If you weren't sure who's heading the New York Knicks these days, coach Mike Woodson wore t-shirt yesterday that pretty much clears things up. Check it out:

Yes, that's Woodson's face, goatee and all, plastered onto a t-shirt. And just in case the glorious facial hair didn't tip you off, it's is also printed with the word "Coach." Nice.

The photo, captured by MSG Network's Alan Hahn, began circulating around the Internet after the Knicks' Tuesday morning practice. Not surprisingly, it's being called the "best shirt ever" by basketball fanatics.

Here's how it looks on the man himself:

Whether or not you're a basketball fan, you've got to admit coach Woodson's new shirt is pretty epic. (P.S. Anyone else think it would make a great promotional product for the Knicks...?)

As some of you may have read from a previous post from my colleague Brandon, Mitt Romney had won the Republican 2012 presidential nomination. You may have also read about how he had attended a fundraiser hosted by the infamous Donald Trump. Unfortunately I wish I could end it there, however we all know about Donald by now, and we know that his mouth and opinions tend to get him into trouble. On what should have been Romney's big day, Trump took the opportunity to (once again) question President Obama's birthplace.  During a phone interview with CNN, Trump insisted that "... Many people do not think [Obama's birth certificate] was authentic." Now he is accurate in that aspect. There are people  out there, like Trump, who believe he was not born here. Even the Arizona Secretary of State, Ken Bennett has announced that he may keep Barack Obama off the ballot because of "questions" whether the president was born in America. However, the general consensus among the WORLD is that he was born here and is still eligible to be president. But that hasn't stopped these "birthers" from trying to spread their word, so some from the liberal left have a theory about Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is a unicorn. 

That's right folks; there is a website called Mitt Romney Is A Unicorn, where a petition has been set up to get the same Arizona Secretary of State that questioned Obama's birth to investigate if Mitt Romney is a unicorn. From the site, it states that without such proof, Romney may indeed be a unicorn -- with his dark mane hiding a horn -- and therefore ineligible to be on the presidential ballot in November. There has never been a conclusive DNA test proving that Mitt Romney is not a unicorn.  The site has clearly been created in response to the "birther" movement, who continually raise the already-settled issue of whether President Barack Obama meets the Constitution's requirements for citizenship. So far, the "unicorners" have over 24,000 of the goal of 25,000 signatures for their petition.

Even though this is a satirical movement meant to poke fun at the "birthers", it does make a valid point. If the birthers still do not believe that President Obama is a citizen, even after he provided his birth certificate, even after the state of Hawaii provided the necessary proof, even after he provided the long-form version of his birth certificate, even after almost all people of the Republican Party agree he is an American citizen, then there is no hope to convince them. What is even more disturbing is how Mitt Romney would associate with them for fundraising, then deny that he agrees with their opinion. If you do not believe in their cause, why are campaigning with them? If the birthers can believe that Obama is not a citizen regardless of the evidence against it, then the unicorners will refuse to believe that Mitt Romney is not a unicorn regardless of the evidence. Remember, there has been no DNA test to prove he isn't a unicorn.

I hope they start printing promotional t-shirts with Mitt Romney as a unicorn. If they were smart, they would use the money to help fuel President Obama's campaign and be a part of helping him get re-elected. I am sure they would make a good chunk of money on people buying the shirts.

     Last week, I posted an entry about my friends and their recent acquisition of an unorthodox pet.  Little did I know that this will not be the only time I would hear of someone in my circle getting an unusual pet. Last week, my girlfriend's cousins got a pet that I have heard about, wanted to play with, and even contemplated owning myself. It's exotic, not too many people own one yet,  and once they get to know you, they get very attached and you pretty much have a friend for life. I present to you Nika... the sugar glider.

     Now look into those eyes and tell me you aren't already in love with her. She sits in the palm of your hand, with her body only being about four inches long and her tail nearly doubles her length. Her diet is fifty percent insects, twenty five percent fruits, and twenty five percent vegetables. I began to look up the sugar glider online to see what else I could find out about the animal. Did you know that they originate from Australia, are marsupials and not rodents, and also feed off gum and sap (typically from the eucalyptus), acacia trees, nectar and pollen, manna and honeydew? Me neither. My favorite part of this animal is that it has a patch of skin that connect the front leg to the rear on each side, making the animal capable of gliding! How cool is that?

