A tip of the hat ...

... to my good friend Hydra. He helped put together The Ark II, providing a ton of models and fact-checking all my assertions about continuities that I wasn't 100% conversant with.  He's also helping out a bit with the Almanac II, so thanks for that!

Anyway, Hydra one of those really interesting people who I feel fortunate to have in my life. He's a permanent resident of Japan, where he stars in film and television.  He's figuratively (and literally - the man is over 6'5) Big in Japan.  He sent me an awesome photo that I wanted to share, depicting him coincidentally bumping into and advertisement featuring himself when out with his girlfriend's family.  Good timing!

So, congratulations on all your success, Hydra! 

And, for some Transformers news, I just learned that I have a bit more time to work on the Alamanc, so I should also have a bit more time for blogging.  Expect more reviews soon!

Finally, my pals over at the moonbase2 podcast scored an interview with Townsend Coleman, the voice of Sentinel Prime, The Tick, Michelangelo, and Must See TV. The man is an all-around class-act, and gives two hours of his time to these gentlemen.  He's insightful, friendly and gives a might "SPOOOOOOOOON!!!!!," so give it a listen. Pay attention at the one hour and eighteen minute (or so) mark.

Killer Virgin Road

I've recently found out that a good friend of mine, a gentleman who goes by Hydra, is going to be playing a fairly important part in a new film in theaters in Japan called Killer Virgin Road. Hydra supplies me (and a lot of the rest of the western fandom) with Japanese-exclusives, especially the hard-to-find convention stuff. He also helped me with my research for The Ark II and even wrote the foreword to the book. What most of you probably don't know is that he's one of the hosts of a segment on TV where new restaurants and destinations are explored. As far as I know, this his his first foray into the world of film.

Killer Virgin Road is a dark comedy about a loser who nevertheless manages to snag the man of her dreams. There's only one hitch - she accidentally kills her landlord the night before the wedding. What ensues is a farce as she attempts to hide the body in more and more ludicrous situations. Hydra plays one of a pair of mysterious hitmen who put Tabasco on EVERYTHING they eat. Hey, you can even see the Tobasco in the movie poster.

Check out the movie's official site at http://www.kvr-movie.com/top.html and if you happen to find yourself in the land of the rising sun, be sure to give the movie a watch. Congratulations, Hydra!