Decibel Hall Of Fame: Coalesce, 0:12 Revolution In Just Listening

In a twist to my regular posts about Decibel's "Hall Of Fame" series, I wrote this one for them myself. It's in their March 2008 issue with the reunited At The Gates on the cover.

DUMBIN' Donuts

My better half and I always talk about how much the world is starting to resemble Mike Judge's brilliant and under-seen followup to "Office Space," the Luke Wilson comedy "Idiocracy" (which Fox ruined in a way reminiscent of how they mishandled "Office Space.") For example, that show on Fox (ironic?) where people answer questions like "Would you leave your husband if your ex-boyfriend wanted to get back together with you?" in front of their families, with the host checking their answers against a prior lie detector test and a loud voiceover announcing "TRUE" or "FALSE." She pointed out to me last night how much the new anti-Starbucks Dunkin' Donuts commercial seems straight out of "Idiocracy."



Check it out to see what I mean. Let the dumbing down of America continue! "Obama wears a turban! He raps along to Public Enemy when they talk about Farrakhan!" The commercial is probably the lowest common denominator commercial I have EVER seen (and that's saying something), portraying the common person as an absolute idiot (and expecting the viewer to identify with the idiots!) and mixing in some not-so-subtle xenophobia and a few swipes at the French (really? We're back on "freedom fries?") all in a few gloriously insipid and delightfully idiotic (!) seconds. To which I say this: "Aw! My Balls!"

Trailer: Indiana Jones! & A Couple Spoilers...

Happy Valentine's Day... "NO TIME FOR LOVE, DR. JONES!"

The Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer is online! And rather than post it in my blog, I'm going to direct you to the IndianaJones.com website, because it's crazy cool. And make sure you read the Vanity Fair cover story from last month if you haven't, featuring amazing set photography from Annie Leibovitz.

SPOILER ALERT: There's a box that says "Roswell" in the trailer.

DOUBLE SPOILER ALERT: A new Vanity Fair piece online mentions a "hint" dropped by George Lucas that this new picture could kick off a brand new Indiana Jones trilogy.

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

Last night The Tonight Show With Jay Leno aired their Grammy red carpet piece. They interviewed Don Clark from Demon Hunter, whom I manage, alongside As I Lay Dying (Don was nominated in the design / packaging category, AILD in the metal category). You could see me standing in the background. Yes, I was one of those handlers hanging out on the red carpet.

TCHO Beta

I recently ordered chocolate from TCHO, a new company that aims to do for chocolate what Starbucks did for coffee (and judging by Starbucks television ads and stock prices, they could probably use a boost from the TCHO people themselves). At first I was put off by the seemingly small portion of beta chocolate I received; what I wasn't prepared for was how STRONG the chocolate would be. It's difficult to describe; it's not milky or smooth, but it's not bitter, it's really good, and really filling. I could barely eat any of it (in a good way) and I'm a self-professed chocoholic. I look forward to refining my palette as the company grows.

Best Movies Of 2004

I'm still working on my 2007 list, so how about this to tide you over?

Best Movies Of 2004:

01. "The Passion Of The Christ"
02. "Million Dollar Baby"
03. "Kill Bill Vol. 2"
04. "Collateral"
05. "Stander" (GREAT movie starring Thomas Jane)
06. "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind"
07. "Man On Fire"
08. "The Notebook"
09. ""The Motorcycle Diaries"
10. "The Assassination Of Richard Nixon"

Also enjoyed in 2004: "The Incredibles," "Saved!," "Shaun Of The Dead," "Open Water," "The Grudge" remake, "Hero" and to some degree (the acting, the directing, the lighting, the set design, not so much the story), "Birth."

Best Documentaries:

01. "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster"
02. "Supersize Me!"
03. "Fahrenheit 9/11"
04. "Tupac: Resurrection"
05. "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War On Journalism"

Best Comic Book Movie: “The Punisher”
Runner-Up: “Hellboy”
Most Overrated Movie: “Spider-Man 2”
Biggest Disappointment: “Alien Vs. Predator”
Runner-Up: “Anchor Man”
Worse Remake: “The Stepford Wives”
Worst Movie: “Catwoman”

Records I loved in 2004: Morrissey, The Faint, Zao, Tiger Army, Demon Hunter...

