(Originally written on September 9, 2009)

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Today is nine-nine-nine, the day that the remastered collection of all of The Beatles’ albums and The Beatles:  Rock Band are being released for purchase.  Most people probably just assume that today, of all days, was selected for these releases simply because it’s cool that all three digits of today’s date are one in the same.  However, in all actuality, today was most likely chosen because the number nine had a very distinct significance to John Lennon.  He believed in numerology, as have many other rock stars (Jimi Hendrix and the number seven, for example), and was obsessed with the number nine – it literally controlled his life (think Jim Carrey in The Number 23).  I’m not going to go into detail about that; I just wanted to point it out.  If you’re interested in learning more, I would highly recommend reading Take a Walk on the Dark Side:  Rock and Roll Myths, Legends, and Curses by R. Gary Patterson – it is one of my absolute favorites, very intriguing and entertaining.

So – Happy Beatles Day!

Well, while everyone else was having fun today enjoying The Beatles’ remastered classics and Rock Band, I was sitting through forecast training in Connecticut.  It was a

three-and-a-half hour drive away one way, I had to be there and at the ready at 9am, and I didn’t get to leave until 3:30pm.  Yea, I got caught in rush hour both ways.  Let’s just say that today was definitely a very long day for me.  And the training was incredibly painful – as in having-your-toenails-pulled-out-with-pliers painful.  I mean, even after telling the guy doing the presenting that I have a Bachelor’s in Statistics, he still went through all of the basics (I was the only trainee).  It’s comparable to having someone today sit you down and insist on teaching you how to multiply, step by step, regardless of the fact that you told them that you already know how…for six-and-a-half hours.

Oh well, at least it’s over.

Well, with 2009 approaching the ol’ finish line, you’ll start seeing lots of year-end wrap-up lists and things. And since it’s the end of the Double-0 Decade, you’ll be seeing lots of decade recap lists as well. (Some early spoilers: Pitchfork has crowned Radiohead’s Kid A the best album of the Double-0s, while the NME favors Is This It by the Strokes.)

But you won’t find that here, and not now. No, here you will find a year-end recap that dares to be somewhat different. This is the first-ever Listen Up! Year-End Awards ceremony – or you can just name them the Harleys after the adorable little trophy I’m giving out to the winners.

Let's see the Academy beat THIS one.

The fun begins after the jump!

All right, let’s get this show on the road! Bring on the first award!

Most Ridiculous Album Art of the Year

First, let’s have a look at the runner-ups…

Brooke Hogan, The Redemption

Um, wow. This looks like the kind of thing that some Dungeons & Dragons nerd might have airbrushed on the hood of his car back in 1987. I don’t even think people do that anymore. Also, that album title… don’t you have to screw up a successful singing career before you can make a comeback album called The Redemption? Quick, name the last time you heard a Brooke Hogan song. And VH1 doesn’t count.

Adam Lambert, For Your Entertainment

If Aladdin Sane went to the neighborhood mall, got some Glamour Shots photos taken, and then scanned the most ridiculous pose into his computer so he could Photoshop it poorly and add ugly ‘80s hair-metal logo fonts… well, the result still wouldn’t look as stupid as this album cover.

I must give this guy props for letting FYE sponsor his album title, though. If I ever get a record deal, I’m changing my name to Sam Goody and recording an album of techno-pop called Circuit City. The critics will call it a “best buy” even though it will basically sound like a cheesy ripoff of MGMT. Or Weezer’s “Can’t Stop Partying.” You decide.

Chris Brown, Graffiti

What’s the worst crime he commits with this thing? Carrying a guitar even though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t play? Borrowing Adam Lambert’s cheesy-looking font? The pseudo-outer-space scene in the background? The robot hand holding a spray can? No… it’s those ridiculous cartoon characters in the corner that earn this one its WTF status.

And the Harley goes to…

Shwayze, Let It Beat

What the hell is going on here? It looks like they tried to spoof the famous shot of the Statue of Liberty at the end of Planet Of The Apes. Only here, the statue’s been decapitated and dismembered. And she’s wearing a bikini. And she has speakers where her boobs are supposed to be. And her iPod is plugged into her belly button. And she’s apparently visiting the set of Miami Vice.

Most Awesomely Ridiculous Album Art of the Year

And the Harley goes to…

Weezer, Raditude

Just look at it. I mean, what else could you expect for an album that got its title from the guy who plays Dwight on The Office and called Ellen Page “homeskillet” in Juno?

Funniest Song of the Year

And the Harley goes to…

Theory Of A Deadman, “Hate My Life”

I still can’t figure out what to make of this song. On one hand, these lyrics are hilarious: “I hate that I can’t tell/When a girl’s underage/You know, I tell her she’s a nice piece of ass,/Then her daddy punches me in the face.” On the other hand, the singer sounds so sincere that it’s like he really wanted people to relate to this.

If it’s meant to be funny, then it’s a clever parody of angst-ridden post-grunge radio rock – you know, like Theory Of A Deadman’s other songs. If it’s not meant to be funny… well, that just makes it funnier, doesn’t it? And the acoustic version of this song, believe it or not, is even funnier. Unintentionally funny things are always funnier than things that are supposed to be funny. That’s why The Number 23 is the funniest movie Jim Carrey’s made this entire decade. Even with some strong competition from Weird Al, there was no way this wasn’t going to Theory Of A Deadman.

Plus, is it just me, or does the lead singer kind of sound like the guy who sings the songs in Team America?

Biggest Pop Star of the Year That I’ve Still Never Heard Of

And the Harley goes to…

Justin Bieber

I don’t have a clue who this guy is. I don’t know where he came from, and I have no idea whether or not he’s connected to the Disney Channel (the most likely cause for such a meteoric rise to fame). All I know is that he’s suddenly everywhere, I am clueless as to why, and I don’t really care either.

