Wastin' Away Again

Once again, since I like what I like, I am heading off to my favorite vacation spot. Key West.

I had to spill the beans to Gia because of packing issues (Seriously, how the hell can you take a woman on a mystery vacation without her packing her entire fucking wardrobe?), and she practically jumped for joy. Actually she did jump, and it was fun to watch. ;)

Once again if you need to get in touch with me, I will be here. We definitely will be there watching the show on Friday night and/or Saturday night, so check out the web-cam for all the fun and excitement. Check out their blog too. I'm gonna try to finagle myself into one of the pictures on there somehow.

It's going to be hot and humid, but we don't care. The place we are staying (actually, I split it up and we are staying at two different joints), has A/C and a pool, so there will be plenty of inactivity. Plus, I'm sure if we try hard enough we can find someplace to have a cold, alcoholic beverage or twelve.

Hee hee! See y'all when I get back!

PS - Hey, I just realized that this is my 99th post. I'll have to come back with some great stories for #100.

What a character

I was saddened last night watching the season finale of Lost.

Not because the season was over, that is sad, but because they killed off one of my favorite characters on the show played by one of my favorite character actors. Friendly Tom, played by M.C. Gainey.

I love this guy. He's a bit player in just about everything that he does, but he always shines. Whether he's playing the no-such-a-bad-guy Swamp Thing in Con Air, or the evil Earl (nice!) in Breakdown, or the film version of Roscoe P. Coltrane in Dukes of Hazzard...this guy is always good. And who can forget his full frontal scene in Sideways? Yikes!

I love me some character actors. They often get the shit roles in films, and they never get to appear on Letterman, but they often mean so much to the film.

Here are three of my other favorite unsung heroes:

Cliff Curtis - This guy is truly special. It doesn't matter that he is New Zealand Maori descent. He has played many, many different racial and ethnic types. He has played Arabs in Three Kings, The Insider and The Majestic, and Hispanics in Training Day, Blow and Collateral Damage. He first came to my attention as the Bully, the child rapist in Once Were Warriors...a truly brutal and incredible film. Unlike Gainey, he gets to play sympathetic roles on occasion as well. He was great in Whale Rider and in the TV mini-series "Traffic".

Dennis Farina - Yeah, he basically keeps playing the same character over and over again. The wise-cracking mob boss or the wise-cracking cop. But he does it sooooo well. I guess being a former Chicago cop helps out. He stole the show from Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in Midnight Run, and he was perfect as Ray Barboni in Get Shorty. Always fun!

Alfre Woodard - An immensely talented woman who rarely gets the starring roles that she so deserves. From Grand Canyon to Passion Fish to Primal Fear to Star Trek: First Contact to Love and Basketball...she always shines. Gotta admit, I've had a bit of a crush on her for the longest time now. As Jason Lee's character in Mumford says "She's a good-looking woman".

Today's Rant

Do you know what I really hate?

Those ads on TV for prescription drugs. Seems like most of them these days are for dudes who can't get it up, but they also have ones for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, enlarged prostate, etc...

They make no sense to me. Do we, the viewers at home, see those commercials and say "Aha...I need to tell my doctor about Provasic (RDU-90)" or whatever drug they are hocking with soft light and gentle breezes on the commercial? Doesn't my doctor already know about Provasic and what it can and can't do, and isn't he/she the best judge of what drugs I need?

By the way, two points if you can come up with where I got the fictional name Provasic from?

I know, I know...doctors are influenced by many things when it comes to prescribing drugs, especially if there is more than one drug that can be used for whatever ails you. The reps from the drug companies push their product onto the medical community with all kinds of perks, but still I don't think my doctor is going to assign me some pills that will negatively affect me.

I dunno...the whole process seems weird. Just who are those ads targeting? Me? My doctor?

I do really enjoy the disclaimers at the end, though. "Do not take Provasic if you are have any liver problems or if you have more than 3 drinks a week (!!!). Provasic shouldn't be prescribed if you are pregnant, are thinking about getting pregnant or if you just don't give a fuck if you get pregnant because you are only going to get an abortion anyway."

My favorite was this one drug called FloMax or something like that. It's to help men with enlarged prostates have a better and firmer stream during urination or so they say. One of the warnings was "If you are considering cataract surgery, please consult with your doctor before taking FloMax."

