Nissim: Back in the Studio!

Recreation of Nissim's glorious recording session.

Last night I took a trip over to my buddy Nissim's house. That house was our recording studio for many years. Groups like Legendary Discount Warriors, Perversion, the Go-Luckys, and many other fake bands were recorded in that house (plus TONS of solo Nissim songs). Brought back great memories. It's been about 5 years since we actually sat down and recorded together. It's like we never took any time off. Hit the ground running. We recorded 8 of the most ridiculous songs you will ever hear (including the theme to my next cartoon).  Really catchy stuff. One session. Lots of laughs. Nissim is not only a super-talented singer and personality, he's one of my best friends. You'll be hearing the results soon and you will curse me because Nissim's voice will be stuck in your head forever!

Actors Reporter interview

Click on the pic to see the interview!

Yup the media blitz continues. Here is the footage from the Stinkin' Badges show where we were interviewed by the Actors Reporter. Good times...Enjoy!

Mail Bag: Neil Segura

Recently, we got an correspondence from Neil Segura, Forever Freshman creator (and a fan of all things Ghettomation). Neil had this to say about the We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges animation fest:

Monkey Mod intro was RAD, can't wait to see more. Bobby Churro has reset the bar for Jim, such a heartfelt story. Citizen Sanchez made me laugh out loud, I agree with Jim when he says that this will be the big one for you Raul. Bill Plympton's short hit a primal nerve in such an effortless way.

I enjoyed all the shorts, but Dominic Polcino's "Lovesick Fool" stood out the most for me. I love the dark humor, and self deprication. My heart dropped when he was talking to that girl in the video store. I got a chance to talk with him and buy his comics. Cool guy.

I think I will inevitably be drawn to doing animation. Jim explained to me once it was the best way to combine all the things he loves, drawing, music, and storytelling. That's sounding pretty good.

Thanks for the inspiration!

-Neil Segura

Thanks for going to the show and giving us the kind words. Neil., you are one of the good guys!

CHECK OUT NEIL'S FORVER FRESHMAN BLOG HERE

Mr. TV Bigtime

I was interviewed by Time/Warner Cable TV in Hollywood for a piece on indie animators and the local indie animation scene. The interviewer, Ben, was the nicest guy. He interviewed me along with Raul Aguirre, jr, Ken Mora, and Steve/Dahveed from Supa Pirate Booty Hunt. We were standing near the corner of Cahuenga/Santa Monica. Right by Kevin Smith's Smodcast theater. It was a pretty easy going interview. Ben asked me about my cartoons and the style and I spouted clever retorts a' plenty. I think they will be showing clips from Bobby Churro. Good times. I'll let you know when the interview winds up online or on TMZ.

NEW DVD!! FLIGHT O' FREAKS!!

NEW DVD FOR SALE!

This is your captain speaking...thank you for flying the freaky skies... Your on board entertainment is...my new DVD! That's right, I have a brand new collection out now called FLIGHT O' FREAKS! Seven of my latest and greatest cartoons PLUS you get the bonus "SHORTIES" collection, which showcases TEN of my short cartoons...thats SEVENTEEN CARTOONS!! What a deal! Check this out- all for $12.00! Yup..You pay NO SHIPPING!! You can have Freakdaddy and Bobby Churro in your home for breakfast and the Swizelstik Army for dinner. You get some of my classic cartoons NEVER BEFORE ON DVD! Hurry, catch that flight and get a window seat to some good ol' Ghettomation freakiness!

DVD contains:

FREAKDADDY

THE LEGEND of BOBBY CHURRO

THE COUGAR and the CUB

MARCH of the SWIZELSTIK ARMY

COME TO DADDY

NO SHOES, NO SHIRT, NO SERVICE

ROTTEN TEENAGERS  

PLUS...

Bonus "SHORTIES" collection (10 short toons!)

ORDER BELOW!!

Watch the commercial!

Shock Tantrum

Shock Tantrum rocks. I think my favorite song by them is "Baby Wipes".

Ghettomation #19: WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' BADGES!

Raul and myself tell Kevin Cross all about the weekend's "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges" indie animation fest which we both played at. A rundown of each animator.

STINKIN' BADGES Show Photos!

Where do I begin? Last night the "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges" animation show went off at GEEKS Comics in Whittier. It was a huge success. I think it was the biggest and most well received show we've done yet. The media was there...and by the media I mean a really pretty woman interviewing us. I'll let you know when the footage is online.

