An Interview With Former Wrestler ‘The Patriot’ Del Wilkes

It’s time for another interview on http://www.skatronixxx.com ! This one really excited me, this is someone who I grew up watching on tv, when I was younger, so when I offered him the chance of an interview and he said yes, I literally fell off my sofa.

As you know I started a Wrestling & UFC section on the site and reached out to various wrestlers, who I remembered seeing on tv when I was younger. As I thought an interview with someone who’s graced the squared circle would be an awesome launch pad for the section. Plus it would give todays younger fans a chance to learn more about the legends of the golden era of wrestling aka the 1990’s.

Del agreed to an interview and I’ve gotten to know him, and would say he is an awesome guy, who shoots straight from the hip and is not afraid to mince his words. He actually reminds me of myself in a lot of ways.

But that’s enough spoilers from me, let’s find out about the man behind the mask!

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1) How did you get into wrestling?

After college football and two attempts in the NFL,  I decided to give pro-wrestling a shot. A buddy of mine that had graduated from The Citadel went with me to a wrestling school in my hometown of Columbia, S.C. We paid our $1,500 and embarked on our career’s as wrestlers.

2) You are more widely known to wrestling fans as ‘The Patriot’ how did this idea come about?

The Patriot idea came from Joe Pedicino and Bill Edie. They were booking talent for the GWF, which was an upstart company that was on ESPN Monday-Friday at 4p.m. The U.S. Military had gone to war with Iraq, and they thought a patriotic character in wrestling could really get over with the fans, thus the birth of The Patriot.

3) Is it true you were trained by wrestling legends Verne Gagne and Fabulous Moolah? If so what was it like training under such stars and do you have any interesting stories?

Moolah’s school was where I was trained. The school was really geared for women wrestlers, but at least I was able to learn the basics of wrestling. Didn’t actually train under Verne Gagne, but he gave me my first big break in the business by bringing me to the AWA and putting me on ESPN as The Trooper.

4) I remember you watching you on TV when I was young as part of the tag team ‘Stars and Stripes’ in WCW, what was it like being in a tag team with Buff ‘The Stuff’ Bagwell?

I had known Bagwell since our GWF days when he worked as The Handsome Stranger. Marcus is a great guy,and our time in WCW together as Stars and Stripes was very rewarding. On two occasions we were WCW tag team champions. After the arrival of Hulk Hogan in WCW,the focus of the company was now all about Hogan and his buddies. I felt like Marcus and I were just not in the plans, so I left the company and went back to All Japan Pro Wrestling Co.

5) Later in your career you wrestled in the WWF (now WWE) where when you debuted you were immediately put into a feud with Bret Hart. What was it like being inserted into such a high profile feud upon your arrival?

My entering the WWF couldn’t have been better timing. Bret Hart was now the top heel in the company and was on this anti American campaign, and along comes The Patriot. It fit like a glove. Really enjoyed working with Bret, he is a legend and a true pro in every sense of the word. Great angle between the two of us with some awesome matches that the fans really got behind.

6) You retired from wrestling when you suffered a broken collarbone, how did you find it transitioning from life on the road to a more 9 to 5 lifestyle.

My career actually ended because of a very serious tricep and knee injury. As a result of these devastating injuries, I was unable to continue to wrestle. It was very tough to have my career come to a sudden halt.

7) Do you watch any wrestling shows these days, if so what ones and which wrestler impresses you the most?

I watch some of the current product, but do not like what I see. I very much respect the men and women that are performing today, but not what they are asked to do. They cant even do a heart felt promo. It is all scripted for them and that’s a shame.

8) What can we expect to see from you in the 2016?

The year 2016 is off to a great start. My daughter just gave birth to my first grandchild. A beautiful baby girl born on Feb. 20th. Her name is Abigail, and I am so proud to be her granddaddy. I have a wonderful wife, Cathy, that helps with my bookings and website, which by the way is www.DelThePatriotWilkes.com. Fans can purchase my documentary there along with pictures, mask,shirts and cards. They can also track my appearances at the website.

9) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself that they may not already know?

Fun fact about me is that I love following politics, history, current events and I am scared to death of roaches, lizards and rodents.

10) Finally what advice would you have for an upcoming wrestler?

My advice for upcoming wrestlers is to take care of and protect your body, it is your money maker!! Treat it well. Also take your career seriously, it is not about the party. Being a pro-wrestler is an honor therefore honor the business.

The Patriot, Del Wilkes.

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There we are readers, Del Wilkes aka The Patriot. Don’t be shy, go say hi and tell him ‘Skatronixxx sent me’. He’s on twitter as http://www.twitter.com/delwilkes .

An Interview With The Newest Member Of Skatronixxx.Com ValiantAngel25

Due to the recent expansion of http://www.skatronixxx.com we had several vacancies for additional people to join our ‘Merry Band Of Misfits’, one of these was for a GAMES REVIEWER.

Matt was recommended to me by our resident vlogger Aly aka The Little Librarian, so I decided to give him a shot. I was impressed by not only his writing style but also gaming knowledge and I am pleased to have added Matt to the team.

Let’s  find out more about him below!

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1) How did you get into writing, and what can we expect to see from you on http://www.skatronixxx.com ?

I’ve been writing for quite some time. In 8th grade, my teacher gave us an assignment to write creatively and use as much description and detail as possible. When I submitted mine for review, she raved at my use of narrative and greatly encouraged my continued writing. Since then, I achieved my degree in Medieval European History and occasionally write a short story or poem when the mood strikes.

2) Do you have any interests or hidden talents outside of blogging? For example are you a secret jewel thief or ninja samurai warrior?

My hobbies include playing Raven Guard on the tabletop in games of Warhammer 40,000, writing stories, running my bi-weekly Pathfinder game for my hopeless players to enjoy, and experiencing a wide variety of video games in their numberless genres!

3) What’s your top 3 fandoms? For example mine are Doctor Who, Ghostbusters and anything to do with Captain America (he’s like me but American!) Language!!!

Fandoms have a unique trait; men and women from all walks of life can join a fandom and share similar interests when he or she could not have done so anywhere else. To this end, I adore the Warhammer 40,000, the tabletop roleplaying, and many video game fandoms (I really don’t think I could choose one).

4) What’s the most famous celeb you have met? For example I’ve met Jason Momoa, Danny Glover, Lou Ferrigno and Ernie Hudson. How about you?​​

Unfortunately, I haven’t met any famous celebrities. I would, however, like to change this.

5) If a film was made of your life, who would play you and what would the film called?

No one wants a film made about my life. We would call it ‘Boring Nerd Decides to Write.’ Alternatively, if we did make a movie about my life, I would demand that Vin Diesel star as me just so I could meet him.

6) Ghostbusters remake, will it surprise us or disappoint us?

I am cautiously optimistic about the Ghostbusters remake. Though I do not hold the same passion for the first movie that others do, I still greatly enjoyed it and would like to see this remake succeed.

7) What’s better Star Trek or Star Wars?

Star Wars. Sorry my Trekky friends.

8) Who’s your favourite Doctor Who and why?

I actually don’t watch Doctor Who.

9) Have you got any goals for 2016?

My goals for 2016 involve finishing the book I’m writing, finding a better job, and getting more involved in the writing community through the wonderful Skatronixxx.com!

10) Finally it’s time for the ultimate question! If you had to pick one and you couldn’t have the other ever again, what would you pick, bacon, cheese or time travel?

Time travel. Bacon and cheese compliment my pallet incredibly well, but to have the incredible ability to traverse through time and see how the world existed in the past and how it can progress into the future utterly astounds me. Such a vast power could give one man or woman the unique honor of actually watching history unfold.

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So here we are, our games reviewer @valiantangel25 welcome to the gang Matt !

An Interview With Actress Robin Shelby (Slimer)

It’s time for another interview, this time it’s with Hollywood Royalty YES Holloywood Royalty! The one and only actress Robin Shelby. Robin is best known to us as Slimer, yes Slimer, from the Ghostbusters franchise. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I am a HUGE Ghostbusters fan. So this is a massive coup for the site, and I am so happy to say that I can count on Robin as another celeb member of the #SkatFamily !

Although I am a huge Ghostbusters fan, I wanted to give Robin the chance to talk about herself, her past, present and future. Let’s find out more about the incredibly nice actress that is Robin Shelby 🙂

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1) How did you get into acting?

I started doing children’s theatre in Northern California when I was about 11.  My first role was…wait for it…a Munchkin in ‘The Wizard Of Oz’.  I was hooked from that moment on.  By the time I was 16, I was getting my first pay check doing what I loved to do.

2) You achieved a cult status in the film Ghostbusters 2, playing Slimer, how did this come about and do you have any interesting stories from your time on set?

At the time I was working on Ghostbusters 2, I knew I was stepping into some pretty big shoes with this character that was loved by many.  I tried to put that out of my mind and focus on the job at hand and what they needed from me to get what they had envisioned for the character.  The people at ILM are really the best of the best, and being in that atmosphere and learning from these ultra-talented people was such an incredible experience.  A fun fact, I really was not able to eat while in costume.  (Yup, Slimer was unable to consume food while working!)  ☺  It was safer to avoid food because of the time it took to get in/take off the costume.  If I had been working and swallowed something that went down the wrong way, it would have taken some time to get out of the suit…so no food for the spud.  ☺

3) What’s your thought on the new Ghostbusters film?

I’m hoping the fans will love it, and it will turn out to be a fantastic addition to the Ghostbusters franchise.  I have a positive open mind because they have some very talented people in the film and behind the camera.  I’m hoping to laugh and be swept away with everyone else this summer. ☺

4) You were also in 80’s film ‘Willow’, how did you find this experience and with the spate of 80’s films being remade do you think a remake of Willow could work?

I was able to be thought of to audition for Ghostbusters 2 because of working on ‘Willow’.  It was truly my first opportunity on a larger scale to work in the industry, and was an incredible experience.  The first day of work, I woke up with the stomach flu and running a fever.  My Dad packed me into a car that day and drove me to ILM.  Had I called in sick, it’s very possible I never would have been thought of for ‘Slimer’.  I’m a lucky girl.  

I think ‘Willow’ is such a special, sweet film the way it is.  I’m sure in the right hands an updated film would work, however, I know what the film means to me and it will always have a special place in my heart.

5) If a film was made of your life, who would you want to play you and why? And what would it be called?

I am a huge fan of both Cheri Oteri and Patricia Heaton, and people have told me that I have reminded them of both of these actresses.  I would be over the moon if either one of them were to portray me.  It would probably be titled “It’s not easy being green”.  ☺

6) Could you tell us about ‘Far From the Tree’ ?

‘Far From the Tree’ is a web series that I created, and my husband, Sean Spence, wrote and directed.  It’s loosely based on people I know and love, just taken to a much more intense scale. ☺  I am very proud of the episodes that we shot, and the cast and crew we had were all amazing.  

7) What can we expect to see from you in the 2016?

We’re developing a new Web Series, I have two projects (‘Demonic Attachment’ and ‘The Gloaming’) that will be coming out soon, and you never know, there could be some unexpected new projects.  Stay tuned to http://www.robinshelby.net as I always put any news on my site so people know what I’m doing. ☺

8) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself that they may not already know?

When I was about 8, my older brother said he didn’t think I could fit inside a suitcase, and dared me to try.  Not being one to turn down a dare like that, I curled into a ball inside the suitcase to show him I could fit.  He then shut the suitcase with me in it, and carried me around.  He realized he then needed my Dad to let me out.  

9) Finally what advice would you have for an upcoming actress?

If you can be happy doing anything else, do it.  If you can’t and it’s your passion, don’t let anyone tell you not to go for your dream.  It really is possible to get work, just be prepared so you’re ready when the opportunities come.  Take workshops, classes, network with other people in the industry.  If you don’t have a lot of credits, consider doing student films to get some experience, meet some new and upcoming directors and get some film on yourself.

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There you go readers, Robin Shelby

Follow her on Twitter she’s http://www.twitter.com/actressrshelby and tell her ‘Skatronixxx sent you!’

WRITERS WANTED!!!! (UPDATE! AGAIN!)

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!!!

Due to the recent expansion of the site I have brought in someone as head Television Reviewer but as we are looking to take the big boys on we are looking for people to contribute so we can not only take them on but over take them, as such I am looking for people who have a keen interest in the following shows and are able to write WEEKLY reviews to DM me on twitter and let me know!:-

 

• Banshee
• Dr Who
• Lucha Underground
• Lucifer
• Orphan Black
• Supernatural
• Teen Wolf

We are also on the lookout for the following positions:-

• (FEMALE) GAMES REVIEWER
• WRESTLING WRITER – To cover shows such as WWE Raw, Smackdown, ROH, TNA, Lucha Underground …

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Here at http://www.skatronixxx.com we are always on the look out for talented people with a passion for writing to join us here on the site. it doesn’t matter if you’re an old hat or a newbie, we accept all peeps! That’s why I’m please to announce that the site is looking for the following positions:-

Games Reviewer – I’m glad to announce that the position of Games Reviewer has been filled by Matt!

Movie Reviewer – I’m glad to announce that the position of Movie Reviewer has been filled by Rich!

If you’re interested let me know on twitter by sending me a direct message to my account @skatronixxx

WWE and its ‘Global Cruiserweight Series’

Ok it’s 3:30am. I can’t sleep, my throat hurts and I’ve done all the site maintenance that needs doing for the day, that can only mean one thing COMEBACK BLOG!!! Wooo!!! But what to write about hmm. I could do another piece on the ‘One Series Wonders’, I was working on but that would be too intensive for my brain at this time in the morning. I know what I’ll write about.

So I saw online that WWE wants to bring back the ‘Cruiserweight division’ to quote great WWE legend FINALLY THE CRUISERWEIGHTS HAVE COME BACK TO WWE.  Oh wait a minute it’s NOT a cruiserweight divsion it’s a ‘Global Cruiserweight Series’. But what does that mean?

Sorry couldn’t resist 😛

As a fan this is big news, the cruiserweights are what drawn me to the WWE in the first place. I mean as a kid seeing these grown adults in crazy costumes fly around the ring was pretty cool. I mean I know wrestling is fake (sorry) but I’ve always admired the talent of these small sparky guys who are able to hurl themselves around a ring for my entertainment.

All was good when I watched wrestling the in the mid 90’s and even into the mid 00’s. During the mid to late 90’s we had WCW (R.I.P) leading the way bringing in talent from across the globe from places such as Canada, Mexico, Japan and Germany. For me seeing all these new and foreign wrestlers was exciting as I felt they often held more appeal that seeing Goldberg demolish any and everyone and DX well fanny around. I admired the skill of these smaller guys and the art of thier craft. I mean as a 11 year old watching some guy do a flip in mid air or 360 degree frog splash is pretty cool.

Then into the mid 00’s you had TNA leading the way with it’s ‘not about weight limits it’s about no limits’ X-Division. Say what you want but the TNA X-Division was amazing back in the day, bringing us such quality moments as NOW WWE star AJ Styles vs NXT star Samoa Joe and ROH star Christopher Daniels or how about Elix Skippers’ walk along the cage into a headscissors?

To quote Ron ‘Farooq’ Simmons DAMN!!!

But sadly all good things came to an end. The WCW lost to WWE in the Monday Night Wars and rather than the WWE build on the strong work the WCW had done with the cruiserweights, it wasted it. Why did they waste it? Well in my eyes they quite simple didn’t know what to do with it. All the foreign stars had gone back to their native countries, the ones based in the US either joined WWE and moved up to bigger things (Chris Jericho) or saw how some of the stars were mis-used in WWE (Dean Malenko) and went elsewhere. Finally in 2008 the WWE decided with Hornswoggle (yes you read that right) as the final champion to retire the belt.

Since then people have repeatedly protested for WWE to bring back the crusierweights, I swear every week I hear about someone wanting it to come back or rumours it may. So that’s why when I saw this announcement yesterday, like many old school fans, I was excited for all of about a second.

Triple H recently spoke to PWInsider.com about the newly-announced Global Cruiserweight Series on WWE Network. HHH mentions about how excited he is for the show as a fan himself, what types of wrestlers will be featured on the show, if the show means anything for a future cruiserweight division return to WWE TV (please, please, PLEASE):-

Triple H talks about who will feature in the Global Cruiserweight Series:

“I would say the vast majority [of talents on the series] will be non-contracted or long-term contracted WWE talents. We haven’t finalized the selection process, watching tapes and seeing who we want to work with and all of that. It’s going to be a discovery process. Look, I want to have the best in the world. I don’t want to negate anyone from that process because they are under contract to us. At the same time, I’m looking for the best in the world and the brightest around to give them a platform that they’ve never had. I’m certainly looking at the vast majority from being from the outside [of WWE.] When I say Global, I mean Global. We are recruiting from everywhere. UK, Japan, China, to find the best talent. That doesn’t mean we are going to find someone everywhere, but we are really trying to turn things over and really find someone from every part of the globe to be part of this and show the world who they are and what they can do.”

So what is he saying here, well he’s basically stating the obvious and saying look everyone who’s going to take part will either be a free-agent here on a one time deal or long term contracted WWE employees. The last bit excites me because of THIS GUY.

This guy is 110% pure awesome sauce, give him a chance and he’ll be the next Daniel Bryan

I enjoyed Sami Zayn pre-WWE like I did Punk, Bryan Danielson (that’s Daniel Bryan), Joe and many more. If the WWE is smart they would build the series around Sami Zayn give him a platform to shine. I know that you may be thinking WWE employees GROAN, but think about it, NXT is basically a cruiserweight show, that is if you get rid of @mitch_rated favourite (NOT) wrestlers Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin. most of them are under the required weight limit and are known for this style in other promotions. But would the WWE be willing to release the shackles and let them use their rarely used movesets? I mean they’ve only let Seth Rollins use his spiral tap move once to my knowledge, for shame WWE, FOR SHAME!

Triple H goes to to say why the cruiserweights being given their own show after not being featured more prominently in the WWE?

“At the end of the day, I was just having this conversation with my wife. I kind of approach this as I’m just a huge fan. I started out that way and I will be that way my whole life. I kind of do what I think I’m going to dig and that I’m going to like and that’s the way I approach it. There’s this talent that I like and I’d like to go and see what they can do. So, I push for going to see what I can do with that.  I think it’s important for everything to always grow and become bigger. I’ve looked for a long time at that population of talent in that under 205 lb. category, the Cruiserweight category and thought, ‘Man, there’s a lot of really talented performers’ and I don’t mean guys that can just do flips. Really talented performers that have characters and can speak are really good. They are underutilized to me and they don’t have the platform to show what they can do. I feel like that’s a miss. Not intentionally a miss, but just something that we’ve left sitting on the table, and I don’t want to leave stuff sitting there on the table.”

Reading between the lines, the key point I picked up was Trips spoke to his wife, she overuled him BUT gave him a chance. The chance to do a feature on the WWE network. Triple H rather than sulking in the corner thought yeah why not I’ll do this and who knows hopefully it’ll lead onto bigger and better things. Steph have you not watched NXT??? Your husband knows his stuff, sadly Vince and his lumbering dinosaurs or cavemen in speedos hitting each other will continue for now.

Triple H goes on to answer if there are long-term plans for a cruiserweight division return in WWE?

“I think it is slightly the cart before the horse. I think..I want this to be something that is repetitive.  I would like this tournament to be a recurring thing where we take the best talent from around the world and let them do their thing.  Does that morph directly into a Cruiserweight division right away?  I don’t know about right away…and it might…but we’re clearly looking at all the guys in this tournament and saying, ‘who do we want to work with long-term?  Maybe we give this guy a year and we’ll work with him long-term next year’ and who are all these talents.  I think where it lands is sort of a work in progress.  If you look at this tournament, it’s going to be a platform where somebody and it could be more than one person, is going to be seen as one of the best Cruiserweights in the world or the best Cruiserweight in the world.  It’s a hell of a platform and it’s going to get bigger and better but just not sure 100% what that is.”

So what he’s saying here is NO! Sorry to be blunt but it is, if you read my previous statement about Steph all but saying no to a cruiserweight division this makes sense. So what are we seeing here? What’s the point? Well the WWE are using this ‘series’ as a platform and scouting chance for international talent. A chance for the best to sign with NXT. Although NXT is good, it’s not where I’d want to be as a cruiserweight I’d rather go to NJPW or Lucha Underground or even AAA where I could show my skills to a more loyal fanbase. Sorry Trips but unless you can guarantee the cruiserweights a shot in the big leagues, they are either gunna turn you down or sign with you, get wasted in WWE and regret it (Sami Callihan).

Alas poor Sami you could have been great like Sean O’Haire but alas you ended wasted like him too

Ok so it’s a one off show on the WWE network, that only those with access can see. This is either a sneaky ploy to get us to get the WWE network or a sign of WWE’s non commitmal by squirreling it away on the network to appease Trips and the cruiseweight fans. So what’s the point of it?

What the show could mean for WWE and those involved: 

“Hopefully, this expands to be more within the WWE.  I’m certainly looking at it as an opportunity to see the best and brightest Cruiserweights from around the world and hopefully give them an opportunity with WWE in a bigger way, but if nothing else, just being a part of this, those 32 talents that are selected to be in this from around the world, you are opening yourself up to a platform that most of these guys have never only dreamed of doing.  I’m excited about that opportunity for them and WWE, but mostly for our fans.”

My first thoughts are 32? So I’m guessing it’s going to be a tournament rather than a series? If so I’m guessing the WWE already know who they want to win, but if they do go with a series format rather than a tournament, didn’t the WWE slag off TNA for doing this last year? Hmmm.

Who will feature? Who will win? Will it bring back the cruiserweight championship to WWE? So many questions and so few answers only time will tell.

An Interview With The Newest Member Of Skatronixxx.Com The Little Librarian

Wow two welcome interviews in a week! I told you 2016 was going to be a big interview for Skatronixxx.Com and I wasn’t wrong . This time it’s the turn of our vlogger and blogger The Little Librarian.

Those of you who have followed the progress of this site closely, know that I have been on the look out for a vlogger pretty much since this site went live way back in 2015. The reason why I wanted a vlogger is because I wanted to bring your news in another format as well as articles.

I reached to vloggers in the past but sadly things either fell through or they didn’t seem to mesh with us here at http://www.skatronixxx.com. They say that each cloud has a silver lining and that is more than true in the case of The Little Librarian , when I approached her and she said YES!!