Hardball

This photo was taken at the first Hardball show in Carmel, Indiana in 1990. I was a sophomore or junior in high school. And yes, that's me holding the bat. That's Matt Reece on bass and our neighbor Rob in the ALL t-shirt and sweet shorts. And Matt is playing a BC Rich Warlock.

Quantum of Solace

Quote Of The Week

Dee Snider on the future of Twisted Sister:

“It’s not the focus of my life anymore. Last year we did seven shows. We’ll do festivals or something like that, and we’ll put on the makeup and costumes and we’ll go the whole nine yards and give the people what they want. One thing they don’t want is new music. If we go, ‘This one’s from our new album!’ you see hundreds of people standing up and walking out of the room. Kiss put out their Psycho Circus record in 1998, and it didn’t sell! The fans don’t want Kiss 2000. They want ‘Rock and Roll All Night.’ So we have no illusions about that. We will continue until the spandex explodes. There’s bad news and good news – bad news is on stage we look like a bunch of aging drag queens – the good news is we’ve always looked like aging drag queens!”

To read more amazing gems from Dee of a similar quality regarding the Presidential election, American Idol, Britney Spears and more, check out this article on the Rolling Stone website.

The Candidates: Hillary Clinton

* The illustration is from Mother Jones Magazine. Check out my earlier posts about Mitt Romney, John McCain, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Ron Paul.

Things I Agree With Hillary Clinton About:

• Wants a time-out for mortgage companies on march toward foreclosure.
• She believes that microcredit is an invaluable tool in alleviating poverty.
• Wants to establish a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
• Wants tax credits to promite home ownership in distressed areas.
• Considered idea of $5000 at birth to pay for future college.
• Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008.
• Voted YES on investigating contract awards in Iraq & Afghanistan.
• Voted YES on requiring on-budget funding for Iraq, not emergency funding.
• She wants to continue diplomatic engagement with Iran.
• Wants to extend peace treaties to Palestinians, Syrians & Lebanese.
• She is OK with going after Al-Qaeda in Pakistan.
• She wants to cut alternative minimum tax, not billionaire tax cuts.
• She wants to expand child tax credit for child's first year.
• Voted YES on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends.
• Voted YES on increasing tax deductions for college tuition.
• No salary increase for Congress until minimum wage increased.
• Get tough with China and bring jobs back home.
• Voted YES on restricting employer interference in union organizing.
• Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25.
• Voted NO on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress.
• Rated 85% by the AFL-CIO, indicating a pro-union voting record.
• Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program.
• Voted YES on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship.
• Voted NO on removing need for FISA warrant for wiretapping abroad.
• Voted YES on limiting soldiers' deployment to 12 months.
• Voted YES on implementing the 9/11 Commission report.
• Voted YES on preserving habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
• Voted YES on requiring CIA reports on detainees & interrogation methods.
• Voted NO on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision.
• Voted YES on restricting business with entities linked to terrorism.
• Voted YES on restoring $565M for states' and ports' first responders.
• Voted YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D.
• Voted NO on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000.
• Voted YES on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D.
• Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics.
• Voted YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug.
• Voted YES on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada.
• Voted YES on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages.
• Voted NO on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit.
• Wants to let states make bulk Rx purchases, and other innovations.
• Voted against CAFTA despite Bill Clinton's pushing NAFTA.
• Voted NO on Bush Administration Energy Policy.
• Voted YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025.
• Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Rated 89% by the LCV, indicating pro-environment votes.
• Rated 82% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes.
• She wants to reduce sentencing disparity for crack, but not retroactively.
• She wants to divert non-violent drug offenders away from prison.
• She wants to address drug problem with treatment and special drug courts.
• Pushed to expand AMBER alerts & for stricter sex penalties.
• Voted YES on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore.
• She wants to end no-bid contracts.
• Pushed Wal-Mart for women managers & environment.
• Voted NO on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration.

Things I Disagree With Hillary Clinton About:

• Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act.
• Voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq.
• She's a critic of Iraq war, but won't recant 2002 vote in its favor.
• Voted YES on designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards as terrorists.
• Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007.
• Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border.
• Supports “Three Strikes” and more prison.
• Voted YES on restricting rules on personal bankruptcy.
• Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping.
• A STRONGLY pro-choice record on abortion.

What It Boils Down To For Me About Hillary Clinton is that I'd be happy to cast my vote for her, BUT, my present feeling is best summed up by what Barack Obama had to say last night:

"As I've said before, [Senator Clinton] was a friend before this campaign. She'll be a friend after it's over. I respect her. I respect her as a colleague. I congratulate her on her victories tonight. She's been running an outstanding race.

