420 Anyone????

So 420 is a undeclared herb smoking day.

As a result, April 20th is the national pot smoker's holiday. If you smoke pot you're supposed to take off that day and get high. April 20th is a strange day because not only is it the day to get high but it's Hitler's Birthday and the anniversary of Columbine.

I never touched the stuff but I have friends that everyday is 420 to them. I love Kettel One on the rocks but I cannot enjoy it everyday but thats life right??

well if today is as important as christmaas then Merry 420 to all and to all a good 420!!

Who Watched the Watchmen?

I finally got around to going to see Watchmen. It is about a group of superheroes — including Dr. Manhattan who is made of pure energy and also walks around with no pants; Ozymandias who looks like he’d be more comfortable taking tea and crumpets with the Queen; Rorschach who wears a mask with changing patterns on it; The Comedian who is not a comedian who is funny-ha-ha in that he appears to have killed Kennedy and also performs a violent attempted rape; Nite Owl who’s like Batman without the commitment; and Silk Spectre who wears sexy clothes — are out to either save or destroy the world.

Set in an alternate 1985, Nixon has been president forever, and the Watchmen have retired from world saving/destruction except that someone is now killing them and they set out to find who. At the same time, nuclear annihilation is imminent and their great hope to stop it, Dr. Manhattan, who is a essentially big blue light who has become disillusioned with his lot in life, has decided to give up and sit out the crisis on Mars.

The 15-minute opening montage of the Watchmen origin is an authentic version of the graphic novel, a story Time magazine once called one of the 100 best novels of all time.

I believe that superhero stories reflect the world in which they are created, and by that I mean specifically the political climate. Thus, as you would imagine, the littered, raining, graffiti marked world of Watchmen appealed to me on a deep level.

It is a superhero movie evolved into something that preceded its inadequate genre title. The fight scenes were very brutal, bloody, and relatively short. It was perhaps the best action I’d seen since the Bourne movies, which also presented brutal, dirty, close combat, not the beautifully choreographed dance-like martial arts of most movies of this sort.

One thing that took me off guard was the Comedian. As they put it in the movie, he is just short of a Nazi, and he’s certainly a sociopath. He’s sadistic, cruel, and he enjoys it. Yet, as played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, the Comedian is almost likable, and he’s often the voice of the movie, the voice of the American Dream gone haywire. As a rogue and rebel among rebels, his pronouncements often make sense. The Comedian isn’t deluding himself like the other costumed heroes are. Thus, it’s not really a contradiction when the Comedian learns of Ozymandias’ plans and has a change of heart. When he appears drunk and crying in Moloch’s room, we actually believe that the Comedian feels terrible guilt for all the crimes he’s committed, and that world is even crueler than he thought it.

If this was the last superhero movie made, that would be appropriate, and Watchmen could cap the genre off. Honestly, it’s hard to even compare Watchmen with other superhero movies, such as the Spider-Man, the Hulk movies, or the recent Superman movie, because the layers of depth and context are not comparable.

Rihana: Thank You Sir May I Have Another?

LOS ANGELES – A photo that appears to be Rihanna's face with bruises, scratches and swelling from an attack allegedly at the hands of boyfriend Chris Brown was posted Thursday night by the celebrity Web site TMZ.

The close-up image shows a welt above each of the woman's eyebrows, marks on her cheek and around her lips, and general swelling. TMZ did not say how it obtained the photo, when it was taken or by whom.

Hours after the photo was posted, the Los Angeles Police Department launched an internal investigation and asked for the public's help in finding the person who leaked it. A police news release said the image "has the appearance" of one taken during a domestic violence investigation, and classified its release as a case of serious misconduct that could result in termination.

Asked earlier Thursday whether he could confirm the photo's origin, LAPD Officer Jason Lee said only that the department had not released images of the woman who accused Brown, and would not release evidence photos. A spokeswoman for the district attorney said all evidence related to the case was still with police.

Brown was arrested Feb. 8 and booked on suspicion of making felony criminal threats to a woman that authorities have not publicly identified. A person familiar with the situation, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and requested anonymity, confirmed that the woman was Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Fenty.

The person said some of the injuries shown in the photo — specifically the marks on the woman's forehead — were consistent with the injuries Rihanna sustained.

