AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!

Here's some footage from the movie Captain America mixed with the soundtrack to Team America.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

SCOPITONES SATURDAY: "OUI, J'AI"

Here's French singer and actor Johnny Hallyday singing "Oui, J'ai" and puttin' on some Elvis moves. It's hard to believe they didn't include some bikini-clad women dancing for this Scopitone but Johnny Hallyday carries the film all on his own.

SHE-HULK POWER RATINGS

I picked up a box of Marvel Universe Trading Cards Series 2 at the local comic book store this week. I've always loved Marvel Comics and it's fun to see how many of the characters have come and gone since this set came out in 1991. The set features many of the top artists of the day, such as Jim Lee, Arthur Adams, Mark Bagley and many others. I quickly flipped through the box looking for my favorite girl in green and wasn't disappointed. Card #43 features Jennifer Walters as She-Hulk, complete with power ratings and stats. At 6'7" and 600 pounds, she's not exactly setting any speed records but as a lawyer I expected her intelligence rating to be higher.

You can learn more about this card set over at Marvel's website. And like I always say, "Make mine Marvel!"

HEY, WILLIE!

Found here.

CRUSHES: LYNDA CARTER

Like every boy growing up in the 70's, I had a huge crush on Lynda Carter. She was beautiful and perfectly cast as Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter was born in Arizona and won the title of Miss World USA in 1972. She began taking acting classes in New York and soon had roles on TV's Starsky and Hutch and Cos. She also cast in the B-movie, Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw, which features her only nude scene. She landed the lead role in the television series Wonder Woman and her career skyrocketed. Her winning smile and sincere performance made her a favorite with critics and audiences alike, with the show lasting for three seasons.

Since then she's had her own television specials, appeared in movies, tv series, on stage and just released a new CD entitled At Last. You can learn more about Lynda Carter on her official website and while you're there, order a copy of her CD.

Meanwhile, enjoy this captivating clip of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman.

DEAD GIRL

I just found this trailer for Dead Girl over at Bloody Disgusting, a horror film about two teenage boys who discover a woman tied down in an abandoned asylum. They realize she's not dead but not fully alive either, and soon develop plans to enjoy their alone time with her.

The trailer for Dead Girl reminded me a lot of Donnie Darko, especially the music.

According to Bloody Disgusting, the trailer won't be online for long so watch it while you can.

COVER OF THE WEEK

Greek Street, #1, Vertigo Comics

KICK-ASS IS COMING TO COMIC CON

Once again I'll miss out on all the fun at the San Diego Comic Con International due to lack of funds. Besides all the great comics, cosplay, celebrity sightings and artists signings, I'm going to miss out on the premiere footage for the upcoming film, Kick-Ass. The panel takes place on Thursday, July 23 with the director and some of the cast in attendance.

Guess I'll just have to save my pennies for next year. Meanwhile, SlashFilm has an exclusive photo of Chloe Moretz as the 11 year-old Hit Girl from the film.

SAMUEL L. JACKSON TALKS ABOUT NICK FURY

MTV caught up with Samuel L. Jackson and talked about his role as Nick Fury in Iron Man 2. He said most of his scenes were with Robert Downey Jr. but he does share some screen time with Scarlett Johansson. He'll have to wait for The Avengers movie to see some action though, he just does lots of talking in Iron Man 2.

NAZI KILLIN' BUSINESS

There's a new French trailer for Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film Inglourious Basterds and it is very different than the US trailers. The French trailer offers different scenes with faster cuts. Enjoy.

FROM THE COLLECTION: MARY BRADLEY, KAUFMANN CYCLE TROUPE

This 1906 real photo postcard features Mary Bradley from the Kaufmann Cycle Troupe, also know as The Great Kaufmann Cycle Troupe. The Kaufmann Cycle Troupe joined the Ringling Circus and was a featured act for the 1904 and 1905 seasons. Posters and prints are still being reproduced of The Great Kaufmann Cycle Troupe, available here.

PIN-UP OF THE WEEK

JUST LISTEN: BRANDI CARLILE

Singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile was born in Ravensdale, Washington, just 50 miles outside of Seattle. With few friends or neighbors nearby, she learned to rely on herself for entertainment. She fell in love with hiking and camping in the woods and taught herself to sing. Her parents, fans of classic country music, encouraged Brandi's natural talent. Brandi made her stage debut at age 8 when her mother took her to a local country radio show.

By her late teens, Brandi was a fan of rock & roll and picked up the guitar. She was soon playing gigs in Seattle bars and sang backup for an Elvis tribute act. She ran into a band called the Fighting Machinists featuring twin brothers Tim and Phil Hanseroth. When the Fighting Machinists broke up, she convinced the brothers to join her and form a group.