I stumbled across her videos by chance actually but I was soon drawn in by her awesome bubbly personality and keen interests that matched our own here at http://www.skatronixxx.com.

That’s enough spoilers from me, let’s find out more about the newsest member of the team below!

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1) How did you get into writing, and what can we expect to see from you on http://www.skatronixxx.com ?

Most my content will actually be in video form. I have my own YouTube channel and I’ve been on there for a little over a year now! I got into it because I had a blog discussing books and I felt I could convey my emotions and feelings better through video rather than writing. In my videos I talk about everything from Books, Gaming, and anything nerdy!

2) Do you have any interests or hidden talents outside of blogging? For example are you a secret jewel thief or ninja samurai warrior?

Wow! I actually am a ninja! Just kidding, Outside of my videos about reading and gaming I actually do make up on the side for weddings, prom, and other events! I also used to be a dancer but I haven’t danced in years though. I also play piano and violin. I played in a hockey league for 8 years but I’ve played since I was 7. I also wakeboard, water-ski, kneeboard, and barefoot; I learned how to ski when I was 3 years old and have never stopped. That’s about it. My parents thought it was important I was a well rounded child and got me into everything!

3) What’s your top 3 fandoms? For example mine are Doctor Who, Ghostbusters and anything to do with Captain America (he’s like me but American!) Language!!!

This question is literally the hardest on this list! I guess I have to say Disney (I’m probably cheating here by saying all of Disney but I can’t pick just one!), Fairy Tail (My Favorite Anime!), and I’m going to have to pick two book fandom’s actually, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld! I just can’t pick between the two.

4) What’s the most famous celeb you have met? For example I’ve met Jason Momoa, Danny Glover, Lou Ferrigno and Ernie Hudson. How about you?​​

Well, I’ve met a lot of authors… not too many celebs. Probably the closest to meeting them, and by meeting them I mean standing within 20 feet from them, was Tom Felton. I fangirled so hard… He was probably the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. One author I met is also an actor which was Chris Colfer. However, I’ve met big authors like Scott Westerfeld, Kimberly Derting, Kiera Cass, Kelley Armstrong, Danielle Paige, and a lot more.

5) If a film was made of your life, who would play you and what would the film called?

If I could have anyone I’d totally pick Emma Watson, Kiera Knightly, or Emily Browning. I honestly have no clue what it would be called, maybe The Nerdy Adventures of Aly. Hah!

6) Ghostbusters remake, will it surprise us or disappoint us?

Hopefully surprise us! They have a fantastic cast and all the pictures look amazing! I’m really excited for it.

7) What’s better Star Trek or Star Wars?

Not going to lie this is a tough one. I watched Star Trek growing up and even attended conventions at the tender age of 4. However, I think I’m more into the Star Wars universe. It’s really a tie for me but I think I lean a little more towards Star Wars.

8) Who’s your favourite Doctor Who and why?

TEN! For one, I LOVE David Tennent, he’s a fantastic actor and can play just about any character. I also love his overall story. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking (All you Whovians know what I’m talking about). Allons-y!

9) Have you got any goals for 2016?

Well, I’d love to reach 1K subs on my channel. I’m also getting married this year and that’s a goal I’ve always wanted to reach. I also want to get into grad school and hopefully find a job in a library! My final goal would be to read 100 books this year, I set it on Goodreads so fingers crossed I can make it!

10) Finally it’s time for the ultimate question! If you had to pick one and you couldn’t have the other ever again, what would you pick, bacon, cheese or time travel?

I think I would honestly pick time travel. I love bacon and cheese but I’m lactose intolerant and I could live without bacon. Plus TIME TRAVEL?! I mean hopefully that comes along with me getting to fly around in the TARDIS and hang out with the Doctor!

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So here we are, our new vlogger and blogger extraordinaire writer The Little Librarian! Don’t be shy go and say hi and tell her ‘Skatronixxx sent you’. Add her on twitter now @alyjoshaver

An Interview With The Newest Member Of Skatronixxx.Com Deadool_1984

I tried to find a pic of his LOTR style beard but failed, so it’s the sideburns for now sorry readers!!!

As you know I’m always on the look out for talented, hard working and committed people to join the team here at http://www.skatronixxx.com so whenever someone shows an interest in joining us and contributing I’ll hear them out, and give them a try.

Our new addition to the team is slightly different, to me and the rest of the gang, but not in a bad way! He’s a newbie in the world of writing, who I’ve known on and off for quite a while. We both have similar interests and a similar mindset too, so when I offered him the opportunity to write on the site and he said he’d love to it was a no brainer really!

As well as providing all the latest pop culture and geeky news on http://www.skatronixxx.com , I also wanted to provide a platform for writers both experienced and newbies to shine. So I’d like to welcome Deadpool_1984 to the fold as the newest writer to the team.

What kind of content can we expect from Deadpool_1984 ? Well again I’ve reached out and secured somebody who had the necessary skills, knowledge and interests to backfill an area of the site, we desperately needed more experience in. He will be covering a mix of articles, mainly in our expanded wrestling section where we will be now providing UFC news and info as well, for all our grappling fans. Deadpool_1984 also has an big knowledge, interest and passion in music as such will now be heading up our music section too, as well as providing articles for the rest of the site in other areas too.

But hey that’s enough spoilers from me, let’s find out more about the newest addition to the team Deadpool_1984 !

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1) How did you get into writing, and what can we expect to see from you on http://www.skatronixxx.com ?

So this will actually be my first time writing so I was looking for something to do in my spare time and share my opinions on things like comic books/TV series/Films, Music, Gaming and the UFC. You can expect updates from me on all of these things as I’m not short of things to say.

