$$$'s For ZZZZZ

Bought a mattress today. A badass top of the line Sealy Posturepedic Pillowtop. I'm moving back to LA and I thought I should have a badass mattress to help with the transition. Good move, me.

Writing

When I've finished writing something there is a period where I'm really satisfied with what I've created and I'm excited just by the concept that the words in my hand are my own. Then, I've read the story so many times in recent days as I polished the final draft, I don't really need to see those words again for awhile. In the case of a script I will come back to it when it is time to shoot, because I want desperately, to see those words come to life; but in the meantime I start to get distracted by other story ideas that I want to start writing.

Now is one of those times. I have a story idea that I've had sitting in my head for over a year now, and I know that I can't turn my consciousness towards it for at least another year, for multiple reasons. One of which, is that the story I've just written still needs to be shot, and deserves all of my conscious attention. The other reason, in the case of this particular new story, is that I know I still have a lot of life to live between now and when I can write this script well. So I continue to jot down story ideas, lines, character information and I put them all in a folder to be dealt with at a later date. But tonight I feel almost reminiscent of this story that doesn't exist. I wish I could read it now, I wish I could see what I will have written two years from now. I'm so excited about what it could be, but I know I have to wait. It's like I'm waiting for an album or a movie to come out, and I've heard the single or seen the trailer, but it will still be months until I get to have the whole thing. Only this feels worse, because I only have myself to blame for the fact that this story doesn't exist yet. But when it does exist, well, let's just say I can't wait. Unfortunately, I have to. Because I said so.

My Top 10 Movies of 2008

Yeah, I know it's September, but I got a little bit behind on movies in 2008, and so it took me awhile to compose this list. I would normally do this on Facebook, but I don't have that anymore so it's off to the anonymous blog. So spineless. I still haven't seen everything that I should have seen before making this list, but enough is enough, it's time to write it. One of the movies I haven't seen is Slumdog Millionaire, which might make me accidentally racist. I hope that's not true, but I'm just noting that I'm aware it's possible. So without further adieu, here is my Top 10 movies of 2008 in no particular order.

1) Milk - Brilliant. Although the list is in no particular order I put this at number 1 because it just might have been the best. Gus Van Sant continues to wow when he has the script to match his talent, and the acting is nothing short of phenomenal. A great story, and a movie that is full of emotion and heart without ever getting schmaltzy.

2) Snow Angels - If you had asked me in 2007 which David Gordon Green movie of 2008 I was most likely to include in my Top 10, I can promise you that it would not have been this one. But he proved again that he has the midas touch when it comes to indie drama. Also, 2008 was the year of Olivia Thirlby as indie sexpot, and this was a good of example of said phenomena.

3) Forgetting Sarah Marshall - My favorite comedy and maybe my favorite movie of 2008, this movie is just straight up hilarious. I love that Jason Segel has made it profitable to be Jason Segel and it's fun to see his Freaks and Geeks character all grown up and in Hawaii with Kristen Bell and the uber hot Jew, Mila Kunis. It's always fun when guys talk about how hot a girl is and you can say, "Oh yeah. Did you know She's Jewish?" And then watch their reaction. Anyways, this movie is an instant classic in my book.

4) The Foot Fist Way - Didn't love this movie when I watched it on DVD, but I can't forget how hilarious it was the first time I saw it in the theater. It's pretty impressive that these guys launched their careers with $60k and a camera pointed at Danny McBride. Good for them, and fun for us.

5) Step Brothers - Yeah, I'm biased, but the more times I see this movie, the funnier it gets. They set out to make a super weird movie, and they did it. Like I said, the more I watch it the more I like it, and it's definitely one of the best of the year.

6) Vicky Christina Barcelona - One of my favorite Woody Allen movies, I love the way it romanticizes Spain and it's great to see Penelope Cruz in an English speaking role, she is one of the great actors of her generation, but we so rarely get to see her speak in English. The movie is funny, sexy and just feels full of life.

7) Religulous - I'm not a big Bill Maher guy, but this just worked for me. Really enjoyable and informative, and I didn't feel like it was unfair. Tough to take on this topic, and I'm sure it pissed off a lot of people, but I think Maher and Larry Charles handled it with tact and intelligence.

8) Role Models - It's no secret that I'm a huge Paul Rudd fan, and it was great to see that when Paul Rudd writes a character for Paul Rudd, he's cynical, callous, angry and hilarious.

9) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Biased? Yeah, I am. Definitely. But I don't think I'm out of line to think that Fincher deserved the Oscar for Best Director and that Pitt deserved more consideration for Best Actor. This movie could have and should have been a total mess but these two guys pulled out the performance of a lifetime to create an epic tale that covers 80 years of life and matches unprecedented CGI with intimate storytelling. Watch the Criterion Collection Blu Ray Special Features DVD and tell me that you don't agree. Brilliant.

10) Frost/Nixon - I don't know how you make a sit down interview an incredibly engaging movie, but Ron Howard sure does. Apollo 13 is one of my favorite movies, and I love it when Ron Howard is at the top of his game. Frost/Nixon is a fantastic example of one of our best blockbuster directors taking a very unique story and bringing it to the masses.

Movie that I owe it to Paul Rudd to see, but probably never will: Over Her Dead Body

Movie I will never see because the very concept terrifies me: Teeth

Alright, that's about it. If you want to leave any comments to discuss these picks or picks I didn't make, I'd be happy to engage in some discourse. See you in 2010 with my list for 2009. (Which might only be a 4 months away.)

Note: I don't think anyone reads this blog, my last post was in April, so if you are reading this you are probably a friend that I've sent the link to. So please, comment like you would if this were on facebook.

@Lance & @Chris: Moral Support Through Twitter

140 characters can do a lot.

CHRIS CRAYNER: @lancearmstrong - my mom is headed to the IU cancer center tomorrow for a second opinion, any suggestions or thoughts?

About an hour later:

LANCE ARMSTRONG :@chriscrayner positive attitude, ask lots of questions, and fight like hell. IU is an amazing hospital. Without them, I'm not here.

The world is tiny and only getting smaller. Maybe that's not so bad.

The Love Language

Just read about The Love Language in SPIN, and decided to go ahead and buy their album on iTunes. I'm thoroughly enjoying my first listen.

The Lo-Fi style is reminiscent of The Arcade Fire, but the pop sensibilities and piano remind me of something more along the lines of old Phantom Planet.

Worth checking out. Not to mention that the first album is a one-man band (not unlike Josh Rouse, Coconut Records (which wasn't entirely Schwartzman, but mostly) and Illinois (I think that was all just Sufjan Stevens).

However, apparently The Love Language became a 7-piece band for touring, and the second album will be made with the whole band.

Image From Here

I also really like their name and album artwork. You can never underestimate the power of good packaging.

I'm Twitterpated

I like Twitter, and I didn't think I would. When I first heard of it, it sounded like the most retardedly annoying feminine activity of all time. "Tweeting?" Are you fucking joking?

One of the features of Facebook that I mock the most is the Status, and Twitter is essentially an entire social network dedicated to the Status. But then I realized why I don't like the status, it isn't because of the status, but because of who is updating it. Who? You ask. A bunch of people I don't know and/or don't like, who are disguised as my "friends."

Facebook came out of nowhere and spread like the plague. Anyone who you met or used to know became your Facebook friend. And this was fine, or at least it was whatever. But then Facebook went from being a heightened white pages for messaging to a News Feed about a bunch of people whose lives you aren't really that interested in.

Twitter is Web 2.0 for me. When Facebook came out I didn't know what was happening, I got lost in the shit storm that was social networking. Now, I know what I want out of a social network, and more importantly, who I want it with.

I don't need a profile about my friends to know that my friends like The Roots and Office Space. I just want to keep up on what they're doing in life.

So, Twitter is to "Follow and Tweet" with my friends (the lingo still sucks), and Facebook will continue to annoy the shit out of me, but be too addictive and occasionally useful to get rid of.

Where was Jack?

I'm not the only person writing about this today, but seriously, where was Jack last night? It just doens't feel like The Oscars without Jack.

Dating Tip

When you're going on a date, don't risk getting a nervous stomach and/or eating something that doesn't agree with you. Nothing spoils a date faster than farts (She's looking at you, wondering if you did it. You've got eyes darting everywhere, trying to avoid an admission of guilt on your face.) or frequent trips to the bathroom (i.e. the squirts). Even if you're just a little rumbly in your tumbly, it's still going to ruin the date because you won't be able to relax and be yourself. So don't take the chance, just take two Pepto-Bismol Chewable Tablets before you leave the house and you'll be fine. Seriously, it works like a charm.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Benjamin Franklin said that shit. You think you're smarter than Benjamin Franklin? You're arrogant.

Remote Control Tricks

When you're bored, do you ever try out different tricks with the remote control? I do. Here are a few.

