pic of the week

Looking west over the SMU campus from work. Click on image for enlarged version.

Strangers With Candy

Saw Strangers With Candy, and it was pretty sweet. My favorite part was when Jerri Blank said and did funny stuff.
Here are some awesomeometer exclusive still shots:




Also looked at Match Point and The Machinist from the Netflix. Both films kept me guessing during, and kept me thinking long after i went to bed. This blogger highly reommends them.
Speaking of recommendations, may i urge you to discover some kick-assed albums at the following locations: California Harmony and Cal's Country Corner. i have been diligently downloading and happily listening to some classic stuff all weekend. Your cool uncle's record collection is at California Harmony and Cal's Country Corner. Enjoy!

Some photos from the last coupla months

Deathray Davies, Starlight Mints, Okkervil River

The Wall of Sound Festival April 9, 2006 in Ft. Worth, TX:
Susan and i checked out the final night of the festival at the Ridglea Theater. The Deathray Davies were rockin' out when we got there. It had been a few years since i saw them and they were as energetic and tight as i remember.
They ripped through their songs with with the ease and beer-soaked confidence of the best veteran rockers around. They were supremely entertaining, and they made me feel sorry i wasn't more familiar with their catalog. Remind me to listen to these guys more often.
Next up were the Starlight Mints. No, not the after-dinner gut settler, the sublimely catchy pop enemble from Oklahoma. After a brief sound check, they dazzled us with their sweet sounds and mesmerizing visuals.
i had seen them in a much smaller venue a coupla years ago, but the projected video was obscured by the band members crowded on a tiny stage, depriving the audience of their full set. This time, the Ridglea Theatre provided the proper aesthetic environment for full enjoyment, but it was the venue people who cut them short. Despite their protests, and the urging of us audience members, they had to stop cuz it was getting late...
..And the headliner had yet to play. Okkervil River, creators of my favorite chill album of 2005 capped off the festival with a superb set of "Folk-Punk Rock" songs they are famous for. i love it when a band is so freakin' good that their live set sounds just like the album. i know many people feel the opposite way - they want to hear more spontenaiety from their favorite artists - but i appreciate the precision and practice it requires to get it "just right." And Will Sheff and company got it exactly right song after song. Truly amazing.
Unfortunately for the dummies who left after the Starlight Mint set, Okkervil River wound up playing for only about 40 people. i guess everyone was tired from the long weekend of shows and went home. But Okkervil River is the kind of band who plays balls-out for however many people care enough to bend an ear. They were as appreciative of us as we were of them. They put everything into their set, then came back on stage and treated us with a couple more songs, and by the time the feedback of the final note rang throughout the nearly empty theatre, they slumped off the stage exhausted and soaked in satisfying sweat.
Can't wait to see them again.

Rhett Miller and the Believers 040106 Dallas, TX

i checked out the Rhett Miller and the Believers show Saturday night at Sons of Hermann Hall on Elm Street in Dallas. Having just moved to Dallas, i was pumped to see RMiller perform in his hometown. Also, i had never heard of - let alone been to - the Sons of Hermann Hall and was very impressed with the venue. The intimate concert area was upstairs (no smoking, no wheelchair access) and they had a small bar downstairs if you wanted a smoke break during the show, or just hang out down there without paying admission. The sound was good, and the atmosphere was friendly. A good time was had by all. There were the standard annoyances that seem to accompany all live shows, however: The oblivious, shoeless hippie chick dancing all up in your personal space; the drunk girl who inevitably falls over; tall people; drunk people stepping on your girlfriend's feet.
Rhett and the Believers played pert near two hours worth of songs from Rhett's two solo albums, plus about a half dozen Old 97's favorites mixed up in there. The Believers were tight, Rhett was loose and everyone invlolved had a killler time.

Keith Olbermann's Countdown beats CNN's Paula Zahn

Photo courtesy Olbermann.org

Keith Olbermann is the man.

