Entertainment Earth

8/23/2016

(Video) Playmates Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Toy Fair 2016

I've been a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since I was a kid. As those of you who follow my geek coverage may know, I am a huge of the current Nickelodeon show, and am a faithful collector of TMNT merch. As such, I was pumped to see the then upcoming (most should be out by now) releases by Playmate Toys of the franchise.
Just watch the video below for more info!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

All photography, camera work, and video editing by BAS Photography & Design 

8/17/2016

(Video) Ben Scrivens of Fright-Rags Talks to Us at Monster-Mania Aug. 2016

I am a HUGE fan of horror T-shirt company Fright-Rags and own many of their shirts (like the Predator tank-top that I am wearing in this video). At this past Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, at Monster-Mania, I got to interview the owner and founder of the company, Ben Scrivens. We talked about a couple of subjects related to the company and their shirts, including some very cool upcoming releases.

Camera work by Freddie Loguidice
Video editing by BAS Photography & Design  

8/16/2016

Sarcofago- Die Hard (Album Review)

Musician: Sarcofago
Album Title: Die Hard
Genre/ Subgenre: Black/Thrash/Death Metal
Label: Greyhaze Records
Release Date: Oct. 7, 2016

Brazilian underground act Sarcofago were a huge influence on extreme metal, most especially, the second wave of black metal bands (Darkthrone, Mayhem, etc). This is a vinyl LP reissue of the 2015 compilation, the only to officially be released with their demos. It sounds like this will be a stunning looking release. 

From the official press release:
Beautifully packaged as a double-LP with Gatefold Jacket, the album will be available on black and limited-edition yellow vinyl, including an over-sized booklet and poster, as well as liner notes by SARCOFAGO front man Wagner Antichrist.

Sounding like Venom at an even more furious pace, this is fast, heavy, and dirty sounding music. Chaotic and angry, it's a an all out aural assault. While, perhaps not as well known as the aforementioned band or other proto-black metal acts like Bathory and Celtic Frost, the influence on the genre can be felt from the initial riff. As one would expect, the vocals are harsh and growling. Signer Wagner Antichrist also has a ear shredding, high pitched almost King Diamond like scream that he throws in for a few bursts here and there in s couple of songs. It really sets him apart from others in the subgenre. The dirty sounding guitars have blade shredding riffs that help to punctuate it. While, the drumming is fast and furious blasting it's way through the songs. 

Included in this upcoming compilation are a couple of demo versions a select batch of songs, showcasing the various versions of them. But, no matter what version you hear songs like "Satanas", "Nightmare", the vicious "Third Slaughter", and the unrelenting machine gun assault of "Satanic Lust" are full throttle blasts of speed. Being that these are all from demos, one should bare that in mind when hearing the songs, as far as sound quality goes.


Aside from the sound in music style the songs are righteously Satanic in nature so that coupling with the hellish musical sounds are Satanic and blasphemous lyrics. While, all the songs are good, a couple, beyond the aforementioned, like the blistering, evil, and wonderfully over-the-top obscenity of "Desecration Of Virgin" really stand out. It is just such a furious attack on the senses! "Satanic Lust"opens up a catching little groove that heads right into a speed metal bashing. The crunching riff of "Secrets Of A Window" will have you banging your head. 

Available to buy on Oct. 7, 2016 (you can pre-order it here: http://store.greyhazerecords.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=440) this is a must have for LP collectors and black metal fans, in particular those interested in the genre's history and influences.

   
5 out of 5

8/14/2016

MonsterMania- July 13, 2016

After a more than two year absence I was back at Monster-Mania yesterday, Aug. 13, 2016. My friend Freddie (and latest addition to the Master's Minions!) and I headed out to Cherry Hill, NJ early. Now, I should mention that this day was the hottest day of the year, feeling like 108 degrees, at least. It's part of an oppressive and ongoing, brutal heatwave. But, we were determined to go and enjoy ourselves. Which we fully did, despite the nasty heat that even the guests would end up feeling.

