Number One Gun: DoTM

Number One Gun is a Christian rock band that formed in 2001 in Chico, California.

They kind of remind me in some ways of bands like Taking Back Sunday and Further Seems Forever.

I saw this band perform live at the 2004 Mountain Dew Float Festival in Washington State.

Here are a couple of websites:
MySpace site
Pure Volume site

DISCOGRAPHY

Forever
Released independently in August 2002.
Produced by Number One Gun
Band lineup:
Jeff Schneeweis - vocals, guitar; Trevor Sellers - bass; Ben Tietz - guitar; Jordan Mallory - drums.
Tracks: 5

Celebrate Mistakes
Released in August 2003 by Floodgate Records.
Produced by Bob Burch.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 11

Promises for the Imperfect
Released in July 2005 by Tooth & Nail Records.
Produced by Aaron Sprinkle.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 10
Charts:
#31 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums.

The North Pole Project
Released in January 2008 by Tooth & Nail.
Produced by Jeff Schneeweis.
Lineup changes:
The band split up in 2006 after Jeff was originally planning on releasing this album as a solo record but was convinced by Tooth & Nail to release it under the Number One Gun moniker.
Tracks: 10

To the Secrets and Knowledge
Released in January 2010 by Tooth & Nail.
Produced by Jeff Schneeweis.
Band lineup:
Another "solo" album released under the Number One Gun name.
Tracks: 10

Currently Reading: Punk Rock Dad

TITLE: Punk Rock Dad: No Rules, Just Real Life

AUTHOR: Jim Lindberg

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2008

PUBLISHER: Harper

This book is written by the former lead singer of the punk rock band Pennywise (at the time he wrote the book he had not yet left the band) and is an autobiography about how he handles being the singer for a touring band and being a father at the same time. Have not gotten very far in the book but so far it seems like a pretty good read.

Big 12 Roundup Week 9

Once again, just Big 12 teams playing each other this week.

1. Oklahoma State played Kansas State and beat the Wildcats on their home turf 24-14.

2. Iowa State played at home and beat Kansas 28-16.

3. Nebraska also played at home and beat Missouri 31-17.

4. Texas A&M played at home and defeated Texas Tech 45-27.

5. Texas played at home and got beat by Baylor 30-22.

6. Oklahoma played at home and beat Colorado 43-10.

BIG 12 STANDINGS

North
Nebraska
Missouri
Iowa State
Kansas State
Colorado
Kansas

South
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas A&M
Texas
Texas Tech

AP Top 25 - Big 12 Teams in italics.
Oregon
Boise State
Auburn
TCU
Alabama
Utah
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Nebraska
Stanford
Oklahoma
LSU
Arizona
Missouri
Iowa
Michigan State
Arkansas
South Carolina
Oklahoma State
Virginia Tech
Mississippi State
Baylor
North Carolina State
Florida State
Nevada

BIG 12 STATS

Passing Yards
Griffin (Baylor) - 2592
Jones (Oklahoma) - 2547
Weeden (OSU) - 2547 Tied for 4th in the NCAA

Passing TDs
Weeden (OSU) - 23 2nd in the NCAA
Potts (Texax Tech) - 21
Jones (Oklahoma) - 21

Rushing Yards
Hunter (OSU) - 1174 3rd in the NCAA
Thomas (KState) - 996
Martinez (Nebraska) - 886

Rushing TDs
Hunter (OSU) - 12
Martinez (Nebraska) - 12
Murray (Oklahoma) - 12

Receiving Yards
Blackmon (OSU) - 1112 2nd in the NCAA
Broyles (Oklahoma) - 1018
Fuller (Texas A&M) - 858

Receiving TDs
Blackmon (OSU) - 14 1st in the NCAA
Leong (Texas Tech) - 13
Fuller (TA&M) - 11

Quote of the Day (Oct 31)

"Preach the Gospel at all times. And if necessary, use words." - - St. Francis of Assisi

Top 3 Films: Rob Schneider

Happy 47th Rob!!!

Big Daddy (1999)

In this Adam Sandler movie Rob plays the role of Nazo the the delivery guy.

It also stars Joey Lauren Adams, John Stewart, Steve Buscemi, and Dylan & Cole Sprouse as the kids who wipes his own ass. LoL!

The Benchwarmers (2006)

Actually I thought this movie was kind of stupid, mostly because of the inclusion of the actor John Heder (not a fan) and pretty much think that Rob made this film.

It also stars David Spade and Jon Lovitz. There is also a cameo by Reggie Jackson.

Big Stan (2008)

Rob directed this film as well as starring as Stan, a real estate con man that gets sentenced to jail and learns to be a martial arts expert before going to the Big House.

The martial arts master that teaches him is played by David Carradine.

Quotes of the Day (Nov 29)

"In our seeking for economic and political progress, we all go up - or else we all go down."

"...unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world."

- - President Franklin D Roosevelt

Ben Weasel Talks About Panic Attacks

Mostly I posted this because it's Ben Weasel talking about something other than music or politics, not necessarily because I'm super interested in the actual topic.

A Show I Would Love To See

Descendents Unite to Headline Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 : Fun Fun Fun:

Check out the lineup at FUNFUNFUNfest

Gazette Writes About Independent Candidates in Oklahoma

OKGazette.com > What’s it like for independent candidates running for office in Central Oklahoma?

Top 3 Films: Winona Ryder and Richard Dreyfuss

Today is another two-fer.

WINONA RYDER - Happy 39th!

Heathers (1989)

In this dark comedy Winona plays Veronica Sawyer, friend of the "Heathers," a group of popular high school girls that in reality she can't stand.

Christian Slater plays J.D. who helps her "take care of" the Heathers.

This film also stars Shannon Doherty in a pre-90210 role as one of the Heathers.

Dracula (1992)

Interesting that I just watched this movie last night.

It is directed by Francis Ford Coppola and also stars Gary Oldman in the title role, Anthony Hopkins as Professor Van Helsing, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, Carl Ewles, and Tom Waits.

Reality Bites (1994)

This film was directed by Ben Stiller, who also starred in the movie. Also starring in the movie were Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garafalo, Steve Zahn, Joe Don Baker, Renee Zellwegger, Andy Dick, and Keith David.

This film had an awesome soundtrack.

RICHARD DREYFUSS - Happy 63rd!

Moon Over Parador (1988)

This movie reminds me a bit of the Kevin Kline movie Dave, or vice versa actually since this one came out first.

Richard plays a double role as actor Jack Noah and President of the Latin American country (Parador) Alphonse Simms. In this film, which is actually a remake of a 1939 films called The Magnificent Fraud, actor Noah is on location in Parador filming a movie and the President dies. Because Noah looks so much like the President he is forced to pretend to be the President.

This film also stars Raul Julia, Dana Delany, and Jonathan Winters.

The American President (1995)

In this Rob Reiner political comedy, The American President is played by Michael Douglas and Richard plays his political rival, Senator Bob Rumson, a Republican Senator from Kansas.

This is an absolutely fantastic film. It was written by Aaron Sorkin who also wrote A Few Good Men and the screen play for Charlie Wilson's War (another flick I just recently watched). He is also the creator of the TV series The West Wing which was actually inspired by this film.

It also stars Annette Benning, Martin Sheen, and Michael J Fox.

W. (2008)

Richard plays an amazing role as the evil Vice President Dick Cheney (LoL, evil.) in this Oliver Stone political biography.

Josh Brolin, who plays the title character, also did a pretty good job. Also starring in this film are James Cromwell as George H.W. Bush (not sure if he was 100% right for that role), Scott Glenn as Donald Rumsfeld, Jeffrey Wright as General Colin Powell, and Noah Wyle as Donald Evans, among many others.

Currently Reading: Secrets, Lies and Democracy

TITLE: Secrets, Lies and Democracy

AUTHOR: Noam Chomsky

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2002

PUBLISHER: Odonian Press

I decided to take a break from Chalmers Johnson for a while. I ended up taking the 2nd and 3rd parts of the Blowback Trilogy back to the library and perhaps make another go at them both some other time.

While, looking through the library though, for some reason I was feeling really uninspired by what I was browsing my way through the shelves.

I did, however, find this book, which seems pretty short so it will either be a really quick read...or I will spend forever reading it because I will keep putting it down to do other stuff. LoL!

In any case, I guess I'll see if this one is a waste of time or not. I've tried reading Chomsky's stuff before and I always felt like he was way above my head. So here I am trying to make another go at reading Chomsky. Good luck to me.

Oklahoma State Questions Re-cap

We are less than a week away from election day and I thought I would remind everyone that besides the electing of more degenerate politicians into public office, we have state questions to vote on. These state questions are the way we voters ACTUALLY have a choice and a vote in how things are run locally. I would even go so far as to say that the state questions are more important than the elected offices because these are where 'We the People' actually have a voice.

I did a post back in July (Oklahoma State Questions in 2010) which according to the # of hits it has had on this post was a pretty popular. So I thought I'd re-cap my thoughts on them.

744. Requires the Legislature to fund the state's schools to equal neighboring states.

I am voting NO on this one.

746. Requires voters to produce identification when voting.

Vote YES!

747. More stringent term limits for Oklahoma's elected officials.

YES!!

748. Reform of the Reapportionment Commission.

I have (finally) decided that I am voting NO on this one. I don't think these should in any way, shape or form have anything to do with party politics and appointing an equal # of Democrats and Republicans is going to perpetuate that kind of nonsense.

750. Change percentage of signatures to propose amendments to the State Constitution from 15 to 10.

I'm voting NO.

751. Makes English the official language of Oklahoma.

YES.

752. Adds 2 members to the Judicial Nomination Commission.

I'm NO on this one.

754. No Mandated State Expenditures Act.

I'm still NO on this one.

755. Requires Oklahoma courts to rely on federal and state laws and prohibits the use of Sharia law.

Big YES!

756. Amendment to State Constitution to opt out of federal health care programs.

Another big YES!

757. Request to increase the amount of money to go into the state's rainy day fund.

NO for now. Perhaps if it were re-submitted in a few years I would vote for it.

Top 3 Films: Julia Roberts and Joaquin Phoenix

Today's is a double birthday edition.

JULIA ROBERTS - Happy 43rd!

I am sure that most of you are going to disagree with my choices here but that is why this is MY list and not yours.

The Pelican Brief (1993)

This film is based on a John Grisham novel and stars Roberts as Darby Shaw, a student in Law School. It also stars Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, William Atherton and Tony Goldwyn.

Julia was nominated for a MTV Move Award for Best Female Performance but lost to Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice. Personally, Julia's acting was fathoms better, as was the movie itself.

Michael Collins (1996)

This is probably my favorite biographical film. It is about the founder of the Irish Republican Army and is directed by Neil Jorddan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, In Dreams...).

It stars Liam Neeson in the title role, Aidan Quinn, Alak Rickman as future Irish President Eamon de Valera and Roberts as Kitty Kiernan, the fiancee of Collins.

Conspiracy Theory (1997)

Julia plays Alice Sutton alongside Mel Gibson as conspiracy theorist (and taxi driver) Jerry Fletcher.

It was directed by Richard Donner and also stars Patrick Stewart.

On another note, I just watched a film with Julia Roberts in it last night called Charlie Wilson's War, also starring Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was a great film and darn near made the cut in this Top 3 list. Mostly, it didn't make it because she did not spend much time in the film itself.


JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Happy 36th!

Ladder 49 (2004)

Also starring John Travolta and Robert Patrick, Phoenix stars as a firefighter in Baltimore.

Walk the Line (2005)

This is another really great biographical film about Johnny Cash. Phoenix plays the main role and got a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.

It also stars Reese Witherspoon as June Carter, Robert Patrick as Ray Cash (Johnny's father), and Dallas Roberts as Sun Studio owner Sam Phillips.

We Own the Night (2007)

This film is about two brothers, one played by Mark Wahlberg, who is a police captain, and the other played by Phoenix who works with gangsters.

It also stars Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes.

Phoenix got a People's Choice Award for Favorite Leading Man.

Top 3 Films: Bob Hoskins

Happy 68th Birthday Bob!!!

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

This animated film was directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, etc..)

In this film Bob plays the private eye Eddie Valiant.

Also starring in this film were Charles Fleischer (as the voice of Roger Rabbit), Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom, and Kathleen Turner (as the voice of Jessica Rabbit).

The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) but was beaten by Working Girl. Bob himself was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy but was beaten by Tom Hanks for Big.

Enemy at the Gates (2001)

This was a great war film about the Battle of Stalingrad which starred Jude Law and Ed Harris, as well as Bob, who actually played the role of former Soviet President Nikita Krushchev.

The director was Jean-Jacques Annaud who also directed Seven Years in Tibet.

Unleashed (2005)

This was a martial arts film starring, besides Bob, Jet Li and Morgan Freeman.

Bob stars as a powerful loan shark who uses the main character, Danny (played by Jet Li) as basically an attack dog.

Currently Reading: The Sorrows of Empire

TITLE: The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic

AUTHOR: Chalmers Johnson

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2004

PUBLISHER: Metropolitan Books

This 2nd book of the Blowback Trilogy concentrates more on our country's military buildup since WWII and the obscene amount of military installations that we currently occupy in other nations.

NFL Roundup 2010 (Week 7)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

NFC East
NY Giants
Washington
Philadelphia
Dallas

NFC North
Chicago
Green Bay
Minnesota
Detroit

NFC South
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
New Orleans
Carolina

NFC West
Seattle
Arizona
St Louis
San Francisco

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

AFC East
NY Jets
New England
Miami
Buffalo

AFC North
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Cleveland

AFC South
Tennessee
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville

AFC West
Kansas City
Oakland
Denver
San Diego

STATS

Passing Yards
Rivers (Chargers) - 2344
Orton (Broncos) - 2140
Brees (Saints) - 2029

Passing TDs
Brees (Saints) - 14
Manning (Giants) - 14
Manning (Colts) - 13
Rivers (Chargers) - 13

QB Rating
Manning (Colts) - 103.4
Fitzpatrick (Bills) - 102.0
Young (Titans) - 98.8

Rushing Yards
Bradshaw (Giants) - 708
Peterson (Vikings) - 684
Johnson (Titans) - 662

Rushing TDs
Johnson (Titans) - 7
Tolbert (Chargers) - 6
Foster (Texans) - 6

Receiving Yards
White (Falcons) - 747
Lloyd (Broncos) - 709
Wayne (Colts) - 602

Receiving TDs
Gates (Chargers) - 8
Hicks (Giants) - 8
Britt (Titans) - 7

Tackles
Mayo (Patriots) - 72
Tulloch (Titans) - 71
Fletcher (Redskins) - 68

And here are the ESPN NFL Power Rankings:

Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets
New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens
Atlanta Falcson
Indianapolis Colts
Tennessee Titans
Houston Texans
New York Giants
Green Bay Packers
Philadelphia Eagles
Kansas City Chiefs

Who I'm Voting For

On November 2, I will pretty much be voting strictly Independent across the board, with some exceptions.

Governor
I will be leaving that space blank. I refuse to place my name toward either one of those hack career politicians.

Lieutenant Governor
My vote goes to the Independent candidate, Libertarian Richard Prawdzienski.

State Auditor
There are no Independent candidates running so I will also be leaving this one blank. The only reason I will not be voting for Republican Gary Jones is I don't really want to encourage that sort of partisan behavior (Jones is the former Oklahoma GOP Chair).

Attorney General
I am actually going to vote for the Republican candidate Scott Pruitt in this one because from what I have read and know about Scott, I genuinely think he will do a good job. Why the position of Attorney General is a partisan position, I do not understand. It seems to me that this should be an appointed position.

State Treasurer
Another one I am leaving blank. Honestly I have not done my homework on this one so I don't want to swing the vote one way or another.

Superintendent of Public Instruction
I will probably end up voting for Janet Barresi becauuse she seems to want to get the federal government out of the education business and I am all for that.

U.S. Senate
I am voting for Republican Tom Coburn. I feel like he is a decent person that really wants to do some actual good and I'm willing to give him another term in the Senate.

U.S. Congress 5th District
I can not actually vote in this one because I don't live in the 5th district but I am listing this because I urge everyone to vote for Libertarian Clark Duffe. PLEASE do not let the a camp counselor (and employee of the Southern Baptist Convention) become Oklahoma's next freshman counselor.

U.S. Congress 4th District
This is the district I actually live in but I'm not even sure if this one will be on the ballot because the incumbent Tom Cole is running un-opposed. However, if he does show up on the ballot, I refuse to vote for him so I'll be leaving that one blank too. Which reminds me, if he runs again in 2 years, I plan on running myself as an Independent JUST so someone else's name will be on the ballot.

Tuesday Shuffle

1. Cindy's On Methadone - Screeching Weasel (from the album My Brain Hurts)
2. Rhythm of Love - Scorpions (from Savage Amusement)
3. I Love Rock N Roll - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (from I Love Rock n Roll)
4. Field Day - Dag Nasty (from Field Day)
5. Grace - U2 (from All That You Can't Leave Behind)
6. When Doves Cry - Prince (from Purple Rain)
7. Need You Around - Smoking Popes (from Born to Quit)
8. In a Little While - U2 (from All That You Can't Leave Behind)
9. Sixteen - Demon Hunter (from Storm the Gates of Hell)
10. You Can't Do That - The Beatles (from The Beatles Second Album)
11. Fairweather Friend - All (from Mass Nerder)

Currently Reading: Blowback

TITLE: Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire

AUTHOR: Chalmers Johnson

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2000

PUBLISHER: Holt Paperbacks

This book is the first part of what has been called The Blowback Trilogy by Johnson, the 2nd and 3rd being The Sorrows of Empire and Nemesis.

This Blowback Trilogy is sort of a prequel to the last Chalmers Johnson book I read and did a post on a few days ago, Dismantling the Empire.

In this one, Johnson focuses on the background of some of our country's illegal operations on the Asian continent.

Sunday Shuffle (10.24.10)

1. Honey Don't - The Beatles (from the album Beatles '65)
2. Ready Fuels - Anberlin (from Blueprints for the Black Market)
3. No More Paddy's Lament - Flogging Molly (from Live at the Greek Theater)
4. The Science of Myth - Screeching Weasel (from My Brain Hurts)
5. A Whisper and a Clamor - Anberlin (from Cities)
6. Cool Kids - Screeching Weasel (from Bark Like a Dog)
7. Screams of the Undead - Demon Hunter (from Demon Hunter)
8. Run for Your Life - The Beatles (from Rubber Soul)
9. The Moon Looks Like a Tomato - Duvall (from Standing at the Door)
10. Rocket Man - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (from Have a Ball)
11. Innocent - Third Day (from Wire)

Top 3 Films: Kevin Kline

Happy 63rd Kevin!

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Kevin plays the character Otto West in this comedy film about a group of jewel thieves.

It also stars John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Palin. Kevin won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this film.

Dave (1993)

Ivan Reitman directed this political comedy starring Kevin, playing a double role as Dave Kovic and President Bill Mitchell, Sigourney Weaver as the First Lady, Frank Langella as the President's Chief of Staff, Kevin Dunn as the White House Communications Director, Ving Rhames as a Secret Service Agent, Ben Kingsley as Vice President Gary Nance, and Charles Grodin as Dave's friend Murray. Also in this film are cameos of Senator Christopher Dodd, former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, Senator Paul Simon, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among many others.

I consider this to be Kline's best role and he was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe. He lost to Robin Williams for Mrs. Doubtfire. Personally, even though Robin Williams is a great actor, I think Kline should have won this one.

Wild Wild West (1999)

This Barry Sonnenfeld directed comedy was based on a 1960s television show by the same name.

Kevin plays a double role as inventor Artemus Gordon and as President Ulysses S. Grant. Also starring in this film are Will Smith as U.S. Marshal James West, Salma Hayek, M. Emmet Walsh, Ted Levin and Kenneth Branagh.

Big 12 Roundup Week 8

Nothing but Big 12 matchups today here on the Big 12 Roundup.

1. Oklahoma State held their own at home against Nebraska for most of the game but in the end, they lost to the Cornhuskers 51-41.

2. Texas played at home against Iowa State and lost 28-21.

3. Texas Tech played an away game against Colorado and beat the Buffalos 27-24.

4. Baylor played at home and barely beat Kansas State 47-42.

5. Texas A&M handed Kansas a beating in Lawrence, KS 45-10.

6. Missouri handed Oklahoma its first defeat 36-27.

Big 12 Standings

North
Missouri
Nebraska
Kansas State
Iowa State
Colorado
Kansas

South
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas
Texas Tech
Texas A&M

AP Top 25
Oregon
Boise State
Oklahoma
TCU
Auburn
LSU
Alabama
Michigan State
Utah
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Stanford
Iowa
Nebraska
Arizona
Florida State
Oklahoma State
Missouri
South Carolina
West Viriginia
Arkansas
Texas
Virginia Tech
Mississippi State
Miami

Stats

Passing Yards
Griffin (Baylor) - 2373
Weeden (OSU) - 2249 #3 in the NCAA
Potts (Texas Tech) - 2161

Passing TDs
Weeden (OSU) - 21 #2 in the NCAA
Potts (TTech) - 20
Griffin (Baylor) - 18

Rushing Yards
Hunter (OSU) - 1031 #3 in the NCAA
Thomas (Kansas State) - 895
Martinez (Nebraska) - 870

Rushing TDs
Hunter (OSU) - 12 #3 in the NCAA
Martinez (Nebraska) - 12
Murray (OU) - 11

Receiving Yards
Blackmon (OSU) - 1112 #1 in the NCAA
Broyles (OU) - 810
Fuller (Texas A&M) - 687

Receiving TDs
Blackmon (OSU) - 14 #1 in the NCAA
Leong (TTech) - 10
Fuller (TAM) - 9

Hockey Roundup 2010 (NHL) - Oct 23

Here is the latest from the National Hockey League.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic
NY Islanders
Pittsburgh
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
New Jersey

Northeast
Toronto
Boston
Montreal
Ottawa
Buffalo

Southeast
Tampa Bay
Washington
Carolina
Atlanta
Florida

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central
Chicago Go Blackhawks!!!!
Detroit
Nashville
St. Louis
Columbus

Northwest
Colorado
Calgary
Vancouver (actually tied point-wise for 1st place)
Minnesota
Edmonton

Pacific
Dallas
Los Angeles
Anaheim
San Jose
Phoenix

Points Leaders
Stamkos (Lightning) - 14
Hossa (Blackhawks) - 11
Sedin (Canucks) - 11
Crosby (Penguins) - 11

Goals Leaders
Stamkos (Lightning) - 8
Hossa (Blackhawks) - 7
Sedin (Canucks) - 7
Sharp (Blackhawks) - 7

Assists Leaders
Sedin (Canucks) - 10
Liles (Avalanche) - 9
Richards (Stars) - 8

Wins Leaders
Lehtonen (Stars) - 5
Turco (Blackhawks) - 4
Thomas (Bruins) - 4

Save % Leaders
Budaj (Avalanche) - 1.000
Mason (Thrashers) - 1.000
Ward (Hurricanes) - 1.000
Quick (Kings) - 1.000

ESPN Power Rankings
Washington Capitals
Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings
Nashville Predators
Dallas Stars
Toronto Maple Leafs
Philadelphia Flyers
Chicago Blackhawks
Boston Bruins
Vancouver Canucks
Montreal Canadiens
Tampa Bay Lightning

Top 3 Films: Ryan Reynolds

National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)

Reynolds plays the title character in this modern day Animal House(ish) film about a perennial college student.

Tara Reid (American Pie) also stars in this film.

