Thursday, April 30, 2009
Matt & Kim: "Lessons Learned"
I'm not big into music videos but this one is pretty sweet. Sure seems indie videos these days are infinitely cooler and more creative than big budget slutty girl and/or self-aggrandizing big budget, major-label videos. There is certainly something to be said for having a limited budget and coming up with a simple yet entertaining product. Pretty good song too :)Posted by soft rock star at 10:11 PM
Another Reason To Never Grow Old.
This is easily the most digusting story I've come across recently.Australian nursing home patient mauled by mice
SYDNEY (AP) — A pack of mice mauled a bedridden 89-year-old man at an Australian nursing home, shredding parts of his ears and prompting the government Thursday to launch an investigation into the facility.
Federal Minister for Aging Justine Elliot ordered a probe into what the government-run nursing home in Queensland state was doing to protect residents, saying in a statement that the attack was "extremely disturbing and traumatic for residents and their families."
Ray Hopper, a state opposition legislator who was alerted to the mauling by the man's family earlier this week, said the resident was found covered in blood by nursing staff Saturday.
"An elderly, bedridden gentleman had the tops of his ears severely chewed, his head badly bitten and a very bad wound in the throat," Hopper said. "His hands were covered in blood when they found him; he'd obviously been so distressed trying to get the mice away."
Hopper accused health officials of being slow to respond to an out-of-control mouse infestation at Dalby Hospital, where Karingal Nursing Home is located.
"It is the most disgusting, horrific thing," Hopper said. "There wasn't a wall of mice suddenly hitting the place — this has been building up for three weeks. They had plenty of time to act."
Pam Lane, a Queensland state government health officer, confirmed that two residents had been treated for mouse bites at the home and called the attacks "unfortunate."
"We are doing everything we can to rid the mice from the facility," she said in a statement.
Hospital officials referred calls to the Queensland health department, which released a statement saying the hospital has added extra staff and instituted an "extensive baiting and trapping program."
Traps were being emptied hourly and cleaning crews were wiping up mouse droppings at the 80-bed facility in Dalby, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) west of the state capital, Brisbane.
The health department blamed the incident on the mouse plague spreading across the region. The creatures were infiltrating buildings as they sought refuge from the chill of Australia's autumn weather, it said.
Queensland Health Minister Paul Lucas told reporters in Brisbane he had apologized to the victim and his family and offered to relocate other residents of the facility.
Posted by soft rock star at 10:00 PM
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Person Of The Week: Rexella Van Impe!
If you find yourself mindlessly watching TV late at night on the weekend, you may have stumbled across the demented magic that is “Jack Van Impe Presents.” Together with her Bible-passage spewing husband Jack, Rexella Van Impe tries to bring the flock closer to Jesus as they try to tie the weeks events to the End Times. The show is oddly mesmerizing. I can never bring myself to change the channel when I come across it. The whole crew couldn't be more entertaining. There is Jack, his hands flailing as he manically gesticulates and flashes his Cheshire cat-like grin, rattling off Bible passage after Bible passage (which he claims to have completely memorized… no cuecards). And that cheesy haircut! And then there is announcer Chuck Ohman, imploring viewers to send in that money in exchange for the week's crudely assembled & horribly acted video that better illustrates the weeks apocolyptically related content. With his deep voice and completely cheesy delivery (and equally cheesy haircut), Chuck is the last of a dying breed of thoroughly inauthentic pitchmen.
But it’s Rexella's aww shucks delivery and Home Shopping Network looks that keep my hand off the remote. She reads (as well as she can) headlines of the week and spins them so they all tie into the coming of Christ and then lobs things over to Jack who explains that every item in these articles is in the Bible and how they prove the end is just around the corner. Unbenounced to Jack, Chuck & Rexella, it's comedic genius. But I often find unintentional humor to be the very best kind.
I also love how Rexxy calls the viewers 'friends' and begs them to call or write her because she'd "love to send you, absolutely free, this little booklet for steps in a new direction." I have to admit to never even entertaining contacting her, but man oh man, I love watching this show! It's absolutely addicting. It's absolutely entertaining. And I thank Rexella (as well as Jack and Chuck) for making late night weekend TV a whole lot better.
I also think the folks at AquaNet have to be thanking their lucky stars that Rexella, Jack and Chuck are keeping them in business.
