- When I was away for Comic-Con, in turned out that my white dog was digging through one of my trash cans back at home, and got the trash can lid stuck around his head. Pretty funny right? I said that I probably would have taken a few pictures of that if it ever happens again. Well, it's happened again. I wake up to find the same trash can lid around his head/neck, with him acting like he doesn't care (maybe he thinks it's the "cone of shame"). Quickly picked up my blackberry and took a few photos of him. It's still pretty funny, and you can see a few more of the pix that I took of him in this link below.
http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/patrick005/misc/dog_trashcan_lid/
* August 21st update * He just did it AGAIN! lol

- Usually when you see a rock band in concert, it isn't uncommon for somebody to scream out "wwooo!!" when the band is playing. Usually you hear that when there's a lull in the music, or in between songs. It's a simple scream that represents "wweee, we're having a good time, and we love the band!" right? Sure. It's nothing wrong with that I suppose. I'm sure the band enjoys hearing those screams, as opposed to seeing the audience just sitting/standing there doing nothing. However, how far can that scream go before it gets to the point of annoyance? It being annoying more so to the people around the screamer, who frankly wants to just listen to the song without any distractions? This topic was brought up from the recent Depeche Mode concert at the Hollywood Bowl, which I attended. If you watch the videos I uploaded from it, you can't help but notice the screaming. Watch this clip below, or click the link and watch the other vidoes. See if you find the screams to be completely justified and okay, or do you actually find it going beyond what's usually accepted.
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D964DD92E96FFFFC

- Should I do a video blog? I know I mentioned that I wouldn't mind doing a podcast, but that really requires more than myself being on it. With a video blog though, it's very open to do one without anybody else but myself talking. Just like the many video blogs out there, it'll be me speaking my mind about recent topics, like ones I've written about on this blog. That's the thing though, there are tons of video blogs out there on youtube, and I'll be just another insignificant addition to that list. To stand out a bit, I may have to do something similar to Christine Gambito's "Happy Slip" or Natalie Tran's "Community Channel," which also contains little skits and what not. It'll require a lot more work if I do my video blog like theirs, and I don't know if I'll be able to churn out a video a week, or even every other week (every three weeks?). If I got the material, it can be a reality right? Dunno... hhmmm... If I do it, should I create a new youtube channel, or just stick with what I already have? http://www.youtube.com/optimum5x5
Community Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel
Happy Slip - http://www.youtube.com/user/HappySlip

The Keys To Your Life The Key to Your Life is Introspection

Anything good that comes in your life will come from your own self reflection. Don't rely on other people for advice. They will harm you more then help you.         Anything bad in your life comes from fooling yourself or clinging to illusions. Be strong enough to see the world clearly. Learn from your mistakes.

What I've been listening to lately...

1) Beatdown After The Bell - strikeforce
2) Filmspotting - #269
3) Demi Lovato - here we go again
4) In This Moment - the dream
5) Dragonforce - ultra beatdown
6) Fade To BlueGrass - the bluegrass tribute to metallica

This past night, I got to see Depeche Mode at the famous Hollywood Bowl. I went with a group of friends, and since we specifically planned to only see Depeche Mode, we didn't leave home until after 7PM. So sorry to the opening band "Peter Bjorn and John," if we didn't see your act, but I'm sure you were good. Since this is in Los Angeles (Hollywood to be specific), the traffic was pretty bad. We got near the place more or less on time, but a half a mile away from the Hollywood Bowl, we really got stuck in traffic. So much so, that we spent about a half an hour in that half mile of road. My friend was dropping the seven of us off though, so we did not have to wait for parking at all, which is a blessing. We did the usual "pre-concert restroom break" then went in to find our seats, no later than about ten minutes before Depeche Mode started their set.

As expected, I brought my digital camera to this concert. Now officially, cameras are not allowed in the Hollywood Bowl, but doing some research in forums about other people's experiences, I was informed that as long as it isn't a digital SLR, I should be fine. Just don't make it obvious that I had a camera, and since they don't do body pat downs, I can most likely walk right by the gate security with no issue. A friend of mine wanted to be extra careful, so she had my camera on her, and put her jacket on so that it wouldn't show. It worked... I guess. There really wasn't much in terms of a body check, as we literally just walked right in to get our tickets scanned. I think I could have worn my camera around my neck at the front and I wouldn't have a problem. Anyways...

When we got to our seats, we had to kick out these two guys who were sitting on a couple of them. This isn't uncommon to happen in concerts, and usually the person would just apologize and move somewhere else. To our surprise, they were a lot more stubborn about moving, and we had to pull the "let us see your tickets" card. Turns out they were flirting with the two girls in front of our row, which is the reason why they did not want to leave.

