Concert Review - Justified & Stripped Tour

Well, last night Michelle & I saw quite a show. I have to say Christina Aguilera did not disappoint and I can say without a doubt she’s not a “studio” singer. That girl has got mad vocal skillz. A number of things struck me about Christina’s performance, mainly the fact that she really seemed to be enjoying herself. A lot of pop performers present a certain persona on stage which carries through each tightly choreographed number (Think Janet’s attitude, Britney’s come-hither looks, Madonna’s sassy-bitch style). In-between songs said artist will scream “How are we doing in [insert city name here] tonight?” or something else to personalize the moment, but then the music kicks in and the game face is back on. In contrast, Christina rarely seemed to be “in character”. It reminded me of a scene in Rock Star where Mark Walberg’s character can’t keep from grinning during a band photo shoot. Even during those sultry moments, she offered a quick smile or wink reminding me more of the girl next door type then “X-tina”.

Choreography took a backseat to a strong vocal performance and while she managed to strut her stuff Christina’s dance troupe provided the visuals. Songs from her first album were offered up as remixed medleys and I was impressed by her covers of Etta James. The show closed with an energized version of “Fighter” followed “Beautiful” which Christina kicked off a cappella.

Now some of you are wondering “But Dude, I heard she’s fat now?” I can’t remember her quote from Rolling Stone (and it’s not in the online excerpt), but I don’t think she looked too plump or anything. It’s obvious she’s not the waif she was a few years back, but I’m not really concerned enough to delve into her personal eating habits. I will say kudos to her & Justin for having dancers that actually looked healthy (gotta have some meat on them bones). The female dancers had curves (and I don’t mean aftermarket breasts) while the guys weren’t all washboard abs and chests like Johnny Bravo.

Grade: A+ (Let me say again CHRISTINA CAN SING HER ASS OFF!)

So what about Justin?

Well, other than Punked and maybe a couple clips from some N`Sync video I can’t say I knew anything about him. Sure I’ve heard the hype and read the disses, but I can honestly say I had no expectations going to the show. That being said Justin’s performance, in contrast to Christina’s, was all about the choreography and putting on an energetic show. I can see why there would be Michael Jackson comparisons as the dance grooves were very frontman oriented unlike Madonna’s shows which play like musical theatre. The show was slick and by that I mean the production almost seemed too processed. I’d be more inclined to believe there were some vocal tracks covered by Justin’s backup singers as the sheer intensity of the dance moves would make it hard to commit an even stronger vocal performance. (As a former singer/dancer I have an informed opinion) There were pieces of the show that were very remnant of Britney’s performance on HBO and noticing the similarities in their music that doesn’t surprise me.

It’s clear that the former N`Sync guy has talent, but I’m just not a fan of his voice or vocal style. It’s not his use of falsettos which make him MJ-like, but whenever he sings in his full voice it just doesn’t convince me his weuvos<sp?> have dropped. Now I’m not saying he can’t sing because it’s obvious he can; I’m just saying he doesn’t do it for me.

Moving on the highlight of the evening was when Justin broke into his human beat box shtick. While not the most original it was fun to watch as he stepped on a platform which place him about 100ft above the main floor audience. Add a local Dallas DJ and a great percussive style drummer and you had yourself probably the hippest rave ever.

Grade: B (Justin will be the MJ for a new generation. Let’s hope he doesn’t follow ALL the King of Pop’s footsteps)

I am pop music baby

It’s a good day. I survived midterms at school - YEAH ME!!!

Tonight Michelle & I are going to see the Christina Aguilera (Ryan’s BOTW) & Justin Timberlake live downtown. Looking forward to seeing Christina’s stage show as the only performance I’ve ever caught was the brief medley she did during the Olympics. Catching Justin’s show will be a spontaneous decision although I have to admit curiosity will probably get the better of me.

This is usually the point where most bloggers go into a clich? diatribe about why they haven’t been blogging lately. I’ll just cut to the chase - real life is busy (a good thing) and it’s the summer (also a good thing). Rest assured my writing will not be dismissed altogether and while I don’t anticipated going to weekly/monthly updates (God forbid) don’t be surprised to see me post in spurts.

• Ryan found FlicksXXXposed (no it’s not porn)
• Rob’s got some funny voiceover demos
• Canadian chicks who dig Ani DiFranco & Drew Carey kick ass!

Movie Review - Old School

The most boring movie of 2003. OK, two topless scenes and several clich? jokes later I was left feeling not so impressed. Now I certainly didn’t expect Oscar caliber filmmaking, but from the word of mouth I had the impression this was at least a nostalgic trip back to the Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The characters, dialogue and comedic timing just falls flat. As thirty-somethings trying to regain some sense of bachelorhood only Will Ferrell’s character was entertaining (getting caught streaking by his wife & her girlfriends) while Luke Wilson seemed whiny (I just want nice girls who don’t like sex) and Vince Vaughn’s character was a poor man’s version of Trent from Swingers (Everyone thinks I’m a horndog, but really girls make me cry).

I’m not balking at the movie because it was predictable. This type of film generally follows a certain formula, but unlike Revenge of the Nerds which put silly characters in equally silly challenges the fight for fraternity recognition in Old School seems pointless. All the gags rely on one joke humor instead of building any real momentum. Even the KY wrestling match was sad as the choice of females was completely unappealing.

“Are strange men staring at your rib cage more than your boobs?”

“It could be a sign of EAT SOME FRICKIN’ FOOD!!!”

If you’re looking for mindless sex & scenes with hot chicks this is definitely not the film for you. Vince Vaughn’s wife (played by Leah Remini) - HOT. His character’s cheating opportunity - NOT HOT.

Adam Sandler flicks do a better job of tying up plot lines. Luke Wilson ends up with the girl even though you don’t see them interact in any way the last third of the film. You’re teased with the idea that the boss’s daughter MIGHT be a problem. This could have been a one act joke, but it pops up every time you forget about it and then just disappears by the end of the film. Two scenes with the boss, first act Luke’s a sniveling yes man, last third of the film he tells his boss to go screw.

I’m glad that I missed this in the theatre and thankfully it was a cheap DVD rental. Oh and one final nail before I click ’submit’; I watched the Un-Rated version and have no idea what could possibly have been bad about it. Did I mention only TWO not-even-raunchy nude scenes? Maybe it’s un-rated because the skinny chicks are smack-dab-motion-captured on the front of the DVD menu.

Grade: D+ (Cause some people REALLY like Will Ferrell)

Movie Review - Finding Nemo

I know what you’re thinking, “How can you be reviewing Finding Nemo when The Hulk premiered this weekend?”

Frankly, the filmmakers couldn’t decide if The Hulk should be live action film or a cartoon so I’m not in a rush to check it out.

Finding Nemo was a fun film, if you find whiny, overly-cautious, pessimistic characters played by Albert Brooks funny. It followed that A+B+C formula, but I did enjoy myself. The story follows Marlin (voiced by Brooks) a clown fish who loses his son Nemo to a hobbyist fisherman because he’s over-protective and well kids need room to breath. What follows is Marlin’s quest across the ocean tackling obstacles he would never be inclined to face otherwise. Meanwhile, Nemo finds himself adjusting to being a “tank fish” on display in a dentist’s office. Tension mounts as Nemo learns from an eclectic gang of tropical fish that he’s a gift for the dentist’s niece the infamous “fish killer”.

The film offers many hilarious moments as Marlin battles sharks, jellyfish, scary-indescribable-no-reference-on-the-official-website-fish, rides under-sea currents, whales and generally struggles with his own pessimistic outlook. Nemo has many ”,coming of age” moments with the other tank fish and proves himself quite the hero towards the end of the film.

If you’re a Disney fan and admire the work of Pixar Entertainment then you can’t possibly be disappointed with this movie. The film entertains adults & kids alike and I would definitely recommend it on DVD.

Grade: B+ (For using plot formula and I’m not a fan of Albert Brooks)

Scratch That I Need A Drink…

Something’s been picking at me for several days now. I can’t quite bring it into focus (remind me to rant about Lasik surgery some other time), but this week’s really just sucked.

- CASE #1 - I Will Comment You To Death -

So I’m reading Dawn’s site for the past week and I admire her tenacity amongst all the venomous comments left by some schmuck pretending to be various other blog authors. Apparently the hate-mongers picked Dawn as a target after the whole Moxie vs. MoxiePop debate (if you don’t know what I’m talking about take pride in your ignorance). The comments were so vile and numerous that Moxie disabled that feature on her blog all together. For Dawn, deleting the toxic text must have been a chore (there were 50+ comments on one entry alone) and I’m appalled that anyone could verbally abuse another person to such a degree. I’m not talking simple “You’re an @sshole” insults, but death threats were made to her family including her husband, daughter and unborn child.

My God people IT’S JUST A BLOG. Even if Dawn was a horrible person (which she is not) or you disagreed with her opinions (which you’re entitled to), grow up and go visit some other website that’s more to your liking.

- CASE #2 - Link Me Or Die -

Here’s a simple idea - if you like a website feel free to link it from your own. Said link doesn’t entitle you to be linked back by the other person. If that is your intent then I suggest a polite e-mail asking for a link exchange. It will make a better impression than “Hey you @ssh#le, I linked your website and then you ignore me?”. Well, dear reader if I wasn’t ignoring you before that e-mail I certainly am now.

Not everyone I have ever linked has linked back to me. I don’t link for popularity’s sake. The blog descriptions page is for your benefit (checkout something new). There are plenty of blogs I read that I haven’t linked yet, but I’m not ready to compete with Kevin Holtsberry for the longest blogroll. Actually, I will probably steal from Tony Pierce and start including blog links in my entries.

Now go visit Rob as new visitors who leave me comments deserve linkage.

- CASE #3 - You Are Not Your Blog or Hey Reader I Am Not My Blog -

Let me reiterate the message it Case #1 - It’s just a blog people. Reading someone’s website doesn’t make you intimately aware of their being. Sure some bloggers reveal more personal details than others, but that doesn’t make them instantly your friend or your enemy. I read a lot of different sites and I take a lot of what’s written with a grain of salt. If Ryan says he enjoys cat javelin I respect his right to express himself through literary prose even though I happen to love cats (and dogs). There are other reasons I enjoy visiting Ryan’s website.

I’ve long tossed around the idea of planning a road trip around the country to meet the bloggers behind the sites I visit. But imagine for a second what that would be like. It’s like meeting a celebrity for the first time - your expectations might not match with who they really are. Same could be said for bloggers. I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging e-mails with a number of bloggers that I visit or who visit me. I enjoy those conversations a lot and you people are very cool. But Ryan… err… Ryan McGee (I’m gonna have to assign codenames) said it best, “…anybody who comes here comes for the content, not for me.”

- CASE #4 - Pay Your Dues Citizen -

Long term readers know I was the victim of identity theft last year. This has still caused me some headaches and most recently one of my credit accounts was closed. In an effort to sort things out I had deal with the collection agency. I was told quite frankly that said collection agency didn’t give a shit about the particulars of my situation neither did the creditor. In fact, if I didn’t see fit to pay the balance in full (which until the account was mysteriously closed was in question) then the creditor would be forced to go after Michelle as apparently we have a joint account.

Now I admit, I messed up. Apparently, the credit card company took advantage of my ignorance and when I “sponsored” Michelle for a card last year I actually added her to my account. It would seem to me if we had a joint account then BOTH accounts would be closed, but Michelle’s account is now deliquent (with my questionable balance) while mine is closed. But I digress…

Said phone rep didn’t have to be such as @ssh#le over the phone. You sir are not privy to the details of my situation and while I’m fully aware that you are attempting to collect a debt and perhaps you hear thousands of sob stories each day that does not entitle you to belittle another person because you hate your job.

