please be my Mom

Kim Gordon may be one of the coolest women on earth, and the Times sure knows it. She was one of the few women in rock music who was recognized for her talent and not for just being "a woman in rock". I also with that she and Thurston Moore were my parents.

mazel tov

In about a week and a half I will be in DC for the wedding of the century. I can't believe it is here. I know there are several people in DC that I have neglected and need to see. I am just putting it out there that I will not be there long, and the weekend is taken up with wedding stuff and other long standing committments to certain people. And, to be honest, I haven't been feeling that great both physically and mentally, so I don't know how much great company I will be. I know that sounds like some crap exscuse, but I would almost have people see me during my better times, which I know will come soon. This is not a pity party, it's just honesty. I have a hunch that I will be back again at some point in the summer.

After that, off to Long Island to see my brother and sister and law's new house. And spend some time with the parents. I hope I don't revert back to acting thirteen; there is a strong liklihood of brattiness ocurring.

same old song

I mentioned ska in a previous post and it totally made me seek out some for my ipod. I wish third-wave ska wasn't so faddish, because I miss it. Hammers introduced me to the Pietasters, who are the best of the best. (More info on the band).

THe Pietasters- Willis [ get ]

to the cerebro!

So with the X-men post, some people have sent me some more stuff.

Wonder Woman is a lesbian. And this comes as a suprise? This is about as shocking as when Michael Stipe came out. 

This isn't the last x-Men movie. No kidding. Anything can continue when a paycheck is involved. 

A gay analysis. 

Finally, I joked that slash fiction writers were in heaven over these movies. Apparently, I was right. How can people actually write this stuff and think it is good? Just so you know, I didn't find that site. A certain co-worker sent it to me.

I’m Tyler. I’m good.

So this is why I have given up on watching The Real World. That disgusting hateful boy Tyler declared "operation bitch takedown" on an annoying but harmless roommate and gathered up some of the others to start a burn book about her. He does not make the gays look good. What a sad, sad, man who obviously has a deep hatred for women. And then our old anorexic friend Paula who goes ballistic because the producers will not let her boyfriend stay over the house because there is a restraining order against him. Watching this show has gone from guilty pleasure to making me feel absolutely hopeless for the youth of today.

In other quality MTV programming news, The Hills starts tomorrow. It is a spin-off of Laguna Beach where one of the blonds (still can't tell them apart) is an intern for Teen Vogue in LA. Wow, life is haaaaard. It will be amazing. And by amazing I mean as much as a train wreck as Laguna. I am not one to talk beacuse whenever the show is on I stop like a deer in headlights. There was a marathon on when I was sick and I (again) got sucked in for at least an hour. Anyway, the NYTimes seems to be treating it as Emmy worthy…

music

Camera Obscura is a band I loathed for a while, but now I lurve them. I guess you would call it mellow-indie-country-pop? You know I can't categorize things. They are what Belle and Sebastian try to be, but good.

Camera Obscura – Let's Get Out of the Country [ get ]

deck

The author or the incredibely awesome Hipster Handbook, has a new book out that looks equally funny/awesome, called The Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right, with an equally fun site.

cute overload

Oh no, the cuteness is too much. A woman has started the New York Hamster Shelter for wayward hamsters.

what’s my mutation?

Speaking of X-men, I came across this interesting piece on how comic books are (finally) featuring non-white and non-white characters. Which is interesting, because a lot of comics are allegories for oppression and current politics. X-men are "mutants" cast out by their families, with others afraid to have them around their kids? Sounds familiar. And yay for the Jewish character. Although ironic that his power is to manipulate metals- are they saying that he is good with money? As with sci-fi, I only enjoy it if it is realistic or makes sense in the context that it presents. Having new villains and powers pop up as it goes along is annoying. That is why I prefer Batman Returns to the originals, because it is actually realisitic as opposed to all the silly villains, same with Spiderman; it's too frustrating.

I'd love to somehow get more into the original X-men, but the comic book world is a whole universe that I wouldn't even know how to break into. I'll just wait for the movies. According to IMDB, Wolverine and Magneto are getting their own movies. Wtf? Didn't Catwoman  and Elektra teach anybody anything? Sometimes it is good to stop at a good thing, despite the temptation to make money. 

What’s the frequency Kenneth.

Here are some downloads that some of you have requested.

Mate of State- Bring It Back. Remember that skit on Saturday Night Live about the dorky married music teachers? This is what they would sound like if they were hipsters. [ get ] 

The Appleseed Cast- Peregrine  [ get ]. Sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel, maybe even better.

Marcy Playground- MP3[ get ] They had that hit "Sex and Candy" but they are so much better than that one song. I wish they weren't known for that.

Reel Big Fish- Viva La Internet [ get ]. Remember third wave ska? And when ska was trendy (Mighty Mighty Bosstones, early No Doubt, etc.)? I miss that. This is a collection of covers and rarities from the band. "Take on Me" is especially noteworthy. And the offer still stands, for anyone that wants to start a ska band, count me in.

shawshank redemption

Being sick = odd dreams. Some friends and I, in two cars,  were driving back from somewhere on a deserted road when we came upon another group of people whose truck had broke down. They ended up holding us at gunpoint and stealing one of our cars. Right when it happened a whole police force, complete with riot gear and tear gas, arrived immediately. Seriously, where were they then the original car brokedown? Somehow, in all the confusion, my friends and I got arrested for the crime (?). We all had a trial and somehow, the rule was, the closer you were found standing to a certain point, the guiltier you were. I went into the woods to pee so I was not as guilty as others. Five of my friends got a prison sentence, and the rest of us had some sort of work release program where we had to attend career skills classes or something. So my class was taking a field trip and learned about using computers, and we had to navigate through this multimedia presentation that my friends in prison put together. It had video clips and pictures of all the stuff they were doing in prison to keep themselves occupied, including choreographed dances and one act plays. After seeing the clips, I realized how much fun they were having and I was mad that I hadn't been sentenced to prison. I spent a lot of effort and tears convincing everyone around me that I was really guilty and I deserved to be with them, but no one would listen and in fact they reduced my sentence. The nerve!  The weird thing is this was one of the first dreams in a while where I actually was myself, which rarely happens.

How to interpret it? Oh, the psychoanalysis I could do on this one. Don't get me started. 

undeclared

I am still undecided about how I feel about labratory-grown meat. Sure, it is not killing any animals, but is it one of those messing-with-science-in-a-mad-scientist sort of way? Also, does that mean vegans will start to eat lab-grown meat? To me, it is almost freakier to eat than actual animals. Below the cut is the insightful opinion piece that made me think of it in the first place.

gross

I’m sick again. Just a bad cold. What is it about being sick that makes life just that much more crappy? It amplifies all the other things going wrong with your life. Maybe because I have time to sit around thinking about it. Well, at least I ruled out rabies. My throat hasn’t closed up, so I think I’m in the clear. [I was paranoid that I was bitten by something while I slept at the beach house earlier this week. Yes, I am a paranoid idiot.]

