Comment (a really long one) to "Top 5 artists everyone likes but me"

So many thoughts and anecdotes came to mind related to today's post on theFiver, that instead of writing a blog-post-length comment, I figured I'd just write a blog post!
Therefore, you'll need to do some background reading:

http://thefiver.net/2009/11/03/top-5-artists-everyone-likes-but-me/

Now that you've taken that in, here are my comments:

1.) As to Billy Joel, I can't say I'm a fan, but I do enjoy some of his older songs from the 80s that I used to hear growing up. The video for "Pressure" used to scare the living crap out of me; it may have even given me nightmares.

I can no longer listen to "We Didn't Start the Fire," not only because it is fundamentally infuriating ("We didn't start the fire. It's somebody else's fault. We bear no responsibility for what has happened here."), but because my junior year English class in high school was forced to dissect the lyrics to the song and each report on the section we were assigned. I believe I drew the "Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline/Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan" bit. *shudder* I can't believe I remember that. The horror.

I have never liked "River of Dreams" either. The whiteness of this song reminds me of Dr. A's clapping of the rhythm to "The Storm is Passing Over" during a UMass Chorale concert. He claimed it was a "deep rhythm." No, I'm sorry, Dr. A, that was what you call a WHITE rhythm. (I have this captured on CD. Classic.)

Some of Billy Joel's hits have provided fodder for comedy. "Big Shot" was, of course, one of the Drunken Asses' Greatest Hits on SNL. I also particularly enjoy Dave Barry's take on "She's Always a Woman" from his Book of Bad Songs, in which he likens it to a really long Geritol commercial ("Ooooo, she takes care of herself...").

2.) John does make a valid point about Sting. During "Roxanne," Sting kind of sounds like something painful and inappropriate is being done to him. I've always wondered exactly how many times he repeats "sending out an SOS" during the course of "Message in a Bottle." Dude, you'll never be rescued if you don't shut up and send it already...
Basically, I just find it difficult to look at or listen to Sting, because we now all know far, far too much about his personal life.

3.) I'm definitely with John on the Steely Dan. My mom always had a violent hatred for the band, and instilled my own lifelong dislike. Every time one of their songs came on the radio, she would shout, "I hate Steely Dan!!" and lunge for the controls as if shot through by a jolt of electricity. I seem to have the same propensity for changing the channel immediately upon hearing those irritatingly mellow tones...

4.) I will admit, I find "25 Or 6 To 4" somewhat catchy. However, as Chicago progressed into the 80s, they apparently forgot how to drain the sap out. Then Peter Cetera saw fit to spread the sap further through solo efforts and by performing several duets.

5.) I also have to admit a certain soft spot for a couple of Journey tunes. "Don't Stop Believing" always makes me chuckle due to an interview a few years back on Hockey Night in Canada with Vinny LeCavalier and Marty St. Louis in which Marty referred to it as "their song." Vinny seemed somewhat unnerved by that phrasing. And come on, the video for "Separate Ways" is so terrifically bad... how can you not be entertained?

Thus (finally) endeth my thoughts on this topic. Thanks to John for giving me some great blog material! Anyone else out there have an artist whose popularity you just don't understand?

A Return to One Longfellow Square

It occurs to me that I've been neglecting to blog about One Longfellow Square lately. (Actually, I've been neglecting to blog about anything lately, so I better start making up for it!) I've seen four excellent shows in the past few weeks, and thought I'd share some links and see of I could expose some readers to talented artists they may not have heard before.

10/2/09 - Girlyman, with Po' Girl
The opening act, Po' Girl, had an exuberant, multi-instrumental take on roots music. Great fun to watch and to listen to.
http://www.pogirl.net/
Girlyman describe themselves on their website as "Leading Edge Three-Part Harmony Folk-Pop". Quite frankly, they blew me away. Their harmonies are incredible, and their performance is endlessly entertaining. They even create "tuning songs" on the spot while waiting for one of the band members to tune an instrument. Check out the song clips on the website; this is good stuff.
http://girlyman.com/

10/3/09 - An Evening with Jonatha Brooke
An accomplished singer-songwriter, Jonatha Brooke took inspiration from the music of Woody Guthrie for her latest album; she was invited by Guthrie's daughter Nora to search the archives for possible adaptations. Brooke is a wonderful storyteller and performer, introducing each song with an anecdote. She also apparently has control over the elements; just as she finished a line about rolling thunder, a great peal of it sounded from outside. What further endeared her to me was the fact that she performs the theme song for the Fox series Dollhouse... I was proud to have seen someone who was involved in a Joss Whedon production!
http://www.jonathabrooke.com/
What You Don't Know (Dollhouse theme)

10/15/09 - The Wiyos
I arrived at the show exhausted, and wondering how I'd make it to the end to clean up the auditorium. Well, I needn't have worried. These guys have incredible energy, and a fabulously unique style. I find that the washboard is quite underutilized these days in music, and I don't believe I've ever seen a bullhorn used in a musical setting. The Wiyos have opened for John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan, and it's easy to see how they landed a spot with such illustrious names as these.
http://thewiyos.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thewiyos

10/16/09 - Antje Duvekot w/Peter Bradley Adams
I didn't really get to see Peter Bradley Adams, since I was out in the lobby during his performance, but it sounded good from out there! Also, he played a few songs with Antje during her set. His latest album, "Traces", debuted at #1 on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts.
http://www.peterbradleyadams.com/
The rawness and honesty of Antje Duvekot's songwriting and performance are what really resonated with me. Originally from Germany and now based in the Boston area, she released her second studio album, "The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer", earlier this year. Her songs were emotionally powerful enough for one them to cause tears to stream down my face during the performance... if it hadn't been dim in the auditorium, that would have been kind of embarrassing...
http://www.antjeduvekot.com/index.php?page=home
http://www.myspace.com/antjeduvekot
Lighthouse (the one that made me cry!)

In conclusion, I hope this post has introduced you to some great new music. I have never seen a bad show at One Longfellow Square (or even a mediocre one).
And one last link... keep up with what's going on at the venue here:
http://www.onelongfellowsquare.com/

More OLS adventures will be forthcoming!

The Horror of Remakes

Today while perusing my email, I came across the Videoport newsletter, and gave it my customary skim-through to see if anything interesting was happening at the awesomest of video rental establishments. As my eye traveled down the page, it fell upon the headline, "Teaser Trailer from 'Nightmare on Elm Street' delivers the goods". My immediate reaction was, "Nooooooo!" I clicked on the link and proceeded to play said trailer, which was released via MySpace. When I saw the words "from producer Michael Bay" appear on-screen, my immediate reaction was, "Nooooooo!"

