some of my favourite music of 2011

i just have a few minutes so here is the start of my list, in two word description form

SMALLER LABELS
3:33 : EP1 on Parallel Thought - brilliant sounds
Amon Tobin : ISAM on Ninja Tune - groundbreaking, original
Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi on Domino - dark guitar
Joker: The Vision on 4AD - beyond dubstep
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Mirror Traffic on Matador - totally underrated

it's two minutes until midnight...so i'll post my BIG LABEL and HONORABLE MENTIONS in a few....

thanks for reading!  :))

some of the best stuff i've heard lately: JOKER

Joker's BACK IN THE DAYS - gorgeous song with brilliant rap and an absolutely captivating vocal line:

all i can say is, you've got to hear his instrumental stuff, too.

and IF this is dubstep, then yes, i DO love dubstep. but, it's more like the SOUNDS are dubstep, but this songwriting and production go WAY beyond...

donors may receive compensation for bone marrow

THANK YOU, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals! In a December 1, 2011 ruling, the three justice panel ruled that compensation may be allowed for bone marrow extracted from a donor's blood through a process called apheresis (as opposed to the usual method via extraction through one's hip known as aspiration). The LA Times states that although the 9th Circuit extends to nine states, this is the first federal ruling of its kind and may extend to the entire country. Please see the DOREEN FLYNN ET. AL. v. ERIC HOLDER ruling on the

i love this song!

CHILDISH GAMBINO's Bonfire. hilarious! sorry for the commercial. i am AMAZING SPECIALIST.

in case something happens

• approximately 10.05am on Wednesday in Orange County, the city of Orange, CA at business on Yale Ave.
• incident began while driving south on Main St. after turning from eastbound Taft Ave.
• white dodge ram pickup, windows NOT tinted, with no rear license plate
• after truck was driving very slowly and weaving in and out of right lane, v honked loudly and drove around the truck to make a right onto westbound Yale Ave.  
• v pulled into parking lot and was followed by and blocked in by truck.
• one 20-something white male; uneven pink flawed skin, curly hair, bluish or otherwise light eyes; southern accent ["you better watch what you do." "...b1*c^!" ] exited truck and came up yelling to v's vehicle's closed window
• this white male struck driver's window very hard with open palm
• two other males in truck, unidentifiable
• truck drove westbound in parking lot, went around and exited out west driveway

Vince Clarke + Martin Gore x Überzone = YES

Mute Records announced an upcoming collaboration between two of my and many others' (especially those who grew up as i did, in the 80s) personal heroes, Vince Clarke and Martin Gore called VCMG.

This weekend Alx and i ran into Q aka Überzone, described as "the influential Californian electronic artist" in the above link, who has been busy in the studio mixing the album for VCMG!  It comes out in spring 2012.

More info about the VCMG project is on FB here.

crazy rammstein video

possibly, one of their best ones, yet! via the band's vimeo.

Rammstein - Mein Land from Rammstein on Vimeo.

who was playing at Truetone Music in Santa Monica...

...Friday night, at their newly opened CLUB FENDER annex?  i watched from the street with a handful of other people, through the glass of the storefront.  holy wow, they were amazing.

here's a video of the last song they played last night, recorded by Don Was:
they were JACKSHIT, featuring guitar player VAL McCALLUM from Jackson Browne's band and two guys from Elvis Costello's Attractions and Impostors, respectively drummer PETE THOMAS and  bassist DAVEY FARRAGHER.

i CAN have the mango...!??

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

"...i hope i get it, i hope i get it..."  i sounded like Elaine Benes' old roommate a week ago.  i hinted to  @winphonesupport on the Twitt'r.  i gently pleaded with my formerly-employed-by-microsoft friends.  and then, today, i got it.



yes, i need to spend some time with this update before i can offer any feedback as to whether it is everything i had hoped it would be.  however, after much research before and leading up to today, i learned a few things, of which three in particular helped me greatly:

1. if you have misplaced your original samsung focus charger (read - the usb to micro usb cable), you must replace with a cable which 'came with your phone'.  meaning, you gotta use a samsung focus specific cable, not a universal or compatible AT&T one.  otherwise, you cannot be recognized and will be UNABLE to have zune recognize your WP7 phone and thus you won't be able to connect to your computer for updates.  yes, it's idiotic, but trust me on this.  i will try and find a reference, as well.
2. your main screen or homepage or whatever they call it on your WP7 phone will not necessarily notify you of a Mango update, and neither will there be a notification under Settings : System: Phone Update .  believe me, i was looking for it!  instead, i suggest you connect your phone to your computer via zune just to see if your phone is due for an update...  it worked for me.
3. Mango is expected, anticipated and reported to be otherwise known as / also known as / aka Windows Phone 7.5 or WP7.5 . however, it is actually (look in Settings : System : About ) in reality Windows Phone SOFTWARE 7.5 .  it is also simultaneously operating system or OS 7.10.7720.68  - wtf ??!!!  please see this for reference - http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1116245&start=6800

