STEVE RUDE: ARTIST IN MOTION

I have been friends with the DUDE a very long time! His new slipcase edition of his book STEVE RUDE: ARTIST IN MOTION (FLESK) arrived today and I have to say, I am completely blown away by it! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND It to anyone that loves GREAT art! He is truely the artist's artist! There is all kinds of GREAT stuff in here from his beautiful paintings of SPIDER-MAN, SPACE GHOST, SUPERMAN and the HULK...to sketchbook pages, life drawings and portraits of beautiful women! Pick this one up!

www.steverude.com

SAM THE SNOWMAN

BURL is telling SAM (In this very RARE publicity shot c. 1964 RANKIN/BASS) "If you owe someone SILVER & GOLD, you should pay them!" Hopefully, BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC will learn from this.

BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC chapter 11 in an empty book?

Do you remember when we brought the original RANKIN/BASS ANIMAGIC figures of SANTA & RUDOLPH out to BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC in Schaumburg, IL this past Holiday season for TWO book signings of my book THE MAKING OF THE RANKIN/BASS HOLIDAY CLASSIC: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (in good faith)? Well, I may have something to say about BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC that may not be very pleasant. I will give them a few more days to respond, before I say anything.

RENDERED SERVICES, INC.

Mark Saxenmeyer of FOX NEWS CHICAGO did a NEWS STORY on FOX NEWS tonight called "Carried Away," exposing RENDERED SERVICES, INC. and their towing of legally parked cars and then charging the people that own them, $170 to get them out of lock up. Literally hundreds of complaints have been filed with the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU and the ILLINOIS COMMERCE COMMISION and they are still in business, doing what they do. RENDERED SERVICES, INC. towed my car and pulled the same scheme with me on April 25th and I am considering a class action suit. Hopefully, this NEWS story will bring all the victims together and unite them for justice.

SUPER HEROES!

After seeing IRONMAN (Enjoyed the film!), I decided to post some pics of some of my SUPER HEROE collection.

RARE RANKIN/BASS items

In 1966, ARTHUR RANKIN was given a gift by the ANIMAGIC technicians (PINCHAN) during the making of the ANIMAGIC feature film MAD MONSTER PARTY. They carved him a salad Fork and spoon featuring the characters of FANG (Frankenstein) and DRACULA. Years later, Arthur came accross these again and graciously gave them to me as a holiday gift. I had them out on our Holiday tour this past season.

WILLY McBEAN and PABLO carved and painted wood by BOB DUBE

These scripts are the original scripts from the RANKIN/BASS classics RETURN TO OZ (1964) and SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN (1970). The SANTA CLAUS script is ARTHUR RANKIN's shooting script which he gave to me. The RETURN TO OZ script is Romeo Muller's original and very first RANKIN/BASS script!

WOODY WOODPECKER DVD Box set Vol. 2

The NEW WOODY WOODPECKER & FRIENDS Vol. 2 DVD set is AWESOME! Contains the cartoons I remember as a kid from the late 1950's to the Mid-1960's and it includes a full episode of the WOODY WOODPECKER Show that looks as if it is from a negative and the wonderful SPACE MOUSE pilot featuring the voice of PAUL FRESS!

MAURY LAWS & the BASEBALL MUSIC PROJECT

MAURY LAWS (RANKIN/BASS Musical Composer) wrote suites for the touring BASEBALL MUSIC PROJECT, which just passed through Maury's hometown in Wisconsin! It will be in BOSTON and SAN DIEGO this summer as well! There are artifacts from COOPERSTOWN that tours with this show and the last I heard DAVE WINFIELD presented the show! www.maurylaws.com

TED POST, creator of HAZEL passes at age 95

TED KEY, the creator of HAZEL passed away this past Saturday at age 95. What a GREAT cartoonist and I loved the TV series that came later!

Skateboarding on a SATURDAY afternoon

Interesting things up on EBAY

YETCH resin model kit circa 1995...

A 2nd GE ELF Diorama I put together on EBAY under seller ANIMAGIC1. Comes with the DVD of the uncut 1964 RUDOLPH with commercials!

This is a YUKON Prototype I did for ENESCO and was pictured in my first book THE ENCHANTED WORLD OF RANKIN/BASS: A PORTFOLIO (TIGER MOUNTAIN PRESS)

GB Continued

IRONMAN!

IRONMAN is in theatres today and I have heard nothing but good things! Loved the 1966 cartoon series and of course the classic comic books! HAPPY & PEPPER were the BEST!

GROOVIE!!!

GROOVIE GOOLIES statues coming to www.timeandspacetoys.com the home of RANKIN/BASS toys!

GB Schaumburg, IL

GIN BLOSSOMS were GREAT at JOHN BARLEYCORN in Schaumburg! I also want to THANK Scott Struchen/General Manager for being so gracious! He invited THE STARVING ARTISTS to play the club. Pictures to follow.

HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY JOSH!