Fight Clip Club

Conan O'Brien learns some stage combat ropes from Steven Ho, stunt coordinator. Hilariousness ensues. Thanks to Hulu for the clip and the image. Thanks to Scott M. for sending it along.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/77082/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien-steven-ho---stunt-coordinator

Steampunk Lightsaber

Found this on stellar blog Boing-Boing: it's a steampunk lightsaber. I actually agree with a couple of the comments below the post, in that it does look a little too techno to be truly steampunk. I'd think it would need a vaccuum tube or some gears or a tiny steam engine, or...something less advanced. But it does look super-cool, aesthetically. Check it out here, and see if you agree with me. ~Jenn

Erin Toughill Fights

Time Warp is one of Bonzuko's favorite shows these days. The premise is simple: they take cool things, and film them super-slowed-down. This reveals all sorts of cool scientific things about what they're filming--often their subjects are surprised! Recently they did an episode about big cats (mainly tigers) and MMA. Some of the things they said about martial arts were very interesting, especially when paired with the extraordinarily slowed-down action.

They asserted that “it’s precision of movement that wins a fight” and that Ms. Toughill (one of the fighters) uses her hips to generate force. The core, they said, is what makes movement powerful. However, when they did one sequence, I did call BS: Ms. Toughill punches an overweight volunteer crewmember in the stomach, and he's still standing pretty solid. Sure, she had boxing gloves on, but still: you're telling me that an experienced MMA fighter punches a non-experienced, non-fighter belly and...nothing? Hm.

Erin Toughill Fights

Trickster Power

I came across this link from good friend Ricky on facebook. This illustrates the very real power of the clown, even in today's society. And think about this--those clowns could have actually gotten hurt. Racist neo-Nazis aren't messing around with their hatred. Anyone know if there's a video of this event out there somewhere? I'd dearly love to see these clowns in action.


Check it out here. ~Jenn

Random Latin

magna cum laude
- with great praise.

~JAS

Sketch of the Day

Sketches based on ancient illustrations from a Japanese history book. ~Jenn

VoWoD

Today:



"Renewable bamboo flooring."
~Jason

Tonight's Exciting Event

Tonight is the last Friday of June, and so the BQC is holding the best party in town--Testing Night (with potluck after)! Come cheer on all levels of To Shin Do-ers as they attain new belts, uke for others, or as in Kim and Jenn's case, move ever closer to Black Belt status. It's a good time. Adults and youth begin their test at 6pm. To get you lovely lurkers excited, here's the highlight reel from last month's test (Jenn's bus demo not included):

More Lightsabers

Here's a partial rough draft lightsaber fight from class today. A sneak peek, if you will. Please to enjoy. ~Jenn

Colorado Bike to Work Day

Well of course that's every day for Team Bonzuko. That is, using bicycles, bus, and other alternative transportation to get where we need to go. We described this lifestyle a couple times before, so go peruse those posts and give yourself a minute of contemplation, and a little more exercise, today at least. Hey, who knows--maybe you'll get to like it!

And yes, the Bonzuko bicycle looks like this very often.

(Hey, wonder if Fat Tire wants to sponsor us...)

It's Officially Summer!

Though the Unbeatable Bonzuko Team normally want to find an ice cave and hibernate during the hot months of Colorado (I don't care if it's a "dry heat"--it's too much! Thank goodness we're not in Arizona), we would still like to cheerfully announce that yesterday was the first official day of summer, and we wish many poolside lemonades, watermelons, cookouts, and anything else that makes you happy about summer. To celebrate, here's a picture of the sun-bright hair of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in the upcoming Tim Burton Alice. Thanks to bitchy blog D-listed for posting the newly released pics.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, everyone! Enjoy this image of Bonzuko's Jenn, her Dad, and brother Jesse sometime in the '90s.

Random Latin

non compos mentis
- not of sound mind.

~JAS

Stunt Hero

When looking around online for the list of stunt drivers for the old cop show CHiPS, I came across this amazing bio and filmography. She is my newest hero: Debbie Evans. The link is to her imdb page. What a serious badass. Here's her homepage, it looks like it hasn't been updated in a while, but careful of your jaw dropping too hard when you read about her life of accomplishments in the stunt world. http://www.debbieevans.com/bio.htm

~Jenn

Fight Clip Club

More from the Advanced Stage Combat Class: Lightsabers. Look what a good video Jenn's phone takes! Video is Nate and Scott M. beginning choreography outside on the quad.

Black Belt Cloud

I just love word toys and language games. This new Word Cloud thing is delighting me no end. It's actually a good writer's tool as well, in that one can see which words one uses most often. This is the word cloud for my To Shin Do Black Belt essay and written exam, including the two addenda posted here on Daily Cross-Swords in the past. It's an unusual, interesting way to read.

