Thursday, May 27, 2010

An Open Letter to www.thinknik.com

To the creative forces at www.thinknik.com,

First and foremost, I need to formally apologize for not giving credit where credit is due. In my "Open Letter to Bill Green" post, I used one of your creative designs to highlight my point that Bill Green is awesome.

This is especially troubling for me because I consider the specific designer of the stolen graphic my friend. Late last year, when visiting Chicago with his Special Lady Friend, we went out to a nice Steak Restaurant to discuss many items NOT-related to The Big Lebowski. It was a charming evening indeed.

I was first clued into your expertise this time last year. When starting the countdown for the 8th Annual Lebowski Fest I clumsily created the following graphic:

In a matter of moments I had a slew of graphics to help me with the rest of the countdown, for example:


I hope you accept my apologies. As you know, we're about seven weeks away from the 9th Annual Lebowski Fest. The graphics will be used again for this year's countdown. I promise to treat you with more respect than a new Corvette owner, and credit you each time I use them.[TQ]

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Orlando's Best Costume


I am really happy to see that the above costume won the "Best" award at Lebowski Fest Orlando. On a personal level, I'm an enormous fan of the reference. The strength of the reference is only matched by the quality and execution of the design.[TQ]

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Larrys teacher, Mrs. Jamtoss grades the trivia. More Orlando pics coming soon. Post yours here!
Larrys teacher, Mrs. Jamtoss grades the trivia. More Orlando pics coming soon. Post yours here!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Lebowski Fest where?
Lebowski Fest where?
Dude here. Thanks Orlando Achievers for a great movie party last night. See you at the Aloma Bowl tonight at 6!
Dude here. Thanks Orlando Achievers for a great movie party last night. See you at the Aloma Bowl tonight at 6!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Lebowski Fest Orlando has begun!
Lebowski Fest Orlando has begun!
Orlando Movie Test: Check. Doors at 7 - punk Creedence at 8 - movie at 9,
Orlando Movie Test: Check. Doors at 7 - punk Creedence at 8 - movie at 9,
ParkAveCDs
Thanks to ParkAveCDs for selling tickets to Lebowski Fest Orlando. See you Florida Achievers tonight!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Free Movie Party Tickets to the first 10 Achievers that come to Park Ave CDS in Orlando. Lebowski Fest kicks off at House Of Blues tomorrow!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

An Open Letter to Dwight Howard

Dear Mr. Howard,

I see you rolled your way into the semis. Dios mio man.

It's a shame that your NBA Eastern Conference Final schedule conflicts with the first ever Lebowski Fest in the Sunshine State. I'm rooting for you Mr. Howard. You are one of the NBA's best personalities. Like you, I also blog. Unlike you, my blogs don't lead to exorbitant fines. I hope your Orlando Magic jump out to a 2-0 lead before the series takes you to Boston for Game 3 on Saturday June 22.

If your team does in fact jump out to that series lead, I think you should reward yourself with a nice movie... Might I suggest the Lebowski Fest Movie Party at the Orlando House of Blues? Yes, I realize that Game 3 is scheduled for the following night in Boston, and that you'll probably be flying that evening. But you draw a lot of water for that team - I'm sure you can convince the team to fly out first thing on Saturday. Isn't that why the team owns it's own plane anyways? To allow you these options once they present themselves?

Lebowski Fest is really up your alley Mr. Howard. You obviously are a fan of both movies and wearing costumes:


Okay, so I understand my request is very unrealistic. Let me just, at the very least, invite you to any of the upcoming Lebowski Fests.

(For the rest of you, especially those living near Orlando, you should get your tickets now.)

May 21 - Movie Party - Punk Creedence covers by The Attack followed by a screening of The Big Lebowski. House of Blues Orlando. $15 General Admission / $20 Seated. Doors at 7pm. Show at 8pm. All Ages.

May 22 - Bowling Party - Bowling, costume, trivia and other contests. Bowling and shoe rental is included with ticket. Bowling is general admission and not guaranteed. $25 adv / $28 day of @ Aloma Bowl. 2530 Aloma Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32792. 6pm to 10pm. All Ages.

Tickets are available locally in Orlando at Park Ave CD's (2919 Corrine Drive) or online. Mark it on Facebook (At the time I'm writing this, 284 have RSVP'd as attending)[TQ]

Sunday, May 9, 2010

An Open Letter to Bill Green

Dear Mr. Green,

I have actually met you (twice!), which is different from the past two Open Letter recipients. However, I must admit that two talks probably totaled less than 50 words combined. We briefly discussed Radiohead in 2008 and the decision to not have individual posters for the Speed of Sound Tour in 2009.

I can see you're anxious for me to get to the point.

