Canadian Comedian Richard Ryder (website - articles - profile) is going to be busy this weekend. In conjunction with Toronto Pride, he will be hosting 'Homo Night in Canada' tonight - Saturday, June 27th. It's part of the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and it's Toronto's Annual Pride show and fundraiser featuring some of the best queer performers and comedians from across Canada and the USA. then on Sunday, June 28th, he will be the Main Stage Host.

The following is from Bruin (profile) of 'Bear With Me' (website - articles): "There are a couple of things revealed in this week's strip: #1 - The callous disregard Karl and his father show to those they consider weak and unable to contribute to their needs, and; #2 - Paul's newly discovered self-assertiveness. The first is absolutely chilling, considering how Mr. Lynde and Karl virtually abandoned Mrs. Lynde in her final hours, while the second produces cheers all around".

The last time I mentioned Cub McCallister (website - MySpace - article), I stated he is a real cute author who's written a small slew of novels all the while changing genre from book to book. Well since then he's created a whole shopping center on his webpage. You can get yourself t-shirts, hats, mousepads, even aprons for those who like to eat (what...? Bears eat?), undergarments and more. And not to forget: all those interesting books he's written.

Here I go again with the apologies, however I'm still playing catch up. There's been quite a few things happening that's been taking all of my attention.

Ok, here are a couple of blurbs written up by cartoonist Bruin (profile) about his excellent 'toon 'Bear With Me' (website - articles). First write-up is in relation to the June 1st strip: "here is a duality within each of us: How we envision ourselves, and how we wish we could be. Paul is realizing that, with his current self-image, he cannot overcome his fears and doubts, but teamed up with the confidence, strength and determination that he'd like to have, he has the potential to overcome his inner demons. Would that our own dreamscapes were so therapeutic".

And here is the write-up for the June 8th strip: "In his dream, Paul confronts his father and brother, who embody all his childhood fears and traumas; only this time, emboldened by his new-found confidence, the outcome is different than it has been in the past... and far more cathartic. Go get 'em, Paul!".

Roman Italian photographer GianOrso (website - articles - galleries - profile) has an upcoming photo exhibition entitled 'Portraits of Modern Gentlemen' (poster). The exhibition opens on June 12th at Loft 21 in Milan, Italy with a party 'More than I can Bear'. Make sure to check out his website to see some of the excellent photos this talented man has taken throughout the years.

Unfortunately the languages I know are limited to English and French, however I still enjoy visiting sites I cannot read just for the pretty pictures. And did I ever stumble a site which is perfect for me. His name his Guibo and I'm not 100% sure but I believe he's from Argentina. Anyhow he does these excellent big Daddy Bear drawings, really fun work. His first blog site is called Guibujos and it's exactly that: drawings without dialogue - simple yet very effective. However Guibo runs another blog with another set of drawings, yet these are cartoon strips with text. This blog page is called El Ósculo Hirsuto. And yes, I cannot read them (even though French is kinda close to Spanish), I can still enjoy Guibo's craftsmanship. And a PS - I found out about Guibo's work by via this article written by Perdido's blog (website - blog - profile) which is Italian. Long live the colourful world of languages.

The following is from Bruin of 'Bear With Me' (website - articles - profile): "Paul continues in his dreamscape. He has fallen into a pit of despair, and only the dashing Capt. Hirsute can save him. However, considering his luck dealing with Paul's father and brother, there is a question as to whether the Captain is 'real' enough to catch Paul. The current strip answers that question, while raising another: Who 'is' Capt. Hirsute under the mask? Is it Andy? If not Andy, then who?".

I asked the extremely cute Perdido (website - profile) to write me an article about his most excellent cartoon Bear Degeneration (Italian 19 episodes - English 13 episodes), so without further ado, the following is from our Italian cartoonist:

"I created the comic strip 'Bear Degeneration' a few years ago as a 'serial novel' to be published in the Italian fanzine 'WOOF!', a magazine that my partner and I printed and distributed around Italy for about 5 years. My intent was to put out a series of short episodes, 4 boards at a time, and present a Bear world full of fantasy. The story line starting point came from the 'Star Trek' universe with all of its particularities, such as the stellar fleet and the teleport. The alien enemies - the Bearg - are obviously inspired from the Borg. However, after creating a few episodes, the story started to change, and the comic started turning into a bizarre gay Bear saga which drew ideas freely from many science fiction sources (books, comics, film), including X-Men and Matrix.

Today WOOF! magazine is no longer in print and has found its home within the blogosphere. The same thing for 'Bear Degeneration' - it continues to be published online. Thanks to the initiative and the interest of my friend Forrest (TubeBear - PlanetBears - profile), my comic strip has been given a new life as it is now being translated into English, gaining new readers which in turn is renewing my enthusiasm.

As for 'Bear Degeneration', it's about the adventures of shameless Bears in space, in battles, meeting up with mysterious characters and having colossal orgies. The spicier situations in the strip arise from my personal erotic fantasies (some I've actually fulfilled, some which remain as dreams). And with imagination, we know, anything is possible.

'Bear Degeneration' is pervaded with a thin 'fetish' atmosphere; in some cases a soft S&M style. I could never maim my adored Bears the way Master Tagame (website) does to his characters in his comics, however it's always easier on paper to whip the Bears, put them in bondage and seduce them in the rudest of ways, yet the underlying theme in 'Bear Degeneration' is pleasure; the idea that joy can override everything, even during the most dangerous and conflicting of times. 'Bear Degeneration' is an erotic comics however one which is filled with optimism, joy and how to get the most pleasure out of life".

