Holiday Hijinks

I'd originally hoped for this to be posted the day after Christmas but I didn't feel like it. Therefore I'll include a little summary of New Years Eve along with Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Well I hope everyone had a merry little Christmas perhaps even enhanced by all the bizarre weather this december. My Christmas was pretty good so I though I'd take the time to fill you in.

Christmas Eve
It was at about six in the evening that everyone traversed through the winter sludge to our house. We were joined by my sister Tiana and her husband Ken, my sister Colleen and her boyfriend Casey and my Dad even stopped by, even though he usually spends Christmas Eve with his mom at some Church service. I was excited to see what goods I'd be hooked up with this year and perhaps what weird presents I would receive but first we would dine.

Naturally for the season we would have ham for dinner. I've never much been a fan of ham, I think it's kind of dry and I'd actually say I prefer it when it's been refrigerated for a day or two after the initial meal. There was also cheese covered broccoli, au gratin potatoes, rolls and more and it was pretty good. Unfortunately, our dinner conversations (especially Holiday ones) just about always make their way to the topic of vomit. My mom talking about how my sister Tiana used to projectile vomit all over the place quickly had me losing my appetite and I couldn't wait to move on. So we decided to unwrap some presents to the tune of Jose Feliciano music playing the background.

I played Santa for the most part handing out people's presents, but due to my mom and step dad always putting joke names on the tag, it was actually kind of complicated. How am I supposed to now that "Dimples" is my mom or "Daisy" is Paul? It was madness I tells ya! Anyhow it didn't take too long and I was soon to open my first present. Strangely enough it was a long tube and as people unwrapped present after present, I was still struggling to rip open this strange tube. Could it be a series of more tubes? No it was a Dark Knight poster of The Joker. Feels kind of juvenile to hang it in my room, but I like posters so I was grateful. After that I got some Dark Knight action figures for a gas (Which I proudly display on CD/DVD shelf), a copy of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, some new guitar gear (strings, a new strap, various picks), this sweet restored Godfather boxed set some little handheld guitar hero game that sucks... That's all I can think of for now. I was pretty satisfied with the evening and it seemed like everyone else was having fun as well. My sisters got iPods, Paul got Ken a 3 pound chocolate bar, People got CDs and DVDs, Paul got a chia herb garden, but one thing that really grabbed everyone's attention was Paul's remote control helicopter.

Not long after my mom and step dad went out to Wallgreens to buy more mini helicopters and soon enough, those little buggers were buzzing around everywhere... I was not amused. The night preceded with witty banter, at least to my recollection and soon came to an end, yet another successful Christmas Eve celebration


Christmas Day
The next day Paul and I awoke early to the sight of even more snowfall, though by this time it was quite wet and the temperature was rising it was quite a sight, a White Christmas indeed. So Paul and I proceeded to my dad's house where the three of us then exchange gifts. We were all pretty tired and actually waited quite awhile before we opened presents. I had some toast and watched A Christmas Story which was darn swell. A little bit after that we decided to get to it and open our gifts. Here I finally got a copy of The Dark Knight to go along with all my other Dark Knight stuff, new headphones, a copy of Knocked Up: Special Edition, a new portable notebook and my first Criterion DVD with the three disc Seven Samurai. My dad got a new blender from Paul along with some other kitchen stuff, I got him some dvds and what not which he seemed to enjoy. Paul got a really fancy remote control plane that I helped pick out (before we knew about the remote control helicopters) and then we all just kind of relaxed... I fell asleep on the couch.

After this we made our way to Marysville to celebrate Christmas at my aunt's house. We were the first to arrive and got some hot cider and soon enough the other's arrive. It consisted of my aunts, cousins and my grandma and though it may have been a little bland it's always nice to see the family. My cousin Drew who's is always inventing gadgets and gizmos (Such as helping my dad build this) brought his latest invention the "normalcy meter". It had metal case with a timer and two metal stubs to place your fingers upon. after you did this it would show you how normal you are on a meter. Though all it had was a "-", "normal" in the middle and then a "+" and everyone hit around the middle. It was a useless invention but it was hilarious and my dad came up with the idea that it could be a 50s communist detection toy.

So we had dinner (more ham) and then opened presents. I got a new wallet, I always get wallets from somebody and Paul got a pocket watch, which was fine and dandy. Blah blah people chatted and snacked and I headed home. I went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that night on a whim (always wanted to go to a movie on Christmas and headed home)


New Years Eve
A lot happened between Christmas and New Years.. A lot of nothing! Oh! But seriously I saw some more movies like Doubt and Frost/Nixon (which was especially captivating) and watched plenty of Seinfeld. New Years was soon to come but nothing really took off until late that night. I went to Burger King with Paul and my dad (we just had to after watching The Terminal a few nights before) and then we came home and watched some Twilight Zone and Fight Club on G4 for some reason. It gave my dad a chance to see what everyone's been raving about all these years. I found some somewhat likable aspects near the beginning, but I still think that film digs itself into a pit of sloppy madness as it progresses and am really not impressed by it.

I eventually "Got the call" from Colin to come over to Sean's house why I was the last to be invited I'm not sure, but I think we all had a good time. I enjoyed all the festive activities and snacks, I got my text twist on and played some Virtua Tennis. Not to brag or anything but I really can't remember the last time I lost on a team or playing by myself against another person. I got home at 3 am, went to sleep, woke up at 10:40, went out and bought a birthday present for my mom (January 3rd) and saw Gran Torino which was really great... And now I'm here I go back to school on monday, so overall it was a pretty good winter break, pretty, pretty, good.

Remember to Bring a Toothbrush

Having a blue holiday season? Well not anymore because Christmas has come early! Yes, Electronic/Hip-Hop/Spoken Word/R&B artist Fat Sherman (Along with his producer and sidekick Max Southwind) have finally completed their second album "Welcome to Cracktown" for it's release today December 23rd (That's Festivus if I might add!)

It wasn't easy and certainly never went quickly or smoothly. Production on the album started in December of 2007 and wrapped up on December 20th of this year. The theme of the album is basically everything that goes on in a crime ravaged city that only exists in the mind of Fat Sherman. Fat Sherman reveals all of his most fragile feelings through songs about; making money, riding the bus, what happens when the sun goes down, his troubles with being himself, and his undying love for chocolate and Halo. It's a lot darker and more complex than it's predecessor, but it still has that Fat Sherman charm and it's the ultimate virtual stocking stuffer.

P.S. I asked Fat Sherman if he wanted to do a Christmas song but he said "No, Christmas sucks" apparently he only celebrates Present Day. For this holiday he hides in the trunk of his parents car to get his presents as soon as possible.

Welcome to Cracktown - 2008
1) Welcome to Cracktown - 0:52
2) Bomb.com - 3:15
3) Noisy Urethra - 2:48
4) Crank That Ass (All Night) - 3:07
5) Hail to the Chief - 2:25
6) Crazy Noises - 3:03
7) Steams of Consciousness - 3:08
8) Makin' Money - 2:58
9) Rich, Creamy, Dark and Sweet - 2:41
10) Yo Yo Butt - 2:57
11) Friend or Foe/Sweet Dreams - 3:25
12) The Sun Goes Down - 1:40
13) Electro Sex Explosion - 3:15
14) Kirk Patrick - 4:20

Running Time: 39:49

Download Link: Welcome to Cracktown
I used Megaupload which has always worked for me in the past. Though they did take it down once today, hopefully I can work around it. Seeing as mostly my friends will be the only ones getting the album, then worst comes to worst I can just burn it for you.

R.I.P. Robert Prosky

Robert Prosky
1930-2008

I was saddened to hear that actor Robert Prosky died recently and thought I'd pay my respect with a post. Though probably not widely known by most people, Robert Prosky has always been a talented character actor and was always up for an oddball role once in awhile, such as the pissed off mechanic in Christine and the fictional Vampire television host Grandpa Fred in Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

From the early 80s right up to his death Robert Prosky had a fine career on stage, television and movies. He was a regular on Hill Street Blues and Veronica's Closet and was featured in dozens of popular movies such as; Mrs. Doubtfire, Rudy, The Natural, Broadcast News, Thief and Death to Smoochy.

He wasn't any big star or anything but I always enjoyed his presence on screen and will miss him in the world of cinema.

I Wanna Talk About Me

So I noticed that the Flixster stars that we use on the Cat Fancy blog look absolutely terrible with a black background, so if anyone has any ideas as to where I can get something better or perhaps a more aesthetically pleasing alternative, please let me know.

So what have I been up to? Well I was pretty damn busy with school the last couple of weeks but it's all over now. Still in the middle of my Seinfeld voyage that is trying to see every episode hopefully before Christmas. I probably wont make it but it's certainly been a fun challenge. I've also been watching a lot of Curb Your Enthusiasm and just have one episode left, that's certainly been a wild ride. It's funny watching a lot of these Curb and Seinfeld episodes for the first time and noticing certain connections. For instance I thought it was interesting that both shows have had scenes where someone has complained about someone else not having reading material in a plane, or various jokes about tipping. Also you get to see a lot of the guests that manage to make it on to both shows. It blew my mind when I saw Toby "The Wiz" Huss (Who also played Artie on Pete and Pete) on Curb as Larry's drunk limo driver or the wig master as Larry's dance choreographer in season 4. It's all been good, pretty good, pretty, pretty good.