Posted by soft rock star at 4:46 PM
Baked Cheetos, You Are My Friend
I just enjoyed a tasty lunch that featured all my faves: PB (Jif Creamy!) & Cherry Preserves, Diet Coke and BAKED CHEETOS! Oh my Lord, thank the heavens above for Baked Cheetos. I tried regular Cheetos again recently for the first time in ages and remembered pretty quickly why I don't buy them. They are like the salty equivalent to Gushers. You bite in and at first taste the crunchy cheese and then it literally feels like your mouth if filling up with grease. It's disgusting. But Baked Cheetos? A completely different experience, my friend. All the crunch, just the right amount of cheesy taste, and your fingers still get covered in atomic orange dust. Plus they are apparently not as bad for you as regular Cheetos, so that's a win too cuz i'm sorry, I ain't giving up chips. This no carbs business they keep trying to push is ridiculous. Oh, and it's worth mentioning... hot new look, same great taste. Way to go Chester.
Posted by soft rock star at 12:28 PM
Palomar!
After blogging about Fox News and Creed yesterday I definitely need a palette cleansing blog today. And Palomar will fit the bill quite nicely! This Brooklyn-based quartet came to my attention in 2003. I had the distinct pleasure of promoting their third release, 2004's excellent Palomar III: Revenge Of Palomar. Descriptions such as "Fun and frenetic" "catchy" "delightful" "bouncy" "memorable" & "tasty" were bandied about in summarizing the band's sound. I like these descriptions and they happen to be spot on. The Austin Chronicle went as far as to say that Palomar rival "the Essex Green for the title of Most Underrated Indie Rock Band Ever." Heady (and sorta sad) stuff as this band deserves to be heard by SO many more people. You can't go wrong purchasing any of their releases. From the punky, spirited Palomar II to the more refined and expansive All Things, Forests to the aforementioned Revenge. If you won't just take my word for it, head over to their MySpace page and check out snippets of "Top Banana" "Beats Beat Nothing" (the entire song is posted), "Woah!" "Surprise Us" & "You're Keeping Us Up." They are just the tip of the iceberg for a band that writes some of my very favorite songs :)
Posted by soft rock star at 10:45 AM
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Is The Late 90s Already Retro?
In the last week I've read that VH1 is resurrecting Divas Live. Then came the dreadful, perhaps even apocolypse-nearing news, that Creed is getting back together for a summer tour and album (I guess Scott Stapp has run out of money.) And now comes the announcement that Lilith Fair will return in 2010. It used to take a good 20 years for things to come back around. The 60s came back in the 80s. Heck, even grunge stayed away for almost two decades before rearing it's ugly head in the form of plaid lumberjack shirts on indie kids. But apparently the late 90s are ripe for mining whatever seemingly unique things were happening back then. 
I can stomach Lilith Fair (though I've never been, I certainly don't mind granola-loving ladies softly rocking out), and done right, Divas Live has the potential to be mildly interesting (though if I ever have to hear Mariah Carey strain and scratch her way through another song live it will be too soon. How does someone who's never done a proper tour ruin her voice anyway?) But Creed? Isn't trying to avoid Nickelback at all costs bad enough? 
Listening to a wife-beating, stringy-haired chatch do his worst Eddie Vedder impersonation isn't my idea of reunion-worthy. But I will admit, perhaps I am not the target audience for said momentus occassion.
I'm having trouble thinking of anything else from the late 90s that might resurface soon, though I'm sure anyone who made any kind of money dong something back then isn't, lol.
Posted by soft rock star at 5:03 PM
Fox News: Fair & Balanced
Fox News calling themselves "Fair & Balanced" is like Pres. Bush calling himself "Articulate & Open-Minded." I don't quite get where they see themselves as unbiased with their TV schedule & website filled with the opinions of people like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteran and Glenn Beck, but whatever. What really made me laugh just now was the way they reported Sen. Arlen Specter's party switch vs. CNN and MSNBC. Here are the headlines on each of their websites:CNN: "Longtime GOP Sen. Specter now a Democrat"
MSNBC: "GOP’s Sen. Specter switches parties"
FOX: "Senator Switch: Specter Turns Back On GOP Voters To Run As Democrat"
The phrase "turns back on" is neither 'fair' nor 'balanced' in my book. CNN & MSNBC's headlines are simple fact. Fox? Not so much. Gotta add that judgemental commentary. It's what they do best. It's what all holier-than-thou conservatives tend to do best. Keep up the good work Fox News. I can always count on you for a laugh.
