Bruce Springsteen Surprises Bostonians by Busking in Park

A busker playing guitar for spare change in Boston’s Public Gardens got a quite a pleasant surprise when music legend Bruce Springsteen approached him and asked if he could borrow his instrument. Bruce then began strumming a tune for the passersby, with a huge grin on his face. Speculation is that Springsteen was in Boston dropping son Evan off at Boston College.

Star Wars Blu-ray Tweaks Revealed

The Star Wars Blu-ray Complete Saga hits shelves next Friday. George Lucas has been tinkering with the films again for their Blu-ray release and HERE are the tweaks that you can expect to see.

THE FIRE WIRE Comic Book Pick of the Week: Action Comics # 1

Easily one of the most eagerly anticipated books out of the entire DC Comics-The New 52 line-up, Action Comics #1 features a look at our all-new Superman at a point in his history before he’s widely known or accepted by the public. Who better to shepherd this story than writer Grant Morrison and artist Rags Morales?

“Superman is just a guy who is very young at this point, and he has big ideas about what is right and wrong,” said Morrison. “And he has the power to implement those ideas.”

HERE is a first look at the comic which is available today!

Eddie Murphy to Host The 84th Academy Awards

Oscar nominee Eddie Murphy, whose performing career spans movies, television and the stage, will host this year’s Academy Awards show on Sunday, February 26, 2012, telecast producers Brett Ratner and Don Mischer announced today. This will be Murphy’s first hosting stint on the Oscars.

“I am enormously honored to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others,” said Murphy.

Murphy began his career at the age of 15 as a stand-up comedian. In 1980, at the age of 19, he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” becoming the show’s youngest cast member to that point, and bringing to life many of the show’s most memorable characters. His 1983 album “Eddie Murphy: Comedian” won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording. It included portions of his groundbreaking HBO special “Eddie Murphy Delirious.” In 1987, Eddie Murphy Raw was theatrically released and went on to gross over $50 million. Murphy made his feature film debut in 1982 with the classic 48 Hrs. and would go on to star in such box-office hits as Beverly Hills Cop and the “The Nutty Professor” and “Shrek” franchises. All told, movies in which he has performed have earned in excess of $7 billion worldwide during their theatrical releases.

Murphy earned an Oscar nomination in 2006 for his supporting role in Dreamgirls.

The Cemetery Dance “Will Tweet For Books” Promotional Offer

Cemetery Dance, the specialty publisher of collectible horror and suspense is giving away ten $100 Cemetery Dance Gift Certificates, which can be used to purchase anything on their website, and entering this contest is easy!

There will be ten winners picked on October 1st and it costs absolutely nothing to enter!

Click this link: http://bit.ly/CDFreeBooks for more information on how to enter.

X-Men: First Class Blu-ray Available Today

Fox Home Entertainment has released the DVD and Blu-ray of X-Men: First Class today. Marvel really had a great summer with three fantastic superhero films: X-Men: First Class, Thor and Captain America; all are worth owning. The X-Men prequel film is no exception and has a cool 60′s vibe with great action sequences and eye-popping special effects.

Extras on the Blu-ray release includes 10 Marvel “X-Men” Digital Comics with exclusive “X-Men: First Class” Backstory Comic, a Cerebro Mutant Tracker: The complete interactive Mutant Database with interactive videos, a Children of the Atom eight-part behind-the-scenes featurette, an “X” Marks the Spot interactive feature allowing viewers the opportunity to learn more about specific scenes with talent interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, extended and deleted scenes, the Composer’s Isolated Score, the theatrical trailer, a BD-Live Portal with additional Cerebro Mutant Tracker profiles, and a digital copy of the film.

Louis CK Honors George Carlin

Comedian Louis CK speaks about George Carlin and the momentous inspiration the late comedic icon had on his career. Taken from a tribute to George Carlin at the New York Public Library hosted by Whoopi Goldberg in March 2010, Louis CK becomes emotional describing the specific events and methods of building new material that gave his comedy new direction and fueled his success. (Please note there is some raw language)

Freddie Mercury Google Doodle

Here is a Google doodle tribute to artist, performer, and pioneer Freddie Mercury for his 65th birthday.