WTF! What could cataract surgery possible have to do with medication to give you a better piss? I'm sure there is a real reason, but it still made me laugh.

Odds n Sods

Just a few things on a Wednesday lunch-time:

• I realized a little late that Slyde is away in the Dominican Republic and he is recording all of his favorite shows while he is away. One of them being Survivor, which I revealed the winner in my previous post. Hopefully he is having way too much fun to putz around on the Internet while he is away. I did shoot him a text message saying as much. Don't know if he received it or not. Oops!
• Had a blast last night watching my friends play their third game in the inaugural season of JD's women's softball team. They won 29-8 for their first victory and they have some real good players. Next week, I'm bringing the lounge chair and a cooler of beers.
• Speaking of sports, the Yankees kinda suck right now. I'm hoping they start to turn things around with a sweep of the ChiSox starting with a double-header today. A-Rod need to find that April magic again, and Matsui, Cano and Abreu simply have to start hitting like they can.
• Had drinks at Besito again last night. We are really starting to love that place.
• Taking Gia away for a super-secret mini-vacation in two weeks. Don't even ask me where I'm taking her, because its super-secret (and she reads this shit). But I'm looking forward to it and it can't get here soon enough.
• Speaking of Gia, she is off for the full weekend coming up (whoooo-hoooo) and it's sorely needed. She has been filling in for the owner for the past few weeks while he has been recuperating from surgery. She needs the time off. Maybe we will head into NYC for some good times. Especially if the weather stays as nice as it has been the past few days. 70+ and sunny. Nice!
• Have to head out sometime today or tomorrow to buy birthday gifts for two of my nieces (Sarah - 5, and Audrey - 3) as well as one of my nephews (David - 4). Did I mention that there are 7 more? Big family. Big.

His name is Earl

My tagged post from Kat is directly below, but let me just take a moment to congratulate Earl Cole on winning the Fiji edition of Survivor last night.

Just goes to show that all Earls rule! WTG, big guy!

Earls of the World...Rejoice!!!

Tagged again...

This time from Kat, but as I told her I'm only doing the second part of the thingy. So here goes:

The rules:
1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you’re in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
miss kendra (los angeles, california, u.s.a)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA! USA! USA!)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Kat (Ontario, Canada)
B.E. Earl (Huntington, NY)

2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.

Canterbury Ales - Good English-style pub food (is that an oxymoron?) and a great selection of draft beers. Plus the lovely and talented Gia is the manager there. Reason enough to give it a go.

Musashino - A Korean-owned Japanese/Korean sushi restaurant that serves out-of-this-world fresh seafood prepared by the man behind the bar, Charlie Joo. Gotta sit at the sushi bar and try his world famous oysters. Super stuff. In a town and area filled with sushi joints, this one stands out.

Mac's Steakhouse - Never liked the name, but this steak joint that is seemingly always in transition seems to have found it's niche. Gone are the days of uber-priced meals, the restaurant has managed to lower it's prices while maintaining its great service. With the addition of a new destination steakhouse here in town (Prime), Mac's has its work cut out for itself. Let's hope they survive the battle.

Besito - I've actually only been to this place for drinks before last Wednesday. Now, I've eaten there twice and I'm ready to sing their praises. Upscale Mexican food (another oxymoron?) with a great tequila menu. Gia and I ate there last night and it was fabu. She had a drink called a "Michelada" that included beer, lime juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire and a salted rim...and she lurved it! Food was great too!

Cafe Buenos Aires - A new player in town in a location that has had more than it's share of failed restaurants. Hopefully this one sticks. As the name suggests, Argentinian fare and a great tapas bar are the attractions here. The bar needs a little work on its selection, but the wines and the caipirinhas (brown sugar, lime, cachaca) are first-rate. Should succeed as the principal owner has a devoted following in town from his work at other area restaurants.

Close, but no cigar: Red, Umberto's, Oaxaca, Thai USA, JD's, Cassis and many more. This town has nothing but restaurants and bars, yo!

3. Tag 5 other people (preferably from other countries/states) and let them know they’ve been tagged. - Nah, let's not and say we did.

beep, bop, boop

My town has a mailbox that they painted up like R2D2.

I finally got to send some mail the other day from R2, and it made me so happy!

God, I'm such a geek!

Mmmmm....sleeeeeep!!!!

As I mentioned in my previous post (for all three of you reading this), I had a major cold that knocked me silly for a good portion of the last month.

It lasted about a week at first, and then I gave it to Gia. I guess I wasn't quite over it because I still wasn't sleeping through the night. I would sleep for about an hour and a half at first, wake up soaking wet as my fever broke or something, then sleep on and off in 20 minute increments for the next few hours.

It really sucked!

And then, just like that old cat of legend, the cold came back. Probably caught it on the rebound from Gia. Even worse this time. Sore throat, stuffed head, all that shit! And still no sleep for the weary.

Well, all that finally changed last Wednesday night. I went to bed with the same feeling of dread that I had the previous three weeks. Ready to wake up in an hour or so and then toss and turn for the next 7 hours.

But it was bliss. I woke up in exactly the same position I was in the night before. I looked over to my nightstand and I saw that I had a full bottle of water there which said to me that I never woke up and had a drink - which had been part of my pattern. So I lay there wondering if I made it 5 or maybe even 6 hours without waking when I looked at my alarm clock.

8 hours! 8 hours of pure heaven! I almost couldn't believe it. I literally jumped out of bed in exultation. It was the best I had felt in almost a month.

I was beginning to think that I was never going to have a normal night of sleep again in my life. Now I've had my share of sleep problems (Restless leg syndrome), but they usually affected me going to sleep...not staying asleep. This was a first for me. But it looks like the darkest days are over.

So, knock on wood, things have been great since then. I'm catching up on my z's like you wouldn't believe. Eight great hours a night. Afternoon naps this past weekend. I feel like a new man.

So for all of you suffering with sleep disorders out there (Slyde, Kat, etc...), I felt your pain. But I never want to feel it again.

I treasure my sleep too much!

May Day re-post (hah!)

Taking a look at the calendar this morning, I saw that we are done with April and I say good riddance! I had a cold that kicked my ass for about half of the month, and the other half wasn't that great either.

But it is now May, May 1st in fact. And May 1st brings to mind all the wonderful pagan rituals celebrated in the film The Wicker Man. Not the crappy remake. The glorious original.

And that brings us to the following hunk-o-junk that I posted on Slyde's site last February. Feel free to enjoy it's nutty goodness once again. Or to dance naked around the May pole. Whichever you prefer. - Earl

Wicked Smaht
By B.E. Earl
02/05/2006 8:54 AM EST

Hey kids! Have you ever watched a film and decided that you didn't really like and/or understand it at first only to decide at a later time that you actually did like it and that it has gotten under your skin a bit? This happens to me an awful lot. It happened just recently with a so-called classic horror film called The Wicker Man from 1973. As you know, both Slyde and I are big fans of the horror genre, but neither of us had ever seen this classic until I had the chance to purchase the DVD sometime last week.

Let me give you a brief set-up to the movie. In modern day (early 70's) Scotland, a policeman (Edward Woodward) from the mainland is lured to a small island in the Hebrides to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. He encounters a strange group of villagers who act as if they had never seen the girl before. He also encounters the islander's strange religious and sexual practices which is disconcerting to him as he is a devout (and quite repressed) Christian. Suspecting that the girl has been sacrificed or is about to be sacrificed as part of some neo-pagan ritual, he stays on the island in an effort to save the young lass. I'll not go any further in case any of you haven't seen this gem, but let's just say things start to go awry for our young, repressed hero.

I'm not quite sure why I gave it a thumbs-down after my first viewing. It surely wasn't what I expected. There were horror elements to be sure, but I certainly wouldn't classify it solely as a horror film. The first half of the film played out almost as a musical, if you can believe that. There were songs sung in pubs, in fields, around the maypole, and even one extraordinarily strange seduction sung by the landlord's daughter to the policeman while in different rooms! It also didn't go a long way towards explaining some of the strange imagery on the island, but I guess at that point I had already semi-given up on the film.

That next day, however, I found that it HAD gotten under my skin a little. I began to research a little of the background of the film and it started to fascinate me even more. You see, this film was the brainchild of writer Anthony Shaffer, director Robin Hardy and star Christopher Lee. In fact, Lee was not paid a dime for his acting in this film although he continues to call it his favorite film that he had ever worked in. This project was very close to his heart and he wanted to see it completed. Had he accepted his normal fee the film may never have gotten off the ground. Mr. Shaffer had wanted to do a smart, contemporary British horror film which then turned into a morality play, and partly made that weird left turn into musical/drama. The studio which had made the film (British Lion, I believe) was sold soon after shooting had completed and the new head of the studio, Michael Deeley, was not quite sold on the film. In fact, after an early viewing of the film with Shaffer and Lee, he asked them what they thought of it. They believed that it was one of the finest things that either of them had worked on. He replied that it was quite possibly the worst film he had ever seen.

Well, if the head of your studio believes that about your film it ain't gonna be easy to get them to distribute it. They tried to convince Roger Corman to distribute it in the US, but his offer was too low for the studio to accept. It soon found another distributor, but without the clout that Corman could bring to the table the film shot quickly to obscurity even though it drew rave reviews. However, it soon began to rise in the underground as a cult classic. Theaters were playing the film at midnight showings to sold-out audiences. With the advent of VHS (and DVD later on) the legend of the film has continued to grow. There are fanzines, websites and festivals dedicated to the film. One disappointing note is that the original negative to the film has been lost to history. It is believed that it was accidentally included in some garbage that was used for landfill in England's M3 motorway. Mr. Lee deduces that was a direct result of the dislike that Mr. Deeley had for the film!

So, with new information in hand I decided to watch the film a second time and damn if I didn't love it this time around! Even the weird musical scenes were a delight to watch. And the conflict between the repressed Christian ideology of Woodward and the neo-pagan joy of the villagers was especially juicy to behold. Britt Ekland (dubbed by Annie Ross to portray a Scottish accent), Ingrid Pitt (strangely, the producers kept her Polish accent) and Diane Cilento were all beautiful and quite magnetic on the screen. But it was the thoroughly delightful Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle that stole the show. He was funny, thoughtful, smart and not at all outwardly evil as the ringleader of the neo-pagans. A very different Lee than the one I had grown up on when he was doing all those Hammer horror films. He didn't look so awful in a dress towards the end of the film either. I guess you have to see the film to understand that last bit.

Now this classic is being remade for 2006 release with Nicolas Cage as the police officer. They've also switched locales from an island off Scotland to an island off the Puget Sound in Washington (or somewhere in Maine...I've seen both written). Now, I hate to bash a movie before it is released, but I am of the opinion that they should have left this one alone. If they had to remake it I would have preferred that the producers keep the Scottish flavor as the influence of the Celtic pagan rituals will be hard to maintain in an American version. And Nicolas Cage? Ugh!

Anyway, as I stated in the opening sentence, I like when a film gets under my skin a bit. This one had me researching Celtic pagan rituals which is not so easy since the history is murky at best. You see there was no written documentation of these rituals, so what remains today sometimes feels like a bad game of telephone...but played over a couple of thousand years instead of whispered around the room at a party. The maypole, the fire dance, John Barleycorn and the wicker man itself all are a part of early pagan practices although any specifics are hard to come by. This film left me wanting more, and I think that is one of the marks of a truly great piece of art.

Goddammit!!!

Missed it again.

The "it" I'm referring to is a sing-a-long to the musical episode ("Once More With Feeling") of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

This is the second time in the past year that they have played it at our local artsy-fartsy theater and it is the second time that I found out about it on the night it played...AFTER IT PLAYED!

Now, honestly, I don't know if I would have actually sang along. It's a great episode, and it was really well done with a bunch of actors who, for the most part, can't sing. But singing along? I can say that I would have enjoyed watching everyone else. And Slyde was really looking forward to it as well. Don't pretend that you weren't!

Anyway, it looks like a fun night out. They have rounds of Buffy-oke (Buffy-themed karaoke), Buffy trivia and other games before the showing of the episode. During the episode, the crowd is asked to participate much in the same way they would during a Rocky Horror show.

I found the Buffy Sing-a-long website and you can check it out here, if you so desire. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I promise not to miss it next time it comes to town. Or I can just check out one of their monthly NYC shows at the IFC Center.

DO NOT MAKE FUN OF ME!!!

Syd on the crapper

Here is the elusive Syd on the downstairs terlit looking absolutely magnificent.

Feel free to ignore the plungers and cleaning products strewn about. We were having some septic tank issues and Syd felt like he needed to be part of the healing process.

Actually, this is part of Syd's daily routine. After Gia comes out of the shower, Syd likes to jump up on the toilet and licks her ass while she is drying herself off. Then Gia fills up a pint glass with ice-cold water and Syd sits on the shitter and laps it up.

