Life Goes Off

I'm at the Huffington Post. Drop by anytime.

Judging by the dates, I moved on from LGO a long time ago, but now, it's going to be a little more official. I have been asked to write for another, more reputable blog. More details soon.

WTF is going on? Last night, I was watching TV, and in a span of an hour, there were commercials featuring the music of Cat Power, Of Montreal, and Rhett Miller (singer for the Old 97's). Cat Power lends a song to a diamond commercial, Of Montreal offers a peppy tune for Outback, and Rhett Miller is pining for some Chili's baby back ribs. However weird it might be to hear these songs on commercials during prime-time, kudos to these indie artists for getting a little extra cash in their pocket. Some might give them grief for selling out, but I don't really have a problem with it.

UPDATE: It's the Old 97's, not just Rhett Miller on that Chili's ad.

The CMJ Music Marathon is currently taking over New York City, and this will be my 4th year in attendance. Hundreds of up-and-coming bands and established artists vie for the attention of college radio DJ's, record label execs, and those in the general public who are lucky enough to secure tickets for themselves. It can be overwhelming if you aren't prepared, but it's also rewarding when you stumble into a venue and discover the next band that just might change your life.

At 29 years old, music is still a huge part of my life, and I do my best to stay current, but I've noticed that the older I get, the harder it is to keep up. In years past, I would have stayed out until 2 or 3am, bouncing from club to club. Now, I can barely stand for more than two hours at a concert before my legs feel like they are going to give out. And when perusing the lineup of this year's Marathon, I don't recognize as many names as I used to. Even when it's not CMJ, I've found that I have a much more apathetic view about shows that would have excited me just a few years ago. Maybe it's just that my priorities have changed. Maybe I have finally become de-sensitized to the massive amount of cultural stimulation that one finds in New York City. Or maybe I'm just hungover, grumpy, and tired today. Who knows?

At any rate, I still plan to see some shows over the next couple of days. Apples in Stereo, Takka Takka (fresh off a tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Architecture in Helsinki), The Wrens, The Walkmen, my roommate's band Dogs of Winter, Silversun Pickups, White Whale, Jaymay, and Ferraby Lionheart are all on the list. Ferraby Lionheart is a recent discovery who has been getting repeated plays on my iPod in the past few weeks. For fans of Rufus Wainwright and Elliott Smith, you should definitely check him out.

Ferraby Lionheart - The Fighter

Also, on a sidenote, I have a list of musicians that I've told myself I need to see live at least once in my lifetime. In the past few years, I've been able to check some names off that list. Paul McCartney, Beck, Pixies, and Radiohead just to name a few. Still haven't seen Brian Wilson. Never saw Jane's Addiction (the original incarnation), but I can check off Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan. Never saw Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin just because I wasn't born early enough. Tell us, who's on your list?

Also, on a completely different sidenote, the New Orleans Saints made it onto Sports Illustrated's Top 10 Moments in the NFL in the past 10 years. I think all Saints fans can agree that the ending to that game was the most extreme shift from utter euphoria to total devastation that one can experience as a sports fan.

Thank you, Sean Payton. Because of your attentiveness to detail, your off-season conditioning program and your willingness to adjust your game plan accordingly, the Saints beat the Packers despite an awful start to the game and are coming home 2-0. Oh yes, the Saints are coming. And by beating two not-so-great teams, Payton has added even greater excitement to what was already going to be a very special week, not just for the franchise, but for the people of Louisiana and the entire Gulf Coast.

Jeffrey is right on to call Monday night's game the most culturally significant event to occur in New Orleans since Carnival. I'm going a step further. I'm arguing that the Saints reopening of the Louisiana Sacredome is the most triumphant moment in the history of American sports. I know some might disagree, but I've yet to hear anyone make the case. Regardless, the emotions upon entering the Sacredome will be at an all-time high. I've never remembered looking more forward to a Saints game. The 2000 playoff victory was special, and I can remember the positive energy that flowed in the city that night. Locals flooded the Quarter and you could easily hear Who Dat chants on every block. But this game, despite being a week 3 game against an arch-rival, takes on dimensions that in a way surpass what I imagine it would be like for the Saints to play in the Super Bowl.

