New Pictures of upcoming 2008 Blockbusters are pictured in the Movies Section. 

And in local sports news, the New York Rangers appear to lack the energy they had when they beat up on the Devils and they are down 2 games to 0 (they did get hosed on calls in both games).  Pick it up Blue Shirts!

Check out this great link to ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY which shows the Stephen King article they printed called, "Videogame Lunacy".

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20188502,00.html

Tonight is Game 1 of the Second Round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  It will be a GRANDIOSE SHOOTOUT!  Many of the NHL's best will meet in this one:  Fleury, Malkin, and Crosby vs. Lundqvist, Jagr, Avery, and Shanahan!  Edge of your seat adrenaline laced games will erupt and melt the ice for the next week, or so.  GO RANGERS!  Sid "the Kid" better watch out, because the Rangers are a New York freight train ready to run him over!

From 10 A.M. on Friday through Saturday as the lights went down at 7 P.M., I attended the New York Comic Con for the second time in as many years.  After leaving Saturday night I would have to say that it was a GREAT time and I am here to inform all who have interest in any type of Art/or Media that it was a vibrant display of current and past works of Entertainment/or Art and it previewed UNBELIEVABLE things to come from the many artists of the world. 

On Friday, as I scarfed down a $10.25 Pizza/small Coke combo, I sat next to a woman and a bald man with an Australian type accent.  I'm as of yet not sure who he was (my journalist is working on it), but after seeing the woman's tape recorder and listening in I have no doubt that I sat next to one of the creators of the X-Files.  I heard his interview given in response to the upcoming move X-FILES:  I WANT TO BELIEVE.  He spoke to a wizened old woman of needing to please the audience with a movie ending and giving them what they want, because if you don't, "in today's day if your friend tells you it was okay, you don't go to see it -- you wait for it to come out on DVD."

There were SNEAK PEAKS into upcoming movies, games, television, art, and comics amidst the tremendous exhibits that stretched across the near infinite floor space where the movie stars, entertainment/publishing person ell, artists, fans, and writers (which I will from this point forward not differentiate from artists for I believe writing is an art as well) dwelt for a weekend.

The life size/GIANT SIZE HULK statue marked Marvel's Booth and the upcoming movie starring Edward Norton and Tim Roth.  Mr. Roth (Abomination in the flick) was there in attendance and happy to sign autographs and reminisce with my buddy Lew on playing Mr. Orange in RESERVOIR DOGS and working with Quentin Tarantino.

My buddy Cole met SID MEIR, the creator of the infamous CIVILIZATION VIDEO GAME SERIES, and received his signature.

LUCASFILM is having quite a year and I will begin the exciting NEWS dropped on attendees here.  Steve Sansweet, George Lucas' right hand man, presented the INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL trailer on the big screen and with it the trailer of the LEGO INDIANA JONES and let me tell you...WHAT a Difference!  The fourth installment of Indy will arrive in theaters on May 22 and is poised to be another classic of American cinema.  The Star Wars Force Unleashed Video game trailer was also set forth on the monitor and showed a Sith apprentice of Darth Vader pulling down a Star Destroyer with the Force.  AWESOME!  He also confirmed the upcoming fall 2008 STAR WARS (CGI) CLONE WARS TV series which will air on Cartoon Network and TNT. 

Then Seth Green and his co-creator of ROBOT CHICKEN came out for a funny/insightful discussion on how Robot Chicken came about.  He shared his fear as Lucasfilm appeared on his caller ID after the first airing of a Star Wars skit and then his delight as he got to direct the boisterous George Lucas in the Robot Chicken:  Star Wars Special.  A DVD release of that show is due out soon and at Comic Con there was a NEVER BEFORE SEEN skit of George on a therapist's couch which I have a feeling will appear on the DVD bonus disc.  Leaving the IGN Theater I literally walked into a guy taking a picture of Seth Green and after Kurt and Kara pointed him out to me I got to see the creative mind up close (see the pictures).  Seth then ran into the fray and blended into the Con, like a chameleon in a shrubbery-laden rain forest.

For all of the Battlestar Galactica fans out there I sat and watched an adrenaline laced Preview of the last season as well as interviews with the brand spanking new cylons Col.Tigh (Michael Hogan), Anders (Michael Trucco), and the President's  assistant Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma; who is  even more gorgeous in person).  It will be a monumental Final Season and the political/religious issues depicted therein reflect the current times more accurately than any other fictitious/or news show.

FRANK MILLER AND EVA MENDES were there to promote their new movie THE SPIRIT based on the legendary graphic comics of the late Will Eisner.  Eva is truly stunning and I have a full run of pics (check out the Flickr in sequence; click on pics below to do this) with play by play description.  Ahhhh...Eva.  Frank Miller spoke eloquently and his genius was truly remarkable in person as it is in his many works (SIN CITY, 300, BATMAN:  YEAR ONE...to name a few).  I saw the EXCLUSIVE TRAILER there and it looks GREAT!  It is very much Sin City-ish with a brilliant clarity of style and once again appears to bring a book to life like never before.

The President of DC COMICS came out to show for the FIRST TIME EVER the new BATMAN:  DARK KNIGHT TRAILER which will not air for another two weeks.  Blogging, video, and photos was strictly prohibited, but I can say this:  HOLY SH*T BATMAN IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!  The megalomaniacal Joker is darker, deadlier, and crazier than Ever Before!  It will just about decimate all but INDY this year and there are quite a few excellent movies coming out that I will put near this (IRON MAN, THE SPIRIT, HULK).  And on a side note after seeing the SPEED RACER Trailer I think the FLOP of the year is also on its way.  Go Speed Racer Go -- Ouch!

In the Center of the Con floor rested some of the coolest ART I have ever seen.  MICHAEL WHELAN shared a corner of a booth and had an amazing display of art hid away, like a diamond in the rough, including works from the DARK TOWER for STEPHEN KING!  His look into the life/quest of Roland, and the intensely detailed visions, like the Field of Roses bearing the ash gray DARK TOWER, are amazing and moving (as is all of his work). I was forced (yea right) to purchase a limited signed and numbered Lithograph for my modest collection; it is truly INSPIRING. Some of these Whelan pieces are some of my favorite depictions of my favorite book and I spoke with him about his upcoming Art for the new release of Stephen King's The GUNSLINGER wherein the short story, "Little Sisters of Eluria" will now be included.  He said he created a number of depictions of the Sisters:  as they appear "buggified", as the young one looked to Roland, as the Sisters looked to themselves, and one of them passing through a cloth-type wall with a candle.  WOW!  The Stephen King/Michael Whelan Masterpiece should be out some time this summer.

The overall Event I witnessed was fun, like Christmas morning, inspiring, informative, and intense.  I loved it!

I will be attending the New York Comic Con on Friday and will provide exclusive commentary and pictures on the Event Friday night.  For more details on NYCC check the News Section and for the latest New York Comic Con Video release check out the Video Section!

This past week marked the passing of two great people.  On April 4, 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. passed on.  He had said in his speech in Detroit (06/23/1963) that, "If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."  I am fortunate to have family, friends, and work -- which has woven into it ways to better the world -- that is worth dying for.

On April 3, 2005 my grandmother Evelyn Komulainen passed on.  She was kind, smart, loving, strong, selfless, and good.  From my grandfather Henry, my great grandparents, and my great uncle -- who have all passed on -- but especially from "regula" grandma I have grown with qualities instilled in me to be a solid human being.  Their unwavering love and encouragement has made me happy and live well, and their memory will continue to do so no matter what rough spots lie ahead of me.  Grandma I miss you more than I can put into words and I love you.

Roberto