The Future is Now...

Opening Day... As American as apple pie and socialized medicine.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Top Ten Songs We ALL Want to Hear on the Next "Kidz Bops" Compilation

10. Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine

9. Touch My Body - Mariah Carey

8. Niggaz Can't See Me - 2 Pac

7. Fantasy - Ludacris

6. Birthday Sex - Jeremih

5. Starf*cker - The Rolling Stones

4. N.I.B. - Black Sabbath

3. Lit Up (I Love the Cocaine) - Buckcherry

2. You Shook Me All Nite Long - AC/DC

1. Pony - Ginuwine

Populist ablution...

I've an increasingly hectic schedule, and therefore, find little time, of late, for blogging. This said, correspondence is necessary, and the following elicited thoughts were conveyed via email to friends and I thought I'd post them here, as they represent some of my thoughts regarding last week's election in Massachusetts. Hope all is well with you and yours...


populist ablution. i realize we don't speak politics around here often, but a remark, or 3, needs to be made about the political earthquake (sorry haitians) that is giving so many politicians heart-burn (sorry j). what we saw in the election of scott brown is a truly amazing event, and one that instantly changed political and electoral conventional wisdom. regardless of whether you favor the current healthcare legislation, or not, most should agree that the process...with the brazen bribing of senators and pharm companies, tax exemptions doled out to unions, and late hour christmas eve votes...has been unseemly. Most importantly, for months the american polity has been saying, " slow down for a second. let's take a look at this."....only to be rebuffed by the very people that we sent to d.c. so...what do you get? a republican representing taxachusetts. my point in bringing this up is simple....having lived abroad in places where the government actively contravenes the will of citizens, i recognize the haughty condescension of a politcal elite, and the thing is....so do most americans. it's a part of our fiber...and that's why government largess and higher taxes, a.k.a. social democracy (see europe)....will never work here. the europeans have rousseau...we have patrick henry. once the american people look to their leaders and cry, "don't tread on me!", it's too late for said leader. pay attention to what goes on this summer, as something uniquely american is about to happen...the "people" are about to flex their politcal muscle, as it were.

You're On Notice!

Blogging has been light...and there doesn't seem to be a reprieve in my schedule any time soon... thus I decided to go back and visit an old favorite of mine...that takes a few seconds to express a few thoughts and feelings. These things/people are officially On Notice!

Artist of the Week...

Those of you who've known me for a while....know that I have an inclination to jazz, blues, classical, and other forms of music that aren't "on the cusp", as it were....this, coupled with the fact that I am approaching an age that almost makes it impossible to be "cool"...keeps me behind on new music that is out there waiting to be heard. Subsequently, when I do find a band that I dig...it is a relief.

I've found such a band in this week's AOTW. Two gents from Australia formed this electronic band in 2007 and released their debut album " Walking On A Dream " in November of 2008. As I've still not heard the entire work, my opinion isn't complete, but what I have heard has resonated. The lead vocals are unique...and I'm fairly certain that some will find them annoying. The music is...well...electronic...but the melodies have a laid back...yet sensual or even erotic...feel. This band probably won't change music...or even be relevant in 10 years...but this album works. Ladies and gentlemen, I offer you....Empire Of The Sun.

* the following two tracks are my favorites, thus far.

** youtube has blocked the second video.

They Just Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

Well, I used what time I was not at work this weekend to go see Rob Zombie's anticipated remake of Halloween II. I understandably had high hopes: Mr. Zombie did a surprisingly fine job with his treatment of the first installment. He demonstrated proper respect to John Carpenter's original while providing a fresh start for a tired franchise that has been mishandled for years. Anyone who saw H2O or Halloween: Resurrection knows what I mean.

Of course, by the same note, Zombie was tackling possibly the strongest entry in the series. While Carpenter did not take the director's chair for the sequal, he did provide a solid script for what he intended to be the finale of the series that gave one hell of a sendoff to our faceless voiceless killer. For some hardcore Halloween fans (including myself), Halloween II is perhaps the best film in the Michael Myers saga. This project was a tall order for Rob Zombie.

And I'm afraid Mr. Zombie failed. Don't get me wrong...the film was highly enjoyable. The latest Halloween is far superior to anything released under the same name since the dreadful Season of the Witch in 1982 (with the exception of Zombie's first remake, that is). In many ways, the film was worth the price of admission: Zombie demonstrates his usual impeccable taste in his selection of soundtrack (big ups for the strategic use of the Moody Blues during the horrific hospital scene), the gore factor, while gratuitous when used by most directors nowadays, is wielded effectively by Mr. Zombie, and moments of actual, visceral terror recurred with increasing frequency as the film built to its climax. But nonetheless, there was something missing....

...and it only took a brief revisit to the original Halloween to realize just what the missing ingredients were. First and foremost, there are some significant differences between the Michael Myers of John Carpenter and that of Rob Zombie. The remake treats us to a Myers that is a Jason Vorhees-style overkiller, complete with grunts and heavy breathing. Gone is the cold, mechanical efficiency with which Michael Myers dispatched his prey. The final result is a meat-headed, ham-fisted mouthbreather who seems to take pleasure in murder. The very thing that made Carpenter's killer so frightening, the soulless, passionless compulsion that drove the original Myers to his objective with undying, superhuman endurance is completely lost in Zombie's translation. Zombie's Laurie Strode does not possess nearly the same strength of character as the heroine in the original productions. The indominable will to live of Jamie Lee Curtis' Laurie led her to survive encounter after encounter with Myers, and she does not come away with the same twisted mental baggage we see resulting from the experience in Rob Zombie's remake. Also, the Dr. Loomis of the remake leaves something to be desired. It is hardly the fault of Malcolm McDowell, who was actually and inspired choice to play the good doctor. But it seems, much like Mr. Zombie himself, the new Dr. Loomis is too busy sympathizing with Michael Myers to effectively do battle with him. The Dr. Loomis portrayed by Donald Pleasance in the original Halloween movies did not want to apologize to Michael; he wanted to destroy him, and thought of nothing else. The single mindedness and slightly unhinged banter and manner of the original Loomis made him almost as creepy as Myers himself. He was ready to pursue Michael Myers to the ends of the earth, if need be, when any sane person would have gone the other way. Finally, letting us inside of Michael's head, while an interesting twist, did little to add to the story. The blank slate offered to the outside world by the Myers in the original films left us wondering just what, if anything, is going on in his head; Zombie's attempt to answer that question was quite underwhelming.

All in all, I would still recommend this latest production of Halloween II. Zombie's aesthetic is still impressive, which is a consistent characteristic of his films. By the same note, though, I will also recommend that, after you leave the theatre, renting the original so you can witness the work of a true master of the genre.

Postscript: Sequels That REALLY Sucked

1. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

2. Halloween III: Season of the Witch

3. Shawshank Redemption II: Return to Rapeland

4. Caddyshack II (ugh)

5. Die Hard II

Artist of the week...

I'm usually on the tail end of pop culture type movements, as my tastes are steeped in the classics, and alas, this case is no different. I came across this band about three weeks ago...and three years after everyone else in the world...but have been diggin them ever since. Three brothers and a cousin have proved that rock...both melodic and otherwise...can still be written. Ladies and gentlemen...those of you who are as oblivious as I...here is Kings of Leon...