~Jenn

Fight Clip Club

Found these Muppet fossils linked by stellar blog Boing-Boing. I've seen sketches of these in a Jim Henson art book and my Dad remembers them from his childhood TV, but I have never seen them until now. They're described as "shockingly violent" in the description on Boing-Boing. I actually think they're pretty classic little clowning jewels, clearly influenced by vaudeville and golden age Looney Tunes. Maybe seeing them all at once like this gets a little much. Can you see that this is Kermit's grandfather? :) ~Jenn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ky7g1lgTwc&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsuperpunch%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F2009%2F06%2Fshockingly%2Dviolent%2Dcoffee%2Dcommercials%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded

Images found by doing a Google Image search for "Wilkins" and "Kermit," respectively. Jim Henson was a genius.

Quote to Chuckle at

Evil Kneivel sed:

"Broken bones heal; pain is temporary; chicks dig scars."

Thanks to this site for the image.

Lightsaber class

Well we've been having lightsaber class now for a few Thursdays--the Advanced Stage Combat students have learned quite a few moves, and now today they were ready to start putting the movement "words" they've been practicing together into "sentences." The choreography has begun! Here's a sample: Boaz and Nick doing the drill with circular footwork.





Still image is Scott M. and Nate blurry with Jedi motion, from 6/18/09. Vid clip is Nick and Boaz doing the drill. So sorry you were mis-named at first publishing, fellas. Jenn's bad.

More Flying and Falling Folks

Just saw a spot for these guys this morning on The Deuce morning news--they're a local Parkour group that teach classes in Denver and Boulder and practice all over the place. It was lovely to see Jenn's former Stage Combat student Noah doing what he does best.

They're called Apex Movement, and they have a new website and YouTube page. Check em out! Here's their grand-opening video.

Image is Noah being lifted by Nate in a staff choke. Staff final fights, MSCD Stage Combat class Fall 2008.

Fight Clip club

One of the several Peter vs. Chicken fights from Family Guy. Somehow, when it's animated and one of the characters is a chicken, it just hits home how over-the-top many action film scenes can be.

Having "embed" issues, sorry. Here. ~Jenn

Image from this T-shirt site. Wow, what a tee this would be!

Today's Cloud

Thanks Wordle, for addictive wordplay! This cloud is from this blog as of today.

Fight Clip Club

A compilation I found on Vimeo, of Errol Flynn swordfights. Please to enjoy. ~Jenn



Thanks to Russ McClay on Vimeo.

Random Latin

ultima Thule
- utmost limit. The northern-most part of the habitable world was called Thule by the ancient Greeks.

~JAS

Random Sketch

30 Muppets Rock

Blogger Brian Lynch posits a believable and hilarious correlation between "30 Rock" and "The Muppet Show" which runs in the vein of Bonzuko's own celebrity comparisons ... with nearly academic authority! Check it [Lynch]

Ninja images

Found this on stellar blog boing-boing. Someone changed a No Entry sign into a Ninja Entry sign, which delighted me. I hereby re-post it for you, lovely lurkers. ~Jenn

Fight Clip Club

The trailer for the new Star Wars game. Mmmm, lightsaber fights.


Thanks to http://swtor.com/media/trailers/deceived-cinematic-trailer for this breathtaking trailer!

Cool Whips

This is a fun blog post from stellar blog Boing-Boing, about bullwhips. Specifically, the skill in using them and some of the best movie scenes involving them.

I remember way back when I was Geoffe Kent's SAFD teacher wing-man, and we did a lec-dem in an elementary school. Team Bonzuko does own a whip but I still can't crack it (maybe it's the giant flinching wince I do every time I try that's messing me up). Geoffe is a decent whip-cracker though, and he brought his along for this particular gig.

I was way on one end of the stage, and he was way on the other. Like, way far apart--way farther apart than the whip was long. He cracked it; I reacted as if it were a lash to the face. I thought there was no way it would look real--we were so far apart. Well, apparently it looked very real: the audience gasped and applauded when they saw my unmarked face. I needed to have more faith in stage perspective...

~Jenn

Thanks to bullwhip.net/appearances.html for image of whip, and www.aerospaceweb.org/.../history/q0217a.shtml for image of Indy.

Random Latin

modus vivendi
- manner of living; a temporary arrangement of affairs until disputed matters can be resolved.

~JAS

To be a single stick player

Check out this link from stellar blog boing-boing: http://www.boingboing.net/2009/06/06/how-to-defend-yourse.html

Sherlock Holmes definitely was a bad-ass. However, one should always get real historical education before one begins a new martial art school based on an "authentic" system. Martial arts systems are so organic and honestly influenced by everything around them.

