Damn, I'm In Love

I've been listening to this girl for a year now and I seriously can't stop. Her album "Little Voice" is an exceptional mix of creative song writing with pure, raw, talent, something that in my opinion is seriously missing in popular music these days. I love the production behind albums, but being able to really let loose and perform in a live setting is nothing short of amazing. You may have heard her first single Love Song playing in Target, and her second single Bottle It Up is playing on radio stations around the nation as I write this. Do yourself a favor and treat your ears to the voice of this girl.

Summer 08: 3 Weeks and We're Already Drowning in Alcohol

10:30 AM. To tell you the honest truth, I don't remember much about the night before. I remember waking up in Ant's car, saying goodbye and thanks for the ride, sticking my key into my front door only to find the chain latched. Two house calls later my dad opens with an "oh you're back early," and I nod my head and race upstairs to crash in my bed.

I knew Summer was going to be fun as hell, but there was no warning label for the shit that went down the past couple weeks. Everything from Vicente in a wheel chair to stepping in puddles of blue curacao, let's just say it's been eventful.

David's ridiculous house party with insane amounts of liquor, immediately followed by Adonis's "three ring circus," and then everyone got to be 21 for a day in LA for homeboy Mark's birthday, happy birthday man, and thanks to the folks in Irvine for their continued hospitality, we couldn't carry out this drunk lifestyle without you guys.

We've hit a lull in the summertime schedule. Nothing major planned for at least a couple weeks, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm kind of looking forward to some real relaxation. Few weeks gives the UC kids time to finish school, gives me time to concentrate on music, gives everyone time to just kick back, enjoy the weather and take it easy. So seriously, thanks for the GOOD TIMES guys, there are many more to come in these next months, but now it's time to make myself a grilled cheese and some orange juice and watch that Lost finale I have recorded, till next time.

Michael Ausiello Leaves TV Guide

Many would call this man the face of TVGuide, with his quirky and light-hearted personality, stalking television and movie stars only to feed us, the buzz hungry consumer, all the best media gossip and scoop a magazine publication could offer. After eight years he is leaving TV Guide for none other than...wait for it...ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, did someone say burned? I've said it multiple times on this blog, but Entertainment Weekly, as an entertainment magazine, simply pwns, and I look forward to reading Michael's articles on the new outlet. I've been a fan of TV Guide for years, especially their online department, but for a long time now things have been going downhill. Editors Daniel Manu and Angel Cohn left more than a year ago to Television Without Pity, and now Michael Ausiello. Honestly I don't think I have any reasons to visit their site anymore, except for Maitland McDonagh's movie reviews and some of Matt Mitovich's TV commentary. Deadline Hollywood Daily also reports that people behind the scenes of TV Guide have been leaving, so I guess it's only a matter of time before this ship sinks entirely.

I must say that my favorite element of TV Guide's online community was their extensive coverage of all television shows and movies, their Comic Con coverage, and their TV Guide Weekly podcast, featuring a panel of four or more of their best online columnists in which they would discuss the week in television as well as movie reviews. Their last podcast was a few months ago, and when that went down I had to look for new places to find my TV gossip. The magazine isn't horrible, it's just that it's not exactly "breaking news" when you can read it online before the magazine is even published. To tell you the truth the only thing I check frequently in it are the sudoku and crossword puzzles in the back.

I remember the early days of TV Guide, with it's Reader's Digest sized issue which featured nothing but extended TV listings. I remember looking through it to see what reruns I could catch or what movies were airing. This actually brings up a good point; are published magazines a thing of the past? Will small LAN or wi-fi spots take the place of newsstands and will magazine journalists find new jobs as ... bloggers?!?!? Only time will tell I guess.

Because Boston Has No Mexican Food

So it's been nearly a month since I've been in Boston, and while 24 hour, freezing interior Santana's most definitely hits the spot after the many nights of mayhem, there are a few Boston exclusive food elements that I've been missing.

Cappy's Buffalo Chicken Sub


This shop was literally steps away from my dorm. The sandwich contains buffalo chicken strips, tomatoes, lettuce, and bleu cheese on a huge sandwich roll. Whenever I eat it I feel like the fattest person ever, but damn there is nothing bad about this thing.

Pizza and Wings


You can get slices and wings pretty much anywhere you go in Boston, but each spot has it's own qualities. Some places have cracker thin crusts, some p;laces have giant slices, some have hotter wings than others, some serve their wings with multiple dipping sauces, and so on. While San Diego natives know exactly where to go for their favorite burrito, everyone in Boston has their personal favorite pizza place.

Chacarero Chilean Sandwiches


A true hidden gem in Boston. This downtown Boston eatery holds the only sandwich to rival that of the Irvine favorite Le Dip. Choose from grilled chicken or steak (or both) and then combine that with green beans, tomatoes, cheese, a guacamole spread, and probably the best hot sauce I've had outside of San Diego. Place that on their freshly baked bread and allow the power of food to make all other worries of the world go away, at least until it's time to order another one. This will probably be the first place I go when I go back up there, and believe me if I could express mail a few of these to the west coast I certainly would, but they wouldn't retain their freshness. This huge sandwich is priced at 8 bucks, and if you get full you can always save half for dinner.

I'm confident that many of these options would satisfy a coolkids hunger. There are many more places that I didn't list, from the best place for Falafel to the best Indian buffet, but maybe another time. Maybe a San Diego best happy hour list down the line too...till next time.

Guitar Hero: World Tour looks....impressive

Okay, I'll be the first to tell you that in my opinion the Guitar Hero franchise has lost its uniqueness and flair since Harmonix sold it and started up Rock Band, but honestly this drum trailer looks pretty amazing. While I've never enjoyed the note patterns that Guitar Hero III placed on their games, they've always had awesome song choices, and if World Tour can continue their top notch song picks (blink182 dammit!) I might be driven enough to pick this up. Priced at nearly $200 retail, only time will tell if Guitar Hero can knock out the leader in four person fake musician madness.

iLL will UFC 84: BJ "the prodigy" Penn vs. Sean "Roidster" Sherk

Due to the recent flurry/bukkake of sports related posts in the past month or so I have decided to post about a sport that I might actually know more about than any of the other cool kids, MMA. A sport that gets "beat up" by conservative folks for being a blood sport.


Bill O'Reilley is quoted saying, "...your selling brutality this is a brutal sport and people come to watch it because thy want to see violence."

This is completely untrue, I mean if mma is so violent than why would Bj Penn say shit like, "Sean Sherk is telling everybody, 'I can take BJ Penn down, whats he gonna do on his back?' the real question is whats Sean Sherk gonna do whe he gets on his back and I'm sitting on him, and elbowing him in his face and punching his face and licking the BLOOD off his face while I'm punching him what is he gonna do then?"



OK well maybe O'Reilley is right about the whole brutality thing, but honestly who gives a fuck about what O'Reilley says any ways. I honestly don't so enough about that duche bag. On to more pressing news like how Bj Penn is gonna kick the living crap out of Sean Sherk. Mother fucking "The Prodigy" is gonna LICK THE BLOOD OFF HIS FACE WHILE HE'S PUNCHING HIM! Honestly, you have to give Penn credit for being so creative with his shit talking. He's like the Picasso of ass kicking. He should consider a career in creative writing with lines like that.



Real quick for those of you who don't know I'll break down a short summary of whats going down. Penn has won the title of light weight champion after almost literally murdering Joe Stevenson. Sherk was the former champ but lost his belt due to testing positive for steroids about 10 months ago. Now that things have settled down Penn and Sherk are set to fight this saturday for the belt. I personally wouldn't even call it a fight because Penn as hes done in his past two fights is going to slaughter his lesser opponent Sherk.



Bj "The Prodigy" Penn



Penn is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, as a matter of fact in MMA history as a whole. He is often hailed for being able to dominate fights off of his sheer talent alone. Also the second man to hold two titles in different weight classes, the other being Randy Couture. Not to mention has fought in about 3 different weight classes light, welter, and light heavy. Boasting a record of 12-4 and 1 draw. Although it seems as though he hasn't gad many fights, like many other things it is bout quality not quantity. His 4 losses have been to fighters of higher weight classes having only lost once to a lightweight Jens Pulver who he later defeated by rear naked choke in their rematch fight. Bj Penn simply got bored with the weight class and moved up weights to test himself and went back to lightweight to claim the title, unlike Sherk who moved down a weight because he pretty much was no match for the likes of guys like GSP and Matt Hughes

Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk



Honestly who really gives a fuck about this guy? Ok maybe a little info a.k.a. shit talking about Sherk. The guy is talented no doubt with conditioning that is down right ridiculous. In my opinion the only true advantage that Sherk has is his conditioning. Being that he is a wrestler and a good one at that, he'll need to look for the takedown. The guy is an experienced fighter with a record of 32 and 2 with 1 draw. Their is no way in hell Sherk can stand with Penn in the first 3 rounds so his best bet is to weather the strorm until later rounds.

Predictions

Sherk will look for takedowns all day and try and get the ground and pound. Honestly this won't really work until later rounds where Penn historically is at his worst. While Sherk has relentless takedowns Penn has an amazing takedown defense. The guy can do more on one leg than most fighters can do on two. My prediction is that Penn will end it in the 2nd or 3rd round by submission rear naked choke. Not to underestimate Sherk, but the guy is simply going down. Sherks only hope of winning is honestly by TKO in the 4th or 5th round, but the most likely scenario is a win by decision since Sherk hasn't been able to end a fight since 2005. Despite Penn's lack of conditioning in the past I believe that hes got just enough cardio to put Sherk in a casket.

It's someone's birthday today...

I won't say who, but his name starts with an A, and rhymes with "ohdonis".

Manny being Manny

DrewL mentioned this to me last night, and Awul Announcing put the video up. It's the best of Manny Ramirez's bizzare moments, and it's the funniest video I've watched on the internet in quite some time.

Movie Madness = Sys-tem O-ver-load...

Recession? HAH! Why freak out and hoard all your money in a piggybank when you can help salvage the slumping economy by spending it at the movies, shelling out $11 for a ticket and another $10 for popcorn.

Really though, this coming summer has a number of attractive movies to look forward, such as the aforementioned film, The Dark Knight, which is surrounded by so much hype that the trailer was enough to give Lance a bat boner. Some are already in theaters, including:

Iron Man (Now playing)

Robert Downing Jr. is the man… the Iron Man! His portrayal as the alcoholic playboy Tony Stark, combined with the script’s witty dialogue and simply seeing Iron Man come to life, quite possibly makes this film the best Marvel adaptation to date, maybe even rivaling my reigning favorite Spider-Man in that regard.

What impressed me the most about Iron Man, however, was the cleverly crafted product placement scenes that now has me longing for a new, hip, Verizon LG phone, an Audi, and a newfound love for Burger King. I now want to be just as cool as Tony Stark and:

1) Purchase an outdated Verizon LG VX9400 because you can supposedly talk to your friends via live video feed,
2) Lease a $50,000 Audi Q7 SUV because even Iron Man can’t break through its flawless safety features, and
3) Become a loyal Whopper fanatic because Burger King should be the first place I think of when I’m craving an “American cheeseburger.” Yeah! Fuck you Jack-in-the-Box!

The Incredible Hulk (In theaters, June 13)

Sorry Eric Bana, you were either so terrible in your depiction of the Jolly Green Giant, or stupid enough to sign on for a busted production that Marvel decided that your 2003 adaptation failed to serve the Hulk any justice. Luckily, a total reboot of the franchise, starring badass Edward Norton as The Incredible Hulk, is in the works. It’s not easy being green, but I’m confident that Norton’s performance will finally help me understand what the hell the Hulk’s storyline is.

Indiana Jones, the 4th installment (In theaters, May 22)

I guess we’re in for a treat this summer, as it seems the sequel to No Country for Old Men will be hitting theaters sooner than expected. Only this time, the movie will be titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and instead star an ancient Harrison Ford as he rises from the dead for another epic adventure.

The long-awaited continuation of the Indiana Jones franchise will also star Transformers’ lovable loser, Shia LeBeouf, as Indy’s hard-nosed sidekick, although Transformers’ and cool kids favorite Megan Fox, will unfortunately not make an appearance. LeBeouf, heralded as the “next Tom Hanks,” will also help bring in some much needed youth to the film, as Ford is now at the rotting age of 65-years-old and soon on his way toward the light. Still, you can’t tell a man who’s played Han Solo, and the President of the United States, to back down from reprising his role as the whip-wielding college professor who always seems to be getting into shit.

Baby Mama (Now playing)

Even though this movie has been out for a couple of weeks now, my unhealthy Tina Fey obsession requires that I mention my wifey and her career endeavors whenever possible. Fey stars alongside Amy Poehler in the buddy-comedy, with Fey playing a career woman in hopes that her hillbilly surrogate mother, played by Poehler, can bear her child. I have yet to see Baby Mama, and I have a feeling that the movie will be full of girly jokes and maternal references that will probably confuse the shit out of me. Nevertheless, the prospect of watching Tina Fey in a lead role for 2 hours is something I can’t miss out on.

The Mighty Thor! (In theaters, July 4)

The Adventures of Thor, starring Kevin Sorbo!! ...O.k. just kidding, there’s nothing concrete yet, but my gut instincts tell me that once production of a Thor or Avengers movie is in full gear, there’s only one obvious choice when it comes to casting someone to play the Norse God of Thunder. Sorbo is a lock.

Honorable mentions:

Speed Racer (Now playing) – Mentioned in an earlier post by nazer, I also agree that “if you can make it all the way to the end, then you have balls.”

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (In theaters tomorrow, May 16) - Any movie with large-scale CGI battles and weird fantasy creatures fighting with swords is always Oscar worthy in my book.

Hancock (In theaters, July 2) – “With great power, comes great responsibility…” Will Smith apparently said “fuck that”, as he plays a drunk hobo blessed with superpowers but also too lazy to use them.

Because I don't have enough fake drumsets at my apt

Taking a page out of the playbook of the rival Rock Band series (ok, more like blatantly copying), the next Guitar Hero game will add vocals and drums to the fray. As a die-hard Rock Band fan, this really irks me. Harmonix, the developer of Rock Band and the original Guitar Hero games, have always been in favor of an open hardware standard, supporting the notion that you could use your RB guitar for GH, and vice versa.

Activision on the otherhand has made it their goal in life to COCKBLOCK any such intentions, first by blocking PS3 Guitar Hero guitar compatibility, and now by changing their drum configuration so that it will in no way be compatible with Rock Band.

Look, adding cymbals is pretty cool (it would've been cooler if they added a dedicated hi-hat, meaning 7 "drums" total) but I seriously doubt the viability of a plan that will ask millions of people who already shelled out almost $200 for a fake instrument bundle to do the same when their new game comes out.

Another thing that has bothered me (and I think that both sides are guilty of this) has been the constant attempt by Activision (GH publisher), and Rock Band publisher EA/MTV Games to secure "exclusive" artists, ie: paying bands to only have songs on their respective game. So that means this week I don't get to play that dope Muse pack coming to Guitar Hero, nor will I get any play from that Aerosmoth GH disc coming later.

In the meantime, I will enjoy my exclusive Boston pack and continue to hope that one day we can all rock out united, in peace

Credit: Kotaku and Game Informer

Fuckin Padres: Oh yeah, fuck you too Jim Edmonds

Fuckin Padres. I admit, I was fairly pleased when I first heard the news that the Padres signed former Cardinals superstar and 8-time gold glover Jim Edmonds to play centerfield. I mean, why not? This guy for years has repeatedly fucked us over during his tenure with St. Louis, making spectacular dives and over the shoulder grabs in a Swan Lake fashion, robbing our paltry hitters for all of their worth.

Problem is, I had no idea he could still fuck us over even in a Padres uniform.

The brittle 37-year-old Edmonds was released by the Padres after just 6-weeks into season with nothing to show for but plenty of strikeouts and dropped balls.

Apparently, the Padres’ front office felt Edmonds was doing more harm than good, a notion supported by his pathetic .178 batting average and his miserable defensive play which essentially made him useless. They were also willing to cough up 4 million dollars worth of Edmonds’ contract, as compensation for kicking the washed-up outfielder to the curb. Edmonds now returns to St. Louis a hero, his secret mission to infiltrate and destroy the Padres organization from within all but complete.

The sad part is, while no one expected Edmonds to make any real offensive contributions, I for one, hoped to watch him make at least a few brilliant catches before blowing out his knee, or, I guess in his loser-case, getting kicked off the team just for being a total bust. Instead, he leaves us with zero highlight reel appearances, a question mark in centerfield, 4 million dollars down the drain, and another embarrassing stain on the Padres ‘08 season.

For the sad little Padre fan, fear not; since Edmonds’ departure, the freaky friars have made adjustments to the batting order, winning 3 of the past 4 games, and at least have a centerfield replacement in Jody “I will always be mediocre” Gerut. Plus, with several moves to the overall team roster, Edmonds will soon just be an unpleasant, but forgetful memory.

What could have been... (Just imagine blue in place of all the red)


Since everything in sports can be attributed to superstition and jinxes, I firmly believe that the centerfield position for the Padres is legitimately CURSED ever since Petco Park’s conception in 2004.

No Padre has been able to consistently play the position, or for that matter, handle the spacious baseball hell that is Pecto's centerfield.

2008: Jim Edmonds, Jody Gerut?


The washed-up Edmonds in his short-stint probably gave up more hits playing centerfield than the Padres’ offense could probably muster all year. Still, he obviously wasn’t our first choice to play center for San Diego this season; remember Japanese import Kaisuke Fukudome? Speaking of Fuck-u-do-me, he is currently hitting .321 for Chicago while winning the hearts of Cubs fans with his determination and winning attitude. Fuckin Padres man.

2007: Mike Cameron, now with the Milwaukee Brewers


Oh how I miss thee Mike Cameron. He was probably the only Padre closest to taming Petco’s beast-like centerfield, but the aforementioned curse prevented him from playing in last year's one-game-playoff where we needed him most, as he was forced to sit out with an injured thumb. Ex-Padre and true goat Brady Clark attempted to help take centerstage that night, and coincidentally, missed several potential outs with his shaky defense despite not even playing in San Diego. The Pads would eventually lose the game 8-9 and miss the playoffs as a result of his and the rest of the team's fuck-ups. Fuck you Matt Holliday, fuck you. And you too Brady Clark.

2006 & 2005: Dave Roberts, now with San Francisco


The blackanese Dave Roberts patrolled centerfield during these years, and while he was a fan favorite and a speedster on the basepaths, his defense was suspect, especially in Petco’s cavernous outfield.

2004:
Jay Payton…what trash, he fell way short of expectations, and he is not even worth talking about. Fucking garbage machine.

Before Petco:
Ironically, before moving from Qualcomm to the newly built Petco Park, the Pads’ 2003 opening-day roster included names such as Jason Bay, Mark Kotsay, Shane Victorino, and Gary Matthews Jr., all of whom are capable outfielders and now making spectacular plays for other teams... I guess they forgot to bring one of these guys along for the ride downtown. Fuckin Padres.

*Update: Edmonds to the Chicago Cubs? Really??

Adding unneccessary crap

I've managed to make the site uglier by adding a little more clutter to the right sidebar.

At the top, you can find a "microblogging" Twitter widget. If you don't know what Twitter is, then, JFGI! (thanks Arthur). This was a neccessary addition because we here at CoolKidsRoom keep up in the latest internet trends and geek fads.

Also, you can now email us at coolkidsroom.blog@gmail.com. I created this because I know that there's at least 1-2 of you who are reading this and are too scared to comment because either you've never met us or because we haven't talked in over 3 years. Now you have a way to get in touch with us without getting flamed in our comment section. Okay, Time in.

LeBron does not give a fuck who's in the lane

In his column on Deadspin last week, Big Daddy Drew had this to say about LeBron and Kobe:

Watching LeBron play isn't like watching Kobe Bryant. When Kobe scores a million points, he has to work for that shit. He has to muscle through traffic, or consistently nail that turnaround fadeaway of his that looks exactly like Jordan's. It looks like a lot of effort. Kobe's probably a "better," or more well-rounded player than LeBron[...]

LeBron doesn't have to employ all those crazy moves. All he has to do is make like a goddamn tank and plow a bitch over.

That is exactly what LeBron did tonight and at the All-Star game earlier this year with a game clinching slam:


I will concede that at this point, Kobe is a better a defender, has a better jumper, and has more experience in big games. Kobe, however, does not have the body of an NFL linebacker with which he could drive through the lane with the momentum of a fucking rhino, slam that shit and teabag Kevin Garnett in the process.

I love the NBA playoffs.

Credit: Awful Announcing for the frst video, hopefully I can replace it with a youtube later.

Fun with expensive toys

My School: Here Lance, take this expensive steering wheel for your quarter long group usability project.



Me: Wow school, this is great. I promise I will use it only for my project and won't use it to play games or have any kind of fun...

As if there wasn't enough crap in this apartment already...

Halfway Done With College...

It's 1:20 PM. My bags are packed, my room is cleared, and in about an hour I'll be calling a cab to take me to Logan airport for my flight home. After a week of rain, the sun is shining again, and I hate to say it, but I think I'm really gonna miss this place.

When celebrating the end of the school year last night everyone was talking about how excited they were to go home. it didn't really hit me till then that I spend the majority of my year in Massachusetts, and the holidays and the summer in California. Today I ran some last minute errands, but while walking through the city streets I really took the time to take it all in, and even though I give this place so much shit (for not having good food and no 24hr spots), I really do enjoy myself when I'm up here.

Another school year gone, with another four month summer. People always say that college is about finding yourself, and this year that realization really shined through. After learning so much more about music than I thought I'd ever know, I'm much more determined to live successfully doing the things I love: playing piano, composing for full orchestra, producing, electronic music, and so on. For Berklee kids the summer is really about taking in everything you learned throughout the hectic school year and really soaking it in, making sure you understand the information presented. This summer I plan to really hone my skills in all of these areas, as well as collaborate with my friends through the internet, trading songs back and forth, etc.

I could go on and on about all of this, but truth be told I just want to relax for this next hour, head to the airport, order a cocktail on the plane just 'cuz I can, and then hangout till I'm back in San Diego. Till next time.

The sole video from STUDY JAM

Disclaimers:
I told you my skills are so crazy the camera cant even capture the lighting around me for fear of to much coolness captured into one camea not to mention Trish and I rock the mic

An Observation: Blu-ray and Digital Distribution

Earlier this week IGN Gear reported that numerous Hollywood Studios have announced their support for digital distribution through the use of iTunes, resulting in movie and television support for iTunes. While iTunes already supports these formats, there is usually a huge delay for when a movie goes up onto its database, but because of these deals with those studios iTunes would have the ability to release a digital version of the movie on the same day as the DVD or Blu-ray hits stores, for a fixed rate.

This is a huge step for digital distribution, which many call the future of all media. This is already apparent with the music industry, where record sales have dramatically declined and CDs are slowly becoming obsolete. I mean, why go to the store and buy the CD when you can just download it, usually at a cheaper price, and have it on your iPod in a matter of minutes? The same thing is occurring in the world of movies and television.

Which brings me to the topic of Blu-ray. Disks with so much space that studios can give us versions of the film in glorious high definition. While many cool kids support the Blu-ray format, the general public still isn't exactly onboard, even with the fall of the HD-DVD. This has me asking, will Blu-ray end up have a sort of niche market while the rest of the world jumps straight ahead to digital distribution?

The world was able to go from VHS to DVD because it was such a drastic difference in quality and efficiency; no more tapes to accidentally record wrestling over, no more rewinding, and much better visual quality. But with Blu-ray, some people can't even tell the difference, and to really capture the full extent of it all you need a high definition screen, Blu-ray player, and a high end sound system, and generally that may be too much for people.

For the typical media viewer, say, my mom, she is just now getting used to the features on the DVR. She doesn't know about high definition, nor does she really care. All she needs is TFC and the ability to record it, and to her that's more than enough. My dad can't even operate the TV correctly, and throwing him into an environment with a Blu-ray player, a high end A/V receiver, and so on might not be worth the hassle.

So if Blu-ray involves so much work to really achieve its full capabilities, then why bother? Obviously the answer is quality. To entertainment fiends like myself, the pure beauty in high definition is seriously irresistible. There's nothing more eye catching than watching football games in HD, or watching a well-transfered Blu-ray movie. But this is once again relevant to the music industry. Many people are happy with their iTunes downloads, or even the radio, but to the audio elite, the CD is still the best way to go because of the full bitrate you achieve. Plus many people like having a hard copy with artwork and lyrics, as well as additional pamphlets. And then there are the hardcore vinyl folks, who love the authentic crackling when their favorite song record is spinning.

The real question I'm asking is will Blu-ray be something of an elitist market, or will digital distribution take the mainstream just like it has with the music industry? Only time will tell, once again it's just something to think about.

Hiatus On Your Anus

Not that anyone even noticed, but I have been on an approximately two week hiatus since April 23 and i was going to originally post about my MIA steez. After further though into this matter I've decided to light weight speak about this and do my own sports post following this since i don't know shit about the sports the other cool kids talk about.

My excuse is as follows for not posting is in direct relation to the fact that I have been way to busy to sit down and do the damn thing. Becoming more and more involved in community work my free time has been virtually non existent. Although my alcoholic ass drinks probably 4 times a week since it is almost summer.

Currently I am involved with not one but three, count them three different community organizations that take up a large chunk of my time. Having put to much on my plate this semester is starting to bite me in the ass. Honestly I guess this is less for our "readers" and more a chance for me to bitch about my stress.

On a lighter note Study Jam pretty much turned out a lot better than I had originally expected. From great performers including yours truly to just overall good vibes the open mic was a success. To all of you who came out thanks for the support and for those of you who didn't its all good there is always next time.

Soon things will be going a lot smoother for the summer as far as my level of stress which equals more posts and less excuses

"The (k)night is darkest before the dawn..."

The marketing campaign for the new Batman movie has been insanely awesome.

The combination of the viral campaign they've been doing along with the standard, yet superbly executed posters and trailers are blowing my freaking mind.

Every one knows this is Heath Ledger's last role, a role you could arguably say he died for. Some said that the meds he was on at the time of his untimely death were prescribed for depression and a state of mind that he achieved while working on this intense role. Just watching the trailer shows how delightfully evil and twisted his interpretation of the Joker is going to be, I cannot fucking wait for this shit.

Anyways, the latest trailer gave me a 2 and a half minute boner so here you go:



Credit: Filmdrunk for the posters and trailer link

TEAM CACHO DEFEATS TEAM DONDON IN 5K OF EPIC PROPORTIONS

The Official Times:

Last month’s epic battle between Team DonDon and the evil Team Cacho resulted in a heartbreaking loss for the boys in orange and neon-green, with Lance and his cronies managing to avoid the upset as they narrowly defeated Team DonDon by 1 second.

Battered by injuries, distractions, and locker room malcontent, Team DonDon apparently could not hold things together during the much-anticipated 5k event, despite Olympic-esque efforts by all-star runners Judd “White Power” Judd and Lu “Flying High” Lu, both of whom finished with record times.

“They had no chance whatsoever,” Cacho muttered, as he bit down into his victory Ultimate Cheeseburger after the race. “There are winners and losers in life… and Team DonDon is a loser!”

The extended 1.5 mile stretch of the race proved disastrous for both teams however, as the course itself was littered with numerous fast-food establishments that kept both teams on their toes and their stomachs grumbling. 7-11, Jack-in-the-Box, McDonalds, Burger King, and In-n-Out became a common sight and a legitimate threat for runners attempting to maintain a steady pace.

“It was driving me crazy,” said Omar of Team DonDon. “Everywhere I’d run there’d be fast-food workers cheering me on, holding out water and telling me to take a break. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

The $2 Ultimate Cheeseburger deal, combined with the unbearable heat, lack of preparation, and a poor outing by their Team Captain eventually led to Team DonDon’s downfall. Still, Judd remained optimistic, praising the team’s tremendous effort in the midst of such overwhelming odds.

“We thudave beatth thum.” he said.

Team Captain DonDon was apparently unavailable for comment following his team’s defeat. Teammates described him looking “heartbroken,” and “emo,” not even saying a word when times were announced. He was last seen headed to La Jolla Cliffs with a guitar in hand, blasting Daphne Loves Derby from his car as he drove off into the distance. His current whereabouts are unknown at the time.

This Just In...

So Spring was apparently canceled in Boston. It's been raining all weekend, and for whatever reason we're have a Winter repeat session where everyone starts getting sick all over again, including myself. I seem to have caught a bug somewhere during the week, and in turn I find myself taking teaspoons of cough syrup and sleeping for hours and hours in my room.

Less than one week to go in Boston. I attended my last Sunday mass up here this morning, and I'm mapping out the spots I wanna hit up before I leave. Since I've been sick I've completed pretty much all of my assignments, and clocked in a ridiculous amount of hours into GTA. One would say, "damn, you played that much, you must have no life," but what if my life deals with analyzing music integration in a video games and staying updated and current with an industry that grows at such a rapid pace?

In television news, I watched Top Chef, 30 Rock, The Office, and Lost. 30 Rock was hilarious as usual, while The Office failed to impress, I mean I actually checked the clock to see how much time was left in the episode, but there were a couple of funny moments. I like watching Dale not get kicked off in Top Chef, and Lost was alright, I'm getting tired of Jack centric episodes, but I'm curious to see what's up with Claire.

That's pretty much it for now, see you all next time. And this Sunday is Mother's Day, so you should go get your mom a gift or something, PEACE.

Linksies

RANGERS! I have some links to share with you from Angel Grove!

- Raf put up Dr. King's 'Drum Major Instinct' sermon. Strangely relevant when I tied my blogging to a cry for attention. "My name in print is the Vitamin A to my ego".

- The Capinator illustrates Mariah Carey's long journey from amazing to shit.

- LodyDody does a great job of making us losers realize how much of a scorn we are on society, wasting our time playing video games and using alcohol to provide a false sense of happiness. Ok, jk, it's not like that, but if you want to read about a figurative snapshot in the life of someone who spends every waking moment trying to make the world around her a better place than take a look. You can also find a video of one of the most legendary dance battles of all time.

- Finally, after my long ass post from Tuesday night, it's been brought to my attention that actually watching a video of the Costas Now segment gives a better background than the lousy picture I put. I don't know how to embed them so you can find the Costas/Bissinger/Leitch segment here.

Additionally, the next day, Leitch appeared on Best Damn Sports Show, and unlike Costas, Chris Rose was actually able to facilitate a thoughtful and productive discussion on blogging and sports media.

Credit: Deadspin for the videos, DrewL for this horrible Zordon/Lance picture.

Fuckin Padres: On life support?

Fuckin Padres. 5 weeks into the season, it comes to no surprise that the San Diego Padres are exactly where they left off last year… as LOSERS. Currently the freaky friars sit on a pathetic 11-17* record, struggling to gain a foothold in a competitively-agonizing division that’s characterized by some of the worst offensive numbers as a team, and by a lackluster bullpen led by none other than Grandpa Hoffman himself, only one-year removed from being one of the best in baseball.

In all fairness, many of our players aren’t living up to their full potential as evidenced in the past. Likewise, there remains much baseball left to be played, meaning things can turn around for the Pads in a hurry as long as the Swinging Friar can lay off the Asian girls. Still, temper your expectations going forward, as it seems the team is still hungover from last season’s heartbreaking debacle. Fuck you Matt Holliday, fuck you.

Why you should still be keepin’ the faith

Jake Peavy and Mark Prior


If there is one player on the Padres that can carry the team on his back and single handily lead them to another playoff berth, it has to be the 2007 Cy Young Winner and home-grown hero Jake Peavy. You really have to feel bad for the guy though – all he does is go out there and pitch brilliantly, even hitting better than half his teammates, but ends up having to watch his team go to shit time and time again. Still, I have confidence that his demi-god powers alone will salvage the Padres season from total embarrassment.

Off-season addition Mark Prior also boasts superhuman powers like Peavy, being a dominant hurler and owning batters with an impressive arsenal of power pitches... but that was 5 long years ago. Since then, the San Diego native has been plagued by injuries and bad luck, and is currently rotting away on the disabled list in hopes of returning by mid-summer.

There is hope though, even if he is made of glass. The Padres have always worked well in developing their pitching staff, and if Prior can return to even a shell of his former self would be huge; his 2003 numbers alone were on par with Peavy’s Cy Young campaign of last year. Thus, Prior is the Padres’ low-risk high-reward secret weapon; capable of improving an already quality starting rotation as long as he and stella can get their groove back.

Trevor Hoffman and Greg Maddux


2008 may also be the last opportunity to watch two of baseball’s all-time greats and future Hall-of-Famers, Grandpa Hoffman and Grandpa Maddux, respectively, both of whom just recently joined AARP. The two of them are only signed through this season, so whether they choose to retire, or move on to another team, or if the Padres decide to re-sign them, is still up to much speculation.

My guess with Mad Dog is he’ll still pitch for one or two more years at most before moving on to his Professional Poker career, but not in a Padres uniform – most likely with an eager team in serious contention as quality starters are becoming hard to come by. Also, because the pricy Maddux has been playing since the end of the Cold War, re-signing him seems very unlikely, especially for the stingy-minded Padres.

On the bright side, Maddux seems to have taught his young grasshopper Peavy everything he knows, so his work in San Diego is complete. But despite being at the end of his career, don’t let his goofy appearance fool you; Maddux is still the grand wizard of pitching, and still amazing to watch even as a senior citizen.



Hoffman on the other hand, is someone that I feel will finally hang up the glove by season’s end. While he had a terrible April last year as well and still ended the season with elite numbers, he and his signature leg kick no longer strikes that same fear into batters as it once did. Also, now that his ‘fastball’ is the same velocity as his changeup, his ability to close games is becoming more of a coin-flip than the sure-thing of the past, which is painful to watch for any fan. Of course, no Padres fan wants to see the San Diego favorite call it quits, but even then I’d rather see him retire and bring some stability back to bullpen, and at least not in another team’s uniform.

Save for another playoff run, (which the Padres should be able to pull off this season...) Hoffman has little more to prove or show for, as he already leads the All-time Saves list, a milestone that took 15 years in the making. Regardless, Trevor Time and the days of hearing Hell’s Bells ring in San Diego, not to mention watching one of the most dominant closers in baseball history play, are running short.

*Note: O.K. so we did win yesterday, but the opposing pitcher is also an old geezer like Hoffman and Maddux - hopefully it’s a positive sign of things to come.