I was there mostly to meet the cast members of the sixth Halloween installment, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. The sequel has long been one of debate among fans due to the cuts of the film, theatrical and producer's, with the later rightfully being considered the better version of the two, by most.

I took my copy of the film, from Scream Factory's superaltive Halloween: The Complete Collection box-set to get signed. The first person I met was the absolutely stunning J.C. Brandy who took over for Danielle Harris in the role of Jamie Lloyd in the film. I asked her which version she preferred. She replied that she liked both, mentioning that she preferred the FX of the theatrical cut. But, disliked the flat look of the reshoots on it, which I agree with. I also asked her which version of her death she preferred she said she didn't care for either mentioning that while the FX looked great in the theatrical cut, it was shot "too flat". And, that no one gets killed via a gunshot as was her fate in the producer's cut. Brandy looked breathtakingly beautiful and was extremely sweet and talkative. Freddie and I were blown away by her beauty in person.
Sitting to her left was the beautiful Mariah O'Brien who played the victim Beth in the same film. She was very friendly and talkative as well. I was pleasantly surprised that she was not only that character but the cover model on Alice In Chains classic release Dirt! Plus, she was also the sexy cover model on Spinal Tap's Bitch School maxi single. She told cool stories about shooting both album covers. And, when asked who her favorite act was she said it was Led Zeppelin. She also told us that she would love to have been part of Jimi Hendrix's entourage!
I would end up telling her that I had a little bit of crush on her after seeing her in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. She seemed very flattered. O'Brien was really fun to talk to, even though we could see that the heat was killing her as it was killing us. I also want to say that she has such stunning and beautiful eyes! Wow, just wow!
The last person I went up to was Marianne Hagan, who played Kara Strode, the beautiful final girl of the movie. She was cool and fun to talk to. Turns out that she is a fellow New Yorker, as we discussed the shitty heat of the day, and how even us NYers just ain't used to it. We mean it gets bad, but not like this bad! I asked her what cut she preferred, she said the producer's but thinks that the original script was so much better. She said it made so much more sense, even more sense than said superior cut. She said that due to time constraints, the director would rip out parts of the script. I liked her fun attitude and she made us laugh with what she said. Hagan is awesome, in fact everyone from the film was, as Freddie got autographs from the above and the rest of the film's cast that was there.
This is what my autographed blu-ray looked like after it was signed by these three lovely ladies:
I may have been there for a Michael Myer's flick but Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th were well represented, too. C.J. Graham, who played Jason in the best sequel in the franchise, Friday the 13th, Pt VI: Jason Lives, had this kick ass banner next to his table.
There were a couple of cosplayers. Props must be given to them for toughing it out in this heat. I would never have done my Punisher cosplay (which I started doing at a friend's Marvel wedding, recently) that day, so this take's some balls or at least some level of insanity! Anyways, I only got to snap pics of one, this cool as fuck Jason inspired from the 8th film, Jason Takes Manhattan.
I also got some cool swag, of course. Including another Fright-Rags shirt (and interviewed the owner and founder, that's coming soon!) and bought two blu-rays, Bloodsucking Freaks (from Troma) and Sorority Babes in the Slimeball O-Rama (from Full Moon):
In all, this was a fun, though nightmarishly hot, time. Hopefully, there will not be as big a time span between this and my next MonsterMania, as there was last time. Oh and hopefully, it's never this hot at a con, again!

8/09/2016

(Video) Gund at Toy Fair 2016


If there was award for the cutest booth that I visited at Toy Fair 2016, then it would have to go to Gund.They make very adorable and awesome plush toys and have some awesome licensees under their umbrella of releases. In this video, I focus on geek and cute animal internet celebs (both real and animated) that I think you guys and girls will love. As such the following is covered and shown: DC Comics, Pusheen Cat, Boo (AKA the World's Cutest Dog and deservedly known as such), Prissy and Pop Pig, Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Studio Ghibli. Most of these should be out now.
Check out the video below for more info on these toys!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The next day I met the real Prissy and Pop Pigs in person! I was filled with excitement from the moment that I woke up that day! They are so incredibly cute and adorable in person, that it definitely stands as the highlight of the event for me. 

