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The last concert that I went to see is "the Police" at Dodger Stadium on 06/23/07. This mega-rock band really let me down with their cookie-cutter 90 minute performance, which when you factor in a $100 ticket price makes you think, "I just paid over a buck a min for this?" The Police banged out 15 of their greatest hits and then ran off the stage as if they just robbed a bank. They met most fans expectations, but did nothing more which left me feeling...underwhelmed. On a 1 to 10, I give this concert a 7 because it felt more like an exhibition. "The Mutaytor" at the Music Box in Hollywood on 11/17/06 is the best show I've ever heard from the Tators. The acoustics in the Music Box are awesome and the venue is cozy with a 1,200 person capacity. I Loved hanging out on the roof top chill spaces looking over Hollywood, kickin' it in balcony, and feeling the energy on the floor in front of the stage. Thanks to all my friends who found me and said, "Where u been hiding?" Because evolution is too slow, on a one to ten, I give this show a 8.Pearl Jam's comeback at the Cox Arena in San Diego rocked (07/07/06). This show kicked ass with an awesome set list that comprised classic hits, new material, and terrific b-sides/covers. After being off the road for a number of years the band sounded polished and played for over 3 hours for their hometown crowd. I can't wait to get the bootleg downloaded from the 10 club when its available. On a 1 to 10, I give this show a 9 because PJ has never sounded better.
"Spider-Man 3" in Imax is the sh*t and if you haven't seen it already, well why not? I've literally been waiting my whole life for this movie and it didn't disappoint. The special effects are incredible with camera angles that make the viewer feel as if they are flying across New York City. In part 3, we see Peter Parker struggle with growing up into an adult while dealing with anger, fear, and revenge. He wants to get married to MJ, he wants a staff photographers job at the Daily Bugle, and he wants be loved as a hero in the Big Apple. What I dig the most about Spider-Man is that his personal problems were always bigger than the villians he fought. Peter is torn between the responsibilty he feels to NYC as being Spidey and life he yearns to have with Mary Jane. Now, if you are a fanboy like me and have been reading Spidey comics since before kindergarden, this movie will feel like a holy experience. "Spider-Man 3" in Imax gets 11 thumbs up from me! (Must see movie of the summer) The "Zodiac" stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a cartoonist turned detective in this true story of a serial killer who stalked CA in the 70's. The movie moves quickly and the 160 mins fly by as the case evolves over years. Its interesting to see as how the case drags on, the affect it has on characters development. On a 1 to 10, I give this flick a 6, because this movie has a weak closing scene and the film has very little replay value. "Ghost Rider", starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes is craptastic. Both of them give a horrible performance with Cage who seems to be sleeping and Mendes who is better off as a pin-up girl. The CGI that makes "Ghost Rider" come to life is flawless and the cycle is the better than the comic book. But, after you've seen an army of skeletons fighting in "The Pirates of the Carribean" this will seem kinda boring. This flic would be fine to watch on TV, but don't waste your time or money going to the theatre. On a one to ten, I give this movie 5 thumbs up."The Prestige" is directed by Christopher Nolan and this film is a period piece about the competition that two magicians (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) have to be the best performer in London during the early 20th century. This movie has so many twists and turns in it, that just when you think that you've figured out the "Teleported Man" trick, the movie is only half-way done! Are you watching closely? Because, this movie is about more than magic tricks, its about secrets. I really thought that Scarlett Johansson and Michael Caine added a great deal to this flim with their supporting roles. On a one to ten, this movie gets 10 thumbs up! (Must See Movie) My favorite book of all time is "Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha" by Miguel Cervantes. In 2000, the director Terry Gilliam started shooting "The Man Who Killed Don Quiote". This film, an altered telling of the classic Don Quiote story, starred Johnny Depp as Don Quiote's "sidekick". After only one week of shooting, too many problems forced production on the film to stop. Even though this film has been his biggest dream, Gilliam, to this day, has never been able to sucessfully restart the project. This is the only six minutes of the film that were completed.
is an addiction, unplug the drug.
The last book that I've read is "The Game" a true story by Neil Strauss. Neil is a writer/average frustrated guy who decides to turn his life around by becoming a master pick-up artist and then recording his nocturnal escapades for his next book. But, to do this Neil has to to go undercover in LA's club scene and run "Game". He gives up everything, moves to Hollywood, and becomes a social robot named "Style". Very quickly he realizes more than anything, picking up chicks is a numbers game and he's hit the lotto. After more than a year of self-indulgence, his life lacks anything resembling an emotional connection which he needs to overcome his feelings of shallowness. Can Neil give-up playing his conquests for the "one" and doesn't that go against everything that he's learned about the game? Neil finds out that getting everything you always thought you wanted isn't necessarily what you really need. On a 1 to 10, I give this book an 9 because it’s better than fiction, its drastic reinvention. "Who's Your Caddy?" by Rick Reilly is a behind the scenes look at over-achievers and their love of golf. Anybody who has read an issue of Sports Illustrated knows who Rick is, he's the man who writes the awesome last page column. Rick writes from the perspective of the common every man but with crazy access to world-class athletes and events. This book is a quick read as we follow Rick around as he caddies for different celebrities such at Donald Trump, Casey Martin, Bob Newhart, John Daly, and my favorite a blind golfer by the name of Bob Andrews. Rick learns a little bit about what makes over-achievers tick and a lot more about being a great caddy. On a 1 to 10, I give this book an 8 because its fun reading this author's style of writing. While crashing in various hotel rooms and airplanes I read "the Chelsea Horror Hotel" by Dee Dee Ramone. This book is twisted because the story is fictional but Dee Dee, the hotel, and the ending aren't. The book takes place after Dee Dee has left the Ramones and is living at the Chelsea Hotel which is inhabited by junkies, trannies, and staff that just doesn't give a sh*t. Dee Dee is dealing with not being a rock star anymore but still being hasseled by his fans who want autographs, pictures, and god forbid...conversation. All Dee Dee wants is to do is to get lifted but he keeps running into the ghost of Sid Vicious who is also craving his next fix. On top of all that, strange things keep happening in the basement including an apperance by the Devil himself. This book is ironic because ***Spoiler Alert*** Dee Dee dies on the last page of this book the exact way he died in real life. That's what makes this book so unreal, on a one to ten, I give this book a 7.5 because now I understand more about Dee Dee and his life after the Ramones. "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk is the story of Victor Mancini a person you would never want to have as a friend in real life, but his life is a train wreck you just can't stop reading. Victor is motivated by one question, "What would Jesus NOT do?" and then proceeds to do just that! See Victor is a sexaholic and trying to recover but he is stuck on step 4 of his 12 step program, inventory. As he writes down all of his sexual misadventures into a book, he finds he needs a f*cken appendix. Victor is the perfect anti-hero, who tries to understand his world by making up his own rules and boundries. On a 1 to 10, I give this book a 7 because of its many subplots. "A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K. Dick is a book that takes place in the distant future of 2013 in the far away land of Southern California. Fred is an undercover cop who poses as Bob Arctor a person who is addicted to "Substance D" or "Slow Death". The drug changes your perception as if you walked through a mirror and everything was suddenly backward. Of course there are side effects but when his brain splits apart into two halves working independently of the other, he wonders if he'll ever be normal again? On a 1 to 10, I give this book an 8 because it takes self-awareness to a whole new level. Nick Hornby's "A Long Way Down" is a funny book that courts death and the struggles we go through in life. Its the story of four different characters that go the roof of Toppers House on New Years Eve to commit suicide. Instead of them all holding hands and jumping off the roof, they take the long way down being the stairs. Each character takes turns showing the others that their lives aren't so bad and they begin to solve each others problems of despair. Sometimes life happens so slowly it doesn't seem to be changing but it does and life moves on. The misconception of this book is that the characters want to die because life has delt them a crap hand, but after reading the book, you realize that the characters love life more than anybody. They just feel stuck in a small moment of time. On a 1 to 10, I give this book a 9. "The Inferno", by Dante Alighieri. It's the story of Dante, who finds himself at the gates of Hell. Virgil his guide escorts him down through the numerous rings of human sin, eternal suffering, and punishment. It was interesting seeing Dante change from being a person who felt compassion for the damned to a character that had no remorse and believed that God's wrath is justified. You would think that Lust and Greed are the worst of the sins, but in this book they aren't. It’s the close betrayals of your loved ones that endure the worst torture. I found this book to be a tough read since it was written in the 1300's. The language is translated from Italian and there are a ton of footnotes to read in order to understand the characters better. Oh, did I mention its poetry? If you can deal with all of that the book isn't long and it’s worth reading. On a 1 to 10, I rate this book a 7. Once you start descending into Hell, you'll learn something about yourself. "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway, it’s the story of a group of characters that in their mid-thirties suffer a collective midlife crisis. Their remedy is the San Fermin's festival in Pamplona, Spain. The running of the bulls is the most famous part of this festival, buts its mostly a wine festival with singing and dancing. As each character struggles to redefine their value system they find that love and freedom are not equal to time. One of the strongest points that Hemingway makes is that eventually the party will end and you will be a little further down the road with same baggage. On a 1 to 10, I give this book an 8! "Hey Rube" is the last book written by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. It is a collection of his page2 columns from ESPN.com. What I find so interesting about this author and his writing is his incorporation of almost anything to sports. In Thompson's mind politics, war, and gambling are all by products of sports. I'm amazed how he can combine all this things, plus his personal life into a short two page column. Thompson isn't afraid of casting light into the darkest spots of the times we live in. On a 1 to 10, I give this book a 10 because after you read this book, you'll realize that life is as competitive as any sport, if not more.
god will give me justice