Atlantic City Archives - Page 2 of 10

BIZARRE A.C EXPO 2013 Recap Part 1

Posted on December 18, 2013 by sexyarmpit

There’s an awesome vibe during Christmas time, there’s no question about that. The only thing that could make it better is if Halloween was also in December. Obviously that’s never going to happen (unless someone makes a Facebook page), but the kickoff of a brand new horror convention in Atlantic City is a damn good alternative in the mean time. For those of you who were unable to make it to the BIZARRE A.C EXPO, let me tell you all about it. You want the long winded version or the unfulfilling, super quick version? Just like you might feel like you’ve been swindled after you lose a ton of money in A.C, I could never screw you out of an elaborate, overly detailed account of my trip to the first ever Bizarre Expo.

Just a little point of reference. It will take you 3 1/2 hours to get from the highest point in New Jersey (aptly named High Point) to the lowest (Cape May.) To me, that’s not really that long considering it could take you about 5 1/2 hours to drive across the entire state of Pennsylvania. In sum, I consider myself lucky because even though Atlantic City isn’t in my backyard, it’s still close enough that Miss Sexy Armpit and I sometimes head there a few times per month. Ironically, if there was a Sexy Armpit trading card, gambling would not be an ability listed in my character description on the back. Fortunately, there’s a lot of cool stuff to do down in A.C beyond making deposits.

First, I consider the drive an integral part of my trips there. Often, the ride down the Garden State Parkway is a highlight of the excursion for me. I enjoy driving, especially when the destination isn’t work. I also love playing my music, bullshitting about nonsense, and guzzling a Monster or something caffeinated that will send me soaring way too early and crash before midnight. I need to stop doing that.

This time I rolled out early to make sure I was there roughly on time. We had an impending snowstorm on the way and I didn’t want to get stuck in it. Was it stupid of me to even attempt the drive to A.C with the threat of anywhere from 2 – 6 inches of snow? Probably, but to those who know me, I’m pretty much known for doing ridiculous things.

It was smooth sailing for the first 20 minutes. Some people enjoy actually sailing, like on water. Me, I prefer roads. Where we’re going there always has to be roads. I prefer driving over every other form of transportation.

I had my Christmas tunes on and I got into my zone. It’s possible I was in the actual danger zone, but I’m not 100% sure. Moments later, I confirmed that it was indeed the danger zone when I began to see all the cars ahead of me come to a complete stop. I knew there must’ve been an accident. As I passed the scene, there was literally 3 fire trucks, multiple other safety vehicles, and at least 4 police cars. What I saw wasn’t pretty.

There was a fancy black BMW with black rims crunched up into oblivion upside down and facing the opposite way of traffic. I immediately knew that whoever was in the car has to be dead or very seriously injured. This seemed so eerie considering the nature of the recent auto related death of actor Paul Walker. There’s been many times that I’ve driven passed an accident and never thought a thing of it afterward. This time, I took to Google to check it out, and an article on NJ.com proved to be surreal. It confirmed that the driver was killed. I reassured myself that it was Saturday the 14th, not the day prior.

I bet you you’re saying “Wow, I wasn’t expecting this post to become such a downer.” But, you like reality TV, no? It will get better, trust me. Just take this moment to remember how good you have it. You always hear that life is short, and for this unfortunate person, he won’t be seeing his family or loved ones for the holidays. So make the rest of this month count and spend as much time with your family as you can.

After exiting the danger zone I veered into the introspection zone as I quite often do while driving. Next thing I knew, I was on the Atlantic City Expressway and headed to the Tropicana. To summarize, I didn’t see a lot of people on the Parkway nor on the A.C Expressway. For a Saturday this was strange, but it was still before noon. And the snow was apparently still a thing.

WILL I MAKE IT TO THE TROPICANA FOR THE BIZARRE A.C EXPO? COME BACK TOMORROW TO FIND OUT! SAME SEXY ARMPIT BLOG SAME SEXYARMPIT DOT COM!!!

ALF in A.C!

