A Promise I Couldn't Keep

I know in my previous post I mentioned that I was reinvigorated and ready to blog the night away again. Immediately after I wrote that, something happened that has caused me to reassess my previous statement: I became the proud papa to a beautiful little puppy. I can't go into details about how cute he is because he is currently eating my work socks, but I can attach some pictures and let you judge for yourself how irresistible his little cute face is.




So, in an effort to not make anymore false promises...I'll be blogging again when Thunder (or Thunder-Pants as we like to call him) isn't eating daddy's work socks.

Only Vegas

I've taken quite a leave of absence of late, so I'd be surprised if anyone was actually reading this post. That said, being at NAB this week in Vegas has me re-energized to act my age and blog, consume more web video and audio than my brain can humanly process and start creating interesting and meaningful content that you, my trusty and loyal audience, will appreciate and enjoy.

It's been an interesting week here in Vegas. The past few days I've experienced such things as seeing the executive producers of Lost speak, listening to a network executive ream out someone on his staff for letting a deal fall apart, feeling really good about winning money one minute and then wanting to jump off my 10th floor balcony minutes later for losing all of that money, paying $5 for a Diet Coke, and desperately wanting to go to bed at 9 PM because I couldn't stand the thought of attempting to win my money back and lose it all again. What a week!

If nothing else, I hope this week taught me that it is okay to sit in front of a computer and blog and be all up in the digital scene. That's the way of the world and will be for years and years to come. That means look out for more blog posts -- for about a week or so.

Radio Willmott

I just received great news from my friend Ben Willmott that he will be touring for a couple of dates with musician, singer-songwriter Jesse Harris. Harris is best known for writing "Don't Know Why," the song that made Norah Jones a household name. I know him best for his awesome album The Secret Sun. Tracks 1-5 on that album are essentially the soundtrack of my 2003 summer.

I'm so proud of Ben for his musical accomplishments in such a short time. He is an awesome musician and if you're ever in the New England area you should definitely check him out. If you don't travel to that area much, why don't you check him out on the radio...tonight! Of course, you can always visit his web site or his blog. Man, this guy's everywhere!

Look for Ben's latest album, Rich With Love, due May 30, 2008. And go out and buy some Jesse Harris albums too!

Oscar Tops

I've found that it's really hard to watch the Oscar's when you aren't rooting for any particular movie. It's difficult to get excited about watching someone except an award when you've only seen two of the films nominated for Best Picture, one of which you thought really shouldn't have been nominated. Plus, the whole nominating and campaigning process is becoming way too political for me. It's almost like the winners have been determined months in advance. That said, there were plenty of moments that kept me entertained before and during the show this year. Below are my top five Oscar moments for 2008.

5) Seeing Diablo Cody win for Best Original Screenplay - NOT because I think she deserved to win, because she definitely did not, but because it gave America a chance to see just how much of a trainwreck she is. What was up with that dramatic exit?

4) Steve Carrell getting upset after finding out that he wasn't presenting an award for the gritty, meaningful Best Documentary, but rather for the Best Animated Movie. Anne Hathaway did a very nice job of consoling him.

3) The bazaar exchange between Jennifer Garner, Ryan Seacrest and Gary Busey on the red carpet prior to the awards. Garner looked scared for her life as an obviously drunk or drugged Busey went to hug and kiss her on the neck, while Seacrest had absolutely no idea what to do during the situation. How did Gary Busey even get in there?

2) Oscar's tribute to binoculars and periscopes as well as their moving "awakening from a bad dream" montage. This was supposed to give us a taste of what the show would have been like if if had been affected by the writer's strike. It would have been hilarious, that's what it would have been!

...and my number one Oscar 2008 moment...

1) Jon Stewart having Marketa Irglova from the movie Once come back to the stage and give her acceptance speech after the orchestra cut her off. Her partner, Glen Hansard, used most of the alloted time in accepting the Best Song award and the microphone was cut off as she began to speak. Her speech, which lasted just under a minute was the absolute best of the night:

The fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just proof that no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible," Irglova said during take two. "And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream, and don't give up. This song was written from the perspective of hope, and hope, at the end of the day, connects us all, no matter how different we are.

It's moments like this that make staying up late to watch the Oscar's well worth it.

Ferras Fever

The side of me that is susceptible to hooky pop songs has once again resurfaced! Today, I can't stop humming Hollywood's Not America by Ferras, otherwise known as the lucky bastard who's song was hand-picked by American Idol producers as the sayonara song, as I like to call it. I'm assuming the message of the song is that Hollywood isn't the only place where you can live the American dream, so failing of not making it in that town isn't the end of the world. But, frankly, for a song like this I don't really care much what the message is. All I care about is hearing, "So long, put your bluejeans back on," otherwise known as the hook. I fall for the hook every time! Damn the hook!

The real question is, why does American Idol do such a good job of picking the sayonara song (remember Daniel Powter's Bad Day and Chris Daughtry's Home?) but such a terrible job picking the song that will eventually become the winner's first single (remember, This Is My Now and Believe...didn't think so)? American Idol needs to recruit some new talent to write a song with relevance and a good hook for this year's finale and ditch once and for all those stale songwriters who regurgitate the same song year after year.

That said, I am looking forward to this year's Idol competition. The talent seems much stronger than in year's past and a lot of the contestants are also quite impressive musicians. Let's hope the song in the finale does the eventual American Idol some justice. If not, you can always tune in just to hear Hollywood's Not America every week.

Old Spice, Moon Style

My love for all things Will Ferrell continues with this hilarious batch of commercials for Old Spice done in the character of Jackie Moon, Ferrell's latest brilliant creation for the new movie Semi-Pro. I can't wait for this movie much like I couldn't wait for Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights, especially after seeing these commercials. Enjoy!

Perez Elects Next President

I have officially seen it all in regard to this presidential election. Our society is bordering on ridiculousness when well established news organizations imply that people like Perez Hilton (yes, PEREZ HILTON!!) singlehandedly helped a presidential candidate win the votes of young people and women just because of his endorsement. Here's a newsflash for the media -- just because people use the Internet and like to read about pop culture does not mean that they blindly cast a vote for whoever the author of their fourteenth favorite blog endorses.

Also, newsflash for Sam Donaldson, who has been anchoring the news in some capacity for over 25 years -- The Internet was created decades ago and blogs aren't exactly a new technology. Is it really that inconceivable that Perez Hilton wrote a post about who he endorses for president AND one about a pregnant person -- in the same day!? Do you even know what a blog is?

After watching this video I have decided that I want to crawl in a hole loaded with Flight of the Conchords and How I Met Your Mother DVDs, Cheez-It's, and Sheryl's new album and not come out until this election is officially over. Can't we just have one day - just ONE day - where we don't have to hear how Perez Hilton elected the president or see Tim Russert blow his load all over the Today Show set because this race is just "so exciting?" Please? Ugh, I didn't think so. Hole, here I come.