William Shatner Makes Everything Better... Even Where The Wild Things Are!!!!

William Shatner is one of those legendary actors who can't do any wrong any more. They might have had ups and downs throughout their careers, and missteps as well... but they have reached that level of untouchable status that makes them bulletproof. And then they do things that add to their legend... things like Shatner did the other day at the Denver Comic Con. Shatty sat down with a group of young kids and read them Where The Wild Things Are aloud to them. Captain Kirk himself... using his trademark humor and nuttiness to its fullest extent. But the thing that makes this video so great has to be the fact that he looks like he is enjoying himself so much. Those kids are having fun too... they might not fully realize who it is talking at them, but someday it will be a story for them to tell. He was not Captain Kirk or Mr. Shatner that day... he was just Billy!!! Great tidbit that truly made me smile. Check out the full video after the jump...

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'When the Lights Go Out' - An Glow In the Dark Inspired Art Show @ Bottleneck Galleries NYC

As a life long New Yorker it is my duty to share all kinds of cool shit happening in my city with the rest of my fellow nerds, geeks and pop culture lovers. Even though NY has its fair share of cool things going on, lots of other states have been leading the charge in terms of gallery's that primarily focus on pop culture themed shows. But Bottleneck Galleries in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is doing their best to change that, and they seem to be doing a better job as each show comes and goes. Following up artist Raid  71's awesome 'The Popular Face of NY' art show, we get a bit of experimentation from the Bottleneck crew with a glow-in-the-dark driven show called 'When the Lights Go Out'. When the pieces appear to the naked eye, they seem like cool pop culture pieces. But when the lights go down, those pieces drastically change due to invisible glow-in-the-dark paint additions. The pieces take on a whole new life and get much more interesting... which is crazy cause they are already pretty dope! Looks like another hit show from the Bottleneck guys. Pieces will be available for purchase online starting tomorrow (April 13th), and the show runs from tonight's premiere (I'll be in the house) until May 1st. Try to get out and see the pieces for yourself... and help support local NY art galleries. Click after the jump to see some of my faves...

Where The Wild Things Are by Bruce Yan

Poltergeist by Cuyler Smith

The Shawshank Redemption by JP Valderrama

The Battle of Blackwater (Game of Thrones) by Mark Englert

2001: A Space Odyssey by Raid 71 

Show Poster

Three Mashup Posters by Justin Hillgrove

Justin Hillgrove is a very talented artist from Seattle, Washington. He runs a very cool blog entitled Imps & Monsters that helps to update all of the works that he & pal Mike Kapp put out. One of the coolest things they have on their site is three pieces that he has prepared for the upcoming April 2013 art show 'Icons & Influences' at LTD Gallery. The show will feature 30-40 paintings from Hillgrove & Kapp with some classic iconic pop culture characters, and judging from the first three pieces that have been released as a preview I definitely can't wait to see what this show has to offer. One of the pieces mashes up Charlie Brown with Evil Dead, and the other two feature killer Where The Wild Things Are characters. So wonderful.... Check out all three of them after the jump, and watch for more previews from this show in the upcoming future...

Peanuts/Evil Dead

Where The Wild Things Are/Studio Ghibili Characters

Where The Wild Things Are/Usual Suspects

Where The Amazing Things Are by Tanoshi Boy

I love everything that has a touch of Where The Wild Things Are in it, so when Jeff sent me this awesome rendition of Spider Man doing his best Max impression I knew that I just HAD to post it. Artist Tanoshi Boy hit a home run with this piece, but I only have one simple complaint about it. If he would have just added one more villain to the mix (Hobogoblin, Vulture, or maybe Carnage?) then we would have had a true to form Sinister Six of Wild Things. But it is still a pretty sweet piece even if its one villain short. Check out the full size piece after the jump...

Dr. Mierzwiak Takes On Movie Posters With His Own Unique Style

I come across many artists who ply their wares on the Net, but the thing I love to do most is to then visit the artist's particular personal page and see what else they got cooking. After seeing Dr. Mierzwiak's cool ass Avengers poster over at /Film, I decided to see what else the dude had to offer. I stumbled over to his Deviant Art page and found a treasure trove of film posters that are phenomenal. You can see them for yourself by clicking here, but after the jump I will place a few of the ones that I like best....

