Saturday, April 30, 2011

The truth shall set you free... May 7 is Free Comic Book Day!

It's true. You read it right. FREE! LIBRE! GRATIS!

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual worldwide event that is held every first Saturday of May. It has been a decade long tradition already, with the objective of promoting comic book reading and boost the comic book industry.

This year, Comic Odyssey (3rd level, Robinsons Galleria, EDSA corner Ortigas Ave, Quezon City) will host the Philippine FCBD starting at 10:30am. Expect a long queue of Pinoy fanboys/fanbabes (and cheapskates like me) eager to grab free comics and goodies such as posters or postcards.


Gerry Alanguilan, one of the most respected Filipino comic book artists and a personal favorite of mine, announced in his website Komikero.com (http://gerry.alanguilan.com/) that he will be giving away free copies of book #4 of his critically acclaimed and Eisner Awards nominated "Elmer".



He will also be one of the Pinoy artists who will be present during the autograph signings from 1pm to 5pm. The star-studded line up will include:


CARLO PAGULAYAN – Agents of Atlas, Hulk, Emma Frost, Elektra
ED TADEO – Sigil, X-men, Wolverine, Iron Man
GERRY ALANGUILAN – Elmer, Ultimate Avengers, Wolverine, X-Force
HARVEY TOLIBAO – Psylocke, Silver Surfer, Heroes for Hire
JAY ANACLETO – Marvels Eye of the Camera, Aria, Spawn, Thor
LEINIL YU – Secret Invasion, Ultimate Avengers, X-men, Wolverine, Superman
LUI ANTONIO – Terminator, Savage Tales, Warlord of Mars
MICO SUAYAN – Moon Knight, X-men, Thor, Werewolf By Night
PHILIP TAN – Green Lantern, Outsiders, Spawn, X-men
STEPHEN SEGOVIA – Silver Surfer, Ultimate Avengers, Wolverine

Local Guest Artists
ARIEL ATIENZA – Class, West Side
GIO PAREDES – Kalayaan
FREELY ABRIGO – Kapitan Tog, Kulas
IAN OLYMPIA – Ambition
JON ZAMAR – Digmaang Salinlahi
JOSEL NICOLAS – Windmills: Breakdowns
LYNDON GREGORIO – Beerkada
MACOY – Taal Monster vs Evil Space Paru-paro
MEL CASIPIT – Baboy 1 & 2
NORBY ELA – Gutom
RH QUILANTANG – Goodbye Rubbit
ROMMEL ESTANISLAO – Lipad
SHERRY BAET ZAMAR – Carpool
TEPAI PASCUAL – Maktan 1521

For more details, visit:
http://freecomicbookday.com/comics.asp
http://gerry.alanguilan.com/archives/3299




If you still don't believe me, here's a comic book that got from the FCBD two years ago at Bonifacio High Street.

Carinderia patrons, let's head on over to Comic Odyssey next Saturday if you're FREE.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Judy Ann Santos in New Star Wars Movie?

Star Wars - Pinoy Showbiz Mash-up: What if George Lucas casted Judy Ann Santos in a remake of Episode VI?


For the benefit of our non-Filipino readers, Judy Ann Santos, aka "Judai" or "Juday", is one of the most popular actresses in the country. She gained recognition early in her career as the kind but oftentimes oppressed Mara in one of the longest running soap operas in the Philippines, "Mara Clara".


She went on to star in numerous TV soaps and movies, winning acting awards along the way. She was awarded Best Actress by several organizations (FAMAS, Gawad Urian, FAP Luna, Gawad Genio, Gawad Pasado, Gawad Tanglaw, Gawad Pasado and ENPRESS) in the critically acclaimed "Ploning" which was also an official entry for Best Foreign Language Film in the 81st Academy Awards.

Judai is married to actor-host Ryan Agoncillo. She gave birth last year to a baby boy named Lucho.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Gallery Update: "McCantina"

My friends over at Action Figure Empire and Imperial Shipyards asked me to come up with a Mos Eisley Cantina rendition. So what happens when I mix my favorite movie with my favorite fast food chain?

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter from the Mos Eisley Carinderia!

Here's an Easter egg basket for our loyal patrons! Choose your flavors: Darth Chocolate? Chewie Caramel? Ewok Eclair? :)

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Marvel Parodies Star Wars Volkswagen Commercial

Remember the Volkswagen Superbowl ad featuring Little Darth Vader? Well, marketing folks at Marvel decided to, uh "clone" that classic with their own version for the movie Thor:



Here's the original ad for purposes of comparison:



Clever, but I'd say the original is still the best! What do you guys think?

