Patrick Hruby, a writer for ESPN's Page 2 who I've virtually ignored my whole life, put together the ignominious effort awards for 2006. Its a lot lik one big list that The Onin might do. He's got some really good lines in it and some of the shit is just really funny by itself. Here's a link to part 1. I plan to read more of his stuff in the future.



* part 2

Music Updates

I got some news (some of it not so recent) that I'm really exited about.

1. Interpol is actually working on a new album and updating there website a little. It is still pretty far off apparently, but still good news.

2. Bloc Party's new album is not far off. Its set to hit shelves in January. Very good news.




















3. Thom Yorke recently appeared on Nigel Godrich's new show From the Basement. He played a couple of songs on the piano from Radiohead's upcoming album. They cost 2 bucks a piece, but they're pretty awesome.

The Prestige

Here's a link to what I thought about the Prestige. Hint, I liked it.

http://vidfad.com/the-prestige-review.htm

Bill Simmons has a pretty great article about Milwaukee and then going to Lambeau Field up on his page. Unfortunately he gets Tony Canedeo's number wrong (its 3, not 5)

Warning: its a really long article, so if you're going to read it, go to the bathroom now.

Germany/Austria pictures

I will post more later. Click on any of the images to super size.


Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps


Dan, Andy and I swimming in Swan Lake near Neuschwanstein Castle.


Here I come Dan.


Heidelberg from Schloss Heidelberg


All of us at the Stiegl Brewery


Dan and a canon


The Augustiner Beer Garden (its still way bigger than this picture looks)


Old town Salzburg and Hohen Salzburg up on the hill


The Shoenbrun Palace and some of Vienna


The inside of the Hofbrau Haus


Kitzke just wanted a good place to sleep for a while. This wasn't a good place.

The Eraser

I got Thom Yorke's new CD, The Eraser, and I love it. I've heard it being called Kid B, and I think that's a decent way of describing it. For anyone who's heard of it, this CD sounds a good amount like the Com Lag EP that was released after Hail to the Thief.

Salzburg

I am in Salzburg right now and its really cool. Its kind of nestled in the outskirts of the Alps, so there are a bunch of little mountains around the city. There is a giant fortress on top of one of these mountains that looms directly over the city. We went up to it yesterday and I got a ton of good pictures of the city. Salzburg also has the best beer garden I've been to yet, the Augustiner Bier Stübe. Its really big and awesome. They give you a liter ceramic mug and then fill your beer out of a giant wooden barrel. Then you get to go out and sit under the trees in the giant garden part. I also visited the Stiegl brewery today, cause since we've gotten to Austria we've been going to town on their beer. The brewery was cool, but the tour itself wasn't all that spectacular. I did find out that they make pony kegs, so I need to find one to get my hands on in the US.

Leaving Vienna

I'm leaving for Salzburg today, and I just wanted to say that I still don't like soccer. I've seen all four games that have occurred since I 've been here and I fell asleep for a bit during all of them. Boring stuff. Vienna is a cool city, even though the area around the Danube was a complete dissapointment. We've pretty much just been hanging out, walking around and checking different stuff and places out.

Vienna

Sorry, but this was the first internet I could get to since Ive been here. Im in Vienna now and I was in Munich for three days, which basically means Ive nbeen drinking for the last three days. Hofbrau Haus is awesome! I have great pictures of Kitzke face down in a cobblestone street. Actually its only one picture, but its just as awesome as you can imagine. But, I still dont like soccer and Ive had a blast telling eveyone I meet. I am heading to the Danube tomorrow and maybe Bratislava, just for the shit of it, and then Im off for Salzburg. I will try to keep posting.

Who else wants a moustache ride?

I went to the Eagles of Death Metal show last night and it was pretty much the best time I've had at a show maybe ever. Jesse "Boots Electric" Hughes puts on an awesome rock show. We were jumping and yelling the whole time. Anytime we got the chance, Two Scoops and I were yelling for moustache rides. The highlight of the evening was when we lifted Lauren up and Boots threw her his incredibly drenched Atomic Records shirt. Fucking great time!



Jessie "Boots Electric" (sorry, I have no pictures to use from the show, but I do have an awesome shot of Lauren and Boots together on my phone)

And here it is 01.11.07

News Everyone

Just so everybody knows, Radiohead is going to be in Chicago on June 19-20 and Bloc Party is going to be at the Intonation Festival in Chicago on June 25. As of right now I am planning on two trips to Chicago in less than a week. People need to contact me soon so I know who's in.

New IASP

Just so everyone knows, new Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia's start on June 29.



I think they count for half of my friends on Myspace.

Thief

The new FX show Thief is pretty good. Sorry that this is a little late and the first season just ended, but I'm sure with the amount they aired reruns during the week, they'll be showing the whole season again soon.

The show has Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) in the lead and resurected Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Cool Runnings). The show is no Homicide, but still good.

Low video

Here's a link to the Foo Fighters Low video that I've been telling everyone about, again. I think its great and remember, it got banned from Mtv, so you're fighting against the establishment when you watch it.

Ok, its not a great link. You still have to choose which video to watch, but hey, watch some of the others too. (Everlong and Learn to Fly are pretty good)

Eagles of Death Metal

I have a link here to the video for the Eagles of Death Metal song, I Want You So Hard. I think its a cool/funny video (featuring Jack Black and Dave Grohl) and I want to hear some more of their stuff. They are going to be playing at the Rave on June 2, so I might be going. The EoDM drummer is the lead singer from Queens of the Stone Age, which is a band that as everyone knows, I love.

* thanks to Dave for the video

Hockey Mullets are Awesome!

My favorite mullet (sounds like a good tv show)

Barry Melrose made a list of great hockey mullets. Some of them are pretty hot.

She Wants Revenge

I went to the She Wants Revenge show last night and had a great time. It was my first time in the Eagle's Club (the dive area under the Rave) and it worked out pretty well for the show. It really has the feel of a dank basement, which is perfect for that kind of rock. I was only about 15 feet away from the stage so I got a nice view of everything. They rocked it out harder than I expected. I was a little afraid going in that since they are only a two man band a lot of their stuff would be prerecorded, but they got another gutarist and a drummer to tour with them; therefore, harder rocking.


*P.S. I'm a little peeved with the Rave right now because I depended on them to post pics from the show, but they suck and haven't posted any.

On Wisconsin

This is so great! I couldn't be more happy that they won AND that they dominated the crap out of BC. All I can say to the asshole Gopher fans is, "HOLY CROSS!"

Joyeux Noel

I also saw Merry Christmas the same night that I saw Neil Young, but that impressed me much less. While I still liked the movie, it just wasn't of the same caliber.

Overall it was a prety good movie. Some of the actors in it were cheesy (see Diane Kruger and Benno Fuermann). They were supposed to be opera singers and both looked hilarious doing the lip sync for the songs. Plus I just wanted to smack the look off Fuermann's face the whole time. Other than the two of them the movie was fairly good.

Neil Young: Heart of Gold

I saw the movie Neil Young: Heart of Gold and it was extraordinary. It started a little like a documentary, but basically turned into his concert at the Grand Ole Opry on film. I have never been a huge Neil Young fan, but the movie interested me because I've heard a lot about his newest CD, Prairie Wind, and he is quite talented. Shortly after he started work on the CD he was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. He proceeded to write a record the entire album in a week and a half because he wasn't sure if he would be able to finish after his operation. Well, he got better and decided, along with academy award winning director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs), to make his album into a film. What comes out in the end is an incredible narrative of an old man looking back at his life and communicating very openly with his friends and loved ones. It is apparent through the film that Neil Young is a complete musical genius and carries most of his friends along for the ride. After about and hour and 15 minutes, he finishes the new CD and starts playing some of his classics, but the best part of the movie is all the new stuff. I recommend this movie to anyone. I think whether you are a Neil Young fan or not, you will still enjoy it. Personally, I am going to get my hands on the CD asap.

*Colorful side note - All the people on stage with him are hilarious to watch. I suggest the bassist and the back-up singers for the most hilarious award.

Inside Man

I saw Inside Man tonight and liked it. I can now honestly say I liked a Spike Lee "joint". (if anyone out there tells me that Do the Right Thing is a great movie I will stab you in the eye with the rusty unidentified gardening tool that I use for cleaning my grill). The big twist at the end of the movie wasn't really that huge, in fact, it's something that anyone should see coming for quite some time. I wouldn't even call it a "big twist", so I rescind that statement. As far as the rest of the movie goes, it entertains quite steadily as at progresses and doesn't fall off into its own badassedness. What I am trying to say is this, for those of you who can see it for free, do, and it probably won't be a terrible waste for those of you who have to pay.

The Sports Guy

For anyone who cares, I added a link on my blog to Bill Simmon's site on ESPN.com. He's hilarious and generally a pretty good read. I suggest his columns to anyone who likes sports (even those of you who don't like sports will probably get a kick out of his mailbag columns).

She Wants Revenge

There's a band out there that I just started listening to that maybe some of you aren't aware of. She Wants Revenge is pretty good. A friend at work (Jim) gave me the cd and I have enjoyed it so far. I will be going to their show next month (Faber should come too), so I can say some more about them after that.

RIP

Kirby Puckett

Congrats!

Congratulations to the Swede's on their hockey gold, but more importantly, my hat's off to Teemu Selanne for his continued use of the Jofa. The Island of Teemoa is proud of you.

Exciting

I'm still very excited about this.

Any fan of Radiohead should go here. They've been posting pictures of their recording sessions for a while now.

Olympic Hockey

I don't know about anyone else, but I am having a blast watching Olympic hockey this week. Today I was ecstatic to see the U.S. and Canada lose. That hopefully signifies an all eastern block final. I won't be disappointed however, if Finland or Sweden get into the gold medal game. No matter what I'll see some great hockey. I really wanted to see a Czech vs. Slovak final, but since they played already, my vote for the winner goes to the Czechs.

Complete Bullshit!

This week in the college basketball rankings, neither Wisconsin or Marquette moved into the Top 25. This is absolute horseshit!!!!!!

Wisconsin was barely out of the Top 25 last week, had a huge win over #12 ranked Ohio State and still didn't get in. On the other hand, #12 Ohio State only dropped to........ drumroll please..... #12!!!!! How the fuck does that work? Wisconsin is basically tied with Ohio State and #8 Illinois at 1/2 game back from the lead in the Big Ten conference at 8-4 and still isn't ranked. They are a full game ahead of #16 Michigan State in those very same rankings. This is ridiculous.

Marquette is coming off a huge week in which it upset not only #17 Georgetown, but # 9 Pitt as well. Georgetown slid down to #23, but Pitt is still #10. Marquette is 8-5 in the Big East, currently a huge conference, and 18-8 overall. No one expected them to even get 4 conference wins this season let alone 8 wins with 3 conference games remaining. Even their recent losses, at #2 Villanova and at #10 Pitt, were very close games.

I think this shows how fucked up the college rankings are right now. Personally, I think Gonzaga sucks balls and should in no way even be close to #5. And who the fuck cares that George Washington is 22-1, they play in the English Nancy Boy League otherwise known as the Atlantic 10 (sorry, I'm angry, I still like watching good basketball and the A10 is generally good basketball, they just can't compare with the talent level from bigger conferences).

Hopefully in the next few weeks when the conference championships are done and the brackets are all filled out, the Big Ten and the new Big East will do what they should (and in the Big Ten's case, what they usually do) and whoop the crap out of all the other conferences in the NCAA Tournament.

*Of course now that I've said all this, watch the Badgers and Golden Eagles struggle over the next couple weeks with their supremely difficult schedules. Figures.*

03.23.06
PS, I look like a Jackass. At least Gonzaga went out like a pussy. I will always remember with love the sight of Adam Morrison crying on the court before the game ended. Awesome!

I LOVE this guy

I've gone from disliking Ricky Williams to hating him, then to just a dislike again, but now I realize how awesome he is. He's not as annoying as TO, but he is just as funny. Seriously, you can't make this shit up.

Good Stuff

This is pretty neat. Its nothing special, just kind of cool to watch.

(courtesy of Thom Yorke)

Laughs

If you're drinking before 10 a.m., you might as well just put on a Vin Baker jersey and start stumbling around in a layup line.

Bill Simmons = hilarious.

(here's the whole article, its good stuff)

Good Stuff

I just wanted everyone to know how great the Badger basketball game was to watch tonight (technically it was last night now I guess). Alando Tucker is a MANIMAL on the blocks and as long as he's hitting his free throws, the Badgers are pretty much unstoppable. As long as they don't have anymore major fuck-ups and keep playing the way they played against #12 Ohio State, they could have a nice, long road ahead of them. Its just flat-out good TV watchin' B-ball.

Sick Shit!

Ok, so everybody who reads this probably already knows about Chris Ernest, but for those who don't, here's this, and this.

(P.S. He asked Majewski how to edit video, thankfully Majewski never showed him how. Yeesh!)

Good Bye and Good Riddance!

I don't know how this happened, but Wes Helms signing with the Florida Marlins on December 30th completely slipped under my radar. I knew that the Brewers did not offer him arbitration, effectively making him a free agent, but I was unaware someone was dumb enough to sign him. Granted the Marlins got him for $800,000, which isn't a terrible price, but I am still glad to see him off. I wish him the best of luck, but if the Brewers ever resign him, I'll burn his fucking house down.

Flying Car?

This is funny, or odd, or both. Maybe just one of the two though.

(courtesy of Thom Yorke 02.08.06)

Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic

I went to the Badgers vs. Ohio State game at Lambeau field on Saturday and it was a very good time. Our tailgate went very well and the ensuing evening was for the most part problem free. The only problem was the overall distance from the ice, but we were right at center ice, so everything went pretty well. Of course it helps when your team scores a goal 23 seconds into the first period.

Yes!

Mmmmmm, this looks good. Hey everybody, come see how good this looks.

Superbleeder

I'm sure by now you all know about this, but I've never put it in a post, so here it is. Dane Cook is a silly bitch. Sit down with a nice chicken sangwich and enjoy.

Oh Conan!

In an interview about his upcoming album, Kevin Federline said, "My music will speak for itself." He may be right because the album is called, "This Really Sucks."

One of the tabloids has published an interview with a gay man who says he slept with Clay Aiken after meeting him online. The man says, "I knew Clay Aiken was gay when we met online because his screen name was 'Clay Aiken.'"

Good Stuff.

Some movies

Well its been a while....... what to begin with?

I guess I'll just shoot right into movies that I've seen since I last updated. I don't think I will remember all of them, so here is a choice list of the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

The Squid and the Whale - I liked this movie a lot. It was funny (not as funny as Life Aquatic), but it also had a lot of oddness in it that people have come to expect from Noah Baumbach. I thought Jeff Daniels was awesome by the way, completely under appreciated.

Brokeback Mountain - This probably should win best picture in a very slow academy year. My favorite movie of the year, Millions, was left off the Oscar ballot (no shit), so I have to go with Brokeback. And Lee is pretty frickin good (I also just saw The Ice Storm recently and that is also quite good) and all the actors didn't bother me. In fact, Anne Hathaway is pretty hot, just a tip.

Munich - If Brokeback wasn't there, I would say this movie for best picture. As it is, I still really liked this movie and oh yeah, Eric Bana's the jam!

The Matador - This was a much funnier movie than I expected. Pierce Brosnan was really good. His timing and delivery made it hard to believe that he hasn't really been in a very big comedy type movie before.

Bloodrayne and Underworld Evolution - Both of these movies were awesome. Everyone who loves movies that are too bad to really be bad should watch these. We received one of the thousands of Bloodrayne prints that were sent out to theatres that weren't scheduled to play the movie, so we put it together and laughed our asses off. Uwe Boll truly is the master of complete shit. Hey, he takes advantage of good German tax law to make free movies and then just pays taxes on his measly profits, which reminds me to get my German citizenship so I can write off all my movie expenses. Underworld wasn't as trashy and smutty as the first one, but it did have Kate Beckinsale in tight leather and the unparalleled acting of Scott Speedman.

The New World - This movie was long, boring and awesome. This movie should win best cinematography and I'm surprised that it is the only nod the movie received.

That's all I can think of right now, probably not even a third of the movies I've seen recently, but I'm too excited that Jack Bauer is back, kicking ass like he should be.

Written Apology

I would like to apologize to all the people (two of you) who actually read my blog. I have reasons for not updating recently, but they don't really matter anymore. I will start updating again soon. Once again, sorry for the inconvenience and keep on truckin'.