March 31, 2006

Relient K Bassist Bonds Over Ben Kenobi

Next up in my ongoing Star Wars Rocks series of interviews on starwars.com with celebs and bands who love Star Wars features the bassist for the band Relient K -- John Warne.

I chatted with him about seeing Revenge of the Sith with Good Charlotte, his memories of hanging out a childhood friend who seemed to have just about every Star Wars action figure in existence, and his thoughts on why thinks the films will always be cool.

A quote from the interview:
His appreciation for Star Wars never waned, and as he entered college, Warne couldn't resist showing off his geek pride. "During the first week of my freshman year in college, I was talking to this young buck that was living on the same floor as myself, and we decided it would probably be an excellent idea to dress up in faux Star Wars attire, grab some 'sabers, and stage duels at different points on campus," Warne laughs. "I was able to get a few cheers, but by and large we received mostly weird looks."

Here's the full interview:
Relient K Bassist Bonds Over Ben Kenobi

March 29, 2006

DIY Geeky Catnip Toys

Make your own Star Wars catnip toys that look like a mouse droid, Gonk the Power Droid and Darth Vader's glorious helmet. Meow.

Full DIY instructions here on starwars.com:
Playing Cat and Mouse Droid

March 28, 2006

The Evolution of Graffiti

Tagging heads to the future with this interesting DIY on how to do Night Writing using LED throwies...here

March 25, 2006

"Tattooed Portraits" art show

At the beginning of March, I went (with my good pal Mary Franklin) to "Tattooed Portraits" art show by Shawn Barber at Shooting Gallery in San Francisco. I've always been a huge fan of tattoo art, but these painting had another worldly quality to them that's hard to explain. Needless to say, I was in awe. Special thanks goes out to Justin Giarla for curating such a beautiful show -- and for painting the walls of his gallery black for the event!

To see more of Shawn Barber's work, check out his web site here.

Check out my Flickr blog here about the show to see more cool photos!

March 24, 2006

Seth Green: Man of Action Figures

I know I said I wasn't going to post too much Star Wars stuff on this blog, since I already have a link to my geekier blog Droids Just Wanna Have Fun here, but this is an exception to the rule. Why? Because Seth Green is awesome, that's why! I was honored to interview him for my ongoing Star Wars Rocks series of interviews on starwars.com with celebs and bands who love Star Wars. Not only is Seth one of my favorite actors who seems to have been in just about every cool pop culture TV show or film I dig, but the dude is NICE.

I chatted with him about his upcoming DVD of his action figure stop-motion show "Robot Chicken" as well as his visits to Skywalker Ranch, his fascination with Boba Fett and Lando, and a rather humorous story about touring the prop archives with George Lucas.

One of the cutest stories he told was about his first Halloween costume as a Star Wars character:
"I still have pictures somewhere of me dressed up as Yoda for Halloween," Green laughs. "My mom made a horrible Yoda costume. I was painted green and she folded paper plates together and stuffed them with cotton and painted them green as well. I even asked for treats in Yoda's voice. Apparently, I got beat up a little bit. Those kids just didn't appreciate Jedi Masters."

Here's the full interview with more photos:
Seth Green: Man of Action Figures

March 11, 2006

Things I Need to Remember

1. People mistakes and that's okay. So I should forgive myself for my own too. No matter how big they are. I once read somewhere a wise, old monk once said, "I make mistakes every day of my life, and every day I learn something new."
2. Talking to the TV doesn't count towards being social.
3. I don't always have to be right.
4. Some people will always be set in their ways.
5. My idea about organ donors and Death Row should probably be kept to myself at dinner parties.
6. Good friends should be bought dinner on a regular basis. (Hello, Red Lobster!)
7. If a guy says he's 80% into guys, your chance of making out with him are pretty low.
8. Like me, author John Fante was from Boulder, Colo. -- so where's my Great American Novel? I better get crackin.
9. Water isn''t just for fish and Las Vegas fountains, I need to drink more of it to stay healthy.
10. There's no way I can study for a smog test.
11. Articles don't write themselves. If I'm serious about getting more freelance work, I need to send out more queries to magazines and not wait around for inspiration to strike.
12. Only boring people get bored.
13. Just because my life seems to be a mess doesn't mean someone else's isn't much worse. I need to think of the bigger picture and realize that there's more to life than what's happening to me.
14. Until I see large spaceships shooting lasers at people in the street, whatever problems I'm dealing with will not result in the end of the world. (Note to self: Don't piss off an alien.)
15. All people deserve compassion, even idiots.
16. Make a decision, and then just go down that road and never look down the other road.
17. A fortune cookie once told me: "Success is a journey, not a destination. Stop running."
18. Nachos don't count as a balanced meal.
19. Murderball is the most inspiring documentary I've ever seen.