New look for Big Takeover website

The Big Takover, the longtime zine that's dedicated to rock and music "with heart," has revamped its website. It's added several new columists/bloggers, making it look more like a music blog website. So far I like the new look, gives the site more fluidity. This'll be some competition for websites like Bitchfork Pitchfork!

Speaking of The Big Takeover, the new print issue (#57) with indie darlings Death Cab For Cutie on the cover will be arriving very shortly. As a longtime reader of this zine, I'll be looking forward to it. Bob Mould is also interviewed, among others.

Christmas lights

As much as ecologicially unsound they are (they use up a lot of electricity and energy), Christmas lights at night are one of my favorite things of the upcoming holiday season. Last evening I went to Longwood Gardens with my mom, sister and two nieces to see the special festival displays there. Over 400,000 lights throughout the garden. Plus colored fountains flowing to Christmas music and lots of decorated trees and poinsettias. It's lovely to look at night. Haven't been at Longwood Gardens for ages (places like that usually tend to bore me).

A couple of hours with my nieces (they're in their terrible twos) and I'm ready for a cocktail.

My cold ruins Santa Saturday and I stay home

Well this weekend I was supposed to go to Santa Saturday up in New Hope PA, but unfortuneatly I had a relapse on Friday night and my cold returned with a vengeance. Thus Saturday morning I was too sick to go. This is the second time in a row I had to miss it; last year I had to miss that because of a cold as well. And to make things worse, this year I was supposed to pick up my friend Richard in Philly and I would drive us up to New Hope. So when I cancelled that meant that he wasn't going as well, and I feel really bad about that. (I don't know if he was to able to find someone else to go up there with, since it was on short notice.) I'm depressed about this because I spent a lot of time getting myself for this big leather event--I had to juggle my work schedule so I could be free that day, save my money so I could spend it there, I had laid out my outfit to wear, got some music so I could listen to in the car on the way there and back, etc. etc., and it turned out to be all for nothing. I'm having a rough time personally right now and this cerainly would have lifted my spirits. I wanted to see if the Raven was able to pull off the vent. Friends of mine were going to be there as well, I have to find out how things went and maybe I'll give a report. Damn.

So I spent the day staying around my place watching TV, napping when I could, drinking lots of liquids, goofed around on the Net and caught up on some of my reading. I fucking hate having a cold. I really do.

Even though Santa Saturday was ruined for me, my weekend wasn't a total washout. On my way to work Friday moring I stopped at the local Circuit City and picked up The Legend Of Johnny Cash CD for only $6.99 (which was a Black Friday promotion at the store). Nice single disc overview of his long career. I started with "The Wanderer" (the track he did with U2 in 1993) and went on from there. It's good to have a little old-school country every now and then.

And I don't mean to brag, but that Amber interview I posted here a couple of days ago has started to get around. Arjanwrites put up a link to it (as well as the Jeff Barringer radio edit of "Just Like That") on the most recent post on his site, and the interview itself has been posted in a couple of other blogs as well. So that's another good happened this weekend. Still I vow to make it to the next Santa Saturday (if they'll still have it then).

Just Like That: An interview with Amber

Ever since "This Is Your Night" first came out in 1996, Euro-pop chanteuse Amber has had an array of songs that have been staples on the dance floors and on the pop charts. They include "Sexual (li da di)," which had a fierce remix by Thunderpuss, "Above The Clouds," and "Anyway (Men Are From Mars)". These days Amber has released her fourth album of original material, My Kind Of World, on her own label after a split with Tommy Boy Records two years ago. MKOW aims for a darker pop/rock direction a la Annie Lennox or Seal.

I had a few words with Amber, who was preparing to release the third single from the album, called "Just Like That." That song is my favorite track from the album, one of the more upbeat numbers from it. Billboard magazine refered to the track as "the album's secret weapon"; the song has the pop smarts that fans expect from Amber. Several different remixers have done their mixes of it, including Jason Nevins, Sweet Rains, and Solar City vs. DJ Rico. There is even a new ballad version of the song, which was done by Wolfram Dettki, who also produced My Kind Of World. The tracks has started to make the rounds at the various dance outlets, both in the clubs and on dance radio. You can also hear the Jason Nevins Radio Remix of "Just Like That" at Amber's MySpace page. The ten track single will be available for download on iTunes on December 6, and the physical commercial CD single will come out on Janurary 10, 2006.

What was the inspiration for the song "Just Like That?" Did the melody come first or did the lyrics?

I wrote the lyrics first. I had a good day and thought that I also needed some positive outlooking lyrics on the rather darker album My Kind Of World - I guess that you can say that this song comes as close as it can get to a "standard" Amber song- the songs that people out there expect from me. It is about finding true love and commitment and trust- the kind of relationship a person is ultimately striving for- some of them are lucky to find it- and some unfortunately never will because they look in the wrong places and do not love and respect themselves enough.

Jason Nevins are among the remixers listed that have remixed the single. What made you want to work with him?

Jason is using a rock vibe to his remixes that has crossed over and I like the fact that he is mixing it up. I am all for that - he was the one that started that and had crossed over with it and I had a feeling that he would really appreciate a track like "Just Like That"- and lucky me - he did and was very excited. I like the fact that he stuck with a lot of orignal arangements because that gives my producer Wolfram Dettki also some credit and tells me that the song is just hot the way it is...! Let's be realistic -obviously- a remixer with an already estabished name always creates an ear and people tend to listen a bit harder...BUT- quite honestly- just because you have a name out there and got a lucky shot- does not mean that you are a good musician to me...so- I really have to like the work of one in order to pay for a name! After all- it is also an investment that you are making.

How do you go choosing who'll remix your material. Word of mouth? Suggestions from fans? Seeing what is on the dance charts?

You would be surprised how I am not into looking at charts and getting into who is hot and who is not...I get approached by a lot of remixers and I let them send me material or links where I can listen to their work- or my club promoter would suggest somebody to me - soley based upon that and the overall impression- I make that decision who can touch my song and who will not. Then you still do not know if they will come out with something good - that is why I like to listen to the progress of it all inbetween so I can be constructive and work together with them to make all of us happy. I had a fantastic team of remixers on this project and I am very happy with the outcome and discipline that was put forward.

You defintely have a hand in picking the remixers now that you're running your own label. How much say did you have on the remixes when you were on Tommy Boy?

As good as none. In fact, I disliked many of the remixes.

When you were putting together the remixes for "You Move Me," the first single from the album, was that a learning experience? You had Wolfram Dettki and DJ Mike Cruz just doing those.

I was clearly also a budget question and a good tryout. I still think that Wolfram kicked out some really strong remixes but if you do not have the public name as an official "Remixer" and are in their little "sorority"- it gets hard- it is also a big political game in the world...so you have to find the balance. I simply cannot afford thousands of $ for one remix by a name that is "hot" at that point- it is just that simple.

Seeing the tracklisting for the new single I notice there is a ballad version of "Just Like That" now. Did the recent success of D.H.T. doing both a dance and a ballad verison of "Listen To Your Heart" influence you to do that? It was easier for them to get the song on the radio than if they had just did the dance version.

Absolutely not- it was actually a birthday present by my producer Wolfram for my very recent birthday in September and I loved it- I always wanted to release a ballad to radio so badly and this song just fits both formats- everybody who has heard it in full- is touched - almost to tears partially and loves it- so it might be the one that will cross - who knows- that is up in the stars but if you do not reach for them- you will definately not get to them...so I keep reaching and not just staring!

In the past three/four years, the popularity of dance music in America has sharply declined. With a few exceptions you hardly hear it on Top 40 radio these days. Do you have any suggestions on how to bring it back? Do you think that with the recent buzz on the latest Madonna album things might be turning around for the genre here?

I definitely think that Madonna can help other dance artists to come back or to bring a certain sound back to radio and proof that there are listeners for the genre out there. But then again- you have to realize that she has the exposure and $ for it that all the other dance artists can not buy - her face and name is known for many years- the minute her single and album comes out- you do not even want to see the marketing budget that is spend on the weeks of marketing and publicity impact that her team of tons of people are preparing a looooong time before it hits.

I am happy that she was able to accumulate those budgets in the "better and easier years" of the industry- it is impossible for other artists to spend that. What is pocket $ for one artist- is an incredible fortune for another that is simply not affordable. Development of artists is very rare these days- artists become fast food- if you do not invest in yourself to a certain extend- you become another has been very fast.


I just wanted to close this with a picture of Amber and me that was taken at Sisters Nightclub in Philadelphia back in October 2004. Thanks to Amber's assistant Asia for taking this! And thanks to Amber for doing this interview - this will be the first inteview I've done for this blog!

Driving around so much it's scary

It's kind of scary that I use my car a lot to get around. Had to run a lot of errands today, among them was to get my oil changed. I hate what would happen if my car crapped out on me and I couldn't get it replaced. There's going to be a lot of traffic at this time of year, considering that Thanksgiving is around the corner. Us Americans can be so dependent on our cars that it's not funny, too bad the public transportation isn't more accessible, especially in the Philly area.

I'm chilling out on posting Madonna stuff after this

Now I love Madonna to death but I do think I have step back from posting more items about her after I post this. I don't want to get too obsessive about this, I want to post more things that just pop culture stuff...

Madonna's latest album Confessions on a Dance Floor has sold nearly 350,000 copies in the past week, entering the Billboard's albums chart at #1. Her single "Hung Up" also entered the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 this week at #7. Glad to have some real dance music on the US pop charts in 2005 for a change.

Forgot to review the CD maxi-single of "Hung Up" in my last post. It has six tracks, including a radio edit. The SDP Extended Mix and the SDP Extended Dub are done by COADF producer Stuart Price, with a heavier beat for the dance clubs. Tracy Young's Get Up Ands Dance Groove Mix is good too, but it's only an edit here. Where's the full length version that was featured on Madonna's MySpace page recently? The other mixes are okay.

The good news about the success of her album is something for Madonna to take her mind off her recent losing a plagiarism case
in Belgium. Salvatore Acquaviva claimed that Madonna's "Frozen" copied one of his recordings, in which a Belgian court agreed with him. That means that the record company there has get radio and TV stations in that country to stop playing the song. The judge also ordered the record company to withdraw Ray of Light, the Madonna album on which Frozen appears, from sale in that country as well.

My review of Confessions on a Dance Floor

I've been reading the reviews of the latest Madonna album Confessions on a Dance Floor and they've been for the most part pretty positive, saying that it's a return to form. In some ways this album could be compared to Kylie Minogue's 2000 album Light Years. Here you have two dance music icons who both in the past released albums that aimed artisticly high and strayed from what was artisticly expected of them and ended up appearing as commercial disappointments (American Life and Impossible Princess retrospectively), so both do a calculated yet bouncy return to their dance roots with their follow-up albums. Confessions is poised to revive Madonna's career in America like Light Years has done to Kylie's career internationally.

Madonna's decision to make a total dance record in 2005 is one that bucks the trend in the US pop world. In the past four years the popularity of dance music in America has declined. Since 9/11 happened the country has fallen into a long night of dispair and dance music has been seen as insensitive of the national mood. You're more likely to hear a scowling 50 Cent on Top 40 radio than a smiling Kylie. The surest bet for Madge to succeed in this musical climate would be to do a Bedtime Stories 2005, that would be heavy on R&B and hip-hop, and using the biggest name producers in that genre. That fact that she chose to do a dance record instead speaks volumes of her artistic nature, that she's not one to take the path of least resistance.

Confessions On A Dance Floor kicks off with the opening track and first single "Hung Up." You've probably already heard it on the radio or on VH1, with its sample of the flute part of ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (which BTW is my personal favorite ABBA song). It's defintely a bouncy, catchy number that sets the tone of this album. "Get Together" continues in the same league, sounding like a lost track from the Erotica album with its minimal-housey sound. "Sorry," which is poised to be the follow-up single, starts out with Madonna saying "sorry" in different languages and gets a very Cher "Believe"-type intro with its heavy vecoder effects. (We all know how Madonna loves to fool around with that vecoder box ever since Music.)

Someone mentioned that the verse to "Future Lovers" sounds similar to Kylie Minogue's "Cowboy Style." If this sounds like a Kylie song, it sounds more like "Light Years" with its euphoric throbbing Moroder pulse.

"I Love New York." I should mention that back when I was in high school back in the mid-80s, a big dream of mine would be to travel to New York and go out to art galleries and nightclubs and hang out with the likes of Andy Warhol, Grace Jones, and Madonna. So today I find it amusing that Madge would write a song titled that. This song is the most rock-sounding track on the album, like it's a missing track from her American Life album. Madonna has also been known to write an occasionally gauche lyric like "I'd like to singy singy singy/Like a bird on a wingy wingy wingy" on "Impressive Instant" or that entire soy-latte rap from "American Life," and this track here has a couple of those such as "I don't like cities but I like New York/Other places make me feel like a dork." Still it's an enjoyable piece of electronica/rock.

"Let It Will Be" has Madge pontificating on how fame's not cracked up to be...for like the 1000th time? Okay we got that the first couple of times. "Forbidden Love" has a nice spacey Euro feel with those characteristic girly-Madonna vocals. "Jump" is my second favorite track from this album ("Hung Up" being the top one), with her singing about tasking risks and taking chances. This track sounds like something from Erotica too. I should listen to this track more often to inspire to do things I want to do.

The next track "How High" Madonna again talk about...fame fame fame. I guess we're lucky lucky that she didn't title this album Fame, Ain't It A Bitch. Musically it reminds me of Kylie's "Come Into My World."

"Issac." Yes the same track that some Jewish rabbis gotten their panties up in a bunch about. It's a lovely Middle Eastern-sounding epic number with some "hmmm, hmmm" humming a la "Frozen" and some additional Yeminite vocals by Rabbi Yitzhak Sinwani. "Push" goes for a tad slower but no less hypnotic rhythm a la Tom Tom Club. The song refers to her husband Guy Ritchie. I like this track as well. This track is begging for a big R&B/hip-hop producer to remix it. "Like It Or Not" concludes the disc, going a bit more mellow musically and Madge states she'll still be around whether you want her to or not.

This is a wonderful joyous album. Well produced by Madonna and Stuart Price, who fufilled his promise with his Jacques LuCont remix of "Hollywood" back in 2003. (Okay, most of the album--"Future Lovers" was produced by Madge and Music/American Life producer Mirwais Ahmadzai, and "How High" and "Like It Or Not" was done with her and Bloodshy & Avant.) I hope this album will be a success in America, which could use a good musical uplift right now, with the popularity of gangsta rap starting to appear to have peaked (with the 50 Cent movie being a box office disappointment). As much as the cliche it sounds, Confessions on a Dance Floor is a definite return to form indeed.

Head colds and CD purchases

Don't you just hate it when you come down with a cold? I've seemed to have gotten one this morning; my head feels stuffed up and groggy. Hopefully I'll feel better when I go into Philly tomorrow evening for the next Philadelphians general meeting at the Bike Stop.

I got a couple of gift cards for my birthday; one from Borders, the other from Sam Goody's. So for the past couple of days I've been purchasing some CDs I've been meaning to get for a while:

Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
Bob Mouid - Body Of Song (Deluxe Edition)
Celia Cruz - 100% Azucar! The Best Of Celia Cruz con la Sonora Matancera
Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor

And yes that makes it the third time I've purchased the latest Madonna album! But I'm enjoying it more every time I play it, so I don't feel any guilt over buying it. The most recent copy I'll be putting into my car stereo. BTW I originally was going to write a review of the album today but I'm not feeling well both physically and mentally right now, so I'll have to put it off until later in the week.

Also visited some people over the weekend. Saw my friend Perry from Wilmingtopn Delaware Saturday night, and I visited my sister Tracy, my brother-in-law Christain, and my two nieces this afternoon, but I keep my distance because of this cold. I hope that it passes soon.

A mix-CD for Santa Saturday

With Santa Saturday coming up on the horizon (November 26 at the Raven in New Hope, PA), I put together a CD-R compilation to get me into that sort of holiday spirit. Since it's likely that Christmas music will be played at the event, as they have done at the previous ones, I put no Christmas music on this compilation. (I love Xmas music, but I don't need to overdo it.) But the songs defintely have a joyous and celebratory nature to them, from Madonna's "Hung Up" to RuPaul's "Celebrate," it'll defintely put me in the mood for the annual leather event.

Santa Saturday mix-CD tracklisting

I don't do the dishes, I throw them in the rehab clinic!

The Guardian, a respected UK newspaper, recently did an interview with Courtney Love, who's doing a six month sentence at a California rehab clinic. A couple of choice quotes:

"I just sort of lost faith in myself last year. Getting dragged off to Bellevue [notorious New York mental institution] in front of the whole fucking world, it can really zap a person's confidence. I don't know of anybody else that's a celebrity that's done it other than Marilyn Monroe."

Courtney on how she's getting along with the others in rehab:

"I'd sit at a meeting and I'd say I feel like doing blow today and all of a sudden there'd be a line of people that wanted to do drugs with me and it would be like 'Relapse?' 'Let's call Courtney.'"

Kevin Lee

A good article via Philly City Paper on Kevin Lee who last week was elected to the Lansdowne Borough Council, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in Delaware County. I love it when he responded to criticism by saying "I'm never going to learn my place, and I'm never going to keep my mouth shut."

My birthday report

My 40th birthday went pretty well for the past two days. Tuesday night I went with my parents and my sister Tracy to the Cheesecake Factory in King Of Prussia to have dinner and a couple of drinks. Very crowded but we didn't have to wait too long to get a table. Nice drinks, and the portions were big. Didn't stay for cheesecake since there was a birthday cake waiting for me back at home (chocolate with cream cheese dressing).

Drove into Philly (in the pouring rain) last night for a little get-together with a few friends at the Westbury. Had a nice table with balloons. There were six of us altogether: me and my friends Mike, Richard, my pledge brothers Marc and Ron, and Perry (from Wimington DE). (I also invited a couple of others as well but they didn't show up.) We had some appitizers and a nice white cake. Occasionally there a nearby woman who insisted on singing some Celine Dion song that came on the jukebox, it was the equivalent of watching a train wreck. (BTW I don't like the Westbury's current jukebox, a TouchTunes digital jukebox that's very limited in its selection of music; I much perfered the CD jukebox they had before.) Anyhow, everyone enjoyed themselves. I originally was going to check out the Dumpsta Players at Bob and Barbara's after that, but between the rain outside and my sinuses acting up I decided to pass on that because I didn't to make it worse, so I went home instead, dropping Mike off at his place in South Philly along the way.

I've already got two copies of the new Madonna album, one I downloaded from iTunes and the other one I picked up at the local Target when I was doing some errands on Wednesday. I'll probably get a third copy for my car. Needless to say I am enjoying it so far. I also picked the new "Hung Up" CD maxi-single as well, which has a few remixes. I'll post a review of the album in a couple of days when I am more familiar with it. Madonna for my birthday, yeah!

Gay rights come to my town

It looks like the West Chester borough council is about to dicuss legislation that would prohibit anti-gay discrimination housing, employment and public-accommodations use. I hope that the legislation passes.

Nice bears don't wear cha-cha heels!

Filmmaker John Waters is an "expert" on bears now, according to New York magazine, which interviewed him for an article on the rise of bears in the gay community. The article itself is okay, but the writer didn't bother to interview any actual bears. Thanks to Bob and Towleroad for passing this on.

What age do you act?

Since this is my birthday, I thought the following would be interesting. From the results of this quiz I guess you could say I'm an arrested twentysomething, no?

You Are 21 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Happy Birthday! And Happy Madonna Day!

Today is my 40th birthday, and Madonna's new album Confessions on a Dance Floor is hitting the racks. A couple of good reasons to, as Karen Walker would put it, "rent a video!"

Weekend vs. birthday

I'm having a weekend that's pretty much low key. Saturday afternoon I was at a little party thrown by my local brunch group. Other than that and working at my job, I pretty much stayed in and took care of another little cold I had.

Since my 40th birthday is coming up on Tuesday, there are going to be a couple of parties for me. Dinner with my family on Tuesday at some restaurant, and Wednesday I'm headed into Philly for some drinks with my friends at the Westbury. So it's probably good to stay in this weekend, so I'll have more energy (and a few more bucks) to celebrate later this week.

In "celebration" of my landmark B-day, I'll be watching this classic episode of one of my favorite TV shows. And All About Eve on DVD as well. And throwing some drama over turning the big four-zero just like Edina and Margo Channing until I get bored. And getting a fire extinguisher for all those candles on my cake. Hee-hee.

Release this movie on DVD!

The other night I dreamed that the local library I go to had just gotten both Valley of the Dolls and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls on DVD. Neither of those two movies are actually available on that format (at least in America). (At least that library has the former on VHS.)

If there is a movie that's screaming to be re-issued on DVD it's Valley of the Dolls, a wonderfully trashy camp classic. There are some DVD copies that have been released in Europe but they don't work on American DVD players. And it ought to re-issued with such goodies as the screen tests by Patty Duke and Sharon Tate, which were just as good and over-the-top as the proper movie; those tests were shown as part of a special the AMC did on the movie a few years back (when AMC actually showed good movies). And throw in some commentary by the survivng members of the cast! Patty Duke giving a damn-the-torpedos perfomance as Neely O'Hara is, conservately speaking, a hoot. So if Twentieth Century Fox is reading this, you know what to do...

My new mix-tape for working out

Finished that workout tape I was talking about earlier this week. I call it "Old School Workout Tape" because it's on a cassette; I use my Sony Walkman tape player when I go for my walks. One side is more conventional dance, while the other side has more of an alt-rock-dance feel. Some good tunes can motivate me to exercise better. Click here to see the tracklisting.

Moderate Republican, my gay ass!

When it comes to the two senators in my state, sometimes I'm more angry at Arlen Specter than I am at Rick Satan-torum, because Arlen does things that he should know better. On Tuesday he said that he would not only let the antigay marriage amendment out of committee, he'd also vote for the constitutional amendent as well. Typical Arlen, when it doubt, just cater to the yahoos and swing to the right. He did it to Anita Hill back in the early 90s, and he's screwing over every gay person in Pennsylvania now. With his constant pandering to the right, he reminds me of the scene from the movie The Producers where the two Jewish Broadway producers are so willing to woo the "Springtime For Hitler" composer that they'd march down the street wearing Nazi armbands. And the really pathetic thing is that when election time comes around, some right-wing nutcase case runs against him in the Republican primary; I guess they are some KKK yahoos that won't vote for someone Jewish no matter what, even if he screws over women and queers. So Arlen gets scared and wants to retain his power in Washington and the tiresome dance between him and the right-wingers he caters to goes on without end.

