Collier passes away, other ACC basketball news

I was pretty bummed to see that Jason Collier, formerly of Georgia Tech, passed away. I saw him play a couple of times while I was at Duke back in the day. The really sad part is leaving a 1-year-old daughter behind - at least she's hopefully too young to remember it when she's older.

In happier news, according to USA Today, Mike Krzyzewski will be the next Olympic basketball coach. This is a good thing for the U.S. Team given their recent struggles. Whatever you think of Coach K, he has a keen eye for talent. No matter what, he'll select a team that will listen to him and work well together, so you can expect some unconventional players (both NBA and maybe college) who are better suited for the international game.

In bad news for my Blue Devils, the North Carolina Tar Heels picked up Brandon Wright, a stud recruit. A lot of recruits can be overhyped, and evaluating high school talent is tricky, but this was one kid I was really hoping Duke would pick up. He sounds like an Elton Brand-type, probably less talented but more ferocious (which says a great deal).

Weezer/Foo Fighters 10/10 @ Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA

Thanks to Daniel Zabransky for all the pictures here, he was a cool cat at the show taking pictures with his digital camera, and he agreed to let me use a few.

The following is an account of the October 10th Weezer/Foo Fighters show at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.

The night started off on a bad note, as I couldn't find my lucky O's hat (the one from the 80's with the cartoon bird) before heading off to the show. I wound up having to wear a less proven Orioles hat (the one with the classic bird, the original which the team currently uses for home games). After a pleasant and non-eventful drive to the Patriot Center, my buddies went into the arena, as they waited for me to find a ticket (I go to alot of shows without tickets since it's not too hard to buy one off a fan with an extra). I ended up buying one from a scalper for just $30, which I was happy with since the ticket's face value was $45. I glanced at it briefly, noticed that it was for a seat in section 117, then headed to one of the entrances.

photo courtesy Dan Zabransky

I got to the West entrance, where I was greeted by Some Dude and Some Chick. After realizing they were there for respective gender-specific friskings, I lifted my arms and waited for the mandatory pat-down to begin. As most people can attest to, friskings at airports can be especially awkward and metaphysically uncomfortable. Concert friskings are almost as bad. Thankfully, Some Dude was as uncomfortable with doing it as I was with being the friskee, so the process was brief. After making it past this first wave of concert personnel, I got to Ticket Girl. Ticket Girl was nice, and she scanned my ticket with some sort of bar-code scanning instrument. I asked her where my seat was, and as she responded, I zoned out. I saw her drop my ticket into a some kind of bin. I came to just in time to catch the end of what Ticket Girl was saying. I immediately began to wish I had been paying attention to what she had been talking about, but I was in a line, and I had to march on.

I finally got to the door, where two chicks were standing with shiny green wristbands. Seeing as I love shiny green, and recovering from the nervous vibes of the frisking, I stuck out my arm. One of the girls smiled after a second, and, in what became a theme to the first part of the night, clumsily put the contraption on my left wrist.

After meeting up with my pal Matty Bro, we proceeded to try and find our section. His ticket was for section 103, but we figured we could sit near each other anyway amongst what we expected to be a laissez-faire attitude towards seating enforcement. It is at this point that I became even more confused than I normally am: I had a wristband, and Matty Bro had a ticket. Something was amiss.

Realizing this ticket discrepancy, Bro came to conclusion (much sooner than I did) that I just happened to luck out like a bastard and get a general admission ticket to the floor, which is where we were hoping to wind up for the show (the Patriot Center had a seatless main floor in front of the stage for the show, with seats surrounding the floor as you would expect at a basketball venue). What we figured out was that I, in my typical cluelessness, had confused the girl into putting a bracelet on my wrist when in fact I should have continued on without one. That, or Ticket Girl thought I was cute and hooked me up with a floor wristband. Or she saw me for the idiot that I am and assumed I would rather have a floor seat because I had the look of a lame rock concert-goer. Either way, serendipity and a positive attitude combined forces to my benefit, and I was able to get on the floor.

The Kaiser Chiefs came on first. They were OK, average and typical as an opening act (although their last song, "I Predict a Riot," was particularly money). The highlight of their set was when their lead singer bombastically announced "We are Kaiser Chiefs!!! We're from the UK!!!," after which their guitarist slyly added "You must be the USA!!!" No blatant Spinal Tap reference must be ignored, so I gave them respect for that alone (I try to live my life in the spirit of Gunther: Champagne, glamour, sex, and RESPECT - I fail miserably on all accounts, but I will freely continue to give out tons of the last principle).

photo courtesy Dan Zabransky

Weezer followed, and their show was damn good. They played a nifty mix of their old and newer stuff, and, given the nature of the dual billing, avoided playing too much off their most recent album in favor of early-era tunes. Rivers Cuomo, according to those who had seen the band previously, was apparently much less nervous than usual, and one could tell that the band was having fun. The set starting off well, but noticeably picked up steam as the night progressed. It was really a treat to hear "El Scorcho," "Why Bother?," and "Surf Wax America," essentially traveling back in time to high school.

