Friday, August 28, 2009

Suck it, LA!






















I hope Summer from (500) Days of Summer fell down the hole.























There, that's better.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Let No One Say Oklahomans Are Disrespectful

I was lucky enough to visit the land of my birth recently, and naturally, many more differences between LA and OK were revealed to me, and shall be revealed to you in due time.

But for now, please enjoy this video of Borat, also visiting OKC. There's really only one joke in the clip, but it's a damn good one. Watch the first three minutes and then you're dismissed.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

LA is not Oklahoma

Now I wouldn't consider Oklahoma to be the South per se, and one of the things--no, the thing I get asked most about Oklahoma is, "Where is Oklahoma? Like is it the Midwest?"

No, I don't believe it is. But it's also not the South, and it's also not the West. In my grade school social studies books it was usually grouped with Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona as the Southwest, but there's no way. We don't even have any desert. Texans like to think they're Southerners, but they're not. Pride and racism alone does not a Southerner make. Go to the grits section in your grocery store. If it's bigger than your oatmeal section, you're probably in the South.

Still, I spent my share of time growing up in the Dirty, and after a year here, it seems all the flyover states elicit nostalgia.

Here's a duet from Johnny Cash and Phil "Baloo" Harris singing "That's What I Like About the South." They just don't make television like they used to.

Monday, August 10, 2009

LA is Okay

Because you can meet celebrities.

Rob Huebel is kind of my boy ever since I was called up to have my facebook page scrutinized at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater here in LA. Though he would probably say something about wanting to punch a guy that said "he's my boy" on his twitter page, @RobHuebel.

Later that night we pre-stalked him by waiting at the bar next door, where the Facebook Show performers hangout. I was able to meet him, and even though he claimed not to be famous, he is, and he was still totally approachable. So here's to Rob Huebel, and this really funny video he posted.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

LA is not Okay

Because people honk too much.

There are an amalgam of sounds that come in through my window, drunk people yelling in the PM, leaf blowers and lawn aerators in the AM. But throughout the day and the night, the incessant honking.

Agreed, sometimes you have to honk. I once cleared a traffic jam with a single honk. (Trust me.) But never do you have to honk for ten seconds. Oh, the long honkers. The only thing worse than the long honk is the honk back. YOU DON'T GET TO HONK BACK. I'm honking at you! You're in the wrong or I wouldn't have honked in the first place.

This is why the system of communication from one car to another desperately needs an upgrade. For too long have we been limited to facial expressions, hand gestures, and klaxons. The closest I've come to a feasible solution is a voice-to-text scrolling LCD display mounted on the front and back windshields, so that whatever you have to say can be read (or easily ignored) by offending drivers. I'm sure, however, that the CA DOT would take exception to the idea, and it is rather early 2000's.

Perhaps the simplest solution is a really loud megaphone, or failing that, a variety of coded honks. In example, one honk to say, "Don't change lanes, you'll hit me!" another to express, "I would appreciate it if you would go, instead of texting at this stop sign," which sounds just a little more vindictive than, "You have failed to notice that the light has turned green."

But for the able-bodied woman that starts to walk across the street when there are only two seconds left, then, when she's walking in front of the cars waiting to go, and the light turns green, yet she continues along at her casual pace, you really need a special horn, one that says, "WHAT ARE YOU, SOME KIND OF BITCH?"

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

LA is Okay

Because The Gossip shoots music videos where you skated.

So if you're one of those people watching MTV at 1:30 AM, you might have caught an animated show called "DJ and the Fro." I happened to have the opportunity to work on this show as a Post Production PA, and it was a great experience. Apart from the job itself, which was quite enjoyable, we got to do cool stuff like have premiere parties at roller rinks. The Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale, to be exact.

So, watching the new Gossip video this morning I thought, wow, that roller rink looks really familiar. Look out for the parking lot across the street where I parked (it's a Home Depot.) And the song's not bad either. Not bad at all.

The Man removed this video and disabled embedding, but you can watch the video here.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Got to have it. Soul Power!

I watched the documentary Soul Power recently (like three hours ago) and while the documentary wasn't all that special, the music it documented was AMAZING. If you don't know, the doc is about a music festival that took place in Zaire in 1974, featuring the top black musicians of the 70's and headlined by the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown.

The highlight of the performances, which were all fantastic, had to be Bill Withers' subtle but powerful "Hope She'll Be Happier," which you can watch below. I was familiar with Bill Withers' work only for "Lovely Day," which I downloaded to set as the ringtone for a girl I was dating, and it was credited in my iTunes as "Billy" Withers. After a little searching, I found that he is also the source of the classics "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Use Me." I love it when I discover awesome music that anyone over 40 would take for granted, but is totally new to me. A few years ago it was Fleetwood Mac, last year it was Cat Stevens. This year, it's Soul. Do yourself a favor and watch this performance by Mr. Withers.

Bill Withers from Jesse Thorn on Vimeo.



A few more treats:



Saturday, August 1, 2009

Old Star Wars Photo


Strange how everyone in this picture looks dated, from Mark Hamill's wide lapels to Carrie Fisher's Annie Hall pants, but Harrison Ford still looks debonair as hell. See more rare Star Wars photos at uniquescoop.com.