What’s that you say? Time to class up the joint with gratuitous topless pics of girls “modeling” action sports clothes? Head on over to Vice. The best part (well…) is when they list the clothes that the model is wearing, which is a little comical on the shots that are cropped so close to the boobs that you can’t really see the clothes. Babes on Wheels. Action Sportsploitation. – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip.

Element Case (no relation) is releasing a handful of new iPhone cases with skate graphics on them. It’s basically one of three different cases with what are essentially removable hard plastic (lexan) stickers on the outside. Base prices range from $40 to $150 (!!!) depending on how high tech you want it. The more expensive ones actually look better (tip to tail, not truck to truck) but who has $100-$150 to blow on a case for a phone? Not me, dear readers. They do look nice though, and who would have guessed Pineapple Designs would have been one of the offerings? I’m still patiently waiting for the call from the lucky manufacturer who wants to license Skate and Annoy designs. How about a nice iPad case with a giant GVK face on the back? I wonder if Staab is sharing Tony hawk’s business manger. Seems like he’s got more product out now then he ever did in his heyday. Wait, maybe this is his heyday. Speaking of heyday… Holy Frank! It’s Billy Ruff in the product video? I haven’t heard anything about him in ages. (Wait.. I’m still watching.) An appearance by Brad Bowman and Steve Caballero too, plus manufacturing…

I hear they are making a sequel to Zoolander. I don’t remember seeing this from the first time around. The sport sandals make this look. If it had been made a few years later they would have used a longboard.

Pay attention in school kids. You never know when things might get interesting. This is a random slide from a biology lecture that Billy Bones attended. I don’t know what’s more messed up, the skater’s wacky shape or his massively receding hairline. It’s also kind of creepy that the only fully opaque figure is a girl in a bikini.

As disappointed as I am with his term, I was ready to believe this for half a heart beat. This video is fake, but pretty well done. Come on Obama, get some for cryin’ out loud… – Spotted on Facebook via KC

Larry Stevenson,founder of Makaha Skateboards, publisher of Surf Guide and Poweredge Magazines and inventor of the kick tail passed away at age 82. RIP indeed. Update: Obituaries in the NY Times and LA Times.

Great video, really. Captures two decades of skating, the innocence of youth, humor. It’s magic, and I’m not (very) drunk. She’s so Rad is the band, In Circles is the song. Bonus: The band’s web site has an unexplained still of J. Mascis doing the double daffy. These guys may or may not be from New Zealand.

There’s a Tony Hawk-branded series of books for young teens (or tweens?) called Tony Hawk’s 900 Revolution. There’s no mission statement about the series being designed to engage kids in reading other than a tagline on the front page that says “Join the reading revolution.” You can read sample chapters and find out about characters like Omar, who is “aggressive and inventive, and often likened to Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.” The premise of the series: At the dawn of the new millennium, Tony Hawk landed the first-ever 900, finally capturing the Holy Grail of skateboarding. At that moment in time, everything changed. A mysterious force shattered his board and scattered the pieces across the globe. Today, a talented group of teens unite in an eternal quest to bring the board – and its power – back together again. Adventure, action sports, and sci-fi rolled into one super-hot series! Your kid (or you with a cleverly disguised entry) can win a chance to appear as a character in a future book. They look a little bit like comic books don’t they? They aren’t but they do have a 16 page graphic novel insert. Extreme!™

If you’re a model or a regular gal posing for a photographer’s portfolio, it’s only a matter of time before someone sticks a skateboard in you hands. Hey, you’re casual, radical, and fashionable. These photos were both brought to my attention by MC, so you can guess what his web surfing habits are like… Up top: Valerie Van Der Graaf photographed by? These pictures are i a few places on the Interwebs™, but I can’t find a credit for them so here’s a random link. Bottom: From the portfolio of Shannon Lee Miller, as seen on White Zine.

From the Onion, truly America’s greatest news source. I heard a piece about the Onion on NPR’s This American Life. As interesting as it was, it kind of sucked the joy out of it a little. Reminded me of a science fiction story I read where scientists analyzed humor and discovered the actual cause of what made people laugh, at which point nothing was funny to anyone, anywhere, anymore. What was the name of that story? Anyone? [Source: Westway]