Trailer For Stephen King’s Ghost Brothers of Darkland County

The 2011/12 Alliance Theatre season closes with the world premiere of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, with a book by Stephen King and music & lyrics by John Mellencamp. T Bone Burnett provides the music direction. Catch this blues-tinged show on the Alliance Theatre stage from April 4 -May 13, 2012.

Based on a true story, one of the world’s most popular authors and one of America’s most honored musicians have created a riveting Southern gothic musical fraught with mystery, tragedy, and ghosts of the past.

In the tiny town of Lake Belle Reve, Mississippi in 1957, a terrible tragedy took the lives of two brothers and a beautiful young girl. During the next forty years, the events of that night became the stuff of local legend. But legend is often just another word for lie. Joe McCandless knows what really happened; he saw it all. The question is whether or not he can bring himself to tell the truth in time to save his own troubled sons, and whether the ghosts left behind by an act of violence will help him – or tear the McCandless family apart forever.

Journey’s Greatest Hits Volume 2 CD Due On November 1, 2011

From 1978 through 1988, Journey was undisputedly one of the most popular and successful bands in the US. Their original studio albums were massive sellers, with more than 30 singles reaching Billboard’s Top 100 charts. Journey’s success grew with each release, selling out stadiums across the U.S., and for all intents and purposes inventing the AOR radio format (Album Oriented Rock). During the band’s hiatus in 1988, the Greatest Hits album was issued, surveying 15 tracks from the band’s 7 albums. Over the years, Journey’s music has been used in films and recently in several high-profile TV shows (particularly the song “Don’t Stop Believin’”). Now 16X Platinum in the U.S., Journey’s Greatest Hits has taken on a life of its own, garnering new fans who have discovered the band through shows like Glee, Family Guy, The Sopranos and American Idol. But as successful as Greatest Hits is, it’s only a part of the Journey story. Several Top 40 and Top 20 singles were not included, as well as songs near and dear to principal songwriters Steve Perry, Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain. For those who love the Greatest Hits and want more, Columbia/Legacy is proud to release Greatest Hits Volume 2 on November 1, 2011.

The track list is as follows:

1. Stone In Love

2. After The Fall

3. Chain Reaction

4. The Party’s Over (Hopelessly In Love)

5. Escape

6. Still They Ride

7. Good Morning Girl

8. Stay Awhile

9. Suzanne

10. Feeling That Way

11. Anytime

12. Walks Like A Lady

13. Little Girl

14. Just The Same Way

15. Patiently

16. When I Think Of You

17. Mother, Father (Live In Houston 1981)

PostCarden

Want to give your friends and family something a little more exciting than an email greeting for their birthday or the Holidays?

Then send them these green greeting cards called PostCarden ($13). Each 155 x 18 x 95 mm card features a backdrop and a growing garden.

All cards come with instructions, cress seeds, and a waterproof tray. The “greenery” will keep for 2 – 3 weeks.

Wrecking Ball & Crane Lamps

Check out these cool limited edition bronze lamps available at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London. Choose either the Wrecking Ball or the Crane Lamps and light your abode with some mechanical flair.

iZON Remote Room Monitor

The iZON ($130) Remote Room Monitor enables you to view and listen to activity in your home or office from anywhere in the world on your iPod touch, iPhone or iPad.

“The camera attaches to your wall or ceiling using a magnetic mount that lets you swivel the camera to get the optimum field of view, then sends its signals wirelessly to your home network. Unlike other systems that require a running computer, and at least one webcam to operate, the iZON can stream audio and video directly to your iOS device.

It can be configured to send push notifications when the camera detects motion or audio, and can even record what’s happening directly to a private access only YouTube channel. “

Israel Skelton’s Keys To Success

When Israel Skelton was younger his vivid imagination and ingenuity helped him alter everyday objects into comic book artifacts; a rake became Wolverine’s claws and a snow saucer was converted into Captain America’s shield. Now 30 years later the Maine resident has turned a childhood hobby into a thriving career.

I spoke with the congenial artisan last week and his enthusiasm for his craft was evident. Israel feels lucky to do what he loves and make a living at it … very few get to have that rare opportunity.

Skelton’s interest in fabrication began with his father who had a small goldsmithing shop. As a boy, Israel was exposed to buffing wheels, torches and other jeweler’s tools. A love of comic books fueled Israel’s desire to create realistic scaled objects from the panels of Batman, Fantastic Four and Dr. Strange.

The Litchfield artist brought some of his fantastic creations such as Thor’s hammer and Hellboy’s gun to the first BangPop, a Bangor Maine comic book convention. Fans ogled at the marvelous replicas, one being Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill.

Hill had just completed the first issue of his now famed comic book, Locke & Key and requested that Israel create a small run of sterling silver Ghost Keys from his book so that he could send them out as Christmas presents.

One of the recipients of those keys was Chris Ryall, the Editor in Chief of IDW comics. Chris then commissioned Skelton to produce 500 Ghost keys in pewter as an exclusive for the 2009 San Diego International Comic Con and the rest is history.

All 500 keys sold out by the end of the year. In 2010, Skelton and IDW debuted the Head Key, from the second series of comics, and the third key, the Echo Key, was released at the 2010 BangPop.

Israel has since created and sold many of the keys from the series and even constructed a “Ghost Door” for Joe Hill’s office that actually opens with a “Ghost Key”

Skelton hopes to work on future projects with other publishers such as DC and Marvel with the goal of creating limited, exclusive “gallery quality” comic book iconic replicas while his personal dream project is to create a 1940’s replica of the Batmobile that rotates on a turntable for his studio. (I can’t wait to see that when it’s completed!)

You can check out Israel’s studio, marvel at his creations and purchase them HERE.

JibJab Jr. Books For The iPad

I have to thank Aunt Meredith for this wonderful suggestion for her niece, Elli.

With JibJab Jr. Books, you can make your child the star of the show. In just a few simple swipes, you can create personalized storybooks on your Apple iPad that feature your child’s face and name.

Your loved one will be thrilled by the great stories, colorful art, and awesome animations in every JibJab Jr. book.

I downloaded the app, added my daughter’s picture and read her a fun story that featured her. She loved it and has requested that we read it to her every night. We now have downloaded 3 books and they are all great: a giant pizza making chef story, a tale about runaway letters and an undersea adventure.

You can purchase JibJab Jr. books a la carte for $7.99 each, or subscribe to the JibJab Jr. Books monthly plan for $3.99 a month (auto-renew). As a subscriber, you will receive one book per month automatically and you can cancel at any time but I doubt you will want to do that!

From The Minds of The Coen Brothers Blu-ray Collection

The films of Academy Award Winners Joel Coen and Ethan Coen are breathtakingly bold, stunningly original and marvelously entertaining. This must-own collection from these visionary filmmakers includes four iconic movies, presented in breathtaking Blu-ray high definition. From The Minds of The Coen Brothers Blu-ray Collection ($45) contains: Blood Simple, Fargo, Miller’s Crossing and Raising Arizona and can be ordered HERE.

SONY HMZ-T1 Personal HD/3D TV Viewer

The HMZ-T1 Personal HD/3D TV viewer is said to have a unique form-factor that presents a virtual theater experience allowing users to be fully immersed in the action.

To the wearer, the image appears to be displayed on a 150-inch screen, Sony said. It uses miniature 720p OLED screens developed by Sony, that are said to support a high contrast ratio and fast refresh rates, and is “capable of enhanced 3D” presentations.

Sony said the viewer produces “a more natural 3D video experience that is completely free of crosstalk since each eye has its own display.”

The viewer is equally capable with 2D and 3D material and is said to be ideal for video game play as well as movie watching.

The HMZ-T1 head mount display delivers a virtual surround sound experience, using Sony’s proprietary signal processing technology to power the integrated headphones with a simulated 5.1-channel experience.

The Personal 3D Viewer is scheduled to ship to retail in October at a price to be announced.

WonderCon 2012 Moves to Anaheim California

WonderCon, part of Comic-Con International’s family of conventions, announced that the 2012 show will be held March 16-18, and Anaheim, California, will play host to the long-running comics and popular arts convention. San Francisco’s Moscone Center, WonderCon’s traditional venue, will undergo renovations in early 2012, leaving the 25-year-old show in the unenviable position of either being canceled or finding a new venue.

“It certainly was not our wish to move,” commented David Glanzer, director of marketing and public relations for the nonprofit event. “However, when faced with the prospect of canceling the show for a year or moving locations, after careful consideration we decided to keep WonderCon on the 2012 calendar at a venue that could accommodate our needs.”