French artist Guy Thomas (website - articles - profile) is informing us of his new exhibition which will be held at the Eagle Paris from May 20th thru August 30th. From Guy: "it will be a great pleasure to show you my latest artworks. Great sizes, more colors, drawings and feelings. Of course, the drawings are mostly about Bears & Love!". Make sure to check his site to see all of his excellent artwork.

Russian artist and musician Alexei Biryukoff (website - articles - profile) is inviting us all to Barnaul, Russia for his solo art show that he is putting on (which started on May 5th). Ok, for those who cannot make it to Russia, then check out here to see some of his work. Alexei states that "It is a bunch of works inspired by the thousands of pictures I was taking during my trip on the both coasts of the USA". Also make sure to check out his music section and other artwork.

A very cute and cuddly couple by the name of Rich & Ray (profile) from Sacramento, California have turned their passion into a profession. They have started up their own business called Rich & Ray Photos. "They provide a mobile photography service to accommodate the needs of their clients. They cater to seniors, clients with pets, families as well as requests for special settings and effects. They can come to your home or any other location of your choice".

As well, they also do 'Bear' photography which is great for us. To see some of their Bearish work, check out this fine Bearotic article. High quality, and lotsa heartfelt too, very good.

Cartoonist Rondall Carson has sent us word that there's been some big updates over at 'Becoming Blizzard' (website - articles). From his blog: "I do want to point out that many of the graphics I wanted to add to this new site have not been completed yet. So things may look a bit plain at the moment, but that is going to change over the next few weeks and months as I finish up more of the graphics".

As well, there's a new cartoon with Blizzard meeting up with some new S&M buddies. From Rondall: "As for Blizzard, well, this tale is about to boggle his mind. It only gets weirder for him from here. But fear not! I know for a fact his knight in shining armor will be arriving just in time!".

It was just the other day that I mentioned about Italian artist Dubon's new sexy website (article). Today I would like to direct you to a neat board game that Dubon has created. Head on over to here and download the PDF file 'Il Gioco dell'Orso' (The Game of the Bear) . All you need to do is then print out, get a pair of dice, find some friends and you're all set. The game is modeled after a famous board that has been around since at least 1597. Also, I think this game would best be played in the nude, or whenever someone wins, everyone has to remove a piece of clothing, then start all over again. That's just my suggestion.

Spanish artist Yotto Bano who runs one of the coolest names for a blog - UrsuLaLaLa (blog - articles - profile) has done something very cool with his artwork. He's put them on ties...! The idea for this comes from his friend Angelo Panteleo (blog). And good news, these ties are for sale, so contact Yotto, the king of 'Graffiti & Urban Bear Art', and also let him know that his work is truly unique, playful, colorful... all the right ingredients on making this a better world.

Here's some news from Rob Harmon of 'Bound in Ink' (website - articles - profile): "Bound In Ink v2.0 is officially up and running. New pieces for 2009 are now up and ready for viewing. The new pieces are also in the 'Goodies' page for your desktops. The store will be up sometime after the 4th Annual Liberty Bears Art Show. I've got new products going into the store so that's what's taking so long. Some of the new products will be mouse pads with Bound In Ink artwork. Also available will be prints for an unbeatable price of $30. Signed, numbered, and matted all you have to do is frame them".

The past few episodes of  'Bear With Me' (website - articles) have been spent introducing a flying Captain Hirsute, the masked superhero in Paul's dreams. Last week, the Captain sensed danger and flew to the aid of a citizen. This week, he is in for a big surprise once he realizes he is a superhero ghost...?

Cartoonist Bruin (profile) asks us: "Will the Captain intervene? Will the villains suffer? How will the hapless citizen thank his hero? For the answer to these and other questions, log in on Mondays for the next episode of 'Bear With Me'...!".

This news is a little late as it was posted in January on Fujimoto's site Japanimation Bears (articles), and it's not very good news either. For the 2nd year in a row, there will be no great Fujimoto Calendar. From the site: "I'm sorry to report that the 2009 calendar is not going to be produced. I'm inundated with things that need to be done, and there would have been no way to produce it in time. I know it's disappointing and lets down everyone who's been looking forward to this, but it will be a bit before things settle here, and I'd even decided to put BearGrand goods on hold for the time being. Once production starts again, I will put up a notice both here as well as in my blog. Again, I sincerely apologize".

There is also his blog you can peruse, which is in Japanese, however you can always go there to look at the pretty pictures, like I do.

His name is Dubon and he is an Italian designer and illustrator who loves drawing Bear during his free time. His work is great and easily recognizable. You might have seen his work featured in magazines or used as promotional work for Bear runs, well Dubon has a new website which he has placed all of his excellent artwork. Make sure to check out his Dubon Wear section while you're there.

Here are a couple of new drawings by Spanish artist Simon of Brute (website - articles - profile). They are entitled Long Time No See! (at the pub) and Early In The Morning (Ritual de lo habitual). I know about his latest drawings because I signed up to his Brute newsletter. Also, you can sign up to his Yahoo! group where you will be able to see all of his work uncensored.

Rob Harmon of Bound in Ink (website - articles - profile) has some news to share with us: "Hey PlanetBears I certainly hope your all well and good.  This is Rob Harmon and it's been a crazy 2009 so far.  Though I have been finalizing this years 2009 Bound Ink collection for an upcoming show in Philadelphia April 23rd-25th at The Bike Stop with the Liberty Bears for the 4th Annual Art Show. The admission is $5 and we've got some great artist coming this year. I'll also be providing 9x7 prints in 11x14 mattes this year for $25 at the show. I'll be offering $30 prints online via the website. I'll have 21 originals pieces for $150. Here is a sample of what's to come soon for the website".