He can do no wrong.

Over the years I have followed one persons career more than most others. Ever since Alias first aired I've been watching J.J. Abrams as he produced and/or directed any number of projects that always turned out amazing. I began calling myself a fan once I first became an addict of his Alias follow up project, ABCs 'LOST'. But Abrams' geniu=ous seems unstoppable. From the mysteries of the LOST island to the suspensful Mission Impossible 3 (the best Mission Impossible, by far), Abrams never fails to entertain. He's got a new show airing on FOX next season and is currently in post production on the new J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie. His monster film Cloverfield was a huge box office hit and multiple sequels are rumored to be in the works. To see for yourself why J.J. Abrams is as dependably good as he is, watch the video below. The video is about 20 minutes long, so make sure you have some time.



P.S. This video comes from TED.COM. It's an amazing site with many, many interesting speakers. Check it out.

WANTED

On Friday I mentioned in a post that I had seen the movie Wanted. I'm not sure I was quite as enthusiastic about this movie as I should've been. I'm actually strongly considering seeing this a second time, or at least picking up the graphic novel. Below is a video about the movie, sure to be a bonus feature on the DVD. It doesn't spoil any of the plot, but some of the initial surprise at how stylistic this film is may be ruined. Watch this if you're thinking about seeing the movie. Warning: This movie and this preview are rated R, so don't watch if you aren't up for it.

The FADER

Last week I posted a blog on one of my favorite upcoming artists, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. This week he's been featured on the cover of The FADER Music Magazine, Summer Music Edition. MBAR is quoted saying, "I've passed that point in my life where I want to die for my art. Maybe I'll die because I'm an idiot." Hopefully he sobers up long enough to get somewhere. Here's to MBAR, good luck man.

YBS in NYC this Thursday!!!

In a former life as the Co-Founder of D-Town Productions I had the pleasure of working with some amazingly talented musicians. It's been a few years since we did a show, but I've followed the musical careers of many of those we worked with. One group that's never failed to impress me is Your Black Star (YBS) from Louisville, KY. YBS has created a unique blend of rock that is has unusual depth, yet remains catchy and addicting. Still, they manage to avoidmany of the cliches and trends musicians can so easily fall into. Thier original rock blend is well worth checking out, and from experience I can say that thier live shows are fantastic. You can download most of thier music including thier latest album, Beasts, from thier myspace page. Also, if you are a fellow New Yorker, be sure to check them out this Thursday, July 3rd, at Rehab. Rehab is located at 25 Ave B and YBS is scheduled to perform at 10pm. This will likely be thier last tour for a while, so be sure to make it down. I'll see you there.

Vacations.

When I was young, my parents would drag us away from Detroit on an annual family vacation. These trips would pften be semi-adventurous vacations to somewhere around the U.S. We always went by car, always five of us packed in, making these trips long and rarely comfortable. If nothing else however, they were memorable. By the time I was 10 I had experience climbing some pretty tall cliffs, and I'm sure that my brother and I considered ourselves to be pro rock climbers. Other adventures involved 'spelunking' or cave exploration or white water rafting (we'd take the raft out on the roughest section of New England rivers we could convince our parents to let us in). It all seemed to be leading to a life of adventure and exploration. Now, as adults we've certainly explored much more of the worlds cities than I expected, but I recently realized that I haven't been the active young man I had expected to be as a kid.

Yesterday, My brother and I agreed to take one adventure trip per year. Inspired by the amazing vacations we read about as kids in the back pages of the Smithsonian Magazine, I've started a list, which I'm posting below. I'm looking for more ideas, if you have any. Unfortunatly, I've found that most of what's in those old Smithsonian magazines is too tame for my tastes now.

1) An Amazon River Cruise. A week long cruise in a small boat exploring areas of the rainforest that would otherwise be completely unaccessable sounds great to me. I've been to the rain forest in Central America before, but I understand that the South AMerican rain forest is a very different place. See the picture to the right of what one of these tours might be like. I'm so down for this one. It reminds me of that scene in the original mummy movie when the bad guys get on the boat and they have to fight them off. Only, they didn't have piranha in the water. By the way, despite the fact that many scientists say that piranha won't attack humans, there is a true story of a boat on the Amazon River that capsized in 1981 and as many as 300 people were eaten alive by the fish. It's true, I found it on wikipedia.

2) Dogsledding in Norway. So this sounds cold, and it likely is seeing as snow is required for sledding. Still, all of the trips can't be in beautiful warm destinations and given the choices Norway sounds pretty damn interesting. One alternative to sledding in Norway would be an Alaskan bear hunting trip. Cool, but I've never touched a gun and I'm pretty sure my brothers never hunted either, so we'd probably be the city guys who piss off the guide. Finally, there's ice fishing in Greenland. It's recently been brought to my attention that my brother isn't fond of ice fishing (something about a dislike of colorful flags I think?), so that's likely not going to happen.

