28 February 2008
Today's Reverse Pulitzer goes to....
Maxim!!
Not that they were ever purveyors of anything past fringe celebrity soft core-pornography, but now I'm not sure that I made a smart decision to avoid the Bo Bice album. I based my opinion on their one-and-a-half star review.
UPDATE - ohmygod - they gave The Polyphonic Spree's second album four stars. I wonder if they bothered listening to it at all...
Not that they were ever purveyors of anything past fringe celebrity soft core-pornography, but now I'm not sure that I made a smart decision to avoid the Bo Bice album. I based my opinion on their one-and-a-half star review.
UPDATE - ohmygod - they gave The Polyphonic Spree's second album four stars. I wonder if they bothered listening to it at all...
27 February 2008
No Hannah Montana on Rock Band, I suspect...
And here's why.
Which is kind of a shame, as I know that lots of younger kids really enjoy Rock Band (and Guitar Hero, for that matter). The idea of a tween-centric Rock Band would be a great way to get more kids to force their parents to plunk down $170 for the guitar/drums/microphone set so they can thrash about to their favorite High School Musical tunes.
Alas - it looks like Disney is going to go their own way. (Why no Fleetwood Mac on Rock Band!?)
Which is kind of a shame, as I know that lots of younger kids really enjoy Rock Band (and Guitar Hero, for that matter). The idea of a tween-centric Rock Band would be a great way to get more kids to force their parents to plunk down $170 for the guitar/drums/microphone set so they can thrash about to their favorite High School Musical tunes.
Alas - it looks like Disney is going to go their own way. (Why no Fleetwood Mac on Rock Band!?)
26 February 2008
A geektastic dilemma...
So I've grown tired of using my Xbox as a DVD player (for a bunch of reasons), so I decided I was going to buy a new DVD player this week.
As I was in Costco, I was eyeing an $80 upconverting Sony player that was definitely in my price range. Taking a tour of the store to weigh the purchase in my hand, I spied a Toshiba HD-DVD player for the same $80. HD-DVD is a high def format that just last week was abandoned by Toshiba (surrendering the format war to Sony's Blu-Ray).
So what was I to do? I could buy the HD player and play all my DVDs and what few HD-DVDs I could rent, or I could buy the DVD player.
Yeah - I bought the HD-DVD player.
Did I mention that it came with its own HDMI cable! (this would normally be a giant selling point, if I didn't have a spare HDMI cable at home already)
Unboxed the whole she-bang...
and ran the setup:
It came with the first two Bourne movies (and I liked them both, so that's another bonus), but I purchased an HD-DVD movie to test it with...
What better to test it out than with Michael Bay's Robot Alien Sci-Fi spectacle, "Transformers"?
Nothing, I say.
And it was fantastic. Truly incredible picture quality. No issues with clipping or problems with blacks and grays getting pixelated due to compression. And I don't have the world's best TV (or HD-DVD player, I'm sure), but it's still really amazing to watch. No, it didn't make me cry (like some people).
I hope Blu-Ray is this good, or else the wrong horse won.
As I was in Costco, I was eyeing an $80 upconverting Sony player that was definitely in my price range. Taking a tour of the store to weigh the purchase in my hand, I spied a Toshiba HD-DVD player for the same $80. HD-DVD is a high def format that just last week was abandoned by Toshiba (surrendering the format war to Sony's Blu-Ray).
So what was I to do? I could buy the HD player and play all my DVDs and what few HD-DVDs I could rent, or I could buy the DVD player.
Yeah - I bought the HD-DVD player.
Did I mention that it came with its own HDMI cable! (this would normally be a giant selling point, if I didn't have a spare HDMI cable at home already)
Unboxed the whole she-bang...
and ran the setup:
It came with the first two Bourne movies (and I liked them both, so that's another bonus), but I purchased an HD-DVD movie to test it with...
What better to test it out than with Michael Bay's Robot Alien Sci-Fi spectacle, "Transformers"?
Nothing, I say.
And it was fantastic. Truly incredible picture quality. No issues with clipping or problems with blacks and grays getting pixelated due to compression. And I don't have the world's best TV (or HD-DVD player, I'm sure), but it's still really amazing to watch. No, it didn't make me cry (like some people).
I hope Blu-Ray is this good, or else the wrong horse won.
25 February 2008
Warning Sign!
During the Oscar telecast, there was a commercial for tonight's airing of "A Raisin in the Sun", starring Sean Combs. I wasn't paying much attention, and I thought I might TiVo it, but decided against it when, thrown in among all the accolades and glowing notices, there was "4 Stars" -Star.
Really? The Star? The Preganant Jamie-Lynn In Denial! Star? Well, when such a prestigious publication bestows its highest acclaim on a program, ABC is right to trumpet it in their ads.
I'll be sure to catch that now...
Really? The Star? The Preganant Jamie-Lynn In Denial! Star? Well, when such a prestigious publication bestows its highest acclaim on a program, ABC is right to trumpet it in their ads.
I'll be sure to catch that now...
Caught a show on Saturday night....
I'm fortunate to have a friend on the inside who scored us comps to one of the final previews for the new musical Passing Strange last night. I had a great time and really loved the show. I've been having a difficult time trying to process the "why" into a post, so bear with me.
Passing Strange is a rock musical written and starring the rock singer, Stew. Stew's music is fun, thoughtful and coherent (thank god). His sound is derived from many influences (reggae, old-school musicals, punk, pop). After seeing the show, I will probably pick up a CD from his band, The Negro Problem. Of course, at least 30% of the reason for purchasing the CD is to have a jewel case in my collection from "The Negro Problem".
The show follows Stew's life from a young man in lower middle-class South Central LA to a bohemian in Amsterdam and a performance artist in Berlin. Stew serves as narrator, commentator, and participant in his story. He's backed by a tight band of on-stage multi-instrumentalists on a very spare set.
