Leaving and Drinking

I sent this around work this morning. You might as well see it too.


Hey, everybody!

After much deliberation I am proud to say I am not leaving McGarry/Bowen.

But I am leaving New York.

Starting next month, I'll be working remotely from the Chicago office. So
I'll still be working with you all on Verizon, Crayola, Sharp, etc. But I
won't be eating the free food at portfolio reviews, answering phone calls on
the windy deck or walking the half mile from 8th Avenue every morning. And I
won't be going out for drinks after work with you guys.

So we should go out Thursday.


Thursday, April 22, 2010
6:30pm until a moment of clarity early Friday

Location:
Rosie O'Grady's, 800 7th Ave (at 52nd)

Taking Off

I'm going to hit some cheap air fare, the new house and the Chicago Comicon this weekend. So retroactively, I've spent my last weekend in NY. It was a good one.

Back in town Tuesday.

"Spectacular Spider-Man" is Dead

I said in an earlier post that it wouldn't be long until we saw another "Spider-Man" animated series. At the time, I lobbied that it should be a third season of the great "Spectacular Spider-Man".

Well they did. And it isn't. Marvel is launching a new show next year based on "Ultimate Spider-Man" a book that has never captured me the way "Amazing Spider-Man" has. Will the show grab me the way "Spectacular" did. I don't know. But I know me. I will watch it.

Mattel SDCC exclusives

Thank Matty these will be available online because I'm going to need that Plastic Man and Starro.

See?

Game Reviews - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

Plus, I just found out I'm going to C2E2 this weekend. Wish me luck getting the white Sinestro and Black Hal Jordan I was complaining about two weeks ago.

Conan Going to TBS

I think we can safely assume no one expected this.

"In three months I've gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I'm headed to basic cable," O'Brien said in a news release. "My plan is working perfectly."

iPhone OS 4.0

Here's what the iphone will do next. Most of it is stuff non iphone owners assumed it already did.

Mickey Hornung Memorial

My cousin Mickey passed away last Thanksgiving weekend. We're still a little sad but this benefit for the family will help. I'll be playing a few songs and seeing a few friends. Come if you can.


Saturday, April 10, 2010

Time:
7:00pm - 11:55pm

Location:
Our Lady of Grace Hall


Our Lady of Grace Hall on April 10th 2010 will celebrate the life of Musician/Writer/Father/Husband Henry "Mickey" Hornung. We celebrate in the way Mickey would have with live bands and music and most of all Friends and The Neighborhoods of South Queens.

We ask that you come out and enjoy the music of The Kitchen, Dean Purple, Walker and The Brotherhood of the Grape with special guests Ron Zabrocki, F.L. Lombardo, B.M.W.A....and many more

$40 at door includes dinner buffet and door prize raffle. Many other great prizes to be won! One night only.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT WILL BE DONATED TO MICKEY'S FAMILY.


If you can't make it to the event, you can mail a donation to:

Camille Hornung
c/o Donna Hornung
159-28 101st Street
Howard Beach, New York 11414


Anyone interested in buying or selling raffle tickets in advance should contact Liz McGuire at lizzymacrn@aol.com - (718) 738-5668.

Please add photo's of Mickey and pics from South Queens below

After Party @ The Rail with Jimmy Dowd

iPad Comic Book Readers

Now that the iPad is out, I only have one question: how do I get my digital comics on it?

This article is a big help and a big step towards me getting one.

Rock Turtleneck

Instead of reading what I have to say today, why not check out Rock Turtleneck? Good friend Steve Walsh is hosting "Wilco Week" and his latest entry has a post by good friend Mike Brumm about meeting Jeff Tweedy on the set of the Colbert Report. Jeff Tweedy is not a good friend but Yankee Hotel Foxtrot seems like an old relative.

And it's here.

iPad Arcade

Sure it's cute but I wonder how Apple feels that after all this work to make a tablet thin and light, a third party immediately makes it thick and clunky.

Mike Lanigan

My father-in-law just posted this on Facebook:

Dear family and friends,

Following is a letter that my wife wrote today:

I have filed a missing persons report for my son, Michael. Mike has been known to "take off" in the past, for parts unknown, but has always checked in by telephone or simply returned home within a few days. This time is different. He has not been seen or heard from since March 27. He may be in Los Angeles or Orlando - we have no idea. We only know that he has been living on the street, in his wheelchair, for the past three weeks.

In addition to his Cerebral Palsy, Mike now appears to be Schizophrenic. This has led him to believe that he is in “the industry,” (meaning the entertainment industry). Mike watches WWE and TNA wrestling shows religiously, and will try to attend events in the larger cities that are easily accessible by train.

I have included photos of Mike, and a time line for his known activity - and what we have done to track him down - from the day he left until now. I am hoping that everyone who receives this will share it with their friends and relatives across the country. Maybe someone will see him on the street, or perhaps you have a friend who works in a hospital in a large city, etc.

It is possible that he is in a hospital, but he will not give permission for staff to call us. We have not heard from the police in over a week, and are not confident that they are putting much effort into finding Mike.

