The slippery weasel was given the golden toe tag by U.S. Forces while having tea and crumpets with his buddies in Pakistan.  I’m sure we’ll find out more about why he was there as time goes on… But the important thing is that United States forces removed the Al Qaida leader from the board, thus making the world a little safer place.  When you think about it, the past ten years have been tumultuous at best, but the U.S. forces kept their resolve and continued the mission, despite screams and moan from others around the world, and even those in their own country.  It’s been a good decade from removing loonies; first Saddam Hussein and now Usama Bin Laden.  Muammar Gaddafi should realize that this simply is not the time for him to have stuck his head out of the gopher hole he’s been hiding in for the past 20 years, but I have faith that his time will come.

Thank you, American service members. 
Thank you for your selfless sacrifices you make every day for the rest of us. 
Thank you for staying the course and continuing to protect your nation and it’s citizenry. 
Thank you for your service.

We are forever in your debt.

Sadly, there was a scene where she and I walked away from the camera together that didn’t make the final cut.  I suspect that this decision was made because the world couldn’t handle the glorious sight of both of our sweet asses on the screen at the same time.

Here is the screen shot of the scene that did make it however, with handy labels added to it by Donna. (Click to enlarge)

Donna is located with the tag “BG, FTW”, by the way.  The others should be self explainitory.

This is a very early scene in the film, where Pegg & Frost are approaching San Diego ComiCon.  I am the only Sandtrooper in the outdoor scenes and I’m standing next to a Commander Cody Clonetrooper, holding up a banner pole…literally.  The wind was kicking up pretty decently and we literally had to keep the banner from falling over or flying away.  Regardless of this task, I still look patently cool as I watch the slave Leias saunter by.  Art imitates life, huh?

Speaking of slave Leias, lest you think I have somehow lost my love for all beauties scantily clad, I give you this pic of some of the girls from the film shoot:
(Like certain parts of my anatomy, touch to enlarge to full size)

Enjoy it, boys.

Call me Johnny Come Lately on this one, but back in 2009 a group of miscreents over at CollegeHumor.com did the clever little flick you see above you. If you hadn’t seen it before now, then you’re welcome. If you have, then you’re STILL welcome, because it’s clever and funny.

Very, very funny…

Chuck and Kreg over at Technorama are getting ready to release their 300th show.  While, it could be argued that they aren’t the first to reach this milestone, it’s still a hell of an accomplishment and deserves notice.  

 ”March 16, 2011 marks episode #300 for the Technorama podcast. Hosted by Chuck Tomasi and Kreg Steppe, Technorama takes a light hearted look at tech, science, sci-fi and all things geek. “It’s sort of like taking the good old Tech TV and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and throwing them in a “will it blend” video”, says Tomasi. Off beat news, hacks and strange stories, bizarre archives from 50 years or more, and some original comedy sketches are not out of bounds for the team. … And there seems to be no end to the fun. Tired of the same old news about Google, Apple, and Microsoft from a dozen different sources? Then have a listen to Technorama… it’s “different”.

Couldn’t agree more.  If you’re into tech, these are the boys that’ll give you the big stinky and the skinny all all that sort of thing so go there and subscribe.

The above graphic was made by yours truly and when I heard the news, that was what popped in my feable skull, and since I’ve been messing around more with Photoshop lately, I thought I’d take a crack at putting said idea on….paper? Well.. You get the idea.  The only elements I cut and pasted are the “3oo” logo and the falling Persians because I didn’t feel like trying to draw all of them, and honestly, the poses they’re in work, so why change it?  Everything else was made by me.  Overall, I’m pleased with it and hope the guys like it as well.

A few years back, I got into a heated debate with some other troopers of the 501st about whether or not it’s appropriate for Stormtroopers to be in St. Patrick’s Day parades.  I have always been of the mindset that no, Star Wars has no place in a cultural celebration of any kind if there doesn’t appear to be a logical reason for it.  Grant it, I myself have been in a few parades over the years, but they were football related things and truth be told, I could give a damn about football and if they can have a giant fire breathing dragon in the parade, then a couple hundred Stormtroopers wouldn’t seem so out of place.  That being said, I’ll take the risk of sounding hypocritical and continue to feel that Stormtroopers have no business being in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  Fun fact:  I’m of Irish decent, so it hits kinda home for me, and I don’t even go out for St. Patrick’s Day because it propagates a stereotype of Irish being a bunch of drunks.  Grant it, this stereotype, like most others, was formed on a basis of factual observation, but still.  Point is, it means something more to me than an excuse to go out, wear a silly green hat, and get shitfaced.  I already have what the general public would consider a silly hat (my bucket) and I get faced in it all the time.  I don’t need an excuse.

ANY-how….

I have no idea if the local 501st is going to be in the Phoenix St. Patrick’s Day parade this year, but I do know that the first two times they did it, they weren’t exactly met with open arms by the Irish community here and last year they were dropped from the list.  They behaved themselves just fine, but I think that the committee that oversees the parade feels the same way I do.  It just doesn’t make any sense to have a slot in the parade taken up by something that has nothing to do with Irish culture.  During the heated debates I wanted to make my point by listing some other parades the 501st might as well take part in if they’re going to invade the Irish holiday…  What follows is the post I wrote and was immediately removed/deleted by the webmaster back then, but I figured that since the holiday is fast approaching, I would share with you, my loyal two or three people still reading this website and since it’s my website, I can put whatever the hell I wish and poop on those who think otherwise.  Besides, I thought the post was funny, as I did it all with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek and was pointedly ridiculous to illustrate how ridiculous I thought the whole idea of the 501st being in the parade was.

Enjoy…
Some Other Parades we should do…. Orignally posted in February 2008

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade
We are all dressed in black and white, and I think that’s reason enough to have Darth Vader and Stormtroopers marching down the street with Stevie Wonder’s “Ebony & Ivory” blaring out of my backpack.

Veteran’s Day Parade
Are we not all Verteran’s of the Galactic Civil War? Indeed we are, and that means we’re eligable to march in the Veteran’s Day parade! Grant it, the few remaining WWII vets might freak out a little, as the Empire was modelled after the Nazis, but so be it. They’ll be dead soon of natural causes anyway. Glory to the Empire!

“Alternate Lifestyle” Pride Parade
Now, we have many, many different costumes in the [Legion], and this reflects our diversity, and tollerence for differences. Plus, we could even have Rob Halford, who is a Arizona local, dress up as Darth Maul in assless chaps, and who doesn’t want to see that!

Any and all “protest marches”
Nevermind what they might be about, Rights of Migrant Workers, Unfair Pay Cuts to Teachers, Pro War in Iraq, Against War in Iraq, Abortion (Pro OR Con), when you get down to brass tacks, these are just Parades without marching bands and old men in tiny cars with funny hats. Well, the other thing they offer us besides a nice brisk walk surrounded by the city’s nicest fruitcakes is EXPOSURE! Imagine the press we’ll recieve after being seen at some of these fine events. Pictures in the newspaper are almost guarenteed, as well as TV time!

I am for all of these organizations, and support them fully! I also think it’s high time they paid us the due we’ve so richly deserved for too long! We DESERVE to be in their parades, no matter if they’re Star Wars, or not. They OWE us.

Author’s note: I am being rediculous to illustrate the rediculousness of our being in whatever parade we can, purely for exposure. I understand that someone in the garrison has put some work into our invading the Irish holiday and I simply wish more discussion had been made before he signed us up for that event. Yes. We CAN do it. I’m simply asking if we SHOULD be doing it at all, and asking that very question seems to be hot button topic unfit for the event planning boards. This is not a personal attack on anyone, nor on the aforementioned groups or events. I’m simply trying to illustrate something by making some extreme examples.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow!  This place looks different!  Well, not to worry.  It’s being revamped and updated as the tech dunce that is me has been using a horrendously outdated version of WordPress for…well, years.  Summer at FarPoint is helping me get everything up and running once more, and honestly, I needed the change, so prepare to see changes happening like mad around here.

Thanks for your patience, and don’t mind the blood.

