30.5.06

Tracing Dan Hamill's Career

Direct to Home Video:



FEATURE:

DAN HAMILL BE A G-HOLE

Things have been busy here at the world of MOG, so I will give you a brief update of where we've been and what we've been up to since my last transmission. Thursday was the fun day as Brandt and I got deep into the tunes. We checked out two songs that I have been working pretty hard on, CREATION PHASE and the newer song DONT DREAM, JUST SCHEDULE. DDJS has a special place in my heart as its the kind of dance song I have been wanting to do for awhile. I actually started writing in Tokyo and I love saying that because it sounds incredibly pretentious but, well, its true. The title actually comes from something a Japanese friend said to me while there. While I can't give you sound yet, you can at least see here what it looks like:



B and I got deep into the song and made plenty of changes to it that gave me enough to start doing another round of work on. I got to play some synths, which is always a blast.



It was a successful evening in which a lot of good things came out of. What happens to this song is anyones guess, but I know it's gonna be a keeper. Someday it shall make love to your ear drums in a way that would make Leandro Fresco blush.

Friday was the long dreaded X3 day. It sucked. It hurt to watch. For real. The best part of seeing this film was seeing a new SUPERMAN trailer. The entire time I watched the film I was regretting my promise to my nephew that I would take him to see this film. This is the suck.

The holiday weekend was devoted to domestic activities. Grown Up Shit, as I call it, that is too boring and not what you want to read here. Ikea, Home Dept, these things. However, I did hit the streets of Stewart Manor to finally retrieve my beloved Thunderbird (THE BASS), so kudos to the Whitfleets for housing it for these last few months. Now I can get my shit in gear and start recording some of the sweet bass you have possibly come to expect from me.

Sunday night, I hung out with lesbians. And Lurch and Danny. At the same time at a cool bar called Heathers, which I had hoped would have Christian Slater lookalikes and serve drinks made from Drain-O. If I can remember now that I am sober, they had either chalkboard walls in the bathroom or I'm just a criminal, but this found its way to the wall of the unisex bathroom:



Monday was a way too hot and hangover recovery day that was spent out with the ladies, Irene and our dear friend Lynell. They mostly shopped while I was simply eye candy, but while clowning around on Lafayette Street, I stumbled across yet another one of these stickers: WHAT DOES IT MEAN!?!

Monday night saw a gang of tired lads and lass watching sport and feeling a huge void from the lack of 24. However, we ate well thanks for the domestic work over the weekend, which included Irene using a new wok and the beloved (by me) rice cooker to cook some fresh chinatown bought shrimp into culinary brilliance. Danny and Lurch also stupidly saw DAVINCI CODE before coming over so watching my two friends lacking the will to live (moreso than usual) was painful even for me. But if I learned any lesson this weekend, it's dont be a G-Hole:


The exciting news for you (and what many of you have been dreading about having to read for the next year on this blog) is the announcement of what was formerly known as KASABIAN 2, which will now be called BRITISH LEGION and will be out September 18th. It's a long wait, but a download only single, called EMPIRE, will be out in July. With so many musical letdowns this year, all my hopes are on this as album of the year. A top album of the year contender, the new Pet Shop Boys record FUNDAMENTAL, is so far (and I need to listen to it a bit) a great, slick return to form. A solid record.

This weeks MOST exciting news is the impending arrival of KRUGER BABY AWESOMENESS, who make their first NY visit of their young lives. The air is electric with anticipation. They too are happy as we see here the two children reacting to the news that they are going to see Irene and I this week:



Up North in Canadia, a certain awesome young nephew busted out his skategear for the first time this season and kicked it like a man should at the Montreal skatepark:

The Best.

F

25.5.06

Uncle Two Times

I am pleased to report that G-Ondola Hamill is an uncle yet again. The newest clone is a girl, Molly Anne. she weighs in tonight at a fierce 7lbs and 9 ounces and hails from San Diego, California. She is a future World Champ. Like Her Uncle.

F

Notes on gay

Courtesy of the DFA message board, here is an essay of pure brilliance written by The Juan Maclean:

"Juan only uses the word 'gay' in one way - in reference to the art of same sex sexual relations. For example, when one dude places his penis inside the anus of another dude, then reaches around and strokes the other dudes penis, that's called "fucking a dude in the ass," and that is 'gay,' unless it meets certain guidelines, mentioned elsewhere on this forum, then it might not be gay. The reacharound is simply good manners.

