Nothing should surprise me anymore when it comes to Hollywood’s sequels. Yet when Tony Hawk told Pete Davidson about the sequel "that got away in his life," my mind was blown. That's because there was once a reality where we could have seen Hawk with his own Looney Tunes movie. I didn’t even know this concept existed, but not only was it in talks, the Space Jam sequel even had a name!

This is one of the coolest - and maybe most unexpected - behind-the-scenes facts about Space Jam that I have heard. I grew up watching my brother’s hand-me-down Space Jam movie, so any trivia is a nostalgic jump back to Looney Tunes ridiculousness. So, yeah, I loved hearing the skateboarder spill the tea about the offer from Warner Brothers when he sat down with Davidson on his Netflix talk show.

Turns out Brendan Fraser’s Back in Action was the reason Hawk received the offer for Skate Jam. The skateboarder name-dropping the meta film took me back to my childhood, and the idea that this film was meant to launch a reintroduction of Looney Tunes is wild. However, Hawk was immediately on board, as he said:

Perhaps Skate Jam was pitched so Space Jam: A New Legacy could exist years later. The sequel starred LeBron James and had a similar concept to the original film, with the basketball star forced to form a basketball team with Looney Tunes characters. However, the sequel had a lukewarm reaction from critics. So, maybe they would have preferred Skate Jam.

It was reported that James had trouble getting other NBA players to appear in Space Jam's sequel. However, when it came to Hawk's potential movie, he was never uninterested. In fact, he still sounds bummed that he missed the opportunity to play around with the classic cartoon characters. Explaining the emotional reason behind his disappointment, the skateboarder said:

The way he talks sounds like he was just shy of his dreams coming true. Warner Brothers were so invested that they met with him about the movie in an airport restaurant as he was leaving for Australia. They even brought storyboards. You know things are serious when production companies bring out the storyboards in the airport. Hawk also claimed they were even offering “a million bucks” up front, but alas, Skate Jam was just not meant to be.

The existence of his film relied on how well Back in Action did, and unfortunately, it didn’t do well at the box office despite starring Brendan Fraser. Because of this, Warner Brothers had no desire to “pour anything else into Looney Tunes.” However, in recent years, the love for the classic cartoons has resurfaced with the well-reviewed The Day the Earth Blew Up. The movie re-invented Daffy Duck and Porky Pig’s backstory and gave them a new comedic challenge: save the world. So, at least we've gotten some new adventures from these characters.

However, sadly, they have not included Tony Hawk. So, while we won’t get to see Skate Jam, it’s fun to think about what could have been.

People mostly know Bam Margera as a skateboarder and prank icon, thanks to his work on Jackass and Viva la Bam. While the 2025 TV schedule won’t be seeing a return to such projects, thanks to Margera being done with Jackass, there’s another venue at which you can enjoy his particular set of skills: your video game console.

That's not as unusual as you'd think, as during this press tour, Margera has been sharing his stories with the franchise’s original form - both behind and in front of the controller. That second half is what took priority in my interview on behalf of CinemaBlend, as Bam Margera provided this anecdote when I asked what he felt was the largest change since he started appearing in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series:

Initially appearing in 2001’s original release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, the West Chester, Pennsylvania native would become somewhat of a fixture in the franchise. Continuing to recur in the lineup through 2007’s Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, that specific span of time saw a lot of changes being made in how video games were made, sold, and even played.

For comparison, that same span of time saw the original trilogy of Halo released on the Xbox. In real time, the public saw gaming go from a niche hobby to a massive entertainment battlefield, with 2004's Halo 2 (altered ending and all) landing first-day sales that were eventually compared to those of a major blockbuster.

Fast forward to 2025, and video games featuring A-list actors and personalities aren’t a novelty, making the comparisons to the movie industry even stronger. Neither is the usage of Bullet Time, as this year's 28 Years Later was able to achieve that same feat, with merely a fleet of iPhones. Bam Margera can attest to both, as his description of being scanned into Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 sounds like something out of a Marvel movie:

Admittedly, there’s one Bam story that inspired me to ask about the good old days. As you’ll see in the behind-the-scenes video below, the scanning process that brought Mr. Margera into the game is shown off quite well. Though as you watch, you'll actually learn the tale of how the first two Tony Hawk's Pro Skater actually led Bam Margera to miss quite a few flights in his heyday:

Skateboarding has played an important part in Bam Margera’s sobriety journey, with that practice acting as the eventual door to mend his friendship with Tony Hawk. Eventually, a skate session between the old pals led to Margera being a last-minute inclusion in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4.

Being billed as the “secret skater” of the freshly released title is a pretty cool distinction to have, even more so with Viva la Bam’s titular star being a huge fan. If things go well enough, maybe he’ll be able to continue featuring in hypothetical remakes of other Pro Skater entries.

Or maybe, with this new experience in game acting under his belt, Bam may want to start a new series that translates that experience into something new. That sort of thinking certainly worked out in Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes’ recent Call of Duty experience. Should you be feeling a bit nostalgic for the days of shredding to a killer soundtrack, you can currently purchase Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 on all major gaming platforms and relive some of that past glory.

The worlds of skateboarding, real estate renovations, and Hollywood collided this week when Tony Hawk and the Property Brothers, Drew, and Jonathan Scott, engaged in some playful banter with actor Chris Pratt across social media. Not one to be outdone, Pratt had nothing but shade for the trio after they trolled him and his upcoming 2024 movie release with a Garfield stuffed animal that had seen better days.

The shenanigans began when the Scott brothers posted a video on Instagram, which you can see below, showcasing the somewhat worse-for-wear vintage plush toy of the character. As mentioned, that move was a not-so-subtle nod to the upcoming Garfield animated feature, which Chris Pratt is lending his voice to. The caption read: "Hey, @prattprattpratt…I guess [Tony Hawk], [Drew Scott] and my timing was perfect to find this OG [Garfield] in the back of a buddy’s garage. Though this one is a little creepier 😹 Looking forward to seeing the new Garfield Movie!" Check out the footage for yourself:

The post quickly gathered likes and comments, sparking the Super Mario Bros. Movie star, known for his quick wit and good humor, to respond. Taking to his Instagram stories, the Parks and Recreation vet shared a screenshot of the Scott brothers’ post involving Tony Hawk with his own caption layered on top. He wrote: 

Okay, seriously, I agree with Chris Pratt. That stuffed toy is straight nightmare fuel. The playful exchange, which you can see the Passenger actor's side of below, is funny but also acts as a subtle but effective promotional push for Pratt’s role in the new kid-friendly movie, which I’m sure the whole family will love.

Thanks to the the Garfield Movie trailer, we know a few things about Sony’s new take on the lazy feline. For example, besides the Lego Movie veteran, the comic strip adaptation's ensemble cast includes voicals from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham, Cecily Strong, Ving Rhames, Snoop Dogg and so many more. The preview suggests a blend of heartfelt moments, humor and a generous helping of lasagna.

One particularly charming scene from the trailer features Jon Arbuckle's initial meeting with the lasagna-loving kitten. This introduction is heartwarming and humorously flips the script on pet adoption, with Garfield quipping, “That’s how I adopted Jon.” It’s clear why fans, including the Property Brothers, eagerly anticipate this film. The combination of a strong cast, emotional depth, and humor appears to set the stage for a memorable addition to the Garfield saga, and considering it has been some time since the fat cat has been in a movie of his own, I think it's about time he returns to the big screen. 