This film spawned 2 sequels, The Rise of Taj (which does not include the Van Wilder character) and Freshman Year which is a prequel and stars Jonathan Bennet as the Van Wilder character.

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)

In this modern day Cheech and Chong style film, Ryan Reynolds plays a small role as a male nurse.

Other stars in this film are John Cho and Kal Penn (as Harold and Kumar, respectively) and Neil Patrick Harris.

This film also spawned a sequel titled Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, after which Kal Penn quit acting to accept a job in the Barack Obama administration (boo!). However, Penn recently left his job with Obama to star in the third installment, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas 3D, which is set to be released in 2011.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Probably his greatest role in my opinion (albeit a short role), Reynolds plays Wade Wilson/Deadpool in this flick about the X-Men's most popular character.

Also starring Hugh Jackman as Wolvernine, Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, and Danny Huston as Colonel Stryker.

There is supposedly going to be a sequel to this film and there will reportedly also be a Deadpool spin-off in which Reynolds will play the title character again.

The All-American Rejects: DoTM

The All-American Rejects are a rock band from Stillwater, Oklahoma that formed in 1999 by singer/bassist Tyson Ritter and guitarist Nick Wheeler.

They were later joined by guitarist Mike Kennerty and drummer Chris Gaylor who used to play in a pop-punk band here in Oklahoma back in mid to late-90s called Mr. Crispy. After Mr. Crispy broke up Mike played for a bit in another local Oklahoma band called Euclid Crash.

Here are a few AAR related websites:

Official AAR website
AAR MySpace site
Random AAR bio I found on the internet.

DISCOGRAPHY

Same Girl, New Songs
Independently released in 2001.
Produced by The All-American Rejects.
Band lineup:
Tyson Ritter - bass, vocals; Nick Wheeler - guitars. Drums were recorded w/a drum machine.
Tracks: 10

The All-American Rejects
Released in February 2003 by DreamWorks/Doghouse.
Produced by Tim O'Heir.
Band lineup:
Tyson Ritter - vocals, bass; Nick Wheeler - guitars, keyboards; Chris Gaylor - drums; Mike Kennerty - guitar
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Swing Swing" "The Last Song" "Time Stands Still" and "My Paper Heart"
Charts:
#25 on the Billboard 200.

Move Along
Released in July 2005 by Doghouse Records/Interscope Records.
Produced by Howard Benson.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Dirty Little Secret" "Move Along" "Top of the World" and "It Ends Tonight"
Charts:
#6 on the BB 200.

The Bite Back EP
Released in December 2005 by Interscope.
Produced by The All-American Rejects.
Tracks: 3

When the World Comes Down
Released in December 2008 by Interscope/Doghouse.
Produced by Eric Valentine.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Gives You Hell" "Mona Lisa" "The Wind Blows" "I Wanna" and "Real World"
Charts:
#15 on the BB 200.

Soundcheck Volume 1
Live album released in December 2008 by Interscope.
Tracks: 5

Gives You Hell: The Remixes
Remix album released in February 2009 by DGC/Interscope.
Tracks: 4

Soundcheck Volume 2
Live album released in February 2009 by DGC/Interscope.
Tracks: 7

The Wind Blows: The Remixes
Remix album released in June 2009 by DGC/Interscope.
Tracks: 4

Rhapsody Originals
Live album released in June 2009 by DGC/Interscope.
Tracks: 5

I Wanna: The Remixes
Remix album released in August 2009 by DGC/Interscope.
Tracks: 4

CD Review: Come Around Sundown

Released on Tuesday, October 19, the new Kings of Leon album, Come Around Sundown. It debuted at #1 on both the Irish and Belgian Albums charts and got 4 stars (out of 5) in its review by Rolling Stone magazine.

I think it builds fairly well on the last album, Only By The Night.

Much like Only By The Night, this album contains some songs that, musically, remind me of U2.

My favorite songs on the album are "The End" "Radioactive" "Pyro" "Mary" "The Face" "Pickup Truck" and "The Immortals." The song "Mary" has an interesting 50s style rock sound to it in a way. Kind of hard to explain it, you'll have to listen to it for yourself to understand what I mean.

I only just started listening to the band a few weeks ago actually. I had previously heard some songs of theirs prior to that but they never really struck much of a chord with me. For some reason, however, I decided to give them a more serious listen recently.

The first few albums of theirs I am still not terribly impressed with. Quite honestly, they sound like something along the lines of the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd and quite frankly, if I want to hear that, I'll listen to the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd rather than some knockoff band. Sorry guys.

Somewhere along their career progression, the King of Leon that is, they went through some sort of musical transformation and I am pretty glad they did.

The only problem that I have with the new CD is, in contrast to Only By The Night, it has more filler songs on it. Keep in mind though that it is quite possibly that I just have not fully absorbed the entire album yet.

My recommendation to anybody reading this that has not heard the new album is to definitely give it a listen. However, for those of you not familiar with KOLs work, I'd recommend listening to Only By The Night first.

2011 Movie Releases

Here is a quick list of some movies that are being released. Usually I just post movies that really stood out to me so that is what I've done again:

• The Green Hornet (January)
• Thor (May)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May)
• X-Men: First Class (June)
• Green Lantern (June)
• Cars 2 (June)
• Rise of the Apes (June)
• Captain America: The First Avenger (July)
• The Smurfs (August)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks 3-D (December)
• Sherlock Holmes 2 (December)

Quote of the Day (October 21)

"Politicians are the only people in the world that create problems.........and then campaign against them."

- - Charlie Reese (former reporter for the Orlando Sentinel)

Currently Reading: Dismantling the Empire

TITLE: Dismantling the Empire: America's Last Best Hope

AUTHOR: Chalmers Johnson

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2010

PUBLISHER: Metropolitan Books

This book first gives explains how and why American is more like an empire than it is a republic and the potential problems associated with that and also describes some of the international crimes perpetrated by past and current administrations.

He warns about how because of this imperial mentality of our government, our country is destined to decline and fall.

I have only gotten through about 1 quarter of the book but I am already hooked and plan on reading more by this author.

Top 3 Films: Viggo Mortensen

Happy 52nd Viggo.

The Prophecy (1995)

In this 'angelic' film, Viggo plays, literally, the devil. He stars as the angel Lucifer. This film also stars Elias Koteas, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz and Christopher Walken (Walken also stars in 2 of the 3 sequels that follow this film).

GI Jane (1997)

Ridley Scott directed this film which stars Demi Moore as the first female to be allowed in enter Navy SEAL training.

Viggo stars as John James Urgayle, who is the hard-nosed instructor of the training.

A History of Violence (2005)

This film, which is based on a graphic novel written by John Wagner and Vince Locke, is about a small town man with some big town secrets.

Viggo plays the main character and former gangster Joey Cusack, who is leading a double life as small time husband and father Tom Stall.

Also starring in this film are Ed Harris, William Hurt and Maria Bello.

Yes, you might have noticed that none of the Lord of the Rings films are listed here and you are not mis-reading it. I did not list any of those films because I have only seen the first one. No, you didn't mis-read that one either. The only Lord of the Rings movie I have seen is The Fellowship.

List of Indys

Here is a list of Independent candidates running for office in Oklahoma this November:


U.S. Senator
Stephen P. Wallace
Ronald Dwyer. This guy does not have his own website but this is what I was able to find.

U.S. Representative
District 1: Angelia O'Dell. No website, just a Facebook page.
District 5: Clark Duffe

Lt Gov
Richard Prawdzienski. Just a Facebook page.

Superintendent of Public Instruction
Richard Cooper. Couldn't find a website for him.

