September 30, 2002
And I thought I was bad!
Television Without Pity » Gilmore Girls » Recaps & Extras » Season 3 Episode 1
I can understand being a major fan of one's favorite show. As an unabashed fan of witty, well-written comedy, I normally tune into catch The Gilmore Girls religiously. Well, as luck would have it, I missed the season opener and as a result of my need for closure, I stumbled across what I thought was a pretty nifty site: TelevisionWithoutPity.com. Upon a quick glance of the first page of the recap of the Gilmore Girls episode, I realize when I hit the bottom of the page that a) it seems awfully incomplete and b) ITS PAGE 1 OF FOURTEEN!!!!! Yeah, FOURTEEN pages devoted to ONE episode of The Gilmore Girls. Unless there's nudes of Lauren Graham on page 14, spare me the verbosity and cut to the chase. I mean damn ... I'm all for a little more detail, a little review/critique even ... but sheesh. Now I'm off to see if someone's just printed a script from the episode online. Sure would be a quicker read.
(Note: I taunt, yet I'm on page 3 regardless)
It Came From Outerspace
I would just like to point out for all of mankind that It Came From Outerspace will be playing at the Rice Cinema on October 26th & 27th.
September 29, 2002
Where are they now ...
This is probably the best site on earth devoted to a cancelled TV show. What I like best about this is that it covers a lot of ground on the topics explored in the show and is comprehensive as all getout.
To those who would suggest that there could not be a shred of respectable entertainment on Married With Children, I would counter with the notion that this show best parodied middle class life during its run.
Perhaps the best section of this site is devoted to Al's philosophy of hating the French. With all the talk of countries to invade, what say we all come to agreement on invading this one? A phone call should be all it would take.
September 28, 2002
Rock On!
Yahoo! News - American rocker Joan Jett performs for coalition troops in Afghanistan
Joan Jett in Afghanistan ... how cool can that possibly be?
September 27, 2002
On a Lighthearted Note ...
What with all the warblogging going on lately, I thought I'd make at least one superfelous, whimsical post about an item I recently procured: The Disco Stu Action Figure! OK, so its not truly an "action" figure, but its still pretty cool. Its complete with the chart representing sales of disco albums. Too bad I probably won't take it out of the packaging.
In other news, I did notice that the Target on Westheimer and Wilcrest had the large-sized Homer, Smithers, and Burns. Homer had a Gummi DeMilo, Smithers had a Malibu Stacy and his PC with the Burns screensaver. It was all I could do to walk away.
September 26, 2002
One more day ...
One more day of work till I get a freakin vacation. I'm pumped ... jazzed even. How do I celebrate for now? Eh, I'm hittin' the hay a little early. I'll get around to cranking on The New Republic tomorrow AM. For those who read all sorts of other blogs and notice how other bloggers don't post while they're on vacation, fear not ... I ain't one of em.
*snore*
September 24, 2002
Google News ... in the news
Goggle's News site is getting better and better. Kudos to the genuses in Silicon Valley for this one!
Also: All the News Google Algorithms Say Is Fit to Print
September 22, 2002
Movie Review: Men With Brooms
So there I was no a Saturday, worn out and beat from working all day. One of those big days for my employer, so its a grueling weekend that everyone must endure. Nevertheless, I opted to avoid the 25 mile trek to Rockyland and contemplate a new release at the local Megaplex of Movies. In looking over the listings, nothing absolutely slayed me in terms of "I gotta see this." But one movie kinda spoke to me in a soft, subtle whisper: Men With Brooms (IMDB - Amazon). The first hook was Leslie Neilson. The second hook was the utterly incomprehendable thought that they would make a movie about CURLING. Yeah, you read that right ... the central theme of the movie is about CURLING. For those who don't know, its a Canadian sport involving stones and a long sheet of ice, vaguely similar to shuffleboard, albeit on a larger scale. I didn't expect much more than to be mildly amused at this movie. I left wanting to tell the world what an awesome movie this is.