The setlist:

My Name is Jonas
Peace
Don't Let Go
Dope Nose
This is Such a Pity
Big Me (Foo Fighters cover)
Perfect Situation
Why Bother?
El Scorcho
Say It Ain't So
We Are All on Drugs
Surf Wax America
Beverly Hills
Hash Pipe
Photograph----> Song 2 (Blur Cover)*

encore
Island in the Sun
Undone (The Sweater Song)
Buddy Holly
* Rivers Cuomo on drums, Patrick Wilson on guitar

The best part of the night, for me, came at the end of Weezer's main set. After finishing up "Hash Pipe," Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson switched instruments; Rivers played the drums and Pat played lead guitar and sang "Photograph," which then turned into a sweet cover of Blur's "Song 2." After banging the drums for a bit, Rivers threw his drumsticks into the crowd. I saw that one of them was headed in my general direction, and it landed half a foot in front of me. A quick melee ensued for a millisecond, and I somehow wound up with the stick. Apparently years of going to baseball games and trying to pounce on ricocheting foul balls paid off. Immediately after grabbing it, people gave me a couple high fives, and there was also some gnashing of teeth and consternation from the kids who had a chance to grab the souvenir. One dude tapped me on the shoulder and called me "the luckiest motherfucker ever." Needless to say, he was greatly exaggerating, but it was a cool memento.

Rivers Cuomo on drums/photo courtesy Dan Zabransky

But then something odd happened.

In the straight-up freakiest moment of the night, two young teenage girls (get-10-years-in-prison young) asked me if they could "hold it." So many jokes and puns started running around inside my head, but then I was struck with the bizarre oddity of the situation. The thing was that both the girls actually meant it. I let them hold the stick, with the second girl holding on to it for a good 10 second count. I held onto it while she did, because I honestly didn't know if she was going to go psycho and just snatch it, but ultimately she let go with a satisfied and glazed look in her eye. I can't imagine what she'd look like after she first starts having sex. It was fucking weird. I feel creepy just writing about it, and I was happy to get the hell away from those girls.

After getting over being thoroughly creeped out, I made my way back to the seats, where Matty Bro again called me a lucky bastard as soon as he saw that I had one of the drumsticks in my hand. Everyone agreed that Weezer had put on a great show, and we looked forward to the Foo Fighters set.

more to come...

New Adventures in Crime

Courtesy of the Towson Times crime log section, these entries are verbatim as they appeared in the October 12, 2005 edition. The sad thing is that all of these crimes happened within 5 miles of my house, which is near many neighborhoods which are considered to be among the nicest in Baltimore County.

Many of these are funny in a sinister way, and others are just downright scary. My comments are in italics. Enjoy!

Cockeysville
Cranbrook Road, 500 block, Provident Bank, 2:55 p.m. Oct. 7. A man entered the bank and announced his intention of robbing it. He punched and (sic) employee in the face, demanded keys to the safe, then forced the employee to open the safe. The robber then fled with cash.
- This man apparently meant business. I can jog from my house to this branch in 10 minutes, and I made a deposit there recently.

Timonium
Aylesbury Road, first block, 10:30 a.m. Oct. 5. Two women got into an argument as they were leaving a methadone clinic and one stabbed the other in the arm with a steak knife.
- Methodone clinics are for heroine addicts attempting to detox. Jesus... stay classy, psychotic bitches!

Towson
York Road, 200 block, KFC, 8:55 p.m. Oct. 9. Two men entered the fast food restaurant just before closing. One of the robbers forced employees into the office at gunpoint while the other tried to force the manager to open the safe. When the robbers realized the safe could not be opened, they took cash from the register drawer and the manager's pockets and fled in a black sedan.
- Many a sociology class would be halted by the fury of debate over the ethnicity of the perpetrators in question. At least these imbeciles, in an attempt to salvage their trip, made the last-second executive decision to go the old-fashioned way and rob the register.

And the "Dumbasses of the Week" Award goes to...

Stevenson Lane, 1100 block, 8:55 p.m. Oct. 5. Two juveniles were arrested after police investigated a single-car crash and determined the car was stolen. The two suspects were apprehended as they were walking away from the accident.
- Fucking moron juvenile delinquents.

York Road, 400 block, Towson Commons, 12:20 a.m. Oct. 3. A verbal dispute that started during a movie spilled out into the street afterwards. Two men attacked two other men and slashed them in the legs and arms with knives then fled on foot.
- How fitting that I saw A History of Violence at this very theater just last week.

Weezer/Foo Fighters turn it up to 11 at the Patriot Center, Rivers Cuomo throws stick at me

I just got back from the show, which was rockin.

I'll have a write-up (the highlight was winding up with a drumstick that Rivers - who played drums on Photograph---> Song 2 [Blur Cover] - threw into the crowd at the end of Weezer's main set) and pictures soon.

Major Weezer Releases

Weezer (Blue)











Pinkerton











Weezer (Green)











Maladroit











Make Believe

Weezer

Weezer

Tomorrow I'm planning on heading down to Fairfax, VA to catch the Foo Fighters/Weezer show. Foo Fighters are always a solid act, and they should be rocking hard in support of their latest record, the money In Your Honor. Weezer is on my short list of bands I really want to see but haven't, even though I've had chances (the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan are #1 and #2 on this list - obviously God put me here a little too late to have a chance to see the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Clash, the Velvet Underground, Hendrix, etc. in their purest forms).