State Senate
District 20: Ronald Buck

State Representative
District 46: Zachary Knight
District 61: Stephen Skacall
District 84: Ray Prewitt
District 85: Edward Shadid
District 97: Daniel Stankiewicz

NFL Roundup 2010 (Week 6)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

NFC East
NY Giants
Philadelphia
Washington
Dallas

NFC North
Chicago
Green Bay
Minnesota
Detroit

NFC South
Atlanta
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Carolina

NFC West
Arizona
Seattle
St Louis
San Francisco

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

AFC East
NY Jets
New England
Miami
Buffalo

AFC North
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cincinnati
Cleveland

AFC South
Houston
Tennessee
Indianapolis
Jacksonville

AFC West
Kansas City
Oakland
Denver
San Diego

STATS

Passing Yards
Rivers (Chargers) - 2008
Orton (Broncos) - 1942
Manning (Colts) - 1916

Passing TDs
Manning (Colts) - 13
Brees (Saints) - 12
Rivers (Chargers) - 12

QB Rating
Vick (Eagles) - 108.8
Manning (Colts) - 103.4
Rivers (Chargers) - 100.7

Rushing Yards
Foster (Texans) - 635
Johnson (Titans) - 596
Bradshaw (Giants) - 582

Rushing TDs
Johnson (Titans) - 7
Foster (Texans) - 6
Tomlinson (Jets) - 5

Receiving Yards
Lloyd (Broncos) - 663
Wayne (Colts) - 602
White (Falcons) - 546

Receiving TDs
Gates (Chargers) - 7
Collie (Colts) - 6
Maclin (Eagles) - 6

Tackles
Landry (Redskins) - 63
Mayo (Patriots) - 61
Fletcher (Redskins) - 60

And here are the ESPN NFL Power Rankings:

Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Jets
New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens
Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons
Tennessee Titans
Houston Texans
Philadelphia Eagles
New York Giants
Chicago Bears
Kansas City Chiefs

Big 12 Roundup Week 7

This week in the Big 12, it was nothing but Big 12 match ups.

1. On Thursday, Kansas and Kansas State played in Lawrence, KS. The Wildcats beat the Jawhawks 59-7.

2. Oklahoma State played an away game against Texas Tech and beat the Red Raiders 34-17.

3. Texas played an away game and pulled out a win against Nebraska 20-13.

4. Missouri also played an away game and crushed Texas A&M 30-9.

5. Colorado played at home and lost to Baylor 31-25.

6. Oklahoma pulled out a big home win against Iowa State 52-0.

Big 12 Standings:

North
Missouri
Kansas State
Nebraska
Iowa State
Colorado
Kansas

South
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Baylor
Texas
Texas Tech
Texas A&M

AP Top 25 (Top 17):

Oregon
Boise State
Oklahoma. OU is ranked #1 in the BCS Standings.
TCU
Auburn
LSU
Alabama
Michigan State
Utah
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Stanford
Iowa
Nebraska
Arizona
Florida State
Oklahoma State! OSU is ranked #14 in the BCS Standings.

Passing Yards
Griffin (Baylor) - 1969
Weeden (OSU) - 1966 Brandon ranks 6th in the NCAA overall in passing yards.
Potts (Texas Tech) - 1875

Passing TDs
Weeden (OSU) - 19 He ranks 3rd in passing TDs overall in the NCAA.
Potts (Texas Tech) - 18
Johnson (Texas A&M) - 14

Rushing Yards
Hunter (OSU) - 830 Kendall ranks 6th in the NCAA overall for rushing yards.
Thomas (Kansas State) - 782
Martinez (Nebraska) - 758

Rushing TDs
Martinez (Nebraska) - 12
Murray (OU) - 11
Hunter (OSU) - 10 8th in the NCAA overall.

Receiving Yards
Blackmon (OSU) - 955 1st overall in receiving yards in the NCAA!
Broyles (OU) - 700
Moe (Missouri) - 589

Receiving TDs
Blackmon (OSU) - 12 Yup. 1st overall!!
Leong (Texas Tech) - 9
Fuller (Texas A&M) - 7

Saturday Morning Shuffle

1. Joey - Concrete Blond (from the album Bloodletting)
2. I Love My Computer - Bad Religion (from The New America)
3. Michelle - The Beatles (from Rubber Soul)
4. Ring of Fire - Social Distortion (from Social Distortion)
5. Down in a Hole - Alice in Chains (from Nothing Safe: Best of the Box)
6. In Conversation - The Juliana Theory (from Love)
7. Trying - Dag Nasty (from Can I Say)
8. This is Your Life - Juliana Theory (from Emotion is Dead)
9. Would? - Alice in Chains (from Nothing Safe: Best of the Box)
10. Epitaph - Haste the Day (from That They May Know You)
11. Wake Me - Day of Fire (from Cut and Move)
12. Thin Line - Dag Nasty (from Can I Say)

Top 3 Films: Tim Robbins

Happy 52nd Birthday Tim!

Bull Durham (1988)

Also starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Robert Wuhl, Tim stars in this baseball film as Nuke LaLoosh, a rookie pitcher that is taught the ropes by veteran Crash Davis, played by Costner.

Bob Roberts (1992)

Not only did Tim star as the title character in this movie but he also wrote it and directed it.

This flick is about a businessman/musician who running for United States Senate in Pennsylvania.

Originally, Bob Roberts was a character that Tim Robbins did on Saturday Night Live in 1986.

It also stars Alan Rickman and Jack Black plays a small role.

Tim was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy for this film but lost, ironically, to himself for his role as Griffin Mill in The Player.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994

This movie was based on a novella written by Stephen King called Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, who is sent to prison for murdering his wife. Morgan Freeman and William Sadler also star in this film.

Strangely, financially, the movie was a bomb. However, it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards. It was nominated for Best Picture but lost to Forrest Gump. Morgan Freeman got the nomination for Best Actor but lost to Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump.

Friday Shuffle (Oct 15)

1. The Darkest Places - MxPx (from the album Panic)
2. The Green Fields of France - Dropkick Murphys (from The Warriors Code)
3. Can't Stop the Killer - Emery (from I'm Only A Man)
4. Hanging By a Moment - Lifehouse (from No Name Face)
5. Nothing With You - Descendents (from Cool To Be You)
6. Cocaine Blues - Johnny Cash (from Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison)
7. Peaceful Day - Pennywise (from About Time)
8. Soldiers Under Command - Stryper (from Soldiers Under Command)
9. Little Fighter - White Lion (from Big Game)
10. It's My Job To Keep Punk Rock Elite - NOFX (from So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes)
11. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star (from So Tonight That I Might See)

Batman: Year One Cartoon?

Can it be true?

I was skimming around Wiki reading about the various comic book movies that are coming out when I came across something about Frank Miller's Batman: Year One being adapted into an animated film.

So I went out on the Internet to look what I could find and lo and behold:

Batman: Year One to be an Animated Film

Batman: Year One Getting Animated Film Adaptation?

It is scheduled for a September 2011 release. I can't wait!!!

Judge Orders Military...Don't Enforce!

Tuesday, a federal judge ordered the military to stop enforcing the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.

The first thing I have to say about this interesting news tidbit is, really? A federal judge ORDERING the military to do something? It seems to me that a federal judge (judiciary branch of our government) has absolutely NO jurisdiction over the military (answerable to the executive branch of the government).

So this law that President Clinton instituted in 1993 and a federal judge is just now trying to strike down the policy? Almost 20 years later?

Personally, I kind of agree with the judge that it is probably unconstitutional, but I just don't understand where the judge gets off ordering the military to do anything. I guess a certain commander in chief doesn't have the balls to do it themselves? Who knows.

Hockey Roundup 2010 (NHL)

The NHL season has begun!!!

I know I might be jumping the gun on this one a bit since the season just started on the 7th but I had to get this out there because I'm pretty excited about it.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic
Philadelphia
NY Islanders
New Jersey
NY Rangers
Pittsburgh

Northeast
Toronto
Montreal
Buffalo
Boston
Ottawa

Southeast
Washington
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Atlanta
Florida Have I ever mentioned how irritated I am by the fact that Florida has 2 hockey teams?!?

