August 12th…1991…when Metallica released the “Black Album”. We’re entering a crazy look back at 1991…in just a few weeks…Pearl Jam released “Ten”, the Red Hot Chili Peppers released “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”, Guns N’ Roses did their “Use Your Illusion 1+2″…and Metallica released the Black Album. Oh yeah, and that band Nirvana released Nevermind. Best year of rock music ever? Yep.
We’re starting with Metallica…I wasn’t much of a fan of Metallica before this album. James Hetfield looked like perhaps the world’s scariest looking man…and I was still enjoying my rock bands that had frizzed out hair and singing about “having a good time”. This album changed it though. From the first time you hear the intro to “Enter Sandman”, you know you’re in for an adventure…and then to follow that up with “Sad But True”? AWESOME.
Here’s my Top 10 Metallica Songs of All-Time
10 - King Nothing
9 - Unforgiven - Apparently, they’ve made 3 more parts to this song….no need. 1 is the best.
8 - Memory Remains - I love Marianne Faithfull’s singing in the background…haunting.
7 - For Whom the Bell Tolls
6 - Nothing Else Matters5 - Sad But True - Tremendous
4 - Fade to Black - Thanks to my friend RJ for showing me the true AWESOMEness of this song. He listened to it over and over and over again.
3 - Enter Sandman - Best batting intro music ever.
2 - One - 7 minutes of greatness…and one of the toughest Guitar Hero songs ever.
1. Wherever I May Roam
Philly Cheesesteaks
I love ‘em. I can’t have enough of ‘em. Where are the good ones? I went to Louie D’s last night for one, and it was excellent…now I crave more. Where are other good cheesesteaks? I demand cheesesteaks…cheesesteaks forthwith!
My son’s first birthday was a great success yesterday. He seemed to like all of his toys..He might have enjoyed the boxes, tissue paper, and birthday bags more…but whatever. He had a blast, that was for sure. You know he had a good time when at 6:30 (even after tearing through a big piece of cake), he’s ready for bed. We wore him out that’s for sure.
I can speak for my wife on this too…but we were exhausted too…and it was just him! Imagine hosting a party with a bunch of his friends too! Holy snaps, we’ll sleep well that night.
I could not be prouder of my son…prouder of my wife…I don’t know what I did to deserve this happiness, but I’ll take it!!!
Finally…Common Sense
Finally…TBS has canceled The George Lopez Show. About time. For TBS to “know funny”, they let this insult to comedy continue for wayyyy too long.
Where the heck did the time ago? I swear we were just in the delivery room last week.
I can’t believe how much has changed in one year…just about 52 weeks ago, I was in our bathroom weeping because I was feeling so completely overwhelmed…I didn’t think I couldn’t make it a whole year…but luckily, Dexter took me under his wing and helped me through, ha ha.
The kid doesn’t crawl anymore…he only walks…he sleeps through the night (although, if you could make it to 6:30/7:00 in the morning, that’d be great…but I’m not complaining at all at a kid sleeping from 7:15 - 6 every night).
He eats on his own…he knows what he likes and what he doesn’t like. He loves cellphones…he hates having his boogies sucked.
He runs around the house yelling “mama” and “dada”…He giggles all the time whenever I make a funny face. He giggles at me when I don’t make a funny face (maybe my face is just naturally funny).
He’s my best friend….and I think it’s a tie between me, Jennifer, and Brobee (from Yo Gabba Gabba) as to who his best friend is.
I love you my little superdude…happy first birthday! I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s a Powerwheels Mater Truck with a bow on it waiting for you at home. Let’s not run over the cats please!
Thank you to my wonderful wife, Jennifer, for bringing him into this life. You were, and still are, and always will be AWESOME! I love you.
We Went to the Zoo…
He giggled the entire time we were on the camel…this might be a new birthday tradition.
Yesterday morning, I went to the movie theaters for the first time in 9 months…to go see “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. Loved it…AWESOME movie. It was one of those movies that I was disappointed with when it was over…just because it was over…it could have gone on for another 2 hours, and I would have been totally fine with that.
