My name in lights!!

Cloudy was number one at the box office this weekend. Whew!! Maybe they'll make more cartoony movies now??

86 % so far! Go see Cloudy!

Rottentomatoes.com

Cloudy comes out tomorrow!!! Go see it! It's Wonderful!

I animated on this film so be sure to go see it! It's grrrreat!

Check out these promos!









Artwork by Pete Oswald

First review is out!! Hooray!

The Little Amazing Spiderman

Disney buys Marvel !

Dee..don..don..don..duh.duh...dee..doh..doh..duhhhn....I THINK I WANNA ROCK!!!!!

I found these voice training sessions on youtube and I'm fascinated by them. It's Michael rehearsing with his world famous vocal coach, Seth Riggs . It's so cool to hear him practicing even in 1994. Wow...what a voice!








Here's what Seth Riggs had to say on his website regarding MJ's death. It's quite touching.

"On Thursday of last week, the world wept as we all came to grips with the fact that, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, had passed away. Anyone who has ever loved his music knows what an effect he had on our lives, our culture and our souls. He was truly a creative genius and gave his life to the perfection of his art.

I have worked closely with Michael for over 32 years, as his vocal coach and his friend. We have been through countless concerts, performances, rehearsals and tours… but nothing quite like his “This is it Tour”. We worked tirelessly, everyday, as Michael is indeed a true perfectionist. He took every measure to make sure he was prepared for the grueling tour, vocally and in all other aspects as well. It truly would have been a legendary tour.

The death of Michael Jackson had indeed come to me as a dramatic shock and I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of sadness. Not only for the late star, but also for all fans and friends, but most importantly, for his family. I not only lost an extraordinary pupil, I lost a great friend. He will be truly missed as one of the most inspirational, kind, and dedicated people to have graced us with his enormous talents.

At this time there are millions of press releases flooding us with “reports” and accusations. I stand strong that Michael Jackson was well before his tragic death and eager to begin his world-wind tour. I believe he was devoted to making the best tour for his fans that was humanly possibly, and beyond! Any other misquotes or assumptions posed to be my words are false, as this is my first and possibly only public statement regarding this matter. I believe that unless it is proven otherwise, his cause of death was accidental.

I do hope that in this time of mourning, we as a people, can focus on the immense greatness that Michael shared with the world, and not diminish his name with any negative accusations. He was a beacon of light and harmonious genius, and he should be remembered for all the treasures he left us. We are blessed to have lived in the time of, Michael Jackson.

Sincerely,

Seth Riggs "

spidey flies high.......

Spidey enjoys some classic jazz...

You are always on my mind.....

These student films just seem to entertain me every time I watch them. And they are ALWAYS in the back of my mind! So I thought I'd post them and share. They all meet my criteria for satisfaction....they are weird, silly, different, entertaining, funny, caricatured, and just satisfying.

Enjoy!


"Story from North America" by Garrett Davis and Kirsten Lepore





"Interview with Dali" by Alex Butera

Jib Jab is awesome.

I love this video....the animation is fantastic! Love these pushed poses!! Congrats to Evan and the team that made this! Check out the making of blog too! It's incredible!! Cick: Jib Jab!!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Flynn's Arcade reveals Tron 2 bike!

Tron 2 bike unveiled at a secret location on July 25th, two blocks from Comic con. I took video of the whole thing too! It's posted at the bottom.






I meet a girl who buys my book "And it Began" at comic con. The book is about a kid who meets Daft Punk for lunch and experiences an adventure after trying on their helmet. Here's the cover and two illustrations from the book. I still have a few available if anyone is interested! $20 dollars plus $ 5 shipping and handling. Email me: captainyolk@hotmail.com









She asks me if I've heard about the underground secret promotion Disney's putting on for Tron 2. I say no. She explains what happens and tells me you can hear some of Daft Punk's score for the new movie. My jaw drops.

Here's how it went down. 9:45 p.m.

You wait in line for 45 minutes. You are then handed a gold token with "Home of Tron" on one side and " Flynn's Arcade" on the other. You enter Flynn's arcade. All the old school games and air hockey are free. 80's music is playing. For 15 minutes you think this is it. Then the lights start flickering, buzzing and static noises are heard. Then the sound of new Daft Punk music!! The Tron game on the back brick wall moves to the side to reveal an entrance way. Everyone gathers to enter into the blackened corridor. You walk down a dark hallway with architectural drawings of the Tron bike on the right wall. They are lit from behind with fluorescent light. You turn a left at the end of the corridor and there it is. New Daft Punk music continues to play as the bike slowly spins around. Two men in suits stand guard on either side of the bike. Everyone is going nuts, filming and shouting and clapping. Probably the coolest promotion I've ever seen for a movie.

Books are for SALE and AVAILABLE now!

Jeremy Bernstein and J.J. Villard at Comic Con 2009



A page from the new book. " Neon Lights in the Golden Hour. "
Acrylic, ink, and marker on brown paper.


56 pages! 28 Illustrations! 28 Original Poems! Full color! Owls galore! 6 x 9.

Limited Edition! Only 200 copies printed. All owl illustrations and poems. Funny poems, dark and twisted poems, sentimental poems, sad poems , and happy poems. Good for your kids too!

An original drawing and signature with every purchase! AND, ANDDDDD.... TWO 3 x 4 OWL STICKERS! FULL COLOR!
Get em' before they're gone!

You can mail me a personal check....just email me here first!

captainyolk@hotmail.com

I'm also selling my previous books. Check out the links below!

"Say Havarti" - a collection of sketchbook doodles, characters, and drawings.

" And it Began " - a boy meets the band Daft Punk for lunch, tries on their robot helmet, and goes on a crazy visual journey.

If you want to purchase any of my books and are interested in prices, send me an email!

captainyolk@hotmail.com

We Conquered Comic Con!!!

A drawing from the new book ~ "Neon Lights in the Golden Hour. "
Prisma color pencils and marker on brown paper.




Jeremy Bernstein and J.J. Villard at Comic Con 2009

My new book is for sale! " Neon Lights in the Golden Hour! " I was inspired by Shel Silverstein, author of "Where the Sidewalk Ends."

All owl Illustrations, silly poems, funny poems, dark and twisted poems, sentimental poems, sad poems , and happy poems! Good for your kids too!

The book includes two owl stickers and an original drawing inside! Email me if you want one!

captainyolk@hotmail.com

And a big THANKS to Jerry Beck and Amid Amidi for giving me a great plug on CARTOONBREW.COM

Comic Con is over!! Sales were excellent! Whew...I'm exhausted.

I take my work seriously. Here I am at the San Diego Comic Con with world famous CG animator Chris Bancroft . We used to work together at Dreamworks animating on some big films. His girlfriend Heather Houghton took the photo of us.

Another page from the new book!

Once again! I must shout out to the world! My new book is done!

56 pages! 28 Illustrations! 28 Original Poems! Full color! Owls galore! 6 x 9!
Limited Edition! Only 200 copies printed!

An original drawing and signature with every purchase! AND, ANDDDDD....A STICKER! FULL COLOR!

Get em' before they're gone!

I'll be selling the new books at comic con starting TODAY! I'll be there with the famous J.J. Villard, who is also selling his books. Come say hello to both of us and buy books for your granny and kids! Booth C05. I'll also be selling two of my previous books.

"Say Havarti" - a collection of sketchbook doodles, characters, and drawings.

" And it Began " - a boy meets the band Daft Punk for lunch, tries on their robot helmet, and goes on a crazy visual journey.


If you want to purchase any of my books and are interested in prices, send me an email!

captainyolk@hotmail.com

A page out of the new book!!!

All systems goooo!!!



My new book is done! I know! I can't believe it either!

56 pages! 28 Illustrations! 28 Original Poems! Full color! Owls galore! 6 x 9!
Limited Edition! Only 200 copies printed!
An original drawing and signature with every purchase! Get em' before they're gone!

I'll be selling the new books at comic con starting this Wednesday! Come say hello! Booth C05. I'll also be selling two of my previous books.

"Say Havarti" - a collection of sketchbook doodles, characters, and drawings.

" And it Began " - a boy meets the band Daft Punk for lunch, tries on their robot helmet, and goes on a crazy visual journey.


If you want to purchase any of my books and are interested in prices, send me an email!

captainyolk@hotmail.com !!

I also share a table at the con with J.J. Villard! He'll be selling his new book too! More details to come about it soon. Check out the cover!

New Book......and a tease. More to come.

"Stained glass crystals catch my eye..."





Prisma color, pen and marker on Brown paper.

NEW BOOK! Here's the cover...

COMIC CON 2009! HERE WE COME!!





BOOTH C05

Yesssss!! I could use one of these...

Ping Pong Door

Beautiful!!! ...... just watch.

Pi Kappa Alpha - Anchorsplash 2009 (Virginia Tech)
by videos22

Man, today was rough watching the memorial....

But I bought this T-shirt and it made me feel better. Such a cool design.



By the way, I listened to this song non-stop in high school on my walkman cassette player. At lunch, on the bus, sometimes in class..ha!.. and at home...so perfect for a dance party. And that intro to the song.....soooo goooood!!




And this is fascinating... just watch. Behind the scenes of recording Michael with Bruce Sweiden...








Recording and Mixing "Billie Jean"....
The year is 1982. The song is "Billie Jean". The sonic image of Michael Jacksons' "Billie Jean" is a perfect example of what happened, when I sat around dreaming awhile, about combining different recording techniques to produce a unique musical canvas with a tremendous 'sonic personality'.
Of course I was comfortably ensconsed in Westlake Audio’s beautiful new Studio ‘A’ on Beverly Boulevard, with my good friends Quincy Jones, Micheal Jackson and Rod Temperton. We were doing our favorite thing... We were making music!!! We had just started recording Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller”...
We were recording Michael’s song “Billie Jean”.....
I recorded the drums,(played by the fantastic drummer, N'Dugu) with as tight, and powerful a drum sound as I could come up with. Of course I put N'Dugus' drum set on my plywood drum platform. Also at this time, I had a special kick drum cover made that covers the whole front of the kick drum. There's a slot with a zipper in it that the mike fits through. When the kick drum mike is in place, in the slot in my drum cover, I zip the opening tightly shut around the mike.
I brought in my old pal George Massenburgs' spectacular sounding, portable, 12 channel recording console and used it to record the rhythm section. With it I recorded the bass, drums and guitars on my analogue 16 track, with no noise reduction equipment in the way of that fantastic sound!
In my estimation, the the result of the song “Billie Jean”, is a perfect example of what I call “Sonic Personality”. I don’t think there are many recordings, where all you need to hear is the first few drums beats, and you instantly know what song it is.
Great albums always start with great songs....
"Billie Jean" is just such a superb song! Of course, Michael wrote "Billie Jean"..
Quincy says that the lyric that Michael wrote is highly personal. I’m sure that’s true. Michael told us... it was about a girl, that climbed over the wall at Michael’s house, and was lounging out there, by the swimming pool.... she was laying out there, near the pool , lounging... hangin’ out... with shades on, her bathing suit on. One morning she just showed up! Kind of like a stalker, almost. She had accused Michael of being the father of ONE of her twins... Is that possible? I don’t think so....
When it came time for me to mix "Billie Jean", it was business as usual... When I am working with Michael, Quincy, Rod, Jennifer, Sergio and so on..... I am allowed total ceative freedom with the sonics of the music... In other words, I am always left to myself when it is time to mix. My mixes can take hours, days or even weeks.... I firmly believe that a mix is not finished, until it is on a Record for sale at Tower....
So I had been mixing "Billie Jean" for a day or two. I’d do a mix. ..... Say I was up to mix number 2.... (At that time I was mixing onto 1/2” analogue.) I thought it was killer!!!
I called MJ, Quincy and Rod into the control room and played mix 2 for them. They loved it!!! They were all dancing and carrying on like crazy!!! Smiles all around! Then Michael slipped out of the control room, turned around and motioned to me to follow him... Then he whispered to me, “Please Bruce, it’s perfect, but turn the Bass up just a tiny bit, and do one more mix, please....” I said to him...”OK Smelly, no problem”...
(When we were recording “Off The Wall”, Quincy gave Michael the nickname of “Smelly” because when Michael liked a groove, he’d call it “Smelly Jelly.” Also Michael doesn’t curse, and when MJ wants to say a bad word he’ll simply call it “Smelly”... The name has stuck...)
Then I went back into the control room to add Michael’s tiny bit of bass to my mix... Quincy pulled me over into the corner and said “Please Svensk... “(Svensk is Quincy’s nickname for me. It means “Swedish Man” in Swedish... When you have a genuine Quincy Jones nickname like ‘Svensk” - You are truly honored....) Q said to me.... “Add a little garlic salt to the snare and the kick. Just a squirt!!!”) so I went back into the control room and added a little garlic salt to the snare and the kick. Just a squirt!!! Now I was up to mix 20 on "Billie Jean".
Well, this went on for about a week. Soon I was up to mix 91!!! I had a stack of 1/2 inch tapes almost to the ceiling!!! I would do a few mixes, we’d listen... Then do a few more. We had it PERFECT!!! We thought we had a really ‘HOT’ mix on “Billie Jean”. I played Mix 91 for the boys... Everybody smiled... but Quincy had one of his funny looks on his face...
I thought.... Hmmmm.... Oh, Oh....
Quincy said “You know Svensk, just for the fun of it, can we listen to one of your earlier mixes???” My heart jumped because I knew that my earlier mixes were dynamite!!! Then Quincy said, “Let’s hear mix number 2!!!” Oh WOW!!!! Hallelujah!!! I love mix 2!!!!
We listened to mix 2... IT WAS SLAMMIN’!!! EVERYONE IN THE STUDIO WAS GROOVIN’ AND DANCIN’ and HAPPY, and actin’ IGNORANT!!!!
Well, here’s the deal. When “Thriller” was released to the Whole World by Epic Records, on Tuesday, November 30, 1982, it went to Tower Records with MIX 2 OF "Billie Jean" on it!!! AND, when the single of "Billie Jean" came out it was MIX 2!!!
The REAL Story of "Billie Jean"...
Bruce Swedien

New trailer AND new poster!

Here it comes!!

Michael

Found this photo online and it makes me smile. You'll be missed Mike.



I found another great clip too. Check out how slick this moonwalk is and holy moly bamohley....the pop lockin'..... simply amazing.

Imogen Heap's new album is coming....

I can't wait for this!

A legend is Gone. RIP Michael Joseph Jackson

This is one of my favorite performances from the BAD tour.




And here he is with James Brown. Incredible dancing!

I Love Pencil and Paper

This is a great little video about the return of hand drawn animation ... and my Cal Arts buddies Mario Furmanczyk, Eric Fountain and Joe Pitt make an appearance as well! And where's Jen Hager? Jen, you should complain!

" Reci Reci Reci " or " Words, Words, Words" By Michaela Pavlatova

Nominated for an Oscar in 1991.



www.michaelapavlatova.com

Little Boss Drunk

For the Daft Punk fans.

My Pops

Watching ' Seinfeld'...or as my Dad likes to call it, "Steinfeld".

I wish I worked on this commercial... it's so goood!!

Comic-Con Nerds try and protect Cincinnati! HA-HA!

"They surely won't recognize us because he's blind, BUT...
I'm sure he'll recognize the taste of a good meal."

- Shadowhair

James Jarvis

I need to go for a run now.

It's rainin' burgers!

Another image Sony's released from "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs". C'mon Sony Marketing!!! Let's show more of the goods!!




You can also go to the website.

Fun

to listen to while you work.

This Drawing

is sick! So good! It's by Dick Briefer. Found it on John K's blog. I love how you can feel the energy in the pull of the alligator's mouth.




And this one has such great caricature.



Wow.

Not yet!

I wish I could show you a scene from this movie!! But I can't! It's top secret private none of your beeswax before the release date shtuff! Wow. It's looking gooooooood! Mouth watering goooood! Ok...that was kind of lame! But seriously...you're gonna want to eat the screen after you see this movie!






P.S.

I'm working on the opening sequence right now with the main character, Flynt.

I laughed so hard at this.

I am now obsessed with Mr. ChiCity3. Wow. Thank you Aziz for introducing Mr. ChiCity3 to me.