music

movies

teevee

books

other stuff i like

annoyances

everybody's got one: yep, I have a blog

visit my sweetie Philip's site at pgleason.com

My Vaio TX - It's in no way a screamer, but it's a sexy little machine. Perfect size and weight with a fabulous screen. Of course, a TZ would be even better, but you can't have everything...

My Treo 680, it does *everything*! Okay, okay, I know the OS and form factor are getting really long in the tooth. I'm eyeing that new Palm Pre...

podcasts: my fave: No Agenda; also like Diggnation, Cranky Geeks, TWiT, Tech5, and local techie the Daily Giz Wiz

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Tons of stuff, for a teeny smattering check out my now defunct Sound Clip of the Week page — it threatens to resurrect itself at any time...

Also check out the web site I slave over maintain for fabulous musician Gary Lucas (can't you tell I didn't design it?).

favorite song of all time: Bernadette by the Four Tops - Holland-Dozier-Holland + James Jamerson and the rest of the The Funk Brothers + Levi Stubbs = brilliant!!

favorite concert: tie between Smokey Robinson at the Apollo Theatre (first time he performed there in 30 years!) and The Stooges with Iggy Pop at Roseland

internet radio:

Craig Charles Funk Show on BBC 6music - On every Saturday at 6pm GMT (that's 1pm for New Yorkers). Craig (who you may know as 'Lister' from the tv show "Red Dwarf") cooks up a very funky brew each weekend. He plays old school, new stuff and things you may not expect. I've discovered so much great music through his show. Love him!

Travis Parkin on New Mexico's KUNM-FM afternoon Freeform show - On every other Thursday at 1:30pm Mountain time (3:30pm NY time), next show on June 18th, and you can listen to the most recent program for two weeks after the air date here. Travis puts together an eclectic mix featuring fantastic theme sets, interviews, and a hysterical bumper sticker competition.

Rhythm Revue with Felix Hernandez on Newark's WBGO-FM - On every Saturday at 10am NY time. Felix is the KING of old school R&B and soul, my *favorite* kind! Although I can tune in to this show locally, I'm listing it here for those outside the area. The rest of WBGO's programming is fantastic as well, tons of great jazz.

WFMU in New Jersey and WWUH in Connecticut are also well worth a listen

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Bedazzled - the 1967 version, natch — Pete 'n Dud at their absolute best, and the last scene will completely blow yr. mind

some other favorites (in no particular order):
This is Spinal Tap (saw it in the theater when it came out!)
The Manchurian Candidate (original version!!)
Office Space - classic.
Five Corners - What a fabulous movie — John Turturro is one of my favorite actors of all time.
Trees Lounge - Buscemi is another HUGE favorite, and this film is a masterpiece. Plus, I actually know a guy that drove an ice cream truck on Long Island, oh my.
Jacques Tati's Mon Oncle and Playtime (but especially Mon Oncle) - Wow. What can I say? Tati was an absolute genius, I love how gentle and innocent Monsieur Hulot is, thrown into the world with hilarious results. Look at the SHOTS too, especially in Playtime, where an entire city was built for the film. Monsieur Hulot's Holiday is great too (inspiring Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean), but these two Tati films are my favorites.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House - Cary Grant, swoon! But warning, some parts are definitely not PC by today's standards. Oh no, I just saw that they're remaking this *too*, dammit!
A Clockwork Orange, O Lucky Man!, If... - I'm a fool for M. McDowell. I actually saw O Lucky Man! at Lincoln Center with Malcolm in attendance - he did a talk and Q&A on the movie, he was fantastic!
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Some Like it Hot
Glengarry Glen Ross
A Room with a View - Wonderful and the only film I can think of with no female nudity, but full frontal male — of Julian Sands, no less
Lawrence of Arabia - Powerful, gorgeous, and amazing soundtrack
Dazed and Confused - It's a while before my time as a teenager, but this film captures 70s high school America perfectly
Standing in the Shadows of Motown - It's about time these guys got some recognition!
Marnie - I could list a bunch of Hitchcock movies here, and I'm a huge Cary Grant fan so it's a bit curious I would pick this film, but there's something about it that is so powerful. The storyline is fascinating, Sean Connery is excellent, and to me this is Tippi Hedren's best performance
Dune - Ok, it's been slagged off by just about everyone (including its own director due to studio meddling), but I love it. Perfectly cast.
And now, a blast from the past: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains! Yes, I first saw this cheesy hidden gem on USA Network's Night Flight (I think they played it every night for a year, lol). I just got a fresh new copy of this completely unavailable film on DVD through eBay. Fantastic, featuring the likes of Paul Cook and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Paul Simonon of the Clash, Fee Waybill of The Tubes, and Ray Winstone from "Quadrophenia". Plus, lots o' grrrrrl power!
Highlander - ok, it's a little uncool, kind of like being into progressive rock (which I am, lol), but I still like it! Hey, and Russell Mulcahy also directed all of those groovy Duran Duran videos in the 80s ;-)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension - Wow. What can I say? saw it as a teen in the 80s, amazing stuff! Incredible weirdness, and so many then fairly unknown actors that went on to great success.