As The Garfield Movie's May 30th release date approaches, you can expect more details about the film to emerge. In the meantime, it's the perfect opportunity to revisit our look back at the previous Garfield movies and specials. And, of course, keep checking social media to see if more playful shade is thrown by Chris Pratt or anyone else.

The heroes in a half shell are on the 2023 new movie release schedule and finally headed back to the big screen in a Seth Rogen-produced animated reboot. The funny man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’s producer has been dropping subtle details on his flick. Now, he's revealed the totally tubular connection between the newest iteration of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving reptiles and the legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk. And it’s probably not what you would guess.

The This is the End actor recently joined hosts Tony Hawk and Jason Ellis on their Hawk vs. Wolf podcast to hang out and share some hilarious stories. As the show began to wrap up, the sport-defining skateboarder asked Seth Rogen whether or not the newest incarnation of Turtles would skateboard like they have been known to do in other versions of the property. The An American Pickle star confirmed that the four brothers would skate while also revealing a very specific link to Hawk that plays into that extracurricular activity:

This is exciting news for anyone who is a fan of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game series, because one of the most popular aspects of the game -- besides its revolutionary gameplay -- is the iconic soundtrack. While none of the series’ soundtrack playlists are comprised of one genre or artist, they are related via intensity and feel -- a nostalgic energy that should pair nicely with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property.  

The plot of the latest flick to center on the world’s most fearsome fighting team is still relatively under wraps. However, what we know for sure about the TMNT movie (amongst other details) is that it is being directed by at least one-half of the team that helmed the critically acclaimed Netflix feature The Mitchells vs. the Machines. It’s time to get pumped because the Sony-produced animated movie was one of the best movies of 2021, in my humble opinion.

If skateboarding and a musical connection to Tony Hawk Pro Skater aren’t enough to get you excited for the Turtle Boys' upcoming flick, perhaps Seth Rogen’s vision of the reboot will. While the last Michael Bay reboot was fairly polarizing amongst fans, Rogen is a self-proclaimed lifelong TMNT fanboy and has said that he wants to focus on the “teenage” aspect of the franchise, which is an exciting new direction and also seems oh-so-fitting coming from one of the writers of Superbad. Needless to say, this Turtles fan is excited to see what Rogen has in mind for the franchise. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is scheduled to hit theaters on August 4, 2023. 

On January 15th, five days after the winners of the 80th Golden Globes were announced, the 28th Critics’ Choice Award unfolding, providing yet another ceremony to keep track of during awards season. But we’re not here to talk about who walked away with trophies on that night. Instead, it’s time to discuss the ridiculous Cold Stone wall that was set up at the event, and how celebrities like Seth Rogen and Chelsea Handler responded about getting asked to pose in front of it.

The officialseanpenn Instagram account (this isn’t the actual Sean Penn, he has his own verified account) posted a series of photos from Getty Images of actors Andrew Garfield, Kate Hudson, Aubrey Plaza, Jeremy Allen White, Natasha Lyonne and Henry Winkler standing in front of a wall at the Critics’ Choice Awards that was sponsored by Cold Stone Creamery, an ice cream shop staple in the United States. Like some of you may be wondering, the caption of this Instagram post inquires about what the deal with this setup was, like “Were these poor celebs forced to do this? Did any of them know what was going on? Were they given any cold stone in exchange for their participation?” Numerous celebrities shared their experiences in the comments section, so let’s start off with Seth Rogen:

Ok, so Seth Rogen, who presented the Best Comedy Series award at the Critics’ Choice Awards and starred in the Best Picture-nominated movie The Fabelmans, wanted nothing to do with the Cold Stone wall when asked. Fair enough. Next up, we have comedian and talk show host Chelsea Handler, who did pose in front of the wall, but her memories of the experience were hazy.

As for whether or not anything was provided to the celebrities who agreed to pose in front of the Cold Stone wall, Billy Eichner, the lead actor from last year’s Bros (which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription), revealed he did get something in exchange.

Additionally, free Cold Stone Creamery ice cream was being given out in that general area, whether someone posed in front of the wall or not, although apparently almost no one took advantage of the free dessert. We have Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Reboot’s Rachel Bloom to thank for this piece of information.

Finally, pro skateboarder Tony Hawk wrote that Henry Winkler, who’s starring in HBO’s Barry these days, posing in front of the Cold Stone wall was enough incentive for him to do the same.

It’s hard to tell if the Cold Stone wall was a success or not, so I guess we’ll just have to regroup next year at the 29th Critics’ Choice Awards to see if it made a comeback. Seeing something like this at the next Academy Awards ceremony, at the other hand, feels like a pretty safe bet of something that’s not on the table. That free ice cream was a nice bonus though, and I wonder if Amanda Seyfried might have also grabbed some, as it could have easily helped her feel a little better after a wardrobe malfunction forced her to improvise.

Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more updates on the awards show circuit. Those of you looking forward to the Oscars will learn who the nominees are on Tuesday, January 24, and the ceremony will air on ABC on Sunday, March 12. Scan through our 2023 release schedule to find out what movies are coming out later this year.

When it comes to the world’s most iconic skateboarders, Tony Hawk is indisputably the first name that comes to mind. Now, at the age of 54, Tony Hawk still has that title, though it's aged a bit. In fact, one humorous photo of the skate legend next to WWE's the Undertaker led Hawk to share an update on the current state of his health. 

First, for context, wrestling reporter Sean Ross Sapp took to Twitter earlier this week to share a photo of The Undertaker and Tony Hawk posing together that went viral. Check it out, plus the caption only those who’ve watched The Undertaker’s best moments would clock: 

Since The Undertaker’s partner in The Brothers of Destruction was The Kane, and Tony Hawk is holding a cane, there’s a clever little joke in there for those who follow WWE events. Get it? Anyway, following this photo getting a lot of eyeballs on it, people started to get worried about Tony Hawk hanging up his board if he’s walking around in a cane. Here’s what Hawk posted to Twitter: 

Back in March, Tony Hawk injured his femur, ironically on the eve of when the trailer for his doc Until The Wheels Fall Off was released. When the incident happened, Hawk shared with fans that the title of the doc goes hand in hand with a philosophy he has to just keep skating until he cannot anymore because he has found his “sense of purpose” shaped his “identity through skating” along with its nourishing his mental health. Thus, Hawk doesn’t plan to stop skating until he is “physically unable.” 

So while Tony Hawk is walking with a cane right now, the pro skater has shared that it’s by no means a permanent situation. He recently underwent surgery to get his femur realigned and is looking to get back to skating “at a high level” as soon as he’s able to do so. 

Tony Hawk has been a pro skater since the age of 14, was the National Skateboard Association’s world champion for twelve consecutive years, and bought his first house during his senior year of high school. No one has ever done it like him, and he’s even appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, so check out what to watch if you like Tony Hawk. 

Last year, he did lay down his last ollie 540 to a tearful reaction because he decided he would never do it again since it’s such a risky move. You can learn more about Tony Hawk’s life and career as a pro skater in Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off, now streaming with an HBO Max subscription. 