3) An Egyptian Oddyssey Tour. I'm not sure what is included in this as there isn't much of a price tag included. Maybe the folks advertising this one don't think it needs description. It's Egypt, what else is there to do besides the obvious. Hey, if it involves riding a camel, pyramids, desert and a sphynx then count me in. I'm easy that way.

4) Jewel Cave Spelunking. The cave exploration we did as kids was considered amature at best. (I only realize that now, after researching the real deal.) Serious spelunking involves full diving gear as well as some serious risks. Again, count me in. Apparently any trip that could kill me is what I'm looking for.

5) Rock climbing. There are some amazing cliffs out west we could use for this, if we're looking for a financially modest vacation. Hopefully we'll find a great location in overseas somewhere though, like the Himalayas or the Andes. Seriously, how sweet would that be?

6) African Safari. This is one of those that is a must on a list of extreme vacations. Safari's are getting pretty popular these days, so we'll probably have to add in something exciting like lion wrestling or some other crazy African adventure. I know it sounds horrible, but I'd love to hang the head of a lion on my wall, or better yet a Rhino! Sweet.

This Week...

In Movies:

Last night I caught the midnight showing of the new Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman action flick Wanted down in Times Square. I will admit that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The concept was interesting, and most of the special effects were pulled off well. Don't get me wrong, this movie was basically a series of "yeah right" moments tied together by some basic plot lines, but as far as action flicks go it's enjoyable. The filmmakers succeed at creating characters the audience can grow fond of. This could also be attributed to the excellent casting as well. Still I enjoyed this and would easily rate it a 6.5-7 out of 10. It's no Incredible Hulk or Iron Man, but it was a unique action flight to pass the time while waiting for the Dark Knight to arrive.

Earlier this week I had the chance to see The Spiderwick Chronicles on iTunes. I was really pleased by this movie. I was a serious fan of the book series and found myself having serious concerns over how well the movie would transition from the book. The truth is that they did a fantastic job. While I did feel that some of the intense suspense in the book didn't relay to the screen, the film was still excruciatingly suspenseful. This movie was outstanding and I can't wait to watch it again.

How to die on an escalator.

Again, too cool not to post.

Musical Furniture

I want one. In fact, I think everyone should have one.

This Week...

On T.V.:

This week watched the Season 2 premier of My Boys on TBS. It was a lot better than I expected, prompting me to turn to iTunes and get caught up on Season 1. I thoroughly enjoyed my time watching this show. As far as 30 minute comedies go anymore, they've really done something right on this one. In other T.V. news, it looks like Academy Award winner William Hurt will be joining Glenn Close, Tate Donovan and Ted Danson for Season 2 of FXs Critically Acclaimed drama Damages. Unfortunatly, we still have a while to wait for the insanity of Damages to return, as production began just yesterday here in New York. Luckily, the first season is available on DVD and iTunes. This is a show NO ONE should miss. It's by far one of the best things I've ever seen on television.

In Movies:

I finally got to see the Incredible Hulk this week. Edward Norton did it again. This movie was outstanding. It had good depth, plenty of comic book nerd 'easter eggs' and lots of action. I can only pray Norton returns for the sequel. I also watched 10,000 B.C. on iTunes last night and was pleasently surprised. I had very low expectations for this movie, and was happy to see that they had packed in as much plot as they did. This Friday I'm aiming to see Wanted, which I am confident will hold me over until Batman arrives in theaters next month.

In Books:

I finally finished reading A Big Life in Advertising by Mary Wells Lawrence. If your interested in advertising this is a good read. Ms. Wells ads are well known, and her developement in the industry makes for an entertaining and educational story. I've also finished half of Marley and Me by John Grogan. I can honestly say that no book has ever had the effect on me that this book has. It's extremely charming and well written and by the end of chapter one you'll love Marley as though he were your own dog. There are points when I became choked up and other times when I couldn't stop laughing while reading this book. Read the short preface and if you're still not interested, then the books not for you.

Where the hell is Matt?

If you surf the internet anywhere near as much as I do, then you've likely already seen this viral video. If you haven't, it's worth a couple minutes. It was produced over a period of 14 months in 42 countries by Matt Harding and is only the latest in a series he's done. This latest video has only been posted on YouTube.com for 4 days and has already been viewed more than 2.25 million times. Thats a lot even for YouTube. I've watched it a few times and notice new stuff every time I do. It's far better if you go directly to the YouTube page and click the 'Watch in high quality' link under the screen. The version posted below is not 'high quality' and doesn't show the colors of the scenery as well. You can see more of Matt here.

I can't tell you how jealous I am of Mr. Harding. I want this to be my life, but with better dancing.

