Time to share a real, honest-to-goodness dream I had recently. I was at a restaurant when I saw Adrian Brody across the room. Our eyes met, we shared a moment, and...no, I'm kidding. But in the dream, I did see Brody. I wanted to go over and talk to him not because I was particularly interested in his autograph or his career in general, but because I wanted to ask him when the hell "The Brothers Bloom," his upcoming movie by "Brick" director Rian Johnson, was coming out.
But I hesitated and missed my chance, or so I thought, because I looked back over at his table and he was gone. However, a few moments later, I glanced over towards the bar, and Brody was over there. This time, though, he was making my life easier by getting up and walking right by my table.
So as he approached, I yelled out (not at all like Sly Stallone, I might add), "Adrian!" But the dude totally ignored me, blowing past the table without so much as an acknowledgement.
It was only then I realized my error. It hit me instantly, if too late. Chagrined, I turned to my wife and asked, "That was Matt LeBlanc, wasn't it?" She gave me a confirmation I didn't need, and I woke up.
Adrian Brody and Matt LeBlanc look nothing alike, not even in a dark, crowded restaurant (well, I'm assuming they don't), and when I awoke, I was really ticked off that I confused the two of them, even in a dream.
What does this all mean? Well, I looked this specific scenario up in a dream interpretation book, and it said I'm worried about financial issues and that I have a lingering concern that Brody didn't deserve his Best Actor Oscar for "The Pianist."
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Football Follies
The Philadelphia Eagles are set to desecrate yet another NFC Championship game next weekend. This means they are 4 quarters away from sullying the Super Bowl. Hasn't the sports world suffered enough in the wake of the Phillies' World Series victory?* The NFL uses its game-fixing powers to screw with gamblers and alter Patriots games, but not once has it stepped up and nipped an Eagles threat in the bud. I am very disappointed with the NFL.
Thank goodness the Steelers won today and played well. I dread playing the Ravens because it is difficult to beat any team 3 times in the same season, and Pittsburgh was fortunate enough to win both teams these two bitter rivals fought it out already.
It's difficult for me to even concede this possibility, but if it's Baltimore and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, then for the first time in umpteen years, I will not watch the Super Bowl. I'm not even kidding. Oh, I'll go to my mother-in-law's annual party, but I'll camp out by the buffet and sneak back into the den to watch the commercials.
*I, of course, refuse to recognize this so-called "championship," but I will concede that most observers consider them reigning champions.
Thank goodness the Steelers won today and played well. I dread playing the Ravens because it is difficult to beat any team 3 times in the same season, and Pittsburgh was fortunate enough to win both teams these two bitter rivals fought it out already.
It's difficult for me to even concede this possibility, but if it's Baltimore and Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, then for the first time in umpteen years, I will not watch the Super Bowl. I'm not even kidding. Oh, I'll go to my mother-in-law's annual party, but I'll camp out by the buffet and sneak back into the den to watch the commercials.
*I, of course, refuse to recognize this so-called "championship," but I will concede that most observers consider them reigning champions.
Friday, January 9, 2009
On the Radio: 5 songs I DON'T want to hear again on True Oldies
Some months ago, I saw a change for the better on the local radio dial as Smooth Jazz exited its home at 105.9 and Scott Shannon's syndicated True Oldies Channel service entered. Now, I know many radio lovers hate canned services like this one, and I can't blame them, but this kind of music left the area several years ago when Big 100 switched to Classic Rock, and I'm glad to hear it back. Plus, True Oldies, while imperfect, is much better and richer in material than the Big 100 oldies.
The True Oldies Channel does fun things like theme weekends, forgotten oldies that really could have been forgotten by people who have seen a movie in the last 20 years, and even--GASP--actual music from the 1950s every now and then. Oh, you still get a lot of the same overplayed oldies we've heard for decades, but I think those songs deserve a slot on the radio, and better they're heard over and over again than some of the newer stuff I hear over and over again.
Hey, speaking of "Over and Over Again," I heard that Dave Clark Five gem recently on True Oldies and was quite glad all over.
OK, now here come the complaints: There's way too much disco and dinosaur rock. I still think "oldies" should be 50s, 60s, maybe some 70s, but since there is so much 70s rock elsewhere on the radio, I don't need it on the True Oldies Channel, and I turn the dial in frustration whenever I hear "Taking Care of Business." And I LIKE a lot of dinosaur rock. I just don't need it here.
Yet I sort of understand it's appearance there. It seems most of that stuff is in drive time, and maybe they're chasing a slightly younger demo then. When Shannon himself is heard on the air, you have a better chance of hearing rarer stuff and older stuff. But they have to play the 70s hits, too, I suppose, and I'll accept that the Me Decade is considered "oldies" now.
But there are some tunes that should never appear in this format. Most of these I am going to list are songs I only heard once or twice; perhaps they were experimental spins for test purposes. Whatever the case may be, I don't want to hear them again:
1) "You Got It" by Roy Orbison: I can almost see the rationale here. It's a popular song by an oldies artist, and it sounds reminiscent enough of earlier work to not embarrass anybody. But it came out in 1989 and was played into the ground then. Granted, it was in part a celebration of the life of the legendary singer, who died months before the album and single appeared, but it's 20 years later now. Leave this one to the soft rock stations.
2) "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys: Good Lord, no. The very existence of this song is enough to make me call for a blanket rule forbidding all modern songs by newer artists. I had one of the best times in my life on my honeymoon in Aruba, but the whole experience was nearly ruined by a bar band's rendition of this terrible song soiling the night air as I walked on the beach. It was a mere days before I escaped the island without hearing "Kokomo." I should be able to feel safer when listening to True Oldies.
3) "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes: 1981, folks. 1981. I am not ready to concede that the 80s are legit ground for oldies radio. This song doesn't even sound oldies. Again, leave this one to Adult Contemporary/Light Rock/80s/Hit Mix formats.
4) "Bille Jean" by Michael Jackson: Hearing this one threw me. The only Jacko I want to hear on this station is the one backed by 4 of his brothers. Well, maybe "Ben" is acceptable, but not "Billie Jean."
5) "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins: AAARGH! Why don't we just play the whole "Footloose" and "Top Gun" soundtracks while we're at it? "Billie Jean" is bad enough, but at least it was a great song in its time. "Footloose" was...not. I think I need another decade or two to forget it.
The True Oldies Channel does fun things like theme weekends, forgotten oldies that really could have been forgotten by people who have seen a movie in the last 20 years, and even--GASP--actual music from the 1950s every now and then. Oh, you still get a lot of the same overplayed oldies we've heard for decades, but I think those songs deserve a slot on the radio, and better they're heard over and over again than some of the newer stuff I hear over and over again.
Hey, speaking of "Over and Over Again," I heard that Dave Clark Five gem recently on True Oldies and was quite glad all over.
OK, now here come the complaints: There's way too much disco and dinosaur rock. I still think "oldies" should be 50s, 60s, maybe some 70s, but since there is so much 70s rock elsewhere on the radio, I don't need it on the True Oldies Channel, and I turn the dial in frustration whenever I hear "Taking Care of Business." And I LIKE a lot of dinosaur rock. I just don't need it here.
Yet I sort of understand it's appearance there. It seems most of that stuff is in drive time, and maybe they're chasing a slightly younger demo then. When Shannon himself is heard on the air, you have a better chance of hearing rarer stuff and older stuff. But they have to play the 70s hits, too, I suppose, and I'll accept that the Me Decade is considered "oldies" now.
But there are some tunes that should never appear in this format. Most of these I am going to list are songs I only heard once or twice; perhaps they were experimental spins for test purposes. Whatever the case may be, I don't want to hear them again:
1) "You Got It" by Roy Orbison: I can almost see the rationale here. It's a popular song by an oldies artist, and it sounds reminiscent enough of earlier work to not embarrass anybody. But it came out in 1989 and was played into the ground then. Granted, it was in part a celebration of the life of the legendary singer, who died months before the album and single appeared, but it's 20 years later now. Leave this one to the soft rock stations.
2) "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys: Good Lord, no. The very existence of this song is enough to make me call for a blanket rule forbidding all modern songs by newer artists. I had one of the best times in my life on my honeymoon in Aruba, but the whole experience was nearly ruined by a bar band's rendition of this terrible song soiling the night air as I walked on the beach. It was a mere days before I escaped the island without hearing "Kokomo." I should be able to feel safer when listening to True Oldies.
3) "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes: 1981, folks. 1981. I am not ready to concede that the 80s are legit ground for oldies radio. This song doesn't even sound oldies. Again, leave this one to Adult Contemporary/Light Rock/80s/Hit Mix formats.
4) "Bille Jean" by Michael Jackson: Hearing this one threw me. The only Jacko I want to hear on this station is the one backed by 4 of his brothers. Well, maybe "Ben" is acceptable, but not "Billie Jean."
5) "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins: AAARGH! Why don't we just play the whole "Footloose" and "Top Gun" soundtracks while we're at it? "Billie Jean" is bad enough, but at least it was a great song in its time. "Footloose" was...not. I think I need another decade or two to forget it.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Half-Assed Gourmet: The Awesomeness of Chik-Fil-A
Evidence that Chik-fil-A is awesome:
*The food is tasty as all get-out.
*I don't even mind the relatively sparse menu: It's chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets for me, and that's fine. They concentrate on what they do best.
*I love going there despite that ridiculous name.
*They're worth it even though they're closed Sundays.
*I kind of respect that they stick to their guns and close Sundays, by the way. Brassy move in today's world.
*That honey-smoked BBQ sauce or whatever it is I love so much in those little packets. I always have to ask for a handful of it, but it's always delicious.
*I will actually stand in line for it on a busy shopping day at the mall when there are other options literally in front of me.
The other day, in fact, I actually did wait in a huge line, with the wife and baby reserving a seat for us inside the tiny, jam-packed mall version of Chik-fil-A. I hate lines. But it was OK. When I finally reached the counter, I ordered my own value meal only to discover the place was out of iced tea! This kind of outrage would normally drive me over the edge, but I overlooked it because, well, it was Chik-fil-A.
