January 2004 Archives

I have a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell!

The Sports Guy strikes again.

Peabs v. Lou Dobbs:
Detractors claim he's utterly unelectable, personally irresponsible, and ethically repugnant. His supporters argue that Peabs is exactly what America needs. Is he a flash in the pan, or the future of politics in America? As part of CNN's ongoing coverage of the Presidential primaries, Lou Dobbs Tonight host Lou Dobbs sat down with Peabs.

Peabs: Peabs only speaks truths, Lou. Obvs, if you've got a small D, I'm gonna attack you. I don't feel this is "mudslinging," per se, just brutal honesty from a man who happens to be blessed down below. Bovs.

Obvs in '04! Tiggs, Shats and Boombalats.

Well, it’s a bittersweet day here at information leafblower headquarters. It is time to reveal the matters of personal interest that have been consuming so much of my time in the last few weeks. So here is the buzz:

On February 10th I will be moving back home to the North Cackalack. I’m doing this in part because I can’t seem to find gainful employment in NYC, but mostly because my girlfriend and I, via mutual decision, have decided to end our relationship of five years. Damn, time fucking flies when you’re having fizz. Just as bad, if not worse, is that I’m also losing kitty. Molly and I actually broke up a few months ago but are just now telling everyone.

So to recap my 2003: tear ACL playing soccer, have ACL surgery, unable to walk for two months, get laid off 4 days after ACL surgery, unemplyed and broke for most of the year, break up with girlfriend (& kitty).

If that was a country song, no one would listen to it.

Needless to say most of our friends were/are shocked. Apologies to those that didn’t receive the news from me in person. I’ve been trying to clue everyone in but of course some people are going to be left out. This was not intentional.
This whole experience has been unlike any other break up I’ve ever had to deal with because 1) we still live together and 2) we are still friends. Molly and I still hang out alot and have fun together and I have no doubt that we will be friends for a long time after this is all over. For that I am extremely thankful.
It’s also strange getting together with my friends now because every time we hang out I wonder if that will be the last time I will see them. Well, the world is much smaller nowadays and it’s not that hard to keep in touch. Hint hint.
Moving away from the Big Apple is sad in many respects but I was here for seven fun filled years and it’s time to move on. I need a change badly and a change of scenery will (hopefully) do the most good. I’ve always said I wasn’t going to live in NYC forever, so I guess there’s no time like the present get going on that. I am ready to drive to work and have closets in my apartment that actually are wide enough to hang clothes in.
As for the immediate future, it’s all about packing and getting rid of the things I won’t need once I’m back down below the Mason Dixon line. Molly and I are heading to Boston next weekend to see the Super Furry Animals for one last glorious blowout. We’ll see the Super Furries again the following Monday in NYC and then pack everything up the next day and I’ll hit the road. Loading the moving truck up with all the snow on the ground should be fun. I’ll be back at my parent’s house near Charlotte until I can find a gig somewhere, hopefully Atlanta.

So next week I will be on an abbreviated publishing schedule. The following week I’ll be moving so I’m not sure when I’ll be back online after the 10th.

Sorry if this melodramatic, but it’s something I’ve wanted to get off my chest for a while.
Thanks for listening.

and i know that
what is here will not be here much longer
unless we alter what we have
or alter what we don't have / what we won't have
what we've never seemed to have
what we try to have / we fail to have
and all of this was just so we won't

stay the same / if we can't be the same
we won't stay the same
our similar thoughts will never let us
stay the same / if we can't be the same
we won't stay the same
just because we think we are the same

Oh yes...believe it. All Hail Largehearted Boy for this download of the mighty Chuck Palahniuk reading his short story entitled Guts.

Or gal...or person...whatever. If you're not keeping up with the The Sports Guy and his daily entries to his "blog", you are SO missing out. I take back all the bad things I said about Billy Boy, we're all just swimming in your wake this week.

Wednesday:
So, we came up with this big plan for Media Day: Jimmy's cousin Sal (a frequent contributor to the show, as well as one of my good friends and the author of the best-selling book, "I Just Hit a Five-Player Parlay in the Australian Open!") is going to pretend he's one of the players. And with the staggering number of foreign journalists and non-sports fans running around at Media Day, we think it just might work.
Now we need to decide on a player. Sal has to pretend he's a kicker, since he's barely 5-foot-9. And everyone knows what Adam Vinatieri looks like, given that he's made two of the most memorable kicks in the history of football and all. That leaves Panthers kicker John Kasay. Who the heck knows what John Kasay looks like?

Over the next 45 minutes, we end up roping in a handful of people, with Sal giving crazy answers like, "I'll let you in on a little secret: I have a metal left foot, the league has no idea," and "I don't care about the game, I'm just here for the strippers."

Thursday:
For the past eight years, Sony PlayStation and 989 Sports have thrown a Super Bowl party together. For the past eight years, one star from each Super Bowl team has competed in the most current version of "NFL GameDay." And for the past eight years, the player who prevailed ended up winning a Super Bowl ring just a few days later.

As I'm thinking about this stuff, Smith does something unbelievable -- he goes for the two-point conversion ... and gets it to make the score 22-7. There have been rappers who have shot each other for doing that. It's the ultimate insult. Remember the scene in "Goodfellas" when Billy Batts tells Tommy, "Now go get your shine box?" Going for the two-point in front of 400 people is 10 times worse than that. Smith could have stood up and peed on Brown's right leg and it wouldn't have been as insulting.

Good stuff to say the least. I used to speak with Pat O'Brien quite a bit at my last gig, he was a super cool guy. I always told him I wouldn't hold it against him that I associated his face with the Lakers winning the '86 title over the C's (he used to cover bball for NBC in the pre-Access Hollywood days). He always acted like that was a funny joke or something. Respect.

Did anyone else catch Peabs going at it with Bill O'Reilly last night? It was pretty heated stuff. Peep the transcript:
PEABS: ... the vast majority of illegal drug users use drugs like ‘mos, either occasionally or perhaps once a wizz. No buzz. The vast majority of illegal drug users are marijuana users, in fact. Shmears.
O'REILLY: Well, OK, but look...
PEABS: Now, we're talking about (inaudible, Peabs hits joint)...
O'REILLY: ... you're getting off, you're getting off the topic in the sense that you believe -- See, I believe public intoxication should be against the law, and it is. If you're intoxicated in public, it's against the law.
PEABS: Shmears. Not everywhere, man. I mean, New Orleans would be an example of a plizz where you're allowed to drink on the street, fuck dirty-ass skanky whores…
O'REILLY: You may be allowed to drink on the street. You're not allowed to be intoxicated on the street. There's a blood alcohol level everywhere in this United States. If you're over it, you get hauled in. And I believe that's a fair and good law. You don't.
PEABS: G’damn rizz Peabs doesn’t.
Obvs in '04!

