MAIDEN FANS: GET READY TO CELEBRATE! NEW ALBUM UNDERWAY!

That's right. You read it right. Legendary British metallers Iron Maiden are working on a new album!

It's official-the band behind "Up the Irons" is now officially announced they have started working on what will be their 17th studio album, Senjutsu. The announcement came less than a week after they released a single from the album "The Writing on the Wall", which debuted on 7/15

Over the course of a week, Maiden uploaded artwork to their previous 16 albums. This led up to the announcement of a new addition to those album covers. It was apparent to all who knew how to look for them that there were secret messages or symbols or "Easter Eggs" that suggested new music was on its way. Things like the Japanese symbol for death on the Book of Souls and The Final Frontier covers. It's even confirmed that the band's iconic mascot, Eddie the 'Ead, will be taking a new position-as that of a Samurai warrior

Senjutsu will be the name of the new album. The Japanese word loosely translates into "tactics and strategy", but will none the less please Iron Maiden fans. This will be the first new album in a while, ever since 2015's The Book of Souls. This album will be released on September 3 and you can go ahead and pre-order it on July 21. Some fans are wondering if it will even be worth listening to. When the band released their single "The Writing on the Wall", most were left scratching their heads, wondering what was going on in the minds of Maiden because the song sounds too Southern rock-ish. But aside from the negative naysayers who dismiss the song as too much Southern rock, others are too busy on jamming to the song and singing praises

In an interview, bassist Steve Harris has this to say. "We chose to record at Guillame Tell Studios in France again as the place had such a relaxed vibe. The setup there is perfect for our needs; the building used to be a cinema and has a really high ceiling so there's great acoustic sound. We recorded this album in the same way we did Book of Souls in that we'd write a song, rehearse it and then put it down together straight away while it was all fresh in our minds.

"There's some very complex songs on this album which took a lot of hard work to get them exactly as we wanted them to sound, so the process was at times very challenging, but Kevin is great at capturing the essence of the band and I think it was worth the effort! I'm very proud of the result and can't wait for fans to hear it!"

In another interview, vocalist Bruce Dickinson had this to say. "We're all really excited about this album. We recorded it back in early 2019 during a break in the "Legacy" tour so we could maximize our touring yet still have a long set up period before release to prepare great album art and something special as a video. Of course the pandemic delayed things more - so much for best laid plans - or should that be "strategies"!? The songs are varied, and some of them are quite long. There's also one or two songs which sound pretty different to our usual style, and I think Maiden fans will be surprised - in a good way, I hope!"

The album will be a double album, 82 minutes of nothing but Maiden! Here is the track list

1. Senjutsu (8:20) - Smith/Harris

2. Stratego (4:59) - Gers/Harris

3. The Writing on the Wall (6:13) - Smith/Dickinson

4. Lost in a Lost World (9:31) - Harris

5. Days of Future Past (4:03) - Smith/Dickinson

6. The Time Machine (7:09) - Gers/Harris

7. Darkest Hour (7:20) - Smith/Dickinson

8. Death of the Cells (10:20) - Harris

9. The Parchment (12:39) - Harris

10. Hell on Earth (11:19) - Harris

22 Easter Eggs from the new Iron Maiden video "The Writing on the Wall"

Legendary metal band Iron Maiden are often known for hiding what are called "Easter eggs" in their videos. These are small hints or inside jokes about something. And certainly the video for their newest hit "The Writing on the Wall" is no different. Here are 22 Easter Eggs from the video.