Syd is a strange animal.

Rob Corddry has good taste

Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, The Winner) is one smart cookie.

In an interview in The New York Times Magazine today, he is asked to name his "desert island disks".

You've all played this game, right? It goes like this: What albums (usually 5 or so) would you want to have with you if you were stuck on a deserted island. That's assuming you have an unlimited power supply. And an iPod. Or a CD player. Or a turntable/stereo. You get the idea.

Anyway, you are supposed to list the five albums that you can't live without.

Mr. Corddry listed Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady as one of his choices.

If it's good enough for Rob and I, then it should be good enough for you. Give it a listen, OK folks?

PS - Actually not sure it would make my "desert island five" or not. I mean, it's pretty new and I'm still in the process of becoming a fan, but it's a lot of fun.

Baby, you can drive my car...

I love me some Fox shows!

Prison Break and 24 are some of my favorite wastes of time (wastes of times?) out there. They are some of the most adrenaline-fueled, high-action pieces of brain candy that are currently on network television.

Problem is, Prison Break is done for the year. Fox has this fucked-up schedule. It started sometime last August and ended just a few weeks ago. What, oh what, is going to waste my 8-9 PM hours on Monday nights now?

Drive is the name of the show, my friends...and it's really, really good.

It's a ridiculous premise, of course. A bunch of drivers, some voluntary...some not, are on an underground, illegal cross-country auto race for a prize of $32 million. Most are in teams of two, even if they didn't start out that way. There are daily elimination points and penalties incurred for finishing last at other stops. It's sort of The Amazing Race Gone Wild!

What I really love about the show is the cast. It's sure to satisfy us fans of the Whedon-verse (Buffy, Angel, Serenity, etc...), at least until his next project comes along.

First off is Nathan Fillion (Buffy, Firefly, Serenity) as Alex Tully. A landscaper whose wife is kidnapped by some secret intruder. He is told to join the race, and win it, if he ever wants to see his wife alive again. He's no ordinary landscaper, though. He's got a past. A past that lends itself to succeeding in this particular endeavor.

Fillion shows his star chops once again in this role. As great as he was in Serenity and Firefly, he has the chance to soar here again. Plus, Gia thinks I might be a little gay for him. Just a little.

Oh, and his wife is played by Amy Acker, she of Angel fame.

Next we have his partner in crime, Corinna Wiles, played by Kristen Lehman. OK, she has never acted in any of Joss Whedon's projects, but she did play the Invisigoth on an episode of the X-Files. That should count for something with us sci-fi geeks, right? Plus, she's a hottie.

Rounding out the Whedon trio of players is Richard Brooks (Firefly), who plays the police officer looking for both Alex Tully and his wife. Not a big part, but worth mentioning.

Anyway, it's a lot of fun and a complete waste of time.

Exactly how I like my television programs. Much better than watching the latest coverage of the massacre at Virginia Tech.

Much better.

Creepy guys

Seeing Grindhouse this past weekend with Slyde made me reminisce of the good ole days of renting bad films from a cheesy video store.

Slyde and I used to do this way too much around 15 years ago. In fact, I belonged to a schlocky video store that was near our local mall called "Rare and Unusual Videos". Many a night was spent getting some pizza and renting an awful B-movie from this store. They didn't categorize their films by the normal "Drama, Comedy, Adventure, etc..." bullshit. No way. This place had categories like "Women in Prison", "Undead" and "Sex Comedies".

Seriously, are there any other kinds of movies?

Some very funny/sad/weird things happened at this long-gone video store. The funniest is a story that I'll leave Slyde to tell (and he has never been able to tell this story the way it really happened...he chooses to blame me instead, the child that he is), but there are others.

This one time when we were on the hunt for the perfect piece of anime or something, this real sketchy dude walks in wearing a long trench coat. He had greasy hair, thick glasses and he was about 300 pounds. His whole persona screamed "Creep!!!" He immediately made his way for the curtain with the "Adults Only" sign over it (you all remember that room, right?), and we don't see him for about ten minutes.

So Slyde and I are at the checkout counter when this guy comes out of the room empty-handed. He goes right to the dude behind the counter and asks "Do you have films with kids in them?".

The counter dude looks at us, and responds "Well, we have a whole section of children's films over there by the window."

Creepy guy says "No, I mean adult films with kids in them."

At this point, Slyde and I are sick to our stomach. We want to take the pervert out in the back and beat the shit out of him. Just fucking destroy him.

The counter dude was a bit calmer and he said "Yeah, sorry pal...not in my store. Now get out!"

The creepy dude apologize and says "Well, the sign says RARE and UNUSUAL videos, so I thought...."

Counter dude comes back with "Within the law, asshole...within the law."

I still think we should have kicked that guy's ass! Hopefully he's never acted on his impulses. Blech!

On a lighter note, when the store announced they were closing with an "Everything Must Go" sign, this equally creepy dude came in and asked the counter dude how much he wanted for the clock on the wall.

The counter dude is a bit perplexed, and he says "The clock? Sorry, we are just selling all of our videos."

Equally creepy dude gets mad "Well the sign says EVERYTHING must go, so why not the clock?" They argue back and forth for a few minutes before equally creepy guy leaves.

Counter dude looks and us and says "I can't wait for this fucking store to close!"

Well said. But I still kinda miss it.

Brooooooooce!!!!

Hey kids! I was having a crazy good time last week, so I didn't get a chance to post. But I'm going to make it up to you with three, yes three consecutive posts this week. Can ya just taste the excitement?

Our first post this week is about one of the best concerts I have ever been lucky enough to attend. Last Thursday, Gia and I went to go see the latest in the Music for Youth concert series at Carnegie Hall. This time it was celebrating the music of Bruce Springsteen. Da Boss.

I've never been a huge fan, but Gia...well, let's just say she's a true fan. There are stories, believe me, stories from her past about Mr. Springsteen that are truly something. Let's just leave it at that. We had awesome tickets as well. Just about center in a private box with six other folks. Hi-back comfy, velvet seats. Aaargh! I don't think I can ever see a show in a regular seat again!

Great lineup of stars showed up to pay tribute with their rendering of a Springsteen classic. The lineup included the Bacon Brothers (with an uber-skinny Kevin Bacon. Dude, eat a sandwich!), Elysian Fields (who acted as the house band for many of the solo stars), Josh Ritter, Marah (Gia's favorite band...she and I were sooo excited), The Holmes Brothers w/ Young People's Chorus, Robin Holcomb, Jersey Guys featuring Bobby Valli, North Mississippi All-Stars, Uri Cane, Juliana Hatfield, Low Stars, Badly Drawn Boy, Joseph Arthur, Jesse Malin & Ronnie Spector, and M. Ward.

But the highlights of the show, for me and many, many others in attendance, were as follows:

• Steve Earle "Nebraska" - He walks solo onto the stage, looks around and says "Nice joint." Perfect! Great way to start the show. With my favorite song off of my favorite album of the same name.
• Patti Smith "Because the Night" - the first surprise guest of the night, and it gave me goosebumps. I've never seen this legend in concert before and she rocked the house. She even spit on the stage halfway through the song. A clear sign that this rebel still won't act like a lady, even though her deceased husband asked her to if she ever got voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Just amazing!
• Pete Yorn "Dancing in the Dark" - He came out talking about the first time he ever heard Bruce, back in the 80's. He was watching MTV and this dude in a white t-shirt and jeans was dancing around to the "feel-good" hit of the summer. Even pulled up a young Courtney Cox on stage. And he thought "What the hell is this?" Because when you listen to the lyrics, it's really a pretty dark song. And that's how he played it.
• Odetta "57 Channels and Nothing On" - I don't know much about this wonderful woman, but she was escorted onto the stage in a wheelchair and she did a funny, beautiful, spoken verse version of this song. It brought the house down.
• The Hold Steady "Atlantic City" - Another surprise guest, and no one was happier than Gia and I. We are huge fans! I really wanted to hear them do "Rosalita" (and we'll get to that later on), but I love this song as well. And they did a kick-ass version of it. Not at all like the Bruce version. Folks all around us were scrambling for their programs to find out just who they were. Too bad they weren't actually on the program, but we tried to inform as many people as possible. This, my friends, is one damn fine rock and roll band.

But let's get to the clear highlight of the show. Midway through the night, someone in the next box over poked me and said that he just spotted Bruce himself. He was in a private box around 10 doors down from us. We all just knew that he was going to play. I mean, he had to!

And he didn't disappoint. After The Hold Steady rocked the house, he came out and played two acoustic versions of his songs. "Promised Land" and "Rosalita". Towards the end of the latter, he stopped and started talking to the audience. He talked about everything that had happened to our hero from the song until the present day. He and Rosie got married, lived pretty much happily ever after (despite what the tabloids said), the hero became a big star with his band then he got happy and broke up the band, then he started singing happy songs...and nobody like that, so he got the band back together he wrote some sad songs...and everybody liked him again, he put on a few pounds, touched up his hair, and wound up in the greatest city on Earth at the greatest concert hall where all sorts of folks showed up to celebrate his music.

It was awesome!

Then he invited all the artists who performed already to join him on stage for a raucous version of "Rosalita" once again. He asked for volunteers to sing verses, and damn if Craig Finn from The Hold Steady didn't start things off. So I kinda got my wish. That dude is a maniac on stage! He was joined by Badly Drawn Boy, Jesse Malin and Steve Earle. It was a sprawling, crazy time...and a great way to end the show.

I have to say that I am now a fan of Bruce Springsteen. Thanks, Gia!

Back from The Back Room

Had another one of those crazy weekends, but that's neither here nor there. I'll do a full post about it on Tuesday (with pictures to boot!).

The hi-light of the craziness was the discovery of a new bar in old NYC on Friday night. We went to this "new" speakeasy down on the Lower East Side called The Back Room. It's co-owned by such big shots as Tim Robbins and Mark Messier, but there were no bigger shots there that night than my crew. Okay, I promise never to use the phrase "my crew" ever again.

We arrived just after 8PM, having had a few before we got there. Once we found our way down the non-marked alleyway, complete with a gate that I think they paid extra for to make it super-creaky, we headed into a beautiful 2-level lounge. There is also a secret door into a hidden back room, but it's not open to the public (have to be in-the-know, if you catch my drift). Must finagle my way in there one day. I'll get Gia on it!

The drinks are served in teacups to preserve the "prohibition era" feel of the joint. If you want a bottled beer, they wrap it in a paper bag for you. Neat.

We had some great drinks (duh) while we were there. One was a kind of margarita with brown sugar, cinnamon and cider in it. I chatted up the bartender, and he offered to make me one of his special cocktails (quiet, Slyde) that wasn't on the drink menu. It was a bit of Hendrick's Gin with some muddled mint, lemon and cucumber. It was awesome!

Anyway, headed to Opening Day at Yankee Stadium tomorrow. Can't wait! That and the finals of the NCAA basketball tourney in the evening should make for a pretty drunken Monday.

Then...rehab. It's about time...phew!

Here is a photo of the upper level of The Back Room. The arrow points towards the entrance to the "hidden back room". Of course, the arrow isn't really on the wall like that. It's just on the picture. Otherwise it wouldn't be very hidden. C'mon people, think!

I just realized...

...that when I changed the template of my blog I lost the site counter that I was using.

Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk.

Most of the hits were probably from me refreshing the page anyway.

Fucking tagged again

This time by Anna. Ugh, here goes


3 Things That Scare Me: People who like David Hasselhoff, sharks (they're killers, people!), Disco.

3 People Who Make Me Laugh: Sarah Silverman, Eddie Izzard, Gia (all the time...all the time).

3 Things I Love: Watching the scenery at The Green Parrot Bar in Key West, that first cup of coffee in the morning, a really, really, really good movie. (Gia, of course, as well)

3 Things I Hate: People who double-park or drive the wrong way in a one-way parking lot...basically people who act like they own the road, Guinness poured into a chilled glass (wtf is that, people?), mushrooms and their ilk.

3 Things I Don't Understand: the war in Iraq, mushrooms and their ilk, homophobia.

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now: avoiding work, filling out this fucking meme, listening to The Hold Steady.

3 Things I Want To Do Before I Die: bungee jump (seriously), take an Alaskan cruise, lounge in an eternity pool.

3 Things I Can Do: juggle...I mean, not well but I can juggle, predict meaningless things (like songs played on the radio, or home runs by singles hitters...nothing on a grand scale, but I do "shine" a little bit), tell you the exact issue number of any important comic book in my collection and many more that I wish I owned.

3 Things I Can't Do: Tell someone right away that they are annoying me (it usually takes multiple occurrences), whistle through my fingers, spell "parallel" without spell-check (and it still doesn't look right).