Posted by soft rock star at 12:02 PM
Monday, April 27, 2009
Metric: Fantasies
I'm totally biased in that I already LOVE this band & I'm promoting this CD but I gotta tell ya, best album of 2009 so far as far as I'm concerned. It's been met with worldwide rave reviews, tons of airplay and the best sales of any Metric CD so far and for good reason. Emily Haines voice, hooks the size of Texas and incredible beats no matter the tempo. I can't get enough! There isn't a bad song in the bunch. But don't take my word for it! Spin is streaming the whole CD here.
Posted by soft rock star at 7:44 PM
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Visitor
I have been wanting to see The Visitor ever since I heard Richard Jenkins starred in it. One of the premiere "what do I know that guy from?" actors who you see in films all the time but could never name if you were asked, Jenkins makes every movie he's in better because of it. He was the funniest thing about Step Brothers. I think a lot of people got to know him better as the dad on Six Feet Under. He's an excellent actor and even though I had no idea what The Visitor was about, knowing he was the star and had been nominated for an Oscar was all I needed. Well, I finally got to see it this weekend and I was not disappointed. If you're someone that needs your movies to always be 'feel good' experiences, then this isn't for you. But if you like well-acted, well-told stories that will make you feel something, then I definitely recommend renting this one.
Posted by soft rock star at 7:40 PM
That's Classic: Ben Folds Five "Magic"
Tuesday marks the release of Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella. It's a collection Folds helmed himself that uses college a cappella groups to cover his songs. It's a cool idea and definitely one that screams Ben Folds. Unfortunately the execution could be better. The background vocals are generally really unique and interesting but too many times the lead vocalists are so uninspired or theatery that it just makes you want to listen to the originals. Perhaps it would have worked better if Folds had sung lead on all of them himself. Not many songwriters write better moody, melancholy songs than Ben Folds. "Still Fighting It" "Fred Jones, Pt. 2" "Not The Same" "The Luckiest" (all of which can be found on the excellent Rockin' The Suburbs CD), "That's Me Trying" (from the surprisingly good album he did with William Shatner), and this ridiculously good one I'm posting here from his Ben Folds Five Days: "Magic." Because it turns out that no one performs Ben Folds songs better than the man himself.
Magic - Ben Folds Five
Posted by soft rock star at 7:10 PM
Subway: Eat (& eat & eat) Fresh
Once the desire of scads of women, Jack Nicholson may now possess something new the ladies want... boobs! Yes, it seems in the last year or two Jack has 'grown a pair.' And not just any pair. These are boobs my friend. Boobs ladies would pay money to have implanted on themselves. I bet even Lara Flynn Boyle is jealous.
Posted by soft rock star at 4:46 PM
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Goodbye Dorothy Zbornak
This has sure been a downer day of posts. I just saw that Bea Arthur died :( From 'All In The Family' to 'Maude' to 'Golden Girls', Arthur played some of the most outspoken, witty and genuinely funny characters on television. I have a very soft spot in my heart for Golden Girls and along with Betty White, Bea was definitely a favorite. I hate when actors that I've spend so much time watching and enjoying pass away. At 86 she lived a full life but still... definitely sad news.
Posted by soft rock star at 8:55 PM
Wouldn't It Be Good
Well, after posting about the suicide of bullied 11-year-olds, it doesn't seem fitting to mention anything too upbeat or silly today. So I will post this video. Nik Kershaw's 1984 song "Wouldn't It Be Good" has always been one of my very favorite songs. His 1999 acoustic version is also excellent. I just recently stumbled upon this version by Tina Arena. Largely unknown here in the States, she's sort of Australia's Celine Dion... I know, I know, in hip, indie circles that's like a scarlet letter. I'm just not quite pompous and jaded enough not to recognize a great song, sung beautifully. So, in tribute to those who wish their lives were better...Posted by soft rock star at 1:04 PM
Twice this month, an 11 year-old boy has hanged himself. The first happened April 6th, in Massachusetts, when Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was found dead. April 21st, an Atlanta boy named Jeheem Herrera also hung himself. Besides being only 5th graders, what these 11-year-old boys shared in common was daily anti-gay bullying and harassment at school. And from all accounts both mothers tried (even weekly) to get the schools to do something about it. These sorts of stories break my heart… for so many reasons. First my heart goes out to these poor mothers who have lost their precious children at such a young age. To decide at 11 years old that your life isn’t worth living is mind-bogglingly depressing. Fifth grade!! I can’t even wrap my head around it.