But this fall, this fall we owe the American people a real choice. We have to choose between change and more of the same. We have to choose between looking backwards and looking forward. We have to choose between our future and our past.

It's a choice between going into this election with Republicans and independents already united against us or going against their nominee with a campaign that has united Americans of all parties, from all backgrounds, from all races, from all religions, around a common purpose. It's a choice between having a debate with the other party about who has the most experience in Washington or having one about who's most likely to change Washington, because that's a debate that we can win.

It's a choice between a candidate who's taken more money from Washington lobbyists than either Republican in this race and a campaign that has not taken a dime of their money because we have been funded by you. You have funded this campaign.

And if I am your nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq, because I didn't, or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran, because I haven't, or that I support the Bush-Cheney doctrine of not talking to leaders we don't like, because I profoundly disagree with that approach. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it's okay for America to use torture, because it's never okay. That is the choice in this election.

The Republicans running for president have already tied themselves to the past. They speak of a 100-year war in Iraq. They talk about billions more in tax breaks for the wealthiest few, who don't need them and didn't even ask for them, tax breaks that mortgage our children's future on a mountain of debt at a time when there are families who can't pay their medical bills and students who can't pay their tuition.Those Republicans are running on the politics of yesterday. And that is why our party must be the party of tomorrow. And that is the party that I intend to lead as president of the United States of America."

That settles it. GO, BARACK, GO! Interesting side-note: when McCain talked favorably about Romney last night, there was an awkward silence from his supporters followed by sparse clapping. When Obama praised Hilary, his crowd went nuts. Please, please, you two, PLEASE run together. And while I'm quoting speeches from last night, here was my favorite thing Hillary said:

"The Republicans want eight more years of the same. They see tax cuts for the wealthy and they say, 'Why not more?' They see $9 trillion in debt and say, 'Why not trillions more?' They see five years in Iraq and say, 'Why not 100 more?' Well, they've got until January 20th, 2009 and not one day more. Now, we know the Republicans won't give up the White House without a fight. Well, let me be clear -- I won't let anyone swift boat this country's future."

Hillary Clinton's website.
Barack Obama's website.

The Candidates: Mitt Romney

Things I Agree With Mitt Romney About:

• He wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, then change hearts and minds.
• He wants to deal with the housing crisis and gas prices (but, who doesn't?!)
• Supports a $20 billion package for energy research & new car technology.
• Wants tax incentives for employee training.
• Wants to avoid recession with immediate middle-income tax cuts.
• He says he actually wants to capture or kill Bin Laden.
• He believes creating jobs helps poorest workers; not cash handouts (doesn't everybody?).
• He wants to require welfare recipients to work (doesn't everybody?).

Things I Disagree With Mitt Romney About:

• He wants to apply Reaganomics to current recession.
• Did nothing about abortion law as governor.
• Endorsed legalization of RU-486.
• Supports a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage.
• Supports life-time GPS tracking for one-strike criminals.
• Supports death penalty and "three-strikes" sentencing.
• Wants to spend money fighting the War On Drugs in Columbia, etc.
• Supports drilling in ANWR.
• He won't say whether or not water-boarding is "torture."
• He wants to DOUBLE Guantanamo, to avoid terrorist access to lawyers.
• He believes Islamic terror has nothing to do with US policy of bases.
• He is against withdrawing from Iraq.

What exactly IS his healthcare plan? And he's said all kinds of contradictory things about immigration.

"Until 1978, the ... Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was an officially racist organization. Mitt Romney was an adult in 1978. We need to know how he justified this to himself, and we need to hear his self-criticism, if he should chance to have one." That's from a Christopher Hitchens essay that can be found on Slate. I'd like to know his answer to many Mormon related questions. If JFK had to answer questions about the Pope, it's more than fair. Read the essay!

The idea of Romney in the White House (inclusive of his religion, but that's not the only reason) is a frightening prospect.

The Candidates: John McCain

Things I Agree With John McCain About:

• He believes welfare recipients should be required to work 40 hours per week.
• He favors housing assistance and tax breaks against homelessness.
• Voted NO on eliminating block grants for food stamps.
• Actually wants to catch Bin Laden.
• He wants Internet access, with filters, at every school & library.
• Voted NO on disallowing FCC approval of larger media conglomerates.
• Voted YES on Internet sales tax moratorium.
• Voted NO on telecomm deregulation.
• Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25.
• Voted YES on allowing workers to choose between overtime & comp-time.
• Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program.
• Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
• Voted YES on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship.
• Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work.
• Voted YES on visas for skilled workers.
• Voted YES on military pay raise of 4.8%.
• Voted YES on banning chemical weapons.
• He wants to close Guantanamo Bay prison and announce a "no torture" policy.
• Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics.
• Voted YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug.
• Voted YES on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada.
• Voted YES on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages.
• Voted YES on increasing tobacco restrictions.
• Voted NO on Medicare means-testing.
• Voted NO on blocking medical savings accounts.
• Voted YES on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity.
• Voted YES on banning "soft money" contributions and restricting issue ads.
• Voted YES on banning campaign donations from unions & corporations.
• Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR.
• Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Voted NO on Bush Administration Energy Policy.
• Voted YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010.
• Voted YES on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill.
• Voted NO on drilling ANWR on national security grounds.
• Voted YES on requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer.
• He believes a ban on same-sex marriage is un-Republican; leave it to states.
• He wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, but keep incest & rape exceptions.
• He wants to prosecute abortion doctors but not women who get them.
• He is against public funding for abortion.

Things I Disagree With John McCain About:

• Voted NO on redeploying non-essential US troops out of Iraq in 9 months.
• Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007.
• Voted NO on investigating contract awards in Iraq & Afghanistan.
• Voted NO on allowing all necessary force in Kosovo.
• Has said he'd be OK to have a military presence in Iraq for "100 years."
• Said he criticized Rumsfeld; he did NOT do so before the invasion.
• Supports Bush's "strategy" in Iraq, including the surge.
• Is against direct talks with Iran.
• He wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.
• Voted NO on increasing tax deductions for college tuition.
• Voted NO on restricting employer interference in union organizing.
• Voted YES on replacing farm price supports.
• Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border.
• Voted NO on preserving habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
• Voted NO on requiring CIA reports on detainees & interrogation method
• Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act.
• Voted YES on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision.
• Voted NO on restricting business with entities linked to terrorism.
• Voted NO on restoring $565M for states' and ports' first responders.
• Voted NO on adopting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
• Voted NO on including prescription drugs under Medicare.
• Voted YES on limiting self-employment health deduction.
• Voted YES on Approving the presidential line-item veto.
• Voted NO on banning more types of Congressional gifts.
• Voted YES on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress.
• Voted NO on funding for National Endowment for the Arts.
• Voted NO on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests.
• Voted NO on continuing desert protection in California.
• Voted NO on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%).
• Voted YES on defunding renewable and solar energy.
• Voted NO on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education.
• He wants stricter penalties and stricter enforcement against drugs.
• He does not believe the First Amendment protects "hate groups."
• Voted YES on Amendment to prohibit flag burning.
• Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation.
• Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping.
• Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation.
• He believes the Confederate flag is a "symbol of heritage."
• Voted NO on prioritizing national debt reduction below tax cuts.
• Voted YES on 1998 GOP budget.
• He is pro-death penalty.
• He wants more prisons.
• He is pro-NAFTA
• He is pro-CAFTA

Things John McCain Believes That I'm Unsure About:

• Voted YES on welfare block grants.
• Voted YES on allowing state welfare waivers.
• He wants to fully fund AmeriCorps.
• Voted YES on requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections.

What It Boils Down To For Me About John McCain is largely articulated in this video from the website "TheRealMcCain.com" which puts together a bunch of clips of McCain flip-flopping on issues and sums up his platform as, "Less Jobs, More Wars." Check it out, it's a short video but informative. Of particular interest is when he says the left needs to distance itself from Al Sharpton and the right from Jerry Falwell, followed by the clip of him hugging Falwell. And how can he back Bush after everything Karl Rove did to him?

Of course, in the 2004 election, his party turned a three-time Purple Heart war hero into a "coward" and "traitor" while turning a Yale educated aristocrat fake-cowboy draft-dodger deserter into Commander In Chief. And McCain is still a Republican?

FEARnet: "The Eye" Premiere Coverage

Last week I covered the premiere of "The Eye" in Hollywood for FEARnet and spoke to the film's co-directors, much of the cast, and of course the film's star, Jessica Alba. You can watch it HERE.