there is also some additional information on the Windows Team blog, which i mistakenly read as 'Window Steam blog'.  regardless, begin with this link: http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2011/10/03/windows-phone-7-5-update-status.aspx 

let us not forget, 16th of October 2011 is also the same day IndyCar driver DAN WHELDON passed away due to a horrific accident at the speedway in Las Vegas, as did many other beloved people around the world.  today is also the day the MARTIN LUTHER KING MEMORIAL was officially dedicated in Washington, D.C. and it was also 2011 NATIONAL PLUG IN DAY.

i'm not quite like this...

...YET.

Heinz, you've done it. and now, everyone's going to do it.

if you know me, even a little bit, you know i've often asked, how come they don't make stupid plastic condiment packets easier, bigger and easier to biodegrade??!

i saw this today, and now i'm wondering what great invention or patent i should be working on next?

grrrrrrrrrrr

9/10/11 an hour past 12 in an electric sportscar.

AlSto and i spent the day with BriKa driving in the 2011 Southern California Tesla Rally. Tesla owners/VIPs came from as far away as San Diego and Arizona to participate in the third annual drive. it had the largest turnout yet, with about 40 all-electic powered vehicles and roadsters!

we began at the Hawthorne Design Centre, where the prototype of the new S-model Tesla is rumoured to be stored.

i had the privilege of riding co-driver in car #125 AND #77 this year. more short videos are on youtube, including some confusing topsy-turvy footage as we embarked with the help of Hawthorne's finest(?, below).

not bad for a Saturday!???

JLP, Kid Congo, Patricia Morrison = perfection.

listened to all of GUN CLUB's Las Vegas Story today.

this video is about as good as it gets... with the exception of the weird back and forth switch editing toward the middle. i still hope they play this entire album at my funeral.

Brazil, the green lantern and bicycles

if you know me, you know how much i loathe commercials and most marketing in general. however, i dig lenticular images and innovative approaches to nearly everything...including, however rare that is: hollywood. i guess, if you've got to promote the release of the Green Lantern film in Brazil, you may as well figure out a cool and original geographically/ demographically appropriate or relevant way to do it...?!

via WORLD OF SUPERHEROES because they came up in my search. Creativity online's TiVOcast first turned us on to this.

immediate #vma impressions

...rather, my not-so-live blogging of the show due to my TiVo'd broadcast (which, btw allowed me to scan through an hour of uselessness in about ten minutes.):

gaga=UGLY man. bieber=gorgeous girl. no one's ever heard of Jessie J. Chris Brown=YES. Kanye ♥s music. woo! is that the LXD?!! cool way to repurpose the spiderman musical flying rig thing. Adele sings, thank god. awesome Tyler the Creator deserves it. who's the guy in the skirt? snuki ist kurz. well done, RuBra...oooh is this a psa?...is that a hologram?...we miss u Amy...Bruno Mars' pompadour = better than gaga's. weird, Lil' Waye is a mix between Flavor Flav and Lil' Jon.

holy crap it's burning man time again.

revelations of a music snob

regarding:

* new STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS record - i couldn't say it much better than Tiny Mixtape's Ed Comentale:

"Ultimately, Mirror Traffic doesn’t quite recapture the shaggy
grandeur of Wowee Zowee, and, perhaps to its detriment, it abandons the proggy
jam-band bliss of Real Emotional Trash."

it's still a pretty great freaking record, though. you just need to skip tracks 1 and 3.

* bass guitar - SPECTOR2112 is my new favourite youtube guy. if you look at the selection of stuff he plays, it's like he grew up with me...or at least down the street from me...except, he has the Rush, Frente and BN Ladies songs (so i guess that means he actually was up the street from JaHe! ahahahahahaaahahaha ). :(



* taylor swift - made the following observations in no particular order:
- LA crowds kinda suk, even at arena shows: the entire audience sang along to every song, loudly. but, hardly anyone applauded or hooted in between songs. in fact, some pauses in the show were downright silent. AlSto sez it's cos everyone was busy texting or otherwise doing something else to occupy their attention-deficited minds.
- fathers seated next to a person other than his daughter on one side are oblivious when their ample backsides begin to slide over to occupy part of the other person's seat for more than one song.
- i can recognise a justin bieber song in less than four notes.
- justin bieber can dance pretty well even when he's half-a$$ing it.
- t. swift's backup dancers dance better than justin bieber.
- her guitar players are the type of guys i don't like, meaning too much hairspray and too many Les Paul guitars for their age. and they can play so-so.

