A few weeks ago, I posted how I thought the Magic would upset the Celtics (which they did), dethrone King James (which they did) and beat the best player in the league in Kobe. This looks unlikely, he has truly been the best player in the league, as Weezy says:
"I've been quoted as saying he is definitely the best player in our league, um to me in my eyes the best scorer in our league and there is not another guy in our league who can accomplish the things he is doing"
Weezy is clearly a sports fan, as you can see from the next 2 tracks.
Outside of The Hangover, it has been a lackluster summer for movie-goers thus far. Its due to heat up with Final Destination, Harry Potter, Inglorious Bastards, Transformers 2 and Public Enemies. Starting next May a number of movies come out ranging in genres. Action junkies get Iron Man 2, chick flick goers (Larry) get their sequel to Sex and the City, history nerds get Prince of Persia, comic book junkies get Green Hornet, and cartoon/Pixar fans get Shrek Goes Fourth. Non will compare to the new Pixar production, Toy Story 3
Graduating college marks the end of your youth for all intensive purposes. That being said, the release of Toy Story 3 will surely be a box office hit for all ages. The third movie comes 15 years after the first release.
Andy heads off to college, and Buzz, Woody and the gang are sent off to a day-care center.
If you are not a fan of Toy Story, then you have had a deprived childhood. Outside of the World Cup, which kicks off a year from now, Toy Story 3 is on the list of things to watch before entering the real world
Yes, that is Frances McDormand pictured above. And yes, she was a bonafide babe back in 1984. But before she was the mom in Almost Famous, the pregnant cop in Fargo, and the hoochie mama in Burn After Reading, she was in the Coen Brothers' (and her) first movie, Blood Simple (as in, "when blood is involved, it's never simple"). The Coen Brothers are on top when it comes to making movies, and have a couple cool projects on tap in the near future. For the most part, they are not swayed by Hollywood trends and march to the beat of their own drum (although Burn defintely was starting to move away from that). The film is now 25 years old, before I was born and when McDormand had some serious body karate. I finally found a copy of this movie via Netflix and watched it last night, and it did not disappoint. The film, which is reportedly going to be remade in a more modern, Asian-influenced way by Zhang Yimou in the near future, is the truth. The film delves into human nature, exploring themes of greed, envy, and lust. It has all of the Coen Brothers' staples in it: some violence, dark humor, unexpected twists, great cast, suspenseful (and creepy) music, along with a flawless script and plot. It also stars Dan Hedaya, the dad in Clueless, before he was, well, old and a riveting, vicious role by M. Emmet Walsh. I won't go so far as to say its my favorite Coen Brothers film, but it is certainly up there. Here is the first minute of the film, and there is certainly a parallel between the way it opens and the opening of No Country For Old Men:
Truth - Chiddy Bang ft. Passion Pit - I have listened to this song 50 times in the past 24 hours. I can't get enough of Chiddy, watch out for these dudes...
For more Chiddy, pay a visit to my boy, the whacky paki DJSHIZZYBABY
...But if I was back in my hay day, it would be a pretty great time to be a lover of ze ganja. And I'm not just talking about this legalization nonsense (I call it nonsense because how could anyone in their right mind ever consider the herb more dangerous than the booze: do people ever die from smoking too much?). But I digress. Weeds premiered last night on Showtime, and I have mixed feelings about it. The show has just gotten increasingly and increasingly more absurd every season--and this season is no different. The whole Nancy-Esteban saga is way over the top, and seems forced at this point. Celia is still one of the funnier parts of the show, even when she's tied up in Mexico. Shane has become the most intriguing character at this point. He has changed the most since the start of the show, going from whiny bitch to drug dealer and ATM for poonani. The best scene from last night's episode was clearly when Shane's teacher blackmailed him into giving him the devil's lettuce. Hopefully, Weeds will expand Shane's role this season like they did to Silas last season. Oh, and Kevin Nealon (Doug), is, as always the man, and needs to be shown ripping many more bongs. On a side not, Nurse Jackie, the subsequent, new show featuring Edie Falco, is 20 times more over the top then Weeds and is not worth watching. It's like a more graphic, inappropriate, and less funny House with a female nurse rather than a doctor.
On the subject of nuggets, here are some herbal jams. Weed jamz are the truth, and go hand and hand with that summer haze. These may not hold a candle to the infamous "Sour Diesel" of last summer, but I'm chillin on them:
I just checked out a new Jay-Z track that will be on his upcoming album, Blueprint 3. It's called D.O.A (Death of Autotune) and I love it. While I do love Autotune and what it's done for the evolution of rap, you just have to respect Jay-Z. This guy just doesn't give a fuck and certainly doesn't need to alter his voice to make quality songs. All he needs is the creativity in his head and some dope producers. The drums, horns, and guitars make for a real chill beat and the lyrics, as always, are great with lines like, "this is anti Autotune/death of the ringtone/this ain't for iTunes/this ain't for singalongs," "i know we facin' a recession/but the music y'all makin' gonna make it the great depression," and "give this to a blood/let a crip walk on it." Here's the track:
Jay isn't so much trying to diss the Autotune users out there. He's simply keepin it real. Hip Hop is about the lyrics, not a distorted voice. While melodies sell, rap, at its roots, is about spitting fire. Kanye, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, etc - keep using autotune, keep busting out hits, but don't forget where you came from. You came from Jay's time and he's just trying to remind you of that.
Looking forward to Blueprint 3, which comes out on September 11, 2009. Finally, coincidence that the best rapper of all time has a new album called Blueprint 3 and the current stage of Phish's career is referred to as Phish 3.0? I think not.
Tiga Tiga Woods Y'all. This weekend at the Memorial, Tiger put up his hand, waved, and threw up the proverbial middle finger to all his haterz. Was there any doubt that Tiger was just getting his groove back? Like any sport, you need to give a guy some time to get re-acclamated, focused, and in playing shape. Think about how many athletes sometimes do not even make it back from injuries (the Kijana Carter syndrome). Even the ones that somehow recover rarely are ever the same after a torn ACL or a devastating injury. Most of these other athletes are mere mortals--Tiger is clearly not. In fact, Tiger was better than ever, hitting every single fairway today en route to what tied his second biggest comeback on a Sunday. Tiger just told the world that he's still numero uno--there is no more dominant athlete in the world (and perhaps has never been). And he just made the rest of the PGA Tour crap their pants. Is there any doubt that Tiger will win at least one major this year? The guy was simply amazing all week, and he officially has gotten his swag turned on. On 17 and 18, he had that look in his eye that you can't even describe with words--you just know he's about to drop some knowledge. The shot he hit on 18 was as perfect as it gets, and Tiger made it look way too easy. If he can get his putter going on a consistent basis (like today), no one has any chance against him. Sorry Kobe, you may win your title, but you will never reign supreme over the sports world: Tiger's back, and he's here to stay. The guy is 33 years old-Jack Nicklaus mentioned towards the end of the telecast that he was in his prime around this age (32-35). With the shape Tiger keeps his body in, he could do this for another 10-12 years easily, and should eclipse Nicklaus sooner than later. Roar.
On a totally different note, Scarlett Johansson is not only banging, married to Van Wilder, and a good actress, but she can sing. These are from her upcoming album with Pete Yorn (whos legit). pretty chill out.
"Yeah man, the corporations. Right now they're raping the world for money!" A 'hippie' utters these words during a South Park episode. After going to my first 'show' in the true jam band/festival mode, these words could never seem ironic. I love hippie music, and I love many aspects of the hippie way. But the true hipsters at these concerts, the one's who follow around the bands, are really just like corporations--trying to rape the commoners for all their worth. After attending last night's Phish show, this was evident. Walking down "Shakedown Street" is an unpleasant, harried feel, as you essentially walk around a pretty narrow, crowded row with people trying to rip you off to make a buck. I mean, who sells a mediocre chillum for 30 dollars, that is just acenine. The beauty of a tailgate is whippin' out the charcoal, slammin on a few burgers and knockin down some brews (or in my case, Stoli-Orange and tonics baby). Who the hell eats pizza at a tailgate? That's less American than Hedo Turkoglu. I don't see the allure of treating a tailgate like a concession stand...The scene before and after the Phish concert can best be described as this: It rated about a 7 on the crunchiness scale. You have your share of hardcore fans who tour the band and dress the part, your washed-up, 90s fan, some crunched out hippy chicks, your fratty, more casual fans, and then some randos who look out of place. And way to many "Jakes" (cops), trying to Jake people. And in the midst of the mayhem, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted. The music can be summed up with one word: fire. Seeing Phish is an experience like none other. I'm not a Phishead, nor do I consider them one of favorite bands. But it was hands down the most magical show I have ever seen. There is something special about them that permeates through the crowd. They play for an absurdly long time, with lengthy, ludicrous jams that make you forget about your fatigue, dry mouth, and lack of beer for four hours. And their light shows are a genuine trip. The highlights of the night were 1) "Divided Sky": They opened the show with this, and it was a redonkulous, sublime, and beautiful journey 2) "Story of The Ghost": an intense, grooved out, mystical journey, 3) "Drowned": cover of The Who during which they jammed out reeeeal hard 4) "You Enjoy Myself": a live Phish classic that sent the crowd into a frenzy, and then another planet 5) "Waste": Chillest song of the night (along with dirt), that literally gave me goosebumps. Overall, the Phish experience is relatively crunchy, musically amazing, and unforgettable.
So let's be honest, this movie is pretty hyped. It's everywhere, billboards, commercials, everywhere. And for good reason, Todd Philips, the director, is the same guy who put out iconic comedic hits such as Old School and Road Trip.
Last night, I went down to USC and saw an early private screening of The Hangover. Let me say, this movie lives up to the hype. From the opening shot to even, yes, the credits, it is non-stop laughs. Zach Galifianakis, who plays the introverted, awkward, soon to be brother-in-law, is simply superb. Every time he talks, the crowd erupted. There's no doubt about it, Zach Galifianakis, with his grizzly beard and jesus hair cut, will be a household face, name by the end of this weekend.
I won't give away any good scenes and I won't spoil the plot. All you need to know is that this film is just as funny, if not funnier, than Old School.
I had waited for more than five years and last night I was finally able to see Phish live in concert. It was worth the wait. After my introduction to Shakedown Street (one row of the parking lot, lined with tents of people selling literally everything imaginable) and a heavy downpour, the skies opened up to a distinctive rainbow. It turned out to be a good omen for the night as the band came out swinging with a tight "Runaway Jim," followed by an even tighter "Foam." They threw in some real cool songs in the first set. "Timber Ho!" "Driver," and "Possum" were all great. "Cities," the Talking Heads cover was unbelievable, with Fishman forcing the end of the song as the band could not keep up with Page, who was killing it on the clavinet and just would not stop. "Reba" was amazing, complete with a glow stick war and the whistling outro. "Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan" was a new song and I liked it. The best new song of the night was yet to come though. I was a little disappointed that they didn't end such a tight set with an upbeat song. I thought they kind of killed the mood with "Farmhouse," and "If I Could" just doesn't do it as a set closer for me. Hey, beggars can't be choosers. Here's the first set:
I was lucky enough to meet up with my friend Nicholas, who worked his magic to get us backstage during the set break. We left the "lounge" just in time for the drop into "Mike's Song." I had a feeling we were going to hear a Mike's Groove but had no idea of the twists the band would take with it. After a great jam, Trey slowly segued into "Simple" and then into "Wolfman's Brother" before finally finishing off with the classic "Weekapaug Groove." It was cool to see "When the Circus Comes to Town" but the next song in store was unbelievable. Another new song, "Kill Devil Falls is a real dirty blues jam, which sort of reminds me of the Allman Brothers. I was rocking out to this song and can't wait to see it played again. Then came "Harry Hood," which was literally out of this world. Phish, for the first time this year, took us on a journey into the depths of the universe. The jam came together really nicely for a good close to the song and the opening chords of "Loving Cup," the Rolling Stones cover. Rockin' jam to close out the set. They only came out for one song on the encore but they killed it with "Suzy Greenberg," a great song about a woman who's "bout as faithful as a slot machine, pays off once in a while, then she robs you clean." Awesome end to an awesome night. And the second + encore:
Here's a video of the new song "Kill Devil Falls." Again, it's real bluesy and it grabs you by the throat and forces you on a joyride. As always, the lights are trance-inducing:
Long before Pixar took over the world, there was another form of animation that was both visually pleasing and pretty legit--ANIME! Pixar is the bomb, and I'm really pumped to see Up (after I get liiiifteeeed). But Anime (around since 1917) has clearly been an influence of sorts for Pixar, as they are usually pretty trippy, out of this world stories that expand one's mind and imagination. And as Up has displayed, sometimes the imagined and animated is far superior to the "substance" in most films. And oddly enough, there is a link between Anime and the star of one of this summer's shittier movies...Christian Bale. In 2005, while Batman Begins was running shit, Bale starred in the dubbed version of an Anime film at pretty much the exact same time. And Bale's animated character certainly owns John Connor on the badass scale. Rather than wasting your time at Terminator, Netflix or stream Howl's Moving Castle (also starring Billy Crystal's voice), and listen to Bale's sweet voice in one of his better movies. No, he may not kill any thugs, deliver any creepy soliliquies, but his animated persona tears shit up as the dope wizard, Howl:
