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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Home & Office

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If you are bored of everything in your home and office do the mature thing, box all of your stuff up and donate it to a charity for an end-of-the-year tax write-off, then, load up your abode and workplace with all new stuff. Like our holiday picks.

Isn't being in constant, debilitating debt fun?


Pac-Man Arcade Machine Cocktail Table


Paying almost $3000 for this awesome game table might make some game dorks (like my husband) scoff at spending that kind of money, especially since you could build a MAME (Multi-Arcade Machine Emulator) for a similar cost with thousands of games, but let's face it, not everyone wants to deal with all of that, sometimes they (me) just want to sit down at a table arcade with a pint of beer and play Ms. Pac-Man until she is good and drunk.

And dammit, this sweet-ass table arcade will provide that for you (me) along with twelve other games that will bring back some rose-colored memories: Pac-Man, Galaga, Rally X, Mappy, Xevious, Galaxian, Pac-Mania, Rolling Thunder, Bosconian, Dragon Spirit, Galaga 88 and Dig Dug.

Built with an upgraded 19" diagonal LCD, authentic arcade controls and commercial grade construction and available in a wood grain or black finish (or as an upright arcade game if that is your thing) this is the one piece of furniture in your house that will get plenty of use.

Think of like the fridge, but with more Pac-Man.


Alien Pint Glass Set


If you are old enough to remember the days when you could collect actual glass pint glasses from your favorite fast food restaurants, than this set of 4 Alien pint glasses will almost certainly throw you back to those good ole days.

Designed to look as if they were created in the 70s (without all the lead in the paint) and sporting some pretty sweet movie scenes (including the stomach burster), you can comfortably take a swill of beer from these glasses and remember back when kids weren't obese from eating "child-sized" buckets fries.

 (sigh)


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Books

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The classic tale of good versus evil set in a galaxy far, far away, quickly became a cultural phenomenon during its time, inspiring a generation of story lovers and storytellers. Now, the original trilogy of Star Wars shines anew with the vibrant concept art of Ralph McQuarrie, the legendary conceptual designer behind the original trilogy.

Collected in a picture book for the first time, McQuarrie's art is paired with captivating text by New York Times bestselling author Tony DiTerlizzi-a winning combination that will delight Star Wars fans old and new and delight generations of readers to come.


1883:  Texas Ranger William Ray Strong teams up with Judge Roy Bean to track down the Old West’s first serial killer who’s stitching a trail of death along the railroad lines slicing their way through Texas.

The Present:  Fifth Generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong finds herself pursuing another serial killer whose methods are eerily similar to the one pursued by her great-grandfather almost a century-and-a-half before.  But that’s just the beginning of the problems confronting Caitlin in her biggest and most dangerous adventure yet, starting off when the son of her reformed outlaw boy friend Cort Wesley Masters is nearly beaten to death while at college.

The trail of that attack at Brown University leads all the way back to Texas and a Chinese high-tech company recently awarded the contract to build the nation’s Fifth Generation wireless network.  Li Zhen, a rare self-made man in China and the company’s founder, counts that as the greatest achievement of his career.  But it’s an achievement that hides the true motivations behind a rise fueled by events dating back to the time of Caitlin’s great-grandfather.  Because the same era that spawned a serial killer who has impossibly resurfaced today also hides the secrets behind Li’s thirst for nothing less than China’s total domination of the United States.

His fiendishly clever plan is backed by all-powerful elements of the Chinese underworld that will stop at nothing to insure its success.  Up against an army at Li’s disposal, Caitlin and Cort Wesley blaze a violent trail across country and continent in search of secrets hidden in the past, but it’s a secret from the present that holds the means to stop their adversary’s plot in its tracks, even as a climactic battle dawns with nothing less than the fate of the U.S. at stake.   Because there’s a darkness coming, and only Caitlin Strong can find the light before it’s too late.


The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition


When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their Children's and Household Tales in 1812, followed by a second volume in 1815, they had no idea that such stories as "Rapunzel," "Hansel and Gretel," and "Cinderella" would become the most celebrated in the world. Yet few people today are familiar with the majority of tales from the two early volumes, since in the next four decades the Grimms would publish six other editions, each extensively revised in content and style. For the very first time, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm makes available in English all 156 stories from the 1812 and 1815 editions. These narrative gems, newly translated and brought together in one beautiful book, are accompanied by sumptuous new illustrations from award-winning artist Andrea Dezsö.