I think I missed the point of the movie…because now I want to own an ape….and live on a planet filled with apes. I think most people left the theater saying “Having the planet overrun by apes wouldn’t be a good thing”, but I was totally the other way…I was totally on-board with the ape overthrow! Apes! Apes! Apes!
This movie was AWESOME. Let’s forget that that re-make with Mark Wahlberg a few years ago ever happened. Computer generated apes is definitely the way to go…they were incredibly life-like, and I actually felt emotion towards all of them. When Caesar starts his anger descent, I felt it with him…I felt bad for him. When he protects John Lithgow, and then realizes he did something wrong, I was crushed.
Everything in this movie just worked so well. Even the tie-ins to Caesar meeting Zaius and Cornelia at the Ape Shelter…to the moment where Caesar speaks (which we all saw coming, but it still was a great, powerful moment).
If you go see it (and you should), look closely at Caesar’s scar…I swear it was on the left side of his chest in the beginning of the movie…and it was on the right-side later in the movie. Check on that.
Bravo to this movie…bravo!
Movies That Weren’t Good
Cedar Rapids - I’m a big fan of Ed Helms…a big fan of John C. Reilly…and I heard this movie was really funny. It wasn’t. What a boring, boring movie….and please don’t try and make Anne Heche sexy. It doesn’t work. This movie was a huge disappointment.
Cyrus - I’m a big fan of John C. Reilly…and I’m a big fan of Jonah Hill…but we gave this movie 25 minutes before we shut it off….snore. Again, very disappointing.
My Son Loves the I-Cubs Fountain
We went to the ICubs game on Saturday night…and Dexter had his first experience with the fountain out in the right field bleachers…holy cow…he’s a fan. I was impressed that he actually ran through the fountain, and didn’t get knocked over by any of the other kids.
What did I learn that night? When your son goes through a fountain…and comes running to you…you too will end up looking like you’ve run through a fountain!
So, for the past few days, our 5 days away until he’s 1 year old son, Dexter, has had a bad cold, and has been cranky…rather un-Dexter-like…part of it is a bad cold…but we knew he was teething too…and holy cow (throw in a swear word here), we counted 8 teeth either breaking through, or on the cusp of breaking through. That’s a lot of teething.
The Change-Up
My wife went to a sneak preview of the new movie “The Change-Up” last night (starring Ryan Reynolds & Jason Bateman). My wife went in with very low expectations, but she returned saying that the movie was hilarious…and much raunchier than she thought it would be (which she thoroughly enjoyed).
I won’t be seeing that this weekend…but on Sunday, I will be seeing “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. Popcorn lunch for sure!
Rob Little
He’s out at the Funnybone this weekend, and if you haven’t seen him, you are missing out on one of the funniest guys you’ll ever encounter. Oh, and he’s a great guy. We actually send Rob a Christmas card…he’s very good people. Rob has an affinity for diners, so this afternoon, we’re headed off to the Waveland Cafe…which I haven’t been to since a very hungover Sunday morning back in in 1997.
Best Punk Bands
I saw this list from Rolling Stone…and couldn’t believe Green Day was #1. I’m a Green Day fan, but really…more than the Sex Pistols? More than Iggy Pop? Maybe in terms of hits, sure, but there’s no way Green Day tops them.
The only additions I would add to the list…would be Rancid, Operation Ivy, The Offspring, and one of my favorites…Pennywise. Oh, and where’s Guttermouth?
Here’s Rolling Stone’s list:
1. Green Day
2. The Clash
3. The Ramones
4. The Sex Pistols
5. The Dead Kennedys
6. Iggy and the Stooges
7. Black Flag
8. The Misfits
9. Social Distortion
10. Bad Brains
All this punk rock talk reminds me of a phase of my life that I regret…the “I only listen to bands that no one else has ever heard of”. D’oh.
R.I.P. Bubba Smith. You were so great as Hightower in the Police Academy movies.
I’m Sold
At first, when I saw they were doing “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, I could have cared less. Actually, I thought, what a waste of a movie. However…after all the previews for it, it could not look more AWESOME. I’m sold. Look at this…
The Outback at the Blank Park Zoo
Yesterday, after a VERY important work meeting…(which involves the use of ping pong balls, that’s all I can tell you…but it’s good news for you)…I took Dexter to the Blank Park Zoo to check out the new Australian Adventure (that’s not the right name, but I’m not good with names)…regardless…it’s AWESOME…and Dexter loved it. There was a peacock walking around, about 5 feet away from Dexter, he couldn’t have smiled bigger.
Also, I learned that if you show a nearly 1 year old a Wallaby…and he will giggle for 2 minutes. He looooooved it. Well done to the Zoo…great addition!
Thank you to my wife for bringing Dexter along to softball last night. He got to see his daddy play for the first time…and I didn’t embarrass him.
LMFAO
Love ‘em. Love their album. One of the most fun albums I have heard in a long while. Party Rock…it needs to catch on.
That’s crazy…and I’ve been watching a bunch of VH1 Classic celebrating MTV’s birthday…and it’s been AWESOME. Man, I miss House of Style…no, no, that’s not true. I just miss a half hour of Cindy Crawford. Purrrrrr.
My Favorite Top 10 Music Videos
NOTE: I have forgotten many, many videos.
NOTE #2: Many of my choices are based on one thing…boobs, ha ha.
10 - Amazing/Cryin’ - Aerosmith - Welcome to the world Alicia Silverstone. Some would say, “hey, throw “Cryin’” on this list too”…but I say no…not a fan of that one for whatever reason. That video for “Amazing”…it’s amazing!
9 - Justify My Love - Madonna - More boobs.
8 - Sometimes - Britney Spears - The white cut-off sweater? Are you kiddin’ me? It was around this time that at the Iowa State Fair, I spent $3 on that “throw a dart at the balloon” game, just so I could win a 4×6 picture from this video (only to lose it at the Def Leppard concert later that night).
7 - Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana - And this is when my wardrobe in the 90s changed. Thank you Nirvana.
6 - Wicked Game - Chris Isaak - Hello Helena Christensen.
5 - Thriller - Michael Jackson - It’s a law that Thriller must be included on all video lists.
4 - Even Flow - Pearl Jam - It captured everything I love about Pearl Jam. The concert footage…the stage dive…it was AWESOME.
3 - November Rain - Guns N’ Roses - When Slash comes out of the church to jam, that’s phenomenal.
2 - Baby One More Time - Britney Spears - Yep…guilty. The world wasn’t the same after this video (good or bad).
1 - Buddy Holly - Weezer - The effects in this video are tremendous…love the Happy Days.
The Bachelorette
How painful was it to watch Ben get turned down on the proposal. I couldn’t even imagine being in Ben’s position…there is nothing more vulnerable than getting down on one knee and propsing…and then to be told no? Holy cow (that’s not the word I want to use, but I don’t need a meeting with FCC today…I have a dentist appointment today). That would suck so much.
JP & Ashley? I give it 2 months…and that’s probably being generous.
Ben…you shouldn’t have turned around after the rejection…you should have just kept walking. On the plus side, now you don’t have to deal with Ashley’s whining anymore. Winning!
O.A.R.
New album, “King” is out…it is AWESOME.
Lincoln Lawyer
Jennifer and I rented this on Saturday night…and it’s a great courtroom movie. I recommend it. Jennifer would like me to point out that Matthew McConaughey is starting to look old.
So, our 11 1/2 month old son, Dexter, got his first haircut on Saturday afternoon. I can’t believe how different he looks…he looks like a 3 year old now. I was hoping to let his hair just continue to grow out to a length like Packers great Clay Matthews, but it was getting pretty rag-tag in the back…he looks to grown-up…I don’t like this growing up at all.