The pre-show mixer was a hit. It even went over-time. The show started a little bit late because we had so many people mingling. That was a good thing. Thanks to everyone who hung out and made the show such a good time. I think a lot of new friends were made this night.

What can I say about our emcee Raul Aguirre, Jr? Comedy genius, that's what!! He really kept the show flowing and brought the big time funny with his banter. He came out decked out in his Mexican Revolutionary gear and gave a rousing speech about do it yourself indie animation. Awesome. It'll be on YouTube soon. His Citizen Sanchez shorts totally floored the crowd. People laughed hysterically. Raul, you did us proud!

And of course, we had the ladies...our ladies. I was soooo happy my beautiful wife Leann (left) was there. It makes these events infinity better for me having her there. That's what it's all about. The fact that she arrived right after that good looking lady interviewed me was just a coincidence.  :) 

Ted Seko, super-artist, made his public animation debut!! Yes, the king of the super monsters rocked the crowd with his Super Monsters Cartoon Show. His style really stood out and showed off Ted's uniqueness and his mastery of the action figure. Funny and cool. I'm so proud of you, Ted. You totally deserve it! Check out Ted's clip here!

A packed house. Every seat was full and we had standing room only. Lots of folks I had never met before. It was really nice seeing old friends and family, too. These animation shows are becoming a great exuse for socializing (and you get to see some cool toons, too). I heard from several attendees that this was the best show so far. I ran the DVD projector and it was a flawless machine, (thanks NUVEIN).Without Nuvein, this show literally could'nt happen.

The Legend of Bobby Churro made it's public audience debut at the show. I was very happy with the reception. A few of my friends told me this has become their favorite cartoon of mine. I think it's one of mine too. It's silly but has some heart. Its finding a pretty wide audience too...boxing fans AND cartoon fans. My Brother Bob did a great job voicing Churro and singing the theme song.

 

Speaking of debuts; My good buddy Jose Cabrera made his animation debut at Stinkin' Badges. He showed a mix of his Crying Macho Man gags (which I helped voice). Very old school vaudville style jokes....rapid fire...pure comedy! It was a smash! He really nailed the humor and the audience dug his short. Very proud moment for my friend. Well done!

I made a new buddy that evening. Dominic Polcino. He's worked on the Simpsons and Family Guy. His own animation is BRILLIANT! So good it helped this fest shine! Lovesick Fool is his own creation and it just works. Period. Again, I highly recommend you check his stuff out. I hope he is involved in our future shows. I think he will be. He seemed to have a good time.

And there they are....the evening's animators (the ones in attendance).
(L-R) Dominic Polcino, Raul Aguirre jr, Gras Rodriguez, Jim Lujan, Steve Sievers, Jose Cabrera, Ted Seko, and Ken Mora

Again, thaks to everyone that came out and thanks to GEEKS and NUVEIN for helping to make this happen.  We didn't need any stinkin' badges, but we sure needed all of your support!

-Jim

Reminder: Tomorrow night- Animation Show @ Geeks!

Hope to see you all there tomorrow night at 7:00 pm at GEEKS for the "WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' BADGES" animations show. There will be some free snacks and beverages during the free mixer. I'm going to be showing my "Legend of Bobby Churro" cartoon. Come rub elbows the animators themselves and see some really cool unique cartoons! FREE!

Saturday - Jan 22nd @ 7:00 pm

GEEKS COMICS

6747 Greenleaf Ave Suite A
Whittier, CA

Interview at MaxBoxing.com

click image to read interview

As some of you know, I am a huge fan of boxing. I especially enjoy the old school fighters. By old school, I mean 80's and 90's. Yup. I'm talking Iron Mike and scary Bert Cooper. I'm talking the human punching bag Doug Dewitt and Real Deal Holyfield when he had hair. I grew up on boxing and my dad and I would catch it whenever it was on free TV. Yes, youngsters, boxing USED to be free on TV. That's another story for another time. One of the boxing sites that I really enjoy is MaxBoxing.com. Boxing news and reviews at its finest. Coyote Duran is the managing editor over there and is funny AND a really talented writer. It just happens that he is an artist as well. He did a really cool piece on my Bobby Churro cartoon and makes me sound....well....too legit to quit (thanks Hammer). Thanks Coyote and thanks MaxBoxing!

