Brain Storm

The Meme Theme Party!

2010-03-06T13:10:00.014-06:00

Over the last month and a half Stefan and I have had numerous reasons to celebrate accumulate: We have an awesome new home, I had my 100th article published in the Oklahoma Gazette, I had a birthday, and the inaugural run of OKC Improv was a huge success!

So, on Saturday, March 13 starting at 7pm we'll be playing host to our first theme party in 3 years! That's right friends, from the people that gave you:

~ The End of The Planet Parties ~
~ The Pirates Vs. Ninjas Party ~
~ The Dionysian Bacchanalia ~
~ The Viking Raiding Party ~
~ The Pimps & Ho's Party ~
~ The Biblical Party of Religious Proportions ~
~ The Porn Cliche & Revenge of the Porn Cliche Parties ~
~ The Bedding a Legend Party (aka The Bed-Warming Party) ~
~ The Valentine's Day Saint Massacre ~
~ The Lost and Found Party ~

It's not a trap! It's...

~THE MEME THEME PARTY~

What the hell's a meme you may ask? From Wikipedia:

At its most basic, an Internet meme is simply is an inside joke, that a large number of Internet users are in on. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, and parody versions, or even by collecting news accounts about itself. Internet memes have a tendency to evolve and spread extremely quickly, sometimes going in and out of popularity in just days. They are spread organically, voluntarily, and peer to peer, rather than by compulsion, predetermined path, or completely automated means.

For the uninitiated here's a brief history of internet memes courtesy of Super News:

So for this party we want people to come in a costume, as a character, or with some kind of shtick, but it has to somehow relate back to memes, preferably those originating on the intarwebs. It's important to note that if you want to get creative and come up with a concept for memes of the past or the future, by all means, go for it! Furthermore, you don't have to participate in the theme to attend the party, but it'll be more fun for everyone if you do!

Here are some examples of internet memes:

All Your Base Are Belong to Us
Bill O'Reilly Flips Out
David After The Dentist
Dick in a Box
Downfall / Hitler Parodies
Dramatic Chipmunk / Dramatic Prairie Dog
Furries
LOLcats
Mentos and Diet Coke
Misheard Lyrics: Wishmaster
Peanut Butter Jelly Time
Rickroll - My personal favorite example of which is this.
Series of Tubes
This Is Sparta (300)

The best meme resource is The Rocketboom Center for Internet Study's Know Your Meme website. They have an extensive index of memes and video episodes where they explore certain memes and their origins and impact in more detail.

For a nice overview of viral video memes I present the music video for the song Pork & Beans by Weezer.

To learn more about the individual memes in the video go here.

Here's a handy interactive timeline from Dipity. Zoom in or choose list view to see more.

Internet Memes on Dipity.

When choosing a meme, get creative. Don't be afraid to mix and match memes as demonstrated in this Three Keyboard Cat Moon T-Shirt modeled by Stefan.

This is a juxtaposition of two separate popular memes: Keyboard Cat and the Three Wolf Moon T-Shirt.

I'd also encourage you to look into the wonderful world of Photoshop memes (aka cliches) on sites like Something Awful, Fark, or Worth 1000. Of course you can always go straight to the source, 4chan, the seedy underbelly of the internet where most memes are born - but I don't recommend it.

So, we wish you all good luck in your quest to find your meme and look forward to seeing you next weekend. Until then, play me off, Keyboard Cat!

Two Heads Are Better Than One

2009-09-10T15:40:00.034-05:00

WARNING: This is a silly post.

In the wake of last year's Presidential election there were a lot of businesses trying to come up with ways to cash in on the post-win euphoria of Obamamania at its peak. Most of you probably heard about the case of the infamous "Commemorative Coin" rip-off in which a company called U.S. Coin Network sold four regular coins with Obama stickers attached to one side for the bargain price of $19.99. If not, I'll let Mr. Stephen Colbert fill you in:

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

P.K. Winsome - Defective Obama Collectibles

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Protests

Not every offer was a scam though. In fact, one company came up with a truly unique way to mark this historic occasion - one that could penetrate our cynical exteriors, filling us with the promise of hope for a new future where your President can make sweet love to you. Yes, dear readers, I speak of The Head O State:

You love your President? Then let him love you back!

With a clever sales pitch like that who could resist? At once both disturbing and hilarious, I commend the makers of the Head O State for both their craftiness and their craftsmanship. You can get your very own "Big O" in Democratic Blue or Presidential Gold at http://headostate.com for $34.95.

Perhaps, less funny and even more disturbing was the recent discovery of a new sex toy called "The Vamp," created for fans of the Twilight series.

I found this via http://videogum.com.

Here's a description from the manufacturer's website:

The Vamp is a realistic form dildo based appropriately on our Sire's design but with a deathly pale flesh tone reminiscent of the new moon's glow. Don't be surprised if this toy seduces you, its long sleek shaft and deliciously ridged head calling to you in the twilight. But don't save this for just nocturnal escapades, try taking our Vamp out in the sunlight and watch him sparkle.

Here's the priceless reaction from the Videogum blogger:

Ugh. And this, of course, is the best (worst) part:

Yes the The Vamp retains hot and cold temperature. Toss it in the fridge for that authentic experience.

Toss it in the fridge? I AM NOT SURE THAT THEY HAVE REFRIGERATORS IN JAIL. Why don't they just say what they really mean:

For people who want to fuck teenagers with frozen dicks who can fly.

It also appears that this undead dick isn't going to be blinding anyone with the sparkling radiance talked up in the product description. See the shimmery fail as demonstrated here in the company's own video:

Speaking of undead dicks and the brain dead twats that love them, this whole Twilight phenomenon really does escape me. A lot of people deride the popular book series by Stephenie Meyer, but I don't think I've seen it skewered in such an insightful way as when the one and only Vampire Slayer, Buffy Summers, takes on the ridiculously repressed and creepily constipated Edward Cullen in this clever mash-up video:

I'd like to close this terribly silly post with a truly wretched song about two guys that choose to stop fighting over women in favor of just having group sex. Don't believe me? Just listen to the lyrics... if you dare. Dear readers, I give you the song Two Heads Are Better Than One by the band Power Tool (seriously, that's their name) as featured on the Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack:

Basking In The Warm Glow of Summer

2009-08-25T16:17:00.009-05:00

(500) Days of Summer Review

While some critics have accused (500) Days of Summer of being a mainstream rom com in indie clothing, I think that the movie has a lot more going for it than a great soundtrack, attractive leads, and a clever narrative structure.

It's possible that this kind of thing goes in cycles, but it really feels like my generation is dealing with the death of romance at the dawn of the 21st century. As we continue to deal with the ramifications of the sexual revolution, redefined gender roles, and other changing cultural values related to relationships it can be more than a little difficult to navigate these shifting seas and still find meaning in how we relate to one another and how we define love and commitment. Granted, (500) Days doesn't examine these subjects in the deepest most heart-wrenching fashion possible, but it is the core dilemma of the film.

The premise of (500) Days is pretty simple: Boy falls in love with girl. Girl does not fall in love with him. Boy of course, pursues girl in defiance of reality and her stated opinion on the subject of love: she doesn't believe in it. At least not the magical, there's someone special for everyone, kind of nonsense that the boy buys into. The boy in this case is Tom, played with great charm and heart-on-his-sleeve sincerety by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Tom is an aspiring architect that fell into a holding pattern of self-doubt and now works at a greeting card company - a place that represents the hollowest kind of sentimentality expressed between people that is used to great comic effect later in the film. It's there that he meets the boss's new assistant, the aloof but fascinating Summer, played with a sense of straightforward but un-malicious selfishness by Zooey Deschanel.

The last time Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred in a romantic comedy was 1999's light but enjoyable 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern day retelling of Shakespeare's Taming of The Shrew. In the 10 years since, he's been doing amazing work in a number of darker dramatic films often featuring characters that are damaged or dealing with loss. Two of those films, Mysterious Skin (2004) and Brick (2005) rank among my favorites of the last decade. After 10 years of these more serious roles it's nice to see him in a part that showcases the comedic skills he honed during his six years on Third Rock From The Sun. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of sincere pathos in Gordon-Levitt's portrayal of broken-hearted Tom, but a lot of his suffering is played for laughs in the film.

Zooey Deschanel has been in a lot of films in the last 10 years, but the only other role I've seen her in was as Trillian in 2005's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. So I don't really have a good gauge of whether Summer's wide-eyed enigmatic demeanor is a stretch for her or not. Regardless, she's great in this role. A lot of guys might walk away feeling like she's the villain of the story, but in reality both she and Tom make the mistake of expecting other people to deal on their terms. At least she's honest from the start about her position even as Tom tries to play down his own feelings.

The opening narration in the film declares that "this is not a love story" and it's true. While characters do fall in (and out of) love during the course of the film, this is really a film about the life cycle of a relationship. The examination of that relationship is done within a non-linear narrative structure, jumping back and forth providing for some interesting insights and a lot of comedic contrasts as we trace the origins, growth, and death of Tom and Summer's coupling. That same broken structure keeps the pace going and the tone light at the expense of feeling deeply connected to the characters' plight through a good portion of the film. (500) Days does manage to get you thinking about your own experience with heartbreak without pulling on your heart strings to do so.

The script for (500) Days is sharp but not overly artificial. Tom and Summer come across as naturally funny and articulate without ever being arch. I have a love for the stilted over-eloquent dialogue of Diablo Cody and Kevin Smith, but it's nice to see characters with distinctive voices in a film like this that are more than just mouthpieces for the writer.

Overall (500) Days is a strong debut for director Marc Webb. The film includes some stylish flourishes that really elevate the material for me. There's a post coital dance number on the streets of Los Angeles, a split-screen in which we see the difference between how Tom expected a situation to play out versus reality, and my favorite, a montage of cinematic love letters in which Tom appears in film clips that reference classic French New Wave cinema and Bergman's The Seventh Seal in which we see Tom, in the throes of rejection, accosted by a mime and beaten at chess by a foul-mouthed cupid.

There's a lot in (500) Days that reminds me very much of my own friends and our mid-20's experiences. We too have told jokes about Jesus' abs. We too have made a sport out of saying inappropriate words and phrases loudly in public (although our phrase of choice wasn't "penis," it was "butt-sex"). We too have faced down our fears to pursue long-delayed dreams. We too had to put aside childish ideas about love without giving up on it altogether. We too have found humor in tragedy and pulled hope out of heartbreak.

9.5/10

As an added bonus, I'd like to share a scene from early on in the film in which Tom and Summer's relationship is compared to Sid & Nancy.

That scene inspired the following brilliant short video, in which the director and stars of (500) Days explore that relationship dynamic further!

Teased

2009-08-20T14:13:00.017-05:00

Making good on my promise to update more, I want to share some trailers for some upcoming film and television projects that have piqued my interest.

First up, is something that brings me great joy: the trailer for Season 4 of The Venture Brothers.

Update: It occurred to me that the very things that I love the most about The Venture Brothers, all of which are hinted at above, make this impenetrable to all but the initiated. So, if you find yourself out of the loop go check out Season 1 for yourself or borrow it from me!

Here's another one that genuinely gets me excited. Originally put together as a kind of proof of concept, this teaser first premiered at Comic Con '08 after which Disney proceeded to sit on it for a full year despite overwhelming positive response. At long last, we can stop watching the shaky-cam recordings on YouTube and revel in the full beauty of this truly awesome teaser for Tron: Legacy.

Next up is the trailer for Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant which looks like it could be fun, but consider me still skeptical.

Like The Vampire's Assistant this next one was completely off my radar which is surprising given the subject matter. Here's the trailer for Oliver Parker's film adaptaion of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray reduced here simply to Dorian Gray.

I'll admit that this trailer makes it look like the film could be full of terrible tonal choices, mainly to do with the music, but given that Parker has already successfully made two Wilde plays, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, into delightful films, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that what we see in the trailer is more about trying to sell the film to mainstream audiences and less about what the film is actually like.

Now here's a case of a trailer possibly making a film look better than it really is. It's been widely reported that the re-make of The Wolfman has undergone a lot of problems from the get go. Today we got a trailer that makes the film look like it might actually be good. If nothing else, the cast is a film geek's wet dream.

The last trailer I want to share is unfortunately not embeddable, so you'll have to go here to see the first look at the highly anticipated Avatar, James Cameron's first film since 1997's Titanic. Maybe it's just me, but it seems strange to use a historical drama, even if it was universally known and embarrassingly successful, to sell Cameron's new sci-fi action film when the man has made some of the best sci-fi action films of all time (Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss).

As for the trailer itself, I don't agree with the critics that say that it all looks fake or cartoony, just some of it. But that's the case for most films that have shots where everything you're watching is created inside a computer. I'm not a fan of the design of the Na'vi, the giant blue aliens that populate Pandora in the film. A lot of people are already making furry jokes and I can't say I blame them.

I think its possible that Cameron's hyperbolic hyping of the film as a game changer may come back to bite him in the ass. It already hurt the film when Comic Con audiences with high expectations came away with mixed reactions after seeing 15 minutes of footage. To temper that response, Fox is showing that same 15 minutes in IMAX theaters around the country tomorrow. I can't see the reaction changing too much.

Personally, I'm keeping an open mind. I think Cameron has made some amazing films and I want Avatar to be awesome. I'm just not expecting the film event of the decade. Furthermore, I think it'll have a hard time being anywhere near as as intense or entertaining as District 9, a film that was made for 1/8 of Avatar's $237 million budget.

That's enough for now. Check back in a few days to read my reviews of (500) Days of Summer and District 9.

Spectral Encore

2009-08-19T10:45:00.008-05:00

I know its' been far too long since I've posted here (check the twitter feed on the side bar for more frequent updates) and I made a promise to one of my few and only readers that I would take the necessary time away from my external concerns and distractions to do some writing here. I've had some entertaining posts planned for some time now and will endeavor to get some of them up in the next week. In the meantime consider this a turning of the sign to say once again that, "I am open for business."

Before I go I want to share a delightful trailer with you fine folks. After months of being without a US distributor Terry Gilliam's newest film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus has finally found a home. Sony Classics will be bringing the film to screens sometime late this year or early next. For those of you unfamiliar, Parnassus tells the story of the thousand year old titular Dr. (Christopher Plummer) and his traveling theater troupe featuring a special attraction called The Imaginarium - a magic mirror through which people can travel into and beyond their own minds. Bound by a deal with the Devil (Tom Waits), Parnassus is going to have to give up his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) until a young man named Tony (Heath Ledger) falls in love with her and sets about to free her from her fate by traveling through the many worlds of The Imaginarium.

Despite most people thinking that Dark Knight was Ledger's final performance he had already moved on to Parnassus but unfortunately died before filming was complete. Rather than suffer defeat or leave Ledger's final performance unseen, Gilliam enlisted the help of some of his and Ledger's actor friends including Jude Law, Colin Farrell, and Johnny Depp to play Tony inside the world of the Imaginarium. It was a risky gamble that seems to have paid off. Don't take my world for it though. Watch the trailer below.

After a lot of misfires and false starts with films like Tideland, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and the aforementioned Brothers Grimm, Gilliam really seems to be back on his game here and that delights me to no end. I'm also excited that he co-wrote Parnassus with Charles McKeown his writing partner on one of my favorite films of all time, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

Silver Linings

2009-07-11T20:42:00.007-05:00

I know that like a lot of music I'm into that Dream Theater is an acquired taste, so do me the favor before you bail on my ridiculously in-depth review of the their new album that you go check out a band called Pipo & Elo made up of, you guessed it, Pipo & Elo - two fantastic French-folk that do beautiful acoustic covers of Dream Theater songs. Between the lovely layers of Pipo's acoustic guitar and bass and Elo's haunting vocals, their covers are an edifying departure from the originals that still retain their essence. All the songs are available for free download from their website. Whether you're a Dream Theater fan or someone who thought you'd never in a million years like a Dream Theater song, go check them out now.

Now for those of you that are going to hang around, on with the review.

My original intent here had been to write a brief review summarizing my feelings on Dream Theater's newest release Black Clouds & Silver Linings. I started writing about the second of the three disc set first, which features Dream Theater covering songs from 6 different influential bands, such as Queen and The Dixie Dregs. I found myself wanting to know more about the original versions and the bands themselves and before I knew it I had done a song by song breakdown, which means I kind of had to do that for all three discs. So, here it goes:

For the release of their 10th studio album Dream Theater decided to do something quite special. In addition to being able to buy Black Clouds & Silver Linings as a single disc edition with 6 new songs for $12.99, they also released a three disc set for $16.99 that includes the new album, the aforementioned disc of cover songs, and an instrumental version of the new album. They also released the album as a double vinyl set and an über box set that includes the 3-CD set, the double vinyl set, a "Producer's Edition" version of the album with isolated audio tracks that you can use to make your own mixes, limited edition numbered lithographs from artist Hugh Syme, and a mouse pad all in a lovely silver foil embossed black velvet box.

While I did consider springing for the box set, not having a high quality stereo or turntable to enjoy the vinyl on, I went with the 3 disc set instead, which if you're going to buy the album is definitely the way to go. For the price, its a ridiculously good value

It's worth mentioning that the album debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, the first time in the Dream Theater's history that they have cracked the Top 10 on that chart. The album also debuted at #1 on Billboard Top Internet Albums, and #2 on Billboard Top Rock Albums.

At this point you might be thinking, "That's great, Eric, but is it any good?"

The short answer to that question is yes.

The thing I like the most about Black Clouds & Silver Linings is its diversity. There are heavier tracks, like "A Nightmare to Remember" and "The Shattered Fortress," for those that have come to love and expect that from more recent Dream Theater albums. There is also "The Best of Times" a song that band leader and drummer Mike Portnoy wrote for his father before his death earlier this year that is a welcome departure from their recent gothic explorations and recalls some of the sound and emotional honesty of some the their earliest work. "The Count of Tuscany" on the other hand, while fairly heavy as well, also embraces flourishes from all over the musical map.

The lyrics, all penned for this album by Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci, cover what at first seems like really disparate and flat-out strange subjects - a car crash, Freemasonry, writer's block, addiction, loss of a loved one, and meeting a weird dude and his creepy brother while on vacation in Italy. That last one in particular I'll say more about later. It turns out though that every song on the album is based on a personal experience, save for "A Rite of Passage" that covers Freemasonry.

I feel like Dream Theater's lyrics have been in slight decline for some time now, even while I feel like vocalist James Labrie's singing has steadily improved over the last 10 years. On this album it feels like Labrie along with keyboardist and musical wizard Jordan Rudess are the only members of the band really trying anything new. Fans that have been waiting 10 years for another Scenes From A Memory won't find it here. And after 25 years together it may not even be fair to keep expecting something "new" from a band. Is it not commendable that they put out a solid album? It's not like they phoned it in or anything. Black Clouds & Silver Linings is full of amazing songs that display a complexity that is without equal in modern rock, while still being emotionally moving and most importantly, fun to listen to. But honestly, if not for the cover songs and instrumental mixes, I might feel disappointed with the album. As it is though, I'm satisfied.

Now to take a closer look at guts of this thing.

Between Portnoy's shirt, the general grooming, and Labrie's awesome coat
Dream Theater looks like they're ready to audition for Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings - Disc 1

1 - "A Nightmare to Remember"

Probably my favorite track on the album. It's heavy as hell, but I feel like that's justified by the traumatic nature of the experience being told - a car crash that hospitalized Petrucci and his family when he was a child. I can't say there's a lot of new ground covered in the song musically. However, I feel like the breakdown in which Petrucci describes his experience waking up in the hospital is really effective, musically and narratively. Dream Theater songs can sometimes sag in these sections, but in this case it really pulls you into the specific POV before moving into a predictably insane solo section. At 16:10, this is the longest track on the album but to the song's credit the time flies by.

2 - "A Rite of Passage"

I can't get over how much parts of this song remind me of mid-late 90's Megadeth. That's a good and a bad thing as it shares the same strengths and weaknesses of Megadeth from that period - ho-hum verses interspersed with really thick melodic choruses that lift the song up only temporarily before it settles back into something less interesting. Speaking of those choruses, lyrically they make up the majority of the song, so while I think its cool that Dream Theater wrote a song about Freemasonry, I wish they had more to say about the subject. Probably my least favorite track on the album. But because it's the most radio friendly song they made a music video that you can watch here:

DREAM THEATER - A Rite Of Passage

It's actually a fairly well produced video, but someone at Roadrunner Records needs to learn how to properly encode video for the web. The version on the official site was embarrassingly low quality. I had to go to MySpace for the above embed and even it could be higher quality.

I also find it funny that on the line "brotherhood of man" the editor actually cuts to a shot of a hood. Also funny that this was some director's idea of Freemasonry. Last time I checked, Masons were a bunch of semi-effectual senior citizens with silly handshakes, too busy trying to replenish their dwindling numbers to actually take over the world.

3 - "Wither"

A really beautiful song about creativity; more specifically, about the struggle to create when faced with obstacles, i.e. writers block. I could do without the religious overtones in the lyrics though where Petrucci equates surrendering creatively to surrendering spiritually. Two words for that kind of soft-headed thinking: Fuck that. I'll surrender when I'm dead, thank you very much. The universe can have my matter back and I thank it for the loan. All joking aside though, even though I don't agree with some of the sentiments, I can still appreciate the beauty of the song and it's basic message.

4 - "The Shattered Fortress"

Easily my second favorite song on the album and the one I was most anticipating as it completes Mike Portnoy's epic Twelve Step Suite about his struggle with addiction.

The first song in the suite, "The Glass Prison," was released on the album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence in 2002. Subsequent entries "This Dying Soul," "The Root of All Evil," "Repentance," and now "The Shattered Fortress" appeared one at a time on subsequent albums.

The songs feature a number of recurring musical and lyrical themes, and all of them (except for "Repentance") are among Dream Theater's fastest and heaviest. Gathering all songs, the suite reaches a total of 57:16 minutes.

So, for the hard core fans, by combining all the songs in the suite you really get a 4th Album out of Black Clouds & Silver Linings.

"The Shattered Fortress" itself recalls some of the best parts of the earlier entries, but wasn't as satisfying a conclusion as I would have liked.

5 - "The Best of Times"

Probably the most well-rounded song on the album that reminds me of some of the best songs from their 1992 album Images and Words. As I mentioned above this was written by Portnoy for his father who did hear the song before he passed. It's an awesome song and a moving tribute to a father from his son.

6 - "The Count of Tuscany"

Musically, the song is pretty solid but it feels terribly mismatched to Petrucci's lyrics that detail his alleged meeting with the Count of Tuscany in which after joyriding through the countryside in a fast car the unsuspecting guitarist is taken to the Count's estate where he totally thinks his life is in danger. The narrative feels rushed, resulting in the protagonist's transition from joy to fear seeming totally unmotivated and frankly making him seem like a bit of a sissy. I wonder if it was after this experience that Petrucci started getting more into body building and bulking up to his current inflated beefcake state. Regardless, there are parts of the song that I really like, but the lyrics really hurt my ability to take it too seriously.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings - Disc 2: The Covers

Leading up to the release of the new album Dream Theater was releasing one song a week from this second disc. Each song was accompanied by original artwork by Hugh Syme which I'm including below. For these songs, I examined them both as standalone works and as adaptations.

1 - "Stargazer" (Rainbow)

In the case of the opening track "Stargazer," I prefer Rainbow's original for its warmer, more open sound, slower tempo that allows the eastern influences to really come to the surface, and especially drummer Cozy Powell's John Bonham sound. In fact, the original has a real "Kashmir" feel that is completely gone from Dream Theater's tighter more modern mix. The original also benefited from the participation of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra which in the final 90 seconds take the song from good to great.

Here's what Mike Portnoy had to say about the song:

You can hear Rainbow's original here.

2 - "Tenement Funster/Flick of the Wrist/Lilly of the Valley Medley" (Queen)

Queen isn't really a band you improve on. You can certainly do your own take but their killer combo of original off-the-wall genre-striding ideas and masterful execution resulted in songs that to this day stand as unique and imminently listenable. All these qualities and of course the incomparable vocal work of Freddie Mercury make them a band that is not easy to cover, let alone do any justice to. However, on this medley of songs from 1974's Sheer Heart Attack, Dream Theater rises to the challenge magnificently. While the supporting vocal work in the chorus of "Flick of the Wrist" could be stronger, Dream Theater's James Labrie gives a performance that is technically and emotionally in the spirit of Mercury while never feeling like he's aping the Queen front-man. It's sad that the post-Mercury Queen opted for the limited John Rogers to fill his spot when there are vocalists like LaBrie out there that can truly bring Mercury's lyrics to life. Also worth mentioning is John Petrucci who reproduces with perfection Brian May's signature guitar sound.

Once again, the modern mix feels claustrophobic when compared to the original but without hurting the song too much. I wish they would have kept more of the acoustic guitar in "Tenement Funster" and this is really nitpicking, but in the Queen version, drummer Roger Taylor, not Freddie Mercury sings the song. This would have been a great opportunity for Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, who has been doing more vocal work with every album, to have stepped up to the plate. He does however do some satisfyingly sinister work doubling LaBrie in "Flick of the Wrist" though.

I've already said enough about this track, but I just wanted to add that I really love that Dream Theater chose these less well-known songs to cover and hence, bring attention to. Everybody knows the 20 or so tracks from the Greatest Hits albums, but Queen's body of work is expansive and much of it, especially the albums from the 70's, is pure genius. Do yourself a favor and explore them for yourself.

You can hear the original versions here, here, and here.

3 - "Odyssey" (The Dixie Dregs)

This instrumental track was a real surprise and one of the stand-outs of the album. I knew Dream Theater counted The Dixie Dregs as an influence but had never sought them out. Honestly, and I know that I shouldn't admit this, but the name was always a bit of a turn off. I will certainly be looking them up now though.

While I'm a little conflicted on this one, as there are aspects that I prefer from both versions, Dream Theater hits this one out of the park adding some very cool flourishes, courtesy of Jordan Rudess, and if anything their version brings out the epic-ness of this "Odyssey."

Here's what Mike Portnoy had to say about the song:

You can hear the original version here.

04 - "Take Your Fingers From My Hair" (Zebra)

Not much to say about this track. Dream Theater does a really solid and potentially superior take on what I feel is an alright song. In this instance, I prefer the modern mix and I think Dream Theater succeeded in upping the energy in a few spots, like the choruses, that I thought sagged in the original. Unlike "Odyssey," "Take Your Fingers..." doesn't compel me to seek out more music from the original artist.

Once again, Mr. Portnoy:

You can hear Zebra's original version here.

05 - "Larks Tongues in Aspic Pt. 2" (King Crimson)

The second instrumental offering on the album, Dream Theater takes on a song that in its original form toys with dissonance a little too much for my liking and delivers a more aurally palatable version with less noise and a slightly faster tempo.

Whereas, "Odyssey" is full of a lot of ideas, I found "Larks Tongue..." to be less and interesting and more predictable in its exploration of musical themes. I should keep in mind though the pace King Crimson was going for, as this song is just one movement of a multi-part progressive rock epic that was released on three albums over 27 years.

In the end, the cover itself is strong, but doesn't particularly endear me to King Crimson.

And one more time, Mr. Portnoy:

You can hear the original version here.

06 - "To Tame A Land" (Iron Maiden)

This cover originally appeared on an Iron Maiden tribute album called Maiden Heaven, but this was my first time to hear it. Along with "Odyssey" this was my second big surprise of the album. Musically, the song is pretty standard Maiden with a nice eastern influence that would have mirrored nicely "Stargazer" had those elements been better featured in the cover. The real delight of this song is comes from its subject. You see "To Tame A Land" is all about Frank Herbert's science fiction masterpiece Dune and features such fantastic lyrics as this:

Without a stillsuit you would fry
On the sands so hot and dry
In a world called Arrakis.

It is a land that's rich in spice
The sandriders and the "mice"
That they call the "Muad'Dib".

He is the Kwizatz Haderach.
He is born of Caladan
And will take the Gom Jabbar.

He has the power to foresee
Or to look into the past
He is the ruler of the stars

All I can really say to that is: AWESOME!

So yes, this song really delights the geek in me to no end. I'm honestly surprised that I'd never heard of it before as a lover of Science Fictions that is also acquainted with most of Maiden's better work. I suppose it would've helped if the song title has something more to do with the subject. As for why it doesn't, the Wiki article had the following interesting tidbit of info:

"When Steve Harris requested permission from the author to name the song "Dune" and to use a spoken quotation as the track's intro, his request was met with a stern reply from Frank Herbert's agent: "No. Because Frank Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially rock bands like Iron Maiden". This statement was backed up with a legal threat, and eventually the song was renamed "To Tame a Land" and released in 1983."

The mix and the performance of Dream Theater's cover are superior in a lot of ways to the original while, in a very nice touch, still retaining trademark Maiden characteristics like the sound and prominence of the bass part. All in all, "To Tame A Land" is a very satisfying end to great CD.

You can hear Maiden's original here.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings - Disc 3: The Instrumentals

As this review has gone on for far too long as it is, I'm going to be brief. This album is a real treat for people that appreciate the level of musicianship on display in Dream Theater and want to revel in it. You can really appreciate some of the more subtle work being done especially by Rudess on keyboards. It should also be embraced by the James Labrie haters that say they would listen to more Dream Theater if not for the vocal stylings of the Canadian front-man. Since none of the songs were written as instrumentals they suffer at times from the loss of the vocal melody, but for the most part make for a really excellent listen.

In conclusion, here's my rating for "Black Clouds & Silver Linings."

Disc One: 7.9/10
Disc Two: 9.4/10
Disc Three: 8.2/10

Overall Score: 8.5/10

If you made it through all that, here's your reward.
I give you Bowser and His Minions:

Thanks to Phillip for sharing this with me.

Out-Foxed

2009-07-03T18:02:00.006-05:00

If you're a Firefox user (and if you're not, you should be) earlier this week Mozilla released version 3.5 of their David to Microsoft's Goliath, IE. While the flaming rodent hasn't killed the giant yet, the faster, better built, more secure* Firefox has been gaining ground every year, now with an estimated 22% of the browser market.

While the new version of Firefox is surprisingly faster it doesn't support one of my favorite add-ons, Tab Mix Plus, which allows for multi-row tab browsing and a superior session manager that enables you to recover all your tabs from a previous session when restarting Firefox. To my delight there is a compatible Dev-Build that has been created that can be found here. I highly recommend giving it a shot. Another add-on that I won't surf without is the amazing and in my opinion necessary Adblock Plus. Once you've experienced the web minus all the unwanted ads and pop-ups, you'll never want to go back.

I'd also like to share this wonderful write-up by Devin Faraci (pictured here in front of Stan Winston Studio's Predator) of CHUD.com (That's Cinematic Happenings Under Development, not to be confused with Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers) called: Declare Your Independence From Stupid Movies With These 6 Films

Faraci, notorious for being kind of a dick to interact with online, (but was nice enough when I met him at Fantastic Fest) has over the last few years proved to be one of the most consistently insightful and entertaining film writers working today in any medium. He's part of a small group of online journalists who are committed to keeping legitimate film criticism alive and it doesn't hurt that I tend to agree with his reviews most of the time.

My only problem with his list of films: half of them aren't playing in OKC right now. The Brothers Bloom was at the AMC 24 for all of two weeks, but at least I did get to see it. The Hurt Locker and Moon will be opening in here in the next few weeks, but like Bloom, I wouldn't count on them hanging around for long. Not being much of a Woody Allen fan I can't really get on board with recommending Whatever Works, so I'll substitute it with Star Trek or Drag Me to Hell, both of which are a lot of fun and still playing everywhere.

I'm in the process of writing an epic review of Dream Theater's new album Black Clouds & Silver Linings befitting of the Progressive Rock icons, that should be up by tomorrow. Until then, I leave you with this bit of joy:

*Apparently there's some dispute about this, while Firefox is unquestionably more secure than IE7, IE8 made some significant gains in protecting against malware.

Up, Up and Away

2009-05-17T17:37:00.023-05:00

As you can tell from the date on my last post, its been a while. You might be asking yourself, "What's been keeping him so busy?" You might just as easily be asking yourself what you want to eat for dinner, so for the sake of getting things rolling here, let's assume the former.

The answer dear reader is fairly simple: Twinprov. Last month's grueling rehearsal schedule culminated with our second Speakeasy performance on June 8th. In the event that you missed it, video from that show will start going up over the weekend on my YouTube Channel. This crazy venture with Buck & Clint has been equal parts exhausting and exhilarating but always gratifying. For more info. on all things Twinprov head over to our website www.twinprov.com.

One of the reasons I've been able to spend so much time on Twinprov lately is because I was on a hiatus from The Oklahoma Gazette for all of May and the first part of June. During that time my second feature, a piece on the local independent stand-up comedy scene, did come out. You can read it in all its awkwardly formatted glory here. I've been assured that some day someone at The Gazette is going to fix the problem. Sigh. My first piece back on the job is a review of Reduxion Theatre's production of Taming of The Shrew. You can read that here. If you're in the OKC area, definitely try to catch the show this weekend or next.

I think that's it's probably worth noting that since last I posted I was awarded "Best of Show" at The 2nd Annual Carnality Ball for my photo entries:

You can view the rest of the pictures from that photo shoot here. Be warned though, these were taken for an erotic art show. So if sexual or fetishistic imagery bothers you then skip the link and just keep on reading. Thanks again to Jeremy for all your help with equipment and lighting and to Michael - one of the prettiest men I know - for letting me share that beauty with others.

The Carnality Ball itself was a mixed bag. While ambitious in scope, just like last year it suffered from organizational and planning issues. On the upside their were actual stages this year so that you could see all the performers. On the downside, the downstairs stage was always brightly lit because all the businesses and a few artists had booths on the lower floor. The upstairs area was mostly empty space with the art along two walls and a stage in the middle. At around 10:30 all but the stage lights were turned off leaving all the art, that unlike last year was not individually lit, in the dark. So, if you didn't get a chance to browse through before then, tough titty! I also think the show suffered from just too many acts. If they use the same space next year, I'd like to see them move the art downstairs with the artists and business booths were it can be seen all night long and keep the entertainment downstairs on the light side so there's some place people can actually talk and keep the party and main performers upstairs. Also, it sucks that it's called a Ball but there is no actual dance. I think that at midnight there should be a big ball upstairs. But that's just my opinion.

You can watch some videos from the Carnality Ball 2009 here.

Unfortunately, my entries for Biting The Apple were not accepted. If you're interested in seeing my photo narrative homage to Lonely Island's Dick in a Box, get in touch with me.

After a dismal few months for film, some good movies have finally been released that I can recommend. Although we're halfway through the year and I only have 8 films that rank above a 7 (out of 10). I'm going to try and write up quick reviews for each of those 8, starting with my favorite film of the year so far, Pixar's Up:

I'm not one of those people that automatically gives every Pixar film a pass. While the quality of their body of work is indisputable there are issues of taste that come into play. So, while The Incredibles and Ratatouille rank among some of my favorite films of all time, I don't universally love everything thing they do (see: Cars).

That being said, for me Up is a perfect movie. Like Wall-E, the first act features one of the finest examples of pure visual storytelling you'll see any in any film being made today - beautiful, compelling, and ultimately heart breaking - and that's all before the narrative proper even gets going. Unlike Wall-E, Up maintains its quality throughout.

The film does an incredible job of making you aware of your own mortality while also convincing you that its never too late to have that one last great adventure. Modern films hardly ever get that right, letting overly elaborate set-pieces, poorly-used CGI, or just plain bad writing stand in for a really compelling adventure story that can sweep you up, thrill, delight, and even touch you. Nostalgia colored lenses aside, that is one thing that so many films from the 1980's did well.

Up is one of those few films that I actually knew nothing about going in, other than that it was supposed to be very good. I hadn't even seen a trailer. As a result, every character introduction and narrative turn were all complete surprises. I'd recommend that if you haven't seen it yet, try to go in as unspoiled as possible and do yourself the favor of seeing it in 3D. Like Coraline and a few other films being shown in 3D these days, Up trades in the cheap in-your-face gags of decades past for the effect of completely immersing you in this brilliant world that the geniuses at Pixar have created.

Simply put, Up is an amazing film that leaves you feeling nothing but. (10/10)

In future blogs I'll cover The Brothers Bloom, Star Trek, Coraline, Watchman, Drag Me to Hell, Away We Go, and Fired Up!.

I'd planned to cover more in this post, but I think it's already gone on long enough, so I think I'll just say adieu for now dear readers and leave you with this literal lyrical interpretation of the Tears For Fears music video for Head Over Heels. Enjoy!

Of Frontiers, Final

2009-05-06T16:10:00.031-05:00

I made this image about 10 months ago when I first started writing for The Oklahoma Gazette. I had planned to commemorate the occassion in a blog post (for a blog that did not yet exist). Time passed and I felt silly about making a big fuss even though I was and still am excited to be writing for one of the best papers in the state. More time passed and I decided that when my 50th piece went to print I'd celebrate. With a LOL cat. I lubs u intarwebs!

I had hoped to make my big piece on the local comedy scene my 50th, but it ended up being my rave review for OU's sexy modern adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" instead.

That's Puck surrounded by some fairies.

Works for me! I don't link to my work online very often because frankly it's embarrassing. Whoever designed the OK Gazette site apparently never bothered to test it in Firefox, so the text always loses its formatting, and I'll be damned if I'm going to ask someone to open IE just to read my stuff. Frak Microsoft. However, given the occasion, I thought an exception was in order. You can read my (heavily edited and awfully formatted) review here. If you're in the Norman/OKC area this is last weekend, so go see it!

Details: 8 p.m. Thursday - Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday matinee at OU's Rupel Jones Theatre. Adults are $20, Students are $12. Order tickets at (405) 325-4101.

In other news, my life has been nearly consumed by The Beast that is Twinprov. It's now been 8 weeks since I first pitched the idea to Clint and Buck and this wave we're riding seems to only grow in size. I don't want to sound cocky, but there's a feeling of inevitability that I have about this whole thing. For a variety of reasons, it was the right time to do it and now it only seems like a matter of time before we get the right people's attention. Granted, that could be months or years even, but we're working hard to make it happen. We hear back about the Austin Out of Bounds Comedy Festival next week and the next festival entry deadline is June 1st. We're also doing a guest spot at Mondays Don't Suck at The 51st Street Speakeasy next week and we'll be headlining again on June 8th.

What amazes me the most about this experience is how when focused and freed of certain limitations there doesn't really seem to be a ceiling on the quality of material that Buck and Clint are capable of producing. Even though I'm putting in 20-30 hours a week on this, they really do make my job easy. I just have to get people to give them a chance and they provide the face-melting awesomeness. When I heard the Twinprov Dopplegansta Rap (coming soon to YouTube!) I was blown away. It was one of the best things they'd ever produced. But that was so two weeks ago.

Now we have The Twinprov "Star Trek" Rap. The last five days has taken us on quite an adventure. It all started with a screening of the new "Star Trek" film last Saturday morning. The whole experience has been chronicled on both Twinprov's and Daily Oklahoman reporter Brandy McDonnell's respective blogs. Here are the posts in order:

Pt. 1 - Twinprov: Raps From The Final Frontier
Pt. 2 - BAM: Twinprov rappers take on “Star Trek”
Pt. 3 - Twinprov: The Twinprov Star Trek Rap
Pt. 4 - BAM: Video: The promised Twinprov “Star Trek” rap
Pt. 5 - BAM: “Star Trek” Week launches at BAM’s Blog
Pt. 6 - BAM: Twinprov gives extended “Star Trek” rap first public performance
Pt. 7 - BAM: Photos: Twinprov performs their new rap at Oklahoma City “Star Trek” preview screening
Pt. 8 - BAM: Video: BAM and Twinprov talk “Star Trek,” spies and other funny stuff

As soon as we get pictures that were taken last night we'll be posting our take on the performance of the rap at the OKC premiere. Thanks again to Brandy and Matt at The Oklahoman, Jeremy at Paramount, and everyone else that has been encouraging and supporting us.

In case you skipped all the links above, here's the rap in all its glory.

Somehow, amidst the rest of this madness I've managed to find the time to do some things for myself as well, like start doing art again - photography specifically. So, if you come out to The Carnality Ball, OKC's circus/fetish themed erotic art show this Friday night, you can see some of my work on display.

Here's one of the images I submitted.

While it's been a fantastic experience, I had forgotten one important part of art-making - it's frakking expensive. Being poor as I am, I can't say that it was the smartest way to spend $76, unless of course something sells. (Yeah, right!) However, after so many years of not doing work regularly and 10 years since I displayed any non-video art publicly, I think it's worth it. Of course, I may change my mind after Friday. We'll see.

A special thanks to my friend Michael, one of the most beautiful and complex people I know, for playing along, putting aside his fears, and for trusting me. It wouldn't have been possible without you. Thanks also to Jeremy for lending his gear and his indispensable expertise. Lastly, I have to thank Stefan for all the support and for being understanding when I'm gone all the time.

It's been very gratifying and fulfilling to be balancing all these separate parts of my life and I look forward to what the future holds.

Full speed ahead, Mr. Sulu!

The Agony and The Ecstacy

2009-04-29T01:09:00.010-05:00

I know I've been lax in posting in the last week, but I promise that is only because I have been anything but in the rest of my life. I have 3 major deadlines tomorrow - one for The Gazette, one for Twinprov, and one for The Carnality Ball. There's no conceivable way that all three can be met, so I hope to be able to forestall at least one, the latter most. Before the week is out, I have two plays to see and review and another photoshoot. So, it may be a few days before I get back here, but it will happen.

Before I flee to seek some desperately needed sleep, I do have to say that the Twinprov debut at The Speakeasy last night was one of the greatest nights of my life. The idea that Buck, Clint, and I have taken this from concept to standing ovation in 6 weeks is kind of boggling. Special thanks go to Stephanie for her musical support and to Brad, Derek, Dan, and Spencer for having us out. Do make sure to check out www.twinprov.com for info. about future shows and random musings from the brothers Vrazel. You can also follow them on Twitter.

Lastly, just to show I love you, have some MC Frontalot for the road! 'Till next time!

Busily Buzzing About

2009-04-21T08:47:00.005-05:00

The next few days are going to be really hectic with Twinprov and OK Gazette work, but I wanted to stop in long enough to make a few announcements and share some intarweb joy.

First up: Next Monday, April 27th at 8:30pm, Buck and Clint will be premiering their new Twinprov show as part of 796 Entertainment's "Mondays Don't Suck" at The 51st Street Speakeasy located at 1114 NW 51st St. in OKC. The show is free and open to all. They only card if you're buying alcohol.

Believe it or not, this is the first time the Vrazels have ever performed as a duo in front of an audience. Be sure to be there for this historic show and you can say you were there at the beginning of this crazy ride we're going on.

Twinprov also have their own Blog, Twitter, and Facebook page now. Go subscribe, follow, and support!

Next up: This Thursday, NPR's "This American Life" is going to be doing a live broadcast to theaters nationwide. Both the Cinemark Tinseltown in OKC and the Hollywood Spotlight 14 in Norman will be carrying it. Clint, Stefan, and I will be catching the show in Norman. Do feel free to join us.

If you didn't catch the recent "This American Life" episode "Mistakes Were Made," go here, right now, and listen to it for free. Incredible. Here's a preview:

"In the late 1960s, a California TV repairman named Bob Nelson joined a group of enthusiasts who believed they could cheat death with a new technology called cryonics. But freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds. Harder still was admitting to the family members of people Bob had frozen that he'd screwed up. Badly."

A meeting of the scientists who were advising Bob's cryonics society—before they all quit in protest. Bob is in the center, holding the paper.

Lastly: Those crazy Belgians, Jan & Drew, have put out a new "Star Trek: The Next Generation" remix video, entitled "Such Tenderness."

They're up to 21 videos now and they're some of the funniest things I've seen in a long time - way better than that recent TNG-centric episode of "Family Guy." For your viewing pleasure I have wrapped up all 21 videos in the playlist below. Enjoy!

Of Stormy Seas and Ventilated Feelings

2009-04-16T09:18:00.004-05:00

I won't lie. It's been a frustrating week.

I'm not going to go into too many details here as I want to avoid the kind of self-indulgent negativity that can be found all too easily in thousands of other blogs. Two put it simply, I overextended myself and had some doors shut in my face, resulting a in a lot of stress, frustration, and a general loss of mojo, ie self confidence. Tuesday was an utter wash and yesterday I had deadlines, so it is on this lovely Thursday, that I endeavor to steer my proverbial ship back on course.

So before I go off to do battle with the raging sea, I wanted to share a few tidbits of joy with you all.

First off is this:

This fantastic photo is from an exhibition called "Human Furniture" (MOBILIARIO HUMANO) by Spanish artist David Blázquez. You can check out more images from the series here.

Next up: I declare that "Dollhouse" is officially awesome.

Last Friday's episode "A Spy in the House of Love" was the best yet of the series and proved that the trend of increasing quality since "Man On The Street" was no fluke. "Dollhouse" is an odd duck and got off to an awkward start, but I think it's found its footing and is now regularly delivering an edifying dose of creepy science fiction backed the ongoing mystery of characters' true origins and intentions - a mystery that is being carefully teased out, with every episode bringing new clues and new doubts. For instance, this most recent episode succeeds in completely subverting everything you think you know about the people that work in and run the Dollhouse.

You can watch the episode here for free.

Last but certainly not least: Wil Wheaton reads a couple of stories from his new book "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" that chronicle his first experience with "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and his quest to defeat the "Rock Band" Endless Set List with his son.

I should be back in a few days with more updates and hopefully some good news to share. If you're in the OKC area, try to make it out to see "Measure for Measure" and "Zombie Prom" this weekend. This is the final weekend for both shows and they both rock!

Unprohibited Portents

2009-04-08T22:28:00.005-05:00

I promised a big announcement and here it is: Two weeks from tonight on April 27, the Vrazels will be doing their first public performance as a two man group as part of 796 Entertainment's "Mondays Don't Suck" show at The The 51st Street Speakeasy.

We're very grateful to Brad and the guys at 796 for the opportunity and are really looking forward to bringing some Vrazel brand comedy to the Speakeasy stage. Speaking of which, there's a "Mondays Don't Suck" show there tonight and you should totally check it out. We won't be performing but we will be in attendance to watch some awesome comedy. It's free and the show starts at 8:30pm. The Speakeasy is located on 51st Street, one block west of Western Ave.

In the meantime, for those of you not familiar with Buck and Clint, or those that just can't get enough, I've included this handy playlist of YouTube greatest hits below, including the brand new improvised Math Rap that came out of a recent rehearsal.

We'll continue to post new videos periodically, but need your help to get the word out. So, if you like what you see, please take the time to give us some props for The Math Rap over on Digg, rate and comment on YouTube here, or just share it with all your awesome high class nerdy friends. Thanks for all your support.

Belated Bloggery

2009-04-07T00:42:00.014-05:00

I've been a bad blogger. To make up for it, I bring shiny gifts from the intarwebs:

First up, the charmingly awesome "Kyle + Rosemary." This animated short tells the story of a geek and a goth that fall for each in a game called "Quest World" much to the disapproval of their respective cliques. "Kyle + Rosemary" features some great animation, writing, and voice talent, including one Mr. Wil Wheaton as Kyle/Sir Hitsalot. Enjoy!

Find more videos like this on Channel Frederator RAW

My friend Teague Christie along with three other legends of the Star Wars fan film community have started a new podcast/movie commentary site called Down In Front. Their first commentary for "The Phantom Menace" is up now. Go check it out!

For those of you wanting more insights into the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica, the commentary for the Series Finale, "Daybreak" with showrunner, Ron Moore is up. Among other things, Moore shares an alternate pre-writer's strike story arc for Season 4.5. Watch the entire 3 hour finale with commentary here.

Last, but certainly not least, is the pretty fantastic new show "Castle," featuring Captain Tightpants himself, Nathan Fillion. Despite being a show about murder, Castle is a lot of fun. The mysterious are generally pretty good, the character banter lively, and Fillion, with his signature charm turned up to 11, is fantastic as famed crime novelist, Rick Castle.

In the first ep. Castle is suffering from a case of writers block after killing off the main character in his novels and is struggling to come up with a replacement. Then in walks the smart, attractive, and no nonsense Detective Kate Beckett [Stana Katic] of the NYPD who enlists Castle's help to catch a copy-cat killer staging murders based on scenes from his novels. After successfully solving one case, Castle stays around the precinct to do research for his new character, Nikki Heat, based on Beckett.

You can watch the first thee episodes on Free TV here.

You can watch the last three episodes for free on the official site here.

Now that I have appropriately enriched your lives, I have to submit to the Task Master that is my Gmail To Do List. If you don't already use it, I highly recommend adding the "Task" feature in Google Labs. Used in conjunction with my Google calendar, I manage to actually stay on top of my priorities... most of the time.

To see the various in development add-ons and features in Google Labs click on the little green laboratory flask at the top of your Gmail account. For you non Gmail users... I pity you.

I hope to get a lot more posts up over the next week. In the meantime, don't forget that in between blog posts you can keep up with me on Twitter, or you can check back here as all my Twats appear in a lovely box directly to the right of this very post!

"All My Twats" - I think I have just come up with the name for a Twitter inspired satirical soap opera... that or a porn series.

I'll be back within the next 48 hours with a big update. Until then, have a Good Friday!

Ha! See what I did there?

In Which Secret Awesomeness is Revealated

2009-04-01T09:52:00.007-05:00

So, after hinting here and there over the last few weeks, I'm thrilled to finally be able to share details about "The Super Secret Sexy Project of Awesomeness."

I'm currently developing an original two-man show with twin brothers Buck and Clint Vrazel that will be a mix of improv, stand-up, sketch, and musical comedy!

The boys will be performing at various venues over the next few months, work-shopping material in front of live audiences, with a run of the full production happening sometime in July.

Updates will go out in advance of each performance, so there will be plenty of opportunities to support the project and give feedback before we finalize the show. A website, listserv, and a name for this crazy endeavor are all coming soon.

I want to conclude by saying that I'm excited and optimistic about this and other projects in the pipeline in a way that only early 90's progressive rock can express. And before you say anything, yes, I do like my optimism served with a side of cheese.

Grand Opening

2009-03-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

Hello there and welcome to my new blog - my first blog actually. I've intended on starting one of these on numerous occasions over the past few years, but always let the ambition fall to the wayside. That's due in large part to the fact that I really don't like writing about myself or my life very much. Yeah, I know, it's ironic. A writer that doesn't like to write.

Don't get me wrong, I like being me and I love my life. I think that I've had more than my fair share of amazing experiences, but in the end I'm a present/future centered kind of guy. I don't spend a lot of time reflecting before moving on to the next thing. As a result, memories tend to fade fast, leaving me with general summaries in the place of any kind of vivid recollections.

Which brings me to the first reason for starting this blog - to better document and reflect on my own experiences as they happen in the hopes of better holding on to those precious moments that define us all.

Another reason is to keep distant friends updated on the goings on of my life and provide a forum for interacting with them that isn't a social networking site.

I also hope to specifically highlight my current efforts in regards to all manner of creative endeavors with the hope of keeping me on-task and accountable to meeting my own goals. I also hope to get input and feedback from friends and peers on said endeavors. With some sustained effort I hope to be make some real headway this year in regards to my larger professional goals. While I'm sure there will be setbacks, I'm optimistic and look forward to reporting here on that process as it happens.

Before I close out this introductory post, I just want to say that I'm not doing this to pull in a huge number of readers. If only a dozen or so of of you hang around to join in the fun, I'll be happy.

Coming up next, I reveal in full the details of "The Super Secret Sexy Project of Awesomeness."