What, You Didn't Get the Memo...?

11 days left... tick tock tick tock...

The 12 Days (left) of X-mas...

Go to Macy's on Market and see the light show. Walk through the animatronic Scrooge show. Be a kid...

Flyers/Pens = Avs/Wings circa mid 90's

My dad's father, or Poppie, had two televisions at his house in Philadelphia. One had cable and the other had this fuzzy basic antenna feed that didn't offer much more than re-runs of Mamma's Family. It was nearing 7:30, and I began to pace back and forth in his living room. I had become addicted to hockey. It was all Eric Lindros' fault. That, and my uncle had bought me a nerf hockey set that I'd take out back and use to shoot pucks off various fragile objects. The Flyers were off, but a much more attractive game was on my mind. I began to watch any hockey game that ESPN or ESPN 2 (back when they showed hockey) could get my eyes on. I also became aware of the great rivalry between the Colorado Avs and the Detroit Red Wings. A video summary of their heated antics awaits you after the jump.

This very night, the two were squaring off in a revenge game on cable TV. Somehow I convinced my Poppie to turn off the horse races and turn on the game. Within the first 5 minutes, there were crosschecks, slashes, boarding, fighting, blood, guts and I think someone died. My grandfather, in a disgruntled "I can't believe you watch this stuff" manner... picked up the remote and turned it off. Hockey, especially the way it was played then, and the way it was played last night at the Wachovia center betwixt the Flyers and Penguins, isn't for everyone. I have come to realize that our brothers in the middle of this fair Keystone state hate us just as much as we hate them. I predict that the new Flyers/Penguins rivalry will equal and eventually surpass the Avs/Red Wings in intensity, violence and pure entertainment. And to think, we play them 5 more times this season.

Mayhaps He's Lactose Intolerant...

I hear that's going around...

No Means NO!!!

How would YOU define Irony? Would it be like an old man turning 98, winning the lottery and dying the next day? Would it be like having 10,000 spoons... when all you need is a knife? Is Irony like rain on your wedding day? Or is it like a deep fried onion ring in the shape of the "don't do this" symbol held in front of a cigarette?

Paranormal State = ChurchTv

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It was laughable and a complete waste of time. There's a demon following you? Your index finger is a invisible cross force field deploying device? At least the preview kept the door open for future factual phenomena. But as for right now...? DEBUNKED.

Vick: 23 months, Dog Riots break out in L.A.

Michael Vick gets the jail sentence equivalence of buying a new car for 19,999.99. 23 months is really a year. You know it. I know it. Dogs that lick themselves know it. The early word is Burt Reynolds has inquired about Vick's services for his penal football pee-wee team.

O' Little Mall in Bethlehem...

a new scribbles cartoon, with others found here.

Call it, Friendo...

I promised myself I'd never do it. There's been so many times and so many oppurtunities to do so, not knowing if the chance would ever rise again. But I said, "NO... NO, good sir. Its just too damn creepy". That all went out the window last night at the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown, where I stopped in to see No Country for Old Men. Alone. When I envision myself seeing a motion picture alone, it sorta ends up as a cross between Tom Hanks from Philadelphia getting blown at Stallion Showcase Cinema on 21st street or Stanley Tucci from the Pelican Brief feigning masturbation by taking off his rope belt and choking a chief justice with it. But I digress.

If ever there was a movie worthy of "making due" with the actions discussed above, N.C.F.O.M is it. Superb yet simple storyline, an all-star lineup... perfectly cast, violence and drama with a dash of humor, and one of the best characters ("Sugar" pictured above) ever to cross the silver screen with an air compressor, make this film a MUST SEE. On a side note, its end is peculiar and deserves a second viewing in order for me to pass judgment on the Super Coen-o Bros.' ability to finish their films.

For a synopsis, sound clips, video clips, Clipse, buddy icons and screen savers, head over to the official site. That is, AFTER you've gone to see the damn thing. P.S. after the JUMP is a trailer that ran before the movie that I'm dying to see.

There Will be Blood. Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead provides the soundtrack. Daniel Day Lewis owns. That silent kid from "Little Miss Sunshine" is in it, and should've stayed silent. "I can't keep doing this on my own, with these... people."

