The Super Mario Brothers Music Done Via Violin ? An Excellent Tribute To The Classic Video Game....

I have a very cool group of Facebook friends that often share a ton of cool things that appeal to my eclectic nerd sensibilities. But every once and a while I get taken by surprise with a share from someone I don't expect it to come from. A friend of mine Cait shared a fellow friends video post in which a young Asian man armed with a violin stands in front of a TV and cues up Super Mario Brothers on Nintendo. The OG version... and then proceeds to use his extreme talents & the solo violin skills to replicate EVERY SINGLE sound in the games first three levels. It is insane how exact he is, down to the brick breaking noise and coin reception sounds. Wow, extremely well done. Thanks for the share Cait.... check out this insane video after the jump...

Books Come Alive by Terry Border

Facebook may be one giant vacuum of productivity and a huge waste of time, but every once and a blue some people share some gems. Good friend and past contributor to CCD Briana M shared this awesome artistic project from US artist Terry Border, who uses a bit of wire and a few small props to bring these classic books to life! He takes certain characteristics of the books, and that is what inspires his wire works. A great idea, and the perfect illustration as to why hard copies of books are much more fun than E-Readers... you can see the whole series by clicking here, and my faves of the bunch come after the jump...

Comic Hero Romances: A Video by Exophrine

Another month, another cool ass video from my boy Dave and the Exophrine team. In the past they have taken on cars, guns, and all sorts of other topics, but this month Exophrine is taking a look at some of the greatest romances to ever grace the comic book movie screen. To be honest, romance in comic book movies is just as important as villians and plot points... the significant other (and rescuing of that other) has long been a returning trope, so it's great that Dave chose to focus on that. Enjoy the video after the jump, and go over to Exophrine and show the guys some love. Tell em CCD sent ya....

Artin' It Up: The CCD Batman Drawing Contest Edition by Tommy Lombardozzi

Hello, everyone! Welcome to ARTIN' IT UP with Tommy Lombardozzi (that's me!) It's been awhile, but I'm stopping by to say hello and to share something fun with all you CCDers out there. On the Facebook, I proposed that my friends put up a drawing of Batman (or any of his rogues gallery) in anticipation of 'The Dark Knight Rises'. Well, I got a good response and a lot of fun pieces out of it!

Mr. Mike D. suggested we post up the entries here on CCD... so, that's what we're doing.

Without further ado, here are the entries to my 'BATMAN DRAWING CHALLENGE'! It was alotta fun and I wanna thank all of those who got involved. The entries range from the comedic to the simple to the serious artist-type. Have fun... and check them all out after the jump!

Until next time...


~ TL

Corrine Alexis Hall's Animation Will Rock Your Face Off!!!

Check out my girl Corrine Alexis Hall's awesome animation video. It's a compilation of some projects that she has worked on set to the classic track Queen/David Bowie "Under Pressure". This is gonna blow you away:



Wow... this is just so visually stunning!!! I am a huge fan of this song too... just something about it that always resonated with me since my youth. Great minds think alike, huh Corrine??? Look for some CCD/CAH collaborations to come in the near future... I can't wait to work with this girl!!!!

My Man Johnny Comes Through Once Again!!!

One of the cooler aspects of running this blog is that you begin to develop relationships with others who have similar interests as you. This is especially true of my fellow bloggers. My boy Cal at the Cave of Cool, Dave over at Exophrine, and Jeremy over at Popped Culture have made me feel great about the work I am doing here at CCD and motivate me through running their own awesome blogs as well (please check these guys out... you will love them!). But my closest friendship that I have developed so far has to be my boy Johnny Boots from the horror blog Freddy In Space. My boy is one of the most knowledgeable horror enthusiasts out there on the web, and I always get a kick out of reading his site.

God I love getting packages!!!!

Johnny and I began exchanging packages and memorabilia last year, and we often blow each others minds with the contents of packages that we send each other. I scored major points with Johnny by getting him a personalized autographed poster by scream queen Danielle Harris, and I also wowed him with a variant Freddy Kreuger toy that was in upside down packaging. He amazed me by providing me an etching of a Clint Howard/Ice Cream Man carving that was made for him. Yeah... we are both geeks! Anyway, I got another package from my boy this week and he has outdone himself yet again!

This package came with two items, one better then the next. The first was a box of 'Cereal Killer' cereal by Wax Eye. The particular brand was a play on the yellow boxes of Corn Pops/Honey Combs, entitled 'Eye Pops/Honey Chrome'. Very cool product... click the above link to see all the different boxes Wax Eye has to offer. The next thing was even cooler. It was a handmade voodoo-type doll in the form of zombie master George A. Romero!!! Artist Bob Dix created these dolls from scratch, hand painting each so that they are all unique in some way. Johnny sells these and many other cooky items in his Freddy in Space Online Store, but I got mine for nothing!!! Thanks Johnny. I got a package heading your way soon!!!!