I'm not alone. U2 and Greenday, along with Trombone Shorty, will provide the pregame entertainment. Meanwhile, the NFL has granted more than 500 press credentials. SI's Peter King reported to Bob Costas last night that even Al-Jazeera was granted a credential. I'm a dues-paying member to the great Saints discussion board, SaintsReport.com, where an amusing thread developed on this Al-Jazeera report. Some immediately expressed "discomfort" that a "terrorist mouthpiece" would be given a credential. Others pointed out that Al-Jazeera is an international news organization that was given credentials to cover both 2004 political conventions and have had reporters in New Orleans for sometime covering the failed levees, Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. But what made the thread a classic, were some of these humorous posts:

"I bet Bono had something to do with this." - Chairman_LMAO

"I bet Jim Haslett had something to do with this." - Saint el Lay

"I also heard that Lowe's just cancelled their boxcutter give-away promo for Monday Night's game." - SaintReb

"I'll drop a muffaletta on their azz." - Saintuary

"OMG, I just heard BBC is going to be there. Surely we'll all be eating crumpets and tea by day break. And say goodbye to football and say hello to 'football'." - RaginCajun83

"Have it on good authority the Pope and his mobile will scream across the field and take out Vick's knee at the half. The Raccoon was a test run. Saints 1 , Jihadists 0" - HemiDart

"As long as we don't allow that creepy Burger King "King" into the game, we should be alright."
- Saint el Lay

I thought those were pretty funny. But the fear of terrorism is alive and well, even in New Orleans. If only we could convince the nation that it was the terrorists, and not the sheer negligence of the Army Corps of Engineers that led to the drowning of New Orleans, then the rebuilding of this part of the world might be going a lot smoother.

But back to the Saints. Today, the Saints will announce that they have sold out the Sacredome for the entire season. That has never happened in the history of the franchise, and all this after a 3-13 season. I bought my Saints season ticket way back in February. And I live in Boston. At the time, I thought there was no way the Saints would come close to selling out the Dome for one game, let alone the entire season. And as a diehard fan, I wanted to put my money where my mouth was. I wanted the Saints to stay. Now, you'll hear a lot of analysts say that it was the drafting of Reggie Bush that inspired record sales. That may be partially true, but is incomplete. I think a lot of folks were like me. So much of the New Orleans way of life had been lost after the failed levees that people naturally want to hold on to what they know and love even if that love can sometimes be irrational. (Irrational and unrequited love is what being a fan is all about. Why else root for the Cubs? The Red Sox from 1918 through 2004). That's the only way to explain how the Saints were on a pace to break season ticket sales records even before the draft. Now, the Saints have done the impossible and have sold out the dome, and more than 100 luxury suites (note that the San Antonio Alamodome has only 35 luxury boxes.) If Green Bay can succeed on a regional marketing basis, then there is no reason that the Saints can't succeed in the football-crazed South. A recent Wharton School study ranked Mississippi first and Louisiana third as the nation's top football states. In that part of the world, we love football more and we love our teams more, whether they be high school, college or pro.

Still, the more than 68,000 fans who pack the Dome Monday night won't be thinking about the long-term viability of the market. Instead, each fan will walk into that stadium with their own individual Katrina experience and take hold of a moment that will be both intimately personal and collectively joyful. See you in the Sacredome.

Bush called into talks with Kazakhstan over Sasha Baron Cohen and Borat. What I would give to be a fly on the wall in that room.

Yes, it's another Tweedy post. But, I have a good reason.

From the press release:

Nonesuch Records will release Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest, a performance DVD by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, on October 24. The disc includes performances and conversations gathered over five nights on Tweedy’s February 2006 solo acoustic tour, with footage from concerts at Seattle’s Moore Theater, Portland’s Crystal Ballroom, Eugene’s McDonald Theater, Arcata’s Humboldt State University, and The Fillmore in San Francisco. The film was directed by Christoph Green and Fugazi’s Brendan Canty, the creators of the documentary series Burn to Shine.

“I wanted this to feel how the tour felt to me,” said filmmaker Christoph Green, “…a chaptered flow down the west coast, showing the isolated bleakness you encounter when you travel quickly from one place to another, and then contrasting that with the experience at the shows—the gathering of people and the sense of community that is created night after night.

The audio tracks of all the songs featured on the DVD also will be available for anyone who purchases Sunken Treasure to download for free. This continues Wilco’s own tradition of regularly giving music to its fans via the Internet. In 2003 Wilco and Nonesuch made the More Like the Moon EP available for free download to anyone who had purchased YHF, and in 2005, they again made an EP of rare and live recordings available for free to anyone who had purchased A ghost is born, the band’s 2004 release.