Most Inexplicable Attempt At A Singing Career

And the Harley goes to…

Heidi Montag

Apparently this girl from The Hills has been trying to get a music career off the ground for a while now. So far it has been greeted with the same enthusiasm people reserve for trees falling in the forest that they aren’t around to hear. But bless her heart, she keeps on trucking.

And hey, if this singing thing doesn’t work out, she could always pose for Play… oh, wait. She did that already. Never mind.

Runner-Up: That woman from Real Housewives who sang “Tardy For The Party”

Most Shocking Musical Controversy of the Year

And the Harley goes to…

Britney Spears vs. Australia

What do you mean Britney Spears doesn’t sing live? I for one am absolutely appalled that she lip-syncs! We made Ashlee Simpson a freaking pariah for pulling the same stunt on Saturday Night Live; now people wouldn’t buy her albums if you gave them away for free! You mean to tell me people will actually pay their hard-earned money to watch a singer who pretends to sing?

“If you’re shocked that Britney was lip-syncing at her concert and want your money back, life may continue to be hard for you.”

– John Mayer

For me, the controversy is not about Britney lip-syncing. Much like Mr. Mayer, I’m shocked that people are still shocked about this. Have the Aussies not been paying attention for the last ten years? Come on, Australia. Britney’s been lip-syncing since day one. I don’t even think that’s her real speaking voice. There’s probably someone sitting outside in an RV talking into a headset microphone or something.

Best Supergroup of the Year

And the Harley goes to…

Them Crooked Vultures

And in a stunning upset, Them Crooked Vultures takes home the Harley over… well, how many supergroups actually came out this year? There was Chickenfoot, Monsters Of Folk, and… uh…

I’m only half-kidding about this. Maybe I’m kind of biased since this band features Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age) on guitar and vocals, Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, lots of other bands) on drums, and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) on bass. It’s kind of hard to go wrong with a lineup like that. If you like classic rock like Zeppelin or Cream, or if QOTSA’s Songs For The Deaf ranks among your favorite albums, or if you play an instrument, or if you like rock music in general, you’ll probably like this band.

Runner-Up: Monsters Of Folk

Most Baffling Music Video Trend of the Year

And the Harley goes to…

NSFW VIDEOS

I’ve never been a fan of censorship, really. That’s why if I ever come up with an idea for a TV show, I’d want it to be on HBO – because they let you do pretty much anything you want. Yet for some reason, this recent trend of NSFW music videos has taken me by surprise. Truly, Rule 34 of the Internet (“If it exists, there is porn of it – no exceptions”) continues to reign supreme.

Would you like to watch Rammstein porn (“Pussy”)? Do you think it would be funny to pretend another person’s penis is a microphone (Girls, “Lust For Life”)? Have you ever wanted to see Wayne Coyne naked (the Flaming Lips, “Watching The Planets”)? Well, guess what? All of these videos have been made just for you. But be warned – what has been seen… cannot be unseen.

Runner-Up: Everything Lady Gaga has ever worn. EVER.

Best Non-Existent Album of the Year

And the Harley goes to…

Radiohead, Wall Of Ice

It must have been interesting to be a member of Radiohead in the days leading up to August 17, 2009. Someone had recently leaked a new song called “These Are My Twisted Words” and the Internet was suddenly all abuzz about a mysterious new EP called Wall Of Ice. This despite the fact that nobody in the band had ever said anything about the leak, the new song, or anything they were planning for August 17. No blog posts on Dead Air Space, no news updates on At Ease Web, no interviews, no press releases, no nothing.

Yet all of a sudden everyone was convinced that Wall Of Ice was coming. After all, this was the band who released In Rainbows pretty much out of nowhere nearly two years earlier. Were they about to pull the same trick again?

Well, no. As it turns out, the Wall Of Ice EP existed only in Internet rumors. And the mysterious event set for August 17? The official release of “These Are My Twisted Words.” Somehow, without even doing anything at all, Radiohead had managed to pull off perhaps the biggest hoax since Orson Welles’ War Of The Worlds broadcast. But if “These Are My Twisted Words” is any indication, Wall Of Ice would have been pretty kickass. And Pitchfork would have given it at least an 8.5 out of 10.

One last Harley award to give out, and then we can all go home! Now, this one may be the last, but it’s certainly not the least. And anyone who’s paid attention to any award shows over the past few years will agree that this is a pretty big award.

The Kanye West Award, for excellence in the field of being Kanye West

And the Harley goes to…

Kanye West

Well, duh. At least now he won’t be throwing any fits backstage (or onstage) about how he should have won something.

It’s easy to mock celebrities, actors in particular, who stress to the public how difficult and important their lives are and how much fame belabors those facts. Especially when we see them living such pampered and extravagant lives. I’m here to discuss five men in Hollywood who actually DO live rather industrious existanses and yet fail to ever complain about them. In fact, most are as hard-working as they are do to their love for what they do, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, check all your false pretenses at the door, this list takes NO monetary statistics into account to tabulate this list. I’m simply conducting an opinionated grouping of five actors who I feel have taken on more than most men can handle in the show biz…biz, and I’m compiling this list in relation to this point in time, Autumn of 2009. Yes, Seth Rogen has appeared in MULTITUDES of films over the last five years, but after Funny People and Observe and Report of this year, the guy has been laying pretty low. This list tabulates the mainstreamers who have been racking up leading role credits in muliple expansive flicks. So, without further ado…