The Top 10 Samples In Hip Hop History by DJ Funktual

My girl Bianca Sunshyne (whatup B!!!) sent me this great video from her friend DJ Funktual, who takes a moment to break down the Top 10 music samples in the history of Hip Hop. For those of you guys who live under a rock, hip hop often samples older tunes and uses the original music to create a newer version of a beat. Funktual breaks down the best of the best... hope you all enjoy!




Stay tuned for more installments from DJ Funktual in the future... keep educating everybody son!!!

Past Campy Versions Of Superheroes We Should Want To Forget...

... But for some reason we love 'em anyway. Great compilation from Fonjil's Youtube page. Thanks to Nick for sending us these via Facebook. There are some really good ones in here... check it out!!!



Some thoughts:

• God, most of these look much worse then they were AT THE TIME. Yea, they ain't as good as the recent stuff, but look what they were working with back then.
• The Flash's costume was freaking awesome for a early 90's TV show. Unreal how good it was.
• Dr. Strange... I have to own that TV show on DVD. Maybe at the next comic convention I will pick up a copy of this one on bootleg.
• The Shazam show was very underrated.... just saying.
• Lynda Carter could get it... for sure! 

Kill Bill Vol #3: Kinetic Text Assassins

Check out this awesome Kinetic Type version of Kill Bill by good freind of CCD Joe Panther. We screened this in between Kill Bill Vol 1 & Vol 2 at last months 'Music & a Movie' night at The Wicked Monk. For those of you who do not know what Kinetic Type is, you are in for a treat. Enjoy it now:



How cool was that!!! If you thought that was awesome, leave me your favorite quote from Kill Bill and I will mail you a copy of this short film that Joe Panther made. Let me see some comments people!!!

Popsic Art: 3-D Pop Culture Art That Will Blow Your Mind

Every once and a blue we get dropped a line from somebody telling us what a good job we are doing here at CCD. Usually I think its bullshit, like Jeff logging in under a different name and blowing smoke up my ass. But when I checked the CCD Facebook page (become our friend) and got a really cool message from Joshua over at Popsic Art saying how much he liked what we were doing over here. I took one look over at his site, and I must say I feel the same way. Joshua, your artwork is phenomenal... and now its sharing time:

A Clockwork Orange

The Rat Pack

The Three Stooges

These guys really do something original with their work... it is extremely unique and would make an excellent part of anybodies collection. You can buy some of their artwork by clicking here and checking out their Etsy shop. Make sure you tell em CCD sent ya. Great work Josh.... I'm looking forward to what you will offer in the future!!!

Vote 4 Pia This American Idol Season... Now!!!

My very good friend Vinny Toscano has a cousin Pia that has the voice of an angel. She is from my hometown in Howard Beach, Queens and is a contestant on this season of American Idol. She has made the final 24 and is now trying to move into the final 12, She absolutely killed it tonight by singing "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders. Not only did she receive a standing ovation from the crowd (the first and only standing O of the 24 finalists, and she was last to go!!!), Randy Jackson (the only original judge left who has been on for all 10 seasons) said it was one of the greatest performances he has ever seen in the whole run of the show!!!! Pia brought the thunder tonight and is going to be a force this season!!!!

So now I need all you loyal CCD friends and readers to do me a favor and vote for her. Vote early and often, and also support her throughout the season. You can vote by clicking here. Also, become a friend of Pia's on Facebook by clicking here. Tell her Mike from CCD sent you over, and don't stop supporting this wonderful talent. Pia, CCD loves ya... keep it up kid!!!! 

Does Tarantino Do Anything Original?

Who? Me? A Thief... Never!!!!

Previously, my answer would have always been yes... the guy is a genius. He is one of my favorite director's, and I hold him in a very high esteem (so high that one of his movies is going to be what is shown at the 2nd Music & Movie night at The Wicked Monk on April 3rd...). With that being said, there is no secret (QT openly admits it himself) that Tarantino is a huge movie fan who often includes homages to rare and obscure films that he considers to be his favorites. We posted a Kill Bill comparison clip last week that showed the tons of movies that QT took from to complete his action/adventure epic, but then friend of CCD Mike White put us onto this clip.



Those suits look familiar, no?

White made this comparison clip to show just how much QT jacked from Ringo Lam's 1987 shitbox movie City On Fire. Now being the huge QT fan that I am, I have heard of the similarities to Lam's movie. But since I never seen it (mostly because of how horrible I heard it was, despite starring Chow Yun Fat), I could never imagine just HOW MUCH QT actually borrowed. Shit, you can't even call it borrowed... QT pulled a straight Compton Jack Move on Lam's whole movie!!! Don't believe me? Check it for yourself:


Who Do You Think You're Fooling? from Mike White on Vimeo.


Kind of hard to stick up for QT after that one, huh? The Kill Bill clip didn't anger me as much, because it was little bits and pieces jacked from dozens of movies. But this one pisses me off a bit for 3 reasons.

1. This is Tarantino's first movie... and the one that I fell in love with. Why QT? This really destroys my image of QT as such an original dialogue writer and director. He basically took a bad movie with a great premise and added some snappy dialogue. He left out the actual robbery, but used dialogue to re-enact Lam's robbery scene (which you see in City on Fire) shot for shot. Kietel's "Blam, Blam, Blam" description of Mr. Blonde in the jewelry store is one of my favorite parts of the flick because of how Taratino makes you use your imagination to see it... and now it is ruined.
2. Without the success of Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino does not get to make Pulp Fiction. Without Pulp Fiction, Tarantino does not become a premiere director in the film industry. We probably wouldn't have gotten all the collabs with Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City, Grindhouse), nor the resurgence of John Travolta. We damn sure wouldn't have seen Samuel L as a Jedi, and would Steve Buscemi really be top lining Boardwalk Empire had he not killed the part of Mr. Pink so effectively? What a different Holywood reality it would be had Tarantino been exposed as a thief off the rip.
3. This could only have happened in the early 90's. With the rise of the Internet, there is no way you could get away with this shit now a days. Imagine if a director tried to re-appropriate another directors film in plot and actual shots & claimed it to be original? That shit would be all over the net in 2 days flat. Shit, I get hourly updates on exactly which porn pig's asshole Charlie Sheen is freebasing coke out of... you think you can steal a whole movie and no one would notice? Not with all these Internet cops out here.

No... Not The Mexican Standoff Scene... Not That Too!!!

This is all very concerning for me. I don't know how I should feel about Tarantino anymore. I still think he is a great director, and Inglorious Basterd's is so completely original (except it's title... QT jacked that one to!!!) that it makes me smile, but all his success is based on a foundation of lies... god, I am torn!!! Thanks to Mike White for causing this dilemma for me (just kidding, I really appreciate it!), but now I gotta ask you guys: How does this make you feel about QT? Do you still love him, or does this ruin it for you? Please tell me in the comment section below. I really want to hear all your insights, so I ask all my regular readers to please weigh in on this one.

***Bonus***

My god, it gets worse... check out White's follow up, "Your Still Not Fooling Anybody". Damn, my month is ruined.... grrrrrrrr!!!! (shaking my fists at Mike White for enlightening me!!!!)

You're Still Not Fooling Anybody from Mike White on Vimeo.

Am I The Only Person Who Remembers These?

I have been fiending... fiending beyond belief for a Choco-Dile. These little buddies were my favorite snacks as a kid. C'mon.... a Twinkie that is completely covered in chocolate? How could you go wrong there? Plus, these were real Twinkies under that chocolately goodness. Not some bullshit VERSION of the Twinkie, but a real Twinkie. Those are great enough on there own. But add chocolate? Heaven... pure heaven.

 I remember the the sold in bodega's and deli's in my neighborhood for a quarter a piece. They were right in my price range, and they were delicious. God, I must have eaten 3 of these a day. Now Hostess doesn't sell them in stores anymore!!!! And whenever I talk to somebody about these, they disavow all knowledge of them existing as if they are top secret government documents. Nobody remembers these... WTF???

Not to mention the cool-ass crocodile Chauncey that Hostess used to use to promote the brand. Look at this magnificent son of a bitch:

***This one just in. Our friend Rob Martin sent us this link (click here) were you can order these puppies. They are a bit more expensive (17.99 for 20, 23.99 for 30, 29.99 for 40), but ordering 20 will hook you up with a true awesome snacking experience. Make it happen.... Thanks for the tip Rob!!!

The Angry Birds & Green Pigs Peace Treaty....

Our good friend Owen put this one into the comment section of our Angry Birds T-Shirt post yesterday, and urged us to check it out. Thats why we love him so much... he was right, it is absolutely hysterical!!!! Enjoy the video.

Is That An Egg Roll In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To See Me???

Good lord... I am a fatty mcfattenstein, lover of all things fried and yummy, yet honestly I could not even think about sitting down and trying to eat even HALF of one of these puppies. Cantonese Chow Mein, General Tso's Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice, Hunan Dumplings, and custom Egg Roll Batter... inside THE EGG ROLL!!! Check out some of the other cool videos Epic Meal Time has made by clicking here and peeping their Youtube channel.



