Lindsey Buckingham slays St. Louis

His show tonight at the Pageant absolutely killed. He has been my favorite guitarist for a while and tonight it was like watching Michael Jordan dominate a game. His playing was phenomenal and he was in great voice as well.

A lot of great surprises in the song selection, with the full versions of "Trouble" and "Go Insane" leading the way. Lindsey has been playing them as solo acoustic numbers in the recent past and I was thrilled to get the full on treatment of two of my favorite Buckingham songs. It was also great to hear "I Know I'm Not Wrong," a rather obscure song off of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album. I knew he played it on the last tour and was afraid I missed my chance to hear it. Great song.

Lindsey was full of energy tonight and was backed by a great band. The St. Louis crowd was hypnotized by the guitar work, especially on "I'm So Afraid" and "Go Your Own Way." The encore featured "Second Hand News" and closed with an absolutely mezmorising acoustic number, "Time Precious Time" from his new album, Gift Of Screws. My wife didn't know most of the songs but says she really enjoyed the show. Rumor is Fleetwood Mac may be coming to town next year. If that's true, you can count my wife and me in.

The Fall gaming blitz is here!

My goodness, what a huge number of grade-A game coming out this fall! Lego Batman came out this week, but I have resisted it because there are 4(!) games coming out in October that look like must-haves: FIFA Soccer '09 ships on October 14th. I love soccer, I love good soccer games and I love having tons of teams to play with, so FIFA 09 is a must-buy.

A week later 2 games are being released and both have must-buy written all over them as well. Fable 2 has been on my radar for a long time and I can't wait to check it out. Meanwhile, Far Cry 2, a game I knew little about, caught my attention today and it looks stellar. Check out some amazing videos right here. Notice the changes in weather and time. This game has catapulted itself into a must-have status. Plus if you pre-order at GameStop, you get upgraded to the limited edition version for free. Not bad!

Lastly, Fallout 3 comes out a week after Far Cry 2 and Fable 2. I am a huge fan of the Fallout series. This one is a new take, as it is a first-person RPG. But it's being made by the makers of Oblivion, so I have little doubt that it will kick butt as well. The few game play videos I have seen thus far have been a little underwhelming to me, so I plan on reading the reviews before making a purchase.

This is absolutely nuts. Fallout 3, Far Cry 2 and Fable 2 are all incredibly deep games that will supposedly take anywhere from 50-100 hours each to complete. When I think I will find the time is beyond me. And with FIFA, well, sports games are notorious time-suckers. Still, I have to have those games that are considered top-notch. It kills me to have games that everyone else loves go by the wayside. One of my lovely little "quirks" I guess. I wonder if my wife has the same opinion on that? I don't think I'll bother asking her...

Lindsey Buckingham - Gift Of Screws

Just sent my review in for Lindsey Buckingham's new album, Gift Of Screws. It should be posted on Beyond Media Online later tonight. I will link directly to it once it is put up.

UPDATE: OK, here is the link to the review. Thanks to George over at Beyond Media Online for getting this up quickly and taking care of a few html problems.

By the way, my wife are going to see Lindsey Buckingham live this coming Monday, so I am obviously psyched for that. It's going to be unreal to see him do all of that amazing guitar work live. I'll obviously post impressions of the show next week.

The Great Movies, vol. 3: Boogie Nights

Director Paul Thomas Anderson hit pay dirt last year with his critically lauded epic, There Will Be Blood. It featured a towering performance by Daniel Day Lewis (for which he won a richly deserved Academy Award) and some truly wonderful visuals. In short, it deserved it's acclaim. But it's another of Anderson's films that I always include of my list of top ten favorites. That film, epic in it's own way, is Boogie Nights.

For the uninitiated, Boogie Nights tells the story of a a group of porno film makers in the late 70's and early 80's. It's content is startling, to say the least, because of it's subject. But the affection that Anderson shows for this group of "losers" let's us see them in sort of a neutral way, making us more witnesses than judges. This serves the characters well, as most of them are truly memorable despite what they do for a living, not because of it.

Mark Wahlberg portrays Eddie Adams, a simple teenager from a dysfunctional family. When he (and his "special talent" - think bulging trousers) are spotted by porno film maker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), his life is instantly transformed into something most teenage boys surely dream of: becoming the top dog of the porno acting world. Horner has an already-established stable of actors as his surrogate family. These include Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Buck Swope (the ever-wonderful Don Cheadle), Rollergirl (Heather Graham, always on roller skates) and Reed Rothchild (the hilarious John C. Reilly). Soon Eddie has given himself an appropriate porno moniker, Dirk Diggler, and he and the "family" are making very successful porn movies. He and Reed Rothchild hit it off immediately and become best pals with a friendship based on bragging and bullshit. Amber Waves is immediately attracted to Eddie/Dirk, but also feels the need to be a mother figure to him. There is a reason for this: she and her ex-husband are in the midst of a custody battle and he is using her profession as a reason to have her declared an unfit mother. She has already become a mother figure to Rollergirl, who has her own issues regarding her chosen career path.

In fact, all of the characters are dealing with revelatory, life-changing moments. Jack Horner is fighting off the advances of the video age. He insists on making real "movies" using film. His money man, "Colonel" James, backs him up, but he has his own demons which will eventually consume and destroy him. Meanwhile, Buck Swope wants to go legitimate and open his own stereo store, but it's hard to secure a bank loan when your application asks for your source of employment and you have to list the porno industry. Buck is looking for a break. When he finally gets it, it is one of the most chilling/crazy/funny moments in recent memory.

Eddie/Dirk rapidly ascends up the porno acting ladder, becoming an award-winning, top-grossing star. We see his rise as a wide-eyed boy and witness the crash as he descends into a hellish, cocaine-fueled nightmare. Eddie's drug habits have a direct effect on his film/sex performances and he spins into a paranoid abyss. When Reed's friend Todd (a virtually unrecognizable Thomas Jane in a stellar performance) enters the picture, things go from bad to dangerous.

Throughout all of this, Anderson wonderfully captures the essence of the era through music, dialogue and visual touches. The soundtrack is wondrous, a virtual audio tour through the 70's/80's Being from that time frame myself, it really touches a chord and sends me back in time each and every time I watch the movie.

The treasures of this film are many. There are scenes so funny your sides will split (particularly Eddie and Reed's foray into the music business), while others are so intense (think Alfred Molina, firecrackers and "Jessie's Girl") that you will be beside yourself with angst as the film plays out. There are a ton of great performances here, from the aforementioned to Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, William H. Macy as a director with a nagging problem and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the lovelorn sound man. It all adds up to a rich tapestry that I think is every bit the equal of Tarantino's classic Pulp Fiction. Watching these flawed, real characters try to make something of themselves in an unseemly world is in turns chilling, funny and horrifying. This film is not to be missed.

Football, more football and some hockey for good measure

Losing to Notre Dame is never acceptable. Let's get that out of the way right now. But despite a somewhat lopsided score I was actually encouraged by some of the stuff my Wolverines did on Saturday. Not enough to get over losing to the hated Irish, but still encouraged nonetheless.
First of all, a star was born. Michigan freshman HB Sam McGuffie is the real deal. The Youtube sensation showed that he is quick as a whip and not afraid to take and/or deliver some punishment as well. He really is a dynamic playmaker and if he can stay healthy, he may turn out to be the ideal weapon for Rich Rod's spread option offense.
Second, after being absolutely dreadful for the 1st two games of the year, the Michigan offense showed some life. The passing game actually made some big plays as Steven Threet definitely made his case to be the full time QB. The fact of the matter is that had Michigan simply taken care of the ball (7 fumbles, 4 of them lost, and 2 interceptions) the game could have easily swung in their favor. The carelessness with the ball will have to be stressed and I am sure that will happen in a big way.
The defense still looked underwhelming, especially since it was considered to be the team's one strength coming into the season. Next up is a bye week, and I am sure coach Rod is gonna work the boys hard and fast. Then it's the Big 10 opener against highly ranked Wisconsin. This season still has ugly written all over it, but at least some progress is being made.

As for my St. Louis Rams, well, they suck. And I mean that in the worst possible way. They were somehow still in the game midway through the 3rd quarter (because of a flukey TD pass to Torry Holt) and then basically just folded like a cheap tent. The defense is beyond horrible. I know every Rams' fan wants head coach Scott Linehan fired, and I understand, but defensive coordinator Jim Haslett should be the first to go. His defense is about as tough as a wet kleenex and has shown no signs of improvement in his 3 seasons here. There are also some rumors floating around that he hasn't been exactly supportive of Linehan either, supposedly doing a lot of squaking behind Linehan's back. It's painfully obvious that the teams is coming apart at the seams and if Mr. Haslett has been making things worse then I hope he is run out of town on a rail.
The Rams are in a shambles now and the only way I see to get them back to respectibility is to fire Linehan and Haslett and somehow lure Marty Schottenheimer out of retirement. He may never win us a Super Bowl (or even a playoff game!) but he would toughen this team up, get back to fundamentals, send the problem children packing and lay a good foundation for years to come. It probably won't happen, so please just let me have my dream in peace. The only good news about the Rams this season is that it gives me someone to pick each week in my Lock-Of-The-Week pool; I just simply pick whoever the Rams are playing.

In gaming news, I am still waiting for Madden's 2nd patch. In the meantime I picked up NHL '09 and it is a beautiful thing. Be A Pro mode lets you create a player and work your way up through the minors. The game plays like a dream and only has a few minor issues that can hopefuly be addressed in a patch. I am so enamored with BAP mode that I have rarely touched the regular hockey segments. If you are looking for a nice, first class, FUN sports game, take a look at NHL '09.

That's all for now. Laurel had a nice birthday, John is doing well but not sleeping, Zach and Jess are navigating their way through high school and my lovely Barbara is somehow functioning despite working long hours and getting up 3-4 times a night with John. How she does it all, I'll never know, but I sure do admire her.

Happy Birthday Laurel!!!

4 years ago today our daughter Laurel was born. To say she has been a blessing would be the understatement of a lifetime. She has meant so much to us and become so much a part of who I am that it is hard to put into words. She is my buddy and the absolute apple of my eye. She always lifts me up whenever I am feeling a bit down. Her smile lights up the entire house. And she has been a terrific big sister to our baby, John.

Happy Birthday Laurel! We love you so much, always and forever!

I have been laid up with a migraine headache this weekend. I have plenty of thoughts about the Michigan/Notre Dame game as well as the Rams' latest fiasco on the field. I will try to post them before too long. Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

I've got a bad feeling...

It seems that Sarah Palin is now a full-fledged rock star and that Palin-mania is for real. The country is intrigued by her as the numerous magazine covers can attest. Her selection has rallied the GOP fully behind McCain now. I can see this continuing on through the election and I fear that any actual dirt the Dems dig up will not stick and will be seen as "dirty tricks" that will only serve to rally the Palin-maniacs even more. This could be very bad news for the Dems. It may take a major skeleton in her closet to derail McCain-Palin on their way to the White House. Even that may not be enough. With Rush Limbaugh and his Dittoheads (Dittiots?) spreading lies about Obama's tax plan, the Republican machine is rolling again, looking like the steamroller it has been since the early 90's. Couple that with more voting machine shenanigans sure to come in Ohio, and this is looking grim.

Ugh.

Massacre in Philly

Well, it turns out I was FAR too optimistic about the 2008 St. Louis Rams. They showed up (barely) today and turned in a listless performance, being dominated 38-3. After being dragged up and down the field by the Eagles' offense, the Rams were amazingly still in the game with just over a minute to go in the 1st half, trailing 14-0 and getting the ball back to start the 2nd half. The Eagles faced 3rd and long from their own 10 yard line. All the Rams had to do was make this one stop; heck, they could have even given up the first down and still held Philly in check for the final minute of the 1st half. But this is the Rams we are talking about. So what happens? The defense inexplicably allows an Eagles' receiver to get behind the DBs and 90 yards later it's 21-0 right before the half. That was all she wrote.

It's not as if the Rams' offense was going to do much anyway. The offensive line was, well, offensive. Numerous false start penalties helped derail several drives, but it's not as if the O-line was doing a bang-up job when they managed to get the snap count right. QB Marc Bulger is just a shell of his old self. The abuse he has taken over the years has left him skittish and has completely messed up his mechanics. I have never seen a pro QB throw of of his back foot so much. Then again, there's not much to say about an offensive game plan that gets the only reliable receiver, Torry Holt, the ball 1 time for a whole 9 yards.

There will now be a Scott Linehan Watch, as people await his certain firing. If this seems absurdly early for such a thing, it's not; this is his 3rd year as head coach and no one can argue that the Rams have gotten progressively worse. There is no doubt that the players have not bought into what he says and coaches. As bad as he is, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett should be held accountable as well. His defense was horrible today, underachieving as usual, but with more mental mistakes than you can shake a stick at. The Rams' owners are not ones to react emotionally however, so Linehan will get a bit of time to try to get things turned around. I would say he has until the bye week to show some real progress. But with what can only be described as a brutal early schedule (the Super Bowl champion Giants come to town next week), the bye week may end up being the time that Scott Linehan is mercifully let go.

Michigan wins, the Rams begin

Michigan came out on the winning side today against Miami (Ohio), but once again the game was U-G-L-Y. The offense started off hot with Threet running the option surprisingly well. But after 3 nice drives the offense went into the tank again. Threet is supposed to be the classic drop back passer on the team, but anything more than 10 yards is beyond his grasp. He missed wide open receivers by a wide margin at least 3 times. Sheridan replaced him to start the 2nd half and led the Wolverines on a long TD drive to make the final score 16-6. Miami played them tough and has nothing to be ashamed of. Michigan's D was mostly very good throughout the game. Next week comes the big one against the hated Fighting Irish. I am not predicting good things for that one.

Meanwhile, the Rams kick off their season tomorrow and will be trying to wash away the stench of the 2007 season. I look for them to be more competitive this year, but the early schedule is a killer. If they can win 2 of their first 5 games they will actually be in good shape. I don't see it going their way tomorrow in Philly, however. I'll say 27-13 Eagles over the Rams. I see the Rams finishing with 6 or 7 wins this season. That will not be enough to save coach Scott Linehan's job, unless they are very competitive in their losses. We'll see.