There are few athletes whose names are as synonymous with their respective sports as Tony Hawk is with skateboarding. For more than 40 years now, the Birdman as he is known in the skateboarding world, has revolutionized the sport and turned it from a Southern California pastime to a billion-dollar industry. Anytime there is a career as successful and impactful as Hawk’s, it almost guarantees you’re going to see the person behind that success pop up in movies, shows, and even decades-spanning documentaries.

Below is a break down of some of the best of the best Tony Hawk movie appearances, whether they be ‘80s cult classics, documentaries about his successful video game franchise, or decades-spanning profiles on all the ups and downs of his life.

Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off (HBO Max)

Released in April 2022, the HBO documentary Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off is perhaps one of the best documentaries released in the past few years thanks its to unfiltered look at the skateboarding legend’s life, career, successes, and missteps. This truly eye-opening two-plus-hour movie explores what makes Hawk such an impactful figure not just in the world of extreme sports, but American pop culture as a whole, through detailed examinations of each part of his life.

From his days as a young skateboarding prodigy riding with the Bones Brigade to how he reinvented his career with the arrival of the X Games to the creation of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game franchise and beyond, it’s all there, and Hawk doesn’t hold back with his words, thoughts, or philosophies.

Stream Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off on HBO Max.

Pretending I’m A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story (Kanopy)

There were skateboarding video games before Tony Hawk Pro Skater, but none of those had an impact that even came close to touching its god-like status. In the years following its release, THPS has become one of the most recognizable franchises on the planet and helped change the face of skateboarding by introducing the sport to millions of gamers around the world.

The 2020 documentary, Pretending I’m a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story, goes into great detail about not only the legacy of the game but how it all came together in the first place. Featuring interviews with Hawk, as well as other mainstays of the franchise’s roster and developers, the documentary does a tremendous job of letting you know how and why it was such a success.

Stream Pretending I’m a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story on Kanopy.
Rent/Buy Pretending I’m a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story on Amazon.

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (Tubi)

The story of how the 1980s skate crew Bones Brigade — Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Rodney Mullen, Tommy Guerrero, Lance Mountain, and Mike McGill — came together is a major part of the Hawk's 2022 documentary, but is told in even greater detail in Bones Brigade: An Autobiography.

This is one of those documentaries that is perfect for longtime fans of the Bones Brigade and new skaters who have just heard the name or seen their shirts around skateparks, and it finds a perfect balance with its story that leaves you wanting to know more about its members and impact on the sport.

Stream Bones Brigade: An Autobiography on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Bones Brigade: An Autobiography on Amazon.

Dogtown And Z-Boys (Amazon Rental)

The Zephyr Skate Team, a.k.a. the Z Boys, were a group of skaters in the 1970s who took what they learned as surfers and applied it to the fledgling sport, creating a unique style that would take over drained pools and skateparks for years to come. In 2001, Stacy Peralta, one of the group’s most famous members, released the celebrated documentary, Dogtown and Z-Boys, that highlighted the group’s rise to fame and glory and all the ways they impacted skateboarding.

Tony Hawk, who was heavily influenced by the group, shows up in the documentary to talk about the Z-Boys game-changing style and status, joining multiple other icons of the industry who share their own stories of how the skate team influenced them in their formative years.

Rent/Buy Dogtown and Z-Boys on Amazon.

Dumb: The Story Of Big Brother Magazine (Hulu)

Before the Jackass crew became overnight stars thanks to their MTV series, they cut their teeth on and injured themselves for Big Brother magazine. From 1992 to 2004, this hilarious and hilariously shocking skateboarding magazine welcomed readers into the lives of professional skaters and stunt performers like never before, and the 2017 Hulu documentary, Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine, shows how it all came to be. 

Considering the magazine was mostly a skateboarding rag, it should come as no surprise that influential figures like Tony Hawk would show up in the documentary’s various interviews, sharing insight on the magazine and its legacy more than a decade after its final issue hit newsstands.

Stream Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine on Hulu.

Jackass: The Movie (Paramount+)

Tony Hawk has long been one of the many ancillary figures in the Jackass franchise, having shown up on the original show and various entries in its series of films. One of Hawk’s best segments, “Sweaty Fat Fucks,” was featured in Jackass: The Movie, where he, Bam Margera, and Mat Hoffman dressed up in massive suits and attempted their signature moves. Despite the limited mobility, Hawk was still able to pull off a 540 McTwist with relative ease.

You can also watch Hawk’s various appearances in all the Jackass movies streaming, including the surprisingly nostalgic fourth installment.

Stream Jackass: The Movie on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Jackass: The Movie on Amazon.

30 For 30: The Birth Of Big Air (ESPN+)

Although it doesn’t get brought up all that much when discussing the best 30 for 30 documentaries, The Birth of Big Air is an entry in the franchise that shouldn’t be missed. The 2010 documentary details how Mat Hoffman, essentially the Tony Hawk of the BMX world, completely changed his sport throughout the final decades of the 20th Century with his intense work ethic and death-defying vert tricks.

Stream 30 for 30: The Birth of Big Air on ESPN+.
Buy 30 for 30: The Birth of Big Air on Amazon.

Being Evel (Peacock)

The late, great Evel Knievel will forever go down as one of the iconic figures of American pop culture in the second half of the 20th Century, and his impact can still be felt all these years after his passing. The 2015 documentary, Being Evel, dives into the legend and the man (and all his faults) in stunning detail with stories from those who knew him best. The documentary also includes tributes from some of his biggest fans like Johnny Knoxville, Mat Hoffman, and yes, Tony Hawk, who all talk about how the legendary figure influenced them to take their careers to the next level.

Stream Being Evel on Peacock.
Rent/Buy Being Even on Amazon.

Gleaming The Cube (Prime Video)

The 1989 crime drama Gleaming the Cube follows Brian Kelly (Christian Slater), an unruly skateboarder who sets off to find out who killed his adopted Vietnamese brother Vinh (Ar Chudabala), and why he was murdered in the first place. With Brian being the leader of a skate crew, it’s a given that there would be multiple real-life skaters featured in the movie. At the top of that list is Tony Hawk, who gets some screen time in as Brian’s friend and fellow skate rat, Buddy, who happens to be a Pizza Hut delivery driver (this was later referenced in the Destroying America skate video).

Stream Gleaming the Cube on Prime Video.

Tony Hawk has also made a number of cameos in movies like xXx, The New Guy, and Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, and countless others throughout his career. And, judging by how he's not really slowing down all that much, we'll be seeing him for quite some time.

Tony Hawk may not be pulling off another crazy Ollie 540 anytime soon. The pro skateboarder is no stranger to injury, but a recent incident has him feeling retrospective ahead of the release of his upcoming documentary. 

Tony Hawk, 53, recently shared his latest injury on Instagram. Take a peek at his message below (warning: it’s pretty brutal): 

The legendary skateboarder has broken one of his femurs in a skating accident that reportedly occurred earlier this week. As one can see from the Insta x-rays, it was a complete break that unfortunately found Tony Hawk in the hospital. Based on the images, it appears that his operation included plenty of ‘hardware,’ with nails inserted to hold the bone together. The skating pro also included a clip of his crutch-assisted recovery regimen and a cheerier shot of him standing on his own with a facial expression that clearly says “here we go again.” Tony Hawk also expressed his willingness to recover, claiming that he’s ‘up for the challenge.’ 

