Earthquakes, Tsunamis, & Radiation... Oh, My!

I will refrain from explaining the catastrophic events taking place in Japan at the moment, because I'd like to think the few people who do read my blog are educated enough to know all this. But I has a few other tangents to discuss about all this ish.

So Gilbert Gottfried got fired from Aflac (he does the voice of the duck) because he made some (insensitive?) Japan jokes via twitter. I understand that people think we're supposed to be praying to our gods, or donating money to the red cross, or giving our condolences at this time... but they were just jokes. I am a huge fan of ill-timed, too-soon jabs, and I don't understand how he can be fired from a job for his personal comments.

His jokes, which have since been deleted, were kind of funny to me: "Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach comes to them." or "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'They'll be another one floating by any minute now.'"

Anyway, my condolences to Gilbert Gottfried, who I will always remember as the voice of Iago in Aladdin.

My next gripe is with the UCLA youtube sensation that is Alexandra Wallace. Instead of explaining, just watch the video if you haven't seen it:





Now, me being (half) asian and all, I did not find this offensive. I actually laughed. Asian people dooo always have their extended families doing everything for them. And yeah there are annoying, usually korean, girls "ling long ting tong"-ing on their cell phones. I don't think you can call these racist stereotypes cuz these people really do exist. Just like how stupid blonde bimbos exist and manage to get into UCLA in the first place. Maybe I'm just insensitive, but I don't think this girl deserves all the negative media attention. I think she should use the fame to be a D-list stand-up comedian...

And in case you have friends or family in Japan right now, remember AT&T offers free cell-phone calls to Japan until March 31. And Verizon offers free calls until April 11.

Charlie Sheen is full of WIN

So i know Charlie Sheen is crazy... but after researching a bit, I realized he is so crazy he is awesome.

I took all my favorite quotes of his and had a computer voice speak them, creating this video:





I just can't get over the ridiculousness of what he says.

Banksy visiting for the Oscars?

Lately, there have been a bunch of vandalisms paintings popping up by the world-famous Banksy.

Charlie Brown Firestarter at an old, fire damaged building

His work always proves controversial, especially to the conservative yuppies who think his art is trash. I find his street art amazing.

Crayola Shooter just might be my favorite

Maybe people are just stupid and don't understand the value of his work... Urban Outfitters already filed to have the "Crayola Shooter" removed from the wall behind their building. CBS just took down his art because it covered one of their billboards. They were furious. Little did they know that his art on that billboard was valued at over $100,000... and CBS just trashed it.

Living The Dream

Many say this is Banksy's anti-Oscar campaign. His film, "Exit Through The Gift Shop" is up for Best Documentary. But the Academy banned him from appearing masked (he is still anonymous) on stage if he were to win. His film is amazing as well, I think everyone should check it out. And his art is awesome, I hope it keeps popping up in LA this week.

Check Yo Ponytail

The other night we had a sold-out show at the Echoplex called Check Yo Ponytail. Working for them is a good change of pace from the typical electronic/rave stuff I usually do.. And they always book hot, diverse, up-and-coming talent... and the club is frickin called Check Yo Ponytail. You have no idea how awkward I feel handing out flyers to girls as I say "Check Yo Ponytail."

Anyway, we had Yelawolf headline this past week. He was just signed to Eminem's label, and I've always kind of liked him... but I've never seen him live. I'm not a huge rap enthusiast, but for some reason I tend to like white boy rappers.Well, I was blown away by his performance and I think everyone should check him out.



Also, the show was cool because cool people were there. Travis Barker swung by, saw Tony Kanal from No Doubt leaving, Diplo jumped on stage, Kid Sister did one song on stage with Craze... And I remember at the previous show before this, Michael C Hall from Dexter stopped by. I don't really get star struck, but it's a pleasant surprise to see celebs in person.. especially when it's not at a fancy, superficial, dress-up event. This is definitely a small, packed venue with people who just wanna let loose.

Nightmares

I don't know what is wrong with me lately, but I have been suffering from the weirdest dreams nightmares. Like 3 nights in a row. It sucks because I don't remember my dreams, but I finally remembered one.. And I'm still trying to figure out what it means.

The other night I dreamt I was in the reality show Jersey Shore (refrain from criticism til the end, thank you)... And of course, I was chillin with Pauly D and getting along pretty well, as I always thought we would be good friends in real life. Anyway, my dream was in perspective like how you would watch it on MTV.

Then this is where it gets creepy. A killer comes into the house, and starts killing us one by one with a knife. Somehow all the doors are locked, and we are trapped. I remember Snooki hiding in the fridge. And just before the killer gets to me I wake up.

And I wake up breathing hard, in a cold sweat, and I sit straight up in my pitch black room. Seconds later, I get a feeling that there is an alien presence in the room with me that I cannot see. Instead of talking, the alien communicates through telepathy, implanting his thoughts into my head. He tells me "Go back to sleep so you don't feel the pain." I quickly oblige.

if the lights weren't off in my room, I probably would have seen this

Now I've decided I need to keep a journal by my bed so I can write down these nightmares. Or maybe I need to stop watching Jersey Shore? Or Ancient Aliens? Which is an amazingly awesome show, but I will dedicate an entire post to that show in the near future to convince you of its awesomeness..

MTV's Skins = Child Porn?

This week, MTV premiered its show "Skins," which happens to be a (horrible?) remake of the hit UK series.

Now, I really wasn't drawn to the MTV version.. hence why I did not see it. But after reading all the controversial issues, I decided I have to watch it now. Most intriguing to me, MTV's skins is being blatantly labeled as child porn. This idea coming from the fact that they have actual 15/16/17 year olds in incredibly explicit sexual encounters and rampant drug use, and the filmed footage (even if not aired) of these kids. Now MTV is editing the show down to avoid legal battles.

The reason I hear that the US version fails, is because the UK version honestly portrays their youth.. where teens legally drink at 18, sex isn't as censored, and the societal status/classes are different. And the US version doesn't. Not to mention, copying the UK version with amateur actors and young writers seems to hinder the US version, as I've heard these US teen actors really suck.





Now, many parents are criticizing the show because the teens don't seem to have any negative consequences for their crazy antics. Others are criticizing the show for being too unrealistic. My opinion: I am all for this show, even if it was produced poorly. I am glad MTV took the risk to make a show about underage teens in what I think are realistic situations.

Maybe I am just in the small percent of people who had a crazy life like this, because it does not seem unrealistic at all. When I was a teen, I was surrounded by parties, drugs, sex, wreckless driving.. I had friends do porn, overdose, die... I guess most people just aren't ready to accept that there are teens like this. I happened to be one of them.

I will check out the MTV version.. but I think I'll just start watching the UK version, as I hear it is great. And who doesn't love British accents?

Kaboom

I just discovered that one of my favorite directors has a new indie comedy. That amazing director being Gregg Araki... and his newest film is Kaboom.

His new film seems promising to me. He says it goes back to his 90s style of film, which includes ridiculous WTF sci-fi end-of-the-world plotlines, pop-art color values, offensively witty dialogue, and of course sex and drugs. Let's just say I am more than excited. It premiered at Cannes Film Festival last year and will be shown at Sundance. If you happen to live in NY or LA there will be one screening in each at the end of January. Without further ado, i present the trailer for Kaboom:





And now a little background about why I love Gregg Araki. He is probably most known for his drama "Mysterious Skin," starring awesome Joseph-Gordon Levitt. Surprisingly, that was not one of my favorite films of his. He also did the stoner comedy "Smiley Face" with the talented Anna Faris, which also did not make my Araki favorites. I tend to like his older, 90s flicks... which is why I am so incredibly excited for Kaboom.

I first discovered his "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy" when I was in high school... I think I found his film "Nowhere (1997)" as a discount VHS and it seemed compelling enough to buy. I am so glad I did. Its cast included the soon-to-be stars: Heather Graham, Ryan Phillippe, Scott Caan, Mena Suvari as well as Beverly D'Angelo, Shannen Doherty, Rose McGowan, John Ritter, and Christina Applegate. Araki described the film as "A Beverly Hills, 90210 episode on acid," and I agree. After the film, I could only think WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! After some research I discovered that was the third film in the trilogy, so I was on a quest to find the others.

