For anyone who I haven't caught up with since high school...

Here's an aim convo with an update of what some of the coolest kids from Mt. Carmel have been doing for the past couple years since graduation

nazer: everyones married and shit
nazer: good careers
nazer: cept us for whatever reason
nazer: we walk in with a big ass group
nazer: all scrubby and shit
nazer: nooooooooo
lance: yeah and fucking play video games all day
lance: drink beer at night
nazer: hang out at davids house
lance: and then talk about the girls we secretly jocked in high school
lance: god were losers
nazer: yeah fuck

Credit Well Deserved

Unfortunately, due to the lack of my own personal access to cable television while living in the dorms, I missed the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG). Come to think of it, if I did have access to it I probably wouldn't have watched it because I'm not the biggest fan of red carpet award shows, but thanks to the internet I was able to view this clip.

Tina Fey SAG Awards
Uploaded by worldhappiness

Huge congrats to coolkidsroom favorite Tina Fey for winning in the category of Outstanding Performance of a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. She also gives a shout out to the writers, and apparently the SAG gave tons of credit to the WGA throughout the night. It's an awesome sight to see all these units in Hollywood really coming together in these harsh times.

Other notable winners were 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin, the entire Sopranos cast, The Office cast, and more, but I would've loved to see people behind Mad Men accept an award on stage in front of many since the Golden Globes didn't air in its traditional fashion

The full of list of award winners can be found here.

To Keep Yourself Busy

Since the writers strike is still going on, and the only thing on cable is American Gladiators and American Idol, I'd like to divert your attention to these brilliant pieces of writing.

Why We Write is a project put together by Charlie Craig and Thania St. John, two prominent media industry professionals who thought of having writers who are on strike provide essays on why they write. Writers from many of our favorite shows including Lost, 24, and so on have submitted pieces on why writing has been their calling. There are a ton of inspiring works on this page, so I highly encourage all of our readers to check it out.

One of my favorite submissions is by Damon Lindelof, writer for Lost. If you decide you don't want to read all of those posts, then at least read this one. It really is a truly compelling piece of work.

Top 11 Songs to Start Your Day

In an homage to Spinal Tap, the following 11 songs are my favorite tunes to get me goin in the morning. Some of these songs just make me feel like the day is gonna be good or that for some reason, the rest of the day will be better or bigger than the mundane routine that I'm used to. The rest of them are just fucking intense and wake me the up while I'm on my way to school so that I can sit through lecture for a couple hours.

11. Guns N' Roses - Welcome To the Jungle

This song is awesome, the kind of song that makes you wanna kill someone during a football game. The guitar riff that starts the intro is probably one of the most recognizable bits of music to the American ear. Unfortunately, because it's such a great sports song, it's also probably one of the most overplayed songs in stadiums across the country. This is especially annoying when Gilette Stadium is blasting it while the Patriots are running the ball down our throats. A good song nonetheless...

10. KRS One - Step Into a World

BUKU! BUKU!



This is probably KRS One's most recognizable song and what I have to say does little to pay proper tribute to one of hip-hop's finest emcees. But his forceful delivery on a sharp and percussive beat in this song does as good as Folgers in the morning.


9. The Killers - All These Things That I've Done



The Killers are a personal favorite of mine dating back to high school, and this is probably my favorite song of theirs. The solo bass line with the "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier" mantra is one of my favorite white music moments. The whole song has that "anthem" quality that I look for in a lot of rock songs.


8. Eric B. & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul

This song has one of the most recognizable first lines in hip-hop that you've probably heard in about a million other songs. Rakim just kills it on this song and it's probably my favorite of all of Eric B.'s beats. A realistic sounding drum kit with real fills in a hip-hop song is always a bonus for me.


7. A Tribe Called Quest (w/ Leaders of the New School) - Scenario

"Raow! Raow! Like a dungeon dragon!"

The bass line is just 3 notes but it really makes this song. All the verses are dope but this is probably my favorite Busta Rhymes verse. And for some reason I just want to play basketball after hearing this song, that's how black it makes me feel.


6. Journey - Don't Stop Believing


One of the most recognizable keyboard intros in popular music, that beginning keyboard riff, the guitar solo, and lyrics are all awesome. This song has a way of making you feel like something epic is about to take place, even if you're just on your way to work, or about to eat dinner (Sopranos anyone?). I've decided to put the Zoo cover version up, just as an excuse to highlight Arnel Pineda and Filipino people again.



5. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit


Vh1's #1 song of the 90's, and probably deservedly so. The opening guitar riff is so awesome. My favorite aspect of this record is the contrast in intensity between the verses and the balls out chorus. The song doesn't just have an anthem quality, it's pretty much the anthem for disgruntled youth everywhere.


4. Jay-Z - Can I Live

"I'd rather die enormous than live dormant that's how we on it"



Jigga's verses are all tight, but the horns on the beat really make the song. Horns on the beat of a rap song always give it a larger than life quality (Roc Boys?) and this song definitely makes me feel like I'm a part of something bigger than myself.

3. Kanye West - Jesus Walks

"I wanna talk to God but we ain't spoke in so long"


If horns make a hip-hop song larger than life, then a choir and strings makes the song truly epic. If I didn't look so stupid, I would do Kanye's Jesus Walk all the way to campus with this song blastin on my iPod. This song pretty much sums up how every young Catholic or Christian feels with so much temptation in the world and conflict in our hearts.


2. The Who - Baba O Riley

"Teenage Wasteland..."


I would say about 75% of the time I always find old school synthesizers to be pretty cheesy in a song. I would also say most of the remaining 25% are songs by The Who. The keyboards on this song are so great and thematic and the synths work as a great drone against the rest of the song. The song was a great fit for the "Invincible" trailer and it's the kind of the song that gives you confidence before a big day.

1. Rick Ross f. Young Jeezy & Jay-Z - Hustlin' (remix)



One thing that all of these songs have in common is a great intro. I pretty much listen to this song just for the intro. The remix is dope because you have two rappers with some of the realest stories in the games rappin' about what they know best. Kat Williams nails his routine on this song, you could do anything whether its walking to school, chillin at the library or flippin burgers at McDonalds and you're gonna feel 10x better about yourself.

So...am I an idiot? Did I leave any of your favorites out? Give me props or shit on me in your comments.

Super Bowl XLII is officially a bust

If you had told me last season that this year's Super Bowl would involve the Patriots and Elisha "I'm too good for San Diego" Manning's Giants I would've jumped out of the fucking window right then and there.

GAME DAY BABY...

believe...

Haiku You Ku We all Ku

I guess you could say I'm the "poet"or the "activist" of the group or am I just thinking highly of myself? Well anyways at first with every post I wanted to throw a poem in there somewhere, but writing a full blown poem at times is rather tedious. Therefore, I think I'm going to just do haiku's because there way more simple. If i remember correctly haiku's contain 17 syllables with three lines of 5,7,5 and from what i understand they don't have to be in that particular order.

My suggestion to my fellow cool kids is to post a haiku of your own about something random or about one of our homies. Especially if you have nothing better to write about, but it's just a suggestion

...............................................................................

Haiku dedicated to floyd on the last irvine trip



Chicken Sandwhich gone,
"and your eating my tacos"
no reason to live

moral: don't fuck with a man's chicken sandwhich

Who Got Game?

So i didn't write this, but i figured it's relative because i personally think what the cool kids are lacking including myself is some GAME. Also posting it because i like to promote good poetry for free...



Adriel Luis - Rendition of a basketball player telling a girl he jocks that he doesn't mind being her rebound.
Girl, I don't mean to be forward

Because I know you have your guards up,
But lately you've been the center of my attention
And I'm usually one to call the shots
But girl I'm not down for no suicide runs
So tell me if I'm stepping out of bounds
And I'll take some time out
But if you're you're down to pick and roll

Then baby,I think we could make a dream team.
Oh yesThey call my lovin the NBA
Cuz it's Nothin But Affection

Holler at a player.



heres iLL-literacy's site
http://www.ill-literacy.com/

if you ever get tired of reading our own shiet fellaz go here, and i think they use blogspot, but their page looks WAY COOLER THAN OURS.

oh and i'm down for the Lance mascot idea.