Weighing in

Just wanted to respond to the comments about my post where I said I had gained some weight. I didn't mean to come off as vain. I'm a little bit sensitive about getting a big beer gut right now. Everytime I see my parents they're always saying that my stomach has gotten big. Does everyone's parents give them grief about their weight? Plus it's been harder to get into my size 33 Levis 501s and I don't want to spend a lot on money on getting a whole new wardobe. It'd be easier just to lose the weight. I have a pair of expensive size 32 leather pants I don't want to give up; I guess they're what Sex and the City refer to as "skinny jeans." I guess body fascism in the gay community can affect one's psyche. You, as well as other people, can tell yourself you look good but there's always a nagging little voice inside of you saying that you could look better. Anyhow I'm wary about diets like Atkins and South Beach, which sound kind of faddish to me; right now I'm just going to cut back on the in-between-meal snacking and excerise more by walking and doing stomach crunches. I'm making on a workout tape to motivate me to exercise more. Anyway I'm just going shut up since I'm sounding like a prat and just start walking. And if I don't lose the weight it's not the end of the world--the bear community has shown me that!

T.O. gets kicked to the curb

Well I'm not a big fan of sports (usually being the kid picked last when it came to choosing teams during gym class back in junior high) so it's a bit of a twisted pleasure when some stuck-up jock gets a reality check, such as football player Terrell Owens, who was kicked off the Philadelphia Eagles for good yesterday. Appearently the team would rather risk being at the bottom of the NFL standings than put up with him any more; it basicly says that T.O. is being an asshole. And many sports fans in Philly seems to agree with this firing.

And no more Nicolette Sheridan taking off her towel for you either, T.O.! Ha!

Am I pathetic?

Usually I like to go out on Saturday night, but last night I stayed in. Does that make me pathetic? It's not like I had a cold or something; I just needed to save some money because I have to go to Philly on Monday and Wednesday for Philadelphians meetings. Plus I needed to save some money for the upcoming holidays. So I stayed in, did some net surfing and watched the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 2, the UFC reality show on Spike TV. Until I can get some more money, I need a cheap alternative to get out of the house on Saturday night.

I have a special birthday coming up in nine days, so I've been planning of couple of different parties. I hope that plans will go well. More details as they come along.

A few days ago I weighed in at 174 pounds and I've been getting a beer gut. (Five years ago I weighed in about 150 pounds. I'm 5' 8".) I think that's the results of overeating out of stress and lack of exercise during the past several months. But I have been doing quite a bit of walking around the neighborhood in the past few days. Until I can afford a gym membership then that'll be my main form of exercise. Now if I could be better at watching what I eat, then I can start losing some weight and that gut. I'm motivated now.

Oh Boy part 3

Boy George has been rumored to be the latest celebrity to join the Kabbalah due to a big Star of David recently tatooed on his head.

But then again he has had a history of Jewish symbols woven into his fashion back to his Kissing To Be Clever-era Culture Club days, such as his use of the Star of David on his T-shirts (see the "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?" video).

50 Cent ought to choke on his own vomit

In a move to help push his piece-of-crap movie coming out this weekend, crapper rapper 50 Cent attacks Kanye West for saying "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during a September telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims. 50 absolved Bush from any blame, saying that "The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen. It was an act of God." Could this be because 50's jealous that Kanye has displaced him as the new face of hip-hop? (Not to mention that Kanye didn't need Eminem and Dr. Dre's help to cross over like 50 did.)

Oh well at least when Bush decides to dump Cheney as vice-president he could always replace him with 50 Cent in a desperate attempt to regain his numbers back up. Let's face it, Fiddy's politics tend to be pretty right-wing: hyper-capitalistic, pro-gun, hates queers and women. He'd fit in with the Republicans. For him to be a Bush apologist is not an extreme jump. And 50's sticking up for Bush will make sure that Clear Channel will keep playing his music on brainwash rotation on all their radio stations. (Just like manager/stage parent Joe Simpson's kissing Bush's behind would make sure that the resulting airplay would help his daughter Ashlee's new album come in at #1.)

Why George Bush is singing today

"Hey all you Big Oil buddies of mine! I heard that in Philadelphia SEPTA went on strike yesterday! That means no public transportation there! They'll have to buy our expensive gas if they want to go anywhere now! Between that and the fact that the Supreme Court are going to be my bitches, I feel so gosh-darn happy that I'm going to sing!"

My Japanese Name Is...

Your Japanese Name Is...

Takai Yamada

What's your Japanese Name?