Halloween Events around New Jersey

Not in the Halloween spirit yet? Well, you don’t have much time left, but a good old fashioned Haunted Hayride through some spooky woods will definitely do the trick. The Field of Terror in East Windsor, NJ is New Jersey’s largest corn maze/haunted hayride event. We took a Sexy Armpit excursion there last weekend and had a great time. It was a perfect night, the air was crisp, the moon was bright, and we even ran into The New Jersey Ghostbusters!

Disco of the Damned

Every year Asbury Lanes and Paranormal Books present an over the top Halloween party and it’s always the place to be. If you still have not made your Halloween plans, then click over to ticketweb and order your tickets! Tragedy performs their signature metalized versions of The Bee Gees hits! The Sexy Armpit will be there, in costume of course. What costume will I be wearing? Not telling!

Loew's Jersey Theatre
The Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City is keeping it real. Really scary that is! Each year, New Jersey’s most legendary theatre presents horror movies during October. Starting tonight you can check out Brides of Dracula, Son of Frankenstein, and the original Nosferatu with a creepy live organ providing the soundtrack!

Rocky Horror Asbury Park
The Revision Theatre is presenting their production of The Rocky Horror Show on stage! This is the real play folks, you won’t just be watching the movie on a screen. There’s already great buzz on the actors and costumes so I’m looking forward to it! If you can’t make it, I’ll let you know how it is! Hope it makes me shiver with antici…pation! What are your plans for Halloween?

KISS at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ 1976

Nearly 14,000 fans packed into Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium for KISS
“KISS: The Lost Concert” DVD is not authorized by Gene Simmons, but that didn’t stop The Sexy Armpit from getting his hands on it. While the KISSology DVD collection included a ton of rare footage, concerts, and videos that I’m glad to own, that series neglected to include many important shows in KISSTORY. One of those shows took place at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey on July 10th, 1976. Fortunately it was “…discovered, restored, and remastered” by Passport Video in 2003 and it’s a must buy for those of you KISS Army members who are also certified New Jersey geeks like me.

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Gene Simmons always mentioned that he had tapes of every KISS show stored in the “KISS Vault.” This may not be true since this “Lost Concert” wasn’t a priority for the band to release to the public, so it is possible that KISS did not have a pristine recording archived of this show. For 34 year old footage, The Lost Concert provides a high quality black and white picture with an excellent audio track. But that’s not the best thing about this DVD, what’s even cooler is that this specific concert is special for other reasons.

On KISS’ “Spirit of ’76” tour, the costumed NYC band was on the verge of becoming permanently embedded into popular culture. It was fitting that they played at Roosevelt Stadium since it was a grand venue for presenting one of KISS’ explosive shows. The stadium, named after Franklin D. Roosevelt, opened in 1937 and was demolished in 1985. There is an elite list of concerts that took place there during it’s existence, and fortunately KISS is on that list. Prior to being KISSED, the stadium was known for holding sporting events ranging from baseball, boxing, and football games, some of which are legendary.

Here’s the set list:
1. Cold Gin
2. Do You Love Me
3. Watchin’ You
4. God of Thunder
5. Flaming Youth
6. Firehouse
7. Black Diamond

All Points West Poster by Emek

Emek - All Points West

Renowned concert poster artist, Emek, created this poster for The 2009 All Points West Music and Arts Festival at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ, which is basically the equivalent of Coachella for the east coast. The lineup for 2009 included Jay-Z, Coldplay, Tool, The Ting Tings, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a host of others. As of now, it doesn’t look like there will be an APW Festival in 2010.

Saturday Nightmares Horror Convention at Loew’s Jersey Theater

The Saturday Nightmares Horror Convention comes to the Loew’s Jersey Theater in Jersey City March 19th through the 21st. The event will include autograph signings, a premiere of Document of the Dead, Twilight Zone marathon, Screenings of Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Creepshow, Q and A sessions, and a costume contest. If you’re a horror freak and live in the Tri-State area, you NEED to attend! Guests include George A. Romero, Ken Foree, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Savini, and more.