As a loyal viewer of Countdown With Keith Olbermann, i am heartened by the news that KO's viewership in the 25-54 demographic is up a whopping 41%. Hooray! Fox News blowhard Bellow Righteously's numbers plummeted 24% in the key demographic. Ha ha! This is testament to the apparent fact that people are tiring of the hate-filled bullshit spewed by the likes of O'Reilly and the sensationalist tabloid coverage of White Women in Trouble by the likes of Nancy Grace. Evidently, those who aren't tuned in to network TV "reality" drivel or stale sitcoms don't want TV hosts' opinions shouted at them. These viewers want real news, and KO is more than happy to provide them with it.
Here are my top reasons to watch Countdown With Keith Olbermann:

• Credibility: Keith is one of the few people on primetime cable news with legit journalism credentials. See bio info here here and here. Olbermann's reporting is thorough, insightful and thought-provoking. "Olbermann is the recipient of numerous distinguished awards in radio and television broadcasting, including the 1995 Cable Ace Award for Best Sportscaster, 11 Golden Mike Awards for excellence in television and radio, and four Sports Emmy Awards. Olbermann also received an Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the events of 9/11." His credentials and awards are enough for anyone to rest on, but Keith continues to strive for excellence. He is more than happy to give credit where it's due, and is always willing to offer an apology or correction when he makes a mistake.
  
• Context: Sure, Keith covers some the same stories you can see on NBC Nightly News - often using the segments of the 5:30 broadcast - but his approach adds depth and breadth to the story by addressing its relevance to history and the impact it has on us as citizens, on our nation and on the world. He'll often put the original reporter on the air and ask important questions from the "everyman" perspective. The Countdown format affords him the opportunity to probe underlying issues that usually do not get addressed in a two-minute segment on network TV. "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Keith seems to appreciate this piece of common sense wisdom from George Santayana and apply it to his coverage of the biggest news items of the day.
• Common Sense: I consider Olbermann an umpire of sorts, because he calls it like he sees it. His b.s. detector is as good as any journalist out there, but Keith actually calls the b.s.-ers and hypocrites out on it, regardless of their affiliation or ideology. He has a special contempt for those who say nasty and hateful things, and then proceed to deny they said any such thing. Hello, John Gibson and Bill O! To be sure, he has been particularly vociferous in this regard about the current administration, but they deserve it, especially in light of the Bush Administration's latest "blame the media" crusade for their own failiures in Iraq. Keith continues to point out that Bush's casus belli for the invasion of Iraq has changed several times over the last four years. In the aftermath of Katrina, he took on the "the law and order and terror government" for their failure to protect its citizens from the biological weapon that was standing water. When Bush said that he has never linked 9/11 to Iraq, Keith asked rhetorically, "Who does the president think he is f-ing [pronounced: "effing"] kidding!?" Olbermann has recently taken to ending every broadcast with: "That's COUNTDOWN for this, the _ _ _ _ day since the declaration of mission accomplished in Iraq." Best. Sign off. Ever.
• Cultural Literacy: Olbermann can't help it. He's an embodiment of his past experiences. As a student and an up-and-coming journalist, he immersed himself in history, sports, and popular culture. He'll often introduce a segment with a quote, factoid or bit of trivia that seemingly has no pertinence to the story at hand. But as the story progresses, you have one of those, "ah-hah" moments where it all becomes clear. From the March 20, 2006 show:

  OLBERMANN: Today is the equinox. You remember from science class, sun is directly over the equator, making day and night almost equal, the start of the spring in the north and fall to the south, a tranquil day as you see on the map here. Our number two story, Mother Nature did not get the memo about tranquil. Today’s whether so extreme it looked like scenes right after the “Day After Tomorrow.”

  This provided the segway to stories on a cyclone in Australia, tornadoes and flooding in the States, and the "howling natural phenomena spewing death and destruction," Donald Trump. See? Genius. Keith often shows his grasp of zeitgeist in subtle ways: He uses the term "internets" at every possible opportunity; His theme music choices for the nightly Top Three Newsmakers are impeccable; And - this is my favorite - each broadcast has at least one reference to The Simpsons. Watch the show every night and see if you can spot it. It may be just a Homer-esque, "D'oh!" or a paraphrasing of the Comic Book Guy, "Worst. (insert noun here). Ever." but it's there.