The Hollywood Bowl is a pretty large venue, but with a relatively small stage. Our seats were well pass the half way point of the venue, so we were in what I would consider the "nose bleed" section. It wasn't that bad though, as the stage and the band were pretty visible. Ironically enough, I think that I had a closer view of the band via the 12x optical zoom of my digital camera. Once in awhile however, the video screens would show a close up of the band playing, so that was a good alternative to see the band. They had a nice big screen at the back of the stage, which showed various videos and clips that worked really well with the visual aesthetics of Depeche Mode's performance.

In terms of audio, the band sounded great playing hits we all know, as well as songs from their recent albums as well. Dave Gahan sang splendidly, and Martin Gore always did lead vocals for a couple of songs. The occasional times the audience were asked to sing the lyrics were also great, as this was a huge group to do a sing along with (sold out show with 17,000+ seating capacity). There was a problem with feedback for one of their songs however, but most of us did not care.

Now I think it'll be humorous of me to mention that several of the ladies I was with in my seating area were not shy to scream out their excitement of being there. In fact, all you got to do is watch any one of the videos I recorded from the show to see what I mean. They were definitely an energetic bunch, but it was enough that some of the other people around us were actually annoyed to the point of calling security on them. hhmm, first thing to say to that is... really? Sure they could have toned it down a bit, but it's a rock concert, people yell and scream. Does somebody really need to be singled out for being "too loud?" Well security did in fact come by and had a talk with them, but as it was expected, nothing came out of it. I did realize that I was visibly using my camera at that moment, recording a song on video, and security was a few feet away from me. Luckily, they either did not care about the "no camera policy," or they actually did not see me.

Depeche Mode played roughly two hours long, and I believe was 21 songs. They had two sets of encores that they did, and at the end when the band did their bow to the audience and walked off stage, it looked like it was done. The lights of the venue did not go on though, so I thought "one more encore?" No, not really. A minute later the lights came on, so we took that as our cue to finally leave. With roughly 17,000+ people leaving at once, and there being only one exit to the venue, we came upon "people traffic" as the huge crowd created a bottle neck, stalling us from exiting quick. My friend was waiting outside to pick us up too, and was waiting about a half hour while he was illegally parked (sorry dude). The whole show was great over all, and it's always great to see a well seasoned band like Depeche Mode perform live to a huge enthusiastic audience such as this one was.

* click here for photos taken from the show *

* click here for videos I took from the show *

Nothing Random To Lose

Inglourious Plummers Trailer (video)

Advocacy Group Decries PETA's inhumane treatment of women (video)

Condescending Army Commercial (video)

Dogs Viciously Attacks with Love and Slobber (video)

Guy Finds Secret to Automatic Doors (video)

5 stages of everyday grief (pic)

what a crash (video)

kid's reaction to new Vanessa Hudgens nude photos (video)

Greatest freak out ever (video)

The Lego Batman & Superman Movie (video)

Converting an indian to christianity - don't let the devil win (video)

The 5 Creepiest Sex Scenes in Comics (link)

Movies I've seen recently...

District 9 (2009) A-

Part documentary, part sci-fi action blockbuster, with a visual style that keeps things feeling as real as possible, "District 9" takes you on a ride that you probably won't forget anytime soon. Using the aliens in this film as an apartheid metaphor, xenophobia, segregation, oppression, poverty, etc, then combine that with action sequences where weapon fire is exchanged, characters are chased, and things do definitely blow up (or go splat, if you know what I mean), is a very ambitious task put on by director/writer Neill Blomkamp. Thankfully he succeeds in this fascinating vision of what could or might happen if aliens from outer space arrive on our planet Earth, including the possible political and social ramifications of such an occurrence. One thing that I thought felt fresh about this movie is that the lead protagonist Wikus Van De Merwe; as played by Sharlto Copley, is very much a flawed individual. It's a great feat for the movie then, to transform this unsympathetic bureaucratic character who is only nice to the aliens if they play by his rules, and then turn him into the reluctant hero of the story that we can rally behind. I of course have to mention the excellent CGI in this film, that blends in so well, that it's easy to believe you really are watching real live aliens on screen. There are a few plot holes that the movie does gloss over though, but I have to say that the positives far out weighs the negatives. "District 9" is an incredible tale of fiction that is just fascinating to watch, and will also probably get people to talk about what they just saw. Kudos to everybody involved in this movie.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009) B-

If you are looking for some over the top, outrageous, broad comedy like "Anchorman" or "Talladega Nights," then "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" is the movie for you. This movie has the kind of humor that contains bad, crude jokes, and pushes things just a tad bit farther to the point that you will be laughing more than you probably should. One of it's strength are the characters in this film (and the great actors who played them), ranging from a high strung car salesman, a grown man in a boy band, a man name DJ Request who refuses to take requests, to of course Jeremy Piven in the role of Don "The Goods" Ready, who is a hired mercenary that specializes in selling cars, which in itself is a concept that's clearly out there. The plot is not necessarily going to make sense, and things do happen just for the sake of happening, with the predictable ending that you will expect. Every scene in this movie however does contain a joke of some sort, although the hit to miss ratio does vary. There are some slow moments that bogs down the comedy a tad bit, but the fun does continue. So the film is definitely not perfect, nor is it for everybody, but I did enjoy "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" and laughed a lot. "Sell The Metal!"