Posted on November 27, 2013 by sexyarmpit

For a pretty large chunk of the late ’80s, ALF merch was a goldmine. With four seasons of the prime time show and two animated spinoffs, an array of ALF stuff was abundant during that time. Whether you were strolling through Toys ‘R Us or a Hallmark store you’d see ALF everywhere. On the shelves were wise cracking plush toys, (I still have mine!) posters, pajamas, and video games. ALF’s likeness was licensed to everything.

ALF even had a couple of sets of his own trading cards. Aside from his “Bouillabase Ball” trading card series, in 1987, our little sarcastic pal also appeared in a 50 card set called U.S of ALF.

You’ve probably heard that ancient proverb “He who lets an alien life form give them a tour of the United States, winds up chasing feral cats.” I’ve never been able to get ALF’s actual opinion of the Jersey Shore, but he did make a stop here when he toured the country. Pictured above is the card commemorating the time when ALF visited Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Atlantic City Is About To Get BIZARRE!

Posted on November 26, 2013 by sexyarmpit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05diADWGND4?rel=0]

December 13th – 15th 2013

http://bizarreac.com/

A while back, on one of my various trips down to AC with Miss Sexy Armpit, I grabbed a promotional card that caught my eye. I immediately zeroed in on it merely based off the graphic on the front of the card. The card was advertising an event called Bizarre A.C at The Tropicana in Atlantic City. When I got home from the trip I kept checking out the website that was listed, but nothing was loading on it. I wondered if this was another event that hyped itself up and crapped out before it even took place? Actually, not at all. It turns out I was jumping the gun, I was too early and the site wasn’t even live yet! Now, finally, the Bizarre AC Expo is upon us! If you haven’t heard about it yet, continue reading and I’ll tell you all about it!

This inaugural expo couldn’t come at a better time for me. After October was over I fell into the abyss that is the post-Halloween syndrome where I’m left in a funk wondering if I’ll ever regain the same zest for life that seems to overcome me from September 1st through October 31st. Since this Halloween season was the best in recent memory, (possibly the effect of the spooky 2013?) I was affected more profoundly than ever. Fortunately, the holiday spirit is beginning to build me back up and I’m so ready to take on the Bizarre AC Expo.

It might sound odd to be looking forward to a horror convention in the middle of December, but it actually can’t come at a better time. I know a lot of you would love to be able to get a taste of the horror and macabre usually associated with October in December. Here’s to Bizarre becoming a big success that way there will be awesome cons in New Jersey in August, October, AND December. Santa Claus and his elves can take a break from making toys, say peace out to Mrs. Claus for one weekend, and get BIZARRE in A.C.

As many of you know, I’m an avid convention attendee. In fact, I was recently a guest on the Nerd Lunch podcast episode that focused on convention experiences. Take a listen! Over the summer, I blew a lot of money at Monster Mania, but then I didn’t make it to Chiller in October, so I’m looking forward to experiencing a brand new horror convention.

One of the best things about the Bizarre A.C Expo is that I have no idea what to expect from it. I’ve been going to Chiller Theatre conventions since I was a little kid and Monster Manias for the past 10 years, so I’m excited to experience a totally new event that could become a staple for local horror fans. Being billed as a “horror expo” – it’s shaping up to be much more than that. Hopefully it’s namesake will help it stand out from the rest of the cons. Yes, there’s definitely going to be some freakish costumes, sideshow spectacles, and celebrity guests, but the vibe of the scene will be completely fresh.

Although Bizarre will offer up similar features as other conventions, I have a feeling this one will take on it’s own personality since it’s set in one of my favorite places in the state, Atlantic City. What this means is that when you’re done walking around the expo you can go have a gambling sesh, enjoy a few drinks, and then head back to the expo for one of the screenings or Q&A panels hosted by the Jersey King of No Budget Horror, my pal Armageddon Ed. In addition to movie screenings, there will be oddities, a costume contest, and vendor tables.