Monday, April 18, 2011

The Singapore Sandcrawler coming soon!

The Merlion. Sentosa. Botanic and Zoological Gardens. F1 racetrack. These are but some of the world class must-sees Singapore has to offer.

Very soon, another attraction will rise that will be a major FORCE in its tourism industry. @lex Gen X 1:6 Hardcore of Toyhaven brings us this report:

Sandcrawler Building in Singapore


"It's all systems go for the construction of Lucasfilm's first overseas production facility at Singapore's Fusionopolis. The 'Sandcrawler Building' is an eight-storey complex that will house the local arm of the recognised film and entertainment company. Fans of the sci-fi classic Star Wars would notice the striking resemblance to the real Sandcrawler - a popular mode of transport seen in various episodes."


Completion of the project is estimated by 2013. You can also check out the source article and video on Channel News Asia.

If the world doesn't end in 2012, I'll keep a close watch on airline seat sales. Singapore, get ready for a grand Jawa swap meet!

And Mr. Lucas, you can always consider a Millennium Falcon-shaped facility here in the Philippines. The Mos Eisley Carinderia will be more than happy to be your exclusive concessionaire. :)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Big Bike with Sith Lights: A Star Wars hog from the Pinoy Harley Riders Club

My grade school classmate, Lorenzo Paran III, maintains a blog called Pinoy in America, and while I was reading his post "A Day with the Pinoy Harley Riders Club" I spotted one special bike that suddenly ka-blammed my SW geeksense into hyperdrive:





A Skywalker pop and son lightsaber duel paint job up front, and Vader break lights to complete the Sith intimidation!

Third (as he is still fondly called and who is currently based in CA), informed me that the bike was invited to be displayed at the LA Oscar Awards Night  2011 red carpet "but got bumped off at the last minute". The Harley is owned by a Fil-Am dentist based in SoCal, who surprisingly is not into Star Wars, but entrusted the custom job to a man who obviously is a fan of the George Lucas saga.

Pinoy in America is an enjoyable read, a candid and often times humorous take on the lives of Filipinos living and working in the United States. Third has already published a book "An Isteysayd Life" last year. I gotta get an autographed copy soon.


(All photos were posted with the permission of Lorenzo Paran III)

Saturday, April 16, 2011

T-MEC front paged again on Imperial Shipyards


It's a wonderful feeling knowing that some folks do read and appreciate my blog. Thanks to the fine men and women of Imperial Shipyards!

An interview with TK-9849: A Stormtrooper with a heart of gold

In only the third month of  the Mos Eisley Carinderia's young existence, I have had the privilege of interviewing interesting personalities, including a Sith Lord and a real Star Wars Concept Artist. Today, I get to feature TK-9849 (identity withheld upon his request), a Stormtrooper based in New York and head honcho of Action Figure Empire, a fairly new but very promising and entertaining blog dedicated to Star Wars collectibles, toy photography and reviews.



I have struck a friendship with this cool 'trooper, who beneath the armor, also has a charitable spirit. TK-9849 was responsible for the very successful Toys for Eli drive, which benefited 6 year-old Star Wars fan Eli Lana, who suffers from Franconi Anemia, a rare and life threatening blood disorder. Through his tireless efforts he was able to round up a big portion of the Star Wars community to pitch in and send packages of toys, to the delight of young Eli.

Here we try to get to know more about the man behind helmet:


Would you have an idea how many items are in your collection?

TK-9849: "Wow... hmmm. More than 300 figures that's for sure! Over the years I've spent thousands of dollars on figures. Probably too much money haha! I have a whole bunch of vehicles too. Always need more figures and vehicles. It's a healthy addiction I swear! :)"






If you had to give up all of them except for three, which ones will you keep?
"Seriously? Talk about the hardest choice ever. Ok well I'd have to say TVC Boba Fett, Episode IV Commemorative Tin Darth Vader (best vader ever made in my opinion) and Montross (best Mandalorian figure yet). But really--it's hard to say! As for vehicles there's no question, AT-AT (Shadows of the Darkside line), AT-ST (Legacy Collection), and Tie Bomber (Shadows of the Darkside line)."



When did you become a member of the 501st? How many troopings or conventions have you attended?
"I became a member of the 501st Legion last July and still have yet to attend an official troop. I live hours away from most of my fellow garrison members (Garrison Excelsior) and have been incredibly busy what with the blog, the toy drive, and work. So I am looking forward to attending one soon. I did "troop" my first time in public at a friend's Halloween party last fall and had a blast. I even won best costume and got a bottle of champagne. Definitely a lot of people geeking out over the armor that night."