Plus, even more time to absorb shitty pop culture. Today I caught the movie Only You, with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. Now, if you have seen this, you know how amazingly stupid/amazing it is. I also rewatched Labyrinth for the first time in like eight years. I never realized that the tightness of David Bowie’s pants make me kind of uncomfortable. And how he was in love with Jennifer Connelly? Wasn’t she supposed to be only fifteen or something? Finally, I started watching the first x-Men and I’ve pretty much decided that it is pretty fucking awesome. I’ll watch the second one tomorrow and then probably see X3 at the theater sometime this week. Again, I’ve jumped on a bandwagon a bit too late.

gee.

I made about $200 selling some dvds and books on half.com. It's quite liberating, being able to get rid of more material possessions as well as making money. I don't know why I hadn't done this earlier. And I feel like I am doing a service, right? Instead of just selling it to some random music store, I am helping someone else get something they want. If another pathetic soul out there gets some joy from getting Roswell the complete First Season, then I have made someone else happy. (Don't worry, I made copies to keep for myself).

another poll

Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

Just kidding.

Really, what I want to know is: how to do you feel when strangers try to make conversations with you? I am talking about just small talk in a store or in line at the post office.  Not as in hitting on someone. When you know the conversation will go nowhere and it is pointless. Do you indulge them? Or do you answer politely and not engage? Or do you make a new best friend? I am curious because this happens a lot and I have no time for small talk bullcrap, I hate it. And I feel like an asshole when I end the convo. 

i couldn’t care less.

I despsise American Idol. It's not real singing. It's people imitating what they think singing should be. Plus, it is fucking boring. I usually ignore everything that has to do with it, but one of my favorite blogs had some good things to say about it, which was reminiscent of some recent thoughts that I had.

tee hee

Kirsten Dunst on the red carpet with a mouth of baby corn. I had been calling them chicklets, but I like that insult better.

words fail me.

I finally got my hands on JPod, and it is one of those books where I only want to read one paragraph and put it down because I want to draw it out and make it last. It’s like my prayers have been answered. It is like a remake of Microserfs, updated to reflect today’s technology and culture and an added surrealism in the plot. My heart is bursting at the pure genius of it.

Douglas Coupland is pure genius. Total fact. If you haven’t read any of his books, you must start now. Not only is he a fantastic author, but also an amazing artist of graphic design and text and pop art, as you can see in the promotional site for the book. Here is my ranking of his fiction in order from favorite to least favorite.

Microserfs/JPod

Eleanor Rigby

Generation X

Hey Nostrodamus

Shampoo Planet

All Families Are Psychotic

Life After God

Miss Wyoming

Now get reading!

be still my heart.

I forgot that they were making a movie of this…Perfume: The Story of a Murderer was one of the best books I have ever read. It turned me on to historical fiction. THe movie looks good, and in the spirit of the book. Here’s a fantastic trailer, but in German. The lead playing Jean-Baptsite Grenouille is a good choice.

Also, a teaser trailer, a bit less exciting.

T & A

Ok, so just a heads up this is another Battlestar related post. I'll create a new category so for those of you that give two fucks you can skip right over it. Now, I have just broken into the surface of sci-fi geekdom lately, but comic book culture is something I am still a stranger to. However, I can't help but notice what crowd they are obviously larketed to: hypersexualized repressed men and gay men. Why are the women's breasts so ginoumous? Seriously, Starbuck could not feasable fly a vipor with those things. Lee Adama's neck has a circumfrence of about three feet. Seriously, it's like a study of evolutionary psychology of mating.

Sorry, I didn't know there was a storyline about Caprica Six's trip to the gynecologist. Seriously people.

found here and here

perv overload

I couldn't help but not post this. Apparently a gay rugby tournament is being held in New York City. Once again, realizing I live in the suburbs is like rubbing lemon juice in my paper cut. Friends in New York City, I expect you to perv out as much as you can. Here's some samples.

this may change my life.

omg omg omg omg. How amazing does this new Michel Gondry movie with Jack Black sound?

Written by Gondry, the film will follow a junkyard worker (Black) who is convinced that a local power plant is gaining influence over his brain. When he attempts to sabotage the plant, the resulting magnetic field erases all the tapes in the video store where his best friend works.

fraid that the mishap will cost the friend his job, the two become determined to maintain the membership of a little old lady who is the store's only loyal customer. Enlisting the help of anyone they can find, the group sets out to re-enact every movie that she decides to rent — including "Robocop," "The Lion King" and "Back to the Future" — filming each one themselves and passing it off to her as the original version.

The bad news? It also stars Kirsten Dunst.

work and blogging

Here's an interesting piece on companies blogging practices. It was a good reminder to me and reassurance that I try as hard as I can not to talk about work on here (which is hard, because it is basically 95% of my life right now). Your ass could get fired, but if so, you could gwt a book deal out of it. Nice enabling and mixed messages.

Shenaniganz

So how the hell do some movies get made? How can some filmmakers sit back and see the finished product and fall asleep at night? Case in point, Waiting. Nonexistent plot, homophobic, sophomoric jokes without irony. Good times. And it's a damn shame, because both Ryan Reynolds and Dane Cook can be funny. There's 90 minutes of my life I will not get back.

it’s just like sea city

So remember when I said I loved hotels? Well I have been displaced through the weekend at one becase of stuff going on in my building. I am at this decked out Marriott, but of course I would love nothing more than to be relaxing in my own house. I’ve actually barely been home all week. Earlier in the week I was at a retreat which I thought was going to be annoying and ill-timed, but it was at this awesome house by the beach, and I got to fall asleep to the sound of the ocean, which was heaven. I’m not naturey or anything, but it was just what I needed. Although now I have gotten it in my head that something bit me in my sleep and now I have extreme hydrophobia. Good times.

don’t believe the hype

Every five seconds, there is a new band that is the next big thing, or is the new band to like. Many of them are so not worth it (i.e., Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). Luckily I am here to help you sort through the crap. These are two albums that are so fucking good you should own them. Right now.

Wolfmother, Wolfmother. An Australian band that sounds like a modern Black Sabbath. [ get ]

We Are Scientists, With Love and Squalor. In the mid-nineties, these guys would have had the crap beat our of them in high school. Thanks to the hipster revolution, nerds are cool. [ get ]

sparkle motion

Talk about a break. The director of Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly, is finally making another movie. It's about nuclear terrorist attacks and Sarah Michelle Gellar as a porn star. I guess it will never live up to anyone's expectations, because how do you follow up Donnie Darko?

ballad of Maxwell Demon

I rewatched Velvet Goldmine tonight because I borrowed it from someone to copy. This movie totally polarizes people, who either have no idea what is going on (with all the Oscar Wilde references), or those that totally worship it, a.k.a., me. It’s kind of funny, it’s like some production company approached me and asked me what my dream movie would be. And I’m all, “hmmmmm, well, let’s make a movie about glam rock stars. Christian Bale, Ewan McGregor, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will star, and at different points they will don makeup and andogymous appearances. Let’s throw in lots of music video montages and a cameo from the band Placebo. Oh, and OBVS the three stars should have sex with each other at various times in the movie.” And then the filmmakers were all “Done and done.”

The soundtrack is pretty dope too.

Ok, so I also watched Rent which is fairly painful at times. However, “Will I?” still gets me every time.