This is one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen. It's so wrong, but so so funny.

For anyone that's around the NYC area, I'm selling my Palm Vx and my 24 speed mountain bike + bike rack. Drop me a line if you're interested. Both are in A+ condition.

Today's word/phrase is:
gratta: pants stuck in the butt

There is so much buzz today that I'll have to run it down bullet stizz:

- Lonely? How about an imaginary girlfriend as opposed to a real one? Less hassle you know.

- As if seeing the Knicks play didn't cost enough, Gov. Pataki wants to include an additional tax on tickets to sporting events to help pay for wireless telephone emergency service programs and other homeland security initiatives. The city and state already have an 8.625 percent surcharge on all tickets and we haven't even gotten to the TicketBastard charges yet. Just wait until they raise it again to pay for that stadium on Flatbush and Atlantic.

- Mo' Money, Mo' Problems. Wardel Fenderson, P Diddy's former limo driver is suing him for a cool $3 million because has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and has been in constant fear for his life ever since he helped Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs flee a shooting at Club New York on Dec. 27, 1999. Yeah buddy, a million dollar lawsuit should make you feel real safe now. A friend hooked Fenderson up with the job but he warned him that Puffy was "very arrogant, very demanding, has a very, very hot temper and some acquaintances of a bad nature." Really? Are we talking about the same P Diddy here?

- Howard Dean changes campaign managers. His new one worked for Al Gore. How'd that work out for him?

- Stop the presses! Former CIA weapons inspector David Kay admitted to Congress yesterday that Iraq almost certainly did not have weapons of mass destruction before the war.

- "Good evening Mr. Jacko, would you like the Jesus Juice or the Jesus Blood to go with your meal tonight?"

- An Oregon hotel worker came forward yesterday and announced that she had a consensual sexual encounter with Kobe Bryant that stopped just short of sex in April of 2003. Strangely this will neither help or hurt the prosecution as the woman described Bryant as "a perfect gentleman" when she said no to intercourse. I wonder how big of a ring Vanessa is getting for this?

- Homer Simpson to star in a Superbowl ad for Mastercard. The ad highlights a typical day for Homer, who runs some errands so he'll be able to spend more time with Marge and the kids. Homer's first stop is the Kwik-E-Mart, where he grabs a six-pack of Duff, a hot dog, potato chips and some doughnuts as the voiceover intones "Diapers, milk and laundry detergent . . . $25" ("Oh yeah, and the stuff he said," Homer responds).

- This is fucked up. For real. I have actually met and hung out with the myth and legend that is TMFTML and while being an all around cool person, was very serious in keeping his/her identity a secret. This is something I fully respect and I wish TMFTML the best.

- Foxy Jess has been at the top of her game lately over at The Blueprint. Respect.
**Update** Can I call it or what? Foxy J got the mention over at E! online regarding her Bill Murray piece. Awesome!! Way to go Jess!! Don't forget the small (unemployed) people on your way to the top. [link from the ubiquitous Whatevs]**UPDATE**

- Andre Agassi had his 26 game winning streak at the Australian Open snapped in the this year's semi finals by Marat Safin.

- Lost cause Eddie Girffin is heading back to rehab because he can't keep his willy in his pants. He is taking an indefinite leave from the team just three weeks after signing with the New Jersey Nets. The media's been saying "he's playing tomorrow" for the last week. Yeah right.
Four days ago police responded to calls from alarmed guests at a Rutherford, N.J. hotel concerning Griffin going to the wrong room looking for a girl he had just met. He was invited by a girl up to a party in the hotel," said Sgt. Patrick Feliciano of the Rutherford Police Department's Detective Bureau."Somehow, he went to the wrong room, was knocking on the door and frightened the guest who called police. The person didn't know who he was."Officers responded but there was no arrest made, Feliciano said.
Griffin, 21, has a long history of emotional and legal issues. Nine days ago, he was convicted of a misdemeanor marijuana-possession charge in Houston. He still faces a felony assault charge that will be heard Feb. 13, when sentencing on the pot rap also is set. Yet somehow, the Nets were applauded for signing this guy to a one year contract worth $371,000, but the Celtics were idiots to trade for Ricky Davis, who has never had an off court issue in his entire NBA career. Idiots!!

- Don't even front. You bitches got lucky last night. Why do the refs love that punk ass bitch Rip Hamilton so much? If he chips a nail, they call a foul. Rip Hamilton is the new Reggie Miller. And by that, I mean NO BUZZ.
The C's were on the wrong end of many a questionable call (at home no less!!) last night but special props go out to Big Ben Wallace for his 4 straight free throws down the stretch to seal it for the Pistons. Respect to BB. I will take solace in the fact that the C's scored 103 points on one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and actually outrebounded their opponents.
New coach John Carroll was doing all sorts of crazy things on the court, like running screens to get his jump shooters open and having people cut to the basket for lay ups. Crazy I tell you! He even went out on a limb and played our two best low post players, Chris Mihm and Mark Blount, AT THE SAME TIME, so we could hang with Detroit's big boys on the glass. Mihm ended up fouling out, but had 16 points and 9 boards while Blount added 12 and 9. Some people may not like where we are heading, but I feel the future is very bright.

Last night while watching the Kings v. Rockets tilt, Coolfer and I decided that Turn You Inside Out was the grestest REM song ever. Thoughts? I further submit New Adventures In Hi-Fi as their most under-rated album.

Nothing could be bring me closer
Nothing could be bring me near
Where is the road I follow? / to leave, leave

Today's word / phrase is:
rain closet: shower

Due to philosophical differences the Jim O'Brien era ended in Beantown yesterday, to the dismay of some and the delight of others. Count me in the latter group. I greatly respect Obie for taking this club to within 2 games of the NBA Finals in 2001 and all the other things he has done for the franchise, but I had tired of his over reliance on veteran role players like Waltah McCarty and especially his motionless offense that relied on three point shooting. The Celtics are not a hard team to defend or prepare for and hopefully now that will change.

