Almost Live.

..

2011-09-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

bterreson.wordpress.com

Best of 2010- The Cinema

2010-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

1. The Social Network-

Directed by David Fincher

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake.

When I heard that “they were going to make a movie about Facebook”, I rolled my eyes. Even when I knew what the story was going to be about- I had little anticipation of being interested in seeing it. Boy did it surprise. To many people- a screenplay written by Aaron Sorkin would be enough to get their butts in the theater seats… but for me it was the discovery of a gifted writer. Each dialogue, each sentence, each word was written with great purpose and distinction that kept me absolutely engulfed the entire film. The fast paced script kept me on the edge of my seat; and was acted brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake. The pulsing soundtrack, done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross provided a steady undercurrent of depth, that you rarely see- or hear in movies. Director David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac, Benjamin Button) played to the many strengths of this film- there was even a stellar Tilt Shift scene, which in short, was awesome to see. The Social Network had everything going for it- it took full advantage of the talents involved- and it clearly shows in the finished product.

2. The Kings Speech-

Directed by Tom Hooper

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffery Rush, Helena Bonham Carter

Even though 2010 is over two weeks past, I feel it would be wrong to leave “The Kings Speech” off my list. It is simply an outstanding film- that will definitely earn high marks during the upcoming reward season. With a tremendous acting performance from Colin Firth, Geoffery Rush, Helena Bonham Carter and remarkable directing from Tom Hooper – I feel it is more than right that “The Kings Speech” deserves a spot, not only on the list, but near the top. From the beginning I was immediately pulled into the film, and the character development of King George VI (Firth) and Lionel Logue (Rush) kept me intrigued throughout the entire movie. I've seen it twice already, and I'll go see it again.

3. Inception-

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe.

Few directors can make me say “that blew my mind!” after every film they work on- Christopher Nolan is one of them. The summer release of Inception was no different. Fascinating story, dazzling special effects, and mind-bending ideas come together to create a phenomenal adventure through mind and reason.

4. Exit Through the Gift Shop-

Directed by Banksy

Starring: Thierry Guetta, Sheppard Fairey, Banksy, Invader.

Brilliantly hilarious, starkly interesting, thought provoking- and possibly fake. Exit Through the Gift Shop, a documentary; is the brainchild of UK’s notorious street artist Banksy. Telling the story of an obsessed photographer (Thierry Guetta) turned street artist (Mister Brain Wash); Banky shows his true colors of creativity, irony, and social commentary. Immediately thrust into a world of dodging streetlights, running from police, and beautiful poetic vandalism- Exit Through the Gift Shop is a delight to watch each and every time.

5. Toy Story 3-

Directed by Lee Unkrich

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen.

I think I got highly emotional about 3 or 4 times during Toy Story. The movie, at least on paper, is a Disney film marketed towards elementary aged children. In reality, the folks at Pixar once again bring real joy, pain, happiness, anger, gain, and loss to an animated movie. I laughed, I cried, and I was taught the most important things of life.

6. 127 Hours-

Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring: James Franco

One Man, one camera, and 127 hours of human anguish, pain and self-discovery. Portrayed by the marvelous acting of James Franco; 127 Hours tells the true story of Aaron Ralston- an independent adventurer who, after a Canyoneering accident, finds himself physically bound to the desolate environment that he loves. Directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later)- 127 Hours is a showcase of raw acting and storytelling at it’s finest.

7. Black Swan-

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Vincent Cassel

An intense physiological thriller, with a tension driven plot that builds to an intense ending climax that alters reality and leaves you breathless.

8. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World-

Directed by Edgar Wright

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman

Just about as fun and enjoyable as movies come, Michael Cera portrays the role of Scott Pilgrim and director Edgar Wright brings us an amazing hybrid real life/video game world.

9. True Grit-

Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Hailee Steinfeld.

The latest Coen Brothers masterpiece, True Grit is a hard nosed western with stellar acting performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and new comer Hailee Steinfeld.

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1)-

Directed by David Yates

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Ralph Fiennes

I've loved the Harry Potter books for many years- but have never been too satisfied with the movies. Harry Potter 7 changed that.

11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-

Directed by Niels Arden Oplev

Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace

A dark gripping Swedish film based off the Stieg Larson book by the same name.

Best of 2010- Music- Albums

2010-12-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

1. The Age of Adz, Sufjan StevensIndie folk god Sufjan Stevens had a lot of people in a wild tizzy in late August when he released the EP "All Delighted People". Even more so when it was announced that his first full album since "Illinoise" would be released in October. The Age of Adz features a completely new sound; one that is a far departure from the banjo & acoustic guitar that drew in some of his most devoted fans. The new Sufjan has drum beats, synthesizers, buzz's, bleeps, bloops, and other unidentifiable noises... all brilliantly layered into a pièce de résistance of musical genius. Sufjan played Seattle's Paramount Theater in November- the entire experience was mind-blowing, to say the least.

Highlighted Tracks: Too Much, Vesuvius, Impossible Soul, All for Myself, I Walked

2. The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart
The hottest newcomer in 2010- The Head and the Heart went from relatively unknown, to opening shows for groups like Vampire Weekend and Dave Matthews Band; all while establishing themselves with their own unique sound. Contagious melodies, beautiful harmonies, and a steadfast work ethic were just a few of the ingredients of THatH's success in 2010. Watch for this local Seattle band to explode in popularity in 2011. I saw them live for a total of four times this year- such a fun show, it got better and better each time.

Highlighted Tracks: Down in the Valley, Lost in My Mind, Sounds Like Hallelujah, Winter Song

3. The Suburbs, Arcade FireIt's difficult to create a feel of nostalgia out of thin air... but Arcade Fire did just that. Evoking memories that I may have not even had- The Suburbs is a tribute to the cul-de-sacs, sprawling developments, and innocent bliss of growing up. I also had the great opportunity to see them play at the Key Arena this year, they were incredible- don't pass up the chance if you get it!

Highlighted Tracks: Ready to Start, Sprawls II, We Used To Wait, Rococo

4. How I Got Over, The Roots
Entering their third decade of making music, ninth studio album, busy every night with their house-band duties for Jimmy Fallon… no way they could put out a decent album. Wrong. This is the Roots. Masters of their craft, The Roots put together the strongest hip-hop album of the year.

Highlighted Tracks: Walk Alone, Dear God 2.0, How I Got Over

5. Contra, Vampire Weekend
After releasing their self titled debut album in 2008, the bar for Vampire Weekend was raised to near impossible heights. They met it, and just may have cleared it. Contra was released in January of 2010- and was a go-to album all year long. It fits every season- and nearly every mood. Clean cut sounds with lots of heart. Incredible live show- might I add.

Highlighted Tracks: Giving up the Gun, White Sky Holiday, Cousins

6. The Wild Hunt, The Tallest Man on Earth
This was possibly my favorite brand new find of 2010. Kristian Matsson may remind many of Bob Dylan (perhaps too strongly), but his lyrics are deep and music is strong for something all his own.

Highlighted Tracks: The Wild Hunt, You're Going Back, A Lion's Heart

7. Spotlight, Andrew Platter
Andrew Platter is a great musician.. and even a greater friend. Let’s go back to the great musical part though… A-Platz released his newest album “Spotlight” this year, and I’ve been jammin’ it ever since I got it. It’s great tunes for a late Saturday morning accompanied by a big cup of coffee.

Highlighted Tracks: Find it with You, Spotlight, Snowed In, Weight of Glory

8. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
Kanye’s newest album has been hyped up like crazy among the hipster/pitchfork crowd… Although I haven’t hooked onto it with the same infatuation- I can’t deny that “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” has really grown on me over the past month or so. Watch this visually creative music video for a taste...

Highlighted Tracks: Dark Fantasy, Power, All of the Lights, Lost in the World

9. All Day, Girl Talk
~~Pittsburgh's~~ USA’s finest Mash-Up artist is back again. His first album since the incredible “Feed the Animals” – All Day is back with a new sound with all the old glory that Gregg Gillis has brought in the past. A solid hour of hustle- you’ll start dancing and not even realize it.

Highlighted Tracks: All of them

10. The Story, Soma Communities
Just released in time for Christmas- this collaboration album from members of Soma features a tremendous mix of music from some gifted musicians- including Aaron Spiro. I've been listening to this almost non-stop since it came out.

Highlighted Tracks: Angels, The Plow, Abel

11. Brothers, The Black Keys

Highlighted Tracks: Everlasting Light, Tighten Up, Howlin' For You

The raw sexy sound of a distorted guitar is always hard to ignore- and The Black Keys sure does draw your attention. While their most popular hit was "Tighten Up" - Brothers is full of gritty tracks that are begging to be rocked out the air guitar.

12. Tribute to Famous People, Pomplamoose

Highlighted Tracks: Single Ladies, La Vie en Rose, Telephone, September

Adorable little Pomplamoose charmed the socks off me this year, with their stripped down cover songs of some of the most popular hits of today and yesteryear... their videos are also mucho fun to view... bonus points for cutie Nataly Dawn.

13. Business Casual, Chromeo

Highlighted Tracks: Night by Night, Don't Turn the Lights On, I Could be Wrong

"I like when current 80's music sounds better than real 80's music."

- Jamie Spiro

True story Spiro, true story.

14. Sir Lucious Left Foot, The Son of Chico Dusty- Big Boi

Highlighted Tracks: Shutterbugg, Back Up Plan, Turns Me On

The first album from Big Boi since 2006 (with Outkast)- Andre Patton unleashed a hip-hop masterpiece this year. Lots of great collaborations, snarky lyrics, and solid beats. This album definitely contributed to my speakers in my car blowing out this year.

15. Sea of Cowards, The Dead Weather

Highlighted Tracks: Die By the Drop, Blue Blood Blues, Old Mary

Jack White is a musical genius- surround him with Alison Mosshart, Dean Fertita, and Jack Lawrence... that's face-melting status. The Dead Weather turn it up to 11 with their second studio album.

16. Of the Blue the Colour of the Sky, OK Go

Highlighted Tracks: White Knuckles, This Too Shall Pass, Skyscrapers

OK Go, Music videos galore, creativity and fun tunes join in a fantastic marriage. Link Time: Ok Go YouTube

17. Beach House, Teen Dream

Highlighted Tracks: Silver Soul, Zebra, 10 Mile Stereo

Released in January, Teen Dream has been gaining solid recognition throughout the year. Not only is the album good- they put on a pretty enjoyable live show as well.

18. Congratulations, MGMT

Highlighted Tracks: Flash Delirium, It's Working, Brian Eno, Song for Dan Treacy, Someone's Missing

Departing from their electro-dance sound of Oracular Spectacular- MGMT brought back the old sound of mid 60's Psych Rock that has you dancing to a different beat. (Hey-O! Zing!)

19. Volume Two, She & Him

Highlighted Tracks: In The Sun, Home, Brand New Shoes

Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward are back with their indie as f*ck allure. Sweet melodies and fun loving lyrics make Volume Two an excellent album for the perfect spring day.

20. The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III), Janelle Monáe

Highlighted Tracks: Tightrope, Suite II Overture, Oh Maker

ArchAndroid is filled with creative music talent from relative new comer, Janelle Monáe. Lots of soul, lots of power, lots of imagination.

Best of 2010- Television- Shows.

2010-12-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

1. Fringe (Fox):

I’m a Fringevangelist. The entire show is crafted in a way that keeps me totally interested- not only in the development of each episode; but also in the entire season. Season 2 was a masterpiece of television, and its finale was nothing short of perfect. Season 3 is continuing that success each and every week. Humor, suspense, action, and adventure… this show covers it all. If you haven’t started watching Fringe, you should start right now.

2. Dexter (Showtime):

The serial killer vigilante named Dexter Morgan just may be my favorite character on TV. Starting in January I started Season One, and conitued to watch the entire series throughout the year. Great storylines, engaging characters and thrilling cliffhangers make this show a must watch each and every week.

3. Conan (TBS):

Oh dear Coco. You had your downs and ups this year- but you stayed true to yourself, and that’s what counts. I wrote extensively about the Conan/Jay Situation when it was all going down- which you can read here. After being forced off the NBC- Conan returned on TBS as comfortable and funny as ever.

4. Lost (ABC):

The Final Season. Mysteries solved, questions left unanswered, doors closed- and others opened. The 6th and final season of Lost brought an end to one of the most successful TV franchises of all time.

5. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC):

I don’t really know how anyone cannot love Jimmy Fallon. He has totally settled into his late night hosting duties better than anyone could have expected. Although he still has a few things to work out- in under 2 years Fallon has provided unique late night laughs on a daily basis.