(click for more photos, but not of the guitar players!)

- t.s. puts on a decent show, she really does! and i'm talking about the entire production, not just her. the sets are beautiful, and she does the quick-change thing that would put most people, including Chinese opera singers, to shame.
- it's funny cos a bunch of people asked if she really couldn't sing or uses autotune live. i was watching her closely. there was a slight lag between the stage and video screen. i think there might be a little backing track action happening, but what do i know?
- even if one doesn't think one knows t.s.' repertoire, one does. it may also be because a lot of her songs sound the same...but still, they're tolerable and written well.
- t.s. prefers audio technica handheld mics and she holds it in her right hand. always. i think she plays Taylor guitars, too, but that is a little on the nose.

who knew one could score points with the kids (my friend ScoTe's daughter, EmTe) and some coworkers (who are parents) simultaneously?!!!??

things that make me laugh

click to the 9:25-ish point, if you must... but please just watch this LOUIS C.K. interview on Conan (if you haven't already)!

Terry Gilliam is god

thx to the LAUGHING SQUID for delighting me always...

tessellation... fractals... all that junk.

VIDEO: AlxZomZom

video and music by kaze, from images by djvenus.

a few updates from the most recent to the most past

...more or less in order, i have - learned some basics of panguingue; enjoyed the Lake Elsinore Casino; mourned Amy Winehouse; hated what i believe was the traffic caused by Comic-Con; learned the Sun-Maid raisin girl's name is LORRAINE COLLETT;


wished i could be hanging out with Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick; learned Marc Maron will have a syndicated-ish version of WTF on KCRW; learned the Sklar Brothers (who are already fairly annoying on KPCC) will have a show on KPCC; became annoyed with G+; went to court; finished traffic school; watched coworkers ride a mechanical bull; brought home a candle we made; found my next new favourite Jeopardy! contestant JAY RHEE; learned Valencia, CA's residents are really friendly; discovered Popcornopolis; joined G+; made a candle with AlSto; enjoyed the new season of Louie; listened to the new Loney, Dear album; drunk more tequila than bourbon; missed Buckethead at HoB Anaheim; ate at Denny's; went to the Varnish; saw Harold Lloyd's film Safety Last; went to Medieval Times.

MUSIC: you must listen to Pictureplane...

the album starts with a retro rave sound set on an old school breakbeat/d&b rhythm...but it doesn't stay there.

what strikes me about this record, is that every sound matters, on every song. somehow, Pictureplane manages to synthesise so many qualities/ elements of my musical past life. and then, he doesn't resurrect or reincarnate them; it's like he reanimates them...

THEE PHYSICAL by PICTUREPLANE

freaking fantastic stuff...but so NOT the type of show AlSto will enjoy going to with me... ;-P huge thanks to TERRORBIRD for turning me on to yet another record!

lordy lordy look who's turning 4040!!

A Physician Ahead of Our Time: RIP Dr. Jack Kevorkian

"No man who is occupied in doing a very difficult thing, and doing it very well, ever loses his self-respect." - from George Bernard Shaw

even from a young age, i always thought doctors were hardcore...so hardcore that i knew i could never be able to make it through med school...so i wrote off that possibility pretty early on in my life. one of the most hardcore of the hardcore physicians i had ever learned about, and wish i had had the privilege to know, is Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who passed away on Friday 3 June 2011, reportedly listening to Bach. (i wonder, which piece it was... !!?)

if you know me, you know i'm pretty good at placing high expectations on people, especially those who serve others. why shouldn't i, and why shouldn't they have high expectations of themselves? this is why i was blown away by every detail i ever learned about Dr. Kevorkian, from his interest in transfusing blood from dead to live soldiers in the field, and his photography of patients' eyes to determine the exact moment of death, to his fantastic artwork, and finally his most recent battles with U.S. society regarding euthanasia. he had a lot of vision and dared to consider ideas and ask questions which i feel were mistaken as morbid, inappropriate and bordering on human vivisection. if anything, Dr. Jack was a pretty astute publicity and PR user, and i think he should've been nicknamed 'Dr. Dying' and not 'Dr. Death'.

btw i woke up late and i gotta go to work for an hour or so so i will post reference links later...

MUSIC: CHLLNGR's eerie video makes their song even better.

i really dig BLK JKS and THE VERY BEST. so, learning that Mpupi Mo of the former and Mo Laudi of latter had a hand in remixing this CHLLNGR track really got me excited!

CHLLNGR "Ask For" from CHLLNGR on Vimeo.

