Countdown to the End... Part 5

New Years Reflections

I must say, this has been a really good year. 2009 has brought much
fulfillment to my life. But as all good things, they come to an end,
so I reflect on the good and bad of it all.

• End of BSG

• Return of the Old Spaghetti Factory

• A New Camera & many photo opportunities

• Cage the Elephant, Street Sweeper, Them Crooked Vultures and
NIN/JA - all great shows!

• Comic-Con adventures

• Yachting adventures with LT

• First time to Boston

• Foo Fighters Greatest Hits


Biggest Positive - Having someone to share my time and adventures with

Biggest Regret - Missing out on a exclusive FF show

List of things to accomplish in 2010:
Be Creative, Shoot Photos, Paint, Draw, Exercise More - Eat better,
Read, Experience Life, Travel more, Pay off Bills, and Work smarter.

Like everyday in my life, I feel lucky for my career,
friends, family, job, love, car, cat, creativity, and life.

Thank you. Good Night and Good Luck.

Countdown to the End... Part 4 (Xmas edition)

I've got my Love to keep me warm

This year is the first in a long time that I had a GF for the holidays.
Unfortunately she was back home in OH. She was looking forward to a white
christmas but only had some on the ground when she got there. San Diego has
been relatively dry. I keep hoping for a few good storms.

We did Christmas both before she left as well as after she got back. We got
a PS3 for games and movies. I think we both had a great Christmas, both
together and apart with our families.

Speaking of which, I LOVE my family. It's true, throughout your life,
the one constant is that you can count on your family. I'm super thankful
to have my Mom still in my life and appreciate her each and everyday.

I'm very thankful and blessed to have someone that cares about me and values
me in our friendship as well as our relationship. Hopefully she feels the
same way.

Everybody's waiting for the Man with Bag...

The Christmas party went off with a BANG! like most years. It was a lot of fun.
Enjoy it here: [LINK]

Countdown to the End... Part 3

Up in the Air

Everyday I am thankful for the great friends I have in my life. From the
close ones that I talk to everyday and stay involved in their lives,
to the ones in other states that I see once a year, and the one's
(thanks to the internet) that have reconnected with me.

I value every moment I spend talked to them and hanging out. I wish I
had more time to spend with everyone but as our lives have become more
"adult" (some more than others) I know it's harder to do.

Luckily, I see my "Boys" recently a little more regularly. I have been
friends with them for more than 20 years, which is longer that all our
relationships.

I am having my annual XMas party soon and I really look forward to it
(probably more that my friends know). I love to spoil them and tell them
how special they are to me and love them. Of course one gets the LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT Award, a most prestigious award that is a very tight-knit
group. Hopefully everyone knows they all deserve the award.

I am nothing without my friends. A BIG Thanks to all of you.

Top of the Pops

Being a tumultuous year in life for most, the same rests in the best music in '09.
But there really was some that rose to the top of the pops - those ones that you
couldn't get out of your head if you tried.


#1
Band of Skulls - Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
LOVE this album!!! From the first spin of "I Know what I Am" on the radio, to digging deeper
on the whole album, the album rocks and sways your being. Definitely one to own from 2009.
Best Track - "I Know what I Am"
[LINK]

#2
Cage the Elephant - self titled
Seeing them live, along with 50 other people, solidified WHY I think this band rocks!
I'm glad of their commercial success (including a video game song)
Best Track - "Back Against the Wall"
[LINK]

#3
Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall
Everyone goes "Are those guys still around?" and the answer is an astounding YES!
Their radio song "Last One to Die" isn't even close to the best song on the CD.
Best Track - "Disconnected"
[LINK]

#4
Street Sweeper Social Club - SSSC
Tom Morello's (RATM / Audioslave) wicked riffs and Boots Riley sweet lyrics,
kick rock in the face and pick up where Rage Against the Machine left off.
Saw them live on the NIN / Jane's Addiction tour and they rocked!
Best Track - "The Oath"
[LINK]

#5
Them Crooked Vultures - self titled
The epitome of a "SuperGroup", TCV is just that - SUPER. Dave Grohl back on drums,
Josh from QOTSA singing/guitaring, and John Paul Jones of Led Zep on bass.
Caught the live show in Boston and it was a great time!
Best Track - "Elephants"
[LINK]



Honorable Mentions -

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue

Weezer - Raditude

U2 - No Line on the Horizon

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Chickenfoot - self titled


Worst of 2009 -

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
Actually, this GD album could go down as one of the worst pieces of CRAP this decade.
A mix between bad pop and worse, coming off like My Chemical Romance, Green Day has
lost their core fans and some of their souls when they made this album.


Most Anticipated Album (for me) for 2010:

Vampire Weekend - Contra
If you never heard of them from their 2008 debut album...
PLEASE!!! I'm begging you, run out and get it!! It Rocks.
The new album CONTRA comes out in January.
[Link]

Countdown to the End... Part 2

AS most know, I am a slave to TV. I love my Box of Electric Love that
gives me pleasure daily. I love comedies, dramas, cartoons and sci-fi
(not necessarily the crappy new SyFy).

Not much of a news guy - I get that from the internet. But I do get
my "Fake News" from The Daily Show. I think Jon Stewart is brilliant
and his writers are genius.

If I ever need a laugh or an explanation on News Vs Opinu-tainment
I turn to one show (my Number 2 thing I'm thankful for) - The Daily Show.

Enjoy this clip from October and you will see why...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
For Fox Sake!
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Countdown to the End...

The End of the Year that is. Where did 2009 go?????????!!!!! Seriously.

This was a great year, filled with good events and great memories, but
I'm a little hesitant to let it go. Maybe a little more? Is 30 days enough?

I wanna talk about the things I'm thankful for, happy to be part of, and
looking forward in the next 365 days.

I will start with the obvious - Happy that the holidays are upon us!

My Birthday always starts it for me. Then Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Man, did I have great start with a trip to Boston, a fun birthday,
reconnecting with an old friend, and valuable time with my family
to celebrate Turkey Day.

Next up - Holiday parties galore, including my own hosted event, Christmas
and New Years. I couldn't be happier and I'm savouring every moment.

315-329-6673

Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) is AWESOME and super funny!!!
Not sure, watch this...

Kick Ass!!!

New teaser trailer for KICK ASS, based on the comic book of the same name.

Kick-Ass

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

My Hero

Today is the day the FOO FIGHTERS release Greatest Hits (volume 1),which includes All My Life, Best Of You, Everlong,
The Pretender,My Hero, Learn To Fly. Times Like These, Monkeywrench, Big Me, Breakout, Long Road To Ruin, This is a Call,
Skin and Bones, as well as two NEW tracks - Wheels & Word Forward.

There is a Standard and Deluxe version that has a DVD. I have been getting my FF fill the last week. Missed out on the
VH1 Storytellers (which airs on VH1 Nov 27th for extended Thanksgiving goodness!!!), but caught the 2.5 Hour Online show -
Live from Studio 606 and have watched it twice and got a copy of the music from it. KICK ASS!!!!!

In case you didn't know, the FOO are my favorite band of all time and I feel EXTREMELY lucky to have seen them 12 times
(and counting, and hope to see them as many times in the next 15 years (how many years they have been around).

ALSO today, Nirvana - Live at Reading and the re-issue of BLEACH come out.

For your enjoyment:

HERE is a great retrospective of the Foo on Yahoo!

HERE is the Nissan LIVE! show me and Spork attended 2 years ago.

HERE is a Brief Retrospective video on the band.

HERE is a CNN story on the band.

HERE is the Walmart Soundcheck concert from 2008

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Missed Opportunities sometimes make better stories

So, I was fortunate enough to see Them Crooked Vultures in Boston
on my Birthday Extravaganza with LT. So AWESOME!!!!

Then I got news after I got back about a TOP SECRET invite only
Foo Fighters show that they were taping for VH1 Storytellers. So I,
like any Foo Fanatic applied once I got the info. I also passed it
onto my closest FF friends that have helped me in the past.

