We're All Going Streaking

ESPN's "Streak For The Cash" may be the most addictive quasi-gambling opportunity on the internet. I have been thoroughly obsessed ever since I discovered it. For those of you who are sports fans and not aware of this little contest, get involved!! It's great. ESPN simply picks a certain amount of situations to bet on. For instance, it could be as simple as who will win a particular matchup to which golfer will have a lower score on a certain hole. Not to mention the amount of times I've bet on a Cricket match (which I am now determined to understand). As you continue to make your bets, they tally your current streak. For instance, I am currently enjoying the ride of a 3 game losing streak and, thanks to Mr. Nadal, it's looking like 4. My largest winning streak was a weak 3 games and the largest streak by any streaker (that's what I'll call us) is 22. I believe the top 7 total streaks are invited to Bristol, CT to compete at the ESPN Headquarters. I guarantee you will be quickly addicted to this phenomenon, and watch out for Super Streak Thursday - it happened last week and proved to be an insanely exciting day. There were bets about 3 times an hour and the longest streak of the day won $5,000.

The best part may be the discussion boards, which I've only recently started following. It's hilarious to see how into Cricket people can get. I, personally, can't wait to find out what a wicket is. Check out the site, which can be found at http://espn.go.com and look for the Streak For The Cash section. Give it a shot, I hope you enjoy. Now back to this Nadal match . . . 26 total games or more, please!!

Equilibrium

I love music.  Sometimes I live, breath and spoon music.  Music is what makes my world go round.  I love classic rock.  I love alternative.  I love acoustic and electric.  I love the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and today.  My collection of albums is pretty tremendous.  I listen to music when I wake up, when I commute to work, at my desk at work and on the way home.  When I'm out at a restaurant or bar, I pay attention to what is being played and one of my favorite activities is going to concerts.  Music is art.  Music is poetry.  Music is one of the most powerful elements in my life.  Sometimes I think I love music more than life itself.  I even make attempts, every now and again, to write my own music.  Music is love . . . and I love Equilibrium.  It's release in June is going to rock, shock and sock the music industry in a way that may restore eardrums.  I know mine are now fine tuned.  The air now is harmonious to me.  Do yourselves a favor and hit your local music store or log on to Itunes and find the future of music, the future of song, the future of life . . . Equilibrium.

My last post was about great shows that are unappreciated and cancelled far too early. As I was reading the paper this morning, I noticed yet another show, a favorite of mine, that has been cancelled by NBC. "My Name Is Earl" is one of the funnier shows on television. With an amazing cast including Jason Lee and Jaime Pressley, a consistantly hilarious script and the best soundtrack on television, "Earl" kept me engaged and laughing every Thursday night (or whenever I caught it on DVR) amidst other comedies such as "The Office" and "30 Rock". I truly believe Jaime Pressley should be an Emmy winner for her role on the program. Her delivery is amazing and her dialogue hilarious. The entire cast brings about one of the smarter, funnier shows on television - bringing "trailer trash" into our lives on a weekly basis. Each scene is usually accompanied by some of the best classic rock songs around. The sitcom itself is truly a dying breed and "My Name Is Earl" was one of the best out there, most likely to be replaced with a subpar 1/2 hour program that won't make it on to my DVR list. If you have the chance, buy or rent a season of "Earl" and enjoy - you won't be disappointed.

Brilliant, Forgotten

I find that some of the best shows on TV follow a similar path. They are extremely well written and the cast is above par. The shows are directed perfectly and the overall product proves that the brains behind, and in front of, the camera knew exactly what they were doing. And they did it well. Unfortunately our national television audience has more of an appreciation for celebrity downfalls, reality hoopla and poorly written programming. Excellent shows are usually award-nominated and/or award-winning yet receive very low ratings. In fact, if "Seinfeld" came out today I doubt it would last two seasons. It's ratings didn't blossom, and it's extraordinary humor not appreciated, until a few years into its run (thankfully the audience climbed on board and the show lasted as long as it deserved). Such shows include "Arrested Development", "Sons and Daughters", "Family Guy" (I believe it was cancelled and brought back 3 times) and one of my favorites of all time - "Deadwood".

My father is a huge fan of classic westerns and he, after years of buying him the DVDs and telling him what a great show it is, immediately became a hardcore fan. He called me after watching four hours in a row explaining what an amazing program he thought it was (which I had been trying to tell him for years). He finished Season 1 and the next day I went home with Season 2 as a gift - he had already received the first disc from Netflix.

"Deadwood" truly brings the wild west alive. With such known characters as Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok amonst a slew of others on the largest tv set in history (they literally built an entire town) the viewer finds themselves in the center of a lawless territory surrounded by killers, lawmen, thieves, drunks, whores and about any sort of person who would find solice in a town without rule. The look and feel of this HBO Original give you the sense that you are watching, perhaps, a John Huston western. The dialogue is that of a Shakespearean tone, with a variety of expletives intermingled.

There are so many characters and storylines that collide you will have to watch each and every episode (while severely paying attention and understanding the script) to truly know who and what you are watching . . . and you will not be disappointed. In fact, much like my Dad, I imagine you will run out for Season 2 (which opens with a bang) the second the Season Finale ends.

It is hard to explain in detail the brilliance of this show. It's harder to explain why it only lasted three seasons. Do yourself a favor and pickup Season 1 and prepare for life in the cruel, rough and tough outlaw-driven town of Deadwood.

"Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back."

Shade of Gray

Whether you are a fan of news, current events, dogs, Anderson Cooper, sarcasm, hilarity, Twizzlers or just bizarre, yet knowledgeable and current, commentary you must visit the blog site of Jack Gray. Jack is a friend of mine who is a Producer/Writer for Anderson Cooper 360 and he spreads a comedic take on daily and weekly newsworthy events through his blog which you can find at http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/category/jack-gray/ - bookmark it, it's rapidly updated and always newsworthy and interesting . . . . and I've only wet myself laughing to it once. If you are on Facebook, you can even check out his fan group (of 357 members) called Gray Groupies. He is a great producer, blogger, comedian, shortstop and friend. I urge you to get with it. Oh, and you can follow him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/jackgraycnn with over 27,000 followers) . . . whatever that is.

Best Regards to all.

Zip Flies or Bust

I remember when button-fly jeans first came on to the scene, or at least when I realized such a thing existed. I actually think I thought they were a good idea for a while, which I can't comprehend today. Clothing companies should immediately discontinue the production of all button-fly jeans. It's really ridiculous. Let's see which of the following seems like a more optimal situation when you really need to do one:

1. A quick zip-down, job's pretty much done. Let loose and zip back up.

2. Get to the bathroom, undo your belt, unbutton every button on this "fly", do the deed, redo each button, one by one, re-tuck your shirt, re strap the belt. Might as well be back in kindergarten where it seemed pants-to-the-floor was proper urinal etiquette. Hey, the Rolling Stones knew what was what.

Just my two cents . . . hope you all had a great weekend.

Jake and Amir

I'll admit to not being (or wasn't originally) a big CollegeHumor follower, though I am overly impressed with two of it's writers - Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfield. As an avid fan of sketch comedy I tend to be a fairly tough critic and I am never let down when I go to check out what's new on http://www.jakeandamir.com/. Usually using their own workspace as a backdrop, the two have built themselves into hilarious characters and use unique and outrageous situations to poke fun at through short sketches. The more you watch, the more you understand where they are going with their characters and plotlines (some stories carry over through mulitple sketches). And apparently I'm in love with a blonde out west.

A couple favorite sketches are as follows, and probably not named correctly:

March Madness Part 2

Sick Day 1-3

Scared

Locked Out

Happy Holidays

Internship

Dating Service (my first website viewing - still my favorite)

Safety first.

