H.R. Giger is a Swiss artist who created one of the greatest movie monsters of all time. His works and artistic ideals led to the creation of the Xenomorph, of Alien fame. But the way I came to know and love his work was a bit weirder than that. Giger designed the VIP room in Limelight, the famous NYC nightclub that was so dope during the early 90s. It is the first club I ever went to in my life... at the ripe old age of 14. I was taken by some older friends and spent the first hour in the club wandering around. The coolest part about Limelight had to be that it was a former church. The exterior remained exactly the same, and the interior retained many of the churches original designs (like the altar, which was the DJ booth). But there were a few separate rooms, in which different music was played then the main room. So as a wide eyed kid, I wandered into a VIP room and managed to weasel my way in. As I entered, I was blown away.... the whole rooms walls were decorated with the artistic styling of H.R. Giger! It was crazy in there... and one of the coolest nightclub scenes I have ever seen since. It was the coolest themed room in the whole joint, and in all the years that I would visit Limelight I always tried to pop in there just to catch a glimpse of his magnificent work. Giger has been in the limelight (pun intended.... see what I did there) once again do to the success of Prometheus (which feature some of his early Alien designs) and a new documentary entitled Jodorowsky's Dune, which tells the story of Alejandro Jodorowsky's failed attempt to make a Dune adaption into a movie. Giger was commissioned to bring Frank Herbert's world to life. Unfortunately that never happened... but now we will finally get to see the genius work Giger had planned for us. He died this week after complications from a fall that he endured. Rest in Piece, sir... and thanks for the art! You can see some pics of Giger's room at Limelight after the jump.....
Giger (on left) with Limelight owner Peter Gatien in the Giger Room
As I said in my Wrestlemania review, coming out of this weekend, I was more excited to be a wrestling fan than I have been in a very long time. Unfortunately, that excitement has been tempered by the sad and untimely passing of the Ultimate Warrior this past Tuesday. If you were a wrestling fan in the late 80's and early 90's, then the Ultimate Warrior was part of your fandom, no question. Personally, I was a Randy Savage kid. In fact, my fandom of the big three went Savage, then Hogan, and then Warrior. But even with that said, Warrior's passing is definitely another little part of my childhood that’s now been snuffed out, and too early at that, because he was only 52 years old. He'd just mended his bridges with the WWE, was inducted into the Hall of Fame and was getting ready to assume the role of some kind of goodwill ambassador with the company. And again, even though I was never the biggest Warrior fan, I was definitely looking forward to seeing what this would entail.
Continued after the jump!
Despite the fact that he was my #3 in the 80's triumvirate of wrestling icons, there's no arguing the impact the Ultimate Warrior had on the WWF in the late 80's. He may not have had the technique or skill of The Macho Man, or the monumental cultural influence of Hulk Hogan, but the Warrior brought an unrivaled intensity and unique charisma to his craft. His entrance was pure bombast. He was the only guy who would come flying down the aisle at 90 miles an hour as soon as his music hit. He would lap the ring a few times, then get in and shake the ropes like he was trying to break the ring apart. It was unique and electric and it definitely made the Warrior stand out from the crowd (so did the crazy face paint, neon tassels on his arms and his absolutely shredded physique). It didn't even really matter that he was absolutely sucking wind before the bell even rang most days, his matches usually weren't booked to go that long anyway! I'd almost go so far as to say Warrior gets a bad rap when it comes to his work rate in the ring. He was no Ric Flair by any stretch of the imagination, but the dude COULD work a match, especially when paired with an opponent with superior in-ring skills (more on that in a second), he just didn't need to. No one wanted to watch Warrior wrestle a mat classic. They wanted to see him bulldoze an opponent and press his vanquished foe over his head before sending him crashing down to the canvas again. Its part of what made the gimmick work so well. It's like he took Hogan's superhero shtick but dialed it up to 1000.