First things first ... let me set the context. This is not the standard "Greg"ish B-movie type of movie. Its a fairly sophisticated script with decent to well above average acting, and a lot of subtle humor mixed in with the omnipresent love story as well as the story of a team of curlers who strive to fulfill their recently-deceased coach's dying wish: to win a big championship of some sort.
Now, you don't have to like curling to get into this movie. But you do have to NOT expect a lot of "icepick-to-the-forehead" obvious humor. This movie is well written and from beginning to end, there's not a lull to be found. Paul Gross is the lead actor in the movie, a relative unknown who's done a fair amount of work in Canada, and (of interest to probably nobody but me) was in the pilot of a TV series: XXX's and OOO's, which was a song that Trisha Yearwood did in the hopes of it being the theme song for a network sitcom. I love Trisha Yearwood, so I had to add that.
Leslie Nielson plays Gross' father. Don't look for a lot of slapstick here, but there is some hilarious lines in this one. Among other things, Nielson's character grows mushrooms in his barn, and his introduction to us is with his arm inside a cow, retrieving manure for his crop of "medicinal" mushrooms. It gets better though.
Peter Outerbridge plays a great character as well, basically being the miscreant of the bunch. Molly Parker and Michelle Nolden play the dueling love interests of Gross'. Greg Bryk plays the evil ominous expert curler that the good guys have to knock off. His character is maybe a little too over the top for this movie, but that's about the only knock I can put on this movie, so that ain't bad. Yeah, there's more cast, but you'll have to see the movie, or at least read IMDB for the list. Bottom line here is that for a cast of "unknowns", they did an awesome job.
The highlight scene, for my money has to be the warmup match in which the team takes on some old-timers. Without spoiling much, they lose. The old guys steal the show only temporarily, returning it ever so gracefully to the stars of the movie. The ending, I will not give away. You know there's only two possible outcomes: they fulfill the dying wish, or they miss the mark barely, but learn a valuable life lesson (ala - Mystery, Alaska). I'll let you figure out which.
The movie is rated R, I presume for some sexual themes (some comedic, some Titanic-esque), as well as a smattering of drug-related humor. I don't recall any nudity, other than some male buttocks on full display. So use your judgement if kiddos are involved.
One other note on the movie that caught my ear ... the soundtrack. Overall, its well done. In the final contest, there's a guitar version of "Oh Canada" that is really great. Since its a very modern national anthem, it works far better in a rock motif and this version had me want to stand at attention and salute the Maple Leaf. Far better, IMO, was one song by Kathleen Edwards that made me sit through the credits to get the artists name. The song is "Hockey Skates." Naturally, it piqued my interest in that it mentioned a sport I enjoy. But it was also a nice, sort jazzy acoustic tune. In checking out Edwards' site, the album seems like something I need to investigate further. The soundclips on the site suggest a sorta crossover between alt-country & a little bit of acoustic-jazz-rock. For my purposes, that means a cross between Joy Lynn White and Once Blue. And that's a can't miss combination. There's a healthy dose of The Tragicly Hip in this movie as well, complete with a guest appearance as a competing curling team.
Needless to say, I can't list all the wonderful things there are to say about this movie. I was one of only three people that was in the theater for the midnight showing of this, so if you wanna see an awesome flick with a lot of legroom, this is as good a chance as you'll get.
September 20, 2002
Thoughts on the "Ernest" Genre
I recently procured a copy of one of the Ernest movies that has recently been released on DVD. (Quick note to those who don't know ... my collection is a healthy sampling of B-movie lore) I had a tough decision. Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail, I've seen on VHS. The third release was Ernest: Scared Stupid. Not having seen that one, I opted for it over the far superior Ernest Goes to Jail. Big Mistake!
What began as a simple character actor-themed flick, Jim Varney (RIP), cranked out some great summer movies. The target market was obviously kids. Yet the movies he did took an interesting journey. Ernest Goes to Camp set the tone and carved out the niche. Yet by the time Ernest Goes to Jail came along, it wasn't as kid-friendly. And my hunch is that Scared Stupid was a vast over-reaction to that. Not only are there more kids in the movie, they have greater roles. That means less screentime for Ernest's sidekick, Rimshot.
The upside is that I'm only out $10. I still gotta look up to see if they've put Ernest Goes to Africa and Ernest Goes to War. War is probably my fave because of the really hot news reporter, but Jail is far and away the best of the Ernest Genre. Best Buy did have Jail and Camp for $10 also. Maybe its not too late to get those.
More Drunken Ramblings ...
I originally wasn't going to post this since I've already posted one of Uber's drunken ramblings, and I'm not a firm believer in capturing lighting in a bottle a second time.
Nevertheless, this still cracks me up. Uber does some of his best work when inebriated. To those who have no clue who or what Uber is, fear not ... most of the death threats are merely there for humorous purposes. I did at least edit out some of the more "colorful" parts since this site is now getting a little more foot traffic than in days past, so while this post has been edited for cleanliness, the older one remains in its ever-so-vulgar state. So be forewarned.
Enjoy the read ... I know I am.
Welllll, time hass come to type another rant. And Mr. Guinnness and Mr. Merlot (Ohehehe) have helped lubricate my words. First of alll: You people make me sick! I hate every one of you. I wish you would die die die die die. Please just let me be. I am not UBER! I AMJAMES Second Of all: I love you guys THirdly: Scotch is good D: I am tired of not getting da ***** at the show. One of you ******s must like me enough to get down and dirty at the back of the theater. all you haafve to do is askk. I lik the **** with the best of them! 5) Why the hate towards John? Oh yeah, he's pretnetious *****e who has no clue and will burn rodents near highway when older. 6: Kayla => GET OVER HIM. See #5 as to why he's a ****ing lOOOSER &: I like me drinks 9: zeither like the cast or don't like the cast! don't be in the cast and badmouth it. i love you guys. you people are my bestest friends. every one o you. 10: ARrrrgh, maties! I'm a pirate. 11: Accordingt to "kissing jessica stein", all lesbians are funny. Hahahahaha. 12:? I wish I had some cake right now. I guess marshmallow puffs will do 13( I'm buying a house! I have a year to do it in! woohoo, you're all invited to my housewarming party. Or wqhatever 145`: Whatever happened to movi night? 666: Gremlins 2 is funny 1776: I'll be @ River Oakes tomorrow to see "Big Lebowski" Steve Buscimi rocks. i am the walrus 1977: Why no booty? I think i iterated this one already. JUst come up and say "Uber EAT ME" and if you're an innie and not an outie I"M THERE! 2002; SCOtch gone. caps lock sucks. Off to lounge on couch until Berman & Berman comes on. 2007: I die 2009: someone notices 2012: Rocky finally dies in hyouston. Ther ya go
Once Again, I'm Speachless ...
First savekaryn.com ... now this. It's official, the world is messed up and there's no hope for us all.
Hmmm ...
Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | Suicide rates tend to rise under Tory rule
Is it wrong that I laugh at this?
Fortune Finally Prints Something Worth Reading
Forbes.com: The Forbes Fictional Fifteen
A few observations: the number of single people on this list is inspiring. I guess there's hope for me becoming fictionally rich after all. Secondly, what the hell is up with Richie Rich's parent's not being included? I never saw anything about them passing away. Point the third ... C. Montgomery Burns is 11th on the list ... wow, how the mighty have fallen.
September 19, 2002
Happy Birthday Smiley Face
HoustonChronicle.com - Online 'smiley face' :-) turns 20
Wow, 20 years old ... I feel old now.
Justice Google-style
Thanks to FARK for pointing this out. My day is now made.
Huh?
Yahoo! News - Disney preps martial arts
It's official ... the world has gone nuts.
September 17, 2002
HardRock News Recap
Ah Monday, sweet Mondays ... time for a new news recap on HardRadio.
Right off the bat, I can't help but be amazed that David Coverdale and Joan Jett share a birthday upcoming on the 22nd. Also on the docket ... Gary Cherone is releasing a new CD from his band Tribe of Judah. Two other members of Extreme will also be on there. Gotta look that up for a sound clip to see what vein the music is in. The Doors are re-uniting ... there is no God.