According to the Vimeo description, the video was

"filmed in a Danish forest two hours outside of Copenhagen, Bjorn Stig Hansen and Steven Jess Borth II had only one bright light and one camera to make this happen in a period of two summer nights."

i wanna go to Denmark now.

HUGE thanks to the fine folks at TERRORBIRD MEDIA, especially Tim, for sending along this bit of brilliance!

this is gorgeous!

my god, i'm speechless...Kuroi-Tsuki san, you are a master. (his name means 'black moon' in Japanese, btw...)

Venture by *Kuroi-Tsuki on deviantART

"It's about the beauty of failure. It's about that failure happens to all of us... Every character is not only flawed, but sucks at what they do, and is beautiful at it and Jackson and I suck at what we do, and we try to be beautiful at it, and failure is how you get by... It shows that failure's funny, and it's beautiful and it's life, and it's okay, and it's all we can write because we are big... failures." -Doc Hammer

Kuroi-Tsuki goes on to say: "I love Venture Bros with a passion, it's one of the most amazing comedies out there. If you're not a fan, you're really missing out. Anyway, I can't wait for Season 5."

and ROCK ON, Dr. O!!! woo! huge thanks to THE MANTIS-EYE EXPERIMENT for turning me on to this.

sausage fattener plugin by dadalife

be sure to watch @1:11 -
"that sound is super fat...and that's because of this guy's face."


many thanks to JusKle at REPHLEKTOR INK for this cool bit of software news.

'a grip' and its equivalent...

AlHo told us his classmates in Kansas didn't know what he meant when he referred to 'a grip' of something.

and then, i saw this today on POST SECRET: an F.T. - that's a lot, right? (i wish i knew who/what the secret-submitter was referring to... i don't know if he/she knows what he/she is talking about...)

a new way for me and the husband to hang out together

this one is called ANIMALS; the new one is called FOOD. stay tuned!

that IS what Prince played that night!!?...

Edit this setlist | More Prince setlists

these are the songs Prince played at the forum on the final night of his 21-show residency in Los Angeles...i was lucky to attend with BriKa (and thanks also for the setlist link!) and AlSto.

a Noble Experiment, indeed...

in San Diego. many thanks to the incredible team of Pedro, Eric, Anthony, Erica and Hayley (sp?) for a truly memorable evening!

25 May 2011 - Photo from FLICKR: djvenus - at Noble Experiment

and, as it states on the back of the menu:

Certain gentlemen of other days

who made of drinking one of the pleasures of life

not one of its evils, and who,

whatever they drank, proved able to carry it,

keep their heads and remain gentlemen,

even in their cups.


Their example is commended

to their posterity.

i HEART foetus

...née JG Thirlwell, et al!

thanks to JACKSON PUBLICK's blog for this awesome bit of live music:

Steroid Maximus: Venture Bros Medley from JG Thirlwell on Vimeo.

Brian Matrix has me feeling progressive...

...musically, that is.

DJ Rap's imprint and management company, Propa /Impropa Talent recently sent a track called FIRE produced by Southern California's Brian Matrix.

for as much as i've been bored with most progressive house lately, there's something about his straightforward yet solid production that really catches my ear. turn this track up and listen to that stuttered string thing...he uses it just enough to take it to that next level. i hope the DJs are all over this one. now, let's DANCE!
Brian Matrix - "Fire Sound" by BrianMatrix

11.49pm on Friday, 29th April 2011 - Dogs in Traffic

they should be wrapping up about now...??

photo from FLICKR; djvenus

Dogs in Traffic was the best band you missed out on, that you never had a chance to hear.

here's the web listing for the Dogs in Traffic "reunion" (read: their first gig in longer than the band was actually playing music together the first time), sans lead singer Ringo, at Fitzgerald's Pub in Huntington Beach, CA.

i do stuff like this...

...refer to events in my life as before or after "x", i mean...

via the Laughing Squid via XKCD.

obviously, Rob Bell has never heard of Bishop Carlton Pearson...

i was annoyed to see that a Time Magazine story 'Is Hell Dead?' by John Meacham got so much attention this week.

it focused on Rob Bell, a pastor in Michigan. he is hardly the first person to come to the conclusion that mainstream Xtian practice is both hypocritical and hurtful. further, hell may have been mistranslated to mean a literal, separate place where evil exists...underground, even. for this unoriginal, 'controversial' viewpoint, he received a full write-up upon the release of his new book, in a national magazine.
take the Bishop Carlton Pearson, leader of the New Beginnings church (above, with his wife), who was prominently featured in the brilliant HERETICS episode of This American Life from Chicago Public Media. Bishop Pearson believes the Church's exclusivism is inconsistent with the nature and intent of the teachings of Jesus. he was thinking about this back in 2006. he began to think so much about this contradiction and its inherent problem that he later formed what he called the gospel of inclusion.

