Invasion Of The Uglydolls!

Uglydolls were first introduced by independent toy designers David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim in 2002. They are distinguished by a balance of the traditional plush and soft features that normally accompany stuffed dolls and the ugliness that only an owner could love. In 2006, Uglydolls were awarded the Specialty Toy of the Year title by the Toy Industry of America, and have appeared in several television shows and movies. They are primarily sold at independent and specialty toy stores, but have recently become available at Tower Records, Nordstrom, and Urban Outfitters. iTaggit user Ummjamiesha has organized her collectibles, as well as found the value of her collection of Uglydolls with us. Click on a picture below for more information on that item itself.

Ten Great Books For Men

For all of you avid readers out there, or those looking for a great idea for a present, may I suggest this Top 10 List of Books for Guys I found on MSN. They are supposed to be geared towards men, and I can see why because my father has read and thoroughly enjoyed at least a third of them, but the topics seem interesting for women as well. Let me know your feedback, if you've personally read any of them and what you thought about them. Be sure to organize your collection of books with iTaggit and let us know if you need your collectibles valued.

Spartina by John Casey
This classic novel of a man, a boat, and a storm is ultimately a compelling voyage of self discovery. Dick Pierce, an out-of-luck commercial fisherman, has lost nearly everything except his family. Spartina is the fishing boat he is trying to build in a last-ditch effort to realize his frustrated dreams of independence. As things veer from bad to worse, Dick manages to launch Spartina just before a hurricane hits. While riding out the storm brings Dick new clarity, the real heart of this novel is its timeless story of one man's struggle to find his true place in the world.



The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
Quite possibly the best book ever written about baseball, The Boys of Summer tells the story of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the community that loved them. Roger Kahn, a sportswriter who grew up near Ebbets Field, covered the Dodgers for the Herald Tribune in the 1950s and tells the story here in all its glory and pathos—right up to the day in 1958 when the team moved to Los Angeles and took the heart and soul of Brooklyn with them. You don't have to love baseball to love this book.





Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
In April 1992, following several years of solo adventures and sometimes odd behavior, 24-year-old Chris McCandless burned the last cash in his wallet and walked into the Alaskan wilderness on a personal quest to find new meaning in his life. Four months later, hunters found his decomposing body in an abandoned school bus. In this book, which inspired the current movie directed by Sean Penn and scored by rocker Eddie Vedder, author Jon Krakauer tries to understand how and why McCandless died—and what he discovered on his spiritual journey.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
If you haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird since high school or college, it's time to take another look. Harper Lee's first and only novel, which won her a Pulitzer Prize and inspired an Oscar-winning film, offers one of the best role models for fatherhood in all of literature in the character of Atticus Finch. The novel also takes a compelling look at the cancerous effects of institutionalized racism on a small Southern town in the years before the civil rights movement.







Understanding Men's Passages by Gail Sheehy
For men, midlife is often seen as a time of crisis and confusion. But it's also a time when many men reinvent themselves and take control of their lives. Bestselling author Gail Sheehy has written what may be the ultimate relationship book for men. By sharing the stories of real men coping with the changes and challenges they encounter during their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, Sheehy shows all men how to develop a truer relationship with themselves and to open their hearts more fully to the people they love.





A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
Made into a 1992 movie starring Brad Pitt and directed by Robert Redford, Norman Maclean's book of two brothers following different paths is a poignant and lyrical story of loss, and our all-too-frequent inability to understand and help the people we love the most. Set in 1930s Montana, with some great fly-fishing scenes, Maclean tells his moving memoir in prose as clean and clear as a trout stream.






I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics by Ritch Shydner and Mark Schiff
More than 200 standup comedians come clean in this hilarious and sometimes bizarre look at what goes on behind the laughter when comics are on the road. Contributors include legendary comic all-stars such as Jonathan Winters, Dennis Miller, Drew Carey, Chris Rock and Rita Rudner as well as a lineup of nearly anonymous rising stars. The stories range from Jerry Seinfeld's memory of being heckled by a Mafia hit man to Jay Leno's anecdote about accidentally leaving a groupie tied to her bed overnight. Authors Shydner and Schiff are veteran standup comics whose own recollections are included in the book.