Make no mistake, Obie's reliance on his precious "system" is what did him in in Boston. He continually tried to get the players to fit into the system as opposed to adjusting his game plans around the talent. Rather than take Obie to task for this, Ainge simply traded away his crutches in December when he sent Eric Williams, Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown to the Cavs for Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm and Yogi Stewart. Obie was crushed to say the least. Ainge wants to win in the future, Obie wanted to win right now.

The Celtics are one of the least fun teams to watch in the NBA because of their archaic offense. Paul Pierce gets triple teamed so much that he thinks he is wide open when only two people are on him, yet Obie never runs any plays to get PP free looks at the basket. He has stationed Ricky Davis, an excellent mid range shooter, out by the three-point line, also reducing his effectiveness in driving to the basket.
Obie amazed me by leaning so hard on his veterans this year when Ainge continually went to the press saying it was a rebuilding year and he had no expectations for the club, essentially giving Obie free reign to experiment with his line ups and strategies, regardless of the results. Obie, the stubborn bastard he is, wouldn’t bite and the team kept shooting three pointers and getting badly out rebounded night after night.

So now the team is in the hands of assistant John Carroll. Carroll was brought to Boston by Rick Pitino, so unfortunately, the Pitino era is still not done in Beantown. Argh. Whether or not Carroll will still be the head man next year remains to be seen. I look for Danny Ainge to bringin someone he can control and dictate things like playing time to, essentially having an extension of himself on the bench. The names I have heard the most are former Phoenix suns coaches Frank Johnson (an Ainge assistant when he was the head man there) and Paul Westphal as well as ex-Celtic Dave Cowens, currently employed the the club as a scout.

O'Brien will undoubtably get another coaching gig in the very near future. There is some speculation he may take over in New Jersey. Whatever happens, I wish him the best, but I'm still glad he is gone.

Oh yeah, the Celtics play the Pistons tonight. I'll be watching for obvious reasons.

Slow news day my ass!! Message board punching bag Jim O'Brien resigns as head coach of the Boston Celtics today. This story is so new there is no link on ESPN. Assistant head coach and "defensive wiz" (a term I use loosely as it is up for debate due to the teams recent performances) Dick Harter has also resigned. It is thought that assistant John Carroll will take over in the interim basis.
Does this set the stage for Danny Ainge to return to the bench?
If not, will Caroll stay on the bench all year or will someone else be brougt in?
Does the team still owe O'Brien for the remaining 3 1/2 years on his contract?
Does this affect the Vin Baker contract buyout/termination situation?
What does Paul Pierce think of this?
Will the Sports Guy weigh in?
Stay tuned to this site for more updates.

I've been swamped with personal stuff so far this week, hence the lack of the usual witty, insightful comments in this space. Be patient, all will be revealed.

Bill Gates is all like "To say a system is secure because no one is attacking it is very dangerous," trying to call out Apple and Linux as unsecure platforms. Meanwhile, the MyDoom virus is fucking shit up on Windoze systems worldwide. Gates went on to stick his foot in his mouth even further by dropping gems like "A high-volume system like (Windows) that has been thoroughly tested will be by far the most secure," as well as "Everybody who had their software completely up-to-date was immune to those (virus) problems. But only 20 percent of our customers were, so obviously, we weren't doing enough." OK...whatever you say bro.

I can't believe I beat Peabs to this story (all the time and drugs on the campaign trail must be taking their toll), but the mascot for the Chicago Bulls was arrested for selling weed. Police found 6 ounces of pot with a street value of more than $1,000 and a scale in the trunk of his car late Monday night. Chester Brewer, 31, was charged with delivery of marijuana and appeared for a bond hearing Tuesday afternoon.

In other news, According to sources with the Chicago Bulls, a buyout of Jay Williams contract will be finalized in the next few days.

The Sports Guy is in Houston all week to cover the big game for ESPN and the Jimmy Kimmel show. His column is serving as a blog while he is down there. Here are the entries for Monday and Tuesday. He promises it will be updated 2 to 3 times per day while he is in town.

In case you were wondering, Ricky Davis has played 22 games wearing green and white. I feel at home, real comfortable," he said. "I'm trying to do what I can to win ballgames. It's been pretty good so far." Personally, I'm still trying to put the beat down the C's got at the hands of the Nets on Sunday out of my mind. We play the Pistons tomorrow. Cowboy up!

Uconn skipper Jim Calhoun apologized for his diarrhea of the mouth following his teams unexpected loss to lowly Providence (note:the Friars are 14-3, I should look at the standings before I write things like this). When asked about Ryan Gomes, the Providence star that hails from nearby Waterbury, CT, Calhoun went off the deep end with a profanity laced tirade."I took Emeka Okafor and Caron Butler. They're not bad! I can't get everyone!"
Can you imagine Coach K ever doing something like this?
Me neither.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha I repeat, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Serves you right.

Landon Donavan might be joining Brian McBride in the EPL this season. MLS should look to get some scrub players from the EPL to come over here for a while.

2004 NME award nominations revealed.

Even more exciting are the 2004 Grahammy Awards, Pt. 1.

The mighty Mozzer is in the new issue of Index Magazine, whatever that is.

Today's word/phrase is:
Beam me up, Scotty: request for crack cocaine

Sorry I've been away most of the day. I've been owning Matt from 1115.org in his big "I'll Name 10 MC's Better Than Jay-Z and/or 2Pac" discussion. I'm kidding of course, but the timing of his topic is eerie.

Last night was officially the end of Xmas, as Fiona, Anna, Mr. White, Molly and yours truly got together to finally exchange gifts. While the presents I dished out to the faithful were totally on point, I recieved the official "Gift Of The Night" in the form of the Hip Hoptionary, the dictionary of hip hop terminology. Anna meant this as a joke but now I have the edge I need to hang with all the smooth talking cats out there as well as those others that just talk weird or have invented their own freaking language. Obvs. Perhaps now I can get a cabinet position in the administration....