You can now watch the trailer here:
Jeff Tweedy DVD

Of course, it's going to be awesome.

Also, as Murph knows, when Tweedy came through New York last year, I brought in a video camera and shot the whole performance as they said they were allowing recording. If I'd known they were going to make a DVD out of his solo tour, I would have submitted my footage in hopes of making the final cut. But, I guess I can now have two versions in my collection, the rough, bootleg version that I shot and the glossy, official version.

The sporadic Saints and Sinners post resumes with a renewed sense of faith, optimism and fun. All you need to know about the 2006 Saints as compared to the Haslett Saints of yesteryear are summed up in the following post-game quotes:

(Bryant) Young said one of the biggest changes between the Saints this year and last is that
they are "way better conditioned" after the most rigorous training camp of his
career.
"Training camp was no joke," Young said. "I mean, they tried to kill
us in training camp."

Veteran cornerback Fred Thomas said
the attitude was noticeably different, with the defensive players communicating
throughout the game, staying positive and staying confident.
"Last year, I
hate to say it, sometimes a lot of guys came out there, heads hanging low,
saying, 'Our offense needs to do something,' " Thomas said. "It was like a mood
that they were expecting something bad to happen. Today, guys came out saying,
'OK, they got a turnover. Let's come out and get it right back.' "

"This is my fourth season," defensive end Will Smith said,
"and I've never been in a game when we've made almost no mental errors. We were
creating chaos out there because we rushed with discipline, because the
linebackers covered and timed their blitzes, because the corners and safeties
did such a good job most of the time jamming receivers. The quarterback never
felt comfortable. That's chaos, man."

Discipline. Preparation. Conditioning. Who would have thunk that those three things were all that were needed to get the Saints defense to play so well that it could hold an NFL offense to just one first down in the first half? Sean Payton, dat’s who. Granted, the Browns don’t have the world’s most dominant offense, but that same Browns team last year would have surely put up significantly more yards and points against the Haslett-Venturi defense.

And who would have thunk that it would be wise to go out and get new linebackers, be it in free agency or the waiver wire, because the Sedrick Hodges and Colby Buckwoldts of the world just won’t do. Who would have thunk it? Sean Payton, dat’s who. It’s a long season, and this linebacking corps may not be the second coming of the Dome Patrol, but their play yesterday was steady and adequate. There’s much tinkering still to be done among those LBs, but at least they were making plays yesterday instead of being a liability.

Going into yesterday’s game, I put the over/under on a Saints victory total at 5.5 wins. Bet the over if you’re still getting that number. In fact, I think the new over under number should be 7. They simply have too many weapons on offense not to compete in a lot of games. Add to that the disciplined play of the defense, and this could be a better than hoped for season.

Regardless of what happens in Green Bay next week, the Saints will return to Louisiana to play the Falcons for the NFC South lead. The Sacredome will be at capacity, and I predict that the game will be one of the most triumphant moments in the history of American sports. I welcome anyone to name other American sporting event that can compare. I’m sure there are some out there, but none come to mind.

Walks on water for exercise?
Has tears that can cure cancer?
Heals sick children on the sidelines?
Was behind the scenes in ending Apartheid?
Writes papers on the Theory of Everything during road trips?
Makes Jesus jealous?
Shits Skittles and ships them to the third world?
Can screen airport baggage with his eyes?
Is the next method of attack in the war on terror?
Knows how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Acts as a levee in the offseason?

Watching the media track every raindrop from the relatively unalarming tropical storm Ernesto makes me think that they've been waiting for this all summer. This is their Pirates of the Caribbean 2. They're just like the rest of us: we have come to crave sequels, franchises, etc., perhaps out of the hope that life can continue perpetually, or perhaps because we just like more of the same shit on an annual basis until we die.

But they should know (and we should be thankful) that sequels are seldom as good as the original, and they're going to find that this hurricane season is more Weekend at Bernie's 2 than The Godfather II. At least Weekend at Bernie's 2 is short and ignorable.

I know it's a few weeks too early to call this, but I'm comfortable with giving my vote to Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. I have no fear of any repurcussions from his office because my internet is not a "series of tubes." And he's not getting my vote because he's been outed as the "secret senator" who placed a hold on a bill that would push Congress to disclose its spending. He's getting my vote because of his office's explanation for why he's placed a hold: "he wants to make sure it won't create more bureaucracy." What a steaming, pungent pile of horseshit. This is the explain-away statement any conservative employs to disguise petty, bureaucratic bullshit. It's the exact same excuse Pres. Bush gave for why he turned down Rep. Richard Baker's Katrina Homeowner Bailout Program. It's the conservative equivalent of saying "we just want to make sure it won't give you cancer." Stevens is not checking into a goddamn thing, and it's really amazing that actions this transparent are not dismantled by the media faster than a stolen car. "Oh, but, we don't want to say anything biased." Is calling bullshit "bullshit" biased? Or is that objective reporting? Is pointing out that someone, a so-called servant of the people, is telling a lie part of an East Coast liberal agenda? Or is that simply giving the American people the kind of honesty and service that this Kodiak douchebag refuses to provide, despite his feeling that he's done such a great job that he ought to get a raise while simultaneously refusing to raise the minimum wage? Man, does Ted Stevens sucks balls (btw, the male reproductive system is a series of tubes).

Big_Shot sent me this link to a Colbert Report On Notice Generator. You can fill in the blanks and put whomever you want On Notice. It's fun. Here's what I did:

I wasn't a huge Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan until I saw them play a show recently with Sonic Youth. Maybe it was the outdoor setting, the perfect weather and the (perpetually full) cold beer in my hand, but I had a great time, and they had tremendous energy on stage. Sonic Youth also blew me away, but I'll save that for another post. Today, iTunes released an exclusive YYY EP with 4 acoustic songs, one of which is YYY covering Sonic Youth's The Diamond Sea off of their Washing Machine album. Don't worry, their version only clocks in at four and a half minutes. Check it out here.

Borat w/ Entertainment Weekly:

What are some of your personal favorite movies?
BORAT: My favourites movies is Robot Cop. Womanman Doubtfire, Little Lord Fontelroy, Transsibierskiy Ekspress 2, Gerald McGuire and sex comedy The Accused.

Who are your favorite male and female movie stars and why?
I very much like Kazakh film hero Viktor Hotelier (you probably know him from blockbusters movie Almaty Summer). I also very much like the new James Bond, Roger Moore. I like female cartoon Kazakh superbhero by name ''Astounding Woman.'' She have amazing strength that she use to pull a full-sized plough for up to 42 hours without food or water.

As a TV journalist, which American TV journalists do you admire most and why?
I like very much Barbara Walters. She is unlike any Kazakh woman I have seen, she have no hair on her face or chest, and her teeth grow only on inside of her mouth.

What is the biggest difference between working with a major Hollywood movie studio like Fox and working in the film and TV industry in Kazakhstan?
Kazakh films is more realistics. In Hollywood movie The Gladiator, it obvious the tigers was not actual eat those criminal, whereas in Kazakh movie Angry Snakes on a Gypsy Boat, over 85,000 extras was actually attacked and finished by the pythons. I think Hollywoods can learn from this and be prepare to spend extra money for make movies look real.

Also rating system of two countries is a slight different. In my country you must be at least 18-year-old for watch scenes containing uncaged women, and for view explicit sexytime you must be at least 3.

What do you think the people back home in Kazakhstan will think of the movie?
This movie have already been release in Kazakhstan and was blockbusterings! It open simultaneous on all seven of our country's screens and take top spot from Hollywood movie King Kong - which had been number one film in Kazakhstan ever since it was release in 1933.

What would Americans be most surprised to learn about life in Kazakhstan?
That it actual very modern country that have many things similar to U.S. and A. For examples, we have event exact the same as your Super Bowls - only slight difference is, instead of 80,000 sportfans who gather in arena, it is 100,000 shepherds who come down from the Tinshein Hills and gather in field and when they get there instead of look on footballs game, they drink fermented horse urine and then dig a big hole and fill it with dogs and Uzbekis and then throw potatoes on them for two days. Then they eat a soup made from spicy vegetables and then return to the hills.

We also have daytime game shows very like your Jeopardys - our most popular one have name ''Gypsy Bingo'' where we put numbers on back of 20 gypsies. Contestant have to bet on which number will manage to reach other side of minefield.

I would like invite people who read this to come visit Kazakhstan. It now democratic, free nation, with cleanest prostitutes in all of Central Asia (except of course for Turkmenistan's). Also it have world-class shopping at new supermall ''Almaty Shop City,'' which is actual built on three levels! They connected by Central Asia's first electric staircase (which did NOT swallow and grind those two schoolchildrens).