Thanks to our man Owen for popping this vid on Facebook... I bet you that dude can take down one of these behemoths any day of the week!!!

Artist Profile: Mike Monge aka Supermonge!!!

I became friends with Mr Mike Monge through CCD's Tommy Lombardozzi... he is a wonderful artist that has a very unique style and way about designing classic characters with his own distinct spin on things. He has tons of prints available for sale on his Supermonge website, and you can also see some of his older work on his blogspot page (click the links for both!!!) While I'm sure he can draw just about anything, his Star Wars Universe & Superhero work are some of my favorites. He also does custom commissions, so if you know anybody that is really into art, maybe he can get something whipped up for you by Christmas. Check out some of my personal favorites of his wonderful work!!!

***Please click Read more below to see more of Mike Monge's artwork***

Joe Panther Presents: Some Songs I Wrote...

I've been writing and playing music for nearly 20 years now. Here's a sample of some of the songs I've written. -Joe Panther

Empathy 101 came shortly after I was laid off from my job of 9 years. I was feeling nervous and playing the guitar helped me get through the shock of it all.



This song inspired the MassageNerd on youtube to make it his background music for one of his videos. "Who is he, you ask?". Look him up on youtube and prepare to be relaxed!



Here's some heavy acoustic guitar playing. Thrash style!



I wrote this song recently for my friend Kristen. She's amazing beyond words. She's so cool to talk to and she's a great photographer as well. I'm starting to love her.. In a friendly way, of course. *fingers crossed behind my back* :p



http://www.youtube.com/v/5CqO2B0w49Y?fs=1&hl=en_US%22%3E%3C%2Fparam%3E%3Cparamwww.youtube.com

Now These Are Some Criterion Collection DVD's We Want To See In The Future

Check out this cool website called the Faux Criterion Collection that features some pretty cool artwork from DVD's of movies that HAVE NOT  been selected by the real Criterion Collection but maybe should be considered because they are so awesome. Ok, maybe they are not AWESOME movies per se, but this fake artwork makes it pretty awesome. Except for the Hudson Hawk Criterion Collection... that should happen for real!!! Here are a few of our favorites.... but you can check out more by clicking here. Thanks to CCD Facebook Friend Matt Murray for bringing this cool site to our attention.

5 Things That I Am Thankful For: Sam James Edition

Since today is Thanksgiving, I decided to have some of CCD's closest friends & contributors share the 5 things in their lives that they are truely thankful for... not family, or boyfriends/girlfriends/spouses etc.... the real stuff they need to keep them going. With no further ado, I present my Jamaican brother from another mother Sam James's 5 Things I Am Thankful For!!!

Being CCD's Foreign/Caribbean Correspodant, there's a few things that I need to get me thru the day no matter where I am. So here we go in no particular order:


1. My Alienware m15 laptop: My whole day starts off with this thing! I Skype with my sister and brand new baby niece every morning; my girl when she's in Deutschland with her fam, surf the web for cool shit, check my mail, and occasionally get some work done!

2. Facebook: God bless Mark Zuckerberg and his arrogantly genius ass. FB has become my primary info source! I stay in touch with friends from all over the world (and check out pics of their hot friends.....MING) get news from the stuff most important to me (shouts out to On the Ground News and CCD).

3. My Blackberry: Again, I'm real big on staying in touch with all my peeps globally, and even though I'm iPhone to the core, Blackberrys give you the best service in Jamaica.

4. My iPhone: Aahh yes, the trusty old 3GS has been a faithful companion for quite some time now! Anybody who's been on a plane longer than an hour and ten minutes knows that shits MURDER; so fitting all my music, movies and TV shows in my pocket with enough juices to run for 8-9 hours straight without dying on ya....shhhiiiiiiiittt!!!

5.My shades: Living in the Caribbean means being blessed with beautiful days nearly year around (sorry Joey Esq. Don't be too mad at me son, just come visit!) so being outdoors is an absolute must! And whether you're driving or laying on the beach, "hater blockers" are a necessity!

One Love CCD peeps. Likkle More!

6 Reasons Why Zombie Parents Would Make Life Easier On A Teenager

Check out these cool comic strips by ArcaMax Publishing that were over on the cool ass blog Zits & Zombies. These really prove that if the zombie apocalypse were to hit and we could get the zombies under control.... well, maybe zombie parents would not be so bad. Enjoy the cartoons, and thanks to CCD Follower Morphine for putting us on to this cool site... Which one do you like the best? Tell us in the comment section below.