GREAT NEWS - my fanatical friend Don was picked!!

Bad news - No invite for this guy. Extremely bummed for a week
but happy for everyone that gets to go.

I have been VERY fortunate on the times I have gotten to see the Foo,
including 2 exclusive invites that wouldn't have happened without
great friends.

Missed Opportunities sometimes make better stories... at least that
is what I keep telling myself. Oh well.

Crooked like me

BOSTON TRIP - PART 4

Sunday was fun. Lunch was at one of the oldest restaurants in America
- Ye Old Union Oyster House for full authentic New England seafood. [ LINK ]

We walked around the North End a bit more, then jumped a train to Harvard
for an Octoberfest - College style. Food, Booths, Bands, Parades, Booze...
the whole works. LT was feeling under the weather so we went back to the hotel
to rest. While she was hanging out, I walked part of the Charles River, down
Newbury for more shopping, through the Boston Garden/Common and back.
People were out in force enjoying the day! Had the opportunity to shoot more of
the city. It was windy and cool like fall weather should be, but nice in the sun.



After a nap and some baseball (Red Sox vs Angels) & football watching, it was off to
our culmination of the trip - a concert by THEM CROOKED VULTURES, the new
super group of Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age /
Eagles of Death Metal) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin.... YES, that Led Zeppelin!!!).
[ LINK ]

They sounded amazing and rocked the house! No album (yet) and I heard there is
an LA show and their album dropping November 17th!



Then it was back to the hotel for some sleep because we had a early
day and a shit-ton of flying ahead. (Total travel time on Monday - 12 hours!)

Overall, a great trip!!! One that I will soon not forget.

[ Day 4 Pixs ]

Hey Tom... How's it going?

BOSTON TRIP - PART 3 - in the PM

Dressed to the t's, we took the train downtown and walked a couple
of blocks over to the restaurant. It was perfect chilly fall weather.
Grill 23 was a high-end steakhouse that was boisterous and a lot
of fun [ LINK ]. Our table was late so we grabbed a drink at the bar.
(NOTE: overall drink prices - very reasonable in Boston)

We were seated a half hour late. Oh my god - the service and food
was spectacular! I had my first experience with a Kobe Beef steak,
a nice 10oz cut prepared exquisitely. Lauren had the 14oz Dry Aged
Ribeye that was also extremely good. The meat was so juicy and
basically melted in your mouth. The sides come separate so we had an
order of Asparagus. Overall, a 5 Star meal. HIGHLY recommended!!!

While we were eating, I'm pretty sure I saw Kevin Garnett leaving
the place. [ WHO ? ]


(Lobby at the Liberty Hotel)

We were full and it was late so we hopped a cab back to the hotel.
What didn't readily realize was our hotel was a "scene" on Friday and
Saturday nights. Between the lobby, lobby bar and BAR ALABI it was
packed! There was an hour wait to get in (we bypassed the line because
were hotel guests). LT & myself grabbed drinks at the lobby bar but
wanted to get out of our nice clothes. As we approached the elevator
bank, there was a commotion of women and pictures which we soon
realized was Tom Cruise taking pictures with people!!!
(Yes, THAT Tom Cruise)

We didn't have cameras or phones on us, so we decided it wasn't worth
the hassle, so we watched the melee for a minute then walked over and
waited for the elevator. While we were there, Tom and his entourage
approached. I said to Lauren she should say "HI" but as she was explaining
that she didn't want to be another one of the "WHOO-HOO!" girls, I stuck
out my hand and said "Hey Tom, How's it going??" He answered "Good, Good".
As we shook hands, he said "Hi" to Lauren and she squeeked out a "Hi" back
to him. And a second later, he was whisked off in the service elevator.

Once we were in our room, we jumped around, called and text everyone!
After wards we headed back to the bar for another round of drinks then
it was off to bed.

Tourista, Tourista

BOSTON TRIP - PART 3

Saturday morning was great! The rain had stopped. It was still blustery
and cool but gorgeous. We had breakfast at CLINK, the other hotel
restaurant. It was once the prison drunk tank and still had bars and
some of the tank still intact. [ LINK ] Had a first-class egg white &
avocado omelet, then it was off to a day of tourist stops.



We saw more of the Boston Commons. The State House. Most of the Freedom
Trail, including 2 cemetaries. The Financial District. Chinatown (sorry,
we didn't get dim sum). Art / Theater District. The North End (again).
We ate lunch at THE TAP, a cool brewhouse having some Fish & Chips and
a couple of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat ales. [ LINK ]









Then it was back to the hotel to nap and clean-up, so we could be
ready for our BIG dinner at GRILL 23.

[ Day 3 Pixs ]

MTA - More Turbulence Ahead!

BOSTON TRIP - PART 2
We woke from our deep slumber fresh & alert. Coffee and showers then off
to our 2nd hotel - The Liberty Hotel.



Once a prison, the Liberty was constructed and completed in 1851 and closed
in 1990. One word - AWESOME! [LINK] The place visually rocked. Architecture, History,
Design, Art... Every little detail was great.

We spent some time exploring the hotel then headed off into the city.
It was raining a little but not enough to stop us from being outside.
The hotel was next to a train station (very convenient) but we started
out walking Charles Street / Beacon Hill towards Boston Common & Garden.



We did some shopping on Newbury - the main shopping street. Headed to
the North End and Little Italy. Got Cannolis from Mike's Pastry (YUMMY!!!)
[ LINK ] Checked out the Old North Church, Paul Revere's statue and a lot of
historical monuments. Had drinks at Ye Ol' Green Dragon. Fun, Fun, Fun.



Back at the hotel - not so much fun. First, the hot water was out when
we were trying to get ready for dinner. When is the last time you were at
a 4-star hotel and no hot water in the whole hotel??!!! It sucked trying
to shave and clean-up with cold water, but we made the best of it.

We were eating at SCAMPO (Italian fused)in the hotel. At dinner we had
the WORST server that barely spoke english, was fat, slow and spent too
much time at certain tables (specifically not ours). We waited a good 10 -15
minutes before they asked for out drink order. Dinner was saved by the waited
working the table next to ours that saw we were frustrated. He ended up doing
out whole order. He got a nice separate tip from the bill.

The food and wine was great!! LT had the Lobster and I had the Kurobata
Pork Chop.Afterwards we went to the hotel bar in the lobby for drinks,
Red Sox game and people watching.

[ Day 2 Pixs ]

Mighty, Mighty (Fun) Bostones

BOSTON TRIP - PART 1
First let me say what an AWESOME time I had in Boston and how lucky I am
to have someone like LT in my Life to share adventures with.

Boston. My home away from home. Great city that is near & dear to me.
The trip started the weekend before with packing and organizing.
Not really sure what to pack to a place you have never been before and don't
know what to expect.But in the end, brought a good assortment of clothes
(only taking a handful of things I didn't wear at all).

My neighbor Vanessa would be watching Mister (and by default Pika & Pedro,
that I feed as well). She is great with the cats, so it's easier to leave
him home and not worry. Of course I will miss that little stinky fuzzball.
Vanessa even offered to drop us off at the airport - She is too sweet!

The red-eye flight was Good and Bad. Good because it was super quick and
made NYC (our layover) in 4.5 Hours. Bad because we couldn't sleep on the
flight like we had planned, even though we had help with pills and booze.
We got into New York / JFK around 4:30 am and I was surprised how busy the
airport was - I mean BUSY!!!

We had a couple hour layover which we killed by people-watching, drinking
Dunkin' Donuts coffee and trying to rest (unsuccessfully). By the time
we re-boarded, we were punch-drunk.

Luckily when we arrived at our first hotel - the Hotel Marlowe [LINK], they had a
room ready for an early check-in for us. So after a quick bite and a 2 hour
nap we were off toward Harvard & Cambridge.



