Sacramento animator/artist Bao Nguyen seems to have quite the fascination with digital Art Direction. His collections consist of logos, movie credits, and 3-Dimensional graphic design. His latest display however is a group of ‘Street Fighter’ based icons and image from the world famous Capcom title. Check the method below.
As if these colored renders weren’t enough, Bao also sported a set of moving gif.’s of his incredible work. Check the method below.
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class, in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.
Rapper generally have a preconceived notion following them that they’re rough, tough, and aren’t to be messed with. Weather an artists persona dictates that they should act aggressive or not… as a human being, anyone gets pissed off when someone steals your stuff. When Asap Rocky got his $15,000 watch stolen in London at Camden Electric Ballroom concert, it wasn’t an act, the man was generally upset… See what happens when you steal Asap’s watch.
With the Grammy’s occuring last night, a few devout Hip Hop heads noticed that both Common and Drake were both in attendance. After Common’s repeated Drizzy disses, Drake simply said at a concert that Common should try and “say it to [his] mutha f*ckin face”. The Grammys were certainly an opportunity for the two to come face to face, but instead, Common spoke to a drunken Toure’ (from Fuse TV) and seemed to squash the beef. (A friend pointed out that after Common’s album was released, and he had to see Drake in person, he squashed the beef in a timely manner.) But it’s a good things to see two emcees ending a feud that ultimately amounted to nothing but a few memorable songs and people talking sh*t.
As much as some would love to stop hearing about it (… like myself), word on the street is that the duo met coincidentally back stage, and got into some type of scuffle. The police were called in to break up the confrontation, and before both parties left the building, it happened a second time. Now, this is all rumors as of now, and I hate reporting on rumors, no matter what the topic, but if it’s true, I know people would love to know exactly what went on.
As Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk and more team up on the big screen in Marvel’s The Avengers next May, the comic book Marvel Universe is planning something just as epic. Announced today, April will see the beginning of a 12-issue superhero showdown that, thanks to studio rights issues, is even bigger than the silver screen can handle (especially since the current Avengers line-up includes Spider-Man as well). Check out the below press release for full details of Avengers vs X-Men:
This April, The Avengers and the X-Men—the two most popular franchises in comics history—go to war! Marvel is proud to announce AVENGERS VS X-MEN, a landmark 12-issue pop culture event bringing together the world’s greatest super heroes—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Magneto and more—for an unforgettable battle beginning in April 2012.
AVENGERS VS X-MEN is written by a team of the top-selling authors in the comic book industry today: Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction. This unprecedented assembly of acclaimed writers is joined by a trio of the industry’s superstar artists: John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert. The Avengers and X-Men have learned that the all-powerful embodiment of both death and rebirth known as the Phoenix Force is on a crash course for Earth…and it needs a new host to unleash its immeasurable power. But what is the shocking decision tied to the Phoenix’s return that will pit the Avengers against the X-Men? And when good friends become bitter enemies, what does this mean for the future of the Marvel Universe?
Shipping twice monthly, this epic 12-issue limited series will be available in comic stores and on the Marvel Comics app on the same day—additionally, each print issue of AVENGERS VS X-MEN includes a code for a free digital copy of the issue on the Marvel Comics app at no additional cost to fans or retailers.
“AVENGERS VS X-MEN brings together the most powerful forces in comics for a super hero war like you’ve never seen before and will never see again. We all want to see the best of the best go against each other—Lakers & Celtics; Ali & Frazier; Yankees & Red Sox; and in comics it’s the Avengers fighting the X-Men, ” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “We’ve brought together the biggest writers, biggest artists and biggest characters for the biggest story we’ve ever told. This is the kind of high-octane action-packed story that fans demand while also having a profound effect on every character involved—and reshaping the Marvel Universe in its wake.”
Plus, for the first time ever, fans can watch and take part in the groundbreaking AVENGERS VS X-MEN Live Kickoff beginning at 3:00pm ET, Wednesday, December 7, on Marvel.com and http://new.livestream.com/marveluniverse. A unique event produced in collaboration with Livestream.com’s cutting edge streaming services and the Hangout functionality provided by Google+, we’re bringing the writers and editors of AvX directly to the fans. Make sure to follow Marvel on Google+ as five lucky fans will be chosen to join in on the AvX hangout with their favorite writers and editors! Even if you’re not part of the Hangout, your questions can still be answered via Facebook and Twitter. using hashtag #AvX—just make sure to send in your questions before the event ends!
