Judicial Observation

I just wanted to point out -- before someone else did -- just how much Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts looks like Greg Kinnear:



Uncanny.

Neutral Milk Hotel ~ "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"

Jude and Peterik love it. Figured I'd give it a whirl. First NMH listen ever:

1. King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1
Whoah, the lead singer's voice changes the song's tone completely from simply folk to fuzzy psychadelic folk. 3.5

2. King of Carrot Flowers, Pts. 2 & 3
Ok, this is unique. 4

3. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Yay, trombone! 3.5

4. Two-Headed Boy
Is this really about a boy and his penis? Neat. 4.5

5. Fool
Eh. 2

6. Holland, 1945
Great great song. I think this was one of Jude's "Songs of the Day" back at ND. More trombone at the end. 4.5

7. Communist Daughter
"Semen stains the mountaintops"-- howz that for descriptive lyrics? Doesn't sound like the same singer. Aw rats, it's too short. 3.5

8. Oh Comely
Very epic song; more graphic lyrics. 3

9. Ghost
The end of this song scares me a bit. 3.5

10. (untitled)
Instrumental, irish-y, and cool. 3

11. Two-Headed Boy, Pt. 2
I have to pay more attention to the lyrics to fully appreciate this one (and the entire album for that matter). 3

Overall: 3.5 -- certain to go up with additional listens.

Laguna Beach, 2.1

This show is fucking brilliant. Highlights & Comments:

- Smartly, they kept "Come Clean" as the opening credits song. Schweet.

- Stephen's head is still in Laguna, but I have a feeling Kristin's "I don't care" attitude is superficial.

- LC lost weight since last season, no freshman 15 for her; then again, she dropped out.

- I thought Season 2 would leave Stephen & LC behind since they weren't in Laguna anymore. I was wrong.

- LC and Lo are best friends yet when they see each for the first time since leaving for college, they're still looking each other up & down like they're jealous.

- Speaking of 'Lo, fuck her. What a dweeb.

- Stephen's haircut hasn't changed. Dude looks exactly the same. Not a good way to show your ex-girlfriend you've moved on.

- I was so hoping they'd show Trey and his dog back together. The look on the dog's face when he left for NY was one of the best moments from last season.

- Stephen = Pride. But then, "Call me. Please."

- Jason, bad news? Duh.

- $607 shoes. I love this show, but I hate that.

- Kristin is just trying to make Stephen jealous, and I truly think she's a sociopath. Does "Matt" even exist?

- Whoah, that M&M commercial played a slow version of "Such Great Heights." Was that the "Iron & Wine" take?

- "Don't Stop Believing." Used brilliantly. Yes!

- I know Jude loved that "Since You've Been Gone" singalong.

- Kristin and Stephen--My, how the tables have turned. And all in one episode!

- This show is cut and shot by geniuses.

4.5/5.

Back in NH

Thursday after work, Lori wanted to go out and see "Into the Woods" at Prescott Park. We planned to meet at 7:30, but circa 7:35 she called saying she couldn't find anywhere to park. So she drove by where I was waiting, and we headed off to grab something to eat. We got on I-95 North and before we knew it, we were driving through York Beach, Maine. It looked so nice and uncrowded we decided to stop there and forget about the play. I grabbed a sandwich at the local deli and she bought a kite that turned out to not have any string. What kind of shit is that? Anyway, we're sitting there on the beach and she says rhetorically that she wants to go in. I say I'd pay her if she did, thinking who in their right mind wants to go jump in the cold Maine ocean at 8:00 at night? She asked how much, and I low balled it at 20 bucks, again thinking no one would do it for a measly twenty. Her eyes widened, "Twenty! Really?!" And off she went. No bathing suit or anything. So I'm standing there holding her sunglasses while she's out frolicking in the freezing-ass ocean, with people walking by laughing at this crazy girl in the water. I make excuses, "Oh, I'm paying her to do that," etc etc. Finally she comes back in, and I give her my hoodie and we sit back down. More talk... "I can't believe you did that" blah blah "It wasn't that cold," etc etc. Then she offers to give me back my twenty if I go in. Now what would Matt N do in this situation? How about a "Hell No?" Yeah, that seems right. But that's not what I said, I say "I'll do it before we go so I'm not freezing my ass off outside," and thirty minutes later before we're ready to take off, I remove my shoes, my watch, my cell, my wallet, and yes my shirt, and run into that freakin freezing ocean at full speed. Much to my surprise it wasn't all that cold, and there weren't creepy crawling things all up in my feet and shorts, which is why I stay out of the ocean to begin with. I spend a good 3 minutes out there enjoying it and come back in all psyched. What fun. Lori can't believe it, because of what a tight ass I usually am, and she seems glad she's not the only one who's drenched anymore. We start to pick up our stuff as the tide comes in and washes over the blanket, soaking it, which we then have to lug back to the car. We drive off in the wrong direction, blasting "It's My Life" at one point, and finally turning around and heading back home. Fun night, especially for a Thursday.

Friday night, uhhhh...I slept. Saturday I weeded the yard for like 3 hours, after having a conversation with my landlord about how I need to water the fucking trees (what an idiot). Fine, I'll weed, but I ain't watering no fucking trees. After that, I studied hard for the GMAT, finishing the Math section and getting through the Sentence Structure lesson with no problem at all (thanks, Observer). I really hope I'm ready for the test by the end of August, otherwise I might not be able to enroll in January.

On Sunday Lori calls and wants to see a matinee of "The Wedding Crashers," which I'm happy to do. It's a fun movie, with a fairly relentless manic energy to it thanks to Vince Vaughn's crackerjack, motor-mouth performance that alone makes the movie worth seeing. It's a formula flick, but with good comedic performances from all involved, even the main love interest, Rachel McAdams, who hardly misses a bit. Owen Wilson I've never seen as a sleazy kind of guy, so his portrayal of a wedding crasher is a little unconvincing, especially in comparison to Vaughn. There are no BIG laugh out loud moments that people are gonna be talking about...just very consistent jokes and one-liners and personalities that keep you entertained for the full 2 hours. Quality comedy. 3.5/5.

After the movie I met my parents in Ogunquit at the Lobster Pound, where you can choose your own lobster to eat. I actually went to the wrong place, waiting at the "Cape Neddick Lobster Pound" and then arguing with my dad on my cell about why we couldn't find each other. The meal was fantastic, very fresh lobster (obviously-- 10 minutes before we sentenced the poor things to death -- "That one!"). We talk family (yes Lisa, you), politics, and movies. Good stuff. I follow them back to their house to do laundry and watch "Family Guy," which was the worst of the season, especially in comparison to last week's most excellent episode featuring the "Take On Me" gag. God that was hilarious. So was Stewie's giant unemptied diaper. Ahhh, "Family Guy."

Speaking of TV, tonight begins the season premiere of the best damn show on television: "Laguna Beach." Watch it and be mesmerized. 10pm, MTV. A whole full hour. Ohhh yeeeaah.

San Diego, Part 2

I added pictures to Part 1.

Here are some pics from the rest of my trip, along with a few comments:



That's my view of Natalie Portman at the V FOR VENDETTA panel. Their were over 6,000 people there in Exhibit Hall H, a massive auditorium with rows upon rows of folding chairs and very high ceilings. She was projected on at least 3 giant tv screens. This is the one closest to me. She was a very gracious celebrity guest, doing her best not to offend anyone while still answering the question (considering the subject of the film -- terrorism in a police state -- she definitely could've ruffled some feathers). The first question she was asked was "Can you give us an original moment?" a la GARDEN STATE. She answered by basically doing the same dance her character does in the film. Before she came out, they showed the trailer for "Vendetta," and having not read the book I couldn't really get into it. It looks hokey and superficial to me. Somehow I doubt the book is that way. I wonder what Jude thinks of the trailer (now online), since he just read the graphic novel. Much to the crowd's enjoyment, they were each given a plastic mask like the one V wears in the movie:



The next presentation was for HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE. The trailer was introduced via video by the director, MIKE NEWELL. Aside from a few unfinished FX, the clip was pretty exciting. The Potter fans in the audience cheered, and as soon as this presentation was over, a lot of them left.

Next up was DARREN ARONOFSKY and RACHEL WEISZ (and HUGH JACKMAN via video) to introduce THE FOUNTAIN, which looks incredible, if somewhat indescribable. They presented the trailer and the film's first 10 minutes. I really hope they put this footage on the internet so that the film can garner some more support. Aronofsky mentioned that the studio has no idea how to market it or when to release it. Jackman looks terrific in the film, as does Weisz (the movie is kind of a love story), who looked stunning up there on stage, way better than I've ever seen her in a movie. Aronofsky wisecracked most of the time, commenting at one point that he was through with "lap cam" shots made so famous in "Requiem for a Dream."

After the Comic Con, Josh and I walked to SEAPORT VILLAGE, browsed around a bit, got some ice cream and then sat on the rocks and enjoyed the view. This is where I got most of my sunburn, I think.

We took the trolley back to the apartment and then bummed around until heading out to see BATMAN BEGINS, which Josh hadn't seen yet. I didn't like or dislike it anymore than I did the first time; my problems with the film haven't changed. Josh seemed to like it quite a bit, although neither one of us could figure out why the batmobile has that crawl space feature that necessitates the driver to lie down while firing a missle from the front. Can anyone explain that?

Saturday was Zoo day. The SAN DIEGO ZOO is part of (or near) BALBOA PARK, a very large park with trails and what not, but also museums and theaters. It's neat. The Zoo itself is world famous, and I'd say it met my expectations, with the exception of the Panda exhibit, which on the day we went only had one panda. But other than that, it's an excellent zoo and a place I would've loved even more if I were a kid. Most of the animals were out in plain sight -- the elephants were throwing dirt on themselves, the giraffes were running around (yes, running), the hippos and polar bears were playing with their toys, and the jaguar was pacing. Very cool. Too many hills, though. I got tired.



I can't remember what day it was we went to LA JOLLA (pronounced "la hoya"), the ultra upscale section of SD that contains a really nice beach area called the COVE. Josh told me that the town created on the beach an artificial pool for children to learn how to swim in, but it taken over by seals. How cool is that? Fuck children. Seals rule.



On Sunday we wanted to attend the National Sandcastle Contest on IMPERIAL BEACH. Long story short, that's easier said than done.

We took the 45-minute trolley ride to the station closest to the beach, thinking it couldn't be more than 15 minutes away. HOW WRONG WE WERE. Turns out, it's like 10 miles away. Josh and I end up walking at least an hour and a half through not-too-safe hispanic neighborhoods (you know, the ones with bars on the windows) in order to get to the prized Imperial Beach. We joke around by rationalizing our safety -- "Well, at least we both have dark hair, so maybe at first we look hispanic" -- and I continuously comment on the aching pains on my feet thanks to a pair of VERY uncomfortable flips flops. We follow all the signs for Imperial Beach, finally arriving at the town center (after humorously being asked for directions by a couple older folks); but which way is the ocean? We try one direction -- nope that's not it -- then the other, and when we finally see other people walking in the same direction, we're a little more confident. We FINALLY arrive at the beach and.... it kind of sucks. And, worse than that, the best sandcastle sculpure in contention was this one:



Big fuckin' deal. We soon realize this so-called "National Contest" is just a community day sort-of-thing in a community we couldn't give two shits about. Sure, I praise its diversity -- whites, hispanics, blacks were all co-mingling gracefully -- but it was jerky of them to advertise on the internet to San Diego visitors that this is some kind of once-in-a-lifetime tourist event. At least we didn't have to pay to see it, then I would've been REALLY pissed. Anyway, Josh and I ride the bus back to the Trolley station, enjoying the company of a couple fat pumpkin-ass skanks who couldn't shut up to save their lives. As soon as Josh and I open the door to the apartment, we both crash on the couches.

But not for too long, because damn if I was gonna let my last day in San Diego be a big giant waste of time (it was all my fault really, since I was the one who found out about the sandcastle contest). So we head out to MISSION VALLEY to visit BELMONT PARK, home of the GIANT DIPPER (or something like that), one of the 3 oldest wooden rollercoasters in the country, and to see the FLOWRIDER, a continuous wave of water built for surfing/boogeyboarding training. The Dipper was a blast, rickety as shit, and very well-designed. The FlowRider section of the park was closed off by the time we got there, even though there was still a shitload of people inside -- this was my first & only taste of California arrogance. But I snuck a peak from afar and got the gist of how cool this thing was. It's the only one like it in the country right now, and I guarantee you it'll be all over the place 5 years from now.

So that was the weekend, pretty much. Josh and I also went to Jamba Juice, where you can buy many kinds of smoothie/juice drinks, and argued over the merits of Lucky Charms vs. Fruit Loops. I think they're both terrible sugar cereals (ie, GREAT), but Josh thinks Lucky Charms is disgusting -- but not Fruit Loops. This makes no sense to me. They're either both delicious or they're both gaggy. Which it is? Huh? WHICH IS IT?

Anyway, I flew back on Monday, two completely uneventful flights. The movie was "Fever Pitch," which I enjoyed with no sound. I got in around 11:30pm, was at my house by 12:30am, and couldn't fall asleep until 3am. I went to work the next day because I felt fine, but on Tuesday it caught up with me in a major way.

Coming back from Vacation is hard. Thanks to Josh for making it worth my while and for getting a chance to see some very cool (and not so cool) parts of San Diego. I'd go back in a second.

San Diego, Part 1

Here're highlights of my trip to San Diego to visit my friend Josh, and to generally just get away from it all:


Wednesday, July 12:

Flew US Scareways from Manchester to Charlotte, sitting next to a 40-year-old asian woman from Austin, Texas who just got her Business degree from UT. Go figure.

Flew from Charlotte to San Diego after an hour delay, watching "Miss Congeniality 2" (no, I didn't buy the headphones), sitting next to two lesbians from England. It's not as hot as it sounds. I pulled out my iPod and she pulled out an even better mp3 player which held as much space as mine but was half the size. Leave it to the lesbians to show you how to do it.

Arrived in San Diego ~10pm PT (1am ET) tired & weary, but still happy to see Josh. Josh is attending USD law school and lives in graduate housing. His place was bigger/nicer than I thought, about the size of my apartment in South Carolina but with nicer furniture. We both agreed that the furnished couches belong in study rooms and not in living quarters. I slept on one of them, and it was surprisingly comfy.

Thursday, July 14:

Josh had to work, so I got up the courage to take the trolley to the convention center where the annual San Diego Comic Con was being held. If you visit AICN, CHUD or similar websites, you might know a thing or two about it. It's basically a huge media convention for movies, comics, tv, and video games. Big celebrities (actors, directors, writers, producers), exclusive footage, lots of free schwag, and many MANY geeks. It's big.

I got there at 10am, when the doors were scheduled to open, and there was already a Disney-sized line outside. I ended up waiting one hour just to get inside and pay my 25 bucks for a 1-day pass. A few observations: I've never seen so many geeks in my life -- everything from dorkity dork dorks dressed up in Harry Potter costumes to pale Goth fiends wearing all black and eyeliner. All ages were present. And, contrary to expectations, the crowd was no more than 60% male. Although I spotted a lot of girls who you could tell only came because they were forced to by their nerd boyfriends. They looked scared for their lives.

As soon as I got inside, I made a beeline for the soft pretzel stand (next to the blood drive stand) because I was friggin starving. After preventing my fainting, I ventured into the main convention hall, and it was, truly, a geek paradise. Huge displays, posters, endless comic booths, memorabilia, tv monitors showing trailers/games/etc.

Seven years ago at the peak of my comic interest I would've creamed my shorts. I still read comics and dig certain books a great deal, but I don't have geekgasms anymore, at least when it comes to comics (movies are another story). So I just walked around, taking in all the sites and a few pictures. Where else could you see a Chewbacca statue made of legos?

Then I started attending the panel presentations. First off was the DVD producers panel, which featured the dudes behind the DVDs for LOTR, SEINFELD, GLADIATOR, and SUPERMAN RETURNS (yes, the new one). We were treated to taped videos from PETER JACKSON and BRYAN SINGER made specifically for this panel. Content-wise they were ok, but they were my first taste of the "exclusivity" that the Comic Con is known for. Plus I gained an appreciation for the DVD-making process. They're massive undertakings in some cases, and in general they're just sizable, expensive projects in themselves. FYI, they're putting out another GLADIATOR DVD with a commentary from Scott & Crowe. Just what the world needs.

Next up was the A SCANNER DARKLY panel, which featured the movie's producers and Philip K Dick...in android form. DARKLY stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson, and Robert Downey J and is directed by Richard Linklater, whose films I never really like. This movie was shot live action and then animated a la Linklater's "Waking Life." It was filmed in Austin, and Scofield -- always upstaging me -- attended a cast/crew party last year, running into Reeves outside the bathroom and almost getting to dance with Winona Ryder. Ahem. Anyway, I got a free t-shirt, so there.



They showed the trailer also, along with a full scene from the film, which i wasn't impressed with mainly because it's a light comedy scene with no sci-fi/plot elements whatsoever (it involves a bicycle). They were probably just trying to show off the animation, but I don't think that type of scene is the best showcase for it.

Oh, and the PHILIP K DICK android (far right in the pic above), which was programmed to be able to respond to most typical questions, kept malfunctioning. At one point it went off on a rant about the differences between Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" vs his book, and people were laughing because he wouldn't shut up about it.

Next up was the SPIRIT panel. SPIRIT is an old comic superhero created by the legendary Will Eisner. I don't know much more about it, but the panel featured JEPH LOEB (a legend in the making, due to his LONG HALLOWEEN and DARK VICTORY Batman stories), who's writing the screenplay. The project is in the very early stages, so there wasn't anything to show or tell besides "We're going to be very faithful to Will Eisner's creation." Someone should've asked Loeb what he thought of "Batman Begins." And he would've said "I agree with Matt Nania. It wasn't great. He and I are writing the sequel."

After the SPIRIT panel I walked around the city a bit, taking a 30-minute phone call from my boss who wasn't holding things together back at the plant. Then I got back on the trolley and went back to Josh's place. Josh ended up staying at work longer than expected, because his boss is a raging asshole who swears a lot and bangs the telephone. He came back around 7pm, and I think we ended up watching TV, talking politics, and then grabbing Wendy's.

Part 2 coming tomorrow. To be covered: NATALIE PORTMAN, DARREN ARONOFSKY & THE FOUNTAIN (not to mention scrumptious Rachel Weisz), HARRY POTTER 4, Seaport Village.

News Flash: Decemberists on Conan TONIGHT

YES! The Decemberists will be performing on Conan tonight circa 1:25am. I'll be up anyway packing for my trip. This'll gimme a taste of what's in store for their Austin set. Tonight's gotta be "Sixteen Military Wives."

UPDATED: They played "We Both Go Down Together." I did not see that one coming at all. Sleater-Kinney played a suicide song too. Interesting. Anyway, the band was right on, and Colin hit all the little drawls he's known for (and his mouth is really big). Support included violin and piano. The crowd really dug it. Huh.

Family Guy vomit, CD mixes

I'm positive I wasn't the only viewer who doubled over in laughter during the vomit scene in tonight's "Family Guy." I swear I nearly pissed myself when Peter started holding Brian's ears. And, yes, the "X-Men Convention" gag hit a little too close to home, as did Stewie's "Strokes" line.

By the way, here are the mixes I put together for my dad. The first three were restricted to the CDs he gave me (all classic rock), but the fourth is a mix of new music that I think he'll like (given his classic rock tastes). For the Classic Mixes, I tried to intersperse obvious hits with songs that get less airplay on the local rock station. This means instead of "Purple Haze," he gets "Stone Free," and instead of "Won't Get Fooled Again," he gets "The Seeker."


Classic Mix #1
1. "American Girl" - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
2. "Peace Frog" - The Doors
3. "And Your Bird Can Sing" - The Beatles
4. "Stone Free" - Jimi Hendrix
5. "Tales of Brave Ulysses" - Cream
6. "Misty Mountain Hop" - Led Zeppelin
7. "The Seeker" - The Who
8. "Satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones
9. "I Saw Her Standing There" - The Beatles
10. "Sweet Jane" - The Velvet Underground
11. "Listen to Her Heart" - Tom Petty & the HB
12. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
13. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles
14. "Not to Touch the Earth" - The Doors
15. "Crosstown Traffic" - Jimi Hendrix
16. "Star Star" - The Rolling Stones
17. "L.A. Woman" - The Doors

Classic Mix #2
1. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" - The Rolling Stones
2. "All Along the Watchtower" - Jimi Hendrix
3. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" - Tom Petty & the HB
4. "No Reply" - The Beatles
5. "Substitute" - The Who
6. "Crossroads" - Cream
7. "Let's Spend the Night Together" - The Rolling Stones
8. "Communication Breakdown" - Led Zeppelin
9. "Roadhouse Blues" - The Doors
10. "Stepping Stone" - Jimi Hendrix
11. "19th Nervous Breakdown" - The Rolling Stones
12. "Old Brown Shoe" - The Beatles
13. "Time" - Pink Floyd
14. "Learning to Fly" - Tom Petty & the HB
15. "Baba O'Riley" - The Who

Classic Mix #3
1. "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" - The Rolling Stones
2. "Voodoo Child" - Jimi Hendrix
3. "Strange Brew" - Cream
4. "I Won't Back Down" - Tom Petty & the HB
5. "I'm Looking Through You" - The Beatles
6. "Pinball Wizard" - The Who
7. "Good Times Bad Times" - Led Zeppelin
8. "Saint of Me" - The Rolling Stones
9. "Highway Chile" - Jimi Hendrix
10. "5:15" - The Who
11. "Into the Great Wide Open" - Tom Petty & the HB
12. "Taxman" - The Beatles
13. "When the Levee Breaks" - Led Zeppelin
14. "Sympathy for the Devil" - The Rolling Stones
15. "Getting in Tune" - The Who

New Music Mix
1. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" - The White Stripes
2. "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
3. "Til I Get My Way" - The Black Keys
4. "Obstacle 1" - Interpol
5. "Rebellion (Lies)" - The Arcade Fire
6. "Jonathan Fisk" - Spoon
7. "Bone Machine" - The Pixies
8. "Paranoid Android" - Radiohead
9. "The Rat" - The Walkmen
10. "Set You Free" - The Black Keys
11. "Last Night" - The Strokes
12. "Sixteen Military Wives" - The Decemberists
13. "Saint Simon" - The Shins
14. "Back to Life" - Spoon
15. "Why Can't You Be Nicer to Me?" - The White Stripes
16. "Hard to Explain" - The Strokes
17. "Where is My Mind?" - The Pixies

So far, feedback from him is good. Considering these are my first CD mixes EVER, it was surprisingly difficult to decide not only which of my 2,000 songs he would like, but also their order. I don't know how peterik does it.

Austin Music Fest schedule

Not too much going on with me this weekend. Basically just preparing for my trip to San Diego next week. Errands, bills, haircut, etc. I'm also putting together some music mixes for my dad, and if I get them done before I leave I'll post the tracklists.

Speaking of music, the Austin Music Fest schedule has been released, and I'm relieved that there are no hard choices. Here's my own personal lineup.

Day One - Friday
1:30-2:30 - Kaiser Chiefs (eh)
3:30-4:30 - Mates of State (yes!)
5:30-6:30 - Spoon (yes!)
6:30-7:30 - The Allman Brothers Band (ok)
7:30-8:30 - Blues Traveler (eh)
8:30-9:15 - Lyle Lovette (eh)
8:30-10:00 - The Black Crowes (eh)

A very weak day as far as I'm concerned. I mean who wants to listen to The Black Crowes for an hour and a half? Methinks we'll be leaving early.

Day Two - Saturday
11:45-12:30 - Tegan and Sara (probably won't be awake for this)
12:30-1:30 - The Futureheads (whatev, i like their single)
1:30-2:30 - Kasabian (heard of 'em, and no one better is playing)
2:30-3:30 - Built to Spill (heard good things, need to download)
3:30-4:30 - The Frames (see above)
4:30-5:30 - Death Cab For Cutie (yes)
5:30-6:30 - The Walkmen (playing opposite The Fiery Furnaces, who I can't stand)
7:30-8:15 - Bloc Party (haha, they don't have enough material for a full hour?)
8:15-9:35 - Oasis (let's see if any '90s nostalgia kicks in)

Day Three - Sunday
This is the best day.
2:30-3:30 - Rilo Kiley (want to see Jenny Lewis in person)
3:30-4:30 - Sleater-Kinney (ohmigodohmigod)
4:30-5:30 - The Arcade Fire (seriously doubt I'll get a good seat for this, given that I ain't leaving SK one second before they're offstage)
5:30-6:30 - The Decemberists (the past three bands are why I bought my tickets, and they're all unfairly back-to-back)
6:30-7:45 - Wilco (seen 'em, but also seen Franz Ferdinand, who are playing opp.)
7:45-8:30 - The Black Keys (nightshift! yeah, awesome)
8:30-10:00 - Coldplay (we should totally throw apples at Chris Martin).

Spelling Bee -- Napolean Dynamite style

I'm sure you've all seen this by now, but in case not, here's for a chuckle:

http://gorillamask.net/spellingbee.shtml

Prescott Park^3, War of the Worlds!

It was a fairly eventful weekend for me...notice the clarifier "for me," because no, I don't go to awesome parties in the mountainous regions of Texas with my hot girlfriend. Gosh.

What I did do was check out Prescott Park in my very own town of Portsmouth. I've always heard about it and what not, but never really knew exactly where it was. Turns out it's, like, right there in Portsmouth. Doi. Anyway, it's too bad I didn't take Lisa here last weekend because she would've loved it. It's a very scenic park that overlooks the river, with rows of flowers (marked like in a Conservatory) and tons of space to stretch out and do your own thing. A great place for couples and families, and even on this busy holiday weekend it wasn't even that crowded. I went there twice on Saturday, once to check it out for myself and get some sun (aka farmer's tan), and then again later in the evening to see the community theater perform "Into the Woods" on the outdoor stage. The play is similar to "Shrek" in that it is an irreverent take on well-known fairy tales; in fact, I think "Shrek" owes a lot to "Woods," which debuted in 1987, for some of its humor. Anyway, for a free, outdoor play, it was nicely executed; the singing could've been better, but the acting was spot on, at least in the first hour. I skipped out of the second hour because I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes. They love my creamy white skin. And the fact that my veins are so visible they look like strings glued to my arm.

Then on Sunday I drove to my parent's house for an early start to July 4th activities. You see, July 4th is a family holiday for us because it's also my parent's anniversary (this year, their 35th). I find it kinda ironic that two people would choose to get married on INDEPENDENCE Day, but hey, who am I to judge? After a little mulling about, we caught an early showing of "War of the Worlds." Which was awesome.

Why Tom Cruise's offscreen antics are even mentioned in reviews of "Worlds", or why they should affect your viewing of this movie, I can't fully understand. Celebrities do stupid things all the time, and I don't see how/why Cruise's latest dementias are any more annoying than the romantic shit we hear about Pitt, Jolie, Aniston, Affleck and every other hot piece of ass in Hollywood. The only difference is how much the media has been harping on the Cruise stuff, and that's because the networks always need a light, fluffy story to counter all the bad news it reports on a half-hour basis. And yes I realize I'm being hippocritical by talking about it my little review, but I don't blame Cruise for how much we're hearing about his shit. When Cruise was on Letterman it was a perfectly fine interview because Dave didn't bother asking him about his religion because NO ONE CARES. But since every other talk show producer is hoping to see him explode again, they're egging him on. And, for the record, it's not like Cruise doesn't have a point about how dependent we are on drugs, and eventhough Cruise seems to know jack-shit about psychiatry himself, I doubt Matt Lauer does either, yet he's of the mainstream opinion that it's completely ok.

Blah...sorry, back to the movie. I pretty much loved it. With a more memorable score and the elimination of the entire Tim Robbins character (and all that comes with it), you have a near-perfect alien invasion movie. Not an incredibly thoughtful one, but as a special FX extravaganza of destruction and death, combined with heightened melodrama and familial conflict that I really dug, especially the relationship b/w Ray and his son Robbie. I recognized the anger and will to fight that was on Robbie's face when he sees the aliens slaughtering the countryside. I loved it when he climbed up the ferry gate to help people come over. And how he just has to see/participate in the fight against the invaders. I'm sorry, but yes, I thought of 9-11 and what I felt when the towers were struck. I'm not gonna pretend that I didn't, even though Spielberg's more obvious 9-11 references (ex. the ash) were just that: obvious, and kind of exploitive. With few exceptions, Spielberg is right on the money most of the time in this film, from the way he shoots the evaporations to the iconic shots of the tripods on the hillside. And even though I thought the Robbins-basement sequence was a massive diversion and drawdown in the tension -- the "snake" scene was repetitive and not suspenseful -- I still liked the shot of Ray coming through the doorway to "take care" of Robbins. Shit, isn't that just like Spielberg? He's willing to go down that very dark path even with his main characters, but he'll never leave us there -- see the ending of this film and every film he's ever made. And I thought the narrated bookends of the film about the earth's micro-organisms was a lazy way to explain what happened to the aliens. Maybe it was an homage to the original "Worlds," but I haven't seen it, so to me it fell flat. But who can forget that ominous horn? And the spraying? Heck, even just the sound design. What a ride. 4/5.

As for July 4th itself (wow, that's still today), after a little procrastinating around the house with my mom's Photo Printer and a little laundry, my parents and I headed back to my place for some burgers, pasta, and veggies, and to enjoy my deck and the absolutely gorgeous day: 77 degrees, sunny, no humidity. And not a single bee flew by. After we ate I took them to Prescott Park (yes, I went again) because I thought it'd be a relaxing way for my dad to get his mind off work, which he always does the day before he goes back to work. We walked around, looked at all the flowers, then grabbed some ice cream. All in all, it was a pleasant, relaxing day with the fam. You'll never hear me complain about that.