Friday, August 31, 2007

Friday Night @ La Casa de Os

First things first:
Tuesday, Sept. 4th - Dorky Tuesday!
Thursday, Sept. 13th - Sports HNT!

Go here for details...

It's hot and smoky around here again. And will be all weekend. No new fires that I'm aware of...just the old ones still smoldering and burning. Weather conditions just make it favorable for the smoke to make its way back. It was relatively nice for about 10 days, but the past two have been as bad as any we've had.
We have a gig out at the lake Saturday night. Then another on the 12th. And then we're done. We're taking an indefinite break. I really hope this isn't the end of things for us. But a break is appropriate right now. What I'd personally like to see is a renewed drive and focus after Christmas, and return in the late spring. That would mean bringing some new additional members to the band, and the writing of some new charts. Or we might find that we want to get back sooner, which wouldn't bother me in the least. Unfortunately, I can also see the possibility of not getting back together at all. I think that's extreme, but it's certainly possible. I hope it doesn't play out that way...
I took a look to see how people searched for my site. I think we're all baffled at times by what brings people to our sites. I usually get the standard "hnt" or "nekkid" or the like, but one search string I found tonight was "emily egan nude pics". I have no idea how that string connected to me, but I thought I'd check out where "emily egan" would take me. Didn't expect this! Such a sad story that I never would have heard about, had some pervert not wanted to find nude pics. Unless, of course, Nancy Grace got her hands on the story...
I just bought the DVD of "1941". What? Never heard of it? You wouldn't be alone. It's an early-Spielberg comedy that was highly underrated. I'm not sure why. Stars Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Robert Stack, Ned Beatty, Tim Matheson, Nancy Allen, and a zillion others. And yes, even for a comedy, the music was written by John Williams. The premise of the movie is the paranoia of Los Angeles, bracing for a Japanese attack in the days following Pearl Harbor. Critics panned it, but personally, I find it to be one of the best comedies filmed, with lavish sequences, inside jokes, and a huge all-star cast.

I settle back in my easy chair, pop in the DVD, and look forward to reliving the hilarity. As soon as the opening title appears, things go haywire. Without going into the details--I got a fucking home-burned pirated copy of this thing!!! That doesn't work! None of the buttons on the player worked, other than the eject button. Couldn't get to a menu, features, fast-forward, stop....NOTHING! FUCK!

Now I needed to find something in my collection with great music, and preferably something I haven't seen in awhile. I found it. "All That Jazz". A semi-autobiographical movie of director Bob Fosse's life. Starring Roy Scheider (who knew he could sing and dance?), a very attractive Jessica Lange (in her first role after "King Kong"), Ben Vereen (in his prime), and a cast of very talented dancers. The story itself is a little disjointed, bouncing back and forth between the pressures of his life, and his mental discussions with his angel of death (Lange). And lots of booze, pills, cigarettes and women. But you don't really need the story. The dancing is superb, and the music is exciting. By the end of the movie, he suffers a heart attack, and his final curtain call, as it were, is a spectacular dance sequence with Vereen, and a kick-ass rock version of "Bye, Bye Love" (and a most wonderful brass arrangement...).

The film was nominated for 9 Oscars, and won 4, all in lesser categories. Competition was pretty stiff that year (but really, did "Kramer vs. Kramer" deserve all the glory??). For whatever reason, I don't believe I've ever seen it on network or cable TV. Such a shame. But it took care of me tonight. I highly recommend both of them. Just don't get a fucking home-burned pirated copy!
As I've mentioned the past two years at this time...for anyone keeping track, today (Saturday) is Volcano Girl's birthday.

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