if you know me, you know i really don't care for religion, and i really have a problem with most practicioners of it...and this is why Bishop Pearson's message struck me so deeply.

one of the most astounding things about the Time article is how it states Bell's philosophy is to emphasize "discussion rather than dogmatic teaching." freaking imagine that. it's something my friends and i have been doing since, i don't know, the tenth grade. Bell did not nearly lose his entire congregation and support system for expressing his beliefs. he was just fortunate to have a stylist, a bigtime publisher and a publicist...and perhaps a not-so-subconscious desire to be Rick Warren.

the 'friendliest...and most radically inclusive' church and god is what i, and everyone, should want.

why you SHOULD sign that license agreement with us...

...or maybe not.

many thanks to WaDi for this! here's the grid of Musician Digital Royalties upon which the above visualisation (by the awesome INFORMATION IS BEAUTIFUL) is based. the idea came from an article at THE CYNICAL MUSICIAN (btw, a favourite blog!) who is the rarest of musicians...that is to say, he apparently has a graduate degree in business.

and, if you know me, you may know i used to always say, "All a band needs is a manager and a lawyer." i stand corrected.

who did it? politicians' speeches and Rick Astley song

you've seen the awesome display of cooperation in Oregon's state legislature. i'm talking about the video in which a number of Oregon lawmakers agreed to insert pieces of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" lyrics into their actual speeches, as they spoke in front of their colleagues during actual legislative sessions.

oftentimes, people forget how the process is more rewarding than a result or outcome. rarely do we see politicians who have a sense of humour, let alone any who would agree to attempt something like this. what a way to show bipartisan cooperation! only music, even bad music, reaches across the aisle...or at least most of them.

i imagine most 'serious lawmakers' would simply dismiss a similar project as a frivolous waste of time...or maybe i'm too quick to assume that congresspeople are all business and no human. then again, how come the guy responsible for coming up with this idea only has 516 'Likes' on Facebook as of midnight on April 16th 2011?


according to NPR, state representative Jefferson Smith (OR-D) was behind this true act of congress. Smith represents Oregon's 47th District. a LegislativeStudyGrp account is credited for uploading the rickroll to YouTube. [vks opinion - however, isn't a legislative study group really just any number of legislators who (ideally) gather, present and consider facts or statistics with the goal of providing accurate information to its members?] the only official 'Legislative Study Group' online seems to be a state caucus out of Texas.

Oregon's House of Representatives has 30 Democrats and 30 Republicans. this carefully planned and crafted video took not only Smith's creativity, but also the concerted effort of many congressional aides, in addition to the state representatives who agreed to participate. filming took place over days, but no public money was used in the effort. it took the work of volunteers to produce the final edit in time for release on April Fool's Day. listen to the story behind how it all came together.

i don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but apparently all the bills presented on the legislative floor which contained the song lyrics passed. unfortunately, i didn't have the time to compare the congressmen/congresswomen in the video with their photos, but i'd love to give props to the men and women who took part. if you know the names of any of the participants, please email or leave a comment. thanks!

the little prince is being (re)made into a movie!

(other than Maurice Sendak and Dr. Seuss' work, possibly) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's THE LITTLE PRINCE is a book which resonates beyond one's (my) childhood. a movie of the book was made in 1974 and it was claymated it in 1979.

now, it's being remade, at least according to a blog entry by artist THUROP VAN ORMAN, creator of the brilliant and amazing animated nickelodeon series The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. he says he's started to do concept art for the movie (and also has an entry by the same title, with a release date in 2014).

prelude to April Fool's 1 April - is 30 March aka Prank Day?!

...or is this just early so it will go viral in time for the first? she is pitching to the Venture Capital Fundraising Club of Silicon Valley (VCFC). or is she?



thanks to the Madeline Brand Show and Dinner Party Download for this! video created by an online video marketing and production company called Spiral Moon.

who is UFC's Jung Chan Sung? what is SSEDA? btw NICE twister!

we quite enjoyed featherweight MMA fighter Chan Sung Jung's charismatic win over Leonard Garcia this evening (especially after stepping in at the last minute after Nam Phan dropped out)...didn't you?even though i don't really dig the nickname THE KOREAN ZOMBIE, the twister submission was worthy of several TiVO replays. UFC Fight Night 23 was the second time the two have competed against each other in the mixed martial arts arena.

so far, i haven't found much information about Jung, except for a page on the Facebook, a FightWiki entry and this official-ish site peddling Korean Zombie tshirts. he studies Eddie Bravo's twister technique tapes (why don't they name the move 'a Bravo'?!). see below for video one of TEN, featuring Bravo's theory and strategy behind the technique.

and, Jung also trained in hapkido, or Korean aikido, and has competed in sambo tournaments in the past...