I’m actually going to a conference where Anthony Rapp is the keynote speaker. Wtf?

score

I am making out like gangbusters selling some stuff on half.com. I've made about a hundred bucks already selling my dvds (goodbye, four seasons of Sex and the City!) and apparently I've got some rare commodoties. Someone bought my VHS of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake for $65, and the Supergirl dvd is out of print, so I can imagine I will geta good price for it. Who knew?

somehow I am not surprised.

America uses crappy textbooks and our education system is inferior.

Vanity Fair

I know I usually just post pictures of pretty celebrities, but here's an added bonus: the article that accompanies it. It's the recent issue of Vanity Fair with Anderson Cooper on the cover.

losing his charm?

So I was totally unaware that Augusten Burroughs had another book of essays out. I do love the guy, having seen him speak and loving Dry. However, when someone starts a career on writing personal essays about their life, isn't there a cutoff point? As in, isn't there just so many funny things to write about? After a while, one can start to stretch to find things that are funny (i.e., David Sedaris can't have that many crazy things happen). It can go from being funny and charming to mundane and egotistical. Well, I won't make judgements until I read it.

animal liberation human liberation

I finally finished reading Peter Singer's Animal Liberation, which is apparently one of the first and most imformative works on animal rights. If I wasn't already vegan, this would have done the trick. Although he certainly argues for veganism, the information is presented in a very clear and constructive way, which makes for a good argument.

I have been vegan for six weeks now, and now as I think of it, I can't understand why I hadn't been vegan for the first 27 years of my life. Well, I know why- social norms. I didn't even start thinking about animal rights until I got my first pet six years ago. So I know to some it may appear I am self-righteous about something I only adopted less than two months ago. However, becoming vegan is the closest thing I have ever come to a spiritual transformation, if I could even call it that. I am trying as hard as I can to not be condescending when I talk about it. I do not condemn or look down upon anyone who eats meat. People have to make their own choices and I've made mine.

What does bother me is when I tell people I have become vegan, they make it seem like I am some big martyr or something. I am not doing it to torture myself. And helloooooo, I am far from malnourished, if you know what I mean. I guess I would just ask that people acknowledge the practices meat industry and the impact of it. They don't need to do this while they are actually eating, but it is best not be completely ignorant of food productiion. I am far from perfect. I know that some 11 year old made the shirt I am wearing for about two cents an hour, but right now I have not come to the decision not to shop at the Gap.

What's my point? Oh yea, Animal Liberation is a great read, whether or not you are into animal rights. He explains specieism very well, a concept that I really hadn't understood before. I had always thought that individuals who oppose specieism meant that they think of their pets as people. It's more than that, and ties into all other -isms out there. As I had once read, animal rights are very much tied to women's rights and reproductive rights (see also Femmefatalities.org).

While I am on the subject, in honor of meat, one of the best Wondershowzen skits (blood tastes sooooooooo gooooooood):

partying like it’s 1987

I just realized that my current outfit consists of leggings and Keds. No joke. I think I wore these two items on the first day of fifth grade. It's funny how things go in a cycle- first they are all the rage, then no one would be caught dead in them, then Mary Kate Olsen wears it and suddenly you can buy it for three hundred bucks at Kiston. Seriously though, long leggings under miniskirts is going to be my new summer wardrobe. Which is good because I despise shorts and capri pants are really getting on my nerves (mostly because they never actual fit like capris on me). And don't worry, the Keds aren't the ones your mom wears, they are more the kind Mischa is wearing.

God, I must be getting old. I was out looking for clothes and why the hell is everything super low rise? Is it a crime to not want my pants falling off my ass every second? Can I wear pants on my waist please? Shit, this means I am going to start wearing Mom jeans, huh?

I agree

The Most offensive show on television. (from the Onion A.V. Club)

good read

The peculiar politics of America’s Next Top Model.

they hate bush.

This is not my cup of tea, but several of you may want this. It's the new Dixie Chicks album, Taking the Long Way [get].

One Tree Punk

Ok, so you're making a movie about Darby Crash and his punk band The Germs in the 70s. Who better to cast in the lead than teen heartthrob Shane West? Good god. Go here and scroll down for the trailer for What We Do is Secret.

fangirl

Fan mags are a little redic. Does anyone really need to know that much info? BSG stuff under the cut, so skip if you don't care.

dear diary

Ok, I am going to sound like I am getting weepy and poetic here. I am actually going to talk about seasons. Summer is upon us, eh? I don't know if it is certain smells, nature, or the warm weather but I get the same visceral feeling about summer that I have had since I was little. It is hard to put in world, but it an all-encompassing feeling of goodness and exceotement. It's a certain mood that is familiar, depite where I am. It's weird, because when I was younger I loved school and missed it when it was over. Aside from signalling the end of something, I usually had something awesome lined up for the summer that took me away from the normal ebb and flow and possibly allowed me to reinvent myself.

Except until now. Now that I am in the so-called real world, I have to work through the summer. Although in reality the summer months are super relaxed at work, it gives me no break or opportunity to do some fun adventure. Although I just realized that this summer I will be taking as many vaction days as I will be in the office. Not too shabby. Anyway, I was thinking about it, and I can trace back more than a decade of awesome summer experiences.

1994- junior counselor at some day camp (first job!)

1995- counselor at same camp (a promotion of sorts)

1996- camp counselor at new, ritzier day camp

1997- back at same camp with older kids and more responsibility

1998- stayed at UD and did research (ok, not totally thrilling, but was my first summer not being at home with my family)

1999- worked for New Student Orientation (kick ass)

2000- taught at Andover (you all know how this changed my life)

2001- started working at the 'Way and did Election Protection in VA (amazing? maybe not. but memorable)

2002- was in DC and unemployed- the best time I had there

2003- worked at Hopkins summer session with Mario

2004- lived in Brooklyn with John and bummed around the city

So, the summers of 2005 and 2006 will not be as thrilling, but I guess that is another part of having a stable job. Suddenly I know why my parents were teachers. They loved their jobs, but they always said nothing could ever beat the time off.

store bought bones

Well, it’s official. The Raconteurs are officially the coolest fucking band on the planet. And some lucky people got to see them at tower records.

reading is fundamental

Some interesting things I’ve been looking at.

Band Madness!

The Art of the Television Finale

Muse album details

Tina Fey has a new sitcome or something

Where is the voice of protest in today’s music?

The Tony Awards [I am totally clueless this year]

Why does it take Wes Anderson so long to make a movie?

deception

So surprise surprise I've just been watching dvds nonstop lately. Lately the theme seems to be people deceiving each other and hurting those around them. I won't even get into The Dying Gaul, which was the mother of all deceiving people one supposedly loves (and hating women). I also finally watched Closer, which I suprisingly enjoyed. Although each scene seemed like a final exam in Dramatic Acting 101. Although the whole movie was about how much each character could hurt each other. Of course, the doctor (the always amazing and dreamy Clive Owrn) won in the end because he got what he wanted as well as hurting those that fucked with him. Again, here is another example of me rooting for "the villain" and somehow identifying with them. Jude Law is looking rough lately, but still a good actor, and Julia Roberts is pretty good when she is not making complete crap. Ok, and of course I have to mention that…Natalie Portman was terrible. As a stripper femme fatale? PULEEEZE! She is so nasal in her acting and tries way to hard. It was actually painful to watch. It was like two opposing magnetic forces driving me to watch this- the desire to see Clive Owen against my hatred of the Portster.

life is beautiful

I just got a program that copies (copyrighted) dvds. This opens up a whole new can of worms and further sparks my career as a pirate of artistic media. Arrrrrrgh!

er, um

Fast Food Nation: the movie

I hope it is not as condescending and self-righteous as Super Size Me.

is it my birthday?

I find this quite hilarious. Not that testicular, prostate and penile cancer is a laugh riot, but because the campaign is like something I WOULD HAVE TOTALLY THOUGHT UP in my pervitude. In the UK, the Men in Pants campaign will raise awareness of the desease "by encouraging men across the country to put on their pants. . . and just their pants and take part in a walk across London, this afternoon. Joining us are three men who look very fine in their pants, indeed; tennis player, Pat Cash, England Rugby Ace, Ben Cohen and footballer, Jason Cundy, on the way to the start of the walk in Canary Wharf".

And who is this Ben Cohen anyway? A possibly-Jewish British rugby player? And how can I bring this campaign to the US?

omg my life is soooooooo hard

If only I was in nyc this summer. The freemusic there is to die for.

Awesome Free Shows Take Over NYC This Summer

Kati Llewellyn reports:
To balance out its super pricey rents and sales tax, New York City is offering a boatload of free concerts this summer. For the most part, the hit shows belong to one of three categories: Central Park SummerStage gigs, the Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival in Prospect Park, and the River to River Festival at various locations in lower Manhattan.

Pitchfork has done the job of sifting through these organizations' event schedules, cherry-picking the best of what the Big Apple has to offer (does that even make sense?). Big names include Belle and Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, TV on the Radio, Voxtrot, Feist, Lady Sovereign, Prefuse 73, Hot Chip, the Hold Steady, Alex Chilton, Mates of State, and Super Furry Animals. And there's also a tuba parade.

The cream of the crop:

>>Central Park SummerStage:

06-17 Rhett Miller
06-25 Feist, Buck 65, Jason Collett
07-02 Seu Jorge, José González
07-16 Amadou & Mariam, Birdy Nam Nam
07-23 Konono No. 1
07-30 Lady Sovereign, Pete Rock, Jean Grae
08-13 Prefuse 73, DJ Spooky

>>Celebrate Brooklyn:

06-17 Laurie Anderson
06-30 TV on the Radio, Matt Pond PA, Voxtrot
07-13 Yo La Tengo, Samara Lubelski
07-15 Nortec Collective
07-27 Philip Glass and Kronos Quartet perform live score to Dracula
08-03 Bill Frisell
08-04 Los Amigos Invisibles

>>River to River Festival:

06-02 South Street Seaport – Super Furry Animals, Dead Meadow, Andy Votel
06-04 World Financial Center Plaza – Anthony Braxton's Composition #19 – Marching Piece for 100 Tubas
06-04 World Financial Center Plaza – Bang on a Can All-Stars, Matmos, Alarm Will Sound
06-13 World Financial Center Plaza – Eels, Smoosh
06-20 World Financial Center Plaza – Son Volt
07-04 Battery Park – Belle and Sebastian, Martha Wainwright
07-06 Castle Clinton – Mates of State
07-11 World Financial Center Plaza – Puffy AmiYumi
07-13 Castle Clinton – Okkervil River
07-20 South Street Seaport – Sugar Hill Gang
07-27 Castle Clinton – The Hold Steady
07-28 South Street Seaport – Richard Hawley, Nicolai Dunger
08-04 South Street Seaport – Hot Chip
08-11 South Street Seaport – Josh Ritter
08-18 South Street Seaport – The Box Tops featuring Alex Chilton, Tralala
08-25 South Street Seaport – Ted Leo/Pharmacists

ah

I haven't been paying attention to my Daily Show calendar recently.

The Founding…Mothers?

Everyone knows Betsy Ross was the one who "got it all sewed up" in the theme song for that show Maude. But what you may not have known is that the thing she "sewed up" was the American Flag! If Betsy Ross was alive and sewing American flags today, she's be a 13-year-old Laotion Boy.

the family crap

Ugh. I watched The Family Stone tonight and I cannot believe what a steaming pile of crap it was. First off I love how it is marketed as a romantic comedy with the kooky Sarah Jessica Parker but really it was anything but. Again, another movie that shows that marriage is something that can be spewed about casually, and really rubs it in the faces of those that can never do it. The eldest son was so intent on marrying SJP but within a night decided not to after meeting her sister for about 5 minutes. This family was supposed to be all liberal and amazing, meanwhile they were so judgemental and uptight and just downright hateable. The dinner table scene was interesting, what pissed me off that was instead of the parents correcting her and probably educating her on why they are ok with having gay children, they screamed at her, a grown woman, and bullied her in their own home. And she just took it from them. Sure, there were awkward times, but they acted like children. And her and Luke Wilson together- completely unbelievable. And within a year's time, things worked out that the new couples were together and happy, and ok with each other? I am sorry the mother died, but that was a manipulative plot device that really didn't move me too much because the characters were anything but loveable. The script was something out of a freshmen screenwriting class that someone pulled together the night before. I can't believe such big names were involved in it. And I know I just gave away such major plot points but seriously don't ever waste your time.

I also watched Breakfast on Pluto, which I was originally excited to see but it was just downright boring. Maybe I wasn't in the right mind to watch it at the time, but I felt like there was every cliche about a gay coming of age story. Bleh.

more youtube shenanigans

Here is an amateur film based on the short story Obsolete by Chuck Palahnuik, from basically the best book ever fucking written, Haunted.

Titanic 2: Jack's back!

An awesome episode of The State

poll

So, what do you all do when you feel burnt out at your job and you need to remotivate yourself?

I seriously do want to know. I am not trying to be cliche with this questions. Even small, helpful tips will work.

soooooo cute

fairy tale

The Bachelor is a go for the ninth season. This time it is someone who is actual royalty. Oh, because we saw what a success Love is in the Heir was. How is this show still happening? What a mockery of marriage. It's like throwing it in gay couples faces, "not only can we be married, but we can do it on assasine tv shows and not even have it matter".
I'll bet you a hundred dollars that the women will proclaim that "it's just like a fairy tale" and at least one episode will feature a horse-drawn coach.

Too bad the guy is a massive tool.