Being a gay is not something you do with your body, it is an existential state of being. You can't make yourself gay, and you can't unmake yourself gay. The Lord made gays because there are too many people on the earth. The heteros (breeders) can't control themselves, or at least use proper contraception, and they make too many people. For this reason, Jesus has ordered more and more gays as time goes on. 100 years ago there weren't nearly as many gays as there are now.

For this reason, many consider the gay an evolutionary progression. They dress better, dance better, generally are up for a better time, and rarely, if ever, ask you questions about the esoteric gear you are playing on stage. Unlike girls, you have to chat them up far less in order to secure a sexual liason.

When they take over an area of a city, that area very quickly has better coffee. This is because gays like to stay up late, so they set up real nice coffee shops and cafes wherever they go.

Sometimes it's hard to say who is gay and who is not. Sometimes gays that are in hiding, covering up their identity as gay (even going so far as to get married), are referred to as being 'in the closet.' That one Top Gun dude is an example, not Goose but the other guy.

So in general, it is better to be gay than not gay. There are sexual reorientation programs out there that you can try if you are interested in switching. I tried one, but they seemed to get upset after they realized I was not a gay trying to be not-gay, but a not-gay looking to become a gay. It really sucked because I had bought a lot of the accessories and everything already, which can cost a lot of money. So my advice is that you not spend a lot of money on stuff like housewares, clothes, reinforced condoms, etc., before seeking sexual reorienatation therapy."


Like I said: pure brilliance.

24.5.06

THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO



I spent approx. 30 seconds trying to think of something funny or humiliating to say under this picture when I realized that these two assholes are doing all the talking necessary. However, Danny's career as a fake Italian gondola rent boy is secure and I am pleased he would share this image of his first john with us. "ehhhhh, call me-ah VINNIE, GOOOTERBALL VINNIE. Si! Si!"

I-Tunes is Worldwide Stupid

I hate Itunes. I do. Why? Because of some international law, the Itunes stores are divided by country. Meaning, if you live in the US, you can only buy from the US Itunes store and not from the UK one, Japan one, etc. And why does this infuriate me? Well, because the different stores have different catalogues and as you know, I am not one for American music. As an anglophile, the UK Itunes store appeals to me on a strong level. Now, I know a lot of you don't buy from the I-Tunes store, but thanks to various Christmas presents (Thanks G) and other assorted freebies, I have a lot of of songs that I could buy. However, there's very little I want. Some labels, like DFA and Output are smart cause they put their vinyl only releases up on Itunes and I have been able to listen to new stuff like Shit Robot, that I normally could not get. In some instances, there are also cool Itunes exclusives like various Duran Duran remixes and things of that nature that are worth the 99 cents. Sometimes, I check out new bands this way as well. I'll always be a CD buyer, cause I want to hold the actual item and look at the artwork etc, but I see Itunes as a valid avenue to hear things I couldn't normaly get. Now this international law is bullshit. This means I couldn't purchase Kasabian's Live At Brixton Academy album last year and now I can't buy Richard Ashcroft's exclusive Itunes session. HE RECORDED IT FOR ITUNES for fucks sake IN A GODDAMN APPLE STORE. I'm sure a lot of this is label politics as well, but come on ya dumbfuck, don't wonder way people are stealing shit off the net. I can't buy Kasabian but I can buy the guy who won Canadian Idol (which they dont tell you about when pushing him here). Wack.

The reason I brought this up was not because of my frustration with them, but because they at least put ONE thing I was looking for on Itunes US this week, which is Doves Some Cities Live EP, which is 6 tracks of their recent tour playing tracks from what was, as you know if you read this blog regularly, my album of the year last year. As you may recall, they were the big surprise when I saw them open for Oasis last year in Staten island and this EP captures the band being the top notch live show I enjoyed so much. Some Cities is a great fucking record, and somehow live, these guys are able to bring the songs to a less grey, more technicolor scale. That sounds fucking stupid writing it, but if you hear this you might get me. Great tunes, awesome band and a cool internet only EP that the US store actually put out. About time.

Listen, if I learned anything this week, it's you don't raid Chinese consulates, inadvertantly kill the head consulate during said raid, and expect to get away with it. No sir. The Chinese do not fucking care if you just saved the world and had the best season of television ever. As soon as you are done, you are getting your ass kicked, getting thrown onto a boat, and getting your ass hauled off to China. That's how it is. However, should you not do any of the above, you can go get some Sizzling Rice Soup, which I did yet again last night. Tasty.

F

22.5.06

20.5.06

BRANDT IS POISIONED

Here I am, back again and finding myself with an unscheduled day off as Brandt is supposedly in hospital with food poisoning! Speedy recovery to the young man (I can't even make fun), and B, if you're reading this, I'll do the CD run this afternoon. However, this has given me the day to work on some of the record on my own as I find myself this week re-working a problematic song on the record, CREATION PHASE, which I have been charged to "do something with it" to get it to work. I'm on it, kids. This is the big album rocker. We'll nail it soon.

Anyhow, I did something cool this week. Ric Meyers, my dear friend of over 20 years, and mentor in the world of asian cinema, recently dropped me a line asking if I would be interested in joining him in doing DVD commentaries for some upcoming releases for Tai Seng video (who are one of the biggest distrubtors of asian films here in the states http://www.taiseng.com/) as I supposedly, after probably 30 years of watching Asian movies more than I ever have American films, it is believed I know a thing or two on the subject. This required me travelling to CT via train to meet Ric, Tai Seng's Head of Marketing (and Opera nut) Frank, and Scooter, the sound guy. We sat in Ric's lair (awesome for any film geek) and proceeded to do commentaries on two HK movies: Johnnie To's recent classic RUNNING ON KARMA (reviewed elsewhere on this blog), and the not so classic older Jet Li film NEW LEGEND OF SHAOLIN. Frank, Ric, and I did the audio commentaries for the upcoming domestic releases of the 2 films, which should be out in the fall. We easily fell into our roles (Ric and Frank have been doing this for a bit and were very helpful in educating me on what to do): Ric is the encylcopedia of all things HK film, Frank is the cultural guru (and all also packed with great info on the world of film), and I was sorta the "film" guy and resident wise-ass. I found a lot of my film school training coming to the forefront, which was very cool. It was a fucking blast, really. I hope they invite me to do this again. I'll let you know when the DVD's are coming out!

I found myself flying solo the other night as Irene had writer meetings and all of the guys seemingly had plans, so what's a boy to do? Well, as I have done since I was able to figure out the subway system as a small boy, I journey down to the Chinatown and roam the streets in search of movies and Sizzling Rice. I succeeded on both levels and capped the evening by eating the soup of the gods while watching FEARLESS, Jet Li's new movie and supposed swan song to the period martial arts film. What a way to go!! It's his best acting and fighting in ages and I loved it. It's not a great movie, in fact its more of a drama than a straight action film, but man did I enjoy it. Get this on DVD before the Weinstiens rape it and edit it.

Last night saw the MOGpac finally make it to the Angelika to see the Nick Cave written motion picture THE PROPOSITION, which was awesome. Ultra hard, ultra violent and basically a Nick Cave song come to life. The actors are amazing in this and the movie is just intense as fuck. Then we had to pee:



Having peed, then we ate. Then we drank. I haven't had that many shots in ages. This of course leads to hazy dancing:



In my own drunkiness I think I laughed for 5 minutes at this sticker, which was in the bathroom of the bar we were at:



Of course, since its the weekend, that means KRUGER BABY CUTENESS, now taken to new levels of awesomeness:





As I finish this, Brandt is back home recuperating and we send him the best wishes. See you soon, bitches.

F

17.5.06

MASTER OF CEREMONIES



This was the one Cannes I wish I was at!

15.5.06

LURCH IM'S FUNNY SHIT

After 15 years, Lurch is finally getting a little respect here at MOGworld. His recent celibacy is one reason I respect him (ladies). But I mostly respect him for sending me funny videos that he thinks I would like. I would like to share the first, which is of the greatest American alive today (though he is Canadian):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIRff7MEsCw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edefamer%2Ecom%2Fhollywood%2Fkiefer%2Dsutherland%2Fkiefer%2Dsutherland%2Dvs%2Dthe%2Dchristmas%2Dtree%2Dthe%2Dvideo%2D173530%2Ephp

And me being the geek of Star Wars geeks, I popped hard for this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBn9Nh9r-0Y&search=robot%20chicken%20emperor

Enjoy.

F

13.5.06

Dan Hamill Is A Cocksucker

After a lengthy absence, I found myself in Los Angeles once again. It was the longest stretch (6 months plus) I have been away from the City of Anals since I began going regularly in the previous century. I admit to a certain longing for the town, based not of course in any appreciation for the city itself, but based in the people I spend the time with there as well as the little places I have discovered over the years that bring me joy when away (such as Centerfold, the best magazine stand in town, Meltdown Comics, and Bob's Donuts, which was literally my first stop arriving).

Before I get into anything, very special thanks to Paul at Tokyopop (for whom yours truly might be doing a manga for in the very near future), who hooked your man up with the Japan only Star Wars manga anthologies that I had been dying for. That was a nice surprise from a really nice guy (read more about the manga here: http://www.starwars.com/eu/lit/comics/news20051222.html) How they can't release this awesomeness here is beyond me.

I won't bore you with the specifics of the trip, meaning, I won't bore you with the endless yet productive meetings and such that occupied the bulk of my time. However, my first evening back in LA saw my tired ass, accompanied by the ever wonderful lawyer/agent/advisor (who, by the way, is making big strides in the LA), return to the centerpiece of every LA trip, the home of my favourite pasta dish, the Agnolotti: CA'BREA. It was a quiet Monday night and my friends who own the place are home most evenings now with thier newborn (congrats), but heartbreak quickly set in when it was revealed to me by a waiter, of whom I was known to as "Mr. Agnolotti" for the last several years, that they no longer made said Agnolotti. Heartbreak. I was actually told this: "You haven't been here in six months, why would they keep making it?" For real. Anyhow, I can't hold this against them as it is still the best place in LA, so my new policy is to order something on the menu each time I go there until I find a new favourite. My first choice, Gnocci in a veal and beef ragu, was a great start. Anyhow, it's still the best. Go.

Tuesday was catch up with the old school day. Sleep was at a premium, but I found myself having an early breakfast with former aggression vocalist turned co-creator of Kruger Baby Cuteness, who's own adventures in LA (for a mere few hours) coincided with yours truly. Here he is looking pretty bad ass: As usual, I came armed with gifts purchased by my significant other for said babies and Kruger and I, as always, had a good laugh and a good time, and now that he, wife and the double cuteness are stationed on the East Coast for the summer, we should be spending some time. Aces. Here we have the Kruger Baby Cuteness the very next day on their way to the East Coast

Continuing the theme of baby goodness, another solid reunion was had when I found myself fortunate enough to spend an evening with Bradley J. Fox and family, who I have not seen in ages as well. Boy, has Isabella grown. So cute too, and thankfully starting to look a bit like her mother and less like a Cramp clone! ;-). Our time (like my time with everyone on this trip) was brief, but man it was good to catch up with the Cramps. I would like to especially thank Mrs. Cramp for her stories pertaining to a certain TV star who directed a really good movie about two years ago which had me rolling on the floor in laughter (and later made Lurch cry when I told him via phone).

Wednesday was just as chaotic, obviously I am skipping specifics, but it was another whirlwind day. However at lunch, I actually had agnolotti at Ca Del Sole while dining with writer of recent movie I worked on that some of you saw last year, and it was very good. So I felt that was karma, but if you want to get into good food, let's discuss my evening with Irene's mom, who spoiled my ass like a champ and took me for some very serious Korean food that was the top notch. You can't ask for a better mother-in-law who feeds you like this on a regular basis and only asks for pictures of her daugthers and grandson in return. I am developing this severe love of Korean food and for Koreatown, which I feel is an awesome place to explore during my further adventures in LA. It's nice to find a part of LA that has some culture, you know? Anyhow, Irene's mom is awesome and fun to hang out with and always takes good care of me, and it was a perfect end to a crazy trip.

While this was all going on, Busy-B was sending in demos left and right from the previous recording session. The progress is huge. the jump in quality is significant and the PLO demo has some gems in it that we will unmine in time. We're getting there kids.

Back in NYC, Irene and I spent the anniversary of her third year living at MOGworld. We did this by eating well and simply hanging out cause in the end, that's all that matters. I have to give her props cause she delivered the best fucking present ever: she enrolled me in the BACON OF THE MONTH CLUB. Here's how it is described on its own website "The Bacon of the Month Club is the greatest of all gifts. I’m not making that up. I get calls from customers all the time that tell me this. In my humble opinion no other club in the universe gives you as much pleasure and sheer delight as The Bacon of the Month Club. The Bacon of the Month Club is the go-to gift for that person in your life who loves bacon, who has everything or who has very little. Join for yourself. Give yourself the gift of bacon." Here's what you get:

Twelve different artisan bacon delivered to your door each month*
Informative notes on all bacon selections
Discounts on Grateful Palate bacon products and bacons
Bacon of the Month Club Membership Card
The Bacon Strip—Our monthly bacon comic strip for members only
The Bacon of the Month Club Pig Ballpoint Pen
A Little Rubber Toy Pig
One free Bacon Tee-Shirt

This was the best gift ever. For real. Not something to get for Gentile.

Yesterday was my little cousin's First Communion. These church things are scary and happen way the hell too early in the day. My recollection of it was dim after I woke up at the commuinion afterparty, which was in a hotel banquet room (why I don't know), but the kids danced and had fun, and there was homemade chocolate goodies and fresh iced tea, so scores all around. However, I was fascinated by what else was going on at the hotel conference rooms and wanted to attend this one: However, by the time we got there, it was over (retirees retire early I guesss). And then we went home and relaxed. A lot. zzzzzz.

Today, I had breakfast with G and Lurch at Shopsins. It was what you expect from brunch with these men: Good food, lots of high quality laughs, and of course, the fun company. However, nothing was better than when G dropped his glass drinking cup to the floor, thus making a loud noise. Lurch's friend who runs the place promptly scolded G in the middle of the entire place by saying VERY loudly: "YOU COCKSUCKER", which brought a huge pop from Lurch and I and some shocked looks from parents out for the mother's day brunch. However, when he realized that G's glass didn't break and there was no serious mess, the guy quickly announced that G was LESS of a cocksucker for not causing as big a mess as initially thought. This was a classic. Learn more about Danny and his roommate, the KIDD, at www.streetblowjobs.com. then we record shopped with B before I spent the rest of my day with Irene.

I had a lot more to tell you about my week, but fuck is this long or what. My apologies if I skipped anything or anyone. Finally, in other news: One step further to stardom, MURRAY makes his filmed debut HERE: http://donttouchmethere.com/video_pages/svu.php

Night.

F

7.5.06

EVAN IS THE VIRGIN BOXING CHAMP (and other weekend stories)

Friday night was boys night. Irene was off at the Guggenheim and I knew if the guys and I didn't see MISSION IMPOSSIBLE on that very night, there was a chance we would never see it at all. I know that sounds wack, and I know what I am about to say sounds weird, but sometimes, in my non musical line of work, there are just movies I have to see in order to remain up to date. Big franchise movies happen to be what I am associated with, so obviously, seeing the first big movie of the Summer was important. For the record, I like Tom Cruise. I don't hate him and I really don't give a shit about his personal crap and the Scientology and all that, but I think he gets a bum rap because he really is the biggest fucking movie star on the planet. No actor opens movies worldwide like he does. Also for the record, I HATE the first two M.I. movies. They suck. Hard. With this franchise, Cruise seems to rape good directors. I don't know why, probably too hands on, so I went into this movie with very little enthusiasm. I was actually more excited to see the SUPERMAN trailer on the big screen and guess, what, screwed! They didn't play it, but we got the new Pirates trailer (INCREDIBLE) and the brand new Nacho Libre trailer which shows this movie could be a winner (the last trailer didn't do it for me). Also we got the 007 trailer, which I am cautiously excited about.

Anyhow, MI3 turns things around and doesn't suck. It was a nice surprise. Is it great? Not by any means, but J.J. Abrams brings a nice kinetic feel to the franchise and keeps it sharp, fresh and delivers on the action. Cruise is Cruise and thats all you need here. Of course, the genius of Phillip Hoffman is off the charts and he seemingly improvises his entire role to great effect. Its the first good bad guy of the franchise. He steals it, of course, and has fun doing son. He's never over the top campy, he keeps it right and plays nicely off the Cruise. It's basically a rehash of the first movie's plot, but done right. Summer is off to a good start.

We then hopped over to Osteria Al Doge on 44th street for a nice manly eye-talian dinner. It was laid back and tasty. After, we took a stroll to the midtown Virgin to check out some CD's and then proceeded to rock out on the instore Xbox 360 Boxing game, in which Evan (who has an unfair advantage) took on all challengers and won (that includes us AND strangers who wanted to challenge him). Evan also wore camo shorts I might add. Let's leave it at that. Also speaking of leaving it at that, you will note below that I actually went out in public not only with a man in camo shorts who has no leg hair, but also with a man wearing a Martha Wainright Tshirt.