I will spit like a janky joe peckerwood no more my peeps. Ya heard? (That sentence translated to the white people's vernacular would read I will talk like a clueless average white person no more my good people. Do you understand me? )

But I don't want to leave my faithful readers behind either, so I will be starting a new feature here on information leafblower. Each weekday I will provide you with a slang vocabulary word or phrase and it's corresponding definition. This way, we will all be able to take it to the bridge.

Today's word/phrase is:
Take it to the bridge: to maximize one's effort.

Oh yeah...Byron Scott = owned.

yo, cause I'm a teacher / and Scott is a scholar
it ain't about money / cause we all make dollars
that's why / I walk with my head up
when I hear wack rhymes / I get fed up
rap is like a set-up / a lot of games
a lot of suckas with colorful names
I'm so-and-so / I'm this / I'm that
huh, but they all just wick-wick-wack

I'm listening to the new AIR album, Talkie Walkie, right now. It's perfect Sunday morning music. Good stuff, a definite return to form for the French duo.

Best. Ad. Ever!!! Pepsi uses 20 teenagers sued by the DB's at the RIAA in their forthcoming Superbowl ad to announce their partnership with the iTunes Music Store.
Annie Leith, a 14-year-old from Staten Island, appears with other downloaders in the ad, which features music by Green Day. The band cut a special version of the 1966 Bobby Fuller Four hit I Fought the Law for the ad, by BBDO, New York. In the ad, Leith holds a Pepsi and proclaims: "We are still going to download music for free off the Internet." Then the announcer says how: "Announcing the Pepsi iTunes Giveaway."
Pepsi will be giving away 100 million free songs from the iTunes Music Store beginning February 1.

Howard Dean- the remixes. Rolling Stone is working on an article about how many Apple users are using the new Garageband software to make their own remixes. I just got my iLife '04 software package this weekend, so I'll have to give it a spin next week.

Speaking of my favorite computer company, yesterday was the 20th birthday of the Mac, aka "the people's computer".

In other Mac related news, the relase of the iTunes Music Store for Europe is being held up by red tape.

Good reading. A sordid recap of all the problems with Charlotte's pro sports franchises since the Panthers last made the NFC title game in 1996. Will former Panther Rae Carruth be watching the Superbowl next weekend from jail, wondering what could have been?

The bitch slapping by the Blue Devils continues. Yesterday's recipient, the Georgetown Hoyas. Before I left to go get breakfast, it was 18-16. When I came back, Duke was up by 34. Ouch. UNC, we are coming for you. Oh yeah, be sure to check out incoming Duke recruit DeMarcus Nelson outscoring incoming Tarheel Quentin Thomas by a 41 - 9 clip. At the risk of repeating myself, Ouch.

Worth watching: Gary Payton is not a happy camper out in La La land. "Gary can't believe it," a source close to Payton told SportsLine.com. "Shaq talked him into signing with the Lakers this summer to win and now he's decided not to play until he wants to. He should have been back two games ago and everybody knows it. This is not a good thing."

Does playing basketball for your country during the NBA offseason negatively affect your performance the following year? A look at the facts says yes.

Chris Mihm will play today against the New Jersery Crooklyn Nets.

The sale of the Nets might be done, but developer Bruce Ratner has miles to go before he sleeps.

What’s up pimpalufagus? Pop ya collar! E-40 invented every rap word you ever heard. Ya heard?

Actually it’s darkness / I don’t know what I’m scared of
It’s darkness / I must be scared of something
You must be scared of something / quite quite special

...Still I cling / I don't know where else I can go
Over and over and over and over
I know it's over / And it never really began
But in my heart it was so real

I was out last night having second dinner at some place near Times Square (don't ask) and as I was watching the sports ticker under the Spurs / Suns game for the Celtics score, and there it was: Celtics forward Vin Baker was suspended indefinitely yesterday for noncompliance with his aftercare program for alcohol abuse.. My first reaction was "Yes!" simply for the fact that the Celtics are now in a position to erase the $35 million that the team owes Vin over the next 2 1/2 years.
However, more than anything else, I feel sorry for Vin. He has a disease. An addiction. Here is a man that cannot stop drinking even though he knew that his next drink could likely cost him over $30 million. Think about that for a second. It's scary. I think, in a way, Vin kept drinking just to get it over with. Now that he has been suspended, all the pressure is off of him. His contract was an albatross around his neck and he was constantly reminded of it. Maybe once he is out of basketball, he can get his life together. I certainly hope so.
One thing is for sure, Vin Baker has played his last game a Boston Celtic. From the team's standpoint, it's unfortunate but at least now they can put this behind them and not go through the rest of the season worrying if Vin will be in shape to play or not.
The Boston Globe reports that "noncompliance" can constitute anything from the failure of regular alcohol testing to the refusal to take a test to conscious disregard for treatment. The latest suspension came about because Vin tested positive for alcohol. In accordance with an agreement reached by Baker and the Celtics last summer, the third incident of noncompliance results in an automatic suspension for an indefinite period, effective immediately. If the suspension reaches the 10-game mark, which would happen when Boston plays at Chicago Feb. 12 right before the All-Star break, Celtics officials can move to terminate the remainder of Baker's contract.
As the Globe's Bob Ryan points out, amazingly, because of their win last night against Washington,, if the Boston Celtics defeat the New Jersey Nets tomorrow afternoon, they will walk off the court tied with the future residents of Flatbush for first place in the Atlantic Division.
And the news isn't entirely gloomy today as I learned that Raef LaFrentz is recovering quite nicely from his December surgery.

It's so easy to laugh / It's so easy to hate
It takes strength to be gentle and kind

...Jaded former indie rock fan gets free ticket to see Brooklyn indie band perform, loves it...Writes about it on his blog the next day...More news to follow....