Chick-fil-A Is Taking Reservations For A Free Breakfast Next Week

Chick-fil-A Is Taking Reservations For A Free Breakfast Next Week   Chick-fil-A is treating customers to breakfast the week of Labor Day at its restaurants nationwide. Beginning today, Chick-fil-A patrons can visit www.chick-fil-aforbreakfast.com to reserve the free Chick-fil-A breakfast entrée of their choice. Reservations may be redeemed September 6 – 10 during breakfast hours (6:30 to 10:30 a.m.) at the selected restaurant by presenting a printed copy of the personal invitation received upon making a reservation on the website.

The offer is limited to one free breakfast entrée per customer, per restaurant during the five-day period. Offers and availability may vary at participating locations. Customers will have up to nine breakfast entrées to choose from, including the Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit, Spicy Chicken Biscuit, Sausage Biscuit, Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis (three-count), Chicken, Egg & Cheese Bagel, Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, Chicken Breakfast Burrito, Sausage Breakfast Burrito and the new Multigrain Oatmeal. Entrée choices may vary by restaurant.

13 Ways Stephen King Could Soon (We Hope) Scare The $#@! Out of Us

Stephen King is everywhere! Over the past few months he’s popped up several times in the news, thanks to The Dark Tower, the TV movie Bag of Bones and the new series Under the Dome. If you’re having trouble keeping up with his growing resume of upcoming movie and TV projects, look no further.

Blastr has found 13 horrifying Stephen King properties that are heading your way. Read the list HERE.

Which Girl Scout Cookies Score the Most Brownie Points?

It’s Girl Scout cookie time again! These little morsels of delight are sold only October through March (regional councils determine the dates for each locale), so you’d better stock up. But which varieties will guests at your next fancy dinner party prefer? Perhaps this sales data can help. (From Wired.com)

AMC Greenlights Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Store Show – Secret Stash

AMC announced today that the network has greenlit the unscripted television series Secret Stash executive produced by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy), Charlie Corwin’s Original Media (LA Ink, Miami Ink, Storm Chasers and Swamp People) and Elyse Seiden (Red State). Set in Kevin Smith’s iconic comic shop Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, the unscripted show captures the world of the neighborhood comic book store and fanboy culture. Season one is six, one-hour episodes and is currently scheduled for a 1Q 2012 launch. The series exemplifies AMC’s goal to be the definitive home for quality storytelling.

“Draper. Meth. Zombies. This show couldn’t be on a better network. AMC is to television what Miramax was to cinema back when I first got in the game: they’re the premier destination for any story-teller looking to spin an offbeat yarn that no other outlet has the stones to touch,” said Smith. “And as if I didn’t love them enough, now they’re putting my friends on TV! I’m ecstatic, proud, and extremely lucky to be in bed with a network I watch religiously anyway. And if they’d pushed just a little harder in the negotiations, I’d have done this show for no payment beyond early access to every episode of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Walking Dead.

 

Denny’s Introduces The 1,690 Calorie Mac ‘n Cheese Big Daddy Patty Melt

Denny’s has introduced the 1,690 calorie “Mac ‘n Cheese Big Daddy Patty Melt”. The mac-n-cheeseburger consists of “a hand-pressed beef patty topped with new creamy Mac ‘n Cheese, melted cheddar cheese and zesty Frisco sauce on grilled potato bread.”

Order one with their new frosty nacho cheese and bacon bit shake…no, I made that up but you kind of believed me.

Mondo Announces New Pixar Poster Series, Monsters Inc. By Tom Whalen On Sale Friday, September 2, 2011

Today, Mondo announced their first Pixar poster! Tom Whalen’s Monster’s Inc. will be the debut image in the series, but watch out for more to come soon.

Please follow them on Twitter for the on sale announcement. This poster will be for sale online at a random time on Friday, September 2, 2011

 

Poster by Tom Whalen. 18″x24″ screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 365. ($45)

iHome iW1 AirPlay Speaker To Launch On September 26, 2011

iHome today announced that its long-awaited iW1 AirPlay speaker system ($300) will be available for purchase starting September 26. The iW1 is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and features Bongiovi Acoustics Digital Power Station technology, four active drivers, 802.11b/g wireless networking, AirPlay support, an included charging base and integrated carrying handle, a USB port for charging and local playback of iPods, iPhones, and iPads, a 3.5mm auxiliary input, backlit buttons, and compatibility with the company’s range of iHome+ apps.