Alive n' Kickin'...

or Punchin'. My friend Phil is in fact... still alive. You see, after changing his phone number and email I had come to the conclusion that he in fact, was dead. Not the case... so beware all those that cross his path. Show some 'respeck' or get punched the digi-equivalent of 828... IN THE FACE.

How to Put Asses in Seats...

What do you do, when even the tumbleweeds that blow hither and yon along Broad Street won't come to see your 76ers play basketball? You publicize the fact that hometown darling, Jimmy "J-Roll" Rollins, will be awarded with an MVP jersey during the game. Aaaand, it would help to give free club box tickets out to all the faithful fans who USED to own season tickets one year prior. After the JUMP, two more videos and an explanation why no one was there.

Maybe now that Billy King is gone, you'll get one.

Supsended Flyer-Nation!

I've said it about him before. I'll say it again. This is going to be the most interesting game of the year, if not for the debut of troubled rookie Steve Downie, then for the fact that the Flyers have tallied 5 suspensions in a quarter of a season and are being watched by the NHL. How could something NOT happen in this game? There have been detractors who've said he wouldn't see the light of (game)day after his hit on Deano, but here he is. After that hit, the crosscheck, the boarding, the dashering and the elbowing, the Flyers are rolling the dice on Downie tomorrow night in Minnesota. Here's hoping they roll a lucky number (2)7.

My advice? Duck.

**UPDATE** check out downie's score sheet in the game before last:

2 - PHI Downie, 5:29 - Boarding , 2 min (PP)
2 - PHI Downie, 7:58 - Fighting , 5 min
2 - PHI Downie, 16:45 - High-sticking , 2 min (PP)
3 - PHI Downie, 20:00 - Roughing , 2 min
3 - PHI Downie, 20:00 - Misconduct , 10 min
3 - PHI Downie, 20:00 - Misconduct - Unsportsmanlike conduct (75.4), 10 min

Let Him Eat Cake...

Cliff's Notes version: Dan IMs me at work and tells me that there are these crazy stuffed animals on WhySoSerious, the viral marketing web-site for the sequel to Batman Begins, Dark Knight. These critters are holding addresses to various locations that nerds and such can bike or get their moms to take them to in the hopes of getting a package. He wonders if I, on my lunch break... wouldn't mind scoping the location out. I do mind, his brother does not... And what do you know, he enters a bakery in Germantown and receives a cake with a phone number on it, FROM THE JOKER. Or maybe it was Batman, or Robin... or maybe that Joel Schumaker guy. What happens after the securing of cakes? You'll have to visit Dan's blog to find out. He updated, its great, the world is coming to an end.

If you want to know more about the 6 minutes of exclusive footage from the Dark Knight shown in an IMAX theater yesterday, click here.

If you want to register to see those same 6 minutes at the KOP mall on Thursday, click here.

For someone else's post, this one turned out to be quite long.

Pink Governments on Parade...

It is stories such as these that make me envision pictures such as the one above. How about you...?

Night at the Willow Grove Mall-eum...

It started off as an innocent night of having nothing to eat at my apartment, and nothing to do. So I picked up my life partner at work in the North East... and headed towards the Willow Grove mall. There wasn't a shopping list to fulfill or a particular store we wanted to hit up. It was just an excuse to eat crappy chinese at Master Wok... and then walk it off in the 3 floored mall. What we did find was a slew of really cool items that will satisfy ANY and ALL of those special nerds in your life. So please, READ MORE... see what I saw... and always remember, Ben Stiller sucks.

This gem was found in a hat store that wasn't Lids... but it was just like it. This is a step up from those paper hockey helmets they give out at games, but at a costly 40 some dollars. The chin strap is a really nice touch. What a night for head-gear.

This sweatshirt is just too amazing for words. Hot Topic has some primo-pop culture apparel coming out (more below). I love the Super Mario 3 instruction booklet art alot more than all this CGI 3D art you see of Mario nowadays. P.S. They had a t-shirt of Mario in the bee-suit.

I would never wear this... just thought it was interesting. Wii are the world. Wii are the children. Wii are the ones who make a brighter day, so lets start givin'.

