A couple of recent news items. this Gloucester, England news item about someone burning a skatepark. Was it the kids, or something more sinister? How about this editorial from the Alamagordo Daily News about skateboarders desecrating a war memorial. I want my tombstone to have transition and coping. (Remember the Tony Hawk Vietnam Vet memorial fiasco? – k.ed)

Post-holiday depression? Here’s a video of Santa bombing some hills. I know it’s a day late, but it’s still funny that it comes from CNN via their iReport site. I like the concept for getting eyewitness news up faster, but lately CNN is getting more and more like AM talk radio. Seriously, who cares what some hothead in Iowa thinks about the mortgage crisis. If I wanted to watch amateur news I’d turn on Fox.

Not only are many big name skateboards manufactured in China, now they are going to start making our extreme sports genre films there too. CounterCulture Independent Filmmakers’ Resource, has the following oportunity listed: Wanted Screenplays with a Skateboard Theme to shoot in China Budget is 1.5 million. Investor is a skateboard champion and wants to produce a feature in Shanghai with a skateboard theme. Big question, who is the “skateboard champion?” I accidentally caught a Chinese action film on cable that has big chase scene that takes place on mountain boards. I forget the name of it, but it’s probably at least three years old. – Thanks to Tito Porrata for the tip.

Yakima, Washington has new skatepark built by Grindline, and a problem with the locals getting stuck in the bowls during the winter. There’s video over at KEPRTV.com. Yakima, Washington folks should be used to snow, right? We rarely get snow in Portland, yet we never get stuck in the bowls when they are full of snow. To be fair, kids sometimes get stuck in Pier Park’s deep bowl even when it’s dry. Somewhere MC has a comic or two about that. That rope isn’t for hanging rollerbladers, it’s to help kids crawl out of the bowls. The fire department has been called out three times in 24 hours to rescue trapped kids. – Thanks to Tito for the tip.

I’m beginning to feel like there might be enough to make a skateboard-only Christmas tree. One time the missus and I decorated a tree entirely with plastic bugs and rubber snakes that we bought in bulk and used a fishing line and a sewing needle to make the loops. You have to heat the needle tip over a lighter to make it go through the bugs without destroying your thumb. It occurred to me that I’m always making these type of posts too close to the actual date that they pertain to. Believe me when I tell you that someone will contact me in six months, asking where they can buy one of these things. Listen up. We don’t sell them, and if they don’t show up on the links I’ve provided, then I can’t help you out any further. Bah, Humbug! – Thanks to Daddy Yo for the tip.

First up, Mark Gonzales in a Nissan commercial. Funny thing is, when I saw this commercial the very first time I kept expecting a skateboard, but it never materialized. Something about the commercial exuded a skateboarding vibe, or a similar sense of fun. I didn’t recognize the Gonz the first time because he was completely out of context, and quite frankly I didn’t pay attention to it after the first viewing. That thirty second commercial skip button is great. Watch the spot after the jump. – Thanks to Seth Berg for the tip. Next up, not one, but two Stacy Peralta items. Did you know he was the one who made the Burger King commercial titled “Whopper Virgins?” Well, neither did I, but Fuel TV did. They implied that the skateboarding community might have something to say about it, Im not sure why though, because he was a filmmaker hired to do a job, not a guy appearing as a skateboarder in a commercial for say… a video game.

Digital print on demand services don’t really count as mass produced items, but there are a bunch of skateboard Christmas ornaments available at Cafe Press that like most of the fare found there, ranges from well done illustrations (in rare cases) to what is essentially clip art, with a catch phrase if you are lucky! There should be some sort of fine for any meathead who uploads clip art to Cafe Press. I’m going to strike it rich honey! They’re just giving away these drawings! I know, add a “No Fear” to it! As Dr Brad is fond of saying lately, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Even the nice illustrations look cheesy on the mockups. maybe they are better looking in real life. – Thanks to… (Drumroll please) Daddy Yo for the tip! Part two coming later.

Jeff Greenwood is the guy who started Concrete Disciples as a print zine from the Northwest, no less, and brought it online way back in 1997. Concrete Disciples is one of the biggest independent forums in the online skateboarding world. Sure, the big forums have a rep as a haven for bunch of whiny babies and armchair skateboarders, but as long time SnA readers can recently attest, you can’t control who decides to visit your site. I met Jeff a few years back and he was a very down to earth guy. He was enjoying the hell out of some Oregon skateparks at the time. I think it’s been a while since he’s been out here. Running one of these sites can be a thankless job. Jeff had some serious health issues for a while, and he’s got some partners now, but he’s always been the driving force behind Concrete Disciples. Blah blah blah. Go read the interview over at Europe Skate. – Thanks to Rene Morales for the tip.

Tony Hawk makes an appearance in this commercial for Guitar Hero World Tour. It has been suggested that this should be embarrassing for him, let’s see if we can dissect that theory. It could be embarrassing because Rock Band is obviously the better fake musical instrument game. Or maybe because Tony is the only sports celebrity in the commercial who has to drag along the trappings of the sport that made him famous. You don’t see Kobe with a basketball, Michael Phelps in speedo, or that other dude with whatever makes him famous, but for some reason Tony appears on a skateboard and in helmet, no less. It could be embarrassing because of the homoerotic implementations of four dudes dancing around together in their underwear. I’m sure he’s embarassed all the way to the bank though… Watch the commercial after the jump. – Thanks to… crud, can’t find the email, but thanks.

We mentioned this limited edition Jenna Jameson board by Zoo York before, but the board wasn’t actually out yet. It appears to have been released, which is a good excuse to mention that I walked into a Portland area Macy’s a week ago and was surprised to see a large portion of the floor had been allocated to a big display of Zoo York clothing which I found odd, but then didn’t considering it’s much more acceptable in hip hop culture to infiltrate higher end retail shops, as opposed to Shaun White having his own line in Target. While I appreciated the original Zoo York movement detailed in the Deathbowl to Downtown documentary, those roots seem far removed from the current incarnation, as if related in name and location only. In any case, everyone should print out copy of the deck and run down to the nearest Macy’s and ask them when they are going to get the Jenna Jameson board. [Photo: Sakteboard – miniroom549 on Flickr]