Prosecutors have asked police to provide more information before deciding what charges, if any, to pursue against Brown. Police have said the 19-year-old singer could face domestic violence charges if prosecutors think they are appropriate.

An Associated Press photo of Rihanna, taken before the party on the night of the incident, shows her with a tattoo of Roman numerals on her left shoulder; the TMZ photo shows the same numerals on the same shoulder. TMZ had previously used its site to debunk a manipulated image that depicted Rihanna with a black eye.

No public statement has been issued on behalf of Rihanna, who turns 21 on Friday. Email and telephone messages left late Thursday with representatives for both Brown and Rihanna were not immediately returned.

Brown released a statement on Sunday, which read in part, "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired." The statement, which did not mention Rihanna, said Brown was consulting with loved ones, his mother and pastor.

Brown's arrest came roughly 18 hours after he and Rihanna left a pre-Grammy party honoring music mogul Clive Davis. According to police, Brown and a woman were involved in an altercation in a car traveling through the upscale Hancock Park neighborhood shortly after midnight. Police have said the woman had visible injuries, and that Brown was gone from the scene when they arrived.

Kanye West: The Ego Has NOT Landed

Stop the press!!!

Kanye West has announced he is done lip syncing (I mean, trying to sing) in the music business and and is ready to pour all his "superhero" energy into conquering fashion. Now with the exception of Batman who has no powers, dont you have to have "powers" in order to be a superhero????

Looking at this recent pic above, Kanye surely is a great guide as what is fashionable. Just think, with his guidance you too can wear a bowtie and your girlfriend look like a streetwalker. Very classy!!

On being a rapper turned fashion designer and how it's seen as cliche:
"People base their opinions on cliche. There's a reason why they're cliches: 'I was gonna wear a coat today, but it would be so cliche.' How about some pants -- if it's not too cliche?"

It is also "cliche" to actually sing instead of using backtracks that accidentally skip to cover your voice.

On his infamous "I am the voice of this generation" quote:
"If not me, then who?" he says. "Someone could be a better rapper, dance better. But culturally impacting? When you look back at these four and a half years, who's the icon at the end of the day? Who broke down color barriers? What other black guy would a white person use as a fashion reference?"

What "color barriers" did you break down? If you crossed over into country music charts or branched out into any other medium other than rap THEN maybe you could make such a claim. One entertainer come to mind that actually did that, yeah I think his name was Elvis Presley.

50 Cent told MTV News, "I don't think the fans will forgive him for this. I don't think it's cool," 50 added, unabashed as ever. "I like Kanye as an artist. I don't like the record, to be honest — the entire record, I heard seven of them [songs] already. But I love him as an artist and I'd like to work with him in the future. It's a tough time for him. He's realizing the pressure of being in competition with the best artist he can be in competition with — that's Kanye West. When [the fans] put you up against your best material, you really realize what it's like."

"It was just what was in my heart," West told MTV Europe two weeks ago. "The type of ideas that it was coming up with, the melodies that were in me — what was in me I couldn't stop. I think it's a path; it's a road that's been paved and given by God. There's so many signs, and I just have to follow the signs and the arrows of where he wants me to go and just be fearless about it. It's so crazy — hip-hop used to be about being fearless, and now it's, like, all about being afraid. It used to be about standing out, now it's all about fitting in. Like, you know, I wear my tight jeans and stuff, and stand out, and people want to talk about me. ... Because when I had my baggy clothes and I was hip-hop, people talked about me too. Now hip-hop is like a big high school or something. So that's why I respect people who just do whatever they want to do."

Kanye, Thank God for Auto-Tune.

And on the flip side thank God for singers who dont need it.

If Auto-Tune was around from day one the world would have never been graced with melody carrying and falsetto climbing voices of Queen, Radiohead, Beatles, Beach Boys, Bowie, Genesis, Coldplay, Snowpatrol, U2, Ours, Starsailor, The Doves, Elbow, etc. Im sure I am leaving out so many more but I hope you get the point :)

Taken By Trees: Sweet Blog O Mine

So I go to see the new Friday The 13th and one of the previews really caught my eye and ear. The preview starts with a few kids hanging out and then being attacked by these crazy prison rejects. By the middle of the preview I noticed a subtly yet recognizable melody that rang a bell that only Pavlov's dog would hear: Sweet Child O Mine. It was a slow and haunting piano ballad version that really did justice to the famous Guns N Roses single.

