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February 26, 2007
Oscaroids
I watched the Academy Awards off and on tonight.
Some quick thoughts:
1. I wanted Jackie Earle Haley to win.
2. I'm glad Martin Scorsese won.
3. Given the nominees in the category, An Inconvenient Truth was the rightful winner in the Best Documentary category. Unfortunately, this victory will now give Al Gore license to be COMPLETELY smug and annoying, when he was previously only MOSTLY smug and annoying.
4. Melissa Etheridge's song should not have won. Could somebody PLEASE teach her a new chord progression? I'm begging.
5. I would pay money to see Ellen Degeneres. She is funny.
6. I'm not fully convinced Ennio Morricone knew what was going on.
7. My favorite part of the show is always when they pay tribute to the folks that died since the last broadcast. It's the closest thing to sincerity that happens during the entire broadcast.
8. Ari Sandel, who won for Best Live Action Short, gave the best acceptance speech of the evening.
9. It was on odd year for movies.
Posted by colrus at 02:17 AM | TrackBack
February 23, 2007
More "East Ridge Song" News
In his column in today's Weekend section of the Times Free Press, Barry Courter says "The East Ridge Song" is "great," "hilarious" and "funny...'cause it's true."
His comments are much appreciated.
Here's the full text:
‘The East Ridge Song’ Continues to Find Viewers
By Barry Courter
City BeatSome of us discover things later than others. I discovered the moped, for example, as a small child when I reasoned that putting a motor on a bicycle, so you could pedal home after you ran out of gas, would be a great invention.
Imagine my surprise some years later when I learned someone else had already made one.
I’m also good at discovering restaurants and movies some years after everyone else has already tired of them. I’ve found most folks don’t like talking about a 2-year-old film.
Anyway, I discovered this great video on youtube.com the other day. Actually, a couple of co-workers led me to it. I think they saw something about it on the local news, but no matter the details of how I discovered it.
The video is called “The East Ridge Song,” and it is hilarious. Take a minute to go to youtube.com and search for the title. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
The song was written by Bill Colrus and Dan Lyons for the local show “On the Other Hand,” which ran for a season on WDSI. Colrus shot and edited the video and did all the vocals.
The video pokes fun at the scenery along Ringgold Road, pointing out the unusually large number of tattoo parlors, tanning beds, cash-advance stores and manufactured homes outlets, among other notables.
Now, before you fire off an e-mail calling me names, some of my best friends grew up in East Ridge, and I trade there often. The video is funny...’cause it’s true. A friend and I once counted 19 cash-advance stores within a two-mile stretch.
A compilation DVD featuring “The East Ridge Song” and about an hour’s worth of previously seen and unseen material from “On the Other Hand” is being put together for a spring release, according to Colrus.
Also, the video has now been viewed over 10,000 times.
Posted by colrus at 10:24 AM | TrackBack
February 21, 2007
Even Poppy Can't Help But Love the Grumpy Baby Samta
(Click for bigger view.)
Sam and his poppy.
Christmas, 2006.
The boy was born with attitude.
(Note: We had NO IDEA about Sam's, uh, finger placement until I yanked the pics off my camera...)
New pics can be found at my Flickr page.
Posted by colrus at 11:27 PM | TrackBack
Bush Likes Ribs, Which Reminds Me...I'm Shooting a Rap Video
In case you've suffered head trauma recently and just now came to, the President of the United States was in town today. Joe has a tidy round-up of local bloggers who blogged about it.
The President's motorcade pulled RIGHT UP to the entrance at Erlanger where I pick Melissa up from work every day, and the Secret Service searched her department's offices for contraband and other items of concern. They didn't find any.
In addition to his regular stops, the President stopped at Porker's for lunch.
Less than a block from my office.
Man, I could've seen him twice.
I don't have much to say on the subject of his visit. He came. Some people fawned. Some people protested. He spoke. He ate. He left.
I'm not his biggest fan, but any time a sitting president visits your town, it's OK to admit that it's kinda cool.
OK, now THIS is big news. Memphis aristocrunk rappers Lord T. and Eloise -- featuring former Chattanooga Outlook editor, Robert Anthony -- are playing Rhythm and Brews next Thursday night, March 1. Also on the bill is the Pnuma Trio.
Lord T. and Eloise's debut album, Aristocrunk, received an "A" rating from the Memphis Flyer, and is currently an Editor's Pick at Blender.com. (I ran a brief review on it this week, too.)
I urge you to attend this show.
Also, Chris and I will be filming their set. I will be using the footage to edit a video for their song "To My Ladies." Should be fun.
