Mike Myers As Keith Moon

This project has been rumored to be in the works for years, with people like Mel Gibson and Robert De Niro producing, but now it looks like it's finally official: Mike Myers will play Who drummer Keith Moon in a biopic co-produced by Roger Daltrey.

From a physical resemblance standpoint, I can definitely see Mike Myers as Keith Moon. My only fear, which I hope will prove to be unfounded, is that historically, Mike Myers with a British accent = pure schtick. If the movie is going to work, it's going to need to focus on the sadness behind all of Keith's wild antics, his obsessive desire to impress and cause a scene in any situation, his insecurity as the drummer of the Who, and the results of his destructive behavior on the people around him who loved him: his bandmates, his wife, his daughter.

Tony Fletcher, author of the Keith Moon biography "Dear Boy," wrote the following in February 2002 on his website. It confirms that Roger's vision of Keith's story is similar to what I wrote above.

I've been getting a lot of e-mails and phone calls recently about the supposed Keith Moon movie. A story made its way into the British tabloid the Sun on Friday Feb 8 it which it was claimed that Roger Daltrey had auditioned Mike Myers for the role of Keith Moon in his proposed biopic. "Mike is a genius," Daltrey was quoted as saying. "I can really see him as Keith. I went to some of the filming of his new Austin Powers film and it's hysterical. He's amazing when you meet him, so clever."

That same day, Mike Myers denied through his spokeswoman that he had auditioned. Daltrey, it was claimed, had only visited him on set.

But by then the story was out and doing the news rounds. Meantime, a lot of people have been getting in touch asking what this all has to do with me. The answer is very simple: absolutely nothing.

Roger Daltrey has been talking about a Keith Moon movie for well over ten years. He was talking about it a long time before I started doing the Keith Moon book, he was talking about it while I was doing the Keith Moon book - it was the main reason he gave not to take part in my biography, that my research would conflict with his project - and he was talking about it after I completed the Keith Moon book. Indeed, he called me before the book came out and in the middle of a strange conversation in which he alternately criticised and praised my biography, he asked me to hold publication of the book for six months, after which time he assured me there would be a Keith Moon movie on the screens that I would be able to better tie in publication with. That was 1997. It's now 2002. I can't say that his Keith Moon movie is not getting made - I know he has financed various scripts with his own money - but I can say it hasn't yet gone into anything close to production. Along the way, Daltrey has occasionally bad-mouthed my Keith Moon biography in public, which I think is a shame. I recognise that Roger loved Keith greatly, and I can understand why he might feel he has a more accurate and sympathetic view of Keith than does a biographer, but of course I stand by the quality of my book, and I regret that Roger doesn't agree with the many thousands of Who fans who feel that it told Keith's story with love and integrity.

Having stated all of the above, I think it is clear that if Roger Daltrey does get to make a movie on Keith's life, it will not be based on my biography. It will be based on Roger's own memories of Keith's life.

To complicate matters, there had been another movie in the works. Around the end of 1995, just as I was starting research on 'Dear Boy,' Robert de Niro's company Tribeca bought the rights to Dougal Butler's book Full Moon and set about planning to make a 'buddy movie' based on the two mens' escapades. To this end, they had Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais ('Auf Wiedersehn Pet,' 'The Commitments,' 'Still Crazy') write a script, which I have not seen. This movie got held up, possibly even waylaid, when Pete Townshend refused Tribeca permission to use Who songs; by 1996, once the Who had gotten back together, then to my understanding Daltrey leaned hard on Townshend to ensure that the only person who would get permission to use Who songs in a Keith Moon movie would be Daltrey himself. Roger was particularly put out by his feeling that Tribeca's movie would simply trivialise Keith's life and has always claimed that his own movie will concentrate on the real Keith, the sad Keith, the tormented Keith.

Those of us who have any opinion in the matter have often suggested that if anyone was to play Keith Moon in a movie it should be Jason Schwartzman, who was introduced to many a sixties rock fan when he starred in Rushmore. Jason not only looks like Keith, but is a massive Who fan and apparently an accomplished drummer to boot. Given that he can play straight and play comedy, he would seem to be the ideal candidate.

Taking all the above into account, it's maybe no surprise that my Keith Moon biography has not been successfully optioned for a movie. When film-makers get in touch - and they have done - they find out that both Robert de Niro and Roger Daltrey have been trying to get films made and consider that if neither of these titans have succeeded, their own chances are pretty slim. It's hard for me to blame them. Then again, I didn't write the book for it to be made into a movie: I wrote the book for people to read the book and so I don't lose any sleep over any of this.

He's right on the money about Jason Schwartzman. I was going to post comparison pictures, but somebody on the 'net did it already:



I think he particularly looks like Keith in this photo:

Napoleon Overload

I'm worried about Jon Heder. I haven't seen Just Like Heaven, but from the trailer, it looks like he's sticking with his Napoleon Dynamite inflections. Plus, he's reprised the character at least twice now: once for a Microsoft sketch with Bill Gates, and once for a couple of spots advertising the Utah State Fair. While they're all funny, I fear that Heder's excellent character construct has, after just one movie, painted him into a corner already.

Napoleon Dynamite Microsoft sketch long, but worth it just to see him slap Bill Gates in the face
Napoleon Dynamite Utah State Fair sketches where's Pedro's moustache? No way am I voting for him now. I'll be wearing this shirt instead.

You got to be on your balls working custard

What can I say, I'm prolific this week.

If you live in or around New York City and you haven't yet been to the beautiful thing that is Shake Shack, all I can say is: what the hell is wrong with you? Seriously. Go. Go tonight. It's raining out, you won't have to deal with any lines. Go. Go. Go.

Shake Shack makes one of the best burgers I've ever had. I can't even compare it to other burgers because the taste is different than any other burger place in the city. Get a Shack Burger, with its unbelievable Shack Sauce. The fries are okay (I'm not a big fan of the ridged kind) and the custard didn't seem unbelievably impressive to me (admittedly, I only got vanilla) - but the lemonade was fantastic and the milkshakes (I tried caramel) was delish.

But yes, there are the lines to contend with. I've been there three times so far. On two visits, luckily there was barely any line to order, but you still have a 20+ minute wait for your food. On the other visit, I waited in line for 15 minutes before the 20 minute wait for the food. New York Mag accurately puts the wait at 37 minutes, 8 seconds.

And yet, I keep going. We all keep going. The New York Observer examines the Shake Shack phenomenon. I love how the Shake Shack, while being a relatively basic hamburger stand, attracts food connoisseurs and foodies alike, mainly (I imagine) because of Danny Meyer's reputation. I mean, a French Culinary Institute graduate was working custard. I know it's not easy - see this entry's title - but I find it surprising nonetheless.

I'm going to go back soon. I keep saying I'm going to try a hot dog but it'd be like going to Duffs in Buffalo and not getting wings.

One final word of advice if when you go to Shake Shack: hang on to your receipt until you get your food, and make sure that what you got is what you ordered. I've never had a problem, but Krischelle got burned.

Standing Taaaaaalllll On The Wings Of My Dreams....

After serenading each other with "That's All" yesterday morning, Mike and I met with Jen after work for a music rehearsal - and romantically capped off the evening with our usual duet of "Baby Come Back," followed by brief renditions of the themes from Growing Pains and Perfect Strangers. (Jen kicked ass on the Growing Pains theme, I might add.)

This morning, I came across an unbelievable geeky tribute to a man named Jesse Frederick. You've never heard of Jesse before, but you know his songs. You most likely heard them once a week, whether you wanted to or not, during ABC's "TGIF" years. He wrote "As Days Go By" (Family Matters), "Everywhere You Look" (Full House), "Second Time Around" (Step By Step), and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" (Perfect Strangers), as well as numerous songs for other less popular sitcoms.

A band called The Pop Project decided to record an EP covering the above four songs, and drummer Adam Kempa did exhaustive, almost obsessive research tracking down Frederick. The resulting story is the kind of journey only a true music geek could love.

The Ballad Of Jesse Frederick

Kempa calls Frederick's solo works "uninspiring," but to be honest, although I'm extremely impressed with their ambition in not only recording the songs and doing all the research, I didn't find the mp3 sample of the songs that inspiring either. But it does inspire me to work some TV themes into any upcoming gigs. And it's a cool freakin' story.

Lick A Muppet

It's about time!

If only I still used stamps.

Jess pointed this button out to me on the subway this morning.

Unbelievable Shopping Deal

Came across this today while doing that surfing about Genesis. I haven't seen a deal like this in a long time. At Wherehouse.com, use coupon code ISC409OF to take 33% off your entire order. Wherehouse.com sells CDs, DVDs and games.

I just saved about $70 on a few advance Christmas items for friends, as well as a few items that were sitting at the bottom of my Amazon wish list. You still have to pay shipping and tax, but even with that in mind, I saved about $50.

No clue how long it will last.

For The Love Of Genesis

Just this morning, Mike and I were on the phone singing "That's All" by Genesis. (In case you're wondering, us singing to each other on the phone is a normal occurrence. And the answer to your other question is no, we're not.) I remarked how much I dig the Phil Collins-led, pop phase of Genesis (although I do love Selling England By The Pound, especially "Firth of Fifth"). And then, today, Stereogum gives Genesis some love as well. Check out his site for a new Disturbed cover of "Land of Confusion," as well as a 12" mix (remember those?). The cover isn't bad, although I noticed that the lead singer has changed one of the lyrics, because apparently saying the words "and the sound of your laughter" means that you're a pussy. Scott also posts the excellent scene from American Psycho. And I'll just use this opportunity to say that "Never A Time" from We Can't Dance is far superior to "Hold On My Heart." God, I am so lame.

Here's a picture of Genesis back in the 70s. Phil Collins is the dude who looks eerily like Mike Love on the left.



In researching for this post, I came across an excellent letter from Phil Collins to all fans who complain that his setlist is boring. It's been deleted from his website but you can read it here.

If Adam ever bothered to read my blog, he'd be creaming right now.

Chris Beats Joey

Article from CNN.

I watched "Joey" last season and I admit that despite it being typically stupid fare and one-liners, I enjoyed it. However, I just didn't find that I cared enough about any of the characters to follow up on it. I watched the first episode (a torturous hour-long episode at that) last night, and while there were a few chuckles, I'm done with it. It's now a show about an actor, and like I've said before, I hate shows about actors.

I TiVo'd "Commander In Chief" last night after hearing a WNYC Podcast review as well as a review in the Times, but haven't had a chance to watch it yet.

NYT on Q+PR

Finally, a quality article from that hack publication, The New York Times. This one, entitled "This Band Was Your Band, This Band Is My Band," covers the many "classic" bands that have replaced a lead singer.

Okay, great start: An excellent picture of Brian May and Paul Rodgers. (Paul Rodgers' leather pants freak me out, although given Freddie's old costumes, perhaps I shouldn't say anything.) (Was that a banana?)

MEMBERS of the British rock band Queen thought they'd never tour again after Freddie Mercury, their flamboyant lead singer, died of an AIDS-related illness in November 1991.

Sigh...Once, JUST ONCE, journalists of the world, can we have an article mentioning Freddie Mercury that doesn't mention the word "flamboyant?" Just call him "the homo gay" and be done with it. We know what "flamboyant" means!

Anyway, moving on:

on its own and as part of packages with other bands [Styx] has generated more than $90 million in box office sales since 1999, when it parted company with Dennis DeYoung, its singer and keyboardist, hiring Lawrence Gowan to fill in. Tommy Shaw, guitarist for the band, notes that anonymity was part of the formula from the start. "All you've got to do," he said "is look at our album covers" - thematic artwork rather than glamorous head shots.

Okay - you KNOW that, at one point, Tommy Shaw was thinking that maybe he'd get more chicks if they put themselves on the cover of their albums. Then Dennis came in with his idea for Kilroy Was Here and Tommy thought, "y'know, maybe we should not make our faces public."

For bands strongly identified with a lead vocalist, things are tougher. Not all Queen fans are happy with the arrival of Mr. Rodgers, who also sang for the bands Free, of which he was a founder in 1968, and the Firm, a short-lived 1980's outfit. On the message board at queenzone.com, one poster who goes by the name KingMercury echoed a common feeling toward Queen + Paul Rodgers, as the act is now known. "I will not complain about the current tour, and if its right to tour under the name of Queen," the message said, "but, Queen, that fabulous and giant band, died with Freddie, in 1991."

Ooh! Ooh! It's almost a PecanWombatism! And wait a second...did they miss the spelling error of "its?"

By the way, Mike and I are going to see Queen + PR on October 16th. We are fully resigned to the fact that PR is going to suck. "Don't think of it so much as a concert," I told Mike. "Think of it more as a telethon." We will, however, clap our hands in unison during "Radio Ga Ga," and that, my friends, is worth the price of admission.

Okay, maybe not really.

Soldiering on behind a new singer usually means selling fewer CD's and playing to smaller audiences, in venues like casinos and nightclubs instead of sold-out arenas and stadiums. And no one really thinks that these band's new songs will return them to their commercial peaks. Journey, for one, has been giving its latest album free to fans who bought tickets to its recent tour.

Ahh! Journey is trying to do what Prince did with Musicology. But too little, too late, Neil Schon!

Mr. Kalodner recently pulled out of plans to work with the newly formed INXS on its new album, which is scheduled for release on Nov. 29. "I just didn't fell good about trying to replace Michael," he said.

"Fell good?" I knew this article was too good to be in the Times.

Doc McGhee, who represents the rockers KISS, has another twist on the idea altogether: he has been toying with the idea of recruiting an entire band to replace the original KISS and don the band's famous makeup.

I think this is a great idea. First of all, dibs on playing Peter Criss, 'cause he gets no love. Second of all, how great would it be to work for a guy named Doc McGhee?

Okay, but enough with the snark. In regards to bands using other lead singers, I say go for it. I'm a music snob and wouldn't go to see Styx without Dennis DeYoung (and yes, I have seen Styx with Dennis DeYoung) or Journey without Steve Perry (I only wish I had seen Journey in the '80s, I bet that was a great show), but I've seen enough summer concerts to realize that enough people are really just going to see these concerts for the experience - the chance to have a beer, pass a joint and sing along. They don't care who's singing, as long as it sounds similar to what they've heard on the radio. And besides, think of the bassist in each of these bands. Without the tour, he's got nothing! If it's making people happy and people are coming to see your shows, then I don't see a problem.

I'm just really happy Brian May's poodle haircut made the Times.

SkyMall

I love the SkyMall catalog. Believe it or not, I've actually gleaned some good present ideas out of it. But more than that, I love the advertisement for "Amass a Harvard Graduate's vocabulary in 10 minutes!" and all the useless items. Penny Arcade has a good take on it today.

Now You Can Hate Chris Too

Last Thursday was the premiere of "Everybody Hates Chris." As I've mentioned before, this show is good stuff. If you missed it (and I know you did), you can watch it legally via Google Video. Nice.

Yesterhits 9/24

I subscribe to a mailing list called "The Travers Report," which is an all-things-70s-and-80s newsletter by a Delaware club DJ named Tom Travers. Although the e-mails are rife with spelling errors and a bit of vanilla-flavored TMI about his weekends with his wife ("first we had fries and then we went to Cold Stone and the dog wanted some and..."), he compiles some great info about the bands I still listen to. Additionally, every week he features "Yesterhits" which list the top 10 singles and albums from a selected week/year in the 70s and 80s. I usually wind up forwarding them to Mike and others, so I'd like to try and start posting them here regularly, just for fun (and, clearly, my own enjoyment). If you have any comments or fun recollections, post 'em. You can sign up for Tom's e-mail by writing him at TRV70s@aol.com. Tell him I sent you and he still owes me a CD for the contest I won last year.

TOP 10 SINGLES FROM THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24, 1976

1. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
2. I'd Really Love To See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley
3. A Fifth Of Beethoven - Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band
4. (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
5. Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
6. Devil Woman - Cliff Richard
7. Summer - War
8. If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
9. Disco Duck (Part 1) - Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots
10. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls

1) Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry Awesome.

2) I'd Really Love To See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley AWESOME! I still don't know if he's singing "I'm not talkin' 'bout movin' in" or "I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen." Either way, I used to sing it to my college roommate in our kitchen until she'd scream for mercy.

3) A Fifth Of Beethoven - Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band Brilliant idea and brilliant execution. Excellent use of the vibraslap (thanks Mike). I heard a song the other day that used this as its backing track, and it rocked. Didn't get the name, but some Googling seems to suggest that it's "When I Get You Alone," by Thicke. (As in Alan Thicke's son.) Gotta check that one out (despite him being the son of Alan Thicke).

4) (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty - K.C. & The Sunshine Band Fun, I guess, but not my favorite KC song. (Not that I have a favorite KC song.) I will say that it's a fun one to teach to little kids. Plus, there's that great Simpsons episode where this song plays over the credits, and we just see a lot of cartoon asses.

5) Lowdown - Boz Scaggs Great song. My coworker introduced me to this one. Like my hero, Michael McDonald, I can't believe he's white.

