Blender - The 50 Worst Things Ever to Happen to Music
You gotta love these lists. I don't agree with all of Blender's 50 items. In fact, some of them I REALLY disagree with, but here are some of my favorites:
#49 - The dude who yells "Freebird" at every concert.
#46 - Decency - In 1967, the Rolling Stones were forced to change the lyrics of a not particularly salacious song to protect the tender sensibilities of the American television-viewing public. Thirty-nine years and one stray Super Bowl breast later, the Rolling Stones are forced to change the lyrics of a not particularly salacious song to protect the tender sensibilities of the American television-viewing public. Viva progress!
#42 - Scott Stapp - Although he's rehabilitated his image in recent years by becoming an incorrigible drunk and trying to beat up 311, there's no getting around the music. The fourth-generation grunge he's peddled solo and with Creed might be harmless if it weren't swathed in quasi-religious pomposity and delivered with an arrogance that -- in light of his musical, er, gifts -- feels downright delusional.
#40 - Parrotheads - For millions, Jimmy Buffett isn't just a guy who writes songs about putzing around the Caribbean -- he's a shining symbol of the "good life." That so few of them will get any closer to this life than hanging out in a dank bar called the Banana Boat, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, sipping a frozen daiquiri and waiting for their turn to karaoke 'Margaritaville' is monumentally depressing.
#35 - Van Halen fires David Lee Roth.
#34 - Van Halen hires Sammy Hagar.
#33 - Van Halen fires Sammy Hagar.
#32 - Van Halen hires Gary Cherone?
#31 - Jazz Fusion - It's a rule of thumb that any music that uses "jazz" as a prefix will make you want to saw your head off from boredom (see also: jazz funk, jazz rap, jazz house). But none is as wearying as the genre that thought what rock really needed was monthlong bass solos and time signatures even Stephen Hawking wouldn't understand.
#29 - Popera - Soaring key changes! 53-year-old groupies! Incessant use of the word amore!
#28 - Disappearance of Indie Record Shops - Sure, the big-chain megamarts save you a few dollars. But do their employees know you by name? Will they hook you up with unexpected new imports? Will they ridicule you when you mispronounce Sufjan Stevens' name? For music geeks, losing the mom-and-pop stores is like losing a musty, nerd-filled home away from home.
#27 - Jukebox Musicals - Why is crow barring classic rock songs into a play with a "plot" apparently written on the back of a matchbook so detestable? Not just because the results are creaky and insulting -- the Queen-themed 'We Will Rock You' -- but also because they reveal that the rock stars involved don't care about art, only money. And, despite recent high-profile flops -- 'Lennon,' 'Good Vibrations' -- there's no end in sight. Coming soon: 'My Humps: The Musical!'
#23 - Woodstock '99 - The lineup was bad enough -- a lame attempt at multi-culti harmony mixing patchouli-soaked pied pipers (RUSTED ROOT) with brain-dead alpha males (INSANE CLOWN POSSE). When the event got going, the second sequel to the Summer of Love quickly degenerated into an ugly free-for-all of sexual assault, arson, ODs -- and $6 pizza slices. No wonder those ATMs were looted
#21 - Nearly Every Hip-Hop Video - We get it.
Your ride is pimped, your crib is a castle and at the drop of an ice-encrusted hat, you can have tons of scantily clad ho's pouring bottles of Cristal down your gullet while you kick it in the hot tub. Congratulations to a generation of hip-hop video directors for making decadence seem so … boring.
#17 - Fred Durst
#16 - Replacement Lead Singers - AC/DC's impressive recovery from singer-vomit-asphyxiation is the exception that proves the rule. If the phrase "Van Hagar" fails to convince, consider 'Rock Star: INXS' and the macabre spectacle of Queen fronted by a leather-faced Paul Rodgers.
#14 - Florida - Let us be perfectly clear: We are not besmirching Florida, the strong African-American matriarch of TV's 'Good Times.' We are besmirching Florida, the Sunshine State, unholy font of the BACKSTREET BOYS, 'NSYNC, O-TOWN, LIMP BIZKIT, 2 LIVE CREW, dangling chads and an army of drum-pummeling, grizzly-bear-mimicking death-metal bands with names too "evil" (i.e., moronic) to mention.
A curse upon the balmy southern realm!
#13 - Light Aircraft - The first day the music died, it took BUDDY HOLLY, RITCHIE VALENS and The BIG BOPPER with it. The next day it took country star PATSY CLINE. And then JIM CROCE, half of LYNYRD SKYNYRD, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN, JOHN DENVER and AALIYAH. There is, it seems, a good reason the tour bus is such a popular transportation option.
#12 - Kevin Federline - Golfing and wifebeaters? Whatever. Multiple baby mamas? Hey, do your thing. Even the rapping isn't that bad. But snatching away our favorite pop star -- that cannot be forgiven. Two years ago, BRITNEY SPEARS was America's sexy sweetheart, then the ex-backup-dancer pounced, and it was bye-bye 'Toxic,' hello diapers and Cheetos.
Listen, here's another reason to hate Kevin...'PopoZao'
#11 - "You really have to see them live!" - First heard muttered by a proselytizing GRATEFUL DEAD fan sometime around minute 13 of the studio version of 'Terrapin Station, Pt. 1,' this reflexive, defensive cry has long been used as an excuse for the existence of reams of irretrievably dull PHISH, WIDESPREAD PANIC and MOE. records. If your studio albums feel limp compared with your live show, don't put them out.
(
I'm cracking up at this because I own the studio CD 'Terrapin Station, Pt. 1,' and I really love it. No, I never saw the Dead live, but seeing Springsteen live did make me, previously a nonbeliever, a believer.)
#8 - The Age 27 - For most of us, the Bermuda Triangle of morbidity lies between the ages of 50 and 53, after which, if you dodge cancer, heart disease and other bullets, you'll probably live for decades. For rock stars, the year to fear is 27 -- the checkout date for JANIS JOPLIN, JIMI HENDRIX, JIM MORRISON, KURT COBAIN, BRIAN JONES and blues legend ROBERT JOHNSON among others.
Honorable mentions to NICK DRAKE (at a wizened 26) and TIM BUCKLEY (at a boyish 28) -- who were, after all, eccentric.
#7 - Finding God - Once the Big Guy gets under an artist's skin, the work tends to suffer. AL GREEN went from making the sexiest music known to man to making gospel albums known to nobody. MASE quit hip-hop for the ministry, and when he returned, his skills didn't come with him. The less said about BOB DYLAN's born-again albums the better, but the idea of Jehovah's Witness PRINCE proselytizing door-to-door in purple pumps still brings a smile. Esther, née MADONNA, caused quite the mishegas by hopping aboard Kabbalah's Judaism-meets-New-Age-hooey bandwagon. And CAT STEVENS loved Islam so much, he named himself after it when he converted and then quit the music biz in 1979.
#6 - Madonna's British Accent
#1 - Kids Today - Back in our day, we didn't have any of yer fancy iPods and ringtones and downloads. We didn't have the luxury and convenience of your scrotum-rings and your World Wide Web logs. When we wanted to steal the new URIAH HEEP album, we couldn't just troll the Internet for it, we had to do it the old-fashioned way -- by hiking to the store (uphill, both ways) and shoving 12" of vinyl under our sweaters (which we had to knit ourselves). That's why you sniveling whipper-snappers don't appreciate the real value of music. Or Uriah Heep. Now get the hell off our lawn!
(
John Wetton was in Uriah Heep, you know.)
Multiple Choice Quiz
I went to the supermarket today. After I parked my car, I took this photo of a Rolls, a Toyota, and a Jag. Guess which one is mine.
New Avatar
Heads up for those of you who know me at Dlisted. I gave up my long-standing turquoise eye in favor of Miss Stevie Nicks. Stevie's birthday was Friday, and I was inspired to change my look.
Another Ipod Uploading Session
It's a lazy Saturday. My neighbor is sawing metal, and the noise has all my cats are scared and hovering around me. So I decided it would be a good time to add a little more of my CD collection to my Ipod.
Today's uploads include:
March - Michael Penn
System of a Down - System of a Down
Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden
Gentlemen - The Afghan Whigs
Remy Zero - Remy Zero
Best of Berlin 1979-1988 - Berlin
Collectors Series - Louis Prima
Band on the Run - Paul McCartney and Wings
Green - R.E.M.
Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park
Jar of Flies - Alice in Chains
Out of Body - The Hooters
Caught in the Crossfire - John Wetton
Yesyears Disc Three - Yes
Punk-0-Rama - Various Epitaph Artists
Fleetwood Mac Live - Fleetwood Mac
Battle of Evermore - The Lovemongers
Incesticide - Nirvana
Bleach - Nirvana
Live from the Bottom of the Hill - The Geraldine Fibbers
Can We Talk?
Maggie - I mean this only in the kindest way, and I realize you're preggers and all, but listen girlfriend... even on your FINEST day, do NOT let your photograph be taken next to the glorious beauty of Eva Mendes. Eva and my sister-in-law were high school friends (yes, I've seen the pictures to confirm it), and I go out of my way to avoid being photographed with my sister-in-law because she's so much better looking than me. What I'm saying here, Maggie, is we're sisters in this. Even though we both have handsome brothers, the DNA gods do not always bless the sisters with the same level of beauty. The smart thing to do (and we're both smart, n'est-ce pas?), is to stand next men or older women. Trust me on this.
Thanks to
Skankopolis for the photo.
Alphabetical Lists and Technology
With the advent of the ipod that automatically alphabetizes songs and artists, I wonder how many will name their act/song/album with words beginning with the letter "A" so that they can be first on everybody's playlists. Maybe that's what Angels and Airways are all about.
I'm just kind of fascinated by how the music plays out when I let it go by songs. Songs on my ipod that begin with the word black:
Black - Pearl Jam
Black Coffee in Bed - Squeeze
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Black Sky - Sam Phillips
Blackbird - The Beatles
ADDENDUM: I'm presently doing laundry, listening to Zeppelin's "Since I've Been Loving You," and adding more CDs to my ipod (I currently have a little over 900 songs). This import session includes:
Dookie - Green Day
The Fabulous Baker Boys Soundtrack - Dave Grusin
King's Road 1972 - 1980 - John Wetton
Yesyears (Disc One) - Yes
Audioslave - Audioslave
Live Through This - Hole
Recipe for Hate - Bad Religion
Peter Gabriel Plays Live - Peter Gabriel
The Unforgettable Fire - U2
Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby - TTD
Eponymous - REM
Nevermind - Nirvana
Walking in London - Concrete Blonde
Greatest Hits - Louis Armstrong
Discs I, II, III of the first Led Zeppelin Box Set
Three Years
Short and sweet.
Today marks the 3-year anniversary of my dad's death. You never know what these "special" days are going to bring, but today was much, much better than years one and two. I think I've finally found my peaceful place.
It's Summer When...
You know it's summer at the beach when through the open window you hear your next door neighbor yelling at her husband to put some clothes on so that their contractor won't have to see him naked.
So Dark the Con of Man
I did something Friday I rarely do, I went to a movie on opening day. I caught a midafternoon showing of The Da Vinci Code amid a packed theater and an actual smattering of applause at the end. Not rip-roaring hoots of approval, just a couple claps here and there. And I can probably summarize my critique in one word: Perspective.
It's no secret the critics in Cannes have had a field day shredding this film. I had actually read a single favorable review from a preview that took place
before the Cannes hate-fest. At this juncture, however, I don't think a single critic is going to go on record as enjoying the film for fear that s/he would be laughed out of his/her profession.
Perspective, people.
The Da Vinci Code (the book) was a runaway blockbuster, and don't quote me here, but it has achieved some status like the #1 best-selling book in the history of the universe. Or something like that. That is to say, it was big. Huge. Pam Anderson-breast enormous. Tom Cruise-ego humongous. But guess what. Sales status does not equal literary quality.
Yes, I read The Da Vinci Code. I read it in a single, rainy day while on vacation. It was purely plot-driven, a real page-turner, a good thriller. Chapters were 3-5 pages long and always ended with enough of a cliffhanger that I continued reading. It wasn't art. It wasn't the finest piece of literature I'd ever read, hell no, but it was without question entertaining. I have since read a few other books by Dan Brown and was disappointed but not surprised to discover that he is strictly a formula writer.
So with this in mind, let's segue now to the film. Did it deserve the trashing and abuse the critics are giving it? No, I don't think so. Is it a great film? No, but it's
good. Like the book, it's
entertaining. And the reason it was released in mid-May and not mid-December is because it is meant for entertainment, not Academy Award consideration.
For me, there were three highlights. First on that list is Ron Howard's direction. If you've read The Da Vinci Code, and chances are you have, you know that this film had high potential to be cheesier than Velveeta. Howard made sure it didn't slide down what could have been the very slippery slope of over-the-top melodrama, and for that, he should be commended.
Another stand-out was the supporting cast. Paul Bettany and Sir Ian McKellen in particular were worth the price of admission, I loved both of their portrayals. Jean Reno's role of Captain Fache was lessened somewhat than in the book, but he played it spot-on. And you can always depend on Alfred Molino to turn in a solid performance, which he did yet again. All four of these actors transcended themselves beautifully.
The movie also did something really interesting with what were long narratives in the book. Ron Howard actually portrayed the "history lessons" (for lack of a better word). When Hanks' or McKellen's characters are describing historical events in Jerusalem, Rome, etc., we are effectively transported there through some amazing use of cinematography. And speaking of cinematography, Paris, London, the Louvre, everything was beautifully shot. Serious props to the director of photography.
The negatives? For me, the movie wasn't as exciting as reading the book, but I've talked to a couple people who didn't read it, and they said it was absolutely thrilling for them. So perhaps knowing the plot ahead of time is somewhat of a disadvantage in viewing The Da Vinci Code. I also didn't think that Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou had much chemistry. Their dialogue was a bit flat, but it was insipid in the book, so I'm not holding them responsible for that. Both were perfectly adequate. I would have preferred someone less well-known than Tom Hanks in the role of Langdon. Not that Langdon is a particularly dynamic character - he's actually pretty vanilla - but Hanks was Hanks, not Langdon. An unknown or barely-known actor would have been my choice, but don't get me wrong, it's not like Hanks lessened the pleasure for me. He was perfectly fine.
I can't help but compare The Da Vinci Code to The Firm. Both were huge best selling novels made into highly anticipated summer action films. I even liked Tom Cruise back in the days of The Firm, and Gene Hackman was great in it. But I still have to give the edge to The Da Vinci Code. It's simply more entertaining.
As for the critics? Perspective. Face it, critics are writers. Maybe some of them have been suffering The Great American Novel, only to have fame and fortune elude them, mock them even. I gotta wonder if some of the spanking the movie is taking is really meant for the book and the author, Dan Brown; you know, a bit of professional jealousy. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my running theory.
So do this. You want summer entertainment? Skip MI:3 and go see Da Vinci.
Nobody Loves Snatcher
I was in Barnes and Noble when I made this discovery - Teri Hatcher's autobiography with 30 percent off stickers covering her face on each and every book. Live blogged.
David Gilmour
I've got a special musical treat for you today. Do you want to give your ears and your mind something extremely deliciously scruptious upon which to feast? If so, check out
David Gilmour on AOL Sessions. Don't worry, you don't have to be an AOL member to watch and listen. Just click the link and search the Sessions archives for David Gilmour. He's way in the back because AOL has its head up its ass.
You may only recognize one song, Comfortably Numb, from Gilmour's Pink Floyd days, but for heaven's sake, do NOT skip out on the rest of the tunes, you will be doing yourself a grave disservice if you do. Just listen and close your eyes. This is the sound of love-making at its finest. It's somehow intense and serene and dangerous and emotional and gentle and passionate all at once. Sublime.
The drummer is local OC boy, Steve DiStanislao. I don't know Stevie D personally, but we share many mutual friends. Speaking strictly in terms of fantasy, perhaps someday I'll make his acquaintance and he will invite me to sit in on these sessions when he plays with the masters. I could curl up on the floor under the keyboards somewhere, close my eyes, and let my spirit leave my body and float away to nirvana. /end fantasy.
Goddamn, what the hell is wrong with me? Even my groupie fantasies are totally abnormal.
In other news, I'm going to the Da Vinci Code this afternoon.
Slick
This sculpture is located at the mouth of the Seal Beach Pier. Slick is a mainstay of town, a most beloved mascot, portrayed here in bronze by sculptor
Terry Thornsley. If you ever visit, be sure to swing by and give Slick a rub on the nose. No one can resist!
(For Trish who wanted to see the seals in Seal Beach.)
Seal Beach
Grey's Finale
UPDATED TOWARDS THE END!
Watch this space. In the meantime, if anyone wants to make comments on the show last night, go right ahead. You know where to click.
I'll start, and it's in response to a comment from Flix in the last post. I expected Denny to die, so even though I was sad, I wasn't surprised or anything. I felt like that story line had run its course. I was glad they had him die the way he did instead of in surgery (or because of what Izzy had done).
Did you guys notice that Alex - the guy who never wants to tell a lie - lied for Izzy to get that heart for Denny? And then he was like her knight in shining armour in the scene where he got her out of Denny's death bed.
Okay, comments are open for chat!
UPDATE:
The sex scene between Meredith and Derek didn't convince me of their deep abiding love, it only convinced me that they are horny for each other. It was cheap and tawdry, if you ask me. Also, I think she's going to still go home with Finn post-prom (!) and sleep with him. Then, they can have a story line next season with Meredith pregnant and unsure who the father is.
I love the Cristina/Burke relationship. He has so much to teach her about life.
I thought the best scene last night was where Richard calls all the interns in, one by one, the scene with Cristina in particular. Great to see her vulnerable.
Totally hilarious when Bailey is in visiting a convelescing Preston and notices the interns are missing and starts getting all worked up and yelling, even while Preston is lying there ill. I was cracking up.
Okay, I thought the whole prom thing was ridiculous. Honestly, if I didn't like the show so much, that would have really blown it for me. It was silly.
What's the deal? Is Izzy leaving the show? I hope not, I really like her character, and I think we're gonna see next season that Alex is really in love with her. I expect major growth in Alex as a person next season.
BTW, good acting by Katherine Heigl last night, she had to lose it a lot, and she did that well.
I don't care which one Meredith chooses, that was a weak way to end the episode for me.
Jim Bianco
I've found that one of the best side effects of buying a new ipod (and waiting for the Grey's finale part II in 54 minutes) is getting reacquainted with my vast CD collection. And if I may say so myself,
damn, I've got great taste in music. So many treasures here that I haven't listened to in ages for no other reason than something else caught my attention and I never got back to it.
One rediscovery is
Jim Bianco. I learned about him after my brother and sister-in-law happened upon him one night when they went to see some lesser artist for whom Jim was opening. It was one of those situations where the opening act was better than the featured billing. They knew I'd love him, so the next time they saw him, I went along and we made a night of it. I was very pleasantly surprised (I was semi-worried as my sister-in-law, sweet as she is, has some questionable taste in music, although my brother assured me Jim was solid). Bianco's got a style all his own. I think I'd describe him as a modern-day crooner with a pop edge blended together and poured into a cup of irony. He's a terrific songwriter, and I love the production of his album, Handsome Devil.
One side note. As opposed to some of the other artists featured on my page, I don't know Jim Bianco personally. Never even met him, in fact. I don't know if that makes my recommendation any purer or not, but the fact is, all my musician friends became my friends only after I screened them for talent. I don't want any Britneys or Justins in my circle. Nope, not me.
You can listen to the title track of Handsome Devil
here. And below are the lyrics. Enjoy.
did you misplace your halo, sweet angel?
did you think you'd find it here?
where the boys are gladly lonely
but still whisper in your ear
with all their dirty mouths and
all their dirty minds
dirty martini's strangled at the spine
you're chewing on your tongue-
sucking on your thumb
i can make you numb if i try
tell me you need me so I can
leave you here behind
tell me you need me so I can leave.
go to hell you handsome devil
i know what you're thinkin'
but the joke is laughing at you, boy,
you're so sadly mistaken
your face is wearing thin
i can see right through your skin
passed that boyish little grin that you wear
your dirty little mouth
your dirty little mind
That tries so very hard not to care.
Tell me you need me so I can leave.
Grey's Finale Part I
All I can say is: OH. MY. GOD. I can't wait for part II!
Tax Refund
I got a couple treats today. The sound quality is absolutely stunning.
Mini coopers
Well, Duh!
| Your Hawaiian Name is: |
Malu Lani |
Las Vegas and Me: Not a Love Story
Back in late 1993, my parents sold the house in Los Angeles in which we were raised, packed their bags, and retired to Las Vegas. Which forced me to ask the burning question, "who are you people?" I can't begin to describe how much it turned my world upside-down when this happened. My parents were old-fashioned, traditional, Midwestern folk with most of their families still residing in Michigan and Ohio. That they actually wanted to spend their golden years in that hell-hole in the desert was beyond my comprehension, and it caused me to look at these people I had always called Mom and Dad through new, disbelieving eyes.
My disposition didn't improve as my dad's health deteriorated there. It's never fun when one of your parents is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and watching the progression of the disease ravage your loved one will torture your soul. There is something truly insidious and evil about dementia in Sin City, and the result of living through this nightmare is that the two - dementia and Las Vegas - are permanently entwined together in my brain as one satanic entity.
That mindset was only exacerbated when my dad chose a holiday weekend to die. In spring 2003, his condition began to rapidly deteriorate, and to make a long and painful story short, the home hospice nurse told my mother to summon the family on the Friday of the long Memorial Day weekend. Ever try to get a flight to Las Vegas on
any holiday weekend, let alone a last minute, desperate one? It's a crap-shoot, pun intended. We finally secured flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Las Vegas. Every other person on those planes that night was going either to San Francisco or Las Vegas for a long weekend of partying and hedonism. It was sickening to see the joy in these people when I was painfully aware of my father's suffering and wondering if he was taking his last breath at that very moment. When we finally arrived to Las Vegas, it was midnight, hotter than hell, and we were forced to wait in a 45-minute-long taxi line among the revelers to get to his death bed.
My widowed mom left Las Vegas ten months later and moved back to her home state of Michigan to live near her siblings. When she left, I thought my tenure in the desert was finished.
The reason I went to Las Vegas this past weekend is because my mom was there for the week, visiting old friends, one of whom is sick with advanced lymphoma and undergoing chemotherapy. By old friends, I mean he and his wife have been family friends of ours for more than 30 years. They lived across the street from us in Los Angeles, I grew up with their kids, they bought a winter home near my parents' home in Vegas after they all retired, and they were our rock when my dad was sick. It was nothing short of devastating when he was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year, and I'd give anything for this
not to be the case.
The weekend was difficult for a number of reasons. Obviously, our friend's illness is number one on that list. He looks absolutely ravaged, the result of both the lymphoma and the chemo, I'm sure. He felt miserable, he alternates between terrible fevers and true rigors. He's usually cold, so they keep the air conditioning off in their home, despite the desert temperatures, because he's so uncomfortable.
In addition, my mother and I have a complicated relationship. I'm not going to discuss it here because she found my old blog once and read things that were never meant for her eyes. It was a bad situation and one I don't care to repeat. But as is true to form, I overheard her saying something unkind about me to our friends when I was leaving the room. I'm not sure if she said it deliberately to hurt me, if she thinks I'm deaf, or if she truly thought I was out of earshot. It's our old crap, the never-ending pathology between mother and daughter, but it was inappropriate especially considering we were houseguests of these nice people who are dealing with cancer. After my brother and his wife arrived, she tried to stir up some more trouble, but we held her at bay. Nevertheless, the damage was done.
So in my mind, Las Vegas has been nothing but trouble. It's a magnet for bad behavior. It supplies the poison to make the weak very sick. The weather is unnatural and nothing grows there. In fact, everything good dies there. Everything. Look at that middle picture. They actually build homes with benches blocking the driveways. The heat, the poison, and the debauchery, they melt the brain, the heart, and the spirit.
Obligatory Grey's Post
Sunday night's episode of Grey's was great. I'm really looking forward to this-coming Sunday and Monday's 2-part season finale!
I think the scene everyone is talking about is the faceoff in the stairwell between Meredith and Derek. As much as I don't like Meredith, I was glad to see her finally let McDreamy have it. Thing is, he's probably going to have a real negative attitude about women since, in his twisted mind,
both his women have cheated on him. He seems to have forgotten that he originally met Meredith by picking her up in a bar. She was out skanking when he met her, and for some reason, he put her on a pedestal anyway. Poor McDreamy and his unreasonable expectations.
And what about Cristina falling asleep during sex with Burke? It was hilarious except poor Burke was really put out by it. And I love him when he's being all sensitive, it totally rocks. Damn, I think I'd stay awake, no matter how sleep deprived I was. Burke is hot, and if they break Cristina and Burke up, I'm so there to mend his broken heart. His and McDreamy's.
Of course, the main medical storyline was a good one with some terrific guest star acting by the guy who played the intern at the other hospital. They should make him a new character, maybe have him transfer to SGH. I wept like a child when he was apologizing to the father of the woman he killed.
And finally, after making Alex the object of all scorn the week before, Alex was the hero this week, heroically performing the C-section on the dead woman and gently caring for and reviving her newborn. I actually dig that the writers are playing with us regarding Alex. One minute, you gotta hate him; the next, you must love him. I think he has potential to be a very dynamic character.
I can't WAIT for Sunday and Monday!
Is It Just Me?