I’ve been involved in some pretty ridiculous conversations in the past, but one of the best in recent memory was trying to explain to someone what the point of freestyle battling was. My friends and I tried to explain to a colleague that the art of matching wits with a competitor intellectually was something that other cultures have done for years. The killer was that we found a skit on Funny or Die of what a Rap Battle might sound like if were translated for the general public. Regardless of the tags on the video, the original battle is between Dose and Math Hoffa from S.M.A.C.K. DVD. But the translated version is hilarious none the less.
I do my best not to help stimulate hip hop beef, or draw too much attention to it on the blog… BUT this one was a little too much for me to ignore. Odd Future’s own Frank Ocean went off on Chris brown for seemingly no reason recently on twitter after Chris Brown complimented him. What ensued was a back and forth between Brown, Tyler The Creator, and Frank Ocean that was eventually broken up by none other than The Game (random.) But although the argument may have ended there, I’m getting the feeling things are just heating up. More below.
Now, I have to admit, that Chris Brown doesn’t exactly strike me as the most gangsta of the child star R&B singers on the planet, however, this doesn’t mean that his family won’t go hard. From the description of a video that surfaced recently, Frank Ocean allegedly ran after being confronted by Chris Brown. But weather that’s true or not remains to be seen. What the video actually shows however is Frank Ocean driving away from who are reported to be Chris Browns cousin. TO ME, by the looks of things in the video combined with knowing a bit of background on the Odd Future crew, I don’t think this is the end of it at all. And who knows, if this is the next hip hop beef to spill over from word to action, Chris Brown may have the upper hand… he messed Robyn pretty bad.
With certain blog posts, I unintentionally cause some sort of an uproar. (And then I get inbox full of emails from angry people, then I make my staff go through it, then they complain, and its just not pretty) BUT, that being said, this post is meant to cause some discussions. My person top 10 movie villains, is a list made out of personal opinion, and a list that I hope people will give me suggestions on. I haven’t seen every movie, and if you think there’s a bad-ass that I’ve left off the list, please let me know. But before I get to it, I want to explain why I left one person off the list. ‘The Dark Knight‘s joker is one of the best most compelling villains I’ve ever seen. But there is too much speculation about Heath Ledgers death being the reason people loved his performance, or about how he went crazy while playing the role, yadda yadda. So although I took Joker off the list, I still had to put up one of my favorite scenes from The Dark Knight by one of the most iconic antagonists in modern American cinema. Click the pic to see the scene.
Click the pic to watch.
And now that we have THAT out of the way, let me go into a bit more detail about my hard thought list. There is always a very worthy antagonist for every good movie, but my selections weren’t based on the money the movie made, or how well it received by the general public. When I say best villains, I mean just that. I’ve picked the most devious, reckless, demented, mischievous rapscallions ever captured on film, and portrayed by great actors, but keep in mind this list is not in any specific order. This is just my personal top 10, not how they rank. I also did my best not to over-saturate the list with over played persona’s like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Essentially I tried to stay away from a whole list of “possessed crazed white people”, there’s an abundance of that in good movies (Ryan Reynolds in ‘Amityvillie Horror’, Katie from ‘Paranormal Activity’, and so on). The second category I stayed away from were the action movie bad guys, who are a normally a dime a dozen, and all either want money or have a personal vendetta with the good guy, which is why I tried my hardest to deviate from that as well. I’ll explain my reasons for picking each person on the list, but basically I wanted to stick to truly unique, one of a kind, malicious bad-assery (more like John Doe in ‘Seven’ which would have came 11th on the list) so I’m pretty sure I picked 10 winners. Check the method.
Patrick Bateman – (American Psycho)
What I consider a master of deception, Bateman is insane, and can keep it all in his pants when it matters most, but I think is the most unsettling thing about him is when his “crazy” slips out, like in the classic ‘business card’ scene from American Psycho. Interesting, intriguing, while still unsettling and disturbing, this simple scene doesn’t depict any of his murders, but it shows just how the mind of a person that deranged just might work.
Adrian Veidt – (Watchmen)
I consider Adrian an unparalleled monster, for the simple fact that in his movie, he did something no other villains tend to do… Succeed. He carried out his master-plan, killed a billion people, and had one of the sickest evil lines in ANY movie. “I’m not a comic book villain. Do you seriously think I would explain my master stroke to you if there were even the slightest possibility you could affect the outcome? I triggered it 35 minutes ago.” Not to mention in his universe, he’s the smartest man alive. Check it out.
