New Doctor Who

Bif Bang Pow! has just released pictures of a new Doctor Who set! We finally get a Leela! Woo-hoo! Leela of the Sevateem stands at 8 inches tall & is in a retro-Mego style with real cloth clothing. You can also get a Sutekh figure from the "Pyramid of Mars" episodes of Doctor Who. They are available for pre-order from Entertainment Earth now, but don't have a release date until February of 2012.

Okay, I admit it, I'm re-obsessed.

Alright, you are all going to have to bear with me a while. I have become completely obsessed with Xena all over again, so everything is going to relate to Xena. Everything I see, hear & do will be in some form or another tied in with Xena. It's an Aspie thing. Okay and a fanatic thing. I will still mention Star Wars, Action Figures, art & stuff, but Xena is going to take the reins for a while.



Now, speaking of Xena, LOL, I mentioned the FaceBook page for the Xena movie in my last post. I have to admit at first I was a little pessimistic. I've changed my tune. Social Media has changed the world. Betty White got a spot on Saturday Night Live because enough people clicked like on a FaceBook page. There is no reason that a Xena movie can't happen if enough people LIKE a Facebook page. Crazy as it sounds, it's true. Execs like numbers. It's how they work. Each click represents a possible $10 to $20 movie ticket sale or a $14.95 DVD purchase. If you have enough clicks or LIKES or adds to show them a profit, they don't care what it is, they will greenlight it & it will be made.



Another important thing to have is a script. T has tackled this with me. She is getting her Masters in Screenwriting. It's finished as of now & is even up for a BEA award. How awesome is that? Lucy has said repeatedly all that is needed is a script & a budget. Well, the script is done. Now, for a budget.



Let's talk about what you & I can do to make this happen. If a Xena Movie is something that even slightly interests you, the first thing you need to do is log-in to Facebook and go LIKE the Xena 2011 Movie Campaign. Go on, do it now. I'll wait.



Also, it wouldn't hurt to embed this video. Go to any page that might remotely have anyone interested in Xena & leave a link to the Xena 2011 Movie Campaign. Conan the Barbarian blogs, sites, videos, forums, BSG blogs, sites, videos, forums, Spartacus, blogs...etc. etc. You get my point.

Now, there are a handful of pessimists that keep bringing up our two main actors ages. Look, no one cares how old they are really. That's what Photoshop & make-up are for. They are not too old...yet. That's why we have to get ON this. Lucy Lawless said just last year that she wants to play the character again. That's huge.



She told Out.com, "I love that character. I would do it if it was a movie. I doubt I would do it as a TV series. I can't see how you would make it fresh.
"By the time somebody does come up with that I'm just going to be too old. And I'm really sad about that. I feel like it's a completely wasted franchise."

She also said "I would have them sailing off into the sunset together. That way, people could dream about what adventures they would embark on next, as opposed to separating them forever. That was the most hurtful thing about 'Xena.' It’s a cool story if you think about it. In 'Spartacus' people are killed in the worst way all the time. It’s part of the show. However, it wasn’t right for 'Xena.' It’s such a shame to look back because it really hurt fans. People related to those characters in a unique way, creating a different kind of fandom. The 'Xena' fans are an incredible bunch."



So c'mon, let's live up to our title & get the numbers up & connect to everything everywhere. If you had any anger or resentment or hurt about the way it ended, let it go. We are going to fix it. Right here, right now. Let's do something no other fan base has ever done. Bring a lead character back from the dead & have the original Actors portray them on the big screen to have it end the way it should have in the first place.



Battle on!

Xena Warrior Princess

Many of you know how much I love Xena. I love it equally to Star Wars, which means it is extremely important. When it ended in 2001, I was pretty devastated. The ending was not what I had hoped for. I grieved for a long time. Sure it was just a TV show, but these characters had been part of my life for 6 years. Not only that, but the show led me to my partner of 15 years (15 yrs. in November 2011). We met in #Xenafan on IRC. I had a personalized license tag on my car that read "Xena" until I sold my car last October. We spent $250.00 on a Xena prop (The Amazon Epinon's belt) which at the time was more than our rent.



Xena had become part of my weekly joy.

After the show ended, I couldn't watch Xena anymore. It was just too painful. I cried for weeks. Seriously. I cried at work. I just couldn't understand why it had to end the way it did. I logged onto the MCA/Universal sponsored Xena Netforum & quickly realized I wasn't alone. There was a whole lot of anger, confusion & frustration, but mostly there was grief. This show had been empowering. It had been a show that many seem to identify with, especially when it came to the Xena & Gabrielle relationship. *SPOILERS* (Don't read the next line if you haven't seen the series ending) The ending seemed to ignore everything we had learned about revenge, vengeance & finding redemption. Xena sacrifices herself to avenge souls she had accidently caused to die & leaves her soulmate & best friend alone. She never forgave herself, finding the true peace I felt she deserved. Basically, she killed herself due to her guilt. It didn't feel like an empowering ending. It felt like a greek tragedy, which maybe that was the point. Moreover, though, it felt like a friend had died for no good reason.



Recently, my partner went on a family vacation for two weeks. I no longer had television, but I did have Netflix. I also have a couple 8 x 10's of Xena & Gabrielle in the living room & I started thinking about T & I & how we met & I wondered if I could watch Xena again. As the gods would have it, Netflix was streaming it. So, I watched one. I forgot how much I really loved Xena. I also forgot how great the writing in this silly little show was. The writing, the direction, and the acting. It is a remarkable little piece of television history. There was never anything like it, and there will never be anything like it again. It came about in a unique time & place & for me the right time & place.



T & I decided to go back & watch the whole series again from beginning to end. This time the director's cut ending. Maybe that will help. We just finished the first season last night, so we have a ways to go.

****Update******

The Director's Cut of Friend In Need is indeed much better.  When you get to the end, watch it rather than what they showed on TV.  Still, I feel like Xena felt she didn't deserve happiness.  She didn't deserve to be able to have a life free from guilt.  Only in death could she be freed.  Such a sad ending.  And to leave Gabrielle so utterly alone.  Ugh.

*****************


If you were ever on the MCA/Universal Netforums from 1996 (?) to 2001, go check out the FB page Xena Netforum. Hopefully it can serve as a sort of reunion page for all of us old timers who used to frequent the place so often.

If you have never watched Xena, don't write it off as just a silly little fantasy show. There's some really good stuff in there. Give it a shot while it's streaming on Netflix. It's way worth the journey.

She ain't your babydoll, but she can be.

Hot Toys has some amazing sculpts. This one is good. Not quite as good as some of their others, but still damn fine.

What she comes with:

Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Emily Browning as Babydoll in the Sucker Punch movie

Approximately 28 cm tall

Newly developed body with over 30 points of articulations

Realistic long, golden, implanted curly hair

Three (3) pairs of interchangeable palms with straps on right palms including:
One (1) pair of relaxed palms
One (1) pair for holding guns
One (1) pair for holding Japanese Katana
Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted
One (1) set of sailor style navy blue shirt with tie and belt, and skirt
One (1) pair of long black socks
One (1) pair of navy blue high heels
One (1) pistol with accessories
One (1) magazine gun with silencer and sight
One (1) Japanese style metal Katana with case and strap
One (1) black hair band
One (1) headset
One (1) key with neck chain
One (1) pistol holster
Two (2) magazine holsters
Figure stand with Babydoll nameplate and movie logo

Here's the Specs:
12" H (304.8mm)*
Product Weight:
4.00 lbs (1.81 kg)*
Box Size:
15.00" H (381mm) x 7.00" W (177.8mm) x 7.00" L (177.8mm)*
Est. Shipping Weight:
4.00 lbs (1.81 kg)*

The Price?

$169.99 or two payments of $85.00

Where do you get her? Why right Here:

Sideshow Collectibles

12 inches of IG-88

Wow. Look at this! IG-88, master bounty hunter, standing tall with 20+ points of Articulation. Not only that, but look at those soulless light up red eyes! Creepy! He's loaded down with blasters & mines and things that magnetically attach to his cloth bandolier strap. To top it all off, you can fall asleep looking at him in all his cruel magnificence as he stands atop his light up base.

All of this for $174.99 or split it in two with flexpay & pay $87.50 for two months.

Pick him up here: Sideshow Collectibles

Another Featured Artist: Deanna Molinaro

Sea Monster Morning

Painter, writer, sculptor, Deanna has some really awesome art to share with the world. Sometimes it amazes me what these big publishing houses pick up & what they don't. She is amazing & inspiring. I fell in love after reading the Sea Monster story. Check her out here: Deanna Molinaro

Featured Artist: James McCarthy

James McCarthy


Fine Art America site for James McCarthy




Beinart site

Facebook Page

Some seriously cool stuff.

ROBOT!!! Oh & some UFC stuff.

Toys R Us has some cool stuff on clearance online. Take the robot above for instance. Pretty sweet. Their prices aren't amazingly cheap or anything, but it will save you a little ,ore than if you came across it somewhere else. Not only do they have the robot figure, but they have quite a bit of UFC stuff on clearance as well.



So, if you are looking to complete your collection of UFC, you might want to head here: Toys R Us Clearance.

Futurama 2011

Okay, as many of you know I was so jazzed last June 24th (2010) when Futurama came back to TV. I had a party & had all my favorite people show up! We had a great time. The first episode was pretty good, but after that...OMG...it was terrible. Awful. So disappointing. The writing was off. The characters were, well, out of character. After having rewatched the old episodes hundreds of times, thanks to Adult Swim, everyone tuning in was intimately familiar with the characters. Hell, the fans could have written better episodes than were being crapped out last season. It was like some weird composite of Futurama, Family Guy, & South Park. It was not, despite what the title said, Futurama.

Futurama

Good News everyone!!! This season is completely awesome. It's like last season never happened & we picked up where the old Fox series left off. It's smart again & relevant to the world around us. The gross disgusting South Park like humor is gone. Leela is Leela again. Everyone seems like themselves. It's like old friends coming home.

I have no idea why this happened. I can't believe that they wasted last season's hype & put out crap & this season there has been barely any hype & it's fantastic. So, if you were disappointed or put off last season, do yourself a favor & tune in this season. You'll laugh. You feel like that horrible 2010 season was just a bad dream & all is right with the world again.

Other Places To Find Me

If you stop by here often, or even if you don't & are just bored & browsing around, you might be intrested in some of my other sites & places. First off, I have a Flickr page over at www.flickr.com/artistjentucker

I also have a FaceBook Fan page Art Love Action Figures

My art & illustration site is over at www.jentucker.com You can find my work in the gallery with sizes & prices.

Go check them out, if you haven't already! Thanks!

What I Need From You

Hello my beautiful blog readers. Today I send out a request for help. I am going to attempt something different with my art. Now, to do this I need your help. If you are reading this, in one way or another, our lives have crossed or intersected.

I am going to start a piece called "The Tapestry of the Fates". What I need from you is simple. I need each & everyone of you to send me a thread, or a ribbon (keep it at about 1/4 of an inch or smaller), or a piece of string, or some twine. Anything that you feel like is a material that the Fates would have used to weave the story of your life. Put it in an envelope & send it to me here:

Art, Love & Action Figures
P.O. Box 1332
Norman, OK 73070-1332

The more I get, the bigger the piece will be.

Thanks for your help!

Documentary Heaven... Literally.

Okay, first off I'm a geek. We all know this. It has been established. With that, you shouldn't find it surprising that I absolutely adore Documentaries. With the recent interest in poisoned food, the economy & politics, it's often hard to find documentaries on any thing else. If you do, they usually turn out to be some sort of new age spiritual crap full of people that have been taking other peoples money for years. I like to think of them as the new gypsies.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I "stumbled" across a website called Documentary Heaven. It's an entire website devoted to Documentaries. Old ones, new ones, and all for free. Most of them are exactly what I've been looking for, and NOT the stuff I've been finding every where else! I am so excited! I want to share with you the first one I watched below.

Ball Of Light from Sam Collins on Vimeo.