6) Devil Woman - Cliff Richard and 7) Summer - War Never heard 'em, but I can't believe War had a top 10 that wasn't "Low Rider."

8) If You Leave Me Now - Chicago Whenever I hear this song, all I can think about is the 2000 Super Bowl commercial where the pets.com sock puppet croons the vocal, backed by images of abandoned pets. I'm too lazy to find it online.

9) Disco Duck (Part 1) - Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots Believe it or not, I have never, to my knowledge, heard "Disco Duck" in its entirety. But I'm scared to think that there's a Part Two.

10) You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls Otherwise known as "that song everybody thinks is by Barry White," or "the song that my wedding band seemingly likes to play more than ANY OTHER SONG." It's on all their demo videos and CDs, and I bet it was the first song they played at our wedding.

On to the 80s!

TOP 10 SINGLES FROM THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24, 1986
1. Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The News
2. Dancing On The ceiling - Lionel Richie
3. Friends And Lovers - Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson
4. Take My Breath Away - Berlin
5. Words Get In The Way - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
6. Walk This Way - Run D.M.C. & Aerosmith
7. Venus - Bananarama
8. Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) - Glass Tiger
9. Dreamtime - Daryl Hall
10. Baby Love - Regina

1) Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The News Not my favorite Huey Lewis song, and I can't remember the video. At first I thought it was the one where he's on the beach with the girl but that's "If This Is It," and then I thought it was the one that takes place in Frankenstein's evil laboratory, but then I realized that's "Doin' It All For My Baby," and then I realized I was drowning in music geekdom and needed to move on to #2.

2) Dancing On The ceiling - Lionel Richie Oh, what a feeling. When we're dancing on the ceiling. I still don't know how they did this video. If I recall correctly, they actually filmed it inside a big box that rotated. It was the '80s, y'all...no amazing room effects a la "Virtual Insanity." In 1987, me and my friends recorded video of us lip syncing to this song. Adam was in it.

3) Friends And Lovers - Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson I have no idea what song this is, and I'm ashamed that it was NUMBER 3 and I don't know it. Is that Carl Anderson, as in Jesus Christ Superstar Carl Anderson? 'Cause I love him.

4) Take My Breath Away - Berlin What to say about this song? One of at least two really good songs in Top Gun. (The other, of course, being "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, the king of movie soundtrack songs.) But who didn't slow-dance rollerskate to this one, hmm?

5) Words Get In The Way - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine I admit it. I like this one. '80s Gloria Estefan just gets me.

6) Walk This Way - Run D.M.C. & Aerosmith Significant for so many reasons. It introduced rap to us white kids (and MTV - well, same thing), gave Aerosmith the push they needed out of their heroin-and-coke-induced haze (their 1986 "comeback" album Done With Mirrors went nowhere, but after this single was 1987's Permanent Vacation), but most importantly, it started the whole rock/rap mash-up that's still happening today. We owe a lot to those guys. (Although I still like "It's Tricky" better.)

7) Venus - Bananarama This is a cover, although I can't remember who did the original. Great video. I believe one of the girls in this band is married to Andrew Ridgeley. George Michael, of course, went on to marry Simon LeBon.

8) Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) - Glass Tiger Canada REPRESENT! What a great song, bolstered by a key change near the end, and fellow Canadian Bryan Adams singing on the choruses. (I think he was trying to copy Sting's cameo on "Money For Nothing.") This is one of the great '80s songs. When I made my first '80s mix (back when CD-Rs were still pretty new), this was on there.

9) Dreamtime - Daryl Hall I was a HUGE Hall & Oates fan right around this time. I knew this album (Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine, FYI) backwards and forwards, even though this was the best thing on there. I remember bringing a little tape recorder down to Florida with me when I visited my grandma, playing this on the porch and banging out the drums on pillows. I probably still know all the lyrics. I even know that, in the liner notes for this song, Daryl Hall dedicates the phrase "movie star eyes" to Bob Dylan. God, I'm pathetic.

10) Baby Love - Regina I don't know this one either. Anyone? Is it a cover of the Supremes song? I have a song in my head, but I think it's something completely different. "Tender Love," maybe?

I fell for it!

Friday's post about an All-Christmas station was just a stunt by the Omaha station, which has now changed its format to "Everything Rock...the '80s and More."