Cold Souls (2009) C+

The subject matter of the film "Cold Souls" in where you can extract your soul, preserve it, live your life without a soul, or even try somebody else's soul, is definitely an interesting concept. However the first problem the movie faces is that it's very questionable as to how a person would act like without a soul. That's the obstacle I had to face in order to even suspend my disbelief. "Cold Souls" does verbally and visually shows us how it might be like to be without a soul, and while the whole thing is a little absurd, I ended up being on board with the whole concept. The movie primarily follows two characters, Nina and Paul. Nina; as played by Dina Korzun, deals with the trafficking of souls from Russia to America, which that topic in itself can act like an allegory to other subjects. Paul Giamatti plays an actor named... Paul Giamatti, who is struggling trying to get his role in a Chekov play just right, and somebody suggests he try it without a soul. Directed and written by Sophie Barthes, "Cold Souls" has a dark humor to it, with a very dream-like atmosphere to the visuals. Although I was entertained with the movie's creativity and Paul Giamatti was great to watch as usual, I was ultimately a little frustrated with the slow pacing of the film, and some plot points that the movie conveniently ignores. "Cold Souls" definitely screams "art/indie film" more than anything, so I would only really recommend this to the curious, and to fans of Paul Giamatti.

G.I. Joe : The Rise Of Cobra (2009) B-

Sometimes you want to see an action adventure movie that does not try to be anything more ambitious than a typical fun action adventure movie. "G.I. Joe : The Rise Of Cobra" as directed by Stephen Sommers is that movie. The whole film pretty much consisted of many action sequences, with very few exposition scenes needed to transition to the next action sequence. One particular lengthy sequence on the streets of Paris, France, that I thought was a blast to watch, involved a grand chase, plus things that were blowing up. A lot of the CGI work in this movie however, needed more work, as several effects just did not look that good. The plot is admittedly not the movie's strong suit, it's filled with plot holes aplenty, and the characters are simply as memorable as the toys they are based off from. Speaking of which, to the fans of G.I. Joe, this movie is yet another re-imagining of the franchise, so don't be surprised to see different takes on the characters. There were several easter eggs in the film that paid tribute to it's original source materials though, so that's something the fans can enjoy. "G.I. Joe : The Rise of Cobra" is most likely not going to be winning any prestigious awards in the near future, but the important thing here is that the movie was very very entertaining. "Yo! Joe!"

What do you expect in a celebrity, when you meet them in person? Especially when it's one of your favorites? Do you expect them to just gush over the fact that they are meeting you, a fan? TV/Movie celebrities, rock/pop bands, or famous people in general, supposedly have this mythical responsibility to always be approachable by their fans. When a fan gets brushed off by a celebrity, watch out, because they'll probably blog about it on the internet, and how they were disappointed by how the celebrity acted in their encounter. It's so easy for fans to get "hurt" by a celebrity that can't give them the time of day, that it's really just a ridiculous reaction don't you think?

Are celebrities not a fellow human? Be fair to them, and don't expect them to just be automatically in your service. It's true that they wouldn't even be successful or famous if it wasn't for the support of their fans, but think about it in another sense. Do you automatically act like a complete friend to a complete stranger? That's what fans really are to celebrities. Strangers. Let's not forget that fact. People take for granted that because they know a lot about the celebrity does not work the other way around. It's no different than trying to make a new friend at school/work, or trying to pick up on somebody you are interested in. Sure it's great when a celebrity takes the extra step to really cater to the fans, but that's more the exception than the norm.

The relationship between a fan and a celebrity should go both ways. If you act like just another fan who walks up and doesn't really do much to get a celebrities attention, then you will probably get the standard smiles, autographs, or photo combo. To expect more than that is just a foolish concept. They've probably heard so many similar compliments or comments about them, that they are probably numb hearing them over and over again. Sure it's not necessarily an open excuse for them to act say *detached* with a fan, but it definitely would not be a surprising reaction to me. In many cases, they just try and stay professional, and just smile and try not to be rude.

In short (too late), fans bitching about celebrities, should just quit it.

