Maybe.
WalkMS 2010 – In a Dress and Heels
Once again my wife Nahleen and I are very excited to be participating in WalkMS, Sunday, April 18, at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Thank you so much for the generosity and kind thoughts last year.
With health care now a hot button and the economy still struggling (to put it mildly), it makes giving harder than ever, yet more important than ever. Thanks to the money and awareness we’ve raised, the National MS Society has done great work to move research forward. We are closer than ever to having an oral medication available that could potentially replace the frequent self-injections currently used for treatment. I think most people would much rather take a pill than stab themselves with a needle every other day. Nahleen and many others with MS have been holding out for that for a long time, and we’re really close to that kind of treatment hitting market.
Beyond that, there are lots of other treatments at risk of being scaled back or eliminated entirely either at the National MS Society or in the medical field. Truly, every bit counts.
So to make this a little more interesting and maybe entertaining for you, I’ve decided to do something different for this year’s WalkMS. Last October, I read a story about an 84-year-old woman named Lan Yin “Eiko” Tsai who rides her old one-speed bike 150 miles for the New Jersey City to Shore event to raise money for MS. She’s been doing this for 26 years – always in a dress and heels. The article has this great picture of her in a green turtleneck dress and embroidered jacket. She is pretty inspiring. Then I started to think about the daily discomfort and struggles that people with MS go through every day. I see it in Nahleen every day. Her courage and discipline are also inspiring. So I thought maybe I could make my 3-mile walk this April in Pasadena for WalkMS more reflective of that daily discomfort while at the same time paying tribute to Eiko and Nahleen. And at the same time, looking like a dork. I know I’m good at doing that
So I’m doing WalkMS in a dress and heels.
I hope this silliness will inspire you to give and/or spread the word to others and/or join our team. Click on that link to go to my personal page at the National MS Society to get involved. I also welcome any donations in the form of costuming or other ideas to pull this off.
Thank you for reading!
Nazis Playing Risk
Written and Directed by Sam Sero
Starring Corey Blake and Travis McElroy
Voice Over by Neal Lund
Produced by Poopdog Entertainment
Shot and Edited by Jarryd Meyer and Sam Sero
Zzzzz…
Can’t blog…
Sleeping…
But I’ll see you tonight ready and rarin’ to go for the Magic Meathands show with Jump Start at Culver City’s The Spot Café!
Our monthly Family Friendly show starts at 8 PM and is only $7!
Your Brad Link of the Day – Two Gentlemen of Lebowski.
I don’t know how new or old this one is but this is the first I’ve seen it. This webpage answers the question, “What if… William Shakespeare wrote The Big Lebowski?” Emphasis on answers.
In case you don’t know (and I really hope you do), here’s info on The Big Lebowski. And… I guess if you need general info on William Shakespeare, I don’t know if Wikipedia can help you.
Anyway, this is a perfectly internety thing to do, combining two seemingly disparate things in pop culture and presenting it as real. Except… he really wrote the whole thing. The whole story is there. In five acts even!
I’m all for committing to a joke but… wow.
My favorite part is the disclaimers and author hype at the bottom of the page.
Aside from the parts blatantly stolen from the immortal Bard,
this humble play is the creation of Adam Bertocci,
award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter.Check out his professional portfolio here,
especially if you’re a Hollywood big-shot
or know someone who is.
I don’t know if I’d want to hire him. I’d be worried he wouldn’t have enough free time to take on the work.
(Of course, I’m the one who spent years slowly putting in chronological order every comic book appearance of characters most people have never even heard of, so don’t think I’m unaware of my own hypocrisy here.)
Clicking over to his website gets me “concurrent hits exceeded” so I guess the laughs on me. This is apparently garnering him significant traffic. (Or he doesn’t get much for his hosting package.)
I also appreciate the ability to download the whole thing as a PDF, so I can print out copies and go perform it in the park with some friends.
Needless to say I’m very impressed, and a bit frightened. But I’m curious. Any Shakespearean scholars out there want to weigh in on how convincing this guy pulled off Shakespeare?
[Your Brad Link of the Day is inspired by a link provided to me by my friend Brad Beacom via Google Chat. It may or may not actually occur on a daily basis. You may or may not have already seen said link. (But in those instances, some classics are worth revisiting.) You may or may not find some enjoyment in said link. Essentially, I take no responsibility for anything.]
Comics Alliance wants you to Dig Comics
The always entertaining Comics Alliance posted a new interview by Caleb Goellner with Dig Comics host/writer Miguel Cima.
The modern comic book industry faces a lot of challenges as it marches into this brave new year, but there’s one common thread that ties them all together: more people need to be reading comics.
Frustrated with a seemingly shrinking audience despite a wealth of diverse and accessible content, Miguel Cima has set out to do something to correct what he considers an affront on sequential art enjoyment.
“An affront on sequential art enjoyment” – great line.
Also, more good news – Dig Comics has been awarded an Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.
Your Brad Link of the Day – Female Toads Inflate to Avoid Sex
BBC News has some sobering news. I hope you’re sitting down.
Male toads wrestle each other to get to their chosen female. Wait, don’t pass out. That’s not the big news.
Usually the female is jostled around during the wrestling match. New research suggests (this is the big news part) that females will inflate their size to effect the outcome of the wrestling match, so that she will be too big for a male toad to grab hold of her.