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central
Detroit
St Louis
Nashville
Chicago You guys better not be getting lazy!
Columbus

Northwest
Edmonton
Colorado
Vancouver
Calgary
Minnesota

Pacific
Dallas
Los Angeles
San Jose
Phoenix
Anaheim

Points Leaders
Roy (Sabres) - 5
Hossa (Blackhawks) - 5
Ovechkin (Capitals) - 5

Goals Leaders
Roy (Sabres) - 4
Hossa (Blackhawks) - 3
Ovechkin (Capitals) - 3

Assists Leaders
Liles (Avalanche) - 5
Bertuzzi (Red Wings) - 4
Ennis (Sabres) - 4

Wins Leaders
Lehtonen (Stars) - 2
Neuvirth (Capitals) - 2
Bobrovsky (Flyers) - 2

Save % Leaders
Thomas (Bruins) - 1.000
Lindback (Predators) - 1.000
Luongo (Canucks) - .973

ESPN Power Rankings
Detroit Red Wings
Carolina Hurricanes
Dallas Stars
Toronto Maple Leafs
Philadelphia Flyers
Edmonton Oilers
San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche
Tampa Bay Lightning
New York Rangers
Nashville Predators
St Louis Blues

Video of the Day

NFL Roundup 2010 (Week 5)

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

NFC East
Washington
Philadelphia
NY Giants
Dallas

NFC North
Chicago
Green Bay
Minnesota
Detroit

NFC South
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
New Orleans
Carolina

NFC West
Arizona
Seattle
St Louis
San Francisco

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

AFC East
NY Jets
New England
Miami
Buffalo

AFC North
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati
Cleveland

AFC South
Houston
Jacksonville
Indianapolis
Tennessee

AFC West
Kansas City
Oakland
San Diego
Denver


STATS

Passing Yards
Rivers (Chargers) - 1759
Orton (Broncos) - 1733
Manning (Colts) - 1609

Passing TDs
Manning (Colts) - 11
Rivers (Chargers) - 11
Brady (Patriots) - 9

QB Rating
Brady (Patriots) - 109.0
Vick (Eagles) - 108.8
Rivers (Chargers) - 105.4

Rushing Yards
Foster (Texans) - 562
Johnson (Titans) - 485
Bradshaw (Giants) - 449

Rushing TDs
Johnson (Titans) - 6
McCoy (Eagles) - 5
Mendenhall (Steelers) - 4

Receiving Yards
Lloyd (Broncos) - 589
Wayne (Colts) - 531
Floyd (Chargers) - 498

Receiving TDs
Gates (Chargers) - 7
Nicks (Giants) - 6
Lewis (Jaguars) - 5

Tackles
Anderson (Panthers) - 53
Landry (Redskins) - 52
Pollard (Texans) - 51

And here are the ESPN NFL Power Rankings:

Pittsburgh Steelers
New Orleans Saints
Green Bay Packers
New York Jets
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Houston Texans
New England Patriots
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Chicago Bears
San Diego Chargers

Big 12 Roundup Week 6

1. In a Big 12 matchup in Kansas, #7 Nebraska defeated Kansas State 48-13.

2. Friday evening, Oklahoma State played their first away game of the season and pulled out a win against Louisiana-Lafayette 54-28.

3. In another Big 12 matchup, Baylor lost to Texas Tech 45-38 at the Cotton Bowl.

4. #11 Arkansas beat Texas A&M 24-17.

5. Iowa State played at home against #10 Utah and lost to them 68-27.

6. In another Big 12 matchup, Missouri played at home and crushed Colorado 26-0.

Here are the Big 12 Standings for the week:

North
Missouri
Nebraska
Kansas State
Iowa State
Colorado
Kansas

South
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Baylor
Texas
Texas Tech
Texas A&M

And the Top 12 of the AP Rankings:

Ohio State
Oregon
Boise State
TCU
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Auburn
Alabama
LSU
South Carolina
Utah
Arkansas
Oklahoma State made it to #20 on the list. Go Pokes!

And some Big 12 stats:

Passing Yards
Griffin (Baylor) - 1735
Potts (Texas Tech) - 1649
Weeden (Oklahoma State) - 1610

Passing TDs
Weeden (OSU) - 18 Brandon, by the way, has the most TD passes in college football overall. Not just in the Big 12.
Potts (Texas Tech) - 17
Griffin (Baylor) - 13

Rushing Yards
Martinez (Nebraska) - 737
Hunter (OSU) - 700
Thomas (Kansas State) - 691

Rushing TDs
Martinez (Nebraska) - 12
Hunter (OSU) - 9
Murray (OU) - 9

Receiving Yards
Blackmon (OSU) - 748
Broyles (OU) - 518
Fuller (Texas A&M) - 503

Receiving TDs
Blackmon (OSU) - 11 Justin has the most TDs of any receiver overall, not just the Big 12.
Leong (Texas Tech) - 9
Fuller (Texas A&M) - 6



See you next week!

Kings of Leon: DoTM

Kings of Leon are a rock band that formed in 1999 in Tennessee. 2 of the members, Nathan and Caleb are brothers, while the other two, Matthew and Jared are their cousins. Nathan and Caleb are the sons of a Pentecostal preacher, Leon. Nathan and Matthew were both born in Oklahoma City.

Personally, their earlier stuff (pre-Aha Shake Heartbreak) leaves a little bit to be desired but gradually I start liking their stuff better as they progress in albums. In a strange way, musically, they remind me just a tad bit like U2.

When you look at these guys in some of their videos they kind of look like they just left the Allman Brothers Band.

Here are some links where you can read about them:

Kings of Leon official website
Kings of Leon Wiki page

DISCOGRAPHY

Holy Roller Novocaine
Released in February 2003 by RCA Records.
Produced by Ethan Johns.
Band lineup:
Caleb Followill - vocals, guitar; Nathan Followill - drums; Jared Followill - bass; Matthew Followill - guitar.
Tracks: 5

What I Saw
Released in May 2003 by BMG.
Produced by Angelo Petraglia and Ethan Johns.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 3

Youth and Young Manhood
Released in July 2003 in the UK and in August 2003 in the US by RCA/HandMeDown Records.
Produced by Ethan Johns.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Red Morning Light" "Mollys Chambers" "Wasted Time" and "California Waiting"
Charts:
#113 on the Billboard 200
#3 on the UK Albums chart

Aha Shake Heartbreak
Released in November 2004 in the UK and in February 2005 in the US by RCA/HandMeDown.
Produced by Ethan Johns.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"The Bucket" "Four Kicks" and "King of the Rodeo"
Charts:
#25 on the BB 200 and #3 on the UK Albums chart.

Day Old Belgian Blues
Released in June 2006 by RCA.
Produced by Stef Van Alsenoy and Greg Calbi.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 6

Because of the Times
Released in March 2007 in Ireland, April 2007 in the UK and the US by HandMeDown/RCA.
Produced by Ethan Johns and Angelo Petraglia.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"On Call" "Fans" and "Charmer"
Charts:
#25 on the BB 200, #1 on the UK Albums chart, and #1 on the Irish Albums chart.
This album was #6 on NMEs Top Albums of 2007 and #31 on Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2007.

Only by the Night
Released in September 2008 by RCA.
Produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Sex on Fire" "Use Somebody" "Revelry" "Notion" and "Crawl"
Charts:
#4 on the BB 200, and #1 on the Album charts in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, and New Zealand.
In 2009, this album got a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album (it lost to Coldplay's Viva La Vida) and "Sex on Fire" won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.
In January 2010, the song "Use Somebody" from this album won the Grammy for Record of the Year, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

Come Around Sundown
Scheduled for release in October 2010 by RCA.
Produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King.
No lineup changes.
Tracks (tentative): 13
Singles:
The only one that has been released is "Radioactive"

Top 3 Films: Tony Shalhoub

Happy 57th Tony!

Men in Black (1997)

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and produced by Steven Spielberg, this great movie has spawned a sequel and it is rumored that will be another one, in addition to an animated series and a role-playing game.

Tony plays Jack Jeebs, an alien that owns a pawn shop. Also starring in this film are Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Vincent D'Onofrio, Linda Fiorentino, Rip Torn, and David Cross.

