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...

'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...

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...

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....

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

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!!! 

I Built My Wild Self... Now You Can Too!!!

My favorite book growing up was 'Where The Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak. I loved the monsters... and Max was the shit. Tell me you didn't want to be that kid? Anyway, I saw my boy Cal from The Cave of Cool post this new feature from the New York Zoo & Aquarium in which you "Build Your Wild Self" and I had to give it a shot. Here is what I came up with:

Click here to make your own... and then give us the link in the comment section below so we could post it!

Happy 82nd B-Day Mr. Sendak

Maurice Sendak is a legendary children's book  author and illustrator. His classic, Where The Wild Things Are, is my all time favorite kids book. It is the first book I ever read in a classroom... I picked it up on the 1st day of Mrs. Adler's kindergarten class and was hooked from there on in. Anytime we had to get a book to read, I found myself sitting at my desk with Where The Wild Things Are right in front of me. He is a literary genius, and he has pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in a childrens book over his storied career. Some of his other classics are In The Night Kitchen and Chicken Soup With Rice, and the kindergarten graduation performance staple Alligators All Around. Director Spike Jonez accomplished what seemed to be impossible last year by bringing Where The Wild Things Are to the big screen. Sendak totally approved Jonez's vision of his classic book and often praised the film as an excellent adaption. I personally loved the live action movie... but I'm an 80's baby, so I included an early version of Sendak's illustrations that was brought to life while a narrator reads the story. I remember watching this as a kid, and being fascinated by it. Also, I included a clip of some 1983 test animation from a proposed Disney animated version that never came to be. Happy B-day Mr. Sendak.... LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!!!!!

Old School Narrated Version

Disney Test Animation From 1983 (God I wish they would have made this!!!)

DVD Release for Tuesday March 2, 2010

Where The Wild Things Are - (Max Records, Catherine Kenner, Mark Ruffalo, Voices of James Gandolfini and Forrest Whitaker)

This is Spike Jonze's soon to be cult classic film based on the 1963 childrens book by Maurice Sendak. Jonze expanded the original 10 setence book to a full length feature that will captivate you and transport you to the magical land of the Wild Things. The most impressive thing to me, other then the fact that Jonze miraculously squeezed a complete movie out of a relative picture book, is that he really gets it right. So right in fact that despite the fact that it is criticized by some movie critics, Sendak himself considers the film to be a genius interpetation of his book. The suits of the Wild Things are cool as shit, and little Max Records kills the role of Max. You feel all of the angst of a confused, bitter 11 year old boy. Jonze really outdoes himself here, and it was well worth the years and years that he put into this project. It is available on DVD as well as Blu-Ray. This one is a must have for your collection.

Ponyo - ( Voices of Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas, Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Cloris Leechman, Liam Neelson, Betty White and Cate Blanchett)

I love Japanese Animation, or anime if you will. Sometimes its is swords and magic, sometimes its vampires or sci-fi, and sometimes its super squid tenticle rape (I'm not making that up... some of this shit is really weird). But there is also other kinds of anime, that have really excellent scripts and deal with emotional issues. Hayao Miyazaki is the king of these Japanese type animation movies. Princess Moanoke, Spirited Away, and Howling's Moving Castle were all classics by Miyazaki, who is considered to be the Steven Spielberg of Japan. His films are wildly successful in Japan, and have begun to cross over to the US market well. Ponyo was his first large scale release here in the US (927 screens as opposed to the 30 or 40 screens for his former releases). It finished in 9th place, rspectable for a foriegn cartoon feature. The story centers around a little boy and a fish/girl who form a special bond. After they are seperated, the fish girl, Ponyo, wants to become a full human and rejoin her friend. She begs her father, but he will not let her go. Very adventurous and beautifully done, Miyazaki outdoes himself on this one. The all star voice cast shows just how fond the stars of Hollywood are of Miyazaki's work. He is able to retain top notch actors and actresses for his English translations. This lends to the stunning visuals that Miyazaki nails once again, and this film is a must see for families looking for a quality film to watch together. It wouldn't hurt to go grab some of his other classics either. Available on DVD or Blu-Ray.

Also being released this week: 2012, Castle In The Sky, Dr. Who: The Dalek War, Gentleman Broncos, Free Willy Trilogy, Pulp Fiction Blu-Ray, Clash of the Titans (1981) Blu-Ray, The Neverending Story Blu-Ray

Now get out there and get some movies kids... happy viewings!!!