New Jersey Archives - Page 24 of 59

The Hindenburg Disaster: 75 Years Later

Posted on May 6, 2012 by sexyarmpit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSuR2IgnimA]

Writer Mike Frassinelli of The Star Ledger has written an insightful piece in memory of the Hindenburg disaster. 75 years ago today the German zeppelin burst into flames and crashed onto a field of the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. Frassinelli’s article catches up with survivors of the disaster and brings to light first hand accounts from people who watched the airship pass over their own towns in Jersey. It’s an excellent read and a fitting memorial to those lost in the horrific disaster.

Read it here:
The Hindenburg 75 Years Later: Memories Time Cannot Erase via NJ.com

Mary McCormack is May’s Garden State Playmate!

Posted on May 4, 2012 by sexyarmpit

She may have been one of the reasons why Howard Stern and his first wife were separated. I feel so damn old saying this, but, back in the late ’90s, during the making of Private Parts, Howard constantly proclaimed on his show that if he wasn’t married he would love to be with actress Mary McCormack. He called her his “movie wife,” as she portrayed Alison Stern in the 1997 film based on his best selling book.

Any guy who has seen Private Parts remembers the screen shot I grabbed on the right

Since starring as Howard’s movie wife, McCormack appeared in a steady stream of films and TV shows. Some of her credits include Deep Impact, the underrated comedy Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (Nuckin’ Futs!), K-Pax…yes K-PAX, and TV shows ER and The West Wing. McCormack also had a main role in 2007’s 1408, a pretty decent little thriller based off a Stephen King story.

Most recently the Plainfield, NJ-born actress starred in USA Network’s In Plain Sight. The series premiere in 2008 grabbed over 5 millions viewers. Despite its initial success, In Plain Sight’s five season run will be coming to an end with tonight’s episode.

IMDB provides some trivia on McCormack: She is friends with fellow New Jerseyan Chelsea Handler, she graduated Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, NJ, and she obviously has milf qualities but settle down dudes…she’s married with children!

Jersey Shore Shark Attack…Finally!

Posted on May 2, 2012 by sexyarmpit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eACzpD2FNos?rel=0]

That title might seem completely insane, but it’s not what you think. I’m not saying “Damn, FINALLY someone came up with the idea to merge movies like JAWS and Piranha with MTV’s JERSEY SHORE type buffoonery. I’ll reiterate: that’s NOT what I was saying. When I say finally, it means that it took so damn long to get a trailer for what at first glance looks be quite a piece of shit. Now, when I say possible…there’s like a 6% chance that it will totally kick ass. OK, I’m exaggerating. The truth is, it looks terrible in the most awesome way possible and I’m glad that we finally have a trailer after nearly 2 years of it’s initial announcement.

In the trailer we see all the typical stereotypes of how the country views people from New Jersey. Actually, we aren’t all mongoloids. I speak normally and don’t sleep in a tanning bed. These errors are inconsequential when I think about what an event this movie will be for me. I’m always excited to watch an unintentionally funny, shlocky horror movie takes place in New Jersey. As you can see, the clones of the Jersey Shore cast get guns and hunt sharks at the end of the trailer. The effects are terrible so I’ll be going in with extremely low expectations.

The casting bemuses me though. If I was a kid on Twitter I’d probably tweet this in reaction to the trailer: “That moment when you realize Joey Fatone is in Jersey Shore Shark Attack.” I was taken aback for a moment when I realized Fatone shows up on the scene. Including the heftiest member of N’Sync, all the main stars were born in Brooklyn, NY. What the hell is that crap? The casting director should’ve taken care that they hired Jersey born actors and actresses considering there’s a ton of them. It would’ve made it more authentic. One huge misconception is that people from Jersey do NOT talk like they are from Brooklyn unless they are from Brooklyn and moved to Jersey. We aren’t all Tony Danza clones here contrary to popular belief.

Joey Fatone, Jack Scalia, Paul Sorvino, Tony Sirico, and hold up a second…WILLIAM F*CKING ATHERTON!?!?! NOW I’M IN. I’M SO F’N IN. I’m front and center for what just turned into a magnificent piece of entertainment. Sold. *SPOILERS* Vinny from Jersey Shore plays a news reporter who spills the beans that Joey Fatone’s character GETS EATEN BY A SHARK! I bet the shark is TEARIN’ UP HIS HEART as we speak. No release date has been announced yet, so until then “Bye, Bye, Bye!”

The Devils: Jersey’s Team

Posted on April 30, 2012September 5, 2018 by sexyarmpit

As we say goodbye to our NBA franchise here in New Jersey, we can be thankful that we still have the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. They are presently the ONLY professional sports franchise with balls (or pucks) big enough to tout their Jersey affiliation.

The Devils home ice is at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. “The Rock” as it’s known is one of the coolest venues for sports and concerts in New Jersey. It’s accessibility from anywhere you are in the area is unmatched and the restaurants and bars all have awesome views of the arena action. You’ll see lots of Devils memorabilia and signage around the grand concourse level including the above pictured map of New Jersey that I snapped a picture of the last time I was there.

Presently, the New Jersey Devils are 0-1 in the conference semi-finals against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Cena Shows No Mercy in New Jersey

Posted on April 29, 2012 by sexyarmpit

John Cena has busted his ass in WWE for many years. For instance, let’s take you back to October 3rd, 2004 when Izod Center used to be called The Continental Airlines Arena. At WWE’s No Mercy Pay-Per-View, John Cena defeated Booker T in the finals of a 5-match series for the United States Championship. But, it wasn’t until April of 2005 that Cena won his first WWE Championship. Since then, Cena has been carrying the WWE for a solid 7 years whether he’s had the title or not, which is illustrated in the main attraction to tonight’s pay-per-view event.

It’s WWE’s Extreme Rules. Although neither of these guys have a title, the main event is John Cena vs. the chump from UFC, Brock Lesnar. If you haven’t followed WWE lately, Lesnar recently made his return on Monday Night Raw and brawled with John Cena. Ever since he made his WWE TV debut in 2002, I was never sold on Lesnar. His voice irritates me and considering he was an amateur wrestler his in-ring skills aren’t fluid. He’s big, powerful, and has an attitude, but that’s about it. In the early 2000’s there seemed to be an influx of guys like that joining the company. Guys like Batista bored the crap out of me, and regardless of his popularity, Lesnar fits in that same category.

John Cena on the other hand gets a bum rap. Cena is a hard worker and is constantly getting criticized for his limited in-ring repertoire, which I think is ridiculous. Wrestling fans like to boo Cena because it’s the thing to do. They love to be annoying. If you ever watch WWE programming there’s 100% chance you will hear the audience chant “What?” or “Yes!” at any moment just because that’s what they do. Is Cena as technically savvy as Bret Hart or the late Mr. Perfect? Obviously not, but Cena has a hugely successful mix of many wrestling characteristics and he gets no credit for it. Cena’s character is pulled from guys like Sammartino, and Hogan, just like a rock band is influenced by their favorite bands from previous years. That’s the way it should be.

The main event at Wrestlemania 28 was a joke as well. There’s no reason why The Rock had to come back as an obnoxious asshole and WIN against Cena. Cena could’ve used the win over Rock to solidify his legacy. The Rock has lost to plenty of worse opponents than Cena. It’s also been said that Cena carried the Rock and his ring rust the entire match. Why does WWE continue to give in to the half of their fans that dislike Cena? He’s a huge international superstar who is the figurehead of the company. The name associated with WWE nowadays is and has been John Cena for the last several years much in the same was that Hogan’s was in the ’80s and early ’90s. I’m not a fan of seeing the same thing all the time, but if the fans want to see someone new and exciting take the torch, someone has got to step up big time. Lesnar is not that guy.

There’s a new crop of wrestlers finally getting TV time on Raw and Smackdown. Hopefully these guys will show some sort of spark that the company has been sorely lacking. The WWE Superstars, aside from guys like C.M Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes and a few others, just seem like they are going through the motions. So, if half of the WWE fans hate Cena so much, I’d like to see them choose the next young talent who they think will dethrone him. One thing is for sure, Cena won’t mind passing the torch to one of them, unlike The Rock.

WWE fans in N.J can also look forward to No Way Out coming to the Izod Center on June 17th, 2012.

Move Over NYCC – It’s The Asbury Park Comic Con!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by sexyarmpit

For more information visit:

www.asburyparkcomiccon.com

Finally a comic convention for the Jersey Shore! One of the coolest, most legendary spots in Jersey, Asbury Lanes, will be hosting a comic book convention on Saturday, May 12th. Can’t beat the Free Admission either! That’ll give you more of an excuse to buy Batman #14 when you’re there.

So hop in the Family Truckster and head down to Asbury Park for a day full of comic books, comic artists, vendors, a DJ, and a full service bar (for the adults…) Personally, I have an early afternoon wedding to go to, but if I was free, I’d be there dropping Hamiltons.

May 12th, 2012
11am – 6pm
Asbury Lanes
209 4th Avenue & Kingsley
Asbury Park, NJ

Summoning Slot Car Memories

Posted on April 11, 2012 by sexyarmpit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8GgMrIBT70?rel=0]

Slot Car Racing at Extreme Hobby in Little Falls, NJ posted by wdamiano

Recently I had a few flashbacks to the slot car racing set that I had when I was a kid. I don’t remember owning it for too long because I used to get frustrated that the cars popped off the track a lot, but it was still a really cool set. Plus, it usually took more time to set up and get it working correctly than it did playing with it. Regardless, I feel like playing with it right now just to get that feeling back! Want to join me? If you haven’t ever played with or raced slot cars, the feeling it gives you is way more realistic than playing with a typical die cast model car.

