erratic automatic

If by talking you mean to pee...

2009-08-25T15:15:00.004-04:00

Out of all the wondrous things Miss Japan 2009 could've talked about, she chose to tell the world about Japanese toilets. You stay classy lady!

G.I. Balboa

2009-08-04T08:38:00.004-04:00

With the impending release of the new live-action G.I. Joe film, there's a renewed interest in the old toyline/comic book/cartoon property. Not surprisingly, there's a bunch of fansites devoted to all things G.I. Joe, filled to the brim with useless knowledge to satisfy that curiousity. Take for instance this little tidbit about how Rocky Balboa almost became a Joe. I would've rather gotten that than the Rambo cartoon.

The film itself has gotten surprisingly good reviews after a whole lot of bad buzz. Hopefully this is indicative of the general consensus and not some fanboy joygasm.

A Weight-Loss Regimen My Medical Knowledge Can Endorse!

2009-07-31T11:00:00.007-04:00

P90X??? Pfft. Nothing like the FEAR of a good beating at the hands of this actor/footballer/personal trainer to burn the fat off.

Attack Cardio with Vinnie Jones

Thanks to Brad

This week in sports

2009-07-01T21:21:00.003-04:00

...someone's looking to add another trophy to the collection. Too bad Nadal isn't able to defend his title. I wonder if anyone else is up to the task?

Here we go boys

2009-06-23T23:24:00.006-04:00

Win or lose, just show the same fire as you did against Egypt.

Gigs on Fire

2009-06-20T22:23:00.003-04:00

I don't know how Stallone does it, but he's managed to inspire the most awesomest USB accessory ever and the most useless USB accessory ever at the same time since it doesn't store memory!
And I just love the Japanese product description diagram...

Doctor-Mobile

2009-06-04T20:38:00.003-04:00

My dream car. What can I say, classy people need classy wheels. It's ON!!

Ghost ride the whip

2009-06-04T01:32:00.003-04:00

I don't really get it but I laughed.

Then I laughed harder when two dudes took it to 11!

Beware!

2009-05-12T08:49:00.003-04:00

I wonder what band members think when looking back on their choices for album art back in the day. In this case, regrettable or stroke of genius??

Help I'm Alive

2009-04-20T10:44:00.003-04:00

Been listening to a lot of Canadian music the last couple of weeks. It started with Neil Young after I discovered his live archives. Then Rush and Arcade Fire came along thanks to movie tie-ins. Broken Social Scene is perfect music for me to get a lot of work done.

Now it's Metric, whose latest album 'Fantasies' released last week. While happy with the final tracks, I'm liking the acoustic versions of some of the songs even more. Here's a nice piece about vocalist Emily Haines writing while in exile in Buenos Aires.

Junior Kickstart

2009-04-18T10:57:00.005-04:00

I've always felt The Go! Team's "Junior Kickstart" would be the perfect background music for a chase scene. I was glad to see the band felt the same way when producing the music video. I didn't think it would turn out like this.

I mean that in a good way.

Bizarro world

2009-04-16T04:51:00.003-04:00

That's not the random group of Seinfeld lookalikes that filmed the fictional pilot "Jerry." That's a random group of Seinfeld lookalikes filming the real-life adult video production Seinfeld: A XXX Parody!

This is appropriate

2009-04-13T12:37:00.002-04:00

Oh look there's video!

Little moments of awesome

2009-03-28T07:47:00.001-04:00

Brought to you by Andy Samberg

Es La Diabla

2009-03-21T22:57:00.005-04:00

Holy Harrison's got nothing on this! If I ever travel to Venezuela, eating La Diabla would be on my 'To Do' list.

Prepare to be Rushified

2009-03-21T06:26:00.002-04:00

I Love You, Paul Rudd!

Concise and elegantly stated

2009-02-20T05:19:00.007-05:00

Back in the day when I rocked the husky pants, I would've seriously considered eating some of this stuff.

But now I can only cringe and fear for my arteries. Also, is it me or does it seem that 60 percent of the time, bacon's involved every time??

Legen...wait for it...

2009-02-12T10:06:00.003-05:00

Barney Stinson is one of the best things on TV right now. Need proof? Check his video resume.

PSA: Grooming Outtake

2009-01-30T20:07:00.004-05:00

Outtake 2 for the now-classic public service announcement.
2 thoughts:
a) I feel like I'm in Burt Reynolds movie
b) The final, more serious version is definitely the best version

Best bass player, ever!

2008-12-18T22:15:00.003-05:00

Don't go tobogganing until heeding Geddy Lee's words of wisdom.

Seen in New York

2008-12-08T00:08:00.001-05:00

Fun with grammar

2008-11-27T15:56:00.001-05:00

Wait for it...

2008-11-20T20:07:00.000-05:00

Bon Iver

2008-11-07T23:57:00.006-05:00

As in French for "good winter." I'll let the music speak for itself:

Skinny Love
Re: Stacks

Screw the baby books

2008-11-06T21:13:00.003-05:00

A quick Do/Don't guide for all you new and future parents!

Impossible Germany

2008-11-05T09:40:00.003-05:00

A year has passed since I first saw this vid and it is still one of the finest guitar solos I've ever heard (starts ~ 3:00).

Get out and vote

2008-11-04T07:10:00.001-05:00

Vote Lando!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T15:20:00.002-04:00

Possibly the coolest costume ever, complete with a DeLOREAN!!!!

Halloween costume FOUND

2008-10-29T11:04:00.003-04:00

Meet Dr. McNinja.

This is probably old by internet standards, but I've never heard of it until now.

Enter 'Quantum Leap' pun here

2008-10-12T21:12:00.006-04:00

I have a feeling that will be the most overused phrase used in the media blitz for the next Bond movie, out Nov. 14.

In anticipation of el Solace de Quantum, I've given Casino Royale another viewing. It holds up pretty well, long after that new-Bond-movie euphoria has passed. That, and my balls still hurt after the torture scene.

Funny how much of an uproar the casting of Daniel Craig caused.

Somebody finally shaved

2008-10-05T23:41:00.003-04:00

and glued all the trimmings to his shoulders.

RIP Paul Newman

2008-09-28T12:07:00.002-04:00

Actor. Racer. Salsa magnate. You'll always be Reggie Dunlop to me.

Zap!

2008-09-26T22:20:00.002-04:00

"Jesus is my friend" by Sonseed.

I know Jesus is many things but according to Sonseed, he is like a Canadian Mountie and he will hunt you down and touch you inside.

Nine kinds of drinkers, gotta collect them all!

2008-09-17T21:11:00.004-04:00

England's Department of Health has conducted research and determined there are nine types of heavy drinkers:

Depressed drinker
De-stress drinker
Re-bonding drinker
Conformist drinker
Community drinker
Boredom drinker
Macho drinker
Hedonistic drinker
Border dependents

Read up on the details here. Which category do you fall in?

It's coming

2008-09-15T17:50:00.000-04:00

You know you want it...

League of Morons

2008-09-14T11:18:00.007-04:00

Back 1996, the Coen Brothers garnered critical success and some Academy Awards for their thriller Fargo. They followed that up with The Big Lebowski, a nonsensical comedy of utter ridiculousness that flew over people's heads during its theatrical run but found an audience on video. It is now quite possibly one of the funniest movies ever.

Fast forward to 2007. The Coen Brothers earned critical success and some more Academy Awards for their thriller No Country for Old Men. They followed that up with Burn After Reading, a nonsensical comedy of utter ridiculousness. I doubt it will find the same success as Lebowski in either the short- or long-terms, but it's a strong addition to the Coens' catalog of comedies.

Without going into the plot in any detail whatsoever, the cast gets entangled in a sequence of events that becomes so convoluted and confusing, it can only be considered stupefying by outsiders. Burn After Reading's subtle, brand of dark humor won't appeal to everyone (it only contains a few truly laugh-out-loud moments), but if you get the Coen Brothers, you'll be giggling to yourself throughout 96 minutes.

John Malkovich steals the show as a deposed mid-level Washington suit dealing with his newfound unemployment. He channels an awful lot of Lebowski with his role as he drops F-bombs left and right while spazzing out. Brad Pitt also has a funny turn as an earnest personal trainer whose efforts to be a "good samaritan" blow up in his face. Not surprisingly, the film is at its best when the two are together on-screen.

Stereotyping music lovers

2008-09-07T12:00:00.011-04:00

Indie: Devotees have low self-esteem and are not very hard-working, kind or generous. However, they are creative.

Rock 'n' Roll: Fans have high self-esteem and are very creative, hard-working and at ease with themselves, but not very kind or generous.

Blues: High self-esteem, creative, outgoing and at ease with themselves.

Classical: Classical music lovers have high self-esteem, are creative and at ease with themselves, but not outgoing.

Heavy metal: Very creative and at ease with themselves, but not very outgoing or hard-working.

Reggae: High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, kind, generous and at ease with themselves, but not very hard-working.

Country & Western: Very hard-working and outgoing.

Dance: Creative and outgoing but not kind or generous.

Rap: High self-esteem, outgoing.

It's all explained by science.

The Baumer's Meltdown

2008-09-02T18:30:00.003-04:00

With the US Open in full swing, I've got tennis fever. And with that in mind, I'd like to share my favorite tennis scene in a movie not about tennis. Seems to be the only one that I can recall, actually.

Random Star Wars Fun

2008-08-24T17:09:00.003-04:00

You may have seen these pics, but I bet you haven't seen THIS!

Blindfolds can't beat science

2008-08-19T21:56:00.008-04:00

MSNBC reports that a crack team of British researchers have brilliantly squandered their funding by discovering a scientific basis for the 'beer goggles' phenomenon.

Interestingly, they've also found a subset of beer goggles, or 'gay goggles,' where some people found people of the same sex more attractive as well. Guess I know who not to drink with anymore.

The Best Version of the Star-Spangled Banner Ever

2008-08-11T17:51:00.004-04:00

One of the things I enjoy about watching international sporting events is the playing of the national anthems. A simple song can evoke so many emotions. It may drive people into a frenzy, as it often does for Canadians when Canadian mounties sing the glorious ending to "Oh Canada" before Stanley Cup Playoff games. More often than not, anthems are played at the conclusion of events when awards are given out and even the grittiest athletes well up with pride for their country.

The Star-Spangled Banner is pretty hit or miss. It starts out insufferably slow and builds up with a bang if done right. I've heard many renditions, from generic horns to mangled attempts by pop stars. Leave it to Marvin Gaye of all people to try something different, and ultimately something good. And leave it to Nike's advertising department to make a masterpiece out of it (scroll to the bottom of the link).

Flint-town

2008-07-14T22:21:00.004-04:00

Whenever I come across a headline referring to the state of Michigan or just read something truly ridiculous, the first thing I look for is the dateline because the odds that it's going to say "Flint, Mich." are really really good.

Exhibit A: Hundreds of manhole covers stolen in Michigan

Exhibit B: Police Chief Dicks stops sagging in Flint, eyes young butts

An arresting development

2008-07-06T21:52:00.002-04:00

I can only imagine how crazy Will Arnett is to be so funny. I didn't think he was crazy enough to get the Olsen Twins in a sextape.

This has potential

2008-06-18T08:40:00.004-04:00

Death Race, starring Jason Statham. Remake of the cult classic movie that's so bad it's good, Death Race 2000. It brings back the post-apocalpytic road warrior mobiles popularized by Mad Max, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and...The Road Warrior. And it's got Jason Statham, the one-man-army action hero of this decade.

Breakin' & Poppin'!!!

2008-06-08T10:54:00.005-04:00

Alfonso Ribeiro had me fooled. I thought all he was good for was the Carlton Dance, but he's quite the dancer. Better yet, he brought breakdancing to the masses with stellar infomercials like this.

2008 is the new 1989

2008-06-01T10:49:00.002-04:00

I feel like I'm in a time warp. Fashion and music trends have been doing the 80s revival for a while now. Now there just happens to be an Indiana Jones movie in theaters and the Lakers and Celtics are battling for the NBA title. What's left to bring back? Danny Pintauro? McDLTs? Coke II? The Edmonton Oilers?

After growing up watching Bird and Magic battle before Michael Jordan came along, I must admit it's nice to see these two franchises back to prominence. (I hope you burn Kobe)

Nice saves

2008-05-26T22:22:00.004-04:00

Another NCAA Lacrosse championship weekend, another missed final thanks to being out of the country. It was a wild weekend with some good games. At least, I can take solace that this should be the last year I'll be in this situation.

After following the action online, two thoughts:
1. I really miss throwing around, be it against a wall by myself or with my brothers and friends. It's fun, it's relaxing and every spring, it's automatic. Except this year.
2. I will go back to championship weekend. A pilgrimage/drunken time for players and fans, this is one event that translates into a good live experience.

Vocab builder

2008-05-23T04:21:00.003-04:00

Clean getaway - When you take a shit, wipe your ass and the t.p. is clean as a whistle.

I was so happy my dump was a clean getaway, as I was on a date.

Two more variations of the definition are here.

This man is older than your dad

2008-05-21T05:56:00.004-04:00

And he's going to kick Soviet ass this weekend. Early reviews are positive so just as long as the movie is better than Temple of Doom* and Indy doesn't throw his back out punching Cate Blanchett in the face, I'll be a happy camper.

*I rate the original trilogy as Raiders of the Lost Ark > Last Crusade > Temple of Doom

Grown men...?

2008-05-19T21:28:00.004-04:00

Here's 18 Things A Grown Man Should Never Have, according to Men's Health magazine.

1. A black eye. Unless the rim hits your face mid-dunk, your peepers should remain unblemished. You're smart enough to talk your way out of any fight you're going to lose.

2. A witty e-mail signature. Quotes and song lyrics should be heard during toasts and karaoke performances, respectively. Don't let your electronic correspondence become the digital version of a motivational poster.

3. An empty refrigerator. Your larder should be amply stocked, your pantry provisioned. Always aim to be ready to create an on-the-fly, three-course dinner for her...along with breakfast in bed.

4. PlayStation thumb. When they're relaxing, grown men can behave like children. But if you devolve long enough to cause calluses or button-shaped bruises, you're assuredly missing out on life.

5. A key chain with a bottle opener. This bauble is both a gauche reminder of your college days and proof that you don't know how to apply leverage using available, impromptu bottle openers: a lighter, the back end of a fork.

6. A lucky shirt. Every shirt is lucky when worn by a man who knows that the harder he works the luckier he'll be.

7. An unstamped passport.

8. Olympic dreams. Exceptions: curling and archery.

9. Less than $20 in his wallet. Fiduciary nudity is negligence. A real man should always carry a business card and enough dough to pick up coffee, bagels, and the Sunday paper without whipping out the plastic.

10. A name for his penis. Even if it's a really clever name.

11. Any beer that costs less than $20 a case. And no exception for the grand-slam 30-pack that crosses that price threshold.

12. The need to quote The Big Lebowski/ Caddyshack/Superbad. Reciting someone else's lines reminds people that you haven't the wit to write your own.

13. A futon. Sure, beds are for sleeping. But such a meager, slouchy spread has never, in the history of sex, inspired a woman to say, "Take me on your futon."

14. Code words for ugly women. Actually, code words for anything.

15. A Nerf hoop in his living room. Keep the adolescent accoutrements where they belong: in the rec room or above the wastebasket in someone else's office.

16. A secret handshake.

17. Drinking glasses with logos. Especially those kitschy McDonald's Hamburglar ones.

18. A recent story with the phrase "So I said to the cop…"

I do not agree with No. 14, mainly because code words make for fun, open conversations...

Choose my shirt

2008-05-14T20:59:00.006-04:00

I've stumbled upon three kinds of awesome, but I can only have one. Which should I buy?

Adventure might be just ahead

2008-05-08T20:57:00.005-04:00

My random thought review of Speed Racer:

Great visuals - the hypertechnicolor pallette keeps the film faithful to the subject matter, making it a live-action cartoon. While the characters and their habitats may look like they're stuck in the '60s, the cars and the racetracks look like they're from the future. It's a lot to take in, thought not nauseating like Cloverfield.
Too much time wasted on the (weak) story - yes, corporations are evil and they control the racing world. I get it. Can we get back to the action and racing now?
Great racing - took the fun parts of the crude racing scenes characterisitic of the original (i.e. jumping, crashing and burning) and modernized it with some drifting. I just wish the theater's audio was louder so I could feel the engine notes.
Limited crossover appeal - I don't think it will do as well as Iron Man at the box office. For fans and kids only.
MILF alert - thankfully I wasn't the only one who thought this.

Arbitrary Drinking Holidays

2008-05-06T08:15:00.003-04:00

This was brought up last night as we were throwing down some Coronas in honor of Cinco de Mayo, but why do Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo? I honestly don't know the meaning of the holiday (until I google it) and what it has to do with drinking. All I know is that it's an excuse to drink alcohol, especially Mexican alcohol, for upstanding non-alcoholic citizens of America.