READ THE INTERVIEW HERE

The Reviews Are In(sane)!

Bobby Churro film poster

 Here are just a few of the reviews The Legend of Bobby Churro has received:

"Amazing!!!! haha... I love it!" 

-Jim Mahfood, Indie comic book rockstar legend

"A worthy contender to RAGING BULL & ROCKY!!'

-Javier Hernandez, Creator of El Muerto and other strange things

"Dude, honestly...that was one COOL video! Very loose and fun!"
-Coyote Duran, MaxBoxing.com

"Rich atmosphere, always a cool surprise like "little man" love the  characters and their relationships." -Ken Mora, BellaFe Films mogul

"So well made, I had to watch it repeatedly!"

-Gonzalexx, Puerto Rico in the house

"Bobby Churro is the mannnnn..." 

-Drewtoonz, North Shore Cartoon Stud

 "I'm taking my cholesterol medicine... LMAO!"

- Raul Aguirre Jr, Animation Guru extreme

" Dripping with atmosphere!"

- Sherm Cohen, Storyboard maestro extraordinaire

"Great Ghettomation! A boxing epic! Beautiful stuff!" 

- Ted Seko, Father of the Super Monsters

"Nice smooth storytelling from scene to scene"

- Dan Burke the web's most beloved guy 

"Bobby Churro's story is epic!" 

-Jackalzweb, Internet fan with great taste

"I wanna fly!!" 

- Gerimi Burliegh, Wildman and comic book creator

"***** Five friggin' stars!"
-Jim Lujan, creator of the film 

The critics all agree....Bobby Churro is this year's feel good hit of the pre-spring summer! Tell a friend !

The LEGEND of BOBBY CHURRO

The LEGEND of BOBBY CHURRO

Art/Voices/Music... Jim Lujan

Bobby Churro....Bob Lujan

Enrique "El Puerto Muerto" Diaz...Javier Hernandez

Theme song by Jim Lujan/Performed by Bob Lujan

Theme from Bobby Churro

Here you go, my fine friends...the theme song for my upcoming cartoon "The Legend of Bobby Churro". Vocals by Bobby L himself (Bob Lujan).  Bob also does the voice for Bobby Churro.

Theme from Bobby Churro (mp3)

Press release: WE DONT NEED NO STINKIN' BADGES!

"We ain't waiting for Hollywood to deputize us! Badges?! We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges!"

“WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ BADGES” - INDIE ANIMATORS TAKE HOLLYWOOD’S REINS

[WHITTIER, CA] Twice Oscar-nominated, indie animator Bill Plympton will headline a FREE showcase of rebel animators with his Academy Award short-listed film “The Cow Who Wanted to be a Hamburger.” On January 22, 2011 at ‘Geeks’ a comic shop in Whittier, CA will host the event sponsored by the Nuvein Foundation.

Plympton, also on this year’s Oscar short-list for his feature “Idiots and Angels” had little industry support when he hung up his spurs as syndicated cartoonist, declined to be roped in by Hollywood animation mills, and forged new trails after producing the Oscar nominated short “Your Face” in 1987. Now he shares the trails he blazed with "outlaw" animators who have looked to him for inspiration.

Of the show’s coordinator, Plympton states “I love [Jim Lujan’s] shorts. Great soundtrack and character design and wicked humor.” Lujan himself describes the show as “A band of rebel animators who ride into town armed with a ‘do it yourself’ spirit.”


Geeks comic shop, 6747 Greenleaf Ave. in Whittier, will host the event. The Nuvein Foundation of San Gabriel Valley will sponsor. The Nuvein Foundation's mission is to raise scholarship funds for students and professionals in the arts, and showcases art via community performances and educational programs.

Shorts will range from the cut-out style of Grasiela Lopez to the mature Saturday-morning-satire of the Steven Sievers/David Kolodny-Nagy team to Ken Mora’s computer-animated spoof of ‘Dirty Harry‘ films, along with industry mavericks like Dominic Polcino (director of The Simpsons and Family Guy), Disney veteran Raul Aguirre Jr. who will create a short especially for this show, and object-animator PES, plus surprise guests.

A pre-show mixer, with refreshments, is open to the public at 7:00 pm with screenings to start promptly at 7:30. This show's content is recommended for teens and adults.

Limited priority seating is available for Press and Industry at "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges." RSVP to Jim Lujan at jimlujan@gmail.com