THANK YOU, GEORGE

It was ten years ago this very day that George Harrison passed away after a battle with cancer. As a tribute to the "Quiet One," I present a couple of his best solo works, starting with All Those Years Ago.

Harrison had written this song as a tribute to former bandmate John Lennon, just months after Lennon's shocking murder. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both play and sing back up for Harrison on this song.

Next up, the video for Got My Mind Set On You.

This is not the original video for the song. The original had Harrison sitting in his den, playing guitar as his decorations come to life and dance along. It wasn't his best work, I'm sorry to say, and it is often considered one of the worst music videos ever. George himself was said to be pretty embarrassed by it, which is no doubt why this alternate version even exists. Goofy music videos aside, this is my favorite solo song by George Harrison.

It's been a long ten years, but your music still speaks volumes. We miss you George. Keep Heaven rocking!

-Jon

AD REVENUE!!!

Hey folks! Just a quick little update this week. Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I'd thought I'd present a couple appetizers before the main course. Enjoy!

I have to admit, the first time I saw this ad, I fell for it! It wasn't until he wails "BAH BAHHHHHH!" that I realized it was a parody! This ad came out back in 1998, and is still one of the funniest damn things I've ever seen.

Next up...

For all my readers out on the east coast, this is a Jack in the Box ad. The reason I say this is because every year at Comic Con, I have to explain to at least ten people a day what Jack in the Box is and that it's delicious! Come to think of it, I had to do the same thing back in college too! Seriously, you east coasters don't know what you're missing! In addition to some really tasty food (even by fast food standards), Jack in the Box also has some of the funniest commercials on television. Rest assured, more will be posted in the future. In the meantime, head on over to Jack in the Box right now and get some TACO'S! Well, go if you live in a town that has one at least. If not, I'm afraid I just can't help you there!

Well, that's all for this week. I'll be back next time with some Christmas fun featuring Mike and Mindy, the Mushroom gang and a treat or two to kick the holidays into high gear! With that said, have a fun and safe Thanksgiving and remember not to go too crazy on "Black Friday." And if you do go shopping, be sure to buy some bigger pants. Chances are you're gonna need 'em come January!

HEAVY D, ONE OF A KIND

It had been a pretty long day for me last Tuesday, a day that started at 4am due to a really early call at the Civic Theater and ended on a darkened soccer field at a South Bay YMCA. It seemed that everybody around me was doing their best to be annoying, with my family in particular being the worst. As I was finally heading home, I turned on the radio only to get a little more salt rubbed into my wounds: Heavy D had passed away.

I've never really been all that into rap music, but I liked Heavy D. To put it simply, his music was fun to listen to and even more fun to dance to. If any one of my relatives could have afforded a video camera back then, they could have made ten grand off a tape of me, my brother Dante and our cousins Ivan, Vanessa, Stevie and Brian trying to dance to Now That We Found Love!

It was good times back then, and Heavy D was a obviously a part of that.

When Michael Jackson premiered his video for Jam, I remember my brother and me going nuts when Heavy D did his rap towards the end. Back in the day, when Michael Jackson premiered a music video, it was an event, especially for his Dangerous album. So when it came time to premiere Jam, it aired not only on MTV, but VH1, BET and Fox as well!

The big hype was Michael Jordan appearing in the video while rap group Kris Kross also have a cameo. But it was Heavy D, who wasn't even announced, that steals the song. It was a big surprise when he popped up and it's still one of my favorite music videos.

Heavy D also did all three version of the theme song for the hilarious sketch comedy show In Living Color, even performing on several episodes and would later do the theme song for MAD TV.

This was the second theme from the show, which was always my favorite. In Living Color was very much ahead of it's time but that a story for another day.

I'm still sad over Heavy D's passing. Beyond being a talented performer he was also a good person. I think what I liked most about him was that he was a big dude who did big things, which I found inspiring. I wasn't the fat kid, but I definitely wasn't skinny either. To see Heavy D do the things he did, well, it kind've gave me hope. He made me feel that regular folks can be extraordinary if they try hard enough. I also loved his nickname, the "Overweight Lover." That always cracked me up!

So long Heavy D. The world is a much better place for your having been here. Make Heaven dance.

-Jon

IT CAME FROM THE TOP ROPE

Hey folks! Blogging a little early this week due to a busy work schedule this weekend. Normally, I'd be posting something from the absurd side of professional wrestling today but this time around, I'm going to take the high road and comment on the two things that have had many fans buzzing these most recent weeks.

The first would be the appearance by the Muppets on RAW last week. Many fans are still split on the whole Muppets/wrestling thing. Many diehards are still pissed about it, while many casual fans seemed to really enjoy it. As a diehard fan of both wrestling and the Muppets, I was a little split about it myself. It was hard to understand how such an appearance could be pulled off without making both sides look bad, but overall, I enjoyed the show. I felt they did everything just right, with the opening skit being a real highlight (Kermit calling Vicki Guerrero Jack Swagger's "mother": PRICELESS!). I also thought revealing Shemus as Beaker's cousin was also great. I never would've thought that Beaker was Irish.

So yeah, I enjoyed the show. What makes a lot of the diehards angry is that they want to see some "Attitude" again. They miss wrestling from 1998-2001. I admit, wrestling was a hell of a lot more entertaining back when I was a teenager but the facts are this: the extreme era had its time, as did the rock 'n' wrestling era and the brief time in the mid-90s when all wrestlers had day jobs. The whole point of WWF Attitude was shock value. At the end of the day, however, you can only see it so many times. The WWF pulled so many violent stunts back then that after a while, people started getting desensitized to everything. When it ain't shocking anymore, what's the point. If anything, the WWF should've dumped the whole "Attitude" thing ten years ago after the "Monday Night Wars" ended, as that was the true end of the era. Another reason they dropped the excessive violence was due to increased injuries. As I've stated before, wrestling may be scripted, but accidents do happen, and these matches can be very dangerous. I do see some improvement though, thanks to CM Punk. The return of the Rock should also help in giving WWE some of it's edge back. We'll just have to see how it goes.

