Wine Guys: Adrian Paul & Kurt Russell

I don't know how it happened but I've been wine tasting twice in the last few weeks. First it was in Malibu at the Wine Safari where you hang out with animals like horses, llamas and a giraffe then at Disney California Adventure Park during their Food and Wine Festival. April continues to be the time to get wine'd up as this Sunday, 4.10 at the Lorimar Winery in Temecula you can learn how to use a sword AND taste wines at Adrian Paul's The Sword Experience. Paul of course was the star of the hit syndicated show Highlander and starred in two feature films as Duncan MacCleod, cousin to Christopher Lambert's Connor. Living through the centuries as an immortal who battles others like him with decapitation as the only way to kill them. With the removal of the head comes the absorption of knowledge set to lightning and rain with a blaring rock soundtrack. For $350 bones, you can train with Paul for 4.5 hours while enjoying breakfast and lunch, a photo with the star and teacher, complimentary wine tasting and a free club membership. If that weren't enough, there's live music afterwards. Paul is taking The Sword Experience on the road, hitting Chicago, Houston, London, Stuttgart and Minneapolis to meet the fans and support his charity, The Peace Fund, which aims to Protect, Educate and Aid Children Everywhere.

Next Saturday, 4.16 at California Adventure Park you can meet movie legend Kurt Russell and hear him discuss his awesome career and passion for wine making. Apparently the star of Escape From New York, Big Trouble In Little China, Tombstone and Tango & Cash fell in love with the fermented drink while shooting Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof in wine country. Since then, the apprentice winemaker has created small batch boutique label Gogi that offers Goldie Chardonnay and Tiger Pinot Noir. I picked up a bottle of Tiger last weekend and can't wait to crack it open with friends on Friday night. For $199 you can kick back with Russell in the advertised informal 90 minute get-together. Through May you can attend demonstrations and meet the likes of Robert Irvine and Guy Fieri.

Snow Screen: Hail, Caesar!

It was back to Hollywood Thursday night for a screening of new Coens brother flick Hail, Caesar! A premiere for new action flick, Vigilante Diaries, starring Michael Jai White, Jason Mewes and Michael Madsen was being set up and we munched on delicious nachos, fries and sammiches at the cafe. Star studded affair Caesar! centers on President of Physical Production and fixer Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin, who is crazy, hilarious, weird and slightly menacing in interviews) who balances big budget prestige pictures, out of line actors, job offers, a kidnapping plot with a secret society, trying to change an actor's image and legality of adopting your own child. George Clooney plays booze and lady hound actor Baird Whitlock who is drugged and snatched from the set and taken to a beautiful seaside palatial estate where he becomes chummy with his snatchers. The film employs stars galore in bit parts from a funny and well used Ralph Fiennes as a pretentious director, Alden Ehrenreich as a likable western star being dropped into a classy drama, Scarlett Johansson talks tough and smokes as a screen queen needing an image boost, Channing Tatum sings and dances while Tilda Swinton plays rival twin gossip writers. Genre fans' interest piqued when action icon Dolph Lundgren was lined up to play a Submarine Commander while Highlander stars Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown were also among the cast. Sadly Lundgren's role was completely cut out but hopefully his two days on set working with the Coens, cinematographer Roger Deakins and young gun Channing Tatum was a positive experience and he had fun at the premiere.

Like their previous comedic efforts I've seen like The Big Lebowski or O Brother, Where Art Thou? Caesar! is amusing if not laugh out loud funny. Like their previous films, the subtle sense of humor requires multiple viewings and time to percolate and I'm sure will be quoted years down the road. The Arclight's Cinerama Dome has a fancy new laser projector and the picture was incredibly clear. As in, people be looking old, clear. IMDB says Deakins shot the movie on film but it looked very digital and a bit fake outside the studio scenes with everything looking I'm guessing intentionally staged and created versus on location with depth and a touch of grain or grit. I was surprised at how little advertised "stars" appeared in the film as most have a quick scene or two if they're lucky. This is really Brolin, then Clooney and Ehrenreich's movie. It was nice to see Lambert on the big screen and he did the patented "heh heh heh" Christopher Lambert laugh. Hopefully Dolph's scenes end up on the Blu-Ray. Until next time, throw in a mirthless chuckle.

(Rough)Con-Man: Calgary Expo Friday

Coming at you live from beautiful, clean and crisp Calgary, Alberta Canada where cash doesn't tear, has holograms in it, the change is made from metal, the chocolate is real and delicious, people are super nice and don't honk in traffic and home to one heck of a show, the Calgary Expo.  Going on I believe it's 9th year, CE welcomes roughly 60,000 attendees over 4 days of programming.  It's held at the vast Stampede grounds next to the hockey rink for the Calgary Flames and site of a massive rodeo competition. When horses aren't in season it's host to huge events like the Expo.

It's a bit jarring as there's nothing super close to the Stampede besides a casino and train station.  The surrounding area is under heavy construction so you feel a bit remote upon entering.  Like Seattle's Emerald City Comicon, CE is spread out across its site so you have to make friends with the guide and map. There was badge pick up in the Grandstand then kids attractions in a tented pavilion, food trucks and giant balloons outside, the Boyce theater and stadium Corral for panels, Big Four building for vendors and food then the main hall BMO for a huge variety of exhibitors then yet another small section Palamino for autographs and more swag.  Phew!

I saw on Facebook that Michael and Jennifer Blanc Biehn flew out Thursday so we weren't going to be sharing a flight like Seattle, sadly.  Kim Coates and Mark Boone Junior from Sons of Anarchy, Barry Bostwick and Ricco Ross from Aliens were on board though.  Customs was a breeze and the officer told my lady that Lance Henriksen arrived the day before.  Our Con hotel this time is the lovely Sheraton eau Claire in downtown Calgary next to the river and starting point of CE's huge cosplay parade.  Anthony Daniels, the Sons of Anarchy and The Hobbit crews rode up front as hundreds of costumed con goers walked the streets up to the Stampede.

The show itself was a lot of fun but since we weren't staying nearby meant we were at the show for its duration as we were attending an event that evening.  8 hours of walking the floors, viewing panels and eating hot dogs gets a bit exhausting.  I underestimated the power of Adrian Paul and Highlander as the panel filled to capacity before we arrived.  A panel on Mark Rolston and Jeanette Goldstein was great as they reminisced on their time working on Aliens, with Jim Cameron and other roles in things like The Shawshank Redemption and Near Dark.  Co-star Henriksen came up for his deep method acting style and the only person Rolston ever saw give driven and genius writer/director Cameron shit on set, in a professional, for the good of the movie, sense.  I asked if they were surprised at being invited to conventions which Goldstein stated gave her anxiety at first but loves them and Rolston recently traveled to Australia and New Zealand so it wasn't a bad gig.

Next up was Bill Paxton who we saw last week at WonderCon.  Calgary marked his first professional signing and said his wife, accountant and children thanked us.  Rumor was God was charging $80 bucks to a pop to sign and hang out.  That's Richard Dean Anderson money!  His spotlight panel was hilarious and heartfelt as he talked about meeting James Cameron, his reaction to hearing the synopsis to The Terminator, Kevin Jarre's massive and detailed contribution to Tombstone, working on Apollo 13, viewing it at the White House and urinating in between Bill Clinton and Tom Hanx.  Great times.  They didn't announce where to go for questions so I missed out on asking what the making of Navy SEALs was like and if he made people call him by character nick name God during production.

To end the evening there was a separate event dubbed Middle Earth EXPOsed that was half tribute to WETA CEO Richard Taylor and half variety show featuring cast members from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.  It was laughs galore as the cast reminisced then partook in sword play lessons, sang for the audience and did some improv skits. Unannounced video tributes from Peter Jackson and Richard Armitage put the spotlight on Taylor who was on side stage making a radio contest winner up into an Orc through prosthetics, make up and costume.  The seats are small and cramped together in the Corral but it was a very fun event.

Tonight is Aliens EXPOsed with the biggest reunion of cast since they shot the film in 1986. Before that, some sight seeing and grubbing is on the agenda but I just looked outside and it's freaking snowing.  Oh Canada...

Workout of the Day: Comic-Con'do Edition II

It was a low key Comic-Con for me this year.  No way was I going to wake up at 4:00AM to get in line for Hall H.  Instead I found myself watching a marathon of Highlander on SyFy and hitting the gym for a day of Back and Triceps.  It was a typical superset affair, which is one exercise for Back then one for Triceps with no rest.  You move through your workout faster and your muscles get an alternate pump with each set.

1)  Wide Grip Chin Up/Bench Dip x 10-12/25 reps x 3 Sets
2)  Low Cable Row/Straight Bar Pushdown x 12/12 reps x 3 Sets
3)  Stiff Arm Pulldown/Lying Dumbbell Extension x 12/12 reps x 3 Sets

4)  Crunches/Hyper extensions on Swiss ball for abs and lower back.

One of the most common complaints people have is lower back pain.  They always confirm training abs but never train their back.  Then a light comes on that only training one side of your body makes it pull forward, stressing the back.  Foreheads...

5)  15 minutes on stationary bike while reading Con schedule

I was cleaned up and at the San Diego Convention Center by Noon where I saw Highlander star Adrian Paul signing autographs.  The line was pretty long on my first pass but coming back later there was a break and I got to meet him briefly and ask him about Dead Men Can't Dance, a little action flick he did in 1997 with Michael Biehn.

Maybe I should have told him I write for Dammaged Goods and went for a full interview...

Here's JCVD himself supersetting Chest and Back: