Yesterday I took the day off from posting, since it was my birthday. Actually, that's not really the reason. It's not like I do this every day anymore anyway.
I did get a birthday present from YouTube watchers, though. I just checked, and apparently, the Wicked roller coaster video has just passed 10,000 watchers! How neato! here it is right here to celebrate:
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
j.r. watches star trek for the first time volume 2
EDIT: Okay, looks like it works after all. Congratulations to the none of you who were able to participate.
EDIT: Due to technical issues, J.R. is not going live with the recording. If you want to comment anyway, feel free.
Tune in at about 3pm MST if you want to take part.
If you're having trouble viewing us, make two separate windows with each of the following URLs:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thejonblogcam
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/star-trek-stuff
You'll probably have to join ustream to chat. So join ustream and chat on the jonblogcam page. If you're lucky, maybe you can chat on the above chat link. If one of us freezes you may also need to refresh the pages.
EDIT: Due to technical issues, J.R. is not going live with the recording. If you want to comment anyway, feel free.
Tune in at about 3pm MST if you want to take part.
If you're having trouble viewing us, make two separate windows with each of the following URLs:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thejonblogcam
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/star-trek-stuff
You'll probably have to join ustream to chat. So join ustream and chat on the jonblogcam page. If you're lucky, maybe you can chat on the above chat link. If one of us freezes you may also need to refresh the pages.
Monday, February 25, 2008
for those of you who don't know, i totally ROCKED my oscar picks
I missed the "makeup" category partially because my vote was almost a joke.
I also missed "film editing" and "sound mixing" because I didn't realize that these technical awards were the ones that Bourne Ultimatum would sweep. I did guess Bourne correctly for "sound editing," though.
I missed "costume design" by picking the unseen Sweeny Todd over the actual winner (and movie I actually did see) Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I mistakenly thought that Elizabeth's costumes were too "obvious."
Peter & the Wolf was the winner of "animated short film," but how was I supposed to know that? It's not like I had any possibility of actually viewing the film.
There Will Be Blood won for cinematography, and I should have voted for it, since I knew it would probably win more than just for best actor.
Taxi to the Dark Side won for documentary, which I don't think many people saw coming with No End in Sight and Sicko in that category.
One thing I failed to mention in my previous blog post is that while I wanted Persepolis to win the animation category, I actually thought that Ratatouille would actually win. Sorry about that. I marked it on my EW tear-away ballot and everything.
Here's what I did get right: "original song" (and that win from Once was the award-highlight), "original score," "sound editing" (already mentioned), "art direction," "live action short film" (yes, despite knowing nothing about any of the entries), "visual effects," "adapted screenplay," "original screenplay," "foreign language film," "animated feature" (if you believe me that I actually did think Ratatouille would take it -- and why wouldn't I?), "documentary short," "director," "supporting actor," "actress," "actor" and "best picture."
Also notice that another great thing happened when Tilda Swinton (my "should" pick) beat Cate Blanchett (my "will" pick). If we count my "should" pick I picked every one of the "big six" categories: picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress and director.
So I guess officially I got 16 of the 24 correct with an emphasis on the biggies. Pretty Okay. This was the one year I wasn't part of any type of pool at all. Figures.
I also missed "film editing" and "sound mixing" because I didn't realize that these technical awards were the ones that Bourne Ultimatum would sweep. I did guess Bourne correctly for "sound editing," though.
I missed "costume design" by picking the unseen Sweeny Todd over the actual winner (and movie I actually did see) Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I mistakenly thought that Elizabeth's costumes were too "obvious."
Peter & the Wolf was the winner of "animated short film," but how was I supposed to know that? It's not like I had any possibility of actually viewing the film.
There Will Be Blood won for cinematography, and I should have voted for it, since I knew it would probably win more than just for best actor.
Taxi to the Dark Side won for documentary, which I don't think many people saw coming with No End in Sight and Sicko in that category.
One thing I failed to mention in my previous blog post is that while I wanted Persepolis to win the animation category, I actually thought that Ratatouille would actually win. Sorry about that. I marked it on my EW tear-away ballot and everything.
Here's what I did get right: "original song" (and that win from Once was the award-highlight), "original score," "sound editing" (already mentioned), "art direction," "live action short film" (yes, despite knowing nothing about any of the entries), "visual effects," "adapted screenplay," "original screenplay," "foreign language film," "animated feature" (if you believe me that I actually did think Ratatouille would take it -- and why wouldn't I?), "documentary short," "director," "supporting actor," "actress," "actor" and "best picture."
Also notice that another great thing happened when Tilda Swinton (my "should" pick) beat Cate Blanchett (my "will" pick). If we count my "should" pick I picked every one of the "big six" categories: picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress and director.
So I guess officially I got 16 of the 24 correct with an emphasis on the biggies. Pretty Okay. This was the one year I wasn't part of any type of pool at all. Figures.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
this year's oscar picks
Best Makeup:
I think Norbit will take it. What's better than hearing: "From the producers of the Oscar-winning Norbit"
Original Song:
Obviously I'm pulling for "Falling Slowly" from Once. If anybody in the academy saw this movie, then it's a shoe-in. Unfortunately, maybe they didn't watch the film since strangely this was all Once was nominated for. Of course all the votes for Enchanted may cancel each other out. What's up with having three nominees for the same movie anyway?
Original Score:
I didn't see it, but I heard that the score for Atonement is truly unique (hmm. so maybe that means it won't win).
Sound Editing:
I'll have to say The Bourne Ultimatum because I totally liked the movie despite the shaky visuals. It must have been the crazy sound that presented so much busy background noise of a half dozen cities, but was still crisp and straightforward.
Sound Mixing:
Perhaps this is the wrong category to say this, but I may as well. I love the voice work in Ratatouille because I couldn't tell which big-name actors were doing the voices. The characters were presented instead of the actors.
Film Editing:
No Country for Old Men. Such distinct moods were created perfectly through the elite timing of this movie.
Costume Design:
Sweeny Todd. Really just a guess. I never saw it.
Art Direction:
Sweeny Todd.
Live Action Short Film:
Le Mozart des Pickpockets. Cleverest title.
Animated Short Film:
Meme les Pigeons Vont au Paradis. Longest title
Visual Effects:
The Golden Compass. I didn't see it, but Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers just weren't fun to look at.
Adapted Screenplay:
No Country for Old Men. I didn't read the original book, but I'm amazed to hear from people that some of the writing flourishes used by the Coens in this movie actually improved upon the book and not the other way around.
Original Screenplay:
I don't think I realized how much depth this story had until today when Maria and I had a 45-minute conversation about the emotion and motivation of the characters in Juno.
Cinematography:
No Country for Old Men. Bleak story but beautiful images.
Foreign Language Film:
The Counterfeiters. Sounds pretty cool.
Animated Feature:
I'll go ahead and say that I think Persepolis should win for keeping traditional two-dimensional animation in the game by having its own very unique original style.
Documentary Short:
Salim Baba. Could I even watch this movie if I wanted to?
Documentary Feature:
I liked Sicko, but I have a feeling the well-organized and thorough No End in Sight will take it.
Director:
Joel and Ethan will probably win, but the academy may not like making the award a shared one. Personally I like what Julian Schnabel did with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I really liked the juxtaposition of the protagonist's visual limitation with the broadness of his memories. Also, one thing we forget about directors is that they are directly in charge of actors' performances. The women in this movie did a wonderful job of evoking far more than sympathy.
Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett will probably win, but my vote goes to Tilda Swinton for her one of a kind portrayal of villain in the midst of a breakdown in Michael Clayton.
Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem will win for bringing us the scariest villain since Darth Vader, but again I really liked a Michael Clayton performance. Tom Wilkinson played not only a guy who was off his meds, but a guy fully exposing his entire persona.
Actress:
Marion Cotillard. I heard she was pretty good.
Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis will win, because the whole point of There Will Be Blood was to frame it around him and then turn him loose. The experiment was a success.
Picture:
No Country for Old Men. Mostly for editing. Mostly for the wonderful, evil villain. Mostly for taking something and improving on it. Mostly for every aspect of film coming together perfectly. I didn't really like the ending, though.
I think Norbit will take it. What's better than hearing: "From the producers of the Oscar-winning Norbit"
Original Song:
Obviously I'm pulling for "Falling Slowly" from Once. If anybody in the academy saw this movie, then it's a shoe-in. Unfortunately, maybe they didn't watch the film since strangely this was all Once was nominated for. Of course all the votes for Enchanted may cancel each other out. What's up with having three nominees for the same movie anyway?
Original Score:
I didn't see it, but I heard that the score for Atonement is truly unique (hmm. so maybe that means it won't win).
Sound Editing:
I'll have to say The Bourne Ultimatum because I totally liked the movie despite the shaky visuals. It must have been the crazy sound that presented so much busy background noise of a half dozen cities, but was still crisp and straightforward.
Sound Mixing:
Perhaps this is the wrong category to say this, but I may as well. I love the voice work in Ratatouille because I couldn't tell which big-name actors were doing the voices. The characters were presented instead of the actors.
Film Editing:
No Country for Old Men. Such distinct moods were created perfectly through the elite timing of this movie.
Costume Design:
Sweeny Todd. Really just a guess. I never saw it.
Art Direction:
Sweeny Todd.
Live Action Short Film:
Le Mozart des Pickpockets. Cleverest title.
Animated Short Film:
Meme les Pigeons Vont au Paradis. Longest title
Visual Effects:
The Golden Compass. I didn't see it, but Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers just weren't fun to look at.
Adapted Screenplay:
No Country for Old Men. I didn't read the original book, but I'm amazed to hear from people that some of the writing flourishes used by the Coens in this movie actually improved upon the book and not the other way around.
Original Screenplay:
I don't think I realized how much depth this story had until today when Maria and I had a 45-minute conversation about the emotion and motivation of the characters in Juno.
Cinematography:
No Country for Old Men. Bleak story but beautiful images.
Foreign Language Film:
The Counterfeiters. Sounds pretty cool.
Animated Feature:
I'll go ahead and say that I think Persepolis should win for keeping traditional two-dimensional animation in the game by having its own very unique original style.
Documentary Short:
Salim Baba. Could I even watch this movie if I wanted to?
Documentary Feature:
I liked Sicko, but I have a feeling the well-organized and thorough No End in Sight will take it.
Director:
Joel and Ethan will probably win, but the academy may not like making the award a shared one. Personally I like what Julian Schnabel did with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I really liked the juxtaposition of the protagonist's visual limitation with the broadness of his memories. Also, one thing we forget about directors is that they are directly in charge of actors' performances. The women in this movie did a wonderful job of evoking far more than sympathy.
Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett will probably win, but my vote goes to Tilda Swinton for her one of a kind portrayal of villain in the midst of a breakdown in Michael Clayton.
Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem will win for bringing us the scariest villain since Darth Vader, but again I really liked a Michael Clayton performance. Tom Wilkinson played not only a guy who was off his meds, but a guy fully exposing his entire persona.
Actress:
Marion Cotillard. I heard she was pretty good.
Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis will win, because the whole point of There Will Be Blood was to frame it around him and then turn him loose. The experiment was a success.
Picture:
No Country for Old Men. Mostly for editing. Mostly for the wonderful, evil villain. Mostly for taking something and improving on it. Mostly for every aspect of film coming together perfectly. I didn't really like the ending, though.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
february stars
This is what I got for Valentine's Day. It's a headphone amplifier. It's pretty awesome. I have an awesome girlfriend because she doesn't give me chocolate. She gives me stuff like this. Ladies, if you want to impress your man, get him a headphone amp.What this thing does is it enables four different headphones to receive from a single source. What that means is we hook it up to the tv, and when we play Rock Band, we can each have a set of headphones and we'll all hear the music instead of just the clacking of the plastic drums. So come over and play Rock Band. Halo is lots more fun too. We can also use it for our dvd commentaries. Now four different people can listen to the movie and comment with their own volume control. Neat, huh?
I also got The O.C. Mix 2 on cd. That show is so great. I'm still a fan. I put one of the songs over in "Song of the Moment" if you wanna listen.
Now may be a good time to mention that my birthday is later this month and I'm planning on having a party on the 29th. Right now the plan is Skybox. That way we can have a bite and also play in the adult fun area they have there. Don't tell me you're too busy. It's the 29th of February! It's a whole new extra day! It's like a free day crammed into our lives.
can you digg it?
So really quickly, before another member of the Oceanic 6 is revealed, I joined Digg in the hopes of getting some exposure to the little Lost/X-men compilation I did a few entries ago. For those of you unfamiliar with Digg (I'm actually quite unfamiliar myself), here's how it works (maybe). People link interesting content to Digg where people have an opportunity to praise the work (or "digg" it). If content gets enough diggs, they move it to the front page where everybody in the world can see it.
Unfortunately I'm new at this whole thing and for some reason Digg isn't giving me a thumbnail (which always helps). Also, it's currently relegated to the "upcoming stories" section which means it's not in the Digg system yet and has only a certain amount of time to earn diggs before it's thrown out. Since I posted it at like one in the morning, I'm guessing it won't come across that many people who are just browsing the Digg upcoming stories (actually, maybe I'm wrong on that one).
Anyway, if you liked the entry I'm speaking of, I'd really appreciate it if you would digg it. You can do so by simply pushing this button here:
And, oh yeah, like everything else on the internet, you'll actually have to become a member to actually vote. Sorry. It's a slight pain I know. I wonder how many different things I've joined online. If you don't want to join I'll understand, but if you'd like it'd be great if you forwarded the URL of the comic to other people who MIGHT already be members of Digg (or maybe they're just Lost or X-men fans who don't mind all the geekery).
Here's the URL to forward:
http://jonmadsen.blogspot.com/2008/02/lost-series-finale-revealed.html
Don't say good bye. Say "good journey."
Unfortunately I'm new at this whole thing and for some reason Digg isn't giving me a thumbnail (which always helps). Also, it's currently relegated to the "upcoming stories" section which means it's not in the Digg system yet and has only a certain amount of time to earn diggs before it's thrown out. Since I posted it at like one in the morning, I'm guessing it won't come across that many people who are just browsing the Digg upcoming stories (actually, maybe I'm wrong on that one).
Anyway, if you liked the entry I'm speaking of, I'd really appreciate it if you would digg it. You can do so by simply pushing this button here:
And, oh yeah, like everything else on the internet, you'll actually have to become a member to actually vote. Sorry. It's a slight pain I know. I wonder how many different things I've joined online. If you don't want to join I'll understand, but if you'd like it'd be great if you forwarded the URL of the comic to other people who MIGHT already be members of Digg (or maybe they're just Lost or X-men fans who don't mind all the geekery).
Here's the URL to forward:
http://jonmadsen.blogspot.com/2008/02/lost-series-finale-revealed.html
Don't say good bye. Say "good journey."
Monday, February 18, 2008
j.r. watches star trek for the first time volume 1
If you're having trouble viewing us, make two separate windows with each of the following URLs:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thejonblogcam
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/star-trek-stuff
You'll probably have to join ustream to chat. So join ustream and chat on the jonblogcam page. If you're lucky, maybe you can chat on the above chat link.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
the final friend tier
This may be surprising to hear, but I really enjoy Star Trek.
For the past 20 years my friend, J.R., has mocked me for my Trek beliefs. Only lately, however, has he decided to give it a go. Recently he's informed me that he just finished the first season of the original series.
Tomorrow night (Monday), if all goes according to plan, he and I will have our first Star Trek discussion ever. I'm hoping to record this conversation and broadcast it live if technology permits. If you'd like to participate in this historic occasion, please check the blog out tomorrow (or tonight if you're reading this on Monday) at maybe 10:00 pm or so. Hopefully I'll have a couple of Ustream windows up and a chat page.
For the past 20 years my friend, J.R., has mocked me for my Trek beliefs. Only lately, however, has he decided to give it a go. Recently he's informed me that he just finished the first season of the original series.
Tomorrow night (Monday), if all goes according to plan, he and I will have our first Star Trek discussion ever. I'm hoping to record this conversation and broadcast it live if technology permits. If you'd like to participate in this historic occasion, please check the blog out tomorrow (or tonight if you're reading this on Monday) at maybe 10:00 pm or so. Hopefully I'll have a couple of Ustream windows up and a chat page.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
lost series finale -- revealed!
So I know this guy in L.A. who works a lot with ABC executives.
Apparently, he got a hold of some storyboards that directly have to do with the series finale of Lost. Yeah, not the season finale, the series finale. The one that will air two entire years from now and answer everything!
Naturally my buddy would get fired if he shared these storyboards with the world. Do you think he'll still get fired if I show them to everybody? 'Cuz that's what's gonna happen!
It may be difficult to read the dialogue straight from the images as they appear here. You may have to click on a few of them to make large enough. Make sure you follow the story, though! Apparently they throw a buncha curve balls!
EDIT: Special thanks of course to "Giant Size X-men #1" (and to everybody who realized where it's from without me having to say so).
EDIT: How about a Digg?
Apparently, he got a hold of some storyboards that directly have to do with the series finale of Lost. Yeah, not the season finale, the series finale. The one that will air two entire years from now and answer everything!
Naturally my buddy would get fired if he shared these storyboards with the world. Do you think he'll still get fired if I show them to everybody? 'Cuz that's what's gonna happen!
It may be difficult to read the dialogue straight from the images as they appear here. You may have to click on a few of them to make large enough. Make sure you follow the story, though! Apparently they throw a buncha curve balls!
EDIT: Special thanks of course to "Giant Size X-men #1" (and to everybody who realized where it's from without me having to say so).
EDIT: How about a Digg?
Sunday, February 03, 2008
song of the moment archive
Hi! This is the song of the moment archive. Come back here if you want to listen to any awesome songs of the moment from days of yore. Check out Archive II.
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" by ABBA
So Mamma Mia!, in a genius counter-programming move opened against The Dark Knight this past weekend. I'm probably one of very few individuals who wanted to see both movies. Mamma Mia! is actually pretty uncool as a story, but at least it has ABBA songs. Way back in '92 or around then, one of my favorite bands, Erasure, released an interesting EP called "Abba-Esque." The four songs were pretty good, I thought. Soon later I discovered that Erasure didn't write these songs and the originals were written by some band I never heard of called ABBA. After educating myself of Sweden's biggest export I put up my hands and blamed the world. I had been on the earth for like 15 years and NOBODY TOLD ME THAT ABBA EXISTED! It's always been something I've been sort of angry about. Anyway, this song was curiously missing from Mamma Mia! I would have put on here the creepy song "The Day Before You Came," but I couldn't find it anywhere.
"What's Your Name?" and "Surrender" by Depeche Mode
We did some DM last time, but gotta throw these on. Last week, my friend Scott embarrassed me by giving a shout-out to "What's Your Name?" which he said was the "gayest song ever." I didn't know what he was talking about since I was unfamiliar with the song. I was then called out as a fan. Since then, I've found my copy and become familiar with it. It is super-gay. I had my vengeance later in the week when I told Scott that "Surrender" has been in my head all month. He confessed he was unfamiliar with THAT song, which I consider to be extremely discoey for late 90s-era Mode. So everything works out. Scott and I, it turns out are both not the fans we thought we were.
"Everything Counts" by Depeche Mode
So it turns out that today (June 18th, 2008) is the 20th anniversary of the historic Depeche Mode "101" show at the Rose Bowl. That's not 20 years of Depeche Mode being together -- that's 20 years since their biggest concert. I feel terribly old today. This song is about capitalist greed. During the 101 movie, this song is intercut by the DM accountants counting all the money everyone made from the show.
"Texarkana" by R.E.M.
I just saw a recent MST3k called Boggy Creek II. It involves a pervy southern professor and some of his college pupils looking for a man-ape near Texarkana. I'm not kidding when I say that this song has better cinematography than that film.
"Push" by The Cure
"I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" by The White Stripes
"Truth Doesn't Make a Noise" by The White Stripes
Everybody knows The White Stripes, but many aren't aware of their work before their third album. Here's a gem from their second album (possibly my favorite album). This song is great because it sounds like it's totally in a seedy saloon and some unwelcome guest just walked through the swinging doors. When the piano cue kicks in at about 1:28 I always get a smile on my face.
"Stinging Velvet" by Neko Case
I really hate country, but this alt-country chick is pretty cool. She's also in a pretty popular indie band. Maria loves her voice really hard. I think she sounds like a cowgirl in outer space and that's a good thing.
"Statues" by Foo Fighters
This is my favorite song from the new Foo Fighters album. It sounds like vintage Wings!
"Midnight" by Yaz
A year after forming Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke quit the band and put out a classified looking for a "bluesy singer." When Alison Moyet answered the ad, Yazoo was formed (Yaz in America). Here's one of those beautiful songs from the 80s that sometimes I think only I understand. A lot of synth haters feel that the music isn't organic enough -- that it just isn't natural and can't be appreciated with the same intensity as more guitar-driven music. Lots and lots of times that's true. Lots of times the music is cold, menacing and unnatural (which is why I like it usually). Not this track, though. Here's synth music with soul and power. Once you learn the words, sing along and don't be afraid to belt it out. It's quite therapeutic.
"Walnut Tree" by Keane
This guy's voice kinda bugs me, but I think the song is really cool. This is from the O.C. "Mix 2" cd, which I got for Valentine's Day.
"Identity Theft" by Nellie Mckay
She's my favorite songstress. Sort of a really really sarcastic Doris Day. She raps too sometimes (not often).
"Theme For Great Cities" by Simple Minds
This band did the theme song for The Breakfast Club. It's their claim to fame even though they didn't write that song and I think most of their other stuff is far superior. This particular instrumental song sounds way different than anything else I know by them.
"Adam In Chains" by Billy Idol
Since I've been so sick lately I've had a difficult time sleeping. This rare Billy Idol track actually contains a step by step process of hypnotizing! Kick back! Relax!
"Home" by Depeche Mode
I've been listening to this song a lot because I've been at home a lot. This was always a favorite of mine. It's not sung by Dave, the usual DM singer. This one is sung by Martin, the DM songwriter.
"Common People" by William Shatner
All bow to the glorious Shatner! Oh, how glorious!
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" by ABBA
So Mamma Mia!, in a genius counter-programming move opened against The Dark Knight this past weekend. I'm probably one of very few individuals who wanted to see both movies. Mamma Mia! is actually pretty uncool as a story, but at least it has ABBA songs. Way back in '92 or around then, one of my favorite bands, Erasure, released an interesting EP called "Abba-Esque." The four songs were pretty good, I thought. Soon later I discovered that Erasure didn't write these songs and the originals were written by some band I never heard of called ABBA. After educating myself of Sweden's biggest export I put up my hands and blamed the world. I had been on the earth for like 15 years and NOBODY TOLD ME THAT ABBA EXISTED! It's always been something I've been sort of angry about. Anyway, this song was curiously missing from Mamma Mia! I would have put on here the creepy song "The Day Before You Came," but I couldn't find it anywhere.
"What's Your Name?" and "Surrender" by Depeche Mode
We did some DM last time, but gotta throw these on. Last week, my friend Scott embarrassed me by giving a shout-out to "What's Your Name?" which he said was the "gayest song ever." I didn't know what he was talking about since I was unfamiliar with the song. I was then called out as a fan. Since then, I've found my copy and become familiar with it. It is super-gay. I had my vengeance later in the week when I told Scott that "Surrender" has been in my head all month. He confessed he was unfamiliar with THAT song, which I consider to be extremely discoey for late 90s-era Mode. So everything works out. Scott and I, it turns out are both not the fans we thought we were.
"Everything Counts" by Depeche Mode
So it turns out that today (June 18th, 2008) is the 20th anniversary of the historic Depeche Mode "101" show at the Rose Bowl. That's not 20 years of Depeche Mode being together -- that's 20 years since their biggest concert. I feel terribly old today. This song is about capitalist greed. During the 101 movie, this song is intercut by the DM accountants counting all the money everyone made from the show.
"Texarkana" by R.E.M.
I just saw a recent MST3k called Boggy Creek II. It involves a pervy southern professor and some of his college pupils looking for a man-ape near Texarkana. I'm not kidding when I say that this song has better cinematography than that film.
"Push" by The Cure
"I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" by The White Stripes
"Truth Doesn't Make a Noise" by The White Stripes
Everybody knows The White Stripes, but many aren't aware of their work before their third album. Here's a gem from their second album (possibly my favorite album). This song is great because it sounds like it's totally in a seedy saloon and some unwelcome guest just walked through the swinging doors. When the piano cue kicks in at about 1:28 I always get a smile on my face.
"Stinging Velvet" by Neko Case
I really hate country, but this alt-country chick is pretty cool. She's also in a pretty popular indie band. Maria loves her voice really hard. I think she sounds like a cowgirl in outer space and that's a good thing.
"Statues" by Foo Fighters
This is my favorite song from the new Foo Fighters album. It sounds like vintage Wings!
"Midnight" by Yaz
A year after forming Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke quit the band and put out a classified looking for a "bluesy singer." When Alison Moyet answered the ad, Yazoo was formed (Yaz in America). Here's one of those beautiful songs from the 80s that sometimes I think only I understand. A lot of synth haters feel that the music isn't organic enough -- that it just isn't natural and can't be appreciated with the same intensity as more guitar-driven music. Lots and lots of times that's true. Lots of times the music is cold, menacing and unnatural (which is why I like it usually). Not this track, though. Here's synth music with soul and power. Once you learn the words, sing along and don't be afraid to belt it out. It's quite therapeutic.
"Walnut Tree" by Keane
This guy's voice kinda bugs me, but I think the song is really cool. This is from the O.C. "Mix 2" cd, which I got for Valentine's Day.
"Identity Theft" by Nellie Mckay
She's my favorite songstress. Sort of a really really sarcastic Doris Day. She raps too sometimes (not often).
"Theme For Great Cities" by Simple Minds
This band did the theme song for The Breakfast Club. It's their claim to fame even though they didn't write that song and I think most of their other stuff is far superior. This particular instrumental song sounds way different than anything else I know by them.
"Adam In Chains" by Billy Idol
Since I've been so sick lately I've had a difficult time sleeping. This rare Billy Idol track actually contains a step by step process of hypnotizing! Kick back! Relax!
"Home" by Depeche Mode
I've been listening to this song a lot because I've been at home a lot. This was always a favorite of mine. It's not sung by Dave, the usual DM singer. This one is sung by Martin, the DM songwriter.
"Common People" by William Shatner
All bow to the glorious Shatner! Oh, how glorious!
Friday, February 01, 2008
lost ?s
Ok, so after a year of waiting it wasn't COMPLETELY satisfying, but it was plenty refreshing -- like a Crystal Lite after wandering through the desert. Sure freshly squozen lemonade would've been wicked harder, but we take what we can get.
Let's just get down to what we need to figure out. I simply have one question.
We know that Future Hurley agrees that getting off the island was a BAD idea. We know that Locke organized the people who wanted to defend themselves from the invaders that would potentially take them OFF the island. Why then, did Future Hurley say it was a mistake that he snubbed Jack (who wanted to leave) and instead followed Locke (who wanted to stay)?
This leaves three possibilities that I can think of (can you think of more?):
1) The Losties are dealing with a Kobayashi Maru in which there is no correct answer without re-writing the rules of the test.
2) The expected course of events will change in that it is actually Jack who would have prevented the evacuation of the island rather than Locke.
3) It's something besides not leaving the island that Future Hurley regrets his loyalties with Locke. Something obviously to be revealed soon (within the next three real-life years).
Mulling it over, I'll bet it's number 3, which actually may meld with number 1 a little. The episode easily sets up another "Look! Locke, the man of faith is right again! They should follow him!" scenario. One thing I think we really need to consider is the importance of Rose's opinion. I consider her an even better gauge of faith than Locke. She seems pretty adamant in her distrust of the guy, though.
Oh yeah, one more question. Is Locke still bleeding to death from a gunshot wound, or are the writers just throwin' that one out?
Let's just get down to what we need to figure out. I simply have one question.
We know that Future Hurley agrees that getting off the island was a BAD idea. We know that Locke organized the people who wanted to defend themselves from the invaders that would potentially take them OFF the island. Why then, did Future Hurley say it was a mistake that he snubbed Jack (who wanted to leave) and instead followed Locke (who wanted to stay)?
This leaves three possibilities that I can think of (can you think of more?):
1) The Losties are dealing with a Kobayashi Maru in which there is no correct answer without re-writing the rules of the test.
2) The expected course of events will change in that it is actually Jack who would have prevented the evacuation of the island rather than Locke.
3) It's something besides not leaving the island that Future Hurley regrets his loyalties with Locke. Something obviously to be revealed soon (within the next three real-life years).
Mulling it over, I'll bet it's number 3, which actually may meld with number 1 a little. The episode easily sets up another "Look! Locke, the man of faith is right again! They should follow him!" scenario. One thing I think we really need to consider is the importance of Rose's opinion. I consider her an even better gauge of faith than Locke. She seems pretty adamant in her distrust of the guy, though.
Oh yeah, one more question. Is Locke still bleeding to death from a gunshot wound, or are the writers just throwin' that one out?
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