Jung's sponsors include MUSCLEPHARM, real estate broker/agent SELLITGTA.com (GTA stands for Greater Toronto Area!?), and sports management company IRIDIUM SPORTS AGENCY. Jung's main sponsor is SSEDA, or Seong An Save Safety Equipment for Dangerous Areas. the company manufactures and supplies gear to the construction industry, mainly in the form of hard hats, safety helmets, bump caps, harnesses, lanyards and anchor systems.

both photos above are from Korean Zombie tshirt. thanks (kinda) to bruceleroy and the other contributors to Sherdog's 'Korean MMA thread'... and no, SSEDA is not a collective of MMA gyms in Korea!

MUSIC-ish: Space Ghost with Radiohead's Thom Yorke (and Björk)

in honour of radiohead's KING O' LIMBS release, i give you this early interview with mr. yorke, courtesy of ADULT SWIM. it's a video rewind!

MUSIC: Iron & Wine's cover of "One More Try" by George Michael

a little something for my husband AlSto and our dear friend PhiLe:


Iron And Wine covers George Michael

btw have you heard GM's not-very-good cover of New Order's TRUE FAITH? You can hear it on George Michael's website.

MUSIC: rest in peace, Nate Dogg! Mark Ronson's Ooh Wee video...

with Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg, Trife & Saigon!!?? (btw language: NSFW)




from 2003, Mark Ronson's HERE COMES THE FUZZ album.

let's just say, we placed an honest FOURTH at geekswhodrink

thanks to JaHa and MaMcWa for being such great teammates. and, AlSto too. ♥ he even won a prize (again, thanks to JaHa!)! the final scores were as follows:

Killer B Minuses                 76
Reverse Zombies              
  (WON AT ARMWRESTLING!)       75
Penis Penis Penis Penis Penis  
  (LOST THEIR ”DIGNITY”)       75
The Pumphouse                    70
Dungeons & Drag Queens           65
Rocket                           65
Say No to Babies                 62
Sentient Toasters                62
5 ft, horse teeth,
     drag queen Gremlins       55
Grundlechode – Grenade           52
Singles Awareness                46
Halvo*  White Devil              36
Disney Boobies                   33
Jelly Belly                      30
Landgull                         27
Oman                             12

wanna join us next time?  please do.  see geekswhodrink.com!

groove armada DJ set at supperclub los angeles

i was bummed that we got there in time to catch JASON BENTLEY for only ten minutes... ten minutes of which it took me to adjust to the spectacle that is the Supperclub. Dirty Vegas was meh, even though i really like their hits and i'm quite excited about their new record. oh, and did anyone warn Andy and Tom that a girl drops down out of the ceiling every few minutes during the DJ's sets to twirl around on a harness-hammock? no one warned me!

GROOVE ARMADA play a great DJ set. they really do...even when they're playing in a space where the volume of patrons' talking is louder than the volume of the music...AND, the number of people standing and talking exceeds the number of people dancing.

and, if the greatness of a nightclub or concert venue is measured by the total number of people pushing past you hard enough to knock your shoulder backward (hard enough to have a foul called on you in the NBA or to have started a fight if you were still in jr. high) with nary an 'excuse me' or any type of acknowledgment, the Supperclub_LA is the mother of all clubs.

not only that, but at this one-of-many-former-L.A. movie theatres-turned-semblance-of-an-Ibiza or Las Vegas-hotspot, you may also experience the level of difficulty, hassle and/or confusion involved for a person to simply find the outdoor smoking area [photo on left] is a 9+, while the level of difficulty, hassle etc. involved to find a decent parking space (on a Saturday night in Hollywood!!?) close to the venue is only an 8.

outside, i met a very easy-to-engage guy with glasses who taught me that carbon dioxide being nozzled into an enclosed space requires humidity in order for CO₂ to 'cryo' properly.

aside from the uneasy feeling i got from seeing hordes of people in the vip areas, standing with their shoes on on white suede-like bed /couch things [see photo below right], i was fascinated by yet another phenomenon: bottle service.

the areas around the club's perimeter are strictly reserved for the bottle serviced. i wondered whether vip access would or could be granted to, say, 50 people or 'new friends' i somehow convinced to chip in at $2 each to buy one fifth of liquor. speaking of which, i peeked over the shoulder of one of the waitress girls as she frantically typed in one of the vip tables' order...and i swear i saw the price for one bottle of their grey goose vodka cost more than i paid for two nights at a bed and breakfast. (and i'm still convinced that the bottles are diluted in the back with water to make the vodka go further...especially since it appears the waiters bring the bottle up to you and 'open it for you' without demonstrating an unbroken seal...but unfortunately, i have no proof of that. ;-| )

incredibly, the doormen/door guys and bouncers at Supperclub_LA are extremely nice, smiley AND helpful...they really are. so, be sure to thank them, and smile back. because otherwise, you'll never find the smoking area.