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To: your parents (for the most part), your significant other (for the most part), your heart. Awwwww.

3 Things You Should Never Listen To: Bad advice (duh!), Nickelback, Mets fans.

3 Things I'd Like To Learn: as many different languages as possible, guitar (but I'm afraid that my fingers don't work that way), self-discipline.

3 Shows I Watched As A Kid: The Kids from C.A.P.E.R. (I dare anyone to remember this show), Happy Days, WKRP in Cincinnati.

3 Bloggers I've tagged: No one of importance. Let the madness end now, people.

EDIT - Apparently, the proper name for the pool I was looking for was an infinity pool, not an eternity pool. Do a google image search on "infinity pool" and you will see some of the greatest acheivements in mankind. Seriously!

Must. See. Now!!!

OK. There are a whole lot of movies that I have waited forever to see. Some I've been disappointed in (AI), some exceeded my wildest expectations (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), and some have downright sucked (hello, George Lucas?).

But there is a tri-fecta of films out that are soon to be released that I CANNOT WAIT FOR. Seriously, I feel like Cartman waiting for the Wii to come out. C'mon.....C'MON!!!!

The first one actually hits the theaters today, and if I can convince the woman to go out tonight then I will be seeing it shortly. It's called Shooter, and it's based on a book by Stephen Hunter (film critic for the Washington Post) called Point of Impact.

It's a great read. Pure popcorn, and it reads almost like a screenplay. Not far-fetched considering the author's day job. I can't believe that it's taken as long as it has for it to reach the big screen. Mark Wahlberg may be all wrong for the title character, but I don't care! As long as it successful and they keep making sequels. Hunter has written a bunch more novels since that first one dealing with either the main character (Bob Lee Swagger) or his father (Earl Swagger...nice name, eh?). Great stuff.

The second film shouldn't be a surprise. It's Grindhouse by two of the least "Hollywood" directors in the business. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. They've also enlisted the help of Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie for some fake trailers for the "double feature".

This one looks like it can't miss. I mean, Rose McGowan has a freakin' rifle/rocket launcher for a prosthetic leg fer crissakes! What trumps that? Nothing, in my book.

Should be fun to see good-guy Kurt Russell play a baddie in the "Deathproof" segment. Or Freddy Rodriguez play a killing machine in the "Planet Terror" segment. Or Rose McGowan with a freakin' rifle/rocket launch..., oh...sorry. Already said that. Great, great stuff!

The last film in my "2 Die 4" trilogy would be Spider-Man 3. A bit weird for me because I wasn't looking forward to the first Spider-Man film at all. But Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire got it right. And they got it even, er, righter (?) in Spider-Man 2. So if things progress this way, then Spider-Man 3 should be the best....film....EVER!!!!!!

Well, maybe the best super-hero movie ever. Notice I didn't say comic-book adaptation ever. Sorry kids...that's got to go to Sin City. Hands down.

Don't even try to argue with me on that last point. Useless, I tell you. Useless.

Ah, Rosie....we love ya!

Odin, Oden, Odin, Oden

Watching the NCAA tournament, especially the first couple of rounds, is one of my favorite thinigs. Evah! Well that and a nice mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich. When the mutton is sliced nice and lean, and the tomatoes...they're so nice and perky, but no...

Sooo...one of the fabulous freshmen playing in the tournament this year is named Greg Oden and he plays for Ohio State. He's great, but really...who cares about that?

What I dig is his name. Oden. Sounds like Odin, the one-eyed god-king of the ancient Norse. Also the name of a really terrible hair-metal band from the 80's. That's what I like about him.

If you ever saw the film The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, the band Odin was featured prominently. They were an up and coming LA band with their lead singer Randy O. They never made it as (Thank God!) hair-metal soon went the way of the dodo.

But there was this great scene in the film with the old owner of some club in LA announcing the band with the chant:

"Odin....Odin....Odin....Odin"

But it was like an old Catskills emcee from the 50's announcing them. Or Ed Sullivan. No emotion, no charge, no grrrrrrr-metal stuff. Just "Odin....Odin....Odin....Odin". Hysterical!

Anyway, everytime they mention Greg Oden on the tube, Gia and I start chanting "Oden....Oden....Oden....Oden". Then we laugh. Gia just went in the bedroom to take a nap, and I can hear her chanting it from the living room.

We're so stooopid.