Is it just me, or is my blog looking strange right now? I can't get it to load more than two posts. This is kind of a test post to see what happens when I re-publish. Okay, here goes.
MySpaceOut
One day last week, Tuesday or Wednesday, I joined MySpace. Then, I left Thursday afternoon for Vegas, returning home Saturday only to find out that MySpace had made me something called a "cool new person." This means my face was plastered over the front of MySpace. I had over 1000 "friend" requests
plus over 1000
other messages. And apparently, I'm still featured because even though I weeded through a couple hundred last night, I now have
1100 requests to be friends and just as many messages. OH.MY.GOD. What the hell have I done? The cool thing is, Daniel Lanois is one of my friends (at my initiation, he doesn't troll for friends), and that guy is one righteous genius of a musician. If you don't know Daniel Lanois, check him out at
his website. He's most well-known for being a producer, U2's in particular, but he's extremely compelling in his own right, both as a songwriter and a player. A friend of mine had the supreme pleasure of opening for him a few years ago which is how I had the pleasure to see him live.
Anyway, if you're a MySpacer, my URL is
http://www.myspace.com/purlupanddye. I don't personally know the band I'm featuring right now (The Films), but I found them on MySpace and think they're hot. The song on my profile page is really catchy.
This Post Sponsored by Geico
A tram provides transportation for travelers from Gate D to the rest of Las Vegas' McCarren airport. There are several, large, cement sculptures of desert animals in the tram station at Gate D where this shot was taken and blogged live. Yes, those are payphones behind this giant gecko.
Leaving Las Vegas
Shot and live blogged on the tram going out to gate D to catch my flight from Las Vegas home to Long Beach. My head was pounding and my stomach was churning, but I was more than ready to leave satan's playground.
Happiness is a Warm Blog
I'll add a proper review and write-up to accompany these pictures when I return from the weekend, but for now, enjoy these pictures that represent a fantastic evening of amazing music and musicianship. You should click on all these photos to see them larger and clearer.
Two of Them - our hosts, Joe and Catherine.
Mark and daughter, Molly. Joe in the background.
Blurry but too sweet not to include.
Chico
Mark, Curtis, Joe, Roger
Kurtis and Roger
Kurtis, Barry, Mark, Curtis
Hell on Earth. Really.
Oh hell no. I have to go to Las Vegas this weekend. I leave in two hours. It's already in the 90s there, and I am dreading this. I'm sure el diablo himself will be standing at the airport, handing out free tickets to nudie shows to every deplaning passenger. So you stay cool and dry while I am sweltering in the desert oven, wondering what it was I did to land in purgatory at such a fresh, young age.
A Grey's Recap and My Predictions
So, is everyone recovered after McDreamy took his wife into the shower for some hot, steamy sex last night? I rather enjoyed that, and I hope Addison did, too, because she was coming off a really shitty day.
Burke. I LOVE that they've made him so emotionally vulnerable. He's such a hard-ass, competitive, driven surgeon. But he's really very sweet and kind-hearted. In his relationship with Cristina, from the beginning, he has been much more open than she has. She was completely impenetrable emotionally in the beginning, but he was always more open to her than she was to him. It had to be that way, you see, because otherwise, he wouldn't be attracted to her. Have you noticed that when he's feeling stressed or troubled, he takes his glasses off and cleans them? If not, watch for it. And I love that he's a musician. He plays the trumpet, you know.
Anyway, this is where I think we're going with the season finale in a few weeks:
1) Alex and Addison are going to hook up. It's totally obvious, and there was even some foreshadowing to that last night. Oh sure, they hate each other right now, but all that passionate disdain just needs to get pushed over the line, and they'll fall madly in bed. I can hardly wait.
2) Sorry folks, but I think Denny is going to die. Of course, I don't want him to die, but I think they're nearing the end of his storyline, and I can't see how having him live would serve the plot. If he lives, he and Izzy will just be boring, and that can't happen. Izzy needs to go off the deep end, and Denny dying should do it.
3) McVet. Anyone know the details of Chris O'Donnell's contract? Meredith will be with him long enough to be unavailable to McDreamy when Derek finds his wife having an affair with Karev, and poor McDreamy will have no choice but to board one of those Alaska Airline flights from Seattle to Long Beach where I'll be waiting.
What a great way to end the season!
You gotta love these lists. I don't agree with all of Blender's 50 items. In fact, some of them I REALLY disagree with, but here are some of my favorites:
