But, can he croon?

Poor Robert Goulet is sedated in a hospital awaiting a lung transplant. Let's just hope he keeps those pipes in tact so he can keep the croon alive.

I just obtained a copy of the Sigur Ros release Hvarf/Heim. This will be a collection of old songs re-done and a few new ones that will accompany the 6 November release of their DVD Heima. I have not been more excited about a music DVD in a really long time. The preview for the documentary looks absolutely amazing.

And, finally for today, it looks like Scranton, PA will be hosting its very own The Office Party That would actually be pretty cool.

Make your way to the well

It's been so horrible watching the fires in southern California. Hot days, dry Santa Ana winds and no rain in sight are making this a force to reckon with. Nearly 300,000 people have been evacuated from homes and businesses. The San Diego Chargers canceled their practice yesterday because over half of the team was dealing with having to evacuate their families from their homes.

It's been declared a state of emergency in California and is looking to cost millions in damages. And I'm sure there are many Nobel Peace Prize winners who are going to raise their voice about how global warming is the cause, but seriously, we've dealt with widespread fires in our nation for decades, nay, centuries and many times before the whole "the earth is melting" craze started.

I do think it's a horrible situation and I hope that rain will come and that the firefighters receive a lot of support.

Pray for rain.

We're not gonna take it. No!

Ok, so I rarely chime in on college football. Or - for that matter - college sports in general. But this weekends match up between Alabama and Tennessee was beautiful. A picturesque day in Tuscaloosa. 75 degrees. No clouds. Slight breeze. I gathered all this from what they said on TV, anyway.

But what a showing the Crimson Tide had. A relatively young team with a new coach and facing a few new disciplinary issues with some key players. They played the game so well. Well enough to have given the best team in our nation (which is who, by the way?) a full run for their money. Oh man I loved watching that slimeball, Phil Fulmer, cringe the way he did all day long.

The Tide showed poise, strength and JP Wilson showed he can certainly connect with his receivers. It was just fantastic.

Speaking of "who's the best team in the nation?" question. Who is? Who knows? The BSC is completely jacked up. Number 1 doesn't necessarily mean they are No. 1. Now teams who had no shot at a national title are in close running for the post-season No. 1 ranking. It's been interesting to watch and I think the bowl season will be really crazy, but pretty exciting.

Roll Tide!

My Dixie My Love

Apparently it's been revealed that Presidential candidate, Barack Obama and current US Vice President, Dick Cheney are distant cousins or something quirky like that. You can read the story HERE.

It was funny to read Obama's campaign spokesperson say, "Obviously, Dick Cheney is sort of the black sheep of the family."

So I guess now people will not vote for Obama because this. Or maybe it doesn't matter. Well I can actually tell you that it doesn't matter. My 8th cousins of whom I know nothing about, in no way affect who I am. Or do they?

I took a piece of the picture

Movies seem to be getting good again. Now that all the summertime Hollywood blockbuster hype is gone we can focus on good movies. A few movies that have piqued my interest as of late are George Clooney's latest film Michael Clayton, Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, Rendition, and of course, Into the Wild.

Oddly enough I am interested in seeing 30 Days of Night. I'm not sure why, but this looks to be one awesome vampire flick.

I'm waiting outside

This was a SNL Digital Short that - even though it features the lead singer of Maroon 5 - is pretty freaking hilarious.

In other news, Stephen Colbert announced his bid for the Presidency last night on his show The Colbert Report. Who knows how far he will take this or even his level of seriousness, but it's really funny that he's doing this. I'm sure it all ties into his book being released and his overall comedy, but everything I see or read on this is awesome. On his show last night he said, "It's clear that the voters are desperate for a white, male, middle-aged, Jesus-trumpeting alternative." Perfect!

I went last night to watch the movie Once. It was - hands down - one of the most inspiring movies I have seen in a long time. And without sounding too movie critic-ish, it's a movie that makes you feel like you are in it and uses its major element (the songs) to keep you involved in the story of these two characters' lives.

I don't think any major movie chains are showing this one, but I highly recommend getting this one as soon as you can.


In the baseball world, I'm excited to see the Indians play the Red Sox. I think that is going to be a fantastic series. However, I am kind of bummed out that I don't even really care about the NL teams this year. But, then again, it's not life or death. It's only a game.

Cinq

THIS is absolutely outrageous. A woman was taken to court for illegally sharing music. Not only did the court rule against her, but she is ordered to pay a fine of $220,000 in damages to be split among different record labels.

Not only is that fine completely asinine, but the fact that the loss of revenue on the labels' end would not even closely resemble that figure.

I speak from very very mild experience in the music industry, but it's the old principle of do to all what you do to one. Or don't do it at all. If this is the case for this one woman, then our justice system needs to seek out other like offenders and fine them as well.

But, this whole thing reeks of record labels suffering financially and trying to prove a point.

Here's a tip for record labels: spend less money comping vodka tonics at expensive bars and add those dollars (which add up in the thousands) to your freaking marketing budget so people know about you.

My Body's my tomb

If you have any free time (apprx 12 min per episode) head over to Clark and Michael. It's a great site with a season of short episodes starring Michael Cera (George Michael of Arrested Development) and it's absolutely hilarious.

It's seriously some of the driest, funniest stuff I've seen in a while.

Other than that, let's all take a moment and remember our St Louis Cardinals.







And resume. I'm still proud of you, Red Birds. We love you and we'll see you again next season.