From "The Frog King" to "The Golden Key," wondrous worlds unfold--heroes and heroines are rewarded, weaker animals triumph over the strong, and simple bumpkins prove themselves not so simple after all. Esteemed fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes offers accessible translations that retain the spare description and engaging storytelling style of the originals. Indeed, this is what makes the tales from the 1812 and 1815 editions unique--they reflect diverse voices, rooted in oral traditions, that are absent from the Grimms' later, more embellished collections of tales. Zipes's introduction gives important historical context, and the book includes the Grimms' prefaces and notes.

A delight to read, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm presents these peerless stories to a whole new generation of readers.


The Boomer Book of Christmas Memories


Baby Boomers, remember the holidays? Aluminum trees, "The Chipmunks Song," TV specials with the Peanuts gang or the Grinch? Remember making Chex Mix and Green Bean Casseroles?

The true and sometimes wacky stories behind the fads and holiday traditions of the Boomer Era are stuffed into this book. Who invented Bubble Lites? Did an Oregon DJ really get fired on the air for playing Elvis' version of "White Christmas?" What were the secret histories of Barbie and Ken, Slinkys, Play-Doh, and games like Operation?

The Boomer Book of Christmas Memories
reveals all this and more! If you're a Baby Boomer, or if you want to thrill someone born between 1946 and the 1960s, this book is certain raise a smile, a squeal, and maybe even a toast.


Alien: The Archive


Alien is one of the most original, thrilling, and beautiful franchises in cinema history. From Ridley Scott's elegant horror masterpiece and James Cameron's visceral and heart-pounding Aliens, to David Fincher's nihilistic Alien3, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's twisted Alien Resurrection, these are the films that birthed a monster and a cultural phenomenon.

Alien: The Archive is a beautiful celebration of these landmark films, delving deep into the process of how all four films were created. From the earliest script ideas to final cut, this book showcases the making of the series in exhaustive and exclusive detail. Featuring storyboards from Ridley Scott, exclusive concept designs from Ron Cobb and Syd Mead, behind-the-scenes imagery of the xenomorphs being created, deleted scenes, unused ideas, costumes, weapons, and much more.

This must have retrospective also includes brand new interviews with Ridley Scott, Sigourney Weaver, H.R. Giger, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jenette Goldstein, and those whose vision and originality created a cinema legend.

This book is for all fans of Alien, art lovers, and cinema and science fiction historians. Alien:The Archive is the final word on the series and showcases the breathtaking creation of a terrifying and beautiful filmic nightmare.


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WILD (review)

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Review by Caitlyn Thompson
Produced by Bruna Papandrea, 
Bill Pohlad, Reese Witherspoon
Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Based on Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, 
Thomas Sadoski, Gaby Hoffmann, 
Michiel Huisman, W. Earl Brown, Kevin Rankin, 
Charles Baker, Brian Van Holt, Jan Hoag


I didn’t know what to expect from Wild.

I knew it was a about a woman on a hike. An intense hike. And I prayed it wouldn’t be some feel-good “I’m discovering how happy life can be and how wondrous nature is” film.

And it wasn’t.

Jean-Marc Vallee’s depiction of Cheryl Strayed’s hike along the Pacific Crest Trail is an enthralling journey.

It’s jarring, beautiful, and a really intense emotional experience of the paralyzing impacts of grief and guilt, much more so than the experience of hiking.

After four years of grief-driven sexual exploits and drug use, triggered by the early death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed is at rock bottom. It seems clear that her hike is meant to cleanse her of her wrongdoings, but that’s not what it does.

Wild is about acceptance more so than moral victory. We don’t see the character become a better person throughout this trip and we aren’t meant to see her do so, so much as recognize her cowardice and relate to the crippling effects of grief.

There is no montage scene of triumph. The hike never gets easier. Cheryl never buffs up and runs up a mountainside smiling and proud. She remains exhausted the entire time. And appropriately so. She is paralyzed in her damaging lifestyle until she puts herself in an environment where she will ultimately be killed in some form or another if she doesn’t move forward.

And that’s why the film is so powerful.

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THE IMITATION GAME (review)

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Review by Elizabeth Robbins 
Produced by Nora Grossman, 
Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman
Written by Graham Moore
Based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges
Directed by Morten Tyldum
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, 
Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Charles Dance, 
Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Rory Kinnear


Heartbreaking.

From start to finish, that is how I would describe The Imitation Game. 

Based on the book Alan Turning: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges, The Imitation Game is the story of Alan Turning (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock) a brilliant but socially inept mathematician who invented the computer that cracked the enigma machine, the Nazi’s cipher machine; and after the war, was persecuted for being homosexual at a time when homosexuality was illegal in England.