They started out as a hard edge rock & roll band but Brandi's songwriting and acoustic guitar work became the focus of the group and were soon touring, opening for major acts like Dave Matthews and Shawn Colvin. In 2005, Brandi signed with Columbia Records, releasing a self-titled album by the end of that same year. Rolling Stone magazine called her one of 2005's "Artists to Watch" and by 2006, Brandi began work on her second album. The Story was released in 2007 with the title track hearing a crack in her vocals which happened by accident. She describes the vocals as "technically wrong but emotionally right".

You can learn more about Brandi Carlile on her official website and buy her music here.

HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE ON YOUTUBE

Hollywood Shuffle is online and absolutely free. YouTube has the complete 1987 online and it's yours to watch for just a click of the mouse.

Written and directed by Robert Townsend, Hollywood Shuffle tells the story of Bobby's (Townsend) struggle to become a Hollywood actor. He's stuck working a dead-end job at a fast-food stand with co-workers who consistently try to destroy his dreams. When Bobby finally gets a major film role, he must decide if he'll play a stereotypical role or refuse, risking his dream of becoming an actor.

Hollywood Shuffle was produced on a bare bones budget with Townsend personally financing the movie on his own credit cards.

While the film is very low budget, it offers many hilarious scenes. In the clip below, Bobby has a daydream as he waits to audition for a movie. Other would-be actors around him are complaining about being told they're not black enough for film roles. Bobby imagines a Black Acting School where white people teach black people how to "act black" by shuffling, grabbing their crotch and speaking jive talk. This is just one of the many hilarious scenes in the film.

So go grab some popcorn, sit back, relax and watch Hollywood Shuffle "you jive turkey mother fucker!"

LITTLE MERMAID COSPLAYER

Meet Traci Hines, cosplayer, singer and party princess. She became a Sailor Moon fan in the 6th grade and was soon designing and creating her own anime costumes. Expanding from anime costuming, she decided to take on her favorite Disney character, Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

"Cosplaying as Ariel of Disney's The Little Mermaid was the best response I have ever received for a costume, hands down. It was SO much fun to finally become Ariel, and people just got so excited when they saw me! I loooved the little kids coming up to take pictures with me, and I was even asked to sign a few autographs!"

But Traci doesn't limit herself to just Ariel. You can see her as Tinkerbell from Peter Pan, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Jasmine from Aladdin and many more here. She's all over the web so be sure to check her out on YouTube, read her blog or friend her on MySpace. Her official website is coming soon so keep checking back on this amazing cosplayer. Meanwhile, here's Traci Hines giving an impromptu performance of "The World Above".

BABY, WE WERE HIRED TO RUN

Feed up with your job and love Bruce Springsteen? Then 6 Dollar Shirts has the t-shirt for you. That's right, you can dress in style and not spend a ton of dough to do it. For a mere 6 bucks, you can show your co-workers who your boss really is.

I GOTTA MOVE TO SWEDEN!

The women of Malmö fought the good fight and won the right to bathe topless in the city's public swimming pools.

The city's sports and recreation committee voted on Wednesday against a motion entitled: "Women with two-piece swimsuits ought to wear a top piece".

The committee eventually settled on the wording that "everybody should wear bathing suits" at Malmö pools but there is no requirement for women to cover their breasts.

But eventually the committee overcame its misgivings and the final decision was unanimous.

“I’m satisfied with the decision,” Bengt Forsberg, chair of the sports and recreation committee on recreation, told The Local.

“Everyone is required to have a swimsuit when visiting the city’s indoor pools and if it doesn’t cover the upper body, that’s OK too.”

According to Forsberg, some on the council had lobbied for wording which would have required women to keep their nipples covered, but Forsberg explained that attempting to enforce such a rule would have been too complicated.

"We don't define what bathing suits men should wear so it doesn't make much sense to do it for women. And besides, it's not unusual for men to have large breasts that resemble women's breasts," he said.

Looks like America is no longer the greatest country on earth. Come on all you feminists out there! Fight to bare your breasts!

SCOPITONES SATURDAY: "WHEEL OF FORTUNE"

The Scopitone for Kay Starr's "Wheel of Fortune" is a little odd. Unlike most Scopitones, this one seemed to actually have a little budget behind it and has a very nice set. The dancing girls don't fit with the slow melody but are obviously there to sex things up. "Wheel of Fortune" was Kay Starr's biggest hit, lasting 22 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at #1.