Think of the tauntauns.

In response to my good friend, Nathan Ring, who posted:

41 days...

A Rush to Apologize

I believe you, Rush.

3 days...

CHADES CHALLENGE XLVII: EVOLUTIONARY PARLIAMENT

"A parliament is nothing less than a big meeting of more or less idle people." -Walter Bagehot

Sorry this post is late, I was on vacation last week. Turns out today is perfect timing,  though, what with the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trailer premiering yesterday. Bad title, cool trailer.

If you designed any evolutionary parliament designs (everyone is invited to contribute), leave me a comment with a link to your image and I'll post it below. If not, join us next week (April 22nd) for:

CHADES CHALLENGE XLVIII:

THE EASTER BUNNY

Z.M. Shore

Zane Yarbrough

If you enjoy these Chades Callenges and would like a direct character design critique from me (or other far more talented industry professionals), check out my buddy Mario Furmanczyk's animation industry forum AnimatedBuzz.com.

Mario's been keeping this site up since we were at CalArts, and it's developed into an awesome Facebook/Animation Mentor hybrid. Get cheap critiques, post filmwork, portfolios, and reels, or just chew the fat with your fellow animators.

3 days...

Keith Olbermann: Mordant Meets the Eyes

Coming Soon: Sly Orange: The O-dyssey

My apocryphal rock band, Sly Orange, went on tour through Portland and Seattle last Independence Day. Our hotel-thrashing drummer, Vi, started compiling the video that we shot for our bass-player, Ben, who unfortunately couldn't make the tour. Most of the conversations are out of context, and make little sense. You'll hear me talking about 'future surgeries' which is me talking to the camera as if it is my future-self watching the video like a time capsule. I'm not sure if that makes more or less sense. Anyway, Vi did a great job editing this little teaser, and it features my fantastic singing voice, so I thought I'd share it. Make sure to look for The O-dyssey in record stores and on iTunes this Christmas!




In other music news, President-Elect Obama has officially tapped John Williams to compose/conduct a piece of music for his inauguration. Talk about getting started on the right foot, I can't think of a better person to set the stage for a historical moment. I think there's only one piece suitable for such an occasion. It certainly wouldn't be the first Star Wars/Obama mash-up.



Everyone loves John Williams, but a much more polarizing figure appearing at the inauguration is Pastor Rick Warren. I've read his book, A Purpose Driven Life, twice, once with my late buddy, Justin Wright. Justin and I hardly agreed with each other on every issue, and we certainly didn't agree with everything Pastor Warren had to say in his book, but it definitely challenged us both to think about what it means to live a life of purpose. Before anyone gets angry about Pastor Warren giving the invocation at Obama's inauguration, I'd challenge them to watch his talk at the TED conference. You may not agree with everything the man has to say (if you don't, you may find Dan Dennett's TED talk more to your liking), but Pastor Warren's certainly not a "fear mongerer," and I'm personally not interested in hearing an invocation from anyone who agrees with everybody, anyway.

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less."
--Rick Warren

Gandalf wins by a nose...a long, crooked wizard nose!

Thanks for your votes, readers. You've elected Gandalf the Grey as President of the...wait a second, that's not Gandalf, it's...RON PAUL??

Make sure to vote in this week's poll: What would make the greatest pet?

Fictional Presidential Campaign, Part II

Looks like Gandalf is ahead of Xavier in the polls. But the X-Men aren't about to give up that easy. Xavier's campaign has its first attack add ready, and it brings some interesting points to light!

Who is Gandalf the White? Two films ago, he was promoting the Grey agenda, why the sudden switch? And why does he want to sneak WMDs back into enemy territory?



Gandalf holds council with Saruman of Many Colours: a known terrorist, anti-environmentalist, and leader of orcs. Can we trust him with our forests?



When he isn't paling around with terrorists, Gandalf smokes pipeweed with halfling thieves. Irresponsible; not ready to lead.



Gandalf is confused and out of touch. He doesn't know what the internet is, and couldn't even find his way through the mines of Moria.



Gandalf the White: not ready to lead.

"I am Charles Xavier, and I approve this message."

Fictional Presidential Campaign, Part I

Tied at a measly five votes each, Gandalf and Professor X are the top contenders for fictional President of the United States. Personally, I'd vote for Santa Claus--the guy can traverse the entire planet in just one night and knows where all the naughty people live. Bin Laden: check!

But the people have spoken and these our your candidates! Will it be the telepathic genius whose platform is tolerance and education, or the powerful wizard known to work across the aisles to unite many races against a common foe? Get back to that poll and make your fictional voice heard!

While I'm on the topic, a belated condemocratulations to President-elect Obama! Whether you support his policies or not, it's exciting to live in a nation where opportunity is truly available for all. It's also pretty fantastic experiencing in one of those positive-feeling "Where were you when...?" moments I've heard about all my life. God bless America!