Norwegian director, Morten Tyldum weaves a complex story.

The film follows three timelines; Turning as a precocious and isolated schoolboy, his time working secretly for the British Government in WWII, and his tragic and solitary life after the war. each timeline enhances the other, giving the viewer a living, breathing Turning.

The Imitation Game paints a picture of just how desperate life was in England during the early years of WWII. From the evacuation of the children from London during the Blitz, to the sinking of the food convoys from the United States to a starving Great Britain, Tyldum gives the modern audience access to how importance of breaking the enigma code.

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MUSIC VIDEO MONDAY: Feliz Navidad- El Vez

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I like Xmas music. Let me rephrase that, I like Xmas music that is weird and kind of off-putting... like when David Bowie and Bing Crosby did that duet on Little Drummer Boy and both of them wondered how the fuck it happened...yeah, that kind of Xmas song.

So take the song Feliz Navidad for instance, for most white, uno language-speaking people it's one of the only songs (besides La Bamba) that they can sing completely in Spanish without realizing that they are communicating in a second language that isn't their beloved 'Murican. Even complete racists will sing it (between commenting on how "...our borders need to be shut down (grumble, grumble).

I've seen it happen and it's a beautiful and ironic thing.

Which is why, when you pair Feliz Navidad with the Mexican Elvis, El Vez (Robert Lopez, who was in the punk band The Zeros) you get a great cover that will weird out your non pop-punk appreciative relatives while still retaining the beauty of the original song.

It's like a Xmas miracle if you ask me.

Video after the break.

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Stephen King Primer, Rowling's BBC Series, Must Read Indies & More!

THE ART & SCIENCE OF PEPPERMINT Who Knew the Xmas Candy Could Be So Darn Philosophical?

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Last year the Arts and Sciences division from USC Dornsife put together a super cool look at snow from the perspective of poets, scientists, psychologists and philosophers. This year, they tackle the Peppermint with the same level of intellectualism that will not only provide you with enough talking points to use during the awkward pauses at your annual family holiday dinner, it will also help keep the conversation away from your (insert fault here).

So watch the video and take notes people...'cause education has never been so delicious...nor this helpful.

Video after the break.

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Lion Forge Comics And IDW Publishing Revamp An '80s Classic With MIAMI VICE REMIX

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Joe Casey And Jim Mahfood Bring Vibrant New Energy to Legendary Franchise

Mixing new school with old, comics publisher Lion Forge Comics has partnered with award-winning IDW Publishing to bring the classic TV series Miami Vice to print with Miami Vice Remix this February. Now anyone who loves the iconic characters, pastels, fast cars and over the top action of Miami Vice can get their hands on the comic based on the renowned ‘80s classic television show.

Writer Joe Casey (Uncanny X-Men, Adventures of Superman) teamed up with comic book industry veteran Jim Mahfood to create Miami Vice Remix. The comic follows the Metro-Dade Police Department detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs through modern-day Miami as they go undercover facing dangerous encounters with voodoo, zombies and Crockett’s mysterious past.


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XMAS WTF: Allouez, WI Welcomes the Abominable Snowman Bumble & Her Poodle Blizzard to Town

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In what sounds like the plot to a Hallmark Channel's Christmas movie, the folks of Allouez, Wisconsin have welcomed an Abominable Snowman named Bumble (and her poodle Blizzard) to town and, I'm assuming, she will soon teach the bitter widow school teacher to finally find love again in the arms of the lonely librarian.

Or, she will walk around town and take part in a weird news report that will no doubt haunt the local street reporter for the rest of his life.

Either way, I'm hooked.

Video after the break.

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Golden Globes: The Small Screen Snubs

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The Golden Globe nominations were announced bright and early on Thursday morning, celebrating the year in movies and boob tube.

In the TV category, some nominations were right on the money, like all the love for Fargo, True Detective and Orange is the New Black.

Others were a surprise, like Jane the Virgin receiving a Best Comedy nod.

And of course, there were the repeat offenders, like The Good Wife and Downton Abbey.

And then there were the snubs.

Let's take a look at the most atrocious small screen snubs.


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Win THE STRAIN Season One on Blu-ray!

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Experience the first season of TV’s hottest, most blood-curdling sci-fi series – from Executive Producers-Writers Guillermo Del Toro, Carlton Cuse and Chuck Hogan – along with behind-the-scenes special features that explore the story’s journey from bestselling novel to hit show.
 
