New Fantastic Four Teaser Trailer

I hate getting excited about movies that I know are going to suck like Joe's mom at a biker rally, but this trailer almost makes me forget the abomination that was the first FF movie. Almost.

Watch it here.

Happy Christmas!

Hope Santa is good to you.

Weird Science?

Harp Magazine has a damn fine online interview with Tom Waits from their December issue. (In fact, he's the cover boy.) Waits mostly talks about the various phases of his career.

Fascinating guy, to say the least.

Read it here.

Terrible Westerberg news....

This, from Paul's semi-official website Man Without Ties:

Dec. 20, 2006: Sorry to have to report some bad news today. Jim Walsh posts in his blog that Paul had a nasty injury to his left hand, cutting some nerves and damaging cartilage, and is currently in a cast. The details:
"A week or so ago he put a screwdriver through his left hand trying to get some wax out of a candle and cut some nerves and ripped some cartilage and hurt himself pretty bad. He's in a cast. He's seen a couple doctors who say he won't be able to play guitar for a year."
So please send out some good thoughts or say a prayer to the divinity of your choice for a speedy recovery.

This Is Kinda Fun

Stefan G. Bucher's Daily Monster. Each day, this guy posts a video of himself creating little monsters out of random ink blobs. He begins by dripping some ink, blowing it around with a straw, turning the page to get some ideas, and then ... viola (sic)! Within a few seconds (the video is sped up), he draws a new creature. I wish I had this kind of talent and creativity. My son and I watched these for 30 minutes last night until he had to go to bed.

See it here.

I really need an outlet...for my teenage lust!

"Miss USA Tara Conner is on the verge of losing her crown after testing positive for cocaine, lustily kissing Miss Teen USA in public and sneaking men into their Trump Place apartment, sources tell the Daily News. "

Lustily. Kissing. Miss. Teen. America.

Hmm. Excuse me.

Bands I Hate.

5. Styx - Paradise Theater, I hate it. Ugh. And don't get me started on the fucking robot song. Ugh.
4. Abba - Seriously, nothing makes me want to hit someone or something more than an Abba song. Except an Abba Video.
3. Tears For Fears - Shout! Shout! Let It All Out! Tears for Shut the Fuck up!
2. Motley Crue - and pretty much every other hair band. I can't even get nostalgic about that shit.
1. Loverboy - There is not a song they do or a person in that band that doesn't just suck beyond all hell. I hate them more than almost anything else in the world. Even Jay.

Mmmmm.....creamy ranch.....

From the "Dear God in heaven what is happening in our schools" Department, please check out this Smoking Gun report on a special ingredient added to the salad dressing in one Chicago school and the humiliating letter the principal had to send home:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1215065salad1.html

Keep 'Em Crossed ...

Single Guy came back for a second look yesterday, which is marginally encouraging, but we're proceeding with the plan to take the house off the market tomorrow. Our agent will let S.G.'s agent know that if he still wants to make an offer, we'll work with him. The next step, as I may have mentioned before, is to stage the house and put it back on the market in a few weeks when things start picking up again.

We're on month seven, guys ...

Phrom the Least Surprising News Department:

Phish phrontman and phamous phretser Trey Anastasio has apparently been arrested in New York for driving under the
inphluence and possession of prescription medications in someone
else's name. The world collectively shrugged when informed of
this latest celebrity bust, and wondered why it hadn't happened sooner. Maybe if Trey does hard time his phriend Dave Matthews will come by the pen and they can play a phabulous show for the inmates. Or, maybe Trey will spend his days stroking his phallus instead of his axe. Or wait, wasn't he doing that before?

Peter Boyle Bought It

"While a generation of TV viewers knows him as Frank Barone - with his trademark "Holy crap!" line - Boyle had a respectable career long before "Everybody Loves Raymond" debuted in 1996, including a part in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," in which he played a philosopher cabbie who counseled Robert DeNiro's angry character.

Boyle was also close friends with John Lennon, who was best man at Boyle's wedding."

Story here.

Big Audio Dynamite

There's a pretty cool Mick Jones interview over at The Onion's A.V. Club. It's just a one-pager, but he still dishes on the Clash exhibit at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum, his favorite Clash album, how he and Strummer collaborated, and what he's up to these days.

Enjoy it here.

Threadless

I heard about this company on NPR. It's a business built around an online community. Members design, then vote on t-shirts, with the winning designs getting produced. Shirts are surprisingly cheap, and there are some pretty cool designs. I think winning designs get a couple grand. Jay, something to think about in your free time.

www.threadless.com

AAARGH

There's a single guy in from out of town who looked at the old house last week. Out of nine houses, he liked ours the best. Instead of being excited about this, I feel like I'm going to throw up. We've been at the top of several lists before. That may mean that he really likes it or thinks it sucks the least of everything he's seen.

He's going to be spending this week looking at more houses. Not very comforting.

Cannibals...poo poo... Instructional Technology...pshaw

Now all I want to do is listen to Gil Scott-Heron.

Neanderthals Were Cannibals, Joe Confirms

MADRID, Dec. 5 -- Neanderthals suffered periods of starvation and may have supplemented their diet through cannibalism, according to a study of remains by Joe.

Joe studied samples from eight 43,000-year-old Neanderthal skeletons excavated from an underground cave in El Sidron, Spain since 2000. The study sheds light on how Neanderthals lived before the arrival of modern humans in Europe.

Joe found cut marks and evidence that bones had been torn, which they say could indicate cannibalism.

"There is strong evidence suggesting that these Neanderthals were eaten," says the study's lead author, Joe, in Madrid. "That is, long bones and the skull were broken for extraction of the marrow, which is very nutritious."

According to Joe, there is evidence of cannibalism in Neanderthal remains from other European sites.

"I would say this practice.....was general among Neanderthal populations," he said.

Joe intends to continue his examination of Neanderthal skeletons until shortly after Christmas when he will return to the United States to hang out in Austin with his family while continuing his educational 'studies'.

"This study has borne many surprising and fascinating fruits. However, in a couple of weeks, I must table this research for a good 6 or 7 months and return to my family and educational 'studies'. Fortunately for us, these Neanderthal skeletons aren't going anywhere and there will be a time in the not so distant future that I will be able to re-focus my attentions on this, my second greatest passion, the cannibalistic tendencies of Neanderthals."

Now boys...

Here's a funny article on Eagles of Death Metal leaving the GnR tour featuring Tommy Stinson throwing his bass down in disgust after Axl refers to the openers as 'Pigeons of Shit Metal.' Or not doing it, depending on who's talking. Hail hail rock 'n roll...

No, This Is The Shot Where Joe Told Us To Look Badass

I think we all nailed it.

Were We Ever This Young?

Pophead on the Gilmore's roof ...

Are we genetically programmed to become Bruce Springsteen fans when we hit middle age?

When I was in high school and the Boss was in his Born in the U.S.A. heyday, I hated Bruce Springsteen. Part of it was due to the fact that I liked Black Flag and Iron Maiden at the time, part of it was due to the fact that Springsteen and "Bahhnnn in da USA" was sort of omnipresent, and part of it was due to the fact that my friends hated Bruce 'Springfield'. Ha!

Evidently the joke is on me. For the past couple of years, much as I have done with Bob Dylan, I have come to 'get' Springsteen. And while I still believe that some of the 'workin' man' stuff is a little overbearing, I've gotten past that to the point that the beauty of songs like 'Atlantic City', 'Racing in the Streets', 'The River', 'Wreck on the Highway', 'Badlands', 'Prove it all Night', and even the ubiquitous 'My Hometown' have become clear to me.

This hasn't been a quick conversion for me like it was with Dylan. I bought the Nebraska album over ten years ago, feeling justified because it was his stark, daring album. I decided to pick up The Essential Bruce Springsteen a couple years ago, as well as The Rising. Then, it was just as with Dylan. It was like a lightbulb went off and I suddenly realized I was a Springsteen fan. Plain and simple. Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, The Ghost of Tom Joad, Greetings from Asbury Park and Born to Run all followed in quick succession.

Yesterday I sealed the deal. I bought Born in the U.S.A. And you know what? I like it.

CanoScan CS8600F

Christmas came early!

What does this mean to you guys? Once I'm done scanning all the negatives of my nude photos of Joe's mom, I'll start scanning all the negatives from the infamous pophead photo shoot(s).

Yes, I found them.

And begrudgingly, I'll admit that Joe took some pretty damn good pictures. I'm scanning at 2400 dpi, so these should print up nice 'n' purty. When I've got a few done, I'll FTP 'em.

So Dave ...

Have you guys decided where you're headed?