Speaking of reunions, one of my fave 80s bands, Rough Cutt, is playing a reunion show at West Hollywood's Viper Room on 10/21. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to make it out there to see it. Never saw these guys live back in the day. This is the complete lineup of the band that recorded two albums (plus a pseudo-reunion CD ... plus an archived Live CD). Paul Shortino is and always will be one of the best hidden treasures of heavy metal. As an added temptation to get me out to West Hollywood, the band is opening for Metal Shop, which is an 80s spoof band that's getting a lot of run lately. Tempting, so very very tempting. Already priced out the airfare at about $200, hotel for $52 a night. Guarantee I can get into the club? Dunno, but I'm taking a little solace that its a Monday night show.
Gary Moore (an underappreciated guitar player if there ever was one) is having a lot of his old albums re-issued in Japan. Hopefully, that means I'll have an easier time finding Corridors of Power, Still Got the Blues and Victims of the Future on CD.
That's about it ... kinda sucks that it's not 1984 anymore.
Just for Me ...
I put this here primarily for myself. Being the Weird Al fan that I am, I think I must own one of these.
BTW - Weird Al has taped a voice-over for The Simpsons for the upcoming season. It's now official: The Simpsons ROCK!
Sweet Binary Code ...
Just fell in love with this cheesy background. Not too distracting, yet fitting with the geeky look/feel of the site. One thing that pesters the bejeezus out of me is the way so many blogs just look like all the other blogs out there. I don't proclaim mine to be immensely innovative, but it does throw a different look into the mix.
I've had to explain this a few times, so I figure what the hey ... why not put the explanation on here as to why this site looks the way it does. It's not an accidental design in which I just gave up on after a certain amount of time. No, its quite intentional. Its actually an homage to the first word processory program I used on my old Commodore 64. I had to type in the thing out of RUN Magazine in Machine Language and it was surprisingly nifty. Unfortunately, the only colors I liked that gave me enough contrast were black background with either green, red, or orange text. Red had the least contrast of those three, orange is T.U. colors, so that leaves Green as the color of choice.
So there ... isn't your life just a little more complete for knowing that?
September 16, 2002
Punk Rock is Now Dead ...
It's come a long way from the Sex Pistols touring kicker clubs in the southeast, but alas ... the movement is dead.
September 15, 2002
Pity the Poor Poor Rock Star
OK, so its an aging rock star, but still ... explain to me why I should feel the least bit sorry for Billy Joel? He's had a hell of a career. He's had EVERY opportunity to meet women all over the planet. He married Christie Brinkley. Jeez, I have no pity whatsoever for this guy.
Yet, here he is whining about not finding the love of his life. Remember when guys like Jackson Browne use to write songs about how it sucked to be a rock star? How tough they had it, and all that nonsense. Yeah, wonder why people don't write songs like that anymore? Hmmm, could it be because its a load of bull?
Note to Billy Joel ... can't get a date? Try walking into someplace where women your age congregate: AARP Meetings, DAR Socials, whatever ... just walk in there and say for all to hear: "Hey, I'm Billy Freakin' Joel ... I AM the Piano Man." Dolllars to donuts, you're leavin there with at least two broads on your arm!
My Giant ... Review???
I read this thinking it might be a review (good or bad) of one of my favorite underappreciated treasures, My Giant. After reading it, I have no idea what the point is, and I consider myself a fan of SurlyHeckler. Where do I go to get a refund of my time?
A Stuttering Start for Rocky ...
How you start a show will always and forever determine how a show is remembered. Such was the case tonite. The preshow side of things went along about as well as they normally do. But then the actual movie begins ... or so one would think. First, the intro deal started off incredibly blurry, and then it stopped. Then (after a few minutes delay) we started back up with the preview for Lord of the Rings, and then it stopped. Then (after a few minutes delay) we start the movie itself, realizing that perhaps the other clips just aren't meant to be. Yet the movie itself stops about 2-3 more times as focus seemed to be an issue. Jef comes over the PA to ask if everyone wants to run the movie anyway. Most everyone obliges, and then the show goes on.