We decide to buy a Metro pass to ride the trains for getting around,
which is waaaaay easier and cheaper than cabs all the time. Plus Boston
is a good walking city for the most part. Harvard and Cambridge had great
architecture and history (which was a theme throughout the trip).
The main school surrounds Harvard Square, which is a cool shopping area.



Then it was back onto the T and to the hotel. Which by the way, was awesome,
friendly, accommodating, and really took care of us. Took a quick shower
and back to the lobby for the complimentary wine hour (free wine? YES please!!)

We had dinner at a fancy restaurant called CLIO [LINK]that was offering a Pre Fix
Menu. The meal was good and portions small but for a "High End" place,
that is what you expect.I had the Lamb and LT had Cod.

Great company and conversation made it a great dinner. Exactly the way a
vacation should start. A few more drinks and laughs, and it was off to bed
and did we need it. 10 hours later....

[ DAY 1 PIXS ]

Another Round for You

Wow... 39!!!! Some days I cannot wrap my head around it.
And next year... Don't get me started. At least I'm not at the end.
Where I can see death's icy grip clamp down on everyone before me.

Actually, I couldn't be happier in my life right now.
My Family. My Friends. My Career. Love. Art. Music.

As I grow another year older & wiser, I think back at
my choices & mistakes I have made. That have made me the man
I am today. The reasons I get up and go on, day after day.

------------->

Well we all want something better than
We wish for something new
Well we all want something beautiful
Wish for something true
Been lookin' for a reason and
Something to lose

When the wheels come down
When the wheels touch ground
And you feel like it's all over
There's another round for you
When the wheels come down

[LINK]

List under.... WTF!!!

Just back from Boston and I hear that one of my favorite shows is
canned before it even starts it's 2nd season... All because F@#KING
Jay Leno and his 10pm slot

SouthLAnd Cancelled!!!

SouthLAnd has been canceled with production being shut down after
six episodes according to the Hollywood Reporter. NBC will continue
to air Dateline on Fridays at 9pm.

After screening the early episodes NBC found them “too dark and gritty”
for broadcast, particularly at 9pm.No word on when/if the six episodes
that were already filmed will air.

My question is WHY screw up good... No, GREAT TV with Leno and his
10pm all-encompassing Bull Shit show. Is NBC throwing in the towel
on adult TV? Nice job.

UPDATE:
SouthLAnd has an opportunity to be picked up by TNT. Talks are in negotiation
to bring the gritty crime drama to the network. TNT was an obvious choice as
it shares a corporate parent with Warner Bros. TV, which produces the critically
praised series with studio-based John Wells Prods.

Where's the chips??

Funny commercial making me happy that I am in Advertising.

Super... Friends?

Caught the new Family Guy this week and laughed so hard at the intro!!!

Watch HERE....

Ch.. Ch.. Ch.. Changes

So as I look around me and my friends that are having health issues,
I feel lucky that I'm healthy for the most part. In the last 2 weeks
two of my good friends have health problems that I would never want
to deal with.

I had blood test that came back this week, prompting a Doctor's visit.
Something you dread hearing from the receptionist... "The doctor would
like you to come in".No thanks - if it's good news, just tell me over
the phone.

So I went in yesterday and he told me that I am bordering on High Sugar
and Cholesterol meaning that I need to cut back on both. Meaning that
starting today, I gave up coffee. Anyone that knows me, knows I like
my coffee with my sugar.I will be also trying to cut down my soda and
snacks (candies and such).As far as the FAT, I am working on a more
healthy diet - trying to limit my trips to La Posta.

I'm at the heaviest I have been in my life so that is depressing, but with
a healthy regiment that should change. I need to work harder at the gym
and my exercise.

Looking down the barrel of 39 (a couple weeks away) and I figure I have
a few more left in the tank, so I might as well take care of what I got.

Contra-Band

Vampire Weekend posted that their new album will be called CONTRA
and is due out January 12, 2010... So Excited!!!!

Seasons in the Sun

So as I mentioned last month - LT and myself are going Beantown
in October for my birthday. It should be a BLAST!!!!
I have never been and I'm really looking forward to it.
The East Coast in the fall is supposed to be awesome.

We are staying at a great hotel that used to be a prison -
The Liberty Hotel [ LINK ]

The other SUPER ULTRA COOL thing is I got tixs to one of
Them Crooked Vultures east coast dates at the Boston HOB!
[ Link ]

We will also be there during the baseball playoffs, football season and
looking at the start of Basketball & Hockey. Boston is such a great sports
town, I'm sure the city will be electric.

Add in great food and shopping... the trip should be...
wait for it... EPIC!

I've been at my job for a year now (which I can't believe) but
it's been really good. Here's yo another prosperous and fulfilling year.

Real Cool, Cat...

Came across this really cool site that showcases the best, innovative,
stylish and all around KICK ASS shite!!!

AntiRoyal Tech [ LINK ]

A couple of things I saw that I would LOVE to have:

Faceless Watch by DIESEL [ LINK ]


Paul Smith Wallets [ LINK ]


LEGO Architecture sets (AWESOME!) [ LINK ]

A little Cartoon Evil goes a Long Way

Ran across this today and had to share...

Rob Zombie presents the Haunted World of El Superbeasto

A cartoon classic in the making!!!

Saints Come Marching In

The highly anticipated cult indie sequel "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day"
will be released on October 30th... AWESOME news!!!

Troy Duffy's followup to 1999's "The Boondock Saints" has Norman Reedus and
Sean Patrick Flanery reprising their roles as the MacManus brothers who do battle
against the Boston mob as they avenge the death of a beloved priest.
Billy Connolly, Clifton Collins Jr. and Julie Benz co-star.

Back Against the Wall

More music news (go figure)...

Cage the Elephant has bee touring up a storm
(including a stop at Street Scene) but has found
the time to make a new video fro "Back Against the Wall"




In FOO News:

November 3rd the Foo Fighters Greatest Hits will be released
and will include “Wheels” and “Word Forward,” a pair of new
tracks. The band debuted “Wheels” in Washington, DC, over July
Fourth weekend, when they performed at the USO’s bash honoring
military heroes. A press release confirms “Word Forward” was
recorded with Butch Vig at the band’s 606 Studios.

The band has yet to release a full track list for their first-ever
best-of, but “The Pretender,” “All My Life,” “Learn To Fly,”
“Best Of You,” “Times Like These,” “My Hero” and “Everlong”
will make the cut.

Grohl was also honored with his very own alley in his Ohio
hometown recently.

Hot Hot Heat

August has wrapped up a hot, sticky mess. I'm definitely
ready for some cooler fall-like weather, unfortunately
September and October are some of the hottest times of
the year here in SD.

Something that is good is that LT and myself are planning
a little get-away fir October and my birthday. Some possibilities
are as far away as Boston, or as close as Santa Barbara.
We are still in the planning stages, but I do know that we
will have a blast!!!

Work has been really good. Busy and creatively.
Some freelance has also been trickling in and I'm
getting ready to start some gaming (again). It's been
since 2005 that I last ran anything but have had the
itch the last couple of months. Jimmy has been helping
me and I expect to be ready by October.

All in a days work... and then some.

Midnight Vultures

So, what has Dave Grohl been up to this summer, you may ask.
Well... He's been busy with the new "Super Group" he is part of.

Them Crooked Vultures (great name, right???!)

They played their first show at an after-party show in Chicago
during Lollapalooza. Reading the write-up, it sounds like they
rocked the house!!!

[ Review here ]

Their set-list:
Elephants
New Fang
Scumbag Blues
Dead End Friends
Bandoliers
Mind Eraser
Gunman
Daffodils
Interlude w/ Ludes
Caligulove
Warsaw (Joy Division cover? Nice touch)
Nobodys Loves Me

[ Facebook ]

[ Website ]

Healther Skelter

Death Panels, really?? Can the Right be that ignorant?
This Daily Show clip was awesome!!!!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Healther Skelter - Obama Death Panel Debate
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Spinal Tap Performance

Back in Black

The “B” word is back at Chargers Park, and I don't mean Bolts.

