Noah R. Taylor's Blog

Action and Action archives part 7

2009-07-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

originally posted: March 11, 2009.

Kittens inspired by Kittens!

My first instinct was that I should save this video to post on Bobbo's birthday. But then when I saw that it had almost 3 million views, there was no doubt in my mind that he must have already come across it in his hours of watching youtube kitten videos, and would have posted it but didn't want to water down the maleness of 'Action and Action' with too much kitty content. I'm pretty sure this video was written and directed by the same responsible parent that gave that little girl a tattoo of a dog on her arm.

Action and Action archives part 6

2009-07-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

originally posted: March 9, 2009

10 Reasons why George Lucas shouldn't have directed the Star Wars Prequels.

1999 was a much more innocent time than the one we live in now. The world's intelligentsia all believed whole heartedly that the new millennium would bring about a technological apocalypse, few of us had even heard of George Walker Bush yet, and right about this time ten years ago, fans began to line up for 'The Phantom Menace' and thought it was going to be good. I have a distinct memory of Liam Neeson promoting the film on The Rosie O'Donnel show, saying that Ahmed Best (aka Jar Jar) was going to be the next Eddie Murphy.

I've been looking forward to seeing how the film 'Fanboys' portrays this period ever since it was finished 2 years ago. After some re-shooting, re-editing, and redirecting (the original director was replaced), the film finally got its (limited) US release last month. No word yet on when the Canadians will get to see it, even though there's a bunch of us in it (Jay Baruchel plays one of the main characters, Seth Rogan and William Shatner both have cameos as well). For those of you unfamiliar with the plot of the film, it involves a group of fans trying to sneak into the Skywalker ranch to get a copy of the first unreleased Star Wars prequel so that their dying friend can see it.

While they may have not known the disappointment that awaited them, the world today is much wiser to the directorial skills of Darth Lucas. The following list isn't really what the title of this post suggests, but more just a list of really cool things other people have done with the Star Wars universe, showing that 'fanboys' sometimes grasp the content better than its creator.

10. Troops (1998)

9. Masters of Teras Kasi (1997)
Ever wonder who would win in a fight between Han and Chewie? I know, it would never happen, right? Except in this awesome Star Wars fighting game for the original sony playstation.

8. Robot Chicken: Star Wars (2008)
This is just one of the many great moments of the 23 minute special.

7. Darth Vader with removable helmet toy (1996)
His hand comes off too. Totally boss.

6, 5, 4 Timothy Zahn's 'Thrawn Trilogy'
'Heir to the Empire' (1992) 'Dark Force Rising' (1992) and 'The Last Command' (1994) take place about 5 years after Episode 6 and are the first serious and successful literary contribution to Star Wars' expanded universe. It's been a long time since I've read a Star Wars book, but I would probably read these again before picking up anything new, as I'm sure these are superior.

3. Warning: mind is at risk of being blown if image below is clicked to enlarge.

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Okay, this film has no literal connection to Star Wars whatsoever, though I'm sure one could uncover several thematic links. The first time I watched this martial arts masterpiece, these links are what made me think Ang Lee would be a much better man for the job that Lucas, blinded by self importance, refused to let anyone else have.

1. 'Fette's Vette' by MC Chris
Wanting to post this video was the primary catalyst behind this entire post. It's a great rap, and the videogame footage they show is pretty incredible as well, though I'm not sure where it comes from. Kevin Smith used the song in 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' and it's ten times better than that Chewbacca song he used in 'Clerks.'

The only thing that George Lucas has done in the last 15 years that's anywhere near as cool as anything in the list above, was setting Hayden Christensen's stumps on fire, and he made us sit through three movies before that happened.

Click here to read what like-minded individuals over at Dork Shelf have to say about Lucas beginning production on a live action Star Wars series.

Action and Action Archives part 5

2009-07-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

originally posted: May 1, 2009.

Seriously, this shit is important.

Before you read on or watch the video below, I would like to begin by apologizing for this departure from 'Action and Action's usual lightheartedness and humour you've come to know and love us for, but this is a serious issue that affects all of us and is often overlooked. I applaud these young kids for their bravery in speaking out against what we've all been guilty of from time to time.

To learn more about this matter, please visit the no cussing website, where you can find out more about how this video came to be. Don't forget to visit the e-store to purchase fabulous items such as this.

Action and Action archives part 4

2009-07-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

originally posted: April 25, 2009

Does Hawaii Top That?

Two clips that epitomize the 'so bad it's good' phenomenon we've come to associate mostly with the 80s.

Teen Witch (1989)

Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)

I can imagine this altercation between the film's editor (Bill) and its producer (Jack)-

Bill: But why would we he have his back turned for so long while he puts down his gun? What if we just cut back to him after Rowdy throws the frisbee for Colleen like a dog?

Jack: You mean before the zoom-in for the 'great ass' line?

Bill: Yeah.

Jack: You're fired. Oh, and Bill.

Bill: Yeah?

Jack: You've got a great ass.

Bill: Gross.

Happy Birthday Canada

2009-07-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Action and Action archives part 3

2009-07-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

originally posted: April 20, 2009

Someone's got a kaiser blade up his butt (some folks call it a sling blade)

I knew I should have been all punctual and posted this video when I heard about it the day after it occurred in my hometown two weeks ago, but shut up! I've been like, busy and everything (scratches neck, looks up and away). Anyway, almost 2 million views isn't quite Susan Boyle numbers yet, so maybe a couple Action and Actioners haven't seen this video of career asshole Billy Bob Thornton trying to usurp Joaqin of his recent corner on the crazy actor turned musician market.

Clearly he's sorting out some personal things. I heard a rumour that they left the tour after this appearance, though I couldn't find any evidence of this on the Boxmasters myspace. Less surprising is the lack of any mention of this interview on the myspace, but I did notice that they're scheduled to be on Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow (Tuesday) night, so it's sure to come up then. I listened to a couple of the songs and I couldn't hear the 'cosmic' British invasion influence. The few songs ranged from laughably bad to halfway decent, though I'm assuming it's the cream of the crop from their six albums or whatever it was they made last year.

Here are some other things I love about this video:

-Billy Bob compares himself to Tom Petty. I wish Ghomeshi had hit back with "If Tom Petty started making films, would no one mention his music career anymore?"

-His non-sequitur monster magazine tangent... brilliant.

-How uncomfortable the rest of the band is throughout.

-Just when you think his horse can't get any higher, he says he grew up as a music historian and nobody's done what they're doing in the last 30 years (this point is accompanied by a half angry, full crazy eye twitch).

-How you can almost see the blood coming from Jian Ghomeshi's mouth from biting his tongue so as not to say that Billy Bob's acting past is the only reason he agreed to have the 'Boxmasters' on his show.

It's no wonder this so called master of the box has been divorced 5 times. Speaking of which, I would have liked to have seen Billy Bob's reaction if Ghomeshi brought up this period in his life:

Interesting tidbit: Billy Bob Thornton is still acting.

Another interesting tidbit: I fucking love 'Armageddon'

I'd also recommend checking out some other QTV clips, such as some cool acoustic performances by K'naan and Lily Allen, and a good interview with The Killers.

Action and Action archives part 2.

2009-06-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

originally posted: June 7, 2009.

Honor, diplomacy, and the 'ultimate shamed ballplayer'

Since this show has been lauded once or twice on this site, I thought I'd throw in my two cents along with a couple updates and one 'funny or die' video that has me laughing to death.

When I saw the first episode of 'Eastbound and Down' it was presented by someone who told me that HBO had already pulled the plug on the series due to it's crass, lowbrow humor tarnishing their reputation, even though the first episode hadn't even aired yet. Now six episodes with Kenny Powers have gone by faster than six with David Brent, marking the end of the first season. I thought the makers would try to push a DVD release as soon as possible so as to get fans clamoring for a second season. About half of that assumption was correct. The DVD is being given a semi-quick release in about three weeks (June 30) but apparently it's been almost two months since HBO announced that it's been renewed for a second season, though there's no word yet and when it will air or if it's even been written yet.

I have yet to find a website that lists the special features of a DVD long before its release date. No word on this one yet, but I hope it includes this hilarious video I came across over at 'Funny or Die.' Though it has no direct connection to anything in the show, it was clearly shot on the set of 'Eastbound and Down' while Will Ferrell was in his Ashley Schaffer costume. I particularly like Ferrell's singing style and the sound editing in the last minute.

BAT FIGHT with Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell

To learn a more about the show's genesis, check out this TV guide interview with Danny McBride.

Action and Action archives part 1

2009-06-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

Originally posted: yesterday.

More shameless self promotion

Last weekend some friends and I took part in Toronto's 24 hour film race. At 10pm on Friday night we were given a theme (payback) and a surprise element (Action - Spraying perfume / cologne). By 10pm the following evening we submitted a 4 minute short film which was written, filmed and edited all within 24 hours. Less than a week later, they screened the 34 entries at The Bloor cinema. After the screening, the audience voted ours as their favourite! In about four weeks, we find out what the judges thought and if we get any of the big prizes.

I have to give a lot of credit to our creative nucleus consisting of the lead actors (Jake Mednick as the sad blockee and Paul Bullock as the cock blocker) and the multi-talented Joel Harvey (director, cinematographer, composer and editor).

Fun tip: try to figure out what dirty words 2625 can make on a telephone.

Jazz Fest Craziness

2009-06-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

There's no excuse for the lack of posts to this blog in the last few months. Most of my time has been dedicated to job hunting and fun having. My weakened blogging efforts have also been divided between this one, Action and Action, and hopefully I will soon be becoming more involved with Dork Shelf.

Now for the next week I actually have real work taking up most of my time, as this is the 10 days a year where I have guaranteed employment at the Toronto Jazz Fest. In an attempt to get back into a more productive mode, I'm going to be posting a blog a day during this period. Granted, these will be posts that I've already put on Action and Action, but give me a break, I'm trying.

Anyway, here's a compilation of footage I shot at last year's festival:

Toronto Extra Features

2009-05-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

By going to University, I had the unique experience of recession-proofing my economic status by earning a post secondary degree in fine arts (film studies to be precise). For those of you who didn't come to this conclusion by the time you reached the end of it, I should tell you that the previous sentence was intentionally riddled with sarcasm, and I have been struggling to find regular work for quite some time now, leading to several odd gigs in order to make ends meet (my degree has also afforded me the time and vocabulary necessary for writing a blog with snotty, wordy, drawn out sentences ;)

Fortunately for Universal pictures, this recent down turn in economy has given them an extremely large hiring pool for Toronto 'background performers' in 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.' For those of you who aren't familiar with this film, it's an adaptation of a 6 part independent Canadian comic book that mixes elements of japanimation, Archie Comics and video games set around Toronto's Indy rock scene (primarily the Annex). The film stars Michael Cera in the title role and is being directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). Many twenty-something 'scenesters' 'slackers' 'Indy' 'hipsters' 'bums' and others of the like (a segment of the population which inspired most of the comic's characters) came across one of the multiple craigslist calls for extras posted by the outsourced parties required for this large task. Since the story involves lots of crowd and party scenes (many set in actual Toronto locales, such as Lee's Palace and Sneaky Dee's) an above average amount of background people have been enlisted during this ongoing process.

For a promised six long but somewhat leisurely days of 'work' I signed up to be herded back and forth between holding areas and occasionally react to an often invisible oversized hammer. I consider myself somewhat fortunate that I was witness to the filming of a fight scene and got to see some pretty cool stunts and effects executed. Anyway, the sixth installment of the official video blog for the shoot was recently posted, where you can see the set where I spent 80 hours over the course of 6 days. You get a brief glance of yours truly among the extras at about the 1:47 mark, when the camera whips past a tall 'insider snob' in a denim jacket. My brief appearance in this video is just to tease my fans without letting them know too much about my involvement.

Blog Six - Fight! - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World from Scott Pilgrim The Movie on Vimeo.

I was very surprised at the level of security and secrecy surrounding the production. Everyone had to sign a confidentiality agreement and an extra was even fired the second day for a twitter post referring to the film. What it contained and how it was found remained conversation fodder for the rest of the week. I guess this is all because Edgar Wright likes to keep tight control over the advanced press for this film, as shown in these video blogs he's been heavily involved in. I'm not sure how much I can say without getting in trouble, for example, I noticed there are very few images of actors in costume yet, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead wears a hat in the video, leading me to believe they want to keep Ramona's constantly changing hairstyle and colour a secret for now (since the books are in black and white, readers would never really know what colour she was rocking from issue to issue). Anyway, here are a few facts about my time spent on set which I don't think will put me in breach of my signed agreement.

1. This scene marks the reunion of Michael Cera and Mae Whitman who played his 'bland' girlfriend in 'Arrested Development.'
2. Edgar Wright is only 35 but looks 25. My theory is that this is due to the ora of stressless success he seems to exude most of the time, and the pop cult tees help too.
3. Despite the fact that I'm the only one wearing denim in the scene, it is in fact supposed to take place in Canada.
4. Michael Cera likes hummus.
5. Ms. Lippy's car is green.
6. There is a lot of downtime on set, so I read these books:

'Timequake' by Kurt Vonnegut
'Lullaby' by Chuck Palahniuk
'Brave New World' by Aldus Huxley
'V for Vendetta' by Alan Moore
'Preacher, vol. 1' by Garth Ennis

None of which I didn't see another extra reading at one point or another, which I believe attests to both the amount and ilk of all us 'individuals' in attendance. Good books too.
6. I kept thinking about this great animated music video from the 80's by a Toronto band called 'The Extras' which depicts a similar scene that Pilgrim is set in, only 20 years ago. Score another point for youtube, 'cause here it is:

Perhaps it's nostalgia, but I think this song and video both still hold up very well. One of the animators actually worked on Yellow Submarine. The making of video is also work checking out, and here's a link to The Extras' official site.

'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' doesn't get released until the summer of next year, but look out for more Scott Pilgrim related posts on this blog (as I still can't seem to go anywhere in this city without encountering some aspect of it), assuming Universal does not find and neutralize me, but this will likely only happen in the event that I say something negative about the film... just kidding?

Happy Birthday Noel

2009-05-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

My favourite songwriter* turns 42 today. May his day be spent in bed, watching football on the telly, wearing top clothes, drinking and smoking cigarettes with his girlfriend and daughter, which should get him nice and rested up before going back on tour next week and playing some of the greatest music in the world. I also really hope his ribs aren't still feeling the unfortunate incident that occurred in Toronto last September. We promise it won't happen again, please come back soon.

And just because you can't have one without the other (though Noel's oft rumored solo project may one day contradict this), here's the less articulate but equally as quotable Liam with his answers to the same query.

*this is just personal taste, I'll be the first to concede that he is by no means the greatest living songwriter and understand that most don't share my highest regards for the man, but you can't deny that he's written at least a couple that will live forever.

Cheers.

IT WAS ME!!!

2009-04-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

Since the videos in the last post were clearly credited to a filmmaker who calls himself 'Noah Taylor' I'm deciding to drop the silly internet pseudonym of 'your best friend.' The fact that nobody ever commented on how presumptuous this name was is proof enough that a majority of this blog's readers are in fact my best friend, but I guess that was kind of the joke from the get go.

For those of you that didn't know it was me, are you shocked by the reveal?

And since this is a particularly self indulgent entry, let's keep it all about me by adding some videos of what else I'm up to these days.

So if anyone in Toronto is looking for a guy that looks like me to make a fool of himself on camera for little or no money, depending on how much I like your face, you know where to find me. The following clip is the first minute and a half of a short film I made which is currently in the final stages of post production.

Your Best Friend's Archives

2009-04-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, still no current, original material at the time, but to follow that old 'Coke Bike' story I'm going to reach even further back for a couple film and video projects I did in 2006.

These represent perhaps my least narrative-driven phase to date. The first was made in the second semester of a first year film course where the project had to be shot on a 16mm Bolex camera, edited on an old steenbeck machine and contain no synchronized sound. The second video was made the following fall, my first spent out of school. This was shot on my old Sony Handycam and edited on iMovie. I'm not sure how to account for the dramatic shift in tone over such a short period of time. One would think that I was really stressed while in school or discovered pot sometime between making these, but I was not stressed in school and probably smoked equal amounts of pot while making each of these... okay, maybe a little more during the second one.

A Day in Withrow

In case you're wondering, the music used in the park video is 'Just Another Sucker on the Vine' by Tom Waits and it's the reason I could not post this video on youtube, as they immediately disabled the audio due to copyright law. I still don't understand exactly how this works and why I can post some things on youtube but not myspace, and vice versa. I guess they're changing their methods all the time to keep on top of things and whether or not copyrighted material gets passed them is mostly a matter of luck... bogus.

Coke Bike

2009-03-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Written in the Fall of 2007

At the beginning of the summer I was visiting Montreal and staying a couple nights at my friend Noush’s place. In her hallway was a large flat, rectangular box, slightly rounded on one side. I inquired as to its contents, and as I had presumed, it was a bike. It had been given to her by her parents when they were visiting from Dubai. Noush said she had no use for it since she had a strong affinity towards her own bike and was soon leaving the city anyway. To my great delight, I was told I could have this ten speed mode of transportation for no more than the expense of having it assembled, probably $40 or so.

Two months later I move to Montreal with the beautiful Parc La Fontaine literally a stoner’s throw away from my new residence, where all the cyclists enjoy daily scenic exercise while they ride their pride. I would soon join them. I wasted no time in claiming my prize which luckily was still residing with Noush about a ten minute walk from my place. First I took the box to a bike shop right across the street from her, where after some strange looks the man told me it would be a few days before he’d have a chance to look at it. I couldn’t wait that long, so I carried the box, the weight of which seemed to double with every block, to the big bike shop by the park, the Cycle Pop. There the box and I were met with more strange looks. Apparently a bike in a box is not something even the greatest of bike enthusiasts see often. They would take a look at it and get back to me with an assembly price.

Although most of you probably already know where this is going, I’ll give a bit more background on where the bike came from. When Noush was much younger and living in Dubai, the Coca Cola Company had a promotional contest where each bottle had an image of a bike part under the cap. When someone collected all the necessary bike parts, they could mail them off to Coke and receive a free bike. While she never won, those hard to find pieces were just a little too hard to find. Coke had some excess bikes left over from the promotion, still kicking around several years later with no use other than buttering up the occasional business partner. Noush’s father was in the business of opening movie theaters and thus found himself in possession of the once sought after coke bike… in a box.

Okay, cut back to Canada, September 2007, the day after dropping my package off at the Cycle Pop. I haven’t received a phone call with the estimate but I’m in the neighborhood and decide to drop in to check on its status. The very French man says:

“Yeah, we put your bike together.”

“Already? How does it look?”

“It’s ah… (laughs a bit) it’s a cool bike.”

“Oh yeah? It’s a good bike, eh?”

“Well, is not a good bike, but is real neat. We tried calling you.”

Apparently the guy could not read his co-worker’s handwriting and was calling the wrong number. The assembly involved a lot more parts and repairs than anticipated, and the itemized bill in handwriting I couldn’t read, probably in a language I don’t know (French), likely using unfamiliar terminology (bike), totaled about $100. A little more than I was hoping to spend, but it didn’t matter, it was done and I had my bike. The guy told me how amused everyone that worked at the shop was with it, I would soon find out why.

While I did have some idea of what to expect, I was quite taken aback when he wheeled in the rolling billboard. And though I did resent the corporate whore aspect of it, I also thought it was kind of cool. When I asked if he thought it would be a target for theft, he laughed at me. (Better get a picture of me with the bike for insurance purposes anyway, just in case.) Besides, I would get used to the snickers. Perhaps the most embarrassing set came from a small group in the park the next day. I was struggling up a hill when the front tire’s rear plastic fender falls off. I picked it up, happy to further amuse the kids before heading straight home. This repair I could do myself, but it would be the last.

Some more facts about the bike:

Though most the decals read ‘Coca Cola’, the top one reads ‘MJB.’ I have no idea what this stands for.
I still don’t know how to properly change gears, some of which are written in what I believe to be Hindi.
I consulted the owner’s manual in an attempt to remedy this, the most useful information I found read: “Do not spook animals. If you come to an equestrian, let them know you are there, dismount and then walk around them slowly.”
Though I set it as tight and high as I can, the seat will always sink to its lowest setting as I ride and go over small bumps.
This one’s not really about the bike, but why do helmets always have to look so damn big on me? And why does it seem like I’m the only one in this city who wears one? I guess everyone trusts their bikes a lot more than I do.
Any steady incline or hard work put on the bike, and the entire crank attaching the left pedal will fall off. This may or may not be caused by my inability change gears.

The first time this happened, I took it back to the shop. I had it back the same day. As soon as I put my weight on the recently reattached pedal, the cheap plastic snapped a bit. This was no surprise, since it had already happened to the other one, and besides, they were still functional.

The second time this happened was on my birthday when I was halfway to my destination, dropping off a job application. The good news was that after an unexpected, very sweaty interview, I got the job. The bad news was that after 3 pm, you’re not allowed to bring a bike on to the metro. After trying several stations and fighting with unsympathetic STM employees, I resigned myself to the long, hot walk home. By this point, the plastic of the right pedal had been reduced to not much more than a nub. Oh well, I had to replace the other one anyway, and they only come in pairs. I still made several attempts to sit on the bike, either pedaling with the one nub or pushing it along with my legs, Fred Flintstone style. It was useless, and I knew what I had to do.

So back to the Cycle Pop with the Coke Bike one last time. I told them there was no rush. I didn’t come back the next day. It was about two weeks this time before I could be bothered to come get it again. I went for a leisurely ride in the park to test the new pedals, and despite the usual stares and giggles, knowing it would likely be one of the last times I would ride this gaudy advertisement made me a little melancholy. Since I would need to take some pictures to sell it online anyway, why not make a day of it? So Anita and I spent a couple beautiful Sunday hours last weekend enjoying some Parc La Fotoshootaine in the dying warmth of summer. The imported, retro-cool, extremely photogenic bicycle is currently on Craig’s list for $4000, and no Anita, I don’t come with it.

* Your best friend apologizes to both of you regular readers out there for the lack of content and recycling of old material in recent weeks. The causes of this are manifold: laziness, beginning to regain a life away from the computer, blowing much of my proverbial blogger load in January while posting at a rate I knew I would not be able to maintain, and also becoming a contributor to Action and Action where a lot of my viral video finds and movie geek-outs will be posted. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Your Best Friend hates poetry

2009-02-20T00:52:00.000-08:00

Travel by Your Best Friend

As my legs grew longer, the city became smaller.
The world became smaller as my wallet got fatter.
And as my wallet grew fatter, so did my legs.

CUFF THE DUKE

2009-02-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

I recommend beginning to listen to the first video while reading. The images aren't important and there are no lyrics for a couple minutes.

To pull the goalie? To usurp the throne? I'm sure one could also come up with some more sordid theories as to the meaning of the name 'Cuff the Duke,' but what it means to me is consistently impressive, underrated music.

Their folky sound is often categorized as 'indie rock' or 'alt-country' but I deem it too rural for rock and too good for country. They have released three great albums, earning the respect of their influences such as Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor. After touring as Hayden's backing band last fall, they spent the first part of the winter recording 14 new songs on Keelor's farm. They played a few of these songs live for the first time last Thursday during an unadvertised show at The Dakota Tavern. First impressions tell me that the new album will be a welcomed addition to their quality catalogue and the intimate setting was an ideal way to debut them. Keelor was even there to provide backing vocals on one song.

With only two original members remaining, it's hard not to give most of the band's credit to singer/ songwriter Wayne Petti. His 2007 solo album 'City Lights Align' plays just as well as the Duke records, though it lacks the full, layered sound that comes with the variety of instruments the band incorporates. It still baffles me that jokes like Nickleback experience international fame while truly great Canadian songwriters remain in near obscurity and work part time jobs.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed last Thursday's set list, old and new songs alike, two of my favourite songs I was confident would be played were neglected. 'Ballad of a Lonely Construction Worker' and 'Confessions from a Parkdale Basement' from the first and third albums respectively, are extremely complimentary in their reversed structures. Whereas 'Construction Worker' begins with a long instrumental introduction, 'Parkdale Basement' begins with a steady stream of lyrics before Petti is joined by the rest of the band for the instrumental finish. Both of these songs are built from two clearly distinct halves (the change occurs at almost exactly the halfway point in each track), and do away with the traditional 'verse/ chorus/ verse/ chorus' format by replacing it with something much fresher.

Here is a fan video of 'Ballad of a Lonely Construction' so you can hear what I'm talking about.

The album version of 'Confessions from a Parkdale Basement' was not on youtube, so I posted this. At first I was just going to use a few pics of the band as the image, but I got a little carried away. You'll notice a picture of the aforementioned Dakota Tavern, which is in fact a basement on the outskirts of Parkdale, and the cover of 'Sidelines of the City' the album on which the song is featured.

The new album won't be out until summer, but another chance to hear some of their new songs before then will be March 14 at Lee's Palace.

Cuff Links:

While they're not great at updating their websites (it was sheer luck that I heard about the Dakota show), you can find out more about the band at their myspace and official website.

Also worth checking out is Wayne Petti's myspace. The Wiki article on the band which gives a good breakdown of the various members to pass through the group.

Rich Aucoin has provided occasional accompaniment to the band, his Brother Paul has produced their last two records. Rich is also an old friend of your best friends' best friend (confused yet?), and a very talented musician himself.

What's he hiding?

2009-02-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

Watch it. Watch it again. Then try not to watch it a third time. No wonder this thing has almost 10 million views.

Welsh Psycho?

2009-02-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday an audio clip was brought to my attention that has been popping up all over the internet recently. It's about four minutes of Christian Bale administering a verbal beating to the 'Terminator Salvation' director of photography Shane Hurlbut for adjusting lights during a take last July. Listen to the clip below to hear a conniption fit that makes Bill O'Reilly sound mild mannered.

Sure, being distracted from your work can be bothersome, but I couldn't help but hypothesize other reasons for this outburst of Hamlet proportioned humors. Here's what I came up with:

1. After beginning his career with Steven Spielberg and having the more than respectable Christopher Nolan as his most frequent recent collaborator, he was working for McG, whose most notable accomplishments are the Charlie's Angels films and getting away with being called 'McG.' (this hard-nosed director can be heard in the clip controlling the situation with contributions like "I didn't see it" and "fair enough")

2. He was working on a dying franchise while promoting his starring role in the biggest franchise alive right now.

3. He's playing a character made famous by Edward Furlong.

4. In recent years, the actor has put his body through drastic treatment for his roles. Most famously losing over 60 pounds to play 'The Machinest' in 2004 before bulking up for the first Batman film, and again shedding all his muscle to play a POW in 'Rescue Dawn' before becoming Batman for the second time. This physical yo-yoing must take its mental toll as well.

5. In Bale's defense, the assistant director and associate producer Bruce Franklin (presumably the same Bruce Bale tells to "shut the fuck up" during his rant) has said "It was the most emotional scene in the movie. And for him to get stopped in the middle of it - he is very intensely involved in his character." Clearly he mistook the director of photography as a T-800 machine with no feelings.

6. His mother and his sister were currently pressing charges against Bale for verbal assault. Though I see how this could be upsetting, lashing out in front of tons of recording equipment was probably not the best way to deal with those woes.

7. Actors are generally emotional people, it's part of the job. I can never see myself getting this outwardly angry at someone, but I also can't summon all those other emotions on demand the way a talent like Christian Bale can. To do what he does, you need to be passionate, and being passionate will lead to the occasional freak-out.

8. Perhaps he was inspired by the Apatow bunch, and it's all an elaborate ruse. If so, man that guy can fuckin' act!

9. Not to get all sentimental, but as I already mentioned, this was apparently recorded in the same week 'The Dark Knight' was released, an occasion that was supposed to be shared with co-star Heath Ledger. The performance was garnering (and obviously continues to) much acclaim, and his friend wasn't around to reap the benefits of his hard work. This couldn't have been far from his mind.

10. Maybe Bale is just a prick.

Seriously though, Christian Bale has been one of my favourite actors for years, I'm glad his career has taken off and it's too bad stuff like this has to taint our image of him (though I will watch video of this if it ever surfaces). I thought he was a great choice for Batman because I believe that he comes closest to matching the tunnel vision and commitment it would actually take for Bruce Wayne to make his transition. Ever since his first film role at 13 in Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun' his skills as an actor have been praised, and he's continued with multiple breakthrough performances such as his brilliant turn as 'American Psycho' Patrick Bateman. Along with Jeffery Wright, they completely stole the film as the baddies in 'Shaft' (underrated movie). All this to say, it's no wonder the guy has an ego, takes his work seriously and suffers the occasional emotional flare-up. I don't know what David O. Russel's excuse is.

Joe Canadian

2009-01-31T02:35:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday night, during 'American Idol's commercial break, a TV spot for the new film 'He's Just Not That Into You' aired that contained a very quick 'Beaver shot' so to speak. If you blinked, you may have missed it. A day later, I went to the Internet to find out if I really saw what I thought I saw. The TV spot was nowhere to be found on youtube, only the movie's official trailer, sans Beaver. Interesting? Not really. What I actually thought I saw in the TV spot amidst faces belonging to Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connolly, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long and many others was a familiar Canadian face. An actor that I recognized from a lot of commercials as well a short lived sketch comedy show from a few years back. I wanted to figure out if I was right, since it's kind of a big deal to see a local guy that used to get by on commercials in with such a big Hollywood cast, but I had no clue what his name was. The Internet Movie Database has a cast list of about 80 members for this film, over ¾ of which have careers important enough to warrant headshots. I hadn't seen the film, I had no idea what the character's name was or how big of a role he even plays, not that it matters as there's no order to the long list anyway (the bit parts are all listed first with the stars all grouped near the bottom). Plus I didn't even remember the name of the sketch comedy show he was on, and commercial credits are not listed on IMDb. Since I didn't know what I was looking for, I was about to deem the task hopeless and certainly not worthy of the time I had already spent on it. But just before reaching the point of defeat, I thought to myself “I could look for a Canadian- sounding name” whatever that is. I kid you not, less than 2 seconds later my eyes landed on 'Mike Beaver.... Cousin Jay.' I clicked on it and sure enough it was him.

Born in Saint Catherines, Ontario, this Ryerson theatre school alum has actually done a lot more than I had previously given him credit for. He's written two films with Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones. 'Ham and Cheese' in 2004 and 'Cooper's Camera' in 2008. These films also featured Beaver in co-starring roles along with Jones, his fellow Daily show correspondent/ wife Samantha Bee, and David Foley rounding out the Canadian club, probably with a glass of it in his hand most of the time. Beaver can also be seen in 19 episodes of 'Billable Hours' and was a co-founder of the sketch comedy group 'The Bobroom' (IMDb calls this group 'famed' but I found their television show easily forgettable). Okay, so Beaver has popped up in more than just a couple commercials, but it looks like this new film is his first role in something that wasn't shot in Toronto. Even though I've never seen most of his work, he was memorable enough for me to want to find out more about his career. Needless to say, I would have never figured who he was if it weren't for the name association. I hope Mike Beaver's "Northern star" continues to rise with this new movie that I will never see. I will try to see those Canadian films he wrote though.

He loves Japan

2009-01-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

This video was brought to my attention by my friend Bobbo's blog, one that inspired me to start my own. I probably won't be posting for a couple days, so check out this awesome video, and many others at Action and Action.

Killer set list

2009-01-26T14:54:00.000-08:00

While 'Killshot' may not have been playing in Toronto last Friday, The Killers were and I was fortunate enough to catch that show. A lot of people dis this band for being too poppy and mainstream, but I think they deserve respect for writing good songs and putting on a damn good live show. I couldn't stand 'Somebody Told Me' when it first hit the airwaves, but I fell in love with their second single 'Mr. Brightside' when I saw them perform it on SNL, and then seeing them perform 'When You Were Young' at the Brit Awards in 2007 really sold me on the band. Of course that song was from the much acclaimed second record 'Sam's Town' which still stands out as their best.

The only advantage to going to big arena shows like this one are the efforts and money put towards complimenting the music with light shows and pyrotechnics. These were impressive additions, but made me wish I was closer and higher. The highlight of the show was probably 'Mr. Brightside' as there's something about the drive of that song that works so well in a live performance. Brandon Flowers has to have one of the best concert voices I've ever heard. You could really appreciate it on the slower songs like 'A Dustland Fairytale.' They opened with their new single 'Spaceman' which they're currently promoting with this video:

Pretty excessive stuff. I guess part of reaching this level of rock stardom is having the flamboyancy and ego that Flowers seems to have in spades. It seems the band has re-invented themselves with each album thus far, but like I said, these often excessive, sometimes gimmicky personas are what's expected of our rock stars. It's all part and parcel with the design heavy arena shows where people pay hundreds of dollars and want to see something larger than life. This is why I find it hard to picture a group like the Sam Roberts band, who really don't seem as image conscious, doing arena shows, even though they had to add an extra night to their three at The Music Hall last November.

Though it would have been cool to hear a few songs from their b-side compilation 'Sawdust,' the new album-heavy set list combined with the singles of their first two still made for a pretty satisfying concert experience. Here's the full set list:

Spaceman
Losing Touch
Smile Like You Mean It
This Is Your Life
Joy Ride
I Can't Stay
Bling (confessions of a king)
Bones
A Dustland Fairytale
Neon Tiget
Human
Sam's Town
Read My Mind
Mr. Brightside
All These Things That I've Done

Encore:

For Reasons Unknown
Shadowplay
Jenny Was A Friend of Mine
When You Were Young

The Killers have earned their place among the many memorable shows I've attended in the last twelve months. Hopefully soon to join those ranks will be Ben Kweller (Feb. 22) and Bloc Party (March 14).

Killshot released?

2009-01-26T10:44:00.001-08:00

If you don't know his name or haven't read any of his books, you've probably at least seen a movie adapted from one of them. The 83 year old Elmore Leonard has over 40 novels to his name and almost as many film credits. Starting with westerns in the 1950s, and still going strong with his crime and suspense tales, these stories lend themselves so well to the screen that some have even found their way to celluloid more than once with as many as 50 years between adaptations ('3:10 to Yuma' was made into a film in 1957 and then in 2007, 'The Big Bounce' in '69 then again in '04).
Pompous literature types, like Bernard Berkman of 'The Squid and the Whale' may deem Leonard's pulpy work as 'not serious' but they will always acquiesce that he is 'the fillet of the crime genre.' Unfortunately not many adaptations really meet the quality and tone the author presents. The period that really introduced me to the author was the time when, in my not so humble opinion, the best adaptations were being made. These films were 'Get Shorty' (1995), 'Jackie Brown' (1997) and 'Out of Sight' (1998). The latter having one of the coolest cameos of all time when Michael Keaton reprises his role as Ray Nicolette, a character that appears in 'Out of Sight' but plays a much more pivotal role in 'Rum Punch' (aka 'Jackie Brown'). One of the really fun things about getting into Leonard's books is seeing the many characters that crossover between them, with different levels on involvement in each story.

In case you can't tell yet, I'm a bit of a fanboy when it comes to Elmore Leonard. This is why I've been waiting for the release of the film version of 'Killshot', one of my favourite books, for over two years now. With rumors of the adaptation beginning in the late 90's (right after all those good ones I just mentioned), it's had its trials and tribulations, even after holding initial screenings in July 2006. You would think a movie produced by Tarantino, directed by John Madden ('Shakespeare in Love' not 'Monday Night Football), starring Mickey Rourke (as an Indian hitman), Joseph Gordon Levitt (as his crazy sidekick), Thomas Jane and Diane Lane (as a hot married couple being terrorized by the hitmen) wouldn't have its release date pushed back so many times. At one point it was even going to be a straight to DVD release. I gather the test screenings didn't go well, so they've been re-shooting and re-editing. All I've ever known about this film has been the changing details I see on the Internet Movie Database (imdb) whenever I check on it from time to time. I'm not sure when I had looked last before yesterday, but I have no idea when it got a January 23, 2009 release date (last Friday). I have not heard word one about its release or seen a single ad in place, but here's the trailer I found last night:

I can only presume they made a last minute decision to give it a quick and dirty release in time to capitalize on Mickey Rourke's 'Wrestler' hype. Right now it is only a limited USA release with no word on a Canadian release date yet. This is unfortunate, as much of the shooting was done here (and in Detroit). I can't wait to see if they actually shot at The Silver Dollar, a real Toronto location where we first meet Rourke's character in the book. In the years prior to production, other actors rumored for that role were Robert DeNiro and Viggo Mortenson, with Quentin Tarantino or Justin Timberlake as the sidekick. Though it would have been cool to see Viggo in that role, I've always thought the casting they went with was pretty good. Even though his name and face appear in the trailer, Johnny Knoxville is no longer listed in the cast on imdb. I read his role is one of the things that confused test audiences, but why would he still be in the trailer if he was cut out? Maybe one day I'll actually see this movie and it will all make sense. I haven't had to wait this long since 'Tideland.'

other recent Leonard adaptations.

Sparks (2009)

'Killshot's Joseph Gordon Levitt is currently making his filmmaker debut at Sundance with his adaptation of the short story 'Sparks' from Leonard's compilation 'When the Women Come Out To Dance.' I re-read it when I heard about this, and to be honest, I think the story is a little dull. The short film stars Eric Stoltz as an insurance investigator and Carla Gugino as a celebrity widow suspected of arson. Levitt is seen below at the film festival in a picture (courtesy of Craig Macrae) with girlfriend (?) and actress (?) Zooey Deschanel, who's father was the cinematographer on 'Killshot,' and has worked with some of the best in Hollywood, including John Cassavetes. Zooey's mother was an actor on 'Twin Peaks'... I wish I knew all these people.

The Tonto Woman (2007)

Another short film based on a short story, this one was nominated for an Oscar last year. The Academy and/ or the film companies need to get their shit together and figure out a way to make the nominated short subject films more accessible to the public.

Freaky Deaky (2010)

I was fortunate enough to meet Elmore Leonard when he was promoting 'Be Cool,' his follow-up to 'Get Shorty.' I inquired about a story I had read about Quentin Tarantino getting caught shoplifting a Leonard book when younger, and asked if the author knew which one it was. Apparently it was 'Freaky Deaky' the very same book I was having the author sign, and what the story didn't print was that Quentin went back and was successful in his second attempt. I've since done some research and deduced that Quentin was about 25 when this book came out, and though it would still be 4 years 'til his first film credit, it's a little less innocent when it's a grown man stealing and not the pre-teen I was originally imagining. All this to say that this is another one of my favourites soon to join Leonard's film canon. This one involves 60's radicals and bombs.

Tishomingo Blues (?)

This was listed as 'in pre-production' for a while on imdb, with Matthew McConaughey starring and Don Cheadle directing and co-starring. McConaughey would be perfect as the ex-stunt man turned high dive performer at a Casino. The third act of the story unfolds during a civil war re-enactment, these old-meeting-new themes made it feel like instant vintage Leonard, though the book only came out in 2002. It's too bad that it appears plans for this movie have been scrapped, it looked promising.

Elmore Leonard's next book 'Road Dogs' comes out May 2009.

Fun with Blood and Song

2009-01-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Released on DVD this week was 'Repo: The Genetic Opera.' This film hardly seemed to have any press when it was first released. In fact, I would have never known about it if it weren't for The Bloor cinema (refer to 'Toronto is Godless' posting below) when they were advertising their upcoming run of the film (to my knowledge the only theater in Toronto to even show it outside of a festival program). Even though key descriptives like 'goth musical' or 'from the Director of Saw II-IV' wouldn't normally catch my attention, the trailer did.

The story was originally a play mounted in New York and L.A. Darren Lynn Bousman had directed a stage version in 2001 before cutting a ten minute trailer to pitch it as a film. The existence of this cool trailer proves it was a successful pitch. Unfortunately I wasn't in town for The Bloor's first run of the film in November, but I did catch it on its second run a few weeks ago. Now, normally for something to obtain 'cult' status it needs to fail upon its initial release and be dubbed thus after some time has passed for it to gather a loyal following, but there's no other word to describe what has happened with this film. I went to a matinee screening, but had I known what was happening at the evening show, I would have rearranged my schedule. The Bloor was hosting the world's first shadow cast of 'Repo.' This is where a fully costumed cast of characters re-enact the film onstage, in real time as it screens. I always associate this with 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' of which The Bloor hosts shadow casts monthly. But keep in mind, the DVD was just released this week, which means that these dedicated fans are going from memory of however many times they saw the film in theatres (as I write this I recognize my naivety with regards to the downloading options, but I'm still confident we're dealing with multiple cinema presentation attendees here). For the occasion, one of the film's stars and co-creators Terrence Zdunich was flying into town for a Q and A following the shadow cast.

Well I missed that, but in retrospect, it's probably not the best way to see a film for the first time anyway. I did however see some of the elaborate make up and costumes, as well as the surprising line-up forming early for the event. Though I knew there was no way I would like it as much as the trailer, the film definitely had some good stuff in it. What I enjoyed most was the dark humour of it. Paris Hilton was well cast; her part has little acting required and benefits from her persona, as she is 'addicted to the knife' (plastic surgery), which has ironic consequences. My mistake was not taking the 'Opera' part of the title literally, as there is no spoken dialogue, which I find off-putting at times, particularly when coming from non-singers like Paul Sorvino. The third act Opera staged within the film is a great way to complete the theme though. Overall, a pretty cool affair, though certainly not for everyone. I'm not surprised those that like it, really like it. It will be interesting to see if the almost oxymoronic claim of the "instant cult classic" holds with time.

Frost W/ Nixon

2009-01-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

Two of America's least liked presidents were portrayed in Hollywood films this year with much liked performances. A day after one left office, the other gets a Best Picture nomination. Coincidence? Yes.

So my question to David Frost is how long do we have to wait for 'Frost/ W.' ? I know that won't happen for many reasons. One being that Bush doesn't really have much to admit. Unlike Nixon, the recent ex-president was making his mistakes publicly and operating on "bad intelligence." Another reason being that Nixon agreed to the interview primarily for the big paycheck, whereas Bush is probably far from exhausting his recession rations yet.

But back to the Oscars; years of perfecting the role in the stage version payed off for Frank Langella who was nominated for his excellent Dick (Nixon). I think Josh Brolin deserved a nomination for his spot-on Bush, even if the film was kind of weak. I thought both of these performances were far better than the over-hyped, steroid popping Micky Rourke. Brolin did get nominated in the supporting actor category for 'Milk' which I have yet to see. Seriously, when the hell did the older brother from 'Goonies' become such a good actor? I hadn't seen him in much else 'til his star suddenly skyrocketed to the top of the A-list in 2007. I looked at his filmography and he actually has been working pretty steadily all along, with supporting roles in b-movies. I recognized some of the titles, but couldn't tell you who directed any of them. In the last couple years, he's worked with Robert Rodriguez, the Coen brothers, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Gus Van Sant and Paul Haggis. All high profile films with meaty roles that Brolin pulls off well.

Anyway, Brolin is competing with Robert Downey Jr. for his role in 'Tropic Thunder.' This was one of the two surprises from the predictable as usual nominations, but it doesn't matter because Heath Ledger will win. The other surprise was Richard Jenkins in the best actor category for a film called 'The Visitor' which I hadn't heard of until today, but sounds pretty good. I think this was the only nominee in a major category who wasn't already nominated for a Golden Globe last month.

Did you know that the Academy Awards were started just as a way to market films? Did you know that Academy is made up of the same people making these films? This is why it's easy for them to ensure that most of the nominated films are still in theaters during the lead up to the ceremonies. We are in the midst of “Award Season” that conveniently begins just in time for Christmas, when we get all the films the studios know will win awards released at once. In fact I believe that the fan favourite summer blockbusters ('Wall-E' and 'The Dark Knight') were likely excluded from the best picture category in place of ones that are still in theatres (all 5). Most of these films are what I call 'pandering,' the worst offender being 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.' This is a not so short film inspired by an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story and adapted for the screen by Eric Roth, the same man that provided that service for 'Forrest Gump.' Please watch.

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos

Now we can add 'most nominated film of the year' to the list of reasons why Benjamin Button is Forrest Gump re-hashed. I'd say the least deserving of these nominations would be the aforementioned scribe followed closely by Brad Pitt for his non-performance, but it doesn't matter because Mickey Rourke will win.

You can see a full list of the nominees here:

http://joblo.com/2008-oscar-noms

Sketches of Spain

2009-01-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

For any Jazz buffs who had their interest aroused by the headline, there will not be anything in this posting pertaining to the famous Miles Davis record. What the title actually refers to is Orson Welles' artistic love affair with the country he's buried in. This often eccentric, multi-talented man had several high profile yet unrealized projects at the time of his death, most notorious of which is probably his adaptation of Don Quixote. I believe he shot in Spain intermittently throughout most of the 1950s and 60s, piecemealing footage as budget and schedules allowed. After his lead actor died in 1969, it's said that Welles spent the next decade trying to put together a cut of the film from what they had. As if this film wasn't already plagued enough, apparently much of the work he did with these subsequent edits was somehow lost as well.

In 1992 however, seven years after Welles' death, the second unit director (Jess Franco) released an incomplete version of this film. I'm not sure what format it was released in (laserdisc?) or what region (Europe?) because few have ever seen it. Even when North America had a DVD version of this cut released last fall, it was still very difficult to find. When I asked for it for Christmas, I received an appropriate substitute called 'Les Bravades.' This is a book of artwork Welles put together in 1956 inspired by a annual festival celebrating St. - Tropez's saint's day. His drawings and paintings were put to a few words as a retelling and gift for his daughter Rebecca. The morality of her then selling it to a book company is not for me to judge, especially as I'm now reaping (and sharing) some of the rewards.Now, embarrassingly enough, when I first began this writing, I believed St.- Tropez to be in Spain, which would have tied this whole entry together perfectly. But it's in France, another favourite European hang out of the director. I was quite disappointed at this discovery, particularly how it voided my once clever headline. I almost abandoned the whole thing, but instead I decided to not leave it unfinished like so many Quixote films.

I was eventually able to get a copy of the DVD and it was an even rougher cut than I had anticipated. It was comparable to looking at sketches of what Welles wanted from this project (see where I'm going with this?). The sound was particularly alienating, as there was no location sound, very few sound effects, and characters voiced by several noticeably different actors. He doesn't go very far beyond the very basic elements of the book and includes several anachronistic divergences with modern day. The longest of which comes in the third act and involves Sancho Panza stumbling around a city looking for the director of a Don Quixote film he saw on television (Welles as himself), this footage is cut together with an actual running of the bulls ceremony. Although this unfinished film is a challenging view at times, it's certainly a fertile document for those interested in Welles' life work and different interpretations of Cervantes' famous story.Now I have to mention our own modern day Welles/ Quixote figure, Terry Gilliam, as it was reported this week that he has reclaimed his “Man who Killed Don Quixote” script from the insurance company that seized ownership once production fell apart almost a decade ago. This was well documented in the 2002 film “Lost in La Mancha.” Like Welles' version, this script also has a modern day element, as I believe the protagonist is an ad agent who travels back in time to Quixote's era. With so many events and characters in the Don Quixote source material (there were actually 2 books), it's a wonder that almost every interpretation seems to shed most of these other than the windmill incident and several other insignificant plot points. One event I'd like to see portrayed is Sancho Panza being tossed up and down in a blanket as retribution for Don Quixote refusing to pay an innkeeper. The squire is humiliated by this and brings it up often throughout the rest of the story. But to include everything that happens within the history of this Knight of rueful countenance would be beyond the scope of any film, so I'll settle for these creative re-imaginings and modern day twists from some of the finest artists to commit their visions to film.

As a side note, I've never seen the famed musical “Man of La Mancha” or the 2000 TV version starring John Lithgow and Bob Hoskins, but I'm not sure I want to.

Toronto is Godless

2009-01-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

Today I joined hundreds of my city sharers to watch Obama's inauguration at the Bloor Cinema, because I've always heard the only way to see a Presidential assassination is on the big screen. Okay, I know it's an extremely off – colour joke, but the ceremony's over, it didn't happen, and we're all going to live happily ever after. And don't blame me for my sensibilities, I'm just a product of my environment. I was brought up on movies like 'JFK' and 'In the Line of Fire' in fact, the very theatre I watched the inauguration in today is playing one of my childhood favourites later tonight, 'Air Force One.' If you haven't seen it, the whole movie can be summed up in three lines that were in every trailer for the film.

Vice President Glen Close: How the hell did this happen? How the hell did they get Air Force One?

Military Guy: He knows how to fight.

President Harrison Ford: Get off my plane!

Suffice to say, assassination has been a bit of a preoccupation of mine since this whole Obama business started. I often wondered if there was going to be a section of the population that wouldn't vote for Obama out of fear for his safety. During the inauguration, I kept waiting for an overzealous secret service agent to dive for his moment of glory after seeing an umbrella brought out on a clear, dry day.

So sorry if my mind drifts to assassination, a taboo word at the moment, but I'm sure it's on many minds. Not only am I influenced by films and music, but I'm also from Toronto, where I heard the most cheers for the final group mentioned when Obama said “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers.” This made me smile, as there were the obvious audience jeers anytime Bush was on screen, applause for anything Obama, and shushes from those intent on catching every word, but I didn't anticipate such a big response from our city's, apparently plentiful, 'non-believers.' As CNN showed similar gatherings all over North America, I knew I was joining the world in watching history unfold, but wondered how many other places cheered at this particular part of Obama's 19 minute speech. Perhaps more than I think, as the popularity of science and atheism continues to grow with increasing momentum. After over two centuries of God playing an integral role in Presidential speeches, this was a refreshing shout-out.

I also wondered how many places had a projector set up next to the monitor to display messages from the audience. Anyone that's been to an outdoor music festival in recent years has witnessed this phenomenon, as crowds are treated to live scrolling comments from teen cell phones like 'where u at megs lolz.' I wanted to test my 'assassination on the big screen' joke on this platform, but figured these messages must be censored in some way, at least for obscenity, probably not stupidity though, as I was still able to read things like 'look at Aretha Franklin's bow.' How could I not? It was covering half her face. I tell ya, bunch of godless (small 'g') heathens in this town, but at least that guy in the theatre with a laser pointer was funny again for the first time in 10 years.

Anyway, it's looking like they've got the right guy for the job this time, you probably all watched his amazing speech already, so here's a Dandy Warhols video instead.

Budovsky videos

2009-01-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

I don't really have anything to say about these shorts by animator Alex Budovsky except that I'm a big fan. Here are my selections, but he's got about 10 others on his youtube page that are worth checking out as well.

"Exit 57"? Yeah, you missed it. It's about 14 years back that way...

2009-01-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

After years of hearing about it, I've finally watched 'Strangers With Candy' (via the incredibleness that is the Comedy Network's online video library). Okay, I know I'm about 9 years late to getting around to this series, and its odd brand of humour is old news to most, but how many people have heard of 'Exit 57'? This was a sketch comedy show that Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert worked on before 'Strangers With Candy.' Comedy central aired two 6 episode seasons from 1995 to 1996. Even though I was only about 13 years old at the time, I've always been into sketch comedy shows and was surprised I'd never heard of this one. The reason being that it never aired in Canada or had any kind of DVD release, despite being critically well received at the time (according to Wikipedia... perhaps Colbert made some contributions to the entry). I noticed the show began right around the time Canada's 'Kids in the Hall' had wrapped (easily one of my all time favourite shows) which was just catching on in the States due to HBO and CBS airing syndicated episodes. Without even bootleg versions of 'Exit 57' being readily available on ebay, it seemed as though this show was lost into obscurity, despite the success the main players have had since. Then comes youtube to the rescue once again, with a search bringing up about a dozen various sketches from the show. Based on this sampling, it seems as though they were trying to pick up where Kids in the Hall left off, with the emphasis being less on parody and more on surrealism. The show's producer, Joe Forristal, even served as supervising producer on the first couple seasons of KITH. It's my diagnoses that most of these sketches are not very successful or funny. I can't help but wonder if those involved in the show agree and are happy to have it remain in 90's ambiguity. This theory is supported by the fact that several jokes have been re-used in subsequent series; I believe I've heard Colbert use the line “I'm not pushing you away, I'm pulling me towards myself” in every show he's been on. All that being said, here's one sketch that I do find really funny.

If anyone knows where to see the whole series, I'd be very interested, as I'm sure there's a few more gems in there.

Directly after posting this, I tested the video to find that it had been removed due to a copyright claim. This is a shame, as most of the unfunny ones seem to remain and the prime catalyst behind the post was to share this clip. I'll be sure to post the 'Schoolyard' sketch if it ever resurfaces. In the words of Chuck Noblet: "GOD DAMN IT!"

on The Outs

2009-01-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago, as part of the promotion for their new album, Oasis held a contest asking youtubers to post their covers of four different 'Dig Out Your Soul' tracks. First place went to The Outs from Rio De Janeiro for their version of 'Bag it Up' (a song I'd love to see Trojan adopt for its next ad campaign). Big Brother Recordings will be flying the duo to the gig of their choice which they have decided will be at Wembley Stadium next July. A well deserved win if you ask me. Watch the video below and listen as the singer summons the voice of a 19 year old Liam Gallagher at about the 1:10 mark.

Let's face fact: he sounds better than Liam, and that's without any fancy recording equipment. Imagine the publicity the band would get if Noel fired his brother and replaced him with a 17 year old from a Brazilian cover band? It would be like that movie “Rock Star” but with better music. The Outs have an impressive 32 songs on their youtube channel. They cover mostly Oasis tunes as well as The Verve, The Beatles, Kasabian, U2 and the Goo Goo Dolls, and currently only have one original track on their myspace (www.myspace.com/theoutsband). Here's another one of my favourites.

I've begun working on a concept for a series which will have a couple characters partially inspired by The Outs. Imagine the Gallagher brothers at 17 (even though they're 8 years apart) with all the attitude, talent, and swagger they have now but without any of the money or fame. I can see them struggling to build a fan base as band egos and squabbles interfere with finishing most shows. There would be humour and squalor.

And for all of you people thinking to yourselves “are those the guys that do that song about a wall?” this one's for you.

No, THIS is England.

2009-01-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

When I was living in England, I worked a temp job in data entry for a little while at a copyright licensing agency. I thought it would be like my favorite show: David Brent would be my boss, Tim and I would bond over torturing Garrett until our fallout due to a mutual crush on the receptionist Dawn. Well, perhaps it was a little like BBC's 'The Office' but I was sitting at the quiet table in the corner where nothing ever happens and everyone just keeps their heads down and works. There was a sort of Keith character sitting across from me; Robert was an overweight pimply guy with a passion for junk food, picking his nose, and anything else he could do to just let loose. Actually, I did serve the real Keith when I got a much better job at a pub in Fulham, and it would seem eczema is a weakness the actual actor suffers, but I digress.

It wasn't a very social place, as everyone usually worked with headphones providing their own soundtracks. Since data entry is about the most monotonous work you can do, I would constantly have a window on my desktop playing youtube videos. This is where I watched most of the hilarious series that is 'Peep Show,' the stars of which are actually the Mac and PC guys in the English versions of those commercials.

At the time, Shane Meadows' film 'This is England' was just being released and had a lot of press. I really liked the trailer, but something was missing: the Clash song from which the film got its title. I would often find myself at work watching the trailer with the youtube window on mute while I listened to the song. They must not have been able to secure the rights to the song, or perhaps the filmmakers don't like obviousness as much as I do, because it works brilliantly. I've put together this demonstration:

See? Anyway, I didn't see the actual film until I got back to Canada, since sustaining an existence on a data entry wage in London didn't really leave room for the theatre going experience. What stood out in the film to me was a good soundtrack as well as some great performances by the young cast members and by Stephen Graham (Tommy from 'Snatch') as the crazy Combo. I'm not sure I liked it as much as the trailer though, perhaps I'll have to watch it again.

Cheers,
Your Best Friend.

Your Best Friend is no joblo...

2009-01-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

I know that my previous post said I'd be talking about movies in an informal fashion, and this next review seems kind of structured, but that's because I wrote it for a website. A few weeks ago, joblo.com, which has been my movie site of choice for many years, put out a call for DVD reviewers. It had been a long time since I had actually written a review (Jersey Girl doesn't really seem relevant anymore) so I chose a new DVD that had yet to be reviewed on their site and followed the format they use. Even though it didn't pay anything, I was a little disappointed that I didn't hear back from them, however I was saved the embarrassment of having to tell them that I can't review Blu-Ray (I don't have a player, I don't even have a TV, my laptop is my everything). But I was sneaky, and made a copy of the review I sent, which can now be read here:

DVD: Step Brothers Movie: 3 DVD: 3 Overall: 3

What's it about?
Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Director Adam McKay could not wrap TALLADEGA NIGHTS without knowing what they were going to do together next. They had a brainstorming session and McKay came up the image of Will and John in bunk beds... the rest of 'Step Brothers' basically writes itself: two forty year old unemployed men are forced to share a room when their single parents marry. The maturity level of these guys makes Billy Madison look like Doogie Howser as hijinks and shenanigans abound.

Is it a good movie?
Of course not, but the fun that the leads are clearly having does become infectious. You can't deny that the real life friends play well off each other, have dueling fros and look funny in briefs. They got some guy named Apatow to produce it, and apparently he has some funny friends too who don't mind showing up in bit parts. There's a reason these guys have a monopoly on comedies at the moment (or as I call it, a 'comopoly'), and it's not sex appeal.

The Extras
Deleted/ extended scenes : Guess what? They shot a whole bunch of stuff that either dragged on too long or wasn't relevant enough to the 'story' for it to be included the movie, watch it here!
This single disc version advertises having 'both theatrical & unrated versions.' The version I watched was the same running length as the theatrical release. At first I figured they probably just dropped a couple more 'F' Bombs and had a slightly longer close up on Ferrell's prosthetic balls, but when I couldn't find the other version on the disc, I deduced that the inclusion of these deleted and extended scenes count for the 'unrated version.' This misleading claim deserves a finger wag.
Commentary: This commentary by McKay, Ferrell and Reilly along with the film's composer comes in the form of an improvised musical, featuring a whole number dedicated to the maker of the aforementioned prosthetics balls. Basketball player Baron Davis also has some arbitrary participation.
Line-O-Rama: A fun feature on every Apatow DVD these days showing alternate takes where the actors improvise different one-liners. Since that's all these films basically are, there's usually some good stuff and you can be the judge if they chose the best lines to keep in the film.
Gag Reel: These are all the lines that were too funny to make it in to the movie because the actors couldn't keep their shit together while saying or hearing them.
“Boats 'n Hoes” music video: The complete version of a rap video the step brothers make on dad's yacht. You see enough of it in the film.
The making of Step Brothers: Spoiler Alert: Oliver Wood, the director of photography also shot all three of the Bourne movies. This is a spoiler because it's all I took away from this unnecessary 22 minute featurette.

Final Diagnosis
I had high expectations for TALLADEGA NIGHTS and was disappointed. Consequently, I had low expectations for STEP BROTHERS and was surprised at how well the same schtick held up for an hour and a half. Of course there were low points, and if you think you're getting something as good as ANCHORMAN, or if you're getting tired of this bunch altogether, then don't watch this. However, if you're a big fan of funnyordie.com, then this low concept, heavily improvised and often indulgent comedy will surely get a few chuckles.

Get to know Your Best Friend a little better...

2009-01-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

If you made it to the end of my ridiculously long first post, then you're my new best friend. Now that we're best friends, here's a bit about me and how this relationship is gonna work:

I love movies and music. I'm going to be the first man ever to express my opinions on these things in the informal forum that is 'THE BLOG.' It should be noted that while I consider myself well educated in cinema, I don't have a musical bone in my body and have been diagnosed as tone deaf by my father, who happens to be all the way deaf. But in case the meter-long posting below wasn't indicator enough, I do like to talk about what I listen to, but some could label my little insights as uninformed. Anyway, in sharing my thoughts on what I'm currently seeing and hearing, I hope to expose friends to some cool things they may not have otherwise known about.

I like youtube and will call on it often to compliment, support, or compensate what it is I say on my web log. I look forward to adding songs to youtube just so I can talk about them here, though I've had pretty good luck finding most things so far.

I like stuff that white people like.. the blog as well as most of the things listed on it. More to come on that later. I also like things that are 'meta', so it's okay for me to blog about a blog.

I like things that are Canadian. Note the Canadian music rant below and the use of the metric system above, for I am indeed proud to be part of the red, white and new.

I like stories and literature. Some original short fiction may also appear on Your Best Friend's Blog.

I enjoy playing most sports, but rarely get the opportunity. I get many opportunities to watch sports on television, but rarely enjoy it.

In the winter I skate and in the summer I bike.

I'm a chess man, not a poker man. Sometimes I bake.

It is in to this web of logs that I now commence tossing my own...

My 2008 Year In Music review

2008-12-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

2008 was a big year in music for me. Pretty much every band I like put out an album, which meant lots of money going towards CDs and concerts... all very well spent. Here's a bit of a breakdown of what I listened to this year:

OASIS -Dig Out Your Soul.

Anyone that knows me knows that I love my Oasis. I am totally convinced by their swagger and justified attitude towards all that is beneath them. Though I didn't think their well reviewed 7^th studio album was as strong as 2005's 'Don't Believe the Truth', I still dug it. It's a bit more of a pared down sound, with some steady, not quite psychedelic rockin' tunes. Their borrowed Beatles' bits have become even more apparent than before. With actual audio clips of an interview with John in Liam's extremely Lennon-esque 'I'm Outta Time' to several chords of 'Dear Prudence' inexplicably tagged on to the end of 'The Turning', Oasis is almost heading in to trendy sampling territory.

About a month before the album was released I saw Oasis play at the Toronto V-Fest, and it was my best Oasis concert experience to date. Liam looked and sounded younger than he did on the previous tour and the audience was given stunning visuals to accompany the music (the band barely moves while playing) in the form of 30 foot tall monitors displaying the animated collage-based artwork of Julian House that can also be found all over the album insert and 'The Shock of Lightning' video (seen below). The fact that this show was on my birthday and that Noel was attacked on stage also made this night all the more memorable. I saw them again last month in Detroit, and though they played a few songs from the new album that weren't heard at the Toronto show, the half full arena show didn't have the same magic as the outdoor festival venue.

Perhaps my favorite song on the new album is Gem's 'To Be Where There's Life' followed by Liam's 'I'm Outta Time' which makes me wonder if Noel is hanging on to some of his own gems for the oft rumored solo project.

Weezer -the red album

I'm reminded of popular children's book, 'Red is Best.' Okay, maybe this album isn't as good as 'the blue album', but it's pretty damn good. As the other members contribute songs we get the most eclectic Weezer album to date. The highlight of which is 'Heart Songs' where Rivers sings soulfully about the music he listened to that lead him to start his own band. The singles ('Troublemaker' 'Pork and Beans') were typical fun Weezer pop tunes with well made videos, but I think the album will continue to gain momentum and respect with the next single, an anthem with an epic feel called 'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived.' Apparently Spike Jonze is set to direct the video (for those that don't know, he's the genius behind the 'Buddy Holly' video and several feature films since). Make sure you get the deluxe addition, as the four extra songs are worth it, particularly 'King.'

I was fortunate enough to catch their show in Vancouver last October. It was my first Weezer concert and it did not disappoint. I was surprised at how much the singing was shared as it seemed that Rivers would often stop singing whenever he felt like it and the other members would pick up where he left off. This frees up Rivers to take a turn on drums or head-but a trampoline for a little while. Highlights included Pink Floyd and Nirvana covers, an acapella instigated version of b-side favorite 'Suzanne', and having about 20 young local musicians come up on stage to assist them with 'Island in the Sun' and 'Beverly Hills' (the guitar solo of which was reproduced by a girl with a violin... very cool).

Through the release of River's 'Alone' home recordings and a plethora of stuff on youtube, I've recently been made aware of the huge back catalog of Weezer b-sides and rarities of almost Oasis proportions. It can be overwhelming at times.

Lots of band released their 3^rd albums this year...

The Sam Roberts Band -Love at the End of the World

What really sold me on this album was seeing it performed front to back at the Montreal album release party a week after the disc hit stores. Sam Roberts' live performances have consistently impressed as he always manages to top himself. After playing the 13 new tracks almost perfectly, he did an encore consisting of about 6 older songs. All in all, a very cool album recorded in their hometown as Roberts has recently entered fatherhood, I mention these circumstances because I feel they're reflected in the music. Also, check out the video for 'Detroit '67.' Tops.

Kaiser Chiefs -Off With Their Heads.

Upon first listen, their non sequitur pop lyrics may seem a little silly. There's not really a 'Ruby' on this one to instantly latch on to. It's unique in that it's a purely pop record that takes multiple listens to really catch. The tunes are simple but belted out by a group that has really mastered their niche. Even if you don't like it at first, I recommend giving this one a chance, particularly 'Tomato in the Rain' and 'Like it Too Much.'

As with any band that achieves wide success, particularly ones like the Chiefs who could be accused of having a generic pop sound, they have their critics. But I challenge anyone to knock the band after seeing them put on a show like they did at the Mod Club last November. Most people this side of the pond have never heard of the Kaiser Chiefs, but in the UK they headline big festivals like Glastonbury, which is why it was such a privilege to see them rock out in a small club. The show was pure energy from start to finish. Pudgy singer Ricky Wilson looks funny squeezed in to his little vest, but I had already forgotten about his humorous appearance by the time he walked across the top of the bar mid-song and poured himself three fingers of whiskey, downed that then crowd surfed while singing 'I Predict a Riot' sounding just as he did when he sang it on their first record.

Bloc Party -Intimacy

This came out the same day as The Kaiser Chiefs album, and is almost as good. Among the 14 tracks are several of the more techno-type they've been drifting towards, including the slightly off-putting opening track and 'Flux' which was released over a year ago. Songs that are a lot easier to get in to include 'Signs' which is a slower, haunting song that comes way closer to matching the magic of their first record than anything on their second did, 'Biko' and 'Talons' also help in elevating this record over the previous. Unfortunately I only caught the last 15 minutes of their set at V-Fest which I believe was cut short due to technical issues. The abrupt finish was punctuated by singer Kele Okereke throwing his guitar down and storming off stage. I've already got my ticket to see them at the Kool Haus in March, hopefully that will go a little better.

The Killers -Day and Age

This November release was a pleasant fourth quarter surprise. I had presumed that last year's album of b-sides was their way of saying it will be a little longer for original Killers material following the success that was 2006's 'Sam's Town.' With 10 tracks, this is not an accomplishment equal to that of their second record, but it has some great club tracks similar to those on the first album. Perhaps in an effort to shed the impression many people have the The Killers are British, this is their most domestic album to date, as songs like 'Joyride' reference the dessert and Vegas living. In my opinion, the first two singles, 'Human' and 'Spaceman' blow away the other tunes by making even the most devout headbangers want to dance like teen on 'e' at a rave. I haven't seen The Killers in concert yet, but I'm hoping to get that opportunity when they play Air Canada Center later this month.

Razorlight -Slipway Fires.

I was really into their first two albums, so I was surprised when this one came out in November without my even knowing about it. My first impression of the album was the ridiculous video that is 'Wire to Wire.' Once you get past the silliness that is the video, it's actually a pretty good song. I've never heard a positive thing said of diva singer/ songwriter Johnny Burell, who always looks pissed off that few are buying his self manufactured genius hype. I had heard that his attitude had led to the band splitting... apparently not yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if this album's poor critical reception and performance becomes their last, but hopefully Burell still has a few more 'Rock n Roll Lies' left to tell.

The Dandy Warhols ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols.

This is the sixth album from another band that I thought had split up. As with their last few records, they're definitely still staying on the 'jam band' side of things. Some good tunes, including one that is clearly an homage to the Stones' 'Miss You' but sounds a little too close to home. I'd love to see this band live, but I would have to get very high.

The Verve -Forth

This band actually had broken up but reunited this year with a tour and a new album. To be honest, I had kind of always thought of The Verve as one hit wonders, I was mistaken. 'Forth' is their fourth album and sounds very similar to their earlier efforts. It's a strong record, but 1997's 'Urban Hymns' still seems way ahead of anything else they've done, making this reunion almost feel like a step backwards, but I have high hopes for what they'll do next.

The Kooks -Konk

I passed up Foo Fighters at V-Fest to watch these guys, certainly no regrets there. These kids write catchy songs and play all of them. Thus far, I don't find their sophomore album as good as their debut, but in its defense, I did only pick it up yesterday.

Radiohead -In Rainbows

Given the musical tastes reflected in this little blog, you would think I'd be way in to Radiohead, but this has never really been the case. The new album continues on the path the last few albums have been on, where every song has a very soft sound and we get fewer and fewer rock songs like 'Karma Police' and 'The Bends.' I do have a lot of respect for Thom Yorke and his band, but as hard as I try, I just can't get in to this new stuff. This is why I found it hard to differentiate or recognize most of what they played when I saw them this summer. I still enjoyed the show, particularly the perfectly fitting rainbow that graced the rainy day just before the band took the stage.

The Raconteurs -Consolers of the Lonely

I'm pretty sure Jack White can write a song in about as much time as it takes most people to poop. The man is a talent, and anyone that's ever complained about the White Stripes being too minimalist can enjoy this side project. There was no promotion for the album and its existence was only confirmed a week before its release. Probably not as many good songs as the first record, but the best is saved for last with the rock opera 'Carolina Drama.'

The Fratellis -Here We Stand

I bought this CD right after seeing them play a great set at V-Fest. These three Scots had people aged14 to 40 thrashing at three in the afternoon. For my money, the best is again the last on the album, a rock ballad called 'Milk and Honey.'

Foxboro Hot Tubs -Stop Drop and Roll!

Did you know Green Day released an album this year? Well not really, but the members independently released this sweet little record that often sounds like another 'Kerplunk'. My theory is that following the massive success of the conceptual 'American Idiot', the guys had some lower concept (which isn't to say inferior) songs that didn't quite fit with the thesis of the album, and decided to make them part of an unofficial Green Day project in an effort to delay the scrutiny that will come along with the eventual 'follow up' album. The result is a modest success that invokes the sounds of the 60s, yet also sounds bit like old Green Day and new Fratellis.

David Martel -I Hardly Knew Me

An acquaintance of mine in Montreal put out an amazing album this year. The title is quite apt, as I'd always known he was a music man, but I hardly knew the talent that was there until seeing his group live and then picking up the CD. Here's an acoustic version of my favorite song from the record.

Mission District -Youth Games

Another Montreal friend of mine in and up and coming band had a good year. They made a video, had the song featured on Big Shiny Tunes and were interviewed on Much. I haven't picked up the CD yet (sorry Rob) but have been enjoying their stuff on youtube and myspace.

Kid Rock – Rock 'n' Roll Jesus

I wouldn't have picked this up, but it was given to me for Christmas and it's not bad. I'm a bit of closet country fan, so I don't mind listening to Kid Rock sing about being a redneck or try to appeal to the sentimental people with another 'Only God Knows Why.' 'Lowlife' provides the funniest lyrics on the album, with rhymes like 'the rent is due, I spent it all on a Kiss tattoo and rock and rolled all night 'cause I'm a lowlife.'

A bunch of bands I don't like also put out albums this year. They make the 'Fuck That' list (it should be noted that I didn't actually listen to any of these albums).

Metallica -Death Magnetic

This used to be my favorite band until they became old, greedy, and talentless. Fuck Metallica.

Guns 'n' Roses -Chinese Democracy

This used to be my second favorite band, before it became Has-beens 'n' Never-will-bes. Long live Slash and Duff. Fuck Axl.

AC/DC -Black Ice

I've got nothing against these geezers, I just don't like 'em as much as I used to.

Coldplay -Viva la Vida

Apparently Coldplay is splitting up because Chris Martin thinks bands should break up before they get too old (refer to above band). Seriously though, my grandma rocks out harder than these guys ever have. Good riddance Mr. Martin.

Nickleback -Dark Horse

You go from Pearl Jam to Creed to Nickelback and it's like the steady decrease in quality one sees from the original as a copy is made of a copy. Nickelback represents the extreme deterioration, which is why it blows my mind that they are achieving more international success than any other Canadian band. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that their new album sold more than Oasis' did IN THE UK! Fuck... just, FUCK!

Here's a couple 2007 albums I'm including because I didn't hear them until this year...

Cuff the Duke -Sidelines of the City

Another 3^rd album that somehow escaped my attention upon its initial release, despite the fact that I was already a fan of the band. This is the kind of Canadian band I wish would transcend boarders for the international success they deserve. I prefer just about every song they've recorded to anything The Tragically Hip ever made. I finally got my hands on the once unavailable first album 'Life Stories for Minimum Wage' which is also an incredibly good record.

Patrick Wolf -The Magic Position

I still know very little about this musician or this peculiar album that I got from my friend's mp3 player, accept that I like it a lot and I'm guessing he likes Bloc Party and The Smiths.

Coconut Records -Nighttiming

This band is the baby of actor turned singer/ songwriter Jason Schwartzman. Is there anything those Coppolas can't do? 'West Coast' stands out as a great single on a diverse album. I'm looking forward the second album 'Davey' which comes out later this month.

Also in 2009...?

Ben Kweller -Changing Horses

Jason Schwartzman and Ben Kweller have very similar singing voices. Kweller's new album comes out in February, a couple weeks before his show at the Mod Club which I already have my ticket for.

The View -Which Bitch?

Not many people know about these young ones from Dundee, Scotland, but their first album was pretty hip and did well in the UK. Hopefully the second album doesn't take too long to get distribution here.

Blur

They have already announced a reunion tour, no word on a new album yet.

Stone Temple Pilots

I missed their reunion tour last summer, but rumors have begun about a forthcoming album.

Tegan and Sara

In November, Tegan wrote in a blog that for the first time ever the sisters are collaborating on their writing process. It is with great anticipation that I await the result.

Kasabian

I've read that they were supposed to be among my many favorites to release a third album in 2008, but the release was pushed back. To my knowledge, there's no release date set yet, but I'll be getting a copy whenever it hits shelves.

Buck 65

If not an original album, I would at least like to see distribution for his Greetings From Tuskan collaboration called Bike For Three.

Arcade Fire

I'm not counting on a new album from them this year, what with all the side projects and pretentiousness. I read a while back that they may be scoring a movie, perhaps that will be just as good as an original album.

The Strokes are also supposed to be hitting the studio in February. Looks like 2009 could be a pretty good year for music as well, but 2008 will be a tough act to follow.