Adam Koford Re-designs The Twitter Logo To Be A Bit More Geek Friendly

Twitter is one of the most used social networking platforms on the Internet right now, and the logo is one of the most recognizable on the planet. That blue bird is known by everyone... but even something as iconic as this could use a bit of a sprucing up, geek style! Artist Adam Koford has created literally dozens of re-designs of the Twitter logo featuring a ton of geek icons, such as Star Wars, Marvel & DC Comics, and even Internet Memes like Keyboard Cat. These are great, and you can see all of them on Adam's Twitter page or a few in this gallery here. You can see my five favorite after the jump....

Modok checking his Twitter feed....

Mystery Science Theater 3000 & The Creature!!!! Priceless....

My personal fave:

Max by Floriane Marchix

My undying love for Maurice Sendak & 'Where The Wild Things Are' is very apparent to all the people who frequent CCD, as well as anybody who knows me all that well. The home screen on my Xoom tablet is the classic scene with Max sitting under the tree and Carol bowing to him... one of the most priceless images in the history of children's books. God I regret the fact that I never got to meet Sendak and just say "Thank you..." for all the memories I have gotten out of that book. Apparently lots of other people are saddened by Sendak's recent death. A very cool website from New Zealand called Travisty's Beard had a tribute month during May to Sendak, and some of the pieces submitted were great. But the one that stood out to me the most has to be 'Max' by artist Floriane Marchix. Just a perfect compliment to Sendak. R.I.P. Mr. Sendak, you were the wildest thing of all... Check out the full size pic after the jump.

Avengers On Parade by Hannah Friederichs

The last couple of weeks have been up & down for me. I was very saddened a few weeks back by the death of Maurice Sendak. I was also very happy when I was able to take my 9 year old son to see 'The Avengers' on the big screen. That is a roller coaster of emotion, and its bittersweet. Than I came across Hannah Friederichs excellent Sendak-styled run down of the Avengers, and it all came together in a very positive way. This is what a good mash-up should be. Check out the full sized image after the jump.

Maurice Sendak: The Author Of My Favorite Children's Book Dies At Age 83

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!!!

Where The Wilder Things Are by Derek Eads

What can I say... I am a sucker for a play on words. Artist Derek Eads decided to put a Wonka type spin on the monsters of Where The Wild Things Are, and the results are awesome. This one goes out to my buddy Jeff Bond, the biggest Gene Wilder fan I know....See the full piece after the jump.

Christopher Walken Reads "Where The Wild Things Are" & I Promptly Faint Due To A Brain Hemorrhage From Hysterical Laughter!!!!

After last years release of  "Go The F@#k To Sleep" as read by Samuel Jackson helped elevate the book to huge sales numbers, it was only a matter of time before the parodies would start rolling in. Youtube users Randumbify  have come correct with this new video that features an actor doing a Christopher Walken impression reading "Where The Wild Things Are". Now fans of the book know that there are not to many words in the original text, but you have to hear the crazy analysis of the pictures from Walken as he breaks down his version of what is happening with Max in the pages of the story. This is the best 10 minutes I have ever spent in my life watching a Youtube clip, and it takes me back to the great Walken speeches of Pulp Fiction (He hid it in the only place he knew they wouldn't find it.... up his ass!) & True Romance (Your a cantaloupe!!!). Fantastic video... give this a watch immediately!!!!



 

Now These Are Good Parents!!!

If I saw this crew on the train, I would have to smile and shake these parents hands. This is what a parent should do to make their children have fun. I love this more then I can express. Via Super Punch.

How Come I Have Never Seen This?

Check out this really cool cover of 'The Incredible Hulk Vol #2 Issue #49' by the magnificent comic cover artist Kaare Andrews. This came out back in 2003 when I was on a hiatus from the comic industry, so that's why I must have missed it. You gotta love the 'Where The Wild Things Are' ideals that The Hulk has always displayed... the delicate balance between the large monster, that the Hulk is, and the much smaller but, more intelligent Max/David Banner holding them in check. Great cover. Hope you enjoy:

Where The Wild Star Wars Things Are by James Hance

Where The Wild Things & Star Wars are two of my all time favorite properties since I was a youngster... Wild Things was the FIRST book I ever recall reading on my own in school (the first day of kindergarten... whatup Ms. Adler!). Anyway, here is artist James Hance's take on the two... a masterpiece in its execution!

Via Popped Culture, one of the best websites doin it!!!