The Blogboard Jungle

How the NJ Horror Scene Helped Get My Second Book Done It took almost 10 years to get it done, but in 2024, I self-published my first book , “ Brush Fire: A Bow & Arrow Mystery .” It’s a work of fiction, what I consider to be the most fun writing, and what I write when I’m not writing about combat sports or the fight business. So, of course, since last year, I have been working on the latest Bow & Mystery, and I’m happy to announce that it’s out, up, and live on Kindle and Amazon for your reading pleasure. The Father of Evil: A Bow & Arrow Mystery You may recognize the face on the cover. Photo: Ed Carbajal That’s Father Evil , whom I have known since I was a kid. You can navigate this site to see that I’m a fan of Horror and have attended (and continue to attend) the NJ Horror-Con . Father Evil is an always-present and prominent figure at many Horror conventions, and every time I left one, I’d think, “I gotta write another story.” After a while, I wrote an outline and thou...

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Brush Fire is the first of many stories that I hope to write. Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash Some years ago, in 2015 I attended the NJ Comic Expo . I was covering it for this site, to gain experience and get my feet wet covering events since it was something I knew I wanted to do for my freelance work. Writing is something I never thought I would get into, but I fell into it through my love for martial arts, reading, and film. It's why I made this site, so I can write about the things I love. By looking for things to write about, I found that my love for reading balances out with my love of writing. Usually, I do one, then the other but a lot of the writing I do is inspired by the work I do for combat sports. I don't want to be a one-trick pony. I want to evolve my writing and I'm always looking for ways to get better.  Some of my favorite stories in various mediums come from Stephen King . So, when I went looking for instruction on how he writes, I found his book ...

If your New Year’s resolution includes starting Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Elite Sports Core gi might be what you need in 2024. When I started Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in 2005, there were only a few options out there. Atama, Howard Combat Kimonos, and Koral. Or, you could just use a Judo gi but the grips your opponent can get on you will have you being controlled a lot, which can diminish your goal to learn this fantastic martial art. Thankfully, the sport has grown so much since then and the options for training gear are now more plentiful and affordable. This is where Elite Sports comes in.  In August , Elite Sports sent me one of their gi’s to try out and review. They were cool about me telling them I would be honest about it and would need time to roll (train) in it and see how it washes, hangs, and handles heavy sessions of all the pushing, pulling, and grabbing a gi goes through. I’m happy to say, I was sold on the gi after wearing it and finally was able to give it an honest review: ...

We're excited to be working with Elite Sports and Born Tough to try out their products! We will come up with a review post once the product testing is done Keep an eye out for these updates. The first review will be on the following product: Some of the folks I train with have already been using these products and they seem to be holding up well for them. I'm looking forward to seeing it for myself.  Check them out here: https://www.elitesports.com/ collections/brazilian-jiu- jitsu-bjj-gis https://www.borntough.com/ collections/mens-workout- shorts Be sure to check the full review on our YouTube channel  and podcast once I get it on the mats.

Who wants to see a horror movie based on Winnie The Pooh? Well, after seeing the trailer, I do. At first, when I saw images of the horror film being made about the beloved children's character, I was like "How?" But leave it to the folks at Jagged Edge Productions to figure out a way to make a horror film out of something that was popular on Disney as a kid.  From what the trailer shows, it looks like Pooh is a little mad about Christopher Robin leaving him to fend for himself. When Robin returns to seemingly make amends, it's too little too late. Have a look at it here: Seems dumb, right? But after seeing the trailer I'm really interested to see where this goes. Winnie the Pooh was created by A.A. Milne and Disney has done much with the character since the bear first appeared in 1966. Generally, when Disney gets their hands on something they milk money out of it for generations and it seems like  Luckily for horror fans, the rights to the character have bee...

Photo by Ravi Palwe on Unsplash I got to field test the Sony ZV-1 camera outside of just using it for streaming and let me tell you, this is a great camera for folks that want to get into video content. A few weeks ago I was back at my first event covering MMA since COVID-19 hit when I went to cover Bellator 282 for MyMMANews.com. After over 2 years of covering events remotely through ZOOM it was time to get back on the road. Not traveling left me with time to invest in equipment for covering events on the road.  Previously I used a Go PRO Hero 5 with a mic attachment, which worked well a while but had its limitations. Check out this interview with Valerie Loureda from 2019: During the two years of being stuck at home, I focused on what I could from there and decided since I was saving so much money from not going anywhere, I'd invest in better equipment. So, I got a stronger laptop to handle video content, and I picked up the Sony ZV-1. It was initially just to get a better...

The Phantasm Series Shows Players Riding Out Their Passions I just recently watched all the Phantasm movies.  I watched the entire franchise in two days after not seeing any of the films since I was a kid. I know things are opening up and the weather is nice, but we're not quite out of the COVID-19 woods yet. Since that is the case I am still re-watching old horror flicks and catching ones I might have missed . The Phantasm series stretches to almost 40 years of horror, beginning in what I feel was the best time for horror films, the 80s. The first one, Phantasm (1979) came out when I was still wet behind the ears, barely a kid. I didn't even set eyes on it until the early 80s. All I could remember about the movie was "The Tall Man,' played by Angus Scrimm in all the films, those flying chrome-plated death spheres, and little dudes in cans.  Along with Scrimm, the film stars Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornberry, and Reggie Bannister. Baldwin plays Mike Pearson, who is the...

The Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant press conference kicks off today and you can check it out here. Caleb Plant is listed on ONE37 PM's "best undefeated boxers" list and will put his "0" on the line against one of the greatest Mexican boxers in the sport. There were some hold-ups on the negotiating side for this match, so it should make for an interesting press conference.

