Exciting Week

This week has been exciting in a number of ways... First the new Linkin Park single has finally dropped, "What I've Done". You can listen to it being streamed at Linkin Park. They've hooked up with Rick Rubin on this one and the first track sounds promising. I like the Halloween sounding hook.



Secondly, Grindhouse opens on Friday. Two of my favorite directors collaborating on one project, bringing it back to "B" Movie Mayhem.



And last but certainly not least, The Soprano's premieres on Sunday on HBO. Counting down the last 8 episodes of this great saga. But let's not forget what we've all been waiting for, new episodes of Entourage. About freaking time, one of my favorite shows, Let's hug it out Bitch!

Tracy Trailer Online

My friends Dan and Brian have been working on this independent film for the past few years and I've had the privilege to help out on a few shoots. It's one of the funniest and most original films to come out (and I'm not just saying that because I worked on it). Here is the first trailer for your enjoyment. Sundance, here we come!
Tracy Movie Page

Joe Rogan confronts Carlos Mencia

I love this video. Shows how much Carlos Mencia sucks. The first time I saw him perform was at a Wild 94.9 Comedy Jam years ago. Yeah, he was funny the first 5 minutes then he would get real political. If I wanted politics I would of stayed home and watched MSNBC. Just because your loud and obnoxious doesn't make you funny. And if you're going to steal jokes, steal some funny ones!

Old Ads

I like checking out advertisements from the past. While searching Flickr I came upon this gem. I haven't seen many VW ads but this one is quite cool. I'm not sure what year this came out but from the headlights I'm guessing early 60's?

Disneyland

It has been close to 13 years since I've been to Disneyland. The last time I was there was for Grad Night back in 94 celebrating the end of High School. I was amazed at how cool Disneyland still is (my early re-collections of Disneyland is taking pictures with Donald Duck and being afraid of the Whale from Pinochhio and running for my mom) but I was 4 so you can't blame me.
From old classics from Space Mountain to newer rides like Indiana Jones were a blast. I think it brought out the inner kid in me again that no other amusement park can do. Even though it was packed beyond capacity since it was New Years, just being in the park that Walt built was great.
Since it was packed I only got to ride Space Mountain and the Buzz ride during the day. At night we went to California Adventures and got a bite to eat along with a few beers (judging by the line I'd suggest that Disney add a few more beer stations scattered throughout). It was so packed that they weren't letting people into Disneyland around 10p.
After celebrating New Years and drinking a few glasses of wine and bubbly, we rushed back into Disneyland Amazing Race style. We rode Indiana Jones, the redone Nightmare Haunted Mansion (talk about attention to details) and of course Pirates of the Carribean. I can't wait to go back!

Happy New Years

Wishing everybody a Happy New Year. I headed down to LA and went to Disneyland. Disneyland is amazing... Will write more later.

Dual Kadrons

So after my VW broke down again, I decided to upgrade the engine up a bit. Added an electronic ignition for those cold mornings and a set of dual Kadrons (carbs).
Runs a lot better now than it used to. Still quite a bit left to do but little by little it's getting there. I also had to add the DC sticker!

Wii Adventures

I've been holding out to get a new system for a while now. Nintendo has always been my first choice and this time has been no different. I still want to get a PS3 but I'm going to wait til the price goes down, but little did I know it was going to be this hard to get a Wii. After going to store after store on launch date (excluding the overnight camp out in front of the store) at the crack of dawn I came home empty handed. Wave number two came around on Black Friday. My brother and I showed up at 1a at Best Buy and people were camping out in front since 10p. The line was outrageous. Our next bet was Target down the street. After going home to get a few hours of sleep there we are at 5:20a in line for Target to open. I never imagined waiting in line before sunrise to shop. Doors opened and people rushed in, Supermarket Sweep style. We rushed to the Electronics section only to discover that their shipment hadn't arrived. While we waited to confirm there were no Wii's people were picking up DVD players and PSP's like their life depended on it. Bumping, shouting "I got one" and attitudes were aplenty "I was here first". And this is in the first five minutes.
Once home yet again emtpy handed our drive to find a Wii turned to Craigslist. Yeah, I know it takes the adventure away from your own story of how you found one. But let me tell you, that Wii drug style deal at the parking lot of B of A when money exchanged hands and we got a brand new box out of the trunk made up for it. And yes, we did check that there were no bricks in the box. The guys that we bought it from had bought two on launch date after waiting in line 20 hours. And was all the trouble worth it?
Yes, the Wii has got to be one of the most funnest things that we've purchased in a while. While the graphics are a tad bit better than the GameCube, while there are no HD connections or BlueRay DVD, it makes up for it with the game play. So if you don't yet have one now, hit up Craiglist or eBay because you can't afford to wait to have this much fun.