What was the craziest thing that you ever saw during the conventions you attended?
"Hmmmm. I saw a pretty great screen accurate Boba Fett handing out fliers with a picture of Han Solo on them with the words 'Have you seen this smuggler?' Met David Prowse (body actor for Darth Vader), Peter Mayhew ( Chewbacca, who surprisingly was very rude to us), and laughed at Jake Lloyd (young Anakin) because he had that same grimace he always had in Episode 1 and was whining to his mother, who was there, to get him a drink. That kind of made the day for me. I've seen a lot of crazed fans dressed as anime characters with props, mostly swords, bigger than themselves made out of foam and cardboard."

How many Star Wars celebrities have you seen up close? Who were they?
"Didn't I just answer this? LOL David Prowse (Darth Vader's body actor), shook his hand and talked to him for a while, Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Jake Lloyd (Young Anakin), Hmmm I think that might be it so far. But hey that's cool! Plus the voice of Captain Tarkin (later Grand Moff Tarkin) is a fan on Facebook and i've talked to him a bit there so that's awesome too!"



You mentioned that your dad was once involved in the making of the Star Wars Galaxy of Fear books. Could you give us a few details about his work? How many books did he work on? When was this? Did you get a lot of Star Wars freebies?
"My dad is a sculptor, graphic artist, illustrator (technical stuff), and painter. He worked as a commercial artist in the 80s and 90s. he sculpted the models used in hologram production. He worked for companies like The Danbury Mint, Marvel, DC, Funimation, Hasbro, Mattel, Kenner, etc. He's done comic book covers for Spider-Man (he did the 30th anniversary hologram covers) and the hologram card series for Spider-Man, Bat Man, and Super Man. He worked on Dragonball-Z action figures, 2 failed toy lines (Visionaries and The Inhumanoids). He's done work for G.I. Joe, and the sports toys Starting Lineup. He sculpted the Visa dove on the credit card. Did covers for the Goosebumps book series, Kellog's Frosted Flakes boxes, National Geographic covers, and among all of that he did a few hologram covers for the Star Wars Galaxy of Fear series. The more of his projects I write the more I remember.

I did get a few things from his jobs, a Spawn action figure, he has a couple of original molds from some Star Wars key chains he did, and some G.I. Joe figures and other toys. He and I bonded over collecting comic books and toys. So despite not getting tons of freebies, oddly enough these companies don't really send much in the way of freebies. My Dad actually used to collect his own work at the stores lol. So collecting is in my blood I suppose. I did however get to go to Toyfare in Manhattan as a kid--which is pretty rare, in that kids aren't allowed. I was snuck in as an assistant to my dad's "toy studio" haha. What a blast!"



Your Toys for Eli Project was very successful in generating support from the Star Wars community. What are your thoughts and how fulfilling was it helping out a young Star Wars fan?
'Well we're still helping Eli. It's amazingly fulfilling! I never in my wildest dreams thought this toy drive would take off the way it did. Even now there's a stack of donations in the living room about 4 feet high. I wanted to be able to visit Eli in my Stormtrooper armor but he lives far away from us here, so I decided to do the next best thing. Now Eli has more Star Wars toys than most any kid, and he deserves them more than most any kids out there. It's enough just seeing him smile. I hope to continue helping young Star Wars fans in need for a long, long time :)"

Thank you for visiting the Mos Eisley Carinderia, TK-9849! We hope to see more of you, your great reviews and photos, and your charity work in the future.

To contribute to the Toys for Eli Drive or to get excellent toy reviews, go visit his website:

Action Figure Empire

Highly recommended!

(Except for the Eli Skywalker graphic and Galaxy of Fear cover, all photos in this article were posted with the permission of TK-9849)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Gallery Update: You're not good to me etched"

Our favorite bounty hunter once again is our featured subject. See those symbols recurring in the background? They're the Mandalorian translation of one of Boba Fett's few spoken lines in Empire Strikes Back: "You're not good to me dead."


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Vaders Says...

Aside from the signature raspy breathing, Darth Vader has delivered some of the most memorable lines in cinema history, through the voice of award winning actor James Earl Jones.in the first three Star Wars movies. Here is a tribute to those classic Vader quotes, jedi_randy style:


"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
"You don't know the power of the dark side!"
"Today will be a day long remembered. It has seen the death of Kenobi, and soon the fall of the rebellion."
"The force is strong with this one."
"I sense something, a presence I've not felt since......."
"You should not have come back!"
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force."
"Just for once, let me look at your face with my own eyes."
"I've been waiting for you, Obi-wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master."
"Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them."
"Obi-Wan has taught you well."
" Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the Dark Side, I must obey my master."
"It is too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now."
"You are unwise to lower your defenses!"
" As you wish."
"No. Leave them to me. I will deal with them myself."
"My son is with them."
"You cannot hide forever, Luke."
"Don't fail me again, Admiral."
"Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral. I want that ship, not excuses."
"He will join us or die, my master."
"Alert all commands. Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory."
"Impressive. Most impressive. Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me."
"The force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet."
"What is thy bidding, my master?"
"When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master."