5. Johnny Depp

To say that I respect this man would be an intense understatement. His acting prowess is some of the best of our time, so it makes me EXTREMELY happy to see him inundated with work. If you’ve been living under the sea (visions of The Little Mermaid just popped into my head. Walt Disney prevails) for the past year then you probably haven’t heard of Depp’s numerous forays into film he has recently undertaken. Public Enemies was the only work he appeared in that was released in ‘09, however, he has been fast at work on massive cinematic staples of the 2010 movie-going season that will almost-assuredly dominate the market. The first being Tim Burton’s reiteration of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Depp plays The Mad Hatter in Burton’s CGI-laden could-be-wonderful-could-be-terrible still up-in-the-air retelling of the classic story. Headlining next to Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas, and Alan Rickman, the film has all the makings of a complete cinematic win, the screenshots and trailers, however, leave doubt in my mind, as CGI-laden, as I said before, is putting it nicely. Time will tell. Depp also was involved in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, filling one of the three roles created after lead actor Heath Ledger’s passing. Depp, along with Colin Farrell and Jude Law, will stand in for Ledger as alternate versions of Ledger’s character, to help the stroy along despite the events that took place prior to the film’s completion. The next chapter in the Hunter S. Thompson chronicles, The Rum Diary, is also in post, in which Depp will reprise his role as the gonzo-journalist.
In addition to these films that Depp has finished, the newest film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is slated for a 2011 release date and is currently in the earliest stages of pre-production. Sin City 3, which Depp has been rumored to be involved with basically from its inception, is also geared up for a 2012 release (funny considering Sin City 2 is still stuck in developmental hell).
And here’s the kicker. IMDB lists Depp as in development with FOURTEEN new titles, as well. Among them, a Dali biopic and The Lone Ranger. Wow, simply wow. While these developmental deals can fall through at any time, they can also usually indicate desire and co-involvement between the parties of the actors and the producers. It will be interesting to see where Depp’s career goes looking towards these titles.

4. Brad Pitt

Here’s another guy with developmental deals in spades. The ‘ole rusty, trusty IMDB has Pitt pegged with sixteen deals, the most I could find. In addition to being attached to The sequel to Downey Jrs Sherlock Holmes vehicle, Pitt is also listed with World War Z and a Steve McQueen biopic. Goo.
Pitt tore up the screen in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds this summer, and has currently been attached to the fledgling project Moneyball, which is listed as being in the earliest stages of production, despite the fact that it has no director. Pitt is further attached to The Tree of Life and The Lost City of Z, as well as providing a voice to the upcoming animated flick Oobermind. He’s also rumored to be apart of 2012’s upcoming The Odyssey and The Sparrow.

3. George Clooney

The former Sexiest Man in America has never slowed down since his rocket-propelled rise to fame in the mid-to-late 90’s as well. Clooney most recently has released The Men Who Stare at Ghosts, a loosely based adaptation of the book of the same name which regards a 1970’s to 1980’s military experiment that documented telepathic phenomena. In addition to this recent film, though, Clooney finished up providing voice work for the titular role in Wes Anderson’s upcoming The Fantastic Mr. Fox, alongside Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, and Jason Schwartzman, as well as polishing off his role in the Jason Reitman-helmed Up in the Air, which is also currently in post. These are merely his acting credits for 2009, though, the man also executive produced the Matt Damon vehicle The Informant! and Playground, a movie I honestly couldn’t find too much on. As far as his queue list goes, IMDB has him cited with ten in-development deals.

2. Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey is a man of many faces. The actor became famous for his rubber-faced persona that landed him a slew of comedic work in the mid-to-late 90’s and a career launching pad that ANY actor would be proud of. By the turn of the century, however, Carrey was becoming far more versatile as an actor. Already dabbling in the dramatic with The Truman Show, Liar Liar,, and the INCREDAMAZING Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon. Carrey then went on to tackle the serious side of life full-tilt in Charlie Kaufman’s magnificent Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, opposite Kate Winslet, The Majestic, and the box office blunder The Number 23. He has returned to comedy in recent years, however, and, as always, has fully immersed himself in his roles. Recently released is the Zemeckis-penned adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in which Carrey provided the movements and voices to Scrooge at all ages of life AND the three spirits that visit him! Encompassing multiple accents, multiple ages of life, and multiple SPIRITUAL BEINGS, Carrey tackled the project head-on while keeping busy with multiple other projects, such as I Love You, Philip Morris, the tale of an escaped homosexual convict who goes on a quest to find his lover that was released from prison before he was. The film has been receiving stellar reviews and co-stars Ewan McGregor opposite Carrey in this bold and self-titled dark comedy. All the while that these two flicks have been in post, Carrey has both been bulking up and studying up to play Curly Howard in the upcoming Three Stooges revamp with Paul Giamatti and possibly Benecio Del Toro. This was all considered fact for the longest time and was referenced multiple times by Carrey’s apparent weight gain in the tabloids and public citings, but, as of late, Carrey has been described as withdrawing from the project. It doesn’t negate the fact that the man was taking on multiple roles immediately after finishing his previously mentioned two. Further, IMBD.com has Carrey listed in FOUR different upcoming development deals. Which may seem normal for a star of his status, but when you consider the work load he will indefinitely take on with these upcoming roles, it makes a profound statement on his desire to never be bored.
In addition to his films and the launch of a fully-functioning personal website that has actually made the rounds and received a warm/geeky reception from the film/internet blogosphere, Carrey and his wife Jenny McCarthy have consistantly maintained their involvement in the charity Generation Rescue, which strives to find alternative ways to treat autism in children. Not bad for a man who was talking with his butt a little over 10 years ago.

1. Nicolas Cage

Go ahead and laugh (you’ve earned it) but the man has yet to produce a dull movie (I said ‘dull’ not ‘bad’) and his work output is something for ANY actor to admire, regardless of how badly he phones roles in. Before I continue, most of you know, but for those who don’t, everything I joke about Nicolas Cage comes from a place of sincere reverance. Yes, the man takes part in AWFUL movies (which, given his current economic situation could just be to keep the lights on) but in each film he’s in he is always FULLY committed to the story being told. And I’m sorry, but I’d rather watch Cage run around in a Bear suit any day FULLY EMBRACING THE ROLE than see Tom Hanks win ANOTHER Oscar for appearing in some adaptation of a story set in the 1940’s. ALL TANGENTS ASIDE, Cage has kept himself QUITE stacked as of late. In early 2009 the CGI-Fest known as G-Force dropped with Cage providing a voice as well as Cage’s vehicle Knowing, in which he played the lead. Throughout the remainder of the year he has worked on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, Season of the Witch, and Werner FOOKING Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Did I mention the voice that he provided for Astro Boy? No? Well, lump that in there as well.
IMDB has him attached to 4 deals in development, one of which being (GET READY!!!) Ghost Rider 2! Which creators have said will distance itself from the original as a revamp, not a sequel. Yet, it still stars Cage as the lead. Oh, how I LOVE this man! It simply amazes me what Hollywood will greenlight.

And speaking of hard working, (and by hard-working, I mean shameless self-promotion!) visit my sketch troupe’s Youtube or Facebook and comment/subscribe/hate/love/befriend/never talk to us again/enjoy our attempts at making you laugh!

wow jam packed past few days. hung out a lot with anthony! on thursday we watched land of the lost. love that movie. and attempted to watch this one called wedding slashers…it was crap. and then we watched tamara. stayed up til like 4 in the morning and then woke up at 9:30 oh gosh.

friday…picked up kenny. punk ass wasn’t awake when i went grr. haha. we listened to some music and watched up. such a cute movie. and then we went and got my check and to pick up anthony from work. we talked for a bit in the car. he opened up to some things that are quite personal. and i to him. it’s interesting what you learn about someone and how far in sometimes that they’ll let you go. or how far you will let them dabble in your life.

then we went to red robin. yum. and saw final destination, it was alright. i think kenny and i are going to go see paranormal activity on monday. i’m really excited to see that. went down to the lobster shop for a minute, then went to anthony’s and watched the number 23, i really liked it. there was quite a bit of sex in it though, not that that’s bad or anything and then we went to wincos where i stole 2 pounds of candy on accident. no seriously it was an accident! i would have paid! and we started watching skeleton crew but that again was terrible. the cover looked good and it sounded good but terrible quality. anthony and kenny both suck at picking movies.

woke up at 1, haha and smoked and talked. brian and leanne came to get kenny for disney on ice tonight. got super irritated. came home. ate some dinner and watched the ugly truth with my dad and brother. got my first letter from brandon! so super excited about that, gonna write him back tonight after work!

then went to julena’s for a bit, went to walmart and we went back to her house and watched some tv and she made me an amazing mix. she makes the most awesome mixes ever. love that girl.

got super irritated today because i’m so fed up with people pretending to be my friend. if you don’t want to be my friend then fucking tell me so i can stop trying. tell me and i swear i’ll leave you alone and go away like you want. just man up for once in your fucking life. quit being so pathetic it makes me sick to my stomach. i’ve had a lot of shit already happen this year i don’t want or need any more drama.

Who ever thought the number 23 was so evil. See I knew there was something always fishy about Michael Jordan.

When Walter Sparrow (Carrey) begins reading the novel The Number 23, he notices strange parallels between it and his life. Now, he’s worried that a murder that occurs in the book might just cross over into the world of nonfiction.

This movie was hilarious in a very unintentional self-parody way. From the looks of this film in the trailers and even the poster you would’ve though that this was a horror film but oh god I wish it was so I could’ve given it more props for being a bad horror film. Not too many of them around nowadays (sarcasm).

This film is bad. I mean really bad. Not one of the worst films I’ve ever seen but certainly up there. The films first big problem was that it was trying hard to mix horror, psychological thriller, and suspense film all into one huge movie. However, they fail miserably with that and it just becomes one huge jumble of “huh?”.

The one thing I actually thought was going to happen was I thought I was going to get a huge story on the Number 23 and its significance. However, instead I got a huge bunch of mumbo jumbo crap about some guy who does bad things and the Number 23 just so happens to be apart of it. This film fails to ever make the viewer question what is reality, and it was fiction, and most importantly what the number 23 is all about.

This film did have me at a point but then it lost me after all this obsessive crap started coming in and totally got me off track. Given the right direction this film could’ve been seemingly ok, but instead it fails in all levels.

One thing I will say about this film is that Carrey can act. We have seen Carrey act in very melo-dramatic roles such as in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show, but this is different from all and it is very dark and nothing like Carrey has ever dared to try before. He does give an effort and you can tell but after awhile you just cannot take him seriously, and soon him along with the film, becomes an utter laugh fest.

The Number 23 starts out normal but then becomes a clumsy, uneven, and overall confusing mess that by the end you’ll still be scratching your head and wondering what the point of this film was in the end.

3/10=Some Ole Bullshitt!!

IMDB link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481369/

IMDB ratings 6.2/10   52,278 votes
Release Date : 23 February 2007 (USA)

Genre : Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot : On his birthday, Walter Sparrow, an amiable dog-catcher, takes a call that leaves him dog bit and late to pick up his wife. She’s browsed in a bookstore, finding a blood-red-covered novel, a murder mystery with numerology that loops constantly around the number 23. The story captivates Walter: he dreams it, he notices aspects of his life that can be rendered by “23,” he searches for the author, he stays in the hotel (in room 23) where events in the novel took place, and he begins to believe it was no novel. His wife and son try to help him, sometimes in sympathy, sometimes to protect him. Slowly, with danger to himself and to his family, he closes in on the truth.

Direct Download links

http://movies.go4b.net.pk/muvee/The.Number.23%5B2007%5D%5BUnrated.Edition%5D%5BDvDrip%5BEng%5D-aXXo/The.Number.23%5B2007%5D%5BUnrated.Edition%5D%5BDvDrip%5BEng%5D-aXXo.avi

Look everyone! I’m still alive, and I haven’t completely forgotten about this blog!

Sorry I’ve gone an eternity or two (closer to two at this point) without updating anything. I’ve kind of been busy — papers to write, midterms to prepare for… you know, college stuff. As a result, I haven’t really been in the mood to write much lately. College would be so much better without all that crap, wouldn’t you agree? (And yes, I know that would completely defeat the purpose of college. This does not change the fact that midterms and essays suck ass.)

Anyway, my birthday was a few weeks ago and I turned — gulp — 23. (My youth is all but officially over and I don’t even feel like it’s started yet. Can I get a do-over on this whole “life” thing? No? Well, that sucks.) I got some presents — as of September 27, 2009, I officially became multi-instrumental when I got a bass guitar — and some money to spend. Which means it’s time for another Colin’s Collection post! Yay!

I don't know how to use Photoshop, so just pretend this is my face and "COLIN FRATTURA" replaces "JIM CARREY" and the tag line reads "HOLY CRAP, THAT'S OLD."

All the albums I’ve recently added to my collection can be found after the jump. Check it out! THAT’S AN ORDER, DAMMIT!

RX Bandits: Mandala

• I looked all over the place for this album all summer long, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. My parents were kind enough to track it down on Amazon and send it to me for my birthday. (Thanks Mom and Dad!)
• The Bandits’ newest album finds the progressive-ska-rockers completely hornless for the first time in their career. Not that this ends up being a detriment to their sound, because the rest of the band is still there and the awesome guitar work remains completely intact.
• I’m pretty sure “Hope Is A Butterfly, No Net Its Captor, She Beats Her Wings And Softly Sings Of Summer Scent And Children’s Laughter (Virus Of Silence)” takes its title from a famous poem, but I can’t remember where I think it comes from and I can’t find such a poem anywhere. I guess that means I’m wrong and the Bandits made the title up, but still… it sounds so familiar.

“March Of The Caterpillar”

Muse: The Resistance

• An interesting variety of tunes on this one. Songs like “Uprising,” “Undisclosed Desires,” and “I Belong To You” continue in the poppier direction of “Supermassive Black Hole” from Black Holes & Revelations, so if you liked that one, you’ll like this. Meanwhile, “United States Of Eurasia” (SIA! SIA! SIA! SIA!) is a big theatrical orchestra-driven Queen-like epic, while “Unnatural Selection” sounds like Queens Of The Stone Age covering Muse’s own “New Born” and is made of pure awesome. And then there’s the “Exogenesis Symphony,” which I played in full on my show a couple weeks ago.
• With “Uprising,” “Undisclosed Desires,” “United States Of Eurasia,” and “Unnatural Selection,” I’m pretty sure Muse has set the new world record for the most song titles that begin with the letter U on a single album. I have no idea who previously held this record, but something tells me it was Prince. Call it a hunch.
• Saw these guys opening for U2 on 9/29/09 at FedEx Field and they sounded great. I just wish the stupid “claw” design of U2’s 360 Tour stage didn’t almost completely block my view of them! Also, they need to go on a headlining tour of the US some time. That would be pretty sweet.

“Unnatural Selection”

Thrice: Beggars

• Quite an interesting career path these guys have taken. They started off as “melodic hardcore” (that’s Wikipedia talking right there), then started getting a little more experimental with their later albums, and on The Alchemy Index they tinkered with cold electronics and acoustic folk-rock. Their newest album Beggars is a pretty solid collection of straight-up alternative rock tunes.
• The physical release of Beggars comes with a link to a website where you can download five bonus tracks, including two B-sides, two remixes, and a cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.”
• Fun fact: the first I heard of these guys was in Madden NFL ‘04 — their song “All That’s Left” is featured on that game’s soundtrack.

“In Exile”

Phoenix: It’s Never Been Like That

• I haven’t been able to stop listening to “1901,” the hit single from their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and the new Cadillac jingle (just as I was starting to be able to listen to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll” without thinking of those freaking cars).
• I also haven’t been able to find Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix anywhere just yet — or at least not now that I’m interested in getting it. Figures, huh?
• Phoenix have been popping up all over the place lately now that they’re starting to hit it big here in the States. They’ve performed on every late-night show on American television except for Carson Daly’s show and Jay Leno’s new show. You can also hear “1901″ and “Lisztomania” in several film trailers and TV shows. Talk about a meteoric rise to fame — even though Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is actually their fourth album.

“Courtesy Laughs”

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

• That’s right, I finally decided to grab a copy of the album that spawned my favorite song of the summer and one of the songs in my last Picks Of The Week post, “Two Weeks.” I still can’t stop listening to that one, and it’s been nearly two months since the first time I heard it.
• Grizzly Bear, as I’m sure everyone knows by now, will have a song called “Slow Life” featured on the soundtrack to the new Twilight movie, which comes out next week and basically features a who’s who of current indie and alternative stars. The soundtrack also includes songs from Death Cab For Cutie, the Killers, Muse, OK Go, Bon Iver, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and some guy named Thom Yorke.
• These guys recently earned themselves the adulation of none other than fellow Brooklyn native Jay-Z. Who knew Hova was so into this kind of music? Then again, he did say he gave Radiohead fifty bucks for In Rainbows, so I guess it’s not too surprising.

“Ready, Able” (live on The Late Show with David Letterman 7/16/09)

Well, that about covers it for now. I’ve still got my eye on a few albums that I haven’t found anywhere just yet, including two Cave In albums and the new Fall Of Troy album In The Unlikely Event, which just came out last week. See you next time my lazy ass gets around to updating this blog!

Nu stiu daca spuneam post-ul anterior ca voi reveni cu detalii despre filmele pe care le-am vazut in weekend, dar uite ca o fac. Am terminat comediile. Cele bune le-am vazut la cinema (ma refer la cele noi) iar din cele din anii trecuti nu cred ca a mai ramas vreuna care sa merite 2 ore pierdute in fata laptopului.
Vineri seara am vazut ‘I know who killed me’, un film care nu m-a lasat sa adorm pana cand nu am vazut finalul, indiferent de cat imi era de somn. A fost dragut… merita vazut, daca nu ati facut-o din 2007 si pana acum.

