May 19, 2009

Don't Stop Believin'


The night before the 15Th anniversary of my 29Th birthday, Wayne took me to Snoqualmie Casino in Washington. On Sunday nights they have Rockaraoke. You get to sing with a real live band, complete with backup singers, long haired guitar players, beret sporting key board player and a rockin drummer.

It was a far far greater thing than I have ever done.

Since sometime in the seventies I have been singing Journey songs; badly. Yet I dreamed of the day when I could sing one with a real live band. I also dreamed many many naughty things about Steve Perry, but that is not for today.

And then on the eve of my 44Th birthday, Wayne, the real man of my dreams made my rock and roll fantasy come true, by waiting through two hours of singers, some worse than me, till it was my turn.

I sang “Don’t Stop Believin’”, badly, live on stage with a rock and roll band, and a karaoke prompter. Though I have been singing these songs forever, it took seven Mac & Jacks to work up the nerve to go on stage, and I may have sneaked a peak or two at the words.

Irregardless

It was so much fun; I don’t think I can ever karaoke again, because it would be such a letdown after that. I didn’t sing well, but I sang loud and I sold it all the way home. The crowd cheered when they heard the opening of the song and they danced and sang along and applauded when I was done. It was awesome.

You may be wondering if my rock and roll dream of singing with a band was somewhat sullied because it was karaoke. I mean in a way you're paying the band to back you up and isn't that kind of like having sex with a prostitute?
Well... same thing, it would be better if you didn't have to pay for it, but it's still good.
So if you ever sang into your hairbrush, even just once, find a place with live band karaoke and go for it. You will not regret it, I promise.

May 15, 2009

Sweating With the Oldies

Excerpt from the screenplay, THREE TWO ONE, by Gail E Moss. Emma, Gwynne and Mandy are at the gym, when Gwynne encounters an old flame.

Mandy's Big Loss

Excerpt from the screenplay, THREE TWO ONE, by Gail E. Moss.
Emma, Gwynne and Mandy are at their weekly weight loss club, "Flab U Less", when it's Mandy's turn to weigh in. Turns out her friends aren't as excited about her big loss as Mandy is.

May 13, 2009

The Strip Tease

Excerpt from Gail E. Moss' screenplay, THREE TWO ONE. Emma, Gwynne and Mandy are at their weekly weight loss club, "Flab U Less", when Emma is shocked to learn she may have gained wieght this week despite her efforts at the gym. But Emma is determined to show a loss and will stop at nothing till she gets the results she is looking for.

May 8, 2009

PINE-ING FOR KIRK

Stop what you are doing and go see Star Trek. I am not playing, STOP and go see it now!

Remember when I told you about how I was Crushin on Captain Kirk?

Well I still am, only now it has been bumped up a notch or ten. Thanks to great writing, (Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman) directing, (J.J. Abrams) and not to mention acting.

What can I say; thanks to Chris, I am now Pine-ing for Kirk.

I first mentioned Chris here when I reviewed Bottle Shock, which was a good movie about our favorite thing, wine. Now that he has portrayed one of my favorite childhood loves, and done it well, I like him even more.

Other preformances included Zachary Quinto as Spock. You may reconize him from the TV show Heroes, Simon Pegg as Scotty, and John Cho as Sulu. It's like a nerdy smorgasboard of yummy.

I don't know if Wayne has brought out the nerd lover in me, or if it was always there hiding, waiting for me to quit trying to be kool, but out it has come, my closet desire for all things nerdy, and it is making up for lost time. (This week we also saw Wolverine, and then rented the first X-Men movie again so we could check out continuity.)

However, nerd or no, if you like action, hot guys, or pretty girls, (Lt. Uhura), you'll like Star Trek.

For those of you who don't like the film, check out this report.

May 5, 2009

Either You're In or You're In The Way

Meeting the Miller brothers is an experience. Their syncopated, rapid fire manner of speaking in tandem, each starting and finishing sentences while the other fills in the gaps takes some mental juggling at first. But the auditorily adept listener eventually finds the rhythm and understands that as they say in their new book, Either You're In or You're In The Way, for Logan and Noah Miller, "Bro is me and I am Bro". Once you grok the Miller's you're in.

Since first meeting the Miller brothers last November at a Florida film festival, we have been fans. Following their career distantly via websites, newspaper clippings, interviews and a couple of hurriedly exchanged e-mails, we have watched the progress of both their film, Touching Home, and this highly anticipated book.

It would be a mistake for anyone to read this book as only the retelling of the trials and tribulations of first time film-makers. Or, as a how-to or how-not-to book of writing, producing, directing and starring in a fictionalized version of your life story. Many readers will unfortunately take that approach and thereby miss the true heart of the book.

As you delve into Either You're In or You're In The Way, you begin to realize that Logan and Noah Miller are taking you on a journey. A journey that begins with the love that the twin brothers have for their alcoholic father and continues with them seeking closure following his death by succesfully telling their story on-screen. The story is bittersweet, with alternating moments of hilarity, tension, and heartbreak, but through it all the bros keep their focus on the ultimate goal and press forward with passion, heart, and dogged determination.

Ultimately though, this story is about much more than two brothers trying to acheive their dream. It is about refusing to accept anything other than solutions to problems. It is about dealing with the micro by understanding the macro. It is about an unerring commitment to quality and not accepting anything less. It is a manifesto on how to live life on your own terms and stay true to your values.

Much like Scratch Beginnings, another offering from HarperCollins Publishers last year, Either You're In or You're In The Way should be required reading for every high school student in the country. Although vastly different in scope and purpose, both books remind us that the American Dream is alive and well.

As Logan and Noah Miller put it so well, somewhere around page 195, "To those who no longer believe in the American Dream, read this, and say otherwise".