Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Tuesday Time

OK, so your friend Pat (that would be me) got out of work about an hour ago on this lovely Tuesday evening, picked up a Modern pizza on the way home and decided to get more work done before he went out tonight.

I'm done with the third-person thing now; it's giving me the creeps. Anyway, I checked my e-mail and noticed I had a blog comment, one about missing me. It made me feel bad. So here I am.

Yep, I was bad last week about updating. The end of the year is a tough time. I've been trying to get things done in advance so I can work as little as possible over the next couple weeks. But I need to make time for blogging like an Egyptian. I just need to do that.

So anyway, this weekend was an OK one. I braved the snow for Cafe Nine's Christmas party, which is always my favorite holiday fest of the year. It's too bad the snow made Sarah Borges cancel. I'm a big fan.

If you've read this blog long enough, you know that I have a soft spot in my heart for "Survivor," so you should know I had to watch the finale Sunday. It was pretty good, a solid ending for a solid season. I happened to be talking to Gorman Bechard about the season earlier last week and he and I were sure Amanda would win. I guess we're both big stupid heads.

Speaking of "Survivor," it seems the lunch lady should be called the lying lunch lady. Man, how can you go on national television, lie and not think it'll be figured out?

In other news, Amy Winehouse was arrested again. Her record may end up on my best-of-2007 list - which will be published in the Dec. 28 Weekend - but she's quite the mess. I mean, we know she's a crackhead, so I guess that makes sense. If you're going to live by one motto and one motto only, use this: Don't ever count on a crackhead. It's bad business.

What's the age-old question? If a tree falls in the forest, does anyone notice? Well, how about, if Anthrax gets a new singer, does anyone really care?

So Peter Jackson will have a hand in "The Hobbit" movies. The "Lord of the Rings" helmer won't direct the prequels, but will executive produce. I'm sorry. I just don't care. The "LOTR" movies are OK, but I'll never watch them again. I don't like all the goobly-goblin stuff.

Rachael Ray has a new show on the Food Network. Why is this news? Doesn't she have like 43 shows on the station? They should give more shows to that Gia (or something like that) woman. I like her, even though she has a huge head, or so says Joe Amarante.

Pitchfork has announced its 50 best records of 2007. It's not a bad list, but the site always seems to like certain artists (MIA, ahem) more than it should.

As I type this, the show "Duel" is on in the background. Can a contestant really not know how many oxygen molecules are in carbon monoxide? Where did they find these folks? And why didn't they call me?

While we're talking about television, the big news around New Haven is, of course, Michael Bolton and a bunch of local folks on "Clash of the Choirs." I will never watch this show, but I'd like to send out a big good luck to Greg Sherrod, a really nice guy and great singer who's on the show. Good luck, Greg.

And with that, I'm done for the evening. By the way, a reader sent me a note about me having a Wikipedia page. I can die now, I'm so happy. Talk to you tomorrow. I promise.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad you're back in cyberspace. Good to hear from you!

Hope you're prepped for the holiday - I'm about to head out of town for some mandatory family visits, so this may be my last chance to check in for a few days.

I have really mixed feelings about the whole Amy Winehouse thing. I really dug her album when it came out and recommended it to friends. Clearly, this woman is a train wreck who cannot rationally handle her fame and notoriety, and quite frankly, makes Brittany look like she has her act together. I believe that true artists MUST use their talents - writers (such as yourself) MUST write, painters must paint, dancers must dance, etc. You get the picture. As such, Ms. Winehouse must sing. An artist must get their "art" (whatever it may be) out in the world. Art, in whatever form, attracts fans and detractors. I think artists realize this. In this day and age, notoriety also means media scrutiny. Look, I'm no prude and I realize there's a poetically romantic notion about the wild lifestyle of a rock star -but this clearly troubled woman MUST have some notion that the CD-buying public is watching. And she just doesn't care. Should celebrities be role models? No, I don't think so. However, I hope that their personal lives don't overshadow their talents.

As both an artist (who writes) and someone who reviews artists (musicians) as part of his job, you've met your share of groups or soloists whose works you greatly admire. Any experiences with those who - let's say - did not live up to your expectations?

Perhaps it's just me. As a society, I'm not sure if such behaviors bother us. In light of the recent Mitchell Report, several polls were taken and published about fans' reactions to the findings. Few seemed surprised at the news, and even fewer cared. I guess the innocent times of having "heroes" to look up to is over.

One last note - I too was a fan of "Survivor" for many seasons. It IS addictive TV. But lately, I've grown less tolerant. It seems that brains and/or brawn don't count for so much as conniving and scheming. I overheard two 13 year olds discussing the show the other day - one made the (astute!) observation, "The biggest scumbag always wins." What does it say for us, as a society, when we are so engaged with a program that inevitably rewards lying, backstabbing and cheating?

Sorry to get so philosophical right before the holiday...just a lot of 2007 wrap-up thoughts rattling around in my head. I'll end on a cheerier note - congrats on the Wikipedia page - glorious fame! Hope you and yours have a terrific Christmas (and that you get whatever you're secretly hoping for) - looking forward to more great columns and blogs in 2008!

Anonymous said...

Hate to break it to you, doll, but you were talking in the third person up top, not the first. You switched over to the first person.

It's cool, though. You still rock. Hope all is well at the good old Reg.

Anonymous said...

Posts like this are the reason I've become a regular reader of this blog.

I'm hoping you're planning a cable access show 2008.

I'm still laughing.

-ChrisB.