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favorite contemporary show:

Fringe! Yes, I am a little biased since my man Philip is on the crew, but I truly enjoy it. The principals are very well cast, writing is great and getting even better, and Walter is an absolute treasure. I had the pleasure of meeting John Noble and in addition to being an amazing actor he's also such a sweetheart!

Some other currently running favorites:
House I freaking love this show. Hugh Laurie is so convincing that it took *ages* for this huge Blackadder fan to figure out that House is Prince George in Blackadder the Third and Lieutenant George in Blackadder Goes Forth. Plus, I just love House's demeanor -- he's smart, and he tells it like it is. It reminds me of the first time I visited my doctor (who is actually a very sweet and caring person as well as being an excellent doctor) and he came in the exam room singing a little song about hating people. I immediately knew I had found the right doctor for me!
Dexter
Californication, although season 2 is getting a bit too in-your-face sleazy for me
I also love almost anything on PBS (Nova, American Masters, cool documentaries, anything narrated by Liev Schreiber, etc.) so I hope that balances out all the silly reality shows I watch, at least somewhat...

'classic' teevee shows:

Star Trek: original series and Voyager - I'll watch any Star Trek series but these two are my favorites
Kids in the Hall
Alien Nation - I'm still pissed that it was canceled!
Seinfeld - predictable, yeah...but it was a good show
The Wire
Rome
Deadwood

*Tons* of BBC shows:
The aforementioned Blackadder
Red Dwarf
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - the Hollywood movie...erm, I tried, I *really* tried, but I don't think I lasted 30 minutes. Yes, I'm a devotee of the book which says that Trillian is a brunette, but the blonde bubblehead yet insanely intelligent Trillian of the BBC series is just SO perfect...but that's only one example. It is so wrong. Biggest example: Marvin's huge bulbous head. Need I say more?
The Young Ones
Bottom - Oh my! (but it's hysterical) -- there's some YouTube stuff here
Monty Python - of course
Absolutely Fabulous - Lacroix, sweetie!
Mr. Bean - More Rowan Atkinson!
Wanda at Large - Damn stupid TV execs! Why did they cancel this show?!? Wanda Sykes is funny, she's smart, she's fabulous!

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - all 5 books in the trilogy, amazing!!
From the Velvets to the Voidoids - Back in print! Celebrate all ye who couldn't get this formerly unavailable book
Please Kill Me - Very entertaining companion to ...Voidoids
A Wrinkle in Time - I know this is a children's book but I still love it
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions - esoteric, but very cool
Despite the System: Orson Welles Versus the Hollywood Studios - very interesting and impeccably researched, I loved it. And here's a review from the New York Times that confirms my impressions.

I also love (auto)biographies of people I admire, particularly musicians

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Eric Bogosian is just completely amazing. Anything he does is fantastic, but his solo performances are like nothing else I've ever seen. There was a great quote on his web site that described one of his solos as "pure unadulterated filth". Maybe so, but he just says the things that we all think but would never admit to. I just came up with the perfect description of his solos -- it's like holding up a mirror to popular American culture, warts and all. Scary, funny, disturbing...

Cruises! I completed my 14th cruise in April 2007 on the Norwegian Dawn

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UPS - In a word? Incompetent.

People that leave a voice mail saying only "call me back" instead of saying why they freaking called

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