Clearly, I'm quite skeptical about the new version of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Growing up, I was a fan of the series (except the second installment, which was truly bad, and not even in a so-bad-it's-good kind of way. I am still wary of lovebirds, lest one attack the other, chase after a bunch of humans, and then spontaneously combust). It's always difficult to see something one had an affection for in its original form undergo a "re-imagining". The primary issue I have with the idea of a remake is a Freddy Krueger other than Robert Englund. Whereas the monsters of Friday the 13th and Halloween were best remembered for their masks, Englund provided the face of his character through 8 films and a few TV series. After having watched the trailer, I am still extremely doubtful, yet intrigued despite myself. I suppose we'll have to wait until April of 2010 for the verdict.

Revisiting classic horror franchises has been somewhat of an epidemic in Hollywood in recent years. I can't say that the Friday the 13th retread caused me any distress, as I've never seen the original, and wasn't tempted enough to see the new version. The new version of Halloween did bother me, but because I have never seen the original of this film either (I'm prepared to be beaten for this admission), the reason it does is that Rob Zombie bothers me. The man believes in the greatness of his filmmaking, daring to take on a horror classic, even after creating the atrocity that was House of 1000 Corpses. (By the time the young female protagonist dressed in a bunny costume was being chased through a field by the psycho redneck family, I collected my wits long enough to wonder how I'd made it this far into the the film. And how did Rainn Wilson end up involved in this mess? John, this may actually be a good selection for Bed Time Movies.)

One film I have seen in both its original and remade incarnations is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I'll be blunt. The new version was awful. What made the original so effective, and so horrifying, was everything that was left to the viewer's imagination. The remake took the opportunity to show, in bloody, gory, grisly detail, everything that the original made you picture in your head. It just goes to show how far Hollywood has drifted from what makes a film truly frightening.

In summary, Hollywood's recent attempts to reimagine horror classics don't bode well for the updated A Nightmare on Elm Street. It remains to be seen whether, 9...10... Freddy really will be back again.

(For those who are curious, the new teaser trailer can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-tSvrkKx2Y)

Dogs... Gorillas... what?

Last night I was innocently watching some television and playing on the computer when I was assaulted by images from another surreal movie trailer (I'm sure we all remember the guinea pigs outfitted in spy gear... I'm still recovering from that one). I'm of the opinion that you need to see it for yourself before reading my reactions to it. Go ahead. I'll wait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhY8AP806tU&feature=related

Now, since I was also using the computer at the time, my attention was somewhat diverted, so the thought process went something like this:
-Hey, slapstick! Kid getting hit in the face with a soccer ball. *giggle*
-Robin Williams.. hit or miss. Looks like it might be one of his over-the-top roles.
-Aw, John Travolta. I really try to just block out the memory of Battlefield Earth due to the soft spot I've had for him since childhood. Plus, he shot Marvin in the face.
-Yay! Seth Green!
-...did I just see... is that... is he...? Seth Green is singing All Out of Love in the arms of a gorilla. Let me repeat that. Seth Green is singing All Out of Love in the arms of a gorilla. I think I need to check and verify that there is only one empty beer bottle sitting on the counter right now.

First guinea pigs, now gorillas. I think the film production companies are trying to make me doubt my own sanity (such as it is). Please feel free to share your impressions of this cinematic curiosity... once the shock wears off...

In the interest of inter-blog cooperation...

From John Swinconeck, the creator of the awesomeness that is theFiver, comes another exercise in blogging entertainment. I'll let the description from the blog speak for itself:

"Bed Time Movies:
A case of insomnia, no cable TV, and a strange array of free titles with which to download. I began to Twitter whatever thoughts I was having about whichever film I was watching – generally the cheesier the better – and it became a game to see how far I could get into the movie and how much I could Tweet before falling asleep, and how much would make sense the following day. So if you like strange observational humor and movies featuring Kevin Costner/Kevin Sorbo, truck-driving orangutans, and the apocalypse, you're likely disturbed. If so, you've come to the right place."

Check it out here:

http://bedtimemovies.blogspot.com/

And don't forget to keep reading theFiver, not only because it's awesome, but also because you may occasionally be treated to a guest post by yours truly...

http://thefiver.net/

Pop culture blog overload! Hooray!

Travels in Maine, Volume 1: Bah Hahbah and A Giant Boot

I'm a Massachusetts girl born and raised, and have lived in Maine for only about a year now. I'm sadly deficient in knowledge of my new state, having traveled around it very little. This past weekend I made up for that a little bit. I was treated to a tour of Bar Harbor, thanks to my friend Nicole; I also got to play in a rather famous Freeport destination in the company of my friend John.

Now, Bar Harbor is absolutely gorgeous, and I had a great time there. I could try to wax poetic about the beauty of the cliffs and the water and the sky, but that would be a lot of words, and probably wouldn't be that interesting to read. I'm not so good with the poetry. A glance at some photos of the area is enough to make you want to go there if you haven't been already. I'll just share a few random thoughts from my journey.

First, it's a great idea to take in your surroundings on the way there (especially during a long drive). I was inordinately entertained by "Pete's Pretty Good Ice Cream" and was disappointed that it wasn't open yet as I drove by so that I could verify that the ice cream was, in fact, pretty good. Not great maybe, but pretty good. Also, I swear I saw the restaurant from the Goonies along the road as well. It was all run down and boarded up, and I think the Fratellis might have escaped and been hiding in there...

Second, a word of advice: the popovers at Jordan Pond House are worth it, especially if you are trying them for the first time. However, it is not all that advisable to hike up the South Bubble immediately after eating said popovers and drinking chai. But if you do, at least you won't feel bad about the calories consumed!

The day after returning home from my lovely Bar Harbor trip, I continued my Maine education with my first real visit to an iconic Maine institution: LL Bean (using the bathroom there after a Wallflowers concert didn't count), in Freeport. You can't miss the place; right out front is a giant boot. One might wonder, however, why this particular product was chosen as the symbol for the store, given that those boots are, well, pretty ugly. It also begs the question of whether there is a giant ass somewhere that it is meant to kick. In any case, within the store you can purchase not only the footwear itself, but vanilla cookies created in its image.

Once you cross the threshold, you find yourself in a wonderland of outdoorsy items. Are you a fan of firearms? You'll love it here! Want to check out the local varieties of fish? You're in luck; not only is there a trout pond, but also a tank at which you can look those fish right in the eye due to an indentation in the bottom of the tank, below which is a chair. Then of course there is the clothing, footwear, home goods, and food items. It's a fabulous place in which to wander aimlessly and take it all in.

Speaking of food items, apparently A. Wilbur's Candy is closed on Monday evenings. Just a heads-up so that you, dear reader, may be spared the disgruntlement we felt whilst not being able to fulfill a chocolate craving. We were forced to return to LL Bean, where they do have a decent array of candy, some of it actually from A. Wilbur. Beware of the gummi worm container; it's pretty disturbing. Why would you label a sugary treat with a drawing of an astonished worm impaled on a hook, watching as an open-mouthed cartoon fish approaches to devour it? I can recommend the dark chocolate-covered cashews, although the price is a little scary. Mmmm... dark chocolate-covered cashews...

On that note, thus endeth my travelogue this time around. Until next time...

Guest Post: Movie merits of ‘Star Trek,’ ‘District 9’

Here it is, folks... my very first guest post! (And there was much rejoicing... yaaaaaay!) Thanks to my good friend John Swinconeck for contributing to my humble blog. Enjoy his take on a couple of the notable big screen events this summer.

Movie merits of ‘Star Trek,’ ‘District 9’

Well, the summer movie season is at last behind us. It’s time to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off, napkin up the blood and entrails, and take a look at the damage done. A quick look at movie grosses on Rotten Tomatoes reveals, none too surprisingly, that the top films of the summer were sci-fi adventure. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was the highest grossing popcorn flick over the summer. (Interestingly, the amount of money it took in, over $400 million, is inverse to its mere 19 percent ranking on the tomato meter.)

I confess I didn’t see Michael Bay’s tribute to gigantic digital explosions. Summer was a busy time of year for me, as I was occupied by all manner of sock-drawer sorting. Also, teaching my parakeet not to defecate on my arm is quite involved (he still has a long way to go). Plus, I was real busy sorting my collection of DVDs and rating songs in my iTunes library. So you see, there just wasn’t time to watch the runny, fecal splatter of Michael Bay’s latest cinematic abomination.

Star Trek was the fifth-highest grossing film, taking in over $257 million, making it the most financially successful film of the venerable franchise. It has a 95 percent freshness rating, although it was written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who also wrote the Transformers film, leaving me scratching my head so badly that large clumps of scalp and hair have fallen out, revealing large patches of pink, suppurating tissue and the occasional glimpse of bone that is my skull. Perhaps I should call my doctor.

My sock drawer sorted and my parakeet sequestered, I managed to see Star Trek twice. Once was in a regular, Ma & Pa humble theater with stadium seating and booming digital surround sound. My other screening was much more recent, in the film’s second run in IMAX. You need to see it in this format. Only IMAX, with its enormous screen and crystal-perfect picture, reveals every detail of Zachary Quinto’s five o’clock shadow and the mole near Chris Pine’s ear.

Paramount had a lot riding on director J.J. Abrams’ reboot, and the results paid off spectacularly. It’s not perfect, and Roger Ebert’s C+ rating resonated with me (I had read his review shortly before going to the IMAX screening). This film doesn’t strictly adhere to Star Trek creator and noted philanderer Gene Roddenberry’s vision, wherein the Enterprise’s crew was more likely to mentally out-maneuver the god-like aliens that were frequently adversaries. Abrams’ vision is louder, more flashy. A lot less talk and a lot more frying of Romulans using 13,000 instances of lens-flare. Still, it was fun to share an adventure with these familiar characters again – revisiting the Enterprise’s bridge was like coming home for us Trekkies (Side note: Trekkies who insist on calling themselves Trekkers ought to just give up the ghost and refer to themselves by their proper name: douche bags.)

It’s no surprise that Star Trek, Transformers and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Jingoism did so well over the summer. These are big, slam-bam films with hefty promotional budgets that carry on a franchise.

The dark horse sci-fi film of the summer was District 9, an allegory against allowing mid-level bureaucrats to get too close to the giant crickets segregated in a Johannesburg slum. You’ll just find that he gets some form of alien barbeque sauce squirted in his face and before long he’s growing a freaking lobster claw out of his shoulder.

There was some mild debate when the film finally opened in South Africa in August over its apartheid analogy. District 9 deals with forced segregation and the forcible removal of alien refugees from their camp, and recalls the forced relocation of black South Africans from the real-life District 6 area of Johannesburg during apartheid.

By no means was it a perfect film. However, any work that stirs debate over its message, or delivery thereof (as opposed to debating the merits of public Autobot urination) deserves credit. Like Star Trek, it was worth seeing twice.

Live long and prosper, and don’t tinker with the special sauce.

John Swinconeck is a photographer and writer. His music blog should be read religiously at thefiver.net.

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

I read pretty much incessantly. I visit the library on a regular basis, and more often than not come home with a pile of books, of nearly any genre. One area into which I had never ventured was that of comic books, or graphic novels. A few months ago, however, I picked up the first volume of the Sandman series, both because I love Neil Gaiman, and on the recommendation of a few friends.

As I just mentioned, I am a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and have read almost all of the novels and short stories he has published. (In fact, my web address name for this blog was inspired by The Graveyard Book, one of the best things I've read in a very long time. Maybe ever.) So, despite some skepticism, I decided to give the graphic novels a try. I certainly didn't regret it.

Initially, I had to adjust to the style of the graphic novel format. When reading a regular book, the author paints a picture using his or her words, which you interpret in your imagination; with a graphic novel, you interpret the pictures that have been drawn for you while you also take in the story. After reading the first volume in the series, I judged it merely very good, but continuing through the books, I saw Gaiman beginning to hit his stride, and collectively the series became an amazing piece of work.

So many elements are combined throughout the Sandman series. Gaiman incorporates myth, religion, literature and history in telling the stories of Dream and his dysfunctional (and fascinating) family of the Endless. Much like in his novels, the horrifying and the humorous are interspersed, and the "real" and "imaginary" are not clearly delineated, but mixed together until they become inseparable. Sometimes the Sandman takes center stage, and sometimes he is merely a presence in the background of the story. His moral ambiguity, and his development throughout the series, add to the uniqueness of the work. The artists change from volume to volume as well, each giving a different visual rendering of Dream.

I am not alone in my regard for the books; each volume features an introduction by such illustrious names as Clive Barker, Stephen King, and Harlan Ellison. As soon as I finished the last volume of the series, I picked up the first one again at my next library trip. It's that good. Whether you are a comics devotee or, like me, had never picked up a graphic novel before, I highly recommend the Sandman books.

A Tale of Two Shows OR Why I Love One Longfellow Square

This past week I volunteered at One Longfellow Square two nights in a row, for two very different shows. While pretty well tiring me out, the experience was also illustrative of how much I enjoy this little venue.

Wednesday night the alt-folk singer-songwriter duo Vandaveer came to town, bringing with them a dry wit and mellow and involving sound. Pink-haired Rose Guerin wanted to look more like an Indian, and Mark Charles Heidinger managed to flout state law by the cunning use of a coffee cup.