When a freak virus kills all but four passengers on an airplane at JFK, Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), head of the Center for Disease Control’s “Canary Team,” is immediately called to the scene. With help from a mysterious Holocaust survivor (David Bradley), “Eph” and his colleague (Mía Maestro) uncover the outbreak’s ties to vampirism. Now, the only way to stop the terrifying disease from wiping out mankind is to face its source – a sinister supernatural creature known as “The Master” – whose evil intent seems more powerful than any other force on Earth!
Based on the novel by by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, fans can follow the harrowing plague in both the graphic novel and TV adaptation ( Season 1 on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital HD – now available!) by visiting twostrains.com

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Join Me. As We Flashback To UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

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The entertainment landscape is littered with hundreds of “non-fiction” mystery programs; you know, the ones that follow and often reenact unsolved murders, ghosts, aliens, and other weird events. You can find them daily on various cable stations and a plethora of internet websites. You can literally check out too-spooky-for-you programs at any time of the day, any day of the week.

This wasn’t what it was like when I was growing up.

Mysteries and the supernatural were reserved for campfires, special events during Halloween, and crappy VHS copies of In Search Of... that you could pick up from the eternally smarmy dude at a comic convention.

However, there was one outlet alone for a nerdy kid’s fix for the unknown…

Unsolved Mysteries.

Hell yeah – I remember hearing that haunting title song and pumping my little fist in excitement for a big, heaping helping of mystery. I mean, seriously, you can hear that cool synth music in your head as you read this, can’t you?


Then came the deep, sultry voice of the man, the myth, the legend: Robert Stack. This dude made wearing a 1940s trench coat in the 1980s-90s cool as hell. He would be standing in some nameless alley, mist gently caressing his form, and tell us that we were about to embark on a dark path into the unknown.


Those of you unfamiliar with Unsolved Mysteries, it was an hour-long program that would showcase, well, unsolved mysteries in a documentary format.

 It would go over everything listed above – from missing persons, to cold cases, to the supernatural.

As the cases would be broken down by Stack and witness interviews, there would be dramatic reenactments of the said mystery playing out for the viewer.

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The Pull List: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #11, SECRET SIX #1, JOHN CARTER; WARLORD OF MARS #2 & More!

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Check out what I checked out this week.

Whether the comics are inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.

Welcome to The Pull List.

And, as always...Spoilers ahead!


Avengers World #16
Writers: Nick Spencer, Frank Barbierre
Artist: Marco Checchetto, Ramon Rosanas
Colorist: Andres Mossa
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99


To say that Axis has been disappointing so far would be an understatement.

It’s a good idea, but its execution has been sloppy across the board.

Now, on the other hand, the supplemental stories in the regular on-going books have been a doozy. So if nothing else, Marvel’s current big event is bearing some fruit. Heroes are acting like villains and vice versa.

Scarlett Witch is looking to wipe out Doctor Doom once and for all and he is kind of scared. The "good" Doctor enlists the help of Valeria, his niece and daughter of Reed and Sue Richards.

Valeria leads a misfit-toys-esque group against Scarlett Witch and all hell breaks loose.

What really makes this work is how Nick Spencer and Frank Barbierre are able to turn the role reversal into something positive. We know that at some point, everyone will return to the regular programing. Still, being able to make an intriguing tale with those elements made for a satisfying read. Marco Checchetto and Ramon Rosanas’ artwork works perfectly on several fronts, including the battle scenes and a domestic affair with a big reveal. Andres Mossa’s coloring is a visual treat and delivered a grim tone that augmented the sentiment that Valeria and company were going to lose badly.

Avengers World has been a hit or miss title over the last twelve months, but this installment does a lot to make things interesting, while fully taking advantage of the main angle in place.

Score: 4 out of 5


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90 Facts About the 90s: Fact 91, I Drank A Lot of Zima

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Since I was born in the early 70s, most of my hard-core nostalgia revolves around the 80s decade but, I happened to have married a dude six-and-a-quarter years younger than me so while I spent the majority of the 90s in a drunken haze at clubs, he was making the memories that this episode of The List Show showcases.

Watching it, he kind of teared up...probably over seeing N'Sync, I'm not sure...it was either that or Pogs.

He's sort of a weirdo.

Video after the break.

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Struck By A Rainbow- A Skittles Documentary

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Sometimes an ad campaign comes out that makes you wonder why more companies don't make an effort to chuck out the boring old formula for selling products and take a risk for once...This faux documentary about a man struck by a Skittles rainbow is one of those.

Thank you hard-shelled fruit candy for thinking outside of the box. I will now eat you.

Doc after the break.

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Archie Comics Announces Expansive 75th Anniversary Plans; Relaunches ARCHIE #1

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NOT FINAL Archie promotional artwork by series artist Fiona Staples.

