Hey Abbott!

My good pal Scott Essman over at Universal Studios posted this fantastic Abbott and Costello animation on Youtube. Scott spearheaded this creation, writing, directing and producing it.

Scott is my choice for Monsterkid of the Year in the Rondo Awards - Scott has consistently pushed the classic monster genre year after year, both in his job there at Universal as well as his personal pet projects, such as this. Check it out, and take a look at some of Scott's other videos on youtube and you'll understand why he's my choice for Monster Kid of the Year!

Monster Kid Cartoon

My pal Scott Essman from Universal has spearheaded a pilot of a new animated series that should be near and dear to my viewers. It is a monster kid cartoon, with youngster versions of the classic monsters - the writer on this is Joseph Fotinos, aka horror host Professor Griffin from Texas. We wish them the best of luck with this, and hopefully we'll see it on the scarewaves soon. Check it out below:

Jack Pierce Deserves a Star

I received word today of another campaign to grant a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, and this one is much more deserving than some of late (see my previous post about this topic). This time the proposed star would honor make-up legend Jack Pierce, someone who had a huge hand in shaping the horror landscape as we know it today. Pierce created some truly iconic makeup designs, from Chaney's Wolfman to Karloff's Monster and many more. Universal owes a debt of gratitude to Jack Pierce, and there is a proposed campaign to make this happen.



Spearheading the effort is Scott Essman, who is a Jack Pierce expert, and in fact produced a documentary on Pierce that Universal will include in the soon to be released DVD of THE MUMMY. Universal came close to following through on raising funds for a star in the past, but for various reasons something has always arisen that was a “higher priority” for the Publicity department, and the money earmarked for Pierce’s star was shifted to other purposes.

Scott has offered a solution to raise the money for this star and is presenting it to Universal. Whatever the price set for the new MUMMY DVD, he suggests Universal increase the amount by $1.00, and earmark these funds for the well-deserved recognition of Jack Pierce. This would allow fans to show their appreciation for Pierce and the star would be funded by proceeds from a film that contains not one but TWO Pierce masterpieces – what could be more perfect?

So Universal, how about it? Without the artistry of Jack Pierce, Universal as we know it would not in all probability exist today. It’s time to say thank you to Jack. It’s time he had a star. (For more information, please go to http://www.jackpierce.com/, Scott Essman’s website.)

75th Anniversary of THE MUMMY

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal classic THE MUMMY, a special Jack Pierce tribute will soon be released on dvd. The tribute was taped on October 20, 2007, and hosted by horror host Ivonna Cadaver. It included a recreation of the Im Ho Tep mummy makeup, as well as a portrayal of legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce himself. Ivonna Cadaver introduced Jack Pierce, the Mummy, and told the history of the Universal film.

The final dvd will also include a video interview with Sara Karloff, segments from Conor Timmis' Kreating Karloff documentary, as well as segments from Scott Essman's Jack Pierce Tribute from June of 2000.

More info coming soon!