I can best sum up the awesomeness of this fast food franchise with this anecdote: While I was standing in the line, a queue which extended well into the walking space of the mall, a late-teenish girl and a middle-aged gentleman--presumably her father--walked by, each with a shopping bag in hand. The girl looked at the crowd, scrunched up her face, and said, "Look at that! Who likes Chik-fil-A THAT much?"
And the guy, without missing a stride, glanced at her and raised his hand straight up into the air. As he continued towards the door, he surely envied those of us who also liked Chik-fil-A but, unlike himself, were actually about to taste that scrumptious chicken.
*The food is tasty as all get-out.
*I don't even mind the relatively sparse menu: It's chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets for me, and that's fine. They concentrate on what they do best.
*I love going there despite that ridiculous name.
*They're worth it even though they're closed Sundays.
*I kind of respect that they stick to their guns and close Sundays, by the way. Brassy move in today's world.
*That honey-smoked BBQ sauce or whatever it is I love so much in those little packets. I always have to ask for a handful of it, but it's always delicious.
*I will actually stand in line for it on a busy shopping day at the mall when there are other options literally in front of me.
The other day, in fact, I actually did wait in a huge line, with the wife and baby reserving a seat for us inside the tiny, jam-packed mall version of Chik-fil-A. I hate lines. But it was OK. When I finally reached the counter, I ordered my own value meal only to discover the place was out of iced tea! This kind of outrage would normally drive me over the edge, but I overlooked it because, well, it was Chik-fil-A.
I can best sum up the awesomeness of this fast food franchise with this anecdote: While I was standing in the line, a queue which extended well into the walking space of the mall, a late-teenish girl and a middle-aged gentleman--presumably her father--walked by, each with a shopping bag in hand. The girl looked at the crowd, scrunched up her face, and said, "Look at that! Who likes Chik-fil-A THAT much?"
And the guy, without missing a stride, glanced at her and raised his hand straight up into the air. As he continued towards the door, he surely envied those of us who also liked Chik-fil-A but, unlike himself, were actually about to taste that scrumptious chicken.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
This Week in DVD
After a few oddball weeks during the holiday season, DVDs return with a BANG!
Well, actually, the slate is none too impressive this week, but here are some of the highlights. Maybe NEXT week DVDs return with a BANG!
Well, actually, the slate is none too impressive this week, but here are some of the highlights. Maybe NEXT week DVDs return with a BANG!
Pineapple Express: OK, I know this is supposed to be a laugh riot and all, but I saw a bunch of ads for the theatrical release and never saw anything that looked funny. Now the DVD is on the way, I see a ton of ads for IT, and I still don't see anything funny.
Mannix Season 2: Mannix leaves Intertec and becomes a P.I., in other words the Mannix we all know and love...or at least, in my case, the Mannix we would have known and loved was in reruns more often in the 80s and 90s. Oh, one other thing about this set: FULL SEASON! WHOO-HOO!
Rivalry Series Basketball: North Carolina Beat Duke: Rumor has it there's a version of this DVD set titled "Duke Beats North Carolina" which features match-ups in which the Blue Devils win, but why would anyone want to buy that kind of garbage?
Righteous Kill: Remember when Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro starring in the same flick was a big deal?
Bangkok Dangerous: Yawn. Another month, another bad Nic Cage movie.
Babylon A.D.: Yawn. Another month, another bad Vin--wait a minute, I totally thought this came out, like 5 years ago. Guess I'm just way out of the loop on the Vin Diesel movies.
Babylon A.D.: Yawn. Another month, another bad Vin--wait a minute, I totally thought this came out, like 5 years ago. Guess I'm just way out of the loop on the Vin Diesel movies.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
What is going on with RTN?
There is some kind of financial snafu going on with RTN, leading to a total disruption of the network. While I was on vacation, the channel actually went dark for a day or so in my area. Now it's back up, but whenever I flip there, one or all of these conditions prevails:
1) A show is on other than that which is scheduled for that time.
2) The channel is "off the clock," meaning programs start not at the top or bottom of the hour but at weird times.
3) The audio and video are out of sync.
I sure hope things get back to normal soon. I was glad to spot "Kojak" on there. Theo Kojak should be on RTN, especially while it's so Universal-centric...but not at the expense of Quincy.
LATE-BREAKING UPDATE: I just checked the local RTN channel, and there is a still from some kind of debt-servicing commercial up while in the background audio plays from a "Knight Rider" episode. Stay classy, RTN!
1) A show is on other than that which is scheduled for that time.
2) The channel is "off the clock," meaning programs start not at the top or bottom of the hour but at weird times.
3) The audio and video are out of sync.
I sure hope things get back to normal soon. I was glad to spot "Kojak" on there. Theo Kojak should be on RTN, especially while it's so Universal-centric...but not at the expense of Quincy.
LATE-BREAKING UPDATE: I just checked the local RTN channel, and there is a still from some kind of debt-servicing commercial up while in the background audio plays from a "Knight Rider" episode. Stay classy, RTN!
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