Jack Black Sucks!

It's no secret that I waste far too much time surfing the internet in search of crazy information about the world and pop culture. Well, here's one fun activity I've found in my search that I thought worthy of sharing. It's a Swedish furniture name generator. If you've ever walked through IKEA store and thought, "where the hell do they get they come up with the names for these couches?" this is most likely the answer. I'm a side table named SVERRII. I don't know if I like Sweden.

Also, for those Jack Black/School of Rock fans out there, it looks like 2 might be in the works. Click here to see the full article. I can't say I'm excited about a School of Rock sequel, since Jack Black destroys every movie he's in. Case in point: Be Kind Rewind. Any Michal Gondry flick should be amazing, but this latest film was barely bearable thanks to the consistently annoying Black. Eh…

Moving on, Mad Men returns for season two Sunday July 27^th. I'm a TV nut, and would recommend this show to anyone. It doesn't take much to get addicted to this show. The series focuses on an advertising agency in the late 1950s. It's the most truthful portrayal of the industry and the time period I've ever seen on television or on film. While we're used to seeing the chipper, pleasantville world of the Leave it to Beaver '50s, Mad Men portrays the sexism, racism, and immorality that peaople faced during the period. Seriously, you have one month to catch up on season one before the new season begins. The first season is available on DVD or on iTunes. Check out more about the show here.

This is different; the Chicago Sun-Times ran an interesting piece on the effects of high fuel costs on indie rock. It's an interesting spin on a topic I'm really sick of being reminded of. Check that article out by clicking here.

Finally, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. I'm hooked on this guys music. He sucks live, as he's rarely sober enough to stand let alone get words out while playing guitar. Still, he's wildly popular here in New York and his live performances are often reviewed as 'trancendant'. I disagree, but still love his recordings and can understand why he's often called 'the next Bob Dylan'. My brother and I happened to catch one of his live shows at the Cake Shop on the Lower East Side a couple of months ago. To read more about him and his music, click here.

The worlds a dirty place.

I thought this was extremely interesting. I realized I should share it with my friends. So, check it out.

Public Displays of Affection

For most of my TV watching years I have been a die hard fan of NBC. I think it started with shows like Mad About You. As lame as it is, I always dreamed that one day I'd be like Paul Buchman living in New York City with my dog, Murray. (If Jake hadn't already been named Jake, guess what I would've picked.) There are so many other classics to enjoy like Friends and Frasier, Scrubs, The Office, ER, 30 Rock, Law & Order, etc. But, despite these great shows NBC has had trouble in recent years. Often I've watched the amazing new programming get ripped from the airwaves without warning, as was the case with the Black Donnelly's. Well, today the GE operated network redeemed themselves by sending me a gift, an offering of peace. In a padded manilla folder crammed in my tiny mailbox I found a collection of Pins. Yes, pins. This is why I love NBC. I received 15 free pins in the mail today, all spoofing political pins, all advertising wonderful NBC shows. With slogans like "Get a clue: Vote SVU" and "Vote SNL" I'm both entertained and reminded to watch TV. Or how about "Baldwin Fay All the Way!" or the simplistic "Conan is our Man!" Even better, I'll be the coolest kid in New York once I attach these creative displays of fandom to my man purse. Awesome. Dorky, but awesome. I love you NBC! "Believe in Steve!"

This is the entire collection that arrived in my mailbox!

High School

So I know I've been wasting my blogs lately, but I thought many of you may enjoy sharing in these memories. I threw together a playlist to put on while at work filled with some of the most memorable music from 1994-1998, otherwise known as high school. If anyone thinks there are more songs that belong on this list, please let me know. I'm sure I've missed many.

"Luke, I am your father..."

This is awesome!!!

http://flickr.com/photos/doctorbeef/sets/72157603716342376/

Who stole my Corolla?!!!

I've seriously have had the worst week ever. Following ASSSCAT, there was construction on the one line, so I didn't make it home until almost 1am, completely blowing my 3am wake up time. Luckily, despite sleeping through my alarm, I woke up on my own in a panick at about 4am. I got dressed quickly and ran out of my apartment and down the block only to find that my car was gone. My car is a piece of shit, so I knew it wasn't stolen, and I had parked legally, so the only explanation was the thousand dollars or so in overdue parking tickets. Damn them. When I looked online I found that my car had been towed only 8 minutes before I had headed outside to find it. Anyhow, I had to find my way all over the Bronx on a wild goose chase trying to find my car and pay my tickets. This morning I finally found my car, but the evil woman at the counter wouldn't accept my debit card because it only had one of my two middle initials. Needless to say, after involving my financial institution, legal council, and the NYC Department of Investigations I finally got my car back this afternoon and am ready to finish my week off right.



Lesson to learn from this story: cars and NYC don't mix.