Clockwise from top left: behind the back, between the legs, two handed, and no-look.

Coolest. Thing. Ever.

At some point in my life I want to get the sweetest Nike gear possible and do the shit out of this.

TOUGH GUY CHALLENGE 2009 (via CupOfJo)

Awesome.

So, I know who Bob Geldof is, but I didn't know anything about his daughter, Peaches. Until she married the guy from Chester French, a band I dig, that is produced by some other guys I dig.

I'm writing, because this seems like one of the more awesome quotes. When the two married, six months ago, Peaches Geldof was quoted as saying, "I didn’t go into it with Max thinking, ‘This is going to last forever."

Perfect. Get married. Why not?

In her defense, she did go on to say, "I love him right now and I know that I will continue to love him for a long while."
I'll let you google this stuff if you want the whole story.

I just have one last thing to talk about. I think it's really funny that the title song of the EP, She Loves Everybody, has these lyrics:

But she feels so clean.
Well she craves attention.
So I use protection.
And I know she loves me.
She loves everybody.

And that the album artwork is a condom.


You know, because the girl probably has an STD? You know, because she sleeps with lots of dudes?

Man's Best Friend

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of my first dog, Jessie, on this computer, but that is a photo of Roxy, who is a spitting image of Jessie. And, as you can tell from this photo, knows how to relax. She's 4.

We got Jessie when I was six years old and she passed away when I was 19. We had 13 great years together. I had known Jessie for about as long as I had known myself and she was my friend. I wanted to share this great column from The Sports Guy about his recently departed dog, The Dooze. The spirit of a dog will never cease to amaze me.

Honoring Pre

Over the last month I have spent a considerable amount of time at home in Eugene, Oregon. While in Eugene, I made it a regular habit to "Honor Pre". This essentially means that my friend Ryan and I run "Pre's Trail" and we would attempt to Honor Pre, by running hard and giving it our all. We were able to manage close to a 7 minute mile over the 4+ mile trail. We regularly felt that we were honoring the spirit of The Legend, Steve Prefontaine.

As you can imagine, after a hard run, a man can be pretty hungry. Thank God, Ryan found Dave's Killer Good Seed Bread. We combined this absurdly good bread (the best sliced bread since sliced bread) with naturally smoked turkey and a wide array of pestos, cheeses, mustards, guacamoles, tabascos, really whatever came to mind that day.

It was phenomenal. I'm going to go so far as to say it might end up being one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

You see, it combined a number of things that I love. Let me list some of them.

-Achieving athletic excellence.

-Giving honor to one of the few true legends, the God Father of Track Town USA (Eugene, Oregon): Steve Prefontaine.

-Eating a great meal that is the product of a lot of thought and care, and thus becomes a topic of conversation itself. (Unfortunately I don't have any photos of our creations, but they are worthy of an entire website.)

-Good conversation/friendship. (Chris's fat, lazy ass would join for sandwiches. He didn't Honor Pre though.)

Chris, Me, Ryan. (Note the Stop Pre shirt.) Photo circa 2007.

-Indulging myself in the culture of Eugene. The Willamette River, running trails, Pre, Alton Baker Park and its ducks, Autzen Stadium and its Ducks, great local food products (Dave's is from Portland), and wearing state of the art Nike apparel.


-And just in general, that feel good feeling about life.

Essentially, a day of Honoring Pre was a day when many simple pleasures were combined to make for a great day. I think Pre is smiling.


p.s. I'm thinking next time I'm in Eugene we should have someone get some photo documentation of such a day.

The Burger Joint

I just had an awesome burger in NYC tonight. Hidden away in one of the corners of NYC's swanky Le Parker Meridien Hotel is a place called simply, The Burger Joint. Even once you are in the lobby it is not easy to find, but if you have a chance definitely stop and get a burger here. It's made even better by the fact that this very affordable and casual place is across the lobby from a restaurant that is famous for their thousand dollar omelette

Win Them All, Benjamin!

I'm so excited about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button receiving 13 Oscar Nominations. This movie and the people who made it are deserving of all the praise they are receiving, I hope that Oscar Night is a big one for this movie.

Image From Here

I Like Butterscotch!

How awesome would it be to be Barack Hussein Obama right now? No matter what you say, people will break into violent cheering. The guy could literally walk on stage and say, 'Hey everybody . . . I like butterscotch!' And people would lose it.
- Chris Courtney

But seriously, what a cool day.

Image from The New York Times