Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Humpday Housecleaning
Returned to the scene of the crime today, Burgers and Cupcakes in Chelsea. Dragged a co-worker who likewise raved about the awesomeness of the burger. I went for the bison burger with grilled mushrooms and stilton cheese. Simply fantastic. We split their Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow cupcake. Likewise, phenomenal.
A little bit of Bookpeeping on the subway last night:
Lifeguard by James Patterson and Anrew Gross
Et Apres by Guillaume Musso
The Rules of Engagement: A Novel by Anita Brookner
Rudolph's Fundamentals of Pediatrics by Abraham M. Rudolph
The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil
In May, I posted about the amazing chalk drawings of Julian Beever here. Someone sent me some more amazing examples, so I thought I'd share the link to the old, and pics of the new.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
BillyBlogs the Oscars
INTRO - 8:22 PM EST
This will run in reverse, but I will try and make some Blogservations of the Oscars. I'm qualified since the only films I've seen that are nominated are "Cars" and "Pirates of the Caribbean".
That means I should win the Oscars pool with the gang from Cali.
So far, the highlight has been Sally Kirkland's crazy dress.
Chris Connelly is my (Kevin) Bacon - 8:27 PM EST
As the interviewers fawn over the stars on the Red Carpet, I fondly recall the Summer of 1990 when I free-lanced for MTV and drove Chris Connelly around L.A. as he interviewed stars for MTV's "Big Picture - Summer Movie Preview." Nice to see his hair has grayed along with mine!
Opening Sequence - 8:37 PM EST
Ok, it's cute, but I miss the Troy Miller - directed sequences.
Ok, it's boring now. Sorry. Jaded.
Nice chilli pepper shirt.
Is this a GAP commercial?
Here comes Ellen.....
No, they're re-introducing the nominees.
Melanie liked the opening. She says I'm a cynical bastard.
Here's Ellen!
Ellen - 8:47 PM EST
Nice opening!
I especially like the "If it weren't for Blacks, Gays and Jews, there'd be no Oscars."
First Award - Art Direction - 8:49 PM EST
I picked Pan's Labyrinth and the winner is....
Pan's Labyrinth!
By the way, it's snowing in Brooklyn.
Will Ferrell - 8:58 PM EST
I have a wig just like his hair, only mine is rainbow-colored.
This whole comedian-musical is cute. Still not as great as Robin Williams performing "Blame Canada" several years back.
Makeup - 9:00 PM EST
Pan's Labyrinth wins. I'm two for two!
Best Animated Short and Best Live Action Short - 9:06 PM EST
I chose "Lifted". The Academy chose.....
"The Danish Poet".
Oh well.
For live action, I chose West Bank Story...
The oscar goes to West Bank Story!
The whole family got it!
Sound Effects Choir - 9:15 PM EST
Totally awesome.
One of the coolest Oscar moments I've ever seen.
Sound Editing - 9:17 PM EST
I picked Iwo Jima.
The Oscar goes to.....
Iwo Jima!
Sound Mixing - 9:21 PM EST
I have Flags of Our Fathers,
The Oscar goes to ....
Dreamgirls.
Supporting Actor - 9:27 PM EST
And the Oscar goes to ....
Alan Arkin!
(Bah, I had Pluto Nash!)
Good for him, though. Nice to see a great actor recognized.
Cars' Song - 9:47 PM EST
Separated at birth - James Taylor and Robert Duvall.
And how golden is Randy Newman's touch? Will he be the first composer to win a lifetime Oscar?
Oh, here's Melissa Etheridge now... is this going to be a five-song medley?
Nice performance, nice messages. Of course there are probably more hybrid-car owners per capita in the Kodak Theater than at home, and most of the messages on the screen are not seen by the tv viewers.
Just 2 songs.
Nice pairing of Leo and Gore. Great gag with the music....
Animated Feature - 9:51 PM EST
Cameron Diaz' dress, in Melanie's words, is "like a bad bridesmaid's dress".