Then it got me thinking of other such arbitrary drinking holidays and all I could think up was St. Patrick's Day and the Day Before (American) Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure everyone gets royally snookered on St. Patty's Day because of drunken Irish stereotypes and not the saint's good deeds. And then there's the good ol' Day Before (American) Thanksgiving, when everyone makes a pilgrimage to their hometowns for turkey, football and good times* with old friends and certain classmates you'd rather not see again, ever.

So, anyone got an idea what may be some other Arbitrary Drinking Holidays?

*This being getting belligerent on $2 Jager Bombs, passing out in ATM kiosks and hoping to God you find a way home for dinner and not get thrown in jail.

The 25 Best Hair Metal Bands

2008-05-01T22:33:00.003-04:00

In the spirit of bringing you today's light reading, I think this would be a pretty accurate representation of what my mullet would've looked like had I grown one in the 80s.

My science project

2008-05-01T11:38:00.003-04:00

If there's one thing that I was looking for in casting Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, it would be be the mustache. Yeah Tony Stark is a smart, smooth playboy, but he wouldn't be the man he is without the mustache. In fact, I determined how good an issue of Iron Man was when I was growing up solely on how many times the mustache appeared and how good it looked on Tony Stark and without him.

So when I got word that Robert Downey Jr. got cast as Tony Stark some months ago, I was mortified. There was really only one option in terms of mustaches, Tom Selleck. Plus he was a big physical guy that could be a believable superhero, unlike Robert Downey Jr.

After seeing the finished product, I stand corrected. Robert Downey Jr. fit the role perfect once I stopped paying attention to the mustache. Smart. Smooth. Playboy. And he looks more youthful than Selleck who I just realized is 63 years old (his mustache makes him look half that). Oh yeah, the movie's good too. Good popcorn fare with a logical story that doesn't get too hokey, unlike other Marvel comic adaptations. Action and effects were solid, but I actually enjoyed Stark's process of producing the final Iron Man suit the best. It's no X-Men or Spider-Man 1, but it's better than the Hulk, Ghost Rider and Fantastic Four.

Have pig, will roast

2008-04-30T06:28:00.002-04:00

Here's a neat little photoblog about a joint here in metro Manila that sells lechon, or roasted pig, usually reserved for special occasions.

I can has cheezburger!!!???

2008-04-22T09:43:00.004-04:00

I truly feel that way after eating a hamburger...just as long as they come from America or an establishment that originated from America (!).

An old friendenegger

2008-04-08T07:52:00.003-04:00

We know he is short, but how short is he?

And you need to hear this. It's hypnotizing...

Another Decision 2008

2008-03-29T13:29:00.003-04:00

So who would win in a fight, a Pirate or a Ninja?

Both are adept at sword fighting.
Pirates loot and plunder; Ninjas are silent assassins.
Pirates are known for yelling "Yarrrrr!"; Ninjas rarely talk, if at all.
Pirates are normally found at sea; Ninjas are nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
Pirates have been famously portrayed by Johnny Depp; Ninjas have been famously portrayed by Michael Dudikoff.

I like white things

2008-03-25T05:12:00.007-04:00

I can't seem to get enough of the Stuff White People Like blog lately. I don't think it's racist, I just think its full of interesting generalizations that happen to be true. And that makes it funny.

Hell, I remember back in the day when Tony threatened to move to Canada while watching hockey on CBC.

Anyway, I find my tastes skew white based on all the stuff white people like:
4. Assists
10. Wes Anderson Movies
29. 80s night
36. Breakfast places
38. Arrested Development
40. Apple Products
41. Indie Music
42. Sushi
57. Juno
58. Japan
63. Expensive sandwiches
68. Michel Gondry
81. Graduate school
83. Bad memories of high school
84. T-shirts
89. St. Patrick's Day
96. New Balance Shoes

Honorable Mentions
1. Coffee
11. Asian girls
19. Traveling
23. Microbreweries
35. The Daily Show/Colbert Report
69. Mos Def
80. The idea of soccer

It smells like God's va.....

2008-03-24T11:22:00.004-04:00

Judd Apatow has a whole slew of movies produced/written by him coming out, so what will his next movie of awesome hilarity be?

1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
2. Pineapple Express
3. Drillbit Taylor
4. You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Sense Memory

2008-03-15T00:26:00.005-04:00

I never really cared much for James Franco as an actor or a person. But after watching Acting With James Franco Episode 1, I care.

Let's get this straight

2008-03-08T07:43:00.002-05:00

So you have Clamato, which is pretty much tomato juice, clam broth, high fructose corn syrup and Red 40. Now you want to combine it with Budweiser, salt and lime.

The question now: is it good?

Survey says...

Better living through technology?

2008-03-07T03:28:00.004-05:00

I saw this story and automatically thought about a world made out of Nerf.

He must have bills to pay

2008-03-06T01:46:00.003-05:00

What's Don Cheadle doing in a movie with Ben Stiller?

This one tops Costanza

2008-03-04T18:14:00.001-05:00

"Constant"

2008-03-01T07:28:00.005-05:00

Great episode this week. Definitely one of the best overall in the entire series. I've always enjoyed Desmond-centric episodes but this blew the rest out of the water.

The show has been at a high level since the tail-end of the third season. Since announcing an end date for the series, I think the writers have been able to go through with their ideas instead of wasting time coming up with filler.

I just worry that they've set the bar so high, they won't be able to tie everything up satisfactorily in the end.

Turbo boost!

2008-02-19T22:46:00.002-05:00

So a new Knight Rider pilot just aired, and from what I've read, a 10-minute montage of Turbo Boosts from the original series is infinitely more entertaining.

I don't know why but I can't stop laughing whenever I see KITT nail the landing and then see Hasselhoff turn around and check out what he just jumped over.

Classic!

Decision 2008

2008-02-17T10:29:00.004-05:00

So who would win in a fight, a taco or a grilled cheese sandwich? To help in your decision-making, I thought I'd include some salient points for each.

In making a case for the taco:
Incredibly versatile, unlike the grilled cheese. Variety is the spice of life. Hard or soft shell? Beef, steak, chicken or fish? And then topped with veggies, cheese and sauce. It's a complete meal in your hand, what's not to like?

In making a case for the grilled cheese sandwich:
melted gooey cheese scrunched between golden, crispy, buttery slices of bread. It's leagues better than its bastard cousin, grilled cheese and ham (or turkey) and is easier and faster to make than the taco. Oh yeah, without the grilled cheese, Kraft American Singles wouldn't have a purpose in life.

Yes, I got this from Hot Rod.

Merchandising gone wrong

2008-02-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

I assure you, these are real. Some one quick drive down 8 Mile and find some!

Coke and...?

2008-02-11T09:28:00.001-05:00

Vanilla, lemon, lime, cherry, bacon? Now that's two great tastes that don't taste great together.

I think.

Now available in all regions with a surplus of pork.

Ask and you shall receive

2008-02-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Reasons No. 2 and 3 to get Lost: Sawyer and Jun

Sawyer is a bad-ass, a modern day Han Solo.
Jun is the guy you can't understand, a modern day Chewbacca.

All this talk of men and Star Wars is giving me flashbacks to a certain lightsaber party...

Good idea, guy

2008-02-04T06:41:00.001-05:00

Click the pic to read!

Lost Tonight

2008-01-31T09:19:00.000-05:00

9 p.m.

Reason No. 1: Locke

HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT

Creative procrastination

2008-01-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

I must say, naming a band is a very difficult thing to do. It's gotta be cool and catchy yet not sound stupid at the same time. Ultimately, the process turns out to be one big headache.

Not anymore! Enter the random band, album and cover generator, all in one! Just add some crude photoshop skills and you could have one of your own.

Here's how it works:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is the name of your band.

http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

I ended up with Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, "Time to ask questions?" and an out-of-focus pic of some girl stripping. Not bad.

More here.

GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

2008-01-26T01:44:00.000-05:00

Just watched this last night and it is super bad-ass. Sylvester Stallone knows what his audience likes and he delivers. Need proof? Check the numbers.

The only thing I didn't like about it: not enough Rambo yelling.

Toilet Reading

2008-01-23T05:23:00.001-05:00

If you like to read about rock bands, actors, athletes and American pop culture in general, and you enjoy defecating, I recommend picking up Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Cuirous People and Dangerous Ideas.

It's an easy read and most of the book is broken up into 10-plus page chapters so you can read it in (and during) short bursts. Funny enough, the first place I encountered a Klosterman book was, you guessed it, a toilet at a friend's house.