In radio, "stunting" is what a station employs when it is about to change formats, and uses a temporary format in the interim in order to create buzz around what their station is about to become. Furthermore, it pretty much drives away their previous demographic. Stunting is also used to confuse other radio stations that might be competitors - with no hint to what the station will eventually settle on playing, they can't adjust or change their own programming strategies in order to steal a piece of the advertising pie. Often, the stunting will be drastic - an all-classical station will change to all-metal - or just inane - like playing one artist or even one song over and over again.

I'm not sure if stunting for only a few days is the norm, but I seem to remember WNEW stunting for months and months until they finally settled on (the failed) Blink 102.7.

However, it will be interesting to see who goes all-Christmas this year. WPLJ went all-Christmas for the first time ever last year (past their "24 Hours Of Christmas"), and I think WNEW did as well.

Christmas In September

This is the webpage for 96.1 KEFM in Omaha, Nebraska.

Check out the "Just Played" list on the right.

That's right, just in time for Christmas, KEFM has switched its format. Radio and Records reports:

"Our listeners told us they loved the KEFM holiday music last year and wanted even more of it, so we're giving them what they want," says OM Mitch Baker. "Lots of people will ask the question, 'Why now? It's September 22nd!' My response would be, 'Why not?' With all that's happening in the world these days, who couldn't use a little Christmas?"

Slipknot vs. BK

I'm posting this mainly for my brother.

Slipknot's Burger King Beef

I don't know what disturbs me most about this suit: the fact that Slipknot sued BK in the first place, the fact that BK took it seriously, the fact that BK references ICP and Gwar in their response, or the fact that their fictitious band is named "Coq Roq."

Meta-Freaky

CNN: Passengers Saw Landing Drama Unfold On TV

I'm so relieved that this story had a happy ending, but seriously, this is when you press the DirectTV "Emergency" button, which automatically reroutes all stations to The Disney Channel.

A Penny For a Your Thought Bubbles

A Penny For a Your Thought Bubbles

Since boing boing posted it on Monday, Gothamist has been enjoying Ji Lee's Bubble Project. Lee printed 50,000 "thought bubble" stickers and plastered them over advertisements of all sorts across the city, waited for the vultures to uncap their pens with glee, and then went back to photograph what people wrote. The results are broken up into different sections, such as Social Commentary, Personal Messages and Media and Fashion. Gothamist's favorites are would be this one of Michael Douglas, a Thomas Jefferson quote and a Starbucks thought. If you haven't already, also check out the Seeds section, where it seems like empty bubbles are waiting to be filled like this one.

Have you written in one of the bubbles?

Surreal Life 6 Cast

Scott at Stereogum has the dirt on the cast for The Surreal Life 6:

The Surreal Life 6 Cast
Music-y people

C.C. Deville (Poison)

Steve Harwell (Smashmouth)

Tawny Kitaen (from that Whitesnake video)
join

Alexis Arquette

Sherman Hemsley

Florence Henderson

Andrea Lowell (Playboy TV)

Mystery hunk from former reality show

I've watched - and loved - every season except the current season, Season 5. I watched one episode and just couldn't muster interest in any of the cast members. I have no idea who Andrea Lowell or Alexis Arquette are, but the rest seem interesting. I wonder if C.C. will be able to win my heart like Vince Neill did.

Pledge-A-Picket

From the Southeastern Pennsylvania Division of Planned Parenthood:

Every time protesters gather outside of our Locust Street health center, our patients face verbal attacks from them. They see graphic signs meant to confuse and intimidate. They are sometimes blocked from entering the building and occasionally they are videotaped. They are offered anti-choice propaganda and free rides to the closest "crisis pregnancy center."

Staff and volunteers are also seen as targets. We are all called murderers, are lectured to about committing sins, and are told we will pay the "ultimate price" for our actions.

You can stand with others in the community against these
acts of intimidation and harassment

Here's how it works: You decide on the amount you would like to pledge for each protester (minimum 10 cents). When protesters show up on our sidewalks, Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania will count and record their number each day from October 1 through November 30, 2005. We will place a sign outside the health center that tracks pledges and makes protesters fully aware that their actions are benefiting PPSP. At the end of the two-month campaign, we will send you an update on protest activities and a pledge reminder.