Sometimes I hate straight people.

captain obvious

The Daily Show Effect: Candidate Evaluations, Efficacy, and Youth [read the report here]

"If young Americans learn about candidates via Jon Stewart," the researchers conclude in the article, "it is possible that unfavorable perceptions of both parties' nominees could form, ultimately keeping more youth from the polls." These implications for political participation should be explored further."

candyland

If you are not Erin don't read this post.

it’s no Ghost World

Uh oh. Buzz is not good for Art School Confidential, the new Terry Zwigoff film I so desperately wanted to see.

what a weirdo and by weirdo i mean genius

Blaine Announces Next Stunt
American illusionist David Blaine, who failed to break the world record for holding his breath underwater last week, has announced his next stunt will be living among wild animals in the jungle. The 33-year-old was released from a New York City hospital last week, after spending seven days in a spherical aquarium. Blaine needed medical treatment after suffering convulsions and passing out while attempting to hold his breath for nine minutes. But the magician has already moved on to planning his next stunt, claiming the challenge is more unbelievable than anything he has attempted before. He tells the New York Post, "I'm planning to live harmoniously among wild beasts. And I'd like to do it alone in the jungle."

music binge

So, I'm cleaning my hard drive and here are some of the albums I have compressed that I'll post again. Some I have posted before, some are new. They are all amazing and worth owning. Copy the link and paste it into your browser.

not what I thought would happen

Third Duke Lacrosse Player Indicted In Rape Case

step off!

Who is the Jezebel? Step away!

Also, here is the animal rights film that he narrates.

(Edited to add:It is a very powerful film, but just a warning that it is very graphic.)

(Edited again to add: I didn't mean to say that people shouldn't watch it if they don't want to deal with animal slaughter. I think everyone should watch it to know where their food comes from, but it needs to be the right time and place. It may not be the best thing to watch at work.)

i’m emerging for you

There's a longer trailer out for Lady in the Water.

M. Night Shyamalan usually can't go wrong: pro

However, Paul Giamatti is an overated actor: con

It looks uber-creepy: pro.

good read

The death of independent bookstores.

forwards

If you started using email in the mid-nineties, than you remember when your friends went crazy with forwards. At some point someone probably forwarded you something from this webpage. (You've probably read the one about children's crappy artwork) Now the author of the site has just published a book, the Alphabet of Manliness. Normally, I wou;d immediately spurn the book and the message, but I think what we have here is some thinly veiled social commentary, masked behind some profanity and potty humor. The frustrating thing is that many people will not get the irony and take it at face value. For instance, his stance on illegal immigration. THis is what concerns me about things like South Park, Wonder Showzen and Reno 911!. These shows are offensive to show how ridiculous the claims are, but most people don't look that far or think about it. Sigh. Anyway, I may just check out his book.

oh muh gawd

Finally watched the last 2 episodes of Battlestar Galactica. I had to breathe into a paper bag the whole time.

I like that the cylons have female leadership, but why do they have to be such femme fatales? And their greatest strengths are seducing?

Apparently, if you were on a once-famous sci-fi show and guest star, you will turn out to be a cylon.

Admiral Adama's fat suit? What the fuck?

Oh how I adore Gaius Baltar. Why do I always have sympathy for the evil characters?

Leobon is back, thank god.

At first I saw this whole story line going down hill, but it really has potential. It can turn out to be a whole different series now, and can focus more on cylon/human relations. I was getting really sick of the whole- the cylons are attacking, let's escape at the last minute storylines.

I realize that probably none of you watch this. Probably because you are usually not home on Fridays at 10pm to watch it (although ps fyi I watched them all on dvd and itunes.)

Sigh. Season 3 in October seems a long time from now.

hurts so good.

This is like the Showgirls of the pop music world. You know it's gonna be bad, and it is really bad, but for some reason you gotta experience it. It's so bad it's funny.

Ashley Parker Angel- Soundtrack To Your Life [get]

EDITED TO ADD: Ok, I was totally making fun of this, but the song "I'm Better" came on iTunes and I didn't realize who it was by, and was totally rocking out.

reads

Some Sunday morning reading:

Summer Blockbusters Try to Have Something for Nearly Everyone
James Frey Acknowledges Fabrications in Second Book
Dolphins, like humans, recognize names
Cingular Removes Racist Ringtone
Minutemen "We Jam Econo" DVD due out June 27th

an eye for an eye

So my mother and I watched Munich tonight. First off, it was completely not what I thought it would be. And it could have been about an hour and a half shorter. There was too much crammed in there- the actual event at the Olympics, Israeli-Arab relations, fatherhood, the lives of hired assasins, revenge, morality. Yowza. The Jews were not portrayed in the most positive way, but in a weird way that was refreshing. I guess we are not always the innocent victims. That statement right there could get me arrested by the CIA, but really I am not even sure what I mean about that. Please don't take me seriously. And seriously, it actually brought up the issue if killing is ever justified. Um, I am going to go ahead and say no. Yes, the murders were tragedies, but what individual ever has the right to decide who "deserves" to die?

Hmmmm these are pretty big statement and you know what I am not even sure what I am talking about. I am still processing.

The screenplay was written by Tony Kushner and you could totally tell. Lots of spewing of philosophical ideas with not much closure. (Angels in America, anyone?)

And, sadly, I realized that no matter how hard I try, I will never ever understand Middle Eastern politics.

Oh, and one more thing about the movie that bothered me. The main characters were Israeli, so obvs in real life they would speak Hewbrew not English, so why in the movie DO THEY SPEAK WITH ISRAELI ACCENTS? They don't have accents when they speak to each other…..just have them speak English and be done with it. It's made for an American audience. Gah.

Ok, and I do have to mention this: Eric Bana as a Jew wearing 1970s leisurewear with long sideburns = almost too hot to take. As in, it was actually very distracting. DM!

mom

Well, my mother was here this weekend and despite the shitty rainstorms, it was pretty good. She actually let me make a vegan meal for her (tofu with potatoes "au gratin"). Today we went to Mystic. The aquarium was weird, and kind of not in alignment with my feelings on animal liberation. And filled with annoying children. Then on to Mystic Village, which is a whole village full of ABSOLUTE CRAP. Stores and stores filled with every type of chotchke that you actually don't need. A store filled with shirts with cats on them. A store full of hemp jewelry. Who buys this stuff? What a toursit trap. 

music you need

I've realized it's been a while since I posted some music. How selfish of me!

The Concretes; The Concretes [get]

The spare, spry indie pop of the group's first releases has been replaced by a sugar-coma maximalism, overflowing with horns, strings, harps, and mandolins. "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Diana Ross" — a relentlessly sweet and more than slightly druggy-sounding song about the diva's hit "Love Hangover" that actually approximates a love hangover more than Ross' song ever did — suggest a Supremes fetish, while "New Friend"'s foggy, chiming charm nods to the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning." Actually, Motown lushness meets Velvets narcotic calm is a fairly apt summary of The Concretes' aesthetic, and when it works, it really works.
Elbow; Leaders of the Free World [get]

Despite being cast as a gloomy bunch on their first two albums Elbow trudge on as an emotional band. Singer/songwriter Guy Garvey doesn't wallow in failed relationships as much as he enjoys being cynical and playful about the world around him. Sure, Elbow's more melodic, pensive moments such as "The Stops" and "The Everthere" are classic heartbreakers, with piano-driven melodies lush in melancholic acoustic guitars and Garvey's somber disposition. Leaders of the Free World really comes to life when Elbow give in, allowing these songs to grow into something glorious.

