TOP 10: MARVEL MOVIES

Marvel Studios is taking over Summer with the release of THOR, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER! For the last decade, movies based on Marvel Comics have dominated the Summer blockbuster, along with a few less successful off season movies...Although Marvel had tried to break into movies in the late 1980's with flops such as Captain America (1990) and The Punisher (1989) starring Dolph Lundgren. As the new millennium dawned came the release of X-Men in 2000 and Spider-Man in 2002 the new age of Marvel movies began! Not to mention the start of Marvel's very own studios and the release of Iron-Man and Incredible Hulk, Marvel shows no signs of stopping bringing their heroes to life! Over the years there have been hits (i.e. X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002)), and some misses (i.e. Hulk (2003), Elektra (2005).
So, to get ready for Marvel Summer 2011 as CHERNOBOG'S BLOG Presents: The TOP 10: MARVEL MOVIES!

 #10 Daredevil (2003) A comic book fan favorite, Director Mark Steven Johnson's somewhat disappointing adaptation of the blind superhero starring Ben Afflek as Daredevil/Matt Murdock and Jennifer Garner as Elektra, and don't forget Colin Farrel as Bullseye and Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin had some merit. The scenes of Daredevil's "radar" vision was impressive as well as the faithful treatment of his origin. Although the film tried to entice fans with cameos from Kevin Smith and even Frank Miller the movie seemed successful enough to spawn a spin-off, namely Elektra in 2005 which failed miserably no thanks to Jennifer Garner (and really bad fight choreography)!

#9 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) Although The Fantastic Four (2005) presented us with a slightly campy version of the super foursome (at least it was better than the unwatchable/unreleased Roger Corman version) starring Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Jessica Alba (Sue Storm,/Invisible Woman), Chris Evans (Johnny Storm/Human Torch) and Michael Chiklis (Ben Grimm/The Thing). With the sequel, the film's producers introduced fan favorite The Silver Surfer (played by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne), bringing a more cosmic element to the sorely mediocre story of Reed Richard and Sue Storm's wedding (yawn), they also brought Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon) back for some reason...? Although fans waited to see Galactus in all his gigantic glory he appeared ijn this movie...as a cloud? WTF?

#8 Ghost Rider (2007) Although not well received by fans and critics, Nicholas Cage's depiction of Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider offered hellish visuals but failed in bringing any real seriousness to the dark/occult laden story. Also an odd casting choice was Peter Fonda (Easy Rider) as Mephistopheles but Eva Mendes made it all better...vroom vroom!

#7 The Punisher (2004) Thomas Jane plays an impressive and sympathetic Frank Castle as he dons the white-skull symbol in Marvel's second attempt to bring the gun-toting vigilante to life. Although John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint left much to be desired. Although they did throw in Rebbecca Romijn and a young Ben Foster as sidekicks...?

#6 X-Men 2: X-Men United (2003) Director Bryan Singer returned with the enitre cast plus the addition of Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) brought new depth and possibilites to the X-Men Trilogy which saddly fell short with X-Men 3: The Last Stand, no thanks to director Brett Ratner!

#5 Blade (1998) Wesley Snipes and writer David Goyer brought one of Marvel's most obscure characters from the 1970's into the 21st century with two successful movies including Blade II directed by Guillermo Del Toro, although the third movie Blade: Trinity severely dwindled despite Ryan Reynolds' comic relief.

#4 The Incredible Hulk (2008) Lest we forget director Ang Lee's monstrous bomb Hulk in 2003 starring Eric Bana (how we've tried!), Marvel's Hulk reboot directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Edward Norton as Bruce Banner brought new depth to the story of the green-skinned Goliath, even incorporating elements from the popular 1970's TV version.

#3 Iron Man (2008) Robert Downey Jr. is IRON MAN! Bringing the Vietnam-era story into the modern deserts of the Middle East brought new life to one of Marvel's second stringers and became one of the most popular Marvel movies next to X-Men and Spider-man! Downey's chemistry with co-star Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts makes the characters all the more believable and entertaining!

#2 Spider-Man (2002) Director Sam Raimi and actor Tobey Macguire brought the web-slinger to life in a successful trilogy! (Spider-Man 3, not so much...) Even Willem Dafoe's over-the-top performance as Norman Osborne/Green Goblin made it a quirky yet dark Sam Raimi masterpiece!

#1 X-Men (2000) With director Bryan Singer and an all star cast including Patrick Stewart as Proffesor X, Ian McKellan as Magneto and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, the Marvel Movie Age began bringing new possibilities (and profitable Marvel properties!) to the big screen for the 21st Century!

MOVE REVIEW: THOR

This weekend marks the beginning of the Summer Blockbusters. In particular this season is the summer of the superhero with the release of three of the biggest movies from Marvel Studios which include: X-Men: First Class (Opens June 6) Captain America: The First Avenger (Opens July 22) and to start it all off: THOR! Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Hamlet), endeavors to bring Marvel's hammer-wielding hero to the big screen with a production of god-like proportions!
Chris Hemsworth stars as Thor, who along with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has been groomed since childhood to take the throne of Asgard by their father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). When a conflict arises between their age-old enemies: The Frost Giants, led by King Laufey (Colm Feore), Thor goes against his father's wishes and leads an attack against them. Enraged by his son's actions, Odin takes his powers and banishes him to Earth, along with his fabled hammer Mjölnir, which settles in a crater in the New Mexico desert. Powerless and confused Thor "literally" runs into astrophysicists Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård). While Thor adjusts to his now mortal life with the help of Jane, and no thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D., he must find a way back home to Asgard and stop his brother Loki from taking over the throne! Thor brings to the big screen all that we have come to expect from Marvel Studios, with the success of Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), this summer is going to be super-powered!
Whereas most Marvel movies seem to focus on more technological (Iron Man) or scientific (The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man) themed heroes, Thor is based within more of a fantasy world; the scenes depicting Asgard and the realms of are some of the most beautiful settings ever seen. With huge, fantastic golden buildings, a crystalline rainbow bridge and colorful god-like characters like Heimdall (Idris Elba), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) and Fandral (Josh Dallas). For those who are fans of the over-the-top, old-English spouting thunder god, you may be somewhat disappointed. While Hemsworth brings to the part a very "human" Thor, he comes across as much more arrogant and annoying than usual, especially in the beginning of the film, but manages to pull off a much more experienced and wiser god by the climax of the movie; yet without saying a single "thee" or "thou" through the whole movie! This version of Thor also comes from less of the old-school Thor Marvel character (who first appeared  in "Journey Into Mystery" #83, Aug. 1962) and more from the recent "Ultimates" (2002) story-line. Although this (bearded) depiction of Thor is less like the classic Thor and more closely related to the 1990's Eric Masterson a.k.a. "Thunderstrike" version. While the main antagonists of the movie are the Frost Giants, the story of Loki is somewhat lessened, most likely due to his role as the major villain in the upcoming Avengers movie in 2012.

The movie's prologue is very fast but it quickly pulls you into the world of the gods and Asgard in an almost epic-Lord of the Rings-like battle, which sets up the whole conflict with the Frost Giants. Then we briefly see a young Thor and Loki being lectured by Odin only to quickly move forward to the (now adult) Thor's coronation ceremony which is unfortunately interrupted by...guess who? The Frost Giants! Upon Thor's banishment to Earth, he becomes this almost comedic-anachronistic character as he deals with modern day Earth. Soon it becomes clear why the story chose to set everything in New Mexico of all places, giving a clever nod to the original Marvel Comic with this billboard: "New Mexico...Land of Enchantment, Journey Into Mystery!" The most uninspiring aspect of the plot in Thor surprisingly comes from now Oscar-winner Natalie Portman and her involvement as the at-best mediocre love interest between her and Thor. Although Skarsgård's character becomes a surrogate father figure for Natalie's character, he remains an extraneous character along with Portman's atrocious teenage sidekick Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). I found myself really liking Thor's hilarious band of friends/minor gods, especially Volstagg, played by Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone). There's also a delightful cameo from comic creator Stan "The Man" Lee plus an appearance of fan-favorite Hawkeye a.k.a. Clint Barton, played by Jeremy Renner (uncredited?)!
The climax of the movie is an impressive battle with The Destroyer, a giant magic-fueled, armored robot (gotta love that)! The signature surprise epilogue following the credits is worth the wait as it features Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury character (of course), who first entered into the new Marvel continuity in Iron Man (2008)! Overall, Thor is an amazing and worthy installment into the Marvel movies as Marvel Studios whets our appetites with Thor and X-Men: First Class until the release of this summers' main course with Captain America: The First Avenger!

TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2011

TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND is the southwest's premiere horror convention for the last six years! I have been an attendee of TFW since 2007. This year's TFW was held again at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving, TX and this year's show is the biggest yet! Although I was somewhat disappointed with last years convention since I didn't get to meet the main guest: John Carpenter, I did however meet and get autographs from Lance Henriksen and Meg Foster! This year's special guests included: Clive Barker, Robert Englund, Malcom McDowell, Doug Bradley, Roger Corman, Angus Scrimm, and the cast of Human Centipede and Saw! Like most conventions the big draw is to get autographs from celebrities which has grown into somewhat of a hobby for me as I have collected many signatures over the years. Unfortunately these kind of conventions can be very expensive, not only is there the price of admission, but also the guests often charge anywhere from $20 to $50 just for an autograph and/or photo, then there's the dealers room where you can buy all kinds of merchandise and collectibles. My main objective this year was to obtain an autograph (and/or photo) from Clive Barker and possibly Robert Englund or Malcom McDowell. I found the cost of the entire weekend to be too much ($75) so I only purchased a Saturday ticket online at $30.

Killer Costumes!

TFW 2011 started off Friday night with screenings of Offspring and The Woman. On Saturday morning, Moxley Manor sponsored the annual Zombie Walk which I caught the last of. I arrived at the Sheraton Grand Hotel around 10:30 am and picked up my pre-registered Saturday ticket by the pool. I quickly made my way through the lobby and got in line for Clive Barker's signing. Although I waited in line for almost 2 and 1/2 hours I ran into a few people I knew and saw Norman Reedus and Malcolm McDowell pass by! Finally, I was taken into another room where Clive Barker was seated. They provided many photos, posters, books and DVDs ready to sign and charged $30 - $75, the most expensive being a personalized sketch from him. I had planned on getting my 1st ed. hardback copy of "Cabal" and my 20th Anniversary DVD of Hellraiser signed. I noticed several people brought models of the Hellraiser puzzle box and even the new Blu-ray boxed to get signed. I knew Clive had recently been suffering from throat polyps (although apparently not cancerous, he recently gave up cigars) and found out he had recently recovered from surgery. I must admit it is very disturbing to see him in the condition he was as his health has been declining over several years. Particularly because of his throat problems his once angelic/boyish voice has now been reduced to a gravelly whisper but he seemed in good spirits and was very talkative despite his health. I was very impressed when Doug Bradley (Pinhead) came in the room with a young boy in a homemade Pinhead costume and got autographs and photographed with both Barker and Bradley despite TFW's notice that there was no photography allowed for Barker.

Malcolm McDowell

After Barker, I made my way through the very crowded dealer's room and main lobby where there where several celebrities signing including Sid Haig (The Devil's Rejects), Dieter Laser (Human Centipede), cast of The Boondock Saints, even Japanese horror celebrities Eihi Shiina (Audition) and Yoshihiro Nishimura (Mutant Girls Squad) and of course Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street)! Later I was also very pleased to get autographs from Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser, also NO photographs allowed!?) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) who was extremely nice and approachable. Unfortunately I was unable to get Robert Englund's autograph as TFW has instated a new for of organization. As last years convention was overly crowded the lines being  extremely long TFW instated a new ticket policy, giving out free tickets to signings earlier in the day but for several celebrity signing, ran out of tickets VERY quicly (i.e. Englund and Roger Corman) Other TFW events during the day Q&A sessions with Angus Scrimm (Phantasm), Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Roger Corman (Sharktopus). Although due to Englund's Q&A running long and Corman's scheduled signing, Corman's session was disappointingly cut short. Later that night TFW sponsored screenings of Mutant Girls Squad, Doll Boy and Human Centipede at midnight, with live commentary from Director Tom Six and Dr. Heiter himself: Dieter Laser, which is quite possibly the sickest, most disturbing horror movie ever!
Despite a few minor disappointments and an incredibly crowded (and very hot!) venue, Texas Frightmare Weekend 2011 was a great success and very fun! Although I did not attend Friday or Sunday's events (I missed the Q&A w/ Malvcolm McDowell), Saturday is usually the best and biggest day to go (although the busiest!). I look forward to next year's TFW and as the convention has grown so much, next year's TFW will be held at Hyatt Regency Hotel inside the DFW Airport,m which is a significantly larger venue. I can't wait to hear what special guests will be there next year! I'm hoping for maybe Wes Craven? See ya'll next year!