The Siege (1998)

This was a pretty amazing film that came out, interestingly enough, about 2 years before 9/11 and reflects what could have happened after that event pretty well if cooler heads had not prevailed.

It stars Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Bruce Willis, as well as Tony, who plays an FBI agent. It was directed by Edward Zwick, who is the same guy that directed Glory, Legends of the Fall, Courage Under Fire and The Last Samarai.

Cars (2006)

In this Pixar film, Tony provided the voice for the car Luigi, a Fiat that owns a tire shop in Radiator Springs.

This film has a pretty amazing "cast" that includes Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Paul Newman, Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Richard Petty, Michael Keaton, and John Ratzenberger.

This film was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar but lost to Happy Feet (no clue why it got chosen over Cars). It won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Film.

Top 3 Films: Matt Damon

Happy 40th Matt!

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Matt actually co-wrote this film along with (and co-stars with) Ben Affleck about a trouble youth in Boston that is apparently a mathematical genius.

This movie won 2 Academy Awards and was nominated for 8 others, including Best Picture. It lost to Titanic which in and of itself (in my opinion) is a disaster. GWH was a much better film in my humble opinion. It also won 1 Golden Globe and was nominated for 3 others including Best Drama but again lost to Titanic.

In addition to Matt and Ben, this film starred Minnie Driver, Robin Williams, Casey Affleck and Stellan Skarsgard.

Dogma (1999)

Another movie in which he co-stars with Ben Affleck. This movie is written and directed by Kevin Smith.

Matt plays the angel Loki who was banished to earth long ago by God because he did not want to be the angel of death anymore.

This is one of my all-time favorite films.

It also stars Linda Fiorentino, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek, and George Carlin.

The Departed (2006)

Another one of my all-time favorite films, this one was directed by Martin Scorsese.

This one has an incredible cast. Besides Matt, who plays Colin Sullivan, a state trooper who is actually a gopher for a mob boss, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin.

Top 3 Films: Chevy Chase

Happy 67th Chevy!

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

In this film, directed by Harold Ramis, Chevy plays the family patriarch Clark Griswold who decides to drive his family from Chicago to California for a family vacation.

This movie was actually written by none other than John Hughes and also starred Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Randy Quaid, John Candy, Brian Doyle-Murray, Euguen Levy and Christie Brinkley.

Fletch (1985)

This movie is based on a series of novels written by Gregory McDonald.

Chevy stars as the title character, Irwin Fletcher, who is a newspaper reporter.

It also stars Joe Don Baker, Geena Davis, and George Wendt.

A sequel was released which in my opinion was not near as good as the original. There have been rumors that a prequel is in the works but I don't see that happening any time soon.

Spies Like Us (1985)

In this John Landis directed film, Chevy plays Emmet Fitz-Hume, who, along with Dan Akroyd's character, Austin Millbarge, end up accidentally becoming spies and get sent to Russia.

I don't understand why they never made a sequel to this gem.

Nevermind That Blue Joshua Tree

Okay, I couldn't come up with a better title for this post.

I borrowed a book yesterday from a friend at work titled 100 Greatest Albums put out by VH1 and edited by Jacob Hoye.

I have a bone to pick with the people that came up with this list.

First, the Nirvana album Nevermind is #2 on the list. What the hell?!? I mean, it's a decent album I guess. Not really my favorite Nirvana album and I understand the impact it had on the music industry but the #2 Greatest Album of All Time? I beg to differ.

According to this list Nevermind is a better album than The Beach Boys Pet Sounds and The Beatles Rubber Soul, Sgt Pepper, AND The White Album. And it is a better album than U2's The Joshua Tree?!? Hardly!

And while I am on the subject of The Joshua Tree, according to this list, the Joni Mitchell album Blue is a better album than it? I don't hardly think so!!!

The people that put this list together are on crack!

Here is a list of the Top 21 of their list for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure if you are as irritated about it as I am):

1. The Beatles - Revolver
2. Nirvana - Nevermind
3. Beach Boys - Petsounds
4. Marvin Gaye - Whats Going On
5. Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
6. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
7. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
8. The Beatles - Abbey Road
9. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
10. The Beatles - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
11. The Beatles - The White Album
12. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
13. The Who - Whos Next
14. Joni Mitchell - Blue
15. U2 - The Joshua Tree
16. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
17. The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bullocks really can't believe this one made the cut either
18. Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
19. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
20. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions
21. Elvis Presley - The Sun Sessions

MLB Roundup (Oct 6)

The regular season is over and post-season play is beginning. Here are the final standings/stats of the regular season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East
Tampa Bay
NY Yankees good to see the Yankees not in 1st place
Boston 7 games out of first. Better luck next year guys.
Toronto
Baltimore

Central
Minnesota
Chicago White Sox
Detroit
Cleveland
Kansas City

West
Texas
Oakland
LA Angels
Seattle 29 games behind first. Sad.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Florida
New York Mets
Washington

Central
Cincinnati
St Louis
Milwaukee
Houston
Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh

West
San Francisco
San Diego
Colorado
LA Dodgers
Arizona

STATS LEADERS

Batting Avg.
Hamilton (Rangers) - .359
Gonzalez (Rockies) - .336
Cabrera (Tigers) - .328

Hits
Suzuki (Mariners) - 214 Fat lot of good all those hits did for Seattle's record.
Cano (Yankees) - 200
Gonzalez (Rockies) - 197

Runs
Pujols (Cardinals) - 115
Teixeira (Yankees) - 113
Weeks (Brewers) - 112

Home Runs
Bautista (Blue Jays) - 54
Pujols (Cardinals) - 42
Konerko (White Sox) - 39

RBIs
Cabrera (Tigers) - 126
Rodriguez (Yankees) - 125
Bautista (Blue Jays) - 124

Wins
Halladay (Phillies) - 21
Sabathia (Yankees) - 21
Wainwright (Cardinals) - 20

Saves
Wilson (Giants) - 48
Bell (Padres) - 47
Soriano (Blue Jays) - 45

Strike Outs
Weaver (Angels) - 233
Hernandez (Mariners) - 232
Lincecum (Giants) - 231

ERA
Hernandez (Mariners) - 2.27
Johnson (Marlins) - 2.30
Buchholz (Red Sox) - 2.33

ESPN Power Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
New York Yankees
Minnesota Twins
San Francisco Giants
Texas Rangers
Atlanta Braves
Cincinnati Reds
San Diego Padres
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox

My prediction is Texas in the American League and San Francisco in the National League.

Wednesday Shuffle

1. Everything Turns Grey - Agent Orange (from the album Living in Darkness)
2. Spin the Black Circle - Pearl Jam (from Vitalogy)
3. Mommys Little Monster - Social Distortion (from Mommys Little Monster)
4. East to West - Casting Crowns (from The Altar and The Door)
5. Got Me Wrong - Alice in Chains (from Nothing Safe: Best of the Box)
6. Halloween - Dropkick Murphys (from The Singles Collection Volume 2)
7. First Day of the Rest of Our Lives - MxPx (from Before Everything and After)
8. Not I - Demon Hunter (from The Triptcyh)
9. Way Deep Inside - Duvall (from Volume and Density)
10. You Walk, I Run - MxPx (from Let's Rock)
11. Spin - Lifehouse (from Stanley Climbfall)

Elvis Costello: DoTM

Elvis Costello, born Declan Patrick MacManus in August 1954, is a British singer-songwriter.

Most of his album are solo albums but he also has quite a few albums where he has 2 backing bands, The Attractions and The Imposters.

The Attractions consist of Steve Nieve - piano, organ; Bruce Thomas - bass; Pete Thomas - drums.

The Imposters consist of Steve Nieve - piano, organ; Davey Faragher - bass; Pete Thomas - drums.

My Aim Is True
Released in July 1977 by Stiff Records in the UK and in March 1978 by Columbia in the US.
Produced by Nick Lowe.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Less Than Zero" "Alison" "Red Shoes" and "Watching the Detectives"
Charts:
#32 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart

This Year's Model - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in March 1978 by Radar Records.
Produced by Nick Lowe.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"I Don't Want to Go To Chelsea" and "Pump It Up"
Charts:
#30 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Armed Forces - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in January 1979 by Radar in the UK and Columbia in the US.
Produced by Nick Lowe.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Olivers Army" and "Accidents Will Happen"
Charts:
#10 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and #2 on the UK Albums chart.

Get Happy!! - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in February 1980 by F-Beat Records in the UK and Columbia in the US.
Produced by Nick Lowe.
Tracks: 20
Singles:
"I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" "High Fidelity" and "New Amsterdam"
Charts:
#11 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Taking Liberties
Released in November 1980 by Columbia.
Produced by Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.
Tracks: 20
Charts:
#28 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
This album is composed of songs that were not previously released on any U.S. albums as well as some B-Sides.

Ten Bloody Marys and Ten How's Your Fathers
Released in November 1980 by F-Beat.
Produced by Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.
Tracks: 10
This album is composed most of B-sides that were not previously released on any other albums.

Trust - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in January 1981 by F-Beat in the UK and Columbia in the US.
Produced by Nick Lowe and Roger Bechiran.
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"Clubland" "From a Whisper to a Scream" and "Watch Your Step"
Charts:
#28 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Almost Blue - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in October 1981 by F-Beat/Columbia.
Produced by Billy Sherrill.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"A Good Year for the Roses" and "Sweet Dreams"
Charts:
#50 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.
This album is composed of covers of country hits originally written by artists such as Merle Haggard, George Jones and Hank Williams.

Imperial Bedroom - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in July 1982 by F-Beat/Columbia.
Produced by Geoff Emerick.
Tracks: 15
Singles:
"Man Out of Time" and "You Little Fool"
Charts:
#30 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart

Punch the Clock - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in August 1983 by F-Beat/Columbia.
Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Everyday I Write the Book" "Pills and Soap" and "Let Them All Talk"
Charts:
#24 on the BB Pop Albums chart

Goodbye Cruel World - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in June 1984 by F-Beat/Columbia.
Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"The Only Flame in Town" "Peace in Our Time" and "I Wanna Be Loved"
Charts:
#35 on the Billboard 200

The Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Compilation album released in 1985 by Columbia.
Various producers.
Tracks: 16
Charts:
#122 on the Billboard 200

King of America
Released in February 1986 by Demon Records in the UK and Columbia in the US.
Produced by T-Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello.
Tracks: 15
Singles:
"Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood"

Blood and Chocolate - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in September 1986 by Demon/Columbia.
Produced by Nick Lowe and Colin Fairley.
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Tokyo Storm Warning" and "I Want You"
Charts:
#15 on the UK Albums chart

Out of Our Idiot
Compilation album released in December 1987 in the UK by Demon.
Various producers.
Tracks: 21

Spike
Released in February 1989 by Warner Brothers.
Produced by Elvis Costello, Kevin Killen and T-Bone Burnett.
Tracks: 15
Singles:
"This Town" and "Veronica"
Charts:
#32 on the BB 200.
The song "Veronica" was co-written by Paul McCartney.

Mighty Like a Rose
Released in May 1991 by Warner Bros.
Produced by Elvis Costello, Mitchell Froom and Kevin Killen.
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"The Other Side of Summer"
Charts:
#55 on the BB 200
Another song co-written by McCartney was on this album, "So Like Candy"

G.B.H.
Soundtrack album released in July 1991 by Demon.
Produced by Alan Bleasdale, Elvis Costello, Austin Ince and David Jones.
Tracks: 22

The Juliet Letters
Released in January 1993 by Warner Bros.
Produced by The Brodsky Quartet, Elvis Costello and Kevin Killen.
Tracks: 20
Charts:
#125 on the BB 200

2 1/2 Years
Box set released in October 1993 by Demon/Rykodisc.
Produced by Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.
Tracks:
Disc 1 = 22
Disc 2 = 18
Disc 3 = 21
Disc 4 = 14

Live at the El Mocambo
Live album released in October 2009 by Demon/Rykodisc.
Tracks: 14

Brutal Youth
Released in March 1994 by Warner Bros.
Produced by Mitchell Froom.
Tracks: 15
Singles:
"13 Steps" and "Sulky Girl"
Charts:
#34 on the BB 200.

The Very Best of Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Compilation album released in October 1994 by Rykodisc.
Various producers.
Tracks: 22

Kojak Variety
Released in May 1995 by Warner Bros.
Produced by Kevin Killen and Elvis Costello.
Tracks: 15
Charts:
#102 on the BB 200
This album consists of covers of songs originally written and performed by artists such as Ray Davies, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Randy Newman and Burt Bacharach.

Deep Dead Blue
Live album released in August 1995 by Nonesuch.
Produced by Elvis Costello.
Tracks: 7

Jake's Progress
Soundtrack album released in November 1995 by Demon.
Produced by Richard Harvey and Austin Ince.
Tracks: 22

All This Useless Beauty - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Released in May 1996 by Warner Bros.
Produced by Geoff Emerick and Elvis Costello.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Its Time" "Little Atoms" "The Other End of the Telescope" "Distorted Angel" and "All This Useless Beauty"
Charts:
#53 on the BB 200
There is another song co-written by McCartney on this album, "Shallow Grave"

Costello and Nieve
Live album released in December 1996 by Warner Bros.
Tracks: 26

Extreme Honey
Compilation album released in October 1997 by Warner Bros.
Tracks: 18

Painted from Memory
Released in September 1998 by Mercury Records.
Produced by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Toledo"
Charts:
#78 on the BB 200.

The Sweetest Punch
Released in September 1999 by Decca Records.
Produced by Lee Townsend.
Tracks: 15
Charts:
#5 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

The Very Best of Elvis Costello
Compilation album released in August 1999 by Polygram Records.
Tracks: 42 (2 CDs)

When I Was Cruel - Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Released in April 2002 by Island Records in the US and Mercury in the UK.
Produced by Elvis Costello, Ciaran Cahill, Leo Pearson and Kieran Lynch.
Tracks: 15
Singles:
"Tear Off Your Own Head" and "45"
Charts:
#20 on the BB 200

Cruel Smile - Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Released in October 2002 by Island.
Produced by Ciaran Cahil, Kevin Killen, and Leo Pearson.
Tracks: 15
Charts:
#180 on the BB 200

North
Released in September 2003 by Deutsche Grammaphon.
Produced by Elvis Costello and Kevin Killen.
Tracks: 11
Charts:
#57 on the BB 200; #1 on the BB Jazz Albums chart.

Il Sogno
Released in September 2004 by Deutsche Grammaphon.
Produced by Elvis Costello.
Tracks: 24
Charts:
#1 on the BB Classical chart.

The Delivery Man - Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Released in September 2004 by Lost Highway Records.
Produced by Elvis Costello and Dennis Herring.
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"Monkey to Man"
Charts:
#40 on the BB 200.

My Flame Burns Blue
Live album released in February 2006 by Deutsche Grammophon.
Produced by Elvis Costello.
Tracks: 14
Charts:
#188 on the BB 200.
#2 on the BB Jazz Albums chart.

The River in Reverse
Released in June 2006 by Verve Forecast Records.
Produced by Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint.
Tracks: 14
Charts:
#103 on the BB 200.
#2 on the BB Jazz Albums chart.

Momofuku - Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Released in April 2008 by Lost Highway.
Produced by Elvis Costello and Jason Lader.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"No Hiding Place" and "Go Away"

Secret Profane and Sugarcane
Released in June 2009 by Hear Music/Universal Records.
Produced by T-Bone Burnett.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Complicated Shadows"
Charts:
#13 on the BB 200.
#71 on the UK Albums chart.

Live at Hollywood High
Live album released in January 2010 by Hip-O Select Records.
Tracks: 20

National Ransom
Scheduled for released on October 25, 2010 by Hear Music/Universal Records.
Produced by T-Bone Burnett.
Tracks: 16