Tuesday, November 24

SHE DOES IT AGAIN!

Super-hot duet (one of two) with Beyonce... check it out, when you get the chance!

Tuesday, November 3

HOW MUCH DO WE LOVE...


The new Lady GaGa single?

Sunday, October 4

WINDOWS FAIL


From everybody's favorite, Fail Blog.

EVERYTHING OLD IS... UH, STILL OLD

This is Yahoo's "new" start page:This is Yahoo's old start page:
Nice try, kids.

Tuesday, September 29

YOU GO, MEMPHIS

MORE?


The folks over at Fail Blog came up with a new sports blog. A sample post:

Wednesday, September 23

Saturday, September 12

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING(?)


Thanks to Wanda Wisdom for this funny art!

Saturday, September 5

AT LONG LAST... VICTORY!


Like all people, from time to time, I get a song stuck in my head and can't get it out. If it isn't a song or album I already own, I simply go to the iTunes store, or GoMusic.com and purchase/download the track, and... problem solved!

When a new song comes out, I may have difficulty locating it (or the exact version I want), but I almost always prevail - music, you see, is one of my main "things."

But there's been this song... on the tip of my tongue, in the back of my mind, in the corner of my consciousness, for years. Yes, years. I only knew the (end) of the chorus and the basic melody. Oh, and I can hum the unusual instrumental section like nobody's business. But (for years), tracking the song down has eluded me. You see, when somebody doesn't know a song, or only knows a few (wrong) lyrics, I'm the guy the come to. I can often point them in the right direction if I don't own the song myself. But who do I turn to when I'm stumped?

After several (useless) Google searches of the lyrics, I was even more lost, if that was possible. So I went about it methodically: I remember the song from junior high. (The 1980s.) I only heard it on KROQ. Luckily, I found a list of all the yearly countdowns of KROQ music (here). I guessed the year (1987), and went through the list.

And there it was: "Alone Again Or," by the Damned. There it was, with its strange FX, garbled lyrics and extended trumpet solo, exposing a counter melody almost too-dense for a pop song.

And now I own it, and don't just have to listen to it in my head.

Thursday, September 3

BACK TO SCHOOL SPAM


Here are some actual email headers from my Yahoo! Spam folder:

Advance your career as a nurse!
I have tons of these in my Spam folder... no joke to go with them, though.

A horny wife using a fish as a dildoo
I don't know what a, "dildoo," is, but I'm guessing a fish doesn't make a good one.

All kind adult pictures
Nice grammar.

Don't be left out, join millions of men in the revolution
While the revolution won't be televised, it seems it will be online.

McLean bigoted unwittingly
Well good/bad for him!

Russian shy babe posing
Not so shy if she is posing in the manner I think you're suggesting.

Hi! This is Dolores, Farm girls go wild with beasts.
I love the personal introduction to "Dolores," as if that will make the bestiality more palatable.

Someday my prince will come
Yeah... you and me both, hon.

Dreams coming true
I should really introduce this person to the joker who sent me the "prince" email, no?

Young, younger, youngest: fresh, young cut ies!
I don't know what "cut ties" are, but these guys have the youngest, freshest ones around.

Wednesday, August 12

THANK 'EW G'UBNAH!


I've been obsessed with BBC America for a while, and last month we got a dish that carries it. I love the programs - even the repeats. I'm currently watching Being Human and Skins, but recently thrilled to Torchwood: Children of Earth and Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead.

Over at BBC America's site, they have a British American Dictionary that I found pretty amusing. You can check it out (dirty words included) here.

Tuesday, August 11

ALBUM REVIEW: "Annual 2009"

I used to buy Ministry of Sound's Annual Collections every year, without fail. It was, hands-down, the best place to find hot, new dance tracks. It was one of the ways I stayed tuned-in to the club scene when I couldn't go out.

On my last trip to Amoeba Music (site here), I came across the "Annual 2009" two-disc collection in the used stacks, so I picked it up. Boy was I sorry I did that.

Maybe I'm just too "mature" for what's going on in club music... or maybe the kids over at Ministry of Sound have totally lost the plot, I dunno. What I do know is that this tweaky, grindy crazy collection of tunes didn't do it for me.

But the album wasn't a total loss. Some standout tracks include:
"Into the Nightlife" by Cyndi Lauper - listed as a remix, but it isn't
"When You Touch Me" by The Freemasons - can this group do no wrong?
"Hi Friend" by Deadmaus feat MC Flipside - a tech house/hip-hop masher
and
"Let Me Think About It" by Ida Corr vs Fedde Le Grande - awesome track, no matter how deeply you bury it in a crap album. Seriously, though... it was like a diamond hidden in a turd.

Wednesday, August 5

WORD TO YOUR MOTHER

Well, not really, but I thought I was funny that my mom (who now has a blog for school) told me about Wordle (here). It is a site that scans other sites (of your selection) and makes "word clouds" from the random words on that site. Here is one for this blog:


Kinda cool.

Wednesday, July 15

YOU... SUCK...


Almost three weeks without internet access...

Three weeks of your lies and sick, sorry side-shows - all the while pretending like you have no control over the horrible service(s) you're charging for.


You know what you did.

Saturday, June 20

BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL

Not to put too-fine a point on it, say I'm the only bee in your bonnet!

I've been catching up on the final episodes of one of my favorite (and now-canceled) programs, Pushing Daisies ... and I got so swept away with the beauty, romance and general wonder of the show that I went and downloaded the Season One Soundtrack.

Its made up mostly of instrumental music - music that won an Emmy, by the way - but there are a few vocal tracks that make it all worth while. One such track is Ellen Greene (formerly of Little Shop of Horrors, to name one) and Kristin Chenoweth (of Wicked, to name another) covering They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse In Your Soul."

I love the original version well enough, but this new version absolutely swept me off my feet. Here's the video:



And here are some screencaptures I took of the DVD, using an amazing new application called Snap'n'Drag:

The second season comes out on DVD next month, and I can't wait!

Make a little birdhouse in your soul!

Sunday, June 14

BACK IN THE "WEEDS"


One of my favorite shows, Weeds returns this month, kicking off a fifth season on Showtime. If you're like me - you love Mary-Louise Parker, but only have the cheap-o, basic cable package... there are other options. Cheap ones, if you know where to look. And not all of them are illegal.

For example, if you go to the iTunes Store, specifically to the Podcast section, you'll see they're giving away a free copy of the first episode of the season. Granted they're only doing this to hook you on the expensive premium cable package, and the podcast version is "edited" and "toned down" ... but it really is worth checking out.

And hey... it's free.


The Official Showtime Weeds Site here.
The Weeds Wikipedia page here.

Saturday, June 13

HAPPY PRIDE WEEKEND, MARY!


Or as my gal-pal Marissa Jaret Winokur (Facebook here) used to say, "Happy Gay Day!"

Tuesday, June 2

ACCORDING TO FACEBOOK...

I took another one of those quiz-things over on the Facebook. It was the "Which Dead Celebrity Are You?" Quiz. Once again, I managed to overlook the horrible grammar and spelling employed by the person who put this quiz together, and just tried to answer the questions as honestly as I could.

And according to Facebook, the dead celebrity I'm most like is: Marilyn Monroe.

WHAT-EV-ERRRR

A while back (and we're talking a long time ago), I wrote a short diatribe about the way political winds were blowing (here). It wasn't a rant, really... I was just expressing my frustration with Neo-Cons and their evil talking-head pundits.

This was almost three (count 'em, three) years ago. I've since learned to just ignore blowhards like Glen Beck and Ann Coulter and go about my business.

But someone had to come along and comment on that old post:


OK, so first of all, I enabled anonymous comments on this blog to allow people who don't have G-mail (or other access granting accounts) the option to give some feedback... not so right-wing, KKK nut-jobs could have a go at me. And to top it all off... I totally don't understand what it is they are trying to say!

To the grade-A moron who just had to comment, but didn't have the balls to sign their name: I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ANYWAY. You obviously don't have the courage (or brains) to back up your convictions, so you can just rot in hell with President Bush, VP Cheney and all the other Republicunts!

I MISS YOU ALREADY

Tuesday, May 26

800

This is my 800th post. Normally, I would make a fancy graphic for it (like here, or here), but I'm on vacation. Thanks to my fans (all six of you) for the love and support.

And if you're one of those people who checks in from time-to-time, but never comments... well, you're OK, too.

TREK THIS!

Now that school has ended (until August), I've been meaning to catch up on a few things... first, let's chat about how great Star Trek turned out to be. OK, so I've already talked about it (here). And as you'll recall, I posted some behind-the-scene photos from the movie on my site here.

But I never showed the finished product, after much CGI work:
That's the library from the school I'm attending (left), moved to San Francisco thanks to a little industrial magic (the generic kind, not the trademarked George Lucas, "My Scripts Suck, But Check Out These FX" kind). Oh, and they modified the shape of the building a tad.

If you get the chance, check this flick out. I like it so much I saw it twice (and even paid for it the second time).

I KNOW WE ALL LOOK ALIKE BUT...


I received a letter from the Texas Attorney General's office (above) stating they "had my new address" and if I wanted to get my child support checks on time, I should notify them in advance of moving.

Now, a closer look at the letter shows it was addressed to Juan Jose Garcia... not me. Oh, and I've never lived in Texas, and don't have any children requiring child support payments.

After an unanswered email, and a few phone calls, a supervisor assured me this "clerical" error was now fixed. Since being "fixed" over $1700 in additional checks have arrived, bringing the total to just under $3000. Talk about your child support fraud!

Don't get me wrong... I'd love to cash these checks and hit H&M, but that would be wrong. Very wrong. So, each time a check for Juan Jose arrives, I send it back.

It had to be Texas, didn't it?!

CIRCLE OF JERKS

OK, so school is out for summer, so I've gone back to the gym. I don't have any illusions about what kind of gym I joined (white, straight, upper-middle class, conservative), I'm surprised by a couple of things I've noticed:

*the MMA Club (Mixed Martial Arts): A bunch of guys, rolling around on a mat with their head in each other's crotch, humping each legs, grunting... and what's not gay about this?

*circle jerks (not like you think, so just read on, you prude): groups of straight, muscled, tattooed guys, standing around a single machine/work out station, touching each other's muscles, showing off (and tracing with their fingers) tattoos and general guyness (grunting, touching, flexing, etc.).

I'm not going to comment any further on this, except to say, um... no, never mind.

Sunday, May 17

Saturday, May 16

Wednesday, May 13

SO LONG, YEAR ONE


I just took my last final, completing the first year of a two-year graduate program. I think I did alright. A mix of A's and B's. Now, I can just sit back and...

Oh crap, now what?

Tuesday, May 12

GREAT FOOD, GREAT SERVICE

It's no secret, I love Carl's Jr.'s Western Bacon Cheeseburger. And I love the commercial Top Chef's Padma did for them. (You can watch it here.)

What I didn't say is how much I love the music in the commercial. I sent an email to the company (via the Hardees site), asking about it. This was about a week ago. Today, I got an email from them. Turns out the song is called "Round the World" by Chris Winston featuring Aisha Francis.

Not only did they respond to my crazed-fan mail request, they did it quickly and professionally. I know the founder of Carl's Jr. is a right-wing nutjob, but kudos to his employees for the awesome food and kick-@ss customer service.

Unlike Staples (long story for another day), Carl's has a customer for life.

JUST FOR THE RECORD


I love this stuff.

Here's the groovy commercial:

FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES


Every year the Los Angeles Times puts on a panel of local teens who watch and rate summer movie trailers, called The Summer Movie Posse. The Posse's past predictions have been frighteningly accurate, predicting the summer's big box office winners and losers.

I read this article every year, as I find it both entertaining and informative. But one of the panelist's comments about the new Transformers movie really made me giggle, so I had to share it.

After watching the trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, one panelist said "He (Michael Bay) keeps making the same movie over and over, as if he hopes someday he'll get it right." Amen to that!

And for the record, they rated the new Michael Bay movie second to last, just above Sam Rami's Drag Me To Hell.

Monday, May 11

TOO FUNNY FOR WORDS


I saw this over on Donnie's blog (here) and nearly peed my pants.

WHAT THE #@%&?



I've been a Mac die-hard customer all my life.

No, really. When I was about six or seven, my parents bought an Apple LC II. You know, the ones with the green screen, before they had a mouse? Anyway, since then I've been a loyal customer and avid defender of the Apple way of life.

But I have a bone to pick with the folks up in Cupertino... the staff in the stores. I've shopped at a number of locations (Thousand Oaks, The Grove, Simi Valley, etc.) and I've noticed that no matter the size of the store, no matter how ethnically diverse the town, the majority of the employees were of the same demographic: white teenage boys.

Not don't get me wrong. I have a taste for all things Wonderbread (just not underage, mind you). But it gets a little old, you know?

And Apple has always been one of those brands that represented diversity and inclusiveness. I mean, the original Apple logo was a freakin' rainbow apple for cryin' out loud.

sigh

Sunday, May 10

YOU SAID A MOUTHFULL...

"In the past, as now, Hollywood was a stomping ground for tastelessness, violence and hyperbole, but once upon a time it turned out a product which sweetened the flavor of life all over the world."

Screenwriter, Anita Loos... who died in 1981.

Friday, May 8

OK, I'M OUT...


I've been watching The Dollhouse semi-faithfully since it debuted. But with the last few weeks' twists and turns, I'm losing interest. I don't care about the back story. And "Alpha" should have been hotter, no?

The writing, the acting, the direction... none of it is worth it anymore. The show has simply stopped making sense while simultaneously ceasing to be entertaining.

So sorry... but I'm out.

OK, I GIVE IN


I just got back from Star Trek, and I have to say... it was pretty good. There were some plot snags I wasn't too fond of. And (as usual) JJ Abrhams stunk up what was an otherwise great film. (Enough with the shaky, hand-held style filming, and short, stuttery, jump cuts... we get it, you're edgy, or whatever.)

I would give this film a rating of 8.5 out of 10.

Thursday, May 7

DANCING IN... MY MIND


At random (and totally inappropriate) times over the past few weeks, I've found myself humming the classic club tune, "In De Ghetto" by the Bad Garden Club. If you knows it, you knows it... if you don't...

well, I guess you weren't cool then, either.

P.S. This isn't the coverart for the version I had stuck in my head. This is just the one I found first, and I liked the colors.

Tuesday, May 5

FIND THE TOP OF HILL, GIRL!



Love me some Hunter & Jessica.

ROCK(STAR) IS DEAD


After reading this, I decided to never drink Rockstar Energy Drinks. I've been more of a 5 Hour Energy guy as of late (they really do work), but reading about the anti-gay, anti-autism remarks of the company owner/co-founder made me swear off this drink. Tell everyone you know about this.