How do you think being a movie star will change your life? Are your friends and family afraid you'll ''go Hollywood''?
I do not think this a problem as I already number four most famous person in Kazakhstan behind our glorious leader, Premier Nazarbayev, pop star Billy Sexcrime, ex-Olympic gymnast Lily Utmarkan (she now work in Kazakh State Circus, where she famous for putting one foot in mouth while other is in her [CENSORED BY KAZAKHSTAN BUREAU OF COMMUNICATION AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS]) - and acting chimpanzee ''Jonny the Monkey'' (he dress like Humphrey Bogarts and smoke cigarette, but very sadly he recent die making monkey Evel Knievel movie. He was intend to jump swimming pool on motorcycle, but he crash in water and drown because his hands had been glued too strong on handlebars. Goodbye, Jonny - we miss you).

If you could bring one thing from the U.S. back to Kazakhstan, what would it be and why?
I would like bring back all the best friends I make on my travels. I like you very much. Please call me in Kazakhstan and we will make chitchat on telephones. My number is Kazakhstan 142. Chenquieh.

Snakes on a Plane is the new Rocky Horror Picture Show. At least, that's what it was at the Vista theater in Los Feliz Saturday night. The crowd hissed like snakes when the lights went out, booed previews for lame-o horror movies, cheered when Samuel L. Jackson arrived, and hooted and hollered for ninety minutes straight. It was so completely awesome and it was living proof of why movies should be seen with lots of strangers in a dark room. On a TV or even with a polite crowd, this movie would be crap. So, do yourself a favor: get four of your rowdiest friends, have a couple of drinks, then go see Snakes on a Muthafuckin Plane.

I just love that on the day a federal judge rules the NSA domestic spying program unconstitutional, all anyone on TV can talk about is that an arrest was made in a 10-year-old murder of an unfortuantely freakish girl. It's always good that TV tells us what's really important, because otherwise we'd all be completely lost.

I was missing these guys, so I thought I'd put up two of my favorite songs from World Leader Pretend. It's been almost a year since Katrina turned their world upside down, and I hope they'll be back soon. The album is available in stores or on iTunes.

Download - World Leader Pretend: Punches
"Punches"
"Into Thin Air"

Murphette and I saw Miami Vice last night and, while it's not a great movie, it's hardly as bad as you've heard. I think the worst part about it is that it takes a long time to get going, but once it gets going, it's pretty entertaining. It has nothing to do with the TV show, but I think that's a good thing. Anyway, I'd encourage you to see it, but go in with lowered expectations. At worst, you get to see some beautiful people in some beautiful locations. Hey, it beats staying in a hot apartment for two hours.

These are the first two cuts off The Microphones' last great record, The Glow, Pt. 2, but they'll feel like one big song. One track just couldn't contain this much brilliance. About three years ago, I came upon this record by The Microphones and fell in love with it immediately. It was one of those records where you wanted to listen to the first song again before listening any further. Something about it just really clicked with me, and there's plenty here to click with everyone. It's epic, it's intimate, it's ornate, it's fuzzy, it's beautiful. Enjoy and download more at eMusic.

Download: The Microphones - The Glow, Pt. 2
"I Want the Wind to Blow"
"The Glow, Pt. 2"

Here's some more MP3 action from another band I've recently gotten into: Aereogramme, a Scottish rock outfit that sounds like a wonderful marriage of Sigur Ros and Radiohead without all the pretension, and maybe just a tad of Mission of Burma and Godspeed You Black Emperor. You can get these tracks off eMusic.

Download: Aereogramme - Sleep and Release
"Indiscretion #243"
"Black Path"

Yeah, man, good times. Well, here's another band I'm really loving right now: Voxtrot. I downloaded their EP, Raised by Wolves, from eMusic, and it's a lot of fun. For fans of Belle & Sebastian, early R.E.M., "Just Like Heaven" Cure and Crowded House.

Download: Voxtrot - Raised by Wolves EP
"Missing Pieces"
"Long Haul"

Enjoy, and download the whole EP on eMusic or that other one (you know, iSomething).

As awful as Mel Gibson's recent actions are, I think the Hollywood community needs to chill the hell out. They're coming at this whole thing like a pack of dogs attack fresh, bloody meat. I'm sure it must feel good to have the anti-Semitic leanings of The Passion of the Christ confirmed, because it's much easier to attack someone after he's been arrested than it is after his film (that you turned down) made a bazillion dollars.

