An ad agency called EyeWonder has created some crazy banner ads for web pages that unfold and let interested parties fool around and learn about Tony Hawk’s Project 8 game without having to leave the page. You can do things like use your cursor to scrub through the super slow motion “Nail the Trick” sequences and view trailers and screen captures. It’s very well thought out use of web technology to draw in the viewer. The average game console graphics engine must not be up to snuff when it comes to skinning the character’s shoes, otherwise I can’t believe they would pass up the extra product tie-in opportunity with the accompanying kick-back. Check out a demo of the ad here, and no, they didn’t pay to be included here, It just happens that it’s interesting enough to warrant a post here. Free advertising… Bastards! [Source: Eywonder]

“It’s like skating across my face and down my heart,” said U.S. Air Force veteran Quincy Collins. OK, that quote is kind of funny. However, in a case of life imitating video games, or as we like to call it Idiots imitating idiots, some skateboarders have “vandalized” a Viet Nam Veterans Memorial. Not the one in D.C., but the local one in Charlotte North Carolina. I say vandalized in quotes because the extent of the damage appears to be limited to dusty tire tracks. So while it might not be traditional defacement, it’s still very lame, and not too bright. If they ever get caught, I’m willing to bet that these rebels will claim they were inspired by Tony Hawk’s Project 8 video game. Watch the incriminating video and more after the jump.

I’m sure Tony was flattered to be asked to represent the state of California in a commercial promoting tourism. There’s nothing more quintessentially California than skateboarding, right? I’m sure the joy left him as soon as he read another script asking him to talk about “pop.”

click to see full image Must be weird to show up for a session at the local skatepark if you are Tony Hawk. This is from JGB’s blog at The Skateboard Mag. He says he took this the last week in January. Classic trick executed as well as anybody could. Great shot.

ChildSeek Network Name: SYDNEY ROCHELLE Abduction Type: Endangered Runaway That’s right. A girl went to a party one weekend and never came home. After a week, police received a tip off and located the missing teen at Tony Hawk’s house. Is this Gator all over again?

In a ceremony in Massachusetts… Actually, that’s not true. Iggy Pop didn’t marry or enter into a domestic partnership with Bam. He didn’t even perform the ceremony, he just performed at the ceremony. When I got married, all I could afford was an Elvis impersonator. The Stooges have a new album coming out. Word is that Mike Watt is filling in on bass. I wonder if Iggy has a Blue Hawaiian package. Also present at the wedding was Tony Hawk, although I’m not sure if he performed anything. Still intertested in Bam’s wedding? He’s so classy he had it videotaped for another reality TV show on MTV. There are links after the jump.

It’s always amusing when an article in the mainstream business press uses the word “dude” in a skateboard-related feature, right? Well, predictable, yes. This is an old piece of news, but I’m cleaning house. This New York Times article titled The business of board sports: It takes hardcore credibility, dude isn’t solely about Jaime Thomas, but he is the focus. It talks about how marketing and brand recognition are different animals for “board sports” companies, and how Nike and others have found it hard to crack. It’s an OK read, but not much your average Skate and Annoy reader doesn’t already know. The dollar figures are pretty impressive though, and there’s a not-so-gratuitous gratuitous Tony Hawk appearance. Because Tony’s quotes are in reference to selling the Hawk brand to Quicksilver, it actually make sense, unlike Rob Dyrdek’s appearance in Forbes. Read It takes hardcore credibility, dude at International Herald Tribune. Look how I got all artsy on that title graphic.

If you are already figuratively sick of Tony Hawk, this summer you can be literally sick of him on Tony Hawk’s Big Spin. At first I thought this picture of Tony inverted in the rendering above was just for illustration purposes, but when you watch the virtual ride through you’ll see there really is a giant rotating cutout of Tony Hawk

That’s right. If you can’t make it out to one of his skatepark opening appearances you can still get his chicken scratch on a 8×10″ photo from Target.com. If you have even more money burning a hole in your pocket you can get a 16×20″ version too.

Siriusly (har har) I can’t tell if this is a commercial for Jeep or Sirius Satellite Radio. The gist of it is if you buy some kind of Jeep they throw in the Sirius service for free. It’s a mildly amusing commercial. If anyone still needs it, it’s proof that skateboarding has been assimilated into popular culture. Watch the video and see it dissected after the jump.