Aside from this year’s zombie walk, Atlantic City is basically an untapped haunt in the horror community. Its built-in party atmosphere is much better than going to a hotel with awful parking on a random highway like most other cons. The A.C destination offers other stuff for you to do as well. If your significant other isn’t into going to the con, he or she can gamble, get pampered at a spa, go shopping, or get tanked at one of the bazillion opportunities to drink all over the city. If you feel brave enough to eat some weird shit, they’ll be offering Bizarre Bites. This is an event that Bizarre bringing to you along with the eateries and chefs in the Tropicana as they present “odd dishes and revolting cocktails” for you to devour – that’s an extra ticket though.

Since most people’s minds are on holiday shopping and having family gatherings, December is not traditionally the time for horror conventions, until now! Even thought we’re still a few weeks away, Bizarre is already beginning to carve out it’s own niche in the landscape of horror cons in the Garden State, using a giant machete. Their Facebook page is blowing up and word is spreading like a zombie virus. Plus, the expo is an excellent chance for you to get some holiday shopping done for the horror lover in your life. I’m sure you’ll find some cool gifts and stocking stuffers in the dealer room. We’ll see you there!

Some of the celebrity guests appearing at BIZARRE AC include:

Doug Bradley, Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Heather Lagenkamp, Bill Mosely, Tom Savini, Michael Berryman, John Kassir, Alex Vincent, Fred Williamson, Ryan Scott Weber, Joel Reed, Jay Lee, Brian O’Halloran, Stephen Geoffreys, Tiffany Shepis and many more!

The Ghastly Side of Boardwalk Empire: A Gallery

Posted on September 8, 2013 by sexyarmpit

Tonight is the Season 4 premiere of HBO’s incredible series Boardwalk Empire. Set in Atlantic City during the prohibition period, the superbly acted show brings you into the life of politician/gangster Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi). Often, his world isn’t as glamorous as you might think.

Such as with most of the shows on HBO, many beautiful women have starred in Boardwalk Empire such as Gretchen Mol, Aleksa Palladino, Kelly Mcdonald, and Heather Lind. The beauty ends there because most of the time, the show isn’t pretty. Brutal killing is common practice, so if you are faint-of-heart, you’ll be looking away often. Richard Harrow’s mangled face might also prove to be unsettling for you as well.

Events that take place in Boardwalk Empire can be considered shocking and gruesome so let’s take a look at the dark side of the show. I’ve scoured the Internet to bring you an array of ghastly, grotesque and downright creepy interpretations of some characters featured in Boardwalk Empire.

I own this piece – couldn’t resist getting it a while back:

via artist Steve Rolston on Deviant Art

I never knew it existed but it’s f*cking awesome: Pearl Cosplay! via RedChurippu on Deviant Art

This Richard Harrow mask has made the rounds all over the Internet thanks to one of my favorite artists Jon Defreest via the original Vulture link

Richard Harrow Fan Art via NastyNoser on Deviant Art

Phantom of the Boardwalk via Jhanquaza on Deviant Art

Ventriloquist dummies are almost ALWAYS creepy so here is Nelson Van Alden (a.k.a ZOD) as a ventriloquist dummy via artist Micro on Society 6

Thanks for checking out this post. Pay a visit to all the amazing artists featured here. I leave you with Van Alden’s eye bugging out. Your welcome.

http://www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/index.html

eBay Has Your NJ Zombie Hunting Permits

Posted on September 5, 2013 by sexyarmpit

You all better have your zombie hunting permits ready. It’s only a matter of weeks before literally all of New Jersey is taken over by zombies. I’m not kidding. In October we’re gonna have zombies down south in Atlantic City, and zombies up the Parkway in Asbury Park. Even though they are slow, they will begin to permeate neighborhoods. Considering the Guinness World Record for zombies will be broken this year, you better have your shit together. I listed the seller names of each one of these so you can look them up on eBay if you’re are so inclined.