Yes, that's an alien

Indie films are so hard to find. But after special ordering online, I found the second film, "The Doom Generation (1995)," starring Rose McGowan, with cameos by Parker Posey and Margaret Cho. This black comedy also had an erotically violent WTF ending. I decided I HAD TO FIND THE FIRST FILM.

After years of searching, I finally found a copy this week. "Totally Fucked Up (1993)" is currently on my computer and I am waiting to watch it. Not sure how I feel about having seen these films in backwards order, but even though the films seem like they don't make sense, artistically they have so much depth and interpretation. After reading interviews with Araki, he has so many layers and reasons for why he wrote/directed as he did. It is so amazing to watch something over and over and interpret it differently each time.

So, if you are down for some offensively-weird sci-fi candy-colored sex-filled drug-sprinkled entertainment... check out his stuff. if you can find it.

RIP Pete Postlethwaite

I just found out that Pete Postlethwaite died. I know not many people know his name, but I'm sure that most people would recognize his face.

He has been in so many films that I love, and his roles are always memorable... probably why I felt compelled to blog about him. I distinctly remember him from Romeo + Juliet (1996), The Omen (2006), and The Lost World: Jurassic Park. He was also in The Town, Inception, Amistad, In The Name Of The Father, The Usual Suspects... and a long list of other amazing films.

Also, his voice can always be in my head, as I recall the album version of the song "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba. Yes, it's his voice that says "Truth is I thought it mattered, I thought that music mattered. But does it bollocks! Not compared to how people matter." But this is just a quick dialogue from the film Brassed Off, and it doesn't appear in most versions of the song. But if you owned the album, like I did, you'd remember this. Otherwise, the rest of the song goes like this:



Goodbye Mr. Postlethwaite, you and your cheekbones will not be forgotten.

I Want To Go To The EDC

So after watching a few hilarious animated videos, I noticed you can make them yourself just by typing your dialogue. It seemed easy and fun, so I signed up.

Basically, everything on Xtranormal runs on a point system. So you choose your setting, characters, sounds, accents, etc... and then you type in your script/dialogue and the computer voices are generated. The video then racks up a total point value which determines how much your flick will cost to create. You get 300 points at sign up, which means I could make one free movie.

I was just playing around with it, and made a video in under 15 minutes. I decided, what the hell, I'll use it and post it to my youtube account. Little did I know that my video would get tons of views! Of course, my video is probably only funny to those involved in the southern california rave scene, but being how mainstream that is these days I guess that's a sizeable audience.



Anyway, in less than two days since creation, I am at 3,700 views. That's more views than all my other videos combined to date... and this all happened in less than 48 hours. So thanks to all the ravers out there for sharing my creation.

Pauly's World

There are two kinds of people in this world.. those who love Jersey Shore, and those who despise it. I happen to proudly be part of the former. I also happen to be a big fan of "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio. And for that reason, I am super excited that he may have his own spin-off: "Pauly's World."

So why do I like Pauly the most out of the Jersey Shore cast?

1. I find him attractive. Anyone who knows me, knows I am attracted to tan, buff guys. He fits my "type" pretty well. And he doesn't look like he was bashed in the face with an ugly stick *cough*TheSituation*cough*

2. I dig his tattoos and piercings. I think his tattoos fit him, and he has a pierced dick. COOL AS FUCK (probably because I too pierced my dick, and I aspire to use my body as a canvas - once I figure out what exactly I want tattooed on me).

3. He is a frickin DJ. I have never seen him live, so I cannot comment on his skill level. But I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he knows what he is doing. Until I see him perform, I will refuse to believe he may not be deserving of his nominations for "America's Best DJ" two years in a row, or his residency in Vegas. He also gets to perform at frickin DISNEYLAND for Grad Night 2011! I almost want to pretend to be a high school student again just to see him spin at the happiest place on earth.

4. He has his own song. Even though "Beat Dat Beat," is nothing special... I still find it an entertainingly guilty pleasure. I wish I had my own song, no matter how stupid or poorly produced.



5. And lastly, he seems like he is a pretty chill, down-to-earth, good guy. Of course, I base this solely from how MTV portrays him on Jersey Shore, but still.. + points.