It's not so much him wearing it than it is him having bought it. Who the fuck is like "OH MY GOD I NEED A MARTHA WAINRIGHT TSHIRT"? Well, the answer is Lurch, who I strangely respect for doing so. I miss the old days when it was just Danny wearing white jeans, but that was Earth 1 Danny, who I don't miss and was kind of a dick (that's all for another day). Evan, having a migraine (possibly caused by the lack of masculine pants), headed home, so Danny, Lurch and I proceeded to go to our fave midtown west side dive, The Bellvue...

Except, it was fucking GONE. GONE. Closed. All signs of this dive erased forever. We were not pleased. At all. We then took refuge at some place called Holland and G and Lurch began asking questions about the disappearance of Bellvue. They uncovered some stories, but basically it was absorbed into another bar, Siberia, around the corner (which we almost went to before Holland, but one of them thought it was gay night, as if that was a bad thing), after it was learned some "bad things" were done to the bar. I have no fucking clue what that means, but quicker than you can say "stick it", we were at Siberia which is much larger than Bellvue, has live music downstairs, but keeps the dive vibe alive, including the way too loud jukebox that contains Ministry's Greatest Fits. All we want are couches and we got that, so we were happy. We need to break this place in a bit, I think, but Rest In Peace Bellvue, you were loved.

I kept my drinking limited as it was a go-time the next day at the studio, where Charles and Ash made their triumphant return to the HF camp. The purpose: to get Charles' low end goodness on a few songs.

To say it was a productive day woud be an understatement. I anticipated getting Charles on two songs, but we got lucky and go thim on three: OUR FAITH, EXIST, and CLEAN UP, all of which now sound beyond fierce and beyond anything I could imagine. But despite that, it was great having people around. B and I have been too deep into the trenches as of late, so having some fresh bodies to play with was exciting. We clowned around, we taked shop, had some Thai (food), and drank fresh brewed caffiene awesomeness (Observe young Brandt here, displaying his teabagging skills).



We laughed, we laughed harder, we busted each others chops and in the end, got the job done. the bonus was the four of jamming on a track we started ages (years) ago, and coming up with ideas for what will be the post-E.S. HF project. Right now, this song is called P.L.O (Thanks, Damon), but will eventually change. It was a great day for band morale and for the music, which is going to knock you on your ass. I promise.

And tomorrow, for the first time in 6 plus months, I am off to Los Angeles, California for a few jam packed days. This is the longest I have ever been from the west Coast in this century. While I am no fan of the city, I am a fan of several who live there and hope to see a few of them. Even the co-creator of KRUGER BABY AWESOMENESS will be joing me for an early breakfast. Speaking of which, this is one awesome Kruger:



Today was a light day. While Lurch was fucking me and G over by going to brunch without us, I spent some time with Peter Saintface, who is always a welcome presence. After getting the Saintface update, B and I took a stroll to Rebel Rebel to buy our weekly music quota (yes we still buy CD's you filesharing anus). Today I got some stuff for Irene and got myself the Dirty Pretty Things album and a new 80's dance compilation put together by two fifths of the Durans. Good for the plane ride tomorrow. As I type we are about to watch the sequel to the Russian vampire movie Night Watch (I believe reviewed here on the blog somewhere), which is called Day Watch. Irene scored a copy, so we're gonna check it out. Hopefully it will be Russian good.

Anyhow, Good times ahead. Oh, also, I know there are a lot of internet rumours that RAW is broadcasting from Anaheim tomorrow night and I just "happen" to be in Los Angeles on the same day. Let me put it to rest that I will not be appearing tomorrow night, despite what many appear to be saying. Plus, The Backyard Icon will still be in NY and do you think I would appear without him? Please, bitch.

3.5.06

LUCAS LISTENS

"In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie, as well as the original theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.

See the title crawl to Star Wars before it was known as Episode IV; see the pioneering, if dated, motion control model work on the attack on the Death Star; groove to Lapti Nek or the Ewok Celebration song like you did when you were a kid; and yes, see Han Solo shoot first.

This release will only be available for a limited time: from September 12th to December 31st. International release will follow on or about the same day. Each original theatrical version will feature Dolby 2.0 Surround sound, close-captioning, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish for their U.S. release. International sound and subtitling vary by territory."

2.5.06

THE KIDD IS NOW 26 YEARS OLD (aka I THINK THE FACT THAT YOU OWE ME $1,400 FOR AN APARTMENT I CAN'T SLEEP IN IS IRONIC)



It was a weekend of living large and eating well and spending time with good folks. I don't even know how to catch up as I am hard pressed to remember where the fuck I have been. I remember Irene and I eating Sushi last Thursday with Chad and his family and eating lots of Ice Cream in his backyard. That was fun.

REALLY fun was the Kidd's birthday celebration at RUTH's CRIS STEAKHOUSE, which the young man had never been to. Upon hearing this recently, Irene suggested we dine there when he became an adult. Well, it finally happened on the 27th and on the 28th, the young man lived large, drinking French Wine and eating fine Filet. He was joined by Irene and myself as well as MOGpac members G-sus, Matt Gentile (in a rare and most welcome appearance), and the legednary tallness of Lurch.

I believe this is the first time I have seen Lurch and Matt in the same room and not giving each other Ric Flair chops. This was a superfine meal that cost many bills and was worth every single penny. Dining with MOG is fun.

We then went to a bar, which I have now been to twice and still don't know the name of, but is often referred to as "The bar we went to that night with Murray".
The Kidd's evening criteria was a place where we can sit, that had a good jukebox, and was low key. The Bar We Went To That Night With Murray fit that criteria perfectly and the jukebox has improved tremendously. Hearing Pulp after a few drinks was very refreshing. As you can see from these photos, we were seated, not crowded, and there were brick walls, so all were happyWe were then joined by a young woman named Leigh, who claims to be involved with the Kidd on some romantic level. My personal opinions regarding the legitimacy of these claims is unimportant, but we didn't seem to scare the girl too much. It was a good time. Danny, being gracious to the child and is ParaMOUR, agreed to stay at MOGworld and leave the Astoria MOG location to the kidd and young love.

Saturday saw G and I have a morning video conference call with my nephew (who was with Evan in Montreal), who proceeded to call G a "bastard" and enjoyed watching me punch my fellow Gold Street Superstar in the peanuts. After a quick Gramercy breakfast with G, I went to Brandts to work on music. Brandt has added shelves, as seen here. We decided to work on DESCRIPTIVE, which is actually a post-Exit Strategies track that the full band worked on (while I was in LA) and then I arranged and added to over the last year or so. I began the arrangment for our current set up, but technical problems sent B into a frenzy and we then scooted off to the record store to pick up the latest hits (and so he could cool off). For the record, I have continued work on the song here at MOGworld using the new bass and of course the trusty Irish Keyboard. However, the following photo is for a certain bandmember who is quite the geek when it comes to tech and racks:


Yeah.

Saturday night was an early and again fancy ass dinner, this time at Blue Water Grill to celebrate the alleged 39th anniversary of the people who allegedly brought me into this world. Do you believe it? Anyway, Wine was consumed, Oysters were sucked down, swordfish was blackened, and to make sure things were decadant enough, Chococlate Fondue was the dessert. it was lovely and parents are really the only people you can give pictures of yourself to without actually having to be famous. I like that. No autographs please. Then Irene and I promptly slept for like days as we were burnt out.

Sunday saw Irene and I hit the Tribecca Film Fest for a morning of Short Films. Afterwards we went down to my old block, Sullivan Street, and dined Al Fresco at the tiny yet awesome Pasta joint Pepe Rosso which Irene had been wanting me to try. We then spent the afternoon in Soho and Chinatown, just hanging out, shopping, etc. and just enjoying the nice weather and a quiet day (rare). We then caught up with Lurch at and went to the movies to see STICK IT, hoping it could be the next BRING IT ON (same writer). Sadly, it's not, but there's a great scene at the end which seemed incredibly improvised at the last minute and features an apparantly drunk Jeff Bridges being brought in from the bar to come up with some emotional bits. Not a very memorable movie, but the following is a memorable post-movie moment that needs no words:



Since then, I have been keeping the usual insanity happening and excitement builds for the first HF band session featuring Charles and Ash for what seems like YEARS, which will happen this Saturday. I am off to LA for a few days on Monday so having the lads come in will be a great way shot of energy for the masterpiece that will be the first HF full-length. SCORE.

F

WILLIAM SHATNER CAN WIN MORE EMMYS NOW.

From The Hollywood Reporter: David E. Kelley's dramedy "Boston Legal" will return for a third season. Sources said ABC has given a full-season pickup to the show from David E. Kelley Prods. and 20th Century Fox TV. The series, starring William Shatner, James Spader and Candice Bergen, is slated to end its sophomore season with a two-hour finale May 16.