Thursday night actually began with a "pre-show" outside the building in the square that Lucy says I can't tell you about. Never a dull moment. Following the unplanned entertainment was the opening band, Over a Cardboard Sea; this is a local act which plays music from the era of 1890-1939 with the use of ukulele, singing saw, bicycle bell, and other fascinating instruments, not to mention a show-stopping giant fake moustache. The main act for the evening, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, somewhat defies description. These boys from North Carolina have a style that blends jazz, rock, bluegrass, ragtime, and many other genres into one fascinating package. They are also possessed of an extremely energetic performance style (or maybe just possessed)... I feared that someone was going to jump backward right off the stage, or perhaps crash into another bandmate with banjo or trombone as they leaped around. Unique and entertaining.

As I thought about my two evenings at the venue, I realized that they rather encapsulated what I like so much about the place. I don't know where else I could have heard such diverse and enjoyable types of music in successive nights. Not only that, but I get to interact with the artists as they enter and set up; invariably they are friendly, interesting folks. Oftentimes the headlining artist is from elsewhere in the United States, and it is their first time playing in Maine. Thus I get to hear their reactions to our lovely little city of Portland. So, in a nutshell, these are the reasons why I love One Longfellow Square.

Check out the websites for the venue and the bands:
http://www.onelongfellowsquare.com/
http://www.myspace.com/vandaveer
http://www.myspace.com/sailingoveracardboardsea
http://www.myspace.com/hgtr

Aliens! (But not the kind that break your leg and do a jigsaw...)

On Wednesday night I had the opportunity to see District 9 at a local Cinemagic theater (side note: that damn Cinemagic jingle that plays before the movie is still floating around in my head... I miss the little cartoon wizard!). I'll say right off the bat that seeing this film is an experience that I'd definitely recommend. (Side note #2: thanks to John-the-kindred-lacrosse-ball-spirit for coming along and hanging out even though he'd seen it already... and for introducing me to a lovely little place called Ricetta's Brick Oven Pizzeria. Seriously. If you find yourself in southern Maine, please do yourself a favor and go here.)

I went into District 9 knowing almost nothing about it. I was aware that there were aliens involved, and that Peter Jackson played a role in the production of the film. The best way to approach this movie is to know as little as possible beforehand; it's the easiest way to get drawn into a visually stunning and, yes, intellectually and emotionally skillful piece of work. It's the smart alternative to the summer blockbuster, with blockbuster elements built in.

I won't reveal the plot points and lessen the experience for those who have not seen it. Suffice it to say, this is not your typical close encounter chronicle. It's nominally an alien movie, filmed alternately like a documentary and war movie, with a heavy layer of social commentary. The filmmakers take a bald look at the worst side of human nature, and examine the paradox of gaining a sense of humanity while losing humanity. For those who are attending to see some intense action sequences, there is much for you to appreciate as well. There's a good chance you've never seen anything like District 9 before.

District 9 certainly isn't perfect, but all the things that it does right can cause the audience to overlook or forget any contrivances or inconsistencies. It's also an impressive feature film debut for director/screenwriter Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley. I'm looking forward to seeing what these newcomers bring us in the future.

Anyone else have thoughts on the movie? Please feel free to share!

(By the way, the obscure reference in the title of this post, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is from Red Dwarf.)

Cabers and cartoons and Wallflowers, oh my...

Now that I've nearly recovered enough, I'll blog about my marathon day this past Saturday. It began when the alarm rang at 5am, and I actually got up. At 6:45am a bleary-eyed John came to the door to pick me up for our trek to Brunswick, the site of the Maine Highland Games, where he was to take many lovely photos of the athletics competition. The Highland Games is rather a fascinating thing; the first step for those not already initiated is to get used to seeing a whole lot of men (and women) wandering around in kilts. Once one gets past this element, amazement sets in at what these men and women in kilts are doing. We witnessed extremely heavy stones and weights being hurled for height and distance, heavy sheaves being tossed backward over a bar with a pitchfork, and the most popular event of all, the caber toss. In this competition, the participants lift and balance a giant log (one was 19 feet and 134 pounds), then run forward to raise momentum and attempt to throw the log hard enough to perfectly overturn it. The level of strength, balance and skill that these athletes possess is difficult to comprehend. Especially since the temperature outside was nearing 90 degrees. I personally sat in the shade of the tent for most of the day; poor John apparently brought home a vicious sunburn as a souvenir. Thanks go out to Leroy and Cindy McDonough for running an excellent games, and for providing me with a free ticket so that I could tag along with the photographer!

Food was next on the agenda, as not much was consumed during the day due to the heat. My recommendation to all you readers: if you should ever find yourself suddenly ravenously hungry after a long day in the sun and need sustenance to continue, Friendly's loaded waffle fries are a good bet. I'm not sure how long it took to clean the plate between the two of us, but we may have set some sort of record. Having filled our bellies, we felt well enough to proceed to the LL Bean flagship store in Freeport for the free Wallflowers concert.

I'll sum up the basics quickly:
Wild Light - opening band. I'm trying to think of a way to be tactful, but I just can't. Picture the worst elements from all the emo bands you can think of, mix them all together, and this is the mess you get. I think our reaction alternated amongst shock, horror, and hysterics.
Trippy old-school cartoons - played on the monitor between acts. Without sound. It was rather entertaining to try to fill in the blanks ourselves, and began the recovery process from the trauma of the opening act.
The Wallflowers - simple, excellent performance. There's not much else to say. Highly enjoyable. Now we just need to speak to them about their choice of opening acts...

For more detail, photos, audio clip, and a wonderful exercise in live micro-blogging, you need to visit John's review on his site, theFiver: http://thefiver.net/?p=612

Although I was nearly delirious after being returned home around 11pm, I was contented after a long, interesting, and all in all really good day.

Follow-up: This is reality? Then send me to dreamland...

I got so many great comments on my last post about reality television that I decided to write a follow-up post to address them, and to share a few more thoughts. Thank you to Joanna, Deanna and John for your insightful comments, and for giving me more blog fodder! Much appreciated.

First of all, I can't believe I forgot about Moment of Truth, which was truly reprehensible. I must have blocked it out. Although disgusting, it is also instructive as to what lengths people will go for money.

A couple of the comments also suggested further categories for these shows. In my last post, I mostly addressed the 'relationship' and the 'created competition' categories. As I don't have very many channels, I have never been exposed to many of the shows mentioned, but these are the ones most likely to push my buttons and set off a rant such as in my post. As far as the 'true competition' shows, as I mentioned, my only real addiction is So You Think You Can Dance. While most of the others are relatively harmless, if rather irritating, I frankly just don't much care. I am gratified to hear about the contestants in Top Chef Masters cooperating and donating money to charity. We don't see that sort of thing very often these days.

Which brings me to another reality show that I can be found watching on occasion (although not on a weekly basis): Extreme Makeover Home Edition. As scripted and over-the-top as the show undoubtedly is, it just makes me happy to see good things happen for people who are in a tough situation, and who in turn have done wonderful things in their communities. It's nice to be able to think that there is some kindness left in the world.

One category that I completely left out is the sub-genre of "normal" people allowing their daily lives to be filmed. Once upon a time, in the first few seasons, I watched the Real World. (I'm not even going to think about how many years ago that was. And Joanna, it was indeed an RV that the Road Rules crew drove around in.) In its initial stages, this type of show was novel and entertaining. However, these days it seems that it has turned into a forum for people behaving badly. Outlandishly so. I don't find this to be good entertainment; I find it painful. Sometimes it is like a train wreck from which you can't take your eyes. Deanna, I felt that way about the episode of the Real Housewives of New Jersey you had me watch in which the one woman overturned the table at her dinner party. Appalling, but strangely mesmerizing. It's rather sad that this reaction in the audience has caused this type of show to proliferate and provided an atmosphere in which more and more people are encouraged to act like idiots.

I think you are correct, John, when you say that the same elements occur in more traditional forms of entertainment. Perhaps it is easier to stomach because of the fact that it is dressed up as "entertainment" as opposed to "reality".

The reality genre appears to be making money as well as being relatively cheap to produce, since so many variants keep popping up everywhere, so lots of people must be drawn in for one reason or another. We shall have to see what further gems the networks unveil in the coming years.

This is reality? Then send me to dreamland...

Tonight's rant originated from multiple unfortunate exposures to advertisements for Fox's reality show "More to Love". I haven't watched the show; the premise is so repugnant and offensive to me that it's all I can do not to change the channel during the 30 second commercial. (If my remote wasn't broken, I just might...) Much of the reality genre of television produces this reaction in me. The dating reality shows, such as More to Love, or the Bachelor or Bachelorette, are first of all preposterous in premise. The stated objective of many of these shows is for the star to choose from amongst a pool of many single men or women, ostensibly looking to find "true love", and then to propose marriage by the end of the series. Apparently finding "true love" involves conniving and backstabbing to win over a man or woman you hardly know. No wonder I haven't found it yet...

More to Love is just more of the same, with an extra layer of exploitation involved. Now not only can you watch a crowd of women being catty to each other and fighting for the attention of a stranger, but now you can watch a crowd of plus-sized women being catty to each other and fighting for the attention of a stranger!

Over the years, Fox has come up with some doozies. How can we forget Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire, Temptation Island, Joe Millionaire... Just when I thought they couldn't get any more ridiculous, there was another ad that made me stare dumbfounded at the television with my mouth gaping half open. I think even more than the ridiculousness, it is the mean-spiritedness that bothers me about the genre. So many of the shows involve the contestants being ruthless and cruel, or the show portraying contestants in a cruel way. Having always tried my best to see kindness as the best path, this mentality just rubs me the wrong way. Even worse, I think a lot of the appeal of these shows to their audience is exactly the mean-spiritedness and ruthlessness involved. People often seem to enjoy seeing others brought low.

Some may call me a hypocrite due to my addiction to So You Think You Can Dance, as this is technically a reality show. And yes, it has some of the elements that bother me in the genre as a whole, which is why I can't watch the audition episodes. After that, I enjoy watching people display a talent that I do not possess. Actually, the judges become quite encouraging to the contestants once the competition has begun, which is a nice departure. (Somehow I find no such appeal in American Idol, maybe partly because I sing, but I sure can't dance.)

Such is the demand for these shows, however, that there is actually now a Fox Reality Channel. So, those who enjoy this kind of thing can now indulge 24-7... brought to you by the masters of outlandish reality television.... As for me, I think I'll pass.

Do you agree? Or are you a reality TV fan? Either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

That's not cool

I just have to comment on a couple things that have lost some of their luster for me due to their use in other forms of pop culture.

The first came to me as I was doing my discourse on Twilight in my recent posts. I have a real affection for the band Muse; I saw them open for My Chemical Romance in Tampa a few years back (great show, by the way), and found them to be perhaps the best live band I'd seen. Then Stephenie Meyer comes along and names them as a main inspiration for big portions of the Twilight series. Not only this, but Supermassive Black Hole, a highly awesome tune, was used in the baseball scene of the Twilight movie. It will never be quite the same for me. Thanks a lot, Stephenie Meyer.

Some years back, my dad and stepmom went to see a Broadway production of Mamma Mia. As a souvenir, they brought me back a little black t-shirt with the logo in silver across the chest. At the time, it was a fun, kind of obscure garment that I enjoyed wearing. Then the movie came along, complete with the abomination of Pierce Brosnan singing. Now I feel a little like a dweeb when I wear it. (Although, stubbornly, I still do anyway.) Thanks a lot, Universal Studios.

I'm a little bit country... and a bunch of other things too...

The bluegrass/Americana genres are always fascinating to me considering the amalgam of styles they represent. The Americana Music Association (http://www.americanamusic.org) describes the genre as follows:

"Americana is music that honors and is derived from the traditions of American roots music. It is music inspired by American culture traditions which is not only represented in classic man made / roots based sounds but also through new and contemporary artists whose music is clearly inspired by these great traditions. It is a great genre, vast, like jazz which encompasses a wide range of music. Like jazz, which spans from Miles Davis to Harry Connick to the Preservation Hall, Americana's range includes artists like Gram Parsons, Soloman Burke, The Band, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, Mavis Staples..."

Bluegrass is defined as a form of American roots music, drawn from Irish, West African, Scottish, Welsh and English traditional music influences. All in all, these musical styles represent a quite rich heritage, and because of that, have a unique power. It is difficult not to get drawn into these styles because of the passion and feeling that they can display.

I got treated to two bands from these American roots styles, each with their own take on the genre, on Saturday night at One Longfellow Square: Gunther Brown and the Lovell Sisters.

Gunther Brown, a local act, had a fun, pleasant and laid-back style. One example is their song "The Big 20", written about a bowling alley on Route 1 in Scarborough. Normally a five-piece band, they performed with only three members on this particular evening. The pleasant, laid-back tone actually seemed to mirror the overall personality of the band members, one of whom confessed to us volunteers an inexplicable penchant for stale animal crackers...

The Lovell Sisters are three very talented young musicians from Calhoun, Georgia, who were backed by a guitarist and double bass player. The girls, all between the ages of 18 and 23, played fiddle, mandolin/guitar, and dobro, displaying a real excitement and passion for the music. The performance was a real example of my previous statement about being irresistibly drawn in to the music. It would take a conscious effort not to tap your foot or move along with the music; but then why would you want to resist that? Being a huge fan of Alison Krauss and Union Station, I was pleased with their cover of Choctaw Hayride. They also played many of their own compositions, as well as pieces by Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix. The girls themselves were as endearing as their music, going out to take pictures of the streets and the water near One Longfellow Square, as it was their first trip to Maine. Hopefully they will come back this way soon; I would highly recommend attending one of their shows.