TOP 13: BEST EPISODES OF "SUPERNATURAL"

Not since and The X-Files has a long-standing TV show kept my interest with little disappointment other than SUPERNATURAL! It's been my favorite show on The CW since the beginning and unlike other shows on The CW like Smallville (which I stopped watching regularly shortly after the first season), Supernatural (created by Eric Kripke) is a show that has literally "grown-up" with every season. I enjoyed following the adventures of brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) & Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester every Thursday night (now on Fridays!) as they battled ghosts, monsters, vampires, and demons! And through ALL of their hardships (DRAMA!), the MANY deaths (i.e. their father John played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) including their own, the many incarnations of the demon Meg and the arrival of the angel Castiel (played by Misha Collins), AND not to mention: THE APOCALYPSE!!! With the upcoming Season 6 Finale on 4/22, I present the TOP 13 BEST EPISODES of Seasons 1-5...why 13??? Because, it's SUPERNATURAL!

#13"Monster Movie", S.4, Aired: 10/16/08 - It's Oktoberfest and Sam & Dean investigate a series of mysterious murders reminiscent of classic monster movies! AND it's in Black & White! This is one of my favorite fun episodes (which has nothing to do with the current continuity). I have always loved the old Universal monster movies and the shape-shifter creature was a perfect opportunity to include it!

#12 "Mystery Spot", S.3, Aired: 2/14/08 - When Sam & Dean discover a supernatural mystery spot, Sam dies again and again and again... in a maddening loop that only Dean knows about! The concept seems hilarious but it actually becomes quite heart-wrenching as Dean has to deal with every death!

#11 "The Monster At The End of This Book", S.4, Aired: 4/2/09 - Apparently Sam & Dean are characters in a series of novels written by Chuck Shurley (Robert Patrick Benedict) who turns out to be a prophet? Chuck has become one of my favorite new characters and as a fellow writer I can relate to him.

#10 "The Usual Suspects", S.2, Aired: 11/9/06 - Sam & Dean are arrested and suspected of murder, but a ghostly clue helps them to solve it with the help of guest star Det. Diana Ballard played by Linda "The Exorcist" Blair! It was cool to see Linda Blair play a part and I had hoped she might become a regular, but sadly...

#9 "The Kids Are Alright", S.3, Aired: 10/11/07 - Dean drops in on an old girlfriend, Lisa (played by Cindy Sampson), and finds out she has a son, Ben (Nicholas Elia) who's neighborhood is being terrorized by changelings!

#8 "Hell House", S.1, Aired: 3/30/06 - While Sam & Dean battle a killer spirit they meet the Ghostfacers for the first time! The Ghostfacers were a great way to parody the recent popularity of over-the-top ghost hunters (i.e. "Ghost Hunters", "Ghost Adventures") they showed up several times in the show whenever Sam & Dean came across a haunted house.

#7 "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" S.5, Aired: , In Bobby's hometown, the dead are returning to life and want to go about life as usual...at first, then Zombies attack! This was a great variation on the zombie genre, the people who came back from the dead seemed normal but they soon changed and fed on flesh!

#6 "All Hell Breaks Loose", Part 1 & 2, S.2, Aired: 5/10/07-5/17/07 - Sam finds himself in a ghost town with others with psychic powers who have been pitted against each other by the yellow-eyed demon! Very intense!

#5 "The End", S.5, Aired: 10/1/09 -  5 years into the future, the apocalypse has happened, Lucifer has possessed Sam and the Croatoan virus runs rampant! This was a disturbing look into a possible future, especially when we saw what Sam could become as the host for Lucifer.