Archie Comics, the acclaimed and bestselling comic book publisher that is home to some of the best-known pop culture creations in the world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & The Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the hit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE and CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA horror series, announced today that the company will relaunch one of the longest-running comic series in history with a new direction spearheaded by two of the most acclaimed and best-selling creators in comics today.

ARCHIE #1, hitting next year from writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples, will reenergize the story of Archie and his friends, presenting for the first time ever the origins of everyone’s favorite redheaded teen and his friends while showcasing the beginnings of the historic love triangle between Archie, Betty and Veronica.

The new series will focus on the strengths of the popular characters, their world and harken back to the comic’s humorous and edgier roots, said Archie Comics Publisher/CEO Jon Goldwater.

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Book A Virtual Stay In A Gingerbread House And Help A Homeless Family Find Shelter For The Holidays

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This time of year is the partnership of polar opposites: Excess and charity, which might seem counterproductive, but weirdly with as much money as people dump into gifts for people they don't really care about, they are also giving a lot of it away to charities that need it.

So with that in mind, the idea of booking a virtual stay at Gingerbread House may seem a bit odd but all the money goes to a wonderful charity in NYC, Robin Hood, an organization where 100% of the money raised goes to help homeless family get off the streets and into safe housing.

Think of it like an AirBNB for your soul.

All you have to do is choose where you would like to book your stay, a Modern Home on a beach (pictured above), a cozy Rustic Cabin:

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“Shambala” Belongs to LOST and Other Taken Songs

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Recently, I heard a Bank of America commercial that used Three Dog Night's “Shambala.”

Sorry, BofA, that song belongs now and forever to Lost, since the show – not known for its happy moments – used it in one of the most joyous scenes to grace the series.

That goes for the following songs as well.

 If you've seen these episodes, you likely can't hear these tunes without thinking of these iconic moments every time. In some cases, it was the first time I heard these songs but for most, even if I already knew the song, these episodes made the song completely their own.

Your own list is probably quite different, but here's mine:


1. Three Dog Night: “Shambala” – Lost
"Tricia Tanaka Is Dead" 2007


When Hurley and Charlie attempt to jumpstart the old Dharma van by driving it down an incredibly steep hill, it could have easily ended in both their deaths, but instead the motor sputters to life and so does the 8-track of this happy hippy song. The euphoria of the moment is catching as Jin, Hurley, and Vincent the dog run after the van and jump inside, smiling wider than we've ever believed possible.

It's even better than finding the Dharma beer!


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Win a Digital Copy of PUMPING IRON Introducing ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER!

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Everyone knows Arnold Schwarzenegger but do you know the whole story behind the man?

From Gold's Gym in Venice Beach California to the showdown in Pretoria, amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests in this part-scripted, part-documentary film.

Five-time champion Arnold Schwarzenegger defends his Mr. Olympia title against Serge Nubret and the shy, young, deaf Lou Ferrigno, whose father is his coach; the ruthless champ psyches out the young lion.

Sardinian Franco Columbu competes in the lightweight class; at home in Italy he solves a tight parking problem by lifting the car into place. Joe Weider is the marketer; Mike Katz and Ken Waller go for the title of Mr. Universe. Bodybuilding and a celebrity-to-be go mainstream.

Pumping Iron (plus bonus content) Available HERE

Special Features:
  • Still Pumping: Success in bodybuilding is a mental challenge as well as physical. In these newly recorded interviews, Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about the will power and focus you need to become a champion, and the mental attitude that has shaped his career.
  • The Hard Science of Bodybuilding: Arnold Schwarzenegger and top bodybuilders give insights into the sport of bodybuilding and tips for building the body of your dreams.

After the jump check out the Pumping Iron App and learn how you can win a digital copy of the film!


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FOG! Chats With ERIK LARSEN About SAVAGE DRAGON #200!

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Interview conducted by Clay N Ferno
Art by Jack Kirby and Erik Larsen

A heavy book hit the shelves this week! Savage Dragon #200 is weighing in as a ‘100-Page Super Spectacular’ and also carries with it the legacy of Erik Larsen’s career, where he has stayed with Dragon and now Malcolm as the titular character.

From the Image Revolution to the age of digital comics, you can rarely find a more ingrained creator or publisher in the industry.

He is able to playfully tip his hat to the Silver Age and Jack Kirby while moving his own book and stories into the future.

The Image Comics CFO took the time to talk his milestone issue with us—and for that we are grateful and wish him and Dragon many more milestones in the future!



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