Last night began at the manhattan local, the East 4th Street bar, to catch the Kings v. Cavs tilt with Coolfer. The Kings played like poop but pulled it out in the end. Luckily for them, no LeBron last night. After the game we headed to the AIR record release party but decided it wasn't worth getting frostbite while waiting in line. BTW, that's a good strategy for getting people to go buy your records...making them wait in line in sub-zero tempratures to get into a stuffy, chi-chi club so you can find out all the free beer is gone after an hour. Losers.
Against my better judgement, Coolfer convinced me to walk from the Bowery over to Sin-E on Attorney Street. Need less to say, when we finally got there i was not in a good mood, being half frozen and all. We were there to catch Brooklyn based Sea Ray and I left the show very glad that I came.
What a great band! Imagine Coldplay if they were, you know, cool, only with their Echo & the Bunnymen influences played up more, kind of like Wheat during their more introspective tunes. Their Verve and Ride/shoegazer influences were also apparent. Correct me if I am wrong, but Sea Ray may be the only band that has a permanent cellist in the band and not seem one bit sappy because of it. I haven't seen a band this good in quite some time. The singer sounds like Damon Albarn, and suprisingly, this is not a bad thing. Extra cool points because their drummer looks like James Blake before he cut his hair.
Yo, I am extremely jaded on new music now a days, a fact Glamorama enjoys caling me out on, but I was really impressed with this band. I'm not sure how long they have been together, but they sound like they've been playing together for years. I see big, big things for this band.
Right now I am streaming the Sea Ray album from their website. When you click on "listen to the whole album here", a new window with the image of an iPod comes up and you use that to play the album. Too cool!
Sea Ray from Brooklyn, NY is officially endorsed by information leafblower! Check them out!
FYI - the photo above used without kind permission from Jennyk.com. Some amazing shots on that sight, click through for more.

By now I'm sure you've hard that Bruce Ratner was successful in his attempt to purchase the Nets. Before everyoine gets too excited about the Nets moving to Brooklyn, check this out:

This generation of sports media has been around long enough to know one thing: Any move of a franchise, accompanied by a plan to build a new arena, is about one, and only one, thing - making a handful of rich people even richer...Watch the media coverage of this story very closely. A man like Ratner is powerful - a friends-in-high-places kind of guy. Ratner is in partnership with The New York Times on the construction of a new Times office building.The Times' coverage of this whole Ratner/Nets/Brooklyn thing - including sports columns - has been less than balanced.

Bruce Ratner's plan to bring the Nets to Brooklyn as the anchor of a $2.3-billion project will cost New Yorkers hundreds of millions for infrastructure improvements, payouts to displaced residents and possible tax breaks, a source familiar with the deal said Thursday.Officials estimate that widening local streets and installing new sewers and utility conduits alone will cost the city between $150 million and $180 million.
For Ratner, city promises of financial aid may have been the deal-maker.
In talks just before the Brooklyn developer agreed on the final details of a contract to buy the NBA team for $300 million, he told the Wall Street bankers negotiating the deal that he was assured of some municipal economic assistance, people involved in the sale process said.
During the protracted bidding negotiations, the people said, Ratner insisted on being compensated for losses of tens of millions of dollars the lame-duck team is expected to incur over the next two seasons in New Jersey while he pushes the Brooklyn project forward.

Ask the people of Charlotte...no one spends any money to support a team that is moving to another town. Even a playoff team. New Jersey already ranks near the bottom of the NBA in attendance. If you think the crowds are sparse now, you ain't seen nothing yet.

You'll forgive the Celtics squad if they think this is a holiday or something. See, they haven't played a game in two whole days! The last time that happened was Thanksgiving and again at Christmas. By the time the All Star break comes around, they will have played 56 of their 82 games, most in the NBA. This season hasn't been the best of times, with the Vin Baker situation and all, but at least rookie Marcus Banks is showing some steadily improving play. He looks like the teams PG of the future more and more each game.

Don't even think I forgot about Duke going to Maryland and coming away with a W for the first time in 3 years. Losses this week by Wake and UNC mean the ACC standings are shaping up quite nicely for Blue Devil fans.

Ryam Adams falls down, goes boom.

Pitchfork gets around to breaking news about the Ted Leo DVD I reported about LAST WEEK!

Roc-a-Fella Damon Dash is sick and tired of being called Posh Spice's friend. I'm glad he doesn't have other things to worry about.

On of the members of Jethro Tull had a sex change operation. Seriously.

There has been a dart of Chucky P news lately, but I am happy to report that his much talked about short story, Guts, will be published by Playboy in March. Playboy, buy it for the boobies, read it for some Chucky P!

All the modern things / Have always existed
They've just been waiting / To come out
And multiply / And take over
It's their turn now...

the lid to the great jar
opens
and out tumbles a
Christ Child.
I throw it to my cat
who bats it around in the
air
but soon tires of
the lack of
response.
it is near the end of
February in a so far
banal year.
not a damn good war
in sight anywhere.
I light an Italian cigar,
it's slim, tastes bitter.
I inhale the space between
continents
stretch my legs.
it's moments like
this - you can feel it
happening - that you grow
transformed
partly into something
else strange and
unimaginable -
so when death comes
it can only take
part of
you

I exhale a perfect
smoke ring
as a soprano sings to me
through the radio

each night counts for something
or else we'd all
go mad.

- Charles Bukowski, from his book
what matters most is how well you walk through the fire

Why watch last night's State Of The Union address when 1115.org can give you blow by blow commentary the following day? Obvs. I had much better things to do with my night, like finally getting to see Swimming Pool, trailer here. Great plot, great scenery, and most importantly, lots and lots of boobies. This movie is heartily endorsed by information leafblower. Swimming Pool, rent it for the boobies, watch it for the plot twists. Ludivine Sagnier, so much Buzz.

As if that wasn't good enough, we finished up the movie around 9:30, just in time to catch the nightly episode of South Park, which I can't seem to watch enough of lately. Monday's episode was Cripple Fight Club between Jimmy and Timmy and last night was the one where Kenny dies for good. The cripple fight was actually a shot by shot remake of the fight at the end of They Live. Timmay! Genius stuff.

I ought to have my head examined for failing to mention Chromwaves post yesterday pointing out the awesome Super Furry Animals bootleg available at indierocklive.com. I was at this gig and it was one of my favorite Super Furry moments from the last few years. Before they reached their current (modest) level of popularity the Furries always used to start their US tours with shows at Maxwells in Hoboken. And they would always be extremely jetlagged and drunk/hungover from the flight. On this day they literally got off the flight from the UK, went to Jersey, soundchecked, ate dinner and played the gig. And it was amazing. MWNG had just come out so they were doing some of the songs from that album as well as the bulk of Guerilla. Gruff wrote the set list on a paper towel and claimed that the songs kept moving around and changing order on him. My favorite moment of the night was when this drunk guy took advantage of a quiet moment in between songs to request a tune by yelling "Demons!" at the top of his lungs and Gruff looked out into the crowd and said "There's a tortured soul in the house tonight." F'ing brilliant. Super Furries and Maxwell's. So tiggs. Bovs.