I would be very happy to learn that he has found a place to live, and is being taken care of physically. If you or someone you know has any resources that could help in any way, please share this with them. Thank you.

---------------------------------------

Mike’s Time Line - March, 2010

13th Went out “for the night”

14 Called home to say he would not be back that day, had things to do

17 On Twitter - was in a coffee shop in Los Angeles - Starbucks at Hollywood and McCadden - writing to people he sees on television, asking for help

18 On Twitter - in coffee shop, Coffee Bean, at Gayley and Weyburn, in LA. Said he had been cleaned up at a hospital. Last tweet from there said “need saving.”

23 I filed missing persons report in Chicago. Police were not inclined to do much about it, since Mike left under his own power. Called cousin, Sgt. Mike Smith. Shortly thereafter, received a call from Det. Paul Carboni, who was assigned to the case.

24 Another coffee shop (LA?), tweeting to Olivia Munn (from “Attack of the Show” cable TV show). Was apparently asked to leave (probably due to the stench emanating from him).

25 Mike called home - said he was not coming back. Later, tweeted from the Huntington Beach library - “tweeps and twolks send help please!”

27 Tweeted from the Huntington Beach Main Street library - “hospitals wouldn’t do the bathroom change....low on cash....please also send help with clean up, very dire situation....if i can manage to get out of california since nothing matched up the next stop is obviously florida.” Florida?? Perhaps to attend a wrestling event?? TNA Impact in Orlando??

His last tweet said, “but im really stuck badly right now. wish i knew where some folks are, very sad, chair not holding up well.”

28 Rick & Mary to Huntington Beach - stayed for 3 days. Contacted police dept. immediately upon arrival, they were not inclined to help since he left on his own and was mobile, but they took the report. Walked around HB and talked to bouncers at bars, left phone numbers with them.

29 Found a wheelchair repair shop owner who had seen Mike go by several days earlier and was able to describe him. Shop owner was formerly with Sheriff’s Dept. and made up a flyer on the spot, and faxed it to all wheelchair repair shops in the area. Visited HB Hospital; they had not seen him.

30 Visited HB police dept. again to see what was happening with Mike’s case. Was told by “volunteer” at the desk that it would take at least 4 or 5 days for the case to find its way to a detective’s desk!! Called my cousin in Chicago (Sgt. Mike Smith) to tell him about it, and that we had not heard anything from the HB police. A while later, received a call from a Det. Ellis, with HB police, who had been assigned to the case. He, too, was not inclined to take it too seriously, since Mike left of his own accord.

30 Found librarian at Huntington Beach Main Street branch who had helped Mike on the 27th. Reported same to HB police. Left flyer at library. Left flyers with Coast Guard and a ministry that serves the homeless (located behind the library). Talked to homeless people on the street and at the beach. Visited shopkeepers in “downtown” HB, left flyers and phone numbers. Called hospitals in the area.

31 Returned to LA, went to studio where Attack of the Show is produced, talked to security, left photo and phone number. Visited coffee shops that Mike had previously mentioned - no one recognized his photo. Left photo and phone numbers at Union Station with various security people. We returned home next morning.

As of today, April 4, Mike has not been seen by anyone nor heard from via Twitter since March 27th. It is entirely possible that he is fine - but it is more likely that he is not fine, smells and looks like an outhouse on wheels, and needs psychiatric care. Worse possibilities are simply unthinkable right now.

Green Lantern Wondercon Exclusives

I love Green lantern. Always have but Geoff Johns' new series is the most consistently great series of the last decade.

So I've been buying the figures. 3 3/4" Infinite heroes. 6" DC Universe Classics. 8" Mego style retro figures. 13" deluxe figures. And even though I quit DC Direct, I've been grabbing some of the Blackest Night line.

So last year DC Direct announced five green Lantern exclusives:



And it was a disaster. Mob rule. panicked crowd. Raffles. Long lines in 90-degree heat. I wasn't there but my friend Anthony went and scored us all five. Apparantly that's all he did the five days of the convention. Everyone involved said it was the worst sale of an exclusive they'd ever seen.


Now there's this:



Are you fucking kidding me?

Look at the rules. Wristbands. Lotteries. Winning tickets. DC Direct is already admitting they haven't printed enough of these figures to meet demand. They clearly seem more interested in the mayhem the demand will cause than the money sales would generate. And releasing them at a third rate convention instead of San Diego seems poorly planned at best, contemptuous at worst. I'll be haunting ebay for these and God knows what my spending limit will be.

Dammit.

If I Needed Someone

Been meaning to post this for a while. VH1 showed this on "Duets" back in the 90's and it's been stuck in my head ever since.



If I Needed Someone

Two underrated songwriters playing an underrated song from the most underrated Beatle. That Rickenbacker 12 string can not be overrated.

Futuristic Movie Timeline

I've been wanting to do something like this since I was 12. I was trying to figure out if every sci-fi movie could have existed in the same timeline. I was a lonely little boy.



No "Star Wars" here. I guess you can't quantify "A Long Time Ago".

Les Paul and Mary Ford

Here's an episode from Les Paul and Mary Ford's five minute show in the fifties.



