GREAT MUSICIANS ON LATE NIGHT TV

Did you catch Jose Gonzalez on Conan?! He's one of my favorite artists out there right now.

What about The Flaming Lips on Letterman?! Hmmm, nice button.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were also on Letterman earlier in the week. And I'm not sure, but I believe Karen O. was "vogueing."

The Strokes were on Leno, but I'll forgive you if you missed that. Lennnnnnno. *shivers*

All in all, it was a terrific week in late night musical guests.

I GET MORE WORK...

For whatever reason, Flickr isn't allowing the LARGE photo to load, so just deal with this smaller, not-able-to-actually-read version for now. It's going to be on the front page of the FYI section of The Kansas City Star on Monday...yes, for the Royals season opener! Let's go team! This year we can totally be SECOND to dead last!!! USA USA USA!!!

"SHARON STONE ADVOCATES ORAL SEX"

Sometimes, you simply cannot NOT read the news. That was the headline. I dare you to ignore what lies beneath. Dare you, I say!!!

*****
Actress SHARON STONE is adamant teenagers should be prepared to engage in oral sex, if it saves from them the dangers of unprotected penetrative sex.

The BASIC INSTINCT spends much of her time away from Hollywood working as an activist raising AIDS awareness, and she always carries condoms with her to hand out in a bid to increase safe sex levels. She explains, "I was in the store the other day and I watched a young girl trying on clothes, showing her abdomen. "Her mother was trying to talk to her about not being inappropriately luring. I said, 'Gee that would look much nicer with a camisole under.' "Her mother walked away, and I said to the girl, 'I'd like to give you a two-minute conversation about sex.' "Young people talk to me about what to do if they're being pressed for sex? I tell them (what I believe): oral sex is a hundred times safer than vaginal or anal sex. "If you're in a situation where you cannot get out of sex, offer a blow job. I'm not embarrassed to tell them."
*****

I came dangerously close to falling out of my chair with laughter when I got to the line, "Her mother walked away, and I said to the girl, 'I'd like to give you a two-minute conversation about sex."

Can you even begin to imagine?! Shopping, minding your own business, and up walks Sharon Stone asking for a few minutes of your time so she can talk to you about sex?! I must be shopping at the wrong Target.

NEW MUSIC 3.28.06

MATES OF STATE * BRING IT BACK

First things first, do not look directly into that guy's eyes. He's not only creepy, but has the power to steal your soul even through this copied JPEG off of Amazon.com. That's how fucked up of an album cover it is. I adore the back cover or even the actual cover underneath the sleeve, but none of those were online (that I could find anyway) and I enjoy writing in my blog while I should be working, so like hell I'm going to wait until I get home and just scan the back of the album. So just deal with that creepy mother fucker staring right at you, suckers.

With that out of the way, this truly is an amazing album! It's hard to describe. They're a husband-wife couple of singer songwriters from San Francisco who keep their music light and upbeat. It's the type of record you'll enjoy listening to in the summertime with the windows rolled down as you drive around town. It's fun, vibrant pop rock with a tight combination of drums and organs. And harmonies...LOTS OF HARMONIES! It's straight out of the Mamas & Papas, 60's-70's coming in together on different words and then overlaping each other on others. It's really kind of beautiful and is an absolute joy to listen to.


GOMEZ * HOW WE OPERATE (single)

iTunes offered this last night which surprised me because the album doesn't come out until May. You can listen to the song off their website, but I make mix CDs all the time for driving to work and whatnot and enjoy having the option to listen to the song whenever I feel like it. The song seems good enough. Starts off stronger than it finishes, but I've been a fan of these guys forever and think it's about time they get some airplay here in the States.

RICKY GERVAIS ON THE SIMPSONS!

Don't forget...IT'S THIS SUNDAY! Looks like there might be future episodes as well...

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening said Ricky Gervais did such a good job writing an episode of the hit US comedy show that he wants him to do more.

The Office star wrote and appears in the episode, which is due to be screened in the US in the spring. Groening said Gervais was good enough to be a regular character, according to reports in the UK press. "He caught our tone exactly, and then added his own Ricky Gervais/David Brent patheticness," Groening said. "Everything you could ever possibly want from Ricky Gervais you get. "It's possible we'll collaborate again... he should be a regular character. In fact, he should have his own cartoon series."

Gervais' character in The Simpsons is based on David Brent from The Office sitcom.
He moves into The Simpson household with Marge as the family take part in an episode of Wife Swap, while Homer moves in with his wife. Gervais was invited to pen the episode by Groening, who is a fan of The Office. He described writing the episode as a "dream come true".


BBC News online - Weds 4 january 2006

UNITED 93

I'm sorry, but I really want to go see this. I love the way it's shot all "handheld" and the fact it all takes place in real time just makes it even more intense. And toss me in the camp for not thinking it's "too soon." I'm curious to see how Oliver Stone's Twin Towers movie turns out.

THE TIDE IS TURNING

Watch Russ Feingold on The Daily Show last night and remember what it looks like when a Senator stands up to this Administration. It's been awhile, but dammit, it feels good. Watch the Republican Spin Machine in action to discredit him and try and make it about "fighting terrorists" and not "breaking the law." They cannot keep hitting us over the head with "Liberals hate the troops" bullshit and expect us to not fight back.

Speaking of fighting back, the Dixie Chicks have a wonderful new song out. They ain't backing down either. Good for them. Remember how crazy people went when they said this, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."

That's it. They didn't eat a baby or pee on the Bible. They just said they were ashamed Bush is from Texas. And people went apeshit! My, how times are changing...for the better.

NOT READY TO MAKE NICE

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

I’m through with doubt
There’s nothing left for me to figure out
I’ve paid a price
And I’ll keep paying

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

I know you said
Can’t you just get over it
It turned my whole world around
And I kind of like it

I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

BLAME THE MEDIA

I am soooooo tired of this pathetic tactic the conservative movement in this country keep trying to ram down our throats. Basically it comes down to, "Say it enough and it becomes true." Just like, "Liberal Media." You ask random people on the street and I guarantee most would just nod. Because that is all the conservatives need to do to help discredit whatever the latest news report is.

"Bomb Kills 80 in Iraq."
Psssssh, there the liberal media goes again! How come they never report the good news?

"Bush's Poll Numbers Hit New Low."
That's just because the poll was done by CNN and they're a bunch of liberals.

It doesn't matter what the news is, if you say that the source is the problem, you win every time!!!

Now we have President Bush joining in on the fun. Iraq isn't going as the media would like you to believe. Luckily, Keith Olbermann is there to put things in perspective. But keep in mind, he's one of those Pinko Liberal Commies that the conservatives warn you about...

**UPDATE**

I love Jack Cafferty

WHY WON'T GOD ANSWER *MY* PRAYERS?!

I know showing Pat Robertson making a fool out of himself is like showing a baby peeing on himself. "Yeah...so?!" But you gotta watch this clip of him and this woman from The 700 Club. Keep in mind that they're talking about college professors. People who teach college. That's it.

The best line? It's a tie between, "...these guys are out and out communists, they are radicals, you know some of them killers, and they are propagandists of the first order..." and "...you don't want your child to be brainwashed by these radicals, you just don't want it to happen. Not only brainwashed but beat up, they beat these people up, cower them into submission."

...wow.

NEW MUSIC 3.21.06

BEN HARPER * BOTH SIDES OF THE GUN

Taking the cue from the 70's, he's basically released a double album today. Or CD, if you will. Both CD's are only 9 tracks (and about a half an hour) long. So it could've easily been a 18 track, hour long single disc, but Harper wanted to keep it divided into mellow and upbeat. I think both sides are powerful and as a total package, this might be his best offering yet. Both lyrically and musically, he is at the top of his game. He even produced it all himself, which goes to show how much confidence he's been gathering up over the years.

This release feels as if it came right out of the 70's as well. Funky, meaningful, poetic, political, Ben Harper is truly from another time. Artists aren't supposed to make records like this any longer. Where's the catchy single? Where's the token love song? Instead you get personal turmoil as in "Cryin' Won't Help You Now."
*****
sit there and call me
a liar and a cheat
i just wish you'd pin a rose on me
now you won't even
come out and take a bow

cryin' wont help you now

now your poets
have all put down their pens
the only songs to sing
are those sung again
lonely just doesn't
look good on you somehow

cryin' wont help you now

i just keep on staring
into the black eyes of the truth
we'll have to learn to live apart somehow

cryin' wont help you now
*****
But where BOTH SIDES OF THE GUN really shines is in the fustration with what has gone wrong in the world. Some are specific, such as "Black Rain," which bashes the response to the Katrina victims, "you left them swimming for their lives / down in new orleans / can't afford a gallon of gasoline / with your useless degrees." But songs like the title track cover so much more ground. It speaks volumes about all that is corrupt in our current culture of apathy and fear.
*****
living these days is making me nervous
archaic doctrine no longer serve us
now we're left as silent witnesses
we don't know quite what this is
other than a war that can't be won

i feel like i'm crowded, i can't get out
world keeps on filling me up with doubt
when you're trapped you got no voice
where you're born you got no choice
other than to go and take you some

one dimensional fool
in a three dimensional world

politics, it's a drag
they put one foot in the grave
and the other on the flag
systems rotten to the core
young and old deserve much more
than struggling every day until you're done

tension
too much to mention
living on both sides of the gun
*****


PRINCE * 3121

I don't see why this album is getting shit on from Entertainment Weekly. Sure, it's not a CLASSIC Prince album, but it's still damn good. Songs like "Lolita" and "Black Sweat" are sure-fire-hits! The only thing that I wish is that he'd go back to cussing. I mean, he does the whole "Shhhh..." instead of "shit" which is like...c'mon, we get it. What harm is saying the word? I miss the old days of "Sexy Mother Fucker" and "Pussy Control."


THE FLAMING LIPS * THE W.A.N.D. (single)

I know the full album comes out in two weeks, but this single has not one but TWO b-sides, "You've Got To Hold On" and "Time Travel...YES!" It totally makes the $3.00 worth it.


I almost bought this, but I already had the amazing cover of "I Found A Reason" by Cat Power and figured I had bought enough for one day. Next week, perhaps...

Remember Remember - Dario Marianelli
Cry Me A River - Julie London
Governments Should Be Afraid Of Their People - Dario Marianelli
Evey`s Story - Dario Marianelli
Lust At The Abbey - Dario Marianelli
Red Diary, The - Dario Marianelli
Valerie - Dario Marianelli
Evey Reborn - Dario Marianelli
I Found A Reason - Cat Power
England Prevails - Dario Marianelli
Dominoes Fall, The - Dario Marianelli
Bird Gerhl - Antony & The Johnsons
Knives And Bullets (And Cannons Too) - Dario Marianelli

THREE YEARS LATER...

And if you don't buy Tom's new book, the terrorists truly will win.

V FOR VENDETTA

I'm not sure what movie reviewers like Newsweek and The Kansas City Star saw, but Molly and I loved this film. She got all emotional at the end and I thought that it did an amazing job of giving the audience exactly what they wanted. Action. Drama. Emotion. It's all there.

I highly suggest you check it out. It was eerie how certain things, like rounding up gays into concentration camps, didn't seem so "oh that would never happen" when you start thinking of how quickly we let things slide now. The way they snatched people in the night and placed black bags over their heads also got under my skin.

The entire film was packed with beautiful imagery. The roses, the blacks and reds, the way the theme gets darker the farther we get away from "the present." It was a sight to be seen. And I'm glad I did. I had high expectations and they were easily met.

GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!!!

Our friend Billy West has once again spilled the beans. According to a post he made on his message board, Futurama is going to be renewed for television with 26 episodes. No word as to what station it will be on, who will rejoin the cast, or whether it'll be two seasons that would consist of 13 episodes each or one HUGE season of 26 episodes. Please keep in mind though, all this information is still very unofficial. Nothing is down on paper. No contracts signed. Nada. NOTHING. But, it's still pretty awesome.

*****
I'm this close to selling my show--''Billy Bastard--Amateur Human Being,'' And the other good news is that they're doing 26 new episodes of ''Futurama'' for TV and we're hammering out the deal now. The original plan was to have the DVD's first but that's no longer the case.I'm totaly jammed dude.

Greetings from the year 3000! It still sucks!

Billy
*****

Hey, if that shit Family Guy got new episodes cause of awesome DVD sales, it's about time they gave FUTURAMA extra ones too! I would've been happy with just a movie, but this is cool as well.

NEW NOFX

It's been too long since these guys recorded anything. Best Political-Punk you'll ever hear. And the song "You're Wrong" makes the entire EP worth $7...

"You're Wrong"

You're wrong about virtues of Christianity
And you're wrong if you agree with Sean Hannity
If you think that pride is about nationality, you're wrong

You're wrong when you imprison people turning tricks
And you're wrong about trickle down economics
If you think that punk rock doesn't mix with politics, you're wrong

You're wrong for hating queers and eating steers
If you kill for the thrill of the hunt
You're wrong 'bout wearing fur and not hating Ann Coulter
Cause she's a cunted cunt

You're wrong if you celebrate Columbus Day
And You're wrong if you think there will be a Judgement Day
If you're a charter member of the NRA, you're wrong

You're wrong if you support capital punishment
And you're wrong if you don't question your government
If you think her reproductive rights are inconsequent, you're wrong

You're wrong fighting Jihad, your blind faith in God
Your religions are all flawed,
You're wrong about drug use, when its not abuse
I hope you never reproduce

You're getting high on the downlow
A victim of Cointelpro
You're wrong and will probably never know

GET THE OSCARS READY!!!

SNAKES ON A PLANE!!!

THIS IS GOING TO GO HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY WRONG...

You cannot mix Old People and Robots...ever.



TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese-led research team said it had made a seeing, hearing and smelling robot that can carry human beings and is aimed at helping care for the country's growing number of elderly.

Government-backed research institute Riken said the 158-centimeter (five-foot) RI-MAN humanoid can already carry a doll weighing 12 kilograms (26 pounds) and could be capable of bearing 70 kilograms within five years.

"We're hoping that through future study it will eventually be able to care for elderly people or work in rehabilitation," said Toshiharu Mukai, one of the research team leaders.

Covered by five millimeters (0.2 inches) soft silicone, RI-MAN is equipped with sensors that show it a body's weight and position.

The 100-kilogram (220-pound) robot can also distinguish eight different kinds of smells, can tell which direction a voice is coming from and uses powers of sight to follow a human face.

"In the future, we would like to develop a capacity to detect a human's health condition through his breath," Mukai said.

Japan is bracing for a major increase in needs for elderly care due to a declining birth rate and a population that is among the world's longest living.

The population declined in 2005 for the first time since World War II as more young people put off starting families.

WHAT I BOUGHT TODAY...

Kinda weak, but I'll be spending a TON next week, (new Katamari PSP game, Prince, Ben Harper) so I'm sure it's probably for the best.


Making Molly watch this tonight. I know she'll enjoy it if she'll just stay awake. (she has to get up at the buttcrack of dawn every morning and usually falls asleep around 9 or so...)


None of the songs come as close to perfect as his cover of "You Don't Know Me" but it's still a nice album to listen to while you drive home at night or draw. (if you like sad country songs...)

CENSURE THE PRESIDENT!

Don't roll your eyes, I'm serious. He broke the law. He admitted that there wasn't any legal reasoning behind his decision to wiretap phones with the NSA department...he was just using the "power Congress gave me when they voted for the war." That's a lie, Congress never authorized such an invasion of our Constitutional Rights. Finally, there is a Senator (yes...one and one only) that has the balls to stand up and demand that our President be censured for his illegal actions.

Go watch Russ Feingold on CNN this morning and watch the interviewer (as the media likes to do as of late) react like this is CRAZY and where does he get off?! Russ answers her questions calmly and reminds her, that this is about holding up the Constitution. Something that both Democrats and Republicans should be in agreement over.

Listen, Andrew Jackson was censured in 1834 for refusing to hand over papers to Congress and assuming power not granted by the Constitution. The only other time Congress did anything similar was impeaching Clinton...for...well you know.

Go here and contact your local Democratic Senator and ask them to co-sponsor Feingold's legislation. (or if you're like me and live in the middle of TONS of red states, contact Harry Reid *Minority Leader* and ask him to get the team to unite on this one.)

SNL

Not only was it funny tonight (the opening Spring Break sketch was perfect and I love me some Vincent Price Party) but the Arctic Monkeys played my favorite track off their new album, "A Certain Romance." The singer even made a comment about someone yawning in the audience while they played it.

Fuckin' A! (which for the record...I don't think I have a clue what that means? Is it short for "fucking awesome?!" Anyone care to fill me in?)

I'VE NEVER WATCHED AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL...

But after watching this, I might start checking it out. Who knew good looking girls and batshit crazy went together so well?!

SET THE TiVOS...

Cause we all know you will either be out and about or asleep when this airs tonight...



IT'S FINLAND FRIDAY ON "LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN" MARCH 10

Show Devotes Entire Hour To Air Footage of O'Brien's "State Visit" to Finland

NEW YORK, March 2, 2006 - After making headlines worldwide for his February visit to Finland and his meeting with look-alike President Tarja Halonen, Conan O'Brien is devoting his entire March 10 episode to show his Finnish travelogue.

A studio audience will join O'Brien as he presents his coverage of his visit.

"Late Night," is wildly popular in the Nordic nation and became somewhat of a political player in the country's current presidential race, specifically due to O'Brien's striking resemblance to Finnish President Halonen. The show aired mock campaign ads endorsing her and has seen an increased number of Finns in the studio audience.

From landing at the Helsinki airport, O'Brien was greeted like a visiting head of state by hundreds of reporters and thousands of avid fans (some with banners reading "Tarja Is Our President But Conan Is Our King"). Over his four-day visit, O'Brien toured around Helsinki meeting fans, taking in the local custom (the sauna) and local culture - an underwear exhibit in the Helsinki's Tennis Palace Art Museum.

In addition, O'Brien and crew winged north to Lapland to take in the wintry splendor of Finland's Arctic Circle territory, visiting native Laplanders' reindeer farms (reindeer outnumber people in Lapland), dog sledding camps, and Santa Claus' reputed home.

In addition, O'Brien met with myriad Finnish media figures. From appearing with Arto Nyberg ("the Finnish Larry King"), to being followed by the Finnish tabloid press and sitting for an interview with two ten-year-old boys, every public appearance by Conan was covered in all its surreal detail by the "Late Night" crews. In addition, "Late Night" goes backstage at the Telvis Awards ("the Finnish Emmys") where O'Brien will receive a special award at the Telvis Awards in Helsinki - the Väripilkku Award - "for the most surprising and most entertaining TV personality in Finland."

Finally, the footage will showcase the main focus of the trip: O'Brien's private Valentine's Day meeting with at the Presidential Palace with his doppelganger, President Tarja Halonen. The "Late Night" crew captures a new "Helsinki Accord," of sorts.

TWO CLIPS...

One is funny. (Stephen Colbert on "THE LONG WAR")

One is not. (the worst political ad I've ever seen...and yes, it's real.)

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, I'LL SAY IT AGAIN...

I (heart) BANSKY.

THIS IS WHERE YOU SHOULD BE ON FRIDAY NIGHT (IF YOU LIVE IN KC)

LAST CALL: THIS FRIDAY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD
... is when we are hosting STEP INTO THE ARENA (Tag Team Live Art & Tickle Party)! This will be THE art jam to go to. Really. Come. You won't regret it. You can get your dance on. And your art on. So what is an art jam you ask?

Well, sit here on my lap while I tell you a little story. You see, in this world... in this world there are six artists (at least). And this friday, these six artists (aka Josh Cotter, Lori Raye Erickson, GEAR, Loo Ruzich, Mike Springet and Hector Casanova) will come together and clash paintbrushes, in a mad, dizzying display of wits, trying to outdo each other while making pretty pictures for your delectation. Yes, before our very own eyes, these six artists are gonna make some funky funky art. Picture it, little one: two walls, three artists a piece, just making beautiful beautiful art right in front of your very eyes...

What's that? What about your ears, I hear you ask? And your butt?

Worry not! These things have been taken into account. For there will also be Amy Farrand to do her one-woman band act. And DJ AJ2 and Beatbroker will make sure you keep on shaking that ass.

Like I said, it's all taken care of. ll you have to do is show up...

Where? The Green Door Gallery. In the West Bottoms. 1229 1/2 Union Ave, secind story of the Old Post Office. Go to thegreendoorgallery.com for more details. Yes, you may bring your mom. And your kids too. Just keep them away from the wine.

--Hector

CARS TRAILER

I have a reeeeeeeeally bad feeling about this. I mean, a trailer is supposed to make you WANT to see the movie, right? They couldn't take 2 minutes of footage and make it look interesting?! Sigh.

I GET MORE WORK...

This week's and next week's FOXYMORON FIELD TRIPS in the Kansas City Star...

RANDOM COOLNESS...

This guy is my new hero. You know how I can't stand Dane Cook and think he's unfunny and fucking lame? Well, I should've mentioned that he was a damn GENIUS compared to Joe Rogan. If you have a second, go here and read the emails between my new hero and Joe. It's sad and pathetic that Joe actually answers him back, then posts about it on his MySpace page and acts like he "won" or some shit.

I dunno if you guys saw SNL on Saturday, but this is reeeeeeeally fucking funny.

That's it for now...I'll probably add more later.

...and I'm back. New additions below...

New PEARL JAM * WORLD WIDE SUICIDE

I felt the earth on Monday
It moved beneath my feet
In the form of a morning paper
Laid out for me to see
Saw his face in a color picture
I recognized the name
Could not stop staring at the
Face I'd never see again

It's a shame to awake in a world of pain
What does it mean when
the war is taking over?
It's the same every day
I heard my name
Why can't they say that
The world be left to hold her

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suicide

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suicide

Medals on a wooden mantle
Next to a handsome face
That the President took for granted
Writing checks that others pay
And in all the madness
Thought becomes numb and naive
So much to talk about
And nothing for us to say

It's the same every day
And the wave won't break
Tell you to pray while
the devil's on his shoulder
Laying claims to the tainted soldier said
I'm not a quitting
The truth's already out there

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suicide

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suicide

Looking in the eyes of the fallen
You've got to know there's another
Another
Another
Another
Another

waaaaayyyyyyyyyyy

It's a shame to awake in a world of pain
What does it mean when
the war is taking over
It's the same every day
And the wave won't break
Tell you to pray while
the devil's on his shoulder

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suicide

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suicide

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suicide

The whole world
World over
It's World Wide Suiciiiiiiiiiide

And SPRINGSTEEN is gearing up for a covers album. Sweet.

And here's WILLIE NELSON'S version of YOU DON'T KNOW ME. Not as good as Ray Charles, but damn sad nonetheless.

I'M IN LOVE...

With everything about Lucinda Williams. Her lyrics, her voice, and by all means, she's beautiful. But god damn, she writes the most heart-wrenching songs you'll ever have the pleasure of listening to. Molly and I were lucky to check out her rare acoustic tour tonight and both of us loved every minute of it. She played songs across her entire catalog and showcased plenty of new material. Many mentions of "bare with us, we haven't tried this one yet" echoed throught the theater and the crowd relished every single moment. (Although oddly enough, Molly and I were the YOUNGEST people there. A sold-out crowd where, I'm not kidding, the average age was probably 47?! I always tell people that I don't FEEL 26 and I guess my musical tastes back that up...)

Anyway, if you have the chance, catch her on this unique tour. Or pick up her latest album LIVE AT THE FILLMORE. You'll thank me later.

VIDEO GAME TIDBIT...

There's a next-gen system out there that you may have heard about...XBOX 360. Anyway, it's got superior graphics, amazing sound and this online beast of a set-up. But I ain't going to buy it. I have absolutely no interest in it at all. I never bought an XBOX cause I already had a PS2 and figure I can just wait until the PS3 hits stores later this year.

Then I read that Rockstar (the developers behind Grand Theft Auto, Midnight Club, basically really, really cool games) were in the works on a XBOX 360 EXCLUSIVE GAME!

...hmmm, that raised my eyebrows. If you've ever played any of their games, you know the commitment to quality and amazing gameplay they bring to the table. I would honestly consider buying a machine if they had an exclusive game (GTA used to be exclusive to Playstation) for the XBOX system.

Then today, the game is revealed. Here.

That's right...a PING PONG game?!

I cannot stop laughing. That is easily the stupidest thing I've ever seen.

BILL O'REILLY IS LOSING IT...

Seriously, he's off his rocker. His ratings are down and his competition, Keith Olberman, are up. So someone calls into his show and just barely mentions Olberm...and that's it! Bill drops the call, tells the guy he's got his phone number and he's going to turn things over to...ready for this...FOX SECURITY!!!

DEAR. GOD.

What the fuck is with him lately? It's almost sad. Okay, no it's not.

SUPERMAN RETURNS

Sure, this is just a trailer for the upcoming video game...but it's still damn cool.

THE END IS NEAR!!!

A Larry The Cable Guy Movie?!

NEW FEMA VIDEO RELEASED

And it shows Bush lying through his teeth. On video. This is huge, folks. He sat there on Good Morning America and declared that "No one could have anticipated the breach of the levees." Why his pants didn't instantly catch on fire is beyond me.

*****
WASHINGTON (AP) -- On the eve of Hurricane Katrina's fateful landfall, President Bush was confident. His homeland security chief appeared relaxed. And warnings of the coming destruction - breached or overrun levees, deaths at the New Orleans Superdome and overwhelming needs for post-storm rescues - were delivered in dramatic terms to all involved. All of it was captured on videotape.

The Associated Press obtained the confidential government video and made it public Wednesday, offering Americans their own inside glimpse into the government's fateful final Katrina preparations after months of fingerpointing and political recriminations.

"My gut tells me ... this is a bad one and a big one," then-federal disaster chief Michael Brown told the final government-wide briefing the day before Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.

The president didn't ask a single question during the briefing but assured soon-to-be-battered state officials: "We are fully prepared."

The footage - along with seven days of transcripts of briefings obtained by AP - show in excruciating detail that while federal officials anticipated the tragedy that unfolded in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, they were fatally slow to realize they had not mustered enough resources to deal with the unprecedented disaster.
*****

And here's the clip of the ABC interview I mentioned down below. You know, the one thing the transcripts simply cannot convey is all the smirks Bush gives as he answers the reporters questions. I've never understood that. They're discussing people being stranded and and his Homeland Security Chief being useless and Bush just smirks and smiles?!

Absolute disgrace.