Sambata seara am vazut tot un thriller: The number 23. Cred ca e primul film cu Jim Carrey pe care il vad si care nu este comedie. Cat de obsedati sunteti voi de numere? 7, 13, 23, 666… Intrebati-va inainte si dupa ce vedeti filmul. Din nou, daca nu l-ati vazut din 2007 si pana acum.

Ultimul care merita mentionat este Perfect Stranger, a carui premiera a fost in acelasi an. Dupa cum citisem, intr-adevar, nu poti ghici finalul. Merita vazut!

So, I have finally gotten around to cozying up to the computer screen after changing into sweat pants and making a hot cup of chai tea.  I’ve been trying to get to this all day, but somehow things always get in the way.

On Sunday, I watched a movie with my mother called “The Number 23″. A friend had let me borrow it, and the only reason I wanted to watch it was because it had Jim Carrey in it. I love Jim Carrey. I didn’t really know what it was about, so I went in with no expectations. As it turns out, the movie is basically about this number 23, and how evil it is. It consumes this guy’s life because everything about him always comes down to the number 23. He becomes paranoid about the number, because his parents were. It was insane. One of my favorite scenes in the whole movie was when he went to see a professor, or psychaiatrist, or something of the like, and he asks whats wrong with himself and does the professor-character know anything about the number 23 and why it’s haunting his life. The professor-character simply says that because the number was brought to his attention (by a book that the paranoid character was reading) he was looking for the number, and therefore finding it.

The reason I loved that scene is because it breaks down a lot of paranoia that we go through. Whether the paranoia is small or large, it all breaks down the same, in a way. Paranoia = a switch has been turned in our mind and now our mind looks for a certain thing, therefore our eyes find how much of that certain thing is surrounding us, and we get scared. Even though nothing changes if the switch was turned off. When it’s off, it just means that we aren’t looking for it. Say for example, I’m scared of spiders (and that’s not at all hypethetical, because I am very scared of spiders). Today, I saw a shadow that looked like one, and it was, so I killed it. After I killed it, I had to clean my room because I was so scared there were more. I couldn’t look under my bed because in my mind there were thousands of them. There weren’t, but just because I had seen that shadow, I started seeing spiders everywhere. *shivers* anyway. Paranoia is a tricky thing.

But I digress: the main theme I got from watching the The Number 23, was that it’s dangerous to put power in things of this world. In the movie, he gets so un-balenced because he put so much power into this number, and he let it overtake his life. If he had not given the number power over him, guess what! The number wouldn’t have had power. I think this is a powerful point, because I think we tend to put our faith in a lot of things that don’t really deserve to have our faith. I think we can even do this with people. I used to have this one best friend, and I put so much faith in her. I loved her so much, and we would talk all the time, and we would hang out constantly. We basically became so much alike that people would confuse us. Sometimes we would even have the same thought-processes and think the same thoughts at the same time. Her parents ended up forbidding us because they thought we weren’t really good influences on each other. And when she was taken out of my life, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had put so much of myself into her, that without her, there wasn’t much to me. I had found my identity in her. I had to learn at that time that my identity shouldn’t have been in her, but it should have been in God,  and it took a while to make that transition. I had let her have so much power over me, power that she never even asked for. And it wasn’t a one time thing, either. I still struggle with letting people have power over me that they shouldn’t. I tend to want to define myself by the people I’m close to. But I have to constantly find my identity in the God I serve than in the people I love. Yes, I love my friends, but I am my own person and who I love should not limit my personality.

May we never want to be content with mirroring the personalities around us, but may we have the desire to find ourselves for who we truly are.

~The Lady Sonya

-

Nicolas Cage has made some very bad choices in his career, I mean the last good movie I saw starring him was The Weather Man, and that’s from 2005,  but this movie really looked like he was back into something good for a change.

I was wrong. Knowing is a cliché film, the acting is not that good, and the (religious) questions it raises are (un)answered in the worst possible way.
Playing a man that lost his faith and makes a terrible discovery, you see Cage trying to go deep into his character and the movie going the other way. The first half of the movie reminds us of The Number 23, with the paranoia and the numbers thing, and delivers some good moments of entertainment, but then the second half destroys everything and turns the movie into some sort of b-rate apocalyptic flick. Oh and the special effects at the end reminded me of Cloverfield, which is bad, making me also think that the producers must have run out of money in the post-production.

Not recommended if you’re looking for a good movie with a plausible story and good character development, but enjoyable if you’re just trying to spend a few hours eating some homemade popcorns.

IMDB LINK

TRAILER

Who cares if destiny can turn around? Destiny can’t replace my thin sound; Scary shadows of my past are alive. There are demons in my head, not one but five, with every plan of my life, there’s something wrong. “Destiny of a lie”, demons are singing, a scary song, I need another chance to fight a different enemy. I found it to be unfair, not to find a distant sanity, I played the part and took the blame, But they kept playing, like it still the same. I feel in my heart that nothing is real. And I can’t take it, if my heart won’t heal.

I’m working on an interruption of hypocrisy, the battle will be endless, no fear, no mercy. A broken hope and souls will decease, An ancient rope and a choking breeze, What awaits us is a dark paradise, Collecting souls just to analyze, Five was the number, given by the magic dice, So sank will be my heart, and my soul in ice. But water shall be onto my fire. I don’t want to please them for everfeel,

3.5 out of 5

They say it is just a number. They say it doesn’t mean anything, but for Walter Sparrow, the number 23 quickly becomes his whole world and he begins seeing it in everything he sets his eyes on.

At first things appear to be mere coincidence—the numerical value of his name (23), his birthday (2/3), but as time goes on, the number seems to take on a life of its own and leads him down a pathway to darkness and psychosis.

Jim Carrey stars as Walter Sparrow in this Joel Schumacher-directed flick and once again Carrey proves he’s more than just a goofball actor. Carrey plays the serious role well. He blew me away in Man on the Moon. I loved him in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. If anything, I prefer him in his more dramatic roles than playing the funny man.

Virginia Madsen did an excellent job portraying Sparrow’s wife. The unconditional love she had for her husband was in every scene even when things got crazy.

My first reaction as to how it all wrapped up left me wanting more, then, after thinking about it prior to writing this review, the way it all came together in the end worked perfectly.

This is a movie for those who enjoy intrigue, the hidden threads of Reality and how exploring those threads leads a person down the dangerous and dark path of obsession and skewed perception of the world around them.

Numerology, which plays a part in the Reality you and I live in, is dangerous and this movie shows why. Though this was a work of fiction, the dangers of getting into numerology are real. It has the potential to control you. Be careful.

The only reason for the lower rating was because, despite its detailed plot, I still felt I was only getting part of the story and not a deep submergence into Sparrow’s psyche.

Language warning: Cursing and blasphemy

Content: Contains nudity

Your Animal’s Oracle contains 32 cards. What is the significance of this?

When I was being guided to create Your Animal’s Oracle I asked Source early on in the process how many cards there would be in the pack. I immediately received a clear number: 32.

For me there are two things of interest in this number. The first (as suggested by my husband) is that 32 is the multiple of 4 and 8. Four is the number of foundations and the elements of nature. (It could also be symbolic of ‘four paws’.) And eight has always been my favourite number and symbolises infinity and realised vision. Both of these numbers work well with these cards as we take the energy of nature (in our animals) and realise its full potential.

The second thing to note is that 32 becomes the number 5 in numerology (3+2=5).  Five is an interesting number because it sits right in the middle with 1-4 behind it and 6-9 in front of it. So the number 5 becomes the point at which we can choose a direction in which to live. If we don’t like what has come before this moment in time then we can choose to look ahead into a new direction. Five becomes one of those numbers that people see as a flip number: either good or bad. But I think this is terribly simplistic. The key to the number 5 is choice. You have a choice as to which direction to take. In this sense 32 (5) becomes a very powerful number for Your Animal’s Oracle because it empowers the user to make a choice about their relationship to their animal.

For further interest in this numerology:

32 is the flipside of 23 and if you happen to get hold of the DVD of the 2007 movie The Number 23 (starring Jim Carey) you will find in the extras a lengthy and detailed discussion of the numbers 23 and 32.

You can also read about the number 32 here.

Premise:  On his birthday, Walter Sparrow (Carrey), an amiable dog-catcher, takes a call that leaves him dog bit and late to pick up his wife. She’s browsed in a bookstore, finding a blood-red-covered novel, a murder mystery with numerology that loops constantly around the number 23. The story captivates Walter: he dreams it, he notices aspects of his life that can be rendered by “23,” he searches for the author, he stays in the hotel (in room 23) where events in the novel took place, and he begins to believe it was no novel. His wife and son try to help him, sometimes in sympathy, sometimes to protect him. Slowly, with danger to himself and to his family, he closes in on the truth.

Analysis:  Pretty messed up movie!  A dark, psychological experience that just seems to spiral more and more out of control and Carrey’s character begins to lose himself into the story.  I found the jutaposition between the “real-life”  Sparrow and the larger-than-life Fingerling to be both very dark and very entertaining…

Word of caution here, this is not a lighthearted movie…  this shows the basic deterioration of a man’s mind as it tries to grasp both things that do not make sense and things that have been buried long and unfortunately not forgotten.

I am not a horror film fan, and this was not a horror film, so I was happy at least for that, (can’t really tell from the cover/movie poster.  Very much a pshcyhogical thrill that, overall was a good movie, and while there were some lines and scenes that struck a cord in me, the overall movie only left a fading long term impression on me…

Lastly, I know that Carrey gets alot of crap about not being a serious actor, and has made strives to prove that he is, (including The Truman Show and a personal favorite,  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).  This was a very dark role for Carrey, and he did quite well in my opinion, (I personally think he’s half-crazy as it is, so not much of a stretch perhaps for him

Bottom Line:  A psychological trip that’s… a trip!

Best Quote(s):

Title card: Be sure your sin will find you out. – Numbers 32:23

——————–

Walter Sparrow: There’s no such thing as destiny. There are only different choices. Some choices are easy, some aren’t. Those are the really important ones, the ones that define us as people.

Official Trailer:

IMDB Website:   Click here

IMDB Rating:  6.2 out of 10

My Netflix Rating: 3 out of 5

Other Wrathofnino Posts You Might Enjoy:

• New Movie Review “There Will Be Blood” 
• New Movie Reviews: “A Scanner Darkly”
• New Movie Review – “V is for Vendetta”

Some Thoughts on 23

As of 1:22 this morning
I’m the number on the back of michael jordan’s jersey
the one that carried him to the 6 nba titles
the number the Miami Heat retired even though he never even played for them
I’m 23 like a box of crayons, like yellow and green chevrons on cardboard
vestigial crayon sharpener included
2 perfect straight lines of perfect color promising a perfect school year
minus a black or a cerulean blue or a brick red broken in two or lost before the first day
23 the cartoon network channel in the mid-90’s on long island,
US-23, a road running from michigan to florida,
or Christmas eve Eve,
Track 23, I’m La Vie Boheme on the RENT soundtrack,
my introduction to juevos rancheros and dildos
my sister and i shared a pair of headphones on the train into manhattan
my mother disbelieving the words on our lips ‘do you know what a dildo is’ she asked
on cue, in unison ‘a strap-on, mom’, and then we went back to singing out the window.

I’m a juicy, bleeding 24 oz. t-bone steak with one bite missing,
I’m the right for the district of columbia to choose electors for president and vice-president in the constitution as ratified in 1961
or Blackjack plus two for good luck,
I’m ten fingers, ten toes, this nose, and two furrowed eyebrows,
Psalm 23: Mizmor l’david; The lord is my shepherd i shall not want in the torah,
or 4 short of being divisible by nine (which appeals to me),
the number of petals on a daisy I tucked in my right ear last july
plucked off one by one when i was done wearing it
(except I’m making that up because daisies are dicots– flowering plants with two cotyledons whose petals occur in multiples of four and five and 23 is a prime number)
Today I’m a prime number
indivisible
unfactorable
a mystique undeniable, when we learned about them in fifth grade my legs quaked under my desk
thank god i was sitting, thank you teacher for my first erotic math experience.

John McCain was shot down on his 23rd mission in Vietnam
Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times when he was assassinated,
23 the number of times i refreshed that page on wikipedia to make sure i’d gotten all the interesting parts right,
23– twenty and a half minutes longer than it took my first boyfriend, it feels good to be older
If I was the 23rd state to enter the union, I’d be Maine,
still pissed off that New Hampshire got “live free or die” first for their license plates.
The 23rd mile of a marathon
I’m one water stop away from some arbitrary goal that makes other people stop and turn around when they hear about it during a cocktail hour
Remember that time you ran a marathon and I called you on a cell phone you stowed in your water belt, a perfect four minute orchestration during your 23rd mile, sneakers melting into the pavement on the route through san francisco
just keep going, I’m so proud to know you
I cried when I hung up, wrote a letter I never sent it said ‘I love… marathons’.
I’m 3 miles over a school zone speed limit,
I’m the space between one and four, or
halfway to 46.
Today I’m two dozen minus one
egg scrambled for a bagel sandwich
or a lazy sunday single omelette
why don’t you stay for breakfast, how do you like your egg?
I’m 32 flavors and then some– backwards
nobody likes you when you’re 23
If 23 people are sitting in the same room, the probability that two of them share a birthday is 50%
I’m 5 days short of a February,
or every letter in the alphabet minus x, y, and z
I’m the number of seconds it takes blood to course through the human body,
think of me and count to 23 and i’ll have ridden a circuit through your feet through every single chamber of your heart through your pancreas– i’m timing you.

Today I’m seven more than the family record for most latkes eaten on any given chanuka without throwing up,
in fact I’m one night short of three chanukas
so bring on the candles did you know
Sex characteristics are determined by your twenty third chromosome.
Now that I think about it
there’s 23 chromosomes in a sex cell
Let’s come together and divide our twenty threes up
I am every inch of this 23 today
I’m practically his Airness,
I’m Michael Jordan,
I’m nothing but net.

Asta e momentul in care va aduc aminte ca am si un blog in care scriu o singura data pe an, pe 23 aprilie.

Alrighty Than!  a second sequel to a movie that should of never had a sequel in the first place!  Okay, granted, the first sequel was by far one of the better comedy flicks when it was out in theaters.  But seriously, it’s not like they are epic pieces of film work.  Jim Carrey had a great repetoire of jokes and physical comedy that could be harnessed in any flick he was in, until his great decision to do more serious films.  And those have mostly worked out, except for The Majestic.  Did anybody even watch that?  I know I didnt.  

Anyways, back to the story.  I suppose.  You really got to ask yourself why, when it comes to making a third Ace Venture movie that in no way has Jim Carrey.  If Carrey had wanted to do a third movie, I would watch it without hesisation and know that I’m going to laugh my ass off.  Instead, like the insanity that was Son of the Mask, we have a story continuation with a character who is the original, but not even close.  Without ever even knowing his own father our new Ace Ventura, is becoming just like his father.  Genes in that family must be dominate as fuck, his hair even “naturally’ starts to do that increasingly disturbing hair styled that our previous Pet Detective pulled off in the previous movies.  So our new Ace is infused with a desire to help pets and animals even though he has no reason why, his mother is than pinned for stealing a rare Panda on loan from China, and so begins Ace’s growth into a full fledge detective to prove his mothers innocense and strut with a style combosed for lunatics, and pimps.

With such a long gap between this and the last movie you have to wonder who exactly they are making the movie for.  Adults?  Can’t be, because this is a kids movie.  Kid hero, kid sidekick, childish humour and not a single sexual inneundo.  Is it really made for kids?  Why?  All this movie ever does is reference the previous movies, be it the way Ace moved, talked or just plained yelled out at ackward moments.   And really, if this is made for kids, are we really assuming they even saw the previous films?  It’s possible, but this is like Disney bought the idea of what Ace Ventura was and made a movie, or a made for tv movie.  Which isn’t a bad thing.  It’s an okay film by itself.  But it still has no place existing.  The reality of this movie is that if you knew the originals, and had kids already this is the movie made for you to kind of get the inside jokes, while your kids watch a semi interesting movie about the fat kid who has no idea on how to be normal.

I’m not advocating watching this film.  But it’s perfect fodder for kids.  Let them watch it without fear of them talking with their asshole while bent over and spreading the brown hole like they were the gayest man on earth you’re afraid he’ll be.  And if you don’t get that reference, than you never saw the originals.  

5/10

ps. Fuck You.  I watched it.  Don’t Judge Me.
Next… Feast Trilogy, Friday the 13th, Righteous Kill, and REC Vs. Qaurintine

Val & I rented a few movies from Blockbuster tonight. We got Sunshine, The Matrix, The Holiday, American Outlaws, and The Number 23. Just finished Sunshine and all I can say is…wow. It’s a really cool sci-fi movie done by Danny Boyle, the man responsible for Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and 28 Weeks Later.

But now we’re watching The Matrix. I can’t believe this movie is ten years old already. It’s been easily five years since I last sat down and watched it.