Of course, this doesn't get Mel off the hook in any way, but these childish, college activist calls for people to vow never to work with him again and to plaster the town with defaming billboards are equally vicious. All this incident deserves is a shake of the head, a mutter of "Not cool," and a complete disregard of Mel and his actions. Treating him like some kind of lynching boogeyman is not only reactionary, but wrong.

Further, Mel allegedly called one of the female officers "sugartits." Where is the outcry from NOW or Hollywood decrying his disrespect of women? I think it'd be best for all the wounded if we just put Mel out of our minds, right where he belongs.

Send a personal invite from Samuel L. Jackson to a friend to see Snakes on a Plane. This is so incredible.

01. "Living with War" - Neil Young, from Living with War
02. "The Champ" - Ghostface Killah, from Fishscale
03. "Do You Believe in Rapture?" - Sonic Youth, from Rather Ripped
04. "Where I'm Anymore" - Grandaddy, from Just Like the Fambly Cat
05. "Goin' Against Your Mind" - Built to Spill, from You in Reverse
06. "Lived in Bars" - Cat Power, from The Greatest
07. "Another Sunny Day" - Belle and Sebastian, from The Life Pursuit
08. "The Ruling Class" - Loose Fur, from Born Again in the U.S.A.
09. "Stop, I'm Already Dead" - deadboy and the Elephantmen, from We Are Night Sky
10. "John Saw That Number" - Neko Case, from Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Hey, remember me? Here's something you'll enjoy that is very very very not safe for work.

The Big Lebowski - The Fucking Short Version.

That's right, the deadline for the Grand Grandaddy Giveaway has come and gone, but we're going to hold on for a little longer. I am not going to dress this one up at all: the deadline has been extended because there has only been one entry for the three prizes. That basically means that if you enter now, you are guaranteed to win something, because this new extension will just go on until we have winners.

What are you winning? A poster and some other stuff. If you don't want me to know your name and address, just email it in anonymously and I'll give you the email address of the person who will be sending the stuff to you and you can contact them directly, thus cutting me out. So there's really no downside here.

Just send an email to murphyjenkins@earthlink.net as quickly as you can and you'll win.

In other Grandaddy news, frontman Jason Lytle has embarked on a solo tour and he's coming to a city somewhat near you:
07-18 Baltimore, MD - Sonar *
07-19 Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live *
07-22 New York, NY - Joe's Pub *
07-24 New York, NY - Joe's Pub *
07-25 Boston, MA - Paradise *
07-29 Chicago, IL - Schubas *
07-31 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line *
08-03 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge *
08-07 Sacramento, CA - Harlow's *
08-08 San Francisco, CA - Café Du Nord *
08-09 San Francisco, CA - Café Du Nord *
09-11 Los Angeles, CA - Hotel Café *
09-12 Los Angelse, CA - Hotel Café *

* with Nik Freitas

Here's a video for "Elevate Myself," Grandaddy's latest single. If you missed the video for "Where I'm Anymore," check it out.

Last night's season premiere of Project Runway makes the upcoming season look very promising. I really like Uli and thought her dress was awesome: cool voice, cool look, and a model who sold it with everything she had. I'm confused about the winner, Keith, and the loser, Stacy. Both had roughly the same concept and basic materials (bedsheet, sheer curtain) and did more or less the same thing with it. One was well-executed and one was not, but they really weren't all that different, and yet the judges emoted all over Keith's and scorned Stacy. I don't get it, but what I do know is that Keith's was nothing special, so if this is going to be one of those seasons where judges tell contestants to play it safe and just be a technical artist, I'm going to say Auf Wiedersehen to this pop stand.

Just learned that Warren Beatty's 1981 epic Reds will finally receive a DVD release on October 6. This will be, to the best of my knowledge, the first time this film will be available on video in its original aspect ratio, and I'm sure Vittorio Storaro's wonderful cinematography is due a digital remaster. That glorious Tuesday, I plan on drinking a lot of vodka and watching this movie again for the first time.

All right, here it is.

Admit it: it doesn't look nearly as bad as you thought it would. I know what I'm doing on Christmas.

I haven't gone on a kill-crazy rampage just yet. I've just been doing lots of teaching and trying to find out if it's possible to listen to too much Neil Young. So far, no results.