Blackouts.

Five years ago they were as much a part of Chargers home games as the
cannon, but then the team got good and people bought tickets and life
was good for everyone (if you forget the part about the team not
getting to the Super Bowl).

That all figures to change this year.

Blame the economy or high ticket prices or fans frustrated by that
whole Super Bowl thing, but the Chargers have “thousands of tickets”
remaining for every home game this season, according to Jim Steeg,
the club's chief operating officer.

Steeg called it “unlikely” that either of the home exhibition games,
a week from Saturday against Seattle or Sept. 4 against San Francisco,
would be televised live in Southern California. Somewhere between
6,000 and 8,000 tickets must be sold to lift the blackout for the
Seahawks game; the number is “a little bit” higher for the 49ers game.

So forget those two (exhibitions are better off forgotten anyway).
What really matters are the games that count, beginning Sept. 20
against Baltimore and Sept. 27 against Miami. Steeg wouldn't get
specific about how many tickets are left for any of the regular-
season games, but I'd bet it isn't that many fewer than for the
exhibitions. Sure, there are requests from Chargers players and
the visiting team that count toward lifting the blackout, but
we're still talking thousands, not hundreds.

And, with nearly all those tickets carrying single-game prices
of $74, $79 and $98 (season tickets are $8-$11 less per game in
those price ranges), it's not exactly like taking the family to
a movie.

“We're working hard and we are trying to pull out a lot of efforts
to try to get there, but they're moving slowly,” Steeg said.
“More than anything we want people to be aware that tickets are
available and blackouts are certainly a possibility.”

This hardly comes as a surprise, even though the last blackout
occurred in the summer of 2006 and the last time a game that mattered
wasn't shown was in 2004. Three times last season a network or
local station needed to step up at the last minute and buy enough
tickets to get the game on TV.

The economy hasn't really improved since then and the job market
has only gotten worse, so a reduction in sales was predictable,
even with ticket prices remaining the same. Steeg said season-ticket
sales are “not down significantly,” although he declined to reveal
an exact percentage.

“We're still selling now and we're still going to keep selling,”
he said. “The economy's affecting everybody.”

The last two years the club capped season-ticket sales at about
61,000 or 62,000 per game, Steeg said. That includes club seats
and suites, which do not count against the minimum of 56,500 needed
to lift the blackout each week.

Steeg also cautioned against expecting sponsors or TV entities to
purchase tickets the way they did last year.

“I don't know if that option's out there in this economy,” he said.

As for possibly lowering prices (stop laughing) to boost sales,
Steeg said league rules prohibit a change at this late date.

“In the NFL,” he said, “once you set the price, it's the price.”

The biggest price, of course, will be paid by fans who for myriad
reasons can't attend games. I've always thought the blackout rule
was unfair; it seems even more so in times like this.

The question is whether the NFL will do the right thing and change
its archaic and idiotic rule. But I think we all know the answer to that.

- By Jay Posner
Union-Tribune Staff Writer

One for the Ages

Another Comic-Con is in the books and I have to say it is one of the
funnest I have been to ever, going back to 1986! Normally when it ends
I'm extatic but this time I was somewhat sad. I am glad it's over but
look forward to next year already.

A lot of the talk over the Con in the media this year was about the
possibility of it moving to LA, Anaheim or Las Vegas.

Went down Wednesday night to pick-up my badge and Preview Night which
has really become another day at the Con. So many people it feels like
any other crazy-ass day there. I had a few exclusives I wanted to get
but the lines were sooooooo long that I told myself that maybe Thursday
would be better.
[PIXS]


THURSDAY -
Thursday morning was good. Got downtown early and ready to start my day.
Two things happened that hindered my experience. ONE - Exclusive lines
were F@#KING horrendous. I ended up getting one of the three things I
wanted to buy, but I had to bribe someone in line. TWO - my short camera
lens broke at the start of the day. Lucky for me I had my mid-length lens
in my car. You will see from my pictures that I have a ton of close-ups,
no full-body shots. Eh...

Had a fun day none the less.
[PIXS]


FRIDAY -
Left my house super early on Friday morning to line-up for the WB panel.
I'm glad I did because it was AWESOME!!!!! It started off with Where the
Wild Things Are. They ran a documentary-style piece with Spike Jones
(the director) and Maurice Sendak (the writer). Then they showed about
15 minutes of footage & trailers. The kid that is playing Max from the
movie was there too.

Next was The Book of Eli. They showed a long trailer and had the
Hughes Brothers (directors), Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman (so cool!!!) and
Denzel Washington (Incredible) there for Q&A. It was so incredible to
have Oldman & Denzel there.

Up next - the reboot for Nightmare on Elm Street. They showed the trailer
and had Jackie Earl Hailey (Rorschach from Watchman) there.

Next - The Box, a film by the director of Donnie Darko, staring
Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, both which were there, along with a
long trailer.

The next one was Jonah Hex with Megan Fox & Josh Brolin, which were on
hand to show the long trailer.

Then it went quite and out walked Robert Downy Jr. and the place went wild.
He was there to show a new long trailer for Sherlock Holmes and do Q&A.

The panel rocked my world!!!!!

I spent the rest of the day thinking about how truly cool that was.
[PIXS]


SATURDAY -
Had a great day with LT planned. Breakfast and a fun-filled day at the Con
(her first).We walked the floor, bought some stuff and had a blast. With a
little luck and good timing we made it into the Zombielad panel, that showed
a bunch of footage and had Woody Harrelson there.

Then the big event - Iron Man 2 panel.... All I can say is AWESOME!!!
Jon Favreau & Robert Downey Jr were there as well as Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell,
and Scarlett Johansson.

We watched a bunch of footage (twice!!) and were treated to Trailer -
It showed an eye-patch-wearing Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Nick Fury,
and a redheaded Scarlett Johansson throwing down as martial-arts master
Black Widow. Sam Rockwell (as weapons guru Justin Hammer), a fearsome-
looking, heavily tattooed Mickey Rourke as the villain Ivan Vanko, who
becomes Whiplash; and Don Cheadle as Col. James Rhodes. No Sam Jackson
or Mickey Rourke.

Terrence Howard played Rhodes in the first "Iron Man" film. We got a
quick glimpse of War Machine's super-powered, weapon-filled suit and
Whiplash's first attempt at a wearable apparatus that features two
electrically charged whips.
[PIXS]

I'm exhausted thinking about it but seriously the best time this summer
and the best CON in a long, long time.

Who's the big winner? Mikey's the Big winner!!?

Went to the Track yesterday and had one of the best times!!! We (LT and myself),
went with her friends Andrea and Nicole. Me and the ladies... Very fun indeed.
Wone the irst few races and then played with the tracks $$$ the rest of the day.
Andrea was the big winner for the day - hitting a very sweet Exacta for 6 large.
Everyone jumped around, excited as hell!! We celebrated with drinks.
Can't wait for my next trip to the ponies.

Welcome to Thunderdome!

Day One of the Con starts today... So F@#KING excited!!!
Expect a full wrap up next week.

Who do you have in the 5th?

Yes, the opening of Del Mar is today. The return of the
beautiful people, the pomp & circumstance, the hats, the
smell of the track, and the smell of money.

This year will be not different for some. Others, the economy
has put a damper on their fun. I guess I would be somewhere in
the middle. Del Mar has even shortened their race week because
of the economic situation. There is even talk of the GOV selling
the track (well, the land that track is on).

They are still trying out the Polytrack but this could be the
last year, with them heading back to real dirt. I'm in favor
of going back to dirt, like a lot of the trainers. But I am
happy that there are less serious injuries.

