We have been on the road for almost 7 weeks now and have finally made it through the desert after enduring temperatures of well over 100 degrees for weeks.  The desert with all of it’s beauty, takes a toll on both the vehicle and the individual.  Surprisingly, more people live in the desert year round than I would have ever suspected and they have figured out how to incorporate the heat into their lives.

Over the last year the momentum for locally grown skateboard charity Grind Out Hunger has been accelerated considerably. What has started out as an opportunity to get local school children involved in raising awareness of childhood hunger has began to take on a life of its own. Grind Out Hunger was founded in 2003 with the guidance of Second Harvest Food Bank and the goal was to simply improve the Holiday Food Drive and its relationship with the kids at their schools. Grind Out Hunger exists on a platform of live speaking engagements in the schools spreading altruism, whichever elementary, middle or high school that raises the most pounds of food per student will win gift certificates to Santa Cruz Skate Shop (Skateworks is now on board for the 2010-2011 season!!) and a Grind Out Hunger skateboard trophy designed by legendary artist Jimbo Phillips.

For whatever reason, my love of Project Runway faded out once the show made the leap from Bravo to Lifetime. It wasn't like it was moved to a different night and time slot or anything and remembering what channel to look for every Wednesday was only mildly confusing. I think the main problem was that I'd spent all of that long, torturous time that passed between seasons getting over the whole "reality" competition formula (not totally true, I still watch Top Chef). Which is too bad because those first seasons of PR held me in a vice like grip from beginning to end (Danny V was robbed!). Still, I miss Tim Gunn enough that I was pretty excited when I came across an article featuring his review of Wonder Woman's new costume. That's right, as of issue #600 Diana Prince receives yet another in a long line of makeovers. In a medium where change is generally met with nerd screams from every corner of the globe, I have to admit that I don't really mind this and neither does Mr. Gunn:

"Capes and cloaks can be easily removed if they get caught on something. Gowns and dresses, not so much. The more form-fitting, the better. So tight pants or skinny jeans, sure. I think Wonder Woman could work a pant."

I love that guy. You can check out the rest of his comments at this link (it's a fun read) and here's what you can find on the shelves this week.

Auf wiedersehen!

Tips on how to book a show at the Blue Lagoon
In a world where e-mails go unanswered and phone calls never get returned, local bands can find a kindred spirit in Blue Lagoon booker Cory Atkinson. Coming up through the ranks with his own band, Atkinson is all too familiar with the trials of booking a tour and the heartbreak of playing an empty room. He works hard to respect bands, and let’s face it; you can’t say that about everyone.

A practitioner of the ancient art of “show trading,” Atkinson often plays matchmaker, pairing a local Santa Cruz band with a decent following, with an up and coming San Francisco band. The idea is that the out of town band gets some local exposure, and if all goes well will return the favor by bringing the hometown band up to the city where they have the larger draw. When balanced correctly, this scenario encourages a win/win with the bands and the club.

O.k. Admission time: I find nothing appealing about Megan Fox. Maybe if she ever manages to act past her "just look at how hot I think I am" performance style and pulls off a memorable character at some point, I might change my mind but I honestly don't see it happening. I somehow sat through the entire first Transformers flick and have a vague memory of seeing some flashing colors and loud noises that came out of a box marked Transformers 2 one time - but there is nothing that I can imagine that could get me to watch the new Jonah Hex movie that released this past week. Awesome comic book character or not, I'm sorry Ms. Fox: You're a cinematic deal breaker.

So far it's looking like I'm not alone as the movie which hit theaters this past weekend stirred up about as high a gross from the U.S. box office as a foreign documentary and that's really too bad. The story potential about a scarred up antihero seeking revenge in the old west is one of those great iconic ideas that has the potential to be a lot of fun. Sure, it's something that's been done a million times but that's only a testament to what a strong formula it is. In any case, it's too bad about that bit of casting. I might actually have shelled out 10 bucks to catch it at some point.

Here's this week's release list for what you can find in the comic shops this week. It's kind of light for me personally not counting that awesome 3rd volume hardcover of Saga Of The Swamp Thing.

It has been interesting while being on the road with our Inspired by California film project visiting other art communities. We have seen several First Friday Art Walks, some of which consisted of only six venues, but were very well attended. One of the art communities that we visited that stands out in my mind is Laguna Beach.

International Surfing Day ushers in a weekend of events and awareness
Etched on the walls of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a quote by natural science writer Loren Eiseley that reads, “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”

Whether cascading fluidly on longboards or turning jaggedly on shortboards through incoming sets at any of the surf spots around the county, Santa Cruz’s brigade of surfers is infamous for its nearly holy communion with water. Really, where else in the world can you find so many (so many!) groms and grandmas waxing philosophical while waxing up their boards? So, it makes sense that in a our nearly mythological coastal town whose residents understand well Eiseley’s words of wisdom, you wouldn’t expect anything less than a full weekend of hoopla surrounding the 6th Annual International Surfing Day (ISD).

Mark Halfmoon and I have been on the road for 15 days now, having just left Los Angeles last night. We spent four days interviewing people and documenting the Los Angeles experience. In some ways this is where it all began for me, many years ago when I first moved to California and lived just north of Los Angeles. I instantly knew that California was where I wanted to be. It took me 20 years and many visits to finally move here and little did I know that I would end up in Santa Cruz, now my home for the last seven years. There were less people then and there were more prune and citrus fields, now replaced by housing complexes, but the spirit of California is very much alive.

Man, what with the current Batman and Robin comic series, the awesome Christopher Nolan flicks and that whole "Return of Bruce Wayne" thing, it really is a great time to be into all things Batman. Actually now that I think about it, aside from those dark days during the Schumacher era its never been a bad time to be a fan of the caped crusader.

This week Bats hits yet another major milestone as his self titled monthly reaches the ripe old age of 700 issues and DC is pulling out all the stops. With artwork supplied by Andy Kubert, Tony Daniel and Frank Quitely (yes!), good old Grant Morrison tackles the comic with a story that's been kept tight under wraps - the synopsis is pretty simple revealing only that all 3 men to have donned the cape and cowl are featured to some extent. Bruce Wayne (past), Dick Grayson (present), and Damian Wayne (future). Whatever it turns out to be, I've already started to prepare my mind for the inevitable blowing of. Just to sweeten the deal (and lighten up the wallet), there are two covers for the book - one featuring art by David Finch (shown here) and another provided by Mike Mignola (the Hellboy dude).

Of course, there are a bunch of other comics coming out this week too but sorry fellas, you're taking the backseat to this one.