A Bitter Pill

Argentina just went down to Germany after penalty kicks. The US, the Netherlands and Argentina... my three teams in this thing... all out. Cambiasso... what were you thinking with that last kick? Ay-yiy-yiy-yiy.

Ah well life, and the tournement goes on.

Yeah!!!

Finally caught up with my Deadwoods. Goddamn I love that Victorian - cowboy - profane American dialect! I also love Trixie.

And Gerald McGreaney is vastly underrated as an actor, the proof being his airing of the old Hearst family laundry.

The Calm Before The Storm

We've been given a few days off to take stock of things, to catch our breath, to gain some perspective on the tournement. The conclusion: the tournement has been generally ugly and rough. The cards up the wazoo, the generally shabby play of England, the lack of truly beautiful soccer... the funny thing- it doesn't matter. The games I have seen have been tense, crazy, with bursts of pure brilliance, and pure competition (except for that Argentina v. Netherlands match- that was a dud). That's my feeling. But now we get to hold our breath again because the quarterfinals of the World Cup begin tomorrow.

Argentina v. Germany. A total classic. I'm rooting for Argentina. Tevez!!! Riquelme.

Italy v. Ukraine. Maybe not a classic, but the Italians are always fun to watch. Italy. And how about that Serie A scandal?!? Ay - yiy -yiy - yiy. Damn... Juventus (the Yankees of Italian soccer) is going down (to Serie B). Oh well.

England v. Portugal. Either a total upset or the British finally get their shit together. Portugal.

Brazil v. France. Ronaldo v. Zidane- the Battle of the Ancients. Unless Thierry Henry shows up Brazil all the way. Sayonara Zidane.

Super Shit

Superman Returns is a hella turkey- a colossal dud; horseshit. No beginning, no middle, no end, no plot, no pace, and the movie refuses to end. They had a dude who looks and sounds like Superman, a great Lex Luthor, and brilliant technological effects... unfortunately they didn't have a script worth two shits and apparently NOBODY knew it. Bryan Singer and his gang totally fumbled the ball.

The buzz is wrong. The buzz is wishful thinking. The buzz is a media company hoping to recoup some cash and some fanboys helping them by re-living their youths... at all costs.

And the 3d wasn't that frigging exciting. Goddamnit, I really wanted to like that movie. Seeing Superman The Movie for the first time was like a fucking religious experience for Jebus's sake. Aaaarrrgh.

I am going to bed.

Geeks

Check out the fanboys who submitted reviews of DVD's they haven't even seen yet because they wanted Uncle George to tinker with the movies they allegedly don't want Uncle George to tinker with.

Oy jackasses! It's either the Super Hi-Fi digital reworks of Star Wars or lo-fi* old school Star Wars. You can't have both simultaneously.

Jebus.


* and hey, Dolby Digital 2.0 ain't no joke. Me, I'm looking forward to the old school Star Wars- for nostalgia don't ya know.**


** nostalgia however that will not surpass my appreciation for the Super Hi-Fi digital reworked SW. Those are great, and they TOTALLY hold up and match up to the Super Hi-Fi prequels (which I also like- but you already knew that).

Sweet Jebus On A Bike!!!!

I hereby declare the teaser trailer for Spider-man 3 to be THE SHIT.



HT to aintitcoolnews.com.

Clubs I Don't Neccesarily Want To Be A Member Of

Frankly I'm not sure how to take the fact that Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, and Michael Chertoff all love 24.

Shit.

Superman tickets on the IMAX are in hand.

My roommate just opined that only a wanker would wear a long sleeve shirt on a super hot day.

Perhaps he did all that heroic vomiting on purpose. What a wanker.

Beckham saved the day but it was Rooney who was the man of the match., although it was Beckham who got to vomit heroically on international television for the good of the nation.

Oh yeah.... tickets for The Flaming Lips at the NYS Fair on September 1 have been purchased. Booyah!!!!

The Land of Do - As -You Please

The trip to see the Hip in Toronto was a rousing success: nobody got arrested and no man was left behind. No hassles getting into and out of Canada. The Foggy Dew on King Street is a fine Irish pub and an excellent place to enjoy some air conditioning, a perfectly poured pint of Guiness, and the World Cup. It was brilliant, wonderful to enjoy a few pints and watch Argentina snag one in extra time off one of the best strikes I have ever seen (Maxi Rodriguez is a master), and the waitresses in the plaid skirts and black t-shirts.... Fort York was the perfect outdoor venue for El Hip- intimate yet open, and the Hip were on. And how about that forcefield!?! Wow. Gord danced and sang like mad and the band was kicking, with a boffo setlist. Don't Wake Daddy, The Wherewithal, We'll Go Too, Greasy Jungle, a Nautical Disaster dedicated to "our boys and girls in Afganistan and to Prime Minister Bush," and a fervent, amazing At The Hundredth Meridian. The only drawback, 1 encore. But it was a great show and a great start to the summer concert season.

I love Canada. People get to act like adults, concert security wasn't there to be DICKS (unlike at Darien Lake where that is their sole purpose, that and harshing your taxpaying citizen mellow), and they even sell you bottled water with the plastic top on- because apparently in Canada unlike the US they don't use the plastic bottle tops as weapons. What a country.

I just hope they don't take after us.

Hope

The hot football rumor of the moment: Bruce Arena's done, and in will come German coach Jurgen Klinnsman, tired of getting kicked around by the nation of Germany. Here only us nuts give a shit.

That would keep the fans happy... and maybe even give them hope.

The Round of 16

Now we're talking. This is what it's all about. Single elimination football. The World Cup's Round of 16.

The big matches of note this weekend:

Mexico v. Argentina, today. My pick: Argentina of course.

England v. Ecuador, tomorrow morning. This could be mighty interesting, considering the profound pressure Team England is under and the surge in mojo Ecuador's got. For England to prevail they're going to need legendary games from somebody. Rooney? Gerrard? Walcott?

Netherlands v. Portugal, tomorrow afternoon. Two perfectly matched teams right down the line. A potential classic.

More Reasons To Love Football (World Rules, Not North American Rules)

Feast your eyes gents. Ladies, here's some fine material of great interest.

The Central Terminal is an awesome building, something right out of Tolkien.

Tomorrow... the Hip in Toronto. Booyah!

Art Happenings

The Buffalo premier of Prison of the Psychotic Damned at the Central Terminal was boffo: I got my picture taken with scream queen Melantha Blackthorne, boozed up before during and after the showing, enjoyed the show, and thoroughly enjoyed some grade a students from Nardin tear thru some punk rock and lob used tampons into the crowd (apparently store in the fridge).

I like Halloween when it's not Halloween, and I like Halloween people when it's not Halloween, and it was a gas.

Face It Folks

0 - 2 - 1.


America needs to face it, our national soccer leaves a great deal to be desired. Sending journeymen overseas for international experience is all well and good, but our native soccer needs some juice, some oomph, some goddamned spirit. MLS just doesn't do it. Nobody is playing for their jobs, for their team's livelihoods day in and day out because there's nowhere to go- you're team is in the league and you stay there, you're good to go. Everywhere else in the world of soccer however the league lineups change from year to year because the lame teams get the boot down into lower leagues and the best move up to a higher level, and THAT is what we need in the US. The training, the commitment, the drive, it's just more intense in a promotion/relegation system and that is where our national game needs to go. That passion and intensity also carries over to the fans and the way the interact with the game, and I have to think that would help grow the game here too- fanatical fans at the local level, fans caught up in the very battle for the existence of their teams, become fanatics for the national game and national team. That's how you make the game of soccer our game.

Bruce Arena, our US manager, needs to go. They just weren't ready for the Czechs and we never fully recovered.

Oh well, the World Cup dreams of the US in 2006 are done, kaput. At least Freddie Adu, the future of US soccer will be a legal adult in 2010, and he might even be playing for Chelsea.


Anyhoo... let's go Argentina!!!!

The dreams of the US National Team are fizzling away...

USA 1 Ghana 2 in the 83rd minute.


Italy 2 Czech Republic 0 in the 88th minute.





A national disgrace in the making.

Dignity

Talk about playing for your dignity... Ivory Coast battled back to win the game after being down by 2. Tremendous. That might even postpone the resuming of armed conflict in that country. America however tomorrow is not playing for their dignity. They are playing for a chance in the big leagues. Yes we need Italy to beat the Czech Republic. But that can and will happen. The Azzurri will pull it off, and I have no problem rooting for them (I just finished reading a book about Italian soccer after all for God's sake). This is it. Courage. Grit. Some goddamned offense.

USA!?! USA. USA!!!

Oh yeah, the Argentina v Netherlands was a dud, the first dud of the Cup. Alas while some games are about pride and others for a chance to do more, some games are just about not getting injured. Oh well, the knockout stage begins Saturday...

?????

Matt Damon as James Tiberius Kirk in the JJ Abrams Star Trek movie????

That almost makes sense....

Wrong-O Jackass!

The dude on ESPN totally misconstrued the nature of everything during the Argentina v Netherlands match (TiVo'd and better yet I've avoided the score like the plague!) by saying that the Serbia Montenegro v Ivory Coast meant nothing. Jesus Christ man it means everything! Those men were playing for their pride, maybe even their national pride, and at the end of the day that means a shitload! Nobody wants to be the scrub at the bottom, and those fine men were playing for their dignity.

This dude on TNR's World Cup blog nailed it exactly right: Tommy Smyth is the best, and certainly one of the reasons I've developed soccer/football mania (from all those Champions League matches I Tivo'd off of ESPN this spring). If you're channel surfing past the World Cup and hear a leprechaun opining lyrically on the game you should stop and take heed- he's hilarious, perceptive, and an artist with his commentary.

It's About Fucking Time

Rolling Stone finally get's a rock and roll blog going and it is THE SHIT.

The Netherworld

Damn, us Star Trek fans are like nomads wandering in the darkness... making our own Star Trek episodes... wondering how THEY will fuck it up next... and now drooling over the great imponderable: what would have happened if Michael J Stryzinksi re-imagined and rebooted Star Trek before Paramount sent his treatment back "return to sender." Of course I'm intrigued because 1) I think Trek has burnt itself out after the disappointment that was Enterprise, 2) Chuck over at Seeley's always has championed the notion, and 3) the mythology of the new series shows real love for what made the original Trek so great and enduring.

In any case, our quest across the pop culture desert continues.

The oasis?

Doctor Who- The Pirate Planet was fan-fucking-tastic: well produced, clever on the verge of satire, and thoroughly hilarious. It even ended with the Doctor giving the newly liberated Zanaxians the black power salute.

Douglas Adams was / is a genius, and the British were brilliant for giving him their BBC airwaves to spread it around.

A Celebration

In honor of the DVD release of Dave Chappelle's Block Party on DVD I give you once again my thoughts from March after seeing it in the theater. Buy this motherfucker people! You will laugh! You will cry! You will feel good about America! It's still the feel good movie of 2006.


Friday, March 10, 2006
America!

Due to technical difficulties and a sucky day so far you get yesterday's blog today: Dave Chappelle's Block Party is the shit. I want to live in his America: a country where people are cool with one another and where people of all creeds and colors come together to listen to our finest American rap music and enjoy a good BBQ. It's the feel good movie of the year.

Seriously.

Random thoughts on Block Party: Mos Def is the coolest cat in the USA, Questlove Thompson is a musical/drumming genius, The Fugees were and are hilariously overrated, the return of Big Daddy Kane brought a smile to my face and triggered a subconsious time travel trip back to the late 80's riding on the 22 Summer Best Metro bus to school, Erykah Badu is a goddess, Jill Scott is a radiant, beautiful Odetta, Dead Prez so drop the true science, and only African American folks should be allowed to do marching bands.

Why is Artvoice sleeping on Block Party? They've got a great ad for the movie but no review. It's even directed by Michael Gondry. What's that about?

The poster for Block Party is great, one of my favorite posters ever: in addition to all the musical stars from the movie and Dave front and center it also features the old Bed Stuy hippy lady, the Central State U. marching band director who helped get those kids to NYC for the party, and some of the folks from southwestern Ohio who got golden tickets to come to the party. The movie is as much theirs is it is anybody else's. Dave Chappelle is cool, no matter what anybody says.

And oh yeah, the Sabres are AWESOME. Keep it rolling lads, you are DOING IT.

Insight

Finally finished A Season With Verona - Travels Around Italy In Search Of Illusion, National Character And... Goals! by Tim Parks (no relation). Bloody brilliant and resonant as I read it during our Sabres playoff run. Even though it was about provincial Italian football it easily encompassed Italian football, football itself, and sports period: why we love it, and more importantly how and why we as intelligent people can immerse and invest ourselves in pursuits that have no philosophical or religious value. I also loved the fact that Parks wrote like I do. It's a fun book that if you're not careful might teach you something. And probably give you a soccer itch.

The Sporting Life

The spirit of America was definitely embodied by the US Open: the USGA's puritanical efforts to punish professional golfers killed everybody's spirits and resulted in lousy scores, the outcomes was determined by high powered chokes (Furyk, Montgomerie) and remarkably poor decisions (Mickelson), and the trophy literally fell into the lap of some dude FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY. I kid you not, the Golf Channel postgame coverage featuring post match press conferences is brilliant, a pageant of pain, shame, and regret. Oh the humanity. I think it was Jon Stewart who joked that perhaps the 3-nil Czech drubbing of the US hinted that ours was a country in decline, and if it is indeed true that through the sporting life one can understand the ebb and flow of life itself than the 2006 US Open certainly posed some questions. And hey, wasn't the only goal the US got yesterday against Italy an own goal? It was! Minga! We're hanging by a thread in the World Cup too. Yikes.

I fear that our national mojo is fucked.

The Spirit of America

Only on FIFA World Cup 2006 on the PS2 does Cliff the Liberal embody the spirit of America- injuring 2 players (we're talking LAYING THEM OUT!) and snatching the only goal to clinch third place (the Republican roommate co-pilot played woefully as the other American in the game). Yes folks, there seems to be a mystical barrier blocking myself from getting into the videogame World Cup Finals. Sad. But the crushing of two peaceable Dutchmen and digging out the winner in the service of America... almost number 1... that was great.

The spirit of America might also have been embodied today by Phil Mickelson, who played the final hole of the US Open like he was drunk, or playing like he was me or my golfing buddies, and thus totally gave away the US Open. Two hilariously bad shot decisions in a row... profoundly bad decisions. What great television.

But... Phil admitted his error and called himself "an idiot"... is that American? It certainly ain't Bush-like. Frankly I think it was just pure cockiness and it killed him when he should have played it conservatively. Oh well. I still love Phil.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day fathers of the world.

Not Dead Yet

Well the US got a point out of Italy, and you gotta respect their grit and inspiration- considering they were down 2 men for 2/3's of the game. Goddamn ref. But the real deal is this: the US has to beat Ghana and Italy has to beat the Czechs Thursday... the universe / fate / destiny + American grit and balls might deliver us into the 2nd round.

Yes, there is hope, and it is alive.

Redemption Song

Last night's Peace Has No Borders event was indeed socially and morally redeeming, but that's not why I'm here. I'm talking about the US redeeming itself in the World Cup. I've made my peace with their drubbing at the hands of the Czech Republic and it's time to move on and I hope everybody is able to do so. Get back to square one in this thing boys and set up a pivotal third game. You can do it. It can be done. This is it.

USA?!? USA.

Muchas Gracias Dos!

Muchas gracias to Argentina for clubbing Serbia-Montenegro 6-0, far, far harder than what the Czech Republic handed us on Monday. Beautiful goals, beautiful play. And they got (Barcelona's ) Lionel Messi some World Cup minutes, the Argentinian Boy Wonder injured since early spring. Messi looked good (an assistant to the ordinarily hated Hernan Crespo!! Goal!!), and Argentina looks awesome.

And for your blogging pleasure The New Republic's World Cup Blog. And it's actually about soccer. Great stuff.

Yowza

File under YOWZA!!!:

Civil War #2 (Marvel Comics)- Chuck said "no cosmic reset button" is going to fix that and he is right. The post 9/11 mindset hits Marvel Comics and the war against superhero civil liberties starts. Stunning shit. <- Check the link!

Wonder Woman #1 (DC Comics)- Beautifully drawn and wonderfully written by The OC's Allen Heinberg, a damn fine first issue.

Ex Machina Special #2 (Wildstorm)- Pure prequel sci-fi / superheroic action straight up, no politics, unlike the excellent Ex Machina ongoing series that juggles perfectly the sci-fi / superhero action with the sharp West Wing talk and NYC political history on a monthly basis.

Liberty Meadows #37 (Image)- I love funny talking animal / good girl art / soap opera comic strips drawn by Frank Cho. The hilarious Star Wars bit (from Episode I no less!!!) was also much appreciated.

Gnarles Barkley, St. Elsewhere. Booyah.

Episodes 1 and 2 of The Pirate Planet, a spiffy Tom Baker Doctor Who story on DVD... a story written by Douglas Adams. Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy-a-riffic, and intriguingly not cheesy at all production wise. I even think that's the dude who played Baron Harkonnen in the Sci-Fi Channel remake of Dune acting almost Harkonnen-like as the Doctor's foe. There might even be a critique of capitalism in there somewhere. It's ri-goddamn-diculous, but I can't wait to watch the last 2 installments.

Why the World Cup is turning out to be a shitload of fun:

England and Sweden both snatching victory out of the jaws of mediocrity in the closing moments- England finding enough mojo in the presense of a resurrected Wayne Rooney for Beckham to set up the Jolly Giant Peter Crouch and later a stunner from Steven Gerrard, and Sweden pulling some poetic bullshit off in the 88th minute. Stunning shit.

Irony and Sport

From the Real Deal Blog:


Irony

My favorite political moment of the World Cup thus far:

Watching my Republican roommate rooting for Mexico versus Iran in a match that took place in Nuremberg, where the Nazis were succesfully tried for crimes the President of Iran says never happened.

And tomorrow, Trinidad and Tobago plays England in a classic battle between former colony and former colonial power.

What a great sporting event.

And a new question, am I pretentious enough to hang out over at Cafe Aroma to watch World Cup games?

Oh yeah, the season (series 1) finale to the new Doctor Who was brilliant. Now I know why Daleks freaked English kids out back in the day. I'll miss Christopher Eccleston but I suspect David Tennant will do just fine for season (series) 2, which hopefully will surface in the US sooner rather than later (yeah I'm talking to you Sci Fi Channel!!!)..

Muchas Gracias!

Muchas gracias to Spain for handing a pummeling to the Ukraine that was actually worse than the pummeling we got Monday from the Czech Republic.

3-0.

We're officially the worst team in the World Cup, potentially for the second World Cup in a row. The only thing we have left is for Ghana to stun Italy and potentially get that traditional yet scandal-ridden powerhouse to pack it in before our game against them next week and then a stunner against the gigantic question mark that is team Ghana. Can team the US Team pull it's shit together? It's going to be a long, strange 4 days.

They have no inspiration, no pace, and the giveaways are disgraceful. They are just standing there, nobody's moving, creating open space. It's total submission to a ragtag bunch of Czechs who play professionally all over the continent, like vagabonds. There's nothing going on. The only team in this World Cup to go down 2 goals in the first half.

The US team is as of right now rubbish.

Bloody Hell

Man. Us nil. Czech Republic 2. Our World Cup run hangs in the balance after a ludicrusly flat performance. The roommate is flipping out over the giveaways and stupid play (going inside- to nowhere instead of outside-in; no counterattack to speak of). The roommate is so pissed the fact that the second Czech goal came from a player going to Arsenal next season means absolutely nothing to him as he pummels the couch. And next we get Italy, who might well be even better than the Czech's. Do I want to Tivo the Italy vs. Ghana game later? Do I really want to know what's in store? Sam's Army has it's work cut out for them.

And is Ben Rothlisberger a TOTAL RETARD? Getting in a motorcycle accident without a helmet? The guy is frigging King of the County. Jesus Christ.

Game On

Kudos to ESPN2 for the excellent coverage and buildup to today's 1st fixture of the USA in the FIFA World Cup. Kudos to Sam's Army (whose website is down alas) for giving a shit about football and for rooting our team on (like they do EVERYWHERE else the game is played- all throughout the game , singing and chanting from start to finish) wherever they are playing. Hell, kudos to Addidas for those great commercials with those 2 kids and all those international soccer stars. Kudos to U2 for letting ABC/ESPN use their music for all their World Cup advertising.

Kudos to the US team for getting to the Cup in the first place. Now let's do this thing. USA!! USA!!!

Yes!!!

Hot shit. The Flaming Lips are playing the state fair in Syracuse on September 1. A Friday. And I thought all hope was lost for seeing The Lips this year.

You know what that means.

The caravan is leaving Buffalo NY no later than 5 PM.

And behold their new video for "The W.A.N.D." Easily one of the best videos ever as you will soon see.

Cosmic Harmonic Convergence

Usually the Truthout.org is a source for MY OTHER BLOG, but this morning it's more appropriate here:

President Bush may give the event a miss - one can only wonder what he would make of a game in which the U.S. has a negligible chance of being world champion; for Americans with qualms about their country's imperial role, by contrast, supporting the plucky and rather well-liked outsiders of Team USA is an opportunity for guilt-free patriotic fervor. But you can be sure that Bush allies like Tony Blair, Angela Merkel, Jacques Chirac, Junichiro Koizumi, and Silvio Berlusconi (who actually owns AC Milan, one of Italy's top teams) will watch their countries' every game.

Indeed Tony Karon's How to Watch the World Cup: Politics and War by Other Means is a most handy guide to the world (as it is right now) during this exciting World Cup month. The other day one of the chaps on The Daily Show said that the reason why Americans don't get crazy about soccer is because if soccer is metaphorical socio-political warfare Americans already have the real thing and thus don't need the metaphors (or something to that effect), and he is indeed correct. I however like metaphors, larger meaning, and shit like that. That's why when the roommate and I triumphantly advanced the US to the quarterfinals on the PS2 FIFA World Cup (after enjoying the end of the Netherlands vs. Serbia Montenegro match) game I listened with such pride to the "Star Spangled Banner" at the conclusion of the game. In it's entirety. I was that proud.

And who do we have to play in the videogame quarterfinals? The Czech Republic.

We definitely ain't playing that until after the actual game tomorrow. That would be bad juju no matter how you cut it.

The Album of the Summer Today

Last year's sneak sensation was the Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc.": funky, heavy, hypnotic, and sonically precise and seductive. It was everywhere last year, and with good reason. This year's song of the summer is "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, and the album from which it comes, St. Elsewhere is the album of the summer. Seriously. Imagine Al Green (before he became the Reverend Al Green) and his producer on 22nd Century acid and using 21st century technology and old school ethos (when hip hop mattered, when hip hop was actual art) to create bonafide soul music. The most modern, challenging and exciting R&B you will hear this year or anytime soon.

Fucking Brilliant

Yesterday was fucking brilliant. The radio show went great. I had a chance to watch a World Cup match in it's entirety. I went over to Randy's for a BBQ- Randy lives on N. Pearl between North and Allen, and got hammered. The beer and food was plentiful and served periodically throughout the day. The weather was perfect... pluperfect. I didn't sweat once. With a healthy road beer in a plastic cup I saw the sights- the Allentown Experience was great: the festival is as it always is (which is OK), the Allentown West thing was cool: more packed it, more weird, with a neat Shakedown Street / Diagon Alley feel; and the Music Is Art Festival was swell. Of the three it was the most interesting, the one that felt the most like a Hallwall's Arts and Models Fair circa 95-96, and I salute Robby Takac for putting it on and letting it all hang out.

I love Buffalo

Was it me or was yesterday the best Allentown day EVER? I'm still gobsmacked.

X-Men 3 is a dud. Sort of boring, with cheesier than usual special effects in a rote effort by everybody involved; thus, it is a letdown. Especially after the first two.

Also for the record, the teenagers of Williamsville need to get their shit TOGETHER, especially the teenage girls who occupied the row in front of us. Goddamn it you were in public.

Today was declared a national holiday in Costa Rica so the whole country could watch the first game of the FIFA World Cup. You have to love that. On Monday the US plays the Czech Republic and it will be business as usual except the insane and truly dedicated. On Saturday June 17 the US plays Italy in their pivotal second match, and you will have no excuse.

Quick Shots

- Ted Nolan has finally been hired by a team in the NHL! Finally.

- 1 more day till the FIFA World Cup. Matches of note over the next few days: Costa Rica vs. Germany 6/9 (opening match of the tournement), England vs. Paraguay 6/10, and the US vs. Czechoslovakia 6/12.

- The almost hilarious national saga that has been the recent life of injured England striker Wayne Rooney is reaching it's apex.

- Bruce Springsteen is the MAN, and free as a bird. I can't wait to see what he does next.

Operation Deadwood Update

The first four episodes of Deadwood Season 2 are gritty, poetic, and serious shit. The only show that regularly sends me to the Wikipedia.

8 more to go but the third disc is out over at the Blockbuster. I might have to cruise on by to see if I get lucky...

The Number 2 Fifth Beatle

Billy Preston , my number 2 fifth Beatle (behind only Sir George Martin), passed away. A groovy keyboardist, and a true soul man (a soul man with so much soul he was able to get the fracture Beatles through the Let It Be sessions).

Operation Deadwood

Operation Watch The Second Season of Deadwood Before The Third Season Starts has begun but it's a bit too soon to talk about it... I've still got to succesfully rent and view 10 more episodes by Sunday.

It is going to be tight.

OK... I'll Admit It...

... last night's Sopranos finale left a bit to be desired, especially after the fine beginning. A whole bunch of set up for the last 8 episodes that we gotta wait 7 months for.

They better be worth the wait.

The new Doctor Who is just so good. Series (season) 1's penultimate episode is rousing, perfectly realized, hilarious, and a pitch perfect critique of reality television- what I've been saying for years in fact. I can see why the British have taken so well to this new Doctor- it's the Doctor Who of their dreams: perfectly realized yet still endearingly overreaching, cerebral, modern yet thoroughly vintage, and a pefect distillation of the Who phenomenon. Billie Piper is the perfect Doctor's companion, Christopher Eccleston seems to capture the archetypal essense of the concept of the Doctor (it's a shame he left after the first series/season*), and producer Russell Davies has perfectly re-imagined/continued** the Doctor Who legacy for modern audiences. Did I mention that the bonus materials on the Doctor Who dvd's Chuck lent me were bountiful and informative?

I cannot wait for next week's conclusion.


* Early reports from the UK indicate that the new Doctor David Tennant is more than adequate in the currently running second series/season.

** Amazingly, it's still in continuity, going all the way back to the 1963 first episodes. The advantage of building your show around an immortal time and space travelling Time Lord who occasionally regenerates himself in totally different male guises thoughout his long history.

Black Friday

Welcome to Black Friday people, a day on which despair and depression are exemplified by the clean shaven faces.

We'll be OK, but not yet. Not today.

Many Tanqueray and Tonics Into The Evening...

Bring on the WORLD CUP!!!

THANK YOU SABRES!!!

Random Thoughts

I took my medicine and watched the 11 PM news.

John Murphy seemed almost choked up.

Briere is a warrior. The future of the Sabres.

I am so proud of this team. No bitching. Anybody.

I would never admit to anybody upon pain of death that I was at Thursday in the Square tonight after 7 PM. Ever.

And though they were sad
They rescued everyone
They lifted up the sun
A spoonful weighs a ton

Giving more than they had
The process had begun
A million came from one
The limits now were none

Being drunk on their plan,
they lifted up the sun.

Forcing it off with their hands
The trapdoor came undone
Above our heads it swung
The privilege had been won.

Being drunk on their plan,
they lifted up the sun.

Yelling as hard as they can
The doubters all were stunned
Heard louder than a gun
The sound they made was love.

"A Spoonful Weighs A Ton," The Flaming Lips

Actually I had to cut off Pet Sounds to switch to The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin in 5.1 while the roommate and I cleaned ou the fridge. The modern Pet Sounds. A natural segue way.

Cue The Beach Boys Pet Sounds. In it's entirety. A good soundtrack for all those sad phonecalls.

Cue Led Zeppelin II track 4.

THANK YOU SABRES!!!

They went down fighting to the end.


THANK YOU SABRES!!! FUCK YOU BRINDAMOUR!!! THANK YOU SABRES!!!


FUCK YOU BRINDAMOUR!!!!!



THANK YOU SABRES!!!! THANK YOU SABRES!!!!! THANK YOU SABRES!!!!


WE WILL BE THERE WITH YOU NEXT YEAR!!!!

Destiny

There however is also the destiny element to consider, and I think it is time for the Sabres to TAKE IT UP, injuries and all. This is their time.

Go Sabres.

The out of body experience that has been the last 45 some odd hours comes to an end now. Now we get to business. Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Conference Finals in '99 were nothing like this- we had that shit locked up easily against Toronto; this however is a different kettle of fish, a heightened reality experience that occurs all too infrequently. This is it and I am HAPPY either way.

And for the record you are nuts if you ain't reading Superman and Action Comics. Right in time for the new movie DC is putting out a magnificent re-approach to the classic character that is poignant, dynamic, sharply scripted, and beautifully presented. Wonderful stuff.

Hot tip burning up the internet: Batwoman's coming back, this time as a lesbian. A far cry indeed from the cheesy 50's origins of the character...

Of course this made for a fine conversation at Seeley's. Obviously the consensus is that we're cool with it, and sure I'll read it if only for one issue because not even that will keep it in my stack for long.

Hunker Down

GAME 7 TONIGHT!!!!!

Doctor Who The Talons of Weng-Chiang has made me a fan. Intelligent, quasi-cheesy, artfully done, and a jolly good time. Thanks to Chuck at Seeley's Comics for the DVD lender.

I am a fan.