If you’re seriously considering staying in Jersey when zombies roam the state, you might want to start getting prepared now. I’ve got you covered and did all the research for your ass. You’d think a local gun shop or even a town hall might be registering people for zombie hunting licenses, right? Actually no, in a surprising twist, eBay is your one stop shop for New Jersey zombie hunting permits. Once in a great while eBay does come through for something. I can’t guarantee they’re legit, but I can guarantee that you’ll seem either ever so slightly more skilled at killing zombies, or you’ll just look like a total dork with bullets whizzing passed your head. Who cares if they’re counterfeit anyway? What you really need is a badass gun, or enough guns to necessitate a rack if you catch my meaning.

If you want to seem more official to the oncoming zombies, then you might want to opt for the “State of New Jersey Certified Zombie Hunter embroidered patch.” From at least several feet away this one will make you look like you’re a decorated soldier or P.O.W (Probably Obsessed w/ Walking Dead.) Good luck out there. In the end, the zombies don’t give a crap what kind of patches or permits you have on.

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments 76: Rules of Engagement in A.C

Posted on August 21, 2013 by sexyarmpit

photo rulesofengagement03_zps1e49e8c8.jpg

Rules of Engagement
Jeff and his friends winning at a blackjack table
while their friend Timmy is supposedly bringing them good luck.

I find it to be a challenge to keep up with sitcoms. Every Fall season I see one or two commercials for a new show that I get geared up for, and then, after I watch two episodes, my attraction for them usually fizzles out. Rarely, there’s one that I get really into. Rules of Engagement wasn’t one of them. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the particular episode that we’ll be looking at in this post though. Actually, it was mildly amusing and moderately memorable. To be honest, I’d probably be writing that it was completely forgettable if the action of this specific episode didn’t happen in one of The Sexy Armpit’s favorite places, Atlantic City, NJ.

If you’ve never seen an episode of Rules of Engagement, here’s the quick IMDB synopsis:

“Two couples and their single friend, all at different stages in their relationships, deal with the complications of dating, commitment and marriage.”

The recently cancelled Rules centers around Jeff (Patrick Warburton) a financial manager who claims he buys socks in New Jersey to avoid paying additional tax on them, and his wife of several years, Audrey (Megyn Price), an editor at Indoor Living magazine.

The show is set in New York. Exactly what part of New York is beyond me. Jeff loves New York sports teams, so it seems like they probably live in a nondescript part of Manhattan, especially since his wife works for a magazine which is likely located in the city. In this episode, everyone wound up about 130 some odd miles away in A.C…at the Taj Mahal to be exact.

photo rulesofengagement01_zps0aaa5783.jpg

In Season 4 episode 3, “Atlantic City,” Jeff is heading down to A.C for a bachelor party, but the plans get squashed after he finds out that the bride has decided to dump the groom at the last minute. Jeff and his friends soldier on because they want to party despite the wedding plans being cancelled. Jeff opts not to inform Audrey about the non-existent bachelor party, but she winds up finding out anyway when she sees the former groom at a local cafe and confronts him.

Rather than sit home and take care of her annoying Aunt Judy, Audrey coerces her friend Jennifer into heading down to Atlantic City along with her, using the enticing offer of a free spa weekend as bait. Her plan is to get Jeff back for lying to her.

Soon, Jeff finds out that Aunt Judy cancelled her visit with Audrey, so for the rest of the episode the two of them make phone calls to each other featuring Aunt Judy impressions, fake doctors, and anything else that would keep up each others lies. Neither of them give up the battle, which is how Miss Sexy Armpit and I would probably act in a situation like this.

This was a decent episode, and I checked out a few others to get a better feel for the show. It’s not a classic show, but it’s fun for what it is. I enjoyed Patrick Warburton’s dry delivery and his chemistry with Megyn Price. They’re certainly not written to be the typical TV couple because they share a more realistic, imperfect relationship.

Rules occasionally whips out some pretty snappy dialogue also:

Russell: “Look If I wanted sex with strings attached, I’d bang a marionette.”

Timmy: “Now there’s a puppet show you don’t want the kids to see.”

Presently, you can watch Rules of Engagement streaming on Netflix also starring David Spade, Oliver Hudson, and Bianca Kajlich.