Mondays Will Continue to Be Ruined
Since the end of the Bentley drama, my Bachelorette fan-dom has waned. Since tonight is the finale, I thought our Mondays would get back to normal…but then we saw the preview for “Bachelor Pad”…and I watched my wife’s jaw drop slowly…but steadily…to the floor. Yep, we’re hooked. It has Ames…it has to be good right? Seriously, what a train wreck of a show, we’re in.
Last night’s Bachelorette “special” was brutal. Bentley wasn’t even there! What’s up with that? Why so much time spent with Tim from the very first episode?
Tonight, she picks JP…we all see this, right? Prediction: 3 months from now…JP is single…and Ashley is sad…and confused.
PS.
If you see my mumbling incoherently…I’m just going through some fantasy football draft scenarios in my head…I’m in full-blowing fantasy football mode. My apologies to my wife in advance.
I mentioned The Band Perry’s song “If I Die Young” in yesterday’s blog. It’s been in my head for days…do you know how embarrassing it is to be playing softball with a bunch of you guy buddies, and they catch you singing that song ? The answer? Very embarrassing. For the record, “If I Die Young” will NOT be my batting theme intro music.
The Greatness of Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Piven is great, no doubt.
I remember while going through fraternity rush at Drake, the Pike house showed me their composite picture, and low and behold, there’s Jeremy Piven’s pic staring back at me. I guess he went to Drake for what, like a year? Maybe a semester?
Top Jeremy Piven Moments
10 - Singles - It stars Pearl Jam, you know it ends up on every list, ha ha!
9 - Very Bad Things - The moral of this story: If you kill a stripper…it’s only going to end badly for everyone involved.
8 - Judgement Night - The soundtrack is better than the movie, but still.
7 - Serendipity - As rom-coms go, a very good movie. Piven…Cusack…and of course, Kate Beckinsale.
6 - PCU - We’re not going to protest!
5 - Runaway Jury - Fantastic movie
5 (tie) One Crazy Summer - One of my favorite 80s movies.
4. Old School - The movie is a Top 10 for me. (but in terms of what Piven did in it, it gets dropped a bit)
3. Entourage - hug it out.
2. The Goods - One of the funniest movies…it’s ridiculous, hilarious, cable needs to air this more so I can DVR it.
1. This moment from Seinfeld. Piven as Costanza? AWESOME!
Remember This?
So yesterday, as I’m mowing the lawn, the Ipod is on shuffle…and what comes on? Onyx’s “Slam”…what a great song. What song came next? Yep, “If I Die Young”. D’oh!
O.A.R. was AWESOME yesterday. I’ll have more pics up tomorrow (the super-duper station camera took better pictures than mine did from the soundcheck/meet & greet).
The band was super-nice to Dexter…when they first started their aircheck, lead singer Marc looked out onto the 10-15 of us, and said “Whoa, is that a baby? How ya doin’ buddy? Does he need headphones?” With that, the tour manager came out and brought Dexter these.
The band really liked his OAR shirt that he was wearing as well…and I know Dexter liked OAR, he gave high fives to everyone. The band all signed the back of his shirt, and there are some great photos coming soon on that. Thanks to the guys from OAR for being so nice. Great guys.
Oh, the music? AWESOME. During their soundcheck, they worked on 4-5 of their new songs…and their new album “King” is a must-buy. MUST-BUY. “Heaven” is their first single, and it has been in my head all week (along with The Band Perry “If I Die Young” song, but don’t tell anyone about that please). The other songs were AWESOME.
Big Ken’s wife was at the backstage meet & greet as well, and her flip-flops broke as soon as she got out of her car…so she was walking around shoeless…the hippie movement is not done yet, ha ha!
Be on the lookout for more pics at Star1025.com and the Ken & Colleen Facebook page.
This is NOT Shocking
So, Crystal Harris came out and said that “Hugh Hefner didn’t really turn her on”. No kiddin’. I just wasted all of our time by re-typing that. I do apologize.