If anyone is curious and wants to find out more, the bands' websites are as follows:

www.lovellsisters.com
www.myspace.com/musicofguntherbrown

So, once again a grand time was had at One Longfellow Square. Anyone who has a chance should come on down and check it out!

The Trouble with Twilight, Part 2

And now the exciting conclusion of my thoughts on the Twilight series.

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read the books, intend to do so, and wish to be surprised as to the events therein, you may not want to read the rest of this post.

As I mentioned in yesterday's entry, I found the Twilight series to be problematic. While the writing style didn't entirely agree with me, the chief issues I had with the books involved the content of the story itself. First, the female protagonist, Bella, becomes nearly suicidal when her vampire boyfriend, Edward, breaks up with her in the second book. While I found it a clever device to label consecutive pages after the breakup scene only December, January, February, etc., to express that time has gone by in a blur for a little while, I have a definite problem with the fact that the character feels that she would rather die than live without her boyfriend. Furthermore, once the two are back together at the end of the book, Edward forbids Bella to see her werewolf best friend. This controlling behavior is justified, and almost glorified. Bella explains it away by saying that he doesn't really mean it; he just doesn't understand. Does this seem like a slippery slope to anyone else? Being that the primary audience for these books is the teenage girl, what kind of message is this sending?

The fourth book also presents several problems. First of all, it represents a complete departure in that all of the other three at least maintain some connection to a reality-based scenario; Bella attends school, has awkward adolescent interactions with her parents, and other normal teenage activities. By the fourth installment, she and Edward are married, she becomes pregnant with a half-vampire child who attempts to claw its way out of her body such that she needs to drink blood to calm it down, and she is made into a vampire so that she will not die from the delivery. (No, I'm not making that up.)

The fact that Bella became a vampire is something that bothered me quite a bit. Throughout the series she begs Edward to turn her, and through a near-death experience, she gets her wish. My stepmom Deanna put the main issue with this turn of events best by saying that Bella chose death. She is then rewarded by becoming the most beautiful and powerful vampire, and having the "perfect" child and "perfect" family, for eternity. Again, the message the story sends is extremely questionable. The story is pure adolescent wish fulfillment, which can explain its popularity amongst that demographic, and also adults who want to escape into that kind of a fantasy.

I will admit, I got sucked in and read the entire series in a matter of a couple weeks. The author did have a knack for driving the story along. I just found too many things that really bothered me about the story to truly enjoy it. I'm sure there are many, many folks out there who disagree with me. Those of you who have read the books, what are your thoughts?

A brief word about Harry Potter; The Trouble with Twilight, Part 1

Before I begin today's topic, I wanted to follow up on a comment to my post "One by One" in which Chuck reminded himself to write a defense of torture porn on his blog. To read his perspective on this horror sub-genre, head over to nogameforme.blogspot.com and check out the entry for July 23, 2009.

Now, I have a confession to make. I have read, and enjoyed, all of the books in the Harry Potter series, and have seen all the associated movies. Not to the level of attending book releases or movies on opening night in costume or anything of that nature, but I do have an appreciation for the works; I suppose I would be what you might call a casual fan. I resisted for quite some time, but finally gave in, and am glad that I did so. I find the plots complex but coherent, the characters for the most part very well developed, and writing style fit to appeal to a very wide audience. Plus, they are just a fun read. It seems to me that the films are most appropriate as a companion or supplement to the books. They are well-made, with an impressive depth of acting talent, particularly among the adult actors, who are always restrained enough not to take the spotlight away from the younger ones. However, as there is no way to cram 600+ pages worth of details into 2.5 hours, many plot points are left out and would likely cause confusion amongst the uninitiated. So all in all, a thumbs up from me on the question of Harry Potter.

I also have another confession to make. I've read the entire Twilight series. I wasn't even aware that these books existed until I saw a trailer for the first movie last year. My curiosity was piqued, as I tend to enjoy stories of the supernatural. I was also employed by Borders as a seasonal worker, so I figured it would be a good idea to have some clue as to what teenage girls, and many adults too, were going so crazy about. I, like many others, went through all the books at a rapid pace. I will give Stephenie Meyer credit for creating a story that engendered such an addiction in so many. However, I find the books intensely problematic, both stylistically and in elements of the story itself.

The writing in general grated on me as I was reading. It seemed to be obviously written toward the narrow audience of the teenage girl. Granted, the narrator and central character is herself a teenage girl, but let me illustrate my point by comparing to the brilliant The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Both are written nominally for a young adult audience, but the Gaiman work is written in such a sophisticated manner as to be appreciated as much, or even more so, by adults. The writing skill is apparent in every line. To a lesser degree, the Harry Potter works also display a higher level of sophistication. The Twilight books have indeed captured a large adult audience, but this seems to be caused more by content than by writing style (which I will address in a future post). The writing in Twilight veers from somewhat simplistic to flowery and melodramatic, the latter shown particularly in the descriptions of the overwhelming beauty of the vampire characters.

I realize that I will have many who vociferously disagree with me on my view of the Twilight series (and more to come when I continue to comment on what irked me about the plot itself!). I welcome any comments that take a different view; I always love hearing a perspective unlike my own and having a good discussion!

What-the-Eff Bear

The genesis of this post was actually a reaction to the trailer for the new GI Joe film, which is scheduled for release on August 7. Now, I must ask, did anyone else have any idea this was supposed to be GI Joe before the title revealed as much? I don't know about the rest of you, but this is my memory of GI Joe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhVYXRSEE1k. And what about "knowing is half the battle?" I am left feeling disillusioned and... old. I suppose it's a sign that many people of my generation now have young children of their own, considering how many of the old shows and toys have made a comeback, albeit in somewhat altered form.

There is another toy and associated cartoon from my childhood, which is still around for children these days, that sprang to mind. What in the world has happened to the Care Bears? There must have been some genetic experimenting going on in Care-a-Lot in the years since I was a kid to produce the characters that are running amok there now. Sure, I remember Friend Bear, Cheer Bear, Grumpy Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, etc... even a couple of those added during the later 80s or early 90s were fairly understandable. Share Bear, Harmony Bear... okay. However, have you seen some of the newer additions to the gang? Superstar Bear? Do-Your-Best Bear? Oopsy Bear?? I... can't continue.

We might as well all make up our own Care Bears. Any suggestions?

Another "horror story"

I was reminding myself to post sort of an addendum to my last entry regarding horror movie stories anyway, and then Deanna made the comment on it and clinched the deal. It's the tale of one Halloween weekend when I went to visit my friends Scott and Donna in Tampa before I lived there. As it was Halloween weekend, we thought it might be fun to get into the spirit and go see The Grudge. Fun... yeah.

What followed was one of the most harrowing cinema experiences that I can remember. Complete with screaming girls in the row behind us. Poor Scott's arms both must have been numb considering he had one of us latched onto either side. Things jumped at the screen so often that I actually uttered the phrase, "I'm exhausted... I'm not sure how much more of this I can take!" After the movie, we formed a human chain all way to the car, and into the house. The mood didn't even wear off at that point, as one of us insisted, "Come upstairs with me; I have to go to the bathroom!" As an added bonus, Sam the cat liked to meow randomly in the night, much like the cat in the movie. (Good thing I didn't have Ace yet at that point, since he both looks and sounds like that cat.) I was roundly mocked by Scott when he came downstairs in the morning and found that I had left the lamp on all night.

Now, I've seen this movie since, and while it's still rather creepy on a small screen in the living room, I believe that our experience was primarily caused by perfect fright conditions. Halloween weekend, pitch-black theater, surround sound, screaming girls behind us... we never had a chance.

(If anyone read Deanna's comment to my last post and is wondering what the part about the butt means, there is a scene in which Buffy - it's stuck; I have a really hard time calling her Sarah Michelle Gellar - is showering and something starts to come out of the back of her head. Based on the glimpse shown in the trailers, dad and Deanna thought it looked rather like a butt. I had to assure them that it wasn't; I believe it was in fact supposed to be a fist.)

What I should have done to make the scariness go away was check out the 30 Second Bunny Theater version, found here: http://www.angryalien.com/aa/grudgebuns.asp. 30 Second Bunny Theater makes everything a little better.

So, why do I watch horror movies again? Anybody else have a good being-scared-out-of-their-wits story?

One by one...

Those of you who know me are aware that I have always had a bit of a weakness for the horror genre. In recent years I haven't indulged the weakness all that often, which I think may be a function of living in an apartment by myself. You never know when those miners with pickaxes are going to be hiding in your closet or under the bed.

(At this point, let me take the opportunity to apologize to my friend John for My Bloody Valentine 3D. But at the very least, when else have you gotten to see so many various severed body parts flying toward you in dazzling 3D? And those plastic glasses are stylin'.)

I have a couple thoughts about the horror genre in general. First, if I'm going to watch a slasher flick, there needs to be an element of "fun" to it. That sounds like a horrible contradiction in terms, but if you think about it, if there isn't a tongue-in-cheek sort of feel to the film, it feels too much like reality and just becomes grisly and unpleasant. Also, it seems that Hollywood has completely lost sight of what is actually scary, figuring that more buckets of blood thrown at the screen = scarier. If I want to freak myself out, I'll go for some of the Japanese horror that has come out in the last several years, i.e. The Ring or The Grudge.

(Another interruption here to relay tales of how my friend Chuck has tormented me over the years... after I had first watched The Ring, brilliantly while my roommate at the time was out of town for the weekend, I got on the computer to chat with friends and calm myself down before I went to sleep. I told Chuck this, at which point he told me to visit a hyperlink he sent me and that it would make me feel better. Upon clicking on it, I came face to face with that scary little girl from the movie, and had to stay up for another few hours. Then there was the time a group of us went to our friend Gabe's family's cabin in the woods of Maine and he threatened to put little piles of rocks by my bed or stand in the corner after I'd seen the Blair Witch project. I've just told him I'm sharing these stories and he still thinks it's funny.)

Anyway, my latest guilty pleasure was the 13-episode "mystery" series on CBS entitled Harper's Island, which just had its finale last weekend. I think the purpose was actually more about dispatching people during each episode in creative and nasty ways than it was about solving a mystery, but that's as may be. In any case, I got sucked in during the second episode when I happened upon it while flipping through the channels. I also personally got three other people addicted, which was kind of fun. The premise was that a wedding party was headed to Harper's Island, off the coast of Washington state. Some years back there had been a series of murders there committed by someone named John Wakefield. One of the victims was the mother of the main character. Once the group arrives on the island, the murders begin again, and at least one person dies each episode. Entertaining it was, but scary it wasn't (although there was a creepy little girl, who uttered the words in the title of the blog... creepy children seem to be a popular horror element). The ending was underdeveloped and didn't make that much sense, but what can one really expect from a summer horror show on network television? The website also kept it within my slasher flick-watching rules by having a "Pick the Victim" contest each week and periodically posting an "Interviews with the Dead" segment in which they ask the actors who were killed off in the previous episode how they would have liked their characters to die. For the curious, and other closet bad-horror fans out there, the website is here: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/harpers_island/

Incidentally, I took a How Long Would You Survive in a Horror Film quiz on Facebook, and was informed that I would be the first to die, as I was clearly too female to survive for long. The quiz result then tried to console me by saying it was kind of an honor to be killed first, as the good people of America pay good money to see hot chicks get cut up into pieces clad in revealing clothes. Well, okay, I suppose that's all right then...

Tales from One Longfellow Square, Part 2

Well, this time there was no de-pantsing, guys peeing in bushes, pop icon deaths or even Paul Simon driveway performances in the wee hours of the morning. What there was, was a really awesome show.

The description on the One Longfellow Square site quoted the Portland Phoenix as writing, "Portland has the biggest crush on Pete Kilpatrick"... and why not? He's adorable. He's also a very entertaining performer, whether he was playing his songs accompanied only by his own guitar, or sharing his lovely sense of humor. Plus, he threw a line from a classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory song into one of his own (*sings* Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination...) ...how can you not love that?

Maia Sharp is my hero. She's a great songwriter, has a lovely voice, and accompanies her singing with her guitar, or sometimes keyboard, on occasion pausing to pull out a soprano sax and wailing away on it. Not only this, but she connects with her audience. It's no wonder she received such adoration from the crowd. She even taught us the importance of leaving your audience with a major triad at the end of a melancholy song.

Whenever I think of singer-songwriters, such as these two acts, I think of a quote from one of my very favorites, Elliott Smith. He pointed out that one person might look at a photo of New York and think it looked very depressing and frightening, while another might think about all the fun things you can do in New York; songs are kind of like that. Check out that quote and a beautiful performance of Waltz #2 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnqjZzMscFo

Tales from One Longfellow Square, Part 1

My first show volunteering at One Longfellow Square here in Portland on June 25 was part of a very surreal 24 hours. Before launching into my tale, I'd like to give a shout-out ("Hey!") to Tim and Lucy for indirectly and directly (respectively) getting me involved with this lovely little venue.
Anyway, my day began long before it ever should have around 3am, when I was awakened by the dulcet tones of someone singing Me and Julio, accompanied by guitar, somewhere in the vicinity of the driveway of my building. I'm pretty sure that I wasn't hallucinating or dreaming this, although it was kind of that muzzy half-asleep reaction: "What the f... is someone...out there... singing... what?" Thankfully, this was the performer's final song and I was able to get a few more hours' worth of sleep.

The second bit of...surreality, if you will, occurred when I had arrived at One Longfellow and Lucy returned not only with her miso soup from King of the Roll, but also the news that Michael Jackson was dead. Being raised in the music video era, as many of us were, I was stunned. Whatever one thought of the man, and whatever he may have become, his influence on the music world cannot be quantified. Still reeling from this news, I settled in to enjoy some of the show. I was impressed by Aly Spaltro's (aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper's) ability to multitask given the change in her act from duo to one-woman show. I was also touched by her cover of "These Days", originally by Jackson Browne and featured, in a version by Nico, in the Royal Tenenbaums. And then... came Feel it Robot. This band from Bangor brought along a group of followers who were more than ready to join them in dancing the remainder of the night away. Energy was certainly not lacking, and honestly it was difficult to keep a smile from my face as I watched. I was occasionally startled by the keyboard player as he left his post to go tearing around the room. However, I still wasn't entirely prepared when the entire band, and a good portion of the audience, dropped their pants in the middle of a number. Granted, the refrain to the song featured the lyrics "take off your pants", but it's still not a command you might expect to be taken literally. As this turn of events was something that needed to be shared, I slipped out to the bar and said, "Uh, Lucy, the entire band just dropped trou out there." And Feel it Robot actually stayed pantless for the remainder of the show.

But my evening wasn't quite over yet. As I took my leave and began the short walk home, I heard a suspicious rustling in the bushes to my left, and upon turning my head, saw a man facing the bushes, evidently having been in dire need of relieving himself. Not only that, but he felt the need also to apologize to me as I walked by: "Sorry, kiddo... sorry." I'm just grateful he didn't turn around.

There ended my adventures for the day. I return to One Longfellow Square tomorrow as a patron, for the Maia Sharp/Pete Kilpatrick show, to which I am very much looking forward, although there may not be nearly so much excitement to the evening! I will report on the show later in the week.

I also have to mention a new song obsession... Sweetie Pie by Ivana XL. I heard this song on Friday while watching the final installment of the web series at HarpersGlobe.com. I found it beautiful and haunting, and it drew me right in. (Note: Yes, I became addicted to Harper's Island, and its supplemental web series, right from the beginning... the finale was just last night, so a post will undoubtedly be forthcoming on this topic!)

I bid you farewell as we begin a new week...

Guinea pigs and "greedy little bastards"

I felt the need to expound on a Facebook status I posted a couple days ago, when I was stupefied by a movie trailer featuring animated guinea pigs outfitted in spy gear. Not only that, but this is a 3D Jerry Bruckheimer production. It was one of those moments when, had I been on the phone, I would have stopped mid-sentence and then forgotten completely what I had been talking about. (Side note: This actually happened not too long ago, coincidentally because of a different type of animated rodent in a commercial. I lost power of conversation when a couple animated hamsters drove a Kia down the street while rocking out to the stereo's beat. Hey, that rhymes. Anyway, perhaps I should no longer be surprised by animated rodents, since this appears to be a trend.) Back to the guinea pigs. After the initial shock, something possessed me to find the website for this film, which is entitled G-Force. At this point I was assaulted with images of said guinea pigs flying at the computer screen, accompanied by a rather obnoxiously loud pop song ("Jump" by Flo Rida featuring Nelly Furtado... I also had to look this up since I had no idea). It was all a little too much and I've still not completely recovered.
Now, I can see where this might have appeal to a certain audience. My friend Alyssa commented that it was sort of genius considering that her 2 1/2 year old nephew has been begging her to take him to the guinea pig movie every day for a week. Also, the capabilities of modern computer animation are to be admired. As my stepmom Deanna commented, there is an odd realness about it. But not too much realness... I had a guinea pig named Cleo growing up, and she never participated in such antics. Or maybe she was just such a good spy that I never knew...

On another topic altogether (because that's quite enough about animated anthropomorphized rodents), I love when I can be endlessly amused by song lyrics. On the drive to work today, I happened to be listening to "Had Enough" by Breaking Benjamin. What chiefly makes this tune fun is the fact that it is just pure, straightforward vitriol, and contains one of the most entertaining insults that I have ever heard expressed in song. The refrain begins thusly:
"You had to have it all, well have you had enough, you greedy little bastard, you will get what you deserve". I think that's just great. And I suppose also that we've all known some greedy little bastards we'd like to serenade. Does anyone else out there have a favorite song insult?

Until next time...

Look! I'm blogging!

So, I've given in and started a blog of my very own. I haven't had one in the past, mainly because a) I didn't know if I'd be keeping up with it on a regular basis and b) I didn't know as anyone would particularly want to read what I had to say. I've started one now because a) I've remembered how much I love to write and b) it doesn't really matter if anyone reads what I have to say if I'm enjoying writing it! I always manage to entertain myself, so if I can entertain anyone else who may be reading, that's definitely a bonus. I also need to give props to my friend John Swinconeck, who introduced me to the fun when he invited me to be a guest writer on his music blog, thefiver.net. (Go read it when you're done here; it's good stuff!!)

What I'll write about here will definitely change from post to post. As the title of the blog suggests, I am a great lover of all things "pop culture"... music, books, movies, television, sports... you name it, I probably enjoy it. This became apparent from a very early age. A story my parents love to tell is that of my first movie theater experience. At the age of three, I sat through the Great Muppet Caper in rapt attention, and when it was over, I promptly burst into tears. I also was treated to at least one trip to Great Woods (yes, it shall always be Great Woods, no matter what the sign says) each year starting around age 8, and astonished my family by picking up such books as Jaws and Watership Down long before I ever could have been expected to do so. I'm not an expert by any means on any of these media... I just like a lot of stuff!

I also may recount various little absurdities that happen to me from time to time, such as the incident recently when I accidentally set the contents of my recycle bin on fire. I'm not making that up; things like this happen to me all the time. I was actually lighting a candle when the match lit, broke in half, and sailed directly into the recycle bin. Thankfully I was able to get it out before it hit the newspaper...

Anyway, all that sort of fun and more to come. That's why I thought it would be fun to name the link thekateofalltrades.blogspot.com. Kind of like a Jack of all trades, but not really. As we learned in Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Jacks of All Trades are pretty scary. (If you haven't read The Graveyard Book, shame on you. Please line up to be hit in the head with a copy before you read.)

If you've gotten this far, intrepid reader, I congratulate you. Feel free to stop by anytime and see what I have to say... and share your own thoughts should you feel so inclined.