Tilly and the Wall; Bottoms of Barrels [get]

Brimming with co-ed harmonies, jangly acoustic guitars and lambent keyboards, Tilly & The Wall forgo a drummer and allow Jaime Williams' tap-dancing to provide the rhythmic chassis. While this may sound like a despicable throwaway gimmick upon first impression, it actually makes a great deal of intuitive sense, and seems so completely natural that one becomes kind of astonished that the tap-dancer-as-percussionist isn't more common. Williams hoofs out striated, staccato clusters that would be impossible to replicate on drums, and lends the clattering pop songs a crisp and martial demeanor that buoys them up above the traditional indie-pop maneuvers they otherwise employ. Of course, indie pop has always gotten by on swooning melodies, and without them the conceit would fall flat, but Tilly & The Wall rise to the occasion with a collection of thoroughly hummable nursery rhyme airs.

Blue states lose

this week's installment

Plus, a video installment

links are so hot right now

A Grand Unified Theory of YouTube and MySpace

Tarzan on Broadway blows.

Where the hell has Whit Stillman been?

The best 25 works of fiction in the last 25 years. Now, I totally respect Toni Morrison, but Beloved just didn’t do it for me. I struggled to get through it in freshmen English.

beauty freedom truth love lungcancer

I don't care. Smoking is seeeeewwwww hawt. (See also here)

New feature

I've discovered a wonderful program called del.icio.us that can keep track of all the links I read. Hence the rss feed on the right. Noyce!

I need to watch this show like I need a hole in the head.

So I tried again. I really did. I watched the season finale of The Office. I really kept an open mind. But it was awful. So forced, so not imaginative. Dwight is so annoying, he's no Gareth Keenan. Really, many people whose opinion I value like it, so I tried hard to like it too.

The Pam/Jim scene was painful. And not in a good way. That was building up for two seasons?
Don't take it from me, take it from my mother:

"Who is that boy?"- upon seeing John Kransinski

"When do we start laughing?"- 20 minutes into the show

Also, I noticed that Oscar Nunez is in the show, otherwise known as Captain Dwight Hernandez of the Department of Homeland Security.

holy hell

I figure it's been a while since I had some eye candy up in here.

what the hell happened

AFI have a new single and video and a new album coming out apparently. They used to be a pretty reputable punk band, now they are more interested in their hair and makeup. They make Good Charlotte look like Minor Threat. Sigh. I suppose I will get the album anyway.

2 hours of my life I will not get back

Shopgirl was complete garbage. The book was bad and it made a bad movie. The awkward narration was only the tip of the iceberg. Like I was supposed to feel sooooooooo bad for Mirabelle. She was completely uninteresting and unasertive, and of course rejecting the charming guy with real interests and character because he was somehow kind of weird and went with the rich older man but only went back to the original one after he "cleaned up" a bit. Not only is she pretty uninteresting, but shallow as well. THe unexplained part was what was so appealing about her. She just kind of skulked around and the whole thing with her anti-depressants? Was that supposed to show depth of character or something? I hate it when menal illness is used in films/tv to make people interesting and deep. I guess I am the only one that can't really relate to this, because it's getting good reviews. I am actually angy that it was made. Pointless.

heh

Rivers Cumo is back at Harvard and living in the dorms there. And does all his interviews from his room or the school cafeteria. He has gone a bit wacko. Also, can you imagine if he was one of my residents? Like, if I had to meet with him for a judicial violation? Holy mother of Satan. This is a pretty bizarre interview.

THC: Are there any physical spots on campus that have particular significance for you?

RC: I think this cafeteria. Yeah. I obviously eat here three times a day and take long meals and just hang out with people, and this is like, this is where I live, apart from my room, which is where I do all my work. So, I have a lot of great memories here.

THC: How about from previous times when you were here, before you were living on campus?

RC: Well, I didn’t live on campus.

THC: So, you didn’t spend much time on campus? You’d just go to class and then commute back home?

RC: Yeah. Sometimes, I’d hang out if I had a break between classes.

THC: But the campus wasn’t terribly significant for you, physically, at that point?

RC: Well, it was, but I don’t remember one place in particular that was significant. 

nightmares!

Holy crap. The ten creepiest children's shows. Not included: Today's Sepcial, where the poor guy became completely immobile and catatonic if he lost his hat with no friends but a talking squirrel.

Ick.  

Fischer & Sons

Thanks to Netflix, I finally started watching Season 5 of Six Feet Under. I do so with mixed feelings. I love the show so much, I don't want it to end, so I want to drag it out so it will last. However, I am already frustrated.

• Why in the hell does everyone bend over backwards for Brenda and worship her? She is so goddam selfish, egotistical, and just not all that dynamic. When dead Lisa was talking to her at her wedding, I was all, you tell her! After all her self-righteousness, she couldn't cut it at the free clinic. I am not surprised. Up until recently, she was a sex addict and she and Nate had the most hateful, upsetting breakup ever shown on tv. Suddenly, everything is fine and she is helping to raise his child? I have a hard time buying into this new relationship.
• Am I the only one who finds Maya to be annoying and not at all cute?
• I am sick of Claire. I have really tried to like her this whole series, but I have given up. She is supposed to be soooooo complex and alluring and dynamic. However, she has no personality of her own…everything revolves around what guy she is involved in. And up until now, hasn't she been kind of intimidated by Billy? Suddenly, they are settled into this married couple type relationship where she has the upper hand? I just don't buy it.
• Have I mentioned that I love Billy?
• This whole George has psychotic depression just came too quickly. Out of the blue he is living in a fall out shelter and talking to himself within one episode. That is such a stupid way of depicting mental illness and has sunk to the level of Mad Love or Girl, Interrupted. After disliking Ruth for the last four seasons, she finally has an intriguing dilemna that I can sympathize with.

Also, this is pretty awesome…obituaries for all the characters.

jukt micronics

I just watched Shattered Glass. It is based on Stephen Glass, who fabricated stories for The New Republic in the late 90s. This is a movie for a very select few. I think it really depicts both being young and working and DC very well- ah how I miss it. It also captured the hell of office politics quite well. I don't know why they were so keen not to fire him and wanted to protect him. Hey, it's the real world, and if you screw up, you get fired. I found that frustrating. Also, it never really addressed how emotionally unstable he was. Hayden Christiansen is actually a good actor when he is not being directed by George Lucas. Although he may have overdone it- ok, we get that you are a nerdy Jew, stop with the nasally voice. Also, Peter S. was quite good, and I am not just saying that because I am psychotically obsessed with him (He did his best monotone in this one). The subject material seemed a little mundane for a movie, but would have made a fantastic cable series if the saga had continued. Also, some of the film took place in downtown Bethesda- woot woot!

you spin me round like a record baby

Just when you thought they were the coolest couple ever, they go and top themselves….Ruth and Matt are having another wedding challenge; this time it is to write their vows based on wedding songs.

Meanwhile, Laila is fricking getting an apartment with her Scottish boyf.  