Weezer have always had harsh critics. Such detractors, however, are missing out on a good thing at best and are morons at worst. The band is responsible for two of the classic albums of the 90's: the self-titled Weezer () - aka The Blue Album - and Pinkerton (). Despite the fact their subsequent 3 LP's haven't come close to the first two, they are still very good records, and Weezer has always had a reputation as a fine live act. It's also funny to see them consistently release some of their most mediocre songs as singles and have those tracks become big hits ("Beverly Hills" and "Hash Pipe" being two examples). Much to the chagrin of their "hardcore" fans, the retarded mass-consuming public eats up those songs while the band quietly releases consistently good music.

Weezer wins.

Mandatory TV-viewing, baseball playoff picks

On Thursday, October 6th, U2 will be on Conan O'Brien. For the entire show.

Something like this has never been done on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," and it certainly hasn't been done on any of the major talk shows in recent memory. Regardless, watching arguably the world's best band going on the funniest and best-written late-night talk show can't be missed ("The Daily Show" is excellent but it's not in the same format as the other late nights).

Perhaps we can expect to see Bono do a segment of "In the Year 2000", with the Edge singing the "in the year two-thousaaaaaand" part?

U2 to cut moon in half to serve purposes of stage

also...

The MLB playoffs are in full swing, and even though they're a day late, my picks are:

ALCS picks: New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox
pick: White Sox

NLCS picks: Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals
pick: Cardinals

World Series: Chicago White Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals
pick: St. Louis Cardinals

I Want to Own an Aviary - by Count Langenhoffen

An Aviary (capitalized because I would own it, and everything I own instantly accords pronoun status) is a large enclosure filled with trees and such for the purpose of enclosing birds. You've seen aviaries in such blockbuster classics as Jurassic Park 3 (dazzlingly directed by Joe Johnston, between October Sky and Hidalgo) and The Haunting (which features a pre-celebrity Owen Wilson decapitated by a haunted fireplace[seriously]).

So, essentially, the birds think they can fly through the webbed steel forming the aviary, but it turns out that steel reacts to birds the same way it does to everything else; they hit it, fall, and usually die. BUT, as Darwin taught us, the next generation of birds will know how the system works, and shall obey it unflaggingly, and so they become the living attraction of said Aviary.

Now, my Aviary will be fucking enormous; not because the birds need room to fly, but because I'm a big guy. In fact, my Aviary will be devoid of those dirty ornithological rats. If birds find a way into my Aviary, it's probably entirely coincidental. As soon as you walk into my Aviary you'll be confronted by some kind of spike or boulder trap; notice I use "you," since I would never fall for my own traps. If you make it past the trap(s?), you'll notice the air is pungent with a tenebrous pall, due in large part to the still black pond to your right and the cobwebbed man-sized iron cages squeaking longingly towards the floor which are numerous and hanging from the roof.

Spiders are rampant, though not so many so as to draw your attention too much from an omniaural moan permeating the wispy white fog. There's some wilting shrubbery that's not been clipped for years, but its plainly obvious they were shorn to resemble souls writhing in the fires of Hell. Twisted trunks of half-dead trees litter the place haphazardly; there's a pretty cherry blossom, too (for contrast by juxtaposition). This is obviously just to create the mood for my Aviary, so that the next door neighbor's kids feel compelled to breach my Aviary.

Then, once inside, they'd be forced to serve me (not sexually) until their premature death or embark as a group on a dangerous quest for a pirate ship full of gold hidden in a secret cave within the sewers of the town. If none of the kid's are Asian, then they won't have the quest option, since no one can convincingly yell, "Booby traps!"

Now, being a business-minded person, considering the logistics of maintaining a model aviary requires some serious rumination.

First, manpower. Simple. Pay some poor Polish countrymen to immigrate over and upkeep my aviary (I wouldn't use "Aviary" in the newspaper ad so as not to stir suspicion). Their rudimentary belief in the spirits of the Old Country would surely remain alight as they torment in my hellish Aviary. And while they toil and cry out at spirits nonexistent, they'd come to me begging to allow their indenture to end. I, of course, would grow to twice my size and cackle ghoulishly at their simple beliefs and hilarious terror. I might allow them put a bird in my Aviary if they agree to stop being fed, but the odds that they learn conversationl English are slim to none.

Another important logistic is always making sure the troops are officious in their duties, so once in awhile I'd release a pack of hounds or swarm of locusts into the Aviary. I might also release one of those badass string-tripped swinging log traps that did in the Predator, and I think also may have taken care of Benicio's character in the cinematic feast that is The Hunted.

If the INS or similar got too hot on my Aviary, I'd just cover it with a tarp whenever they came by looking for missing Poles. If they ask what's under the tarp I'd probably just make the whole damn thing send itself into another dimension, and then return when everyone's not looking.

