He’s the man
Video from the early 90’s provides more proof of Tony Hawk’s Skill
Anthony Augustine

Tony Hawk— tinyurl.com/ydkz3p; viceland.com/ca/backissues.php — Since the mid-’80s, Tony Hawk has been synonymous with skateboard culture, first through his exposure in the legendary Bones Brigade (and its influential series of VHS tapes) and later with his groundbreaking Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video-game series. Hawk was also one of the breakout stars of ESPN’s X-Games and has appeared in countless movies, TV shows and commercials. Along with creating and launching the Boom Boom Huck Jam, which brought together top skateboarders, BMXers and a slew of underground bands and DJs, Hawk has recently refocused his attention on his Birdhouse Projects skateboard brand. Before Birdhouse was one of the largest skateboard companies in the world and Hawk was signing multi-million-dollar endorsement deals, he was just another skater who was tired of getting screwed over, and he wanted to try to forge his own path. This clip from Birdhouse’s first video, 1992’s Feasters, may not be the slickest you’ll ever see, but it perfectly documents Hawk’s skill and finesse. You know what I mean if you were lucky enough to catch his quick session at the skate park at The Forks this fall.

Borat— tinyurl.com/ymfau2; tinyurl.com/ydo4xm — British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s mockumentary Borat opened the Nov. 10-12 weekend in first place in North America, with over $24 million in ticket sales. The film is a subversive look at the myth of the American dream and the ingrained racism in the U.S., but it’s also a damned funny movie that challenges viewers on a number of different levels. Santa Clause 3 debuted in more theatres, so many experts were baffled with Borat’s strong opening. Baron Cohen enjoyed moderate success on HBO with The Ali G Show, but it’s more probable that the web has helped build the Borat bandwagon. If you don’t known anything about the fictional Kazakh journalist, this collection of clips from YouTube should bring you up to speed. If you still aren’t convinced, the first four minutes of the mockumentary have been uploaded to the web.

NHL on Google Video— video.google.com/nhl.html — The recent announcement that Google and the NHL were partnering to digitally deliver every hockey game had me really excited at first. I thought the league would adopt the free model the NCAA uses to broadcast the road to the Final Four or at the very least offer a basic subscription service like the one sold by Major League Baseball. I was disappointed to discover that the games would only be archived 48 hours after the final horn had sounded. This is a step forward for rabid hockey nuts who never want to miss a game, but it does nothing for the average fan who had plans during Hockey Night in Canada or might want to stream a game that’s not offered in his or her market. The NHL has demonstrated that it’s willing to adopt new media solutions — just really, really slowly.

Anthony Augustine is a freelance music and pop culture writer who spends way too much time in front of the computer. He also hosts a weekly two-hour electronic music program on CKUW 95.9 FM Got a site you think he should see? E-mail him at anthony.alloneword@gmail.com.