Starting to hear from all my friends that know how much I love to
go to the Track. Planning a few days here and there. I have my first
track day on Sunday with LT and some of her ladies. No matter what
the situation - I will always look forward to going to watch the
ponies run.

Sea Legs OR Kicking Ass & Taking Names

Not that I imposed my beliefs on anyone, but I'm truly hurt
over the way the city is treating the seals at Children's Pool
in La Jolla. If all goes through as they plan, the pool could be
"seal free" as of Thursday morning.

Early in my career, I was lucky enough to work for a great company
that was headquartered in LJ about 2 blocks from the pool. It was
great walking down to the water and seeing nature"Right There".

I'm angry, upset and would definitely stand up against the
authorities in this. I wish they would just leave well enough alone.

Article

Never to early to think football

ESPN has an online poll to see who would win the AFC West.
Unanimously, the consensus is the Chargers will win it.


Also, a great article in the NY Times picking the Bolts to go
to the big dance.

LINK

Wonder Twin powers activate. Form of....

Great gallery having a cool showing during Comic-Con....

Meanwhile… at the Hall of Justice
A Collection of Superhero Mishaps
San Diego Comic Con Weekend: July 24th-26th, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, July 24th, 6-10pm



Let’s face it, everyone has a bad day. Even superheroes. And this July,
Subtext will host a group exhibition that captures those mishaps for all
to see. Did you know that the Hulk has been arrested for wreckless
endangerment? Aquaman did some time for fishing in international waters
without permits, and the Wonder Twins were still awaiting trial for
public indecency. It just reminds us that even though they are super,
they are still human (some of them anyways). Join us during Comic Con
weekend at Subtext, and see for yourself what infractions your favorite
heroes have been hiding under their capes.

LINK

Stranger Things Have Happened

HOOOOOORAY!!!!!!!! News on the Foo Fighters front.

Dave Grohl led his band through a short set on the White House's
South Lawn, performing before President Obama and 1,200 invited
active military troops and their families at a USO-sponsored 4th
of July party. On the setlist was "Wheels" one of two brand new
Foo Fighters tunes that the band recorded in the studio with
producer Butch Vig for inclusion on a greatest hits collection
planned for release this November.

[ there was video of this BUT it was taken down... boo! ]

In the meantime...
It's a rock'n'roll obsessive's wet dream: Foo Fighters
frontman Dave Grohl, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones,
and Queens of the Stone Age bandleader Josh Homme are
working on a new album -- together!

The collaboration has been in the works since Grohl first
mentioned it in a 2005 interview: "The next project that
I'm trying to initiate involves me on drums, Josh Homme on
guitar, and John Paul Jones playing bass.
That's the next album."

If Grohl is indeed manning drum duties for the new supergroup,
it would be his first time behind the kit on record since
lending his talents to recent albums by the Prodigy and
Juliette and the Licks. As you might recall, he also
backed Paul McCartney at this year's Grammy Awards on the
Beatles classic "I Saw Her Standing There".

While Queens of the Stone Age have been on hiatus and Homme
has been working with the Arctic Monkeys on their next
release, and Led Zeppelin's much-discussed reunion plans
have been scuttled, Grohl has been keeping himself quite busy.
Since the Foos' last record, 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience
and Grace he's been hard at work on his band's next album.
(Hopefully a NEW one!!!!!!!)

Mommy, WHY is that man dressed up as Batman??

More Comic Con news (Finally). Some programming and Exclusive news.

Wednesday, July 22:
6-9 p.m.: WB Pilot Preview Night (Human Target, V and The Vampire Diaires)

-----------
Thursday, July 23:
"Dexter" (Ballroom 20, 5 P.M.-6 P.M.)
"Psych" (TBD)
"Burn Notice" (TBD)

-----------
Friday, July 24
"Caprica" and "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan" (Ballroom 20, 11:45 A.M.-12:45 P.M.)
•Guests: Esai Morales, Edward James Olmos, Ronald Moore, David Eick, Jane Espenson

"24" (Ballroom 20, 2:15 P.M.-3 P.M.)
•Guests: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anil Kapoor, Freddie Prinze Jr.,
Katee Sackhoff, Howard Gordon

"Bones" (Ballroom 20, 3 P.M. - 3:45 P.M.)
•Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Hart Hanson

WB PRESENTATION - (Hall H – 10:15A.M.- 12:30 P.M.)
Where The Wild Things Are
The Furries will have to pack extra Kleenex for this one, as the
classic children’s book makes a wild rumpus in Hall H this year.

Sherlock Holmes
He may be Iron Man to Paramount, but to Warner Brothers Robert Downey Jr.
is Sherlock Holmes. No word on who will be there, but San Diego has been
good to Downey before and Guy Ritchie needs something to do now that
he’s single.

-----------
Saturday, July 25
"Chuck" (Ballroom 20, 10 A.M.-11 A.M.)
•Guests: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Josh Schwartz, Joshua Gomez, Mark
Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Sarah Lancaste, and Adam Baldwin.

"Lost" (Hall H, 11 A.M.-noon)
•Guests: Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof

"Family Guy" (Ballroom 20, 11:15 A.M.-noon)
•Guests: Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane

"Futurama" (Ballroom, 20 1:00 P.M.-1:45 P.M.)
•Guests: Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche,
Matt Groening, David Cohen

"V" (Ballroom 20, 2:45 P.M.-3:45 P.M.)
ª Guests: Elizabeth Mitchell, Scott Wolf, Scott Peters, Jeffrey Bell

"The Vampire Diaries" (Room 6BCF, 6 P.M.-7 P.M.)
•Guests: Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Kevin Williamson

"MythBusters" (Room 6BCF, 7:15 P.M.-8:15 P.M.)
• Guests: Jamie Hyneman, Adam Savage, Tory Belluci, Grant Imahara

"Planet of the Dead & Torchwood: Children of Earth" (Room 6A, 7:30 P.M-10:30 P.M)

"Heroes" (TBD)

-----------
Sunday, July 26
"Doctor Who" (Ballroom 20, 10 A.M.-11 A.M.)
•Guests: David Tennant, Russell Davies, Julie Gardner, Euros Lyn

"The Spectacular Spider-Man" (Room 6A, 10:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M. )

"Smallville" (Room 6BCF, 10:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M.)
•Guests: Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman

"Supernatural" (Room 6BCD, 11:45 A.M.-12:45 P.M.)
•Guests: Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, Eric Kripke

"Being Human & Torchwood" (Room 6BCF, 2:15 P.M.-3:45 P.M.)
•Guests: John Barrowman, Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, Aidan Turner,
Russell Davies, Julie Gardner, Toby Whithouse, Euros Lyn

-----------
EXCLUSIVES:
Hal Jordan (Graphitti Designs, Inc.)
Fully-articulated DC Direct action figures featuring Hal Jordan not only
as a Green Lantern, but as a member of the Red, Orange, Blue and Yellow
Corps as well, will be made available exclusively at this year's Comic-Con.
Each figure comes with its own lantern and a wearable power ring customized
to specifications of each Corps. Each figure also comes in its own four-color,
clam-shell styled box.

Sales of the figures will be limited to a maximum of two each of each of
the five different figures that'll be made available. Tickets will be
handed-out twice each day that will allow recipients to purchase the
exclusive figure designated for that day. The HAL JORDAN GREEN LANTERN
Figure will be available beginning Wednesday until quantities are sold out.
Each of the other four (4) figures will made available only on the days
listed below:

• HAL JORDAN GREEN LANTERN (limited to 3000 pieces),
sales to begin on Wednesday 07/22.
• HAL JORDAN YELLOW LANTERN (limited to 1500 pieces),
available for sale on Thursday 07/23.
• HAL JORDAN BLUE LANTERN (limited to 1500 pieces),
available for sale on Friday 07/24.
• HAL JORDAN ORANGE LANTERN (limited to 1500 pieces),
available for sale on Saturday 07/25.
• HAL JORDAN RED LANTERN (limited to 1500 pieces),
available for sale on Sunday 07/26.

Marvel Universe - Captain America (Hasbro)
The Super Soldier is Marvel Universe #0! Featuring special edition
grey scale deco, this Captain America looks like he's straight out of
the headlines of the 1940's! Showcasing the stunning artwork of Joe Quesada,
this classic Cap is "frozen" in time and packaged on a single card for you
to take home

DC Universe Classics Wonder Twins 2 pack (Mattel)
Form of an action figure! Shape of San Diego Comic Con! That's right,
the one and only Wonder Twins, Zan and Jayna, are available for the
first time in Mattel's DC Universe™ Classics line sculpted by the world
famous Four Horsemen with the articulation and detail you have come to
expect from this award winning line! Figures are available in special
window box packaging complete with character accurate accessories as well
as amazing light and sound action! As an added bonus, available ONLY as
an exclusive gift with purchase at SDCC : the Wonder Twins' mischievous
monkey, Gleek! Only available at the show, Gleek will not be with the
set online afterwards.

Rocket's Red Glare, the Bombs Bursting in Air

Great 4th of July!!! BBQed some Carne Asada, drank some Sangria,
and enjoyed the company of fun friends... I love my life.

Hookers, Virgins and Meat in your Face

Oh the world of advertising... How I love thee!
First up a great article by Tom Martin

What Ad Agencies Can Learn From Hookers and Virgins
Clients Want Trusted Partners, not Someone Who'll Fake It

HERE

And a not-so great ad from Burger King that isn't going to sell more
sandwiches, even if it's called the SUPER SEVEN INCHER.... Hahahahaha!!!

Read Here

Public Works

Bigger


Bigger


Bigger

METROPARK (Fashion / Music / Art) and OBEY are teaming in a contest
to find cool T-Shirt designs incorporating the OBEY look, feel and
politics. I submitted 3 designs - Two Men's, One Woman's.

Men's:
DJ Diabetic - Drop the Beats
Spray Cans

Women's:
Twitter

Feel free to check them out, comment on them and VOTE for them too!!! [ LINK ]

See the Light (and it's blindingly bad)

UUUGH.....

WHY did Green Day put out such a piece of CRAP album?? Really? Why?
I was excited when the first new single was played on the radio -
Know You Enemy. But after hearing it a bunch of times, it seemed
lame, like they mailed it in. But I knew the whole album wasn't going
to be this way. Hell, American Idiot did the same thing - some good
songs mixed with some okay songs. Right? Don't judge by one song...

After getting a copy free from a friend (thankfully I didn't pay for
it except with my time and a little of my musical soul) I listened to
it at work. I was taken back HOW HORRIBLE it was. It sounded like
they copied the worst of themselves and threw in some trite musical
influences, sounding more like My Chemical Romance.

My friend Spork tells me that they have "matured" and they did a concept/
rock opera album. Unfortunately, they haven't matured rather than sold-out,
making shitty, MTV-produced muzak. And if I wanted a concept album I would
buy Tommy or something by Queen.

Here, I bring you not the bad Green Day but, Top 10 reason to like GD:

01. The whole INSOMNIAC album
02. Fast and concise punk songs
03. Nice Guys Finish Last
04. Minority
05. Early punk on Dookie
06. Poprocks & Coke
07. A song for a generation - Good Riddance(time of your life)
08. Fun in concert
09. Cast Away
10. Kerplunk!


If you want Great new music - get these CDs:

Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall - 5 Stars

Street Sweeper Social Club - Self Titled - 4 Stars

Cage the Elephant - Self Titled - 4 Stars

34 Days of Waiting

San Diego Comic Con is officially SOLD OUT (of tickets that is).
It is also the 40th anniversary (I've been geeking out since 1986,
as a Pro since 1994). This year I will have my new camera so the
pixs will be even better. LT has never been before (look out) and
will be attending with me on Saturday.

Insider info:

• Disney will be bringing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
as their centerpiece. It's also likely that Tim Burton's Alice
in Wonderland will show up and that Pixar will bring
Toy Story 3, and a trailer for TRON 2.0

• Warner Brothers' presentations will include Sherlock Holmes
with Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. as well as our first
look at Jonah Hex with Josh Brolin and probably Megan Fox.
Maybe some IronMan 2 stuff as well.

• Zack Snyder will be in attendance to do a Blu-Ray Live
showing of Watchmen one of the nights.

Nothing coming from Michel Gondry's Green Hornet, Martin
Campbell's Green Lantern, but there could be things from
Where the Wild Things Are (which I'm super stoked for!!!)


Shows having panels:

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan and Caprica
Chuck
Dexter - Awesome!
Dollhouse
Eastwick
Eureka
Flash Forward
Fringe
Human Target
Legend of the Seeker
Lost - Can't wait
MythBusters
Past Life
The Prisoner
Psych - Stoked!
Sanctuary
Smallville
Stargate: Universe
Supernatural
True Blood
V
Vampire Diaries
Warehouse 13

HEROES actors and writers will be present at Comic-Con,
but there WILL NOT be a panel on that show.

Distant Early Warning

- OR- the Future of media might be better than I thought...

FINALLY some good news in the way of TV and Movies. I have been
ranting over the last few months that TV cancels good shows and
produces very few - new and good ones. And as far as Hollywood
and movies, they have thrown in the towel with bad choices in
remakes and lame movies in general. So I bring you the good news:


FUTURAMA Gets 26 New Episodes

It's official, FUTURAMA is coming back with Comedy Central
delivering an order for twenty-six episodes to run over two seasons.

The cable network has now given the order for this new batch of
episodes with all key voice cast members expected to return for
the new episodes, along with the series' core writing team.

Matt Groening and David X. Cohen are said to be already working on
stories for the new batch of episodes which pick up where the last
special, "Into the Wild Green Yonder", left off with the main
characters fleeing death and flying into the unknown.

Groening and Cohen's much loved sci-fi cartoon comedy aired from
1999-2003 on Fox but the 72 produced episodes have proven such a
DVD sales success and ratings hit in repeats on Comedy Central
that four direct-to-DVD releases were ordered and released in
2007 & 2008.

The first half of the new episodes are slated to premiere on
Comedy Central in mid-2010.

-----------------------------------------------------

DEADWORLD Zombie Film

Dark Hero Studios is planning a zombie feature film franchise
adaptation of Gary Reed's comic book DEADWORLD.
[ LINK ]

DEADWORLD veers from the popular zombie mythology of depicting
an apocalypse in which humans are overrun by flesh-eating corpses.
DEADWORLD picks up four months after that event, where the
Dead overtake the Earth, with humans few and far between.

The protagonist is King Zombie, a Harley-riding corpse who holds
a grudge against the survivors who made him an outcast.

David Hayter ("Watchmen") will write the screenplay, produce,
and both conceive and design the look of the film. Bill Mechanic,
Robert L. Robinson Jr. and Jeffrey D. Erb will also produce.

Shooting kicks off next year.

Red Hot Wet Sticky Summer

Please take notes...

Children of the Earth

Announced on BBC America - Torchwood: Children of the Earth.
Starting July 20th and running for a full week (Monday through Friday)
at 9pm. Best Summer TV. Looking forward to it!!!

Let the Dominos Fall

The new RANCID cd comes out Tuesday (June 2nd) and I received an
advance copy. All I can say is WOW!!!!!! Great disk. I love it.
If you like Rancid (especially "...And Out Come the Wolves", which
is now 14 years old, but still holds up as well). Also, they give
you 19 tracks (20 on the Enhanced Box set along with an acoustic
disk & DVD))

Compared to even some of the really good disks that have come out
so far this year, this one will be at or near the top of the pile.

Track Listing:

1. East Bay Night - 9 of 10 / Great way to start an album!
2. This Place - 8 of 10 / Good, Solid Punk.
3. Up To No Good - 10 of 10 / Makes me sing along and happy. Tied for my favorite song.

4. Last One To Die - 9 in 10 / First Radio Single.
5. Disconnected - 10 in 10 / Ode to America today. Great Song!
6. I Ain't Worried - 6 of 10
7. Damnation - 7 in 10 / Fun Rock!
8. New Orleans - 8 of 10
9. Civilian Ways - 8 of 10 / Funky Mandolin feel.
10. The Bravest Kids - 7 in 10 / Fast, Fast, Faster.
11. Skull City - 7 in 10 / 60's - Rockabilly - Punk - Ska - all rolled into one.

12. L.A. River - 6 in 10 / Another Rockabilly feel song meets Rancid.... Shimmy-Shake.

13. Lulu - 8 of 10 / Luuuuuuuuu-Lu.
14. Dominoes Fall - 10 of 10 / LOVE this song! Tied for my favorite song.

15. Liberty and Freedom - 6 in 10
16. You Want It, You Got It - 8 in 10 / Fun, Fast tune.
17. Locomotive - 6 in 10

18. That's Just The Way It Is Now - 7 in 10 / The Clash
meets Smashmouth? But in a good way.

19. The Highway - 9 of 10 / An anthem you will hear at graduations and the like
(ala' "Good Riddance, Time of your Life" by Green Day)

Same Networks - Same Shit

The new TV line-ups were presented this week for the Big 3 and boy,
what a let down!!!!!!! As per usual, they canned a couple of great
shows - LIFE, My Name is Earl, Life on Mars, Pushing Daisies and
The Unit.

One that may get the axe still is Reaper. Too bad...
That show is funny!

Shows that SHOULD have wrapped up this season - Smallville.
It's tired. I think Tom Welling is 40 now and could play
Superman in a movie.

Shows like Chuck have been cut back to fewer (13) episodes.

A final wave goodbye to BSG as well. Those of you that watched,
know what real TV is.

Returning favorites - LOST, How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds,
CSI and CSI:NY, Friday Night Lights, Supernatural, The Office,
and 30 Rock, will keep me entertained.

Thankfully a BUNCH of crap got cancelled too - Knight Rider,
Kim & Kath, and Kings.

Out of the new stuff, there is NOTHING that excites me. Blah!!!

The best thing to come out this year and I'm looking forward
to a full 22 episode run is southLAnd. Watch the shortened first
season on re-runs, DVD or Hulu. It's worth every minute.
Another notable is Castle.

Time to enjoy the summer, catch up on movies (or summer shows)
and get out and play!

Elementary... My dear Watson

Trailer for Sherlock Holmes... It looks awesome!!!
Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law and Directed by Guy Ritchie.

Somewhere Between Heaven & Hell

2005... LIke ages ago. Changing. Staying the same. Relationships.
Friendships.But 4 years ago I wrote my first BLOG entry and I feel
like a different person.Same home (10 years in North Park), same car,
same cat, same life... The one major difference is that I am Happy.
I make myself happy and try to surround myself with positive things.

There are always bumps, hurdles, and LARGE obstacles, but thus is life.

Not that I judge myself by anyone else, but I think on the happy scale,
I feel I am waaaaay ahead of the curve.

Happy with my CAREER - wanting to make more money and wondering what
the future holds (longevity, retirement, etc). Freelance has been good.
Trying to get more while suffering through the GWB mess that we are in.
I started a new job in the last year and the stress has been low,
which is great. And it frees me up for more freelance and fun things.

Happy with ART - busy with multiple projects - Photography, Clothing,
Design, Gaming... still haven't painted this year but the idea is
still there.

Healthy, Happy, and Wiser. Trying to look at the bigger picture and
not get bogged down with the mundane.

Next year - 5 years of the blog and 40 years of existence, and still
somewhere between Heaven & Hell.

Nothing Shocking

Attending the show of the summer, if not the year, this weekend. Nine Inch Nails - Jane's Addiction - Streetsweeper Social Club

Summertime Rolls - Been Caught Stealing - Ted, Just Admit It - Mountain Song - Stop - Jane Says

The Perfect Drug - Head Like a Hole- Down in it - Starfuckers Inc. - Closer - Wish - Piggy - Hurt

Plus seeing SSSC for the 1st time. I cannot wait!!!!!!

Heading Out to the Highway

Vroom... Vroom... Happy Birthday to my silver bullet. The Audi turns TWO today!!!

No Helmets Allowed

I have been reading the (semi) new Denis Leary book "Why We Suck"
and I think it's AWESOME and very hilarious!!!! With chapters like:
Your kids are not cute; Nuns, Tits, Booze & My Mom; and Matt Dillon
is a Giant Fag, what is NOT to love about it.

Here is a sample:

"The type of guys who spend money in strip clubs are the ones who
don't have the balls or high-enough self-esteem to talk to the pretty
girls at work but just enough self-esteem to keep them from hiring
a hooker"

"My advice to men who are thinking of going to a strip club would
be this: don't. On second though, go to the club. Just don't go in.
Stand outside, remove all your cash in your wallet and light it on
fire. Watch it burn until it's a smoking pile of ashes. Then bang
your head against the wall of the club several times - hard.
Get in your car. Drive home. When you wake up in the morning, you
will have achieved the same effect as if you had spent the night
inside the club: no money, giant headache. What did you miss? Nothing.
Smelly armpits, seven useless hard-ons and eighty-five horrible tattoos."

Too F@#KING funny!!!!

Never Let Me Down Again

Cheese's Summer Movie Preview & his top picks (and one piece of shit)

Wolverine - May 1st (TODAY!!!)
Looks great and should be a lot of fun.... but the reviews say it sucks. Eh.

Star Trek - May 8th
My top movie pick for the summer. Heard it was great and action-packed.

Angels & Demons - May 15th
Never read the book but heard it was better than The Da Vinci Code.

Terminator: Salvation - May 21st
Christian Bale + Terminators + Great Franchise = BLOCKBUSTER
LINK

Land of the Lost - June 5th
Will Ferrell & Sleestacks should be movie gold!!!

The Hangover - June 5th
Guy comedy directed by Todd Phillips (Old School). Looks really funny.

Year One - June 19th
Jack Black, Michael Cera and directed by Harold Ramis.
Stone age meets Comedy age. Dumb but super funny

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - June 26th
The Decepticons get their hate on... as well as their revenge.

Public Enemies - July 1st
John Dillinger / Bank Robber - 30's period piece with Johnny Depp (Dillinger)
and Christian Bale (does that guy ever stop making movies???), directed by
Michael Mann (Heat).

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince - July 15th
2nd most looked-forward-to movie this summer (especially since it was pushed from last fall.

(500) Day of Summer - July 17th
Romantic Comedy with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

BRUNO - July 10th
You will hate this movie if you like BORAT, gay comedy, bad language,
poking fun at everyone and don't have a sense of humor.

G.I. Joe : The Rise of Cobra - August 7th
Having just watched the new adult swim G.I.Joe cartoon "Resoluute"
this live-action movie is primed as the BIGGEST flop of the summer.
Make more cartoons instead!!!

Taking Woodstock - August 14th
My sleeper hit of the summer. Demetri Martin, Liev Schreiber & Emile Hirsch,
directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger) bring the summer of love to 2009.

Inglourious Basterds - August 21th
This would easily be my #1 pick but with the saturated summer hits that just keep coming,
Quentin Tarantino's WW2 pick comes in 3rd. That is not to say I WILL be seeing this opening weekend.
LINK

One Ring to Rule Them All

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy available for pre-order on Blu-ray with a December release. This is only the
"Theatrical Release" with an ULTIMATE Box Set coming outcloser to the Hobbit release (December 2011).
Still even though it's being released in Blu-Ray but I suggest waiting.

Speaking of the Hobbit, it will be spread over TWO films, decided by Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.
"We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie. The essential brief was to do The Hobbit,
and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the LOTR trilogy" added Jackson.
The films will be released in December 2011 and 2012.