And that is why Keith Olbermann is The Man.

For more info on Keith Olbermann:
Bloggerman
The "Unofficial Keith Olbermann Fan Site"
Countdown Homepage
Wikipedia
Google
UPDATE (03/31/06): A Keith Olbermann blog! Sweet. Thanks to Becky in the comments.

"My Slump"

Crooks and Liars has the "My Humps" parody video that aired Saturday night on Mad TV. In case you missed it over the weekend, here is the link: "My Slump." Take a 1 minute and 46 second break from your day and enjoy, it's high-larious!
Sorta makes me feel bad that i never watch Mad TV (who does?). If they keep bringing this kinda noise, i'll definately start peepin' it. Props!
While you're at Crooks and Liars, go to their home page and browse around for a while. This is the go-to place for the best political sound bites and videos on all of the internets.

Buck Owens 1929 - 2006

Just heard the sad news that honky tonk hero Buck Owens has died in his home in L.A. Read his bio here. Mr. Owens' stellar musical career spanned six decades inlcuding an incredible string of 15 consecutive #1 hits in the 60's. It's impossible to fully document his influence on everyone who has heard his heartfelt songs, but his legacy is apparent in so many of the artists in my library, some of which include: The Beatles, The Backsliders, Bobby Bare Jr., Beck, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, BR5-49, Junior Brown, The Byrds, Calexico, Elvis Costello, Deke Dickerson, Steve Earle, Robbie Fulks, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Geraldine Fibbers, The Grievous Angels, The Handsome Family, Emmylou Harris, Mike Ireland, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, The Mavericks, Rhett Miller, Scott Miller, Willie Nelson, Old 97's, Gram Parsons, Tom Petty, Reverend Horton Heat, Doug Sahm, Todd Snider, The Starkweathers, Dave Stuckey, Uncle Tupelo, The Untamed Youth, The V-Roys, Dale Watson, Ween, Whiskeytown, Jim White, Hank Williams III, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Neil Young...and countless others. Needless to say, Buck Owens has touched your life somehow, some way. He will be dearly missed.
Some of my favorite Buck Owens tunes:
Second Fiddle - His first single to chart, released in 1959.
Streets of Bakersfield - This is the song that comes to mind when i think of Buck Owens.
Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass - My favorite Buck Owens song of all times, from 1969 with a dose of psychedelia.
Close Up the Honky Tonks - Yep, close up the honky tonks, the king is dead. R.I.P.

News Nuggets 032106

White House Watch
Bush gives speech, updates the American people on the Iraq War, does not say the word "war" once.
The President is in denial. No wonder his disapproval rating is reaching Nixonian levels.

Insurgents Kill 19 Iraqis in Prison Break, Free 33 insurgents.
And they did it pretty easily.
But Bush insists that Iraq is not in a civil war. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi: "We are losing each day as an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more - if this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is."
Apparently, Bush knows what a civil war isn't.

Carlos Santana: "I have wisdom. I feel love. I live in the present and I try to present a dimension that brings harmony and healing. My concept is the opposite of George W. Bush." Carlos for Prez?

Homeland Insecurity Update
"An FBI agent who interrogated Zacarias Moussaoui before Sept. 11, 2001, warned his supervisors more than 70 times that Moussaoui was a terrorist and spelled out his suspicions that the al-Qaeda operative was plotting to hijack an airplane, according to federal court testimony yesterday."
Mr. Mousaoui is the only person the US gov't has detained for the attacks on 9-11, and they continue to bungle the investigation. Tell us again, Mr. Bush, how you protect us from terrorists?

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to Focus on Chemical Plant Safety "Legislation is pending in the Senate to authorize Homeland Security to shut down facilities that do not comply with minimum safety standards. The bill by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., would largely let the chemical industry draw up its own security plans for the federal government to approve or reject."
Stay tuned for the Right Wing Repugnicans to clandestinely insert into that legislation language that will include huge tax breaks to chemical plants to defer the costs of such safety standards. Because that's how they roll.

News You Can Use
Breast Asymmetry May Indicate Increased Risk of Breast Cancer In Women.
Now creepy men have a new excuse to leer: "I'm not staring at your chest, I'm checking for breast cancer."

Just in time for the busy petting zoo season: Study Finds Petting Zoos Can Spread E. Coli Virus.
File under: Duh! This breaking health news will be a boon to the rubber glove manufacturing industry.

Notable recent DVD releases: Capote - See Phillip Symore Hoffman's Oscar-winning portayal of the eccentric author. The Squid and The Whale - Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney star as parents of two who decide to divorce, and the impact their decision has on their troubled family. Good Night and Good Luck - Clooney's film about journalists and their battle against a suppressive government during the red scare of the 1950's. Count the parallels to today's administration and their adversarial relationship with the media. Howl's Moving Castle - An enlightening animated alternative to Disney/Pixar drivel. NewsRadio: The Third Season - See Season 3 of one of the best TV shows of all times.

Over and out.

Awesomeometer world headquarters has moved...

...to beautiful suburban Dallas.
So that's why i haven't posted in a while. The last three weeks have been kinda hectic. i was busy training the new guy at work, throwing out/selling/giving away/packing all my stuff and moving 600 miles south of Columbia, MO.
Yesterday i finally got hooked up with cable and the internet. Yay.
So far, i have to say that TX isn't bad. Now i need to focus on organizing my stuff in this small apartment and getting one of those job thingies.

Rap at ya later...

Bush described as a "moving/falling object"

...and they're not talking about his job approval ratings.
(photo by cheesegod.com)

The Scotsman has obtained the police report detailing Chimpy's July, 2005 incident where he collided with a Scottish police constible while trying to "pedal, wave and speak at the same time."

After a hard day's discussion with fellow world leaders, the president was looking for some relaxation. Instead, he ended up the subject of a police report in which the leader of the free world was described, in classic police language, as a "moving/falling object" [...]

"[The police unit] was requested to cover the road junction on the Auchterarder to Braco Road as the President of the USA, George Bush, was cycling through." The report goes on: "[At] about 1800 hours the President approached the junction at speed on the bicycle. The road was damp at the time. As the President passed the junction at speed he raised his left arm from the handlebars to wave to the police officers present while shouting 'thanks, you guys, for coming'.

"As he did this he lost control of the cycle, falling to the ground, causing both himself and his bicycle to strike [the officer] on the lower legs. [The officer] fell to the ground, striking his head. The President continued along the ground for approximately five metres, causing himself a number of abrasions. The officers... then assisted both injured parties."

...after they recovered from laughing their asses off.
Full article

Best TV News Clip Ever

...As declared by Boing Boing.net.
i first saw this clip a coupla years ago at the RagTag. They were showing a bunch of other shorts documenting creative civil disobedience and other subversions, and kinda just threw this one in there to kick things off.
That night, one of the "co-conspirators," if you will, told us in the audience the real backstory. To the best of my recollection, it went down like this:
The RagTag, still in its infancy, wanted to promote their upcoming Free Form Film Festival, and local Columbia TV station KMIZ agreed to have one of the festival organizers, Tyrone Davies, appear live on the set during one of their news broadcasts. At first, KMIZ said he could be on during the evening, then they called and canceled. KMIZ then said they could come the next day, after the festival had already started, and once again Tyrone got bumped at the last minute. There was another round of this the next day, and KMIZ finally agreed to do the segment on the early morning broadcast (6am) on the last day of the festival. Well, the organizers were understandable peeved by the run-around they got, so they decided to teach ol' Channel 17 a lesson. Tyrone got up extra early that morning and proceeded to scarf down as much Blue's Clues Ice Cream as he could before air time on an empty stomach, and his buddies set their VCRs. Tyrone was already nervous about being on live TV, but felt he was ready for his close up when his big moment arrived. Watch the very short Quicktime video(Here's an alternate link)
While i have seen this clip elsewhere on the internets, Boing Boing is the highest profile site on which i've seen it mentioned, so props to Tyrone and the RagTag gang. Makes me proud to be a Columbian.

Bode Miller's Money Quote

The drunken U S and A Olympian Bode Miller said of his dismal showing in Turin(o), "If things went well, I could be sitting on four medals."
And if things went well for me last weekend, i could be sitting on a huge pile of cash. What a butt nut.
Bode is a perfect example of why i root against Americans if and when i watch the Olympics. It was this moment in 2000 when my sentiment turned on American Olympic favorites: The Men's 400-meter relay team were heavy favorites to win the gold, and they did so in anticlimactic fashion. Hooray! Oh, wait. What are they doing? They immediately draped themselves in as many American flags as they could find, did a victory lap or two and posed for a few dozen photos just like the one here (Photo by Jeff Haynes, Agence France- Press). The fans in Sidney were disgusted and actually booed the boys after a few minutes of this. i realized just then that i was on the side of the fans who just wanted them to sit the funk down and let someone else run. Maybe someone who appreciates the spirit of the Olympics. Maybe someone with more humility and less bravado. Sadly, winning with dignity dropped off the ever-shrinking list of American values in 2000, and losing with dignity - if that was ever an American value - is M.IA. in 2006.

Valentine's Day Pics

Rogue Wave and Nada Surf at the Blue Note on Valentine's Day 2006. Rock!

Cheney's shotgun vs. old guy

Cheney shoots fellow hunter Harry Whittington, in act of complete negligence. Ho hum, just another telling case of the utter disregard for prudance and caution that so exemplifies the Bush Administration.

Firstly, Cheney actually SHOT somebody. Holy crap! Good thing he got 5 deferments during the Vietnam era, or he woulda shot some of his buddies there, too.

According to the AP, "the accident occurred after Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of a car to shoot at a covey of quail." Wow. Even when he's hunting small birds Cheney's a fucking coward.

The public didn't find out about the shooting until at least 18 hours later, when it was disclosed to a reporter by the owner of the ranch where they were hunting. Bush found out that someone in the hunting party was shot Saturday night, but was NOT TOLD WHO THE SHOOTER WAS! Cheney's Chappaquiccick moment? It sounds suspicious to me. So how long after your last swig of whiskey until a blood test determines you are sober? And why the hell not tell the President that it was Cheney who shot him??

Cheney thought that the ranch owner, Katharine Armstrong should handle the press on this one, so she called one of her buddies at the local newspaper on Sunday. Hmmmm. Hate the media much, Mr. Cheney? Yeah, they hate you, too, Big Time.
"Whittington 'came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn’t signal them or indicate to them or announce himself,' said Armstrong, who was in the car." Oh, so it's the victim's fault, not the person who swung his gun around wildly and pulled the trigger? This is classic BushCult mentality. It's never their fault.


Best wishes to Mr. Whittington and his family. Hope he fully recovers soon.

Still no word on an apology from Mr. Cheney yet.

Josh at Talking Points Memo has been asking the right questions on this. Here and here

Check here for the White House press gaggle transcript from today (2/13/06) for the official BushCult talking points on this matter.

The White House Word for Today is: Peppered.
As in, "Mr. Whittington was not shot, he was peppered." What-Ever-The-Fuck. Tell it to Mr. Whittington.

Just to recap:

• A BushCult member does something bad to someone.
• The BushCult tries to keep their actions hidden from the public.
• The public finds out, starts asking The BushCult about it. The questioners and questions are dismissed as bothersome and inconsequential.
• The BushCult and their apologists blame everyone else.
• The BushCult and their sycophants manipulate the language to minimize perceptual damage.
• The BushCult does not apologize or acknowledge wrongdoing.

Got it? Good. Have some Kool-Aid.