Unfortunately, the audience was completely dead ... no life whatsoever. Callbacks ... nonexistant for much of the start. By the end of the night, it was just the non-performing cast doing callbacks. I was surprised that the mob did get in the aisles for the Time Warp at least. But by far, it was as bad a night for the audience as I've ever seen.
The show ... it was an afterthought. And I hate to say that since Uber made a heck of a Crim and Kassi looked hotter than hell in that pleather maids outfit. Yeah, there were good performances all over the place, but with the audience on valium, it hardly made a difference. I'm most surprised that I made it through the night awake. Not much else to report tonite. Back to your normal activities.
September 14, 2002
Xanadu
I have to admit, right off the bat, this movie wasn't half as horrendous as I thought it would be. Close, but not quite to the halfway mark. One thing for all to note here: Jim Cahoun was first in line to see Xanadu on this night. I really only wish to add that in order to make sure that the only search results you will get on Jim Cahoun are both on this site, and they will forever refer to Jim hitting on a guy and being first in line to see Xanadu. Let it never said I didn't have an evil streak.
Now, the movie ... not a whole lot to really say about the movie, save for the fact that it was worth $7.50 JUST to see Olivia Newton-John's legs. The special effects made Tron look stellar by comparison, the script made Roger Corman seem like Shakespeare, the Andy Gibb wannabe made Andy Gibb look like a darn good actor, and the quasi-gay statements made by Gene Kelly made for several comedic moments (fave: I've twinkles quite a few toes in my time). But Olivia's legs had those of us representing the straight community howling on this night.
S'all I got to say about Xanadu, though. Kudos to the River Oaks theater for not kicking us Rocky-philes out, too. Couldn't believe it ... not even a threatening usher was sent to assert themselves. Hmm, maybe we can press our luck next week when The Great Lebowski plays.
September 11, 2002
Proof that Japan is Slow ...
More from HardRadio.com ... YNGWIE MALMSTEEN's Attack! album has landed at #11 on Japan's Pop chart. This is a special achievement for the guitarist, that the album is charting so high amongst all genres of music.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ballot
I get a vote in this right? I'm sure I have more records, tapes, and CDs than some who DO have votes. In any event, I thought I'd pop off about which of these bands belongs in the HOF this time around.
BLACK SABBATH - 6th time they've been nominated, it should be a charm, and not just because of the recent popularity of Ozzy.
AC/DC - 3rd time on the ballot. As much as I like these guys, I'm not sure they belong. They sold a ton of albums, and that might be enough to sway votes, but I'll pass. They were marginally influential, but hugely successful. Not the best combination in my mind.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD - 4th time nominee ... I say its time. The band brought southern rock to its pinnacle, gaining both commercial success and influence.
SEX PISTOLS - second time nominee ... again, as much as I hate too, I have to take a pass. Maybe its just me being too focused on bands that were influential in the US. To be sure, the Pistols had their share of influence across the globe, and I'm better off for it. But longevity also has to be something of a factor ... unless maybe your Buddy Holly, which these guys ain't.
THE POLICE - definitely worthy, but do they deserve to go in on their first try?
THE CLASH - too derivative, not a big enough influence on others. Not to suggest that they aren't worthy of consideration. And yes, they did do a few new twists & tricks in rock & roll, but it would be like calling Van Halen original because he did that two-hand tapping thing.
MC5 - where would glam rock be without these guys? One of my fave oldtimer bands, and hard to downplay the significance they had on a subgenre of rock, but I'm not sure its enough to warrant inclusion in the HOF.
ELVIS COSTELLO - I know in my heart that he belongs, but I can't quite find the words to make the case. Elvis has always been one who, although not my cup of tea, I had to keep my ear on what he was doing just to be sure I was never left behind. When it comes down to it, I think he'll get in, but maybe after a few more ballots.
STEVE WINWOOD - I love the man's work, but once again, depending on what the voters looks at, he'll either have to wait a few more ballots, or he'll never get in. Maybe next time.
Winger ... in the news
HARDRADIO posts the funniest damn bit of a Reb Beach interview in which he discusses Winger. Further proof that the band got far harsher treatment than what they deserved, and I also would have to agree with Reb ... Seventeen is a pain in the ass to play. The solo a pain in the rear to play.