It makes me so angry that school administrators and teachers turned a blind eye to this activity, even when it was repeatedly pointed out to them, and when it’s against the law! If criminal charges aren’t filed (which sadly sounds likely) people should lose their jobs over this. But what really saddens me is that parents are raising monsters. At 11 years old, to already have such hatred and malice for people who aren’t the same as you that you would terrorize someone to the point that their only solution to escape it is to kill themselves? It’s devastating. I’d like to think the parents of the children at these schools would feel enormous shame, but I know better. This is learned behavior. If you raise a conscienceless child you must not have one yourself. Why does it take the death of a child, two children (actually five this year from what I’ve read) to get people to take notice? Why is it always in this country, that we don’t address problems until something horrific happens because of it? These poor kids, at 11 years old don’t even know what it IS to be gay. They are just who they are… how God made them. And to be bullied and harassed for who you are, and encouraged to kill yourself for it… by other 11 year olds… and have adults whose care the children are supposed to be under not do anything about it? That’s messed up. I sure hope those poor little boys are in a better place, away from the evil, horrible children that drove them to their deaths.
Posted by soft rock star at 12:52 PM
Friday, April 24, 2009
It's cool enough for Barbara Walters...
I absolutely LOVE this video.It sums up perfectly how I feel about Twitter.
Posted by soft rock star at 3:30 PM
This is a couple months old but I wanted to post it. There is something so pure and smile-inducing about watching someone dance without inhibition and embarassment. Maybe it's because I can't do it, lol. This guy is adorable... and he has good taste in music too. Fun stuff.BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.
Posted by soft rock star at 3:13 PM
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Let The Right One In
I finally saw a great movie that had been recommended to me a while back. It's a Norwegian film called "Låt Den Rätte Komma In" (Let The Right One In). I'm not generally a fan of subtitles but this was worth it. It's about Oscar, an overlooked and bullied boy, who finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl who turns out to be a vampire. There is a particularly cool scene involving a swimming pool. That's all I'm going to say! It's out on DVD now. I say rent it.
Posted by soft rock star at 1:59 PM
Political Roundup
I heard a statistic today that put a smile on my face: 81% of Americans under 30 consider themselves Democrats. The fact that the vast majority of young people believe we should help those who are truly in need, that American jobs should stay here and not be outsourced to other countries, that two adults that love eachother should be able to marry, that women should be paid the same as men in equal positions, that we shouldn't invade unprovoked countries & force our way of life on them, that the environment IS in trouble and needs our help, that we need a renewed sense of community, and that we should have healthy relationships with the rest of the world ... man, when you type it all out it's just COMMON SENSE isn't it? Crazy!_____________________________________________________________
I'm not a big fan of TV news programs with a clearly biased point of view (conservative & liberal). They always come off as snide and condescending. It's just commentary passing as news, and I hate that they are on channels that call themselves news channels when they are offering opinions rather than delivering fact. It used to be that you didn't know the political leanings of newscasters and I liked that. One such 'clearly biased' host is Glenn Beck. Besides just being highly unlikable, pompous and annoying in his delivery, this clip of a guest passing out on his show sums up what a self-absorbed blowhard he is.
The guest tells him, not once, not twice, but three times that he is going to pass out and Beck just continues plowing through his presentation, only offering a hand on the third mention by his guest that he is going down, like the man is kidding. And after he does pass out, Beck still seems clueless and asks his equally uncaring staff for help. Do they rush in to help? No. I just think it says a lot about him as a person.
