celebration

- Today finally saw the internet leak of Madonna's new single Celebration, off her upcoming greatest hits compilation by the same name. It is a great dance song, very retro in beat and lyrics and very, very clubby. I particularly like the spoken part and the laughing - so Madonna. I guess it's appropriate for a career-retrospection package. What I really, really want though is a look-forward by Madonna. She has so much more in her, I believe, so let's get to it.

- The heavens have aligned. Coldplay has co-written 3 songs for Natalie Imbruglia's forthcoming cd Come To Live. I am so excited that I can't hide it. Actually I imagine Chris Martin and Natalie Imbruglia are a perfect musical match. They have very similar sensibility in my opinion.

- Kings of Convenience is back also, with Declaration of Dependence coming in October. I just heard Mrs Cold and Boat Behind. They are very-Kings of Convenience, which is a perfect good thing on a lazy Saturday afternoon, or any lazy day, for that matter.

- Saw No Doubt last Saturday at the Shoreline. Gwen Stefani and gang were hella good. However, I had to sit thru 2 opening acts - The Sounds, whom I didn't mind at all (they are Swedish after all), and Paramore, who was actually kind of annoying to me (probably cuz they are American - haha).

- Oh my - how much am I enjoying Miike Snow's cd!!! Everyone needs to listen to this stuff, instead of...whatever is atop the charts these days.

comic pros and cons

San Diego Comic Con 2009 - it's a gigantic cos-play party. These pics amuse me to no end:

Aw, Baby Leia - just adorable (You would've never guessed that sucky sequels/prequels were in her future):


The Enterprise crew, after a few too many donuts:


Ed and Bella and gang (Why is that one girl smiling? There is no smiling in Twilight):


The most gentile, benign Joker ever:


Slow moving zombies get tired and hitch a pedicab ride:


Best costume ever (Check out that repulsor beam shooting from his hand!):

boulevard of broken dreams

Okay, so like, I went to a college-prep high school where they crank out overachievers, including famous authors and performers and Nobel Prize winners, etc. Where it gets annoying is when you read our alumni newspaper for updates like this one, from a girl in my class: "I was promoted to associate professor of ophthalmology, tenure track, at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. I specialize in laser refractive surgery such as LASIK and PRK, corneal transplantation, and cataract surgery. There is a lot of attrition between assistant and associate ranks, so I feel fortunate that I was able to juggle motherhood, research and publications, patient care, and administrative duties. [Our high school] certainly prepared me well for hard work!"

Oh gawd. Does she know how pretentious this whole damn thing sounds? I mean, who the hell gives a crap! It's just a very round-about way of telling everyone, "Woohoo, look at me now! I am woman; hear me roar! I am a freaking success!"

This just tempts me to write in, "Our goddamn school didn't turn me into nothing but a pot-smoking manic-depressive. I want to kill myself, particularly when I think about how everyone grew up to be such blowhards. Overly ambitious types make the world an intolerable, suffocating place. All everyone wants to do is achieve, achieve, achieve, and come across perfect and happy and well put together. Well, you know what - I didn't get any of that. I didn't get married, didn't become some big shot, didn't produce beautiful kids. I don't know what kind of mark I will leave to this world. But that's all you're going to get from me. So a big middle finger salute to you all. See you at the funeral!"

Do you think they will publish this? Am I too grouchy?

daydreams galore, more

Random thoughts streaming thru my head while I sat in a conference last week:

- One cool thing about being a turban-wearing man is that you would never need to worry about going bald. I might consider converting.

- I wouldn't want to be a statistician, cuz 'statistician' is kinda hard to pronounce.

- Oh look, a bird flew by the window.

- It's freaking chilly in here.

- Oh look, it's a helicopter.

- Transformers 2 sucks big time. I hated every minute of it.

- My butt hurts.

- Those condos have huge satellite dishes on their rooftops.

- They changed the morning fruity candies to afternoon mint candies. Not sure what's the purpose. Can you imagine someone sitting there thinking this idea up?

- What the heck am I going to make for dinner on Saturday for thirteen people?

- Sigh. Cat Deeley looked good yesterday.

- I seriously can't stand what I do for a living.

- Yesterday I had a dream that some school girls had kidnapped my dog while I was walking it, and I chased after them and got it back.

- I remember when she moved into her new apartment, she was scared because somebody had died in the apartment below hers, and she asked me to go over to stay with her.

- Hey, they didn't change the candies today. Damn slackers.

- What's the difference between a clause and a phrase?

- I think I will make lasagna.

- I miss her.

- When is my next appt with Dr Schatz? I really need to tell him about the pain I'm feeling.

- I really want to watch (500) Days Of Summer, but I don't think I can find anybody to watch it with.

- In both Revolutionary Road and The Reader, Kate Winslet dies because of the inability to live an authentic life. Is the truth really the path to happiness?

- Am I just like everybody else in this room (which is depressing)? Or is everybody else just like me (which is comforting)?

daydreams galore

My top ten songs right now:
10. Raindrops - Basement Jaxx
9. Love In July - Sally Shapiro
8. Lisztomania - Phoenix
7. The Ragged Sea - Alexi Murdoch
6. I'm A Pilot - Fanfarlo
5. Fireflies - Owl City
4. Warm Heart Of Africa - The Very Best
3. I Want You Back - Discovery
2. Animal - Miike Snow (I change shapes just to hide in this place...)

1. Why Try To Change Me Now - Fiona Apple (yes she is awesome!)

tender is the night

By all account, Blur absolutely stole the show at Glastonbury 2009, and their performance of this song, one of my favorite songs of all time, was magic. Oh, how I wish I were there:


Another performance (Jools Holland):

like a thriller

Another Madonna rehearsal pic:

the prettiest and the nicest

I continue to be smitten by Cat Deeley. And I am not the only one. Check out this recap of last nite's elimination show. I quote:

We feel a smidge repetitive for saying this constantly, but we notice it every single week: Cat Deeley has got to be the prettiest, nicest, most professional, charming, sincere and generally wonderful host in television. Tonight's adorableness was topped off by the tousled hairstyle. Accidental or on purpose, it looked great.

Oh how I agree!!!

ps22 rules the world

I love this shit (by this shit, I mean people who are talented and inspirational and finding joy in their lives thru song and dance and art):

filling up your head with rain

Finally some new materials from Alexi Murdoch. I loooved his Orange Sky ep and the full-length Time Without Consequence that followed. Now he has contributed a number of songs to the Away We Go soundtrack, a few of which are actually new songs. His All My Days is featured prominently in the trailer. I can't wait til a proper new cd from him. Meanwhile, here are a few videos to convince you he is brilliant:








So today I wrote a song for you
Cause a day can get so long
And I know its hard to make it through
When you say there's something wrong

So I'm trying to put it right
Cause I want to love you with my heart
All this trying has made me tight
And I don't know even where to start

Maybe that's a start

Cause you know it's a simple game
That you play filling up your head with rain
And you know you are hiding from your pain
In the way, in the way you say your name

And I see you
Hiding your face in your hands
Flying so you wont land
You think no one understands
No one understands

So you hunch your shoulders and you shake your head
And your throat is aching but you swear
No one hurts you, nothing could be sad
Anyway you're not here enough to care

And you're so tired you don't sleep at night
As your heart is trying to mend
You keep it quiet but you think you might
Disappear before the end

And it's strange that you cannot find
Any strength to even try
To find a voice to speak your mind
When you do, all you wanna do is cry

Well maybe you should cry

And I see you hiding your face in your hands
Talking bout far-away lands
You think no one understands
Listen to my hands

And all of this life
Moves around you
For all that you claim
You're standing still
You are moving too
You are moving too
You are moving too
I will move you

(I swear this song is written for me.)

return of the bunny ears

Here are the pics from the latest Madonna Louis Vuitton campaign, with bunny ears and all:







And in contrast, here are a couple of pics of Mo during rehearsal for the second leg of her Sticky & Sweet tour (I love these pics):