Now I must confess, I have not seen the pet yet. She is a bit skittish around her new family right now, and it may take a few months to acclimate to her new surroundings. So I will be patient and wait. But I will see her, and when I do I will make sure to wear one of many knock-around promotional t-shirts...just in case. 

After subtlely hinting to it in this blog post, I have finally picked out the bicycle of my dreams. It has a light-weight aluminum frame, a stellar paint job and very thin fast wheels. Now that I've bought some great accessories and am no longer rusty at riding, I'm looking for a few bike routes. 

With the magic of Google, I've found not only a few bike routes on Long Island but have also found races/competitions. I'd never thought of riding in competitions or anything like that but now that the idea is impressioned in my mind, I research the competitions heavily.

One in particular I am looking at is Ride to Montauk. It is a competition from various cities with the finish line in Montauk. Depending on where one starts, the race can be anywhere between 30 and 145 miles. What I find enticing is that the race includes transportation for you back to your start location, a massage after the race and even a promotional t-shirt/bike shirt. 

Promotional giveaways are perfect for getting people to participate in your event. Order now for your summer event. 

I spent part of my Sunday evening watching the 54th Grammy Awards. The prestigious award show celebrates the biggest names in music over the past year. I voted in the Grammy Award nomination process for the 53rd Grammy Awards (Katy Perry and Kanye West were big winners on my ballot) and because I wasn't eligible for the voting process this year, I decided to tune in and see how the nominees held up. Here's some major highlights from the night:

1. Bruno Mars Goes Gold, Then Cold
Bruno Mars hit the stage with a vengeance last night as he and his band did their best nostalgic rock/swing band impression. At one point, he even channeled the energy of James Brown by shimmying and even completing a split. Having not been a fan of his last single ("Grenade") I found myself rather impressed by how diverse the 26 year old musician could be.
Immediately following the musician's performance, Alicia Keys came out to present the Best Pop Song award. The nominees included Adele, P!nk, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars himself. After Adele was announced as the winner for her single "Someone like You", Bruno Mars reaction on camera shows him backstage jumping up and down and shaking his arms out of frustration. (?) The video of the incident can be seen here while the performance prior can be seen here. 

2. Whitney Houston's Passing
My reaction to the untimely death of Whitney Houston was one of deep sadness. So it was only expected that the Grammy Awards would have the feeling of a void as her death overshadowed the award show. As a tribute, Whitney's friend Jennifer Hudson performed a very heart-felt "I Will Always Love You" accompanied only by a piano. The performance was very somber but was the best ode to the Diva.

3. Gift bags?
Information regarding this year's gift bags for all nominees are trickling in but they already include promotional giveaways like 24-karat nail polish, a certificate for a cruise, a certificate from Hilton Hotels, heated bathrobe from Thermarobe and headphones from Harman. 

4. The Triumphant Return of Adele
After a very risky (but necessary) surgery on Adele's throat, Adele returned into the public eye with a jaw-dropping performance of "Rolling in the Deep" and winning 6 Grammy Awards, more than anyone else that night. The awards include Best Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Song of the Year and Best Album of the Year.

5. Bon Iver
Best New Artist is always a category to watch at the Grammy's. Christina Aguilara, Maroon 5, Adele and Evanesence have all been proud winners of the award just over the last decade alone. Bon Iver won this year's award, outshining The Band Perry, Skrillex, Nicki Minaj and J.Cole. Despite their harsh words on the Grammy's and their refusal to perform, the band won Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album. 

6. Skrillex
Despite the steady rise of EDM (electronic dance music) in this country, very few musicians from this country perform the music on a mainstream level. So when former screamo-frontman Sonny Moore - better known as Skrillex - was up for a few awards in the electronic music categories against musicians from out of the country (Deadmau5, Cut Copy, Robyn) people rallied behind him. And it worked - Skrillex won three Grammy's including Best Electronic Album and Best Dance Recording.
 

Honorable mentions: Bruce Springsteen opening, Bonnie Raitt and Alicia Keys cover Etta James, Deadmau5 performs with Foo Fighters and prints Skrillex's cell phone number on his custom imprinted shirt, Louis CK wins Grammy, Nicki Minaj's performance gives people nightmares. 

I have several goals in my life. One of which is obtain as many promotional awards as possible for the most unconventional, intriguing, or obscure sports events as possible. Many men and women have trophies or awards for conventional sport such as baseball or basketball. But how many people can claim they competed in the Riverhead Cardboard Boat Race? Only a blessed few, and I was one of them.

Now your first question may be: "What is this cardboard boat race?" Well my adoring fans, it's an amazing race where you build a boat entirely out of cardboard and duct tape. THAT'S IT! You can paint it for decoration, but nothing waterproof. Then you must row this boat down the Peconic River, around a buoy, and back. That's right folks, you have to get into this water soluble boat that you try to make insoluble, and row it down a river. If you are the first across the finish line you win. Now this is no easy feat with one person, but my boat called for five rowers.

After months of collecting cardboard, and a week of construction, the beast was complete. Thank goodness we had our promotional box cutters. Standing at 14 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 6 feet tall, weighing in at approximately 75 pounds, it's made out of cardboard boxes and will chew up the competition, behold... THE BOX MUNCHER! A Viking longboat with a Viking crew just as tough as the name suggests.

 June 25 2011, D-Day. As the sun rose over the quaint town of Downtown Riverhead (that's in Long Island, NY for those unfamiliar with the area), my team was en route to the river. We had to be there early, for a 14 foot vessel is not easily transportable, and had to be reassembled at the dock. As I checked my boat and my crew in with the supervisor, we were all given promotional t-shirts  endorsing the events and all the sponsors. It was a good quality shirt and even included some of the instructions and rules of the event.

As the day grew on, more and more people began arriving. Showing by the hundreds at points Many were spectators, but there were plenty of people showing up with their cardboard creations. After posing for many photos and interviews with local news stations, the races began. My boat was in the last race, due to its size and the age of my crew. As I watch, I see boats that seemed to be built very sturdy began to sink or fall apart. And for the first time, I actually felt nervous. Their boats were colorfully decorated, built fairly well (I thought so at least), and had less people in it. How was my single layer cardboard boat, with hollow boxes filling out the bottom, going to hold over 1100 pounds of man? All well, there's no going back now. The fourth race is getting ready and we are the dock waiting to put our boat in the water.

Here I am, stand at the edge of the dock with my crew, holding a boat over our heads, waiting to put the boat in the water. I watch as boat after boat go in, then their crew. and row to the starting line. Now it's our turn. We line up at the edge of the dock and drop the beast in. Sure enough, it floats. One by one, we begin to get on the boat. It rocks back and forth, but it stays afloat as all 1100 pounds of us get on. We row to the starting line, bumping into the competition and trash talking along the way. We knew we had this race in the bag. It floats and we have the most rowers in our boat. The countdown begins, our grips tighten around our oars to the point our arms begin to shake. Sweat beads down our face from the blistering sun. Months of planning, and many long hours of constructing all came down to this. The final horn blows, and we're off.

All at once, the roar of over twenty five teams' oars splashing into the water was deafening. Water was splashing us all around as we begin to descend down the river. Boats began sinking immediately while others sprinted to the front. Tempers are flaring, and adrenaline is pumping. The crowd cheering and screaming, getting the teams riled up in the hopes that they row faster. As the boats began to get near the buoy, some of my fans on shore were wondering, "Where's the Box Muncher?". Well, if you looked back, not too far from the starting line, you would see us, rowing in circles. It turns out during all this time we spent planning and building, we neglected one crucial aspect of this entire endeavor. We did not learn how to row a boat. We were from Queens, where were we going to learn how to row a boat? It was at this point we had decided to give up on crossing the finish line and do what Vikings do best, pillage and plunder. We turned our boat into the oncoming boats and tried to disrupt and destroy as much as we could. However, the race ended with one of our competitors narrowly escaping our carnage and crossing the finish line. One boat was not so lucky as they sank upon impact of the mighty Box Muncher. Those little girls now know the true wrath of the Vikings! 

Needless to say, we didn't win any of the promotional trophies. However we did receive an award for participation. The town and the crowd loved us so much that the mayor personally invited us back for next year. Also, I actually built a boat out of cardboard that held over 1100 pounds, and it didn't sink! I guess there's a silver lining in everything. However, let this be clear to all the people of Downtown Riverhead, and people wishing to participate in the race next year, WE WILL BE BACK! WE WILL BE MORE PREPARED! SO WATCH OUT! The quaint town of Downtown Riverhead has no idea what they are in store for next year!

For the last decade or so, my cousins and I have spent the day after Thanksgiving avoiding leftovers and late mornings by playing a game of paintball.

We wake up early, grab a bagel, fill up our promotional mugs with coffee or hot chocolate and make our way to (appropriately) Cousins Paintball. Once there, we throw on promotional apparel to make sure we can handle the barrage of paintballs as well as the elements. Promotional t-shirts are quickly covered by promotional sweaters, promotional windshirts and eventually a camouflage promotional jacket. Once in a while, I will forget to bring a promotional scarf and I'll find myself being shot in the neck over and over throughout the day. And if it's an unseasonably warm holiday, I make sure to carry a small promotional water bottle to keep myself in the game for as long as possible. 

If you have nothing to do this weekend, I recommend taking a plane, train or automobile (or start walking) to the Jacob Javits Center. 

It feels like an eternity since I posted about New York Comic Con on both this blog and the Tradeshow blog and I know it certainly won't be the last - after all, I want to tell everyone what I thought of it.

But with New York Comic Con starting tomorrow and lasting through Sunday, there's quite a bit of planning I've made.
I've put together a promotional backpack full of useful items. Everything from a custom imprinted poncho to a promotional pen and custom imprinted notebook in case I happen to run into some of my idols at the convention. After all, Fred Armisen, Seth Green and animator Mike Judge are only some of the people expected to be there.

I also packed a promotional hand sanitizer and promotional t-shirts in case I find myself sleeping in Penn Station each night. I prefer my bed to the railroad terminal but if I get caught up in the nightlife New York City has to offer, I need to look presentable for the next day. I also have a promotional badge holder for both my 3-day NYCC pass as well as my train tickets on the Long Island Railroad. This will be vital for cramming in a few more minutes of sleep each day.

These promotional products have proven themselves to be useful and beneficial time and time again. For this reason, I know I will have a fun time at New York Comic Con and I will have everything I need for the three days.

Years of mystery, rumors and deception are a thing of the past with one simple video.

Today, the first (of what I'd expect to be many) trailer for the upcoming The Avengers movie was released on the Internet. Rumors began to stir as early as 2007 and it wasn't until the first Iron Man movie that rumors were confirmed. Samuel L. Jackson's phrase, "I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger initiative" ignited a cultural frenzy and hyped up the movie - a movie without a release date and other confirmed characters - to what it is today.

Years later, we have full confirmation of who will be in the movie (Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Capt. America, Hawkeye, Black Widow) all played by Hollywood superstars such as Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans. Even as I write this, there are stores with promotional t-shirts, promotional toys and even promotional mugs donning the Avengers logo or characters. 

But don't rush to get to the theatre anytime soon. The movie isn't out until May 4, 2012 (post-production) and it'll be quite sometime until we see another clip from the film.

How trendy are you? Do you wear a promotional t-shirt a certain way or know how to wear a custom imprinted hat a certain way? Do you look great wearing just a promotional sweatshirt or promotional shorts?

Then you probably found yourself in New York City last night for the annual Fashion Night Out extravaganza. Every year, the biggest names in fashion open their doors to the public to show off the store, the upcoming fashions and the big names that praise the label.

Last night was no different. Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Gwyneth Paltrow were just a handful of the celebrities that made their way out to fashion boutiques. The event, which was started up in 2009 as a way to get people into stores during the recession, has become a cultural phenomenon in a mere two years with huge celebrities and cutting-edge musicians celebrating with innovative fashion designers. Where else could you see DJ Pauly D performing at Dash, Holy Ghost! performing for Prada customers, The Roots at John Varvatos and Penguin Prison at Allsaints?

Did you go this year? Wish you went this year? Comment below!