That being said, I have been attending college for the past year now, with two more to go and thus far I’m enjoying the experience.  Its funny to be the ‘old man’ in the classroom, but at least it gives me the opportunity to meet new blood and immediately fill their heads with what’s right, and do some much needed damage control on what’s already mucked up in there.  I’m finding that Algebra is my absolute nemesis, and without QT around anymore, I’m kind of in a fog, but I’ll get through it eventually.  I may not be very bright, but I’m stubborn as they come.

I’ve recently heard some interesting rumors about the 501st that I found rather amusing.  For the sake of avoiding real life mud-slinging  (Which I am not apt to do, I leave that for the dimwits on Facebook), I won’t go into the gory details, but when I heard about one of the nominees for the upcoming elections for Legion Commanding Officer, I laughed my balls off.  I’m predicting a full blown mental breakdown and some rather irrepairable damage to the Legion should this person be voted into office.  But then, given the lack of concern the Legion showed me an mine during the past year, I can only say that they deserve each other and it’ll be a fun show to watch, at any rate.  Meltdowns often are, as proven on youtube.

I will be attending Phoenix ComiCon with the rest of the original members that started the 501st chapter here in Arizona, and we’ll be wearing our armor, of course.  What will we be doing?  The same thing we used to do 10 years ago.  Having FUN and you’re all invited to take part it that fun with us!  Just be forewarned… We’re troopers on leave, so you might consider leaving the younglings elsewhere if you plan on being around us, because there is certain to be at least 20 dick jokes, if not more, slung about the immediate area, and yes, alcohol will be consumed and tabbaco smoked.  “The Old Days, The Bad Days, the All or Nothing Days”  As Marv said, they are back…

…and so are we.

This is the first of six episodes dedicated to Star Wars, so you’re in for a treat.

Cue the Film – Star Wars 1 of 6 – The Phantom Menace

One more thing…  QT is a very important part of the goings on around here, and she’s been a bit out of sorts lately, so if you could all do me a favor and head over to her blog and give her some MUCH deserved love, I’d be quite grateful.  Besides, being nice to QT could just save your life…..seriously.

Thoughts From a Droid – QT-3.14159

So… GO.  Do what you’re told.

Safe money is that by the time you’ve read through this post, QT has already devoured this new book.

Order “Star Wars: Order 66″ from Amazon.com

I’ll be catching a lift with some the brave soldiers and sailors of the ISD Buckfutter to D*Con, so I’ll see you there!

 

 

So, what does this have to do with yours truely?  Well, months and months ago I was honored to be asked by J.C. to write a short story for the upcoming Anthology series based in the world of 7th Son.  The story has been written, recorded, and it’s in J.C.’s hot little hands, ready to go.  If you haven’t subscribed to J.C.’s feed, do so.  You won’t regret it, believe me, plus you’ll get to hear my own attempt at yarn spinning as Obsidian roars into life.

Be sure to let me know what you think, and send much love to J.C. for showing me the love as well.  I’ll be putting the promo for this ground breaker in the feed as soon as QT can get some technical SNAFUs to go away.

…we have a Deal.

Yes, admittedly, this show is anything but a true game show because there’s absolutely ZERO skill or intelligence required or involved.  It’s all luck of the draw and if you pick the right case, you win.  Simple as that.  Hence, why I’ve never watched it longer then maybe fifteen minutes, despite a bevvy of beautiful young ladies in the stage.  Yeah, I’ll be watching this train wrenck happen because it might be fun, plus the Man in Black is running things.  The boss steps in as the “Banker” and is there to crush dreams like he crushes throats.  Gotta love that, right?  Add to it the case holders are now my own brothers in arms (I’m suspecting 501st involvment here) and it was enough to push me to 75% interest.  The Deal Maker?  Two words, my friends….

Metal Bikinis.

The show airs Monday, April 28 (NBC, 8 pm/ET).

Here’s the original article at TV Guide

Well, this story sickened me.  No really.  It outraged and sickened me.  I’m willing to bet that the “Vader” in question wasn’t a real costumer, let alone a member of the 501st, because, simply put, we DON’T do this sort of thing.  This was some scrotum-sack who wanted to get his jollys off by persecuting and assaulting someone based on their religious preference.  You heard me right.  This was a bully (likely a school athlete of some kind) who targetted this man simply because to the ignorant savage, he was a “Star Wars Geek”. 

This monkey’s ass needs to be prosecuted for what it is.  A hate crime.  The attack was based on the victim’s religious beliefs, was it not?  It was, and therefore, the bastard with the crutch needs to have it put in a place where even surgery can’t remove it. 

I know that we all yuk it up here at ADPoV with me ranting on about Rebs, Jedis, etc, but I know that you, my intelligent and faithful few understand that this is all done with tongue planted firmly in cheek, and we all understand that it’s fictional.

I do not condone this sort of behavior, and if I was witness to it, I’d flatten the offender toot-sweet.

Let’s all send some good thoughts to our Jedi faithful across the pond, because I have a feeling this is just the first of many slings they’re going to have to face as they practice their faith.

Do me a favor and take a few minutes to write up a quick review on ADPoV, eh?

Thanks heaps.

Anyhow, I mentioned looking in the right places… well, I’ve been doing a bit of moonlighting as far as voice work goes, so I thought I’d let you all know where you can find my melodious tones.

Variant Frequencies – Murphy’s War
This was a lot of work for me, and I ended up recording it, not once, but twice.  The first go at it was horrible on my part, and I felt that the story, and the folks at Variant Frequencies deserved much better, so I took another swing.  I think it’s a hit, but I’ll let you decide.  Just remember to leave comments on their site, huh?  I was honored to be part of such an amazingly good podcast, as I’ve been a big fan of them since I got hooked by “the Failed Cities Monologes“.  You owe to yourself to not only check them out, but subscribe to their feed.  It’s good.

Sci-Phi Journal -Issue One - Requiem for a Silent Planet, A Look at Lookism, What is Sci-Phi?
I read three pieces for this audio magazine, and managed to bumble my way through a lot of big words.  I’ve come out of it unscathed.  The articles?  Not so much.  Still, despite my tripping around, the issue is a great collection of articles and stories that revolve around Science Fiction and philosophy.  Give them a shot, eh?

501stCast – Intro, outro, and repeats of ADPoVs from the past
The official Podcast of the Fighting 501st Legion, otherwise known as “Vader’s Fist”.  Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of the world’s largest Star Wars costuming organization?  This is the show for you, trust me.  I also do mission reports on the show for the Dune Sea Garrison from time to time.

Upcoming projects -

The Metamor City – Making the Cut
I have been cast as the Vampire Prince and crimelord, Malcolm ard’Valos.  This has been a lot of fun to do so far, as it’s not a lot like what most people are thinking of, when they think of me.  New waters I tread, and believe me, you want to be there for it.  Come for the TeeDee, but stay for some excelent story crafting by Chris Lester.  You won’t regret it. The story is chugging along as we speak, and Malcolm hasn’t made his presence known yet, but he will soon.

7th Son – Obsidian
Yes, that’s right.  You’re not seeing things.  After the success of my reading “the story so far” for Book Three: Chapter 26, the book’s author, J.C. Hutchins has asked me to take part in a new event he’s throwing together.  He’s asking the podosphere’s most talented and influencial podcasters and authors (Michael A. Stackpole, Scott Sigler, Tee Morris, Mur Lafferty, Evo Terra, and Matt Wallace to name a few) to write and record short stories inside the 7th Son Universe.  And he asked me to do so as well.  To be assembled with this bunch of powerhouse talent has me in a daze, and I’m honored and terrified.

If you’ve been under a rock for the past two years and have no idea what 7th Son is, then you really need to subscribe to it and listen to all three books.  Seriously, go NOW.

In fact, go subscribe to EVERYTHING I’ve just mentioned.  You’ll thank me for it.

And if you don’t, then you’re damned ingrate.

He says there’s going to be some sort of Public Relations thing coming to our neck of the dunes soon, and that the ISO is going to be here.  I blink.  The ISO, if you’ve never heard of it, is the Empire’s answer to the USO, and it’s filled with some gorgeous gals who serve the Empire by making certain troopers keep a smile on our faces while we’re kicking down doors… Not that I don’t already usually have a smile on my face when I’m kicking down a door, but still.  The chance to see the ISO girls always gets my attention.  So now I’m practically drooling in my bucket when TD-9285 drops a bomb on me.

In order to get to see the girls, I have to show that I’m a positive influence on the locals, and a good upstanding representative of the Imperial fighting man.  Well, duh.  This is ME we’re talking about here.  A good representative of the Empire?  Hell, I AM the Empire as far as most are concerned!  He recognizes the blank stare I give him as my silent testimony to this fact and explains that com kills aren’t what he means.

He wants me to pay a visit to the Stormtrooper Training Academy to look over the troops and say a few words of encouragment, so I do…..

Stormtrooper Training Camp – PCC 2008

 See that picture?  You are going to click it, and you’re going to add James to your friend list on MySpace.

No really.  You are gonna do it, or I’m gonna blast ya.  Me an QT have already added him, and we want you to do your part, so get clicking.

“This is me with my son James who i worship. James has recently been diagnosed with Leukaemia and we decided to set up this account to see how many new friends we could make. James has Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) which is a form of cancer that affects the lymphocyte-producing cells in the bone marrow. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that produce antibodies and are vital parts of the bodys immune system. WWW.CANCERRESEARCHUK.ORG WWW.LRF.ORG.UK WWW.STJUDES.ORG “

 I happen to like armor.  Sue me.

Click pic for article and truely moronic comments from people I -hope- get beaten to a pulp by these kind of hard working troopers.

Spider-walker

No really…  I’m not kidding….

Watch.

I knew there was a reason I always liked this guy.

Here’s the commercial!

The race for my personal favorite is a close one, but the Planet Alderaan just barely nudges out the dead Ewok… Just barely.  Had it been a squished Ewok with an AT-ST footprint on it, it would have won, but hey, bits of rock from a former Rebel stronghold?  Priceless.

Yeah, I’m well aware that others have brought these up on their blogs already, but I post things when I’m damned good and ready, so deal.

TeamSugar is “the place for you to meet friends, discuss the latest gossip, share online shopping finds, dish on fashion, learn beauty secrets, swap delicious recipes, blog about your day and much, much more. There are currently 38,071 people online. ”

To me, the website appears to aimed at members of the fairer, and much more desirable sex.  Women/Girls/Grrls.  QT will undoubtedly fall in love with the place.

I guess the fact that such a website wants to show it’s members how to draw Biker Scouts just tickles me, so go check it out.

How to Draw a Biker Scout

This is something QT brought to my attention.  I have no idea what the source is, but this is the quote, nonetheless….

Wow indeed.

Okay… Yes, it was an eBay auction (the scurge of the galaxy as far as I’m concerned), but honestly.  To even put up that price tag is a slap in the face of every fan of the saga, and therefore, a hefty junk-kick is in order.

Here’s a much more reasonable alternative for classing up your Wii.

The AT-AT model’s creator, professional model maker Dimitri Kaliviotis, is interviewed on Gizmodo, which also hosts many photos from this contest. 

 Special mention goes to the Batmobile model, which a lot of complete morons are calling “Drunken Batman“, thus missing the joke entirely.  I won’t tell you what it is though.  You have to figure it out for yourself.

Bonus Points to the first person (not you, QT!) who tells me what the model represents.

Gizmodo’s Pics of the Sci-Fi Wrecks

If you’re smart, you’ll be voting for the “Man in Black”.

The fate of your world could really depend on it.

Campaign Commercial #1

Here’s a link to an article and some more photos of the Red Bull team during the 2005 season.

The Star Wars Red Bull F1 Promotion – gizmag artice

Just plain cool.

So far, I’m into chapter three and I’m digging it greatly. Hey, I’m a slow reader… Bite me, ya hump.  Anyhow, you need to get off your butt and buy this book NOW.  Seriously, if you’re a fan of all things armored white, then you owe it to yourself to get educated by the galaxy’s second best teacher. (The first being yours truly, duh.)

More to come when I finish this beauty of a yarn.

Star Wars: Republic Commando – True Colors