Indie pop artist Victoria Bergsman, under the name Taken by Trees, covered the song and her version was used in the trailer for the remake of the Wes Craven film The Last House on the Left. Victoria Bergsman is a Swedish songwriter, musician and vocalist best known as singer of the indie pop band The Concretes from 1995 up until her 2006 departure.

While listening to it and engaging interest in the preview, I wondered , "Would this song have been better had the original not been written and instead the cover be the only testament to its existence?"

That being said, the cover is surprisingly true to Bergsman's roots -- and after checking out her catalog, it sounds like a Taken By Trees song. Because of a movie preview I have become a fan of Taken By Trees.

Taken By Trees is definitly the kind of artist that Solarcade would love to play with. Solarcade and Taken By Trees played at The Roxy about a month apart and my only regret is that I didnt know about them back then. Growing up and playing guitar, Slash was a definitive reason for me to play guitar so i am alway VERY critical when I hear artists cover delicate songs of this nature.

It is almost the equivalent of a Nazi crime to do covers of sacred bands Beatles, Queen, and U2 but my hat goes off to Victoria Bergsman. If you haven't already, you really should check out the new Taken By Trees single, a beautiful cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N Roses. Victoria Bergsman gives the classic track a charming makeover that lovingly reinvents it.

13 Facts About Friday the 13th

By LiveScience Staff

If you fear Friday the 13th, then batten down the hatches. This week's unlucky day is the first of three this year.

The next Friday the 13th comes in March, followed by Nov. 13. Such a triple whammy comes around only every 11 years, said Thomas Fernsler, a math specialist at the University of Delaware who has studied the number 13 for more than 20 years.

By the numbers

Here are 13 more facts about the infamous day, courtesy of Fernsler and some of our own research:

1. The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

2. The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date's digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

3. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.

4. Fear of Friday the 13th — one of the most popular myths in science — is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

5. Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in).

6. Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.

7. Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

9. Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

10. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."

11. Woodrow Wilson considered 13 his lucky number, though his experience didn't support such faith. He arrived in Normandy, France on Friday, Dec. 13, 1918, for peace talks, only to return with a treaty he couldn't get Congress to sign. (The ship's crew wanted to dock the next day due to superstitions, Fernsler said.) He toured the United States to rally support for the treaty, and while traveling, suffered a near-fatal stroke.

12. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number — 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

13. The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle's head, 13 war arrows in the eagle's claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there's been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.

Friday the 13th!! Happy Paraskavedekatriaphobia!

Happy Paraskavedekatriaphobia and it couldnt be more appropiate than today Friday Feb 13th which is the release of the remake Friday The 13th.

There have been 10 Friday the 13th films since the original 1980 release. The new 2009 version is billed as a "remake" of the original which in my opinion it isnt. I like to think of it like Rob Zombie's "reimagining" of his Halloween reboot.

Pop quiz: How many kids did Jason kill in the first movie? A-ha, you are wrong! He didnt kill anyone becasue his mother Mrs Vorhees killed all the camp counselors who she believed let her poor son Jason drown in Crystal Lake.

Dont mess with Jason the Killer. He is one bad mo fo: He once had to pop a cop that didnt give him props in Oak town. No? wrong franchise, sorry Dr. Evil....

Jason Vorhees cannot be killed. I grew up on the movies, Ive done my homework. He has been drowned, attacked by machetes, cracked in the face with an axe, buried alive, cremated, chained to a boulder by Tommy and drowned again, resurrected by a lightning bolt, melted by toxic waste in a sewer, resurrected by telekinesis of the new blood, dragged into hell, frozen in space, thawed, and drowned again by Freddy Krueger.

Along with Michael Meyers, Jason Vorhees's dialogue is simple: action speak louder than words and his measurement of loudness is always interesting with new execution styles.

I am super pumped to go see Friday The 13th and when I get ready and sit in my seat in the theatre I will be transcended back to rubiks cubes, He-Man, Family Ties, Cosby Show, and Alf. I love nostalgia and its like the beginning of my life in being able to say "I remember when the original came out..."