Wrestlemania VI is one of Warrior's shining moments, and I still remember where I was when it happened. The Ultimate Warrior, then the Intercontinental Champion was wrestling Hulk Hogan, the World Heavyweight Champion. This was unheard of . Babyface vs. Babyface. Hero vs. Hero. This was like Optimus Prime fighting Grimlock. Or Batman fighting Superman. It had never happened before, and it had the effect of immediately separating the Hogan marks from the Warrior marks. I think Warrior was probably the "cooler" choice, but I was cheering for Hogan, who was my hero as long as he wasn't fighting the Macho Man. The promos leading up to this match between the two were like a contest for who could spew the most overblown, hyperbolic nonsense. Meaning they were absolutely incredible. Warrior won that match at the Skydome in Toronto. He moved out from under Hulk Hogan's legdrop! You'd have thought something truly tragic had happened for 10 year old Joey because no one had ever done that before! Warrior then pinned Hogan to simultaneously hold both titles. That had never been done before either! This was nuts!
If Warrior's wrestling career ended right then and there, he would still have had a historic run. He went on to have memorable feuds with Andre the Giant, Ravishing Rick Rude, Jake the Snake, The Undertaker and Randy Savage, with some of those guys, Rude and Savage in particular, even able to carry him to some truly excellent matches.
Disputes over money, backstage politics, and the Federal steroid investigation all contributed to the souring of Warrior's relationship with the WWF, and he eventually left the company in the early 90's. Stories came out about the guy being a major headcase, being difficult to work with, and also that he was a raving lunatic. The fact that he changed his name legally to Warrior in order to circumvent Vince McMahon's copyright on the name "Ultimate Warrior" does nothing to dispel these stories, especially not the last one. He would return to the WWF briefly in 1996 but be gone just as quickly, and then had a brief run in WCW, about which the less said, the better (actually if I'm being honest, I can't write about it because I didn't see any of it. I was always a WWE loyalist, and had no interest in watching Nitro at the time. I read about it all though, and it sounded awful). He also had a truly nonsensical, "epitome of everything wrong with the 90's comic book industry" comic book come out some time during this period. Thankfully, it only lasted 4 issues.
By the late 90's, Warrior had gotten a bad reputation. That was fueled in part by the WWE's "Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior" DVD, (which was one hell of a hatchet job on the guy), and in part by the fact that in the years since his retirement he's said some things that some people found incredibly offensive (and I found, for the most part, incredibly hilarious, just for the sheer lunacy of it all). This led to me not really expecting much, or investing much emotion when it was announced that he'd returned to the fold and would (rightfully) be part of the Hall of Fame class of 2014. So I was really pleasantly surprised by his acceptance speech. He definitely humanized himself in my eyes. He has two sweet little girls and a beautiful wife, and when I heard he'd died my first thought was of them, because whatever you think about this guy as an outside observer, its tragic for kids that age to have to grow up without their father. As a wrestling fan, I'm gratified that Warrior was able to come back to the WWE and be part of the family again before he passed. Whatever my opinion became of the guy after he left the ring, its the memories he created for 10 year old Joey that I like to remember. My thoughts are with his family in their grief, and I wish them strength and peace of mind in the days to come.
To close this out, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Ultimate Warrior memories
This first one is my favorite Ultimate Warrior memory. Honky Tonk Man had used trickery, deception and other nefarious means to hang on to the Intercontinental Championship for 18 months. He was scheduled to face Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake at Summer Slam '88, but a boating accident put the Barber on the shelf. Honky had begun calling himself the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time, and was becoming a real heat magnet because of that. So it was suitably epic when Honky got in the ring and wrote a check his body couldn't cash by demanding an opponent. Warrior hit the ring and the Garden came unglued. A few seconds later it was over and Ultimate Warrior was your new Intercontinental Champion. Truly epic!
This was Warriors half of the WrestleMania VI promos. Hoke Hogan never saw him coming!
And here's the finish of that match where Warrior beats Hogan. I can't emphasize enough how earth shattering this was for me. Hulk Hogan lost. This was like finding out there was no Santa Claus.
I wanted to post the Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage retirement match in its entirety because that's definitely Warriors best work in the ring ever, but I can't find it on YouTube. So go get yourself the WWE Network and check it out. Its from WrestleMania 7. The ending is also one of Randy Savage's greatest moments, and possibly my favorite wrestling moment of all time, but I won't spoil it.
This one is some cheesy early 90's greatness. While feuding with the Undertaker, the Warrior sought the assistance of Jake the Snake in order to teach him to conquer the Undertaker's darkness... or something. Anyway, Jake turns heel on him here. Silly, but classic stuff.
And here's some even sillier stuff.. Also great, but for different reasons. Voodoo witch doctor Papa Shango put a curse on the Warrior. Enjoy.