Posted by colrus at 11:15 PM | TrackBack
February 20, 2007
Please Hammer, Don't Wear 'Em
M.C. Hammer went broke not only because he insisted on carrying with him an entourage the size of a small city, but because he blew his money on hideous (and expensive) garb like this.
Posted by colrus at 09:56 AM | TrackBack
February 19, 2007
Fast Food Managers
Why are fast food managers always yelling? Why don't they just use those headsets like the people who work the drive thru? The customers who place their orders at the drive thru are always yelling, too. Why? They don't have those headsets, either. You'd think the managers would have noticed that by now.
Posted by colrus at 01:18 AM | TrackBack
February 18, 2007
The Soldiers at the Real Gettysburg Had Way Better Facial Hair
I mean, were they even trying?
I am currently watching the 1993 film, Gettysburg. I've seen it a couple of times. It's a great film, but the fake beards and moustaches are distractingly awful. Especially Tom Berenger's. His fake scar in Platoon was much better.
Posted by colrus at 12:58 AM | TrackBack
February 15, 2007
The Intimidator
So, I just realized that I just watched the entire ESPN movie about Dale Earnhardt. How did I get sucked in? Maybe Barry Pepper is to blame. I've always liked his work.
OK, this is random: Organization is key. The more you organize your life, the better your life will be. And the more free time -- or time, in general -- you will have.
Each week, I compose a day-by-day spreadsheet with my work duties: articles that I need to write, editing tasks, managerial tasks, etc. As I finish each task, I check it off. My goal each day is to finish both that day's tasks and the next day's. Sometimes, I can. Most times, I can't. But, by press day, it all gets done. And my life is less stressful.
It takes about five minutes to compose my task list each week, and it relieves about 10 hours of stress each week. Task lists can be done for home, too. Just make sure that you budget some "do nothing" time, too.
I am officially in book mode. Yes, I am actually currently writing a book. Do I expect it to be published? Yes. But probably by myself. Via one of those online dealies. I don't really care. I view it more as an exercise in discipline, and a way to share our richly entertaining family history. If some people are curious enough about the finished product to spend money on it, well, that's wonderful. I'll just give all the money to my son, anyway. Yep, he's got me like that. Already.
My brother-in-law is officially in Iraq. He is keeping an online diary here. I'm still having trouble processing the fact that he's actually there. 11 more months to go.
A February 9 excerpt from his online diary:
For the sake of security and confidentiality I can not reveal the details of what happened to me today. My team and I were hit with an attack today. No one was hurt and we made it back to our camp. We assessed the damage and checked everyone out. Thank God no one was hurt. We all agreed that this is wake up call for us that we are really in a war zone and that we must pay attention as best as we can. For me, I pray before we go out and I pray before we come back in. I know God has my life in his hands. We have sophisticated weapons, equipment and trained staff but my peace relies in knowing God is in control. I am not saying I am not afraid. I'm just saying that I have to rest in the knowledge of that to have peace so that I can do my job.
Posted by colrus at 01:03 AM | TrackBack
February 12, 2007
My Boy's First Portraits
While I'm able to guard my emotions fairly well most of the time, I almost lost it when I went to pick these up the other day.
His mother and I have discussed it, and we've decided that, yes, Sam is indeed a ham.
(Click for bigger views.)
Posted by colrus at 01:51 AM | TrackBack
February 11, 2007
When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around
Seeing The Police open tonight's Grammy Awards (man, I post a lot about music), the residents of this planet were confronted with a sad, startling fact: The Police have wasted a lot of time not being The Police.
(For my money, Zenyatta Mondatta was always their best album.)
Even in his coolest moments since leaving The Police, Sting has never been as cool as The Police.
Here's "Demolition Man" from Ghost in the Machine. One of my faves.
Posted by colrus at 10:37 PM | TrackBack
February 05, 2007
YouTube and Deerhooves
I was interviewed last week by WDEF's Joe Legge for a piece they're running tonight at 6 p.m. about YouTube. I hope I don't sound as dumb as I felt or looked. (Yes, before you ask, they plan to air their YouTube piece on YouTube.) The interview happened as a result of Joe's discovering the video I posted of a certain song I recorded about a certain local town...
The new Deerhoof album is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good. And Ernie agrees.
I have begun writing a book(?) of essays. The essays will recount certain hilarious and/or intensely painful personal/family stories. A rough title: "The Mouse and the Barbecue Fork." All the stories are true, though I haven't decided whether I will change names in order to protect the, um, embarrassing.
Posted by colrus at 08:12 AM | TrackBack