Anyway, they filmed a pilot episode portraying his life in Rhode Island and his DJ career. The spin-off is optioned by MTV, meaning it is not officially guaranteed to air, but I'm crossing my fingers people will like it, and then it will take off. Until then, I will be content stalking him on twitter and watching him on Season 3 of Jersey Shore, which airs Thursday Jersday January 6th, 2011.

Drive Safely

I tend to like dark, graphic tragedies, so I decided to share a pretty intense campaign about driving under the influence... especially since I think almost all my friends have had DUIs or haven't been caught.

Yogi Bear a Boo-Boo?

At first I didn't have any interest in a CGI Yogi Bear film. Then I heard Justin Timberlake and Anna Faris were added to the cast and my interest grew.

I have been impressed by Timberlake's acting career, with Alpha Dog, The Social Network, and even the SNL Dick-in-a-Box skit (I'll give him a get-out-of-jail-free card for The Love Guru). And Anna Faris is awesome. Despite her bimbo, airhead roles, she is actually an intelligent and talented actress & producer (I love The House Bunny).

Then I read from critics that the new Yogi Bear sucks. And now I'm sad. I no longer expect the Timberlake/Farris starpower to help this kids flick at the box office. For now I will just have to appreciate that the parody/alternate ending will be better than the film itself:



And Warner Brothers has not asked for this to be removed, which I can only assume means that this is better publicity for a movie they know will suck.

Miley Cyrus Trips Out On Salvia?

Miley Cyrus used to annoy me. Maybe I am just old and don't have kids, so I hate on all these goody-two shoes Disney kids. But then I get a minor thrill when I find out they aren't as innocent as they are paid to be.

For example, it made me smile to know that someone I know has given ecstasy to a High School Musical star. Then there is Miley Cyrus, who had some rather interesting videos of her grinding with her producer. Granted, he is gay so I don't find it offensive, but still the public went a lil crazy.

Today, Miley upped the ante as a new video appeared of her taking a bong hit after her 18th birthday. But no, this was not a bong hit of weed. This was Salvia! Or so they claim... Apparently there is controversy that they are only saying that because salvia is legal and she can't get in trouble for it. So weed or salvia?



Now, salvia is so strange to me. You can go to your local head shop, or anywhere along venice beach, and purchase it legally in California. When I tried it, I took a hit of the 15x strength. They have anywhere from 1x to 50x+. All you need to do is take one hit and boom, you are stretched through reality. Personally, I just felt like my body was being stretched, and I couldn't stop laughing. Colors seemed brighter. It made me incapable of thinking clearly or understanding things, which I remember just saying "I feel retarded," over and over again.

It is beyond me why Salvia is legal here, but weed is not (not that I enjoy either). Even Harvard University has done studies that show salvia can help treat addiction and schizophrenia. Still, I don't like salvia, but it is such an interesting sensation... I'm glad I tried it. I do not see how it is enjoyable though, or why you would do it all the time like while gardening. I can only describe it as interesting.

Back to my point though, I take guilty pleasure in watching Disney child stars grow up. I just hope they stop before they reach the insanity that is Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan (although I still want to party with Lindsay, as I have friends who have told me stories about when they went to her shindigs and boy am I jealous). But I have hope for Miley that she parties responsibly and I like her more now.

The Beaver

It's interesting to me when I read a script before it becomes a movie. I'm reading what the screenwriter originally wanted. Then when the movie comes out, it's fun to compare to see what progress or changes they have made.

Two years ago I read an incredible script by Kyle Killen called The Beaver. I thought it was an odd yet inspiring script, and I was rooting for it to finally become a film. It was featured on the Blacklist, so it would probably get made, but I was still curious who they would cast, how audiences would react, what they would change...

I would tell you what it's about... but you can just watch it instead:



When I saw this trailer, I thought to myself... Mel Gibson? Really? What is it with casting "actors" in roles that hit a little too close to home? (ie David Duchovny a la Californication)

I think Mel Gibson is kind of a psychotic mess, and I'm actually a little sad his cameo was cut from The Hangover 2. But this film might actually be good for him. Only because I've read the script and I know how it ends. It feels like it would captivate audiences to gain him some sympathy, not just in the movie, but in real life.

