that was found upon his head when the tomb was discovered. Also, for the first time ever there will be a DNA exhibit that sheds new light on the life of the boy king. It is crazy how well known King Tut is here in the USA, even though he died at a really young age and didn't accomplish much in his short time as pharoah. I have also included a short Youtube video that was included on the homepage for the exhibit. If you have any additional questions, check out the website here.

Trailer Trash Talk Volume #3 by Kristen Grillo

Killers - Starring Ashton Kutcher & Katherine Heigl and Tom Selleck - Release Date: June 4, 2010


Over the weekend, I went to check out Kick Ass (which overall I enjoyed yet I still haven’t fully processed the whole moral of watching the deadly, filth-mouth 11 year old Hit Girl character…but that’s a debate for another blog). While waiting for the previews to spin, I sat there with some pals contemplating on what the next review would be. I figured the previous reviews were all pretty favorable and I wanted to try and change it up this time. Just then, as if the heavens opened up above me and heard my prayers, this little gem rolled in:



Mother of God…where does one begin with this debacle? How about we start with our leads. I was never really a fan of anything Ashton Kutcher. I barely watched That 70s Show yet whenever I did tune in, his Kelso character was genuinely adorable and that’s about as much as I can tolerate from him. Otherwise, let’s face it; he’s really just useless as an actor. He’s not convincingly funny at all. His attempts of being a serious actor are middling at best. I would say the only thing Kutcher has going for him is that he’s charming, likable (both on and off the screen) and it doesn’t hurt that he’s a little easy on the eyes (although he’s a little too lean & delicate looking for my taste.) All these things just make you a regular type of guy. They don’t however, make you a good actor. Consider yourself lucky, Ashton (oof, what a name for a dude).

Katherine Heigl on the other hand, I feel is capable of so much more yet she continues to dish out these cutesy, ditsy girl roles and I just don’t know why. She’s demonstrated plenty of range with her up and down performances as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. So why is she always making more of the same in film? When I checked out The Ugly Truth (mind you I only went to see it for that hot piece Gerard Butler!), I literally got the douche chills while watching her play this dopey broad willing to do anything desperate in order to “find true love.” And as it seems here in Killers, there she is again all alone and single (oh boo-fucking-hoo!) on vacation with her parents feeling sorry for herself only to fall in love with the first guy that pays her any mind. As it turns out, this guy just so happens to be an undercover government spy which leads to some apparent bullshit action sequences. Now…hold up just a second here. Can someone please give me a break with this shitty ass premise already?! In almost every romantic comedy, (cause let’s face it; that’s what this movie really is under all them farty explosions) why are women always portrayed as these moronic, desperate, pathetic nothings because they’re “single”? Is this point really necessary? Do most women actually relate to these sorts of stories? I sure as shit don’t. But I’m digressing here so let’s get back on track. Deep breaths, KG. Stay focused!

With all that said, you already know what this movie’s about. You already know how it’s going to end and what to expect from it. So why even bother to go and spend your hard earned dollas on this shitfest? The funniest thing about the preview was hearing this clincher: “KILLERS. Starring Ashton Kutcher.” BAHAHAHAHA! Riiiiight. Where the fuck is Arnold Schwarzenegger when you really need him? I hope someone tells me that there’s an Arnie cameo in it and he comes in all Conan The Barbarian style, hacks Kutcher’s head off and field goal kicks it over the Hollywood Hills sign. Haha!! Allllllright….maybe I’m getting a little carried away here. Sorry folks. It’s hard to talk serious when you’re reviewing nonsense. But you know that’d be pretty fuckin’ dope. You know it! I’d love for someone to try and give me a logical explanation as to why movies like this are made in the first palce. Try me, suckas. Just try!
Killers: Anticipation Grade: F (for Fuck…THAT.)

Can Anyone Say Goldeneye, Part II... Yup, I Can!!!!