What's most important for an Aviary is, of course, having a secret room where you crossbreed various hapless animals via torture. There'd be strungup bunny rabbits, kittens, otters, dolphins, parrots (since they can talk), chicken (in the form of buffalo wings in the freezer), and then a couple of random beating cows' hearts connected to more electrodes than seems necessary for good measure. I'd also pay Edgar Allen Poe's great grandson to sit in a tall black chair and read aloud The Telltale Heart and The Raven at odd temporal intervals. When the creatures I manifest are ready to unleash doom upon the world, I'd make sure they go straight for the places of worship, just to fuck with everyone's psyche.

One last item, let's throw in some gargantuan pterodactyls with lasers attached to their shoulders like those Dinobots.

I feel that building from this simple Aviary template, I'll have countless hours of entertainment to tide me over until my battleship is complete.

A History of Violence excellent, looking forward to Capote

As the Oscar season and the prerequisite onslaught of Best Picture candidates fast approaches, I've found that 2005 could prove to be a particularly good one for the movie scene.

Last evening I saw A History of Violence, David Cronenberg's latest movie, starring Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello. I came away quite impressed with the film. Not only was it well acted - Mortensen was convincing as a quiet family man with a troubled past - but the direction was superb. Cronenberg is to be lauded for creating an interesting pace which features intense barrages of violence breaking up a taught, albeit gradual, exposition. Playing Tom Stall, Mortensen is the highlight of the film. His quiet demeanor and acting skills juxtapose nicely with the grim and foreboding showdowns, as well as with ominous gangster Carl Fogerty, played with eerie confidence by Ed Harris. With the exception of an awkward sex scene in the second half, not one sequence nor exchange of dialogue is wasted. Every harsh development and the drastic consquences they have on the small, rural Indiana family are treated in a concise manner which contributes to the overall effect of the story. A History of Violence is a good start to the Oscar season, and necessary viewing for those who enjoy criminal dramas with mysterious characters.

(4 stars out of 5)


Fresh off the satisfaction from taking in Violence, I am looking forward to the next possible great movie of the season, Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. In what early buzz from festival screenings have as an Osacr-worthy and career-defining role for Hoffman, Capote is a period piece which delves into author Truman Capote's experiences in writing a non-fictional novel concerning the murders of well-known members of a Kansas family (with Catherine Keener playing his friend Harper Lee, the author of my favorite work of fiction, To Kill a Mockingbird). The official website can be found here; it does a very nice job of presenting the plot and approach to the material with nice graphics, media, and other accoutrements one might expect at a site backed by a huge movie studio. Hopefully the movie will live up to the word of mouth preceeding it.

Coming on the heels of The Constant Gardener and Violence, movies like Capote, if indeed Oscar-caliber, could signal a strong year culminating in the Awards season.

Brian Roberts update, B.J. Ryan likely gone, Jim Beattie incompetent

It's official. Brian Roberts will be having Tommy John surgery, which is bad news no matter how you look at it. After seriously tearing ligaments and dislocating his elbow against the Yankees on Sept. 20, Roberts saw his breakthrough season end and a nightmare season for the Orioles continued its hellish descent.

While there have been several success and comeback stories for players undergoing the procedure, most of them pitchers, it will be interesting to see not only how long it takes for Roberts to recover, but also how effective he will be upon his return. There's a good chance that Roberts will never be the same player that he was for a majority of the 2005 season, during which he established himself as baseball's best overall second baseman, offensively behind only Alfonso Soriano. Here's to a quick and complete recovery.

In other news, co-GM Jim Beattie today made known on 1300 AM WJFK that the Orioles need serious upgrades at several positions, blasted Eric Byrnes as a disappointment, and revealed that the team tried to re-sign B.J. Ryan last offseason, but failed. Talk about stating the obvious. Beattie, who is known to be as good as fired around all of baseball, should take all the blame he's been getting and more for the O's collapse this season, and I'll be glad to see him go, more because a change will give us a fighting chance for improvement. His favorite transaction seemed to always be the non-move, preferring to wait and ultimately do nothing.

The revelation that Ryan couldn't be signed last season reveals much. First, it says that the Orioles recognized Ryan was a talented commodity. Also, it unfortunately implies that: 1. Ryan will be looking for a big contract, which he deserves. 2. The Orioles will not be willing to offer a lucrative contract in order to retain him. This could be a disaster, because if the Orioles fail to re-sign Ryan, I guarantee that the Boston Red Sox will. They are in sore need of a closer, and they would much rather have Mike Timlin setting up games in the seventh and eighth innings. This would create the dreaded scenario of losing a dominant player to a divisional rival, and the team would potentially face a former teammate shutting the door on them several times next season.

Back to Beattie. I'll always remember him for saying "We don't want to make a move just for the sake of making a move." Well, maybe he should have tried that a little more, rather than failing the team when additions needed to be made at the trading deadline this past July. The overachieving and thin Orioles could have saved their season with more pitching and a decent outfielder, maybe not ultimately competing for the postseason, but if anything finishing above .500 for the first time since 1997. The bottom line is that Beattie's mentality and philosophy was ill-taylored for a front office where everything has to be approved by a egomaniacal (not to mention inept in the knowledge of baseball operations) owner in Peter Angelos. Maybe Beattie could never have succeeded in Baltimore, but the time for change is now, and the sooner the better.

