I finally got to see "The Killers" live in concert, and it was a great show. They played at the Los Angeles Staples Center, which is roughly 50 miles away from where I live. Doors open at 7PM with the show scheduled to start at 8PM, but I decided to wait until 7PM to leave for the concert. I was stalling at home too much. Being that this is Southern California freeways that I was driving on, I expected not to make the start of the concert. Surprisingly enough, I got no traffic, it only took me 35 minutes to get there, parking was no hassle (except for the $20 charge), and I got to my seat with minutes to spare before the opening band even started. Incredible. I did get tickets for the "nose bleed" section; and in the corner side too, so I wasn't exactly remotely near the stage to get a good look at the bands. Oh well.

The first act was "Solarcade," who is a local independent Los Angeles band lucky enough to be invited by "the Killers" to open for them here in California. I've got to say, they aren't bad at all. In fact, I really enjoyed their performance. I like their sound, which reminded me a little of "U2," but it was more or less the '80s rock vibe that I got from them that got me grooving to their music.

The next act was "Howling Bells," which hails from Australia i think. Their sound was a departure from the previous act, and it was more of a somewhat progressive moody music type thing going for them. Not exactly an act I would really watch in an arena setting, and half way through their set, I decided that it was time for me to walk around Staples Center. I have never been to this venue before and I liked what I saw. It's a really well designed place, and despite the huge crowd in attendance (sold out show), I never felt the place to be crowded at all. No long lines for concession stands, merchandise booths, or restrooms, because there were so many of those things. I decided to eat at one of their many McDonalds located right in Staples Center, and I also bought Solarcade's latest CD; "This Beautiful Demon," while I was at it.

"The Killers" started at about 10:05PM and opened up with several songs from their latest disc "Sam's Town." First thing that stood out for me though, was the lighting, which is probably one of the best I've ever seen in a concert. Really nice work there. The second thing I noticed was that lead singer Brandon Flowers is STILL dressed in his "old west" type look that he has been sporting this past year. As for their performance, they sound good live. The bass is a little higher than I would want it to be, as it was drowning out the vocals at times, but for the most part they sounded really good. The bass problem was pretty much fixed by the time they got to their third or fourth song. They played a good mix from both of their albums, playing all their popular singles. In fact, the theme of the show seems to be the song "When You Were Young," because they played the whole song once near the beginning, then later on they played an acoustic piano version of part of the song, and they ended the whole show with a repeat of the last part of the song. They did have two encores too, the first was after they sang "Mr. Brightside," and the second came after "All These Things That I've Done." In fact, before their final short second encore, I already left my seat and was about to leave, when I noticed that the house lights haven't even come on yet (which means the show isn't really over). Their set ended roughly at 11:35PM, so they had a good length for their show. I'm glad to have finally seen "The Killers" live in concert, and I'm sure I will want to see them again in the future.

Hard to Concentrate Random

Alanis Morissette "My Humps" video parody (video)

An open letter to the cop who arrested me (video)

best campaign commercial evah (video)

1-800-GOOG-411 (link)

I hate BLUETOOTH users that talk to themselves (video)

Semi Crushes Car As It Pulls Over (video)

eastern motors (video)

How To Catch A Murder Suspect (video)

"Thanksgiving" trailer from Grindhouse NSFW! (video)

5 minutes to kill yourself (game)

movies I've seen recently...

Grindhouse  (2007)  A-

A celebration of B-movies, "Grindhouse" is a double feature that includes "Planet Terror" by Robert Rodriguez, "Death Proof" by Quentin Tarantino, and some fake trailers. The funny thing is that the fake trailers are actually the best part of the whole project. In terms of the two movies themselves, I found Planet Terror the better of the two, although Death Proof is great as well. I love the balls out fun that Rodriguez put into his movie, filled with tons of gore, violence, and some over the top plot. While Planet Terror retains that cheesy look to it, it also seemed to
look a little too expensive for a B-movie type grindhouse film. I
have to admit that while I am a big fan of QT's dialouge, Death Proof
did have some "oh c'mon, and get on with it!" moments for me (actual text
messaging on the big screen for one). A little more editing would have
been nice, but moments like a continuous seven minutes dialouge
scene shot at the diner were indeed excellent. Kurt Russell also needs some
recognition for Stuntman Mike, although I was surprised at how little
we actually did see of him in the movie. If you are a movie buff, go see Grindhouse, but I feel the casual movie goers just won't "get it."