September 09, 2002
Belated Rocky Review
OK, since I was a lazy bastard that spent all his remaining time on the weekend reading up on PHP & mySQL programming (what can I say, life in the fast lane ... I'm too fast for love, baby), I neglected to do a Rocky Review for this past weekend. So before Uber kicks my rear end all over this earth, I gotta give the man his props for the "I'm a Little Teapot" thing as Eddie. When it comes to non-instrumental or alternate-instrumentation of that role, Uber is in a league of his own. I think only 5 people got that it was an homage to Jim Carrey mocking Vanilla Ice, yet EVERYONE busted a gut and broke out in a mass applause. Sheer genius.
I told David he sucked as Frank, only so that the rest of the time when I told him he was good, it would be more beleivable. For what its worth, he at least made his entrance on time, so way to go David!
Kassi, Brad, Alicia ... pretty automatic group of performers there.
Lindsey did Crim, but her pitch black hair got lost on the screen. I think she would have been a hit if she had a barrister wig on instead. Other than that, she actually did a damn good job with the role.
Everyone else ... let's just say you did well. Obviously, I've either forgotten the performance or I really don't want to hurt your feelings. Since I'm bein such a wuss tonite, here's Jon's effort to tick people off instead (I edited out a few dirty words):
hmm boring day agian, found myself sitting there in Geometry not doing anything or paying attention to her mindless chatter. Everyone is sick, my 2 favorite girls, Stephani and Ashley are BOTH sick, thats kind messed up.. i want to be sick!!! *cries* i hate school!!! =( oh well we dont always get what we want... dont want to go to school, dont want to do work, i want to pass i want to be gone, bah!!! why must i have to go to school, if i dident have to go i would like it SOOO much more. HMMMM well PE is doing me good.. running and getting a great work out, gonna lose some weight and get alittle stronger, yup yup me bets i will, prob said it before but i am saying it agian... now we are running for 3 mins walking for 1 running for 3 and walking for 1 and running for 2... now that dosent seem like to much, but when you are a lazy fat moron like me, well you get my point. Quit the Rocky cast.. i pretty much dont like them, they all hate each other and cant admitt it, i find it funny.. but what do i know??? lol Rocky there is dumb, most of the cast people are a-holes and should be hanged, anyway... Rocky cast you all pretty much suck the only good people are, Mary, Ben, Brad, Jaramie, Kelli, David, Kassi, Uber, Lynda, Jef, (Greg's note .... ya lost me RIGHT there), Steve, Mel and well thats about it, that i can think of now, lets see, lets make a listKarren=Bitchy, Stupid, Bad Rocky-i have back up from Rocky Regulars about the Bad Rocky fact.
Lindsey= Thinks Shes Better Then everyone, Bitchy, Stupid, Lesbian.. lesbians are DUMB!
Amanda= Only Cares About Self, Bad Friend, Only Wants To Lick Lindseys **** (let's just say she wants to lick Lindsey)... ****** "Not so swell" Magenta
Miss Kitty= Thinks shes better then everyone else, Very Snotty... kinda Bitchy, NEVER EVER Cleans the ******* darn theater
Clay= All Around A-HOLE
Thats all i can think of NOW, i prob will think more later, prob even after i am done writing this... love ya Stephani! So You Want To See The Show You Really Dont Have To Be A Ho
Moments like this make me weep for the younger generation.
More Googlejacking
In my weekly effort to amuse myself, here' the Top 20 search terms used to access this site:
1 rocky horror picture show-news review
2 amazing randy
3 clit massage <-- ask me how!
4 fred zeidman
5 amybeth gilstrap
6 bouncing breast <-- *drool*
7 brad calvin
8 chris impelliterri <-- best unknown guitar player!
9 corps of cadets texas idiot <-- highly redundant
10 cory feldman picture <-- CD should be here this week!