And this is from Warriors WCW stint in 98 or 99. Again, the less said about this, the better.
And finally, to help get that terrible taste out of your mouth, Here's The Ultimate Team (Ultimate Warrior, the Legion of Doom and Kerry Von Eric) vs. The Perfect Team (Mr. Perfect and Demolition) from Survivor Series 1990! Awesome.
Growing up we had an HBO subscription in our house. Not cable, just HBO. It was one channel, and it was glorious. My dad had gotten the HBO service because of the Mike Tyson fights that were shown on there before Pay Per View boxing became the norm. Tyson was electric, and his fights every six month were justification enough to own the service. But one of the things that always drew me in was the amount of stand up comedy shows that HBO played. They didn't have the original programming that they are currently know for, and they didn't have the massive amounts of movies licensed to show... so they filmed comedians up on stage, doing their bits, and pre-packaged them in a way that was rarely seen before. Comedy specials have existed for years... but they were usually full length, from an hour to two hours of one comedian. HBO perfected the short form, 30 minute stand up specials that were perfect for introducing new comedies to a broad audience. They also were know for their 'Young Comedian' specials that featured 3-4 comedians doing 5-8 minute bits. It was a great time for the genre, and I was hooked. Andrew Dice Clay, Jeff Foxworthy, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Nelson... these are just a few of the names that I saw rise and shine through HBO. But one particular comedian stood out to me: John Pinette.
Read More after the jump...
Pinette came around later than those other dudes I mentioned, but he was a dude that had some of the most memorable bits I can recall. Maybe it was the fact that he was a big fat dude, making big fat jokes... being chubby myself, it was great to see a bigger dude making jokes at his own expense that related to things like eating and finding clothes that fit. One of my favorite bits was his All You Can Eat Buffet bit. It is my personal fave...
The dude was a very funny fellow, and his running buffet jokes often made me laugh hysterical. I will miss this big dude. Gone way to young at 50 years young. Some of his full stand ups can be found for free over at Youtube. Below I will post his 2004 special I Say Nay Nay and his 2007 special I'M Starving. Both are great, and pretty cool 1 hour videos worth checking out. Rest In Peace John... thanks for all the memories. Enjoy that big buffet up there in the sky!!!
A little piece of my youth just died. Wow, this sucks. Harold Ramis, 1/4 of the famous Ghostbusters and writer/filmmaker/producer extraordinaire has passed away. He died from complications of a rare disease, autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis. Very rarely do we find someone in the film industry that is SO TALENTED on so many DIFFERENT LEVELS. This is a man responsible for writing classics like Ghostbusters, Stripes, Caddyshack and Animal House. He directed Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, Analyze This, and Club Paradise (a personal fave of mine). He acted brilliantly in Ghostbusters I & II, Stripes, and late career cameos in films like Orange County & Knocked Up where he always stole the show. He is also responsible for most of the stories that powered the various Ghostbusters cartoons and video games from the last 30 years. The dude was a true triple threat that is quite rare in Hollywood. I honestly hate this part of getting old, its inevitable that the people you looked up to in your favorite forms of entertainment are bound to pass on. It is also more frustrating to lose a dude like this before they could make Ghostbusters III, all for no reason. They could have gotten any budget and done anything they wanted, and with Ramis writing the project I am sure it would have been epic. Thanks for fucking around all these years and wasting time (yes I am talking to you Bill Murray!). Take it light Egon, you were a really talented dude who seemed to be just a regular guy. Enjoy that big ghost trap in the sky!!! I will be posting a few of my favorite Ramis moments after the jump...
Knocked Up: One of my favorite scenes featuring Ramis, even though it is a short cameo:
Stripes: Willing To Learn - Nope, never convicted... lol
Orange County: The Dean Flips Out - Stealing a whole movie in a short cameo...
Ghostbusters: Twinkie Scene - Does it get any nerdier than this... lol
Ghostbusters: This Man Has No Dick - I know Ramis doesn't utter most of the classic lines, but by far my favorite scene in the film...
Stripes: Basic English - The first scene... really? So great!
Stripes: Psycho & Ox - Ramis doesn't say a word, but his faces mugging with John Candy are brilliant
Best of Caddyshack: Since he wrote it and directed it, its only fitting...