Proof that in the fifties, networks had no idea what they were doing. Really? A five minute show? The plot of which is Les is trying to remember something that he never remembers? While Mary pots a plant? That's a story?

But as a music video, it's great. Between Les's transcendant playing (I see sweep picking!) and the forward thinking of multitracking, it's still incredible music.

I Got Twitter!

There's a twitter widget on the right over there. Check it out and add me.

Or go here.

Thanks to Mo Diggs for doing it first.

George Takei

Here's a commercial we just did:



I worked on the digital and almost got the chance to fly to L.A. and direct him in some cool video banners. But I was the first one to add "Oh my" into his scripts. So I'm taking credit for the tag.

The Score

Okay, so my tweets have confused you. So here, in detail, what is going on.

Renee and Ben have moved to Chicago. We bought a house in La Grange and unpacked all weekend. Renee starts her new job and Ben starts his new day care today. The cats are also there, sleeping on a new king size bed.

I am not there. I am in NY at my job. I met with the Chicago office Friday and a transfer may or may not happen. Seems I do a job they don't have there, but would like to. I'm giving them some time to work it out before I come up with another plan.

Good news; I no longer have to go home to take care of my son. Bad news; I have no car to get anywhere the subway won't take me. Worse news; my landlord is ripping the house apart in an attempt to make it sell-able once I leave. So I left my new house, old stuff and current family to live in a construction site. But I still got some toys.

I'm Gone

Off to Chicago to do some small things that will make some big changes.

Short posts are meaningless in a post Twitter world.

Why the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Sucks

In the late 80's, when the induction ceremonies started, I dreamed of going to this mystical museum. When Renee and I went in 2003 it was pretty awesome. And when I went back last year, it sucked. Zero repeat value. And they let morons in. Devalued the whole building.

This year's lineup is the lamest yet especially in the light of Eddie Trunk's rants and CNN's list of people who haven't made it in yet. What kind of criteria gets you in? In my book, there will never be enough room for ABBA. Even the hot brunette whose dad was a Nazi.

Also, before the NY Annex closed, we went and Ben had a meltdown so for $60, we saw nothing. I blame the Hall of Fame for that too.

When Toy Collecting Should End

I've been collecting action figures for over thirty years and even I think this guy should grow up.



There's something about a 36 year old crying, "How can I have a He-Man with no Battle Cat!?!" that puts it all into perspective.

Amber Lamps

By now you've seen this:



It has 4 million views so it's been recorded that you have.

But you haven't seen this yet:

Amber Lamps

It's a whole community devoted to the girl sitting and watching the fight. It's genius because it reveals an unspoken truth; that during the video you will once think, "Hey, that girl's hot".

Gilbert Sells You a Shoedini

Larry Miller Podcast

Larry filled in for Adam Carolla yesterday on his podcast in what I think is the first time he ever hosted a radio show. It's honest, charming, delightful and a reminder why Miller is one of my favorite comedians ever.

Listen here.

Iron Man 2 Trailer

There's a new one out.

And it's a lot more serious than the first. We get more drama, more action, more War machine and even a quick peek at the Mark V. In other words, it makes me feel a lot better.

Here it is. How do you feel?

Dead Pool

I always wanted to join one. And now I have. Robby Rigano invited me (and she also gave me a bag of black jelly beans so you can see the awesome sense of humor) and put it all online.

Check the schadenfreude, won't you?

Tales of the Gold Monkey

The "Raiders of the Lost Ark" one season ripoff finally shows up on June 8.

Will it be another timeless classic of the era like "Taxi"? Or unwatchable like the original "Battlestar Galactica"? If I don't buy this I will rent it on Netflix. Cause all I remember was Stephen Collins getting malaria every week.

Mr. Freeze Puns

This minute video makes "Batman and Robin" look like fun. It isn't.

Roger Ebert gets His Voice Back

If you've been following the news about Roger Ebert over the past three years, you know that cancer took Roger Ebert's jaw and condemned him silence four years ago. His writing, now the only form of his communication, has become transcendent. Each review is like the work of a great author.

But Roger may not be silent forever. A Scottish company has developed a text-to-speech program that has sampled Roger's own voice (fortunately, thanks to 'At the Movies', there are hundreds of hours of his speech recorded).

Here he is on Oprah. When he switches from the standard Stephen Hawking tone to his own sample, it's truly breathtaking.

Take a look.

Back

Friday to Sunday. Drinking all day and playing guitar all night for a hundred partying people. Guess it was worth that four hour wait on the runway.

Travelling

Going to Puerto Rico in a blizzard. This should be fun.

A Behanding in Portland

Dave Charles (who took me to that free Paul McCartney concert five years ago made good again last night. He works at MOMA and the entire staff was given free tickets to "A Behanding in Portland" with Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell. It's in previews now and begins a 16 week run in March.

And if you want to see Christopher Walken act like Christopher Walken, this is where you should be. He plays a man with one hand. He lost his hand 47 years ago (he tells us repeatedly) and he wants it back. He holds three other characters hostage for 90 minutes with a gun, a can of gasoline and the power of Christopher Walken.

And yes, he really talks like that. Do you really need to know anything else?

Muppets Are Back

Friends Doing Good Things

Kumail is on Marc Maron's podcast.

I'm proud of both of them.

Episode I Review

This is exploding online so here's another place it can blow. Here's a seven part deconstruction of Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace that nails it at every angle. From major mistakes in dramatic storytelling to geeky plot holes, this guy gives the best reason why we walked out of that movie, thinking, "But it has to be good. It's Star Wars!"

As film criticism it's spot on. As comedy it's a little shaky. Some of the jokes land with a thud and he goes dark for no reason at all. And his juxtoposition of insightful criticism from a dumb persona is just confusing. So you may have to ignore some jokes.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


Part 5:


Part 6:


Part 7:


You Facebook readers will have to go straight to my blog. But it's worth it.

Passive Aggressive Notes

Is there anything more pleasing than watching someone get too angry or superior over an insignificant thing?

This website proves once and for all, that there is not.

Toy Fair 2010

Out of everything I've seen from this year's Toy Fair, this makes me the most happy.

PR Damage

Why is Southwest Airlines apologizing? They didn't make Kevin Smith fat. That blame lies with Smith and his fans who pay for all that mayonnaise.

1978 Star Wars Kenner Catalog

I've been out sick and buried under snow the last two days (I did Twitter though. I swear I did. Follow me if you don't believe it.) but I've come up long enough to give you something.

Who wants to see the original Kenner Star Wars catalog? What's that? You say, everybody?

Well then, here you go.

Crying Wife

If you thought Star Wars was the saddest thing you've ever seen, this is for you.

Look.

Show Tonight!

Everything I said Wednesday still stands.


Jimmy Dowd of St. James Clothing Presents
NYC Stormtroopers
@ Blvd NYC
199 Bowery
between Spring and Rivington
showing the art of Pat Conlon
with Live music by
Indaculture
and
Walker and The Brotherhood of the Grape
with special Guest B.M.W.A
celebrating Geoff Unger's Birthday
Special added guest Drexler @ 9 P.M.

Jump Backwards

I dare you to look away.



Jump!

Show Friday!

Jimmy Dowd of St. James Clothing Presents
NYC Stormtroopers
@ Blvd NYC
199 Bowery
between Spring and Rivington
showing the art of Pat Conlon
with Live music by
Indaculture
and
Walker and The Brotherhood of the Grape
with special Guest B.M.W.A
celebrating Geoff Unger's Birthday
Special added guest Drexler @ 9 P.M.

John and Molly Get Along 4

Ah, John and Molly. Why should I do comedy when you're out there doing it for me.



Direct link.

Costarring birthday boy Ted Alexandro.

Late Night Wars Nowhere Near Over

Now that Conan's gone, it's come between Jay and Jimmy. And Jimmy is ahead.

iPad

The more I read about this before the keynote Wednesday, the more excited I got. A touch screen laptop with no keyboard? Sounds like a perfect replacement for that Macbook I never got around to picking up.

Then it launched. No Flash, 64 GB, iPhone OS. In fact, iPhone everything. It's a big old iPhone. The iBook store is aimed right at the Kindle but will the screen be any easier on the eyes than a laptop? As someone who's read hundreds of comic books on a laptop screen with the lights out, I know this is something you should not be doing.

If this had a full OS, 300GB of memory, Flash and weighed four pounds, I'd still be all over it. I need function over form and that's the one way Apple ever fails me. The concept is incredible and the execution is beta. In two or three years, after a few upgrades, the iPad will be essential. The same way the iPhone became interesting once it hit 32GBs.

Apple thinks it's way more revolutionary than it is. The internet pundits think it's useless. No one's going to be happy when this thing launches.

The Prisoner

I love this show and everyone I try to introduce it to hates it.

The Prisoner to this day is a groundbreaking, unique show. It's creepy and weird and delights in keeping you off kilter. A psychedelic X Files or a Kafkaesque James Bond. Either way you look at it, it's tremendously better than the new age remake AMC foisted on us.

Here's the opening. It's a three minute title sequence. Three minutes! That's just ridiculous and another reason people hate it.

The Lift

Greatest bad horror movie ever.

Star Wars 3D

They say the technology in Avatar will change how we see movies. They didn't mention old movies.

George Lucas has once again shown us his true gift and is pleased to announce he's found a new way to sell us the same old product. All six "Star Wars" films will be rereleased in 3D. I'm not excited about this but I have to admit I'm interested. Put them on the Blu-Ray, which I'm sure to buy anyway, and I'll be pleased.

Agency of the Year

It's been a long time since I've been proud of my work in advertising. But moving to Mcgarry/Bowen last August has made me feel creative, integral to the process and appreciated.

Turns out the rest of the industry thinks so too. AdAge just named Mcgarry/Bowen Agency of the Year. It's rainy, grey and Monday but everyone here is in a very good mood.

Conan's Done

So Conan's last show is tonight and he pockets $45 million for leaving. Looks like Fox will want him in September and leno will return to the Tonight Show under a cloud of bad press.

But here's a question no one is asking; what the hell is NBC putting on at 10?