BTW, just follow the right side of the dancefloor to the very front. follow the velvet rope, but take care to stay on the left side of it. otherwise, you'll get pushed and sneered at by the vip's and/or the vip's server. keep going and make a right. i swear the smoking area is out there, just past yet another friendly, smiley doorman.

2011 jeopardy online test questions to get on show

video capture of west coast adult contestant jeopardy test questions 2011 -
here* is what AlSto and i did at 8pm this evening:


simultaneously elsewhere, my friend FraKa drove to wait in line overnight in one of three zip codes (90803 at fingerprintz, 90036 rumoured to be at the El Rey Theatre, 90026 at origami origami) for the 12 noon Friday ticket onsale to the 'secret' Los Angeles/Hollywood Arcade Fire show that was announced on the Twitt'r and kayrock radio station; whilst my friend BriKa watched the lakers come back from behind against the celtics in Boston; and [what did you do?].

btw please forgive the borders of the screen capture - 'twas my fault. oh, and huge thanks to Kaze and his awesome find: the almighty powerful open source streaming video capture software CamStudio !

*please note: this was NOT AlSto's nor my test. or was it?

Zombie Tabernacle Choir and more interesting stuff...

today's piece of awesomeness is an interactive zombie choir! the animator's website itself is pretty cool. at least he makes the load time interesting and bearable! (below is not the zombies, but taken from Schnall's site.)
i can always count on Ji Lee to show me something i've never seen before. you must find him on the Twitt'r...he'll rock your world!

aaron sorkin: on writing while bartending, sarah palin and more - cbs sunday morning

take a lesson from Terry Gross, Leslie Stahl.

i watched Stahl’s AARON SORKIN interview segment on CBS Sunday Morning News today; it was hardly a more appropriate place to have seen her poor skills as a journalist, than say, 60 MINUTES. it’s just a drag that most people aren’t up at 7am on a Sunday to watch (or know to TiVO) the segment. and, CBS Sunday Morning IS a pretty great show.

god you are one of the worst interviewers ever and you just repeat what your interviewee says in reply to your question…but with so little emotion, the technique essentially stops the flow of the interview in its tracks. watch Huell Howser to see how you can inject some charm and genuineness into your work. and WHY would Sorkin mention the Zuck’s gf even if he knew about her? the film, Leslie, “is NOT a biopic.”

as a Sorkin fan, i liked the backstory about his ‘survival jobs’ before he experienced success with his A FEW GOOD MEN script…but the segment wasted time with footage of him folding a Cats tshirt. i can’t believe Stahl chose to mention SPORTSNIGHT, then chose not to not mention THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, and then chose to bring up Sorkin’s crack use.

i liked hearing what he believes about who should run the country…although, anyone who enjoyed the WEST WING may be aware of and even have very similar opinions:

“i have a big problem with people who glamourise dumbness and demonise education and intellect. and i’m giving a pretty good description of Sarah Palin right now.

“S.P., she needs a therapist, ok, we need the smartest guys, the best PhDs around to be solving these problems. i don’t have patience for the glamourisation of dumbness.”

Sorkin does have patience for some things, especially when it comes to mediocre news correspondents. Stahl needs to stop trying to get validation from her subjects.

Stahl’s auto-strokefest begins in the broadcast after Sorkin has the honesty to admit:

Sorkin: “…the first time i ever saw (Zuckerberg) on television was being interviewed by you two years ago.”

Stahl: “Did that influence you, that interview?”

um, yeah, it did.

and then, in reference to the ‘Is that a question?’ line from the SOCIAL NETWORK film, she asks:

Stahl: “i wondered if you got that little moment from us, did you?”

Sorkin: “i did”

Stahl: [satisfied smile]

i don’t even know whether the FB movie deserves an Oscar, since i watch so few movies, but yes, it was indeed a good movie. but, you’re right, Leslie Stahl, you do have what it takes to write dialogue for Academy Award –nominated films. are you an entertainment host , screenwriter wannabe, or a freaking tv journalist??!!

Sitting harnessed... (or our Joe Frank / Facebook adventure)

he following was taken verbatim from JOE FRANK's FB wall. the entry was first posted at 15.11 on Saturday 29 January 2011.

JoFra: Sitting harnessed to a high chair, the bitter odor of coffee, the sweet odor of cigars smoke, gazing at the traffic passing on the street before me. People talking and laughing, someone lifts a spoon of custard to his mouth, a valet rushes into the street clutching luggage, hailing a taxi and hit by a colorful double decker bus. (Continues below in comments)
==
JoFra: Commotion, sirens, flashing lights, police talking on radios, man removes sports jacket and covers valet knee deep in water screams What's the matter with you, you whore. Crowd parts for stretcher carried into ambulance, doors close, helico...pter overhead while sitting in high chair small tables around dance floor where man wearing bandanna sits at white piano accompanying couple dancing the tango and waiter carrying silver doomed tray to table, steps back to reveal cheese souffle.(photo from steamykitchen.com)

Large broad boulevards, statue of Evita, held in arms of huge crowd that gathers in plaza before 2nd story balcony where a big, fat man with a mustache, wearing a general’s uniform with a plumed helmet and an oversized gold-plated side-arm using a European baby on all fours as a foot stool, a sword hanging from his belt wearing riding boots receives adulation, What's the matter with you, you whore, and marbled buildings, echoing hallways, hushed meeting rooms, green velvet lampshades overlooking boulevard with island planted with shrubbery and flowering trees and outdoor cafes where people sit and talk and a baby in a high chair stares at shiny automobiles visible in a showroom floor
...

MiBe [JF fan also posting in comments]: It's getting dark now. Across the street a band is playing The Internationale while old men in ancient uniforms watch over the boiling street scene. The flashing lights on the ambulance light the brass section to flash like gold. The neon... lights from the local sustantivo reflect as jewels in the gleaming instruments. The General, oblivious to the fate of his dying valet, stares down with an expression of rage and hate. Momentarily, he considers retiring inside for a nap, but instead, he dials his phone, ordering an attack on the crowd below.
...

VeKiSto: ...and squints as the fat man laughs out loud, his footstool squealing out of pain but partly out of boredom, and the stomach of a dog the size of a large supreme burrito grumbles loudly What's the matter with you, you whore as it nestled ...uncomfourtably beside a designer wallet, probably a knockoff, a leash designated as humane by the ASPCA, three or four slightly used lipsticks, hand sanitizer, some keys, a folded up to-go menu, loose change, bits of glass, a nearly empty prescription bottle, a pen with no cap, crumpled kleenex, a cellular phone, blinking and buzzing, an iPod, a sports bra, old sticks of gum and one piece of chewed gum, the dog sometimes able to breathe inside the enormous, impossibly heavy imported leather handbag carried by an impeccably dressed, slightly insecure, youthful-looking, college-educated woman in a hurry, with nails manicured, breasts believably enhanced and beginning to sweat ever so slightly because the last time she ate was the last time she
...

LaHa: [another JF fan post]
It was becoming more difficult for him to fit into the highchair, it teetered, threatened to topple, with his every move. Sometimes the ashes from his cigar dropped into the hair on his chest, that odor was not quite so sweet.
It didn't seem... to matter how chaotic the social order became, revolution, flood, plague. As long as he continued with the charade, agreed upon in a long forgotten past, life continued.
The tap dancers were coming on next, then the tigers, that was his favorite part.

KCET is no longer channel 28, at least on Time-Warner cable

late last night, i was confused when i saw a black, empty screen on channel 28, which, since childhood (at least in Orange County), was usually the former Los Angeles PBS station KCET. i thought it was a TiVO mixup, but today, even worse fears were confirmed, as stated in this press release (or programming alert?) issued by Time Warner cable:

"Beginning on or about January 17, 2011, KCET, which is currently made available to customers in an analog (or both analog and digital) format will be made available in a digital format only. KCET will remain on the Broadcast service level. Viewing on certain television sets may require additional equipment that can be provided by Time Warner Cable or that may be available for purchase from retail stores in certain locations. "

as we all know, KCET no longer carried PBS as of the first of the 2011 year. i was surprised to see just one other analogue cable 'dinosaur' on a local Los Angeles Yahoo! forum was noticing, let alone complaining, this recent development, that 'TWC drops analog KCET (ch.6)'.

what's worse is, even if we HAD digital KCET in Orange County, we would be forced to accept KCET's 24/7 Kids and Family channel, rather than their so-called "new" independent programming...which i was kinda digging, what with all the cool cooking shows (YOUR JAPANESE KITCHEN, RICK BAYLESS, ERIC RIPERT etc.), plus H.R. PUFNSTUF and LIDSVILLE!!?!

CES, Polaroid and tardiness

via SUBTRACTIVE:

"...Lady Gaga, the official creative director for Polaroid. Gaga arrived about 40 minutes fashionably late to her event at the camera company's booth. The pop star demonstrated a portable photo printer she said she designed herself, which she carries in her purse, and a pair of sunglasses with a camera built in to it."