11 euless punk band
12 give lap dance <-- HAHA
13 how to get out jalepeno juice <-- HAHAHAHAHAHA
14 how to handle hecklers <-- bribery
15 import record sales dokken
16 jim cahoun
17 parade float ideas jungle
18 perform lap dance <-- yes, please do
19 river oaks theater <-- sucks
20 rocky horror catcalls
September 07, 2002
Air Hooter?
The Chronicle reports yet more news I can't even put into words ....
September 06, 2002
For once, I'm speechless
Yahoo! News - Fed Up with TV Porn, French Want It Banned
I don't even know where to begin on this one ... it stands on its own merits as a compleat compendium of paradoxes.
Sweet Irony
Yes, I know it's tasteless, why else would it be on SomethingAwful.com?
The Donnas Invade Houston!
The world's greatest all-female punk band, The Donnas will hit town on November 23rd. The world will never be the same. Seen em a handful of times now, and they always rock. Best damn show the world will ever see in a small concert format. That's gonna be on a Saturday night at Fitsgerald's, but don't worry. This will be about all I'll be able to talk about on a musical context for the next several months.
September 04, 2002
Well Crap
Turns out the Metal Edge RockFest tour due to hit town on Friday has been cancelled by the promoter. This sucks. It was to be the one time I was to catch Firehouse in concert and now its as if the gods are trying to tell me its not meant to be. I was sooo looking forward to walking out on Dokken, too.
Now to find another use for my Friday ...
September 03, 2002
Blog Overdose
In looking through the list of Blogs on Instapundit over the long weekend, I was tempted to trudge through them all and see what there was to be seen in the world of indepenent thought. Boy was I a big dummy. First, maybe its an Instapundit thing, but there's an overabundance of libertarian thought amongst bloggers. Not that I think they're all nuts, not that I think they should be smited, just that they appear to be overrepresented. To me, that's an internet thing. Many internet dweebs, myself included, want everything free imaginable. Information ... free. Thought ... free. Books on Amazon.com ... also free.
Secondly, I noticed a lot more stridency among bloggers who wish to proclaim themselves "Friends of Israel," "Warbloggers," or otherwise. It runs across the spectrum of political thought, so I'm not singling out any one side of the spectrum. But what the hell happened to open and honest thought? Where's the open mind if you proclaim yourself an advocate of one side or another. Yes, I do believe that its important to be able to pick sides ... I obviously do in various posts below. And I'm sure there are those who may consider this a "liberal" blog. To each their own. Just don't come running to be with questions when I confound you with an occassional thought that strays from the percieved liberal orthodoxy ... because I will. That's at least how I envision being an independent thinker. I don't claim to be the best, I know I'm not the most eloquent or thoughtful, but I give it my best shot.
Anyway, at present, I'm though Lawrence Lessig on IP's list ... I don't know if I can handle any more. We'll see. I'll also post a few of the other blogs that catch my interest. Right off the bat, I was impressed with the original content in MuslimPundit.com. It was really enlightening to read another cultural perspective and get a little more insight into some of the rivalries/animosities that exist in the region.
September 02, 2002
Another State Quarter Design
I have no idea why this entertains me ... not like I collect coins or anything. Anyways ... enjoy it for what it's worth.
10 Albums That Killed Heavy Metal
While I eagerly await SPIN to finish their Top 40 Metal Albums, I thought I'd take a stab at 10 albums that killed off the genre. Keep in mind that I am an unabashed metalhead. As I write, I await the RockFest Tour to come through Houston so I can get my fix of LA Guns, Warrant, Dokken & Firehouse. Nevertheless, I maintain my right to poke a few jabs at the genre which I love the most. So here we go ...
Top 40 Metal Albums (per Spin)
I'm sure I'll have lots to disagree with about this list. Yet, here's Spin's attempt at ranking the metal albums.
They're rolling it out slowly, so I'll hold off on slapping my list on here. One thing is guaranteed, though. There will be no Kid Rock and no Spinal Tap. And while I count myself as a fan of Jack Black's, I will also be leaving Tenacious D off the list. Check back later in the week.
More Google Madness
Since it turns out that this site ranks rather highly on a google search of Corey Feldman, I decided to give in to my morbid side and procure Corey's first CD, LoveLeft. After catching a few clips from it, I can't help but laugh hysterically. After arrival, I'll post a full review, but methinks this will provide an pretty good source of amusement.