Anyone who know me, knows that I am a HUGE James Bond fan. I grew up on all the movies, and even though I think Roger Moore was the best Bond ever (Yeah, I said it), Pierce Brosnan was pretty bad ass as well. Goldeneye was his first film in the series, and the 17th movie overall. Goldeneye is also the name of James Bond creator Ian Fleming's estate in Jamaica where he wrote all of his novels. So, when the video game version of the movie came out for Nintendo 64 in 1997, I copped instantly. Not only was the game play awesome, but it was the first time I had ever played a Bond game and felt like it did the character justice. But even though the levels were cool and there were characters/items from other Bond films in the game, the coolest part about it was the split screen multiplayer feature...

Even though it was not the first game to offer split screen multiplayer, nor the last since then, the functionality of this feature was flawless and lead to this mode becoming the most popular. Coupled with the Ninetendo 64's four controller setup, many people have spent many a night kicking each others asses with rocket launchers, shotguns, and PP7's (silenced, of course). God knows I spent millions of hours playing multiplayer with my college classmates. And despite the fact that some newer games might look way cooler (like Halo for instance), the game still plays well. Better then well... I know some friends who still play the game on Nintendo 64, and it plays wonderfully. Now comes news that a sequel may be in the works... what!!!!!

Rumors are flying around the 'net that Microsoft and Nintendo have finally reached some sort of agreement after years of squabbling. Microsoft bought Rare, the company that designed the game. Microsoft owns Nintendo rival X-Box, and they wanted Rare to develop a sequel for X-Box. Nintendo owned the rights to Goldeneye, and they wanted another developer to come in and design a new version for the Wii. This is why no new Goldeneye game was ever made, and tons of titles like Perfect Dark and Timesplitters jacked the tone of Goldeneye. Well, I for one hope that these two industry titans can work out their differences and get this game made... and then they could bring the original Goldeneye to the Wii Virtual Console and the X-Box Live Marketplace for download. One can certainly wish, can't he...

 

Springfield Backs Up South Park... Who Wants What???

Even though the creators of South Park and The Simpson's have clashed throughout the years, poking fun at each other and taking swipes at each other, this past Sunday the creators of The Simpsons did the unthinkable... they backed up the South Park crew. South Park creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone have drawn the ire of some pretty radical islamic groups after the latest episode of the controversial show in which the repeatedly poke fun at the prophet Mohammed. Comedy Central, which airs South Park, has only shown a editted version of the show and won't post the un-editted version online since they fear reprecussions for the creators. Parker and Stone are not backing off, and the boys over in Springfield got they back. During the opening credits of The Simpsons on Sunday, we see Bart writing on the chalk board. The message has changed many times over the years, but this time the message was in support of Parker and Stone... it read "South Park- we'd stand beside you if we weren't so scared". This is awesome on sooooo many levels, because even though they may be competitors, when free speech gets attacked they must all unite because they would want the same support if they were the ones being critiqued. Hopefully, the radical Muslims will back off and leave Parker and Stone be... then they can make some more episodes of South park that degrade somebody else's religious beliefs and start some more shit. But if it does pop off, it's good to know that Bart and the Crew will be their to back up Stan and the Gang... bring it son!!!  

Gran Apertura Volume #3

Gran Apertura means "Great Opening" in Italian. I felt it was an appropriate title for the new column I will be writing here at C-C-D. I love movies, but every once in a blue there is an opening segement in a movie that just sets the bar way to high for the rest of the flick. This opening scene is so good, it can't be topped by the rest of the movie itself. Or, sometimes the opening scene is part of an excellent film, and it does the job of getting you roped in. No matter what, the opening scene in a movie is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT scene in the whole film. So this column will highlight some of the greatest opening segements from the wide world of cinema. If you like what you see, maybe you will go ahead a check out the films in completion. Happy Viewings!!!

Super Troopers - 2001

I absolutely love this movie from the Broken Lizard crew. They have made some doozies, but this one is by far their best work. They get right to it in this opening scene, and the movie just keeps getting better and better. One of the best cop chase/pullover scenes ever, you can not possibly tell me this is not funny. Enjoy the clip... thanks for the videoYoutube!!!