Random Confusion

shopping trip with Weird Al (video)

Guy Catches Laptop With His Butt (video)

Wow, super WTF!!! NSFW (video)

Little Kid Shows How to Parallel Park (video)

All-Bond Poker Table (video)

Dog in a Swing (video)

Paper Disco Animation (video)

Handjob Exercise Machine - NSFW (video)

suicidal dog (pic)

republic of Kenya birth certificate generator (link)

Jon Stewart Vs. Town Hall Crazies (video)

Just effing F me, already - NSFW? (link)

- The next big turning point in the fight to get people to fully embrace Blu-ray over DVD is going to happen soon. Paramount studios is going to start releasing "select" movie titles on Blu-ray first, weeks ahead of it's DVD release. Of all the movies they are going to start this with, it's "Dance Flick" which comes out on September 8, but I digress. This is in fact the kind of step needed to push people to embrace the new format (short of just dropping DVD altogether), because quite honestly, A LOT of people still don't give a damn about upgrading. This action could be in reaction to how slow the adoption process has been. In fact, the results of a recent Harris Interactive survey revealed that 93 percent of Americans surveyed said they are not likely to buy a Blu-ray player within the next year. I know I've been vocal about taking that stance myself, and if it means just being more patient for the DVD release of a movie, so be it. I've still got several more years left in support of DVD, which only really started to hit it big a mere 7-8 years ago, and let's not get into downloading/streaming media... So while Blu-ray may indeed look great, it still does not look like a necessity just yet.
* Paramount to Roll Out New Titles on Blu-ray Before DVD (link)
* Poll : Blu-ray adoption is slow; big challenges ahead (link)

- Speaking of competition, Guitar Hero is throwing the price value gauntlet at Rock Band, by offering a FREE copy of the upcoming Guitar Hero: Van Halen with the purchase of Guitar Hero 5. So two games for the price of one, it's definitely a no brainer right? The funny thing is that I'm actually contemplating why I even need a copy of GH5 in the first place. I could hear some of you saying it now, "but, but, but, it's FREE!" True, but considering the huge amount of songs that I've accumulated through Rock Band (400+ songs), do I really have a reason to have GH5 in my collection? I DO want to get GH: Van Halen though, but the fact that this is even a debate of action for me to take up their offer, is what Activision is worried about. Maybe I can just trade in GH5 for another game, and keep GH:VH.... yeah, that makes the most sense...
* http://hub.guitarhero.com/vanhalengameoffer/

- I just noticed it, but this upcoming weekend has some good movie releases. District 9, Ponyo, The Goods: Live Hard Sell Hard, Paper Heart, Spread, and It Might Get Loud, all in one weekend. I usually hope for at least a minimum of one movie that I want to see, but this weekend alone I have SIX choices of movies that I want to see. Incredible. Sure half of those are in limited release, but they are still options, that just requires a little more driving. This isn't even counting the few other movies currently out that I still need to see. You know, I personally think that this summer, and this year overall has been pretty good in terms of movie releases so far. It's good to be a fan of the movies.

What Generation Do You Belong In? You Belong in Generation X

You fit in best with people born between 1961 and 1981. You are fun, laid back, and very independent. You are willing to take risks and live your life however you see fit. You are casual, accepting, and friendly. You see everyone as your equal.

What I've been listening to lately...

1) SMODCAST - 90 + 91
2) The Popcorn Mafia - up close and uncomfortable
3) Good Grief - 07/28/2009
4) Daughtry - leave this town
5) AC/DC - black ice
6) A Punk Tribute To Metallica

Short update today and it's pretty much for the guys. I Just wanted to say that G4TV's "Attack Of The Show" has really been sexing it up, to compensate for the fact Olivia Munn is currently "on vacation" from the show filming her stint for the tv show "Greek." Currently right now they have Playboy's playmate for July 2006 Sara Underwood as guest co-host, so that's something that'll get the guys to continue watching. However I've got to say that last week's female co-host Carissa Walford was something else. Fun girl plus not against wearing a bikini several times for the show, and you know we guys like that. haha. When I first started watching this show since it's "the Screen Saver" days, I never thought AOTS would be such a great hit among the niche audience that are fans of movies, video games, comic-books, the internet, and all general geek stuff. I've even heard Attack of the Show referenced in other media as well. Keep chugging along guys.

Those Carissa Walford videos from AOTS...
http://g4tv.com/videos/40450/Carissa-Walfords-Bikini-On-Attack-of-the-Show/
http://g4tv.com/videos/40483/Carissa-Walfords-Aussie-Beach-Tip/
http://g4tv.com/videos/40499/More-Bikini-Beach-Tips-from-Carissa-Walford/
http://g4tv.com/videos/40554/Another-Beach-Tip-From-Carissa-Walford-/
http://g4tv.com/videos/40575/Kevin-Pereiras-Bikini/