Coming Soon. Hey, want to see how not to run your internet music store? Check out Coke's failure to roll out their online music store on it's release date. Ametuers! More on the digital music wars here.

Primal Scream - alive and kicking

I have a TON of CD's and DVD's on sale on eBay. Check it out.

Reach for a drink when / you're in cola land
it may be just what you need / but it's never enough
and now we're sending out / but it's never enough
it's just the last time / you'll get the truth in
I'm on the guest list / the execution.

OK...I'm going to try and make this fairly quick as I have to go to the gym today. I slacked off and didn't go all last week. No bueno.

Did you know Google has a Mac oriented search function that searches for Apple/Macintosh-related sites? Wow. Coolness.

SI's Peter King beautifully illustrates the lack of respect the media gives the Carolina Panters by devoting his weekly column on how to fix the Eagles, instead of giving the space to the team that held Philly to 3 points. Unreal. TMQB doesn't spend much time on the Panthers either, instead pointing out that both Indy and Philly lost because of a reluctance to go for it in short yardage 4th down situations early in their respective games.

Chris Mihm has a strained left hamstring and is questionable for tonight's Celtics game in Miami.

This week's #1 ranking makes it seven straight years that the mighty Blue Devils have appeared at the head of the class. Also JJ Redick was named ACC Player Of The Week and Luol Deng grabbed Rookie Of The Week honors.

I guess Basketball Fundamentals is a better title than "How To Ruin The Greatest Basketball Franchise Ever Through Abrupt, Uninformed Personnel Decisions". Hey, whatever floats your boat I guess.

Analysis of Nike's Lebron ad campaign. I like that spot. Can I get a layup?

Micky D's to Kobe: I'm not loving it. Buh-bye.

Brian McBride is heading to the UK to join Fulham in the EPL. Nice one sir!

Chart Attack interviews Super Furry bassist and information leafblower homey Guto Pryce. BBC Wales interviews Bunf, the Super Furries guitarist in his native tongue of Welsh. Being Welsh = buzz.

Here's a story on Pete Fowler, the (Welsh) artist behind all the Super Furry album sleeves, and his burgeoning toy empire. FYI - The Radiator era was my personal fave as far as album/single covers go.

Beyond cool. Buzz I say!

Elbow will cover Masive Attack on their forthcoming single.

Glamorama faves The Delays have been added to the bill at the NME Awards show. Kegzies also speculates that Alan Whyte was sacked because he leaked Heathen Chemistry. Don't doubt Kegzies yo. I will again reiterate that other than the very first time I saw Oasis at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill on the Definitely Maybe tour, that the two shows I saw Steve White play with the band on their tour with the Black Crowes were two of the best sounding Oasis shows I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. ConnieNYC is also on the money when he says Alan was played out anyways, so no big loss. Respect.

Upon hanging out with Uncle Grambo & ConnieNYC this weekend in NYC conversation turned briefly to 9/11 as it somehow always does and Grambo said he had never seen my pictures from that day. Well, rather than just email the link to him, here they are for all to see. Feel free to send them around to anyone you feel needs to see them. They've already been around the world a few times. And no making fun of my lack of html coding skills. I made those pages up at a friends house on 9/12. I wasn't really concerned with the aesthetic beauty of the site if you know what I mean.

Winter coming / Winter push on (push on)
Oh, winter push on
Winter is so long / Winter moves on

Seriously, don't even front. You know you read that shit here first. My NBA trade predictions may be a bit off but I was right on the money with my Carolina Panthers. Yes, they are the Cinderella team and a decided underdog (you have to love the Post...they put the current Superbowl spread on the back cover!) but don't count them out. They are eerily reminiscent of the Patriots two years ago when they took down the heavily favored Rams. How can you not pull for the Panthers (other than the fact that if they get out in front, this will be the most boring Superbowl ever). After Bobby Phils, after Rae Carruth, after Fred Lane, and after losing the Hornets because of their punk ass owner, the Queen City needs this.

Yesterday was awesome. The weather outside was shitty and that gave me the perfect reason to be in full on sports watching mode. 12:30 was the C's losing badly to the Spurs, 3:30 was the Pats v. Colts tilt and 6:30 was the Panthers game. Good times.

The C's are about ready to push the panic button. They've lost 4 straight and their defense has all but disappeared. Some rest would probably do them good but the NBA scheduling gods have decided against that. By the time the All Star break rolls around next month, the C's will have played 56 games, most in the NBA. Methinks it's time for Danny Ainge to work some magic.

Anyone that thinks the Nets moving to Brooklyn under the current plan needs to read this right now. Funny how the media aren't reporting that Bruce Ratner owns much of the property around the proposed site of the new arena (therefore driving the properties value up) including the hideous structure that is the Atlantic Center Mall which could easily be torn down and used for the arena space. And get this! If he did that, no one would lose their apartment. The fact that Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz support this plan sickens me. But then again, Markowitz is too busy worrying about making signs that make fun of the Joo's. (Did anyone else see that South Park? It was brilliant.)

It's tennis geek time again! The Australian Open started last night. Agassi and Roddick won their opening matches.

In other "I Had No Idea That Was Even Going On" news, the US Men's Fitba (Soccer) Team had a friendly with Denmark yesterday. I didn't even know about it until I was flipping through the channels during the Pats game. Bad mass media! Bad! Landon Donavan tied it up on a PK after a questionable call. I only caught the second half but it was a good game. Donovan had a few chances to score but just couldn't find the back of the net until that PK. He had one shot hit the post after a great move to fake out the keeper. He was due.

More Morrissey news! He is rumoured to be playing Coachella this year! I know, I know...at this point, who isn't rumoured to be playing Coachella, but hey, I can dream, right? More album news here including some new song titles. Can't wait to hear America Is Not The World.

Argh! So Close! So...very...close...Steve White says he will not join Oasis. Damn!

So who can make up the best caption for this picture?

Seriously, who saw Along Came Polly this weekend? And better yet, why?

1115.org weighs in on the hPod and M$ and Dell calling the kettle black.

Yo, this is just crazy. I stay away from the Prospect Park Lake in the summer, I have no idea why walking on it during the winter would seem like a good idea.