Julieta Venegas and Los Abandoned

I went to go see Julieta Venegas at the Fillmore on Sunday, 11/19. The opening act was a band from LA called Los Abandoned. Wow, they rocked the house. Definitely check them out if you can. Can't wait for them to come back to town. I can't get "Van Nuys is Very Nice" out of my head. Julieta was amazing as ever. Overall a great concert. One of the best I've been to.

More Upgrades

As you can see my VW broke down again. I just decided to upgrade the engine while I was at it. I ended up getting a new electronic ignition and I went and put on those dual Kadron carbs. I'll post some picts of the engine upgrade once I take the car back out. There are still a few details I want to add (new mirrors, European license plate) but it's running sweet. The only major work still needed is re-sanding the car and re-shooting it flat black, getting it pinstriped, getting new whitewalls and re-doing the entire interior. Hmmm. Maybe there is still quite a bit to do.

Delirium

I recently went to see Delirium, Cirque du Soleil's newest creation. As a performance show it is good, but if you were expecting the acrobatics that make the other shows so great, it was a disappointment. I had seen Corteo last year and it blew me away, it was one of the most amazing shows I had ever seen. I was real excited to see Delirium, I even invited my parents, grandma and uncle. Visually, it was stunning. The way they use the stage as a projector was cool, but it was a novelty that got old fast. And the acrobatics were few. So if you love live music and cool costumes, you can either go to Carnaval in Brazil, or see this. If you want to see some amazing stunning acrobatics, save your money and see one of Cirque's other shows.

What's been going on?

Sorry, I've disappeared for a quick minute.. Still trying to get my VW back on the road. After getting a decent stereo in there to bump the oldies it started giving me starting problems. After much trouble shooting, the starter bearing was replaced. Much rejoice followed but then the gears started slipping. Just got the transmission rebuilt and with a new clutch, I was bracing for the worst.. But it was actually my brake drum.
Here is a pict.. Pretty grinded down. My mechanic wants to raise it since the back tires are cambering so much, but I'll still be low enough to cruise.

Price is Right...

I'm a big fan of the Price is Right, and I recently stumbled upon this site. Price is Right . It has some great old videos of the early shows, cool facts, etc. But there is one video in particular that has Bob Barker saying that they've been partying too much, followed by some clips that look like they've been hitting the bottle pretty good.

On that note, you have to check out this clip. Talk about luck!
I hope she is not an accountant.

Amazing Comics

If you were at Comic Con this year, I'm sure you heard all the hype surrounding these comics. If you weren't, then you are definitely missing out and have to pick up a copy of these comics ASAP. I'm fortunate enough to call these guys (and gals) my friends, but I guarantee these comics are definitely a must have. Jamie Baker compiled a list of the hottest comics at the Con. It includes comics by Enrico Casarosa, Scott Morse, Derek Thomson, and many others. You definitely won't regret it. Enjoy!

Pixar Motorama 2006

The good thing about summer is all the car shows that take place. I was at Asphalt last week, and this week was the Pixar Motorama. Lots of great employee cars, even Jay Leno had a car there. Audi had a new S8 and Ford had a GT. Good times.

Asphalt Invitational 2006

This weekend I went to check out Asphalt International hosted by my friend Jay Ward's Car Club - The Vultures. Some amazing cars were out there. Enjoy some of the picts. You can see more on Insomniakz's Photos.

Little Miss Sunshine

I had the opportunity to see this film and it is one of the best films I've seen all year (besides Cars of course). The writer and directors were there presenting the film, and afterwards had a Q and A, but I had to dash out at the end because I was late to a review, but I highly recommend it.

Cartoon Alley

If you love old cartoons, you have to check out this show on TCM. Every week they showcase different cartoons, from the early Warner Brothers, Popeye, Tom and Jerry, and forgotten shows like David Hand's Animaland shorts. There have been a few Tex Avery shorts that were hilarious!

Entourage Season 3

I hope you have your Tivo's ready for Sunday. Season 3 of Entourage starts on HBO.
If you still haven't seen this show, I suggest you go and buy both Season 1 and 2. One of my favorite shows of all time.


And check out this student film from CalArts. One of the better ones I've seen in a while.

Good ol' Fashioned Radio

A few years ago my friend Gerardo told me about this radio show that he listened to every once in a while. It was called the Art Bell show and it dealt with different topics every night. UFO's, Bigfoot, ghosts, etc... What I enjoyed most about it is that it is on A.M, so it sounds like an old radio show from the 50's. Eventually that show became Coast to Coast now hosted by George Noory. I enjoy it because they have guest speakers that range from different topics, and a part of me goes "What if?" Are there UFO's? Is Loch Ness real? I don't know, but it makes for some good late night listening.. Here is the web site: Coast to Coast , and if you're in the Bay Area, you can listen to 560 AM, starting at 10p. Don't get too spooked out!