A few days ago I tweeted a little blurb about feeling OK to openly admit I watch Happy Endings on ABC.

The problem is, I don’t seem to know anyone else who is also watching this show.  Well… that isn’t exactly true.  I have two friends that are currently watching it but it seems like everyone I’ve talked to about the show doesn’t even know it exists. 

Discovered that ABC has some of the full episodes online.  

If the show intro doesn’t hook you, you’re not human.  (they had me at the happy undies shot).  

* Show intro done by Matthew Crnich - visual fx director

 

It’s been a while since I’ve looked forward to the release of a record, but the Vaccines are going to have their album drop here (U.S.) tomorrow May 31st.

Learned about the band late last year and loved a promotional photo that had accompanied some early singles. (see below)

Their sound is reminiscent of countless memorable Punk/Post Punk bands…  found this track on Daytrotter.com around the time of SXSW

Weekend of Summer Sequels and their diminishing returns

When the dust settles tomorrow afternoon and Memorial Day Weekend 2011 is officially considered “over”…   I’m going to get to look back and say that I took in a lot of movies and live performance art.

Saw two sequels this afternoon…  an animated feature (Kung Fu Panda 2) that I had high expectations for and drunken hard “R” (Hangover 2) movie that had me second guessing the idea of giving it any opening weekend gross money.

Both were predictably bad… but the Hangover 2 had me cracking a smile every now and again.  Kung Fu Panda 2 however really shit the bed…  the movie was really just a vehicle for Jack Black to sorta go “Jack Black” and not in a good way.

  

A week or so ago my friend Heather from the Bronx, told me about a show she attend for a band that just put out a new EP on Slumberland records.  She was so into the EP that she went out of her way to recommend it to me and it’s somehow managed to be an unofficial Memorial 2011 Weekend Soundtrack.

I just placed an order of the 12” (white) vinyl this morning and encourage that you do the bloody same.

Thank you Heather for the heads up.  Know that Queens, NY is always on top of the food chain tho’.

Recommended for those who like : The Black Tambourine, The Aislers Set

-aCr-

T'was a weekend for Theater

Memorial day weekend is always one of my favorite weekends of the years because it brings in, for me at least - the start of a new Summer.

3 Months of evening roof-top drinking.  Road trips.  Concerts and Theater performances.

My dear friend Chivo came into town this weekend so I took him over to the Attic Rep. to catch a play called “the Irish Curse”.   A one act about a group of men who meet in the basement of a church to discuss a small problem they all have in common.

It had been a while since Chivo made it out to see a live performance so he was all about it.  So much so, that I mentioned to him we should check out the Overtime Theater the following night for Improv.

Turns out, the last weekend of the month is scheduled for a Si-Fi, live action sitcom called "The Adventures of Captain Cortez and the Tri-Lambda Brigade".  

I wasn’t quite sure, what to make of it at first…  the evening begins with an episodic trailer that plays on a screen to fill you in on the story.   It took about 10 minutes before I figured out what was going on.  I’m truly not one for fan-sicence-fiction, involving space pirates and intergalactic space explorers but found myself getting swept along with the story.

  

In appreciation of :

Over the weekend, I got around to watching Blue Valentine - a heart-wrentching movie that gives you an up close look at a relationship winding down after 2 years of marriage - while having intercuts of how the two main characters came together.

What intrigued me so much about was how the director set up tension between the actors.  Before filming, he had them move into a house together - live on a strict budget and they staged arguments within character.

As a result… you get to peek behind a curtain that you’d never expect to see on film.

I think I’ve reached the stage where I can openly admit that I’m watching the tv show “happy endings”

via @TheAVClub - 1979 http://t.co/9GGCCgb - For those of you music nerds that like all things Nineteen Seventy Ni9e

As I slowly pack this evening for my weekend trip to South Texas, I can’t seem to get the Promise Ring song “The Deep South” out of my head…

I know that a lot of people disliked the album Very Emergency because it felt like they (PRing) were trying get signed by doing a “pop” record.

But I always thought it was the perfect summer record for a year that gave us : Built To Spill’s - Keep it Like a Secret,  the Flaming Lips - the Soft Bulletin, The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About, Dismemberment Plan - Emergency and I and Beulah - When Your Heartstrings Break