Finally, major props go out to my friends at Gothamist and Chromewaves for their nominations for this year's Bloggie awards. Good luck to you both.

I've thought of nothing else today
The things I'd love to say / if I got the chance
And oh how grateful I would be
If you could just give me / a second glance

Ugh. Yesterday was spent on the couch recovering from the alcohol induced hangover I got Friday night hanging out with some of the country's blogging elite. Details are still hazy but I am positive that Lindsay, Uncle Grambo and the mytholigical figure only known as TMFTML (not pictured) were involved. Grambo told me why he was in town but I can't seem to remember...I'm guessing Bynes was in the area for a press junket and he was stalking her. Anyways, more details tomorrow as my recovery should be complete by then.

Hmmmm....so what to do on a day when you are completely and utterly dead to the world with a crippling headache? Easy, sit lay on the couch and watch as much sports as possible.

The big match-up of the day, depending on where your allegiances lie, was in Durham where the storied Blue Devil program was going toe to toe with the young turks from Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons had to feel good about their chances coming into the game but had to feel equally dejected when Duke bitch slapped them all the way back to my old hometown of Winston Salem. Sorry Lorin, maybe next time. Make no mistake, Wake is a great team and I am confident that they will be playing well into March but it was not to be on this day. When your two rising stars, frosh Chris Paul and Soph Eric Williams, are thoroughly and completely outplayed by their counterparts from Durham, it's gonna be tough to walk away with a W. Check the boxscore:

Chris Paul - 7 pts., 7 assists, fouled out
Eric Williams - 6 pts. 5 rebs. 1 block

Chris Duhon - 8 pts, 14 assists (a career high), 5 rbs
Sheldon Williams - 16 pts., 14 rebs., 8 blocks

Definitely not helping things was Wake's reluctance to fight through screens and keep up with JJ Reddick who lit Wake up for a season high 23. JJ was feeling it yesterday. Luol Deng was his usual do-everything self and really helped out down low against Wake's front line. Wake should hold its' collective head high though, there is no shame in losing at Cameron Indoor as Duke has won 36 games in a row there, the second longest streak ever in ACC history. And FYI - Duke holds the top position in that category too.
You really have to give it up to Skip Prosser for returning Wake to it's glory days of the early 90's in such a short time since taking over for Davy Odom. Other than some questionable sportmanship, I have nothing but respect and good things to say about the Wake program.

And today, I have nothing but good things to say about the UNC program as they took down #1 uConn, paving the way for the Blue Devils to take their rightful pace atop the college basketball rankings. Big ups to my peeps from Chapel Thrill. UNC has now tied UCLA with 10 wins over top ranked teams, Duke is also up there with 8. Will Duke be ranked #1 in early February when they tackle the Tarheels? It will be tough but it's not unconcievable. And for those that doubted my proclimation earlier in the season that the North Cackalack bleeds light blue, check out the results of this poll.

Cletics head honcho Danny Ainge was in the bleachers at Cameron Indoor taking in the game and even got on the mic and talked to Dicky V a little. As usual, Vitale was railing against kids bypassing college and going from high school to the pros and was desperately trying to get Danny to agree with him which must have been awkward for Ainge as he selected high schooler Kendrick Perkins at the end of the first round last year. Dicky, do some research buddy.
Anyways, my Celtics take on the San Antonio Spurs in about half an hour. Later in the day, it's the big Panthers v. Eagles match up. I'm confident that the Panthers can get the W as the Eagles D line has been decimated by injuries and you can run on them, something Carolina does very well. Also, head coach John Fox was the NY Giants defensive coordinator when the Giants had some great success against Donovan McNabb. I'm hoping that trend continues this weekend.

Wrap me up in the back of the trunk
Packed with foam, I'm blind drunk
No they won't ever take me alive
'Cause they all drive killer cars

I literally laughed all the way through his new column.

His buddy J-Bug on attending last weeks Pats game in sub-zero temps:
"Wild Turkey was going down like Bud Light. There was no other way. I wore my leather pants and they were a conversation piece for their functionality, not fashion. The crowd was excited and subdued at the same time, if that is at all possible. My friend Bob was drinking Corona; and the beer was freezing inside the neck of the bottle so that by the time you had two sips left, it could barely make it through the ice formation that began at neck and finished at the lip. For smokers, the list of dangers grew by one, because you had to take your mittens off to grip your butt, anything over three minutes exposed ran the risk of frostbite; and yes, I am serious. You don't even want to know about the shrinkage factor in the port-o-john -- I think it actually inverted into my body."

I think this was my favorite story of the weekend: Last Saturday night, my stepmom drove to Beverly (about 40 minutes from home) to have dinner with a friend. Needless to say, my Dad was elated. The Pats game started at 8:15. Her dinner started at eight. According to his math, there was no way she could make it home in time for the end of the game..."No way she makes it home in time," my Dad said definitively. "You're crazy," I countered. "It's the playoffs. She saves her best for the playoffs. Don't count her out -- this is why she's a Hall of Famer. It's situations just like this."

Nothing that happened all weekend could top Alton choosing Coral over Theo for the final Real World/Road Rules gauntlet. Even Gregg Williams wouldn't have done that.

First of all, you have to love any sport that incorporates sentences like "I think the painkillers started wearing off -- they usually don't last for the whole game." Just once, I want to say this at work and have everyone nod knowingly.

I finally caught an episode of The Apprentice last night. Consider me hooked. The girls are catty and the guys are idiots. Should be fun to watch this one play out. I love how all the guys proclaim themselves to be leaders and then when someone takes control and asks them to do simple tasks, they act like it's beneath them. So typical. And how about that product placement? Not too shabby. If you are like me and missed the first episode, fear not. CNBC will start airing reruns later this month. Oh...and uber-bitch Omarosa has a website.