Camera work and video editing by BAS Photography & Design  
Photography by me

8/08/2016

Grave Desecrator- Dust to Lust (Album Review)

Musician: Grave Desecrator
Album Title: Dust to Lust
Genre/ Subgenre: Death/ Black metal
Label: Season of Mist
Release Date: July 1, 2016

This Brazilian four piece delivers death/ black metal at a breakneck pace in their fourth release Dust To Lust. It's a non-stop assault from the beginning to the end with the savage veracity of piranha ripping apart flesh in the Amazonian waters.

After the beautifully surrean but foreboding instrumental that is the aptly named "Intro (Dust To Lust)" the album slides the doom crunching of "Temple Of Abominations", which then suddenly goes into a machine fire of blasting music. "Funeral Mist" begins with a thunderous sound that builds and builds into a rolling a pummeling attack. "A Witching Whore" has some dark and menacing riffs that thunders on forward and feels like it would be perfect for the soundtrack of what would surely by an evil and decidedly exploitative supernatural horror flick. The band is clearly not above mixing sex with horror and the Satanic as evident by this song or "Mephisttophallus In Occultopussy" (which might just win coolest/ most ridiculous song title of the year!). "One More Soul" truly puts the speed in full throttle. And, the best is saved for last as the album closer "Perpetual Oath" has a wonderfully slow and creepy intro that is just plain fucking awesome. Then the blast beats come in and it just erupts!

The music is just fast as fuck as buzz-saw guitars with soaring leads are accompanied by blast beats galore. The production has that low-fi feeling that old school black metal fans will like, while still retaining a good, clear sound.

Dust To Lust is a solid album that evokes band like Emperor and Mayhem crossbred with Deicide and Morbid Angel. In all it is a full speed assault of extreme music that serves as a further reminder of all the great metal music coming from Brazil.


3.5 out of 5

8/01/2016

A Gallery of the Lovely Ladies of NY Empire Tattoo Expo 2016

Needless to say, there were lots of beautiful women at the NY Empire Tattoo Expo 2016, beyond the ones I already covered in my earlier posts. As such this feels like the right time to present some of these inked stunners for your admiration. Enjoy!

Many of the loveliest ladies were present to compete in the beauty contest held by Inked Magazine. The following are just of the ladies who competed:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Below is the sexy beauty who won the contest. She is definitely gorgeous and had some amazing ink, which she is beautifully almost completely covered in. You'll see (in the last of the series of pics with her in it) that I also got to get my picture taken with her.
 
 
I also gotten my picture with the following red-haired beauty, Savonne Stone, who was my favorite contest (go back all the way to top and that's her in the second pic in this gallery/ article):
Earlier in the day there was a show by Coney Island Circus Side Show. Among the performers was the lovely Zoey who danced with her python.
Finally, we (as in my friends/ Master's Minions and myself) ended the day waiting on line to meet my favorite current WWE Diva, the gorgeous Paige. I actually met Paige last year, the day before SummerSlam at Fan Access, along with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. That time I got an autograph and pic with all three of them. But, this time, I got a pic just with her. She was not signing autographs, which is fine, cause I already have that. However, I really want my pic with her. She was really sweet and much more animated than when I met her Fan Access (then again she was signing a shit load of autographs and it was earlier in the day). Plus, it was FREE to meet her!! And, thus a fun day and event ended in the perfect way for us. We hope to return for next year!

For more of my coverage of the NY Empire Tattoo Expo 2016 click on the following two links:
(Video) Rock N' Horror Apparel Interview at the NY Empire State Tattoo Expo 2016 

All photography by Negative Pop and myself.