4th-Grade Spelling Adventures

Nick Delgado

9/26/05

Spelling Test

1. make

2. take
3. bite
4. trade

5. dive

6. hate
7. shake
8. wake

9. wipe

10. rule
......
25. space
26. scrape

27. plane
28. stole

29. twice

30. surprize [surprise]
31. liqudate [liquidate]
32. sindacate [syndicate]

33. carbohydrate

34. exzagerate [exaggerate]
35. franchize [franchise]
36. critisise [criticize]

37. desisefe [decisive]

38. hitmitise [hypnotize]

39. lownsome [lonesome]
40. siclone [cyclone]


The above is a recent spelling quiz that Nick, one of my little brothers, took in his quest to dominate the fourth grade. It is letter for letter exactly as he took it, with #11 through #24 omitted. Correct answers are in italics, and correct spellings of incorrect words are bracketed.

So far he's experienced sporadic success and mediocre results.

I'll probably get more "going to hell" points for this, but I get a kick out of spelling errors in general, and the academic escapades of my younger siblings in particular. Ah, 4th-grade memories. It's good to see that they still demand that students fold their looseleaf in half, creating the well-known and ubiquitous second column.

Let's do a little play-by-play of this quiz.

- We can note that my little brother started off this quiz on fire, as we see that he is torturing the test with a respectable score of what turned out to be 28 for 29.

-#30 through #40 are a completely different story. After Nick has his way with the first 29 questions, the quiz turns the tables abruptly - as soon as the challenge words enter the fray. My brother obviously didn't study the challenge words, and the quiz fulfills its revenge by terrorizing him for 10 questions. Elementary school curriculum has the last laugh, as Nick erroneously answers 9 out of the last 10 words.

- Gallant attempts are made to spell decisive (#37) and hypnotize (#38). Both attempts fail miserably.

- The highlight of the quiz is undoubtedly #33. Out of nowehere, in the midst of a massacre at the hands of the quiz, Nick manages to spell the word carbohydrate correctly. He comes nowhere close to such spelling fidelity for the remainder of the exercise. It's really quite unexpected. My theory is that Nick has seen the word 'carbohydrate' so many times on the nutrition labels of candy bars, sodas, and energy drinks that it was a no-brainer for him.

songs and singles I've been digging PART 1

Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body

This has been one of my favorites for a while, it's a cool mid-tempo song with a simple but catchy guitar hook. The record this is from, Plans, is a decent one, although I was disappointed that there weren't too many songs that were as good, or better, than this one. The best tracks on Plans are mostly the acoustic and ballad-oriented ones, which is fine, but I was hoping for some more upbeat and fast paced offerings. I'm definitely withholding further judgement on this band until I hear their earlier work, which I understand is quite good (although apparently Ben Gibbard's already higher registered-voice has deepened, which is a bad sign since high-pitched and whiny vocals is one of my main reservations with the whole "emo" universe) . Either way, this is an outstanding track.

download "Soul Meets Body" here
stream of "Soul Meets Body" here

so brown eyes
I hold you near
cause you’re the only song I want to hear
a melody softly soaring
through my atmosphere

Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To?

This is another catchy song; it has a cool frivolity to it, and it rocks. Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut was extremely solid, and hopefully their next record will keep up such high quality. "Do You Want To?" sounds heavily influenced by Devo, David Bowie, and the Talking Heads. I'm not much of a fan of Devo, but the Talking Heads, on the other hand, I enjoy quite heartily. I love their whole attitude/ demeanor/ approach, which is goofy, aloof, and artsy; they even seem to exude a quasi-homosexual aura. Watching these guy play live, watching their videos, and listening to their lyrics, I constantly find myself saying "These guys are so gay!" But that doesn't matter - I wouldn't care anyway, they seem to have fun with the idea, and they churn out some damn fine tunes. I'm looking forward to their upcoming CD with guarded optimism, but if this song is any indication, Franz Ferdinand could take a place as one of rock's best new bands who made a stellar debut record within the past two or three years (the Killers would probably have to be the leader of this group).

check out

the awesome video for "Do You Want To?" (scroll down)
download the actual song here

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cherry Lane

This is just a sick, sick song. Ryan Adams, one of my favorite artists, is set to release his second record in less than 4 months, Jacksonville City Nights, with a third CD of material recorded for inclusion in Cameron Crowe's upcoming movie, Elizabethtown. This tune, though, is off his double CD masterpiece Cold Roses. One of his best songs, of which he has many, "Cherry Lane" starts as a country-ish, bluesy mid/fast-tempo rocker that slows down and then builds back up, culminating in an epic and melodic outtro. This is off the first disc from Roses, and it's a great start for anyone not familiar with Ryan Adams.