The Oscar goes to...
Happy Feet!
I chose Cars.
Writing Montage - 9:55 PM EST
Very cool.
"You ain't no writer, Fink."
Screenplay - 9:59 PM EST
Nice play on the corny teleprompt text by Hanks.
Adapted screenplay first.
Consensus predicts "The Departed"
And so it is.
Costume Design - 10:05 PM EST
What the hell is around Meryl Streep's neck?
I chose "Curse of the Golden Flower".
The Oscar goes to......
(Is this getting tedious yet?)
Marie Antoinette!
Cinematography - 10:16 PM EST
Gwyneth upgraded her wardrobe this year.
Not a big fan of the dress, but at least it isn't stomach-turning.
Sorry, didn't mean to be catty.
This should go to Pan's Labyrinth and ...
It does.
Visual Effects - 10:22 PM EST
Nice joke from Robert Downey. Haven't seen him since the Clinton administration.
Pirates wins.
Foreign Language Film - 10:31 PM EST
Upset!
The Lives of Others beats Pan's Labyrinth!
Best Supporting Actress - 10:36 PM EST
Anyone notice the lines "Well, do ya punk?!" keep appearing between all the nominees?
Go Jennifer Hudson!
And.... - 10:39 PM EST
Nice last minute shout-out to Jennifer Holliday by Ms. Hudson.
Short Subject Documentary and Feature - 10:50 PM EST
Oscar goes to The Blood of Yingzhou District (5 points for me!)
For Feature, we get a Seinfeld intro. Some jokes. Hmmmm.
Not so funny.
Do we get a speech from Al Gore?
You betcha!
Nice and sweet and to the point.
Celine Dion - 11:03 PM EST
World Premiere of "I Knew I Loved You".
Hmmm.
Take away the necklace and she looks very similar to the Oscar statue behind her.
I can only think of her covering AC/DC in her Vegas concert, and I am too distracted to appreciate the song.
Last time I saw Celine she was doing some schtick on Deal or No Deal.
Good for Ennio Morricone. Sorry if I misspelled that. Check iTunes. Yo-Yo Ma does a nice tribute to his work.
You learn something new every day. Clint can translate Italian.
Score - 11:09 PM EST
Oscar goes to Babel.
Original Screenplay - 11:16 PM EST
Tobey Maguire and I go way back. Just google "Hot Rod Brown, Class Clown".
Shayna has been picking some dark horses tonight. She chose Babel while the rest of the house chose Little Miss Sunshine.
Sorry, Shayna.
Sunshine wins.
Silhouettes - 11:18 PM EST
Definitely cool.
Dreamgirls - 11:27 PM EST
It's 11:21 EST. Still a ways to go. Have you been enjoying this live blogging? I have a sinking feeling it has only been fun for me. Sorry.
Well, not really.
Best Song - 11:30 PM EST
The kids chose the song from "Cars". Go figure. Melissa Etheridge wins!
Editing - 11:44 PM EST
Oh does anyone care at this point. Sure, but I am almost 40 and want to go to bed.
Winner is:
Thelma Schoonmacher for "The Departed".
In Memoriam - 11:50 PM EST
Who will get the most applause?
I'm guessing Altman.
Well they ended with him and he did.
Best Actress - 11:57 PM EST
11:51 EST
I am now the only person awake in my house.
Apparently, Phillip Seynour Hoffman's hair stylist is also sleeping.
I am not a well-coiffed dude, but MY LORD! Did Nicholson give him a swirlie during the last commercial break?
No surprise, Helen Mirren wins.
Three Awards to Go - 12:12 PM EST
And it's tomorrow. Or today. It's late.
Reese Witherspoon should have worn a necklace.
Best Actor:
Sweet. Forrest Whitaker!
Great speech.
Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg presenting for director. Very funny.
Scorcese should win and bring down the house.
Let's see......
Yup. Standing "O".
Shot while Marty is speaking, we see Clint Eastwood's wife brushing something off of his lap. Wonder what that was about?
Best Picture (and the last post of the 79th Academy Awards) - 12:19 PM EST
Nicholson and Keaton presenting.
And the Oscar goes to:
The Departed!
Final Score from Brooklyn:
Me: 180 pts (out of 300 possible)
Melanie: 175
Jolee: 110
Shayna: 75
Good night!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Top 25 Albums #20
I can't tell you exactly when I heard this record, but it was very early in my music-appreciating career.
I do know that I had very little in my collection when I was given the cassette. If memory serves me right, the tape was a gift from John Lukehart, who was my "Big Brother," courtesy of Big Brothers of Hawai'i.
I became involved with the organization as I was being raised by a single mother in Honolulu, and I only had a consistent daily positive male role model over summers, when I stayed with my father on the Mainland. I don't know what prompted John to give me the tape, and I doubt he would remember. Perhaps I had been caught up in the whole "Bohemian Rhapsody" madness of the mid-seventies. The song hit #9 on the U.S. charts, so I must have heard it.
I do remember though, being entranced by the cover art of the cassette, and studying it thoroughly. As a frame of reference, I was nine when this album was released. It is definitely my first-owned rock album, so I rank it as an influential landmark in my early musical education.
Here's what I think is interesting about this choice, at least for me. There were only two bona fide "hits" on this record. Both singles, "Somebody to Love" and "Tie Your Mother Down", led off each side of the record.
The two songs are classics in and of themselves. I think I was more apt to go for "Tie Your Mother Down," than the love song, because I took it literally and as a nine-to-ten year old boy being raised by a mother, I remember thinking that it was pretty funny.
Of course, I didn't register the lyrics:
Your momma says you don'tThat was track one, and I was hooked. That opening guitar riff from Brian May was imprinted on my psyche and when I think of Queen, "Tie Your Mother Down" is the first song that comes to mind.
And your daddy says you won't
And I'm boilin' up inside
Ain't no way I'm gonna lose out this time
Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down
Lock your daddy out of doors
I don't need him nosing around
Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down
Give me all your love tonight
Of the ten tracks on the album, two others drew me in. Both on side 2, "White Man" and "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" were standout tracks for me. That is, when I look at the track list, those two jump out at me as ones I remember liking as a kid. "White Man" was a hard-rocking song that bemoaned the fate of Native Americans at the hands of the settlers. "Good Old -Fashioned Lover Boy" is a rollicking song that I just thought was lots of fun.
Listen: "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" (mp3) via polaroid > un blog alla radio
The final track on the record is "Teo Torriate (Let Us Cling Together)" and was released as a single in Japan, as a tribute to the band's Japanese following.
There is no disputing that Queen was an influential band for so many people. This album could have been replaced by any other record of the band's had I heard it first. It's safe to say that, as a band, Queen was/is in a league of their own. This record is not Queen's best, but it is my favorite, out of sheer sentimentality.
Watch:
"Somebody to Love":
Performing "You Take My Breath Away," prior to the band recording the song:
"Tie Your Mother Down," the surviving members of Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert for AIDS Awareness, April 20, 1992, with Joe Elliott (Def Leppard's lead singer) and Slash on the guitar solo:
Queen performing "White Man" live in Houston, in 1977. The video quality is fair, but the audio is amazing:
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday from Four to Ten
Family post here. A break from the officiousness of music reviews and t-shirt hawking (keep the orders coming!)
Friday afternoon, we decided to take advantage of Free Friday Nights at the Museum of Modern Art. Even though I recently discovered that MoMA's admission prices for kids were quite reasonable (read: Under 16 = Free), the idea we could walk into the high-priced MoMA for free (Adults = $20, regularly, which is steep, by museum standards), was too sweet to pass up. And, as the week had gone by without any take-advantage-of-living-in-New-York-the-greatest-city-in-the-world moments, I really felt morally obligated to take advantage of the offer.
Experiencing a museum with two strong-minded young ladies is quite the adventure. The kids really liked the architecture and design section. Jolee wanted this chair, designed by Charles Eames:
Shayna's favorite piece was created by Mona Hatoum:
It may not look like much, but:
This work is a large-scale re-creation of the kinetic sculpture Self-Erasing Drawing Hatoum made in 1979. Replacing conventional artists’ tools (pencil and paper, paint and canvas) with a motorized, toothed metal arm and a circular bed of sand, Hatoum mechanizes the practices of mark-making and erasure. At a rate of five rotations per minute, the sculpture's hypnotic and continual grooving and smoothing of sand evokes polarities of building and destroying, existence and disappearance, displacement and migration.
"Daddy, I want to get out of here. It's too crowded."
"That's because the most famous art is here. Everyone wants to see it."
"So, let's leave."
"Look: Van Gogh's Starry Night."
"So."
"So, it's Starry Night."
"So, I've seen it before."
"Not in person."
And so it went. Note to self: next time we do MoMA, we're starting on the top floor.
When all was said and done, we headed out to a late dinner.
I ordered the chiptole chicken burger with pepper jack cheese and grilled mushrooms. Melanie had the vension burger with goat cheese crumbled over salad. Jolee and Shayna had turkey burgers.
Unfortunately for us, the kids were not so fond of their burgers. They are accustomed, through a failure in parenting, to pre-processed turkey burgers, as are commonly served in Brooklyn diners.
However, the "fresh cut-twice fried potatoes" were spectacular and the chocolate raspberry truffle cupcake was a delightful flourish to end the meal. The kids had basic chocolate cupcakes.
Check out the menu here.
Website: Burgers & Cupcakes.
Let's Try This Again - Support BillyBlog's Capitalist Tendencies
Buy this and/or similar products here.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Music News: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
The Good:
from Billboard:
February 21, 2007, 2:00 PM ETJonathan Cohen, N.Y.Late singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, who died of cancer in 2003, will be the subject of a double-disc rarities collection, three expanded reissues of vintage albums and a book in the coming weeks.
First up are new editions of the albums "Excitable Boy," "Stand in the Fire" and "Envoy," due March 27 via Rhino. Each album sports four previously unreleased bonus tracks. The 1981 live album "Stand in the Fire" had been out of print for years, while "Envoy," released the following year, has never been made available on CD until now.
On May 1, the new label Ammal Records will release "Preludes -- Rare and Unreleased Recordings," culled from 126 pre-1976 tracks found in a road case after Zevon's death by his son. In addition to demos and alternate versions, the album sports six previously unreleased songs: "Empty Hearted Town," "Going All the Way," "Steady Rain," "Stop Rainin' Lord" "Studebaker" and "The Rosarita Beach Cafe."
The second disc blends 40 minutes of music with segments of an interview between Zevon and KGSR-Austin, Texas' Jody Denberg.
Finally, Zevon's life and times are chronicled in the book "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," which is told through interviews with family members and musicians such as Jackson Browne, Lindsey Buckingham and David Crosby.
The article and track list here.
The Bad:
From RollingStone.com
And The Ugly:
According to Blabbermouth, Chinese Democracy’s previously half-confirmed release date, March 6th, has been retracted. Guns “associate” Del James has reportedly commented on the album’s status, saying: “The good news is that all of the recording for the album has been completed…There is no official release date, as the band is currently mixing, but after some delays and scheduling difficulties, things appear to be moving along.” Mmm k.
From MTV News:
Van Halen Reunion Tour Might Not Happen After All
Source close to band says 40-city jaunt with David Lee Roth has been postponed indefinitely.
By Corey Moss
Not so fast on breaking out those ice skates in hell. (Yes, those were our words we might soon be eating.)
The Van Halen reunion with original singer David Lee Roth — the one Eddie Van Halen described as feeling like "pure magic" after one rehearsal (see "Eddie Van Halen Says Reunion With David Lee Roth For Tour Is 'Pure Magic' ") — might not be happening after all.
A source close to the band, requesting anonymity, told USA Today on Tuesday (February 20) that the 40-city tour — tickets to which were expected to go on sale this weekend — has been postponed indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen's publicist — who announced the tour February 2 — said reports of a cancellation should be considered rumors until an official statement is released.
In mid-February, Roth spoke of the reunion with Rolling Stone, saying that he hopes it lasts beyond the summer trek. "God willin', and the creek don't run dry, just like Grandma Roth used to say," he told the magazine in typical Roth-speak. "Barring any act of God or Ferrari ... yeah. I have hope and faith, and that's more than just the name of a couple of strippers from Albuquerque."
Regardless, on March 12, Van Halen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (see "R.E.M., Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash Make Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame") in a ceremony that could feature Van Halen performing with both Roth and his replacement, Sammy Hagar (see "Sammy Hagar's Plans: Beach, Cruise, Sharing Stage With David Lee Roth?").
Fishbone: Still Stuck in Your Throat
I saw them again at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip in late 1990/early 1991.
Let's start with a disclaimer. I am a die hard Fishbone fan, and will be as objective as possible.
Listen: "Let Dem Ho's Fight" (sample) (mp3)
Listen: "Skank N' Go Nutts" (sample) (mp3)
Listen: "Party with Saddam" (sample) (mp3)We won't see the end
If we party till our colors blend
Party till Saddam's your friend
Never drop a bomb again
All right
We can break the chains
If we party like our blood's the same
Party till we lose our aim
Never shoot a gun again
...
Millions of dollars are spent on a piece
Of what I don't know,
but it sure ain't peace of mind
...
Can ya imagine Arnie partying with Tookie
Smoking and drinking till they lose their cookies
Crips are cousins, Bloods are brothers
Family can love one another
We're gonna party with Pinochet
He gonna sing the karaoke
We're gonna party with Mobutu
He's a lindy hopping dancing fool
Party with Condaleeza Rice, now
She like to shake it all night y'all
Party up with Tony Blair
Throw your hands up in the air
Party with Fidel Castro
He like to do it real low and slow
Party with Vladimir Putin
He like to breakdance and headspin
Party with Kim Jong-Il
He got the North Korean down-home feel
...
Listen: "We Just Lose Our Minds" (sample) (mp3)
Listen: "Behind Closed Doors" (sample) (mp3)
Backfoot flip, snowboard spine tweak
No pain without the powder, stuck four feet deep
More than a mighty wind carried on my head
Vertebraes cracking like dry french bread
It was also made into a video by Fishbone, their first in over ten years.
Before anyone thinks this is a pro-date rape song, check the original lyrics here.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Bridge to Terabithia: Review by Guest Blogger, Jolee Cohen
I saw this film today with the offspring. Jolee, the eldest spawn of BillyBlog, offers the following review:
Bridge to Terabithia is now one of my favorite movies. Some of the scenes just remind you of your home. Casual fights over the remote, races to the bathroom, etc., but other scenes take you off to a far away planet, world and even universe, lifting your imagination to the next level. After and even during the film, it makes your mind take you off to some magnificent kingdom, where you imagine peacefully with no annoying brothers and sisters, yelling and screaming parents and howling cats, dogs and maybe even pigs. This movie tells you what actually imagination is and how you can use it. It tells us imagination is used every day, from morning ‘till night. I really recommend this movie for some adults and kids ages 6-12. I say that because adults might find it interesting as well would kids. No one like a teenager, who would think Terabithia, is too boring for him or her, or anyone too young who might take it as a frightening place. I know I liked the movie, and if you see it, I hope you like it too.
Thanks to Jolee for the guest post.