2) Do you have any interests or hidden talents outside of blogging? For example are you a secret jewel thief or ninja samurai warrior?

Interests outside of writing include watching as many TV series as I can (My Tivo box probably hates me) I also play bass guitar and am currently working on some music with a friend of mine and lately looking after the mini female version of me. I’m also a massive Xbox gamer so try and fit in as much game time as I can.

3) What’s your top 3 fandoms? For example mine are Doctor Who, Ghostbusters andanything to do with Captain America (he’s like me but American!) Language!!!

Anything Deadpool related been a fan for a long time, Xbox and Star wars

Deadpool approves of that last answer!

4) What’s the most famous celeb you have met? For example I’ve met Jason Momoa, Danny Glover, Lou Ferrigno and Ernie Hudson. How about you?​​

So I have met Daryl Palumbo from Glassjaw, Greg Tribbett from Mudvayne, Andy Lanning (Marvel and DC inker) Lee Townsend (Marvel Inker) and Randomly Bill Bailey when he walked past a job I was doing in London.

5) If a film was made of your life, who would play you and what would the film called?

This is a tough one I’d go with Jason Statham just for the bald head and the fact he is bad ass and it would be called The Journey through madness (Part 1) probably followed by a bad sequel where Steve McFadden would play me.

6) Ghostbusters remake, will it surprise us or disappoint us?

I’m not a massive fan of remakes but I will still watch it and see if this is the film that changes my mind but I’m not holding my breath.

7) What’s better Star Trek or Star Wars?

Without a doubt Star Wars it doesn’t matter how many annoying characters they put in the movies this will never change.

8) Who’s your favourite Doctor Who and why?

OK its admission time I don’t actually watch Dr Who (I’m just going to go hide from any backlash now)

9) Have you got any goals for 2016?

So goals for this year get as much writing under my belt as I can, See Deadpool, Get some music finished and trying to get to a convention this year if the funds are there. So mostly small ones that way I know most of them can be achieved.

10) Finally it’s time for the ultimate question! If you had to pick one and you couldn’thave the other ever again, what would you pick, bacon, cheese or time travel?

I would pick to have time travel then I could go back in time before this answer was given and eat a lot of Bacon and Cheese and then pop back to the present.

Another interview, another answer to the the ultimate question! You guys and gals never fail to amaze me!

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So here we are, our new UFC, music and jack of all trades writer Deadpool_1984 ! Don’t be shy go and say hi and tell him ‘Skatronixxx sent you’. Add him on twitter now @deadpool_1984

 

An Interview With Musician Samantha Scarlette

It’s another one of the #SkatFamily talented members Samantha Scarlette

It’s time for another interview, this time it’s the turn of multi-talented and multi-awesome Samantha Scarlette, Samantha is another one of my verified tweeps who, I reached out to for an interview and she accepted! I love it when people are up for itnerviews 🙂

After a few back and forth emails and getting to know Samantha I found her to have many multi talented layers, but that’s enough from me. Let’s find out about musician, fashion designer, all round awesome lady Samantha Scarlette 🙂

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1) How did you get into music?

I watched far too much MTV as a kid. Back when the M still stood for music. I’d watch TRL every afternoon and envisioned myself on there getting interviewed by Carson Daly or having the #1 music video. Unfortunately that will never happen as MTV did away with TRL (and music programming all together) in 2008…. Sometimes when I’m in Times Square I go up to the second level of the Aeropostale store… There’s weird observation room in the north east corner of the store in front of the picture windows, most people don’t realize it but that room is where MTV studios/TRL was. So I’ll sit in there and think of all the amazing talent & performances that came through there.

2) How would you describe your musical style to the casual listener?

I refer to myself as a soft grunge artist. I started doing this before soft grunge was actually considered a music genre; I was shocked to recently find out this is a real genre now mainly defined by tumblr & 90’s imagery. My first EP, “Into The Darkness” had a definite grunge influence; especially on songs like “The Demon”. My album “Violent Delights + Violent Ends” had less of a grunge vibe to it and more of a goth rock bent. Lyrically my stuff has always had a gothic imagery as I’ve always tried to evoke darkness. The only song with a grungy vibe on the album is “Death Of A Dream”, it was definitely Pearl Jam inspired. When figuring out what tempo to record it (“Death Of A Dream”), Hiili (Hiilesmaa, the producer on “Violent Delights + Violent Ends”) and I actually like were looking up what tempo “Alive” (Pearl Jam) was in. Haha My next album that I plan to record very soon, which is tentatively titled “My So-Called Life” will return to the grunge/90’s alt influenced sound. I’ve pretty much exclusively listened to early 90’s rock for the past year or so. I also associate myself with being soft grunge based on my imagery. The clothing I wear and music videos are based on a 90’s esthetic. All my music videos, though shot in HD are made to look like film grain in post production(it’s way too expensive to shoot on film). My music video for “Forgiven Sins (From Dusk To Dawn)” is probably the best example of this. I got the idea for that video after constantly seeing these super old RHCP videos on while on the treadmill at the gym.

 Let’s check out Samantha in action now

3) I heard you also produce a line of clothing can you tell us more about this?

MK-ULTRA 90! The name comes from the alleged government mind control program MK-ULTRA and the 90 is because I was born in 1990. Right now it’s mostly t-shirts with tarot card/satanic/illuminati imagery on it, accessories and marabou feather robes (the one out of place item). People freak out thinking I actually worship Satan; I don’t believe in God let alone the devil. To me wearing a Leviathan cross, unicursal hexagram or a pentagram is no more evil than wearing a shirt with a pumpkin on it. There is no power to it. Anyway I hope to expand out to a fuller range of actual clothing items, it just takes a lot more capital to do so.