My dad and I went go see Slumdog Millionaire and both really enjoyed it, I really think it deserves a best picture nod. Something of note was that the showing we went to really brought out the Indian community. I wasn't aware that this film had been deemed so culturally significant by the Indian community but it was a darn good flick and probably my favorite Danny Boyle film yet.

Christmas is around the corner and that's always fun I guess. It certainly gets a little less exciting as you get older but at least you don't worry about what presents you may or may not get, as I used to as a kid. Hopefully there's a chance of doing some filming stuff in the vein of sketches based off the currently abandoned "Separated at Girth" idea but that is if everyone else has the time. If not than there is always spring or summer, I hope... Whatever I look forward to seeing everyone upon their return.

Gold, Jerry! Gold!

Jerry Seinfeld - I'm Telling You for the Last Time (1998)
Rating: Pretty Good

Jerry Seinfeld doesn't have to try to hard to get a chuckle. His silly yet relatable form of observational comedy really struck a chord with audiences in the late 80s and has been entertaining the masses ever since.

I've been trying to watch as much Seinfeld as possible lately and somehow I ran into this and decided to give it a listen. Originally an HBO stand-up comedy special, this is the CD of that same performance (of which there is also a DVD) taped just a few months after the shows finale.

Right out of the gate even a moderate Seinfeld fan should recognize a handful of these bits from the show. Jerry's bits about pharmacies and doctors are all here but as well elaborated upon and quite witty. One of my favorite bits (which Jerry would later turn into an illustrated children's book) is Jerry talking about Halloween. His youthful escapades dressed as Superman with a winter jacket and a suffocating mask... I mean it's all stuff we've gone through and I think that's part of what makes his act so endearing.

Jerry covers a lot of subjects from Florida, to the Olympics, to Chinese people using chopsticks. "I mean their farmers use shovels, you don't see em out there with a couple of pool cues." I think it's safe to say it's all the kind of silly random stuff we've all pondered before but Jerry has quite a knack for adding a comedic twist to these topics and an enthusiastic delivery.

The Man Behind the Chin

If Chins Could Kill
Like I've probably stated in the past, though maybe not, I do enjoy a good book from time to time and this absolutely fascinating and funny autobiography of B-movie star Bruce Campbell was practically impossible for me to put down. I'd always wanted to read Campbell's autobiography since I first heard of it in 2002 and for the past two weeks it's been quite an entertaining literary experience.

Former New York Times bestseller "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor" is a highly detailed personal account of Bruce's humble beginnings in Detroit making Super 8mm films with Sam Raimi, to his breakthrough into cult status with The Evil Dead Trilogy, and even gives us a taste of his career in television. Bruce gives hilarious stories about the B-movie world thrown in with some of his experiences on set and even some of the famous faces he's met along the way; Charlton Heston, Paul Newman, and of course the Coen Brothers. Why even throws in a plethora of photos, pictures and conversations he's had with various people in the biz.

This book if anything I found to be quite inspiring, it's a brutally honest piece about the world of film but it still manages to keep a grand sense of humor. I mean just a regular guy working his way into acting in and making movies shows is quite an impressive tale.. Even if he does just make B-movies, he seems to be passionate about what he does and it shows in his writing and hey, I can dig that.

I'm not sure why I've been so into non-fiction lately, being that the last three books I've read were all true stories. I guess I find that some of the most interesting stuff is the stuff that you can't make up.

This and That

Just thought I'd give a quick update before I go back to rarely posting here. I just wanted to thank anyone who happened to read my 31 Days of Otteniween which was a little tedious to write, but it definitely got me into the spooky holiday season. I knocked another nine movies of "Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moment" leaving me with about 25 left, but there's always next year. I had the pleasure of going to the SIFF theater to catch a double feature of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein back on the 24th and it was an interesting experience. I managed to get out to Remlinger Farms to check out all the overpriced folksy doodads, preserves and vegetables and had a pretty solid Halloween. My family and I carved pumpkins, I headed over to my dad's to film and take pictures of his decorations, we had like a bunch of cold cuts and cheeses for some reason and then I watched Planet Terror and a Ed Wood which somehow has become like a tradition.

Tomorrow of course will be the Election and I can't wait for all this to finally come to an end. Not only to see if my man Obama is elected but also so I can stop getting calls from all these local polling places. They even called to tell me to "remember to vote tomorrow" yeah like I'm gonna forget. "Uhhh now I know I had to do something today, but I just can't put my finger on it..." all this hectic political jazz has been going on for some time now and I'm glad we'll have some idea of where our countries heading tomorrow.

So who knows the next time I'll update this blog, maybe soon, maybe not for another couple of weeks... Possibly even months it's hard to say, I'd also like to take this chance to announce that I will not be participating in "No Shave November" for undisclosed reasons. I hope everyone enjoys this pleasant fall season and I'll catch you on the flip side.