Stuck on a desert island with 5 men, part 2

2008-01-21T11:25:00.000-05:00

Another week, another reason to get Lost.

Reason No. 4: Sayid

Everyone's friendly neighborhood Iraqi trained in the art of torture has been haunting my dreams since I saw him run around "Planet Terror" uttering something about giving him my balls.

Besides if you look hard enough, he kind of has this Milli Vanilli vibe going on...

Where's the beef?

2008-01-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

Oh, the bacon is the burger, once it's been ground and deep fried (!) into a patty. I never thought there was such a thing as too much bacon...until now.

Going back to the island

2008-01-16T07:54:00.000-05:00

After last season's cliffhanger, the Jan. 31 premiere of Lost season 4 is eagerly awaited by many. In anticipation of Lost's return, I'd like to highlight the top 5 reasons to go back.

Reason No. 5: Jack
I think Seth Rogen put it best in Knocked Up:

"Matthew Fox from Lost? You know what's interesting about him? Nothing!"

He may be good for nothing except yelling, crying and getting dumped by previously paralyzed women, but I'll be damned if he doesn't look fine sprawled out on that motorcycle.

Fast Food Mystery No. 771

2008-01-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

Whenever I buy a regular McDonald's cheeseburger, there's hardly a trace of grease on the burger or the wrapper whatsoever. Everytime I buy a Double Cheeseburger, however, I find that it is so greasy the wrapper becomes the transparent window to weight-gain and the bun is covered in a film of grease. What gives Hamburglar?

And why is the McRib meat shaped like it has bones in it?

It came from the past

2008-01-03T18:20:00.000-05:00

Astute readers may have noticed the Deuce recommend that I watch Yacht Rock. I have seen seen Yacht Rock, and no, he didn't drop a proverbial deuce on my face with it.

Yacht Rock refers to the genre of smooth rock that dominated the airwaves between 1976-1984. Yacht Rock gives a look at how the hits of that era came to be. Yacht Rock validates a strange dream I had that Hall and Oates were dicks.

Side note: One of the people working on Yacht Rock goes by the name of Hunter Stair. He went to my high school. I never personally met him or even know what he looks like, but I will never forget that name. It's catchy yet makes no sense at the same time.

Side note 2: Yacht Rock is the second funniest thing I've watched on a screen involving someone from my high school, the other being an appearance of a girl from my class on Elimidate. She was the first one eliminated.

Sharing is easy

2008-01-03T01:03:00.000-05:00

After giving us the thumbs down, Radiohead did another webcast for new year's. They were also nice enough to post their songs individually, for those of us who don't have 52 minutes to spare.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

Never forget!

Jimmy Dean means business

2007-12-12T13:35:00.001-05:00

I wonder what the meetings in the test kitchens and boardrooms were like when this was conceived.

Were the chocolate chips necessary?

Omg Let KITT RIP NBC!

2007-12-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

Acronym overload! Anyway, I'm dismayed to find that NBC's working on a pilot/movie for a new Knight Rider yet overjoyed to find a picture of a Knight Rider Big Wheel, leaving me ambivalent.

He's a demon on wheels

2007-12-06T12:29:00.000-05:00

That live-action Speed Racer movie has potential. Super campy potential. I'm getting cavities just from looking at all the colors.

Top 7 of '07

2007-12-03T04:36:00.000-05:00

Time for me throw out my Top 7 of 2007 tracks, coming mostly from familiar faces. It wasn't a good year in terms of finding "new" music for me.

"Impossible Germany" by Wilco from Sky Blue Sky - the solo takes me to a happy place
"Reckoner" by Radiohead from In Rainbows
"Finer Feelings" by Spoon from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - sorry couldn't find the track so just sample their stuff instead
"Ocean of Noise" by Arcade Fire from Neon Bible
"Doing it Right" by The Go! Team from Proof of Youth
"Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors" by Editors from An End Has A Start
"Welcome Ghosts" by Explosions in the Sky from All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

Italian Spiderman

2007-11-22T01:42:00.000-05:00

"I have made some mistakes in my life...bad, bad mistakes."
Director Gianfranco Gatti, reminiscing on his 1964 film 'Italian Spiderman.'

