Sludge Central

AD JERSEUM 13: Boardwalk Empire in Atlantic City

Posted on September 26, 2011 by sexyarmpit

For last year’s premiere of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, the ad campaign was seen all over Atlantic City. The series of posters for the first season were beautifully painted and appeared in magazines, blogs, and naturally, along the boardwalk in Atlantic City. You might have also seen these posters while you were baking on the beach because they were all over the pier.

Not too long ago Miss Sexy Armpit and I saw a couple of billboards for the 2nd season of Boardwalk Empire on the Atlantic City Expressway. These were more of a viral type ad campaign in contrast to the lavish artwork used in the 1st season’s campaign. The Atlantic City Beautification Project is a bit of a ruse if you don’t bother to look at the rest of the billboard. Since Atlantic City has actually made progress in beautifying it’s central area with new landscaping, upscale outdoor shopping, various restaurants, and Jay Z’s 40/40 Club, one might think that the A.C Beautification Project was a real municipal initiative. Either way, the ad indicates that we have Nucky Thompson to thank for it.

When seen from your car before you split off to go to your casino, this smaller version of the billboard is even more realistic. It’s like one of those homemade signs stuck in someone’s lawn promoting a candidate for a spot in the local government. Props to HBO for another cool localized ad campaign. The only thing that could make it feel more real is if it said Nucky Johnson!

Let Me Plan Your Weekend in NJ

Posted on September 23, 2011 by sexyarmpit

– Tonight, the legendary Loews Jersey Theater in Jersey City has a Caper Films series going on and THE ORIGINAL Thomas Crown Affair will be showing tonight. This movie kicks ass and nothing beats Steve McQueen and the hottness of Faye Dunaway. 8:00 PM (Also this weekend: Take the Money and Run and The Sting)

– On Saturday catch NJ rockers Scarlet Carson are headlining Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ for their CD release party. Several other great bands are featured as well such as: The New Black, Life Without Warning, and Jaded Faith.

– Also on Saturday night, the glammed out pop/rock band Sweet Fix will put on their musical spectacle when opening up for ’80s safety dancers Men Without Hats at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ.

– Elaine’s Dinner Theater presents the horror spoof Gone With The Werewolves through November.

– The Hexagon Players will put on their production of Wizard of Oz at Bernards High School in Bernardsville NJ through October 1st. http://hexagonplayers.org/

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.59: Seinfeld’s Face Painter

Posted on September 22, 2011 by sexyarmpit

Earlier tonight in preseason NHL action, the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers. But, as you know, this isn’t a sports blog. Although, there aren’t many things that get people as passionate as they do for sports, except maybe The Simpsons, and Seinfeld.

Seinfeld freaks know every episode, so this one is for you! In the 6th season (1995), Elaine went on a date with hardcore New Jersey Devils fan David Puddy played by Patrick Warburton. Just before they leave to go see the Devils/Rangers game at the Garden, much to Elaine’s shock and dismay, he reveals himself to be a face painter. Puddy was just one of those crazy fans who the camera pans over to after a huge play or when the home team is trying to get a rally going. Elaine will have none of it because she thinks “it’s insane.”

“We’re the DEVILS!” (to the priest)

With his diabolical looking face paint on, Dave even scared the crap out of Kramer at first! With a Brodeur jersey on and his face full of grease paint, Puddy screamed at the top of his lungs during the game. The Devils wound up winning and Puddy rubbed it in everyone’s face, including a priest’s! The priest thought he was the actual Devil! Sports fans out there know the kind of intense fan Puddy is. I’m a fan of Patrick Warburton and he was the perfect casting choice to pull off this character. I think he’s a funny dude and if you aren’t familiar with him, you’ve probably heard his distinctive voice overs everywhere.

At the end of the episode Elaine tries to break it off with Puddy because of how much the face painting is weirding her out. He tells her he’s going to stop for her and all seems fine after that. Later, they are messing around on the couch and Elaine opens Puddy’s shirt to discover a big red “D” painted on his chest so he can spell out Devils with other guys in the crowd at the game.