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 Samantha knows her fashion for sure

4) is it true you have EVERYTHING pierced? If so what’s your favourite piercing and why?

Not everything. I’ve had my ears (I used to wear plugs), septum, nose, lips, labret, nipples, naval, and an unmentionable. I’ve had all of them done multiple times; I get bored and take them out. Currently I only have my nipples & naval pierced. I guess those are my favorites. I’m not really a fan on facial piercings. Septum are fine because you can wear them hidden & they don’t scar. Most facial piercings really scar. Also I don’t suggest unmentionable piercings, the benefits are a myth.

5) If a film was made of your life, who would you want to play you and why? And what would it be called?

I’d totally play myself like how all the rappers did in those early 00’s fictionalized biopics like “Get Rich Or Die Trying” and “8 Mile”. I’d want it shot like a Sofia Coppola film with a rad soundtrack of 90’s music. Or maybe something really avant-garde and film it like Nosferatu or some silent epic. Name wise the movie of my life would be called “The Shining”.

6) If you could duet with any one person dead or alive who would it be and why?

I don’t know. Honestly. That’s really a hard question. I always see myself singing alone on records. I’d rather collaborate with a skilled guitarist or something rather than a vocalist.

7) Do you have any tours lined up soon? If so are you going on tour with anyone else and where can we expect to see you play?

No. Right now I’m looking at recording another album. Maybe I’ll tour for that. Touring is extremely expensive though.

8) What can we expect to see from you in the 2016?

I have a music video for “Gothic Queen” coming out probably in a week or two. That should be the last single from “Violent Delights + Violent Ends”. I’m going to start recording “My So-Called Life” soon. I wrote all the songs last year. I’ll be doing more stuff with my clothing line. More music videos when the cd comes out. Also I’m hoping to start my paranormal radio show/podcast back up sometime this year, I’m looking for a live format where I can take call in’s.

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 A woman of many talents is our Samantha

9) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself that they may not already know?

I’m half Nigerian.

10) Finally what advice would you have for an upcoming musician?

Find a different profession if you can…

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There you go readers, Samantha Scarlette

Follow her on Twitter she’s http://www.twitter.com/SammiScarlette or Facebook on https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaScarletteMusic and tell her ‘Skatronixxx sent you!’ If you want to find out more about Samantha you can below:-

Links

http://www.samanthascarlette.com

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/SammiScarlette

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaScarletteMusic

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0F4KI81FoVUkUJVqc4wSDw

Itunes -https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/samantha-scarlette/id447101959

An Interview With The Voice Of Gorilla Grodd, David Sobolov

 David and his alter ego Grodd

Wow two days, two intervies, what are the odds? Someone who I really to interview was one of my verified followers the voice over legend that is David Sobolov. His resume reads like a who’s who of the cartoon world, Shockwave, Robocop, Drax, Gorilla Grodd.

Not only do I regularly watch most of these shows, the characters that David voices are my fave too, so when the oppertunity came for an interview with David, I could not pass up the chance.

As you know I get chatting to the people I do interviews with before I do them, and David is a down to earth guy who actually looks at this site  (and has given me feedback on it!) woop woop.

Let’s find out more about another awesomely talented member of the #SkatFamily David.

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1) How did you get into voiceover acting?

Around 1993 I was working doing stage shows and singing in Vancouver and an agent heard my voice and thought I’d be good for villains in cartoons.  I started going out for auditions and booking a few jobs and I was on my way.

2) You were in The Flash as Gorilla Grodd, how did you find this experience and have we seen the last of Grodd?

I really enjoy being the voice of Grodd.  The producers of The Flash really want the show to be great and we spend a lot of time trying out different ways for Grodd to express himself.  The creative team decides which take to use for each line, then we meet again to go over the choices and to try to make it even better.  I hope we haven’t seen the last of Grodd, but I can’t say for sure!

 David you’re looking rather hairy here!

3) You also voiced Drax in the cartoon version of ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ and Stone in Netlfix’sDaredevil’, do you have any interesting stories to share with us from your time on these shows?

When I worked on Daredevil, the character was so secret that they wouldn’t even tell me the name of it while we were working!  And on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, we’re really having a fun time recording all the episodes.  We’ve recorded 30 of them so far!

 Skatronixxx Jr loves this show 🙂

4) You’ve been in DC and Marvel shows, I have to ask are you Team Marvel or Team DC, or both?

How could I not be on both teams?  I have current shows running for both Marvel and DC.

5) If you could be in one existing film, what film and character would you choose and why?

Batman… If Kevin Conroy ever retires.

6) I read online that you are a French horn player, and toured in an acapella group, what was that like and do you still play/sing today?

That was a long time ago… I still sing on occasion.  My first animated series, Vor-Tech in 1995 let me know I was cast during a tour of our a cappella group in a remote area in Northern British Columbia, Canada.  I had to pay out the salaries of all the singers for the week and hire a private plane to pick me up in a little airstrip in the forest.  It was worth it.  I’d like to do more singing.  The last time I played my horn was in the pit orchestra for a production West Side Story in 1995.  I finished the last show and never played again.

7) Some experienced gamers will know your name from such popular games as Halo, Mass Effect and Unchartered, how different is it providing voices to games rather than shows?

You continue to hear my voice on episodes of The Flash as Grodd, and in the first season of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy animated series as Drax.  I have been working on several video game project and a whole new animated series, but I’m not at liberty to discuss those yet.

SMXLL

 The many characters of David, how many can you spot?

8) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself that they may not already know?

I collect antique product packaging from the 1880s through 1960s… you’ll find unusual items like a 1943 box of Ritz Crackers and a 1952 box of Tide Detergent.  I started when I was 10 years old and never became bored with it.