#4 "Hunted", S.2, Aired: 1/11/07 - As Sam hunts for others with psychic powers like him, he is being hunted by Gordon, a relentless vampire killer! The vampires in Supernatural were different from other vampires, somewhat reminiscent of the vampires from The Forsaken (2001).

#3 "Nightshifter" S.2, Aired: 1/25/07 - Sam & Dean search for a shape-shifter in a bank with the aid of Ronald (played by Chris Gauthier) a paranoid conspiracy-theorist, when they become surrounded by a SWAT team! Ronald was an interesting character, paranoid but yet very sympathetic.

#2 "Devil's Trap", S.1, Aired: 5/4/06 - Season One's Finale was the first in a long line of cliffhangers when Sam & Dean finally find their father and battle a demon only to be hit-and-run by semi-truck! After this first season fans couldn't wait for the next cliffhanger!

#1 "Pilot", S.1, Aired: 9/13/05 - Every story has a beginning and the original Pilot started it all! Meet Sam & Dean Winchester, while searching for their missing father Dean picks Sam up from college and they come across the urban legend of the "woman in white"! It's amazing how much things have changed since then...

MOVIE REVIEW: SCRE4M

"What's your favorite scary movie?"
SCRE4M (Scream 4 )is the newest chapter in the Scream franchise. It's been ten years (11 in real life) since the infamous Woodsboro murders and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has returned home to promote her new book "Out of Darkness", a sort of self-help book after coming to terms with being the survivor of a three murder-sprees (the last 3 movies). Although her story had already been publicized, no thanks to the book by journalist Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) who is now married to Deputy Dewey Riley (David Arquette) now Sheriff of Woodsboro. Sure enough, upon Sidney's return home, the deaths start all over again in the same manner as the original murders. While Sidney stays at the home of her Aunt Kate and cousin Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), the whole town is in chaos as Sheriff Dewey and Deputy Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) try to solve the murders. Soon Gale takes it upon herself to try to uncover the murderer in her vain attempt to restart her career. With townspeople dying all around her, Sidney knows she is the ultimate target and awaits a confrontation with the new "Ghostface" killer while trying to protect her (extended) family.
The opening sequence of Scre4m, (or rather the two false openings of the movie) leave you confused and it isn't until about 10 minutes until we really get into the story. We see a much more mature Sidney (Neve Campbell, whose career has unfortunately been less than successful with various TV appearances). It seems almost too convenient that she picks the anniversary of the murders to come home to Woddsboro where the murders have become this unofficial Halloween-like holiday combined with the popularity of the "Stab" movies have made the town famous (or infamous). As Sidney finds kinship with her young cousin Jill, whose friends have been dying all around her she disregards Sidney's and her mom's attempts to protect her by keeping her at home but instead goes to her friend Kirby (Hayden Panettiere). As teens continue to be brutally murdered despite the town already being on edge and with police everywhere, the elusive killer manages to kill everyone around Sidney. The town's teenagers seem so desensitised to the events happening around them (even more so than the first movie) that the high school's Cinema Club stages their annual "Stab" movie-marathon party! The finale comes together in the typical Scream-tradition revealing the killer(s) (which I will not spoil!) however I find the ultimate identity of the killer to be both shocking and unbelievable than all of the Scream movies combined, the bloody climax makes about as much sense as the The Simpsons episode of "Who Shot Mr. Burns?"! Although I am a huge fan of director Wes Craven I feel he isn't entirely solely to blame as there was much conflict with the original writer Kevin Williamson that Craven admits the production was "stressful" (See EW.com for more).
It seems the story was really reaching on their victims with the introduction of Sidney's extended family and her seemingly plain cousin Jill. Gale and Dewey's relationship seems so awkward that even though the actors are married in real life their characters rarely show it.
While the first Scream films tried to make address the social commentary including the 90's teen scene and horror/slasher movies in general. The new movie does attempt to address the newest teen mentalities and diversions such as one scene in particular which was the only one that made me laugh: when the reports of the murders start coming in, there's a scene inside the high school classroom when all the students' cell phone go off and chaos ensues...!
The whole thing about Scream is the referencing of the so-called "rules of a horror movie" but as the apparent rules have changed, they no longer seem to apply in this new century and therefore contradict the reason the killers in the movies emulate the movies to begin with! At first, Scre4m started in the usual way, I knew going in that it could never capture the power of the original prologue of the first movie with the intense Drew Barrymore scene. After seeing Scream 4, I find myself feeling very conflicted...the horror fan in me wanting really hard to like it, but the other part of me wanting to denounce this movie as a travesty of film making and admitting to the ultimate "death of the horror genre" (which surprisingly is eluded to in the prologue of this movie by none other than Anna Paquin who plays a bit part!).

TOP 10 GUITAR GODS

I am a metalhead at heart and a fan of hard rock and heavy metal guitar players! I've always loved watching music videos and concerts focusing on the flying fingers of some of my favorite guitar players both old and new! Everybody from Jimi Hendrix to "Dimebag" Darrell, I delight in all the shredders and soloists, the leads and the licks! I even used to play a little electric guitar myself but I knew my skills would never even come close to any professional guitar player (that's why I stick to using my fingers for writing!). So tune up your strings, crank the volume knob up to 11, here's CHERNOBOG'S BLOG: TOP 10 GUITAR GODS!!!

Randy Rhoads

#10 Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) Despite having been fired from Metallica in 1983, Dave Mustaine co-founded (with bassist David Ellefson) Megadeth, one of the leading heavy metal bands in the thrash metal movement of the 1980's. Throughout the years Megadeth has gone through many band members such as guitarists CHris Poland and Marty Friedman and even the departure of Ellefson in 2002 when the band disbanded but thankfully reunited in 2010.
Favorite Song: "Sweating Bullets"

#9 "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (Pantera/Damageplan) - The Cowboy from Hell himself, Dimebag (originally known as "Diamond Darrell") was the lead guitar player for Texas born Hardcore Metal pioneers Pantera! After their breakup in 2000, he and his brother and former fellow Pantera founder, drummer Vinnie Paul started Damageplan in 2003. Unfortunately, his life came to a tragic end when a crazed fan shot and killed Darrell during a performance in Columbus, Ohio in 2004. Since then, Darrell's memory lives on and has even inspired a local charity event known as Ride for Dime! His unique and original style and magnetic personality made him a major influence on heavy metal music. Favorite Song: "Walk"

#8 Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society) - A.K.A. Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt, Zakk Wylde became Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist on the 1988 album "No Rest for the Wicked" which began a long musical collaboration with Ozzy for almost 20 years. Having started several side-projects including "Pride & Glory" (1994) and "Book of Shadows" (1996) he is also the founder of Black Label Society since 1999. Recently having departed from Ozzy's band and recovered from major health issues, Zakk is back on the attack with BLS and has never been better with his signature black and white, Bullseye pattern, Gibson Les Paul Custom, awesome!
Favorite Song: "Bleed For Me"

#7 Kirk Hammett (Metallica) - Originally the founder of the band Exodus, Kirk Hammett (a protege of Joe Satriani) was hired in 1983 by Metallica after former guitarist Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) was fired. Since then Kirk has been a major part of Metallica's sound as it has evolved and changed over the years. Even during the late 1990's when they cut their hair, went alternative and Kirk suddenly had a new fondness for the Wah pedal...and despite the lack of his signature solos on 2003's "St. Anger" album. Either way Kirk is still a top shredder on my list. I especially love his guitars decorated with old monster movie posters.
Favorite Song: "For Whom the Bell Tolls"

#6 Angus Young (AC/DC) - Known for his wild onstage antics and his English school boy uniform Angus Young has been a major force in hard rock as the co-founder (Along with brother Malcolm) and lead guitarist for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC! With his signature Gibson SG, Angus Young is a legend with his now familiar sound and memorable riffs!
Favorite Song: "Thunderstruck"

#5 Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen) - Eddie Van Halen along with brother and drummer Alex formed the hard rock band Van Halen in 1972 and ushered in a new style of guitar playing utilizing intense solos and high frequency feedback. Although the band has gone through many incarnations with several singers including David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, and Garry Cherone; Van Halen is complete again having reunited with Roth and included Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass! Favorite Song: "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love"

#4 Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) - A brilliant and ingenious guitar player, Jimmy Page was originally a member of The Yardbirds with Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, who went along to found Led Zeppelin in 1968 with singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham creating a musical phenomenon as one of the major influences of hard rock and heavy metal! Favorite Song: "Immigrant Song"

#3 Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell) - Tony Iommi is considered to be one of the most important and influential guitarists and a pioneer of heavy metal music. His distinct dropped down tuning style created a completely new sound and changed hard rock and heavy metal for all time. His detuned sound actually developed by accident as he was working in a sheet metal factory when the tips of his fingers were cutoff in an accident. He then used rubber baby bottles and formed thimbles to protect his fingers, thus drop tuning the guitar strings in order to play. Having originally formed the band originally called "Earth", with their unique, darker sound they changed the name to Black Sabbath and with their new singer John "Ozzy" Osbourne created heavy metal history! Favorite Song: "Paranoid"

#2 Randy Rhoads (Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne) - A true musical genius and guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads founded the band Quiet Riot in 1973 with bassist Kelliy Garni and went on to join singer Ozzy Osbourne during his comeback after having been fired by Black Sabbath in 1979. With his enormous talent he was able to bring Ozzy back from the brink with a new sound and made Heavy Metal history with two albums "The Blizzard of Oz" (1980) and "Diary of a Madman" (1981). Tragically his life ended in a plane crash in 1982 while on tour with Ozzy, he was only 26 years old. Having lost a friend and musical companion Ozzy's bands could never truly replace Randy even with such talented guitar players like Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde.
Favorite Song: "Mr. Crowley"

#1 Jimi Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix Experience) - The original gypsy/voodoo child Jimi Hendrix changed the world of the electric guitar forever. As one of the greatest guitar players of all time he began his musical career in England with his band The Jimi Hendrix Experience and would later achieve worldwide fame performing in the U.S. including the famous Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967 and of course Woodstock in 1969. His career and life soon came to an abrupt end in 1970 from a drug overdose. He was only 27 years old. Favorite Song: His legend and music will live on forever... "Voodoo Chile"
LINKS: Guitar World Magazine, VH1 Classics's That Metal Show

TOP 10 90'S CARTOONS

The 1990's were a turbulent time; both socially, politically and culturally. It was the time of Operation Desert Storm, grunge music, and the Internet! It was also one of the most important decades of my life! I was a teenager during the 1990's and what better way to distract me from all the craziness then with some of the best KICK ASS CARTOONS!!! I hope you had as much fun watching them as I did! I spent many an hour glued to the TV lost in animated bliss...(maybe that's what's wrong with me?) Lol! CHERNOBOG'S BLOG presents the TOP 10 90'S CARTOONS! Enjoy... 

#10 Beavis and Butt-head (1993-1997) Created, voiced, co-written and directed by Mike Judge (also "King of the Hill"), these two teenage losers first appeared on their couch on late night MTV and started a huge phenomenon as teenagers (despite their Parent's outrage) watched these two skip school, attempt crazy pre-"Jackass" stunts and watch music videos... they even got their own movie Beavis and Butt-head Do America in 1996. Later, one of their supporting characters, Daria Morgendorffer, spun-off in her own series: Daria (1997-2002).

#9 The Ren and Stimpy Show (1991-1996) This popular Nickelodeon cartoon featured the insane duo of Ren Höek, a psychotic chihuahua and Stimpson J. Cat, a dimwitted cat, in one of the most offensive and disgusting shows of all time... and that's why we loved it! "You eeee-diot!"

#8 ReBoot (1994-2001) Original and groundbreaking, "ReBoot" was produced by a Canadian/Vancouver based production company and was the very first completely computer-generated animated series. The series featured Bob, a guardian of the Mainframe who protects the computer-world from Megabyte, a villainous computer virus. With characters and story elements based on real-world computer technology this highly creative Tron-like world paved the way for modern CGI feature TV shows and films.

#7 Darkwing Duck (1991-1992) After the success of Disney's "Ducktales" (1987) cartoon series, with Disney's new weekday afternoon lineup included shows such as "Talespin", "Goof Troop" featuring already established Disney characters. Disney introduced a new superhero based in the Ducktales-like animal world it featured a semi-dark themed crime fighter "Darkwing Duck" a.k.a. Drake Mallard as a caped crime-fighter who used a variety of gas-guns, very reminiscent of "The Shadow" or "The Sandman". A sort-of spin-off of "Duck Tales", it featured the character of Launchpad McQuack as DW's sidekick and later also featured Gizmo-Duck. With some of the funniest Batman/James Bond-like super villains such as Steelbeak, Megavolt, Quackerjack, and his arch-nemesis Negaduck! "Let's get dangerous!"

#6 The Tick (1994-1996) Based on the independent comic book series created by Ben Edlund in 1986, the Fox Network introduced the wacky (and most likely insane) unlikely superhero The Tick (Townsend Coleman) and his sidekick Arthur (Rob Paulsen)! Featuring some of the craziest allies such as Die Fledermaus, American Maid and super villains from Chairface Chippendale to Brainchild just to name a few! "Spoooooon!!!"

#5 Animaniacs (1993-1998) "It's time for Animaniacs, and we're zany to the max..." In the new renaissance of Warner Bros. animation in collaboration with Steven Spielberg which included such titles as "Tiny Toon Adventures", "Animaniacs" was a revolution of animation entertaining both kids and adults! With a huge cast original characters including the Warner Brothers and their sister Dot, along with Pinky & the Brain (which got their own spin-off in 1995), Slappy and Skippy Squirrel, Rita and Runt, and The Goodfeathers! With often very adult-oriented and sometimes suggestive themes (Hello Nurse) and pop-culture references from both movie and cartoon history the show even including some current political themes with an appearance from Bill Clinton!

#4 X-Men (1992-1997) Although the X-Men were not new to animation with appearances in the 1980's with "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" (1981) to a failed "X-Men" pilot starring Kitty Pryde in 1989. As "The X-Men" Marvel comic book had experienced renewed interest with an all-star talent and popular new characters (i.e. Gambit, Jubilee, Bishop). The Fox Network produced a popular animated series featuring some of the most popular mutant characters creating even more success for Wolverine, who had already been the X-Men's most popular character. The series also re-introduced an older character, Morph (a.k.a. Changeling), who started out as an extraneous character but soon became the center of a major plot line as they killed off his character in the pilot episode! The show featured original stories as well as those based on past comic story-arcs such as "Days of Future Past" and "The (Dark) Phoenix Saga".

#3 Gargoyles (1994-1997) Whoever thought that Disney would have created one of the best action/fantasy cartoon series ever! "Stone by day, warriors by night!" With Keith David as the voice of the heroic Goliath and Marina Sirtis as the femme fatale Demona, it was dark, violent, even scary at sometimes! There was even a controversial episode called "Deadly Force" involving the lead Hispanic damsel Elisa Maza getting shot! An amazing show, it featured an intense episodic storyline and often highly-intellectual content featuring influences from the works of William Shakespeare!

#2 Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) I have been a huge Batman fan even from an early age and following the "Batman" movies directed by Tim Burton (1989-1992), Warner Bros. produced a new Emmy-winning animated series featuring the work of Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. With some of the best voice actors like Kevin Conroy as Batman/Bruce Wayne, and memorable villains starring such actors as Mark Hamill as The Joker, Richard Moll as Two-Face, Ron Perlman as Clayface, Adrienne Barbeau as Catwoman and David Warner as Ra's Al Ghul. Later the show introduced a much older teenage Robin (Dick Grayson) and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and retitled in it's 2nd season as "The Adventures of Batman & Robin" and was then later reworked into "The New Batman Adventures" featuring a new younger Robin (Tim Drake) and Nightwing. The show spawned two feature films including the theatrical release of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993). "I am vengeance...I am the night...I AM BATMAN!"

#1 The Simpsons (1989-Current) Although it technically premiered on "The Tracy Ullman Show" in 1987 and it's first episode aired on December 17, 1989, The Simpsons were the defining dysfunctional family of the 1990's. Now it has become the single-longest running TV show of all time with worldwide popularity and is currently in it's 22nd season having released a theatrical movie in 2007 (The Simpsons Movie), along with billions of dollars in merchandise! "Ay Caramba!"