(I'm realizing this is the lamest review ever. Keep reading anyway. There might be cake at the end.)
The events of the story are brought to life by six exceptional actors playing (in most cases) multiple roles. There's an energy about their performances that is truly awesome. The characters they inhabit are funny (laugh at loud, stop-the-show a couple of times funny), touching, and three-dimensional, and they're the true stars of the show. The first act has a terrific forward motion to it and it carries over into the second act.
There are some slower beats in the heavier (shorter) second act. We also learn a valuable lesson about love, "the real", and the importance of family. I, like most of my tribe, am a sucker for a show with a "Mommy" plotline (you don't want to watch Terms of Endearment with me), so the second act was just fine by me.
I completely recommend Passing Strange. I guarantee there's nothing like it on Broadway. It's funnier than Mamma Mia!, more rock than Rent,and it might even be blacker than The Color Purple (and that closed anyway).
You should check it out if you're in NYC.
Passing Strange is a rock musical written and starring the rock singer, Stew. Stew's music is fun, thoughtful and coherent (thank god). His sound is derived from many influences (reggae, old-school musicals, punk, pop). After seeing the show, I will probably pick up a CD from his band, The Negro Problem. Of course, at least 30% of the reason for purchasing the CD is to have a jewel case in my collection from "The Negro Problem".
The show follows Stew's life from a young man in lower middle-class South Central LA to a bohemian in Amsterdam and a performance artist in Berlin. Stew serves as narrator, commentator, and participant in his story. He's backed by a tight band of on-stage multi-instrumentalists on a very spare set.
(I'm realizing this is the lamest review ever. Keep reading anyway. There might be cake at the end.)
The events of the story are brought to life by six exceptional actors playing (in most cases) multiple roles. There's an energy about their performances that is truly awesome. The characters they inhabit are funny (laugh at loud, stop-the-show a couple of times funny), touching, and three-dimensional, and they're the true stars of the show. The first act has a terrific forward motion to it and it carries over into the second act.
There are some slower beats in the heavier (shorter) second act. We also learn a valuable lesson about love, "the real", and the importance of family. I, like most of my tribe, am a sucker for a show with a "Mommy" plotline (you don't want to watch Terms of Endearment with me), so the second act was just fine by me.
I completely recommend Passing Strange. I guarantee there's nothing like it on Broadway. It's funnier than Mamma Mia!, more rock than Rent,and it might even be blacker than The Color Purple (and that closed anyway).
You should check it out if you're in NYC.
22 February 2008
21 February 2008
20 February 2008
Love that GOP
from a Tweet by my favorite Mac-centric blogger:
Rush Limbaugh doesn't like John McCain, but I bet he'd get along just great with McCain's wife...
Check out why...
18 February 2008
14 February 2008
13 February 2008
Man these commercials make me laugh
OK - I’m a bit of a closet NASCAR fan. I cannot explain it. I have no defense.
Anyway, these commercials debuted last year and have never failed to bring a smile to my face.
Here’s my favorite one.
This kid could be the next Michael Cera. Who knows?
Anyway, these commercials debuted last year and have never failed to bring a smile to my face.
Here’s my favorite one.
This kid could be the next Michael Cera. Who knows?
Finally!
Well, the Nets look like they’re finally going to ship out Jason Kidd.
And they’re not getting robbed (like the Memphis Grizzlies did when they gave Pau Gasol away to the Lakers) - they’re getting Devin Harris, who is 10 years younger than Kidd, and a far more capable scorer from the point guard position. Kidd’s the better player over the course of his career, and he’s an incredible teammate, but the Nets are wise to get younger, gain some salary cap flexibility, and can now turn their attentions to the task of trading Vince Carter, who will flounder without Kidd. (He might score more, but it’ll be because nobody else is getting the ball.) We also get Mo Ager (supposedly) who was always a favorite of mine from his days as a Spartan.
I suspect this is the beginning of the end for Lawrence Frank, as well, which is probably for the best.
I will miss Kidd - he’s a joy to watch run the break and possibly the best defensive point guard since Gary Payton in his prime. I wish him all the best - I now have a rooting interest in the playoffs (assuming the Nets fizzle in the first round). Best Wishes, J-Kidd - you’ve deserved better for about a season and a half.
** Update - it looks like one of the lesser pieces of the deal (Devean George) is blocking the trade. Dammit.
08 February 2008
Grooving on some new tunes.
I’m currently loving the new album from Shelby Lynne, Just A Little Lovin’. It’s a collection of songs that Dusty Springfield recorded plus one original. (I don’t call them Dusty Springfield songs, because she didn’t write them. Lay off.)
The CD showcases Shelby’s beautiful voice and some exceptional, stripped-down instrumentation. It’s rarely more than a guitar (lots of slide guitar!), bass, an electric piano and drums. A stark contrast from Springfield’s recordings, which were so famous for being heavily produced.
The sparse arrangements give me more time to digest the songs. These are tales of longing, of unrequited love, or desperation. Dusty sang these songs so well and Shelby is up for the challenge.
Just a Little Lovin’ is a lovely, bittersweet CD. Perfect for those quiet mornings in the home office.
The CD showcases Shelby’s beautiful voice and some exceptional, stripped-down instrumentation. It’s rarely more than a guitar (lots of slide guitar!), bass, an electric piano and drums. A stark contrast from Springfield’s recordings, which were so famous for being heavily produced.
The sparse arrangements give me more time to digest the songs. These are tales of longing, of unrequited love, or desperation. Dusty sang these songs so well and Shelby is up for the challenge.
Just a Little Lovin’ is a lovely, bittersweet CD. Perfect for those quiet mornings in the home office.
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