New musical obsessions

After finally closing out 2008 with the (much delayed) best of 2008 list earlier this month, it is now out with the old and in with the new.... Here are some new musical obsessions for early 2009:

New stuff....
Wicked Man's Rest - Passenger
The '59 Sound - The Gaslight Anthem
Mr. Hurricane - Beast
Everyone's At It - Lily Allen
Sometime Around Midnight - The Airborne Toxic Event
Wannabe in L.A. - Eagles of Death Metal
Cath... - Death Cab For Cutie

Older stuff rediscovered or found at last:
What Light - Wilco
3 Strange Days - School of Fish
Its Only A Paper Moon - Emilie-Claire Barlow
100 Days, 100 Nights - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Limelight - Rush

Today's Something or Other #13

Put this one firmly in the "God bless the internet" category. This is AWESOME. Why didn't I think of it??? Oh right, I'm not that smart.

Go to Buzzfeed.com and check out Wikipedia Names Your Band. Follow the directions and see what you come up with. [Note: you'll need to add the text to your picture yourself]

Here's mine:

The movies of 2008

It is Academy Awards weekend with the big show happening tomorrow night. It is a big deal in plenty of houses; a night that rivals the Super Bowl, only with fancier cocktails.

My year in movies review is a little lacking in that I haven't seen any of the five films nominated for Best Picture. That said, I really only have interest in two of them: Frost/Nixon and Slumdog Millionaire, although I'm sure I'll rent Milk when it comes out on DVD. The Wrestler, Waltz With Bashir and Man On Wire are also on my "To See" list.

Your best bet for Oscar night...? Go to a movie.

Here are my favourites of 2008:

1. U2 3D
2. In Bruges
3. Wall-E
4. The Dark Knight
5. Up The Yangtze
6. Letter To Anna
7. Tell No One

Biggest Disappointments:
1. Quantum of Solace - not terrible by any means, but very disappointing after the superb Casino Royale
2. The Dark Knight - yes, also on my Favourites list, but I had such high hopes.... I preferred Batman Begins
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - all the elements were there, it just never really came to life

Today's Something or Other #12

Words of wisdom from the movies:

Vizzini: You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...

- from The Princess Bride

TV's hottest new show!

[From the Supastar Collective archives....]

For Immediate Public Release:

There hasn't been an event like this since NBC's Friends spinoff, Joey. The marketing geniuses at Genesis 2 Exodus Marketing (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Catholic Church) bring you the hottest new property on TV, in literature and on the evangelical lecture circuit. This never before seen look at the Bible's lesser known, but no less hilarious, characters will redefine how the world watches television, reads books and gets told what to believe. With Jesus Christ, star of The New Testament, off making the feature film, JC in the Hood: Don't hate the playa, hate the game, the Catholic Broadcasting Company (CaBC), affiliated with Vision TV and CBS, took the opportunity to create this still untitled spinoff and showcase biblical characters that haven't had the time in the limelight their accomplishments deserve.

Watch the first episode where wandering nomads in search of the Promised Land do battle with the Sand People of Tattooine.

See Paul in a poetry slam with the Corinthians and watch the Prophet Elijah battle the mighty Minotaur in a steel cage.

Also starring:

• Ham
• Daniel - catch his latest celebrity predictions and his stockmarket forecast
• Levi - learn about the man before he invented the world famous denim pants
• And last, but not least, the wacky, but lovable neighbour, John. What will he do next?! Tune in and catch all his crazy antics!
• And more!

Holy Sh*t!! Pictures of the fire in Australia

I knew the situation was bad, but the devastation in these pictures is unbelievable.

The (much delayed) year in music: 2008

Albums of the Year:
1. Here We Stand - The Fratellis
2. Blood's Too Rich - Luke Doucet & The White Falcon
3. Consolers of the Lonely - The Raconteurs

Here are the new songs that were in heavy rotation on my iPod this year, presented in Countdown format.

My Songs of the Year:

20. Paper Planes - M.I.A (technically a 2007 song, but it was officially re-released in the summer of '08, plus it is just that good)

19. Just Dance / Poker Face - Lady Gaga (had to include something from her given how she owned 2008, and I couldn't choose)

18. Ready For The Floor - Hot Chip

17. Milk And Money - The Fratellis

16. Asking For Flowers - Kathleen Edwards

15. Tiger Phone Card - Dengue Fever

14. First Day (In The New Hometown) - Luke Doucet and the White Falcon

13. Out of Time - Jason Collett

12. A-punk - Vampire Weekend

11. I'm Outta Time - Oasis

10. Pork and Beans - Weezer

9. Kids - MGMT

8. Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs

7. See You Again - Miley Cyrus

6. Blood's Too Rich - Luke Doucet and the White Falcon

5. Acid Jazz Singer - The Fratellis

4. I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You - Black Kids

3. Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo) - Black Kids

2. Carolina Drama - The Raconteurs

1. Time To Pretend - MGMT

Rediscoveries / Late Discoveries:
Dry the Rain - The Beta Band
I'm Sorry - Hothouse Flowers
Livin' After Midnight - Judas Priest
To Get Me Through The Good Times - Echobelly
29 Palms - Robert Plant
Abbey Road Medley - The Beatles
Whisky In The Jar - Metallica
Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett

The Gloam

The gloam suggested shadow conspiracies, political intrigue and backroom deals,

But not for me.

The air, wet with anticipation of cloudburst, argued for more.

My left foot seemed to fall more heavily than my right,

Keeping a metronome rhythm on the paved path.

My thoughts drifted back to last night,

And I could hear her voice again.

It seemed to drift out of a darkness spoiled only by the red amber of a cigarette being smoked on a porch across the street.

"The allure of youth is not about beauty; it is about awe and wonderment. That is where they get it wrong."

______________________________

I found this photo on deviantART and thought it went well with this entry.

The Working Man by *slatkatajna on deviantART

Today's Something or Other #11

Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to?

867-5309 is for sale on eBay. For a cool 5 Gs you can have endless fun remembering the '80s (and endless interruptions - the seller claims he get between 8,000 and 10,000 calls a year. Presumably looking for Jenny?).

I just checked and the bidding is up to a positively ludicrous $369,100. I guess that $5,000 isn't going to get you anywhere. At time of writing there had been 112 bids.

If the auction is closed by the time you click on the eBay link, you can still read about it at Buzzfeed.

Altogether now, sing it one time with feeling (you know you want to... and you probably now have it in your head already). Sing loud, sing proud.

Hey...
Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
You give me something I can hold on to
I know you'll think I'm like the others before
Who saw your name and number on the wall

Jenny I've got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don't change your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)

Jenny, Jenny you're the girl for me
You don't know me but you make me so happy
I tried to call you before
But I lost my nerve
I tried my imagination
But I was disturbed

Jenny I've got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don't change your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)

I got it (I got it), I got it
I got your number on the wall
I got it (I got it), I got it
For a good time call

Jenny don't change your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny I've got your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)

Hey...
Jenny don't change your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny I call your number
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)

Jenny, Jenny who can I turn to
For the price of a dime
I can always turn to you
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)
8 6 7-5 3 0 9 (8 6 7-5 3 0 9)

[note: I never realized how creepy this song is]

Waitin' on a sunny day

Sunday brought a welcome respite to the overcast skies and biting cold weather we'd been subject to for what seemed like eons. Riverdale Park was toboggan central and the Danforth was shoulder-to-shoulder pedestrian traffic. It seemed like everyone was outside getting some fresh air and sweet, precious Vitamin D. The Vitamin G would have to wait till later.

Here are some pictures from the day. Pictures are from in and around Withrow Park (click on photo for full-size picture).

Fun with photo editing

2009 is shaping up as the Year of the Photo Project. It will either be genius or the exact opposite. Or half-finished.

Logan just south of Gerrard


Lower Riverdale


Gerrard and Logan looking north

Guadeloupe

Time for a change

You might have noticed a few minor changes to the blog today. The SWATE camel has been retired, for now. He was a good soldier and had a good run. Here are some pictures to remember him by (click on pictures for full size):