And in further proof that sometimes the funniest things in life are the things that aren't intended to be funny, Corey is in the news for wanting to get former child stars together for a sing-along to "We Are The World." No word if Mary Kate & Ashley will make an appearance for that.
Quote of note: He says it will be "the funniest, coolest, weirdest thing ever" and "just like a David Lynch movie." For starters, I'd like to point out there is nothing funny, cool, or even weird about David Lynch movies. Its all just a practical joke that Lynch plays on people to see if there's an upstart cult of people that claim to "get" his movies. So far, he's laughing at them all the way to the bank.
AGONY ALERT!!!! - I just got an email saying that the one store on Gemm.com who listed LoveLeft does not have any more of that particular release. This sucks. Now where will I turn to hear "Feelin' Funky?"
RELIEF AT LAST!!! - CoreyFeldman.com has the CD listed, and even though its a tad more expensive, I placed an order with them anyway. I'm feelin a little funkier already!!!!
September 01, 2002
*sigh* Time for another Rocky Review
Well, I guess I should finally get around to this ... yet another scathing review of Rocky, as seen from the eyes of this one fan. After visiting T.H.E.M. at River Oaks last week, I was really anxious to see an awesome show back at the more familiar haunts of Southpoint's Sadistic Pleasures. Big mistake.
The mistakes started early and lasted wayyyyy too long. I'm referring to the preshow this time. Ever seen a car wreck that was so bad, your first reaction was awe and amazement that you could witness something so awful? You point and maybe even laugh, not knowing the victims, befitting a real cruel streak within you that maybe even you didn't realize. Then it turns to sheer horror as you realize how truly traumatic the events are. Then you just want to go somewhere and cry. That was what it was like watching Barry doing preshow. The first instinct from the heckling corner of the theater is to barrage insults and heckles towards any preshow victim. Barry was no different. Yet, somehow, it went downhill for Barry ... fast. First off, he was reading from a script. A SCRIPT!!! Yeah, nothing says spontaneous fun and merriment like reading from a f$%*#'n script. Brilliant move there. Secondly, Barry has neither the voice to carry the theater ... nor did he opt for the headset mic. BIG mistake. He was easily drowned out by the heckling quadrant of the show, then he was upstaged by others in the audience, then by Carlos, and then (the ultimate indignity) by one of the virgins he decided to single out. To even further compound matters, Barry goes for the cheap applause line of "Welcome to the Rocky Horror Picture Show" ... TWICE. You know you're sinking when you have to go to the same well again for a lifeline. Normally I like to point out a thing or two that went well anytime I feel compelled to rip into something like this. The only positive I can say here is that ultimately, it ended. Now where do I sign to make sure Barry is permanently barred from doing preshow ever again?
As for the rest of the show, there's actually little to really cover. Clay broke out with his first stint as Riff. He didn't do too badly, but he has no acting ability, at least as demonstrated last night. Steve as Brad, that was a chore to watch. Steve puts forth a lot of effort, but like myself, I'm just not sure he's got the look to play any role convincingly.
The real classic moment of the show was during Frank's "entrance." There wasn't one. Frank was nowhere to be seen during Sweet T, and David, playing Frank, does a kick-ass Sweet T. At first glance, it looked like maybe David was waiting outside the fire exit doors for his entrance, only to have nobody let him in, and when he did get in, it was too late. Upon further investigation, it turns out David was busy getting his makeup put on and dilly-dallied too long. Yeah, its another fine moment of stuff on stage being funnier than the movie. All-in-all, David recovered later in the show and performed one of the most intriguing bedroom scenes with Kassi as Janet. Needless to say, I think they found a position not even in the Kama Sutra.
That's about all there was to report. Maybe next week will be better. The bar has been lowered sufficiently, so its doable.
State Quarters ... What If?
What if there was a little more inherent honesty in state quarter designs? Having spent a little bit of time in Mississippi, I decided to poke at them first. This is what I imagine their quarters would look like:
