Letting the cables sleep

Well, two men from my local cable company came out to the house today to try to see what's up with my mysterious internet problem.

After much trial and tribulation, they came to the conclusion that:

1. Plugging my cable wire into the surge protector is a bad thing (though I don't really see why).
2. My splitter (I have a cable going to the modem, and also into my meadia center computer) wasn't too good (again, I really don't see why, but whatever).
3. I have a plug in coaxial cable going from the splitter to the modem, when a screw on coaxial cable is better (O.K. I agree with them on this one, since I was too lazy to go out and buy a screw on type, and the plug in one was working, I just let it go).
5. The last cable guys that came out put a filter on our cable because the cable to our house was causing a lot of "noise". This noise was also creating havoc to our whole neighborhood, which caused sporadic outages to various people, but most notably us (they told me an ideal noise range was in the 40's, ours was in the mid to high 50's, and sometimes peaking into the high 60's, which usually kills the internet connection completely).

So after much testing to find the cause of the noise, we find that the main cable that runs to our house from the outlet box is corrupted! I wonder why they never found that out in the first place? This corruption was causing headaches for not only us, but would cause residual noise for everyone else, making all our cable suck. Well, at least we know the cause now. The bad news is that the guys were incapable of feeding a new line to the house (they were just looking into the internet situation remember?), so they rigged up a temporary line (unfortunately, the line is above ground, so it kinda looks like we are stealing cable), and they tell me that it may be a month before the cable installer technicians will be able to come out to replace the undergound line.

Oh well, as long as I have my sweet, sweet internet access!

I'm freakin wet!!!

Sorry about the lack of posts again. My internet is being buggy. So I had to call my local ISP to come out to have a look at the cable. Hopefully it's an easy quick fix. I don't last too long without my internet!!!

Anyway, I just got back from the Train concert with my sister. Wee! Outdoor venues, at night, in mid-50 degree weather, in the pouring rain!!!

Oh, there will be payback, big time!

Anyway, when my internet connection is more stable, I'll post some pics up or something...

Stop. Don't. No. Please...

So the first official picture from the movie version of the musical based off of the movie (got that?) Hairspray has finally been released.

All I can say is color me unimpressed.

What I don't mind is a movie version of this musical (it was so good, I caught it at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle twice! And I absolutely adore the original movie version by John Waters. Love that guy's stuff!). I wish it much success so that movie musicals will make a grand comeback (mostly so I can get a big screen movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard with either Barbara Streisand or Glenn Close as Norma Desmond and Hugh Jackman as Joe Gillis captured in all it's glory!). But the casting so far has been a very mixed bag.

I don't mind that they did a nation wide talent search for an unknown (Nikki Blonksy) to play Tracy Turnblad, though why they didn't just go with Marissa Jaret Winokur (who originated the musical role), I just don't know. But then they decided to cast John Travolta in the Divine/Harvey Fierstein role of Tracy's mother, Edna Turnblad. Looking at the picture, blech! I'll have to bleach my eyes after watching 90 minutes of him do the drag and try to sing with that shot out husky voice of his (his voice is not like it was in Grease anymore folks!). Queen Latifa seems a little to young to play Motormouth Maybelle. Amanda Bynes (Penny Pingleton, the best friend), Zac Efron (Link Larkin, the love interest), and Brittany Snow (Amber von Tussel, the "enemy") all do nothing to me, as they all seem to be be "celebutants du jour." Though I do have to say that casting Michelle Pfeiffer as Amber's mother, Velma, is truly inspired casting (I wonder how her voice will hold up since Grease 2 and The Fabulous Baker Boys. Probably better than Debbie Harry's though, who originated the role in the original version). I can live with James Marsden as host Corny Collins, and though he scares the bejesus out of me, Christopher Walken would make an interesting Wilber Turnblad. But now that I think about it, I will probably have to blow my brains out if he and John Travolta do that mock kiss at the end of their big duet, "Your Timeless to Me." I feel queezy already!

B'Day down the bidet?

So Beyonce has finally released her second solo album this past Tuesday. I have to admit that I was kinda quick on the draw in joining along on the Beyonce bashing bandwagon. I mean, I was all excited when I heard that new stuff was coming, since Destiny's Child's Destiny Fulfilled was very underwhelming after "Loose My Breath." Beyonce was the star vehicle of that outfit anyway. Really. I know you thought about it.

So anyway, after "Deja Vu" leaked out, I was excited. Sure, she's ripping off the same formula that she used for the excellent "Crazy In Love," from the blaring horn section to the guest rap by Jay-Z. But there were a lot of "haters" out there, that touted this being a boring single, and too similar to what she's done before. I gave Beyonce the benefit of the doubt, because a lot of her songs, both solo and with Destiny's Child, had to grow on me before I start liking it. The video was stupid with no focus, but I could look past this due to the song being dancey.

But then other things started leaking. First it was the boring "Stepford Wives'" cover, to the insipid title (B'freaking Day???), and then the worst travesty that has ever entered my acoustic canals, "Ring the Alarm," the supposed second single, leaked. It was at this point that I turned from a Beyonce supporter to one of the "haters." The song is screeched instead of sung, there is an annoying siren that goes on during the duration of the chorus, and I just didn't feel like this was Beyonce. She doesn't do the uber-angry scorned woman very well. And then I saw the video via YouTube. Now I had an assault for my eyes to go along with my ears. The video can be succinctly described as "Whitney Houston on cocaine ("Crack is whack!") gets cast in a bad remake of the first Basic Instinct.

And then Beyonce decided to rip off more movies by performing "Ring the Alarm" at the MTV VMAs, rappelling down from the ceiling in a trench coat. Not only did she seemed to have watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith one too many times, but this also ripped off Brittney Spear's performance of "Me Against the Music" at the American Music Awards. And then Beyonce breaks it down in a sloppy rendition of Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation." Sure, a lot of artists copy what others have done before (Madonna is a prime example of this), but at least they make it fresh, instead of making it look like an obvious rehash.

So with some trepidation, I picked up B'Day. And I was actually mildly surprised. After listening to it four times through, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. "Get Me Bodied" is off the hook, very dancey, very ballsy, and would have made an excellent single instead of "Ring the Alarm." "Get Me Bodied" is easily the best track off the album. Actually, many of the songs seem like they'd be perfectly at home on the dance floor with the bass turned up. "Upgrade U" adds a hip-hop hook to the dance floor. And "Ring the Alarm" put into the dance floor context, also sounds better in comparison.

But for every plus, there is a minus. "Suga Mama," sounds like a weak rehash of Beyonce's "Work It Out." "Freakum Dress" and "Green Light," though hot, sounds too much like deconstructed versions of Amerie's "One Thing" (which sounded like a garbled version of Jennifer Lopez's "Get Right" in the first place). "Kitty Kat" doesn't sound like it should be a Beyonce song. She doesn't pull of sexy yet cute too well. The two slower songs at the end are snoozers (not to mention silly. "Irreplaceable" has Beyonce singing the refrain "To the left/To the left." What is she trying to tell us? Which way Jay-Z hangs?) .

And the last nail in the coffin is the sound mixing on this album. It is all over the place. Sometimes it sounds like the music is mixed too quiet. Then her voice sounds like it is too quiet. And then the greatest horror was the high end distortion that can be heard in the chorus/bridge of "Deja Vu," where Beyonce's voice gets a little shrill, like you were listening to cheap headsets with the volume turned way up. There is no excuse for that!

So I give B'Day from Beyonce a B-. I hope she learns from her mistakes and thus never make a "Ring the Alarm" again.

MTV VMA (Video Music Aarrrgghhhh!!!!!!)

Sorry guys, don't have the time to make a full post on my thoughts for the MTV VMA 2006 that aired this past Thursday (it's hot, and it's late, and I'm tired from coming off of work).

But I'll crown the winner of the "Most Hideous Couple" Award:

Skeletor and Chemo!

Congratulations for being one of many people and events throughout the night that made me have my barf bag at the ready. Really, Marc Anthony just looks hideous, and why did JLo think that she could get away with a doo-rag? Please! Someone need some Fasion Police help (and needs to get rid of the husband that looks like he's wasting away to heroin and coke addiction) pronto!

Last year I posted a pretty lengthy post that had the same qualms about the MTV VMAs of year's past. Nothing was really memorable, performances were bleah, and there were no longer any bands that were showcased that I cared about anymore.

Anyway, stay tuned for my full review soming within the next day or so.

Grrrr.....No, Be Happy!!!

The heat is back on for Seattle this weekend! It's supposed to get into the 80's again.

Fortunately, I'll be indoors at work for most of the weekend. The air conditioning better be on in the hospital!!!

Also on Sunday, I am headed off to the Triple Door in Seattle to go see my fellow co-worker, Dana Countryman, play with his friend and fellow musician, Jean-Jacques Perrey, bringing Happy Retro Moog Pop to the Seattle masses.

Good luck with the show Dana!

If you are in Seattle, (they will also be playing shows in San Francisco and Hollywood), come on down to the Triple Door on Sunday night to check them out!

New Musicality

Well, again, a new Tuesday has passed us by. So let's celebrate Wednesday by looking at what I spent my hard earned money on!

First, I was excited to see that Apple iTunes has just released Dangerous Muse's new EP, "Give Me Danger." I raved about their last EP, "The Rejection," and I LOVED (with a capital L!) the "Blazing Lazer Reject Disco Mix," so I was waiting to see what they would release next. Unfortunately, inflatedly high expectations only lead to heartache (see what happened to those Star Wars prequels!). Though the lead song, "Give Me Danger" is a perfectly fine song, it sounds too much like a rehashed A-Ha song with more of a rock beat. It is not as inventive, fresh, and stylized as "The Rejection" (though the subject matter, finding your boyfriend with your female bestfriend, is a little interesting). I probably will warm up to this song eventually, but right now, color me a little underwhelmed. The other songs on the EP ("Break Up," and "In This Town") are also O.K., I actually enjoy "Break Up" better than the main song. It's a cool 80's inspired song where you can't make up your mind whether it's time to move on and break up or to to look for a reason to stay together. It has a better propulsive beat, and doesn't make me think of "Take On Me" every five seconds.

And in brick and mortar purchases, I picked up a trifecta of new hip-hop beats, Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere, Kelis' Kelis Was Here, and Outkast's Idlewild.

I've already talked about the greatness that is the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy." And true, their album, St. Elsewhere, was released a little while ago, but I just got around to buying it now, due to the strength of their new single, "Smiley Faces." It again plays with convention and genre's that put a smile on my face. It's both retro sounding, yet fresh and new, and I love that interplay (Madonna's "Get Together" and Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" and "Candyman" hits me right in the spot also). I'm now working my way through the rest of their album, and I hope I love it's funkyness just as much as their first two singles. Oh, the video for "Smiley Faces" is a hoot also, done in mock documentary style, with guest appearances by Dean Stockwell and Dennis Hopper. Check it out!



Then there is Kelis' new album, Kelis Was Here. I'm sorry to say that this album is not quite as "Tasty" as the last, and I could see it being a while for me to get into this album. With Tasty, I was immediately hooked by the "Intro/Trick Me," and went along with the glorious trip afterword. On this new album, Kelis inundates us with a darker, grittier sound, and in the process, tries to sound more mainstream, but it just doesn't work. Her first single, "Bossy," tries to capitalize on "Milkshake"s funky coat-tails, but just ends up falling flat on their namesake. Even the worst tracks on Tasty (and there really wasn't any), sounds better than the best songs on here. Maybe she suffers from the Star Trek movie curse, where every other release is alternately very good, then pretty mediocre and quickly forgettable (Kaleidoscope was very promising, Wanderland was underwhelming, Tasty was delicious, and this album will hopefully be a learning experience to what will hopefully be a great fifth album).

And finally, this leads us to Outkast's Idlewild. I believe that is album also works as the soundtrack to a movie that Big Boi and Andre 3000 was working on since their last album won the Grammy. Again, I love their respective lead singles ("Morris Brown" from Big Boi, and "Idlewild Blues" from Andre 3000), but the rest of their album all seems like fillers. This is the way I felt about Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Great first singles, and then...

What I think is the funniest thing is that they still try to pass themselves off as a group. I hope one day they will have the cojones to officially break up and start their respective solo careers. Like Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, all the songs were recorded separate from each other, and the songs in which the boys do appear together, I heard the vocals were recorded separately at different times. The only thing keeping them together is the money invested into the Outkast name. Oh well.

So that's what I'm listening to right now. This should tide me over until tomorrow, when I have comic books to buy, and fashion to pan on "Project Runway." Caio!

Completely Inappropriate

I don't know why I decided to watch the Teen Choice Awards on Fox last night. O.K., I actually do have two reasons for watching last night. One was to see if Nelly Furtado and Timbaland can actually sing "Promiscuous" live (answer: a resounding NO! The vocals were all over the place, and it was just plain messy). The second reason was to catch the premiere of Kevin Federline's new song "Lose Control" (hasn't there already been like five or so songs released in the past few years called "Lose Control"?) All I need to say can be summed up in one syllable, "ICK!" Also, for being a show for "teens," there seemed to be a lot of inappropriate jokes during the show, not to mention the icky-pooness of Steve-O and his posse.

Unfortunately, I'll never be able to get those two hours of my life back, but I did get a couple of good laughs. Brandon Routh, the Superman portrayer, decided that the only thing he has going for him now that Superman Returns has not lived up to it's hype, is his hottness, as witnessed by his dressing down in this outfit. All I can say is "Now where am I supposed to be exactly? In D-List obscurity land?"

But the worst outfit of the night was Mischa Barton's clown outfit. Now, I barely care about her (just like I barely care about all these new teen neophytes that somehow become "A-List" celebrities because they happen to be on some hot new T.V. show that only teen girls seem to watch), and I do hear that she actually had on a different dress that looked nice on her going down the red carpet, but when I see this, I expect to see a trained seal and Ringmaster following her. Honey, when Sondheim wrote "Send In the Clowns," he meant it allegorically, not literally.