As the Lebowski Fest Official Poster Guru, I would like to congratulate and thank you for your most recent effort/contribution: The Lebowski Fest Orlando "Duddha" poster. It's a beautiful tapestry of Lebowski references. The rug is like one of those Magic Eye 3D posters (which I was never able to figure out - making me love your poster exponentially more). The closer I look into the Duddha rug, the more I appreciate the thought and care that went into it.

I hope you understand how much we Achievers look forward to your inspired creations. It's the reason why many of us are fans of Bill Green Studios on Facebook. Your Lebowski Fest Chicago poster hangs triumphantly on my condo wall, more than deserving of it's ridiculously expensive professional custom framing... Which brings me to my selfish reason for why I have decided to write an open letter to you:

Please create another Chicago poster. Understanding that you have recently released the Lebowski Fest Orlando Poster, and assuming you probably already have solid ideas for the 9th Annual Poster, I wonder if you are currently working on ideas for the Fest after that. Of course, I'm talking about the Lebowski Fest Chicago, which starts September 17.

Before I make my poster suggestion - please know that I am a fuckin' amateur when it comes to art. By absolutely no means am I implying or inferring that I know more than you. And of course, I will love whatever trail you choose to follow.

(Deep Breath)

This is the official flag of the City of Chicago. I know I'm biased, but it's pretty logjammin' awesome. Thaaat's right, Dude. The beauty of this [flag] is its simplicity. The flag looks the same whether it is upside down or reverse. You literally can not hang it incorrectly. That being said, it's also a fuckin' Swiss watch as far as each piece has a meaning (the stripes, the stars, even the points on the stars!). So that's my suggestion for you Mr. Bill Green. There have been many t-shirts and such using the flag as it's inspiration already.

Thank you very much in advance Mr. Green. Again, please don't take any offense from somebody like me trying to give you ideas into your next art piece. I'm sure you get it a lot. I look forward to seeing you again, maybe this July?

(To the rest of the people, not named Bill Green, reading this post: Tickets are still available for the next Lebowski Fest in Orlando. Sadly, yours truly will not be in attendance. But I will be at the next two posted LFs. This July in Louisville and this September in Chicago! TICKETS ON SALE NOW!)[TQ]

Monday, May 3, 2010

An Open Letter to a Stranger


Dear Mr. Pin Model,

I don't know you, but the above picture of you continues to bring me joy more than a year after I first saw it. Speaking of joy, perhaps you don't realize how much joy that pin costume you so dutifully modeled gave thousands.

The revamped pin head costumes were commissioned by the Founding Dudes to help them embark on 2009's historically epic Speed of Sound Tour. The pins made their debut at the Bonnaroo Music Festival before showing up in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Austin and (of course) Louisville!

Do you have a facebook account Mr. Unknown to Me Bowling Pin Model Man? If you do, you know the importance of one's Profile Picture. Many people quickly changed their Profile Picture to the one they took in between these pin costumes.

I don't know where in the world you live, but it has to be near one of the upcoming Lebowski Fests. Judging by your facial expression, it appears you are having a difficult time comprehending why such costumes would be custom ordered for professional construction. If you were to attend a Lebowski Fest, all doubt will be removed. And, not to mention, if you come to a Lebowski Fest you yourself can be pictured WITH the pins instead of a stark isolated solo portrait AS it.

What else can I learn from your picture that can potentially give me a glimpse into your life?

You have an awesome mustache. On a personal level, I'm an enormous fan of high quality facial hair - mainly because I'm a fuckin' amateur in the beard growth department. Many key characters in The Big Lebowski have iconic facial hair. You and your mustache will feel at home.

I can see you're sporting a pair of running shoes. And by the looks of it, those things get used. You're not wearing any pristine white, fresh out of the box, kicks. That footwear will serve you well if you happen to attend the 9th Annual in Louisville because there's an outdoor aspect to that Fest. Also at that Fest has side games such as The Ringer Toss and Mug Throw in which athletic footwear will give you a key advantage over those wearing jellies.

Come to think about it, I might be making a gross assumption: Have you even seen The Big Lebowski Mr. Bowling Pin Model with Athletic Shoes and a Mustache? All my enthusiasm of getting to you to a Fest doesn't necessarily dissipate if you haven't seen it. True, it's not a good experience to see the movie for the first time at a Fest. (SPOILER ALERT: people tend to shout their favorite lines) Send me an e-mail and I'll overnight one of my many DVD copies. Don't worry about me, I'll give you the Achiever Edition and if I need to, I can always watch the 10th Anniversary Edition I picked up last year. Don't worry about the postage in returning it - you can joyfully hand it back to me when we meet up at your first Fest.

Tickets are on sale now, so I'd recommend not delaying any further. It's a wonderful voyage to your first Fest!

Oh, one final thing... I'll introduce you to John Goodman.[TQ]