The video starts out showing black cloak-clad bikers riding through the desert, reminiscent of Mad Max. They are fast approaching a distant tower looming over the wasteland as the focal point of the "Belshazzar's Feast". Along the way, littering the sides of their journey are references to the band's past history, such as the Cart and Horses Pub, where then fledgling band Iron Maiden played their first show in 1976

These four riders remind you of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but they are clearly dead set on a mission. Their enemy is an overweight politco-type person who arrives in a large convertible with upside down American flags with no stars, that usually show the country's 50 states and unity, surrounded by those suffering from something

The license plate is seen later, as "Pres 1" and the flag is restored to its 50 star glory and right side up. Of course, this is after the riders beat their opponent and Eddie the 'Ead claims the car for himself. This is all but reminiscent of Mad Max, with the political figure being suggested that he should have known the outcome

Now on for the Easter Eggs

0:05 The back cover of The Number of the Beast

0:09 The zombie-like figure wearing a World Slavery Tour shirt

0:23 Belshazzar's Feast flyer

0:30 The skull ringed, hooded figure from Piece of Mind

0:48 Two abandoned-looking stores in the desert, the Aces High Store and Cart and Horses Pub

0:53 The wreckage of the Book of Souls Ed plane

1:02 Torn Union Jacks reminiscent of the cover art for the single "The Trooper", posters with Eddie's leering grin, clocks frozen in time at 11:58, approaching a tower from flyer

1:03 Eddie's grimace on a barrel of toxic waste and Eddie's face from "Twilight Zone" on a card beside the tail of a scorpion

1:08 17 tally marks, like you'd see in prison movies where prisoners are marking down until the end of their sentence, on one of the motorcycles

1:22 "Eddie Lives" on a barrel, the "Eddie's Archive Set" box buried partially in the ground

1:37 A tombstone reading No Prayer for the Dying, a space helmet containing a skull from The Final Frontier, goggles and dog tags from "Aces High"

1:49 "Trooper" beer cans littering the desert, wreck from the airship R101 from "Empire of the Clouds", "Sooty" Bear

4:09 Cyborg timecop Eddie from Somewhere in Time

4:23 Samurai Eddie straight from Trooper Beer (shouldn't it be ale?) Sun and Steel

4:55 Killers-era Eddie gets honored with a newer hatchet-wielding Eddie

4:57 The hooded Eddie from 2003's Dance of Death gets honors too

5:00 The scythe-wielding Eddie from From Fear to Eternity: The Best of 1990-2010 makes an appearance

5:02 Somewhere in Time-era cyborg Eddie reappears

5:09 The Powerslave pharaoh Eddie is now riding a motorcycle

5:15 The Mayan Warrior Eddie from Book of Souls is getting in on the fun on a motorcycle

5:44 666 in Roman numerals spray painted on the convertible

6:05 The mushroom cloud from the cover art of the single "Two Minutes to Midnight"

Iron Maiden release new song recently, to the shock and disappointment of some

 Recently, legendary British metallers Iron Maiden released a new song, "The Writing on the Wall", whose video features a fan in a tattered Maiden shirt on their way, clutching a music festival poster in hand, to a music festival in the desert. Fans out there are almost evenly split between disappointment at the song's almost Southern rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd-like leanings and happiness at the newest song from Maiden and the hopes of a new album and tour to follow.

This is the first new song the band has released since 2015. The COVID-19 epidemic has put a stopper on all things musical since everyone had to be on lockdown, including musicians. Most if not all of them have put that time to use, creating new music. The song was released July 15, with fans going to Twitter, Facebook and even the band's own official page, writing glowing reviews or disappointing insults at the band's apparent "southern rock" influence on this song.

The Longest Yard (2005)

 This movie is a 2007 remake of the original with Burt Reynolds. Some might be surprised to find that there are at least three professional wrestlers acting in this film, playing three of the prison guards. Kevin Nash, Bill Goldberg and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Summary

-When a former NFL player is arrested for drunk driving and sent to prison, the warden learns of his former NFL life and challenges him and the inmates to a game of football, guards vs. convicts

Cast

-Adam Sandler: Paul "Wrecking" Crewe

-Chris Rock: Caretaker

-Burt Reynolds: Coach Nate Scarborough

-Nelly: Megget

-Michael Irvin: Deacon Moss

-Walter Williamson: Errol Dandridge

-Bill Goldberg: Battle

-Terry Crews: Cheeseburger Eddy

-Bob Sapp: Switowski

-Nicholas Turturro: Brucie

-Dalip Singh: Turley

-Lobo Sebastian: Torres

-Steve Reevis: Baby Face Bob

-David Patrick Kelly: Unger

-Tracy Morgan: Ms. Tucker

-Edward Bunker: Skitchy Rivers

-William Fichtner: Captain Knauer

-Bill Romanowski: Guard Lambert

-Kevin Nash: Guard Engleheart

-Steve Austin: Guard Dunham

-Brian Bosworth: Guard Garner

-Michael Papajohn: Guard Papajohn

-James Cromwell: Warden Hazen

-Cloris Leachman: Lynette

Did You Know?

-Cloris Leachman, who plays the warden's secretary, appeared in another movie with Adam Sandler, Spanglish, which came out a year earlier

-Shortly before the funeral for Caretaker, Unger is heard talking to one of the guards. At first it sounds like he is saying "Boss". But it's actually "Boz" he's saying. The guard he was talking to is played by Brian "Boz" Bosworth, a former NFL player himself

-ESPN announcer Dan Patrick plays the police officer who pulls over Paul Crewe

-The character Deacon Moss' name is derived from NFL players Deacon Jones and Randy Moss

-In the warden's office, four football helmets are seen on his shelf. They are for NFL team Houston Texans, AFL team Dallas Texans, Allenville Prison and University of Texas

-Adam Sandler mentioned Colonel Sanders for the second time in one of his movies. He and the famous founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken were both born on the same day-September 9

-The inmates call their team the Mean Machine. In the 1974 edition, the team of inmates called their team the Mean Machine

-Burt Reynolds, who plays inmate Nate Scarborough, did play football in real life. He played for Florida State, but it was cut short after a serious knee injury during his sophomore year

-This film was released on the same day as the film Madagascar, a film also featuring Chris Rock

-This is another movie where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Terry Crews appear together, on opposing sides. The other movie where they appear on opposing sides but in the same film is The Expendables

-David Patrick Kelly plays Unger, a pyromaniac, in this film. In the 1994 film The Crow, he plays T-Bird, another pyromaniac obsessed with fire and explosions

-This is not the first time Adam Sandler has played a character who has used "Colonel Sanders" as an insult to someone. In the 1998 film The Waterboy, his character calls one of his professors "Colonel Sanders" after being insulted

-Out of all the guards, only two have actual NFL playing experience-Brian "Boz" Bosworth and Bill Romanowski. They were both considered controversial. "Boz" was known more for his over the top and questionable fashion sense than his skills on the field and was labelled a draft bust after three years on the field. Bill Romanowski, however, is widely known as one of the dirtiest players in the NFL. Both were known for their alleged steroid usage

Bill Romanowski

Brian "Boz" Bosworth

-When the original 1974 version was released, Adam Sandler was only seven years old

-Burt Reynolds, who plays Nate Scarborough in this film, played Paul "Wrecking" Crewe in the original

-This movie was supposed to be filmed at a prison that had closed recently in Jefferson City, Missouri. But city workers weren't able to get the prison up and running in time for production

-When Capt. Knauer is taking Paul Crewe through the prison yard, he mentions he played college football for University of Miami. He also mentions that while none of the inmates are former teammates, some of the guards are. In the late 1980s, there was a game between University of Miami and Notre Dame. It resulted in a brief rivalry billed as "Catholics vs. Convicts"

-Because the football game scenes took place during El Camino College's fall semester, the stadium set stayed up during the college's home games. Some of the extras in the crowd are El Camino College students.

-Paul was supposed to have played football for Florida State and professional for Pittsburgh. Burt Reynolds was an All American running back for Florida State and, like Adam Sandler, is an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan

-The Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Saturday Night Special" is played at the beginning of the original and this remake. Also, just like the original and remake, Crewe is watching a football game before arguing with his girlfriend. But, unlike the original, Crewe doesn't hit his girlfriend; he locks her in the closet

-A lot of the inmates are seen with long hair or facial hair. In reality, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice requires inmates to be clean shaven and hair "trimmed from the back of the hair and necks", essentially guaranteeing all inmates are bald and beardless. Smoking is also banned from Texas prisons and has been since 1994

-While training for the football scenes, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin tore his hamstring

-This movie features a combination of both former NFL players, wrestlers, singers. The cast features wrestlers "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Bill Goldberg, The Great Khali (Dalip Singh). The cast features former NFL players Bill Romanowski, Michael Irvin, Terry Crews, Brian Bosworth and singer/rapper Nelly. In an interesting sidenote, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Bill Goldberg were football players prior to taking up wrestling

Dalip Singh aka "Turley"

-Of all the six members of the rap group D12, five of them make an appearance as convicts playing basketball. The missing sixth member is Eminem, who Paul references as "Slim Shady"

-The film was shot at a part of the New Mexico State Penitentiary. Called "Old Main", the part they used was closed down. This part of the prison seen one of the worst riots in history. It occurred on Feb. 2, 1980. Nowadays, the prison is available for film use

-The picture Chris Rock shows Paul is a real-life picture of his mother and him. The photo appears in a book she wrote called Mama Rock's Rules

Wrestlers who can act in TV/Movies

In their down time, sometimes wrestlers take up acting as a way of relaxing or recovering from injuries or because it's something fun to do. Here are some wrestlers who have acted in one capacity or another.

WWE wrestlers in Films - IMDb

The 25 Best Wrestler-Turned-Actors Who Found Hollywood Success (ranker.com)

21 TV Appearances Featuring WWE Wrestlers You Probably Missed - GameSpot

Roderick Toombs aka "Roddy Piper"

The One and Only (1978). Character: Leatherneck Joe Brady (uncredited)

Body Slam (1986). Character: Quick Rick Roberts

The Highwayman (TV series, 1987). Character: Preacher

They Live (1988). Character: Nada

Zorro (TV series, 1990-1991). Character: Will Adams/Bishop

Jungleground (1995). Character: Lt. Jacob "Jake" Cornell

Marked Man (1996). Character: Frank Gibson

Walker, Texas Ranger (1998). Character: Cody "The Crusader" Conway

Bret Hart

Lonesome Dove: The Series (TV series, 1995) / Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Series (1995-1996). Character: Luther Root

The Adventures of Sinbad (TV series, 1996). Character: Eyolf

The Simpsons (TV series 1997). Character: Bret "Hitman" Hart

The Immortal (TV series, 2000). Character: Randall

Mark Calaway aka "The Undertaker"

Suburban Commando (1991). Character: Hutch (right)

Hulk Hogan

Rocky III (1982). Character: Thunderlips

No Holds Barred (1989). Character: Rip

Suburban Commando (1991). Character: Shep Ramsey

Mr. Nanny (1993). Character: Sean Armstrong

Thunder in Paradise (TV series 1994). Character: Randolph J "Hurricane" Spencer

Walker, Texas Ranger (2001). Character: Boomer Knight

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011). Character: Terrafirminator (voice)

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

The Condemned (2007). Character: Conrad

The Expendables (2010). Character: Paine

The Longest Yard (2007). Character: Guard Durham

Maximum Conviction (2012). Character: Manning

Kevin Nash

Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze (1991). Character: Super Shredder

Sabrina, The Teenaged Witch (1997). Character: The Giant

The Punisher (2004). Character: The Russian

The Longest Yard (2005). Character: Guard Englehart

Rock of Ages (2012). Character: Stacee's Bodyguard

Magic Mike (2012) / Magic Mike XXL (2015). Character: Tarzan

John Wick (2014). Character: Francis

Bill Goldberg

The Longest Yard (2005). Character: Battle

Universal Soldier: The Return (1999). Character: Romeo

NCIS: Los Angeles (2018-2020). Character: Lance Hamilton

Dwayne Johnson

Moana (2016). Character: Maui

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013). Character: Roadblock

The Fate of the Furious (2017). Character: Hobbs

San Andreas (2015). Character: Raymond Gaines

Doom (2005). Character: Sarge

Walking Tall (2004). Character: Chris Vaughn

The Scorpion King (2002). Character: Mathayus

The Mummy Returns (2001). Character: The Scorpion King

John Cena

Bumblebee (2018): Character: Agent Burns

12 Rounds (2009). Character: Danny Fisher

The Marine (2006). Character: John Triton

F9: The Fast Saga (2021). Character: Jakob

Ferdinand (2017). Character: Ferdinand

Marcus Alexander Bagwell aka "Buff Bagwell"

Charmed (TV series, 1998). "Wrestling with Demons"

Charmed (TV series, 1998). "Wrestling with Demons"

Robert Booker Tio Huffman aka "Booker T" / Scott Rechsteiner aka "Scott Steiner"

Charmed (TV series, 1998), "Wrestling with Demons"

Robert Booker Tio Huffington aka "Booker T". Charmed (TV series, 1998, "Wrestling with Demons)

Scott Rechsteiner, aka "Scott Steiner". Charmed (TV series, 1998, "Wrestling with Demons")

Adam Copeland aka "Edge"

Vikings (TV show, 2017-2020). Character: Kjetill Flatnose

Haven (TV show, 2011-2015). Character: Dwight Hendrickson

Glenn Jacobs aka "Kane"

Smallville (TV series, 2007). Character: Titan

Steve Borden aka "Sting"

Thunder in Paradise (TV series, 1994). Character: Adam "Hammerhead" McCall

Walker, Texas Ranger (2001). Character: Grangus

Revelation Road: The End of the Beginning (2013). Character: Junkyard

Paul Levesque aka "Triple H"

Scooby Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon (Animated, 2016). Character: Triple H

Scooby Doo! WrestleMania Mystery (Animated, 2014). Character: Triple H

Blade: Trinity (2004). Character: Jarko Grimwood

Dave Bautista

Army of the Dead (2021). Character: Scott Ward

Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019). Character: Trent Derosa

Hotel Artemis (2018). Character: Everest

Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Character: Sapper Morton

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017). Character: Drax / Avengers: Endgame (2019). Character: Drax

Enter the Warriors Gate (2016). Character: Arun

Marauders (2016). Character: Stockwell

Spectre (2015). Characer: Hinx

Riddick (2013). Character: Diaz

Andre the Giant

BJ and the Bear (1979). Character: Andre

Conan the Destroyer (1984). Character: Dagoth (uncredited)

The Princess Bride (1987). Character: Fezzik

Randy Orton

Changeland (2019). Character: Martin

12 Rounds 2: Reloaded (2013). Character: Nick Malloy

That's What I Am (2011). Character: Ed Freel

Kurt Angle

Chasing Molly (2019). Character: Mr. Black

Beyond the Mat (2013). Character: Coach Kamen

Death from Above (2012). Character: Thule

River of Darkness (2011). Character: Sheriff Will Logan

Warrior (2011). Character: Koba

End Game (2009). Character: Mayfield

Jesse Ventura

Predator (1987). Character: Blain

The Running Man (1987). Character: Capt. Freedom

Hunter (TV series, 1985-1990). Character: Phil Slade / Jesse

Ricochet (1991). Character: Chewalski

Demolition Man (1993). Character: CryoCon

Batman & Robin (1997). Character: Arkham Asylum Guard

Paul Wight aka "The Giant" or "Big Show"

Jingle All the Way (1996). Character: Huge Santa

The Waterboy (1998). Character: Capt. Insano

Royal Pains (TV series, 2010). Character: Donald Green / Garbage Collector

Burn Notice (TV series, 2011). Character: Griffin Black

Vendetta (2015). Character: Victor Abbott

Diamond Dallas Page

First Daughter (TV movie, 1999). Character: Dirk Lindman

The Devil's Rejects (2005). Character: Billy Ray Snapper

Vengeance (2006). Character: Spider Benson

Splinter (2006). Character: Det. Stiles

Driftwood (2006). Character: Capt. Doug Kennedy

Sensory Perception (2019). Character: Mr. Harrington