Not much blogging chatter about my other new favorite reality show, A & E's Airline. Although some reviews have panned the show, I generally dig it. If nothing else, it makes me sympathetic towards people that work at an airline, especially the check in counter. This week's episode featured a clueless mother of two that threatened to sue Southwest Airlines after she showed up at Chicago Midway 20 minutes before her flight to San Diego was to take off. She was taken aback that she wouldn't be able to check in, get through the x-ray machine and make her flight. Then she completely berated the counter staff when there were no other flights available for her to take, as if it was their fault or something. That was almost as good as the guy in a wheel chair that totally laid into the check in lady when she asked to inspect the shotgun he wanted to bring aboard the plane in his carry on luggage. He said (with much conviction): "Nobody touches this gun! I used to work for a Senator, I'm no fucking Arab terrorist!" as if it would be impossible for anyone from a different ethnicity to blow up a plane. At least he didn't pronounce it "Ay-rab". Part 2 of the episode featured how the airline dealt with this summer's Northeast blackout. Good stuff.

Rapper Mystikal (real name Michael Tyler) has been sentenced to 6 years behind bars after forcing his hair stylist to perform oral sex on him after he accused her of stealing $80,000 worth of his checks. This is somewhat of a shock as Mystikal has often encouraged people to "shake their ass", but he was genuinely concerned with their well being and always followed up by encouraging people to "watch yourself", lest they be hurt.

Wacko Jacko pleads not guilty.

The Steve White countdown is on as it's officially announced that his brother Alan has been sacked from Oasis. According to a band spokesperson "The band's scheduled recording sessions remain unaffected.", which means they can do absolutely nothing just as easy with no drummer. Whew.

Pitchfork reviews the new Stereolab jawn. Can Stereolab albums be called jawns? Anyway, I am totally on a Stereolab kick. As we speak (or type/read, whatever) I am importing Emperor Tomato Ketchup and Refried Ectoplasm into iTunes. Oh, and I'm totally jonseing for this compilation of BBC performances.

The author of "The First Wives Club" died after complications during plastic surgery. Take from that what you will.

My plans for the weekend involve Duke v. Wake Forest on Saturday, Celtics v. Spurs on Sunday and of course the big Panthers v. Philadelphia tilt Sunday afternoon. Very exciting, I know.

Down like Nelly / Hype like "Belly"
The rhyme seller! / Kick ass like Jim Kelly!

Squishy Lady: Hey Apu, How's it going?

Apu: Oh...you know...take a penny, leave a penny.

So I am officially up and running on my new machine. The last two posts have been composed on it. Even though it's not as sexy as some of the other computers I was lusting after, I couldn't be happier with it. First and foremost is my new 16" viewable screen and the 1280 x 960 screen resolution that comes with it. It's almost 40% more than my old trusty iMac. Wow. My new 1 GHz G4 chip is super fast, espically with the 1 gig of memory I had installed. This baby just flies. It may not be the fastest computer in the world, but it is to me. I am very, very happy with the money I invested in this machine.
Moving my files over wasn't that hard and I mostly figured it out, except for a few hiccups. My address book imported 2 of every name so it was a pain to go back and delete them all. My biggest complaint has to be moving my iTunes library and data from one machine to the other. My songs came just fine but none of the data (playlists, play counts, date imported, etc.) did. I called Apple support twice for help and did the entire operation over again but still no luck. The same thing happened to me last January when I upgraded from OS 9 to OSX and it had literally taken me all year to get my iTunes where I wanted it. Now I have to do all of that all over again. I guess it could be worse. At least I will have an accurate count on my most listened to songs at the end of the year.

Speaking of my favorite computer company, Apple posted a net profit of $63 million, or $.17 per diluted share, beating consensus estimates of $.14 per share. These results compare to a net loss of $8 million, or $.02 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue for the quarter reached a four-year high of $2.006 billion, up 36 percent from the year-ago quarter. Computer shipments were up 12% from this time last year, while iPod shipments are up a whopping 235%. Boo Yaa!

I'm a day late on revealing this but The Pixies have been confirmed for this year's Coachella Festival. According to the report, no dates beyond Coachella have been confirmed, though more shows in the US and UK are strongly rumoured to be taking place later in the year.

As if that wasn't news enough, now comes word that Radiohead are back in the studio even though they haven't finished their touring commitments for Hail To The Thief. If only Oasis would follow thier lead and get off their asses.

Speaking of the Battlin' Gallagher Bros. Circus, the Darkness have shown thier first signs of letting the fame rush to their heads by dissing the infamous Manchester group. They say the secret to cracking the States is to not make the same mistakes as Oasis:"I don't know how hard they tried. I'm not really sure how good they are either." Ok, let me get this straight, a group that was sitting at #92 on the US charts last week are dissing a group that sold over 4 million copies of their sophomore record and whose third album debuted at #2 in the US, right behind Puff Daddy. Get real catsuit boy.

As bad as the Superbowl Halftime show is bound to be, just remember that we won't have to sit through a performance by Bono.

Spoon fans will do well to check out this photo slide show by John Vanderslice that features the group recording their forthcoming record. [thanks slatch]

Some good reading over at The Pill's website as the gang from Beantown run down their 2003 year-end lists. Click the Best Of link in the upper right hand corner.

Make sure you peep the Whatevs dot org slang directory Best! Bovs.

Yo, if you need something to do tomorrow night, consider yourself in the loop. information leafblower will be at Bling Kong's performance at Piano's.

Hey! stay young and invincible
Cos we know just what we are
And come what may we're unstoppable
Cos we know just what we are

Hypocrite Opportunist / Don't infect me with your poison
A bully in a china shop
When I turn 'round / you stay frozen to the spot
- Thom Yorke

Does everyone see why I've been bagging on Isiah Thomas this whole time? The man is incredulous. This is the man that berated Larry Bird for not being given a chance to coach the Indiana Pacers after Bird took over as Director of Basketball Operation's this summer. So what does Isiah do? Fires Don Chaney 12 games into his tenure in upper management with the Knicks. Not only that but he traded away half of Chaney's roster during that time. And don't even get me started on how Isiah wasted no time in undermining his coaching staff by working with the players in practice without telling Chaney.
Fine Isiah, you want to change coaches. I'll be the first to admit Chaney isn't exactly the leagues best and brightest. However, you don't go on David Letterman the day before you do the deed and make light of Chaney's situation. That, sir, is like school in the summer. No class. Furthermore, you definitely do not make your lame duck coach coordinate the morning shootaround on gameday why you are ironing out contract details with his potential replacement. That's Management 101.
Isiah, you did Don Chaney wrong. You also made him the victim in the sordid affair. Way to go. So why in the world did he hire 66 year old Lenny Wilkens? It's an odd choice to say the lea