Avatar

Judging from the attendance in the theater, Renee and I were two of the last in America to see it.

Everyone's weighed in on this movie. Most people love it. Some people are too sad it ended. One guy died.

I'm not as in love with it. It's a film that's incredibly well crafted, taking a giant leap from where Lucas left off technologically. Nobody does big like Cameron. That man takes incredible financial risks every time out of the gate and pays it off every time. He's got a track record a gambler would envy.

And yet, much of this movie feels like a remake of his Aliens . We have the scumbag corporation in space, screwing over the lower guys on the ladder. We have the gung-ho two-dimensional military. We have the power loader. We have the out of control alien animal life. We have the drop ship. We have Sigourney Weaver.

But when you look at Aliens today you realize it's not a high budget film. This is. The amount of detail on the screen is stunning. Every pixel on screen looks agonizingly worked over. I was in the middle of five minute flight scene before I noticed the complex system of the wings.

The 3D only enhances that effect. Instead of looking for novel ways to throw objects from the screen at us (like the ludicrous Piranha 3D trailer)Cameron found techniques to make the screen deeper. The viewing planes pull away, so you want climb in the screen and explore this deep, new world.

Yet, emotionally it feels hollow. The plot hits the Hero's Journey/ Mutiny on the Bounty riffs with a clang. And we don't get a chance to identify with any character too deeply. There's too much happening (for a two and a half film, something new happens every two minutes). We don't get enough time with any character in live action to project them onto the cg versions. The animation is superb but it always feels like animation. At its best, scenes play like actors in masks.

Oh, and James Cameron still loves the color blue. 25 years of blue films. Congratulations, Cameron!

Racist Commercial

Man.



As a comedian, I'm offended. As an advertiser I'm offended. But as a conosseur of train wrecks, I love it.

Every Elevator is an Express Elevator

Heard about this from Patton Oswalt on Jimmy Pardo's podcast.

Here's what you do:

1. Get on an "Otis Elevator".
2. Press your floor and the 'door close button AT THE SAME TIME.
3. Your elevator will skip every floor but your own.

I've now ruined your inter-office commute.

Onion's Best Comedy Albums of the Decade

Of these albums, I've heard 75%. Of the comics that made these albums, I've seen half. I'm on none.

But "Impersonal" is my favorite.

Read on.

Conan Speaks Out

In other shitty media news, NBC decided instead of cancelling "The Jay Leno Show" a shell of his former "Tonight Show" run, they will move it to 11:35, making it "The Tonight Show". And Conan? He gets shoved to 12:05.

Or he doesn't. Check out this press release where he tells NBC to go to hell. For a network with a history of shoving out Carson and scaring away Letterman, this should give some executives pause. Or get them fired.

Raimi Out of Spider-Man

The studio didn't like the idea of John Malkovich as Vulture. So he's gone and the entire franchise is getting a reboot.

Not sure how I feel about this. Raimi is a hell of a director (the committee thinking Spider-man 3 not withstanding)and Drag me to Hell proves he's still got a lot of passion for the cinema. But I never really warmed up to Maguire and Dunst. Tobey maguire nailed the Ditko brooding Peter but didn't get the robust Romita version that became the standard. And Kirsten Dunst? The less said about that casting the better.

There will be a Spider-Man 4 but the quality of it will be as up in the air as Spider-Man 1 was before 2002. Either way, I'll see it.

Beatles Suck

Ron Zabrocki has been making all his Facebook friends mad by lamely attacking the Beatles. This has caused the most animosity.

Show tomorrow!

Live January 9th 2010
Walker and the Brotherhood of the Grape
@ The Irish Circle
101-19 Rockaway Beach blvd Rockaway Beach N.Y. 11694
Showtime 9 P.M.
$10 at door The Brotherhood will feature special guests from the Caribbean...College and B.M.W.A!

Celebrating a few birthday's including Walker's. Giving a proper send off to a local friend who is being sent back to the middle east in service of our country. Thad-Rock and Danny Valk are keeping the bar.

The Brotherhood of the Grape is
Walker=vocals/guitar
Geoff Unger=lead guitar
Eddy Joe McCabe=bass
Brian Senders=drums
Jon Clarke=guitar
Mike Devellis=Sax

Cool Tech Tip

When I flew to Chicago for xmas, LGA was packed. Only at the tellers. The ATMs were wide open but I had run out of ink in the printer and never made an e ticket. I knew I had email in my iphone.

(and yes, I have an iphone. I bought it two days before getting assigned the Droid project and if I could break my contract I would. So stop smirking.)

On a hunch, I opened my gmail account, pulled up my email ticket, and used the gestures to make it the right size. Then I ran it under the scanner.

It worked. And it worked on the way home too. I haven't heard of anybody doing this before but I'm sure it will work for you.

And I'm sure it will work on a Droid ;)

Brotherhood of the Grape Saturday night!

Hometown gig this weekend! Come see how people I went to grade school with have aged.