The Lookout  (2007)  B-

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been really good as an up and coming indie actor, and his work here in "The Lookout" by Scott Frank confidently puts him in the spotlight. The movie is a good character study on a guy; Chris Pratt, who is trying to redeem his life from a stupid mistake he did in the past that also gave him a mental disability. This movie is also a heist movie, which our main character gets dragged into. Matthew Goode plays an excellent role as the man who convinces Chris to help him with the heist. There are some significant problems with the movie though, with some plot holes showing up. I also had an issue with the fact that while the movie suggests that he can't have a normal life with his disability, they really didn't do a good job really explaining what the disability is, nor did it really impact him in ways where he can't have a normal life. Still, I did enjoy the movie, and the plot, and I look forward to the future work by the talent involved in it.

Blades Of Glory (2007)  B-

Yes, this is yet another Will Ferrell movie that involves some kind of sport. This time around, he shares the spotlight with Jon Heder, as figure skaters who hate each other at first, but will have to work together as the first all male pair team. "Blades of Glory" does follow a traditional predictable plot that usually comes from a movie like this. It's the comedy however that's the reason you would watch the movie, but at the same time, it's not as hilariously funny as I hoped it would be. Yes, there's lots of gay jokes, slapstick humor, and many "Will Ferrell" moments, but that's to be expected for a plot such as this. I did enjoy the many real life figure skaters making cameo appearance in this one, and the skating sequences were one of the best things about the movie. Overall though, it is an enjoyable movie, but not one that you necessarily have to see on the big screen.

60-70 pounds. That was the aproximate weight of the bee hive that was by the attic of my house. At least we finally got rid of it. Also, no sign of any mice for several days now too, so that's a nice plus.

Tell Me Random Baby

MPAA list of the 25 most pirating colleges (link)

Dick Cheney spies on Pres. Bush (video)

Japanese Bruce Willis (video)

Charles Has A Licking Problem (video)

robot plays Wii bowling (video)

the urban dictionary (link)

Ultimate Warrior versus Phil Collins (video)

awesome trick bowling shot (video)

complaint about rogue helicopter pilot (video)

leap frog competition (video)

-- Meg & Dia - the Killers' When You Were Young -- (my youtube)
-- Meg & Dia - Rebecca -- (my youtube)

Just watched this week's new episode of South Park's "Fantastic Easter Special," and I've got to say that this show just does not get enough credit and recognition for being one of the best shows on TV. Where else can you find a satire that puts together easter eggs, bunnies, the Da Vinci Code, Ninjas, social commentary on the Catholic church, and even a slight reference to the fantasy movie Krull? Trey Parker and Matt Stone has consistently put out a great program since South Park first begun, without much of a lull in quality, unlike a certain other animated show called "the Simpsons." If you haven't been watching South Park lately, you're missing out.

After putting up the sticky mouse traps almost five days ago, we've already caught about 15 mice!!! Big and small. That's a lot of mice that was caught, and there's two theories on why they are up and about. One theory is that they were living up in the attic, but since a bee hive has taken residence right next to it, the mice migrated down. The other theory is simply that it's because we live right next to a huge grassy hill area. Either way, I hope we get rid of all the persistent ones, or at least have all these captures be a lesson to those who dare trespass our home. For all I know, the mice was the reason I got sick....

On that note, my voice hasn't completed come back yet. After the cough-lapalooza extravaganza especial I had with last week's flu, my throat hasn't completely healed yet. Still sore, still coughing a bit, and my voice is still weak and hoarse right now. I'm beginning to wonder if it'll ever get better.

Desecration Random Smile

Is alcohol more dangerous than ecstasy? (link)

Kermit the Frog sings "Hurt" (video)

MC Karl Roves (video)

Jeff Corwin attacked by elephant (video)

Chocolate Jesus show canceled (link)

"Bourne Ultimatum" trailer (video)

Reason Behind 2008 Ford Truck Recall (video)

the power of the Japanese bicycle bell (video)

Bowling Ball + car = accident (video)

how computers changed music (link)

movies I've recently seen
(quick review edition)

TMNT  (2007)  C+

Simple uninspired story about brothers trying to reconnect again as a family unit, against an "end of the world" scenario. Great character interactions between the turtles and friends. Some good action sequences and genuinely funny moments. CGI animated work was a mixed bag between beautiful to mediocre. For the most part, average kids to teen flick. The followup should be better.

I think I love my wife  (2007)  C+

Story may not be spectacular but subject matter can be insightful, about a man whose marriage is already on rocky roads, then finds himself in a very dangerous situation getting close to a very sexually tempting old crush. Some really hilarious memorable moments. Not a pure comedy like you would think. Chris Rock's signature racial jokes still alive and well. Actions and decisions of the main character might annoy you to unbelievable heights.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend  (2006)  C+

Cute and silly story about a man who ends up dating a superheroine who is totally wrong for him. Some cheesy moments, but also humorous at some parts. Characters are likeable enough to a point. Overall an entertainting "fluff" movie that could have been done much better.