move ON, electronic music tourists!

i shudder to use the term 'EDM' and i am suspicious of anyone who uses it.


i've yet to read Matthew Adell (ceo of Beatport)'s Ask Me Anything but that guy has dance music in his heart and blood. for now.

electronic music was here before downloads, and will remain here after these irresponsible trendy dubstep-loving co-opters go away. these days, it's as if people don't remember the first dance music wave (as we currently know it) that hit in the early part of the century. remember trance music? it too subsided, but the undercurrent remained. and back then, there was Las Vegas but 'twas nothing like the LAS VEGAS of today...

so i ♥ you, Matthew Adell! and thanks to Digital Music News for the above quote,  in response to some idiot who tried to politely state how electronic music is a fad.

Operation Swill uncovers NJ restaurants serving fraudulent liquor

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Thursday, May 23, 2013, in Trenton, N.J. : "Operation Swill" news conference reported how 29 bars and restaurants in New Jersey were accused of replacing premium brand liquor with cheap booze and selling sub-par liquor at premium prices.

Thirteen of the restaurants cited are TGI Fridays located in central and northern New Jersey.

See the map to see findings of the investigation.  Story via NPR and Los Angeles Daily News.

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??!!

THIS is why you gotta know the Bible!

taken from the executive summary of a new Pew Research survey on religious knowledge:

"...Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.

On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. Atheists and agnostics average 20.9 correct answers..."

http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx

FOOD: Triumphant Orange County Return of Grill 'Em All Truck or NOT??!!

it speaks volumes when FoodTV's Great Food Truck Race (GFTR) is the only reality show my husband AlSto dares admit watching. luckily, we had the privilege of eating GRILL 'EM ALL truck's brutal cuisine before people chose to wait in line around the block this evening!

Grill 'Em All was scheduled to arrive at 6pm, at Fullerton's Bootlegger's Brewery, but they were running late. i was on the road at the time, but AlSto got periodic updates from our friends who had been waiting in line since 5pm-ish...

by 7pm, according to our friends' reports, no orders had been taken yet, but someone was out in front of the line, rallying supporters, the faithful and the hungry. we were at home still. AlSto considered (aloud) heading down to Fullerton, Pig amp in hand, to play 'Fight Fire with Fire' a la Venice Beach's Harry Karry (sp?) sans rollerskates and head dress. seriously. except i'm just kidding about the Harry Karry part.

despite a bunch of cheaters cutting in line, our friends managed to get their hands and mouths around the BEHEMOTH (but search for 'behometh'. doesn't that sound/look like something from the bible?!). they hadn't run out of food yet, but the Orange County health inspectors were supposedly onsite, doing what health inspectors do. or were they?

the following two twits were all i could find in the Twitter universe:

RT @englishboila: @GrillEmAllTruck got harrassed by health inspector nazis in Fullerton so they are running really late!! We need to stop this harrasment!! (sic) - via search.twitter.com

@englishboila: Apparantly they let @GrillEmAllTruck go tonight cos of huge line but they won't be allowed in OC again until pass OC codes!! (sic) - via search.twitter.com

as of 2.49 Friday morning, OC Register had nothing more current than their post announcing Grill 'Em All's planned appearance. the OC Weekly had nothing to report, either...but on STICK A FORK IN IT my guys Edwin Goei and Dave Lieberman had said some of the things i had wanted to say about the outcome of the GFTR. and those damn nom noms.

so did anything really happen tonight? i don't trust rumours when i have nothing to support or substantiate... so please fill me in, Grill 'Em All guys!

or, help us, Gustavo Arellano !

-Thursday, 23/9/2010 Twitpic via @threefrenchs

the awesome dancing traffic cop! plus Mo Rocca.

this was on CBS Morning News this weekend.

Watch CBS News Videos Online
other than the fact that i want to go to Providence, RI now, i was surprised to hear how familiar Mo is (and Officer Lapore too) with so many dance terms/names of dance movements...

news: good and bad about cats

first off, MANY MANY THANKS to each and every friend and family member who has expressed concern for smaug and for us! the three of us love you very much.

well, smaug is returning home after his exploratory surgery today (after much human fear and anxiety)! dr. took biopsies of intestinal wall and the masses, which have spread to other organs, but there's not much else a surgeon can do for him. an oncologist may be an option, but we'll have to wait and see for results... it seems chemotherapy isn't the best option for senior cats to undertake, and in this case radiation has a lot of side effects which could hurt smaug even more in the long run.

as of this morning, dr. said smaug is "really doing very well" recovering from the surgery. he did receive a blood plasma transfusion, because he was having trouble clotting yesterday...but otherwise he is eating and up and alert. :))

and in case you didn't see this video from the HuffPo today:

why i hate Orange County...part 2 (?)

The Obama room is too much for customers of Anaheim's White House Restaurant. And i'm not talking about the price!!

There's a little too much gold décor, but i'd like to eat there, anyway...

Barracuda ban!!?

The band Heart has issued a cease-and-desist order to stop the Republican national campaign from using their song 'Barracuda'. It was played last week at the Republican convention, after Sarah Palin spoke, cos she used to have that as a nickname in school.

Jackson Browne also raised a fuss over the use of his song, 'Running on Empty'.

Spanish Olympic basketball team and slant-eyed ad...

This is a picture from an ad, taken of the Spanish Olympic men's basketball team. It was apparently for a courier company in Spain.

Photo from Yahoo Sports. And here's something from the Telegraph in the UK, and the New York Times.

yesterday, while i arrived at the courthouse...

...i got out of the elevator and bam almost ran into a longtime L.A. news reporter, DAVE LOPEZ. i thought, "whoa" and then he said "hi" and smiled. weird. then i walked down the hall and i saw a Fox 11 tv camera and a couple of people whose names i don't remember but who i've seen on tv even though i really don't watch local news...

they were all there to cover the sentencing of a woman that was taking place in our courtroom! with our judge, and our bailiff, and our court reporter! crazy.

oh yeah, and we STILL didn't reach a verdict.