The other thing that has the wrestling world talking is the recent ESPN report on Scott Hall. From 1993 through 1998, Hall was probably one of the ten best performers in wrestling. Great on the mic and even better in the ring, the man had charisma and a presence that the fans just ate up. His ladder match with Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania X was one of the greatest ever and really set the bar as ladder matches became more common. His return to WCW in 1996 shocked the wrestling world and launched the infamous Monday Night Wars, bringing pro wrestling to heights unheard of. Over time, however, Hall began having issues. Actually, he'd always had issues, but they started becoming bigger and then started costing him jobs. In the fall of 2000, WCW fired him. In the spring of 2002, the WWF fired him. Most recently, TNA fired him in the summer of 2010.

As I said earlier, things weren't always like this, and Scott Hall really was an awesome wrestler. To prove it, check out this match from RAW back in 1993 against the 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman).

In those days, Hall wrestled as Razor Ramon, a character heavily based on the Scarface film from 1983. It should also be noted that as Razor Ramon, Hall had one of the best entrance themes ever, something that today's wrestlers are sorely lacking, although I love that Living Colour's Cult of Personality is being used as CM Punk's new theme (He actually used back in ROH as well). The point is, it's really heartbreaking what has happened to Scott Hall. It's even sadder that most of today's fans have only seen him as a pathetic figure beyond redemption. I, however, choose to remember Hall as the awesome performer he was, and still could be if he can get his life back together. Hopefully, things will get better for him. If you call yourself of wrestling fan, I only ask that you keep Scott Hall in your prayers. His is a soul worth saving.

Well, that's all for this week. I'll be back next time with a tribute the late, great "Overweight Lover," Heavy D, who sadly passed away this week. I ain't even 30 yet, and I'm already having to do tribute pieces for dudes I grew up watching. I know death is inevitable, but why does it have to be so sad? Anyway, take care and I'll catch y'all later!

MIKE AND MINDY: MIND BLOWING!!!

Well, I'm back from an awesome trip to Long Beach and ready to share my experiences. It's also the first week of the month, which means only one thing: COMICS WEEK! So here they are, comics' answer to Fred and Ethel, Mike and Mindy!

Well, that's one way to "expand" your horizons. I guess nobody can accuse Mindy of not having a "well-rounded" personality!

That's right folks. In the Crazyverse, anything goes!

These are a couple of quick sketches I did during the weekend in Long Beach.

I did this quick little sketchcard for Dave Castr over at Taco Comics. I have two more cards that I gotta do for him, so I better get going on that!

I did this sketch in my hotel room during a fit of boredom. The Hilton's a nice hotel and all, but the seriously need to get more channels. I must've watched that Welcome to Los Angeles promo video ten times!

And now, it's time for some new additions to my guest gallery!

First up, this insane piece by Bordin Mark Marsinkul. He really got the spirit of Mike and Mindy down perfectly. More of his work can be found at www.hyperbooster.com.

Next up, this incredibly realistic portrait of Mindy by illustrator Ashleigh Popplewell. Could you imagine Mike and Mindy pulling some of their stunts drawn in this style? More of Ashleigh's work can be found at ashleigh-michelle.deviantart.com.

This awesome Mike portrait was done by Beth Sotelo. I love her style. Somehow, Mike looks so natural with a marshmallow head! Check out Beth's site at www.BethSotelo.com.

This last piece was done by Cuddly Capes, giving Mike and Mindy an Adventure Time flair. Come on folks, say it with me: What time is it? For more of Cuddly Capes designs, check out cuddlycapes.deviantart.com.

And now, for some pics from the Long Beach Comic and Horror Con!

This wasn't a huge show, but it was a lot of fun, and I found some great books and toys!

Silent Bob makin' the rounds.

Quailman and Deadpool Ash! I swear this world would be a much better place if there was more Doug cosplay!

What's left of the National Wrestling Alliance had a ring set up and put on a couple of matches even. Believe me, these guys won't be showing up on RAW or Impact! anytime soon.

Speaking of wrestling, a couple of dudes decided to pay their respects to a recently departed icon during the weekend.

OOOOOOOOH YEAH! SNAP INTO A SLIMJIM!

This guy asked me to deliver a message to the world, but this is a family site, so I had to decline.

A convention first, DILBERT COSPLAY!

Another convention first: MARRIED WITH CHILDREN COSPLAY! Party on Al and Peg! Party on!

Jedi Big Boy! Why wasn't he in the prequels?

The Long Beach Con was a lot of fun. I made many new friends and got a ton of great feedback. So much so that I have finally decided to cave in to peer pressure and start showing at conventions. For sure I'll be at Long Beach next year. I just sent in my application for Wondercon. It's a bit late, but hopefully I'll get in in time. We'll see how it goes. Thanks again to all the great artists and attendees that made this show a memorable one, including the 5,000 or so folks that showed up for the "ZOMBIE WALK"! I would also like to thank Martha Donato for getting me my pro badge and to Sheika Lugtu at OMGcow.com for the kind words and encouragement that she gave me. It was a great time, and I'll see everybody next year!

Well, that's all for now. I'll be back next time with a new wrestling post, as well as my thoughts on some recent events involving the wrestling world. Until then, take care and I'll catch y'all later!