Also, Matt and Ruth's wedding is the same weekend as DC Pride.  Could they have planned it better? I think I should design a float. 

bsc movie

Obvs this is an important topic, so I've moved it to the main header on the upper right so we can keep the discussion going.

p.s. Who the fuck is Hanny Papadokolas?

histrionics

My coworkers and I rocked out to Celine Dion. It made me think of this video. Remember it? The drama! The special effects! The emotions! The candleabras! The running through the castle!

wtf

Ok, thanks to Jenn, I just started following this whole David Blaine submerged in a spherical tank in Lincoln Center spectacle. Jeez, someone didn't get enough attention when they were younger. In other news, he's kind of hot in a grody kind of way.

people are idiots

Broadway’s New Math: Top Dollar Tickets Equal Bigger Sales

So people will pay $500 a ticket just for the pleasure of paying $500 a ticket? Gross. If I paid that much, I would be scared to blink during the performance. If you live in the city and have some patience, you can see most shows for $30 or less. My best deals: Avenue Q for $20 and Assasins for $18. Of course, you have to make the time to get to the box office at a very specific time.

omg finally

The Comeback dvd finally has a release date.

This stuff is pure gold. I can't wait.

coming in Summer 2007

Ok, since many of you are anxious to know, here is the cast list for the upcoming Baby Sitters Club reunion movie. The premise: Logan has finally popped the question to Maryanne (after like, 20 years). Maryanne's dream to get married on the shores of Sea City, and the whole Stoneybrook gang is invited. This brings up some weird feelings for Stacey, who believes she is still in love with Scott the lifeguard after all these years and looks to be reunited with him. Further hijinks ensue when Maryanne meets Cam Geary, former teen idol, the night before her wedding, and starts to have doubts about her committment to Logan.

Also note the stunt casting, in which many actors are reunited with actors they have previously starred with.

Please also note that we are nearing 30 years old and actually had an extensive conversation about this.

back

So I'm bacl from a delightful weekend in nyc. Once again, I got to see an area of the city that I wouldn't have normally spent time in- Washington Heights and Fort Tryon Park. I think I would totally live there rather than Brooklyn. It is an interesting thing to walk uptown, passing through neighborhoods that some would deem "questionable" and then a block later it is full of rich Jews with condos overlooking the Hudson river. As much as I thought I had a "been there, done that" attitude, I still have dreams of living in Manhattan someday. We shall see.

just ’cause

TACO TOWN!

a momentous occasion

This is huge folks. Are you prepared? My brother and sister-in-law have started a blog. It is about their experiences buying and furnishing their first home. Something of which I am not myself ever prepared to do. The stress and financial obligations of buying a home, and then after all that, all the damn decisions to make about furnishing it. This is one way in which I feel so far from being an adult. Just give me a large studio apartment with a big window, a bed, and a bookshelf for my books and dvds and I am all set. Anyway, check out Jew Kids on the Block. Good name.

censorship?

The Brooklyn College mfa thesis exhibition was closed down due to "strong sexual content" and now there is a rally of supporters. Aside from the censorship issues and the whole question of what makes art, I find it hilarious because what did people expect? Modern art is all about exploring sexual themes. Pratt would have been closed every day if they knew what was going on.

mmmmm tofu

Well, I'm here in Washington Heights and Erin and I realized we are about 90 years old. After trekking down to the East Village to have an 18 course meal at Angelica kitchen it is 10pm and we are already in our pjs reading alous from Baby Sitters Club books. Good times.

nyc baby

So I am off to nyc tomorrow to see Hammers and to go vegan crazy. There are a lot of you in NY that I miss and would love to see but I have to be honest and let you know that it may not be this time around. For a couple of reasons: Hammers is leaving nyc soon so I won't see her again for a couple of months. Also, I am generally physically and mentally tired and probably need a low key weekend. I am not sure what kind of company I am right now. I will be back in NY for about 2 weeks in June, and probably several times after that, so I know I will see you all eventually. Please don't feel I am avoiding any of you, I know this is a busy time for everyone as well.  

my favorite part of Friday

Another Blue States Lose column.

squwish

New baby gorillas at the Bronx Zoo! Eeeeeee!

untitled

tgif

So another productive Friday. Several of my coworkers and I spent the afternoon watching this. Then our supervisors caught us and watched with us.

i love this stuff

Hipster rebel punk outsiders — 99 cents a dozen

A disillusioned ex-boho argues that consumer culture has turned "rebellion" and "individuality" into meaningless poses, about as transgressive as a turtleneck.

the revolution has begun.

Here's how to mess with capitalist society: infiltrate Best Buy. I love that organization.

Number of times this week I have purchased things at Best Buy: 2. 

hmmmm

Clarifying a letter from someone on the "other side" of the the illegal immigrant debate. What kills me is on the onset, the argument do seem logical if looking at an argument for argument's sake. But dig deeper there fella…

I cannot wait for this one

Bloc Party Grows Up On Sophomore Album

Jolie Lash, L.A.

Bloc Party will follow its weekend performance at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival by hitting an Irish studio to record the follow up to its 2004 debut, “Silent Alarm.” The set is expected late in the year via Vice/Atlantic.

The band has spent the last several weeks demoing cuts in London with producer Jacknife Lee, and with his help, Bloc Party is hoping shake off the angular rock tags of its debut, says frontman Kele Okereke.

“One thing that we’ve learnt from touring over the last two years is that there are other ways to be powerful whilst making music, rather than being completely full on, 100 miles per hour,” Okereke tells Billboard. “This next record is hopefully going to be a lot more intricate and layered. We learnt so much about the power of arrangements. I know it sound cheesy, but I guess it is going to be a more grown up Bloc Party.”

One place Okereke himself has found inspiration is in the back catalog of David Bowie. Spending months on tour with the British chameleon in rotation on the stereo has had a major impact.

“[Bowie's] had a career where you can actually trace influences and styles. He’s just a real sort of artist in the way a lot of rock musicians now aren’t given the scope to develop,” he says. “That’s something that became really fascinating to me toward the last half of the year. There’s more we can do as a band than being fast, loud and shouty and I think these songs are going some way to explore that.”

Bloc Party also plan to take on weightier topics lyrically. Okereke wrote the lyrics for “Waiting for the 718″ after watching his post-college friends lose more and more of their lives to work, while “Hunting for Witches” was influenced by last summer’s terrorists attacks on London’s transportation system.

“The 30 bus in Hackney, which is just around the corner from where I live, was blown up. [That song was] written when I was just observing the reactions of the mainstream press in [the United Kingdom] and I was just amazed at how easy it’d been to whip them up into a fury,” he notes. “I guess the point about the song for me is post-September 11th, the media has really traded on fear and the use of fear in controlling people.”

Other cuts the band is mulling for the album include “Kreuzberg,” “Cruel,” “Merge on the Freeway” and “Machines” the later exploring the influence of MTV culture on young people around the world.

“When British music magazines say we’re overly serious or po-faced I think it’s actually an indication that the mindset of people right now is to be completely apolitical and not be concerned about what’s happening in the world,” he says. “To try and draw attention to this, you’re labeled as a [political] party person or something and I think that’s sad.”

oh muh gawd

How much to I fucking LOVE THIS MINISERIES. I did some retail therapy yesterday and decided to buy myself something completely trivial, and I am so glad I did. If you have twelve hours to spare and love watching Victorian-ish era drama, this is for you. Not even sure why I like it.

hold me closer tiny dancer

Rolling Stone celebrates its 1000th issue. Remember when it was actually relevant? Now they have people like effing Carmen Elektra on the cover.

More about it here.

And here's the actual cover:

myth v. facts

Debunking the urban legend that "illegal immigrants" are sucking resources dry.