The Making of Sludgey

Posted on September 21, 2011 by sexyarmpit

Sludgey was a character I created with my friend Steve to promote not only The Sexy Armpit website, but also the now defunct podcast that was available via the site. It feels like ancient history now since it was back in 2004! I killed off the podcast because it was a lot of work and I preferred to write and create other things for the site instead.

The Sexy Armpit podcast may have disappeared rather quickly, but Sludgey never went away. The little whacked out sarcastic slime monster always managed to weasel his way into my website. Whether he appeared in my header or elsewhere on the site, he was always there. Eventually I used him as my Twitter avatar since the first day I joined several years ago. Many of you recognize him from talking with me on Twitter. So, Sludgey has come a long way and I’m happy that I was finally able to bring him out of the computer screen and into reality.

Thanks to Liz at Puppatoons, The Sexy Armpit is proud to finally unveil our puppet Sludgey! Liz worked with me to create a version of Sludgey that was basically the fleece version of my Twitter avatar. I explained to Liz how I wanted him to look and we went back and forth with sketches and details, and not too long after she sent me some “making of” photos which were awesome. Sludgey came packed securely and, now, a few months later, he’s making his YouTube debut!

You can catch Sludgey in “Get Sludgey to Starland” an episode of The Sexy Armpit Show on YouTube. In it, Sludgey begs and pleads to go to see his favorite band, NJ rockers Scarlet Carson, but the Starland Ballroom won’t allow him in. Check it out! Give it a LIKE!

To see and read more about Liz’s puppet creations go to her blog: http://puppatoons.wordpress.com/

Naturi Naughton is September’s Garden State Playmate!

Posted on September 19, 2011 by sexyarmpit

Who’s known for being naked in the movie Notorious? Naturi Naughton that’s who! The native of East Orange, NJ and former political science student at Seton Hall University has come a long way since being a member of the R&B group 3LW.

Naughton’s role as Lil Kim in the film Notorious about the life of late rapper Notorious B.I.G included several nude scenes. Showing skin is usually the easiest way for actresses to gain attention in Hollywood and it seemed to work for Naughton. Following her portrayal as Lil Kim, roles in the remake of Fame, in which she recorded her own version of the title song, and the comedy Lottery Ticket followed.

An appearance as a Playboy Bunny on an episode of Mad Men foreshadowed her role in the new fall season on NBC. Premiering tonight, you can catch Naughton starring in NBC’s The Playboy Club as, Brenda, a bunny with aspirations of being the first African American centerfold. The show takes place in 1963 at The Playboy Club in Chicago.

Straight No Chaser “Surfer Girl” Jersey Style

Posted on September 19, 2011 by sexyarmpit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLdahKw9EVM?rel=0]

If there’s ever a point where I admit something, I go all the way. Have you ever had a hard time admitting you were wrong and delivered one of those very weak, lame apologies? Well, I’m not like that at all, I go big with it.

Even though I had not seen the a cappella group STRAIGHT NO CHASER until this post, I was convinced that I A) Wouldn’t have a good time at an a Capella concert 2) There was no way these guys were anywhere near as amazing as their glowing reviews that I was being bombarded by. After seeing them at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, I was so blown away that I told everyone who urged me to see them how wrong I was and how it was probably in the top 10 best musical performances I’ve ever seen live in a concert setting. That’s a serious statement since the number of live concerts, cover bands, and other groups I’ve seen is probably in the thousands by now…seriously.

One aspects of Straight No Chaser’s performance that I thought was cool is how they discuss places and times in history, and basically how they effected the music they are performing. As they moved into Beach Boys territory it brought to mind the shores of California, but they turned it on it’s head! Sure, hopping in your woody and running down to the beach with your long board was popular in the ’60s on the WEST COAST, but what shore is most popular right now? That’s right…THE JERSEY SHORE! Somehow, even though they are a bunch of guys from Indiana, their supreme creativity and harmonization skills managed to incorporate a New Jersey theme into The Beach Boys classic “Surfer Girl.” The clip is posted above so you can see for yourself. I took my own video but I was further away so YouTube user DaisyKary came through with the video.

Check out Straight No Chaser’s official site where you can get CD’s, Merch, Tour Dates at

Thanks to Christine on Twitter (@LovedeAcappela) for keeping on my ass about getting this follow up post published!