Elmore Leonard has been around the writing game for quite sometime... and chances are you have enjoyed an a adaption of his work even if you don't know it. Sure, some people know that Leonard wrote Rum Punch (the book that would become Jackie Brown), Get Shorty, and Out of Sight... but did you know he also created Justified (the Raylan Givens character was the star of Leonard's books Pronto & Riding The Rap and the short story Fire in the Hole)? How about the fact that he wrote 3:10 to Yuma way back in 1953... 1953!!!!! They made that into a killer western booth in the 50's and 2007... 50 years LATER! Talk about a work of literature holding up. How about the fact that 26.. 26... of Leonard's works have been adapted for the TV or big screen? Leonard was witty, intelligent, but not afraid to be silly and over the top... and no one wrote comedic crime fiction like him. Rum Punch is one of my all time favorite books. Always will be. I sat down and checked out Jackie Brown the other day just to pay a bit of respect to the creator. Take it light Mr. Leonard. Your work made entertainment that much better. RIP brother. Check out some of my favorite clips of adaptions of Leonard's work after the jump...
Jackie Brown:
The Big Bounce (A very underrated movie... check it out):
Get Shorty:
Freaky Deaky (A great indy movie that is full of stars and streaming on Netflix... watch it!):
One of the greatest rappers of all time has to be be Christopher Lee Rios, aka Big Pun. Making his first appearance on Fat Joe's jealous Ones Envy album back in 1995 and then blazing numerous guest spots and albums of his own, the giant size rapper faded out into a sad early death at the tender age of of 28. He is single handily responsible for some of the greatest one liners in rap history, and made some severely underrated and high quality albums in his short time in the spotlight. Can you really ever say 'Boricua... Morena, Boricua... Morena' and not have someone instantly know what song you are talking about? Pun is an icon of my teenage years and one of my favorite artists to this very day. In honor of the 13th anniversary of his death, I am sharing my top 5 of his awesome videos after the jump. Not necessarily his best songs, just a few of my personal faves. Big Pun Rest In Peace!!!!!
5) The Beatnuts ft Big Pun & Cuban Links - Off The Books
4) Big Pun ft Fat Joe - 98 Deep Cover (Twinz)
3) Big Pun ft Tony Sunshine - 100%
2) Fat Joe ft Nas, Jadakiss, Big Pun, and Raekwon - John Blaze
1) Noreaga ft Big Pun, Nature, Cam'ron and The Lox - Banned From TV
Bonus Feature:
Big Pun ft Donell Jones - It's So Hard (his first single released after he died)
Ray Bradbury passed away last week and I am a dick because I never took a second to pay him proper tribute. Bradbury is responsible for a litany of literary classics, most notably in the Sci Fi genre. His best known works would probably be The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and one of my all time favorite books Fahrenheit 451. But after he passed away, lots of other more responsible/respectable sites (we suck here at CCD...sorry!!!) ran cool stories in tribute to Mr. Bradbury. One of the best ones that I saw had to an infographic of all the predictions that Ray Bradbury made in his books that ended up coming true in real life. In sci fi people take chances when they "predict" what technology will come in the future, but it seems like my man Ray had much more than a hope when constructing his ideas of what technology in the future would look like. Well played Mr. Bradbury!!! Take a look at the infographic after the jump and if you have never read a Bradbury book put it onto your to do list ASAP....
Thanks for all the memories Mr. Bradbury.... If you can't see the details on the screen if you click it to enlarge, you can click here to see it in a gigantic version!!!
Everybody loves to make fun of disco music and say that it has been dead for a long time. But in reality disco has lived on for years & years in the hearts and dance steps of people all across the world. Disco was a bit before my era, but having parents & family members who were very active in that scene I was exposed to it rather often. But two things stand out two me. One would be the magical voice of Donna Summers. Second would have to be the masterpiece that is the 'Saturday Night Fever' album. Both were staples of my youth, especially Summers songs. My sister used to play many of these songs (on records that belonged to my disco loving Uncle) on my great grandmothers record player, and the smooth sound of the Bee Gees & Ms. Donna bring me back to a better time. Yet now two important people from those memories are gone: Donna Summers passed away at the age of 63, and Robin Gibb dead is dead at 62... both due to cancer.