I finally got a chance to watch Candyman (2021) directed by Nia DaCosta and produced and co-written by Jordan Peele. The film focuses on Anthony, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who is playing a character we have met before in the canon of the Candyman franchise. The film does a really good job of adding to an already well-established story that was unique when it came out in the 90s and does nothing to ruin the legacy of one of horror’s favorite hook-handed spirits of vengeance.  You cannot look at this new film without re-visiting the original 1992 film starring Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen. Back then, while telling a great horror story the film did a good job at looking at social issues back then. So, not only does this new addition do the same, it does a good job at reminding folks none of those issues have gone away.  The trailer already lets fans of the franchise know that Anthony is the same Anthony the titular character abducts in the original film, so we’re not spo...

BELLATOR MMA 264: Mousasi vs. Salter Main Card: Friday, August 13 – live on SHOWTIME 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT    Middleweight Title Bout: c-Gegard Mousasi (47-7-2) vs. #1-John Salter (18-4) Welterweight Bout: Andrey Koreshkov (23-4) vs. #10-Sabah Homasi (15-9) Bantamweight Bout: #3-Magomed Magomedov (18-1) vs. #4-Raufeon Stots (16-1) Heavyweight Bout: #7-Davion Franklin (3-0) vs. Everett Cummings (16-0, 1 NC) Middleweight Bout: Ty Gwerder (5-2) vs. Khadzhi Bestaev (10-4)   Preliminary Card: BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT   Women’s Featherweight Bout: Pam Sorenson (8-3) vs. Roberta Samad (5-1) Lightweight Bout: Justin Montalvo (2-0) vs. Kendly St Louis (3-4) 142-Pound Contract Weight Bout: Jeffrey Glossner (2-2) vs. Sebastian Ruiz (2-3) 195-Pound Contract Weight Bout: Orlando Mendoza (pro debut) vs. Jon McNeil (pro debut) Check out our MMA product recommendations thru our Amazon Affiliate link:

Mr. Inbetween aired on the FX Networks from 2018 to 2021. It's been a while since a show that aired on TV had me anxious for the next episode week to week. The last show that did that to me was Breaking Bad .  The final episode of Mr. Inbetween aired just this past Tuesday and I have probably replayed it three times already. If you're not familiar with the show, I'll describe it without spoiling it for you. The show focuses on Ray Shoesmith played by Scott Ryan. Shoesmith is a hitman in Australia who's known as "The Magician" in the Australian underworld. Why? Because he makes people disappear. While freelancing as a criminal, he also tries to juggle being a father to his daugher that he shares custody with ex-wife. That's where the "Inbetween" comes from.  The show is described as a "dark comedy-crime drama" but in seasons two and three, there's certainly more crime and drama than comedy, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Sho...

The Conjuring franchise's latest installment is due out this summer with part 3 entitled "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It."  The franchise has had a great financial backing tied along with the case files of Ed and Loraine Warren who are best known for bringing the Amityville Horror to light, as its source material. This one is based on the trial Arne Cheyenne Johnson who was accused of killing his landlord. His defense, you guessed it "The devil made me do it." Personally, I find The Conjuring franchise refreshing because it is sort of an original spin on "true stories" to make new films in a time where reboots and remakes seem all too normal. If you have not looked into the history of the Warren's you should, it could be some good foresight on what to expect from the franchise's future.  The Conjuring 3, or The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is due out this summer on June 4. Helps support the site by using the below Amazon affiliate...

Bellator 257 Prelims are available on the Bellator MMA YouTube Channel (above) and the Showtime Sports YouTube Channel. Be sure and watch the main card on SHOWTIME, Bellator's new home! See the full bout listing below: BELLATOR MMA 257: Nemkov vs. Davis 2 Main Card: SHOWTIME 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT    Light Heavyweight WGP Quarterfinal Bout: c-Vadim Nemkov (12-2) vs. #2-Phil Davis (22-5) Light Heavyweight WGP Quarterfinal Bout: #3-Corey Anderson (14-5) vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-5-1) 175-Pound Contract Weight Bout: Paul Daley (16-1) vs.  #8-Sabah Homasi (15-8) Flyweight Bout: #7-Veta Arteaga (5-4) vs. Desiree Yanez (5-2)   Preliminary Card: BELLATOR MMA YouTube Channel | SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel | Pluto TV 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT   Light Heavyweight Bout:#5-Julius Anglickas (9-1) vs. Gregory Milliard (12-5) Featherweight Bout: #1-Julia Budd (14-3) vs. Dayana Siilva (9-5) Heavyweight Bout: #7-Steve Mowry (8-0) vs. Shaun Asher (13-3-1) Welterweight Bout: Gra...

The Color Out of Space (2019) is a nice mix of John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) and Invaders From Mars (1986).  It's been a while since a horror flick got a review on here but I came across this gem after going down an H.P Lovecraft black hole. Looking for something new to distract me from the COVID-19 pandemic, I came across this film starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Richard Stanley.  This movie is a modern adaptation of Lovecraft's Colour Out of Space, which is the story of a meteorite crashing and infecting a whole town with madness and other weird things. With today's special effects, this movie does some pretty interesting things with the visuals and makes for a few pretty good jump scares along with some disturbing imagery. As for the acting, Cage is about as good as you would expect him in anything he's done lately. Whether or not you think that's good or bad, it works for this movie. But the true reason to watch is the directing and special effects...

Bellator MMA returns Friday night and as part of their move to SHOWTIME, the entire card can be viewed for free on their YouTube channel and SHO.com. Watch the ceremonial weigh-ins here:

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