The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman
In his bestselling book, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman argues that economic, political and technological forces have led to a new stage of globalization that is creating previously unimagined opportunities and crises. Not everyone will agree with Friedman's conclusions, but there is no question that he does a masterful job of tracing many of the new trends and complex relationships that affect our lives.




Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken
This story about the 30-year friendship of two vaudeville comedians who make it big in the early days of Hollywood and television is touching, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny. Although as different offstage as on, straight man Mose Sharp and funny man Rocky Carter both struggle to overcome their demons and discover the essential value of male friendship.






Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
One of the great underdog sports stories of all time, Seabiscuit: An American Legend tells how a horse that nobody wanted won the heart of a nation. Misunderstood and mishandled during his early racing career, Seabiscuit looked like a loser but became a champion. Competing during the bleakest years of the Great Depression, Seabiscuit was a symbol of triumph and hope for millions of Americans.

Possible Largest Historical Shipwreck Coin Recovery

There have been multiple ship wreck discoveries in 2007 that have yielded large amounts of buried treasure, so to speak, but the code-named “Black Swan” is one of the most impressive. Odyssey Marine Exploration, the world's leader in deep-ocean shipwreck exploration, has recovered 500,000 silver coins, which weigh more than 17 tons, hundreds of gold coins, worked gold, and countless other artifacts. If the results of the conservation and documentation are consistent with speculation, this recovery will constitute the largest collection of coins ever excavated from a historical shipwreck site.
“Our research suggests that there were a number of Colonial period shipwrecks that were lost in the area where this site is located, so we are being very cautious about speculating as to the possible identity of the shipwreck,” said John Morris, Odyssey Co-founder and CEO. “Nevertheless, we have treated this site with kid gloves and the archaeological work done by our team out there is unsurpassed. We are thoroughly documenting and recording the site, which we believe will have immense historical significance.” Although your personal coin collecting might not produce 17 tons worth of material, it is still prudent to manage your collections for future purposes. Good luck finding buried treasure of your own!

Johnny Depp At The Top For Autographed Memorabilia

The Associated Press released a great article last week about celebrity autographed memorabilia. Johnny Depp ranked at the top of the charts as the most gracious celebrity for the third year in a row. Behind him in adoring-fan generosity are: Matt Damon, George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, Rosario Dawson, John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, Jay Leno, Dakota Fanning, and Russell Crowe. Crowe's placement on the Top 10 was considered a surprise, as he is infamous for throwing temper tantrums when it comes to fans and paparazzi, but the 43-year-old actor has apparently turned over a new leaf.
The worst celebrity signers are shamed in the following order: Will Ferrell, Tobey Maguire, Joaquin Phoenix, William Shatner, Renee Zellweger, John Malkovich, Julie Andrews, Bruce Willis, Teri Hatcher, and Scarlett Johansson.
The editors of Autograph magazine, who compile the list annually, said they take into account input from autograph-collecting judges based in Europe, New York, and California when ranking the celebs.
If you need help pricing or organizing your collections of celebrity autographs, use an iTaggit account, as opposed to software for collectors, for the most secure way to store your valuable's information. Then be sure to share your autographs with the rest of our community, and add in the interesting story of how you obtained them in the notes section!

Marvel Zombies And Batman: Blind Justice

Recently it seems that everywhere I look, there Marvel Zombies are. The art work by Arthur Suydam is by far my favorite part of this comic book miniseries. I first noticed them about a month ago when I began staring at my coworker Duncan's Zombies poster. It is the type of art that hits you in waves. First I noticed characters that I grew up with, nothing more. Then I began realizing that the colors were a little distorted. Finally, it hit me that these weren't the friendly superheroes I had assumed they were at all, but the undead shell of what they had used to be. In case you are lost, Marvel Zombies are a set of comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2005. They are set in an alternate version of the Marvel Universe where most of the super heroes and villains have been exposed to a viral infection of sorts, turning them into flesh-eating zombies. The series was originally a spin-off from events in Ultimate Fantastic Four, but it became successful enough to produce an additional miniseries of its own, as well as several standalone one-shot issues. The title Marvel Zombies comes as a tribute to the nickname the Marvel fanbase gave to those who were very dedicated Marvel fans.
Another series I have taken note of is Batman: Blind Justice. From what I have gathered, the story begins when Bruce Wayne refuses to allow illegal mind-control experiments to continue at Wayne Technology, and he finds himself charged with being a traitor. Blind Justice then delves into Bruce's past as he confronts memories of those who molded him into the Dark Knight. All of the reviews seem to be of four-stars or more and it might be placed on my iTaggit wishlist soon enough. In case you might be seeking a Marvel or DC comic price guide, or really any comic book price guide at all, add your comics into our “What's My Item Worth” collection, and we will do our best to give you an idea of your comic's value.

Baseball Memorabilia Showcased In Our Own Gallery

Check out some of the great baseball memorabilia I found in the iTaggit gallery:

iTaggit user kihm8787 has an amazing collection of baseball memorabilia in the community collection. Within the collection are a Limited Edition Ted Williams 50th Anniversary Autographed Plaque, Hank Aaron Autographed Baseball with Certificate of Authenticity, Rod Carew Autographed Baseball with "HOF 91'" Inscription (pictured left), Lou Brock Autographed Baseball with "SB 938" Inscription, all of which can be considered almost antiques these days.

iTaggit user comic_relief added a baseball cards collectors box with over 500 cards in it!!! (pictured right) In the description, the contents consist of over 500 baseball cards from different manufacturers and years, including one original card from the 1950's, two original cards from the 1960's and five original cards from the 1970's. Other interesting cards I've found include Wheezy's autographed Bobby Doerr Baseball Card and itaggitfather's 2003 Upper Deck Sammy Sosa Limited Edition Baseball Card, which is in it's own display case. Lastly, one of the most impressive collections I have found across the board would be the_baseball_guru's The Topps Baseball Cards Complete Set from years 1986-1989, consisting of approximately 3,168 cards collectively.

I love finding new stuff in the iTaggit Gallery on a daily basis, and I hope you do to. If you find something that you feel needs to be shared, blog about it!

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is based on the Batman comics, but most of its influences come from Batman: The Long Halloween, according to screenwriter David S. Goyer. It is set to hit theaters in Summer 2008, but the anticipation over the first full-length preview release is already building. The preview is expected to debut when I Am Legend is released this coming Friday. Until then, I will share with you the official movie poster that was released last Tuesday, as well as some trivia I found on IMDb.com about the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins. Don't forget to use our “What's My Item Worth” section for a comic book price guide.

Hugh Jackman, Ryan Phillippe, Liev Schrieber, and Josh Lucas expressed

As a joke, one bat suit was made with nipples. It was presented to Christian Bale as the real bat suit, but he knew instantly it was a joke, having seen a few design pictures during preproduction. He did pose for some publicity photos in the “nipple” suit.

This is the first Batman film not to have “Batman” in the title.

At the time when the Penguin was rumored to be in the movie, Bob Hoskins appeared as a fan favorite. He stated that he would have loved to protray the role and work with Christopher Nolan, calling him a fantastic director. Nolan then stated he had no intention of using the Penguin, calling him a too far-fetched character.

Robin Williams, Lachy Hulme, Paul Bettany, and Adrien Brody all expressed interest for the role of the Joker before Heath Ledger was cast. Sean Penn was the original choice.

When asked, “Why Heath Ledger as the Joker?” Christopher Nolan said, “Because he's fearless.”

Turning down a salary estimated at between $1 million and $2 million – an increase over the roughly $1 million she was believed to have earned for Batman Begins (2005) – Katie Holmes chose not to reprise her role as Rachel Dawes. This was due to what was described as 'scheduling conflicts'.

Jerry Robinson, who is credited as one of the original creators of the Joker, served as a consultant on the film.

Before Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes, both Rachel McAdams and Emily Blunt were rumored for the part.

While filming on the streets of Chicago in April 2007, the filming was carried out under the fake movie title “Rory's First Kiss”. Fliers regarding the filming carried this fake title, complete with a fake “RFK” logo for the movie and an address for the film's production offices.

One of the extra's military uniforms has the name “Philo” on it, after the film's extras casting director, Joan Philo.