Japanese TV is still sadistic, still

2007-11-21T00:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Eric, we get to dip back into the well of Japanese TV madness with Human Tetris!

Oh my eyes...

2007-11-20T01:37:00.000-05:00

When Sean Connery was James Bond 007, women wanted him and men wanted to be him.

Dressed like that, however, I think the mantra's the other way around.

Anyone know where this is from?

Not inappropriate

2007-11-09T22:41:00.000-05:00

John Mayer's parody of 2 Girls 1 Cup kind of falls flat compared to the original (google at your own risk). I like the soft serve analogy though.

Dressed down

2007-11-07T08:14:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice, mellow version of what is the most played track in my music library.

Lookin' Classy

2007-11-01T23:44:00.000-04:00

...and coming soon to a wedding near you.

Limited Entertainment

2007-11-01T23:14:00.001-04:00

After digesting it for a week, this movie is not good. It's got all the Wes Anderson standbys: quirky characters, deadpan humor, a soundtrack laced with British Invasion rock, the regular Wes Anderson players and the usual themes of family and belonging, all set in a world that's both familiar yet highly foreign. The formula worked in the past, but it just didn't click here. Get ready for a long 90 minutes.

Edit: I think I know what's wrong here. It's missing a central lead character that tied everyone or everything together. Rushmore had Max Fischer. The Royal Tenenbaums had Royal Tenenbaum and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou had The Zissou. Darjeeling has three bickering brothers all with their own set of problems, and none of whom stand out from the other.

Pizza and McDonalds

2007-10-26T23:38:00.001-04:00

This could be the best tasting thing ever or the grossest. I vote grossest...

Celebrity Look-a-like: Baby Edition

2007-10-22T23:06:00.001-04:00

Chris Farley's been knockin' women up from the grave! Lol amirite?

Cultural differences

2007-10-19T16:59:00.000-04:00

Needing to kill time during a layover in Tokyo, I got to sample how McDonald's caters to Japanese tastes. The menu had most of the the trademark items such as the Big Mac, the hamburger and cheeseburger, the McChicken and the Chicken McNuggets. Among the local offerings were Teriyaki burgers, a bacon, lettuce and tomato burger and a pork burger. The one thing that really caught my eye was a picture for the Ebi Filet-O, in which a portion of the sandwich was cut away to reveal shrimp inside the crispy golden fried patty. Since something like this would never see the light of day in the U.S., I was obliged to try it. Unlike the pork sandwich, I did notice the Ebi Filet-O was among the higher priced items on the menu so it probably falls into one of their premium sandwiches, another compelling reason to give it a taste. While the innards have a very nondescript pink appearance, along the lines of an undercooked chicken patty, it's actually quite tasty. I couldn't figure out if the yellow sauce was supposed to be mustard or something else, but it certainly helped with the flavor. Above all else, it tasted like shrimp and I guess that's the important part here. Not to mention that the fries tasted the just like American fries, i.e. good. I'm still not sure what a woman checking out clothes on the wrapper has to do with shrimp sandwiches...

Shameless plug

2007-10-15T20:12:00.000-04:00

Oh look, my cousin's in the news...

In Rainbows

2007-10-15T02:38:00.000-04:00

I spent the day listening the new Radiohead album while moseying around downtown San Francisco, and the one word that sums up my feelings on In Rainbows is: refreshing.

After OK Computer, I’ve found the band’s subsequent releases to be inconsistent, with only a handful of memorable tracks scattered amidst electronically orchestrated noise. Kid A was a bold step in a new direction, but Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief were more disappointing than anything. I eagerly anticipated all three of those albums only to come away less impressed each time. With that in mind, my expectations were tempered for In Rainbows. I was going to give it a listen anyway, in spite of exuberant recommendations, simply because Radiohead’s one of those bands I just have to listen to whenever they put out something new.

I could say having low expectations for In Rainbows made it easier to come away impressed, and I’m sure that played a part, but I think Radiohead put together a truly great album and their most complete work since OK. It strikes a balance between their trademark ethereal sound and rocking out with the three-guitar attack. The best part about it is that I can just leave the whole album on repeat and let it play through for a few hours. Every now and then I notice something good, whether it’s a beat, riff, bass line etc., and then I slip away into just enjoying the music again. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to do that with a Radiohead album and it may be another several years until they repeat that feat. But from now on it won’t matter, because I know they’ll come through eventually.