Click after the jump for more:
Robin Gibbs was an intergral part of the Bee Gees. They sold millions of records and Robin was a huge part of that. Even though I love all of their songs and they are touchstones for a generation of people, the thing that reminds me about Robin the most has to be his portrayal by Justin Timberlake as the sidekick to brother Barry Gibb (Jimmy Fallon) on the 'Barry Gibb Talk Show' skits from Saturday Night Live. Probably one of my all time favorite skits. Fallon - "Robin do you have any thoughts?" Timberlake - "No... No I don't". So great. He was a legend and will be missed. Check it out:
Double dutch.... Double Dutch!!! So great...
So sexy... so iconic
Now I know that it is easy to say how horrible it is when someone famous passes away, but usually after it happens we move past it rather quickly. But Donna Summers is going to stick with me for much longer. I lost my sister Oona to cancer way back in 2002. She was my older sister, my best friend, my heart. For us, Donna Summers was the soundtrack of our early life. It stuck with us all the way up until her death. We always jammed out to Donna, and she never disappointed us. She has one of the greatest voices in the HISTORY of the world. 'Last Dance, 'Heaven Knows', 'Love To Love You', 'MacArthur Park' & especially 'On the Radio'... her songs will be with me for a lifetime. This one goes out to you Donna... hopefully you and Oona are boogeying in Heaven.
I will never forget the first time I saw the famous cover of 'Where The Wild Things Are', with its sleeping monster in Maurice Sendak's unique artistic style. I was 5 years old, walking into Mrs. Adler's Kindergarten classroom at P.S. 207 in Howard Beach, NY. My dad was NOTORIOUS fr always being late, but this was my first day of school and he wanted to get me there early. I arrived first, and was met at the door by Mrs. Adler. She smiled at me, welcomed into my first classroom, and told me to go take a book as I was waiting for my fellow classmates to arrive. I said goodbye to my pops, moved across the strange place to the book shelf, and scanned the titles for something interesting to peruse. My eyes immediately locked on to "Where The Wild Things Are". The sleeping monster had such a unique look and I needed to see more. From that moment on anytime we had a chance to free read a book from the shelf I chose that book. There were other great ones (Danny & The Dinosaur, The Bernstein Bears, multiple Dr. Suess books, etc), but I always rotated back to Sendak's epic book. It had my heart...
Click after the jump for more from Mike D
My love for Sendak had never wavered over the years. As an adult I have always revered the images from "Where the Wild Things Are". My Google profile pic is Max & the Monsters swinging from the trees. The first book I ever bought for my son after he was born was "Where The Wild Things Are". He loves it almost as much as me now. When the Spike Jonze movie came out adapting the book, my fiance Tara knew just how important it was to me. She got us tickets to the midnight screening on a Thursday night, even though she had work the next day. On the way there we got a flat tire. I couldn't get the lug nuts off to change the tire, so we were going to have to call roadside assistance. But I had to see this movie and couldn't wait for that to happen. I had been waiting for this film adaption for years. Tara saw it in my eyes. So she begrudgingly agreed to let me drive on the flat to the theater and we would deal with the flat AFTER the movie. That is true love. By the time the flick was over and we got the flat fixed, we got home around 3:30 am. She had to leave for work at 6:30 am. But neither of us were sad. We were so high on the magical world of Sendak that we both went to bed with thoughts of wolf suits and mythical monsters, not about waking up for work. It was glorious.
I am saddened by the death of Sendak, but it is more for my own selfish reasons. He was one of the few famous people I had HOPED to have met before they passed on. My favorite Actor, Actress & Director died before I could meet them (Peter Sellers, Audrey Hepburn & Stanley Kubrick), but Sendak seemed so alive whenever I saw him (like on the Colbert Report...classic) that I felt like I had forever to meet him. Now I won't have the shot. He now joins the group of my fantasy dinner party, with the likes of Sellers, Kubrick, Hepburn, Babe Ruth, Salvador Dali, Bob Kane, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Pistol Pete Maravich and other famous folks who I would love to have met. Man that party would be great!
So Rest in peace Mr. Sendak. Thanks for "Where The Wild Things Are", all 328 words in it. I can't wait to read it with my future children, grandchildren, and anyone else I can. You will be missed. Rest In Peace!!!
I have been away from this blog over the past few days, so I have not really had the chance to convey just how sad I am over the death of Adam Yauch, aka MCA, of The Beastie Boys. I have been a fan of the Beasties since the tender old age of 7. Yeah, I said it. SEVEN. I was in second grade at P.S. 207 elementary school in Howard Beach, NY when 'License to Ill' was released back in 1986. Even though I may have been a bit young for the crazy sentiments contained on the album, but I had an older sister, Oona, who was in the 6th grade. Her and her friends embraced 'License To Ill' with a furor that only teenagers could do, and the album was EVERYWHERE. It was so popular it was trickling down to the kids in school who were still in single digits. Man was that album epic....
Click after the jump for more words from Mike D...
One of my youngest musical memories has to be memorizing the lyrics to every song on that album. Girls, No Sleep To Brooklyn, Fight For Your Right, Brass Monkey, Hold It Now Hit... the list goes on and on. But one song resonated more than any of the others. One song remained more popular than all the others. PAUL REVERE. Why? I have no idea... but when that track was on EVERYONE knew the words. EVERYONE. 7 year old girls were "doing it like this, doing it like that, doing it with a wiffle ball bat" . Wow, that is hysterical. 7 year old chicks singing about sodomizing a girl with a plastic bat (or his penis, either way its a great line)? Pure AWESOMENESS!! I even performed this song in the annual 207 talent show that year with two of my boys. What part did I sing? Of course the part of Mike D (lol)!!! But MCA had the best lines in the song, and he made that album the best.
The Beasties Back In the Day
Yauch was super important to the Beastie's on multiple levels. Sure his lyrics and musical contributions were 33% of one of the greatest musical groups in history. But he was also the driving force behind most of their videos, he was their most outspoken leader on social issues, and was just an all around picture of someone who loved his job. The guy was simply one of the good ones. I am super saddened to see him go, and I know that EVERYONE has put up a tribute to him... so here at CCD we are gonna keep it short and sweet. Here is the video for "Hold It Now, Hit", which shows the Beasties having a lot of fun back in the early days of Def Jams tours. This is how we should remember MCA. Smilin' & Whylin'. Enjoy the video. R.I.P. Adam...
Today is March 9th... a day that will forever go down in infamy for hip hop fans everywhere. 15 years ago today The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles after performing a show. It came at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rap wars and just a few short years after Tupac himself had been gunned downed. I remember the day vividly... I was at the mall with my friend Anthony in Upstate NY when Hot 97 made the announcement. It wasn't the current era of instant news and real time updates via the web. The news was slow to come out and wasn't really confirmed until much later in the day. All I know is that I was crushed. My favorite rapper was gone, just a few short weeks before the world would get to hear his second album. God I miss ya B.I.G... Check out a few of my favorite Biggie videos after the jump so we could celebrate the man who was taken from us far to soon. To quote Canabis "... Because the greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th!!!"
Another one bites the dust... this time way to soon. Davy Jones, lead singer of 60s group The Monkees, has passed away due to a heart attack. The Monkees had quite a few hits back in the (Daydream Believer is one of my all time favorite songs), but for kids in my generation we got to know Davy & the gang through the TV. My first experience with Davy was as the object of Marcia Brady's obsession on The Brady Bunch. Marcia loved her some Davy... And secondly I know him from the kooky 60s Tv show that only lasted two seasons but has long been showed in syndication. I always loved that show for its weird sense of humor and the cool camera techniques that were used. It is a sad day for people my parents age, especially the ladies! Davy, you will be missed. CCD salutes you!!! Click after the jump for a few videos in Davy Jones's memory...
The Opening & Closing credits for The Monkees TV Show:
I was deeply saddened by the untimely death of one of my favorite rappers of all time, Heavy D. Heavy was a true pioneer of the game and one of the first rappers I remember listening to as a kid. He was also a fave of mine because he was a big boy... but that big boy could dance his ass off!!! Despite the fact he was a tad bit fatter then other rappers, my man Heav was smooth as shit with the ladies and could outdance just about any motherfucker in the game. He opened the doors for future chubby rappers like Notorious BIG and Big Pun, breaking stereotypes as only a true pioneer could. As a young chubster myself, I looked to him for inspiration when it came to getting fresh for a fat guy. Heavy was the fucking man... and its sad to see him go at just 44 years old. Rest in peace Big Guy... the girls will always love you!!!
Check out my favorite Heavy D videos after the jump...
My favorite Heavy D song ever (and my teenage theme song):
I used to sub in my name during the chorus, "Girls, the girls, they love me... he is the overweight lover Mikey D!!!"
My second favorite Heavy D track (Traditions teen night crew, stand up!!!):
Andy Whitfield made a huge impression on me from the very first episode of Spartacus that I ever watched on Starz. He had that "it" factor that certain actors/actresses just possess, and he lit up the screen with swagger as the Thracian slave turned warrior hero. Over the weekend he succumbed to his two year long battle with cancer and died at age 39. R.I.P. Andy... thanks for all the blood-soaked memories!!!
One of my fondest memories of growing up as an 80's baby would have to be the Police Academy movies. They were so taboo, filled with curses and sex. My parents (as well as all other adults) watched the movies after they thought we had gone to sleep, or when they thought we weren't around... but we were!!! I remember all the outrageousness, all the nudity, all the cussing... c'mon, these movies are wonderful!!! Today came the sad news that one of the films stars, former NFL star player Bubba Smith, passed away at the age of 66. Smith played officer Hightower, and his huge stature (he was like 6'6) made for some funny moments throughout the numerous films in the series. Click Read more below to see some of the best clips featuring Hightower. Rest in peace big guy!!!
Wow, this is great. Bubba Smith on a British hidden comedy show. Unreal!!!
... there were people who were shocked over Amy Winehouse overdosing on drugs and killing herself? Why were they shocked exactly? This is the singer who only had one album here in the U.S. (Back to Black), the album that won 5 GRAMMY's.... and no one noticed just how bad Amy was looking after years of prolonged drug use? GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!!!! Take one look at the pictures after the jump, and you won't be puzzled at how Amy died... you will be more puzzled about how she stayed alive so fucking long to begin with!!! She had a great voice, but is in no way a legend and this is not a tragedy. This is another case of a celeb that has all the money and opportunity in the world to seek out help choosing to kill herself. Nothing more to it. In my opinion, she accomplished what she wanted to. She partied until she died. Like C said in 'A Bronx Tale' "There is nothing worse in life then wasted talent". Peace out Amy.... you shoulda went to Rehab, huh?
***Please click Read more below to see more pics of Amy Winehouse***
I was very saddened to hear of the passing of 83 year old Hollywood titan Peter Falk, on Friday evening. Most people know the lovable Falk from his career-defining role as Lieutenant Columbo on TV, but if you are an 80's baby, such as myself, then you definitely know Falk as the Grandfather from 'The Princess Bride'. I have loved Falk since I was a kid... it was just something about his thick New York accent and silly putty face that made me smile. I will miss him dearly.
He starred in two of my all time favorite movies EVER: 'Murder by Death' (1976), and 'The In Laws' (1979). The tears of laughter I have shed watching those two films countless times can't be counted. I have watched parts of 'Murder By Death' at least 50 times in the past two years since I got Netflix Instant. watching Falk on screen with my favorite actor, Peter Sellers, in a Neil Simon production is a must for all true movie fans."I get 50 bucks a day plus expenses... I hate them queeries!!!" 'The In Laws' is one of the greatest buddy comedy movies ever, pairing Falk with Alan Arkin. "Serpentine Shel... Serpentine" And who could forget Falk guest starring in the Favreau/Vaughn comedy 'Made'. "Because you lost my fucking carpet cleaning van, and I don't like you!!!". Priceless....
In honor of his passing, here are a few clips of his work. I hope you guys search out some of his movies. Films like 'The Brinks Job', 'Murder By Death', 'Cookie', 'Made', 'The In Laws', 'The Thing About My Folks', 'The Princess Bride' and 'The Great Muppet Caper' all need a re-watch. Get to it. see ya around Petey... thanks for all the memories!!!
Just give one listen to this excerpt from Viva La Bam, a show that went off the air at least 4 years ago (I am to lazy to check). In it you have April Margera and Bam Margera talking about how reckless an crazy a driver Ryan Dunn is, how he wrecked numerous cars, and how he probably will.... get this.... DIE IN A CAR ACCIDENT!!! Listen for yourself:
This had to be a few years back, so why is everyone so shocked about Dunn's death? Why is Margera calling Roger Ebert and people who are criticizing Dunn out when he HIMSELF was openly discussing Dunn dying just as he did? Cut the shit Bam. I know you lost a friend, but he killed a former Navy Seal/Iraqi War Vet and could have killed many other innocent people in the process. That gets no sympathy over here at CCD. I will miss Dunn's wild behavior, but can not feel sorry for someone who didn't care about his own life's worth.
I am beginning to become appalled with the celeb obsessed culture we are living in nowadays. These people who achieve fame nowadays (I hesitate to call them celebrities because this is the reality show/information age and everyone is getting media coverage) really believe that they are impervious to any consequences. Thanks to the natural laws of the world, these celebs are proven wrong on a regular basis and find new ways to embarrass/harm/destroy themselves weekly. Case in point:
What was left of Dunn's Porsche... DONT DRINK & DRIVE!!!
'Jackass' star Ryan Dunn died in a car wreck a few days ago, and people are flooding their Facebook statuses with "RIP" salutes, screaming how sad it is. Now, I liked Dunn's work more then most people... who doesn't like nutshots and toy cars being stuck up peoples asses? I actually LOVE 'Jackass' but, from the minute of his death, I new there was more to this story. First, he was tweeting pics of him and his boys downing beers a mere 2 hours before his car wreck. That was probably a hint that he was drunk before he drove. But now the police are reporting that he was travelling between 130-140 MPH and his blood alcohol level was .196, nearly TWICE the legal limit which is .08. So that means he willing boozed it up all night, jumped behind the wheel of his Porsche, and careened off the road into a forest at a similar speed to a NASCAR driver. Yeah... I feel really bad for him. Dick...
The Hot Wheel car that Dunn stuck up his own ass... now that's talent!!!
See, here is the thing. I have made plenty of bad decisions. I know this. I am not trying to be preachy or self righteous... that's not it at all. I have driven drunk, and I made it through many of those nights with little more then a hangover the next day. But as a 32 year old, I am a lot more mature now. I realize that if I am drunk, I should just take a cab home because I can hurt myself but, more importantly others. I have too much to lose. Celebrities make poor decisions like this all the time. Why? They have the money to have a driver, or better yet a friend to be a paid assistant to make sure they are OK. What is so hard about this? If my boy was famous, I would do this as a job. Why not? It's like having Eric & Turtle from 'Entourage' with you. One of them has to be the responsible one. Then these celeb douches hurt themselves and everybody cries about how sad it is. Why? They made the dick move, so they get no love from me...
Listen, I am not trying to be a downer. But if anybody has ever been to traffic court you see tons of regular joes who have spent the night in jail, lost their licenses, all due to Drunk Driving. Yet, celebs like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan have been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence and get slaps on the wrist. What if they KILLED an innocent person? That would be a real tragedy. And now we have Mr. Dunn shooting his car over a guardrail. Now he is dead. And I should be broken up about this? Why? I save my pity for those abused animals on the commercial with the Sarah McLaughlin songs (gets me every time) and soldiers who die in war defending our country. I save my RIP pity for celebs like Peter Sellers and Gilda Radner who died of Heart Failure and Cancer at ages of 54 and 42, way before their time.
RIP Gilda
These people not only had real talent, but were snatched from the Earth way to soon. And I should feel bad for a guy who achieved fame (and millions of bucks) for using a trampoline to shoot himself into a moving ceiling fan? Get the fuck outta here. Guys like Dunn & DJ AM, and losers like Lohan & Hilton will never get my respect. And they damn sure won't get my sympathy. It's sad to see someone die... but lets just be happy that he didn't kill some innocent bystander or kid in the process.
On a side note, Lindsay Lohan failed a alcohol test while she was on house arrest after her 15 run in with the law. Yeah, she was really being punished by being forced to stay in her lavish home with her friends coming over to party it up. Put that bitch in jail already... come on man! Real jail helped out Robert Downey Jr. and plenty of others. Let her experience 6 months in prison. I guarantee this nonsense stops.
Over the past weekend, Hollywood lost one of its greatest directors, Sidney Lumet. Lumet, known as "The Actors Director" amongst his peers, worked with the best and brightest throughout his long, illustrious career. Everyone from Fonda to Newman, to Dunaway to Brando, to Sophie Loren & Katherine Hepburn... Lumet worked with the best of the best. His top collaborations came with Sean Connery and Al Pacino (too many great films to count). Most of his movies were set in NYC and reflected an era of my hometown that was before my time but comes alive in movies like 'Dog Day Afternoon' and 'Serpico'. Lumet was a visionary all the way up until his last film, 'Before The Devil Knows Your Dead' (a phenomenal movie... really!). He was 86 years old... you will be missed Sidney. Thanks for the memories!!!