Come See Your Uncle Alice Tonight in A.C!

Posted on July 20, 2013 by sexyarmpit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BMB1NUvxMc?rel=0]

via YouTube user 666joemisfit777 – He posted the full show from December 2011

Tonight, The House of Blood…umm I mean the House of Blues in Atlantic City will be hosting the esteemed lord of shock rock, and hall of famer, Alice Cooper. If you’ve never seen Alice in concert, it’s a total spectacle. Perhaps not as explosive as a KISS show, but every bit as entertaining. Plus, a first timer will probably be surprised at how many of Alice’s songs they recognize. Coop’s band is sharp and they make the songs sound like they’re straight from the studio recording. I’ve seen Alice on more than one occasion and it’s always been a kick-ass time.

So, when he’s not in a celebrity golf tournament, Alice likes to get on stage and put on a wild show. While Alice and the band perform everything from their old classics like “Eighteen,” to soundtrack songs like “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask),” from Friday the 13th: Part VI, the freaks come out on stage. There’s snakes, guillotines, blood, and all kinds of horrifically fun stuff. Take in this fine production tonight, right on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. More info below.

Click Here for Tickets

House of Blues
801 Boardwalk
Atlantic City, NJ 08401

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments 73: The Bounty Hunter

Posted on February 11, 2013 by sexyarmpit

What I loved about the movie Hitch was Kevin James’ dance practice sequence. Unfortunately none of Kevin James comic relief was present in director Andy Tenant’s 2010 feature, The Bounty Hunter. With the supporting cast including the likes of comic actors such as Jason Sudeikis, Jeff Garlin, and Christine Baranski, it didn’t really make me laugh much. But luckily, it wasn’t as bad as Tenant’s 2008 movie, Fool’s Gold. But, since today is her birthday, I figured I’d post about a film starring Jennifer Aniston…and New Jersey!!!

Butler and Aniston in front of the Taj Mahal’s main escalators

There’s wacky hijinks galore as the former Friend plays Nicole Hurley, a reporter who is targeted by her ex-husband and bounty hunter Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler.) Hurley jumped bail and Milo is pursuing her in order to gain a big pay day. In the mean time we’re supposed to be on the edge of our seats to see if all this hot and heavy action will cause them to rekindle their romance.

A vibrant shot of The Atlantic City Expressway

Considering the abundance of New Jersey appearances, I still couldn’t bring myself to love this film. I definitely didn’t hate it either. It had some real potential to be a fun time, but it’s ulterior motive to be a rom-com is what keeps it from getting to the next level. It’s no surprise that I dozed off toward the end of the film, but I saw enough of it to make the assessment that it was steaming with mediocrity.

Butler does shine as Milo though. His snarky attitude and arrogant overtones work as a scoundrel, a Han Solo-type of guy. Butler brought Milo to life in a realistic way, but all gets weird when we see his macho bravado is all a front and he’s still actually in love with his ex-wife played by Jennifer Aniston. As Hurley, Aniston seems like she’d rather be sunbathing on some exotic beach getting photographed by hidden TMZ photographers. Even with that said, it’s hard not to like her…or LOVE her. Especially when she’s handcuffed to the bed. YUUUUP! That’s in the movie!

The film would like the viewer to believe that Monmouth Park Racetrack is in Atlantic City

If you’re familiar with Jersey and you’ve seen the film, you probably noticed that the horse racing scene took place at Monmouth Park. The sequence pulled me out of the film because it was made to seem as if the race track was actually in Atlantic City and a line in the film confirms it. It makes more sense to the viewer, after all, but the filmmakers probably assumed most viewers had no idea that the Monmouth Park race track is over 80 miles away from Atlantic City. That’s easily overlooked.

Making up for any of the negatives here are some gorgeous shots of A.C. In fact, The Bounty Hunter contains probably the best modern-day footage of the Atlantic City shoreline in movies. Most of the films I’ve covered here at The Sexy Armpit that have depicted A.C are much older and America’s playground was clearly nowhere near as impressive as it is now. If only Jersey had nicer weather year-round, A.C would be as big of a travel destination as Las Vegas. Look out for scenes in the Taj Mahal, the White House Sub Shop, the boardwalk, the A.C Expressway, and numerous mentions of The Borgata.