My God... if you only knew. I had the action figures. I went and saw the movies, even the crappy 2nd and 3rd ones with Go Ninja Rap and time travel. I watched all the cartoons, even the crappy ones where Mikey stopped using his nunchuks and started using that turtle grappling hook. I used to lose my mind watching/playing the arcade game in Shakey's Pizza on Naaman's Road. I was a huge fan, and these are really really neat knit caps.

At sports and collectibles, there was a terrific buzz of activity surrounding a rather physically fit Philadelphia Eagle, and former Penn State alum/Outback Bowl MVP... Tony Hunt. Of course, I didn't know any of this until my contact at Penn State filled me in. So I took his picture on the chance that he WAS somebody... and eventually he might be.

Deck the Halls with...

balls.

And I Call This Paint Job...

... Merlin is doin' your sister.

Previously

Use Your ILL-LUGE-SON

There comes a time in everyone's life, when they must move on... from 6th and SpringGarden to 17th and Lombard. Well, not everyone... maybe just Dan. He's begged me for a post featuring photos and movies from his "Moving Out" party jawn, like a poor man who's hungry. Like a horny 18 year old pre-frosh who's trying to bed the captain of the local college football team. Like a child who wants the elusive Nintendo Wii for christmas. Like... like you're begging me now, to stop typing. For more Luge-y goodness and HOT DOGS... click after the JUMP.

Coming Soon...

digix3

A Year of Shows... Nostalgic Edition.

She graduated. She interviewed. She got a job. She gets a reward. I'm proud of her... truly. And to show it, I purchased two tickets to the past. A past that I wasn't a part of. There comes a time in everyone's life where they wished they knew the person they are with sooner or that they had been there for "this" moment or "that" moment in their significant other's life. Its a jealous pang that quickly fades but is significant all the same. Third Eye Blind, my gf's self professed favorite band was there for her during those tumultuous teenage years. They were there for relationships not having to do with yours truly. They were hers and hers alone. I personally enjoyed this band's music growing up myself. I tittered and guffawed when the lead singer would sazz about oral relations and drug use. I shed a metaphorical tear for the JUMPER, wishing he'd step back from that ledge. But they were never "mine" per-se. What follows is a group of photos and videos of that nostalgic journey to the Electric Factory on Nov. 11th... a journey where I was content with merely being next to my girlfriend as she experienced seeing her favorite band live for the first time.

Note the top hat...

The opener... needless to say the crowd was "excited." I had predicted that they'd open with "Losing a Whole Year"... and I was wrong. It was their SECOND song.

Graduate... a show stopper.

A Year of Shows... Lazy edition.

A metaphor, if you will. Producing blog content is like stepping up to the touch screen at Wawa and ordering a Shortie Hoagie. Its warm and fresh and full of bits and pieces that are begging to be consumed. Posting blog content is like leaving the Shortie under you car seat by some strange twist of fate. The content, once topical and at least somewhat purposeful is now a soggy mess of untapped potential. Case in point... in the summer, I continued my one man onslaught on attending as many concerts as possible (within reason/expenditure). What follows is a slew of photos and videos featuring Rufus Wainwright, with special guests A Fine Frenzy and Neko Case at the Mann Music Center (after the JUMP). To see all the other shows I attended this year, put down the sandwich I subconsciously made you pine for and click on the MUSIC tag at the end of the post.

As we approached the Mann, my first time at the venue, the sky above provided us with the most beautiful cluster of cumulus. That civil sky turned rather quickly, and brought some of the most vicious thunder and lighting I've ever seen. Lucky for us, the Mann has a roof over the majority of its seating, and perhaps the man of the hour released some of his stars to decorate it. It is a WONDERFUL venue. There's something to be said about listening to one of R.W.'s quiet piano ballads, while crickets chirp approvingly in the dark around you.

A.F.F's lead red head doing her thing at the piano. Not to be outdone, Neko and her reddish mane took the stage (in a rather unflattering black dress) and turned in a strong performance. Rufus had multiple costume changes throughout his show, the first a flambouyant take on Beetlejuice, the 2nd consisting of lederhosen, and the third, a power-suit transforming him into Judy Garland. The bedazzled American flag, with black and white stripes was the perfect backdrop for the live recreation of his most politically and emotionally charged album.

Us. There are certain artists that have provided the soundtrack to our relationship, and Rufus is right up there. Oh, and apparently Brandon Flowers of the Killers fame is gay. R.W. went on this big gay rant about how "... it didn't work out... it just... just didn't work out" between the two of them before breaking into his song "Tulsa" which opens with the line, "You taste like potato chips in the morning." Don't we all...?

Neko Case - Star Witness

Rufus Wainright - Going to a Town

The War at Home.

"Sadly, some of these fragmented human beings are resorting to suicide. According to a recent CBS News special investigation, data from 45 states shows that 6,256 veterans took their own lives in 2005. That averages out to 120 deaths per week, which is more than double the suicide rate of non-veterans. Veterans aged 20 through 24, the age group currently serving in the war on terror, had the highest suicide rate among all veterans--between two and four times higher than civilians the same age." -- John W. Whitehead.

Please, give them thanks this Thursday.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I'm sure you've seen this commercial for dell insipron colors. I saw it the other night and asked those around me, "What is that song in the background?" Since real human beings are useless and could not provide me with the answer, I had to rely on the Internets. Flaming Lips... W.A.N.D. In the future, if you ever want to know something that all the idiots around you SHOULD know, but don't... google it, just a little bit. After the JUMP, the full version of the music video.

Get Me a Drink, and Make It Swift...

I've had this since April. It was good. My friend David gave it to me. He is on the label. Fall down go boom.

I Can Has Vanity Plate, LOLZ?

Saving Daylight...

Quite possibly the last time you or I will see the Sun on the way home from work.

Do You Believe in Ma-Jerk?

Criss Angel... DOOSH. David Copperfield... PERVERT. David Blane... ZEEK. We all know Chad can't sing... so maybe this whole magic thing will work out for him.

Who's Hungry...?

You are...? Well can I interest you in some crusty ass fudge brownies? They're so warm, and brown... and full of fudgey goodness. You'll pass...? Okay, well after the jump are two more crusty ass products that might wet your whistle.

... perhaps a crusty ass lemon/lime bar for your travels?

...how about a nice crusty ass muffin for breaking fast? Wait, where are you going...? Come back...!

Happy Birthdan to You!

Cruise down Washington Ave in South Philadelphia, and around abouts where it crosses 11th street, you'll find an Asian explosion of food and culture. Maybe I should have said Explasian...? Reguardless, my friend Dan who never updates his blog had a birthday party at Pho'Hoa, one of the respective restaurants. Its vietnamese, which is okay cause I think that war is over. Bush says its them there Iraqi food establishment places you gotta steer clear of... what with all that TERROR. After the jump is a sexy "happy birthday, Mr. President" video starring all Dan's favorite pals. In closing, thunderkats... thunderkats... THUNDERKATS... PHOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOa.

And I Call This Paint Job...

... Killer Whale with a side of gay. (not that there's anything wrong with that.)

I Can Has UR Attention, PLZ... ???

...and knowing is half the battle.

Getting You Ready for Halloween! Part 10.

Well, if you ain't ready for Halloween... I don't know what'll do it. I've tried... believe me I've tried. Here, and after the JUMP are pictures of my Halloween costume from a few years ago. And if you want to recap all the Getting You Ready for Halloweens, just click on the G.Y.R.F.H. at the bottom of this post.

I was, of course, Michael Moore... and my costume of choice was rather timely considering he had just given a speech at Temple. To seal the deal, I carried Top Ramen noodles and underpants in a bag which I threw to the party goers later that night.

Getting You Ready for Halloween! Part 9.

Halloween is one of my favorite scary movies, let alone films of all time. Halloween II is tolerable, only because it ends the story arc of the first film and has Donald Pleasance. Halloween III is an anomaly in that it has nothing to do with Michael Myers (besides the clip of Halloween on TV) but was produced by Carpenter and Hill on the express instructions that it would not be a direct sequel to the first two of the series. The most endearing part of the third installment is the catchy tune that plays for Silver Shamrock masks. I dare you to not sing this little ditty for the rest of the day.

Getting You Ready for Halloween! Part 8.

Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Actually, its just photographs of ITGPCB on a enormous big screen TV. I've been sick so I'm all backed up on Halloween posts. More crisp animation-ness after the JUMP