9) Finally what advice would you have for an upcoming voiceover actress or actor?

My advice for anyone starting out is to make sure you have a way to make a living that has nothing to do with acting while you’re pursuing your dream.  Don’t let anyone squish your dreams, but also don’t end up not eating because of them.  Also… learn about ACTING, not just doing funny voices.  We have to both believe you and understand the story you’re trying to tell.  To me, a character voice that doesn’t entirely come out of the emotions in the part is nice and often essential, but it’s just icing on the cake.

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There you go readers David Sobolov! Be sure to follow David on twitter he’s https://twitter.com/volobos don’t be shy go say hi and tell him ‘Skatronixxx Sent Me!’

 

An Interview With 2003 Star Search Winner Vickie Natale

Loving the retro look Vickie

It’s been a while since my last interview for Skatronixxx.com as you know I’ve been going through a few things offline but as I said in my last article I am going to continue with the site and make 2016 the biggest and best yet.

I like to think I have a good relationship with my tweeps and regulary communicate and reach out to people, who I think would be good on the site. One of those people who responded was Vickie Natale. We spoke for a while and Vickie agreed to an interview, and here we are!

After doing a bit of digging not only did I find Vickie to a really nice person but she is also a talent show winner! Vickie was the 2003 winner of Star Search but that’s enough spoilers from me.

Let’s find out a little more about Vickie Natale a fast rising star in the music industry.

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1) How did you get into music?

I think music found me in some way.  As a kid I always felt deeply and I was always writing about my teenage sadness and woes in a journal.  It felt pretty natural to put those woes to music.  I connected with the R&B that I heard on the radio and I would listen to songs over and over.  I joined any chorus or audition I could find.  Music was my emotional outlet and I needed it.

2) How would you describe your musical style to the casual listener?

I would say it’s soulful, jazzy, gritty and honest.

3) You are well known to the public after winning CBS’s Star Search in 2003, how did you find that journey and experience of being on the show?

I don’t know if I would say I am well known.  I have a decent following whom I love and I do hope to see my listening family grow.  I feel I have so much more to share with my listeners.  Star search gave me an opportunity to be heard on a mass scale to millions of viewers.  It was a great experience but it didn’t have the outcome I thought it would.  I was pretty young and it was the remake of the original TV show.  I got to hang out with some really cool folks in the music and entertainment industry who were very encouraging.  One of the coolest experiences was going to lunch with Arsenio hall after the show and him telling me to never stop singing.  I actually wrote a song with that title “Never Gonna Stop” which was inspired by his encouragement. Another cool experience was Naomi Judd Giving me the Star earrings she wore on the show and encouraging me as well.

 It took some digging but here’s Vickie on Star Search

4) You performed at Carnegie Hall in 2004, what was that like?

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  Carnegie hall is such a beautiful space to sing in.  I sang one of my favorite songs “God bless the child” with the New York Pops Orchestra which is a 77 piece Orchestra! The sound went right through my bones.  It was amazing because at the time I was teaching at Mark Twain Middle school and they had all of my music students sitting in the audience and my high school music teacher Maxine Patarini who is like a second mom to me was so proud at the end of the show… She gave me a big hug with tears in her eyes.  It just was a happy and inspiring moment for me.

5)  You auditioned for the test pilot for the show ‘The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep’, do you have any interesting stories from this show?

I was casted for the test pilot which was never aired (Bummer) but I did get to hang out with Gloria Estefan for 3 days and get mentored by her.  She met my mom, my sisters and my cousins and we even had a big italian dinner which was a blast.  The show arranged for her to surprise me while I was giving a singing lesson.  Can you imagine that??? You are giving a singing lesson and Gloria Estefan walks in.  We all freaked. She was really sweet and caring.  I got to sing for her a whole bunch!

6) If you could duet with any one person dead or alive who would it be and why?

Allen Stone, Amy Winehouse or Aretha Franklin.

7) Do you have any tours lined up soon? If so are you going on tour with anyone else and where can we expect to see you play?

Currently I am booking for the spring and summer season.  Any venues, events (private or public) and music festivals can inquire about bookings at vickienatalemusic@gmail.com.   To keep updated on my shows the best way is to join my mailing list on http://www.vickienatale.com

8) What can we expect to see from you in the remaining months of 2015 and into 2016? 

I have been working pretty hard so I will be taking a short break and then I will start live broadcasting on my periscope account! I’ll be performing live, up close and personal versions of songs from my current album “Time Machine” which is available on itunes.

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 I’m going to get this are you?

9) Tell our readers one fun fact about yourself that they may not already know?

Well I just love adventure!  I am always day dreaming about a fun and crazy thing that I can do to quench my adventurous thirst.  I’m thinking I’m due for a skydive or a good mountain climb.

10) Finally what advice would you have any advice for an upcoming musician?

My advice to an upcoming musician would be to educate yourself as much as you can.  Learn about your craft and don’t be afraid to help others in the process.  It’s not about the fame.  Don’t let the fame get to your head or let your ego get in the way of your true purpose which is to make great music and do the best you can on the path you are on.  Find out who you are and don’t be afraid to be that and sing, write and play about it.   It’s going to get tough at times, feel the emotions, write about it and then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going.  If you build it they will come.

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There you go readers, Vickie Natale.

Follow her on Twitter she’s http://www.twitter.com/vickienatale or Facebook on www.facebook.com/vickienatalemusic and tell him ‘Skatronixxx sent you!’ If you want to find out more about Vickie you can below:-

Links

http://www.vickienatale.com

http://www.twitter.com/vickienatale

http://www.facebook.com/vickienatalemusic

http://www.youtube.com/vickienatalemusic

http://www.periscope.tv/vickienatale

Itunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/vickie-natale/id6384389

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