Hannibal Lecter – (Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon, Hannibal Rising.)
When the original ‘Silence of the Lambs’ came out, I was far too young to appreciate it. All I remember thinking was that Buffalo Bill not having a d*ck was downright disturbing in every sense of the word. But years and years later, when the sequel ‘Hannibal’ came out, my sister sat me down and made me watch the original, and it warped my mind as to how brilliant and insidious the character of Hannibal Lecter really was. Check out a scene or two from one of my favorite evil genius’s. (B.T.W. if you haven’t seen any of the movies, he eats people.)
Blue – (Sucker Punch)
‘Sucker Punch’ is a relatively new movie, its an original, and most people are unfamiliar with its basic cast of characters. But all that being said, Blue, the movies main villain is ridiculously malicious, and carries out one of the most shocking acts in any movie I’ve seen in years. Seeing as how when this post was written, ‘Sucker Punch’ was still clocking dollars at the box office, I won’t put any spoilers into this post. But I do have to reiterate that Blue is a gentleman, a low down scheeming liar, a man of great emotional depth, a disturbed m*ther f*cker, and still one of the biggest pimps I’ve ever seen on screen. The scene below (has no spoilers) but is immediately before Blue shows his “true colors” and rockets himself into villain history. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what happens next.
Simon Phoenix – (Demolition Man)
I feel like if people were satisfied with my choices so far, they may not be after this. I know I tried to stray away from action movie villians, but if you’re a fan of the 1993 movie ‘Demolition Man’, you know exactly why Simon Phoenix breaks the action villain mold. He’s planning, methodical, and absolutely insane. Not only does he get pure joy from destruction, he carries out most of his acts in a world where people are innocent and crime doesn’t exist. He prays on the innocent not for any motive or reason, but simply because he just LOVES doing it. Which makes him a great villain. Check out exactly what I mean below.
Castor Troy – (Face Off)
Now when it comes to vile, demented, horrid, despicable, and utterly hilarious characters, no one can tell me that Castor Troy doesn’t deserve to be on this list. A great sense of humor is always something that makes an antagonist greater than the ‘evil-brooding-angry-man-sitting-in-a-chair-petting-a-cat’ stereotype that villains can have. But the mental disturbance level of Castor Troy throughout the entire movie “Face Off” is what I think gives Mr. Troy the chops to make it onto this list. Check out one of the opening scenes of ‘Face Off’ and you’ll see what I mean.
Alonzo Harris – (Training Day)
Yes… the photo above is of Denzel Washington playing Alonzo Harris in the 2001 hit ‘Training Day’… (AND yes he’s pointing a shotgun at a small boy) So now that we have an idea of how gutter the villain Alonzo Harris was, I have to say that what puts him on this list (for me) is the fact that when you watch this movie, you feel the character’s plight. You don’t care that he’s an evil, vindictive, deceitful, murderer, you just want him to succeed. And I’ll admit this whole-heartedly, when I’m alone, I can’t watch the end of ‘Training Day’. It just pushes a bad button to see Officer Harris go down the way he does. After all, he’s responsible for one of the most classic lines in current urban culture…. “King Kong ain’t got S*HT on ME!” (tell me you’ve never heard anyone say that in real life.)
Clyde Shelton – (Law Abiding Citizen)
Clyde Shelton is another relatively new bad guy, but never the less, he deserves to be on this list. I don’t know the percentage of people who have seen “Law Abiding Citizen” but if you haven’t, Shelton is one of the most brilliant bad-asses I’ve seen in a long time. He manages to keep the audience guessing as to his next move, while keeping the audience guessing as to how he’s doing it all, while keeping the audience saying “I don’t understand why your doing what your doing, but go on sir.” Perfect example is the courtroom scene below. Half the time your wondering what the hell is wrong with this man, but you can’t take your eyes of the screen. Dope.
Agent Smith – (The Matrix)
This list is all about the qualities that make antagonists extra evil, and counting those qualities. Agent Smith is unique because for the first time we have to disregard a few things. Lets just forget that the man has an army of HIMSELF. Lets forget the fact that he technically cannot die. Lets just forget the fact that he can kill you with one touch. Lets just focus on the little part where he doesn’t have one main enemy, Smith just hates the ENTIRE HUMAN SPECIES as a whole. Just for having that much hatred in your blood, you deserve a good spot on the list. Check out Smith’s explanation for his angry disposition below.
Alex – (A Clockwork Orange)
Click the pic to watch this final villain in action.
Due to restrictions put on me by the people who pay me, there is a certain bracket of content I can’t post directly onto this site. Alex from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ falls directly into that bracket like 27 times. And that’s one of the things that makes him one of the greatest Villains in movie history. Deranged beyond all comprehension, crazed, angry, disturbed, and any other synonym you can come up with, are all things to describe this character. If the “disturbing” level of ‘2 Girl’s 1 Cup’ made you want to drop kick a baby stroller, then after watching the “Singing In The Rain” scene from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ you may just look like this when it’s over. The best part is, unlike ‘2 Girls 1 Cup’, people actually ENJOY watching this movie, which is why Alex is one of the top ranking bad guys on my list. Enjoy.
The Vote.
So as I said in the beginning of this post, I’m very open to speculation, conversation, and mediation on this topic, and I’m really curious to hear other people’s opinions. If I’ve missed anyone I’d like to take them into consideration. So I’ve set up a vote in which you can vote on the list as to who your favorite is, or you can write your own answers in. Lets see what happens.
So its a pretty widely known fact that Ms. Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim are engaged in a lyrical tiff. In her most recent release on the matter, Lil Kim may have had a line about feelings on Diddy. Diddy has been working with Minaj which some say is a reason for Kim to be upset. Diddy got on Hot 97 recently to discuss his feelings on the matter with Funk Master Flex, and had some relatively calm and insightful advice on the matter. Check the method below.
There are fights, there are epic fight scenes, and then there are classic ass-whoopings. During a relaxing afternoon working with my assistant Ashley, the topic of Chuck Norris jokes came up, and eventually we had to discuss the one man who stopped Chuck Norris dead in his tracks. For those of you who are completely uncultured, in the 1972 Bruce Lee movie “The Way Of The Dragon”, Norris and Lee face off in a final fight that is still as amazing to watch as the very first time I witnessed it as a young lad. Be warned… What follows is one of the most classic ass whoopings of all time.
This past Saturday (August 8), Wiz Khalifa headlined at this year’s Boston Urban Music Festival. The annual free show, a collaboration between the mayor’s office and HUB media, also featured local hip-hop act M-Dot, as well as Harvard graduate singer/rapper Ryan Leslie. However, with chants of “We Want Wiz!” growing throughout the afternoon, it became increasingly apparent that this was an audience of Taylor Gang supporters, ready to see their rising star take the stage. When Khalifa finally did come out, performing his verse off Rick Ross’s “Super High Remix,” the stage was rushed with diehard fans almost immediately, sending the Pittsburgh, PA MC running off stage and temporarily stopping the show.
“Because [of] the energy and the feeling from the crowd, it hit us like a ton of bricks,” Shadyville radio personality, DJ Peter Parker, who was on stage with Wiz, told XXLMag.com ”You can even see Wiz starts to panic. Nobody knew what to do.”
“I just wanted them to relax, because [Boston Mayor Thomas] Menino was telling me, ‘We’re gonna shut this down, we’re gonna shut this down,’” he continued.
Luckily for all involved, the show went on. The 2010 XXL Freshman returned shortly after, joking with the crowd about the incident and downplaying the situation. “Don’t worry about that stuff earlier guys, I know how shit just gets crazy sometimes.” He then launched into several hits off his Kush & Orange Juice mixtape including, “Waken Baken,” “Mezmorized,” “Never Been” and “In the Cut.” Khalifa then performed another fan favorite, “Ink My Whole Body,” after removing his tank top—much to the delight of the many female fans in attendance. After an eventful start and impressive set, Wiz winded down the concert with his single “This Plane,” off his 2009 album Deal or No Deal.
Weeks removed from his freshly signed deal with Atlantic Records, Wiz has fans eagerly awaiting what will be the next step for the 22-year-old star as his stock continues to rise. Boston fans looking for a more intimate Wiz performance can buy tickets for his November 21 show at the Paradise Rock Club starting next week.—Neil Martinez-Belkin (Courtesy of XXL Magazine)
During a recent Ohio concert, Kid Cudi showed a stage crasher what happens when you mess up a Cudi performance. Check the video below to see the ‘Kid named Cudi’ beat down the kid who shouldn’t have run on stage.
As if these colored renders weren’t enough, Bao also sported a set of moving gif.’s of his incredible work. Check the method below.
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