Live January 9th 2010
Walker and the Brotherhood of the Grape
@ The Irish Circle
101-19 Rockaway Beach blvd Rockaway Beach N.Y. 11694
Showtime 9 P.M.
$10 at door The Brotherhood will feature special guests from the Caribbean...College and B.M.W.A!

Celebrating a few birthday's including Walker's. Giving a proper send off to a local friend who is being sent back to the middle east in service of our country. Thad-Rock and Danny Valk are keeping the bar.

The Brotherhood of the Grape is
Walker=vocals/guitar
Geoff Unger=lead guitar
Eddy Joe McCabe=bass
Brian Senders=drums
Jon Clarke=guitar
Mike Devellis=Sax

Iron Man Anime

I don't know if this is ever coming to this country, but man do I want to see it.

Jon as Dana Gould

Now let's celebrate Halloween.

I've been so busy I'm just getting around to putting up my second "Schtick or Treat" spot. But I still like it. Last year was Bob Newhart, this year Dana Gould. Not as well known so I don't get as many laughs from the impression but the material stands for itself and gets a great reaction. Enjoy.

Okay Then. That's It.

That was some decade, wasn't it?

I could focus on the ten years of crap we were handled by this world (eight of them by the Bush administration) but I think everyone with a blog, a tweet or a status update is doing that now. I like to think of things in a more self absorbed way.

When 1999 turned to 2000 I was in bed with a girl I met that day. Things could only go up from there. I met my wife two weeks later. I started in advertising, a career I would struggle against the entire decade, six months after that. I spent no energy in forwarding that track and the money on things I really cared about. Like more guitars, HD tvs and hardcover comic books.

Got married right in the middle of the decade. I was bored out of my mind by my job at this point and tried everything creative to get out of it. Joined a sketchy band, made little comedy videos (and sent them to Youtube as soon as they opened), and started this blog.

Then I discovered stand-up comedy. And got laid off. Within six weeks of each other. Everything changed. I gave it all up to persue a dream. A dream of pulling chuckles out of small groups of half drunk strangers. I put myself through several doses of humiliation to prove something to myself. That I was funny. I proved that much. Handing out flyers at the Improv I got seven shows a week and a "Colbert Report" audition. Things looked promising.

Then Ben was born. And everything changed again. I had a decision to make. I could either vecome a good comic or a good dad. I wasn't willing to sacrifice a son that was here for a career that might not happen. I stayed home to raise him and went out less nights. I got less bookings and apart from my own show (two years running) I wasn't part of the scene. Another audition, this one for the Onion, came and went and once the economy tanked, I had another decision to make. I had to go back to work.

Once Ben turned two, he was ready for day care and I was ready to go back to the office. I quickly got into Continuity as they merged with McGarry/Bowen and started pitching. Suddenly I was on a $100 million dollar account that everyone was talking about. I wrote a website that got millions of hits a day. I got a staff position, a promotion and an office. The success I was working so hard for fell into my lap from my back-up plan. The years of stand-up comedy had paid off in an unexpected way.

I'd like to say this decade changed everything but it changed everything again and again. This was the first real decade of my adulthood (the 90's were college and struggle, the 80's and 70's pure childhood) and yet things changed as much as they had in earlier decades. Now that I'm a husband and father, can I expect more changes from teh next ten years? Or maybe, a little stability.

Disney Buys Marvel.Officially.

The merger has officially gone through. Things are going to get interesting really quick.

It Might Get Loud

I previously said this was the next movie I would see in a theater. Then I got a job so yesterday was the first chance I got. After work I went to Best Buy. They didn't have it. So I went to, there was nowhere else to go to. I'm in the middle of Manhattan and there are no places to buy Blu-Rays. Virgin would have had it, if they hadn't closed down. Thanks, economy.

Netflix gave me a long wait so I had to rent it on dvd from Blockbuster. Blockbuster! It had been so long since I was there they thought my roommate was still on my account. I will say they had more new releases available than Netflix does. That's saying something for a dying franchise.

The movie is really good, if not as amazing as I had built it up in my mind. I doubt any movie this side of "Lord of the Rings" could have matched the level I set in my head. But for a guitar lover, I doubt a better movie will be made.

The choices are perfect. Jimmy Page, the Edge and Jack White may not be the fastest guns of their eras, but they each changed the way the instrument was played, adding techniques my old guitarist in Psychasm would have yelled at me for trying. They each approached a completely different musical landscape and each came to a crossroads early in their career.

The attitudes of their ages are fascinating to watch. Page is an elder statesman, laying back and listening more than talking. He's so much more full of smiles than I imagined. The Edge is a man at the top of game and staying there. He's smart, funny and open to whatever the other players have to say but watch his eyes. He's always, always focused. Jack White comes off as arrogant. He throws out crazy ideas that don't work, like dressing a nine year old child as himself so he can teach boy Jack how to play. It seems like a coping mechanism for a young player obviously intimidated to be in the room with these two. His talent puts him there, if not his confidence.

If you're the type of person to see this movie, you're also the type of person who will watch every deleted scene. Like Jack White showing Jimmy Page and the Edge how to play "Seven Nation Army" with three whammy pedals (and Jimmy asking "is this right?"). It's these moments when the history drops away and it's just three musicians learning a new song that open the movie up. Not only are they just like one another, they're just like every person who's picked up the instrument and can't put it down.