Initially, I thought it was a brilliant idea, but what worries me is the assumption that enaction of this plan will make protesters disappear. I was in Buffalo when Dr. Slepian was murdered. I remember swerving my car at the corner of Sweet Home and North French in order to avoid protesters, stepping into traffic with their giant posters of aborted fetuses. These people are much like my beloved friends, the bears. They are not rational, and will not consider something like this a lesson learned. Instead, they might temporarily stop protesting, and perhaps fire a shot through the window.

More interesting discussion at the Freakonomics Blog. I liked this comment:

Nobody seems to be looking at this from both sides. I have no problem with abortion clinics. However, if I did, the first thing I would do when having learnt that people had pledged money in this way would be to try and boost the numbers of protestors. Why? Because although PP would benefit by getting more money in, the donors would be feeling it in more in their wallet.

If I were a protestor, I would gather all local protestors to one centre for a couple of months and really drain the patience and wallets of all that clinic's supporters - then cycle on to the next.

After all, this isn't about who has the most money - it's about who can damage their opponents most.

I can see from the Freakonomics discussion that this has been done before. If it truly does spread to other PP divisions, I'd say it's only a matter of time before we read another story like Slepian's in the news.

Band Burning Bridges

Fellow Who fan Andy tells a great story of being the opener for a Big Name Act in the mid-'80s, hating said act's attitude and getting them back in an unbelievable fashion.

So, of course, the question is: Who is Big Name Act? He won't tell me. My guess is R.E.M. I even looked at the 120 Minutes Archives. If I can just get him to tell me the name of his band, I think I could figure it out.

Take your best guess.

EDIT: I still want to hear your guesses, but Andy has provided a clue. If you want the clue, highlight the text below.

"Not REM, but I'll say this much: Big Name Act are the only band ever
to have an album go platinum without it ever entering the Billboard
top 200."

It must make the onion so happy...

when its articles

come true.

Even Presidents Go Potty

Not that this hasn't already been on every single blog in the entire universe, but all I want to say is: this is why it's taking me an extra 30 minutes to get to work by bus?

I'm Oates.

Mike and I often make fun of Jim Messina, "the other guy" of Loggins & Messina. Kenny Loggins, of course, went on to make a career out of providing hit songs for movie soundtracks, but what happened to Messina? Well, this article gives a little insight into him, and other duo members, that never really got their due after the break-up.

I'm bummed the article doesn't talk about Garfunkel.

A Jason and Jessica favorite hang out...

since it was in curbed.com I thought it should be plagarized.

ummm, beer gardens

Newyorkology has a great post on one of our favorite spots - The Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens.

"Not only can you get $12 pitchers of great Czech beer such as Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen and Krusovice, but they also make plenty of alcohol-absorbing house specialities such as goulash, barbecued kielbasas and savory crepes. But the pros know to order the fried cheese, with the slice of ham in the middle." lots more info on what to get and when to go!

and if you don't feel like truckin' out to Queens... The Loreley in the Lower East Side is pretty great!

(Photo credits: Emmanuelle Richard, (bottom,) and Jim Lowney, (top.)

The birth of Frodo

The birth of Frodo
as people continue to ponder Elijah Wood's sexuality, we'd like to offer proof that gay or straight, the man loves to stick his head in some pussy...

Gore B took this fabulous shot of Elijah Wood at the Art Parade in Soho this past weekend. Gore B's an awesome street artist more shots here and a ton here. (via the GammaGod)

PaperMag's Art Parade looks like it was a success and a bunch of fun. Lots of great photos here.

and a Gawker Stalker spotted Elijah arriving in NYC

(photo credit: Gore B)

The West 15th street Karaoke 2BR must be found and destroyed - destroyed with ROCK.

These people are just *asking* for it. Our course is clear, we must find them, we must bring the whole crowd, and just lay waste to their apartment with our savage karaoke stylings. Andrew has to come down from Boston and sing Foxy Lady. Rach must sing Private Dancer. Chele and Brooke must sing the entire Liz Phair/Jesus Christ Superstar catalog.

Then the finale. While Jen, Jason and I sing Too Much Love Will Kill You, the rest of you will inflict property damage the likes of which has not been seen since the Mongol hordes sacked Bukhara in 1220. It will be GLORIOUS!

(Ignore me kids, I need sleep.)

Everybody Hates Chris

Jess and I were looking for something light to watch last night before bed. My new copy of Entertainment Weekly came with a preview DVD of the new show on UPN "Everybody Hates Chris," based on, as the ad says, "Chris Rock's life...as a kid." I hadn't been too impressed with the ad campaign on subways and buses throughout the city (the previous quote just seems like weak ad copy to me), but I heard that it did well at the upfronts, and we decided to give it a try.