- Topic Change -

A funny thing happened at school this week. On Monday I was in English giving a presentation and during the class discussion my age came into question. “Oh, I’m thirty-something.” rolled off my tongue easily enough and then everything changed.

There was a sudden hush in the classroom - no really. “Dude! I thought you were like 24 or something?” Not sure where the shock came from, but even my English instructor seemed a little surprised. “No wonder you know so much, you’re an old dude.” I went instantly from a hip twentysomething to an old fart and all my cool points seemed to go out the window.

They say perception is reality and I could use a really good breath mint right now…

Spurs 88, Nets 77 - That’s Two Titles Baby!!!

Despite Jason Kidd bringing his A game early and trailing for three quarters, the Spurs managed to pull together for the series win in Game 6 of the NBA finals. Tim Duncan had a triple-double and was the series MVP. David Robinson had a great game and certainly a memorable Father’s Day as he moves on to retirement. (Here’s hoping he follows John Elway’s lead and not Michael Jordan’s by staying retired while he’s on top)

What a season for the Spurs - Best Record, Coach Of The Year, League MVP and finally their second championship. (I’ll leave the debate about asterisks to all you hardcore NBA fans)

Spurs 93, Nets 83 - One More To Go!!!

Hey, look at that I happen to have `net access at my hotel here in SAN ANTONIO. Too bad the Spurs were playing away tonight. Tickets for Game 6 go on sale tomorrow if we’re lucky Michelle & I will have ourselves a pair.

Tonight’s game was much better than the 28% performance on offense in Game 4. The early surprise was Jason Kidd who shot 29 points total to lead his team. Had the rest of the Nets been on the ball this might have been a different game. Fortunately, Tim Duncan also gave an impressive performance and have I not said they NEED TO PLAY STEVE KERR MORE. Once again he came off the bench and scored immediately. No one else can come off cold and play as well. Yes, he might not have the stamina for a full game, but with Tony Parker a question mark each game you need to get the ball in the hands of a proven vet.

Well, I could ramble on some more, but access to this public terminal is timed. I’m sure Sunday nights game will be a big one and I’m glad the Spurs came away with this win tonight.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I’ll be checkin’ back in Sunday night.

Movie Review - Triple Feature

OK, I put this off, but I’m going to do my best 30 second review of each movie before I go pick up Mich3lle and get out of town for the weekend.

Bruce Almighty
For anyone teetering on the fence with their own personal dogma you just might have a profound spiritual connection with this film. Jim Carrey plays down & out Bruce Nolan who after a string of bad days tells God to piss off. In return God grants him unlimited power and from there the comedy ensues. Amidst the film’s comedic moments I felt relieved to watch somebody else have a crappy day, yelling the same things I would typically yell. Sure the story was predictable and Jennifer Anniston played yet another Jennifer Anniston-like role, but it was campy good fun. Had Jim’s girlfriend been cast as a Mexican I’m sure Mich3lle would have fit the role very well. If you’re an atheist or hate it when movies make assumptions about Heaven or portray God as something not out of the King James edition then this film may not appeal to you.

Grade: A-, will probably buy the DVD.

2 Fast, 2 Furious
Whatever your opinion was of the first movie the sequel stands on its own. Not because it’s any better or any worse, but seeing the original isn’t a prerequisite to watching the sequel. As action movies go 2F2F follows the same buddy-buddy action formula. While it doesn’t have the chemistry of 48 Hours or Lethal Weapon, it was decent matinee entertainment. The movie drags in a few places, but there’s plenty of eye candy for both sexes. Not as many fight scenes as the first movie, but plenty of car chases. If you’re looking for mindless entertainment MTV style then it’s worth your $5.

Grade: B-, what can I say I dig cars & bikes.

The Italian Job
I’ll take Roland’s word that this doesn’t compare to the original. I have to say Hollywood needs to come up with better marketing. Frankly there are no surprises in this film as the previews give everything away. You know some thieves pull a big heist. You know they get double-crossed. You know an elaborate scheme of vengeance ensues. Whether you like Mark Walberg or not, his performance is not pinnacle to liking this film. Another action picture simply for those that love action pictures. Throw in some witty banter, and this one may be worth a Blockbuster movie rental, but I wouldn’t waste money on the theatre or DVD.

Grade: C+

Nets 77, Spurs 76 - What the %$^@#???

This article sums up my feelings about tonight’s game.

The Spurs need to remember this series isn’t over until one team gets four wins.

Tattoos 101

I posted this once on a forum and dug it up `cause I’m tired & lazy tonight. For all the newbies out there here are the Do’s & Don’ts when getting a tattoo:

1. Don’t Get A Tattoo On A Whim.
Sure it’s a cool idea now, but what happens tomorrow when there’s no peer pressure from your drinking buddies or that gal you decided to impress is dating someone else? Maybe a tattoo isn’t as permanent anymore, not with laser removal surgery, but stop and think - Do you really want to pay twice as much to have a tattoo removed as you did to get it in the first place? Not to mention the time involved. Also is the Tasmanian Devil what you want to show off when you’re 65 swapping war stories in the old folks home?

“Heh, I remember the time I got drunk and those buddies of mine had No Entry tattooed on my butt!” Ooh, now there’s a cherished memory.

2. Ask Around, Find A Reputable Tattoo Shop.
Not all places are built the same. Before you just walk in and say “Ink me!” make sure you know something about the shop. Get recommendations from friends who’ve had tattoos done, look at an artist’s portfolio, check to see if they use disposable needles and have a clean shop. A good shop won’t tattoo you if you’ve been drinking (thins the blood, takes longer to ink & heal) and don’t be surprised at the number of bad shops that are out there. (I remember a chain of shops that were closed in Detroit due to the spread of Hepatitis from dirty needles). That being said I would never get a tattoo done in another city I was just visiting.

3. OK, So You’re Going For It, Now What?
So you’ve found a shop and you’re going to get inked. Have you given some thought to what you want? I did mention that this was permanent right? Are you getting color work done or just black & white? Will your piece be filled or just an outline? Depending on what you choose, be prepared for more than one trip to complete your tattoo. Generally a color piece can take two days as you’ll be outlined & shaded first, then the color will be added after your skin heals a little. Make sure you ask about the inks. Organic inks are not as bright, but some people (myself included) are allergic to synthetic inks.

4. Where Should I Put My Tattoo?
That’s up to you. If you are work or opinion conscious then you may opt for a place that can be covered like you back or upper arm. Generally the more muscle in the spot the less pain you will feel. Anything close to bone, i.e., toes, knuckles, base of spine, will feel like your funny bone is being pinched. As you can see, I’m literally covered in tattoos, but nobody knows as I generally wear a shirt & tie for corporate gigs. I do get weird looks the first time someone new catches me at the lake… LOL.

5. I’ve Been Inked, I’m Done Right?
Nope. Immediately following the procedure you’ll be instructed to keep the tattoo moist. You can use Vaseline or any Vitamin E ointment so long as you don’t let the skin get dry. You tattoo will have an embossed look and your skin will feel like it’s been sunburned when you touch it so you’ll probably wear loose clothing for a few days. (Take this into account when choosing your location as it would suck not to be able to sit down in those capri pants, cruisin’ while your ass heals) If you don’t take care of the tattoo then you might end up ruining what you just paid for. I had a friend who couldn’t stop pickin’ at his arm after having a wraparound tribal done. It looked nasty after only one month, because he scratched it so much that it was uneven and broken in spots.

The pics to the right are of my tattoos (if you hadn’t done the math).

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