Christmas is Over.

I'm home. Ben had a great time.



Richie apologizes that Ben is vertical.

Merry Christmas Eve!

As a kid, I always liked this day more than Christmas itself. Maybe it's the anticipation. Maybe wanting is better than having. Or maybe I don't feel like I deserve the actual holiday.

Going on a plane now.

Song Salvation

"No Line on the Horizon" is my fourth least favorite U2 album and yet "Breathe" is one of my top 5 all-time U2 songs.



Got me thinking about all the albums you save for that one great song. Sometimes it's the hit, sometimes it's a hidden track. But in your mind, it's the reason the album exists. What's the album you save and what's the song you save it for?

What Italians Think We Sound Like

Infinitely fascinating.

Iron Man Vs. Bruce Lee

I am never going to get animation this smooth. Mostly because I fill it with dialogue for characters whose mouths don't move.

Iron Man 2 Trailer is Up!

And of course you're going to watch it.
Here.

Adam Corolla and Tom Kenny

Do us all a favor. Go to this podcast and learn why you should show your three year old "The Simpsons". For the record, Ben knows the names of everyone but Maggie.

I got it from itunes but
here's the web page.

Muppet Bohemian Rhapsody

Disney can't seem to get anything big going with the Muppets. But they can do some cool little things.



And a holiday bonus:

Simpsons at 20

Here's a pretty critical view of the Simpsons on their twentieth anniversary which mainly hinges on the question: "Why is it still on?" For my take, I still watch it because it's still funny.

Ebert Weighs In

Here's a great article by Roger Ebert telling the whole story of what happened to "At the Movies". The facial surgeries, the firings, the Ben/Ben debacle that forced me to take the show off TiVo (Ben Lyons review of 'Max Payne' was "Sometimes I just don't wanna think.") and the rescue of teh show by Michael Philips and A.O. Scott. It's a fascinating read and eye openeing to anyone who didn't know what happened once Siskel died.

Take a look.

Sideshow Emperor

I am a reformed Star Wars fan. Those prequels made the franchise for someone else, not me. And yet this seems completely awesome.




Oh and strangely enough there's a 13" Darth Vader still on sale. Ah, money. There's so many ways to get rid of you.

Best scrolling ever.

It's nerdy, and stiff and lame. And yet technologically, it's awesome.

Check it out.

Tony Stark Hot Toys

Speaking of Iron Man, I think I need this:

Iron Man 2

So far it's the only movie of Summer 2010. Superhero movies have a tendency to get really, really good in the second installment. And with the new poster, I think that trend will remain unbroken.



Didn't the producers say Rhodey wouldn't have much of a part when they fired Terence Howard? Not much a part if you don't want to be WAR MACHINE!!!

Thanks to actionfigurepics.com for the image.

John and Molly Get Along 2

I went to John and Molly Get Along 3 last night. Fantastic show and I shared a sheepish and awkward smile with Jeaneane Garafalo. Said nothing. Lifelong dream fulfilled.

Here's John and Molly's second video. They premiered the third last night and I think I'll be posting every one they do.

Flight of the Bumblebee 2

If yesterday's wasn't bad enough, friend and shredder extraordinaire Geoff Unger sends us this video. This guy plays the piece three times, the last at 320bps!

Flight of the Bumblebee

Every now and then I see a guitarist that makes me feel bad about myself. Sometimes they're not even famous. Here's a guy on a message board, playing something I can't do on a guitar I now own.

Mo!

I'm cranking on something I couldn't crack over the long weekend. Still not sure if I'm close. But here's the best distraction I can find from Mo Diggs. Mo talks about the 10 most influential comedians of the decade and it's so well thought-out and expertly written I can't even argue about the comics I hate on it.

Check it out!

Rejected Onion Headlines

We've changed the format of Writer's Room from stand-up to readings (I did the Adam West story from this blog). Oddly, the common theme is people reading their rejected Onion jokes. It's given me the confidence to post these.

I got an audition for the Onion earlier this year. I was pretty excited. After three years of stand-up I thought this was my way in to professional comedy writing. I'd had an audition for the Colbert Report early on that didn't pan out so a shot at the Onion was lightning striking twice.

Unfortunately, they didn't pick any of these. I took that as a sign to go back to advertising but after hearing how much great stuff the Onion doesn't pick, I feel a little more loyalty to these jokes.


Report: 70% of Representatives Feel Watching C-SPAN Just As Good As Showing Up

Springsteen Ruins Perfectly Good Halftime Show With Song From New Album

“Book Comes To Life” Movie Produced By Executives Who Don’t Read

Robert Duvall to Use Southern Accent in Every Damn Movie Now

Deathbed Confession Pack of Lies

Board Meeting Not Worth Free Cookies

Producers of Star Trek Movie Promise Fans Way Less "Star Trek"

Expensive SUV Becomes Affordable House

Losing Team's Problem Started With Believing in Themselves

OP-ED: Zoo Animals Just Don't Keep the Paying Customer in Mind

Mother Tells Son Once, Thousand Times

Advertising Agency Avoids Eye-Contact Throughout Horrible Commercial Pitch

OP-ED: Congratulations on Creating the Sexy, Brooding Teenage Vampire, “Twilight” Author! by Joss Whedon

Racist Cartoon Based on True Story

Freak Accident Kills Freak

Writer's Room Tonight!

