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People who need to GTFO

Any vacation from school where I'm spending any time at all at home equals one thing: SO. MUCH. TELEVISION. And internet and etc.etc. As a result, I'm developing some strong opinions on the people of pop culture. Here's a short list of some people who I think need to GTFO [get the fuck out, in case you're not in the know]:

Ali Lohan. Like, are you fucking serious? Physically, she's such an awkward caricature of Lindsay. I won't even get started on her mom. Does this 14-year-old really deserve a singing career? I'm glad that your sister is famous, but do you really want to end up like her [not to be harsh, I'm thinking of the natural child star fate]? Please, Ali, go enjoy your childhood.

Jo de la Rosa. You might be wondering, who? I wish I could say the same. One of my usual TV channels is Bravo. I was glued to the screen during The Real Housewives of Orange County, which is where I first took notice of Miss de la Rosa. If that was where her career started and ended, I'd be fine with her. But no, reality television is not a subtle creature. Now, probably in an effort to promote her singing career, we get to watch Jo be set up with random dudes, on the show Date my Ex. It's been on Bravo at least 65 times in the past week, and is seriously the most boring thing, probably less thrilling then Moment of Truth. I think her song is the intro to her show- more worthless pop dribble.

Josh Peck. I know, I know- I shouldn't judge people based on appearance and should give former chubby child stars a chance. But I don't think that the premise/hype for The Wackness could be any more obnoxious [too soon, and too much Olsen]. Are we trying to say that this dude is a sex symbol now? Like, ten seconds ago you were the goofy fat sidekick to the somewhat attractive Drake Bell, but now you went to a gym and stopped smiling in photos and I'm supposed to take you seriously?

I know that this is not in-line with the purpose of this blog, to increase our cultural knowledge. I can't be meaningful all the time. I should go out and give all these things a chance, but instead I chose to share my irritation with you. Harsh? Probably. I need to get out more.

[Photos from: http://content8.flixter.com/photo/11/07/11/11011146_ori.jpg, http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/09kpe759ue2UL/349x.jpg, http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/pv/Josh%20Peck-6.jpg, http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04cl6617lzaE2/610x.jpg]

CD Store Chronicles

I have yet to talk about music on this blog yet, which is strange because it's one of my most favorite things. Mostly I kind of don't even like talking about it because i feel that my knowledge isn't deep enough. So I'll use this space on the internet to declare: I don't know everything about music! Not even that much. This explains why I'm less interested in the new bands and obsessed with trying to fill in the gaps, constantly trying to learn about bands from earlier years. I'll chronicle my learnings here. If anyone reads this silly thing, feel free to leave any sort of suggestions. Right now I'm very focused on rock music, and that is honestly a shame.

MY TRIP TO SOUNDGARDEN:

I couldn't sleep the other night, because I was pretty stoked on music. I was on last.fm for hours, clicking on the "similar artists" links and writing down bands that I am not familiar with. This forced me to go to my favorite record store, Soundgarden in Baltimore to spend some money that I shouldn't be spending. Here's what I bought:

-Lou Reed - Transformer -- Obviously "Walk on the Wild Side" is a classic, but I'm not entirely crazy about this one. Mostly probably because I incorrectly thought that there was a song from The Squid and the Whale on here - oops.

-Television - Adventure -- We were in Alto Cinco late night a week or so ago and they were playing Television. I didn't know them and it sounded so great, I vowed to learn. Turns out Alison didn't do her research and this is NOT their seminal album. Ah well. It's not bad. Needs more listens.

-Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti -- The Doldrums -- Ariel Pink is my latest obsession. I discovered him while looking at some dude's myspace. He had a song on that player thing and it was unlike anything I'd ever heard. Pink is apparently a one-man show? Apparently the drum sounds are all made with Pink's mouth? Innovation, people! I can't get enough of this music. It's got this way of sounding retro yet completely fresh. I honestly thought this was made at least ten years ago. Not quite, try three. Either way, I love it. ALSO! He is playing at Sonar on Saturday and I plan to be in attendance. I can't believe it because Tickley Feather is also playing. I can't believe I love this weirdo lo-fi sound.. but I can't stop listening.

Wait, wait:

I bought some 7". I'm trying to feel out this whole "having a record player thing." I've been making a list of bands whom would make a worthy addition to my collection, but I still don't quite understand the whole thing yet. What is the appeal of 7" and why am I buying so many? I bought a No Age disc as well as a Black Moth Super Rainbow one. I like them because they are cheap, why do you like them?

The Dreamers, 2003

I'll admit: I've been wanting to see this movie for ages but have been scared. Can I handle the blatant sexuality? The incestuous themes? As of late, I've been slightly obsessed with the portrayal of incest in film [we seek it out and look for the creepiest forms- this doesn't make me strange, does it?]. I found it in Blockbuster and finally decided that I was ready for it.

Verdict? I loved it. For real. The nudity? Only slightly shocking. I did love that it was almost an equal playing field, though. It really bugs me when bare female breasts are basically a mainstay and that almost all those "important" films that I've been schooling myself in feature them. Naked dudes? Not so much. So I am relieved [really?] that I can count both Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel in the "dudes I've seen nude" list that I keep in the back of my mind.

Right, right the movie. It's about these youngsters who get through their difficult lives by being fabulous in Paris and watching a lot of movies. Let's be serious- I can relate because I really mostly only want to watch movies, and I wish that I was doing so in Paris. Done and done.

The incest wasn't as extreme as I was expecting, which is nice, honestly. Though I love the awkward screen incest, it's not exactly comfortable. The cinematography was extremely dreamy [heh] and it was a story I could get down with. Go see it and DON'T BE SCARED.

[image from http://www.trimir.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/C7544-04.jpg]

Wristcutters: A Love Story, 2006

I had heard about this movie for a while and it didn't really do much for me, but I saw it while I was in Ballbuster the other day and I felt compelled to grab it and take it home. I'm extremely glad that I did. Honestly, never deny the appeal of PATRICK FUGIT. I don't know what it is about him, but I fucking love it.

Anyway the film is set in this weird perjury that suicide victims are sent to- where things suck just a little bit more. It's extremely dark and has a light take on suicide, but one that is ultimately entertaining and NOT offensive [and oh I am easily offended.]

The movie honestly had me laughing out loud [lolin' really], mostly because of the antics of the Russian Eugene [played by Shea Whigham] as well as a surprising appearance by Will Arnet. Also in the film is Tom Waits, which was awesome, needless to say.

Oh these movie reviews are kinda hard. Oh well, I'm just saying I think the cinematography was great- I haven't wanted to escape to the desert of the US so badly since Badlands. It's really a sweet movie, score one more for the reasons not to kill yourself. Go see it and pray with me that Patrick Fugit is not mormon and is figuring out the most romantic way to propose to me.

[photo from http://paddyk.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/wristcutters.JPG]

I read, too!

Like many other college students on summer vacation, I have a somewhat ambitious reading list [quantity over quality for me basically]. Unlike probably many other students, I have barely been able to cross many names off that hefty list. I've mostly been swimming in Salinger [post on that later], but last night I decided to up the ante. I completed the novel American Youth by Phil LaMarche.

The reason for my speedy read? Dude teaches at SU! SU = Syracuse University, my college and life partner [or so it feels like]. I got the latest Syracuse University Magazine [post about that next, I suspect] and they had this feature about writers from SU, and I saw an excerpt from this novel! It all clicked.

I'm clearly pretty wrapped up in my own studies over at Newhouse, because I didn't really even stop to think about how the English department is swarming with all these accomplished/published authors.

-George Saunders

-Arthur Flowers

-Phil LaMarche

NEW GOAL FOR THE SUMMER: Read these people and then try to get a class with them. It's a lofty goal for basically one semester, but I gotta try. Also, I know that there are plenty more, and please enlighten me!

Onto the novel: I think I get extra points because I bought it in Syracuse. I was browsing the shelves of the store that I never buy books in, determined to buy something substantial. And let's be serious- I'm immediately drawn in with a title like "American Youth." It's so full, encompassing. I read the back of the book a million times and that did it for me - tragedy, woods, New England. Done, done and done.

I think there's something to be said for me having read the entire thing in just a few hours. I am a very slow and distracted reader, so that's an accomplishment. Also, I never thought that I would sympathize with a gun-owner, but that's what the novel did to me at first. It deals a lot with politics, with the backdrop of 9th grade priorities. I couldn't really relate to the story but I certainly related to the age of the characters - I was squirming for a lot of the read, talking out loud. The covers compare LaMarche to Cormac McCarthy, and I think that's warranted. He went through the whole novel describing the main character as "the boy," something we may have seen before in material by McCarthy. All in all, I really hate to say something like this but it's really sort of a manly novel- there are guns and a step-by-step slaughtering of a deer. This also reminded me a lot of the film "This is England"- similar politics, shaved heads and situations. I had a lot of trouble picturing the main character, so I kept defaulting to the tiny chubby boy in TIE.

Conclusion: Go Orange?

[Image is the Australian cover of the novel. I couldn't find a clear picture of the cover that I bought so I picked the one I liked the most. Image is from http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/display_title.asp?ISBN=9780330422970&Author=LaMarche,%20Phil]

Charlie Bartlett, 2007

I was going to use this space to post a review of Charlie Bartlett, but instead, I'll briefly discuss a few things that I found the most interesting.

1. Was this ever shown in theaters? I remember being stoked on it for probably a year now, it's basically criminal that I had to wait for DVD.

2. Charlie Bartlett is a qt, and would make a worthy new addition to my group of friends.

3. I love Kat Dennings because she has like... A REAL BODY? Finally.

4. Robert Downey Jr. is amazing.

5. Interesting commentary on the modern prescription drug culture

6. I LOVED the plethora [at least three = plethora to me] of former/current Degrassi cast members. Shout out to Craig Manning, Paige Michalchuk and Jimmy Brooks! Glad that they could finally break out of being typecast in those troubled high school roles.

Verdict: I didn't totally love it like I assumed that I would, but it's definitely an enjoyable film. I loved it until things go completely out of control. I tend to lose a bit of interest when gun-toting drunks go head-to-head with high schoolers [oh, oops, spoilers.]

[photo from http://owlpellets.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/bartlett2.jpg]

Off-Topic but Sin City is on MTV right now... wtf, am i rite?

Ballbuster more like

The library, my go-to source for free movie rentals [with a really great selection] had been closed for an hour when I pulled into its parking lot today. In a panic, I drove aimlessly up Route 1, praying that Blockbuster was open. Thankfully, the "for lease" signs in the windows were merely misleading. The store was open, though barely. I don't think there was any sort of order to the way the videos were ordered, and more of the stock was for purchase and not rent. I was impressed, however, with the selection for the most part. I instantly saw several movies I wanted to rent. Then I got to the counter. My conclusion?

BLOCKBUSTER IS FUCKING EXPENSIVE. Fuck ever paying 15$ for three movies ever again, and I mean it. Go out and support your local independent video store [which is probably cheaper] or flex your tax dollars by utilizing your library [freeeee].

Labyrinth, 1986

I finally saw Labyrinth last night. Though it's hilariously bad at many times [like creepy singing and horrible acting], I was honestly really amazed by a lot of Jim Henson's puppetry. I saw the movie at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, [as part of both a Jim Henson and 80's Movies retrospective.] Jennifer Connelly should be a fashion icon based on that movie, with her collar unapologetically high and popped; her stick-straight, black hair all over the place with her dramatic head tosses. I definitely enjoyed the movie and certainly wish that I had first seen it at a much younger, less sarcastic age. Then I may not have focused so much on David Bowie's ridiculously obvious codpiece. 

The best part about being able to see these classic movies in the theater is definitely the audience. Despite seeing Labyrinth at 11:30pm, the cult followers were out and active, cheering and loudly commenting. This was almost as entertaining as the dude in Gimme Shelter, who just started whooping loudly for no reason.

[photo from http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/153/835880~Labyrinth-Posters.jpg]

One

This is the summer of not much. Having not successfully applied for anything [or unsuccessfully, really], I decided that I needed to grow as much as I possibly could culturally, in the privacy of my own bedroom. What the hell am I talking about? This summer is the attempt to educate myself in many arts, and I will blog about them RIGHT HERE. Summer's mostly gone, but there's still a lot of learning to do. Welcome aboard.