At one time slot car racing was a huge deal, and people were into it as a local competitive sport. Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were even racing slot cars in Wayne Manor in “The Duo Defy” episode of the ’60s Batman show. Nowadays, it’s not as prominent, especially in the toy stores. As always, toy aisles are crammed with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, which is not too different from when I was growing up, but we also had more slot cars back then. The racing sets made by those companies aren’t nearly as fun because unlike slots, you don’t have control over your car.

This flashback that I had got me all nostalgic and prompted me to look up slot cars on YouTube. I found a couple of places in New Jersey that offer slot car racing for enthusiasts. In the videos you can see how insanely fast these cars go whizzing by (especially in the video below). I think I’d lose sight of my car if I was racing on one of those big tracks. The set I had only included 2 cars and I specifically recall them being Ford GT-40 models which I always thought were so badass! The GT-40 is one of my favorite model cars ever and I’d love to own a real one! Of course, that will never happen, but I’ll always have my memories of my short lived slot car set.

Apparently, my sudden jolt slot car memories aren’t out of the ordinary. Slot car racing is clearly still alive and well. There’s a huge fan base in New Jersey and after the video I listed several places all around Jersey where you can go race slot cars yourself or just go and watch.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIVV4_spycg?rel=0]

Video from Speedzone Raceway and Hobbies in Mount Holly, NJ

Speed Zone Slot Car Raceway in Mount Holly, NJ:

http://www.speedzonenj.com/

NJ Slot Spot in Neptune City, NJ

http://www.njslotspot.com/

Dom’s Slot Car Raceway in Cream Ridge, NJ:

http://www.domsraceway.com/

The Race Place in Farmingdale, NJ:

http://www.raceplaceinfo.com/

NJ T-Shirt Tuesday 95: Kermit Springsteen

Posted on April 11, 2012 by sexyarmpit

Kermit The Frog Born In The U.S.A T-Shirt

available at 80s Tees

It’s not 1984, but Bruce Springsteen AND The Muppets are having a pretty damn great year! Bruce’s latest album, Wrecking Ball, (not with the Electric Mayhem, but with the E-Street Band) debuted at #1 on the charts last month and his concerts are selling out like crazy. According to Billboard, this album marks Bruce’s TENTH number one album, which ties him with Elvis for third most number ones in history, behind only The Beatles and Jay-Z.

Also enjoying continued success are The Muppets. For many of us, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzy, and Animal have never left our lives, while others were delighted to see their resurgence. Their 2011 comeback film, The Muppets, was the most lucrative film in the Muppet franchise, even nabbing an Academy Award for best song.

The t-shirt pictured above is a Muppet styled parody of Bruce Springsteen’s most successful album ever, Born In The U.S.A. Forget about the “Rainbow Connection,” there’s definitely a Bruce/Kermit connection that needs to be discussed. In both Bruce songs, “Rosalita,” and “Wrecking Ball” he references “…the swamps of Jersey.” A long time ago, Kermit the Frog was born a little tadpole in the swamp so it’s very possible our little green felt friend may have been born here in Jersey rocking out to BRUCE with his banjo!

Zakk Wylde: Guitar AND Word Slinger!

Posted on March 28, 2012 by sexyarmpit

March is Metal Month, so how are you going to honor the almighty METAL? Instead of merely blasting your favorite band and banging your head, why not throw up your devil horns while doing something semi-educational?

Guitar God AND New Jersey native Zakk Wylde is releasing his own book called Bringing Metal To The Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide To World Tour Domination. The book was written with author and photographer Eric Hendrikx and includes stories from Zakk’s career, backstage madness, and tips on being a true berzerker. The review listing on Amazon says it all: “…deranged tales of onstage indecent exposure and booze fueled destruction…”

The book hits stores April 10th. Pre-order on Amazon and Kindle here.

Toxie, Bret “Hitman” Hart, and Alice Cooper All Walk Into A Bar In New Jersey…

Posted on March 26, 2012 by sexyarmpit

The chances of the title of this post happening is higher than it would usually be. You can catch all 3 of these iconic gentlemen in Jersey real soon. Oh, I forgot to mention that when they get to the bar they also run into Debbie Downer from SNL!

SNL alumni Rachel Dratch will be signing her book Girl Walks Into A Bar on April 2nd at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ.

Next, coming up on April 7th at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, NJ there will be a FREE showing of The Toxic Avenger! The Sexy Armpit will be there to root on Jersey’s first super hero as well. Visit the Count Basie Theatre website for more information.

Also coming soon is the Chiller Theatre pop culture convention at the Hilton in Parsippany, NJ happening April 27th through the 29th. Here you will be able to hob knob with the likes of Alice Cooper, Cathy Moriarty, Robert Loggia, Dean Cain, and perhaps the coolest guest, Dirk Benedict a.k.a Face from the A-Team amongst many others. Tickets are on sale now at the Chiller Theatre site.

And merely a few months away, Minor League Baseball team The Lakewood BlueClaws take on The Hickory Crawdads on June 16th and they’ll be getting some guidance from their special guest in their corner, WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart. The Hitman will be signing autographs for fans at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, NJ. Go to the BlueClaws website to see their schedule and purchase tickets.