Everything I said yesterday holds true. But I just finished reading Cormac MaCarthy's "The Road" and it's the saddest thing I ever read. I'm gonna need this show tonight.

Writer's Room Tomorrow!

I've been working here so long I don't know that I'm a stand-up anymore. Fortunately tomorrow, I'll be doing a reading. I know I can still read.

This Month's Writers Room @ The PIT:

Streeter Seidel (College Humor)

Brooke Van Poppeln (The Comic's Comic)

Hari Kondabolu (Comedy Central's Live @ Gotham)

Alex Grubard reading from his children's joke book (literally)

Hosted by Mike Drucker & Jon Clarke

The PIT

Tuesday 11/24/09 9:30

29th St between 7th and 8th.

$5

Yay Fail Blog

Spectacular Spider-Man

I can't believe we have to petition to save a show that has Spider-Man in it.

There's a new Spider-Man series every five years or so. Some have been good, some have been garbage. So in 2007, when "Spectacular Spider-Man" was announced, I was unfazed. I watched a few episodes and liked it enough.

Then I bought the season 1 set and fell in love. seeing all the episodes together made me appreciate how well written the show was. It gets EVERYTHING right. Even Sam Raimi's movies miss some of Spidey's charm, but not this. The humor, the soap opera, the crazy rogues gallery, the science, it's all here. Greg Weisman has done the job at a level only Bruce Timm has attained.

You'd think being a Spider-Man show would give it gratis in the ratings. Yet "Spectacular" has a troubled history. It premiered right when Kids WB gave up. Then it moved way up the dial to basic cable on Disney XD. Disney decided not to run the second season until they had rerun 13 weeks of the first. So the U.S. was the last country to show these episodes. They also took numerous breaks to stagger the episodes for sweeps. The final ones aired last night, 18 months after they should have.

But it's still doing well. Merchandise is selling, kids are waiting. So when's the third season airing? Well now there's the problem of that Disney/ Marvel merger bogging things down. Sure "Spectacular" airs on a Disney channel but one animated series is the last thing on their agenda. And with Sony dropping the Spider-Man tv license, there's a bunch of people no longer involved. So two years after production on season two, none of the staff knows if they'll be called back.

So what do we do? Honestly, I have no idea. There a the typical petitions. I joined the Facebook group. People are writing letters. But this thing is so mired in inter company machinations I think all we can do is raise awareness that there is an audience for the show. Because when the dust settles, Disney and Marvel will want a Spider-man cartoon on the air. And after almost fifty years, they finally have one.

But let's not get too sad. Let's watch some. here's my favorite season one episode that has Spidey in the black costume fighting the Sinister Six. And how awesome is that theme song?

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

Hole in the Bucket

Good, news, bad news, good news.

The new Sesame Street DVD, "40 years of Sunny Days" is out. And it's incredible. Amping up the strategy of the "Old School" sets, these 2 discs hold one 5 1/2 hour clip show that runs chronologically. Everything in it is gold. Renee and I would have bought it even if we had no children. As it is, Ben loved it so much we had to put on a Superman cartoon to calm him down.

Bad news: it's missing the classic "There's a Hole in the Bucket" a slow, strange, goofy segment that, in my recollection, taught nothing. Even as a kid, I wondered what they were thinking. The good news is Sesame Workshop knew it was something special and posted on their website instead. You can't embed from them so I found a Youtube version. Enjoy.

Joss Whedon Wants to Buy Terminator

Dollhouse is canceled but I don't really care as long as he's still full of great stuff like this open letter.

Thanks Ann-Marie Kirby-Payne and all your wonderful hyphens.

The Origin of Oscar the Grouch

Thanks, Ed Murray.



See more of them at www.maneggs.com

How Many Spider-Mans Can Fit Into a Jamba Juice?

Scandals or no, this is why I'll always love Letterman.

"I'm Glad You Saw Jack Benny Fall Out of That Chair"

Bill Cosby got the Mark Twain Prize. Because he damn well deserves it.



Chris Rock and Seinfeld opening is great. Cosby's speech is great. But nothing is better than watching Cosby kill in front of Groucho Marx and Jack Benny.

When Frank Zappa Met Jack Kirby

This is five ways of cool.

Droid is Out

Can I go home now?

Whammy Bar Acoustic

I always wondered why they never made acoustic guitars with tremolos. I still don't know but now I know it can be done.

Droid on Fallon

They spent four minutes talking about Droid on Fallon the other night. That to me is the same as Drucker getting jokes on the show. Which has also happened.

Spider-Man 2 deleted scene

20 seconds that should NEVER have been cut.

U2 on Youtube- Full Concert

Here it is. A full two hours and change. Because when you're U2 you don't have to conform to that 100 MB rule.