KISS Slot Machines Now In Atlantic City, NJ!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by sexyarmpit

photo kissslotmachineACNJ_zpsb37e2abc.jpg

For a while Miss Sexy Armpit and I thought that we’d have to go back to Vegas to play the new KISS slot machines, but this weekend we were proven wrong! It was a big surprise to see them at Harrah’s resort which was awesome.

Visually the machines look badass. The game play itself isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but naturally, it’s KISS-ified. There are a few different bonus games, but after playing 2 different machines, none of them popped up! BOO! One of the neighboring machines had a few bonuses so we were able to check them out. They were pretty cool and showed some concert footage and had you choose from various album covers to unlock more credits or another bonus game. The game plays a few KISS songs. The ones we heard included “Detroit Rock City,” and “I Was Made For Loving You.”

I’m happy that KISS is finally represented in Atlantic City. So far we’ve got Batman, Ghostbusters, The Phantom, Playboy, and now KISS. Not too many more left – I’m pretty happy with the selection!

Halloween In A Hurricane

Posted on November 6, 2012 by sexyarmpit

Halloween actually took place today in many parts of New Jersey. Not to jump the gun, but I have to make a Christmas reference. After all, this is truly a belated Halloween post. You know when Springsteen talks at the beginning of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town?” The line “the wind’s whipping down the boardwalk…” reminds me of Saturday October 27th, the night we celebrated Halloween. On the Atlantic City Boardwalk though, it wasn’t calm before the storm.

Down on the A.C boardwalk Miss Sexy Armpit and I were all dressed up for some Halloween fun. The night was chilly, the sand was blowing wildly off the beach right into our eyes, and the wind literally swept us into A.C’s newest resort, Revel, to hang out at their Royal Jelly club. We knew that the impending Hurricane Sandy was on it’s way, but this was just amateur night, the real thing wouldn’t hit until Monday night. Meanwhile, speaking of amateur night, at Royal Jelly, the costumes were optional, but most of the attendees did actually come in costume. I think that if you go out on Halloween weekend it should be required that you walk around with a costume. I was pleased with everyone’s participation.

Not many of the people in the club that night displayed the same kind of dedication we do to Halloween. We carefully pieced together our costumes, and took a lot of time and effort as always to make sure we looked excellent. This year I had an inkling of what I wanted to be for several months, but I wasn’t 100% sure. I’m usually all geared up to create a costume and wear it out somewhere to celebrate my favorite time of the year. This year I was apprehensive because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull off the costume. With the help of Miss Sexy Armpit, all of that was squashed because as usual she did my makeup and worked her magic on my wig. And in return, I helped her decide what she should dress up as.

This year I dressed up as the Johnny Depp version of Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows while Miss Sexy Armpit dressed up as Draculaura, the Monster High Doll. Being one of the only people I know who enjoyed the new Dark Shadows movie, I knew while I was watching it in the theater that I wanted to be Depp’s Barnabas for Halloween. I also thought it would be neat for Miss Sexy Armpit to be a Monster High Doll, not only because I dig them, but also because there wouldn’t be many adults dressing as one of them. She picked her favorite character and went with it full steam ahead.

We left Atlantic City on Sunday. The very next day the tri-state area was obliterated by possibly the most destructive hurricane to hit our area in history. You’ve seen the photos and news reports. People were killed and people’s homes have been destroyed. On a personal note, the majority of our favorite places to go all along the Jersey shore have simply been annihilated. Even before we knew about Sandy coming to town, Halloween this year didn’t have that same feeling for us. It sort of felt like things were slightly off kilter. If that night happened to be the end of the world, it was exactly the way we would’ve wanted it to go down: all dressed up in our Halloween costumes and ready for anything.

*Donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Hurricane Sandy Relief fund or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 dollar donation.