You can listen to a stream of Cold Roses here.
I love Ryan Adams. I gotta admit, I celebrate the guy's entire catalogue.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Ain't No Easy Way

This is a stomping blues/rockabilly monster. Their new album, Howl, is a completely new and drastic departure from their previous two albums, which, while still blues-based, were electric rockers in the spirit of Nirvana, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and louder Oasis. On Howl, basically every track features acoustic guitar and a simple rhythm section. Given the talent of their drummer, this is a little disappointing, but it's still an interesting and worthwhile detour for the band. B.R.M.C. are one of the victims of rock's current state and the complicated record industry, but hopefully we'll see continued output from these guys.

Listen to "Ain't No Easy Way" here
download an MP3 here

Coldplay - The Hardest Part

Alright, I admit it, I like Coldplay. Aside from the stellar one-liner from The 40-Year-Old Virgin making fun of them, and despite the multitude of people who hate them, Coldplay is a very good band. "The Hardest Part" is their best song to date, and a highlight from X+Y, which is a superb record. What makes it even better for me is that it sounds exactly like classic piano-based R.E.M., and Chris Martin has specifically mentioned that the song is an ode to R.E.M. and Michael Stipe, who have influenced Coldplay and Martin. There are probably lots of people who dislike both bands, I'll take the low road by saying they can eat my ass - fuck them, they wouldn't know great music if it jizzed on their face.

download "The Hardest Part" here

the Rolling Stones - Rough Justice

It's great to know that the fathers of rock one one level, and the grandfathers of rock on another, can still kick out the jams at 60 years old. One of the greatest bands to ever pick up instruments (#2 on my best rock bands list), A Bigger Bang is a return to their raw and bluesy MO. This is the first track, and it's a naughty and exhilirating way to get things started. Everyone sounds 40 years younger than their age here, with Charlie Watts ignoring his corpse-like state and Keith Richards and Mick Jagger lighting the fuse. Good to hear two part guitar interplay in most of the songs. This is one of the better loud tracks on the record, along with "Look What the Cat Dragged In", "She Saw Me Coming", and "Infamy".

listen to "Rough Justice" here

Nine Inch Nails - Only

Continuing the return to form theme, it's good to have Trent Reznor back in the land of the relevant. "Only" sounds a lot like classic NIN from the Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral years, featuring Reznor's trademark angst and anger, along with the cool riff that dominates the song. Awesome f-bombs never hurt good tunes, either.

Audioslave - Doesn't Remind Me

This track also harkens back to classic early 90's-era rock. Tom Morello, despite his immense talent, still manages to frustrate guitar aficionados with his simple guitar solos, overutilizing what he describes as making barnyard animal noises. Nevertheless, the solo here is incendiary (to use a line from Almost Famous), and it's one of the better solos you'll hear from a mainstream radio song these days.

video stream here

Nickel Creek - When In Rome

I like bluegrass a lot, and I especially took to it after first seeing O Brother, Where Art Thou? and enjoying its soundtrack a few years ago. Nickel Creek is a great modern bluegrass-fusion band, if you will, and "When In Rome" is the first track off their excellent new album Why Should the Fire Die?. They've been evolving since their first release a few years ago, and besides being talented musicians, Nickel Creek know how to write songs not only within the bluegrass genre but also combining the music they were raised to enjoy with the best of other facets of rock, 'alt-country', and folk. This track fits in well with two other favorites of mine, "The Fox" and "Smoothie Song". I highly recommend it for those who enjoy their pickin' and fiddlin', in addition to anyone who appreciates good music.

Listen to an NPR stream of a live peformance, including "When In Rome", here

the Shout Out Louds - The Comeback

An infectious little track that has an early Weezer feel to it, but sonically owes more to new wave bands like Television and various-era Flaming Lips (their lead singer sounds a bit like the Lips' Wayne Coyne and Pavement's Stephen Malkmus). "The Comeback" reminds me a little of Matt Sharp's sideproject the Rentals, the song "Friends of P" in particular. If you like the Strokes and other 'indie rock', you'll dig this. There's been a surprising number of acts coming out of Sweden recently, including the Hives, the Caesars, the Perishers, and these guys, among others.

Listen to "The Comeback" here (scroll down, then click on "Free" under where it says "choose download type")


more to come...

The importance of the Yankees failing to make the playoffs, more steroid drama

I'll get more into it within the next few weeks, but it seems that the Yankees not making the playoffs this year, besides being something that most baseball fans would celebrate, would be an unmitigated boon for the Orioles.

Rumor has it that the Yankees current GM, Brian Cashman, is sick of George Steinbrenner and the situation in New York, and that he would covet running the Baltimore Orioles. I believe this would be a huge pick up for the Orioles, as Cashman has a reputation in baseball as a respected and well-liked GM. Implications for drawing a successful manager, such as Jim Leyland (who has expressed a desire to get back into baseball), and opening the door for suddenly interested and previously hesitant free agents to come here this winter are exciting to say the least.

The big problem is that the Yankees, for the first time in several months, as of last night overtook the Boston Red Sox for first place in the American League East and are half a game back in the Wild Card standings. Steinbrenner is notorious for being volatile and having a "what have you done for me recently?" attitude. Even though Cashman's job as GM of the Yankees would still remain in doubt if they reach the postseason, winning the World Series would probably keep him in New York. Given the Yankees previous success and experience navigating through the playoffs, such a scenario would be fairly possible. At that point, Cashman leaving would be on his own accord. The current rumblings have him as already past the point of no return, but nothing is certain. The only near certainty would be the Yankees and Cashman parting ways if they don't reach the playoffs.

The most frustrating factor in all of this is the fact the Orioles control their own destiny in this regard - they are wrapping up a four-game series today, and they host New York at Oriole Park next week for 3 games. How have the O's responded? By losing the first three games of the series, and catapulting the Yankees into first. Further complicating matters is this weekend's series against the Red Sox, creating a double-edged sword and lose-lose situation. I honestly hope we just lose out against the Red Sox and help them win the East, but New York has taken matters out of our hands by winning three close games against us and, as all good teams do, controlling their own destiny.

In other Orioles news, the ongoing Rafael Palmeiro controversy just took another strange turn, as he now implicates a teammate. One of the worst Orioles seasons of the past 20 years gets more interesting, and this offseason will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt whether the Orioles are THE worst-run franchise in all of baseball, or whether they can avert disaster and, combining some promising pieces with shrewd and drastic moves, finally contend in a brutal division.

Plane fakes emergency to let fans view soccer

Plane fakes emergency to let fans view soccer

The title could not say it any better. These real news stories that could pass for something you'd find on The Onion are great to find. What a testament to the power of the world's greatest sport, as well to the less than stellar decision-making and ill-advised attitude of certain African leaders. You have to appreciate stories like this, funny on several levels, and pathetic on a couple (way to make well-meaning and concerned emergency personnel panic). Sports Rule.

Jorge Julio

The following is a post I made to Orioles Hangout regarding Jorge Julio, the Oriole I despise the most (Sammy Sosa would take that honor usually but there's no way he's coming back after this year, and, when we signed him, I accepted the probability his career was already over and he would be awful for us).

check out a funny, facetious page referring to Julio's antics

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I rarely post, but I'm the typical long time lurker. I just have to throw in my 2 cents on Julio, if only for the therapeutic value of venting on perhaps one of the most frustrating and angering players I've ever encountered in my 15+ years as a serious Orioles fan (Luis Polonia, Deivi Cruz, Armando Benitez, Sammy Sosa, Jimmy Haynes, Glenn Davis, Manny Alexander, Jim Traber, Juan Bell, Mike Timlin, etc. don't even come close).

First, in terms of injuries as an excuse, I refuse to buy it. At best it might explain some of his struggles, at worst it's a lame cop out used by numerous players after repeatedly failing and putting up subpar numbers. It's one thing for rumblings to surface of injury to Miguel Tejada and to some extent Melvin Mora, who still put up solid averages and more than productive offensive numbers (especially in the case of Tejada), but it's quite another for a pitcher who has NEVER displayed consistency and has frequently gone through stretches of implosion where he will single-handedly cost the Orioles games. There is no Oriole pitcher in recent memory who has come into games with two, three and even four run leads and almost methodically gone on to put several runners on via the walk, followed by the inevitable 2 or 3-run homer. It's almost as if it's scripted.

Many O's fans will recall Armando Benitez and his eerily similar struggles; both players threw hard fastballs and sliders (comprising their entire repertiore in their early careers), and both were prone to erratic stretches where they gave up leads in important games. Both seemed to have mental issues which got in the way of the obvious talent they failed to completely harness.

But Benitez went on to have quite a dominant career as a closer in the NL. Meanwhile, we've given Julio several years worth of chances for redemption and evaluation for the incompetent front offices and management of the past several years. He's proven that he can't handle his reponsibilities, that he will always be immature (constantly turning around to see if his fastball reached 100 MPH rather than worrying about anything closely team-related), and his talent will continue to remain unfulfilled and the perceptions of it misplaced. Perhaps he will go on to find success later in his career, but I for one hope it is not with the Orioles.

Julio needs a chance of scenery, and the Orioles will be much better off for it. I've shouted so many obscenities and words of profane defeat after watching Julio blow games that I can't take it anymore. I've done so watching him fail in every role, closing games because he was the Orioles closer, closing games because our #1 closer had worked the previous three games, pitching the 8th as the set-up man because he blew so many saves as the closer, pitching in the 8th because it was his job from the beginning of the season, pitching in the 7th down 5 runs because he was so bad in every situation he pitched before and he was in such a slump that there was nowehere else for his baffled manager to put him.

We've already squandered so many chances for a trade, but let's at least not compound our errors by making this clown a part of our long term plans. So long Jorge Julio, we knew ye well and we are worse off because of it.

Movies I'm Looking Forward To

Munich

This Steven Spielberg picture is based on the real-life terrorist killings of Israeli atheletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. An unfortunately appropriately-themed film given current events, this project has already amassed massive buzz and hype as a Best Picture contender. Given the director, and a usually strong Eric Bana in the lead role (despite his involvement in atrocities such as The Hulk, he was the highlight in the unfairly panned Troy), hopefully this movie will not disappoint.