Adventureland

I am a huge fan of film, yet I haven't been to the theater in quite a while. I did, however, recently see "Adventureland" . . . twice. My friend and I decided to hit the theater and couldn't think of one movie we both wanted to see. We decided to see a thoughtless comedy and chose "Adventureland", assuming it would be a Superbad-esque knee-slapper with a great cast that included SNL favorites Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader (a frequent cast-member in Judd Apatow/Seth Rogan/etc... type films). Martin Starr also gave me hopes of some unique, hilarious comedy in the realm of "Freaks and Geeks". Never did I expect to be enthralled in a wonderfully executed love story, with just the right amount of laughs. I was so impressed that when another friend and I went to see a movie that next week, I couldn't help but recommend (or insist on) "Adventureland".

"Adventureland" follows James Brennan as a college graduate who has plans of touring Europe for the summer and returning to the states in the fall for graduate school at Columbia. This all falls apart when his family finds themselves in financial troubles and he is forced to get a job at the town's local amusement park. Following James through the summer, we are introduced to his co-workers played by the likes of Starr, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Wiig, Hader and more. Setting the film in a suburb of Pittsburgh in 1987 works wonders for the story and, just as important, the soundtrack. The year was actually pushed back a bit to include some extra tracks such as The Cure's "Just Like Heaven". Brennan is a huge fan of Lou Reed's and, therefore, the soundtrack includes a range of songs from the 60's through the 80's - each song perfectly marries the scene it accompanies. Whether Brennan and love interest Em (played by Stewart) are watching fireworks with Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" in the background or the two driving together and listening to the Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes" each song sets the emotion of each scene perfectly. Listening to the soundtrack now immediately gives me a great mental image of the scene (or scenes) to which each track played.

There are certainly some hilarious lines and scenes (not to mention some great styles from the 80's) but the overall tone of the movie is a bit more serious and romantic. The film really makes you want to go back to your first summer after college, looking for that crappy job, not knowing what the future holds for you and finding love where you least expect it. Each character in "Adventureland" is realistic - someone you've met at some point in your life . . . or will. You fall in love with these characters and somehow find yourself emersed in the life that surrounds them. I imagine some people will be disappointed with the film as it may not be the slapstick comedy they were hoping for, but hopefully the majority of film-goers will leave with a smile on their face and a song in their head (probably "Rock Me Amadeus).

Felice Brothers - Webster Hall

If you were at the Felice Brothers show at Webster Hall a couple weeks ago, you need not read the following for you experienced it. Unless you put too much whiskey in your whiskey before the show. Having heard three of the band's albums (Tonight At The Arizona, The Felice Brothers & Yonder Is The Clock) I immediately recognized this band as something special. Beautiful lyrics combined with engaging music transport the listener to a place that doesn't exist, but should. Tales of cabaret singers, boxers, baseball, love, prison, death, friendship and more - all through lyrics that tell stories which can only be displayed through one's imagination.

I had very high expectations walking into Webster Hall as I had been on a serious bender of Felice Brothers music and somehow they managed to blow me away. Beginning with a perfect, piece-by-piece, introduction morphing into "The Big Surprise" the show carried the audience into that world of imagination. Going into the show I was hoping to hear "Roll On Arte", "Christmas Song", "Ruby Mae", "Ambulance Man", "Murder By Mistletoe" or "Helen Fry". None of these were played, yet there was no moment throughout that I wanted to hear anything other than what was being performed at that particular moment. The fact that every Felice Brothers song hits on such a perfect level (and is perfomed to a different, unexplainable extreme) made this show so beautiful. A few people who went with me had never heard The Felice Brothers and were immediately transformed into raging fans - asking when and where we could see them again. My good friend saw them the week before and spent time drinking whiskey with the band and helping them to fix up their bus. If you are a fan of Bob Dylan (they've been described as "a drunken Bob Dylan at a hootenanny), The Band (often compared to The Basement Tapes), love, hate, murder, mayhem, family, kinship, death or life itself I find it hard to believe you won't enjoy what you hear out of these fellas. Buy the records, watch them perform - you won't be disappointed. Be well.