Besides Mel Gibson, I approve of Jodi Foster as an actress.. kind of curious how this will be with her directing. But I must say, I am most excited that Anton Yelchin will be playing the son.I think Anton is an amazing actor and I'm excited to see his career has skyrocketed the past few years.

Either way, I'm intrigued to see how the final film turned out. I'm hoping I'm not disappointed because I really did love the script. I'll just have to wait til it's released sometime in 2011.

The Beatles Are Back!

When I first heard about this, I was like… WTF? HOW? But it actually is pretty cool.

Mark your calendars! Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Star will be performing live at the historic Hollywood Bowl on August 27, 2011. They will have backing musicians as they perform alongside digital images/footage of George Harrison and John Lennon. 

August. 1964. 1965. 2011. Amazing.

Now, to be honest, I am not a huge Beatles fan like the rest of the world. I definitely don’t know all their songs. But I do believe they did amazing things with their talents. I already saw Paul McCartney live a couple years ago, but this digital Beatles reunion seems more promising. And I’m never gonna have another chance to see them together anyway. And it’s at the Hollywood Bowl! For those of you who have never been, the vibes there are amazing and there is not a bad seat in the house.

I’m sure tickets will be horrendous amounts of money when they go on sale.. but it is going to world peace and breast cancer charities, so I can’t be too upset.

Banking with(out) Chase

So today I received a letter from my bank, Chase, telling me that beginning in February, my checking account will no longer be free. This annoys me for a number of reasons.

Firstly, I have had my account for 8 years back when it was Washington Mutual. When Chase took over, I was told everything from my free account would stay the same.. Obviously this is not the case.

Secondly, they want to charge a $10 monthly checking fee. Now, I hate to be a cheapskate, but $120 a year just to keep my money somewhere? I have a problem with this because I never go into the bank to see a teller. I don't even use ATMs. I never withdraw cash. I pay everything online or with a credit card. And i don't write checks so the free checkbooks don't help me.

Also, my checking fee would be waived if I had a direct deposit transaction each month of $500+. Sucks to be me though, as my jobs do not offer direct deposit. And even if they did, it must be $500 in one direct deposit. I get paid weekly, so even if my direct deposit was, say, $400 a week, I still do not qualify.

Another option to waive the fee would be to keep $1,500 in my checking account at all times. But I thought that's what having a SAVINGS account is for... to save money.. and keep money in there at all times. And sadly I am not yet a multi-millionaire and do not have enough to keep my checking constantly at that amount.

It looks like I will have to say goodbye to Chase, as much as I love depositing my checks from my iphone and never having to go to a bank or atm everrr. I am currently investigating my other options. Bank of America's eBanking seems appropriate for me. Or maybe a credit union.

Thanksgiving x4

Thanksgiving #1:

Went to my boyfriend's mom's side of the family.. Since they are Chinese, I had to pray with them and not understand one word of what was said. But I guess half the family there couldn't understand Chinese either. I tried my best not to laugh, but it just kept going and going and going.

The people in my age group ended up separating from the older crowd.. and they all happen to work in correctional facilities or as cops or something like that. Our dinner conversation included all the people they lock up and all the bodies they find. Most memorable image was how an old man died of a heart attack in his spa and wasn't found until three days later (basically he was being slow-cooked for days). When they pulled him out, his lower body deteriorated until his insides dropped out into the spa. Now this might seem gross to many, but I have never had more interesting and fascinating stories at Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving #2:

Went to my side of the family way out in the wine country of Temecula (not fond of the 2 hour drive).. and every time I go there I forget my dad has a farm. There were about five donkeys, a few mini horses, six dogs, and chickens.

Last time I visited there weren't chickens. My dad told me the neighbor gave him a freshly laid egg TO EAT. My dad felt bad though and didn't want to eat it, so he put the egg in an incubator. And now he has a chicken coup and eats their babies eggs every morning.

My dad also started telling me stories of what he was like when he was younger. Apparently, when he was in high school, he would go race his car and tailgate for fun. He plowed through random people's cow pastures and through fences, even flipping over his dad's car while chasing a guy on a motorcycle. He told his dad the mud and grass came from his friends who were throwing mud at the car. He said back in the 60s it was safe to drive wreckless. And my dad made me feel like a bad kid for going to raves? Ha...