This would definitely be the first UPN show I've watched where I've had to pause the episode to get through my own laughter...well, intentionally, anyway.

The show comes off, in a nutshell, like a black combination of "Malcom In The Middle" and "The Wonder Years," with ridiculous, slightly-over-the-top-but-still-somehow-realistic parents, antagonistic and meddling siblings, and various other characters, like the school bully.

Set in 1982, the show features an unbelievable soundtrack. Within the first five minutes, we hear clips of "Get Down On It" by Kool & The Gang, "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder, "Good Times" by Chic, and other songs that sound extremely familiar and reminiscent of the time period. (Are they all actually from the 1982 era? I have no idea. Doesn't matter.)

There are a few standout actors, specifically Terry Crews. Crews plays the head of the household, playing Chris's father as strict but slightly ludicrous, which allows us to see him as more than just a typical taskmaster. The highlight of the show is Tyler James Williams, playing Chris. He has a lot of character, much like Frankie Muniz, but doesn't have the chip on his shoulder that Malcolm carries; you can see the "why me?" on his face but he doesn't choose to be bitter about it. And Williams has the Chris Rock "dialect" down perfectly; it's not overused at all - only used enough to remind us of who he is.

While the advertisements clearly play up on the Chris Rock connection, what they fail to mention is that, a la "The Wonder Years," Rock narrates the entire show. This is one of the main keys to the show's success. I love Rock's comedic style, and his delivery is spot-on at just the right moments here.

There's more I could say about the show, such as its take on racial stereotypes and its delicate balance of playing the comedy but still showing us some of the more serious issues behind it, but I think the show stands pretty well on its own. Give it a try and see what you think.

"Everybody Hates Chris" premieres Thursday, September 22nd at 8 PM on UPN.

ass flambé

ass flambé
we were hoping that the summer would turn up some new ass rocket photos, and yay, here's a crazy one from College Humor...

more butt firework buffoonery...
Anal Fireworks
Bottle Rockets But No Bottle

Tara Reid likes her fireworks in a different orifice

and check out our first assworks extravaganza with lots of hilarious pics and link... Ass Rocketing Takes Off

Kanye West Speaks out again!!!

First he spoke out about using the word gay in rap... now he speaks about the situation in NOLA.

I heard the audio of this early this morning and I was like WTF??? He's so incoherent about his message, did he think before he spoke????

from central village

...Or is it just another Holocaust-type scam?

It was very refreshing to hear Kanye say what he said last night, but I just cannot stop watching the video (via Stereogum). High comedy. Mike Myers' delayed deadpan "Exqueezeme?" reaction to the final comment is absolutely priceless. The best part is that he's been though this kind of thing before...

I hear Heather Locklear was unavailable for comment...

Anyone have a video of the "Amazing Time Savers" sketch? I remember watching this, either when it was new or on reruns. Absolutely classic. I'd love to see it again. Life truly imitates art.

UPDATED LINK: http://www.ualberta.ca/~keithz/Kanye_-_Red_Cross_Benefit_NBC_.mpg

Sit on My Face and Tell Me that You Love Me

When I saw this picture 2 things came to mind, first the Monty Python song, Sit On My Face, and second, the Farting Preacher.

Maybe I should get Pastor Gas this chair.... It would make me feel much better.

Ben Affleck: Sit On My Face
READ MORE: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner

We have no idea why someone’s painted Ben Affleck’s face on a child-size chair, or why such a moving objet d’art was being removed from Affleck’s house. Perhaps the chair was delivered to his residence by his “number one fan,” who lit himself on fire on the front lawn once he realized he and Affleck would never be together now that Jennifer Garner and the baby are in the picture, and the painting was too painful a reminder of the tragic intersection of crushing fame and unrequited love. Who knows? It’s Friday morning and we don’t need to have all the answers. In any case, it’s a more flattering likeness than Affleck’s Police Sparkling Gun Playset.

perspective

on being poor.

You Gotta Love Monkey Boy

Steve Ballmer threatens to "fucking kill Google."

Jesus & He-Man

Now I'm always interested in some of these action figure poses and such. This is a quite interesting one with Buddy Jesus and He-Man.