In One Ear

Cage the Elephant's Ain't No Rest For the Wicked
is the "Single of the Week" on i-Tunes and FREE!!

Get it HERE

Tonight I get to see the band at the HOB after they
performed at Coachella yesterday.


Pixs from the show HERE

When I Get Old

It's funny and I laugh about it everyday. Getting older... and wiser I like
to say. A handful of my friends are turning the BIG 4-0 this year (I will
next year) and I do get a little introspective.

I never really feel my age. I know I don't look my age and I sure as hell
don't act my age - that I contribute to my work and lifestyle. Probably
the way I dress as well. I will be the old guy still wearing a hoodie &
chucks! HA!!!

I am EXTREMELY happy with my life and the way things have played out.
I am making plans to travel more this year and the coming future. Paying off
bills and getting my shit straight. Been hanging with LT more & more since
the beginning of the year. We took a nice weekend trip to LA [ Pixs ] and
the Getty [ Pixs ] over Easter . We have a LOT of fun together and I like
her a lot.

I do wonder what is the next steps for me though... Marriage? Kids?
Job wise? Will I be able to retire some day and live comfortably?
Will I be working when I'm 65? Will I still be alive?? I do try to
live my life to the fullest, seizing the day and all that.

Job is going really great and making the most of my situation. I am
getting a lot of time to work freelance and a lot of creative outlets
are opening for me including my resurgence of photography, doing
drawing and getting ready to start painting.

No rest for the old guy though.


my photography makes me smile

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

Summer-time is the time that I delve deep into the world of music.
Living in SD we get a great mix of bands and shows that roll through.

So Far this year I have seen - Furious IV, UJBOD, The NightMarchers,
Pennywise, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake... and upcoming shows -
NIN / Jane's Addiction, and the Beastie Boys.

BUT I wanted to turn people onto some new music:

Gallows - Punk Rock band from England. Playing on the WARPED tour.
Great energy and awesome songs. [LINK] THREE STARS

Street Sweeper - New band of Tom Morrello (RATM / Audioslave).
First single - "Fight Smash, Win" rocks!!! On tour with Nine Inch Nails /
Jane's Addiction. [LINK] FOUR STARS

Cage the Elephant - Out of Bowling Green, Kentucky.
They sound F@#King awesome!!! Playing small club dates including a stop
at the HOB San Diego. [LINK] THREE and a HALF STARS


Cage the Elephant / Martin Cohen Photography

Also upcoming Albums from Green Day, Rancid, and the Beastie Boys too.

Run Little Ewok... Run!!!

Small things make me smile... and this is one of them.
Robot Chicken - The Empire Strikes Back. So funny...
I'm still laughing as I type this.

Kingdom Come

Tonight, is not only a sad night in Sci-Fi fandom, but in great TV as well.
Battlestar Galactic (BSG to those that watch) has it's final run with a
2-hour event, that is supposed to complete the circle.
I am really looking forward to it... but dreading the end.

Goodbye my friend.

Sine Qua Non.

So Say We All.


EPILOGUE - Just finished watching the show. Exciting!!! Crazy.
Questions. Amazement. Worry. Sadness. Tears...
Great, Great, Great - but don't want it end.

Lucky there is "The Plan" movie and CAPRICA.

Super-Charger Haven

I read today my beautiful,luxurious and very FAST car is the 9th most
ticketed car on the road.... Crap!!!

1. Hummer H2
People who love the Hummer H2 probably love its bold, imposing looks. Apparently, cops love the H2
because it helps them meet their ticket quotas. Here's a tip: If you have an H2, maybe you shouldn't
drive it near then end of the month when traffic cops are scrambling to make their numbers.

2. Scion tC
3. Scion xB
4. Mercedes Benz CLK63 AMG
5. Toyota Solara Coupe
6. Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG
7. Scion xA
8. Subaru Outback
9. Audi A4
10. Toyota Matrix

Still Life OR Shoot, Shoot, Shoot!!!

Creativity... Be it Design, Drawing, Painting or my first love -
Photography. Being creative is in my blood. I've been planning on
expanding my horizon and flexing my imagination. Step one -
a new camera.

So after a few freelance projects I bought one...
actually, I had Dave get one with his SONY discount.

I got the Sony Alpha DSLR-A300X. It's a pretty sweet body,
and I got a set of two lens as well. I have a couple of ideas
for projects. Now I just need to find the time to work on them.
Fortunately, I'm planning on taking my camera everywhere.

Next step... buy some paint and brushes.

NIN • JA

I just heard this news today and I am F@#KING excited!!!!
Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addition tour coming through
San Diego - May 16th at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater.

Oh.. and the opening band is Streetsweeper - the new
Tom Morello (RATM) side project.

[ LINK ]

Baby, I got your Money

In today's economy, even the GREEDY baseball owners (including the Padres) have
realized that the average fan can no longer afford their EXPENSIVE concessions.

So the Pads unveiled "value meals". The “5 for $5,” available at every home game,
includes a regular-sized hot dog, peanuts, popcorn, cookie and soda for $5.
For an additional $5, fans can swap the soda for a 16-ounce draft beer.

On weekends, fans can land an upper reserved ticket, a Coke and a hot dog for $12.

An all-you-can-eat pavilion will be established in right field during all games,
with a menu of hot dogs, veggie dogs, nachos, popcorn, ice cream and soda.
With an upper reserved seat, this will cost $28; with an upper box seat, $3.

This year, a 20-ounce premium beer will cost $8.50 and a 16-ounce domestic
beer will remain $6.50.

This makes me happy.... :)

Pussy Purrin' and Lookin so Satisfied

Lately we have had a LARGE influx of felines at the Compound.
Mister has had the run of the roost for a long time but now we have:
Pika, a tiger-striped kitty and his brother, Mitch, a white and black cat;
Miko, an orange cat and Mister's nemesis; and Angel & Onyx - two black
kitties.

Mister is not happy...

Check out the cats HERE

Hell just froze over...

One of the funniest and smarter comedies returns Tuesday March 3rd

[Bigger]

Turnaround... and about time

Welcome Back, Old Friend...
Crowds turned out to attend the restaurant's grand re-opening
more than 30 years after Old Spaghetti Factory first opened
in downtown San Diego.

But four years ago, the owners decided to try something new when
they transformed the restaurant into Dussini's. During the renovation
process, the Old Spaghetti Factory changed back to its original
look but that wonderful bar put in upstairs wasn’t removed.

“We got so many calls and people have just continued to ask us to
bring the concept back, so we are really doing a little bit of both,”
said Chris Dussin of The Dussin Group. “We've got the Old Spaghetti
Factory downstairs and the upstairs is now Dussini Loft Bar.”

This Just In...

In San Diego News today...

Toll Returning to Coronado Bridge?
Drivers headed across the Coronado Bay Bridge may once again have to pay
to cross the span, according to a published report. Motorists had to pay
to cross the bridge for 33 years, but drivers stopped paying in 2002.
Coronado city officials will meet Thursday night to discuss reinstituting
tolls as a way to fund major traffic solutions, held at the Coronado
Community Center beginning at 6 p.m.


New Watering Hole
The nice thing about True North, the new spot on 30th Street
next to Urban Solace, is that it doesn’t smell like piss and puke
and you won’t find a character from a David Lynch movie sitting
next to you at the bar.

The bad thing about True North is that it doesn’t smell like piss
and puke and you won’t find a character from a David Lynch movie
sitting next to you at the bar.

Comfy booths line the joint’s sides, surrounding a large, rectangular,
enclosed bar area; a single pool table occupies a back corner.

Owners, The Verant Group, also own The Tavern at the Beach in PB, Sandbar
Sports Grill in Mission Beach and Offshore Tavern and Grill in Bay Park,
plus bars in Arizona and Georgia.

Check them HERE