Boondock II: All Saints Day

The sequel to Boondock Saints. One of my favorite movies, the original is simply bad ass. With several memorable scenes (the escape from the Russians post bar fight, taking out the Russian syndicate, the "firefight" sequence), a cool story, lots of violence and swearing, and a funny performace in his only on-screen role to date from David de la Rocco, it's a nice addition to the violent gangster genre that, while Saints is not in the same league, Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas tower over. Willem Dafoe is great as a high-strung FBI agent.

I get a kick out of the Irish Catholic vigilantes go on a morally paradoxical killing spree angle, given my own affinity for Catholicism. I'm also a fan of the fact both brothers have the Blessed Mother tattoed on their necks, but I might be the only person you'll ever hear say that. I hold Mary in the highest regard; the reasons for that I'll save for another post.

Either way, considering the original didn't get a full release because of the Columbine shootings AND the fact director Troy Duffy got blacklisted by Mirimax before it's release - it was only shown in 5 theaters across the country - it's impressive that the film was so enthusiastically received and was re-released on DVD solely on strong word-of-mouth. All for a film that basically went straight to video.

Duffy again is writing/directing the sequel, and, although there's no Dafoe, the two main characters are back, with the addition of what looks like a blonde Irish hottie. Sounds good to me!

The Departed

This promising film boasts a sick cast and director. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, and Martin Sheen are directed by Martin Scorsese in a story about an Irish gang member and a police cadet who respectively infiltrate the other side as moles. A remake of the Hong Kong original Infernal Affairs, which was fairly well-done, one can see why Scorsese might have been excited to re-interpret a movie that came out only a few years ago. Scorsese is responsible for some of my favorite films - Goodfellas, The Last Waltz, and Gangs of New York - and classics such as Raging Bull and Taxi Driver, among others.

DiCaprio, Damon, and Wahlberg have also appeared in some of my favorite movies; these guys are talented and, for the most part, they turn up in more good films than your average successful actor. The Departed is allegedly going to be violent and suspenseful, with Damon mentioning that a sequel would be hard to do given the bloodshed in it. This is one of those projects where it would be quite difficult to not at least entertain and feature high-quality filmmaking and production. This is a lot like when I first heard about a comedy starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson back in 2002 - I remember looking forward to Old School as comedic gold well before it was released theatrically. Different genres, but same principle at work.

Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny

The first time I watched a Tenacious D episode was several years ago during college, and I could tell right away that I was seeing something outrageous and funny. At the same time, knowing I have a quirky sense of humor, and knowing that the series was out of left field even for HBO, I didn't think it would catch on. I was sort of right, but mostly wrong on that. The Tenacious D series did in fact die out, but luckily Jack Black is as resourceful and stubborn as his band name suggests. Never ashamed to call themselves the greatest band in the world, the D managed to record an album. The first time I heard their ballad "Fuck Her Gently" was on the internet, I rejoiced inside for I knew JB and KG had overcome the odds and triumphed; the D was a force, and it was here to stay.

Ben Stiller and John C. Reilly show up in the Pick of Destiny, along with Tim Robbins. On a sidenote, I have a love/hate relationship with Robbins (about 90% hate). I have always liked him because he played Andy Dufresne, a well-acted role in my all-time favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. He's a good actor (despite his appearance in one of the worst movies ever: Mission to Mars), but I absolutely hate his political viewpoints on just about everything. I think he's a Communist ass, but at least he had a funny cameo in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, so hopefully he'll follow up with another one here. You also have to like the cheesy yet grandiose pun of a title. One of the few red flags associated with this movie is the unproven director attached to it, Liam Lynch. Either way, expect some funny songs, some wierd adventures, and some lofty claims from the D.

check out some Tenacious D videos, including "Fuck Her Gently", here

The Passion of the Clerks

Kevin Smith is a good writer-director, even though his work has been a little uneven and inconsistent over the years. Watching Clerks and Mallrats for the first time were memorable movie experiences. This sequel has a lot to live up to, as the first film came out of nowhere with virtually no budget to be an indie classic. Dante and Randal are classic characters despite obvious shortcomings in the script, most of the humor is scathing and crude (in the best way), and you can find some classic conversational dialogue between the novel characters. Jay and Silent Bob launched their recurring characters here, even though I'm still wondering why Jeff Anderson's career didn't pick up considering his performance as Randal was the funniest - he's been relegated to almost exclusively Smith projects. Maybe his style was perfectly suited for this type of movie only, or maybe he caught lightning in a bottle and was never a good comedic actor, who knows. Rosario Dawson just signed on to the project, and even though I'm not too big a fan of hers, she's still a hottie. Check out Kevin Smith's own website for the best updates on this flick.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Matt Damon will be back to reprise his role as Jason Bourne in the third of this series. The first two were quality espionage thrillers, and there's no reason to think this one will disappoint as long as the same people are involved. I've already mentioned that Damon is a favorite actor of mine (his turn as Will Hunting standing as my favorite character of his), and the Bourne series illustrates some of his range as an actor - it doesn't require too much in the area of thespianism to play Bourne, but he's still a good in a straightforward action role, and it's a departure from most of his more involving characters (excluding, of course, his wonderfully ridiculous cameo in Euro Trip).

more to come...

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