I saw this video today and it completely infuriated me, so I thought I'd spread it around:
Really?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
26 Days and Counting...
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Support Theater! (or something)
I shot a little behind-the-scenes piece for my roommate, Jeff, and his show that is premiering Saturday night in the NY International Fringe Festival.
Check out the video below and go see the show!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Yeah, yeah, I know...
So before you say anything, I'm aware I said I was going to be posting more...and I am. But just be quiet for now and be patient and it'll come. Jon's got some shit to deal with right now and will be back to you soon and in good time.
For now, though...enjoy the following short film. Joss Whedon, one of my heroes and one of the greatest storytellers of our generation, created this three-part musical about a supervillain, a superhero and a girl, with his own funds and without the support of any studio. He did it as an experiment during the WGA strike to prove that the internet was a viable market in which to make money.
And it's been a complete success.
Enjoy:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
So on the even of the release of what I think will be the biggest (and best) movie of the summer, "The Dark Knight", I thought I would talk a little bit about the summer movies thus far and give a little preview of what's in store for the rest of the season. I've seen nearly all the big blockbusters to this point and plan on seeing the rest of them, but as you'll see, not all summer blockbusters are created equal.
Jon's Mega-List of Summer Flicks
(in order of sucking hardest to actually a good movie)
The Happening
Wow, what a piece of shit. I could write more, but why waste my time. Don't waste yours by seeing it.
Get Smart
"Get Smart" stars Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway and Duane "Don't call me The Rock Because I'm a serious actor now" Johnson in this remake of the 1960's-era Don Adams series. And it sucks. There were too many moments that were trying so hard to capture the irrerverant humor of the original series and too many ways in which Steve Carell (on purpose or completely by accident) was channeling Don Adams. It's a lose-lose situation, really when the studio is telling you, "you have to say this line" when no matter how you say it, it will be imitating a comic genius. AND the movie isn't funny. At all.
Hancock
A movie about a lonely superhero who doesn't want to be a superhero. Until he is talked into it by a crappy PR guy and his hot wife. And then there's a twist that sucks. Will Smith is good and all and I really like Jason Bateman, but the action scenes in this movie seem to have been directed by a five-year old with Lupus. Oh and the twist sucks!
The Incredible Hulk
I've enjoyed the fact that the creators of these superhero movies are actually getting talented thespians to fill the shoes of their larger-than-life characters now, rather than just picking someone that kinda looks like the guy that used to do it (see: Superman Returns). Edward Norton takes on Bruce Banner in this go-round of the Hulk franchise, not ignoring the original, but not really acknowledging it's presence either. Liv Tyler is the chick and Tim Roth is the bad guy and does a fine job. This movie was ok, but it lacked something...oh yeah, excitement. I was bored.
Indiana Jones
I saw this twice. I liked it the first time and hated it the second. It should probably be lower on the list, but since I kinda averaged it out, this is where it falls. I think the main reason I liked it the first time is because I was so excited to see this movie. And then teh second time I could see it for what it was and realize that it was actually a pretty bad movie. A pretty bad movie with a dumb ending that barely makes sense.
Wanted
This movie was actually really fun and pretty good. Nice and bloody and action-y, Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy shot lots of guns, kill bunches of people and make lots of money. IF you like your movies all style no substance, then you'll love this one.
Iron Man
Everything that wasn't an action scene in this movie was awesome. Robert Downey Jr. is possibly the greatest actor working today that isn't named Daniel Day Louis and he does a great job here. All the Tony Stark scenes (that's Iron Man's name when he's just a suit-less schmuck like the rest of us, except he is a mega-billionaire, which is like almost none of us) are fantastic, but the fights were just kinda run-o'-the mill. Shame.
Wall-E
This movie is just the depressing, cynical, dystopian film you expect Pixar to make every year! Kidding. I was blown away by how dark this film really is under the surface of pretty colors and cute robots. It's funny how it takes a cartoon about robots in the future to provide the most biting and accurate social commentary on how shitty our culture is and how bad it will probably get. Fantastic movie - definitely go see it.
Now let's take a look at what's to come for the rest of the summer:
The Dark Knight
Yes, please.
Step Brothers
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly re-team for this seemingly funny movie about two middle-aged men that become step-brothers and hate each other at first. I will see it, but will not be surprised if it's either hilarious or a suck-fest.
X-Files I Want To Believe
Shitty title. I'm curious to how a movie based on a tv-series that hasn't been on television in like five years will do at the box office. I used to really like the X-Files when it was first on, but once it strayed into Robert Patrick territory I kinda gave up. I'll see it but not expecting to much of it. Though it is cool in the trailer where the guy from Head of the Class bleeds black blood from his eyeballs. I'm in favor of that.
Tropic Thunder
Ben Stiller directs again, which makes me happy. And he's making an R-rated action comedy and not Night at the Museum 2 (yet). The cast is good (yay Robert Downey Jr and Steve Coogan) and the premise is pretty good. The trailers look funny too, which is nice.
There's a few others that I want to see, but I saw a trailer today for a movie that made me very very very very angry. Watch it, below.
So basically what they've done is completely rip off Superbad and combined it with American Pie. They even have the normal, average, skinny kid, the fat kid and the geeky nerd kid that is just so happy to be getting laid at any point in his life. IT'S A DIRECT RIP-OFF. Are you kidding me? Couldn't they have at least changed one of those stock characters and tried to hide it a little? REALLY LAME.
Anyway that's it for now. Till next time.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Great Mysteries....solved?
So I know there are a lot of problems in the world today: Ever-rising gas prices; a horrible, lame-duck president; the over-use of hyphenated words. BUT, one most serious, ever-present problems this world has been facing for nearly two months is about to be solved: Jon is coming back to blogging!
That's right.
I'm serious too.
To show you how serious I am, enjoy this video from the old "Dana Carvey Show" featuring my two favorite Stevens.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Original Original
This week's Saturday Night Live had Steve Carrell has it's host. It was ok, but by far the best part came from the SNL Digital Short (I think my favorite Digital Short was "Roy Rules", go find it on youtube or Hulu or something).
Check it:
Lester Is Unstoppable
Jon Lester, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox was diagnosed with non-Hodgekins Lymphoma two years ago. That rare form of cancer, found after a minor car accident, almost killed him. Last year, he returns to pitch undefeated in the regular season and win the clinching Game 4 of the World Series. And last night, he pitched a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals.
It was such an amazing and inspired perfomance and the celebration afterwards was incredibly moving. Below is the video - I dare you not to get chills watching it. (It could be removed at any time, so hopefully it stays up for at least a little while).
And there's also this...
Another popular internet video that I somehow completely missed is now here for your enjoyment:
What's Jon Listening to? 5.20.08 Edition
Welcome to another installment of "What's Jon Listening to?", for this, the 20th day of May in 2008. This is the section in which I, Jon, dictate to you, the Reader, what I, Jon, am listening to. Enjoy.
The Indelicates - "American Demo"
This band from England features a former member of the Pipettes (I'll let you guess who). The record, and their sound, is a bit hard to classify. It has elements of folk, pop, rock and punk. It is cleverly and boldly written, with songs like "If Jeff Buckley Had Lived" that deconstructs the notion of myth-making and the pressure an artist faces to live up to the hype. It's a great record and you should get it.
Midlake - "The Trials of Van Occupanther"
Yes, I realize that it's not 2006, which is when this record came out, and meaning that I am at least 2 years late in realizing the greatness of it. It's a record that is densely layered, intricate and beautiful. At times it sounds like it belongs in the 70's and other times like it belongs ten years in the future. It seems like it could be a concept album, telling a fictional story, but it's not easy to dissect, if it is. The opener, "Roscoe" is strong, but the best song on the record is probably "Head Home".
Sleepercar - "West Texas"
The debut record for Sparta frontman Jim Ward is a more country-oriented rock record. Quieter and less dense than a Sparta record, it allows Ward to write songs that are related more to growing up in Texas. Maybe less political and fired-up than Sparta songs, too. There's some great tracks here, my favorite probably being "Sound the Alarm". Ward also put out a solo EP last year called "Quiet", which is also great. I saw him a while back play a solo acoustic set which really blew me away. He's a talented guy and writes good music. Buy this one too.
Monday, May 19, 2008
I love Bill Murray
...and he's starring in a new movie coming out this October called "City of Ember". It's based on a novel and it looks sort of like a movie targeted towards kids, but the trailer is badass and the movie looks pretty freaking cool.
Check it.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wow, California is smart
Finally some fucking sense. It's about time someone else joined my favorite home state of Massachusetts by getting a clue.
Today, California joined Massachusetts as the only other state in this great nation of ours to legalize gay marriage. Not civil unions or some other mildly placating bullshit - but actual, same rights as heterosexual, marriage.
The decision had words like "constitutional" and "equal rights" - apparently foreign terms to the 48 other states that have tried to (or successfully) taken some civil rights away from a group of people. The greatest part of this was that it overturned a voted ban on same-sex marriage.
Why is that the best part? BECAUSE PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO VOTE TO TAKE AWAY SOMEONE'S CONSTITUTION-GIVEN CIVIL RIGHT!
Why is it a civil right? Because it says so in the fucking Bill of Rights. You do remember the Bill of Rights, don't you? You know that part that says "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are crated equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights (note: that's a capital "R", btw), that among thees are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".
That's really all you need to see to understand that you can't take one right away from a group of people that another group has. There is no argument possible to refute this. Religious reason? Nope. See, there's another part of one of our founding documents that separates Church and State, sorry. Economic reason? Please, show me some evidence. Traditional reasons? You're surely joking.
Feel free to believe what you want to believe. You don't want to embark on a same-sex marriage yourself, then don't. But why get involved in the personal, PRIVATE lives of others when it has no effect on yours? This country was founded on the freedom to believe as you want to believe and act freely as you will as long as you're not infringing on the rights of others.
So let's all be happy and allow others to be as such.
That is all.
(UPDATE: Here is the full text of the ruling. It's a very well written and pretty easy-to-understand document that really gets to the heart of the issue. It talks about how 60 years ago, California overturned a ban on interracial marriage as being unconstitutional as well. That's an important precedent and is entirely relevant to this issue.)
High Five Action
Anyone that knows me, knows that I love high fives. What's not to love?
The satisfaction brought about by two hands, raised in defiance of all odds, meeting together in a loud CLAP that signifies unity and DESTRUCTION, raises morale and promises to vanquish obstacles.
And they cure cancer (though it's not proven, I'm confident it at least decreases cancer risk by +/- 3%).
Manny Ramirez sure loves high fives.
Oh yeah.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Daily Inspiration #2
I love Boston. I love inspired, creative videos.
Hence, I love this:
3 Days - 3,038 Photos from Robbie on Vimeo.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Things that make me angry #3241234
You know what makes me angry? This shit.
Really angry.
People that rely on the rumors and water-cooler (well, I guess in West Virginia it would probably be horse trough) gossip to make their "informed" decisions.
"I heard he was a Muslim" says one asswipe that will use his vote for Hillary "I'm way too cool to drop out of the race or give a shit about this country" Clinton and if she isn't the Democratic nominee in November, to vote for John "I'm really old and out of touch with this country, but i was a POW so vote for me!" McCain.
How about instead of relying on the Mainstream Media to make your decisions for you, you do some actual research before utilizing one of the last remaining avenues to have your voice heard. I know voting may not seem like it makes a difference, but it really, truly does. Votes are the only thing that can finally cut through the bullshit that TV news dishes. Votes are the only thing that can make some sort of dent in the shitty political system that we currently have.
One vote makes a difference. Just please make it an informed one.
I wanna rock! (ROCK!)
Big news people: A fifth(!) day has been added to Rocklahoma!
Seriously!
Rocklahoma is a music festival featuring all pop metal bands, mostly from the 80's, in Oklahoma. It was started last year and over 100,000 people trekked to the Oklahoma prairie to ROCK!
This year there is FIVE FULL DAYS of rocking. And I need to go.
Bands include: Warrant, Kix, Brett Michels (of Poison), Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row, obviously), Dokken, LA Guns, Queensryche and so many others.
Anyone that knows me (and those of you that read the post on Def Leppard) will know that I love metal, and especially cheesy metal. I love Dragonforce. I love Mastodon. I love 80's metal. Unfortunately Dragonforce or Mastodon will not be at Rocklahoma as that would kill the spirit of the festival. BUT, there is FIVE FULL DAYS of 80's metal bands.
That means:
FIVE FULL DAYS of bands wanting to play new material while the crowd yells for their one big hit they had in 1986.
FIVE FULL DAYS of 45 year old men staring at 45 year old women and wondering if while Warrant sings "Heaven" they might get away with feeling them up.
FIVE FULL DAYS of middle aged men wondering if it's too late to "rock out with their cock out". (I do not support this or the use of this phrase.)
FIVE FULL DAYS of me wondering if I'm the youngest person there and then noticing that I'm in Oklahoma and there are at least 300 8-12 year olds with mullets and/or rat tails.
I need to find a way to go to this. Donations are accepted in cash/check/Paypal. Email me for details.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Muggles no more
Well, Florida, you are totally awesome.
Apparently, a substitute teacher in Florida was fired for wizardry.
Yes, wizardry.
As reported by Tampa Bay Channel 10, a sub was entertaining the class with a 30 second magic trick that involved a toothpick disappearing and reappearing. Clearly this is the work of some vile wizard. No mere mortal can make a toothpick disappear into the soulless ether and then MAGICALLY COME BACK!
The best part of this whole thing is that the reason cited for his dismissal wasn't lack of proper teaching or not following curriculum. Nope, it was WIZARDRY. Someone had to sit down and tell this man with a straight face, "You've been accused of wizardry".
The more I write about this the less I believe it. This isn't 17th century Salem where accusing people of illicit deals with the devil was more accepted. I find it hard to believe that the devil has much interest in lending some power to a middle school sub so that he can make a toothpick disappear...but that's just my humble opinion.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Pour some SUCK on me (what? too obvious?)
Last Tuesday an event occurred that somehow escaped my attention. This was a serious oversight on my part, and I am truly, truly sorry.
Def Leppard released a new record.
Wow.
I don't even know where to begin.
Def Leppard, for those of you that somehow don't know, are a British Heavy Metal band from England, started in 1977. They "peaked" (yes, they were pretty huge for a while) in the early to mid 80's before embarking on a muti-year journey attempting to record what they hoped would be their biggest record, "Hysteria", which suffered many setbacks, not least of which was their drummer lost an arm.
But that didn't stop them! Not the Leppard, as I have never called them once. Their drummer (Rick Allen for those of you keeping score at home) learned to play with one arm and an elaborate pedal system, and "Hysteria" went on to sell four billion copies (maybe somewhat of an exaggeration).
They released a record of new material in 2002 and it sucked. Really bad. Though I did see them in concert at a state fair(!) in 2000 or so and they played only old stuff and not one new song, which was nice. Especially since they do have some fun, hair metal songs like "Rocket", "Photograph" and of course the crowd-pleaser "Pour Some Sugar On Me". But the key phrase there is "Old stuff". New stuff should never be written, let alone recorded and released into the public. This is a band who's musical style was nearly outdated when it began in the 80's. I mean, let me be honest, I love 80's metal (thanks college roommate Neil), but that sound belongs squarely in that time period. Attempts to resurrect it and forge a new sound nearly always ends in complete and utter humiliation (see: Brett Michaels).
Which brings us to "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge" Really? That's the title you're going with guys? Ok.
Allegedly they were going to make this record with their longtime producer "Mutt" Lange, with whom they collaborated on "Hysteria" to tons and tons of cash and sex with women. (Side note: On tour, they would often perform "in the round", on a circular stage with a green room below stage. In this green room, groups of groupies were hanging out and during extended solos bands members would head below stage and receive a little boost before resuming their difficult jobs of rocking everyone's faces off.) BUT, Mutt was too busy and they had to settle on some other guy who thought it would be a great idea to get Tim McGraw to come on board and lend some vocals to a boring song. Woo, worthless country crossover!
Anyway, this record isn't very good. Obviously. There are a couple of their signature slow ballads, lots of soaring vocals and guitars but there is too much of an attempt to make their sound fit in with the radio-ready modern rock that bands like Nickelback and Shittastank put out on a yearly basis. I understand the desire to want to keep on rockin', but there's a point where you have to realize the best thing to do is to keep touring on the old material and fade off into the sunset, counting your ridiculous piles of money. No one needs a new Def Leppard album, my copy of "Hysteria" and "High and Dry" still sound just fine on my ipod.
And I'm not going to comment on the way they spell their band's name.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Cinco De Mayo!
Happy Mexican Independence Day* everyone! Oh, wait, no it's not.
Cinco De Mayo is actually mostly an Americanized holiday that has some, but not a ton of significance in Mexico. It's yet another day that Americans can feel like they are contributing to world culture by getting drunk and misinterpreting cultural meanings!
So drink another Corona in honor of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin's victory over French forces in 1862, but just not Mexican Indepdendence.
*Fun Fact: Mexican Independence Day is actually on September 16! Drink some Coronas then!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Walk like a New Yorker
New York is a grand place. It's full of all kinds of people, income levels, entertainment and lots and lots of garbage. It's also home to the biggest garbage dump in the world (I'm looking at you New York Yankees).
One thing that's quite different than other places is the distinctly different styles of walking that this city offers. And below, I will highlight the three major types:
1. New York City Resident (Fast)
If you live here in New York and are under the age of 90, you generally have someplace to be and need to get there NOW. And if you don't get there NOW, some horrible fate will befall you, your loved ones and everyone you've ever met. Or at the very least you'll miss out on the free can of Rockstar that they're giving out on the corner (which is equally horrific).
So the type of walk that typifies an NYC resident is FAST. They weave. They bob. They speed through the crowds like Star Jones is hot on their tail. And they get to their destination fast and in style.
2. Old New York City Resident (Slow)
For those above the age of 90, the pace slows down noticeably. They think they're walking fast, but really, they're not.
3. Tourist (REALLY SLOW)
If you thought it wasn't possible to walk slower than the pace of a geriatric marathon, boy, you've never been to NYC in the height of tourist season. "Oh, look, a homeless person, I've heard about those, let's take a picture." "Oh look, a pigeon, take a picture!" "Oh look, I didn't know Wall Street was in New York, take a picture". "Oh look, some people from the South are racially profiling me, take a picture".
Do you get the point?
There's no slower way to walk than a tourist in this city. Every step is like an adventure to them. A long, dumb adventure.
I understand that New York City is an interesting place and definitely a place to see before you die. But please just have a little respect for the people that live and work here. While you're taking an hour to walk four blocks in a massive tour group, I'm trying to get to work on time.
Monday, April 28, 2008
What are we doing here?
Coachella happened this past weekend and alas, I wasn't there. Sad.
But Prince was there. Yes, the shortest guitar god of our generation was rocking with a vengeance. Or something.
AND he covered Radiohead. It's pretty fucking cool so you should check it out.
You know, I never realized how hard he shredded until I saw a video of him and a few other guys covering The Beatles', "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" where he unleashes a sick solo.
Find both vids below:
Prince - "Creep"
George Harrison Tribute (Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Prince, etc...)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Oh. My. God. The News Media SUCKS
I just saw on the CNN Political Blog that they conducted an interview with the douchebags wearing A&F shirts that were sitting behind Obama during his PA concession speech.
CNN sucks.
1. Hire Tony Snow.
2. Interview frat boy douchebags.
3. Suck.
Those are the tenets by which CNN clearly operates.
The Stare
I've noticed something interesting living here in New York City: most celebrities don't like to be recognized.
You'd think that the efforts expended in starting a career and getting public recognition and success would cause you to be grateful when a common, peasant-like non-celebrity recognizes you sauntering along 7th Avenue. However, this is clearly not the case.
I've seen a few minor to minor/slightly-above-minor-celebrities since I've been here. Here is a small list:
Lisa Loeb
Michael Ian Black
John Cho
Jerome Bettis (The Bus)
Isla Fisher (The very small Bus)
Definitely no one on that list is what you would consider A-List. Although, one of them totally has a Super Bowl ring, but I'll let you guess who that is. (Hint: It's Lisa Loeb)
Today I was outside, walking down 7th Avenue, passing by Carnegie Hall, when Steve Young jogs by. As he was jogging closer, I did whatever any non-celebrity does when confronted with someone he has seen multiple times on television - I stared. There's this funny thing that happens when you notice someone like this...you look, your brain processes the information, you know you recognize them, you try to figure out where from and then it hits you. Celebrity!
I should note here that I don't really care about celebrities very much. I've worked with some of them and they're generally not that interesting. I wrote lines for and met Kevin Bacon. I talked about Peter Jackson horror films with Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors. I arm-wrestled Hulk Hogan (ok, I didn't do that. BUT, I did share many Miller Lites with him, shooting the shit in an LA recording studio). They're really not that big of a deal. But it changes slightly when you encounter them in a non-work environment.
Anyway. The best thing that happens about encountering a celebrity on the street is the eye contact and then fear that instantly hits the celeb. This is the unspoken conversation that occurs:
Non-Celebrity: I think I've seen you before.
Celebrity: Fuck, you know who I am.
Non-Celebrity: You're on my TV!
Celebrity: Fuck, you know who I am and you're going to call attention to it.
Non-Celebrity: Do I care enough to say something? Probably not.
Celebrity: I haven't had much press lately, I hope they say something. I mean, no. Please don't. Well...I could use a mention on Gawker.
The end.
So in the past week this has happened to me twice. Once today with Steve Young, once on Tuesday night, while talking to Annie on the phone, waiting to go into the She & Him show at Webster Hall. (She & Him is the supergroup(?) of M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel). Zooey Deschanel walked by me. We made eye contact, we had the unspoken conversation and then she passed and went into the venue.
Every single celebrity I've seen on the street, this has happened with.
Lisa Loeb - check.
Michael Ian Black - check.
John Cho - check.
Jerome Bettis - check.
Your Mom - check.
and
Steve Young - CHECK.
Zooey Deschanel - CHECK.
Every. Single. Time.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Daily Inspiration
Here's a video that always inspires me.
Doesn't matter if you like the band or not, but this video is pretty amazing.
Basically the song is about the thousands (millions?) of people that travel to LA to realize their artistic dreams. And the video was set up like an audition for musicians to come in and play/sing to this RHCP track. They had no idea that the band was there too and the moment that they come out and surprise the unsuspecting hopefuls is just so...perfect, that makes this probably my favorite music video of all time.
The fact that this is the closest that most of them will get to fame is inconsequential, I guess. Ha.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Speak of the Devil
This past weekend, my roommate Jeff and I had a few people over to make a movie. The thing is, we didn't have a script, a concept or any sort of notion of what we'd make. The experiment was to see if we could make a movie in a night, with no pre-conceived notions of what it would be.
Four people came over, making us six total. Jeff had the idea of using the 48-hour film festival style of being forced to use a specific line of dialogue and being assigned a genre and a character name. Everyone wrote their suggestions down for each of those requirements and put them into a hat. Selections were picked. They were:
Genre: Horror
Line of Dialogue: "Are you mad? You're going to kill us all!"
Character: Tar Johnson
We picked a prop too, but that was after we started planning the movie and it didn't end up making it in. Boo us.
So out of these ideas, we built a story of an old blues musician, wrongfully murdered, and spiraled into a big backstory that involves all of rock history and multiple MURDERS!
I could explain and explain, but the best thing to do would be to watch it for yourself!
Remember, this was conceived, shot and edited in about 12 hours. Total! So please keep that in mind when watching - this is not a hollywood produced film. But it's also more amazing than any of those!
The Devil's Chord
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
I should start "Jon Rolling"
You know there's a rule in comedy where you start with a joke that's initially funny. You keep it going and it becomes unfunny. But then you keep dragging it on and on until it becomes funny again.
That's what's going on with the concept of "Rick Rolling".
If you happen not to know what it is, it's the "meme" of posting a link that you claim is one thing, and the link actually goes to a video of Rick Astley singing, "Never Gonna Give You Up". It was funny for a while, over a year ago when it started, then it got completely UN-funny.
But then recently the New York Times picked up the story, someone asked Rick Astley about it and sales of his record label re-released his Greatest Hits record due to high demand.
And more recently, the New York Mets started an online poll to decide what song the Mets will play during the 8th inning of every home game. So, sites like Digg and Fark encouraged readers to vote for "Other" in the poll and write in "Never Gonna Give You Up".
5 million people did.
The Mets responded, initially saying they would not be playing the song and instead, fans will cheer loudly for which song they want to hear for the rest of the year. Internet users were angry and said so. The Mets reasoned that even though the majority of those votes were not by Mets fans, they will play the song today, and each day play one of the other songs and see which is the most popular - kind of a nicer way to do the same thing.
BUT, they played it today. Here's part of the video broadcast after coming back from commercial in the 8th inning:
That's pretty amazing, if you ask me. It's gone back to being funny again. But just for a second.
Oh, and then there's this.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Inspiration
This is the kind of stuff I need to see on a daily basis:
Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri on Vimeo.
This video actually gave me chills. It's so well done, so fun and free and...simple. Clearly the blocking took some time to probably get right, but it's a bunch of people hanging out, having fun and creating something awesome.
That's the point, isn't it? That's what I need. This is what I need to watch everyday to remind myself that life isn't my job. Life isn't my lack of commitment to complete projects. It's creating. It's doing. It's being.
My roommate, Jeff, and I are hosting a "Film Party" next weekend to get together with some people and make some shit. We have no preconceived notions of what we'll create, but hope that whatever it is, is fun to do.
Creative expression + Motivation - Fear = Awesomeness.
That's the equation by which I will live my life from this point forward.
Thanks for listening.
Monday, March 31, 2008
And then there's this...
I know that all I do is post links most of the time, but that's ok.
I'll post something real soon for the zero people that read this.
In the meantime, there's this: BABBY
You Are A Pirate
I can't stop watching this 10 second song. It's the greatest thing I've seen today.
Pirate!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
This is unbelievable
Wow.
Story
Unbelievably, an 11-year old girl died because her parents believed either it was "her time" or the power of prayer would cure her medically treatable diabetes. She's dead. Not "wow, that was a close one, good thing we got to her just in time". Dead. Because her parents wanted to pray instead of take her to the doctor. They knew she was sick. They knew she had problems. Their response, "They firmly believe even if they had taken her to a doctor, if this was the time God had chosen for her to die, she would die regardless of medical interference."
Um.
Look, it's cool to believe what you want to believe. You can be a Christian, Muslim, Jew or a Pastafarian - that is your legal right to practice the faith you want. BUT, your First Amendment rights do not (I repeat: DO NOT) apply when the health and well-being of your kids is involved. What if this 11-year old girl wasn't into their parents beliefs? What if she was a Pastafarian and WANTED to go to the hospital?
Her parents response: Nah, we'll just pray and hope you get better.
You know what would have helped her get better? Fucking insulin.
The type of diabetes she had kills only the elderly and untreated. She would have been totally fine if her parents had for one second thought of the well-being of their kid and not the mythology of their belief system.
I'm an insane defender of the First Amendment. I believe in complete, total, utter freedom to say or do what you want as long as you are not infringing on the rights of others. I think all drugs should be legalized. I think prostitution should be legalized. I think people need to get their heads out of their asses and realize that religion is not the answer for everybody and if it's something they choose not to pursue, religious zealots shouldn't be spoiling the world for everyone. Religion can be a great thing - but it's personal and private. It's something that an individual shares with themselves and their god.
I'm starting to think, though, that Religion is the most dangerous thing we have.
Wars, murder, death, bigotry, hatred are all outcomes of religious belief. Intolerance. That's what religions seem to value above all else. Shun all that do not believe as you do. Actually, it's more than shun - it's DESPISE all that do not believe as you do. And if it's not outright hatred, it's quiet and intense condemnation.
Whatever happened to having respect for everyone? To being kind to your neighbor? I guess that doesn't count when they don't follow the same doctorine as you do.
Where does it end? When do people realize that tolerance, understanding and open-mindedness are the only things that can pull this country, and the world our of the pit of despair in which we currently reside.
But until then, bullshit like the above story will continue to occur.
I hope her parents go to prison. I hope their other kids are taken away from them and put in homes where they are taught to think for themselves. I hope people learn a lesson from this tragedy.
Beliefs are personal, important and necessary.
They're also dangerous.
Be smart and realize when beliefs stray too far into the latter category.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Raining Awesomeness
If this video alone doesn't make you want to vote for Obama, I don't know what will.
It's Raining McCain!
Notice how the woman on the left wore green pants and a green shirt. Which is dumb when you're using a GREEN screen. So she seems to be seeping into the background on and off. It's like she loves America so much, that's she's...becoming...america!
No thanks.
More 300 stuff
Being reminded of this last night, I decided to post it. Yes, leave it to me to be posting things that are over a year old.
Enjoy!
This...is...CAKE TOWN!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Let Down!(?)
I feel like I let the zero readers of this blog down with that terrible post earlier.
So accept this link with my humble apologies:
I'm sorry!
Here's a Post!
I have to post every (work)day, so here's a post! It's not going to be very good though, I'll warn you now. You may not want to waste your time reading it.
This past weekend I had a long weekend. It was nice and I slept A LOT. I don't think I stayed up past midnight at any point. I watched a lot of the NCAA March Madness (copyright, I think by the NCAA, which is also copyright, by, I think, colleges). And I watched a lot of Battlestar Galactica.
Battlestar Galactica. Wow. F-ing great show (and I don't break out the "f-ing-bomb" very often). I'm in the middle of Season 2, now (I finished episode 13 of 20 last night) and plan on continuing my Galati-thon tonight, after my third fantasy baseball draft.
That's right, I'm in three(3) fantasy baseball leagues. This is far more leagues than any one person shoudl take part in, yet, this is what I do. Two leagues are with friends, one league is with former co-workers (whom I guess are also friends). Tonight, at 7:45, I will pick my final team.
Um.
I told you this was not going to be a very good post.
Is that it?
I think that's it.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Important Politics Stuff
Yesterday Barack Obama gave a speech on race in Philadelphia. He gave this speech in reaction to some racially charged comments from his former pastor and Geraldine Ferraro's comments. It's one of the rare moments in modern politics where a politician has spoken honestly about issues that usually aren't discussed.
It is an amazing and important speech. I've placed the four parts of the speech below. Please watch it.
Monday, March 17, 2008
By Far the Most Rocking Thing You Will See Today
This rocks harder than you (or I) ever will:
Words of Wisdom for March 17th, 2008
From the late, yet still amazing, Mitch Hedberg:
"This one commercial said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did, and it was a load off of my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell slipcovers, but I didn't know what they were!"
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I Like Lists
Lists are awesome. They are a good writing tool because they provide form and structure and are a way to expand thinking. And as I was walking to the subway this morning I realized that I didn't write on Friday and already failed on my mission to write every day (workday). And the I started thinking about how much I like Fridays and then brought me to the idea for this list:
My Favorite Days of the Week (In Reverse Order):
7. Monday
Yeah, pretty obvious here. But let's talk about why I hate Monday's so much, even though it's painfully (oh so painful) obvious.
So you have a good weekend - sleep in late, maybe do some responsible drinking with some responsible friends and then all of a sudden a thought hits you late Sunday night: "Oh shit, I have to work (insert one of the following if you don't work: 'go to school', 'clean my bathroom', 'sit on the couch and drink just like I did today', 'get an aids test') tomorow." This is accompanied by a "sad face" (ie: : ( ).
And then Monday arrives and it blows even more than you thought it would. You wake up, stare at the alarm clock for a while and then get up, with the expectation of another long, long week. Friday seems oh so far away. Blah.
6. Sunday (ESPECIALLY post 6pm)
Sunday is a weekend day, so you might expect it to be higher on the list. No such luck. See, all of Sunday is covered by a creeping feeling that tomorrow is WORK. It's hard to enjoy a day when you're constantly thinking about how much it sucks that the weekend is already over. AND plenty of times you had such a good time on Saturday that you're totally hungover on Sunday (whether from having a lot of pure fun or from having a lot of DRINKS).
Don't let it fool you, Sunday is shitty - almost as bad as Monday.
5. Wednesday
I hate Wednesday this much because of how people call it "hump day". What a misleading term for a day! This is potentially devastating to the millions of sexually deficient people in this country. There you are, Mr. No-Sex, coming to work on Wednesday, happy that it's the middle of the week even though you haven't felt the touch of another human being in 7 years, and then someone (maybe a good looking woman, maybe your dad) calls out, "Happy Hump Day!". You think to youself, "could this be the day?" "Is this the day that I've been waiting 7 years for?" "The Day when they give out free sex to the sexless men and women of this country?" And then you remember that it's just a shitty expression for another shitty day.
4. Tuesday
I used to like Tuesdays. It used to be the day that the best show ever was on, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". And I'm totally not being snarky, it really was the best show ever. So for 7 years, Tuesdays were probably higher on this list - maybe ever #2. But now it resides here at 4th. It provides the hopefulness that "at least it's not Monday" and it is completely average in every other way.
3. Saturday
Why isn't Saturday higher on the list? That's a great question and continue scrolling down to find out. Saturday is cool though. We're buddies, Saturday and I, don't sweat it. Just because I'm not putting it higher on the list doesn't mean we're not pals. Seriously. We're cool. Just going through a bit of a rough patch right now. But seriously, we're alllllllll right. Stop asking me about it.
2. Friday
Fridays are great. Especially Summer Fridays. but Winter Fridays are good too. Friday is the last day of the typical work week and holds all the promise that this weekend is gonna be GREAT. Maybe last weekend sucked, but not this one coming up starting today at 5pm! This one is gonna f-ing rock! Or at least, that's what we tell ourselves every, single Friday. The reality probably actually lies somewhere between "pretty good" and "okay, but not amazing". And that's ok with me, just the CHANCE that this weekend is gonna beat all the rest is enough for most Americans to easily get through this day.
And that is sad.
1. Thursday
Thursday! Woo! It's Lost Day!
My favorite show currently on TV isn't the only reason that Thursday is so great. While Friday holds so much promise of what tomorrow brings, Thursday does even more! Thursday, being the day before Friday, allows you to think, "Oh, thank God tomorrow is Friday! Just one more day to get through before an AWESOME (read: pretty okay) weekend!".
And that too makes me sad.
There you have it. My list of favorite days.
I'm really lame!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Best. Band. Of Today.
How did I not hear of these guys earlier?
Their name is The Wrong Trousers and they're from California. And if you didn't notice, it's a Harp, Mandolin and Upright Bass. Awesome.
They also do a great cover of Video Killed the Radio Star. And their originals are great.
www.myspace.com/thewrongtrousers
Check it.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Ridiculous (read: HORRIBLE) Covers
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about covers. I generally like covers and I enjoy going to a show and seeing a band I like cover a song from another band I like. And it’s always fun to see bands cover songs in their style of a band that is completely different from them.
But a lot of covers are TERRIBLE. Hence, this list.
I’m gonna generally stick to bands covering songs and avoid people on youtube with their acoustic guitars, in their bedrooms. Although, maybe one day I’ll do a list of them too – but that’s too easy.
The List (Least Shitty to Most Shitty)"Piano Man" – Aaron Lewis (of Staind) (Originally by Billy Joel)
I can’t embed this video: Beware, Shitty Cover
1. “The Final Countdown” – Unknown (Originally by Europe)
1. “People Are Strange” – Evanescence (Originally, The Doors)
1. "One" - Some Douchebags at Bank of America (originally by U2)
Sphere: Related Content
Fear and Other Phobic Phobias
I need to write more.
That's the feeling I woke up with this morning.
And I intend to follow the urge.
Here's the problem though: For the past 10 years I've had an intense fear of writing whenever I start. I love to write, though maybe I should say, I love "the thought" of writing. And I always have lots of ideas and lots of things I could write about. And when I'm pacing around or walking to the subway or making a sandwich, I have lots and lots of things to write about. In fact, I can even begin speaking the words that I would potentially write. But when I sit in front of the blank page (or screen), I freeze. And the words that I end up writing, aren't nearly as witty or perfect as I had intended them to be, or I completely forget what I was going to write.
I started reading The Artist's Way, which is a book designed to break you out of your perpetual writer's block. The author's claim is that EVERYONE has writer's block (even if you're pumping out 40 pages a day) and you MUST read her book to break free. There's a method to her madness, however, and if you have the motivation to stick to her plan, I've seen the results work very well for people. But I'm not sure I'm quite at the place where I can devote the time and effort I need to really do it 100 percent right now.
So what I'm going to do is make a vow to myself: I will write in this blog everyday.
I've made hollow promises like this before and not followed through, but this time, I must. I need to for my own sanity, I need to for my creativity. And even if one day's post is short and sweet and the next is overly long and verbose, the practice of writing regularly is one I need to get back into the habit of.
And by writing all the time, hopefully I break free of this fear. Like all fear, it's totally unnecessary and pointless and only serves to hinder any progress I could be making. Fear is the enemy of all progress. So I will write my fear away!
Get ready, my 4 readers, for some action! Make this blog your homepage! Tell your friends! Bookmark the shit out of it.
And enjoy the ride.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Jon's NYC Etiquette Tip #743
Properly Boarding the Subway
Boarding the subway in a civil manner seems like a perfectly simple thing to do, right? I mean, how hard is it to stand to the side and allow people to disembark before stepping onto the newly arrived train? Apparently for people in this city, very difficult.
I don't understand the immense need to rush onto a train as it first arrives. There is no prize for getting on the train first, especially if there are clearly no available seats. And even if rushing onto the train gets you a middle seat, tightly squeezed in between two overweight women reading the latest John Grisham novel, is it really too much to ask to stand up for a few minutes? Most likely you've been sitting at your desk, munching carbs all day anyway. Standing up will burn a few unneeded calories.
The point is, when you're about to leave a train and you see an angry mob trying to push their way on, it's not really that pleasant. What I really don't understand are the people that wait right in the center of the doors as they're about to open and then as soon as they do, they rush forward onto the train. You can SEE through the windows on these trains - you know that there is someone there waiting to get off.
Move the hell over.
Please.
Thank you.
Jon's Movie Reviews: Be Kind Rewind
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Directed By Michel Gondry
There's a moment in Be Kind Rewind where the tone slightly shifts from madcap comedy about two good-natured people trying to do ridiculous things, to building community around adversity. It's a shift that does not really happen gradually or unexpectedly, but it's one that occurs fairly suddenly and the movie is only better for it. And what's great about this shift, is just as the "two guys with a video camera remake popular movies" premise starts to wear a little thin, something strong and heart-warming takes its place.
Generally, the movie is about two guys, Jerry (Jack Black) and Mike (Mos Def) that hang around a video store owned by Mr Fletcher (Danny Glover). Mike sees Mr. Fletcher as a father figure, and Mr. Fletcher responds by regaling him with stories of a famous, late Jazz musician that grew up and lived in their Passaic, NJ town. When Mr. Fletcher leaves town for a few days, he leaves the store in Mike's (in)competent hands, leading to a suddenly magnetized Jerry to erase every VHS tape in the store. Since Mr. Fletcher has Miss Falewicz (Mia Farrow) checking on the store, Jerry and Mike are forced to make their own versions of the movies so that she is reassured nothing is wrong and everything in the store is business-as-usual.
What this movie succeeds most at is encouraging people to be creative in solving their problems. I just finished reading Rebel Without a Crew, which is the story of Robert Rodriguez making El Mariachi for $7,000 in under two weeks. In that book, Rodriguez emphasizes how important it is to be creative rather than rich. Anyone can throw money and people at problems, but it takes a creative, hard-working person to solve them with limited resources. Film schools will tell you that there is a preset, established way to do things, but the reality is, anyone with a creative spirit can create.
In this film, Gondry says that what is most important in life is creating art. When all the movies in the store are erased and Mike and Jerry panic, it's Mike that has the inspiration to just do it themselves. He grabs an old VHS camcorder and they embark on a mission that not many people would have balls to follow. And amazingly, though the movies are technically terrible, the town rallies around them, thrilled to have something new, original and familiar to cling to. Wrapping the store around a biopic of their famous Jazz musician gives the story a nice structure and a heart-warming close.
Be Kind Rewind: B+
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Happy Lost Day!
Happy Lost Day everyone!
Lost Day is a day that comes every Thursday for a few months out of the year (2004 - Present). It's a wonderful day filled with intrigue, suspense and sometimes partial nudity. It's a day where people gather around the television at 9pm and proceed to have their minds completely blown apart by the sheer orgy of insanity and unanswered questions that barrage them for a straight hour.
I realize this sounds awful and painful. And it is. But in the greatest way possible.
For those of you that don't know, Lost is a television series on ABC about a group of castaways stranded on a tropical island. And with every day (1 day or less per episode) that passes, more mysteries of the island are uncovered and more details about the various survivors are revealed through the use of flashbacks and flashforwards.
And aside from a few missteps in the middle of season 2 and the beginning of season 3, the show has been consistently amazing. And this season (numero 4), has been the greatest the series has ever been. Answering some questions and revealing about five billion more with each answer. Alluding to things that will happen at some point, but taking it entirely out of any context that the viewer could possibly currently understand, but teasing you with just enough information to leave you screaming at the television screen, "WTF???".
If you haven't seen this show yet, I highly recommend putting it on your Netflix Queue right away. Or don't, if you value your free time and your sanity.
Happy Lost Day!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
What is Jon Listening To? (2.20.08 Edition)
It's February 20th already? That sucks.
Anyway, here's a new section for all you loyal readers, "What is Jon Listening To". (See what I did there? I just created this blog today, no one has read it yet, and I'm acting like it's an already established blog that has millions of readers and people actually care. I do that to make myself feel relevant).
This section will provide you, the reading public, insight into my current musical tastes.
I like music. I hope you do too.
Here's what I'm listening to on February 20th, 2008. (It's 2008 already? That sucks.)
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
What a good record. I've enjoyed The Mountain Goats and John Darnielle's pretty sparse, lo-fi arrangements in the past. He's a fantastic songwriter and this record "rocks" a bit more than the most of the previous and that's fine by me, since I too rock on occasion. The first four songs on this record are enough to last me until 2009.
Ham Sandwich - Carry the Meek
This band is from Ireland, and that's pretty cool. Also, I enjoy ham sandwiches. This record is really pretty amazing. If you like male-female dual vocals, distorted awesome guitars, songs that build to sweeping crescendos and good music, then you'll like this record. ALSO, they guy's name is Podge and the girl's name is Niamh (which I don't even know how to pronounce!)! Or it's the other way around! I don't even care! It's just awesome!
Weezer - Green Album
Yes, I know it's 2008 and not 2001, but I forgot how good of an album this is. I'm not even sure I realized how good it was when it was first released. I was such a huge fan of Pinkerton that anything that wasn't that record was a let down. But now, after some time (7 years already? That sucks) I'm able to realize that this is a really really really good record.
That's it for now. Go listen to some music. It's better than working.
Zombification, PT 1
Hi there.
I'm Jon, nice to meet you.
I've created a blog, why don't you stick around. You probably won't really learn anything or be too entertained. But it's probably a prety good way to pass the time while you're at work. It certainly is a good way for me to pass the time while I'm at work.
I've started blogs before and, inevitably, they fall by the wayside. I get too busy or too bored or too lazy or too...something else. I'd like to say that this time is completely and entirely different, that this time I'm dedicated and committed to writing something that no one will really read. So that's what we'll go with for now.
And why should I put my opinion and words out there when so many others, much more highly educated, thoughtful and smart than me do it already?
Um.
I don't really have a good answer for that.
So I will just put my words out there and maybe they'll find receptive eyes. I don't really know what we'll do here. Maybe I'll write about music and movies and books and stuff like that. Maybe I'll talk about politics. Maybe I'll talk about regicide (though I'm not sure there'll be much opportunity, but here's hoping!).
That's my "statement of purpose". And I'm sticking to it.
For now.
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