For more info and a full list of guests go to their official site: www.saturdaynightmares.com
or their blogspot: http://saturdaynightmaresexpo.blogspot.com/

Ad Jerseum 1: Geico Gecko Inside Loews Jersey Theatre

Welcome to our new column, 
Ad Jerseum: So much Jersey advertising it’ll make you vomit!

A marketing company would be hard pressed to find a more lush and ornate theater to film a commercial in than the Landmark Loews Jersey Theatre. Opened in 1929, and noted for being “the most lavish temple of entertainment in New Jersey,” The Loews Theater in Journal Square, Jersey City has hosted classic movie premieres, marathons, live music, and has also added commercials to its repertoire.

Geico recognized the beauty of this legendary theater and filmed a couple of commercials at the Loews Jersey. The company’s knack for creating memorable and effective TV ads is well defined. Their bank account must be on par with Scrooge McDuck’s because according to Wikipedia, Geico spent around $750 million dollars on advertising in 2007. Part of Geico’s clever catalogue are two commercials, one featuring Charlie Daniels, and the other featuring our favorite British gecko, Martin.

Charlie Daniels should have performed “The Devil Goes Down to Jersey!”
Martin the Geico Gecko gives the hard sell in the lobby of the Loews Jersey Theatre:

There are so many awesome events coming to The Loews Jersey, especially on March 19th-21st, 2010, when the Saturday Nightmares Horror Convention will take place! Please visit the official Loews Jersey website for their full schedule of events and ticket info.

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.26: Jersey Devil Video Game

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This is the animated intro to the Jersey Devil video game on the original Playstation console. I remember seeing the game in clearance bins at Kaybee several times, but it never looked intriguing enough to actually buy it. Thanks to YouTube user S4muel666 for offering the video!

This time around, The Jersey Devil is the hero for a change. His enemy is a mad scientist who chemically alters veggies and sounds like Scrooge McDuck. The scientist has a minion, Dennis, who is a doting pumpkinhead. Eventually there’s mutated vegetables running rampant throughout the fictional Jersey Town and The Jersey Devil is the only hope. Although, the amount of ass The Jersey Devil can kick in that purple outfit is questionable.

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Loew’s Jersey Theatre: Horror on the BIG Screen!

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Originally opened in 1929, the Loew’s Jersey Theatre located in Journal Square in Jersey City, was a venerable movie palace. Going to the movies in the ’30s and ’40s was not only cheaper (*tickets for their first film and musical performances were $0.35 each), but more of a grand experience than going to your local modern multiplex. After showing its final film, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, the Loew’s Jersey was officially closed in 1986. Eventually, the theatre was sold to Jersey City and through volunteering and donations the ornate theatre was finally restored.

When the theatre reopened in 2002, I went with my father to see a showing of 1931’s Frankenstein. My dad used to go to see movies there as a kid and it was awesome to see that the landmark was saved and didn’t get demolished to make way for condominiums. If you’re in the NY/NJ area, you NEED to experience the Loew’s Jersey. When you’re watching a classic film there, it makes you feel like you’re traveling back in time.
Take my word for it and make a trip to see this majestic movie house for yourself. The Loew’s Jersey Theatre holds various seasonal and holiday themed movie marathons and events. This year for Halloween, they’ll feature 3 horror classics: Carrie, The Wolf Man, and Rosemary’s Baby. The best part is, the tickets are only $6!

For more info visit The Landmark Loew’s Jersey here: http://loewsjersey.org

*info grabbed from Wikipedia’s article here

Bob The Goon: Jersey’s Number One Guy!

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Henchmen, for some reason, were always available and willing to abet The Joker. There must’ve been a waiting list to become one of Joker’s indistinct thugs, but why? The job of Henchman didn’t bring glory or kudos, it didn’t get their name in the Gotham Globe, and it undoubtedly lead to their demise. Whether it was thug #1 or Yock and Boff, they won’t be remembered for any of their dirty deeds against Batman or Gotham City. The Joker was the one who got all the press, save for one exception, and he actually had a name. His name was Bob, and motherf-cker even had his own action figure. It was from Toy Biz, but still an action figure nonetheless.
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As if being known as a nondescript “henchman” was bad enough, Bob was known as ‘The Joker’s Goon,” or “Bob The Goon.” He was the highest level henchman The Joker had, hence “THEE GOON,” this guy wasn’t 2nd GOON or 6th GOON. That title was officially bestowed upon him when the Joker told Bob that he was his “Number One Guyyy.” Bob was a shabby man who looked as if he was freshly plucked from catching some zzz’s in a dumpster in a Crime Alley. Coming from those humble beginnings, having the Joker take him on as his henchman infused him with confidence. He felt like he could conquer the world, or at the very least, finally get his G.E.D. He was as loyal as they came, and he possessed a shimmer in his eye that showed us that a little part of him wished someday he could be half the criminal mastermind that The Joker is. He clung to that hope, even if it was all in vain.

When you’re down on your luck and you want some direction in your life, being the right hand to a super criminal like The Joker seems like an appealing and prestigious position. I’m almost positive The Joker didn’t offer any health benefits, and definitely no 401k. Perhaps dental? He did have one helluva smile. Love that Joker! In the case of Bob, The Joker granted him as much vacation time as he could ever possibly imagine when he blew him away point blank.

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All other goons and henchman owe Bob a huge debt of gratitude for being such a superior role model. Bob was an icon, a go getter, and when he did hire a prostitute, he treated her with respect. It’s a shame that Bob was never able to take advantage of his fame. If he lived, he may have been able to ride the lucrative personal appearance circuit. Who wouldn’t want a B&W 8×10 of Bob signed “Bob, The Joker’s One and Only Muthaf–kin’ Goon!”

Bob The Goon was portrayed by Tracey Walter in the 1989 Batman film. It’s no secret that Jack Nicholson is a Jersey boy, but Walter also hails from the Garden State. He was born in Jersey City, NJ, and according to his IMDB bio, he “was working in a car parts store in Jersey City when he stumbled upon acting…” Walter’s impressive resume includes appearances in over 150 popular films and TV shows.
For more on Bob’s Toy Biz action figure, check out Cool Toy Review.

Christina Milian is February’s Garden State Playmate!

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Although she moved out to Los Angeles when she was 13, Christina Milian’s still a Jersey girl at heart. Born in Jersey City, NJ, Milian has enjoyed success as a multi-faceted entertainer. 

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Milian skyrocketed from Wendy’s and Honeycomb commercials to movie credits that include American PieTorqueLove Don’t Cost a Thing, and Pulse with Kristen Bell. If you haven’t seen the remake of Pulse give it a shot, it’s pretty damn creepy. My personal favorite role of hers is 2005’s follow up to Get Shorty, Be Cool, where she plays singer Linda Moon. Also in the film, you’ll get to see Vince Vaughn’s superb role as a pimp (which he also did on Pimp Chat on SNL) and Dwayne Johnson (I still call him merely “The Rock”) as his gay bodyguard. Look out for Aerosmith, Gene Simmons, and Danny Devito along with a host of other cameos in the film! Milian has also starred in the video game Need for Speed: Undercover.

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Milian first love is making music. “Dip it Low,” and “AM to PM” are a couple of her successful singles. She’s also co-written for J-Lo, and supplied the theme song for Disney’s Kim Possible, “Call Me, Beep Me!” Milian recently signed with Myspace records and her upcoming 4th album, Dream in Color, which will be released in April of ’09. The album is said to feature Milian’s collaboration with Kanye West. “Us Against the World” is the first single from the album and in the video you can see why she was chosen to be February’s Garden State Playmate!:

Coheed and Cambria: Devil in Jersey City Video

Here’s the video for the song “Devil in Jersey City,” from Progressive Rock band Coheed and Cambria.  The track appears on their 2002 album The Second Stage Turbine Blade. This post goes out to my lifelong friend and Armpit reader Marcelo, who kept me updated via text message on what was going on at The WWE Royal Rumble last Sunday while I was in Vegas. Thanks Marcelo!