Greetings and happy ModNation Monday everyone. Ramone Russell here with another ModNation Monday update!

Family Guy Drives ModNation!

As we announced last week, today we are honored to have some of the great talent behind the hit show Family Guy on the Artist Spotlight! Director Dominic Polcino, Assistant Director Joe Vaux, and Storyboard Artist Raul Guerra make sure we are all rolling in our seats with every new episode — not a bad gig at all, right? Each of these guys are artists within their own right as well, and they have a lot to say not just about the amazing show they work on, but on their own work and “making it” in their industry. It was an honor to see what they could do once they had a chance to play ModNation Racers, and have them on the PlayStation.Blog today to answer your questions!

Check out the video below to see how much fun they had, then read on below to learn their personal stories.

Dominic Polcino

Has been one of the directorial hands behind such hits as The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy – including the Star Wars spoofs “Blue Harvest” and “Something Something Something Dark Side.” “Lovesick Fool” is his first foray into doing animation his way. This time it’s personal. Lovesick Fool is a short animated film following the ongoing frustrations and disappointments of its creator in the area of love. At times funny, poetic, profound. Or just sad? You be the judge. The genesis of the idea was a series of personal underground comic books which Dominic wrote and drew. Those are available at his website and in most comic book stores in LA, and a few in New York. Polcino studied animation at the UCLA Animation Workshop. See a sample on www.funnyordie.com.

Joe Vaux

I’ve been working on Family Guy since it’s rebirth in 2004. I’ve worked my way up through the ranks from being a Storyboard revisionist to one of the assistant directors. My director, Dominic Bianchi, and I were responsible for “Brian and Stewie,” “The Big Man on Hippocampus,” and “The Man with Two Brians” to name a few.

Outside of the office, my creative juices get sprayed all over paintings. I’ve shown my crazy work in several galleries across the country and even a few around the world. You can see my work here.

Raul Guerra

After graduating in 2002, I’ve been working steadily in animation and illustration. It was in 2006 that I joined the Family Guy team, working as a storyboard revisionist and storyboarder. Here I get to work with some of the most creative and wacky people ever, which serves as fuel and inspiration for my own stuff when I get home. I enjoy painting, sculpting and screen printing. Oh, and dinosaurs!!! Check out my site here.

More Goodies On The Way

As we mentioned last week, there are lots more good things coming to ModNation. Tomorrow, we’ll have everyone’s favorite insurance Mod, Flo, joining us from the ModNation Progressive office. On October 26th, we’re going to be giving you the first taste of some track-enhancing goodness with a FREE parts pack for a week! I’ll fill you in with more details next week, but needless to say, you will be pleased. Also, since the MNR community is so great, we think it’s about time for another Double XP week. It’s also going to start on October 26th, so get your Karts tuned and ready.

Also, since Halloween is coming and you’re all going to be dressing up as your favorite Mods (right?), it seems like the perfect time to have a ModNation Halloween contest.

ModNation Halloween creations contest

Submit your original Halloween-themed Karts, Mods, and Tracks here for a chance to win a free Mod and Kart. The winner’s creations will be showcased in November’s first ModNation Monday blog.

Clearly, it’s going to be a killer October in ModNation, and it just keeps getting better. Now let’s jump into the cool stuff you’ve all been creating:

ModNation Creations of the Week

Amazing creations in ModNation get shared every day and we are playing a ton of them. If you are interested in submitting your Mod, Kart or Track to be a future “creation” of the week be sure to visit up on the official ModNation Community site and who knows? You might see your handiwork on the PlayStation.Blog.

MOD OF THE WEEK

Mod Name: Yin
Creator: Stitchless

This guy makes me want to beat down the pack in a race, and then have him jump out of the Kart and directly into a martial arts competition. Cool from head to toe, and his abs are almost as ripped as mine….

KART OF THE WEEK

Kart Name: Bug-A-Boo
Creator: Icandy55

As cool as this Kart is, it’s weird to have that bug face looking back at me while I race. Very creative…..but a little creepy.

TRACKS OF THE WEEK

If you have a video(s) of your track submit them to MNR’s YouTube channel and email ModNation@Playstation.Sony.com and we will include them in the blog if your track is showcased.

Track Name: Peruvian Shakedown
Created by: Corliss

Peruvian Shakedown says: “Here we have a hand-built Mayan temple with surrounding villages. Maxed out props, lots of detail in this map. Light dirt at the sides of the track will lead to alternative routes, and there are several.”

This track has one of the most evil uses of the rotating platform that I’ve seen. To succeed on this track, you pretty much have to remember this one mantra: “No Mistakes.” This is a wicked-looking track and technically exciting too. A true test of skill here, and the jumps to the pyramid from the shortcuts are amazing.

Track Name: Wild Wild West
Created by: CIV_BOSS

CIV_BOSS says: “Race past the old church and cemetery, through a couple farms towards the outskirts of town where the animals are grazing. You will notice the awesome layout of this track makes for a very fun and exciting race: the more racers there are, the more fun it is. Oh and watch out for them barrels partner!”

Learn the blind corners as quickly as you can with this one if you want to have any hope at all. Also be sure you take advantage of the opportunities to get some extra air by hopping off the jumps because a lot of the Item Pods are up pretty high. This track is intense, and it makes me dream of the day when sheep will be invisible.

Track Name: Graveyard
Created by: Stitchless

Stitchless says: “This track is the first part of a series I will be releasing, The Pits of Darkness. The course features a vast cemetery… Those dreading the graves can choose to take the waterway, but be forewarned the current is strong. Maybe you’ll find your preferred pace along the inner walls, where you’ll boost all the way around.

You can get some serious air on this track, but that depends on which route you take. One of the two main paths has some wicked jump and spin opportunities, and the other has one of the best back-to-back-to-back drift opportunities I’ve seen. With Halloween right around the corner, this track is perfect for adding a little spookiness to your racing.

HOT LAP ROSTER FOR THE WEEK

Continuing with the trend we started weeks ago this weeks Hot Lap roster features all new community created tracks.

Monday: Caribbean Retreat, by grey_jeep
Tuesday: Continental Estates, by IndustrialSavior
Wednesday: Celestial Obelisk Eden, by IndustrialSavior
Thursday: Adventurous Jungle, by StealthReborn–
Friday: Jebediah City, by atheistsw
Saturday: Mystery Track
Sunday: Mystery Track

More news next week, until then… see you in the ModSpot!