King James' tyranny ends

King James and The Cleavland Lebrons' home court record this season -
23 and 1 beautiful loss to the LAKERS!

I've offically gone MAD

cough cough regular season sweep

Hopefully we'll see some more of this in the post season.

Breaking Upwards

Go Indie kooky love story films


Breaking Upwards Movie Trailer from Breaking Upwards on Vimeo.
Trailer

Breaking Upwards Rap Video - watch more funny videos

Rap Version

Movies to watch this weekend

Coraline - Most anticipated movie of the year for me! I can't wait to see it. Midnight screening anyone?


How can you not want to watch this?

Kobe scores 61 for Big Drew

So the injury to Bynum will keep him out for 8 to 12 weeks. Hopefully he will be back before the playoffs. In the mean time Kobe can just score 61 every night to keep our minds off the loss of the big man. Since when is Crunchy Granola Bar a Laker Blog? haha

Fashion Statement

It takes a certain type of personality to boldly make this fashion statement. haha

8 Gold Medals High

I know this is already a non-story, but really Michael Phelps, really?

Superbowl Sunday

Another successful Superbowl Sunday at Luke's place.

BTW, Erin topped her fist fight from last year with a priceless Steelers' celebration. Erin in tears on the phone talking to her father in Pittsburgh, "We did it dad! #6!!! I was the only Steelers' fan. Everyone here wanted the Cardinals to win, but they didn't. I'm so happy!!!!" --- haha awesome!

German Gifts!!!

I sort of tricked Philipp into giving me this t-shirt. Thanks Germ!

Italian Night at Hey Girl Hey

Thanks to Christine, Kijafa, and Becca for a wonderful night of Italian food and friends.

Why Basket Gods? Why? :-?

If anyone knows me; they know that I hate life right now.
John's total missed laker games this year = 5
John's total watched laker games this year = 41
GODDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!! Really? Seriously Really?

Light Bright Stop Motion Experiments

Reusable Bags saving the environment?

Question: If I consistently keep forgetting my reusable bags when I go to the grocery store (and buying new ones out of guilt) am I saving the environment or hurting it? :-/

Cartoon Club = Amazing

The 1st official meeting of David Brown's Cartoon Club was spectacular. I had no idea that this many people would show up to the event. It was a great time. The club consisted of watching an episode of a cartoon series and then followed with cartoon trivia. My team, "The Super Friends" won the trivia competition. As the winners we get to pick the type of cereal served and the first cartoon showed at the next meeting.
Our choice: Count Chocula and Disney's workout shorts.
Cartoons watched: Gargoyles, The Tick, Home Movies, Thunder Cats

Teaser Trailer

For those of you who missed the album release show and teaser last night at the Echo...
The Voyeurs - Things that People Say Music Video Teaser

Production

Thing That People Say Music Video Production Slideshow

Pre-Production

What to never buy your Valentine for Valentine's Day


What to never buy your crew for Kraft Service. Nasty


Hummers are not compacts >:-|


Why the economy sucks.


Mental note for a western themed video.


Obstacles when trying to pick up a camera


Landing the skeleton!!!! YES!!!

I heart Venice

Sundance Film that I want to watch, THE COVE

Poor Flipper :-(

Synopsis and excerpt from the article...

Luckily, my faith in filmmaking was restored when I saw what may have been the most powerful documentary in the festival, The Cove. As the film opens, we met Ric O'Barry. He is the man who almost singlehandedly introduced the notion of keeping dolphins in captivity when he helped popularize the television show, Flipper. Barry, in fact, captured all of the dolphins used in the show and ultimately became the first real dolphin trainer. Ever since then, though, he has waged war against dolphin captivity.

The cove of the film's title is in Taiji, Japan and is the world's most notorious dolphin capture site in the world. The cove lies along the dolphin's yearly migration path and every September fishing boats line the cove ready to catch and kill dolphins. Their methods are crude but effective. Because dolphin's rely on their acoustic sense so strongly, the fisherman literally sink metal poles into the water and bang on them repeatedly, creating a wall of sound that the dolphins flee from right into the cove.

Once there, dolphin trainers from around the world wade into the water, examine all of the specimens and choose the ones they want to take back to their aquariums. Of course, not all of the dolphins are chosen. What happens to the remaining dolphins is almost unimaginably horrifying. They are herded into a separate, more hidden cove and butchered for meat. At the time of the filming, there was no video evidence of this slaughter. That is exactly what the filmmakers intended to get.

Their method for doing so is ingeniously complex. Because the local Japanese authorities rigidly enforce all access to the hidden cove, the filmmakers decide to go undercover. They actually go to Industrial Light & Magic and have their fabricators create video housing units that look just like rocks. They also hire two of the world's best freedivers to secretly dive into the cove and plant acoustic microphones on the floor of the ocean. With military precision, they eventually get the footage they need.

Needless to say, the evidence they ultimately acquire is grotesque. So many dolphins are killed in the cove that the water actually turns a deep shade of red. Not even baby dolphins are spared as the fisherman gleefully spear them and wrest them aboard their ships. And watching it all is Ric O'Barry, the man who first helped capture dolphins in the wild. Throughout the entire movie, his eyes constantly seem rimmed with tears as if he cannot escape the pain that constantly lives with him.

The Cove makes many other salient points about the issue of the dolphin slaughter--the mercury toxicity of their meat, the corruption of the International Whaling Commission, the duplicity of the Japanese in refusing to acknowledge the trade in dolphin meat. The main crux of the film, though, is expressed in those moments when we can hear the dolphins screeching in the water as they are killed. The film ends on a small note of hope, but concludes with the fact that the dolphin hunt will begin again soon.

link to story

Sarah Palin is for Sale on eBay

Click on the picture for a link to the story

Skunk Attacks and Speeches

As you all know, yesterday was an amazing day for politics. Barry O became our 44th president and delivered an inspiring speech.

Locally and later that night in Venice, our next great political leader, Kristopher Valentine, delivered another brilliant speech to the Venice Neighborhood Council in hopes of being appointed to the newly vacant seat on the council board. He gave by far the best speech of the night. I like his chances of being appointed. The VNC meeting was such an educational experience. Despite my difficulties getting there, ie. avoiding an attack by a skunk on the way to the meeting, I had an enjoyable and memorable time. I can't wait until next month's meeting.

Would "Valentine's Day on Inauguration Day" be a better title for this post?

Bonus Picture of Obama's New Caddy