Huh?

Listen, let's first be very clear that I don't make a habit of Googling myself. I did it once, I know what's out there, end of story. Or at least I thought I did...

Someone from New York Magazine contacted me a couple months ago wanting quotes for an article they were doing on actors and residuals. They were given my info by One-on-One and wanted to ask me about my experience with L&O. We exchanged e-mails and that was that. I'd forgotten about it until the other day and decided to look and see if they ever ended up using it or not. Didn't find anything about that, but did come across this...

...
Omaha Benson High School Magnet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Notable alumni include actors Nick Nolte, Aaron Fili, Erich Hover, authors Terry Goodkind and Robert Reed, 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick, ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Benson_High_School_Magnet - 24k - Cached - Similar pages

There are a couple things wrong with this listing:

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A) I am not "notable". Yet.

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2) Nick Nolte only went to Benson for two years before he was kicked out and ended up at Westside.

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Another shining example of why the whole concept of a user-edited encyclopedia is ridiculous. Might as well just call it Wikimakesomeshitupedia.

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Stupid.

What Tha EFF??

Much has been written lately regarding the ongoing suburbanization of New York, including a book by that very title. I've been ranting about it for years. It was the subject of several of the first poems I started taking to the mic at Bowery Poetry Club. It's almost become a cliche at this point. And by now most New Yorkers seem to be either resigned to it or just too overwhelmed to muster even another ounce of disgust.

For a long time, the worst of it seemed to be relegated to Manhattan. The idea, I guess, being that the best way to reward tourists for making the trek to the big City was by making sure they were never more than a block or two away from some little reminder of home. You know, in the event that they overdose on culture and experience and differentness while they're here, they can at least be comforted by the fact that there's a fucking Applebee's and a Starbucks and a Gap JUST AROUND THE CORNER. In case the four days they have before they go back to Ohio are just too goddamn long to wait to shove some Baja Potato Boats into their fat goddamn faces.

Well, until recently our little section of Astoria has been pretty devoid of this kind of lame Midwestern pandering. After all, Queens has never been much of a tourist destination. And even though the neighborhood has had quite a renaissance in the 10 years I've lived there, the new businesses that have come along have been largely independent. Great new resaurants and bars like Cup, Sunswick, Island, Locale, Cafe Valverde, Arepas Cafe, Aces and (before it got too big for its own britches and moved over to Ditmars) Bistro 33. All are new additions in the past 10 years, all provide great food and drink, all are independently owned.

So, imagine my dismay when I recently noticed the following signs on the corner of 38th St. and 35th Ave...

Um... Wha?

I mean, Applebee's is Applebee's. They're all over the friggin' place and they continue to spread like bird flu. Soon they will be in every corner of the globe and it will no longer be just us lucky Americans who have the privilege of partaking of such aggressively mediocre crap. But there's something even more unsettling about having one in my neighborhood.

Panera was a place I'd never heard of until a trip to Omaha a few years back. My mother loves to take me there for lunch whenever I'm in town. (Although, I only agree to do that after we've already been to Jim & Jennie's at least once.) I don't find it as offensive on the whole as I do Applebee's, etc. And, there's something acceptable about going there when I'm in Omaha, because I'm in Omaha.

But this isn't Omaha. Or Ohio. OR Manhattan.

This is fuckin' Queens, dammit.

At least for the time being...

An Entire SECTION....????

Sometimes I like to check the headlines at MSNBC.com over lunch. When I'm snarfing down a chicken salad bagel in my cube, I don't have time for anything other than what I refer to as "candy journalism". I get my headlines, maybe take a quick glance at a human interest story about who won this year's "Giant Pumpkin" contest, etc. And sometimes I'll check out the entertainment news.

So, I'm floating around the site and I come across AN ENTIRE SECTION of news dedicated SOLELY to Britney Spears. With its own banner and everything. I actually had to look at it again, because I didn't think that could possibly be right. It was.

I'm floored.

Why, America?

Why. Do. You. GIVE. A shit?

You've got to stop.

Get a fuckin' hobby or something.

Please.

Seriously....


Britney Spears News

Britney regains temporary visitation rights
Judge suspends Britney’s visitation rights
Spears turns self in to police
Spears gets small win in visitation rights
Britney Spears to be booked for hit-and-run
Spears passes court-ordered drug tests
Britney Spears to be booked for hit-and-run
Spears gets monitored visits with sons
PETA: Take Brit’s dogs away
Tatum O’Neal offers mom advice to Britney

Things You Need To Do

First, go see THIS.


It's only playing at the Film Forum and you should buy your tickets online ahead of time or you won't get in but GO SEE IT. The Missus and I are still trying to get over it. Even if you haven't been a Joy Division fan since you were 15 (as I have), it's brilliant and moving and perfectly handled. Samantha Morton is incredible as always and Sam Riley is (despite the overuse of the term in movie reviews) a revelation.

If you can't get tickets for "Control", go see this. It's also pretty great. Cronenberg's getting better and better.

Also... buy the new Radiohead. I'm going to give you a whole post about it later in the week because it's just fucking astonishing but in the meantime... Just. Go. Buy it.

Plus, if you're not watching Dexter, you should be. Awards shows are complete bullshit anyway, but HOW Michael C. Hall could not have won an Emmy for this is fucking beyond me.

Oh, and if you haven't picked up a six-pack of the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale yet, it's only available through the end of October, so you better get on the ball. If you're in the 'hood, it's available on tap at Sunswick.

And finally... if you're in need of a laugh, watch this again. Yes, of course you've seen it. We've all seen it. But it's funny, dammit.

OOOH, AND... Gogol Bordello are playing The Terminal November 3rd. I can't imagine there are any tickets left but if you're interested in joining us, you should try to scrounge some up. It'll be worth it...

Head-Scratcher of the Day

Saw this in today's breakdowns.

Do we need this?

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KNIGHT RIDER (Series Regulars - NY)
2 Hour Pilot
NBC/Universal Media Studios

Shoot/Start Date: 11/16 - 12/20/07
Location: California

STORY LINE: Following in the footsteps of his father, ex-army ranger MIKE TRACER is recruited by his childhood best friend SARAH KAMEN and her father CHARLES to join the Knight Foundation, a group committed to counteracting and preventing the damage done by private, covert military contractors. To that end, Charles creates the second generation KITT (Knight Rider Three Thousand), an artificially intelligent car that assists with all the death-defying missions and countless high-speed escapes..

How Much Are YOU Going To Pay...?

Much has been written about the marketing model behind the new Radiohead album "In Rainbows", released today. For those of you who aren't in the loop, the band decided to release the album absolutely on its own terms, making it available only as a download directly from the band's site as a "Pay What You Will" offering. A bold, unpredictable and ultimately risky proposition and an obvious response to the sea change that has taken place in the industry over the past few years re: conventional music packaging, marketing, etc.

The market is different now, period. The way digital media is purchased and consumed is different, period. Labels and distributors have scratched their heads over how to keep up for years. And with the technology being what it is, there's simply no way to keep piracy and file-sharing at bay. So, what's an artist to do?

In Radiohead's case, we'll find out soon enough whether they've uncovered the Rosetta Stone or made the biggest financial mistake of their career. Frankly... my money's on the former. As it stands, even with a good record deal, most bands (even the huge ones) only make about $1 off of each CD they sell. Pretty pathetic percentage when you consider how much time and effort go into making a really great album.

So then, consider the Radiohead model: Spend as much time as you want making an album. No label pressure, no deadlines. Just make the album you want to make. THEN, instead of all of the time and expense that go into packaging, shipping, meetings about release dates, album art, merchandising, etc. - you just post it on your website. HERE YOU GO. And pay us what you think it's worth. Which means that if you decide to pay $10, the band gets $10 for their work. If you decide to give them $1, they get $1 for their work. Seems an honest exchange.

YES, there are going to be those who don't pay for it at all. LOTS of them. I get that. But in the end, with the money saved on all of the things that usually go into putting out an album and with the band seeing each dollar that is spent by the people who choose to pay, I think it's going to even out. We'll see. This is definitely a story I'm going to follow up on.

KEXP spent the morning previewing the album. Each hour, they'd play a new track. And I have to say, it's fucking brilliant. Granted, I'll have to spend some time with it to give you the full review but from what I've heard so far, it's their most focused and cohesive work since Kid A. I'm looking forward to buying it tonight.

Which brings us to the title question. How much am I going to pay? Well, I thought quite a bit about it. Started at $10, went down to $7, then back up, then I wasn't sure. It is, after all, a download. It'll therefore not be quite the audio quality you'll get with a CD. Plus, I'm a sucker for packaging, liner notes, etc. So, I wouldn't give them more than $10. BUT... I do want the model to work and I love the band, so I want to be fair. I ended up settling on... $9.

That's my number and I'm sticking with it. We'll see in the coming weeks if I'm one of the few who ended up being a good samaritan in a world full of pirates OR if I'm one of the many who ponied up for a band they love in a good faith effort to make sure the money goes right where it should have been going all along... the artist.

Couldnt've said it better myself...

Bushism of the Day

"You know, when you give a man more money in his pocket—in this case, a woman more money in her pocket to expand a business, it—they build new buildings. And when somebody builds a new building somebody has got to come and build the building. And when the building expanded it prevented additional opportunities for people to work."—Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007

Click here to see video of Bush's comments. The Bushism is at 4:02.

A Toast to The Missus on the Occasion of Our Second Wedding Anniversary

2 years ago today, one of the promises I made to you in our wedding vows was that I would never let you forget what a jewel you are. That when you were feeling dull, I would be there to make you shiny again.

Well, I think it's safe to say that the past few months have undoubtedly left us both feeling a little dullish.

___

So, here's a toast...

...To us.

-To surviving an impossible summer.

-To weathering uncertainty.

-To the promise of fall and all that it might bring.

-To standing on the doorstep of a decade of couplehood as two people who would still rather talk to each other at a crowded party than anyone else.

-To the glorious moments we manage to cultivate while digging through a knee-deep pile of shit.

-To making each other shiny again.

__

...And to you.

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For being the only woman I know who'd be okay with her husband heading to the bar at 11:30pm on a Monday night to work on a blog post.
___

I love you endlessly,

-A

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NOW... To mark the occassion, here's a home recording that JJ did of the song he wrote for The Missus and I and performed at our wedding. You know any wedding song that mentions the Grand Canyon is gonna be a winner. It's a beautiful song and he graciously agreed to let me post it. Thanks, J.

(right click on the link and select "Save Target As")

Jason Handy - "Love This Time"

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AND FINALLY... In the spirit of anniversaries, weddings and all things love, here's some pics from two recent weddings we really enjoyed.

First off, some highlights from last weekend's Cox/Jenkins nups in Denver. Who's the chick in white with the champagne? YUM...

And next, a couple gems from last month's Fagan/Schreck shindig in DUMBO...