6.Mad Men (AMC):

I believe that you could watch each episode of Mad Men three times, and appreciate three different parts of the show. First off- The story. Season 4 of Mad Men brought an interesting twist on the oh so perfect world of Don Draper- I won't go into details- but- the always cool, always collected, always well put together facade of Mr. Draper is put to the test. It was great to see how each character in the show reacted to the same problem- or how their different dilemmas (and successes) affect each other. Secondly: The acting. It's great, all of it. My personal favorite on the show in season 4? Sally Draper (seen right). 11 year old actress, Kiernan Shipka, brought an added depth of emotion and maturity to the show, where most people didn't expect. Finally: How can you not watch Mad Men and appreciate the attention to detail? The set, the dress, everything. It's impossible not to love.

7. Modern Family (ABC):

I think it's fair to compare Modern Family with Arrested Development. I feel like that should be good enough- Watch this show, creative comedy at it's finest.

8. Community (NBC):

A show that has really come to it's own this season- rife with pop-culture jokes, Community always provides laughs- sometimes in the most subtle of ways.

9. 30 Rock (NBC):

LIZZZZZ LEMON! A perennial favorite- for good reason. 30 Rock continued to bring the funny every week.

10. The Buried Life (MTV):

A new comer to the TV World, The Buried Life made a splash by changing lives, taking risks, and having a damn good time. The show follows 4 guys as they slowly check off a list of things “they want to do before they die.” Sneaking into a party at the playboy mansion, giving a toast at a strangers wedding, getting married in Vegas, or even play a pick up game of basketball with President Obama- these guys put their heart and soul into complete their goals. They also take time to assist other folks accomplish something of their list- which usual results in the ol’ heart strings being pulled.

Best of 2010- Music- Songs.

2010-12-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

1. Impossible Soul- Sufjan Stevens

2. Sounds Like Hallelujah- The Head and the Heart

3. All Delighted People- Sufjan Stevens

4. I Could Be Wrong- Chromeo (Featuring Ezra Koenig)

5. Sprawls II- Arcade Fire

6. White Sky- Vampire Weekend

7. Zebra- Beach House

8. Tighten Up- The Black Keys

9. How I Got Over- The Roots

10. It's Working- MGMT

moving out.

2010-11-16T01:10:00.001-08:00

It's crazy.

Fun.

Youth Group ________

2010-10-24T03:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody-

After many months of thought, conversation, and prayer- I have made the very tough decision to step away from the Youth Group. This was not taken lightly- and many factors went into making the choice. I will let you know that it has nothing to do with me being tired of the wonderful kids and experiences I have been blessed with each and every week- but rather I’m feeling called to prepare myself for other ministries to further the Kingdom of our Savior.

It has truly been an honor to be able to have such an incredible job over these past 3 years. I cannot give enough thanks for your continual support of the Youth Group; by bringing your kids each and every week, your prayer, and willingness to help whenever the situation arises.

In November, I’m moving to the Phinney neighborhood of Seattle- where I will most likely attend Bethany Community Church. I may still show up at “The Core” every so often- especially as a consultant for our special “events.” I am greatly encouraged on the current state of the youth group- Ladene, Lauren, Scotty, and Matt are incredible gifted leaders, and I have full trust in God that those gifts will be used according to His plan.

I will truly cherish all the time and work spent working with the young people that came throughout the years. I could go on for days recalling great memories I’ve shared with everyone, lessons I’ve gained, and most importantly seeing God work in these Teen’s lives- as well as my own.

My last day will be Friday, October 29th for the “HarvestWeen” event. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Many thanks and best regards,

________

(80's Bowling Night- June 2008)

an open letter to the parents of the youth group.

2010-10-23T16:36:00.001-07:00

i hate this crap.

When I started...

2010-09-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

my interest in photography, it was with a 3 megapixel sony camera- In retrospect my photos were terrible, I had no grasp at any sort of skills or 'rules.' I'm starting to get an interest in shooting videos- not making movies or anything- just documenting stuff. Replace that Sony camera from 7 years ago with an iphone4- and you get this...

It's humble, but it makes me happy.

Sufjan Stevens!

2010-08-29T00:48:00.001-07:00

Coming October 12th.

_____________________________

If I just went through the "Summer of Hip-Hop" (thanks to Blue Scholars, Lucious Left Foot, Common Market... I'm definitely forecasting a strong Sufjan Autumn.

- A week ago, he released an EP "All Delighted People" - The title track he pulls inspiration from one of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite artists- Paul Simon, Sound of Silence.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/album/all-delighted-people-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;All Delighted People (Original Version) by Sufjan Stevens&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

- On Friday, officially announced his new full album coming in October (The Age of Adz), and released a single (for free!)- titled I Walked.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/album/the-age-of-adz"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;I Walked by Sufjan Stevens&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

- October 12th- Album comes out... Read about it here.

- October 30th- Myself and 3 great friends get to experience a live Sufjan Stevens concert at the Paramount Theater- I'm absolutely ecstatic.

_____________________________

Part of me feels like Sufjan released the "All Delighted People" EP to cater to the Banjo/Acoustic sound mostly everyone (including me) is used to from Sufjan- - before he busts out The Age of Adz- which is going to be radically different, me thinks...

"Acoustic guitars and banjos have been replaced here by drum machines and analog synthesizers. Loops, samples, and digital effects gurgle and hum underneath every verse, chorus, and bridge."

The Adolf Argument

2010-08-22T23:50:00.001-07:00

I say, it's not an internet argument until somebody compares someone to Hitler. Sometimes, I wonder- "Did people compare things to Hitler back in the day, or is this a more recent thing... was it ever valid?" Yes, and Yes.

I found this video the other day- It's called "Don't Be A Sucker" made by the U.S. War Department in 1947. I thought I'd share.

Info here: http://www.archive.org/details/DontBeaS1947

2010-08-18T01:11:00.000-07:00

"You know, it took me about a year to start hating the 9/11 victims families."

- Glenn Beck

just saying.

2010-07-12T23:43:00.001-07:00

"Brian do you blog much any more?"

- Not really.

Maybe I'll write something soon.

Conan O'Brien, an Update.

2010-05-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

I remember thinking that this was a terrible move at first, and I've been a life long Conan fan. After looking at it though, I could see Conan being quite successful on TBS.

The network has over 100 Million subscribers- remember that on average Leno only gets 2-4 million viewers a night- granted the exposure is higher, but in this generation of Hulu and other On Demand services I don't think this statistic holds as much weight as it did even 5 years ago. TBS dominates the key demographic that Conan appeals to on the cable scene. Not to add that unlike NBC, FOX, ABC- TBS only has a handful of shows (in comparison) to advertise for- many of which are syndicated sitcoms. So, I think it's safe to say that Conan's advertising exposure will be much higher- on top of the already large following he has on Twitter, Digg, Facebook, and other internet websites. Will Conan "beat" Leno or Letterman on a nightly basis when it comes to Television only ratings?- It's hard to say (my guess is no, at least not for a few years), but he's also has a ton of young, energetic, momentum in an age where the way we watch television shows is drastically changing, and he seems to be taking prime advantage of it.

Here's a pretty interesting video of him being interviewed at Google this past week:

One of the most interesting points was when O'Brien was talking about advertising for his current Tour. Conan sent out one tweet announcing his Tour, and in a matter of just a few days- the entire 30+ city tour had been completely sold out... I think Conan will be just fine.

Almost Live: lite.

2010-05-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

So Yeah, It's a tumblr. I've been slowly messing around with it for a couple months. Some cool kids I know have them, I've been intrigued & hooked. Hopefully I'll have this streaming here soon- but check it out for more constant posts, with more of a media feel- lots of pictures, videos, songs, and other various things I find around the internet.

click here to visit

Songs I'm Diggin'

2010-04-28T23:41:00.001-07:00

Band of Skulls- Friends

Sufjan Stevens- Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders (Live)

Seriously, how can you not love the intro of this song.

Blue Scholars- The Ave

Jeff Bridges, Man.

2010-04-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

I saw Crazy Heart tonight at The Crest, another great film at my favorite theater. While watching it, I thought to myself, “Does anyone completely own their character better than Jeff Bridges?” He totally deserved the Oscar nod for best actor this year, with his performance in this film.

Crazy Heart is the story about Bad Blake (Bridges), a talented, but aging country singer on the back end of his career. Struggling with the unhealthy lifestyle of alcoholism- Blake begins to turn his life around with a relationship with a young small town journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and opportunities from his former disciple of music, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell). Although, the road to recovery is certainly filled with roadblocks, mistakes, and challenges along the way. Backed by fantastic music (sung by Bridges), Crazy Heart offers a great balance of witty humor and hardnosed struggle- as genuine humanity comes to the screen by the brilliant acting of Jeff Bridges. I give the film a solid B+.

News Quip

2010-04-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

When you purposely choose to receive all your news, history, and commentary from one source or bias; political or otherwise- You voluntarily give up your ability and right to think for yourself, and make reasonable decisions on your own.

I suppose I'm generally talking about political news here- It seems like a lot of people fall into this... on both the Left and the Right side of the spectrum.. hell, I did as well at a point in my life... and really, I still struggle with it a little bit. (we all do, I'd like to think)

Hey! It's analogy time!

I'd like to think that The News is a lot like a picture. I'll try and break it down, but It might not translate well: Lets say we have a picture of a Beach.. and this picture of the Beach will represent the news...

(cred)

Here we have the whole news story (I mean obviously you could make the point that we still don't see the ENTIRE world around it, but for this visual this will do)... We have a clear view of the sky, the sand, and the ocean...

The problem is- this isn't how the news story is reported. One network might focus heavily on The Sky. They'll slant all their stories to really highlight the importance and greatness of the Sky, they will make sure to have commentators and pundits talk up high opinions of the Sky... using pathos is key. All while neglecting the Ocean and the Sand. When you get all your news and opinionated commentary, you no longer see the whole story for what it is, you get a skewed image- perhaps one that looks like this...

Another might focus heavily on the Sand... or Ocean.. You get the point.

What's the solution- Well there's a few... Two that come to mind are, Ignore (political) news all together- or- try your best to get all sides of the story, and use your best judgment based on the information you receive to make a quality decision.

"Is there a concern if people who were conservative, watched a conservative network- or people who were liberal watched a liberal network, that it would just reinforce" their chosen ignorance?

Yes.

* I took this off facebook, mainly cause I didn't intend it to end up there: Plus I had a sense that pandoras box was starting to open, so yeah.

I'll let John Cleese take us out with the topic of "Extremism."

If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

2010-03-31T03:08:00.000-07:00

I generally hate that phrase.

Why?

Because we don't still drive around New 1994 Honda Accord's, use Microwave ovens from 1986, or still sign onto "The Facebook," a humble site with a few features- in which your college had to have a registered account.

I feel like that phrase just encourages complacency. Constantly finding ways to fix something and tweak it to be better than it's previous self usually always brings a better product to the table.

However, there is a recent development in the world of sports where I just want to say "It's not broken, please don't try and fix it." It's been rumored for the past few years, and especially past few months that the NCAA Mens basketball tournament will be expanded to 96 teams, from 64. Today in USA Today, gasoline was added to rumor fire with this story:

Bump to 96 teams in NCAA tournament considered 'probable'

Granted, this wouldn't be the first time the tournament field expanded, but 96 teams is absolutely ridiculous. The current 64 team set up (technically it's 65, with one play in game)... anyways.. The Current 64 team system has been around since 1985, the lowest seed being a 16. There are four 16 Seeds a year, 4 X 25= 100. Out of the 100 teams christened with the glorious 16 Seed- Zer0 of them have managed to get out of the first round... so now we're going to crank it up to the 24th Seed. Why don't we just crank it up to a 32nd seed, and cancel the regular season? Also the near impossible task of picking a perfect bracket.. has pretty much gone out the window, boarded a train, and left the city.

I'd love someone to give me one solid reason that doesn't involve money, on why this is a good idea.

More basketball? Good for you Hoop Dreams, go watch the NIT.

Look forward to this:

HOORAY MEDIOCRITY!!!

NBA Conference Logos

2010-03-29T20:14:00.001-07:00

(Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr. /NBAE via Getty Images)

Don't you think it's about time the NBA re-brands their conference logos? I know that some people want to see the classic Jerry West NBA Silhouette logo changed as well- but purist say that can't be touched... Though, I figure the NBA Logo is the least of purists concerns.

But as for the Conference Logos?
I was watching Sports Center tonight, and they had the Western Conference Logo within a graphic for a story, and it looked so dated and out of place.. These things haven't been touched in almost 20 years-

I think it's obvious that it's time for a re-brand.

(logo's courtesy of sportslogos.net)

2010 MLB Predictions- (Updated.. Again)

2010-03-28T14:32:00.001-07:00

(Version 3.0)

Seattle Manager Don Wakamatsu looks on during Spring Training- Jeff Chiu/AP

(Changes Possible, To Be Finalized on Sunday Night)

American League

EAST:
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays*
Boston Red Sox
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays

CENTRAL:
Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Royals

WEST:
Seattle Mariners
L.A. Angels
Texas Rangers
Oakland Athletics

National League

EAST:
Philadelphia Phillies
Atlanta Braves*
Florida Marlins
New York Mets
Washington Nationals

CENTRAL:
St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates

WEST:
Colorado Rockies
L.A. Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres

Some Breakdown:
AL WEST- Admittedly, a bit of a homer pick- but a good one. I think the Mariners slew of off-season moves adding Figgins, Bradley, and Lee will put them over the top. Although, I'm quite certain that this will be the closest AL West in a few years, with both the Angels and Rangers challenging the M's for the top spot.

AL CENTRAL- So- If you've been following my picks at all over the past few days, you've seen that I've been flip-flopping between the Tigers and Twins. After some research, I've decided to settle on the Twins- Their big achelies heel was the fact that their star closer, Joe Nathan was injured- but I'm confident the Twinkies can push through. They (Twins) are a much different team than in the past, because their payroll has grown substantially from years prior- so they have the ability to go out and buy a decent closer if they need one. Also, the twins have one of the most solid hitting teams in the American League- The middle of their lineup features- Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau,and Michael Cuddyer- in addition to an already decent lineup... seriously check out their roster. I think the addition of the hype of their new ball park, Target Field, will really help the Twins out this season. If they can manage and regulate the back end of their bullpen- I really wouldn't be surprised to see the Twins in the World Series. I have a good feeling that the Detroit Tigers will give the Twins a good run for their money- as they have had a strong spring training- but not enough to take the division.

AL EAST- The Bronx Bombers will put almost a carbon copy of last years World Champion team back on the field in 2010, I don't see why they can't win the East again. I don't see the Red Sox doing much this season, even though they have a solid front 3 pitching rotation. Their bats and legs are generally old and won't be able to keep up with the competitive force from the Rays and Yankees.

AL Wild Card- Tampa Bay Rays. Many people think that the Ray's were a flash in the pan in 2008, when everything seemed to click for them the whole season. The fact is, the Rays have the best young talented team in the league, and they've only gotten more experienced. Upton, Crawford, and Longoria will deliver big success to the Rays this season.

- - - -

NL WEST- I've got the Rockies winning here, they return with a well tuned machine. Dodgers may give a push, but I feel like they've lost some good men this season.

NL CENTRAL- When I made this list, I wrote "Cardinals, then everybody else." I don't think there will be much challenge for Pujols and his crew.

NL EAST- Just like the Yankees, the Phillies have a very similar team (Halladay in, Lee Out) to last years pennant winners. I'd watch out for the Braves, as well as the Marlins, because you never can tell what young talent will blossom during the season. I still have the Phillies safely winning this division.

NL Wild Card- Taking the Braves- I'll do a breakdown later...

Okay!
Playoffs!

Division Series

AL:

Minnesota Twins vs. NY Yankees- Twins in 4.
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Seattle Mariners- Rays in 5. (Sorry, Seattle :/)

NL:

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies- Phillies in 3.
LA Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals- Cardinals in 5.

Championship Series

AL: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins- Twins in 6.

NL: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Phillies- Cardinals in 7

World Series

vs.

Winner:

Minnesota Twins
(7 Games)

I straight up changed my mind on this over past few days. Maybe, I have Twins fever... I dono, I've always had a soft spot for the Twins- and I love 'em. How does Minniapolis sound in early November for the World Series? Terrible conditions for ball travel- which might actually work in the Twins favor. They have a ton of great bats, as well as young legs- perfect for getting RBI's via base hits. I beleive that if they are facing any troubles in the backend of the bull-pen, that they will take care of that issue during the season. The Cardinals have an almost equally strong team, but I just have a feeling that the Twins will get Red Hot in October.

Twins: World Series Champions?
Yes, Please.

Should be a fun year!

special thanks to sportslogos.net.

Music Recommendation: She & Him- Vol. 2

2010-03-28T01:54:00.001-07:00

This past week Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward released the follow up to their critically acclaimed album, Volume One (2008). Once again Zooey's sweet voice and delightful lyrics, accompanied by M. Ward- click together perfectly throughout the album. Pick up Volume 2 for some good classic sounds.

Buy it here: Amazon

.....

2010-02-26T18:18:00.001-08:00

I'm surprised Mark Driscoll found time to talk about Avatar... Takes some skill to squeeze that in between bragging about MH attendance numbers and begging for money.

Or James Cameron stole his parking spot back in 1994, and he's held a grudge this whole time.

could I have a better attitude?
probably.

If you liked Up...

2010-02-13T02:56:00.000-08:00

Then you'll LOVE Inglourious Basterds...
I've really been enjoying our families recent endeavor into a net-flix subscription.. as of now our queue is full of about 70 films ranging from American Comedies, Classics, Indie Films, TV Shows, tons of foreign films, as well as some recent flicks that I've been anxious to see. Anyways, if you ever want to come over and watch a movie- let me know!

A Small List

2010-02-07T01:45:00.000-08:00

A list of things bothering me.

1. World Hunger & Poverty.
2. Global Injustice.
3. Hate.
.................

37 . ~~My laptop "bricked" and~~ ~~I can't find my iPod~~.
(Laptop fixed & iPod found! Hooray!)

38. NECCO totally re-did the flavors of their "Sweethearts." At one time they were one of my favorite seasonal treats, now they taste terrible.

the worst!

Another thing:

I think the fact that the Mariners held onto Erik Bedard is a very smart thing. Remember that in October when the M's are in the Playoffs.

Also: big change for me just might be happening.

Album Review: Vampire Weekend- Contra

2010-01-28T01:43:00.000-08:00

I really had to give this album some time to simmer in order to fully give it a fair review. I'll be honest, the first few times I listened to Contra, I was very unsatisfied. I had the feeling of "This has one or two okay songs, but it seems like a 'B-Sides & Rarities' disc"- like the deleted scenes on a DVD- they're deleted for a reason. After listening through the entire roster of songs on their website- I stopped, and waited. I assessed my feelings on why I felt so underwhelmed by the new album- and I found the reason. I subconsciously wanted another "Vampire Weekend" Album- not the band- but their very incredible eponymous album that came out in early 2008. It's near impossible to not have "A+" expectations for an album when the previous was nothing short of musical perfection.

So I waited... Longer than I wanted to- I've decided to start buying real CD's- I like having the case/notes. So I picked it up on Amazon, and it took forever to arrive. It got here last Friday, and I've been listening to Contra pretty much non-stop since.

I'll start with Contra's weaknesses first- Contra is like a good movie, starts out pretty solid, it holds a captive audience throughout the whole entire film- and then the final scene is just total crap (I'm talking to you, Camp Cucamonga) . In Contra's case- It's the final track: "I Think Ur a Contra." I'll admit total guilt in comparing it to the V.W.'s debut album- but the final track on V.W. (album) "The Kid's Don't Stand a Chance" made me fall in love with Ezra Koenig and V.W. when they performed it live on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."* It's the incredibly weak ending of "Contra" that hurts this album the most... Perhaps the final piece will grow on me- but right now I really don't see that happening.

Lets move onto to the rest of the Album-

1. Horchata - Who doesn't love a song named after a beverage?

2. White Sky- It's good. Not really much to complain, but also not a ton of praise either...

3. Holiday- This is the "A-Punk" of Contra.

4. California English- Who called T-Pain? Auto-Tune? Really?.... wait.. it totally rocks. This song really gets better as it goes.

5. Taxi Cab- I'm a fan. It's a nice relaxing break in the middle of the album, featuring some nice arpeggios that we came to know and love on V.W. (album). Also Ezra is singing in a lower register - It's not bad, just different from the norm.

6. Run- This was my initial favorite on the album, and it's still pleasing to listen to. The song starts out with a really sweet Pitch Bend up on the electric guitar... The drums really help this song. Also great use of keys and synths and other instrumentals on this track.

7. Cousins- Just straight up fun Vampire Weekend shenanigans going on here. The rhythmic lyrics really compliment the arrangement of the instruments quite well- add a break down for some bells.. Awesome. On top of that- the song has a sweet music video.

8. Giving Up the Gun- Great track, the chorus gets a bit repetitive- but I have little complaints. There are some good low bass frequencies in this track that makes it much more enjoyable to listen to on a system with a good woofer... just saying.

9. Diplomat's Son- Nice steady beat, features an... interesting vocal loop (samples from MIA's "Hussel") in the beginning, and sporadically throughout the song. Also nice layered vocals tracks... Nice tempo changes and lyrics keeps it interesting enough to listen to all 6 minutes of it.

10. I Think Ur a Contra- Already noted above, I really don't like this track. Specific reason: It's so damn boring. I feel like Ezra is moaning some made up lyrics on the spot- while the music drags it's feet behind him. There really isn't anything redeeming about this song, other than the fact that it ends.

In conclusion:

I think the main difference between Vampire Weekend (album) and Contra is that- V.W.(album) is instantly enjoyable, while it took about 2 1/2 weeks for me to really start appreciating Contra. I can definitely see it growing on me, I'm already skipping around less and less, and taking in each song in one at a time. To get to the point- Contra lacks any "Amazing" songs, provides a solid selection of "Good" songs, and unfortunately has one terrible track that snuck it's way onto the album.

Grade: B+. (Grade subject to be changed... I'm the dictator of this here blog.)

Hey, I wouldn't of minded a B- in high school; but Vampire Weekend is an AP honors student- I have higher expectations for them. I could see this eventually growing to a "B+"... but not any higher than that.

B+ now, It's growing on me.

*They also rocked "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" with Chromeo live at an awards show: video here.

The Disregard of Conan O'Brien

2010-01-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

I’m not going to lie- I love Conan. I generally find Leno to care less about fine tuning his craft of comedy, and rather relying on using the stupidity of others (bits like Jay-Walking), to provide cheap, easy laughs. Conan is willing to go out and risk to try something new- even if it occasionally means a failed bit. I’m pretty sure Leno (and his writers) have used the same handful of Joke templates to create his monologue for the past 10 years. I could probably write on and on about how much I like Conan over Leno- but that’s called an opinion, and every persons opinion is different.

Conan and Jay appeal to two very different audiences. Conan generally has the “Internet Generation” as well as the east coast on his side- While Leno generally has the Baby Boomers and middle America. Two entirely different people, with two entirely different comedic styles- appealing to two very different audiences.

The reason why Conan is getting screwed, is not because he’s funnier than Leno, or has a more lucrative ratings market- It’s because Conan O’Brien was set up to fail on The Tonight Show from the start.

Let's look at 3 key differences between Leno's tenure, and Conan's tenure on the Tonight Show:

• Carson to Leno: Five years leading up to the transition, Leno was a “permanent” guest host on Carson's show. Hosting nearly every Monday from 1987-1992. Giving the Carson crowd time to get know to Jay Leno. Even though it might of not been NBC's "Five Year Plan" at the time, the Tonight Show Audience was prepared for what Leno was bringing to the show.

• Leno to Conan: In 2004 as an effort to keep the Conan at NBC, they promise O'Brien the Tonight Show chair in 2009 (five years), Leno agrees. In that time there was almost no introduction to the “Tonight Show” audience to Conan.

Next:

• Leno, even though he was a weekly fixture for five years on the legendary Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson- he still trailed CBS’ David Letterman(who was starting a new franchise, on a new network, on a new time-slot) for about 3 years in the television ratings. I'll even say- who knows how long it would have taken Leno to get decent ratings if Hugh Grant didn't have a prostitution incident and/or OJ Simpson didn't happen.

• Conan, after spending time building his fan-base on his “Late Night” show - had to change some of his comedic styling to fit the 11:35 time slot- he was allowed seven months, before NBC decided he was a “failure" and gave up on him.

Next:

• During Leno’s successful run as “Tonight Show” host NBC was the strongest network on TV- Supporting him with shows such as: Seinfeld, Cheers, Friends, ER, Frasier, Will & Grace.. and into the 00’s with shows such as “The West Wing.”

• During Conan’s seven month stint as “Tonight Show” host- he was hardly backed by the network at all- A network that had been the last place in ratings for a few years now, gave Conan absolutely no lead-in support. Also, they hardly put any effort into promoting O’Brien at all… they’ve used the exact same promo bit commercial for nearly his whole tenure... which tells me NBC didn't really care about O'Brien in the first place. Those feelings were solidified further when the network decided to give Jay Leno his own prime-time show that was almost identical to his former Tonight Show one.

There are a few “bad-guys” here- but the lack of support that NBC gave Conan is the ultimate issue. In a culture that demands instant gratification, NBC was not patient enough to let people get to know Conan's style and quirks- thus creating a new fan-base to join the already strong one he had from his Late Night show. Who knows what will happen- but if Conan moves to FOX or another network, and is successful, we could possibly see the end of “The Tonight Show” dynasty.

FIVE Restaurant / Bistro

2010-01-14T00:56:00.001-08:00

Hey All- I have no real validity doing a food/restaurant review, But I enjoy good food, and cool places: So this is more of a positive experience story.

There is a brand-spanking new restaurant/bistro in Edmonds called "FIVE," I checked it out yesterday with my bud Andrew Platter- It was only their second day in full operation. We went right around 1:00pm and there were a fair amount of customers there- and it seemed like they just got done with the Lunch hour rush. As soon as you walked in, there was a great vibe and atmosphere there: Nice wood furniture (lighter chairs/darker tables), very cool vintage-esque chandeliers providing extra fill light from the large bay windows in front, it's nice and open- very welcoming. Also they had good music playing.. nothing I knew, but it didn't distract; it was a pleasant filler for background noise.

After we soaked in the initial entrance we ordered our food- their menu was nice and easy to read. They had salads, sandwiches, pizzas, some other items, as well as a nice drink menu. I ordered a Margherita Pizza for about $10, and Andrew got a Turkey Avocado Sandwich, that was around $7. We took our seats, and within about 5 or so minutes they brought out Andrews sandwich on a nice little wood cutting board- We both loved the presentation- it was very simple, and straight from the source. (I don't know if they used that cutting board to prepare the sandwich, but I'd like to think so.) About 5 minutes later, my Margherita Pizza came out (also on a nice wood cutting board). It was "personal" sized.. I'd say I would have to be moderately hungry to eat the whole thing. (then again, I generally have a small appetite, so it might just be me.)

The Food- was superb. The Pizza had a nice thin crust (personal fave) and every flavor was distinct, lively, and tasteful. All the ingredients were great. My only critique was that I wish that the crust had a bit more seasoning or flavoring on it- but maybe it was because after eating such a flavorful slice of pizza, the crust seemed bland in comparison. Andrew ordered the Turkey Avocado Sandwich, which, was also super appetizing. All the elements of the 'wich were so fresh tasting- the last bite was a good as the first.

Platter and I stuck around and talked for a long while after we finished our meal, and the staff was very accommodating- clearing our table, bringing us water (delivered in some very clean, clear, cool, label-less wine bottles), and just checking on us periodically. When we were there we saw a few Edmonds locals come in and greet their fellow neighbors- like FIVE bistro had been there for years, and this is just where people went to grab a bite to eat, and catch up with their friends in a great environment. Andrew noticed that they brew Stumptown coffee- which is foreign to me, but he tells me that it's super nice, and he ordered a cup. We finished our conversation and left. On our way out we were given friendly farewells by the staff.

All in all, it was a great experience.

FIVE Restaurant / Bistro is located on 650 Edmonds Way.
Hours: Breakfast: 7:30am-11am, Lunch: 11am-4:30pm, Dinner: 4:30pm-10pm.

Website is right... Here! Facebook page is right... Here!

I encourage you to check it out for yourselves- First impressions are everything, and I had a very positive one.

A statement from the funniest man in late night...

2010-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

A statement released by Conan O'Brien today:

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ – Conan O’Brien released the following statement.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

___________

As for me....

My Take: As classy as the letter above is- I think I disagree with Conan's decision to leave NBC. For really one reason- What other choice does he have? Fox? Meh.

ABC already said they're sticking with Jimmy Kimmel, which really leaves Conan to cable... and.. who knows how that could go. I'm guessing that Leno has about maybe 5 years left in the tank, when he's done- who's going to replace him? Jimmy (who I love)? I don't think he's ready.. and will be ready.

This is messy now, and it'll be messy when selfish Jay finally decides to throw in the towel... like for real.

Vampire Weekend- Contra

2010-01-11T02:58:00.000-08:00

If you live in the UK, Vampire Weekend's new album "Contra" comes out today- If you live in the U.S. of A- It comes out Tuesday. Regardless of where you live, listen to the whole thing right now on their website- Here!

Album Review to come by ~~weeks end~~ as soon as I can, Amazon hasn't arrived yet...

Check out: Best Music of 2008

Things I've been enjoying....

2010-01-04T21:29:00.000-08:00

Shows:

Mad Men (AMC)
Starring: Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elizabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser

I just started watching the first season of Mad Men, and it's so great. How can you not love the set/costume design, it seems so authentic, almost as if it were filmed in the 1960's. The shows aesthetics are pretty much topped by the excellent writing, and great acting. It's no wonder why it's been lighting up the awards circuit since it's been on the air... I should be caught up before Season 4 starts up again this year.

Dexter (Showtime)

Starring: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter

So you think there is only one option when it comes to shows in Miami about Crime Scene Forensics? Wrong-o! Again, like Mad Men, not necessarily a new show- but new to me. Dexter, is about about a blood splatter expert in the Miami Metro police department... the twist.. Dexter is a murderer himself. - That's not really a spoiler, cause, it's addressed in the first episode, but I thought I'd cover it up anyways. Such a great show- I was talking to my pal Chris, and we both agreed that the episodes are so dense with plot, and information- that even though I've seen only 5 episodes- It feels like I've watch a full season.

Movies:

Man on Wire (2008)

I've wanted to see this movie for over a year now, luckily I finally got the opportunity last week and I took it. Man on Wire is a documentary about Philippe Petite's heart stopping tight wire walk between the very tops of the Twin Trade Center buildings. I was blown away at the enormity and ambition of the task- all on top of the 100% chance of death. There is something charming about Mr. Petite that makes this movie more enjoyable than just a story about an awesome feat of human skill and guts.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

Again, another documentary that took me way too long to get around to seeing. The story, revolves around Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, and title of Donkey Kong supremacy. While the plot of this real life tale doesn't sound to thrilling- It has all the ingredients of a classic Hollywood tale. The regular guy underdog (Wiebe), The stuck up, "Legend" of his craft (Mitchell), and of course, Donkey Kong.

Music:

The Very Best- Warm Heart of Africa (2009)

I'll be totally honest, I feel bad that I left this off my BO09 list.. Cause, I totally knew about it, yet, somehow left it off the list. Warm Heart of Africa has such a cool sound to it... Electronic, African, Dance. It's such a beautifully confusing blend of music styles you can't help but love it. The albums title track, features Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, which is pretty awesome- they also do a song with M.I.A. on the album. Not on the album, but on the interwebs, they do a cover of Vampire Weekends "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" (titled Tengazako).. which are both found here. (Thanks, Myspace!)

Also, I've just started Harry Potter 7 on Audio Book while working my temp job.. and it is SO GREAT. I'm about 5 1/2 hours in, with about 15 hours left to go.... I really enjoy it, but also a bit bummed to know that this is the last chapter of a great story. Still a lot left to go though!

2010 Goals

2010-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Just a selection from my own list:

2010 Goals:

• Eat less junk food. (Less being the operative word)
• Exercise more… Bike more often, participate in team sports.
• Reconnect with old friends.
• Get to know new friends.
• Read the majority of the Bible.
• Love more, judge less.
• Write essay on “Compassion>Conservatism.”
• Get a job.
• Get a B+ average in school.
• Spend less time on the computer/TV.
• Spend more time building relationships with people.
• Volunteer time at a shelter/food bank.
• Let the little things slide.
• Learn new instrument- top of the list: Banjo.
* Get a Banjo? (Anyone have one laying around?)
• Write more often on Almost Live.
• Sleep on a more structured schedule.
• Take at least 5,000 photos.
• Watch more foreign films and documentaries.
• Discover a new hobby.
• Go on a road trip.
• Read books.

• Keep my room more clean.

• Exceed these expectations.

Best of 2009- The Cinema

2009-12-31T01:42:00.000-08:00

1. Inglourious Basterds- Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, and Mélanie Laurent.

In the finale to my "Best of 2009" lists, Inglourious Basterds tops the chart as my favorite movie of the year. I loved everything this film had to offer- which, was a lot. The story follows multiple plot-lines throughout Nazi occupied France during World War II. The Inglourious Basterds are a small yet strong group of Jewish-American soldiers who have one goal, and one goal only: collect as many Nazi scalps as possible. The Basterds, led by 1st Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt) reign terror on Nazi's, becoming legendary and putting fear into the Nazi soldiers. My favorite character in the movie- The Primary antagonist, Colonel Hans Landa. Portrayed by Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, "The Jew Hunter" is in the Secret Service of the Nazi Party- Incredibly charming and pure evil- What's not to love about that? I greatly enjoyed the Story and Direction of Inglourious Basterds- It's extremely interesting to watch, great character roles/development, witty/intelligent screen writing, with a hilarious overtone across the board. Inglourious Basterds has so many positive variables going for it, that it will be appreciated for many years to come.

Buy Inglourious Basterds here.

2. Avatar- Directed by James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver & Stephen Lang.

I’ll be totally honest, I delayed my list of “Best Movies of 2009” nearly a week, because I hadn’t seen Avatar yet. So you know- It totally lived up to, and surpassed my expectations. I made sure to see Avatar in 3D IMAX, because I knew the amount of technology and time that went into making this movie, only the biggest and best stage would truly portray this movie in it’s truest form. Avatar is the most impressive visual film I have ever seen. Over 15 years and hundreds of millions of dollars went into making this film, and you really appreciate the fact that they spent the money, and were patient enough for the technology to catch up to James Cameron’s vision. The story, almost literally takes us to the planet of Pandora, in the year 2154- Humans from earth are mining a precious mineral, while giving no regard to the Na’vi, the indigenous people of Pandora. The nearly 3 hour long epic follows Jake Sulley, who through an Avatar, becomes a human-Na’vi hybrid and begins to live among the indigenous people of Pandora. I can’t stress this- Go see this movie in theaters, preferably IMAX 3D, it was one of the most unique movie experiences I’ve ever had in my life.

Buy tickets for Avatar here.

3. Star Trek- Directed by J.J. Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine & Zachary Quinto

When I heard that J.J. Abrams was going to be working on a Star Trek film, I was immediately interested: Why? Because there was going to be a new Star Trek movie? No. It was because JJ Abrams had something to do with it. Everything he does is awesome- Star Trek was no exception. I don’t really feel a need to explain the plot and characters- Kirk, Spock, USS Enterprise, Romulans- Abrams tells the story in a way that pleased Trekkies, while also successfully entertaining casual fans (like myself). Released on May 8th, this is the 11th film in the Star Trek cannon- Grossing over $382 million dollars, Star Trek also received critical acclaim across the board. I profoundly remember walking out of the theater after watching Star Trek and thinking to myself “that totally exceeded my expectations in ways I didn’t even imagine.”

Buy Star Trek here.

Honorable Mentions:

(500) Days of Summer- Directed by Marc Webb

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Zooey Deschanel

The chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer is so damn cute, that it almost makes you want to put on your indie pants and dance to Vampire Weekend, Spoon, or some other hip band like that. I loved this movie- A “Romantic Comedy” tells the story of a failed romance through nonlinear narrative- memories of one Tom Hansen and Summer Finn in a roller-coaster relationship spanning 500 days. This film had so many great emotions portrayed in it- hilarity, sorrow, the euphoria of “falling in love” and the wilt of a break-up. It also featured my favorite scene in any movie this year…

Buy (500) Days of Summer here.

Up- Directed by Pete Docter & Bob Peterson

Starring: Ed Asner, Jordon Nagai, and Christopher Plummer

Up is a Pixar movie. It’s funny how that’s all you need to say and people know it’s going to be good. There are a multitude of great variables that go into Up success it’s hard to choose which ones to highlight. The story, focuses on a elderly widowed man named Carl Fredricksen, and a zealous young scout named Russell, who take a wild adventure together to South America- transportation via balloons carrying Carl’s home. The journey of the two provides humor, suspense, adventure, and appreciation. Visually, Pixar delivers again on it’s perfect execution of computer animation- every wrinkle, grain of sand, and hair is accounted for- making you appreciate the attention to detail in each scene. Up is a great movie for all ages- Kids will love it, adults, well- you’ll probably tear up.

Buy Up here.

Moon- Directed by Duncan Jones

Starring: Sam Rockwell

Moon is a science fiction thriller about isolation, dementia, and technology. The plot surrounds Sam Bell, an employee for a company that extracts “helium-3” from the Moon’s soil, for clean energy on earth. He has a 3 year contract on the Lunar station, and his only companion is “GERTY” a robotic assistant voiced by Kevin Spacey. Bell begins to hallucinate with only 2 weeks left on his contract before he can return home to his family... and that's where the story really begins. A real psychological thriller, I highly recommend it.

Pre-Order Moon here.

Dear District 9, Sorry I left you off my list- you were pretty good as well.

Best of 2009- Music- Albums.

2009-12-24T02:08:00.000-08:00

1. Aaron Spiro- Elephant Song
Highlighted Tracks: Beautiful Morning, Lay Me Down, Buffalo Hunter, Lights Go Out, Apostles Creed, The Lords Prayer, Oh My Soul
I'm going to try and do this album justice with my review, but I have a feeling that it won't reach the 100% that Elephant Song deserves. This album, is the most beautiful, strongest, honest, genuine tribute to our Creator I've ever heard. The music, I can't even describe- It's perfect. Elephant Song opens up with one of the greatest songs I've ever heard- "Beautiful Morning"- I tried to describe it when I gave it the "Best Song of the Year" title, but I couldn't- you really just have to listen to it. The same really goes for the whole album. I suppose I'll just go through some of the highlighted tracks pointing out things that I like about them.

Beautiful Morning- Just listen to it.

Lay Me Down- Great guitar open, love the distorted pulse noise, drums come in- in perfect sync with the music. The lyrics are so honest; I find the problem with almost all christian music, is that it's so superficial and cheesy, it makes me want to rip my ears out. Spiro accounts struggle, pain, and suffering- even questioning: "has God forgotten, just how much it hurts?" - ultimately finding the comfort in God the father.

Buffalo Hunter- I more want to cover the musical aspect in this one rather than the lyrics. (Not taking anything away from the lyrical content.) This song has so many great layers; Vocals, drums, keys, winds, synths- All flow so well together. Love the multi track vocal work as well.

Lights Go Out- This song, is just incredible. Musically, the guitar is superb, the drums keep it moving, and the foundation is this eerily distorted piano, which fits perfectly with the song. Later on there is a theremin, guitar, and some percussion... which all builds up to a powerful chorus that will knock your socks off.

Apostles Creed- I just like the minor key vibe of this song. Lyrically- Who knew that putting the apostles creed could be put into something so enjoyable to listen to? I didn't. Now I know it's possible.

That's all I do for now. I was totally blown away by Elephant Song- Aaron Spiro is one of my favorite musical artists of all-time- And this album again solidifies those feelings. I continue to find new and interesting things in each song every time I listen to them. It is the perfect mix of acoustic/electronic sound I've heard in a long while- all while being accompanied by hauntingly beautiful lyrics.

I could not recommend this album any higher. Hands down, the best album of the year. Get it for yourself and get it for your friends.

Buy Elephant Song here.

2. Muse- The Resistance
Highlighted Tracks: Uprising, United States of Eurasia, I Belong to You, Exogenesis: Symphony

Dear Muse, my favorite band- Thank you for putting out such a radical album this year. The Resistance is the fifth studio album from the English rockers, and once again they deliver a power punch of complete rock awesomeness. The long awaited album was released on September 14th, to positive reviews, and impressive sales numbers around the globe. I've come to realize that everyone of Muse's albums sounds unique from each other- while all delivering an incredible music experience- The Resistance is no exception. Each track is individually great, and it all culminates to the final track "Exogenesis: Symphony." I was privileged enough to see Muse in concert (front row!) last week, and my brain is still recovering from the perfection of their craft.

Buy The Resistance here.

3. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
Highlighted Tracks: My Girls, In The Flowers, Summertime Clothes, Brother Sport.

Six days into the year 2009, Animal Collective released their eighth studio album titled "Merriweather Post Pavilion." Released to critical acclaim, even in January many critics were calling it one of the albums of the year. I was sent a link to listen to Merriweather Post Pavilion earlier in the year by a friend, and it slowly grew to be one of my favorites- It's often a top choice of mine when I put on some music. Merriweather Post Pavilion has a great, unique, fun sound. Also, how can you not love an album that has an optical illusion for its cover?

Buy Merriweather Post Pavilion here.

4. Honorable Mentions:

Phoenix-
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Highlighted Tracks: 1901, Lisztomania.

This Grammy nominated album from the four french-men (not Arizonians) creates a nice blend of rock and electronic sound. They also sound great live too and their guitarist, Laurent Brancowitz, uses a Jim Dunlop .73mm guitar pick, I'd know- he gave it to me.

Buy Wolfgang Amadeus Phonenix here.

Bon Iver-
Blood Bank EP
Highlighted Tracks: All of them

So technically, this isn't really an album- but this extended play of 4 songs deserves a spot on the list. This is Bon Iver's follow up to the amazing album "For Emma, Forever Ago," which is also highly recommended. Justin Vernon delivers again with beautifully haunting music, that stirs the soul.

Buy Blood Bank here.

The Lonely Island-
Incredibad
Highlighted Tracks: I'm on a Boat, Boombox (ft. Julian Casablancas), We Like Sportz

This is the first album released from The Lonely Island- a trio consisting of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone. The 3 buddies released the comedy album on February 10th. Some of the songs were featured in Saturday Night Live "Digital Shorts" which always provide laughter, and push the envelope for the sake of comedy. It's hilarious and delivers musically as well.

Buy Incredibad here.

Brother Ali-
Us
Highlighted Tracks: Fresh Air, House Keys, Tight Rope, Breakin' Dawn, Round Here, Us

As I've previously noted, Brother Ali is not your stereotypical hip-hip art-ist. Us is great. It's cool, it's mellow, it's fresh, it's happening. Released on September 22nd, this 4th studio album from Brother Ali is jam packed full of good songs and good rhymes.

Buy Us here.

Best of 2009- Random- Special!

2009-12-19T02:17:00.000-08:00

This is just a random grab bag- enjoy.

Sports- Seattle Sounders FC

Oh man, the Sounders were some sweet nectar, especially from the fail that was Seattle sports last year. In their inaugural season, Sounders FC went on to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, reach the MLS Cup Playoffs, and sold out home games all season long- putting soccer in Seattle on the world map.

Guilty Pleasure Song- Katy Perry, Hot n' Cold

My brain is saying, "Brian, this song is ridiculous," but my heart is dancing for joy. Lets just make the obvious statement here, Katy Perry is like the hot (but way more obnoxious) version of Zooey Deschanel. That doesn't really have anything to do with the song, but I've always wanted to say it on a public forum- I should note that I would take Deschanel over Perry any day. Usually I'd be in complete denial of liking a song like this, but I'm here, laying it out there- This song rocks. (PS, I know it was technically released in 2008, but I make the rules here.)

Best Music of 2008 Revisited- She & Him

Oh Zooey, I'm sorry to have implied any relation to Katy Perry above, because there is really no comparison. I caught the late train on She & Him's debut album "Volume One" which was released in March of 2008. Oh well, It's an awesome album with a great folksy, bluesy, indie sound. M. Ward (Him) provides his cool self, but Zooey Deschanel (She) drives this album with her beautifully cute voice. Volume 2 is due out in March, 2010 (Hooray!)

Guy Who I Hated- Glenn Beck
Masks himself as "conservative," while spreading irrational fear through propaganda, conspiracy theories, lies, and crying like a baby. That's all.

Favorite Thing to Pass the Time- Harry Potter Audio Books

My friend Beau was gracious enough to give me his ipod after I found myself with 2 broken units. Luckily for me, there was some good music on the ipod, as well as Harry Potter Audio Books. I rediscovered the magic of Hogwarts all over again- So far I've listened to book 6, and 3. Its fantastic, Jim Dale, the reader, generally does a fantastic job. I'm probably going to go buy book 7 to listen to soon.

Best of 2009- Television- New Shows.

2009-12-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

Comedy: Community
NBC adds a second comedy that is worth watching to their Thursday Night line up. Community centers around a group of students at a Community College. Starring Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. With a strong support from Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, and Ken Jeong. This show has really grown into something of it's own, and is getting more hilarious as it goes.

Comedy: Modern Family
I'll be honest, I've only seen like 5 episodes of Modern Family- But it is so funny. It's definitely got an Arrested Development feel to it (though, not as funny)- The show follows the lives of 3 families that are related- but all very different. Modern Family airs Wednesdays on ABC.

Biggest Disappointment: Flash Forward
Bleh, The first 3 episodes were gripping... the rest has been a slow painful walk; giving us bread crumbs to eat on the marathon walk of mediocrity.

Best of 2009- Movies- Scene

2009-12-16T02:54:00.000-08:00

My favorite movie scene from 2009:

(500) Days of Summer- Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Best of 2009- Photos

2009-12-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

These are a few of my favorite shots I've taken over the past year. Enjoy.

Best of 2009- Television.

2009-12-11T00:55:00.000-08:00

1. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon- NBC, Weeknights 12:35am

Most people think that Jimmy Fallon does not have the best monologue, or that Jimmy Fallon is not the best interviewer- so why does Fallon have the best show of 2009. The answer is simple, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is the funnest show on TV. On March 2nd Late Night kicked off it's premiere episode- with shaky results. But even then, I saw potential. Besides my stint on staff at LBC, I'm pretty sure I've seen every episode of Late Night so far- and it has been incredible to watch the progress in just this short time. There are so many things to like about the show- first off- Jimmy loves his guests, he seems more excited than anyone else to be able to interview them, he also seems to really appreciate the audience members who come to the show. Secondly- The House band, The legendary Roots crew; The Roots are simply amazing- easily the best house band on TV. Third: Higgbones- Steve Higgins, is the shows announcer- Higgins is also a writer for the show, as well a writer for SNL, and is absolutely hilarious. Fourthly- Jimmy's spot on impressions (one example seen above), Fallon is a really talented entertainer and performer. One other thing that I find very captivating about the show, is how much fun they have with the randomosity of the bits- Dance Your Hat and Gloves Off, Slow Jam The News, Wheel of Carpet Samples, Hot Dog in a Hole, Rush Limbaugh Karaoke, Robert is Bothered, Beer Pong, Real Housewives of Late Night, The Rejoining of the Saved by the Bell Cast, Friday Thank You Cards, and of course.. Lick It For 10! So many great and fun things- when you watch the show, you can really tell the studio audience is having a great time. LNJF has so much incredible potential, I'm glad that I can be along for the ride. Check out Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, weeknights 12:35am on NBC. Also check out the LNJF blog.

2. Fringe- FOX, 9:00pm Thursdays

Oh boy do I love Fringe. This show has really grown to be one of the best series on TV. Fringe is a science fiction show that tells the tale of a part of the FBI called the "Fringe Division" which uses fringe science to investigate and solve a pattern of unexplained, extremely bizarre crimes all over the world. I love the mystery and craziness of this show- It's a sci-fi, and they aren't afraid of going out on the limb. The cast lead by Anna Torv, Josh Jackson, and John Noble create a dynamic, gripping- and hilarious mood which really carries the show. It also doesn't hurt that one of the shows creators is JJ Abrams (Alias, LOST, and the recent Star Trek film). Fringe has a ton of hidden story lines and mysteries that really make it worth watching each and every week. Check out Fringe on Thursdays at 9:00. Also check out Season 1. (is it me- or was that terribly written?- I think it was.)

3. LOST- ABC, The 5th Season

My favorite numbers are: 4 8 15 16 23 42. The 5th season of LOST once again delivered in the continuing saga of a group of plane crash survivors on a very peculiar island. A constant battle of answering questions while creating new, even bigger mysteries; it leaves you hanging and excited for each new episode. Once again, I'm not going to highlight any details on the season for those who have not seen it yet. If you're not caught up on LOST, the 5th season is now available. The highly anticipated 6th and final season of the series starts on February 2nd, 2010.

4. 30 Rock- NBC, 9:30pm Thursdays

30 Rock is simply the best comedy on TV today. Great writing- check, hilarious cast- check. As well as a solid story line, outstanding acting, and an all around good time; this critically acclaimed comedy is a weekly must see- even if it's a repeat. "Critically Acclaimed" is a phrase tossed around like a beach ball these days- but 30 Rock lives up to the claim- Including three Emmy Awards- for all three seasons it has been on the air. This past year we saw the end of season 3 and the beginning of season 4- and they have yet to disappoint. I usually try to watch each episode two times, just so I can catch all the great things 30 Rock has to offer. I'm just curious how the Corporate mix-up will end up with GE, NBC, Comcast and the Sheinhardt Wig Company. Catch 30 Rock, Thursday nights at 9:30 on NBC.
(PS: The Office is lame)

5. SportsNation- ESPN 2, 1pm Weekdays.

So ESPN get's a lot of bad rap for... well, being ESPN. And I usually have to agree with the criticism (east coast bias, over-saturation of football, Chris Berman...). The thing is, ESPN is really the best all-sports network there is, so it's what I usually watch. In the Summer, while I was up at LBC- ESPN launched a show called SportsNation. The premise of the show- Daily Sports news is talked about for an hour... with a twist. About 60% of the content is generated by the viewers. Using online polls, twitter, online videos, and other various media outlets; SportsNation provides a daily dose of sports and pop-culture. The hosts are probably my favorite part of the show- The hilarious cynic- Colin Cowherd and the beautiful and charming- Michelle Beadle. The two are hilarious together, and really keep the mood of the show up, and thus, the show is fun and entertaining to watch. Unfortunately, shows like this- usually don't seem to last long- I hope this one bucks the trend. Check out SportsNation- Every weekday at 1pm on ESPN2.

Best of 2009- Music- Songs.

2009-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

1. Beautiful Morning- Aaron Spiro

No question. The first time I heard this song, I had to stop it in the middle, and restart it, just to make sure it was really happening. I don't really even know how to describe it- I don't think I can.

Just buy the whole album here. Seriously.

(Photo from Aaron Spiro Facebook.)

2.Exogenesis: Symphony- Muse

I spent some time debating on which song from the new Muse album "The Resistance" to put in this spot. Exogenesis: Symphony came out as the winner. This 3 part saga, spanning just about 13 minutes is a beautiful piece composing of an orchestra, piano, guitar, and the sweet vocals of Matthew Bellamy. There is a lot of story to Exogenesis- so I'll let you check it out here: Link.
I like this piece because it is eerily beautiful and majestically powerful. Solid beginning, middle, and end. Plus- it really caps off an incredible album.

Part One: Overture

Part Two: Cross Pollination

Part Three: Redemption

3. Fresh Air- Brother Ali

Cool, Funky, Fresh. This song packs it all. Brother Ali from Minneapolis is not your stereotypical hip-hop artist- He's Islamic, Albino, and Blind- Not really fitting in any stereotype, which is one of the reasons why he was inspired to create his music in the first place. This is the 5th track off his critically acclaimed album "Us" which debuted #56 on the Billboard 200. Reason why I like it? What really do I need to say- It's cool, it's funky, it's fresh. "Fresh Air" is honestly the main reason that bought the entire album, which is pretty rockin' too. I had a pretty sweet moment involving this song- I was walking in the student parking lot, and I heard someone start their car up, and immediately this song was pumping from their sound system- I just looked over and gave them a big grin. Also- He mentions Conan in the song- Check it out.

(Warning: Song has Some Profanity)

4. I'm On A Boat- The Lonely Island & T-Pain

In February of 2009, "I'm on a Boat" was featured as a Digital Short on Saturday Night Live. From there "I'm on a Boat" has been a common place phrase in social circles and used on various pop culture mediums. Meant to be a parody of the cliches seen in most rap music videos, it actually became a hit song, peaking at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100, and receiving nearly 40 million views on YouTube. The reason why I like it: It's absolutely hilarious, fun to listen to, and very quotable. I don't think I'll ever be able to hear the phrase "on a boat" again, without singing the lines in my head.

Uncensored Version: Here. (Profanity)
Live Version with The Roots: Here.

"Clean" Version:

5. Empire State of Mind- Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

Didn't expect that one to start the festivities did ya? Empire State of Mind ranks number 5 on the Best Singles of 2009. Featuring hip-hop titan, Jay-Z and the powerhouse vocals of Alicia Keys, Empire State of Mind is a song that I just can't turn off. I first heard the song when the two performed it live before game two of the World Series in New York, and have been enjoying it since. I enjoy the cadence of the verses, as rapped by Jay-Z, and the anthem feel of the chorus sung by Keys. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 18th, and as of today (12/1) it is still topping the chart.

2009-11-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Children wash clothes and bathe at a water pipeline surrounded by sewage in Mumbai, India on Wednesday November 18. (AP/ Rafiq Maqbool)

Roha, an infant, is left sleeping on the sidewalk of a busy street in Mumbai, India on Wednesday November 18th (AP/ Rafiq Maqbool)

More Here: The World's Children

World War II

2009-11-21T04:11:00.000-08:00

I've recently started watching this program on the History Channel called "World War II in HD". Essentially they compiled about 10 hours of color film footage from WWII and tell the story of 12 different American's who experienced the war first hand. It's a pretty sweet presentation, HD, Narrated by Gary Sinise, remastered sound, and tons interesting information. I've always found visual images of Nazi Germany to be eerily fascinating- and there are a lot of images of that. Also it's just interesting to see culture of America and other countries during the war.

Anyways, If you have the opportunity- I'd recommend checking an episode or two out.

Selected Reviews of "New Moon"

2009-11-19T12:52:00.001-08:00

"The most surprising thing about New Moon, the second film in the Twilight series, is how much worse it is than the first." - Devin Faraci

"Never have vampires and werewolves had so much estrogen. The producers should apologize to Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee and Frank Langella."- Fiore Mastracci

"New Moon, for at least an hour, is laughably silly and unfathomably dull"- Gary Thompson

"You almost feel sorry for those actors playing various off-the-hook monsters who, for the second movie in a row, have little to do except stand aside waiting for their few lines of dialogue"- Steven Persall

"Extreme moping by hollow actors makes the film feel like it stars robots stuck on their 'Emo' setting."- Matt Pais

"Parents: If I can (poorly) discipline a 16-year-old cat to not howl before sunrise, you can teach your kids to not emulate Bella Swan."- Ed Gonzalez

"Never has a man's shirtlessness been so essential to a character's development." - Jordan Hoffman

"This episode is as repetitive as the first, with endless scenes of kissus interruptus punctuated by moody indie-rock songs." Rafer Guzman

"In the mood for two glossy hours of adolescent yearning and buff, shirtless dudes? Then this movie is for you!" - Thomas Leupp

"The irony in this movie about vampires is that the only thing doing any sucking is the movie itself." -Walter Chaw

"The cinematic equivalent of a Jonas Brothers concert, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is slickly packaged entertainment that’s nonetheless predicated on a creepy vision of teenage sexuality that is desiccated of, well, sexuality."- Kevin Maher

"New Moon is basically a 130-minute chick flick during which the three main protagonists spend a lot of time looking with cow eyes at each other's faces." - Bob Bloom

"It's Shakespeare on training wheels made for future Lifetime viewers" - Mike Ward

"Watching New Moon is like being trapped in a room for two hours with a moody teenage girl who won't stop whining about how her boyfriend dumped her." - Mike McGranaghan

Find some other gems here: RT
____

"Hey Brian- If you don't like it, then you don't have to watch it."
- I won't.

Is it me or have advertisements for "New Moon" been on for the past 3 months. You know- the ones with hunky young men with cut bodies, all dolled up in guy-liner and baby oil- Who turn into wolverines. I just felt some need to get some payback.

A few days ago while waiting to hear some more information on the "Deck The Hall Ball" (which I got tickets to- wahoo!) there was some girl that got quite verbally mad at the DJ because He got some Twilight fact wrong. Her response was some angered yelling of "I'M TEAM EDWARD."
What a champ.

Anyways. I'm sure you could dig up bad reviews of things that I like. I don't really care.

Something on my mind...

2009-11-17T02:15:00.000-08:00

Putting things into perspective.

2,976 Americans died on September 11th, 2001.

9,000,000+ Children around the world die from malnourishment every year.

That's 3,024 times more deaths.

________________________________________________

$932,625,763,405 (and going) has been spent on the wars in the middle east since 2001.

$30,000,000,000 (a year) Would greatly help eradicate the problem of world hunger- 30bill sounds like a lot, but we throw that down the trash each year.

I got to thinking this after I watched this video:

The End (Jake's Story) from Nuru International on Vimeo.

I just want to emphasize that I'm not comparing world poverty statistics to United States War statistics to make a political statement, or anti American statement. I appreciate all the men and women who sacrifice themselves that allow us to live with our freedoms... Let's just do something useful with those.

Also, if someone could find me the statistic (with a good source!) on how many American's die because of hunger and/or poverty every year, that would be greatly appreciated.

Sources:

In Black and White

2009-11-06T04:20:00.000-08:00

Mixing things up

2009-10-28T17:21:00.001-07:00

I'm going to be testing out a few new looks in the upcoming days. Just so you know.

Update- I think I'm finished with the switches.

Changes Made:
Header- Got rid of the all-lowercase heading- time to move on from 2004. It will also coincide with my "Best of 2009" logo I've cooked up.

Color Scheme: Used to be black and red and gray. Now it is Black, Neon Green, Purple, and Gray.

Sidebar: Renamed "What I'm Doing' to "Twitter"
I went ahead and capitalized everyone's name on the "Live" bar- again- all lower case gets the boot. I went ahead and purged some blogs that I don't read/ I don't think you read- so there you go. I brought back the picture next to post, and I shortened the "Live" list from 10 to 5. Though you'll still be able to click "See All." Finally I added a time stamp to the posts

Finally- I added a last.fm widget on the sidebar- so you can see what I'm listening too- Although- I usually rock the ipod and I hardly Scrobble that. so.
There you go.

MLB Playoff Predictions (Update)

2009-10-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

First off- Division Series.

AL:
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins- Winner: Yankees
Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox- Winner: Angels

NL:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies- Winner: Phillies
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers- Winner: Dodgers

I correctly picked all four of the Division Series winners.

Championship Series
AL:
New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels- Winner: Yankees

NL:
Philadelphia Phillies vs. L.A. Dodgers- Winner: ~~Dodgers~~ Phillies

World Series
New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies- Winner:Yankees. In an intense 7 game series.

I know I'm not going out on much of a limb with my predictions- but I want to see the two best teams in baseball play each other in the world series. I'll be happy with anything that doesn't involve the Red Sox.

So I only got two things wrong- Phillies represented the NL instead of the Dodgers, and the W.S. was only 6 games. Not too shabby.

This guy writes better than I do...

2009-10-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I tried to write out my thoughts on this subject- But- I'm not really a good writer. I saw this- Mr. Martin here conveyed my feelings better than I could.

By Roland S. Martin

(CNN) -- Whenever President Obama has traveled overseas and offered pointed and direct assessments of the United States, some of them critical, Republicans have ripped him for criticizing America, saying a president should always defend the United States.
So I want to hear the explanation by these so-called patriots of their giddy behavior over the United States losing the 2016 Olympic Games.

Yes, the United States. The bid that was rejected Friday by the International Olympic Committee was not a Chicago, Illinois, bid. It was the official bid submitted by the United States Olympic Committee and was representative of the nation. Tokyo's bid was that of Japan; Madrid's was that of Spain; and Rio de Janeiro's was that of Brazil.

Republicans want to spin the decision as a massive loss by President Obama and the Democrats who have always controlled Chicago politics.
"Hahahahaha," wrote Erick Erickson on the conservative "RedState" blog, "I thought the world would love us more now that Bush was gone."

What the critics don't see is that Obama's loss on the Olympics is America's loss. Any red-blooded American who loves to see the American flag raised and the national anthem played when one of our own wins a gold medal should blast the Republicans' giddiness over the loss.

I can recall crying along with millions of Americans when our hockey team beat the Russians and won the hockey gold in 1980. Where were those games? Lake Placid, New York. Euphoria spread all across the nation, not only because we beat the mighty Russians, but also because it took place on American soil.
When Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton dominated the 1984 Olympic Games, we all beamed with pride because they represented the United States on American soil in Los Angeles, California.

And when Michael Johnson stormed around the track to obliterate the world record in the 200-meter dash (since broken by Jamaica's Usain Bolt), we relished the win as he took a victory lap around the stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Americans love home field advantage, and we always desire to show the rest of the world what we are made of.

I don't care if Republicans want to rip President Obama over going to Copenhagen, Denmark, to pitch for the games. This isn't about politics. It's not about ideology. This is about America. OUR pride. Our chance to shine. Our loss of the games.

So, to all the critics happy about us losing the 2016 games, turn in your flag lapel pins and stop boasting of being so patriotic. When an American city loses, like New York did in the the last go-round, we all lose. And all you critics are on the same level as the America haters all across the world.

You should be shouted down for not backing your own country. The next time any of you bang out a press release about "Buy American" or "Support our troops," remember this moment when your cynical, callous and small-minded brains happily rejoiced when America lost the 2016 Olympic Games.

-----

Agreed.

College

2009-09-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

I started going to Shoreline Community College last Wednesday- taking one class (English 100). It's so fun. Some interesting things have happened so far. I used Plato's Allegory of the Cave to share part of my testimony to my class, which was cool- a lot of people just looked at me with blank stares- but a few people looked interested- and one girl even came up and said she appreciated that I shared. Cool stuff. Also- I had a small debate with a man on Campus grounds who had a picture of our president with a Hitler style mustache photoshopped on. I asked him how someone who experienced the holocaust would feel about the poster- and how he felt it was okay to compare Obama to a mass murderer. There were no mentions of politics involved. His arguments all fell apart- and he offered me some literature, which I declined.

Anyways
Something new.
There it is.

the fair

2009-08-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Home from camp! I went to the Evergreen State Fair on Friday with my family and Emily. Here are some pictures...

The Resistance

2009-08-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

09-14-09
I'm so excited for this album to come out. I've been listening to the preview clips recently- be excited my friends, be very excited.

lbc, so far.

2009-07-15T23:34:00.001-07:00

today I leave for staff

2009-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

After what seems like decades of waiting (really just months)- I'm leaving for staff at Lakeside to to be a Program Assistant, today. I'm so excited! The thought of spending 11 weeks at LBC is a but scary to me- I don't want to get worn out, but I have a feeling that I'll be busy enough and having enough fun that I won't even realize the time. Anyways- I still feel like I have a ton to pack- and a few things to do before I go up- so I'm going to jet. I hope to still update here every once and a while- but we'll see. If you feel like sending a package- that would be exciting- haha. Or even better- come visit!

Summer- COMMENCE!

misc.

2009-06-05T11:47:00.001-07:00

"It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. "

2009-05-25T00:44:00.000-07:00

Don't Hesitate, Buy this Album.

I've had this for about a month now... It is top notch.

catching up

2009-05-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

Things I've been up to.

* Doing worship at Grace
* Getting stuff ready for Staff (1 month away)
* Planning Youth Group events and whatnots
* Changing it up.Style. "Cusack" Shorts, V-Necks, Acid Wash.
* Helping out at LBC on a regular basis
* Doing things when I get the opportunity
* Waiting for my niece to arrive
* Taking Pictures
* Playing a Season of MVP Baseball 2005, I'm the Padres
* Twittering
* Pondering Lost.. and loving Fringe
* Watching movies at The Crest
* Spending some money
* Enjoying watching Sounders FC
* Excited for Jamie and Lucy's party
* Quoting "30 Rock"

And other things. I'm busy almost every weeknight and weekend leading up until Staff... which is good. I like being busy.

YouTube GOLD.

2009-05-01T02:58:00.001-07:00

thank you internet.

I've been posting this everywhere.. it's amazing.

baseball game

2009-04-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

..and I don't even really like U2.

2009-04-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

The 1988 documentary "Rattle and Hum" was on television on Friday. It follows U2's "The Joshua Tree" Tour across the U.S. of A. as well as some recording sessions. I got chills down my spine when I was watching this scene... here is a longer look at it.

something I want

2009-04-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

I do need new glasses, my current ones are at least 1.. possibly 2 prescriptions old.
I like these.
Ray Ban Original Wayfarer RB5121

MLB Predictions 2009

2009-04-04T02:10:00.001-07:00

A.L. EAST
1. New York Yankees
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

A.L. CENTRAL
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Detroit Tigers

A.L. WEST
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

N.L. EAST
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. New York Mets
3. Florida Marlins
4. Washington Nationals
5. Atlanta Braves

N.L. CENTRAL
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Houston Astros
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

N.L. WEST
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Colorado Rockies
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres

Playoffs:
AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays
NL Wild Card: New York Mets

World Series: Chicago Cubs over New York Yankees (7 Games)

Oh Man.

I love baseball. Opening day is Sunday... everything gets going Monday. Exciting!

It's been too long since we've had an exciting world series (2001 was the last real thriller when Arizona beat NYY in 7 games). So... I'm going big- Cubbies over Yankees in 7. Also, the National League will win the All-Star Game...

film

2009-04-02T03:50:00.001-07:00

shooting in film is so much.

cooler.

not much going on

2009-03-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Life has been somewhat dull as of late... still doing the daily ritual of looking for jobs, and getting nothing.

Things that have been exciting: I spent the past weekend helping out with worship and dish-crewing at lakeside bible camp.

it was fun, and we did cool stuff.

the end.

hello intrawebs

2009-03-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

I'm still Alive.

Teen One

2009-03-03T23:51:00.001-08:00

I'm going up to the Mens Retreat this upcoming weekend.. 3 straight weekends up at camp. Good Stuff. Also, I applied to be a Program Assistant on Summer Staff. Sweet.

late night with jimmy fallon

2009-03-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Fallon's first ever show was last night... was it perfect? No. But it was a solid first show. He looked nervous (who wouldn't), there wasn't a lot of fluidity between jokes (that takes time to develop)... but I see a lot of potential. I love his graphics set, his set, the intro, and of course The Roots. I don't think DeNiro was exactly... a good choice for first guest, but its over now.

Here is a clip from last nights show where they 'Slow Jammed the News"

Also: I fully endorse the Watchmen advertisement before the clip.

The bloggers at latenightwithjimmyfallon.com put together some more good stuff from last night.. here.

I'm optimistic to see where this goes. People need to understand that Fallon isn't Conan, isn't Letterman... isn't Carson. He'll make it his own, he'll probably have a ton of failed bits and awkward moments his first year or so... but so did Conan when he started, and now Conan is great. So give Mr. Fallon some time.

uh

2009-02-24T02:38:00.001-08:00

I don't know.

teen two

2009-02-23T14:14:00.001-08:00

more: here.

welcome home kid!

2009-02-18T17:27:00.001-08:00

Seattle Mariners Source: Here.

This guy has been such a tease... but I think it looks official. Ken Griffey Jr. is coming back to Seattle. (sources here, here, here, here, here...) Remember- Griffey is not the same dog that ran away from Seattle 10 years ago... now he's kinda.. lumpy. It'll be fun to have him, but meh. I grew up emulating this guy playing baseball... probably the reason why I struck out, and popped up so many times... ha.

Improv Everywhere makes me happy...

2009-02-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share some of my favorite "Improv Everywhere" videos.. check out their site.

Okay..

"High Five Escalator"

"Best Game Ever" (this one had a mild inspiration on my 'Wear Blue" idea)

"Slow-Mo Home Depot"

I could probably be satisfied posting everything they've done... but I'll stick with those 3 for now... Check out their YouTube Channel: here, and their Website: here.

Enjoy!

Wear Blue, what happened.

2009-02-09T21:51:00.001-08:00

Last Friday, Was our Youth Groups "Wear Blue" event. It went so great, here is what we did. We all got dressed up in crazy blue clothes, and all showed up at local high school basketball game (Meadowdale), stood right behind the student section, and cheered along with their students. Sounds kind of crazy and weird. I know. It really all went great, It was a small group that night, but that is okay, We showed up during the 1st quarter and found a great pocket right behind the Student Cheering Section to stand in. As soon as we got there almost all of them turned around and asked the obvious question "Who are you!?!" I answered that we were from a youth group (etc.). They thought it was weird.. and crazy. I just explained we wanted to come out to a Meadowdale game, and cheer for the Mavericks.. Nothing more than that, we were just having fun. So throughout the first half The Youth Group and The Students co-opted in leading "D-FENCE" cheers and they even taught us some of their own cheers. It was good stuff.

Right towards the end of the 2nd quarter, one of their administrators came up to one of the Youth Group kids and asked them "What School are you from," the student being honest said "I'm from Kamiak." Kamiak is one of Meadowdales rivals, so the lady had the thought proccess of thinking we were all from Kamiak, coming to start a fight or something with the Meadowdale students.. hm. Anyways, she made us move to the "Visitor" section... We obeyed, but we could tell she wanted to kick us out of the Gym. We sat only a few yards away from their students and still cheered along, but it wasn't quite as fun.

At Halftime, something cool happened. We were sitting their in our "Visitors" section when 2 or 3 of their students ran across the court and seemed to plead with their administrators to let us come sit with them.. I obviously don't know everything they talked about because I don't have Sonic Earz, but I knew it was the main topic of conversation. About 5 minutes later, the assistant principal came over and talked with me. I explained who we were and what were we were doing, and she seemed confused, but absolutely thrilled. So, she let us sit back with the Student Section. When we got back in our original place, instead of standing behind them, the Students of Meadowdale invited us to stand with them, and we cheered all together for the rest of the game.. a game that Meadowdale ended up winning handily. At the end of the game some of the Students invited us back for their final home game this Wednesday. It was really neat. All this went way better than I could of imagined, its cool.

Anyways. It was a lot of fun, and I'm most likely going to the game on Wednesday.

Follow up to "Nooooo!"

2009-02-09T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today- Peter Gammons (he's like the Abraham Lincoln of Baseball Reporting) Interviewed Alex Rodriguez at his home in Miami and Mr. Rodriguez admitted to taking Performance Enhancing Drugs from 2001-2003. While I'm still pretty bummed that he cheated, I'm glad that he came clean, and just cleared all the doubt drama, unlike those other clowns such as Bonds and Clemens.

anyways.

This still sucks.

Link: Click this.

NOOOOOOOOO!

2009-02-07T11:23:00.001-08:00

It is a rarity that I get emotionally worked up over Sports, because I completely realize that it is a game, no more, no less. Even rarer is for me to get worked up over the off field drama, mainly because ESPN is the only real 24/7 sports network, and they have the ability to over cover, over blow, and annoy the he!l out of everyone... because they can.

But I do not lie.. When I heard that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids ,I could really only 2 things.. I looked to the heavens and shouted "NOOOOOOOOO!" with my fists shaking in the air, and I was hoping that this is all some big mistake, maybe it was a different Alex Rodriguez, or some bad prank. I'm not a big A-Rod fan, I realize that he left the Mariners for the sole reason to make more money... But during the end of the "Steroid Era" in baseball, A-Rod was THEE poster child for pure, hard working, (not steriod) Talent. He was the guy, when Bonds, Sosa, Palmerio, McGwire and so many more were all being ousted for cheating, Alex Rodriguez was the one I was SURE of.. didn't cheat. And now... even he might be tainted.

Again.. I hardly ever get worked up about sports.. but this time.. I'm kinda sad.

Blah.

2009-02-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

I took this at Kyle and Lisa's wedding last summer,
I just realized I hadn't posted any pictures of that yet.

youth group event

2009-02-04T12:05:00.000-08:00

2009-02-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

laughs will be had.

2009-01-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

Oh Goodness, this is so funny.

CHIA OBAMA

You have to watch the pop up video...

Can you grow one? YES YOU CAN.

ha.

so excited.

2009-01-21T11:31:00.001-08:00

4 8 15 16 23 42

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

2009-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

For the past month or so.. Jimmy Fallon has been posting short video-blogs on his website every weeknight at 9:35 in preparation for his gig as host of "Late Night" on NBC. I find the video's very enjoyable, funny, and ... uh... awesome. Anyways.. It's a great way to spend 5 minutes of your day.. If you have the time check out all of them!

website link: latenightwithjimmyfallon.com

Enjoy!

Listen to this Band

2009-01-05T22:48:00.000-08:00

the best

2009-01-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Best Day? Yes. I end my countdown, and start the new year by reflecting back on my favorite day of 2008. Last year I devoted almost all of my time with developing, building, and working with the High School Youth Group, named "The Core." I can honestly say its the most enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding experience I've gone through so far in my life, and I'm still fired up about it every day. It's good stuff. I decided to make my "Best Day of 08" pick to reflect that.

July 3rd- The Core goes to Whidbey Island.

The day started early in Lynnwood, a packed 15 seater van made its way up to Fort Casey on Whidbey Island on a best described as "dank" morning. Many games of flashlight tag and hide and seek type games were played in the depths of the old cement structure. From there we went to Langley to walk around, and Erik and I set up a great impromtu, but quite challenging photo scavenger hunt. We ended the day by going to Freeland and enjoy a fair, facepaint, food, and fireworks. I also met my long time internet pen-pal from New Zealand, Alex, for the first time, which was pretty neat. The Core wearily trotted home alomst 2 hours later than parents were expecting them to get there, but It was all worth it. I wouldn't even call this the "climax" of The Core in any way... The 3rd of July just stand out to me. I can't wait for another year of growth, challenge, friendship and fun in 2009!

personal photography

2008-12-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite photographs I took over the past year... lots of great memories!

the cinema

2008-12-25T22:49:00.000-08:00

The Dark Knight

Wall-E
A few others...

2008-12-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

Barack Hussein Obama- Elected President of the United States of America on November 4th, 2008. After running a near perfect Presidential Campaign, Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain by a vast margin of 365 electoral votes to 173. Yeah, I know, I'm not going out on much of a limb here with this pick, but what else would you expect from me? Barack Obama sparked political interest all across America in every demographic. His speeches were must see as they were powerful, intuitive and motivational. During his presidential campaign Barack used the internet and other technology devices to spread news and word on the campaign trail. President-Elect Obama's first day in office will be on January 20th, 2009.

Michael Phelps- Won an Olympic record 8 gold medals for various swimming events at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Phelps' run sparked pride in America while he became our most decorated Olympian in history. Phelps went on to host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live and signed many endorsement deals, he was also named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Phelps plans to swim in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Tina Fey- Creator of the hit hilarious television show "30 Rock" which racked up over a dozen awards during the award season in the beginning of the year. She went on to star in the movie "Baby Mama" with friend Amy Poehler later in the year. Just when you thought she had her fill, she returned to Saturday Night Live portraying Republican Vice President Nominee, Sarah Palin. Her extreme likeness to Palin provided great laughs and catchphrases such as "I can see Russia from my House." Fey's portrayal as Palin boosted SNL ratings through the roof, and many people believe that she impacted the election.

"Her winking impression of Governor Sarah Palin defined the governor before she had a chance to define herself." —Lev Grossman (Time)

check out.
Music
Televison
Fails

television

2008-12-21T11:59:00.001-08:00

January 2nd, Conan O'Brien returns to the air. Without Writers, With Beard.

On January 2nd, Conan O'Brien returned to the air along with Jay Leno and David Letterman doing shows without their writers; who had been on strike since November 5th, 2007. In the month and a half of "writerless" shows Mr. O'Brien provided some of the most hilarious late night moments to date. In this time Conan brought us "The Ring Spin," A duel between Stephen Colbert, John Stewart, and Conan on who "Made Mike Huckabee."

One of the main highlights was Conan fulfilling his dream to Zip-Line across the studio audience, which eventually led him to Zip-Line across the studio with a rocket helmet and rocket boots, in time to kick John Wilkes Booth out of the way before he could assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The month and half long absence of Writers provided some of the most entertaining, random, and hilarious improvised television in a long while.

Saturday Night Live: Season 34.I've noticed that many people say "Saturday Night Live was so good... like 5 years ago." All the time... any year. Maybe I'm alone on that one, but I've heard it a lot of the course of many years. This year is far different, nearly every week brings new laughs and fun. The Season started on September 13th with host Michael Phelps. The episode had some great highlights including former player Tina Fey's dead on impersonation of Republican Vice President nominee Sarah Palin. The episode also featured SNL newbie, Bobby Moynihan's first character, a very odd and over charismatic waiter at a "Pizzeria Uno" restaurant. The show saw a ratings boost due to the Presidential Election, and hardly disappointed its viewers. My personal favorite episode of the season so far was Hosted by Anne Hathaway with Musical Guest, The Killers. Skits from that episode included Lawrence Welk, Mary Poppins, and Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals.

Other favorite Skits from Season 34:

Giraffes!
Night School Musical
Calculator
Plus many more... which aren't on the Internet. GASP!

SNL Resumes on January 10th with host Neil Patrick Harris.

LOST: Season4.

I'm just gonna leave this one be- I don't want to give away any fun or surprises for those yet to watch the fourth Season of Lost. Season 5 begins on January 21st, 2009.

Other shows strongly considered and loved:

failfest

2008-12-20T14:53:00.001-08:00

I thought longer than I needed to. The answer is easy to the question "What is the biggest fail in 2008."

#1: Seattle Professional Sports.

There is a not a whole lot I want to write here, mainly because I think this article from the New York Times sums it up pretty well.

The Mariners had a $117,000,000+ dollar payroll, only to lose 100+ games, the first time it has happened in MLB history. Hopefully new management will take the team in a better direction for 2009.

The Sonics, left. And they are terrible now as the Oklahoma City Thunder with a record of 3wins and 24 losses. I have a few bones to pick with their logos, colors, and uniforms. First off.. their logo looks like "a Guitar Pick skiing down a mountain of suck." And their colors are Orange, Yellow, Sky Blue, and Darker Blue. What uniform screams the epicness of thunder like this. Anyways. Clay Bennet should die of Gonorrhea and rot in hell.

And Finally The Seahawks: No, they weren't predicted to win the Super Bowl. But going 3-11 in their first 14 games is a major disappointment for the 4 time NFC West Champions. On top of it all, it is 10 year Head Coach Mike Holmgren's last season in Seattle.

At least we get to look forward to Sounders FC, our new MLS Soccer Team.
I also don't feel the need to mention the 0-12 UW Football team, that is an epicfail that doesn't deserve any place on my blog.

Other Failures this year include:
The Economy, The Republican Party.

Other 08 Stuff
Music.

favorite albums.

2008-12-19T22:09:00.000-08:00

Vampire Weekend: This album came to me pretty late in the year, I heard the name tossed around throughout the year, but never looked into them. They appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in later November, which is where I first heard them. With influences of Afropop, Rock, Ska, unique vocals and clean guitar of lead singer Ezra Koenig, and all around awesomeness, this music is fun to listen to, dance with and sing along. Highlighted tracks include: "Mansford Roof" is the Albums first Track, it immediately hits you in the face (in the good way), with a powerful keyboard beat with the drum tom. Soon after you get swept off your feet with a great Orchestra line. Soon following after that, it all pulls together that will have you drumming on the desk, tapping your feet, and singing along. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" because of the catchy guitar lick, and the African Drums that provide a great off beat rhythm. "M-79" is a great tune that starts out with a harpsichord with a small orchestra, the song builds up with more violins and drums, then drops to a very basic ska rhythm with some snare clicks.. clean guitars and rhythmic lyrics make this song very enjoyable. Finally "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" This is the song that first hooked me, as they played it Live on Conan. I really enjoy the Bass riff and harsh snare in the beginning. The harmony sung by keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij, and great quick bass-line played by bassist Chris Baio provides a very pleasant listening experience. Vampire Weekend's self titled debut album is my top pick for Best Album of the Year. Buy it here.

Coldplay- Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends: Is the fourth studio album from the popular alternative rock band from across the pond. Coldplay once again repeats the success of some of their previous albums, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and X & Y. A new flair on a familiar sound makes Viva la Vida a great album to listen to. Highlighted Tracks: Lost!, 42, Violet Hill. Buy it here.

DeVotchKa- A Mad and Faithful Telling: Devotchka is a four piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble that fuses Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, Mariachi (and many more styles) music with American punk and folk roots.(1) Many people don't know who DeVotchKa are, they contributed to much of the soundtrack to the 2006 movie "Little Miss Sunshine" with songs like "Till the End of Time", "You Love Me", and "How it Ends." Their 2008 release of "A Mad and Faithful Telling" is the Denver's natives 5th album. Highlighted Tracks: Basso Profoundo, A Clockwise Witness, Comrade Z, Blessing in Disguise, and Undone. Buy it here.

Also Check out:
Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
She & Him: Volume One
Lecrae: Rebel

more reviews coming soon.

(1)

It has come.

2008-12-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

check back for more.

shoreline snow

2008-12-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

a bus drove past on this long exposure shot..

wsdot

2008-12-17T23:32:00.000-08:00

is on twitter.

who's next?

i text messaged espn.

2008-12-17T23:06:00.000-08:00

specifically mike & mike in the morning as they were talking about how most Green Bay Packer fan's still root for Brett Favre, even though he now plays with the New York Jets.. They were listing off other examples of this.. I texted in "Seattle Mariner fan's were rooting for Jamie Moyer to do well in the 2008 Playoffs and World Series."

Any way I get this text message back

"Thx 4 ur comment!... blah blah blah.... Std txt or other chrgs may apply."

Really?
I mean. I know it's a "txt message" but don't talk to me like a LOLcat message. I don't put ESPN on that high of a pedestal in the first place. But that's just unnecessary.

In other news. Not one person cared at all about anything I just said.

i don't love mcdonalds.

2008-12-12T02:45:00.001-08:00

I mean really. Sometimes you get a once a month craving for a double cheeseburger, and a craving that only costs $1 sounds like a good deal... then you end up having like 2 double cheese burgers (1 Quad Burger) and you feel like crap. Oh well, what are you going to do.

This made me lol.
story link: CNN

Coffee while good, is so overrated its not even funny. People put starbucks coffee on such a high pedestal, and have some how come to justify spending thousands and thousands of dollars a year on a brand drink.

Is that where you want your money to go?

I'm not trying to make some big brouhaha stand against The Man, these are just my thoughts on this specific issue. I've also tried the mcdonalds coffee, its not that good. I haven't had starbucks in about 2 years.

live journal.

2008-12-04T02:15:00.001-08:00

Yes. You read that perfectly right.

Live Journal.

Before the days of myspace, facebook, and my blog.

here is mine.

Go back in time.
Read GREAT stories.
Click on dead links.
View Pictures that don't exist anymore..

Oh Goodness.

Some Favorite Quotes.

"I lost my wrestling match arrrrrg!.. there was a 12 lb diffrance between me and the other person.. o well I'm still learning but it was kind of unfair, the rest of the day was fine i guess except some stuff thats been bugging me, but i just laugh at them and go on. right now im eating some subway and it is delicious" - 12/18/2003

"today i crashed on a motor scooter and it hurt, ugggg i got 5 boo boos" -12/28/2003

"ok i hit my shin and here my story begins..... i hit my shin on the bleachers very had... i think i bruised me bone. perhaps a peg leg hmmmmm" 1/12/2004

"we were driving to our wrestling tournament earlier today and there was an accident and this guys guts were all over the road.... like intestines, and and chunks of flesh.......... and yes angela he died poor man... the story is he hijacked a car, got in a police chase, then the police cornered him he jumped off the overpass into oncoming I-5 traffic and was hit multiple time

RIP" - 1/17/2004

"I was doing my laundry, and i swung my jeans over my shoulder, but they hit the light in my room, and the whole glass cover thing came down hit me in the head and shattered. Im ok."
- 3/11/2004

"I went to the doctor's today....... 5.5'- height and 103 lbs... For the first time since i was 15 month old, im back on the tenth precentile chart.. wow"
-6/3/2004

"So i went to the everett aquasox game lastnite, and one of their mascots is a hotdog, so i shouted "nice weiner!" and the guy seriously got mad at me... he started following me so i turned around to give him a good hug.. but instead he gave be a really hard handshake.... man it was funny" - 7/27/2004

"SCORE! So i asked Angela to homecoming today... she said yes.... this is how it was done

At swim practice during the laps when they used the kick boards.... Elle and Kelsey swam up to her and gave her this big Rubber duck that said "Angela" then they gave her 3 small rubber ducks... duck #1 said: "will you"... duck #2 "Go to"... duck #3 "homecoming".... and then this regular sized duck said "with me- Chipper" and i was in the bleachers waving at her. good stuff"
- 9/29/2004

"I hate it when your eating a candy cane, and you dont fully get the wrapper off but you start eating it without knowing it, thus turning the plastic wrap into a aheisive taste-blocker."
-12/18/2004

"So here is my question for the day..

Have you EVER seen a physically attractive person at Wendy's?

- Seriously"
-12/29/2004

Good Times.
Freshman/Sophomore Year of High School.

GLORIOUS!

2008-12-03T17:08:00.000-08:00

You have no idea how long I've been trying to get this...

hahahaha.

The fact that I won those tickets is Chump Change to the fact that Steve Pool said the words "You Go Brian.."