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Forget old white grumps like Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney & Bill O'Reilly, apparently the Republican Party has a new face. It's Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock. What does he have to say? I'm not really sure. All the media seems to care about is his age. Details Magazine dishes on his dating life, Steven Colbert goes on and on about his six-pack abs, The Today Show extols his uncanny resemblance to Doogie Howser. No wonder nothing ever gets done in this country. From the media's obsession with Hilary Clinton's pantsuits, to the ridiculing of Joe Biden's hairplugs, to the teasing of Bobby Jindal's 'Mister Rogers' delivery after his response to Obama's address to Congress, to the obsession with Michelle Obama's 'groundbreaking' fashion sense ... so what if people are losing their jobs, their homes, their life savings ... that's just not entertaining.
Posted by soft rock star at 11:20 AM
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Major Tom - Shiny Toy Guns
One of my favorite songs has always been Peter Schilling's "Major Tom." The driving guitar, the insistent synth beat, the detached vocals on the verses juxtaposed with the urgency of the chorus and that soaring "coming home" line at the end? I cannot tell you how many times I have listened to the ending of that song and then backed it up a minute just to listen again... and again... and again. It may be one of the best last minutes of a song, ever. Well, Shiny Toy Guns (a band I know of but only knew musically from their song "Le Disko") have covered it for a Lincoln car ad, and I'm loving the cover too. Her vocals are keyed higher and that ending soars even more than it did before. I'm still all about the original, but man, I love me a good cover! You can go to Shiny Toy Guns MySpace page and download the song for free too. Isn't that crazy? When have you ever not paid for an MP3?!
Major Tom (Coming Home) - Shiny Toy Guns
Posted by soft rock star at 11:49 AM
Person Of The Week: Wilford Brimley!
Wilford Brimley has brought us some amazing moments over the years: Cocoon, The 1985 TV movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, Cocoon 2: The Return, Quaker Oats commercials…the list goes on; countless moments of cinematic and small screen joy. But my personal favorite is the Liberty Medical commercials where Wilford extols the praises of home-delivered diabetes products. Gruff and curmudgeonly, Wilfy delivers his pitch in his usual ‘angry grandpa’ routine. You gotta love a guy who isn’t afraid to let his mustache upstage him AND who isn’t afraid to pronounce the main word of his commercial incorrectly. ‘DIE-AH-BEET-ISS’ I love it! I found a fairly amusing dance remix that features Mr. Brimley’s unique take on the word.
Great movies, entertaining commercials, and a giant mustache…all this makes Wilford Brimley the clear choice for Soft Rock Star’s Person Of The Week!
Posted by soft rock star at 11:21 AM
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Raindrops - Basement Jaxx
I gotta admit, kinda hated the last Basement Jaxx record. Remedy & Rooty ruled but man, Kish Kash was a train wreck. I remember listening to it the first time when I got it and being colossally disappointed. So perhaps it's no surprise that the new Basement Jaxx CD is going to be called The Return Of Basement Jaxx. I just heard "Raindrops" last night and it really does sound like a return to form in my opinion. I'm anxious to hear more. But for now, "Raindrops" will do just fine. Welcome to my iPod new friend.Posted by soft rock star at 4:50 PM
Röyksopp & Robyn live at Senkveld. "The Girl and the Robot"
Putting Robyn and Röyksopp together is like combining peanut butter and honey. It's the same as adding whipped cream to pumpkin pie. It's akin to topping pancakes with delicious maple syrup. Man, I'm beginning to sound like all I do is eat? Anyway, it's tasty. I've been a fan of both acts since their first albums and this song gave me chills the first time I heard it. Here they are doing it live! Yum.Posted by soft rock star at 2:13 PM
Monday, April 20, 2009
In the beginning
Ok, so maybe I'm the last person to start a blog. I guess when it comes to technology I'm usually the last of my friends to join in. It was that way with getting a cell phone, giving into Friendster (remember that?), owning an iPod, texting (oh how I hate texting!), joining MySpace and then Facebook... the list goes on. I've since cancelled my Friendster and ditched MySpace and avowed never join Twitter. Good Lord, how many more ways can we try to make our trivial and mundane day-to-day activities celebrity-worthy?But a blog? I can get into that. See, I like to write. But I try and edit myself to only write about things I truly find interesting. And that's what I'm going to try and do here. Whether it's a new song or album. A movie I've watched or a tasty new food I've tried. Some wacko random thing I observe in the zeitgeist that strikes me as story-worthy. I'm gonna focus on stuff like that. I'll leave updates about 'grabbing a morning cup of coffee' or 'picking the lint out of my belly button' to someone else.