Exit the Dragon ... or Han solo

"Man, you come right out of a comic book." - Williams, Enter the Dragon, referring to Shih Kien's character Han.

image courtesy: us.geocities.com/.../052Overview1Hist02E.htm

Han was the coolest movie villain. Who gave Bruce Lee those wicked claw scars across his ripped chest featured in so many posters and stills? Han did. In fact, you might even say that Han shot first, metaphorically.

image courtesy: www.dvdtown.com/.../4528
That island and his minions were better than those operated by any James Bond baddie. His man Bolo was downright scary. Han's freaky ole hand switchouts with blades, bearpaw, and whatnot ... someone really ought to make Enter the Dragon into a modern videogame.

Today we morn the passing of 96 year-old Shih Kien, who played Han in Bruce Lee's most widely recognized movie. Rest in peace.

Check the above link to Comcast where you can read more about his passing.

And wierd trivia: Kien's voice in Enter the Dragon was dubbed by Keye Luke ... many many film credits including Master Po from the tv show Kung Fu...
~Jason

Snatch the pebbles from my hand...

David Carradine - Rest in Peace.
According to news sources in Montana (link to story at KTVQ.com here), the portrayer of the original pacifistic badass from the wild west, Kwai Chang Caine, has passed away. He is gone on to reunite with Master Po in the ethereal Shaolin Temple of the heavens for his final stages of wisdom.
Of course many of you will remember Carradine best from his role as Bill in Kill Bill, but my most recent memory is having seen him in 1978's Circle of Iron - we just got it on Netflix a couple of weeks ago.
Check out imdb.com for details on his career and a cool quote from Carradine himself:
"If you cannot be a poet, be the poem." (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001016/bio)
(Photo courtesy imdb.com)
~Jason

Workout of the Week

Hey you lurkers, where have you been every Friday evening? If it wasn't at Ninja Fit class, read this article from the Daily Camera and feel ashamed! Team Bonzuko is proud of the praise Jenn received from Aimee Heckel of the Daily Camera, who reviewed her Ninja Fit class as the Workout of the Week. Many favorite quotes. Here's one:

"This is the only class I can honestly say I would ever do on a Friday after work, because it felt like an extension of happy hour -- literally, not with alcohol -- yet it's a great way to get in a workout before the night's debauchery."

Image is Jenn and Mary at the BQC: publicity shot for Ninja Fit.

Ninja Fit takes place Fridays* 5:45-6:45 at the Boulder Quest Center.

*Except the last Friday of the month, which is testing night.

Level Up!

Once again, Jenn has leveled up her ninja guy and has now achieved Brown-Black Belt in To-Shin Do. This means she's this close to a To Shin Do Black Belt. This close.

Highlights of the evening included:

• A priest who's also learning to be a ninja. I know! Does there need to be a movie, or what?
  
• Young Keegan levels his ninja guy up as well


• Jenn's demo takes place within the confined space of an RTD bus. Kim is extra-creepy as a weird fellow passenger, and we find that headphones are a pretty good kusari fundo


• Jenn and Kim are both injured, and yet kick ass nontheless. Think Yoda in Star Wars Episode 2. Hobble in, fight like a badass, hobble out. That's how ninjas roll.

Congratulations everyone, and thanks to our fans and ukes! And Marcus for manning Jenn's Blackberry! Images are from Jenn's demo. Don't it look like a bus?

Random Movement Pic

This is Bonzuko's own Jenn as Hippolyta in CSF's 2002 Midsummer. Yes, that dress is as big as it looks. And there are two layers of corsets. One of the very cool costume things about this was the wig--Jenn's long braid went through the back of the wig, which was perfectly matched by the excellent costume techs. The other cool costume thing were the quick changes. Can you imagine quick changing out of this into a fluorescent fairy costume?

Jason's wisdom of the day:

"You don't need glasses to eat soup."

Thursday's Exciting event

It's summer in the Boulder/Denver metro area! That means it's time again for the Advanced Stage Combat Class taught by Bonzuko's own Qui-Gon Jenn! Last summer was advanced unarmed and taihenjutsu (just check out the early days of this blog and you'll see the run-downs of that session). This year, the theme is:

LIGHTSABERS!

We'll learn the ins and outs of Jedi-dom (or Sith-dom if that's how you are), and will have a great time using the Force as well.

Anyone who has had a MSCD or SAFD stage combat class, or a Bonzuko or a BQC martial arts class is eligible to take this advanced techniques course! Emai Bonzuko or just show up if you fall into one of these categories. Price is $200 for the 8-week session, or $175 for BQC or MSCD Stage Combat club members.

Thursday the 4th of June is our first class meeting, and we'll be meeting at the picnic tables outside the PE building on Auraria campus. Go to http://www.mscd.edu/ to find the map if you're not familiar.

I look forward to a fun session!!! ~Jenn