Ray

well, i rented the movie "Ray" today for $2 from the downstairs convenience store. i've wanted to see it for awhile - i usually try to see all of the "Best Picture" nominations before the Oscars, but i was lazy this year. anyway, i was curious to see if the Academy was justified in awarding the "Best Actor" award to Jaime Foxx. As it turns out, they were.

yes, Foxx did a dead-on impersonation of Ray Charles - but more importantly, he channeled his spirit and emotions - the highs, the lows, the fears, and the joys. i wasn't expecting a very good movie (i was expecting another "Ali"-esque biopic), but this film was very interesting, and even though it was about 2.5 hours, it held my attention, and the music scenes kept my foot tapping. there was a strong supporting cast surrounding Foxx, and the movie was unafraid to show Ray Charles' faults and weaknesses (a good deal of them, at least), as opposed to painting him as a blind saint. it's definitely worth a rental.

but..."Hero" is still my choice for "Best Picture."

No Go

damn - the niki barr show at IOTA tonight has been canceled. stupid snow.

My Show of Shows

i'm rather anxiously looking forward to seeing Niki Barr rock the house at IOTA this approaching monday night. she's a dynamo onstage, and it should be a good time. plus, my man Daniel Lee will be opening up the evening - the dude can sing like jeff buckley and play guitar like....well, like Daniel Lee. am i raising expectations unjustly? ahhhhh.....go to the websites, listen to some snippets, and then come find out. anyway, Mr. Lee will be trading off with Seth Horan during his set. now, i never saw Seth Horan, but i'm gonna watch him anyway. the show starts at 8:30, and an Andrew Hamilton will handle the cover charge.

Elephants: They Give So Much, They Ask For So Little

seems like companies weren't content with making gourmet paper out of papyrus. they've found a new source. and it comes from elephants. and it probably doesn't smell like flowers.

CEO of "The Dukes of Hazzard"

so, do you think this job is for you?

Closer to OCD

i just spent the evening metro ride home from work watching John Q. Businessman alternate between wiping his snot-filled runny nose on his palm and grasping the metro pole for dear life...with his same hand! has everyone lost their sense of cleanliness? it's things like this that are driving me closer and closer toward OCD!

Oscar Fetish

why should you watch the Oscars? well, here's ten reasons why....

Tangled

sometimes our president says some rather interesting things. and some humorous things.

Galactic

from a very interesting article on MSN.com...

Astronomers have discovered an invisible galaxy that could be the first of many that will help unravel one of the universe's greatest mysteries.

and you know i just can't resist asking, "exactly how can you see it, if it's invisible?" apparently it's a dark matter thing...

Big T

quentin tarantino has signed on to direct one episode (the season finale) of "CSI." feel free to comment with any predictions of dialogue from the episode (like, "DNA is nice...")...

The Trading Block

a couple big trades, snoogums! randy moss was traded to the raiders for nothing. but the raiders threw in the seventh pick in the draft and napoleon harris.

and chris webber was dealt to the 76ers for pretty much nothing, too. so allen iverson has a friend now.

Metro TV

atlanta's got TVs in their metro - now why can't DC?

Admire Them

fortune magazine just released its "most-admired companies" list - check and see who's at the top...

Bye-Bye Tuna?

this guy feels that Bill Parcells is as good as gone in Big D. it's an interesting article. all i know is, Dallas better get itself a cornerback or two. Samari Rolle? Fred Smoot? y'all interested?

No More Blink

Blink-182 has announced that it's going on an indefinite hiatus...

Korn Loses Its Head

guitarist Brian 'Head' Welch, newly dedicated to christianity, is leaving Korn, citing moral objections to the band's music.... if i liked Korn, i probably would care.

People In The Know

if only i had stayed in public accounting. and if only i had worked for pricewaterhousecoopers instead of deloitte & touche. and if only i was living out in hollywood. then maybe i'd know who's gettin' the oscar before you, beotch!

Calling Mr. Smith

this picture is dunkalicious!

Care to Eat Here?

Skirts, shirts, pants, underwear and stockings all ended up stashed in plastic bags by the bar as the patrons got naked for the monthly "Clothing Optional Dinner" at a nice Manhattan restaurant...

The Hunted

the original gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson, killed himself with a gunshot to the head on Sunday.

Give Me A Call

want to call Eminem on his cell? or maybe give Lindsay Lohan a ring on her cell? well, Paris Hilton's cell phone directory was hacked, and the hacker posted 'em on the internet this weekend.

Previous ER

my peeps on Television With Pity give their take on Thursday's ER...

Cynthia Nixon guest-stars as Ellie Shore, a thirty-five-year-old mother of three who suffers a stroke. She can think clearly, but can't move the right side of her body, breathe independently, or communicate through speech or writing. It's pretty terrifying, actually. Luka, Sam, and Abby treat her while she's in the ER, and then she has surgery to remove the clot from her brain, which miraculously reverses all of the effects of the stroke. Throughout, we get to hear her thoughts and see things from her perspective, which has been done before on this show and others, but it was still largely affecting. In other news, Dubenko wants Abby to publish a paper, if by "publish a paper," you mean "go on a date with him." Neela treats some siblings with a fishy dad, and it turns out that the oldest brother hired the guy to portray his dad so that the authorities wouldn't find out his secret and split up the family in foster care: his mother died a week ago, and the body is festering in bed. Neela and Ray make this horrifying discovery in person. Susan is trying to choose a new Chief Resident. Malarkey is politicking hard, even though he's the only one who seems to think he's qualified. Luka and Carter want Pratt, but Pratt doesn't want it. Carter and Wendall seem to be getting along well, but she's more into it than he is. She discovers this when he gets a late-night phone call from Kem, which leads to Wendall's stomping out, which leads to a big fight outside in which Carter reveals that he sees Wendall as a fun diversion. So they break up.

Koko

Two fired caretakers for Koko, the world-famous sign-language-speaking gorilla, have sued their former bosses, claiming they were pressured to expose their breasts as a way of bonding with the 300-pound simian. This is rather surreal.

Watch Where You Spit

your saliva can reveal an awful lot about you...

Like Nuts?

good. here's an interesting article on the pistachio industry.

Do I Hear the IRS Calling?

almost tax time folks, so whip out those W2s and get ready to pay Uncle Sam his due! but how, you might ask, does one figure 'em out? here's a little analysis of softwares on the market.... and yes, my taxes are done.

New Jersey Wins!

here's a chart of the most expensive states in which to insure one's car....and the most expensive state? New Jersey wins!

Just Because

here's the Billboard Hot 100 Chart - just because i care, and just because i can

Fresh

Will Smith says that he "has sumthin' for Eminem" on one of the tracks of his upcoming CD, "Lost and Found." perhaps he tells Marshall that parents just don't understand?

From Spring 'Til Summer

the new Coldplay album which y'all have been drooling over has been pushed back from March until June. wipe your mouths, people.

Addicted

damn, i can't stop eating these pita chips....Stacy's Texarkana Hot!

If The NHL Falls In A Forest, Does It Make A Sound?

so there's no NHL season this year - does anybody care? not me. however, i almost thought that Commissioner Bettman was going to pull a Paula Abdul on American Idol and cry and frown and be sad just before he spoke, and then suddenly yell, "it's on!" - but he didn't. so now we can focus on real sports!

Cruisin'

usually i don't like SUVs, but i like Toyota's new FJ Cruiser.

Woof!

they're DOGS! and they're playing POKER! some people will pay a bunch for these paintings.

thanks to Lee Head for the tip and phrasing

Coursework

these courses seem like they'd be a bit more fun to take than, say, Corporate Accounting.

Tattoo Says What?

when you get a foreign language tattooed on your body, you might want to make sure you know exactly what it says....

thanks to Casper for the tip

Grammatical

Yeah, about the Grammies...
- "Vertigo" over "American Idiot"? Green Day was robbed
- Green Day kicked some ass live
- Kanye West's live set impressed me so much - blew me away
- So we had to snooze through "Dana Owens" jazz number, but we had to miss Velvet Underground win a Grammy? I wanted to see Slash and Scotty come up and hang out on stage.
- Now couldn't the Grammy people have chosen a different Beatles song to cover supergroup-style for charity than "Across the Universe"? Perhaps one most people have heard before? The public is supposed to want to pay to download the thing.
- "Daughters" won song of the year? uhhhhh....please
- Even without hair, Melissa Ethridge rocks hard - she's one strong woman
- "Genius Loves Company" as album of the year over Green Day and Kanye? And "Here We Go Again" as record of the year over "American Idiot," "Yeah," and "Let's Get It Started"? Apparently dying is good for garnering Grammy votes.

The Perfect Rock 'n' Roll Front Man

for your Dutch rock 'n' roll band...

thanks to Carl for the tip

Christo's At It Again

this time with "The Gates" in Central Park

Dicing the Apple

everyone's favorite brand, Apple, has authorized a 2-for-1 stock split, with split-adjusted trading effective Feb 28th.

I Mock You

let the mock NFL drafts begin!

Miller Time

playwright Arthur Miller just died - apparently some salesman beat him to death with a crucible. but seriously, he has passed away, most likely due to heart failure.

E! R!

yeah, i'm lazy - that's why i'm letting my peeps at Television Without Pity provide the summary of ER for me - i'd include the summary of The O.C., but it's just too damn long.

Weaver's birth mother (Frances Fisher) shows up unexpectedly at the hospital, and she and Kerry have a reunion of sorts. All seems to be going pretty well until Frances Fisher reveals a conservative Christian streak that makes Kerry want to keep her sexual orientation a secret. We also get to hear a lot about Kerry's backstory (why she uses a crutch, why she lived in Africa). Kerry finally comes out to her mother, who is not very understanding or supportive. Meanwhile, Carter, Neela, and Shane West try to deal with a drug seeker and Shane West takes a bedpan to the face, which was awesome. Darlene is assigned to Pratt, who realizes that she's a really good worker, and now he wants to work with her all the time, so that he can relax while she does the heavy lifting. And Jake and Abby are playing grab-ass all over the hospital, and he's practically moved in with her.

Never Forget

i assume that this animal never forgets to use the toilet... yeah, it's a slow day, blog-wise today.

Biggity-Bang

i'm looking forward to seeing Pharmacy Prophets and Exit Clov at IOTA next - that's next - thursday. usually i email a bunch of people about going to a show, and nobody comes out. so i'm just gonna throw this shit up here and see if anyone takes action.

Pull Your Pants Up!

Virginia's House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday authorizing a $50 fine for anyone who displays his or her underpants in a "lewd or indecent manner." So those Virginians wearing jeans that sag low enough to render boxers visible better watch out for the fashion police - literally. It's a good thing that the state government is dedicating its time to truly important issues!

ar

adam richman's got a very cool video on his "myspace" site.... it's like a music video manifesto. definitely check it out. singer-songwriter-guitar dynamo adam richman started out around here, and now the mohawked one is touring around the colleges, playin' for the ladies...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

That's Not My Llama!!!

i love anything involving llama-like animals!

PUNO, Peru - Peruvian alpaca herders are turning to technology to thwart a growing problem of the high Andes Mountains: the smuggling of prize-winning, wool-producing alpacas to neighboring countries.

Sure, Why Not!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some planets in our galaxy could harbor an unexpected treasure: a thick layer of diamonds hiding under the surface, astronomers reported on Monday.

sure! of course! a "diamond layer"! and i bet it's right below the "chocolate layer" and above the "pizza layer."

Dough

here's the highest paying jobs, based on mean annual income reported in 2003:

Physicians and surgeons $147,000
Aircraft pilots $133,500
Chief executives $116,000
Electrical and electronic engineers $112,000
Lawyers and judges $99,800
Dentists $90,000
Pharmacists $85,500
Management analysts $84,700
Computer and information system managers $83,000
Financial analysts, managers and advisers $84,000
Marketing and sales managers $80,000
Education administrators $80,000

thanks, msn.com!

Chocolate and the Sky Captain

oh man, i had a bag of Dove chocolate hearts - and now it's gone. they're just oh-so-hard to resist...

i just finished watching "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" - it's a very visually stunning movie, and i think it would have been even more impressive on the big screen - oh well. it's a mismash of styles - kind of like an art deco, serial-type, slightly film-noir-ish, sci-fi movie that borrows liberally from many movies such as Star Wars (yes, that's a '1138' you see), Indiana Jones, Island of Dr. Moreau, war movies, etc. - but i think the end result is an enjoyable experience. it's definitely worth seeing.

Commercials

want to watch some Super Bowl commercials?

thanks to Casper for the tip

Stuck

apparently, jose canseco shot steroids into mark mcgwire's ass. or something like that. and apparently, jose canseco can write. oh, wait, please strike my previous phrase - i forgot about ghost writers. anyway, Mr. 40-40 has a new book coming out...

Super

well, in case you were on mars this evening, the patsies took down the eagles, 24-21. it was tough for me to decide whom to root for - the victory for the pats would tie 'em with my beloved cowboys, which would suck - but i absolutely despise the eagles. in the end my despising was stronger, so i was rooting for the winning team - the patriots. and i must say, it's so sweet to see a team that talks so much trash (Freddy "One-Catch-A-Game" Mitchell, T.O.) get beaten by a team that just goes about its business.

so now we'll be hearing that dynasty shiznit, and how the patriots are soooooooo good until we're sick. enjoy it for now, patriots, cus next season your offensive and defensive coordinators will be gone...good luck.

Mmmmm.....Fat

i just saw "Super Size Me" last night. definitely worth the hour and a half rental - very entertaining, very well-done documentary on what happens to a normal person when he/she decides to eat McDonalds for every meal a day for one month. health hijinks ensue, and the various fast food criticisms abound - but it's a good time. and just as "Sideways" made me want to drink a bunch of wine, "Super Size Me" made me want to eat a bunch of Big Macs. go figure.

Jack

well, i sit here, watching people fire paintballs at Johnny Knoxville's nuts- yeah, that's right, baby - my Jackass Vol. 2 DVD is here!!!! i see that jealousy on your face already! and the other CDs i ordered came, too - i've got such a backlog of CDs in my listening queue.

anyway, christine and i went out and saw a most excellent show last night at the Old Town Theatre - Laura Tsaggaris, Cerulean Groove, and Lianna.

we came in for the end of laura T's set - unfortunately, i didn't get to see the acoustic guitar pyrotechnics i know she can bring - she was playing more subdued pieces, with a bit of angst. i'm curious to see how they translate to full band on her new CD when i get it...

i must say, i really hadn't fully realized what a good voice Laura Cerulli has until i downloaded one of her songs several weeks ago - powerful, rich, and it draws you in. CG is aptly named, generating rhythmic grooves that make you tap your feet for Laura C's strong vocals. this was a different iteration than the version of CG that i saw about a year ago at Common Grounds.

and this was my first time seeing Lianna, w/ the splendor of a band - damn, they put on an energetic show. they're extremely tight, often using three-part harmonies. lianna's strumming and vocals give an energy to the music, and Arch's lead guitar work definitely is some of the best i've seen in the area. plus he can sing, to boot.

i'm looking forward to seeing all three acts again...

E! RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

i'm leavin the ER episode summary to my peeps at Television Without Pity......dig it.

Pratt's latest conquest tells him she can't date him because he's not a grown-up. So, Pratt goes off to work, where he makes a nice save by proving that a patient has a perforated diaphragm, but then blows it when he allows a bullied kid to return to school, where he's beaten to death. Somehow, this shows Pratt that he is a grown-up. Jake finishes his ER rotation, which means he's not Abby's student anymore, which means they can do it at the end of the episode. Susan is freaking out because she's going to be up for tenure soon, and if she can't show that she is bringing in grant money, she'll be canned. Carter's little tantrum last week isn't helping her to procure funds from drug companies, either. Will Cosmo and Chuck be out on the streets? Wendall feels underappreciated by the doctors, and learns that shit rolls downhill. Luka and Dubenko have a dick-measuring contest. Luka wins.

Write Like A Rockstar!!!!!

you know you want to be able to write your favorite band logos - well now you can, with this page of band-based fonts!!!

thanks to Casper for the tip

Snipe

looking to adopt a sniper? you can do that right here

Emmitt Hangs Up His Cleats

Emmitt Smith, the all-time leading rusher has officially retired - and fittingly as a Dallas Cowboy. though Emmitt's probably not the best runner i've ever seen (grudgingly, i'll give that designation to Barry Sanders), he's my favorite, and one of the toughest i've ever seen. i'll always remember him - with a dislocated shoulder - carrying the Cowboys through the Giants defense in that late-season game - one of the gutsiest performances i've ever seen. and the man wins Super Bowls - three of 'em.

What Exactly Does A Producer Do?

this might help a bit...sort of.

Do You Like It Sloppy?

i just got back from jamming at the Blue Room, and now i'm sitting here watching my cousin's band, Animal House, rock a gig in Key West at Sloppy Joe's - live. streaming video is so cool! and they're actually playing some Skynyrd at the moment...

A Quick One...

in case you didn't already know, Ryan Adams is releasing 3 albums this year. perhaps just to outdo Bright Eyes.

A Lovely Shade of Green

here's a neat little article on the maturation of Green Day and the recording of "American Idiot." after much ado, i'm ready to declare "Whatsername" my favorite song on the album. though i do reserve the right to change my opinion whenever i feel like it.

Tips

some tips for eating healthy from msn.com...

Don't Have HBO?

just wait...A&E is purchasing the syndication rights to "The Sopranos." for a cool $2.5 million an episode. of course, this won't begin until fall of 2006, after the show has completed its final season on HBO.

It's The Hardest Part

here's a little list of some of the albums of 2005 that y'all may be waiting for - or y'all may not even know they're slated for release...