 

Spock Lobster Over @ TeeFury

The newest design from our favorite T-shirt website features everybodies favorite Vulcan posing with his famous "Live Long and Prosper" hand sign... but the artist, Thomas G. Sullivan, twists this into an advertisement for a sideshow attraction. Spock as "The Lobster Boy"... hysterical! I love the little added blurbs urging fans to come see everyone's favorite freak. TeEvil and the crew really repped it hard on this one... and you only got till 12 o'clock tonight to get this one. Make it happen people. $11 bucks can make this puppy yours forever. The link below will take you over to TeeFury to get your order started. Get going... not to much time left.

TeeFury - Spock Lobster T Shirt

SNL Throwback Of The Week #11, 4/24/2010

I am a huge Saturday Night Live fan. One of my earliest memories was of my parents watching SNL every Saturday while we were tucked in our bedrooms, and sometimes being allowed to watch for a bit. The show has gone through its ups and downs over its 35 year run, but the fact that it is still on the air after 35 years is a testament to the staying power of the show. Lorne Michaels is a genius at finding and developing young, comedic talent. SNL has produced a bevy of stars over the years, from Eddie Murphy to Tina Fey. The show is doing well again thanks to Ms. Fey and the rest of the team, but I love watching clips from the old shows. Every Saturday I will give you guys one of my favorites. This weeks clip features Dana Carvey as Head Wound Harry... yeah, I said that right, Head Wound Harry. Harry has had an unfortunate accident, but still manages to show up to his friend shindig... he isn't gonna miss this party for nothing!!! Watch how the guest with the gaping hole in his skull finds a way to make everybody at the party uncomfortable. Dana Carvey is so underrated and underappreciated for his time on SNL. He was hysterical. Hope you guys enjoy... Live, from my living room, it's Saturday Night!!!

Like! Like? Volume #3

 In the 'Legend of Zelda' game for the original Nintendo Entertainment

System, there were these little evil-doers which resembled a delicious

stack of buttery pancakes and whose sole mission were to suck you dry of a hard earned weapon you had just paid mucho rupees for. These fortunate little bottom-feeders were called Like-Likes. That is why I decided to name a new feature article I will be preparing for 'Cultural Compulsive Disorder' after them. Like the fortunate bottom-feeder that I am, I will be scouring the blogosphere for loose related images, video clips, and articles that I found interesting, exciting, or maddening on other blogsites. Things that someone else has, no doubt, painstakingly worked on for weeks, even months, yet I will show no remorse borrowing from them and regurgitating on C-C-D, for you guys to appreciate as well, with all due credit given to it's origins, of course. Things that they liked...and I like...so I'd like to see if you like. So without further ado, I give you "Like!-Like?"

It's a slow 'Like' week.....here's what I'm liking though...

Can't get enough of your fat celebs? Over at Worth1000 there's 'tons' of photos your favorite celebrities photo-shopped to appear...umm..a little more rotund, shall we say? Some of them kinda seem more cute and lovable now, no?

....Like! Like?

Studio JOHO created this neat bit of side scrolling fun which posing the question: What would happen if you saved the princess in real life. This ones fun from start to finish...and I would love to actually play it!

....Like! Like?

A couple of fun morsels designed NOT just for gelatinous creatures to ingest. Like! Like?

Reality Check #5 by Kate Jones

A few years ago I could care less about keeping up with much television. I picked a few shows that I thought were worth keeping up with, like Alias and Lost, but I cared more about being social (code- I was going out and getting drunk with my friends). Then in 2005, I met my future husband Rich, which awoke a sweeping desire to stay home more often. Still, we didn’t watch anything consistently (except Lost- don’t worry, Goldblum!) until the heavenly day when we moved into our own apartment and got…DVR! With this handy device, Rich and I slowly started watching anything that piqued our interest. We would watch Survivor when we were home and it was on, so now we taped Survivor. Same with Amazing Race and the Biggest Loser. Our summer belongs to Big Brother. When we’re bored, we watch MTV and VH1 Reality. It has come to a point where this stuff ALMOST outweighs the comedy and drama that we have always loved. Now lets get to this weeks most entertaining moments in reality TV!!!

Reality Rundown!

Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains: Boston Rob is gone! The Dragon Slayer is gone! Courtney (the sassy New York Waitress that weighs less then my pinky toe) is gone! Parvati has an immunity idol that only Danielle knows about and Russell has an immunity idol that J.T. gave him (moron) that Danielle, Parvati and the entire Heroes team knows about.

And tonight is the merge….and though I’m totally convinced that I am writing this for myself, let’s go over the remaining players in order by the damage they can do and their chances of winning.

Russell- The Survivor Villain (Past runner up)
Parvati- The Queen of Survivor (Former winner)
Amanda- Survivor’s Sweetheart (Two runner up finishes)
J.T.- The New Survivor Good Guy (former winner)
Colby- The Original Survivor Good Guy (past runner up)
Danielle- Three’s a Crowd Survivor (former (past runner up)
Rupert- Pirate with a Big Mouth Survivor (Fan Favorite Winner)
Candice- “I’m Still Here?” Survivor
Sandra- “I can plant a Russell seed, too” Survivor (Former winner)
Jerri- “I used to be a bad ass” Survivor

Honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen tonight. I think it should be obvious that Russell is in an alliance with Parvati to the Heroes right away. Also, Sandra will be able to inform her old buddy, Rupert, as to what’s been happening over at the Villains camp. Hopefully, J.T. smartens up and gets his immunity idol back one way or another. The best-case scenario for EVERY Hero is to get rid of Russell, or his little alliance will go a long way. If I were Danielle though, I would watch out. She is way too opinionated for Russell’s good. If I were Russell, I would watch out, because he is taking way too much credit for what he is doing with Parvati, and she doesn’t like it (made obvious by the fact that she didn’t tell him about the immunity idol).  Watch out for Candice- Things may start looking up. Look for my reaction on tonight’s episode later this week!

Celebrity Apprentice: I was all for Annie Duke last time and this time, I want Maria Kanellis! This girl is awesome. Hopefully it isn’t a total fix like last season where Sharon Osbourne is the new Joan Rivers.

Biggest Loser: Still inspirational, but largely boring. Same cookie cutter episodes as every other season.

Amazing Race: Sorry, mean lesbians. The dumb models finally got you. Stop being bitter and learn that when you are horrible to people, eventually you will get your come-uppance. Only a few teams left!

American Idol: Seriously, this season is just a formality. Crystal Bowersox is fantastic and if America doesn’t keep her, then clearly we are as dumb as every other country thinks we are.

That’s all, reality lovers.  See ya next time... happy viewing!!!

Throwback Thursdays Vol #12, 4/22/2010

GangStarr Has Got To Be The Sure Shot!!!!

This week we lost a true Hip Hop pioneer in Guru of the group GangStarr to cancer. He was only 43 years old. So in honor of this musical giant, Throwback Thursday is all Guru today... R.I.P. kid....

Gang Starr - Mass Appeal

Gang Starr - Code Of The Streets

Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep

Gang Starr - Ex Girl To The Next Girl

Gang Starr ft. Nice and Smooth - Dwyck

Gang Starr - You Know My Steez

You will always be missed my man!!!! Keep spitting those bars up in heaven!!! R.I.P

"Artin' It Up" Volume #3 by Tommy Lombardozzi

Welcome To New Orleans!!!

Hey hey! Whattup, kids?! I hope you’ve all missed me! Well, this is my third week contributing to the C.C.D. blog, and so far it’s been fun. This week and last I’ve tried to give something extra to the page with exclusive, all-new content! And that shit ain’t easy! I’ve been drawing since 11pm tonight… and as I write this it’s 4:14am! (Mike, I hope you appreciate this, sonzo!) But truth be told, it is a challenge that I enjoy. (Fuck, my right hand hurts… from drawin’ it up! This is gonna be a bitch to type, so, lemme just get right to this week’s contribution. Time to ART IT THE FUUUCK UP!!!

Ok, so this week’s theme is… NEW ORLEANS!!!

Now, I don’t pretend to be any sort of expert on the Crescent City. I’ve only been there once, and I was drunk 95% of the time, so I don’t remember much. But, I’ve been watching the new HBO show ‘Treme’ (which is great so far! Tune in Sunday nights!), and while I was trying to come up with a theme for this week’s “Artin’ It Up” article, I thought “Why not New Orleans?!” I got on the internet, searched for some interesting photos, and adapted them Tommy-style! I have four BRAND NEW pieces of art to share with you this week… you lucky bastards! And as usual, I’ve employed several different styles and mediums to keep things interesting. Man, I’m good. So, here goes…

Nawlins Art #1: “THE AFTERMATH”

Well, let’s get the tragedy out of the way. It’s kinda hard to think of New Orleans nowadays without thinking of Hurricane Katrina. As I was going through photos on the interweb of Katrina’s aftermath (busted levees and all that), one photo stuck out; a house sitting on top of some trees and bushes! I thought it was interesting. So, I drew it. It’s done in crayon, colored pencil, and a bit of marker (the “blood”).

Nawlins Art #2: “MASTER OF CEREMONIES/BEADS”

OK, let’s get the party started! N.O. is known as a great party city… and not only during Mardi Gras! Look at all the beads this guy’s sportin’! You KNOW he’s gonna see alotta tits! Probably some C’n’B, too! I call this dude “The Master of Ceremonies”… INDEED! The photo I took this from was tiny and blurry, so I have to make up some details, but I think I got the spirit of this character down. The photo was also really colorful… green suit, red cape, multi-colored beads, gold mask… but as I was drawing, I really liked it in black & white. So, that’s how you’re gettin’ it! It’s all ink & Sharpie marker. Enjoy!!!


Nawlins Art #3: “STREET MUSICIAN”

This was adapted from a simple photo of an ol’ black man playin’ his ‘bone, sitting on a milk crate. So, I did a simple drawing; big, bold marker lines, slight abstraction as far as perspective, and some digital coloring. I could do a whole series of Nawlins’ musicians… and maybe someday I will. But today you just get the ol’ black man playin’ his ‘bone, sitting on a milk crate. I bet he’s really good, too.

And, here’s the last piece for this week…



Nawlins Art #4: “PIRATE’S ALLEY”

I don’t know why it’s called Pirate’s Alley, but who cares?! What a great street! If you want more info, hit up Wikipedia… or call the New Orlean’s department of tourism! I’m just here to share some drawings, sucka! The photo that inspired this was of a dark, wet, lonely N.O. street. Rape Alley, anyone?! But seriously, it seemed like the kinda place you’d like to walk down after a night of heavy boozin’, tired and satisfied with your night of dirty Nawlins’ fun, ready for bed. Life is good. Ahhhh. Anyway, this is done in marker and pastel. I have never really used pastel before, which is why I chose them for this piece. Something different, y’know? They’re messy, but it was fun. I think I’ll use ‘em again! BIG DEAL! Ha.

So, that’s it for this week, C.C.Degenerates. I hope you’ve enjoyed my new shit. Keep coming back to the C.C.D. blog for new material EVERY DAY! (I only do “ARTIN’ IT UP” once a week, but Mike D. posts stuff everyday… plus there’s Kate Jone’s reality TV round up, “Reality Check”, Jeff Bond’s ‘Lost’ recap (and then some!) on Thursdays, and the brand new C.C. D. feature ‘Trailer Trash Talkin’ with Kristen Grillo’, where the little lady reviews movie trailers! Hot damn! This friggin’ blog provides fun for one and all! Tell your friends, and become a follower! Be one of the COOL KIDS!

So, until next week… fuck y’all!
Um, I mean… SMILE UP!
~TL