Yes, that’s right. Female toads will blatantly face palm guy toads they don’t like by blowing up like a balloon, probably right on top of them I bet. The article theorizes that the females are trying to get the strongest and largest male toad to be their mate.
You see? It’s all about muscles. What about the male toad’s personality? I bet the smaller male toad is much more charming and intelligent and funny than the beefier male toad, if she’d just give him a chance. But no, all she cares about is checking out his toad legs. So shallow.
[Your Brad Link of the Day is provided to me by my friend Brad Beacom via Google Chat. It may or may not actually occur on a daily basis. You may or may not have already seen said link. (But in those instances, some classics are worth revisiting.) You may or may not find some enjoyment in said link. Essentially, I take no responsibility for anything.]
This Saturday – Magic Meathands team up with Jump Start
The Magic Meathands (with me!) and Jump Start reunite for another family friendly show, 8 PM at The Spot Café, 4455 Overland Ave., Culver City! Tickets: $7!
This is always a fun show with lots of opportunities for the audience to get involved and play with us. Or if you’re shy, just sit back and enjoy laughing at the silliness.
Also: There’s no Thursday Night Comedy Café show this week. We’ll be back at our weekly gig in The Spot Café starting next week, January 14, 8 PM. Tickets: only $5!
Following instructions
Eating at Carl’s Jr. requires following very detailed instructions or you will never get your food.
It says, “Please place at edge of table”.
It doesn’t say, “Please place near edge of table”.
EDGE.
People who don’t follow these simple instructions will be punished harshly with starvation.
-Memo from Carl’s Jr.
New Graphic Novels, Comic Books for You – 12/30/09
Never read a graphic novel before? Haven’t read a comic book in years?
Here’s some brand new stuff that came out the week of December 30 that I think is worth a look-see for someone with little to no history with comics. That means you should be able to pick any of these up cold without having read anything else. So take a look and see if something doesn’t grab your fancy. If so, follow the publisher links or Amazon.com links to buy yourself a copy. Or, head to your local friendly comic book shop.
Note: For the week of December 30, the primary distributor for comic books took the week off. However, there are a few smaller distributors, so I’ll take a look at a trio of releases from Alterna Comics.
Disclaimer: For the most part, I have not read these yet, so I can’t vouch for their quality. But, from what I’ve heard and seen, odds are good they just might appeal to you.
Adam Wreck and the Kalosian Space Pirates – $9.99
By Michael S. Bracco
88 pages; published by Alterna Comics; available at Amazon.com
Adam Wreck is trapped in the deep cosmos of space…with his parents!!!For two years Adam has traveled through the universe with his genius parents – on a ship they invented called EARTH 1. This may sound like every kid’s wildest dream, but what fun is being the first kid in space if there’s nothing cool to see like comets, planets, or giant cyborg space aliens? Well, life for Adam is about to take an exciting turn when his family’s ship is attacked and his parents are taken captive! Shipwrecked on a strange planet filled with even stranger alien creatures, Adam must find a way to save his parents from the diabolical and dastardly, Kalosian Space Pirates!
Cool coloring, too. The whole thing is black and white with orange. There’s a 6-page preview at the publisher link above.
Sherlock Holmes: The Painful Predicament of Alice Faulkner – $11.99
By Bret M. Herholz
128 pages; published by Alterna Comics; available at Amazon.com
A young woman named Alice Faulkner is in possession of documents that could cause a devastating royal scandal. Unfortunately, she has fallen into the hands of a pair of unscrupulous people who wish to use her possessions for their own ill benefit. So it is up to England’s most famous consulting detective along with the help of his trusted friend, Doctor Watson, to rescue this unfortunate young woman and avert the impending scandal. But unbeknownst to Holmes and Watson, someone else has also taken an interest in this case. Someone who could be Sherlock Holmes’ most deadly adversary yet.
Great Edward Gorey style art but with his own flare and sensibility. Previews at the publisher link above.
The Unlikely Trio: The Last Barn on the Left – $3.95
By Scott West & Callie West
32 pages; published by Alterna Comics; available at Amazon.com
A story of three unlikely friends, Lil’Bit the mouse, Mrs. Butters the cat, and Abby the Collie dog that join together to brave the last barn on the left in their small town. The only problem is that a scary monster is said to lurk in the shadows of the barn! Printed in black and white (so kids can be the colorist!) and featuring fun activities in the back of the book, The Unlikely Trio will be sure to entertain even after you’re done reading!
This looks very cute. And I love that they published it in black and white so kids can color it themselves.
Besides that, there was a very cool movement among independent comic creators that turned into Indy Comic Book Week. The week of December 30, a collection of creators self-released their comics direct to comic shops. A whole slew of comics were released that are worth checking out. Check out the recommendation list by the excellent blog Robot 6: Carnivale DeRobotique, Ex Occultus: The Badge of Langavat, God of Rock: A Seventy-Two-Hour Comic, Green Monk, Invisible Sam, The Unremarkable Man, Life (With Friends) #1, One Night Stand, Senryu, and So Buttons. It was great to see this mini-movement come together. I hope it becomes an annual event, regardless of a distributor blackout.
And, as they mention, there’s also the newest issue of the online MySpace Dark Horse Presents.
Corey Blake 