Tuesday, July 31, 2007

The truth about ethanol...

Read this great article from Rolling Stone about ethanol. My milk prices are going up because of this shit? Milk is more expensive than gas now...and that ain't right. Maybe I should start drinking gas. It's cheaper.

And another great Rolling Stone article here on To Catch a Predator and entrapment.

ITMFA!

Cheers,
Jason

Friday, July 20, 2007

Be afraid!

Apparently Dubya is going in for a routine colonoscopy tomorrow during which time power of the Presidency will be temporarily transferred to Dickhead Cheney. I think they'll find that Dubya is full of shit, but I'm concerned about what Cheney might do during the procedure. Make sure you're watching your human and Constitutional rights tomorrow. Someone may try to snatch them away...

ITMFA!

Cheers,
Jason

Is it really true?

I've heard a rumor that they're building a Sonic in Southgate. Could this really be true? Commercials really work when there isn't one around. Everyone I know that's actually been to a Sonic say that they rule. Make it so...

Jason

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

DVD skip to my Lou...

Hey kids!

I was about half way through watching Letters from Iwo Jima when the Netflix DVD started skipping. Damn it! I was quite enjoying it. I'll try it on my bedroom DVD/VCR combo in a bit, but I'll take a breather here...

Bored...apparently.

I stole this thingy here from Kat.

Here's a quizarino that makes you use a word that starts with the first letter of your name to anwer each question (and you can't use your own name as an answer)

Your Name: Jason

1. Famous Singer/Band: Joy Division
2. 4 letter word: jail
3. Color: I don't think that "jute" is technically a color. "Jade", I guess.
4. Street: John R.
5. Gifts/Presents: jewelry
6. Vehicle: Jaguar
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: junk
8. Boy Name: James
9. Girl Name: Josephine
10. Movie Title: Japanese Story
11. Drink: Jamestown Kool-Aid
12. Occupation: Judge
13. Flower: Japhette Orchid (I had to cheat on this one. At least it's pretty.)
14. Celebrity: Jeffrey Wright
15. Magazine: Juggs
16. U.S. City: Juneau, Alaska
17. Pro Sports Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars
18. Fruit: Jackfruit
19. Reason for Being Late for Work: junkie (either being one or tripping over one on the way to work)
20. Something You Throw Away: Jellybeans (not a huge fan). The current administration seems to be throwing away jurisprudence.
21. Things You Shout: Jackass!
22. Cartoon Character: Jub-Jub (Selma Bouvier's iguana on The Simpsons)

Cheers,
Jason

Sunday, July 15, 2007

A List of Top-10 Lists More or Less

Hey kids! Here are a bunch of lists of things I love. I put it together without a lot of thinking. I'm pretty much doing this off the top of my head. I may be forgetting some of my favorite things, but my memory is crap. If you see on of my faves and I neglected to list it please point it out. What are some of your favorite things?

24 Funniest Movies
History of the World Part I
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
Caddyshack
Animal House
Vacation
Airplane
This is Spinal Tap
Best in Show
Rushmore
Borat
Monty Python and The Holy Grail
Sleeper
Jackass
Jackass 2
Clerks II
Dogma
Waiting for Guffman
Monty Python’s Life of Brian
Anchorman
The Castle
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Dr. Strangelove

Major League

20 Funniest TV Shows
The Young Ones
Chef
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Kids in the Hall
Sledgehammer
Black Adder
Reno 911
Are You Being Served?
Police Squad
Mr. Show
Chappelle’s Show
South Park
The Jack Benny Program
Simpsons
Roseanne
Family Guy
All in the Family
M*A*S*H
Absolutely Fabulous
*The O’Reilly Factor
(unintentional)

10 Best War Movies
Full Metal Jacket
Apocalypse Now
Bridge on the River Kwai
Das Boot
The Longest Day
The Dirty Dozen
Gallipoli
Platoon
Stalingrad
Stalag 17
*Band of Brothers
(Not a movie, not a show. It was a mini-series, but as far as I'm concerned it's the single best war production ever produced. It's a masterpiece!)

Top 12 Movie Soundtracks
Lost in Translation
Marie Antoinette
The Proposition
A Clockwork Orange
Times Square
American Graffiti
Rushmore
Royal Tannenbaums
Kids
Basquiat
Repo Man
Valley Girl


33 Best Movies of All Time
Once Were Warriors
White (From the Blue, White, and Red trilogy by Krzystof Kieslowski)
City of Lost Children
Japanese Story
Lost in Translation
The 400 Blows
Ratcatcher
Basquiat
Short Cuts
Wings of Desire
Casablanca
Dr. Strangelove
Pelle the Conqueror
Flirting
Seven Samurai
Stranger than Paradise
Faraway So Close
The Year My Voice Broke
Walkabout
Red
Schindler’s List
To Live
My Life as a Dog
Before Night Falls
Brazil
Heavenly Creatures
Secrets and Lies
Pulp Fiction
Unbearable Lightness of Being
Taxi Driver
In the Heat of the Night
The Proposition
Das Boot


12 Best Current TV Shows
Battlestar Galactica
Reno 911
Lost
Sarah Silverman Program
Globetrekker
No Reservations
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmer
House
Simpsons
South Park
Law and Order: SVU
Family Guy


10 Best TV Shows of All Time
The Sopranos
M*A*S*H
The Simpsons
The Twilight Zone
Battlestar Galactica (The new one. It's actually genius!)
South Park
The X-Files
The Wonder Years

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Twin Peaks



16 Greatest Actors
Sir Alec Guinness
Noah Taylor
Ray Winstone
Jeffrey Wright
Edward Norton
Robert Duvall
John Hurt
Peter Sellers
Christian Bale
Ewan McGregor
Daniel Day Lewis
David Thewlis
Timothy Spall
Gary Oldman
Tim Roth
Kenneth Branagh


15 Best Actresses
Toni Colette
Lili Taylor
Kate Winslet
Thandie Newton
Gong Li
Cate Blanchett
Audrey Hepburn
Dame Judi Dench
Isabella Rosselini
Emmanuelle Beart
Frances McDormand
Cate Blanchett
Helen Mirren
Parker Posey
Brenda Blethyn
Katherine Hepburn

11 Actresses I’d Most Like to Shag
Kate Winslet
Thandie Newton
Jennifer Connelly
Liv Tyler
Irene Jacob
Emmanuelle Beart
Julie Delpy
Isabella Rosselini
Molly Ringwald
Milla Jovovich
Parker Posey
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Tautou

13 Best Aussie Films
Japanese Story
Flirting
The Year My Voice Broke
Breaker Morant
Walkabout
The Castle
Little Fish
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Gallipoli
Romper Stomper
Muriel’s Wedding
The Proposition
The Nostradamus Kid


The Holy Trinity of Film
The Breakfast Club
Pretty in Pink
Sixteen Candles


My 10 Favorite Songs Right Now Without Overanalyzing It
"Atmosphere"- Joy Division
"The Mercy Seat"- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
"Tupelo"- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
"Under the Boardwalk"- The Drifters
"Baby Blue"- Them
"God Only Knows"- Beach Boys
"Woodstock"- Joni Mitchell
"Gideon"- My Morning Jacket
"Swamp Thing"- Chameleons
"My Favorite Things"- John Coltrane

10 Best Albums Right Now, Subject to Change at a Moments Notice
A Love Supreme- John Coltrane
Daydream Nation- Sonic Youth
Closer- Joy Division
Tender Prey- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Pet Sounds- The Beach Boys
Kind of Blue- Miles Davis
Script of the Bridge- Chameleons
Velvet Underground and Nico
Loveless- My Bloody Valentine
Hounds of Love- Kate Bush

11 Best Meals (Restaurant/Winery)
Trio- Chicago (Best overall meal ever. Chef Grant Achatz stunned with a 21-course dinner with wine pairings.)
Cuisine- Detroit
Blackbird- Chicago (Best individual dish ever. A 12-hour braised pork belly...'nuff said.)
Brasserie Les Halles- New York (How could I NOT include Anthony Bourdain's restaurant?)
Public- New York (Creative, excellent Aussie fare in Manhattan.)
Too Chez- Novi, Michigan (A great restaurant back in the day before it closed.)
Bridgewater Mill- Adelaide Hills, Australia (Simply stunning!)
Bill's Cafe- Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia (Best breakfast anywhere! The BEST SCRAMBLED EGGS IN THE WORLD! Even the New York Times said so.)
Mandarin Palace- Salem, Oregon (When I was a kid my dad and I went to this Chinese restaurant in town and had a very memorable pressed duck. I still remember it to this day. God I love duck!)
The Menzies Room- Coonawarra, Australia (The food wasn't extravagant, but it was certainly deliciuos. We were out in the middle of nowhere in Coonawarra with Yalumba Winery hosting our dinner. The food was excellent and simply prepared. The camaraderie really made it special. Up until this point in Australia we were being stuffed to the gills with cheese, lamb, kangaroo, and other heavy hitters. They passed around 3 big bowls of family style salad and we devoured it. I don't remember when I was so happy to eat like a rabbit. The simple beef filet was very comforting as well. A highlight is when a drunken shipshearer showed up at the front door completely lost. Quite a treat! We finished with a game of "Options" and some Coopers (of course). One of several amazing Australian meals...)

10 Great Splurges
A professional shoe shine
Foie Gras
An extra scoop of ice cream
Champagne
A glass of Armagnac or B&B after a good meal
Upgrading seats
Having the hotel do your laundry
A bigger engine
Really comfortable, durable shoes (like Blundtone boots for example)
A Criterion Collection DVD

I'm missing shit for sure, but who really cares? It's all in fun. I've probably left out some really obvious stuff, but that's how my brain works. What are some of your lists or comments?

ITMFA!

Cheers,
Jason

Monday, July 09, 2007

To thine own animated self be true...



My Simpsons avatar

Documentaries are the flavor of the month...

Hey kids! Just a quickie here. I just finished watching Who Killed the Electric Car? and must make a strong recommendation to see it. (I've been going through a documentary phase.) I've been meaning to see it for a while. Just like An Inconvenient Truth, it's a lot of stuff I've heard before but presented well in one singular package. No surprise that big oil, government, and big auto are sneaky capitalistic piggies. I never thought I'd have an appreciation of actress Alexandra Paul (no offense to the Baywatcher). I feel guilty for my 6 cylinder gas-guzzler, but it's really hard to make the right decision while living in "The D". I'll post more soon. I'm working on a list of top-ten lists that I should be posting soon.

ITMFA!

Cheers,
Jason