This is what it looks like under the temporary concrete superpark setup at the X-Games. Thanks to the anonymous tipster, you know who you are…

There’s a teaser up for an upcoming Paul Rodriguez video at Nike SB. There are a couple of celebrity cameos. I enjoyed seeing Lance Mountain as one of the cops. Ice Cube makes and appearance too. It seems Paul Rodriguez is blowing up (even more). Boston.com says he’s “ramping up” his exposure. They’ve got a short interview with Paul that’s informal and somewhat interesting.

Another installment of Skateboard Action from Carl Warren features Bill Danforth “carving a bank” (their quotes, not mine), and some sage advice that concrete is the best surface for skateboarding. Previous installments: Five – Four – Three – Two – One

I mean it’s a classic Roller Derby skateboard form the 60’s. In any case, if you look at the “how to” shots, she didn’t remove the trucks. Materials: Vintage wooden skateboard Wood cleaner/Wood finish Fine sandpaper 6 Galvanized ceiling flanges 2 Split ring hangers Threaded rod- ours was ¾”- 10- 1′ Screws, bolts Check it out on Junk Market Style.

Remember, this ramp is modular and portable. Looks fun as hell, especially when you skate as well as the guys in the video coverage from SoCal Skateparks. Check out those results too. There were some big names in there, but none of them made the top three. Kowalski power! The old Chuck Taylors’s used to be staple because they were cheap, but they were pretty useless in the long run. The best thing they had going was the price. They used to cost about $20 in the 80’s, which seemed about right. Somehow they cost $55 or more now! However… Converse Skateboarding has some shoes that look like they might be worth checking out – beefed up versions with styling reminiscent of the old CT’s, plus a cool looking mid-top too. What’s the point? Oh yeah, watch the video.

Nice skate inspired lettering by Christian San Jose illustration over on Letter Cult. This was part of a roundup of exceptional lettering for the first half of 2009. This both inspires and depresses me just like skating with a bunch of young rippers.

Back in June we reported on the Stardolls online Ryan Sheckler dress up doll. It looks like they’ve added Tony Hawk and Bam Margera too. Sheckles must have pitched a fit, because he’s been removed from the site, and hold on, in the short delay since I first found out about the new additions, Tony Hawk has been removed as well, but maybe that’s because his celebrity likeness looked more like the test tube spawn of John McEnroe and Jimmy Carter. [Source: Examiner.com]

Skate and Annoy welcomes Ravage Skateboards as a sponsor. I asked Jordan for an intro to the company, he said the “About us” from the web site would work, but also gave me some more personal insight: I used to be the buyer for all the Munitions stores in the NW and have skated pretty much all my life and wanted to make a company that was as professional and serious as the big guys but fun and manageable enough to have the small family feel still. So in 2008 I mocked up a company called Ravage Skateboards and in 2009 executed that plan and made it a reality. Our boards are pressed one-at-a-time and feature different art each season from various artists from across the country. We are a Portland based company with our offices in Tigard but I spend half my time in LA working evenings in the music industry and the other half up here skating our amazing NW collection of parks all while doing Ravage during the day. I am very stoked to be forging my own path and nothing beats the feeling of seeing someone at the park riding your own product and having a…

This Rick Howard commercial for Lakai is pretty effing great. I had a hard time picking a still frame because I didn’t want to spoil it for you. Yeah, that’s quite a build up. I’d like to think that skateboard commercials would be this creative. It’s weird enough that there are actual skateboard commercials on TV, even if they are only on MTV, ESPN, or Fuel. And yes, I realize this isn’t actually a commercial for skateboards, rather skateboard shoes. Close enough. [Source: Boardistan]

He was the Z-Boy that had the smallest amount of screen time in the documentary, and he was also the youngest one, hence the name “Baby.” Paul Cullen passed away on the 23rd last week. Cause of death has not been officially made known, but there has been some obvious speculation due to a history of substance abuse. His memorial was open to the public this past Saturday. The image above is from Glen E. Friedman, who recommends you check out Paul’s section on the official Z-Boys page. Yo Venice has more recent pictures of Paul.