This is the first of many new entries posting some random photoshoots of attractive celebrities throughout the years.
In the early 2010s, actress Gracie Dzienny made her breakout TV hit on Nickelodeon called Supah Ninjas, a martial arts comedy co-starring alongside Star Trek alumni George Tekei as well as one of Ryan Potter's earlier roles before going on to play Beast Boy in Titans. Her character Amanda McKay was a high school cheerleader who gets abducted as Mike and Owen attempted to rescue her in their first mission as ninjas. After returning the favor by aiding them in battle, Amanda would be recruited by the two teens, thus giving birth to their team name.
Following Supah Ninjas' cancellation in 2013, Gracie would develop a niche following in the LGTBQ community with recurring roles in shows such as Chasing Life and The Sex Lives of College Girls. In addition, her credits comprise of main roles including the 3rd season of Zoo and more recently, the vampire romance series First Kill. Her only motion picture role to date would be a cameo appearance in the Transformers spinoff film, Bumblebee starring Hailee Steinfeld and WWE superstar John Cena.
Trivia: In preparation for her role on Supah Ninjas, Gracie Dzienny performed as an XMA student, a Martial Arts school run by Mike Chat (Chad Lee the Blue Ranger) from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. What's even more interesting about that connection is that Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam Park from MMPR/Zeo/Turbo) guest starred on an episode of the Nick series.
As both an actress and a model, she's developed a portfolio of photoshoots. Of the bunch, these stills happen to be my favorite.
2022 has been a remarkable year for her, almost like a career renaissance of sorts. Who knows what 2023 will have in store for the Toledo born actress? Only time will tell.
Yep you've read the title. For the first time in 30 years, the Mario franchise returns to the big screen with their upcoming animated film produced by Illumination. The film is stacked with a star studded cast. Chris Pratt stars as the titular character Mario whereas the likes of Luigi, Peach, and Toad will be portrayed by Charlie Day, Anna Taylor Joy, and Keegan Michael Key respectively. The film's main villain Bowser will be played by none other than Jack Black.
Where do I begin? So I've been a lifelong fan of the Mario games tracing back to the days of the Super Nintendo playing Super Mario All Stars. It exposed me to some of the earlier Mario Bros games from the NES days, all remastered into a 16 bit console. Lucky for me, I happen to own the 1994 reissue version that includes Super Mario World that had been released three years prior. Best of both worlds I tell ya.
It is very bizarre to think how long it's been since we had a non video game adaptation of the franchise. We had the Super Mario Bros Super Show in the 80s starring the late Captain Lou Albano followed by a string of other TV iterations including the Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World. It wasn't until 1993 when a live action version of the Mario Bros would be released to theaters. Unfortunately, the film received negative reviews with its depiction straying too far from the source material. For instance, why is the Mushroom Kingdom a post-apocalyptic version of New York City (basically the main setting as seen in the movie)? Secondly, the design of the existing villains did not resemble their game's counterparts such as the Goombas and King Koopa/Bowser (played by the late Dennis Hopper). Despite being a commercial failure, I did have a soft spot for the film's campiness (I enjoyed the chemistry of the late Bob Hoskins and John Leuguizamo as Mario and Luigi respectively).
As a result of the film underperforming in the box office, not only was there not a sequel. It was there that Nintendo decided to cut their losses and steer away from making future television or film adaptations of their properties…
Until Detective Pikachu in 2019 came out that the perception of video games into film adaptation could in fact work (Unless we countMortal Kombat in 1995).
Some folks seem to have very mixed feelings based on the trailer alone. To start off with the positives, I am really fond of the animation design as far as how colorful and vibrant it's presented that demonstrates what the tone of the film will be. At a time when it feels like every kid property leans towards a dark and gritty approach, I appreciate the fact they're embracing the lighthearted campiness that the game series evokes. Just by watching the snippets from the film feels like a spectacle with an ensemble cast of characters established in the Mario and Nintendo universe. When you have a film with that type of quality, you're likely bound to have a potential box office smash. Of all the voice actors casted, I’m really digging Jack Black’s Bowser impression.
Now as far as the negatives go, I am not feeling some of the voice actors. Chris Pratt's voice of Mario is still not sinking in with me. Charles Martinet really brought life to that character even with minimal dialogue he provided in the games. At the end of the day, you believed he was a happy-go lucky Italian plumber willing to protect his friends and the kingdom he resides in. Pratt's dialect feels very off when he shouts out "let's go" in that fight scene with Donkey Kong. Hopefully there are more scenes of his that best demonstrate his version of the titular character.
In addition, it appears from the trailer that the gang are journeying through the Mushroom Kingdom to stop Bowser from conquering their land. I'd figured it would stay close to the first game in which Peach and the Toads are kidnapped; Therefore, Mario and Luigi must go through a series of obstacles before reaching his castle to save them.
Okay, so it's not completely straying far from the premise.
With the inclusion of the Kong Family (Donkey & Cranky being the notable ones) combined with a hodgepodge of Nintendo characters during the Mario Kart scene, I'm very skeptical how they'll be presented in the film. Only time will tell until the day of its release.
Despite some of my peeves (or nitpicks for that matter), the movie has a lot of potential to be something special. Who knows with the success of the Mario film will pave the way for more Nintendo properties to be adapted down the road. They notice what Sega and Paramount have been doing with the Sonic franchise and now they're looking into creating a live action Streets of Rage film. It's a huge investment Illumination is making with the mindset that the Mario Bros Movie does indeed turn a profit. March 2023 is only months away and this flick will determine if the Nintendo Cinematic Universe becomes a reality. Fingers crossed.
This past week was quite the emotional one. Folks that have followed me through Social Media whether it's Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram would know how huge of a Power Rangers fan I am. Recently, Jason David Frank best known for his role as Tommy Oliver had passed away at the age of 49. What started out as a rumor on a late Saturday night became a reality I did not want to imagine. The very next morning, I looked up at my Instagram feed and saw Walter Jones posting an image of him along with his ranger co-stars including JDF. The R.I.P acronym as listed in the caption just left me speechless in terms of my reaction. It really caught me off guard in a way.
Growing up, Tommy was one of my favorite Power Rangers. Just to admire his fortitude and his ability to hold his own when times were tough was what solidified my appreciation of the character. When he debuted in the 5 part miniseries Green With Evil, this would mark the Power Rangers' first of many challenges they had to overcome. Before that, the core five would manage to plow through any creature Rita sends out to cause havoc in their city. The Green Ranger's introduction would be a turning point for the upstarting franchise. Throughout the saga, Tommy under Rita's possession would resort to infiltrating the Command Center, home of the Power Rangers' headquarters. He'd be destroying console boards and cutting off any communication with their mentor Zordon; It didn't help that the rangers would be unable to teleport as a result of the excessive wreckage scattered throughout their headquarters. For the next few episodes, Tommy and the rangers fought on and off again while figuring out ways to undermine the strength of the Green Ranger. In the end, they managed to do just that, and with the Sword of Darkness dispelled, the rangers would free Tommy from Rita's spell.
From this point forward, Tommy would align with the Power Rangers to defend the Earth from a revolving door of villains that have come and gone. There would be multiple occasions when he would be stripped away of his powers only for Zordon to transfer a bit of energy needed to morph into ranger form. Eventually, Tommy would acquire new powers as he became the White Ranger in seasons two and three, the Red Ranger in Zeo and Turbo, and the Black Ranger in Dino Thunder. He would continue to return in a series of one-off comebacks in the anniversary team up specials, the most recent being "Dimensions in Danger" to commemorate the franchise's 25th anniversary.
I was heartbroken by the news of his passing. While I never knew JDF personally, I've seen the occasional panels he would attend discussing about his experiences working on the show. Forty-nine is such a young age to die. I can't imagine what it must be for his family members and colleagues that have collaborated with him over the years. I watched Amy Jo Johnson's Instagram live feed and it was very touching knowing how close she was to him; She even performed a handful of songs to pay tribute to Jason. I don't get into much detail about my personal life but my father died in his 60s after a battle with lung cancer. Take it from me, I know what it's like to lose a loved one. Grief is not easy to overcome. The best thing to do is to cherish any memory or experience you may have of them. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends that have supported him throughout the years.
To quote Austin St. John, "Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger."
Thank you for the memories Jason David Frank. May you rest in peace.
The past couple of months have been crazy in the world of professional wrestling. Whether if it involved the recent sex scandal of Vince McMahon that led to him abdicating his position as chairman of the WWE, or the recent All Out media scrum that saw CM Punk sabotaging his employer in AEW, 2022 is a very newsworthy year in the business as we know it. An altercation ensued backstage between the Best in the World and the Elite members Kenny Omega, Nick, & Matt Jackson (the latter two brothers being the Young Bucks) that has been the buzz throughout the wrestling community. As a result of their actions, both parties have been suspended from the company and have been off television for the foreseeable future.
With Punk not only sidelined but on the verge of his contract being bought out and terminated, the company has since been in a healing process that will determine fan perception behind the company's new direction. This brings me to discuss in today's blog in regards to All Elite Wrestling's upcoming PPV, Full Gear.
What is the purpose of this proposed fantasy card?
Referring to the title of this post, Full Gear is AEW's annual November PPV with its inaugural event dates back to 2019, the year that the company had launched. As the event is just around the corner, I've been taking a look at some of the matches announced so far; To be honest, it's a little meh aside from the main event of Moxley vs. MJF for the AEW World Title. It's a shame because they've had quite a track record when it comes to structuring a card from top to bottom.
Full Gear also holds their annual Eliminators tournament in a sense where the winner would receive a World Championship opportunity at a later date. It hadn't been long ago they did a tournament to crown a new AEW Champion - that was in light of CM Punk being stripped of the belt due to a torn triceps injury that will leave him sidelined until the summertime. Given the situation, I feel it's too soon to book another tournament bracket when they should be rebuilding their under-card as a demonstration to showcase the best that AEW's talent pool has to offer. Like I addressed about the company undergoing a healing process, they've had a knack of cramming so many matches onto their PPVs (this past year's All Out had about close to 15 or 16 matches) which can potentially lead to crowd fatigue. When WWF had over ten matches on a Wrestlemania or Summerslam card even then they were short, sweet, and to the point. Not every match has to be a marathon unless it involves a title on the line or if it's meant to put an end to a feud. Therefore, I'd do away with the Eliminators tournament and look to revive the concept for the following year's Full Gear.
As we transition over to the ongoing feuds and storylines, they're definitely going through the motions in terms of consistent storytelling. For instance, why are the Blackpool Combat Club still going after the Jericho Appreciation Society when they should be joining the fight with their leader Jon Moxley against the Firm? How come they didn't fight back when the latter group laid out the World Champion from the previous week's Dynamite?
The BCC have been showing signs of dissension between Bryan Danielson and Wheeler Yuta. Last night on Rampage announced that there would be a 4 Way Dance for the ROH World Championship between Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Sammy Guevara, & the reigning champion Chris Jericho. Where is Yuta in the picture and is he even booked for the show? How is that conflict not being emphasized or followed up on? I know I've rambled but those were my grievances with the feud that started off hot (it stemmed from Jericho's program with Eddie Kingston) but now has gotten to a point where it has run its course.
In this topic, I'll be cooking up my take on this year's event. The alteration of this booking goes into effect after the events of All Out. I'll run down my proposed match card with a brief explanation of how some of these matches came to be. Some may have little buildup while others will be more in-depth as to how we got here in the first place. Enjoy.
I've been customizing and enhancing screen caps as of late. Awhile back, an Instagram user named ListenAnyway posted some rendered images of Power Rangers characters, including closeups and re-digitized versions of blurry quality photos. This inspired me to do the same. As you can see below is a series of headshots of the Mighty Morphin' team circa season two. I would continue to post them on IG, but given the likely chances of potential shadow banning (meaning posted photos won't appear on your listed hashtags, thus preventing followers from discovering), I figured it wouldn't be worth the risk. It was quite a load of fun with an photo app I was using, and I am happy with how they turned out:
Just a sample of what I've cooked up. I may post more like these down the road so be on the look out. Have a good day.
This month marks 20 years since the World Wildlife Fund won the lawsuit against
the World Wrestling Federation, therefore dropping the "F" from their acronym.
In turn, the company shook things up by rechristening themselves as World
Wrestling Entertainment (WWE as we've come to know since). This milestone
anniversary got me thinking just how significant of a shift it was when it comes
to all things pop culture related.
If you think about it, what was going on during that time frame? Obviously, the
9/11 attacks impacted our society in the U.S. American citizens from all around
the country, no matter what race or ethnicity you were, banned together as they
grieved over their loved ones whose lives were lost due from the destruction of
the Twin Towers to any folks injured from the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Let's also not neglect the
flight attendants and passengers that were in those planes at the time of the
incident. Airport security became extremely tight, ensuring every passenger's
luggage is secured and free from anything that may seem suspicious (and
harmful). I'm not sure if this speaks for all airports; The days when visitors
can ride along the boarding train (can't remember what it's called) to another sector in an airport, as well as to
see your folks board on an airplane became a no no. Concerns over the safety of
their well ones were at an all time high; What happens when you step outside
your home not knowing it may be your last? The thought of that mindset seemed
terrifying yet unpredictable.
As far as how that affected entertainment, several television shows and movies had to be postponed or canceled in the wake of the tragedy. Some material had to exclude any references to terrorism or scenes
that closely resemble to buildings being destroyed. Even in music, several songs
were banned from the radio in the wake of the attacks. Granted I'm not an expert
when it comes to making discussions on politics, as it's quite a touchy subject. Popular songs such as Pat
Benetar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", "Free Fallin" by Tom Petty, and Bob
Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door" were the notable ones on that list. Though
many of those mentioned were among those tracks banned, they would eventually be put
back into rotation in the coming years. However you feel about this, the impact
9/11 had in the states not only impacted the media , but even society had to
adapt with the change in scenery.
In videogames, the sixth generation era in home consoling was hitting full
swing. After Sega retired from the home console market as a result of the
Dreamcast's failure, Microsoft stepped up and produced a little gaming system
called the X-Box. 2002 rolls around competing with Sony (Playstation 2) and
Nintendo (Gamecube) as they did battle for the next few years, providing some of
the most top quality games exclusive to their respective consoles. The Nintendo
64 had been discontinued at this point with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 the last
game released in North America. It's also to note the 6th generation era was an
earlier glimpse at online gaming, a move that would change the landscape of
video gaming forever; The days of playing co-op with your friends in the basement
would no longer be the only way of sharing the experience. When the 2010s arrived, we have to factor the inclusion of Downloadable content (DLC) or microtransactions
that require people to pay in order to gain access to additional features in a
video game. Overall, the sixth generation era helped lay the foundation when it
came to the technological advancements of gaming.
Though I'm not much of a sports fan, during the 2001-2002 season, ABC won bidding
rights to the NBA coverage that had been airing on NBC for over a decade at that
point. With this move, the network would also lose its license to the NBA Inside
Stuff as it would also be packaged with the coverage. Its tenure on NBC brought
some of its biggest ratings thanks in large to showcasing marquee matchups
involving the Chicago Bulls at their zenith. As the new millennium rolled
around, not only did NBC dropped the NFL (though it returned in 2006 on Sunday
nights), but they lost rights to continue airing NBA coverage any further. Some
longtime TV fanatics consider this as a dork period NBC went through, coupled
with the ending of Friends and Frasier in 2004 that marked the decline and
extinction of multi camera sitcoms on the station. Then again opinions can be
subjective so take it what you will.
Teen pop also went through a dramatic shift
as well. The 2000s kicked off with the boy band/pop group craze with notable
acts such as the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, Westlife, and even mid tier
artists like O-Town, BBMak, SClub 7, A-Teens, & the parody boy band 2ge+her. As 2001
winded down and 2002 kicked in, many of those aforementioned groups either
disbanded, underwent a hiatus, or just so happened to evolve their sound in music. In
fact, there was a brief period when certain band members from their respective
entity pursued solo careers as side projects. Nick Carter released Now or Never in 2002 as did the likes of Nick Lachey with SoulO the following year and JC Chasez
in 2004 with Schizophrenic. Of all the solos, only Justin Timberlake managed to
break through thanks in part to the marketing promotion of his debut album
Justified; He would continue to ride on that momentum with Futuresex Love Sounds
in 2006, the 20/20 Experience in 2013, and Man of the Woods in 2018. As the boy
band craze fizzled out by 2003, pop punk & pop rock acts like Good Charlotte,
Avril Lavigne, Maroon 5, & Simple Plan took over that mantle while established artists like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera
continued to ride waves throughout the decade.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, the Monday Night Wars reached its
endgame when, after nearly six years in a head-to-head contest between Nitro and Raw,
Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation purchased World Championship
Wrestling for $2.5 million. This gave way to an influx of talent from their respective
organizations as the WWF became the only mainstream wrestling company in North America. Coupled
along with the purchase of ECW, such a massive roster of that caliber played a
factor in the creation of what we now know as the brand extension. In this scenario, the roster
would be divided into two shows (Raw & Smackdown) with each wrestler competing on that specific show alone. While the initial brand split lasted
from 2002 to 2011, the company would reinstate the brand extension in 2016 and
has remained in effect since. Speaking of 2002, talk about a dramatic difference
the first half and the remaining half of the year it was. The top superstars headed
into Wrestlemania X8 comprised of Attitude Era favorites such as The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin along with the returning icon Hulk Hogan dominating WWF programming. By that time, the three superstars were off TV for the duration of 2002 (though they'd make sporadic appearances in the years to come). Fast forward to
Summerslam, Brock Lesnar won the (Undisputed) WWE Championship within
a few months after his debut, cementing him as the top superstar of the company; This new talent initiative paved the way for several athletes such as Batista, Randy Orton, & John Cena to lead the charge into the next phase in wrestling (or in WWE terms "Sports Entertainment"). Following the premature breakup of the nWo, HBK comes
out of retirement and begins wrestling on a regular basis. Did I need to get started about the company's name change from World Wrestling Federation to World
Wrestling Entertainment?
All in all, the more I think about it, that 2001/2002 time period was a very interesting transition phase. For better or worse, it demonstrated the cultural shift that transpired during
the first few years of the 2000s. It may not seem like an elaborate essay but
rather just the aura coming from a young tween at the time who lived through it. For folks that lived through that timeframe, how was your experience adapting to the post 9/11 landscape in the United States?
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