And of course the ultimate Vader revelation:

"Luke, I am your father!"

Monday, April 11, 2011

"Protocol Overload"


Our irritatingly lovable golden droid makes his debut in the Carinderia Gallery of Digital Dabblings. What does he have to say?

"I am fluent in over six million forms of communication I am fluent in over six million forms of communication I am fluent in over six million forms of communication I am fluent in over six million forms of communication I am fluent in over six million forms of communication I am fluent in over six million forms of communication I am fluent in over six million forms of communication ..."

'Nuff said!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

jedi_randy's Gallery now on deviantART

Encouraging words from fellow Star Wars fan and artist Art de Whill (Stefan Bottcher) of Imperial Shipyards led me to create my own account at deviantART, one of the most popular artist communities online.  Do check out my deviations at http://jedi-randy.deviantart.com/. Cheers!

Force on a leash: Amanda Lucas withdraws from MMA match

Amanda Lucas withdrew from her schedule bout in Freestyle Cage Fighting after learning that her opponent didn't make the contracted weight limit of 165.



In an interview with mmafighting.com, Amada said ""This is a professional sport, one I take seriously, and in which I dedicate my life to," She added "To fight someone in her condition or to fight someone way beyond the contracted weight is bad for both myself, and women's MMA."

Read the related article in www.hollywoodreporter.com.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Miss Lucas Cagefighter

I always knew there was a connection between Star Wars and Mixed Martial Arts (see my posts "Darth Bader and Athletes with Star Wars inspired monikers" and "Wreck's in Effect: Fil-Am Mark Muñoz KO's CB Dollaway in under a minute"). In fact, bloodties bind the sport and the saga: Amanda Lucas, daughter of THE George Lucas,  will be one of the featured fighters in Freestyle Cage Fighting 46 in Oklahoma on April 9, according to the Yahoo article "George Lucas’ daughter returns to the cage this weekend"



Amanda, who fights under the moniker "Powerhouse" and trains at the Fairtex gym in San Francisco , totes a 1-1 MMA record according Fightergirls.com. She won her debut vs Christen Bedwell via unanimous decision, but lost via TKO to Nicole Kavanagh in the 3rd round of her second fight.

She returns after being sidelined by a knee injury, and according to Yahoo, "spent the last 6 months training and rehabbing"

Go kick some butt and may the force be with you Amanda!

Gallery Updates: "Sons of Sand", "Disco Fett" and "The Force"

Added some more of my artwork to the Carinderia Gallery, and got some good reviews again from Imperial Shipyards :)

"Disco Fett"

"Sons of Sand"

"The Force"

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Guess who's on the front page of Imperial Shipyards?

I was pleasantly suprised to see my work on the front page of Imperial Shipyards, a Star Wars fan and collector website. Gee, what an honor!

Gallery Update: "The Storm"

"The Storm"
A Stormtrooper rendition:

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

My Ewoks are achievers!

April 5 was a banner day for my two Ewoks: Gboy graduated from preparatory school with honors (6th place and Best in Values Education) while Yamee was recognized as Number 1 in her Grade 3 class, and received 7 awards (Best in English, Mathematics, Science, Filipino, Computer, Values, Civics). Marissa and I are so proud of you kids!

So here's something that I did to commemorate this wonderful occasion:


Yep, Ewoks were also there during the Yavin 4 Medal Ceremony, alongside Luke, Han, Princess Leia, Chewie, Artoo and Threepio :)

Here are some more pics of the real awarding ceremonies:










Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Imperial Royal Spectrum

Updated my gallery with a rendition of the vaunted Imperial Royal Guard:


Also known as the Emperor's Royal Guard, members of this elite squad, "the best of the best", were handpicked by Emperor Palpatine himself to protect him at the cost of their lives, some of whom were Force-sensitives trained in the Dark side. Easily recognizable because of their scarlet robes and helmet, the Imperial Royal Guards' weapon of choice was the force pike. They were the Men in Red before Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones's MIB. Nilo Rodis, a Filipino-American costume designer is credited as the man who created the costume concepts of the Imperial Royal Guards for SW Episode VI - Return of the Jedi