More info on the recent protests.

a poll

Ok, I am really looking for people's responses here. Do you think that it is really true that someone's appearance has an influence on them getting a job or not? I am not talking about grooming or not wearing the right thing. Let's assume that everyone wears the appropriate suit, etc. I'm talking about how much people deviate from what the norms of beauty and looks are as dictated by society. Sure, you read studies about it that say it is the case, but do you really think that happens?

leave our clothing on a rock

What is going on? Andrew is actually catching up to me as far as mkusic knowledge is concerned. He likes the new Snow Patrol and Raconteurs singles.  I miss the days when he liked Westlife, Boyzone, and the Spice Girls.

queue up

So since it’s approaching summer, I’m gonna get back up on Netflix. If anyone is on it as well, you can be my “friend” on Netflix. Just go through your account. I put the rss feed of the top of my queue on the bottom right of the page. I guess this will keep me accountable and make sure I don’t rent anything embarassing.

milk it

For all you pop-culture nutritionists (all one of you) here's an update on the should we serve milk should we not serve milk debate in the nyc public schools. First, it was limited because of rising rates if childhood obesity but then some council member wants to revisit it because quite frankly I believe he is feeling pressure from the American Dairy Association or something like that. It's an interesting debate. Just taking away something is not going to do anything for children's nutrition if there isn't other education involved. Did your school have a school store? Mine did, and it sold a bunch of candy and crap and whatever. (Luckily, at that time, I had been fasting, so I was able to buy my stick of gum for lunch). It's an interesting approach to a larger issue. Not to mention it would be nice to not be pumping secretions from an nonhuman animal into our children. And people are in an outrage of someone breastfeeds in a mall.

it’s a youtube kind of day

I have three more episodes to watch from Season 2 of Battlestar Galactica. I am kind of putting it off because I want to stretch it out as long as possible. Ok, so I have never really been this much into scfi before (does Roswell count? Prob not) but I don’t know if there are certain hallmarks of what makes good scifi. FOr me, any sort of scifi has to be believable. Well, the whole premise is fantasy, but within the context of the set premise, things need to be reasonable. BSG has kind of annoys me in certain ways and violates this because,

-things always turn out because of some unlikely coincidence at the very last moment. Wait, we figured out that fetal cylon blood cures cancer five minutes before the president dies of cancer! Wait, we realize that we have extra ammo right before a cylon raider shoots us down! Wait, someone arrives with news that they figured out how to program a cylon computer virus seconds before they intercept the network! It gets a little too convenient sometimes.

-Did they somehow forget that they found a map to earth? Isn’t that the fucking premise of the show? Please start trying to find it soon.

-If there is a guest star on the show, there is a 99% chance that they will die at the end of the episode. Usually at the expense of one of the main characters, and they never feel any remorse. Speaking of death, I know it is the military and they must be used to it all the time, but someone’s only true love or best friend will die in one episode and by the next episode they are long forgotton and the person is totally sleeping with someone else or in total good spirits.

-Characters will be shot in the chest and then fully recovered in the next episode.

- I know I may think to much about this, but where the hell did they get their clothes? There was just a FRIGGING NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST. Everything was supposedly wiped out within a matter of minutes. Where does President Roslin get her power suits? Who feathers her hair everyday? Where does Baltar get his pinstripe Versace suits? Where do the women get their hoochie dresses and stilletos that they wear to the bar on Cloud 9? These questions keep me up at night.

So yea, I know it’s a tv show, but sometimes things just seem too convenient. I have been looking for some really bad fanfiction so I can send it to Brandon and pretend I wrote it. No luck yet. I may just have to write some myself. Just kidding…or am I?

Anyway in my searches I found this pretty hot fan-made video. Any action sequence set to awesome indie music is cool. Especially Muse, who may be the most amazing band ever.

SELL OUT

Ryan Adams and Willie Nelson are in a Gap commercial. For someone who claims to be so indie, why would Ryan be doing a Gap commercial? Here's a story about him. He was standing next to me at a show at Irving Plaza. He kept checking his sidekick or whatever and pushed me out of the way wehen he went to go back to the bar. And he was like, only an inch taller than me. What a dick.

it’s like bunkbeds

Here's a clip from the Ricky Gervais podcast where the guys watch Brokeback Mountain together. Seriously, I could listen to these guys all day long.

p.s. Is Extras every gonna come out on dvd?

Ryan Schreiber

A great article from the Post about Ryan Schreiber and Pitchfork. It is amazing how one website can make or break bands. They are basically responsible for the success of the Arcade Fire, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Trail of Dead.

LI lolita

Here's a blast from the past. Joey Buttafuco and Amy Fisher confront each other. I wouldn't normally post this kind of trash, but it was such a staple of my childhood. Those of you who did not grow up on Long Island will never understand the cult following these two had. We on Long Island were embarassed to claim these people as our own, but in a weird way it created a sense of unified Long Island pride.

I think at one point my accent was as strong as theirs, but I lost it once I went to college and started hanging out with people from Delaware and Pennsylvania.

why Gods why

Revenge of the Nerds Being Remade

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) — Kyle Newman has signed on to direct "Revenge of the Nerds," a remake of the seminal 1984 teen comedy.

The project is being developed by Fox Atomic, the new young-adult genre division of Fox Filmed Entertainment. The studio is eyeing a summer start date.

The film reteams Newman with scribe Adam F. Goldberg, who is rewriting the latest "Nerds" incarnation.

The pair worked together on Newman's upcoming "Fanboys," which will be distributed by the Weinstein Co. Newman also penned the animated children's comedy "Gnomes."

This movie is a classic and should not be touched. THe lines between nerds and jocks is completely blurred and is no longer relevant. Sadly, I felt that the Greeks in the movie was an accurate depiction of the Greek system at my college.

an inspiration

Well, it's nice that Paula from the Real World has come forward about how the show exploited her eating disorders and extreme depression.

Ms. Meronek, who had been drinking heavily, fell apart and later said to another roommate: "I don't think I'm pretty. I don't think I'm thin enough." And then, as the cameras filmed her hyperventilating and wringing her hands, she said: "I don't want anybody to look at me. I don't want people to, like, be around me."

Whoa. Not shit you want your best friend to see, much less all of America.

I generally don't watch the show because it has become a reminder of the downfall of youth culture and everything that is wrong with presenting an image, but I would shudder when it was on because it was so painful to listen to Paula and her awful patterns of thinking. Maybe she thinks this will help others realize their problem, but you know what? She is probably a hero to girls everywhere and featured on pro-ana sites everywhere.

yea so um

I thought I had come to terms with this but apparently not. I have a pit in my stomach that doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

Listening: Nirvana, "Something in the Way". Isn't too much of an upper if you know what I mean.

here’s a good timewaster

Someone made a cool google map of all the locations in Ghostbusters. It is nice to appreciate movies set in NYC locations and how unrealistic they are. Do you have 5 minutes to waste?

sophomore slump

Er, I just caught a new episode of Wonder Showzen. It is totally not as funny as the first season. Has it already jumped the shark?

lighten up

In a follow up to this post, here is the complete transcript of the evening.