It’s not the first time Tony Hawk has injured himself in the pursuit of the perfect ollie - he mentions that he broke his elbow twenty years prior and made a full recovery - but his age makes it a lot harder to recover. 53 is nowhere near ‘old,’ but it’s significantly more difficult to perform the complicated stunts required for professional skateboarding. 

Tony Hawk mentioned the ‘strange irony’ of his injury occurring on the eve of the trailer release on HBO for his new documentary. Directed by Sam Jones, Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off tells the story of  Tony Hawk’s career. According to the skateboarder, the film places a particular focus on the ramifications of competing professionally as one approaches middle age. Tony Hawk revealed that the movie revolves around his ‘philosophy’ of maintaining his love for skateboarding even as he ages. He’s attested that he won’t stop skating until he’s ‘physically unable,’ and, if this injury recovery is any indication, he doesn’t plan on hanging up his board for a long, long time. 

In addition to new discussions with Tony Hawk himself, Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off will feature never-before-seen footage and interviews with celebrities and athletes like Lance Mountain, Mike McGill, Stacy Peralta, Sean Mortimer, and Duane Peters. Viewers can look forward to archival footage of past competitions and practice sessions alongside discussions of family life and interpersonal relationships. 

Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off will premiere on HBO on April 5 at 9 pm EST. After its release, the documentary will also be available to watch with your HBO Max subscription. Until then, you can also take a peek at these upcoming TV releases to plan your 2022 viewing experience or check out these other great movies on HBO Max. 

Jackass 4, recently retitled Jackass Forever, is going to feature some fan-favorite characters in the franchise. It will also introduce some new personalities, including Sean McInerney and more. The newfound movie star also recently participated in Shark Week, swimming with both bull sharks and reef sharks. While the experience with the bull sharks went fine, the reef shark experience led to a gruesome injury to one of his hands, an injury so bad that Steve-O had to walk away and couldn't watch.

After news broke that Sean ‘Poopies’ McInerney had injured himself while filming a Shark Week segment, the stunt personality sat down with Tony Hawk and Jason Ellis on the Hawk Vs. Wolf podcast to talk about McInerney’s “debut,” which just so happens to be a part of this year’s Shark Week on Discovery. The group ultimately decided to set up a set up experiments involving Poopies and Steve-O. The first setup went OK.

McInerney recalled how he was “so scared, but he “jumped in” anyway and the Jackass 4 team encouraged him to let go of the boat and face the sharks head on. After being directed to keep looking at the bull sharks “in the eyes,” Poopies recalls the experience gave him confidence with the sharks and was ultimately pretty “dope”… that is, until things took a turn in the next stunt. You can see part of the clip from the stunt that went bad, below.

After traveling to the Bahamas for the next part of Shark Week, Sean McInerney talked what happened when he tried to do a stunt involving a Fonzie jacket, a jet ski and a wakeboard. The team was trying to attract sharks with chum for Poopies to accomplish the stunt with sharks all around, but he mentioned he didn’t get a test run.

Sean McInerney also noted that a shark pulled him under by the hand, saying at the time he was worried about his leg. He “felt it bite” him soon after and became really worried about the reef shark taking his entire hand off.

Reports have indicated that while Sean McInerney had the presence of mind to stay still, the bite was still pretty gnarly and led to both artery and tendon damage. In the podcast, McInerney talked about it spurting blood and how he had to get a tourniquet put on following the injury, but he says he couldn’t “freak out” because he didn’t “want everyone else to freak out.”

In fact, things were so bad, Tony Hawks says “Steve-O told me he couldn’t look at you.” Things were so bad ultimately McInerney says he left the Bahamas and went to Florida to get his hand fixed up. But what an introductory story to becoming a Jackass personality ahead of your new movie release.

Meanwhile, the Jackass guys have been known for stunt accidents for a long time. In fact, mainstay Johnny Knoxville recently said that the idea of Jackass 4 for a long time felt like a bad one, given that they are getting older and that "stupid fucking accident[s]" feel like they could happen any time. While Sean McInerney sounds like he was a trooper in the Shark Week situation, this also seems exactly like what Knoxville was harping on. Luckily, it seems like Jackass Forever filming itself went OK -- you know, except for at least that one hospital incident -- and you'll be able to see the final results when the flick hits the 2021 movie release schedule this October.

Even if you don’t know anything about skateboarding, you probably know a little something about the one and only Tony Hawk. He is still the most recognizable name in skateboarding, even though his career first took off back in the '80s. His name is one that brings up nostalgic feelings for millennials and Gen Xers alike, a feeling that is very real in one of his recent social media posts which shows him, now at age 52, brought to tears after landing his iconic Ollie 540 for the very last time.

Tony Hawk has always been an inspiration, but this latest endeavor really just takes the cake. In a recent Instagram post, Hawk shared a throwback of his first landed Ollie 540, a stunt that he basically invented, along with his most recent and final landing of the same move. In the recent video, we can see Hawk get very emotional over having landed the move, likely both because it’s the mark of the end of an era and that it proves the groundbreaking skateboarder still has the skills to accomplish such a difficult move. Check out the post below:

Not only is the Ollie 540 an insanely difficult stunt, it’s one that was thought to be impossible before Tony Hawk landed it, even by Hawk himself. He says in his caption that he started attempting it as a joke but by changing his approach, started to believe it was within reach. It’s incredible that we have the first on-camera landing, which you can see in slow motion, in his throwback.

While landing a seemingly impossible trick may seem like it would be a once in a lifetime happening, Tony Hawk pioneered many tricks during his skateboarding career. That’s what makes Hawk one of the greats of the sport: not only was he great at skateboarding, he pushed the limits of the sport to prove the impossible wrong.

The success he saw with landing wild stunts came with a cost to his body, though. Tony Hawk has seen tons of injuries during his career: he’s been knocked out several times, he's broken bones, and even lost teeth due to wipeouts. This is a big reason why he has now retired the difficult trick. He’s just not willing to take such a big risk with his body anymore. We really can’t blame him though, as he has definitely given enough to the sport. It’s obvious it’s not a decision Hawk has taken lightly based on his reaction in the video.

Even though he’s saying goodbye to one iconic stunt, that doesn’t mean he’s retiring his board, though. It’d be pretty hard to ground a dude nicknamed Birdman, and he’s got plenty of years left in his wings. It’s hard to see such a legend be brought to tears, but we are so grateful he would share this touching moment. We'll definitely be on the lookout for more epic throwbacks or developments from the pro skateboarding king.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the first elimination of Group B in Season 3 of The Masked Singer. Read at your own risk!

The Masked Singer Season 3 began its Group B round, and after a fierce night of competition, a contestant who almost certainly could've beat the White Tiger (though you never know) was sent home. The Elephant's rendition of a classic from The Cure wasn't enough to make it to the next round, and the pachyderm was unmasked and revealed to be legendary pro skater Tony Hawk. It was a somewhat rare television appearance for the athlete, and apparently something he won't be doing again anytime soon.

Tony Hawk spoke to the press about his stint on the singing competition, and explained that fans shouldn't expect to see him doing Survivor or anything like that anytime soon. It turns out The Masked Singer was the "perfect fit" for him, and gave him a chance to try something new while staying in his comfort zone.

Most people wouldn't think singing on stage while dressed as an elephant would be an optimal experience, but Tony Hawk is not like most people. Being able to perform without people knowing who he was let Hawk have fun with the process in a way he wouldn't have been able to on other reality television shows.

Unfortunately, Tony Hawk didn't get to live his dream on The Masked Singer for long, though his talk with EW hints he's still thankful for the experience. Hawk expected to be taken out of the competition fairly early, but was surprised to see the people who were eliminated from Group A before him.

If after three seasons the biggest thing The Masked Singer has accomplished is that it boosted Tony Hawk's ego, it's all worth it. Hopefully, his experience on the show will encourage other shy celebrities to give the series a shot, if only so the producers will quit inviting on legendary singers whom everyone knows as soon as they sing a note.

The Masked Singer airs on Fox Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for our guesses on the identities of each contestant, and for a look at what else is happening in the world of movies and television.

Any '90s kids are familiar with the fact that the Looney Tunes love basketball, but they almost tried their hands at skateboarding. Pro skating legend Tony Hawk has revealed that he was once approached to star in a Space Jam sequel/spin-off called Skate Jam that would have had him shredding (that's skateboarding, right?) the halfpipe alongside Bugs Bunny.

In 1996, Warner Bros. released Space Jam, which featured Michael Jordan teaming up with the Looney Tunes to play a basketball game against aliens so that they wouldn't be enslaved at an intergalactic theme park. It's '90s perfection, and apparently, a sequel about skateboarding was on the table.

As Tony Hawk recounts on Instagram, he was approached by Warner Bros. in 2003 about doing a skateboarding version of Space Jam tentatively called Skate Jam. A new live-action movie, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, was about to release in theaters, and Warner was hoping to capitalize on the hype of pairing Daffy Duck with Brendan Fraser.

After the meeting, Hawk felt super confident that the movie was going to happen. Plus, he would have gotten $1 million up front, so yeah, he really was hoping this thing was going to happen. Well, it's 2019 and there's no movie where Porky Pig does a kickflip, so what happened?

In the time span of one week, Warner Bros. confidence plummeted. Back in Action bombed ($9.3 million opening weekend) and Tony Hawk never heard anything about Skate Jam ever again.

With his Instagram post, telling this story, Tony Hawk shared the follow drawing, which he said was given to him at a skate demo that Looney Tunes sponsored years before the movie talks began. As he noted, Marvin is fittingly on a hoverboard:

Over 10 years later, Tony Hawk is still bummed that the movie never happened, figuring it would have been a success. Skateboarding was really popular at the time and those who loved Space Jam would likely be excited about a sequel. As far as the latter goes, we know that's still mostly the case. Warner Bros. has been trying to get Space Jam 2 off the ground with Lebron James for a few years now.

I would very much like to see how Skate Jam would have turned out, but sadly, it's just one of the great movies that was never meant to be. Damn you, Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Producer Ralph D'Amato worked on the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater games and has come back to work on a documentary centered around the development of the game series, following the ups and downs of one of the biggest video game properties from 20 years ago. Well, the documentary just hit a major snag.

According to Gamespot, the documentary centered around the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games ended up getting stopped at a pretty major obstacle: they failed to hit their crowd-funding goal on IndieGoGo.

D'Amato and the rest of the crew wanting to work on the documentary had taken their idea to IndieGoGo in hopes of getting crowdfunding to finish the project. They were seeking $75,000 from the community platform, but they came up quite short when the project only managed to accrue $17.409.

But there is a silver lining. When campaigns don't meet their goal on IndieGoGo they still get to keep what they've earned when the campaign ends. So D'Amato will be using the $17,409 toward the production of the documentary.

They're also planning on self-financing aspects of it and seeking funding for the documentary, which is called Pretending I'm A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story. The title is based on one of the more popular songs from the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater from way back in the PSX days.

According to the letter sent out from Ralph D'Amato and Ludvig Gur, they mention that they never intentioned to rely solely on crowdfunding, where they mention in a Twitter post...

So it sounds as if they'll get the full funding needed to finish the documentary but they won't be able to rely on a hefty bit of helping from the total $75,000 that they had wanted.

The documentary was designed to cover the development and culture surrounding the popularity (and its decline) between the original Pro Skater leading all the way up to the latest 2015 outing, which was a critical and commercial failure for a multitude of reasons.

A lot of gamers are rather ambivalent to the documentary, and would rather Tony Hawk take the brand to another publisher and get a proper game made with a development team who really cares about making great extreme sports games. The latest outing, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5, was a mobile-port with a lot of low-quality recycled assets and poor playability, along with floaty physics and reused canned animations from years ago. It goes without saying that a lot of gamers were not pleased with the results.

The Tony Hawk Pro Skater brand worth has slowly diminished over time, and it seems like a documentary of this sort would have been at its most valuable during the release of Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. Nevertheless, we'll see what becomes of the documentary now that the IndieGoGo campaign has wrapped.

Activision seems to be as resilient as their gaming audience. They don't let franchises die; they eventually respawn them. According to some tweets from the skateboarding legend himself, a brand new Tony Hawk game is on the way for home consoles and mobile devices in 2015.

Over on Twitter, Hawk posted the following message about what gamers could expect from him and his long-time business partner, Activision, in 2015.

Earlier in the year Tony Hawk had gone on Larry King's show where he revealed that the new Tony Hawk Pro Skater would be exclusive to mobile devices. The game was called Tony Hawk's Shred Session IGN gave a decent rundown prior to the game's release, but it was then indefinitely delayed to coincide with the launch of the console version of the game due out next year.

I think there's that harsh reality that sets in when people realize that mobile gaming isn't quite all that big with core gamers the way it is with casual gamers. Tony Hawk Pro Skater has always been a niche, core series. It seemed unlikely that an exclusive mobile title would be highly anticipated by fans who grew up on the series since the old days of the PlayStation One.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would guess that Activision probably wants the mobile app to tie-in with the console port, so that gamers can get a cross-platform experience. It's one of the recent trends that we've been seeing from big triple-A titles where games like Grand Theft Auto V or Watch Dogs come with mobile companion apps to broaden the appeal of the brand as well as maintain engagement with the property even outside of its intended medium within the market.

Of course, there's no way to know for sure what Activision has planned for the series, but with a 2015 release we at least know that they'll have the latest and greatest technology at their disposal to push the property to new heights.

After the extreme sports sub-genre became over-saturated with low-quality outings and annual rehashes, it appears as if Activision is going to approach Tony Hawk's latest title in the same way that they've aimed to revitalize Call of Duty by including everything but the kitchen sink to revitalize market interest.

I really have no idea what they can do with the series at this point. They originally tried something pretty outlandish with Tony Hawk SHRED back in 2010, but it didn't quite ignite the kind of spark that the mega-publsher had hoped for.

I'm curious what they'll do with next year's outing and what sort of technological advances they'll implement into the game?

Tony Hawk broke the news about the new Tony Hawk pro-skater game just last week. It didn't take long for people to start rummaging through the list of potential possibilities for the new extreme sports title, but the one thing you probably didn't bet on was that it would be a cash-in mobile title.

Last week there was speculation and hints that it could be a mobile game, with comments from Hawk hinting that he would be interested in exploring a pro-boarder game on the new mobile devices circulating around out there.

Well, as the video above notes, Tony Hawk's latest game – in collaboration with Activision, of course – is all about shredding on mobile tablets and smartphones, telling Larry King on Larry King Now...

Hawk didn't get much further into pimping the new mobile-based pro-skater game before Larry King rudely interrupted by asking how far away the game is, to which Hawk coyly evaded the question by saying “this year”. With a little more pressure, Larry was able to get Hawk to admit that the game would be arriving “earlier than later”.

Unfortunately, there aren't many more details revealed other than that. We do know that you can control a character on the phone (or tablet) that's riding a skateboard. So at least we know that you won't be playing an invisible character with just a skateboard and a world to goof around in. Though it would be interesting to see a game where all you play is a skateboard... I mean, how would it get momentum? Or would you use your fingers as surrogate legs to grab acceleration? Meh, it doesn't matter.

I can't say that I'm surprised at the revelation of this game being relegated to mobile devices. I'm more surprised that this exclusive was outed on Larry King Now.

Publishers have been long seeking that sweet, sweet, mobile gaming money for a while, and some of them have even found a sweet spot for their financial adventures, even at the expense of credibility and reputation. The only problem is that mobile gaming is volatile and – as reported by GameZone, courtesy of a Swrve research report – only 0.15% of mobile gamers actually put any sort of revenue back into the market.

The report indicated that only 10% of app users account for more than 50% of the total mobile gaming revenue. We refer to these players as “whales”.

The report also indicated that 49% of all players only a make a single purchase in each calendar month. Ouch.

Swrve further stated that...

In other words: Tony Hawk will be facing an uphill battle to attract and retain only the most die-hard of skateboarding fans looking to engage in the extreme sport on their handheld. Despite some publishers saying otherwise, the market has chewed up and spit out a lot of developers in the mobile games space.

I can't say for sure if this is a safer bet than going with another rehashed outing on the home consoles (where expectations and expenses are a lot higher, but then, so is the pay-off), but Activision is definitely eying an opportunity to cash-in fast and hard on a tried and formerly trustworthy brand.

Tony Hawk: Pro Skater is set for release sometime in this first half of 2014 for smartphones and tablets.

The Tony Hawk Pro Skater series is making a comeback. Activision and Hawk himself both confirmed that a new game in the skateboarding series is in development.

“We’re working on a game, we are working on a game, it's pretty cool," Hawk said on his Demolition Radio show on SiriusXM. He provided no details on the project, though.

Activision's statement to IGN was also slim on details: "Activision can confirm that they have something in the works with Tony Hawk, more info is coming soon."

The Tony Hawk Pro Skater series was created by Neversoft back in 1999. The first six games received high praise, particularly Pro Skater 2 and 3. Review scores started to drop off after that, though.

The series declined even further once Robomodo took over development duties. Their first two games, Tony Hawk: Ride and Shred, used an expensive skateboard peripheral that failed to win gamers over. The studio tried to return to the series' roots with an HD remake of Pro Skater and Pro Skater 2 but the game received only mixed reviews.

However, the launch of Xbox One and PS4 presents an opportunity for Robomodo - or some other developer - to attempt another revival. There are hordes of nostalgic gamers out there waiting for a proper reboot. A new skateboarding game that harnesses the capabilities of new consoles could make serious waves.

It's possible, though, that this won't be a console game. Hawk said last October that mobile gaming interests him.

"You just have to adapt and you have to realize where people are going to actually play their games," Hawk said at the time. "It used to just be Nintendo and PlayStation, and now it's all kind of devices. So you've got to learn to adapt what you know from the technology into those areas...I've been wanting to do a mobile game for a long time."

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 was released on iPhone back in 2010. The virtual buttons and accelerometer controls aren't quite as precise as a gamepad. Still, the game proved that Tony Hawk could work on a mobile device. Maybe we'll see a brand-new Hawk game on iOS and Android in the near future.

Most of us can only dream of hitting the skate park with the skill and finesse of a four-wheeled legend like Tony Hawk. Thanks to games like the recent Tony Hawks’ Pro Skater HD, however, at least we can pretend to be that damn good in the safe confines of a digital environment. And if you’ve been waiting for some extra content to bring you back into the game, you’ll be happy to know that the Revert Pack is now officially available for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Joystiq was the first to notice the new content for Hawk had gone live, saying that while the PS3 and 360 versions are ready to roll (see what I did there?), the PC expansion won’t be hitting Steam for another couple of days.

For starters, everyone who owns the game will be receiving a free revert update, adding the combo move into the player’s arsenal for all of the game’s levels, not just the newest levels being added as DLC (as was the original plan). The revert move allows players to link their various tricks, meaning mastery of the move will allow for bigger combos than ever before.

Finally, if you’re willing to spend a little extra green for some new levels, the Los Angeles, Canada and Airport courses from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 are now available in the “Revert Pack,” a bit of DLC that will set you back $4.99 (400 MSP).

You can update your game with the revert move and download the new DLC now on your home console, or pick it up very soon when it launches for PC.

Before Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD even made it to Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, the publishers at Activision made it abundantly clear that some DLC would be coming down the (half)pipeline somewhere around October or November. Well it looks like the wait will be just a little bit longer, as Activision has now announced that the new content has been pushed back to December.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD was a celebration of the storied series' roots, combining levels, music and moves from the original two games into a single, high-def package of arcade skating goodness.

Before the game even hit the virtual market, however, Activision was already giving players a taste of the first bit of planned DLC, the Revert Pack. Along with introducing some of the new moves from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, such as the titular revert, the DLC would also give players access to some HD-ified versions of the game's most famous maps.

Without much word from Activision as to the status of the upcoming DLC now that it has passed the projected release window, the publisher has made it known through its Facebook page that the THPS3 DLC will finally be dropping in during the first week of December for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

“Take a deep breath...let's go into zen mode,” states the posting on the THPSHD Facebook page. “Again, it's later than all of us hoped, and we're sorry about that.”

So, there you have it. Only another month to wait and you can finally play content from a decade-old game.

The annual Xbox LIVE Summer of Arcade promotion is set to kick off on July 18, offering five games that should have little trouble getting players through the slow summer months.

I'm impressed by the variety of genres being offered in this year's Summer of Arcade promotion, which gets underway in just one month's time.

First up, we have Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, set to release July 18 for 1200 Microsoft Points (Or 15 normal human dollars). Featuring songs and maps from the first two THPS games, this HD iteration looks like a healthy dose of skateboarding nostalgia with all the usual bells and whistles you'd expect of a modern remake. Also worth noting is that this is the only Summer of Arcade title currently slated for a multiplatform launch. Everything else is Xbox exclusive.

Following in Hawkman's footsteps will be Wreckateer on July 25. For 800 MP ($10), players can use their Kinect to control all sorts of projectiles as you attempt to tear down a castle, brick by brick.

Things take a more violent turn on Aug. 1 as Deadlight hits the shop for 1200 MP. Looking like a mix between Limbo and Shadow Complex, players will guide a lone survivor through a dark and savage zombie apocalypse.

Once Aug. 8 rolls around, players can lock and load with Hybrid, a futuristic cover-based third-person shooter for 1200 MP.

Finally, on Aug. 15, the colorful fantasy world of Dust: An Elysian Tail will be yours to explore for 1200 MP. Of all the games available for the Summer of Arcade, this beautiful 2D action RPG is the one I'm most excited about. Check out this Gamespot video showing Dust in action. My fingers are itching just looking at all that wonderfulness.

But it wouldn't be a decent Summer of Arcade promotion without a little somethin'-somethin' to sweeten the pot. According to Major Nelson, picking up any three of the above games will net you 400 MP in return. You could put that toward a fourth Summer of Arcade title or, you know, pocket it for a rainy day. It's up to you. I won't judge.

For some odd reason when really big companies come under fire from the general public or a certain demographic that they cater to within the general public, they seem to think that the public has misconceived what the company is about or, in some way, lost sight of the company’s aim. That’s exactly what Activision CEO, Eric Hirshberg, put forth in a Q&A with Industry Gamer. In the recent interview Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg thinks the community is misinterpreting what Activision is about and there are plans to reverse the perception the community has on the company. Furthermore, Hirshberg isn’t wasting any time with the few short months he’s been with the publishing giant and has already put into motion ways to alter the way Activision is viewed by the public.

The problem is that it has nothing to do with company perception. Just like Hirshberg seems to misunderstand that the gaming industry is transparent, much like our Government since the Wikileaks cables were released. The reality is that news outlets let loose all sorts of information that give gamers complete insight into what’s happening with today’s industry. The entire Infinity Ward debacle certainly didn’t win Activision any awards and for a company to make as much money as they do with an annual release of what’s now the biggest franchise this generation (i.e., Call of Duty) why the heck are these games so broken right out of the dang box? Hirshberg seems to think that common sense and gamers seeing the company for what it is somehow relates to gamers having the wrong perception of Activision.

In the interview, Hirshberg makes the biggest mistake of comparing the “industry hate” towards Activision with that of the PS3 bashing, which occurred mostly throughout 2006 and 2007. He is right in that a lot of core gamers felt that Sony veered from promoting the PS3 as a game console and instead promoted it more-so as an all-around home entertainment device. What Hirshberg fails to understand is that the PS3 WAS NOT promoted as a gaming device throughout most of 2006 and 2007. If memory (and a few article links) serve me correctly, the PS3 was the spearhead in the format wars that had Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats going head-to-head. Throughout this time the Xbox 360 was promoted as the go-to console for great games and the PS3 was promoted as a Blu-Ray player that doubled as a gaming console. Simply put, gamers were pissed they had to wait for 2008 to receive decent games from a system that was supposed to be a gaming console to begin with; hence, the bashing throughout 2006 and 2007 of the PS3.

Hirshberg also failed to acknowledge that it wasn’t just journalists and gamers pissed at Sony, many developers weren’t thrilled with how little support they received for making PS3 games “next gen” worthy. Again, all the bashing Sony received for failing on the front of providing gamers with a suitable gaming console out of the box is bashing they deserved. However, as an innovator in electronics Sony deserves praise because they killed two birds with one stone (i.e., making a next gen console and offering a new media format in the process), and managed to win the format war.

The difference between Sony and Activision is that Sony went in looking to win the format wars with the secondary goal of providing gamers with a kickbutt gaming console. Activision, however, is a software publisher. People aren’t praising Activision for some other amazing talent that’s changing the media format wars or entertainment industry as a whole.

Take note, though, that while many (non-fanboy) gamers were bashing the PS3’s lack of software support early on, many electronic and techie enthusiast were praising the PS3’s overall entertainment appeal (see CNET’s review of the PS3 console), and rightfully so. People are bashing Activision for poor ports, annual outings that come right out of the box broken and very little innovation across the software spectrum and the heads at Activision seem to think something is wrong with that. In all honesty, though, if they deserve to be bashed for the aforementioned, then what else is there to praise them for? Seriously?

People see Activision as the new axis of evil when it comes to publishing software, because they are. They quickly replaced EA as the new big bad wolf on the publishing block -- although I must admit EA has quickly hopped on the path of change with a few new innovative IPs and revamped franchises (i.e., Mirror’s Edge, Battlefield Bad Company, Shank, Dead Space, Skate, Bulletstorm, etc.) Activision is now synonymous with a company whose top priority is pumping out as many recognized games as possible, as quickly as possible no matter how mundane, repetitive or unpolished they are. Heck, if they could, I’m sure they’d have Call of Duty games released every six months if they found a way to make it possible. The fact that they bailed on original games like Brutal Legend because there was no way to make a big profit from the franchise, as stated in an interview with Joystiq, and then sued when EA picked up the license just goes to show you what their true business directives are all about.

Now, for those of you who think highly of Activision and believe the company will do a big turnaround, Eric Hirschberg mentioned in the Industry Gamers interview that for the upcoming year…

Well, I guess we’ll see if that’s true and 2011 and 2012 (with the exception of Prototype 2) houses some truly original games or if it’s just a bluff to patch over some fine PR work while they ready for Call of Duty: Resisting A Halo KillZone, Guitar Hero: TV Theme Songs And Movie Soundtrack Redos or Tony Hawk: Tired Kickflip Compilation 2012. Although, I admit, I might be inclined to pick up the Guitar Hero with the TV theme songs.

Nevertheless, when all is said and done Activision may be the ones making the most money from the console genre each year around but they’ll be a prime example in the video game history books of how not to conduct a business if you want to stay reputable in the eyes of the public.

It’s not surprising that Tony Hawk: Ride will be full of Morpheme and that’s a good thing. NaturalMotion’s animation authoring tool will be the centerpiece for the animation and blending mechanics for the skateboarders and characters in Robomodo’s latest Tony Hawk game.

Christian Staack, Vice President of Sales for North America at NaturalMotion stated that…

The game features a new skateboard controller and will subsequently have character animations designed in part to reflect more realism and accuracy in capturing the movements of players. It's definitely a step up from previous entries in the series and siding with Morpheme was a good choice by the developers.

Also, hands-down, every game that features semi-realistic character designs should seriously have NatrualMotion’s animation middleware suite at the heart of the character’s movements. For games that use the toolset there is a striking grade of difference in the animation quality, such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Tony Hawk: Ride is due out later this year for major gaming platforms. Need to learn more about the game? Feel free to visit the Official Tony Hawk: Ride Website. For more gaming news, info and updates, be sure to stay tuned in with <="" hrhefblend="">

Circle Friday on your calendar, skateboard game fans. It's the day when the next Tony Hawk game will be revealed to the world.

"May 15 all will be revealed about our new game (dropping this year). I have been harboring the secret long enough." said Hawk on his Twitter (thanks, Joystiq). At the end of the message, he provided a link to GameTrailers TV's website.

Not a huge shock. GT TV host Geoff Keighley mentioned on his own Twitter last month that he was going to chat with Tony Hawk. We all just assuming they were conversing about the NBA playoffs but no. GameTrailers TV airs on Spike TV at 10 pm PST on Fridays.

What a week for news. Good goodness do gamers have a lot to catch up on for the week ending on April 25th. We kick things off with a review of EA’s new real-time strategy game, Battle Forge and an editorial by Blend Games’ own Rich Knight that sparked a heck of a lot of talk across the internet community. So what are you waiting for? Check out the recap below.

Sunday

Fallout New Vegas Announced. Yes, it’s a new Fallout…riding on the heels of Fallout 3.

Review BattleForce. A cool review for a cool game.

The Wii Is For Girls And That’s Why Nintendo Is Screwed. This created a heck of a lot of controversy. Read-on to find out why.

Bethesda Plans Fallout TV Show/Movie. I have no idea how this is going to work but if they pull it off it’ll be awesome.

Monday

Arabic Rappelz Succeeding Where The Education System Fails. You can learn and have fun while killing things…enough said.

LEGO Rock Band Announced. I don’t know if they can milk this franchise anymore than they already have.

Brutal Legend Release Date Announced. It was going to be in development forever, folks.

Review: Suikoden Tierkreis. Didn’t know about this until the review came along. Seems interesting enough.

Tuesday

WiiWare Now Available Through Amazon. Weird, but useful.

Dante’s Inferno Coming To PSP. And you thought the PS3 and 360 was going to have all the God of War-clone fun?

Building An Awesome PC Gaming Rig For Under $500. I don’t know how but Ryan Rigney from Slapstic.com knows a thing or two about getting it done.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 Remake Teaser Site Is Live.

Army of Two: The 40th Day Playbook And Other Features Unveiled. And yet there’s even more to know about Army of Two.

25 Awesome Free Games That You Can Download Legally. Yes, and it has nothing to do with the Pirate Bay trial.

Wednesday

Electrifying Sony Announcement Coming On Monday. An announcement for an announcement.

Assassin’s Creed Sneaks Onto iPhones. It’s a crafty little bugger.

Red Faction Guerrilla Release Date Changed. Please read very carefully or else you might get confused.

New Tony Hawk Game Will Be Revealed Soon. And it’s obviously not going to be like the other 1000 or so iterations before it.

PlayStation LifeStyle Confirms New PSP. Yes, it’s a new PSP that’s not the PSP2. Shocking? We think so.

Split/Second Developer Says Racing Is Dying. Do you or don’t you agree?

Thursday

Review for SBK Superbike World Championship. Fast and good or slow and boring? Click the link, read the review and get your fill.

You Can Play The Joke In Batman Arkham Asylum. There’s a bit of a condition to this feature, though. Click the link to find out what it is.

Fable 2 Future DLC Want You To Watch Your Friends Having Sex. Disturbing or cool?

Batman Arkham Asylum: What Do You Want To Know? It’s just as simple as it sounds.

Virtual On Arriving On April 29th For XBLA. Sega has confirmed and now you will get to play it.

Friday

Pre-Order inFamous Get Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Beta Access. This is good news for anyone who likes either inFamous or Uncharted, or both.

Atari Confirms Champions Online Release Date. There’s now an official date for getting your super-hero groove on.

Stalin Vs. Martians Gets New Release Date. So now you’ll have to wait longer to pit dictator versus unlawful invader.

Saturday

Review for Cate West The Vanishing Files. So does this game vanish into obscurity or find its way into the hall of gaming fame?

Review for Retro Game Challenge. We round out the week with a review for a pseudo-retro game that’s actually a neo-retro classic. Read the review and it’ll all make sense.

That wraps up the week ending on April 25th here at Blend Games. We’ll keep you posted on the revelation by Sony next week, as well as the countdown on the mysterious teaser site by Capcom. So be sure to stay tuned in, otherwise you might miss something important.

Ah, Twitter. Your ability to deliver hard gaming news so quickly both frightens and excites us. Through GameTrailers TV host Geoff Keighley's Twitter, we now that the next Tony Hawk skateboarding game is about to be unveiled.

"@tonyhawk, looking forward to our chat today for Spike about the new game!" tweeted Keighley yesterday (thanks, VG247). GameTrailers TV airs every Friday night on Spike TV. Maybe we'll see this mystery Tony Hawk project in a couple days?

The last Tony Hawk game was Tony Hawk's Motion, released in November 2008 for the DS. Motion utilized a motion sensing peripheral that plugged into the GBA slot. The next console game is supposedly named Tony Hawk's Adrenaline and will incorporate a board-shaped peripheral.

Brett Ratner is looking to step into the shoes of Uwe Boll, but hopefully without the complete lack of talent. Ratner’s branding company is responsible for the Guitar Hero III ads that aired during the American Idol finale, and he’s interested in continuing the melding of interactive entertainment with the movie business.

Ratner has told Variety that he will start making movies based on Activision games. I’m seriously hoping he doesn’t plan on doing a Guitar Hero film, unless it’s a Spinal Tap style movie. Actually, after watching what he did to X-Men I wouldn’t want Ratner anywhere near something like that. "The games business is much more exciting than the movie business right now," Ratner said. "I will be doing movies that come from videogames."

He hasn’t said what game(s) he plans to start with, but while most of expect Call of Duty with Chris Tucker we’ll likely get Rush Hour 4: Tony Hawk’s Underground.

Good news skater boi, skate is indeed going to make it to Wii and DS. And hot damn if it won’t be using the soon to be released Balance Board. That’s the same Wii peripheral I found out today I might not be picking up day one as planned. We knew that some Balance Board games were in the works, but simultaneously our fingers were crossed that some sort of quality series would make the leap. EA’s answer to the tired Tony Hawk game series is a welcome choice.

“We knew it would be an exciting challenge to bring the soul and feel of skateboarding to the Wii and Nintendo DS,” said Scott Blackwood, Executive Producer - Skate franchise. “With fresh new designs and gameplay components built from scratch, we’ve been able to, once again, capture the true experience of skateboarding in a completely innovative way.”

The “FlickIt” controls of the original remain intact, but some new gameplay elements offered by Wii’s motion control are also being implemented. A DS version is also in the works and of course Skate 2 is currently in development for PS3 and Xbox 360. Skate It is scheduled for release later this year.

The first Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game from Activision was pretty good. The second one was amazing. The subsequent eighty that followed were about as refreshing as George Clooney in Batman & Robin. Since the creation of the Tony Hawk series Activision hasn’t had to update anything, but with the success of EA’s skate, the company feels it’s time for some changes.

Having never been seriously challenged, the franchise has only made inching steps towards changes occasionally throwing in some new and “revolutionary” modes of game play that have left critics and fans wanting. The new challenge of the realistic skate has forced Activision’s hand and made them realize that now they are not the equivalent to the great white shark in the skate game ocean so they must evolve.

After seeing their financial results for the year, Activision’s Publishing President Mike Griffith has announced some future directions for the game. Griffith is quoted as saying that EA’s game has "split a stable market". He further explains that the franchise is currently being evaluated and changed according to need. This of course means figuring out if fans prefer the realism of skate over the lunatic physics of Tony Hawk’s or vice versa.

Other challenges that could be spurring on the Hawk evolution are the need to program more specifically for a next gen market. Griffith feels that Activision will have an advantage in this field as they have plenty of experience in pumping out the same game for several different systems at the same time. Kind of like that trick where the dummy sings and the ventriloquist drinks a glass of water while poking himself in the testicles with a hatpin.

Specifics on what will change have been sparse. Aside from discussing the idea of coming up with more ideas, Griffith hasn’t given any indication on what will be the next “innovation” for the series. Fans of the Tony will just have to wait to find out what Activision has under their decks to make it a “stable market” for them again.