WATCH: “GET SLUDGEY TO THE STARLAND!”

Posted on September 18, 2011 by sexyarmpit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1_mysYJMxA?rel=0]

The Sexy Armpit’s first appearance of Sludgey (played by Miss Sexy Armpit) and guest starring the Dirty Jersey Rockers Scarlet Carson. Sludgey was made by Puppatoons. Video was written, directed, and edited by The Sexy Armpit. Please watch it and LIKE it! If you think it’s funny send it to someone who might get a kick out of it. Thanks for your support! P.S: WATCH IN HD!!!

*Get your tickets for Scarlet Carson‘s CD release party on September 24th at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville via this link at Ticketmaster.

New Jersey’s Great Pop Culture Moments Vol.58: Toy Story 3

Posted on September 16, 2011 by sexyarmpit

Woody, Mr. Pricklepants, Buttercup, and Trixie in Toy Story 3

WOODY: “…Hey guys look I don’t know where I am!”

TRIXIE: “We’re either in a cafe in Paris or a coffee shop in New Jersey…”

I’m all for a company who milks their properties for all they are worth. Sometimes though, Disney really scrounges. For instance, I had no idea there was a third installment of Cinderella, let alone a sequel! Yes indeed, you can look it up for yourself, Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time went straight to DVD, and so did Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea. There’s also a Little Mermaid prequel, Peter Pan 2, Fox and the Hound 2, Lilo and Stitch 2, Tarzan 2, Mulan 2, Lady and the Tramp 2, Pocahontas 2, 101 Dalmations 2, and perhaps the most baffling…The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. Seriously? Journeying into Pixar territory we have Cars 2, and today’s movie: Toy Story 3.

When the original Toy Story was released in 1995, I thought it was an incredibly imaginative film, and I still do. The Toy Story franchise is one of those Godfather type instances where the sequel may actually be better than the original, or at least funnier. I never thought I’d see a follow up to TS2 10 years after the sequel was released, but leave it to Disney! While I still love TS2, part 3 was pretty friggin’ great also.

Although I thought it was released too long after Toy Story 2, there were a couple of things I loved about Toy Story 3. First, the story continued in a perfect way. In case you haven’t seen it I won’t spoil too much, but I identified with the film because when I was a kid my Dad broke it to me that I was growing up and I needed to part with my toys because I wasn’t a kid anymore. We gave a lot of my toys and action figures to the local day camp – a catastrophic event that I’m sure a lot kids endured. It was pretty frigging devastating for me, but as we see in Toy Story 3, it’s more devastating for the toys!

The casting of Michael Keaton as the Ken doll scored major points with me. The world always needs more Michael Keaton. I miss seeing him star in movies and we need him back in a big way. His voice role as Ken allowed him to go back to his comedy roots and really do what he does best. When I first watched the movie I wasn’t even aware that Keaton was going to be the voice of Ken so it was a cool surprise. There’s nothing like hearing Michael Keaton play one of the most famous dolls of all time. He plays Ken very vain, but with a wink. He brags about his dream house having an entire room just for trying on clothes and compliments Barbie on how much he loves her legwarmers. I’ll tell you one thing: Taylor Lautner couldn’t have pulled that off!

Toy Story 3 is streaming on Netflix now!

When Push Comes To Shove: WARRIOR – Review by Nick Holden

Posted on September 15, 2011 by sexyarmpit

The Sexy Armpit’s featured writer Nick “N.J” Holden is back! Here’s his review of WARRIOR, a film featuring scenes filmed in Atlantic City as well as Tom Hardy a.k.a BANE in Dark Knight Rises!

You know what a crowd-pleaser is? Sure you do, when a movie makes the audience happy, such as when Daniel LaRusso rose up to kick uber-bully John Norris into the next world in The Karate Kid (the 1984 version, not the lame-ass remake) or when T.S. finally won Brandy’s heart in Mallrats (with a little assistance from good buddy Brodie). Both movies told simple stories and relied on the strength of the characters to push everything forward, and in some cases, made the film memorable despite plot holes and typical Hollywood clichés. The new film Warrior is a throwback to the crowd-pleaser, and while it won’t score points for originality, it makes up tremendously in character and brutal, but not gratuitous, martial arts action.

Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is a former mixed martial artist turned teacher who is faced with overwhelming debt that threatens to leave him and his family homeless. Long estranged from his father (Nick Nolte), a former alcoholic boxer, he soon finds himself competing in small independent venues until he sees the brass ring; Sparta, an elimination-style tournament in Atlantic City that could help him avoid financial disaster. On the other side of the spectrum is his younger brother Tommy (Tom Hardy), a former Marine running from his past who turns to his father to help him train for Sparta. Eventually, after several violent battles, the brothers find themselves facing each other in the main event amidst much tension and family drama.

Basically, it’s Rocky meets The Fighter, only set in the world of MMA, fitting since it has exploded all over due to the popularity of Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, Strikeforce, and other promotions all over the world. Actors Edgerton and Hardy completely immerse themselves into their roles by bulking up (especially Hardy, who looks like a smaller version of The Hulk) and undergoing extensive martial arts training for the film’s numerous fight scenes. Also appearing in smaller roles are real-life fighters Nate “The Great” Marquardt, Erik Apple, and Anthony Johnson, giving the film an authentic feel. The appearance of TNA wrestler Kurt Angle as an invincible Russian fighter (shades of MMA superstar Fedor Emelianenko) seems a tad cartoonish, but the showdown between him and Brendan is one ferocious battle to be seen on film. Nick Nolte does an admirable job as the absentee father who tries to reconnect with both sons, but finds himself at odds with his own demons.

Mostly set in Pennsylvania, the film’s conclusion takes place in New Jersey’s own den of sin, Atlantic City. One of the more memorable takes place in the dead of night on the shores of NJ, when both brothers have a powerful reunion, with each man not sure of the other’s motives or if their fractured family will survive their in-cage encounter. A strength in Warrior is the focus on the individual above all else; there are no real villains that stand in the way of the brothers’ quest for glory, only their own pasts. Brendan struggles with trying to decide if he really has what it takes to go all the way and take home the ultimate prize. Tommy is running from his past and, while begrudgingly trains under his father, tries to make up for his own misgivings as a son and soldier.

The film does have its flaws, however. It runs a tad too long (a hair over two hours) and the conclusion does leave many unanswered questions as to where the family stands after the final fight. It also has the clichés we’ve seen before; the principal who is against Brendan, then cheers him on, Brendan’s students all rallying for him, and montages of the training regiments. But if you’re into a crowd-pleaser on a nice weekend night or a fan of MMA, then Warrior is a nice breath of air; not fresh air, but good air nonetheless.

A Little Bit of Jersey in Disney World

Posted on September 14, 2011 by sexyarmpit

photo from 2719 Hyperion

Since I just returned from a trip to Disney World, this is a perfect time to take a look at a very random Disney/Jersey connection. I found it a few months back while absorbing the posts of the 2719 Hyperion blog which deals in all facets of Disney. In one of their Vintage Snapshot posts by Jeffrey Pepper in June 2011, an old photo of a crate reveals that The Sexy Armpit wasn’t the only bit of Jersey in Walt Disney World.

If you aren’t familiar with the Imagineers, they are the bright folks who design the attractions and use psychology to formulate minute details around the Disney theme parks that make the experience so awesome. Occasionally, as Jeff Pepper mentions in his post Vintage Snapshot! – Early Crate Parkeology, the Imagineers like to label random items around the park with Disney references and even little inside jokes. As if there aren’t enough Hidden Mickey’s and other secrets to search for around the park, crates are apparently another popular item to look out for.

The photo above, provided by 2719 Hyperion, shows two crates on the Jungle Cruise circa 1972. Visible in the photo are two addresses written on each crate. The crate on the left says it belongs to Leon Okerman who has an Orange, NJ street address – one that doesn’t even exist on Google maps. I can’t really make out what it says under the address except for the word PAINT in all uppercase letters. The crate on the right is for R.H Jeschke and has an Atlanta GA address that doesn’t exist either. 2719 Hyperion posed the question as to whether this was actually another one of the Imagineers inside jokes or did these two people actually exist? Just another little mystery in Disney World!