Then my dad slowly started talking about his Vietnam days and being in the Army. Though, he suddenly stopped and said he "can't talk about that stuff." Sounded like he was pretty scandalous with the asian girls. And killed a lot of people. My dad was more party than i thought.

Thanksgiving #3

Went to my boyfriend's dad's side of the family. Most the people had left when we arrived though, so spent most the time talking with the grandma. I like his grandma. She was telling me a story how these people hire girls as makeup artists, but once they fill out the paperwork they are kidnapped into prostitution. And if they try to escape they get a beating and have all their info so their family will be slaughtered. One girl gave her parent's number to a client, the cops found where they were, and they were freed. But the pimp was never found and may be lurking in a neighborhood near you.

Oh, and I got tamales! Best part of mexican holidays.

Thanksgiving #4

Went to my boyfriend's mom's house. More intimate, good food, relaxing, non-morbid stories (damn), and watched Toy Story 3. I wanted to watch it in spanish to see how it plays out when Buzz starts speaking spanish in the english version. But I guess I will never know.

Protect Your Junk From the TSA

I'm sure by now you've heard of the strict pat-downs and security measures taken by TSA at airports to prevent terrorist acts...

There was the humiliated old man whose urostomy bag broke during his pat down, after he warned officials, and was forced to stay soaked in his own urine until the plane landed. There is the little 8 year old boy who had his shirt removed for a search. There was even a woman who recently had an officer reach inside her underwear and feel around her body (TSA admitted they were wrong on this one). In all these encounters, I can understand the passengers' unhappiness and yes I think the TSA is going a tad too far in their borderline molestation searches. I think the new rule should be that only ridiculously hot officers should be allowed to do the search. I know I'd be happy.

Then there are the people who think even the x-ray is going too far. I disagree with this one. Some people are concerned because the x-ray allows officers to see your naked body, or at least an outline. Luckily, Rocky Flats Gear has now made special underwear with powdered metallic designs covering your genitals for such x-ray scans!

Honestly though, who would wear these ugly things? I don't know about you, but I would be more embarrassed. People just need to get over the fear of being naked. Unless you have a small dick, then go ahead and buy yourself these magic morman undies.. I'm sure officers don't want to see your junk either.

The Pope is a Dumbass

The other day, Pope Benedict XVI stated that it is okay for gay male prostitutes to use condoms, to prevent the spread of HIV… but not heterosexuals. WTF?

Now, this is coming from the Pope who last year claimed that he will not condone condom use in Africa, as it alone “does not stop the spread of HIV” and he went on to claim that it might increase the spread of AIDS. But he does condone condom use for male prostitutes because birth control is not an issue for the homosexual (Thank God, otherwise who knows how many kids I would’ve had by now).

Anyway, the Pope’s justification for this goes as follows: He does not approve of “disordered sexuality,” but using condoms to stop infection is a “first step on the road to a more human sexuality.” He still doesn’t believe condoms are “the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.” I guess in order to stop HIV infection we must all be heterosexual and stop using condoms. Or maybe all you heterosexuals should stop making homosexual babies.

This is just another reason why I don’t understand Catholicism. The teachings are so ridonkulous. I guess picking and choosing what you believe in within a faith is how it goes though, since there are always exceptions. Like how in the 60s the Vatican let Catholic nuns in the Belgian Congo use contraceptives as a defense against rape. Very strange, considering the Catholic church is always pretty adamant in upholding that birth control should never be used.

But I guess if you’re a gay hooker, you have a weight lifted off your chest knowing that the Pope fully supports your condom use.

UPDATE: 11/23/10 The Pope has clarified that he endorses condom use by everyone; male, female, or both! This is a step in the right direction.. even though this is a complete 180 on his views from last year.

UPDATE: 12/24/10 The Pope has clarified once again that he endorses condom use by everyone for the prevention of disease... but NOT for birth control. So, if you are a heterosexual who uses condoms because you don't want a kid, see you in hell.

Pay me to have sex with your hot wife? Sure.

Old news article, but still entertaining: