J.Yang has slummed it in the valley with the Wakefield twins; slumber partied with Huey, Dewey and Louie; joined Krakow in stalking Angela; and climbed every mountain with the Von Trapps.

Originally from San Diego, he's lived and traveled the world (okay, not all of it) in pursuit of that most elusive of targets -- inspiration.

He's authored and published a book, written for online and offline publications, and maintained a variety of popular blogs on subjects ranging from movies and technology to personal stories and amateur musings. He's currently busy working on his second book, a fiction novel for teens.

You can reach him at digitaljon@SPAMgmail.com. He is BFF with his iPhone so he should answer promptly.

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Dance Like I'm Watching  
Saturday, June 7, 2008 : 3:19 PM : 3 comments

America's Best Dance Crew is back. Has a show ever ended and then geared up for another season in two short months? Well, it's a great decision by MTV because ABDC was such a phenomenon. Here's the problem though: The show has already jumped the shark. You're not going to get much better than Kaba and Jabbawockeez. This isn't like American Idol where there are millions of wannabe singers. Only a few cities/areas can pump out decent dance crews. If they renamed the show "Southern California's Best Dance Crew" then we'd have something to watch.

Plus, as was proved last season, you can't have too many Asian groups stealing the spotlight all the time. America's not ready for that. Or are they? We'll find out this season because the serious contenders are all Asian groups, again. Big shock, I know. There's good reasons for that but I'll go into it later. In the meantime, I'll save you ten hours of your life by just telling you what's going to happen this season.

They could have named this second season "America's Best Dance Crew: The Specials" because nearly all the groups had gimmicks. None so blatant as Break Sk8 last year but still. There's the white boys from the suburbs who must fight back against their boy band image. The Latina group who bring their cultural influences to the show (and not much else). The five girls and two (gay) guys group. The cheerleaders who hate to be called cheerleaders (even though that's exactly what they are). The 80's themed group called "Fanny Pack." The breakers who can't really dance (but has a member featured from Planet B-Boy). The crew with a member who's deaf but hears the music with his soul (or you know, his hearing aid). The heart wrenching tale of one guy whose dad is in a coma. Thanks for all the feel good stories but can they dance?

For the most part the answer is "No they can't." Some of the groups are blatantly bad while some of the semi-okay ones are knockoffs of last season's contestants. Bad choreography abounds, technical skills are horrific, and none of the groups were very clean. The judges kept trying to get the groups to up their energy, to up their creativity, and to kick it up a notch. "C'mon! It's Season Two!"

So who's going to win? Well, considering the dance crew mecca of the U.S. is centered in Southern California, does any other group have a chance? Not really.

Dance competitions have been going on for over ten years in California and there are tons of crews just from the San Diego - Orange County area who are better than any of the groups on the show. Too bad (for MTV) they're pretty much all Asian-centric. The amateur hip hop dance crew experience is centered around Asian cultural shows and nobody else in the country can compete with their generation of experience.

With that said, this season's winners will be either Supreme Soul or Team Millenia. Supreme Soul is this season's Jabba (an all guy group with charisma and energy) while Team Millenia is the new Kaba (down to the "My Asian parents want us to be doctors and lawyers" storyline). Too bad both are second rate versions of last year's two best crews. It's no surprise that SS and TM are veterans of the dance show circuit. My sleepers are SoReal Cru from Houston, who are pretty good and hey, all-Asian. I'm a bit surprised none of the other SoCal groups came out but maybe they did and weren't picked. Gotta keep it variety-like right?

Oh wait, as I was writing this, the judges knocked Team Millenia out. Um, they were clearly one of the best crews. The West division passed a b-boy group who can't dance, a group that literally wears fanny packs, and Supreme Soul. Could Team Millenia have been knocked out because they were too Asian and too from Southern California? Let the rumors circulate.

ABDC, I'm over it.

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And we're off...  
Friday, June 6, 2008 : 2:43 AM : 0 comments

As I watched the Celtics' game, I was sure that my presence was screwing them up. As my team floundered, I had to change the channel. After watching the most futile first round of Jeopardy ever, "Wizard of Oz" appeared as a Double Jeopardy category. Most of the answers were pretty easy.
This song won an Oscar despite almost being cut from the film. (Somewhere) Over the Rainbow. These were sold at an auction for $666,000. Ruby slippers. Buddy Epsen was allergic to his makeup for this role and was forced to back out of the movie. The Tin Man. Frank Morgan played the roles of Professor Marvel, The Gatekeeper, The Carriage Driver, The Guard Who Cries, and this character. The Wizard.
I nailed them all and I was psyched to finally have some use for my extensive Wizard of Oz knowledge. Really, it's not often I can use my obsession to anything Oz related for good. If only trivia night had this as a category, I would have cleaned up. The wonderful thing was that soon afterwards, the Celtics came roaring back and won the game. I forced Frances to fake-cheer for the Lakers so that she could use her anti-winning powers to deflate Kobe & Co. It all worked to perfection.

It's so exciting when things go your way isn't it?

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Hum...  
Monday, May 5, 2008 : 2:01 AM : 0 comments

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It's Like, Right Now  
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 : 2:34 PM : 0 comments

So a friend was contacted by a producer at Current TV to possibly have one of his projects showcased in the future. "Current TV? Never heard of it." Well, apparently it's like MTV plus YouTube and is definitely the most interesting thing happening on television. Strangely, it was started by Al Gore. Maybe he really did invent the intranets.

Users create "pods" which are uploaded to the site and then fans can vote for these pods to receive their own spot on television. Each pod is typically only a few minutes long -- perfect for your miniscule attention span -- and many of the topics are on things you'd never see anywhere else. Pods on pre-fabricated houses, an insane no-holds barred shooting range in Kentucky, a Wax Poetics magazine feature. Check out what Current's playing right now.

Another cool thing is that many of the ads on Current TV are also viewer generated. So you make an ad for say, T-Mobile or Toyota, and if it airs, you get paid.

The most impressive thing about all this is that the production values are really really good. I'm not sure how it happens, if producers come to film your idea when you've been chosen for distribution, or only the cream rises to the top, but the segments are all nicely filmed, produced, and edited. It's what MTV could have been and what YouTube wishes it could be. It's the future!

Our first great find on Current TV was "Joe Gets." It's just a series of little clips where this guy goes around learning about different skills, jobs, and lifestyles. Joe Gets Air, Joe Gets Saddled, Joe Gets Goth, Joe Gets Served.

The first one I watched was Joe Gets Pix. Anyone who says "you're a hungry hungry hippo" to a model while trying to get her in the mood is pretty awesome. The one-liners, quips, and reactions that Joe dishes out is hilarious.

If Joe looks familiar it's because he was on Beauty and the Geek where he was voted off pretty early and didn't get to display his sense of humor at all. After that, he was just an average schmo submitting stuff to Current but he got promoted and picked up after his videos consistently rose to the top of the rankings. Now he's the funniest man on television.

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We Are All Witnesses  
Thursday, February 28, 2008 : 3:03 AM : 0 comments

I'm sure something like this is way old by Internet standards but I just got around to viewing it. It's Improv Everywhere's "Frozen Grand Central" mission and I think it's their best one yet. Simple, effective, and very viewer friendly. Heck, the damn thing got Charlie Todd (the founder of Improv Everywhere) on The Today Show recently.

There's really only two reactions to something like this: "awesome!" or "that's retarded." I mean, it's hard to stay indifferent to the antics, especially when it's done on a grand scale. Some of Improv Everywhere's gigs are classics, like the one targeted at Abercrombie & Fitch, and most of them are pretty funny. I'm impressed by the intricacy of some of the missions too. I mean, check out "The Moebius," which is a pretty neat idea and had to be executed with precision and dedication. Best of all, the crowds and surrounding people get into it on many of the missions -- sometimes spectacularly.

I'm most impressed with the commitment level on display here. I mean, pulling a prank or creating comedy usually requires 110% staying in character and committing to a cause even when it seems really stupid. You ever get that feeling of doing something that seemed so incredibly funny five minutes ago but is currently just making you look stupid? Well, that must happen on some of these missions but the Agents plug on and in the end, get a few laughs and a cool story to recount.
"It's only in a camera-crazy tourist haven like New York that you can go into a public bathroom, snap photos of men standing at urinals, and not only will they NOT be angry, they'll often take out their own camera and snap a pic of that same urinal, thinking, 'Huh, this toilet must be famous.'"
-McDonald's Bathroom Attendant-

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Here Comes the Hotsteppers  
Thursday, February 14, 2008 : 3:27 AM : 0 comments

I'm a little late to the party since the season is already in full swing but since I'm a sucker for dance shows (and movies) this needs to be covered. Randy Jackson's "America's Best Dance Crew" is on Thursdays at 10pm -- MTV of course. I'm shocked it's taken so long make a dance series about a group as opposed to individuals but here it finally is.

My television watching is all shot to hell without DVR but I've been able to see clips of the show on YouTube and it already looks better than anything "Dancing with the Stars" and/or "So You Think You Can Dance" (or the boringness that was J-Lo's "Dancelife") can muster. Of course, I'm a little biased because I'm a big fan of Kaba Modern and Jabbawockeez

It's a foregone conclusion that Kaba will win -- short of horrible judging or something. The really amazing thing about them isn't how good they are as just individuals, it's how clean they are as a big group -- or as a huge group. I've seen like thirty people crammed on-stage at the same time, everyone hitting perfect angles, timing, everything. Even on the smallest isolations. It's crazy! These kids (theoretically) have school and homework; although I feel like the lure of dancing with Kaba at Irvine is enough for some people to forgo the whole academic portion of college.

Also, the Jabbawockeez appear to have a cameo in "Step Up 2: The Streets." Strangely, when Lil'Kim announced at the end of "You Got Served" that it was time to take it to the streets, I'm pretty sure she wasn't calling for another dance movie to make a sequel with that title. Then again, they did release "You Got Served: Take It to the Streets," an instructional video; maybe that was their semi-sequel. And don't think I haven't seen it either.

I was going to name my top five dance movies but thought I'd better hold back a little. Preserve my dignity and all. Instead I'll leave you with this, in the words of the immortal Mikey Minden: "I don't do cat fights... I do choreography."

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Battle Hymn  
Sunday, January 27, 2008 : 6:16 AM : 0 comments

When they released World of Warcraft (WoW), I knew right away that it was something I should avoid. Swords, sorcery, monsters, and cooperative gameplay in an immersive environment that encourages staying in on Saturday nights? It was practically my dream come true.

My willpower being what it was, I ran out and bought the game immediately. Luckily, I was playing video games for twelve hours a day (and getting paid for it) at the time so I didn't have much stomach for more games at home. Otherwise, WoW might have been the end of me. I shut down my subscription after just two months and only got to level ten or so. All the stories of being able to ride gryphons while hurling thunderbolts from the sky remained just tall tales to me. I knew enough about MMORPGs to know that I should never, ever, touch something like this again.

Then, a few weeks ago, Eric called me and said, "Have you played Guild Wars? It's kind of like D&D. We need a monk." I caught his phone call in the middle of dinner but even above the din, I didn't have to hear much more.

So, now, here I am, hopeless addicted and loving every minute of it. I'm trying to race through the game to catch up to my friends so that I, glory priestess of healing, can join them in battle. I'm almost there.

In fact, it's all I can do to curb my enthusiasm and not call them up every day to play. My fellow adventurers have real lives, wives, children, and more. I do not. Which translates to me jumping up to a respectable level pretty quickly, even as the holidays and a trip to San Francisco interrupted my video game time.

Pretty much all I want to declare here is that we now have our very own guild hall and yes, this is our boat. See you post-searing.

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Army of One  
Thursday, January 17, 2008 : 3:27 AM : 0 comments

"She is pretty, blonde, she has all the characteristics of women... She seduces, she uses trickery rather than force to get results. She is incapable of telling a joke without blowing the punch line. She is a blabbermouth but only makes superficial comments. She is constantly creating enormous problems for the Smurfs but always manages to blame it on someone else."

One of the participants at the meeting asked: "Would she at least be able, when the Smurfs are in danger, to make a decision that can save them?" When I translated this to Peyo, he looked astounded. "Come on now, do they expect me to make her a (female) gym teacher?"
-The Smurfs' creator on Smurfette-

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Marvel Re-Inventions  
Thursday, January 10, 2008 : 5:33 PM : 0 comments

Gallery 1988 in LA is showing works inspired by Stan Lee's creations titled "Under the Influence: A Tribute to Stan Lee." I love the Wolverine as squirrel one.

If you're a big comic geek like me, this is the art show of the year. If you're really uninformed like me, you totally missed it. But thanks to Brian (still embittered against comics due to a childhood incident) I'm now totally on top of it and will plan to check out the show asap.

Last year, Gallery 1988 presented "Remixing the Magic," which featured artists' reinterpretations of Disney works. Of course, I missed that too but the pictures sure looked awesome.

And since you're already in LA, you might as well swing through the Murakami exhibit at the MOCA too. Get some (pop) culture!

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The Oneders  
Sunday, December 30, 2007 : 5:52 PM : 0 comments

Over Christmas break (I still refer to this period as break although I'm many years out of school), I've finally fallen prey do the addiction that has been sweeping the country. Yes, I'm a wannabe Guitar Hero. I thought it would never happen since the game looked semi-lame and I was more of a Bustagroove dancing rhythm kind of guy. But after being exposed to Guitar Hero for more than ten minutes, I got hooked. Big time.

Everything they say about the game is true; you really do feel like you're playing the guitar. We played co-op mode for hours on end and after each successful song, I would scream, high-five, or pump my arms in celebration. It was a rush.

Apparently I'm a real jittery type of player and I have to stand up and bop around to play. I can't just sit there on the couch since real rock stars would never do that. It's funny to see other people's "styles." George sits there still as night and Star Powers in super slow motion. James and Victor are cool, calm and collected. Des has the whole rock starlet stance down.

As a truly cross-gender game, Guitar Hero (and Garage Band) is the perfect party game. Heck, my mom started playing it and is addicted as well. Sure, she can only do a few songs on Easy but she loves it. She had to take a day off from playing because the movements were causing her bad shoulder to get too sore. Still, with the help of some Salonpas, she soldiered on.

Tragically, my skills may have already peaked. I've also been pigeon-holed as a bass player. In my learning stages, I played too many songs as bass so now I'm only good at that. I'm an Excellent bass player but only a Hard guitar player. It's a real shame because I feel like I have so much more to give to the world. I'm not just a bass dammit!

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Lonelygirl  
Monday, December 17, 2007 : 9:33 PM : 0 comments

Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick have a new show called "Quarterlife" and the material is right in-between thirtysomething and My So-Called Life. It's about a group of twenty-somethings trying to figure out what's next -- exactly the type of premise I like. With Herskovitz and Zwick behind the project, I'm very willing to sift through every episode and while it's not amazing so far, it's also not bad. The interesting thing about the show is that it's being released online through MySpace in 36 eight-minute episodes (they're currently up to thirteen).

The general manager of MySpace TV said that this is the "single best-produced piece of serialized content for the Internet, ever" because of its production budget and the creative team behind the project. Of course, the show was picked up by NBC and will hit regular television soon and it'll be interesting to see how well it does. Either way, if this thing is a hit, it can't be cancelled after one season; there'll always be MySpace!

In the show, the main character, Dylan Kreiger, blogs about her life and runs afoul of her friends by revealing too much. Heck, that's something I want to do! I'd love to write a dishy blog about everyone I know. But that seems like a poor life decision since I'd soon be hailed as a pariah and outcast from any social groups that I claim membership. But I'd have millions of fans to compensate right?

An awesome thing about the show so far: the end credits have the little ditty so familiar to any fan of MSCL. "And dance by the light of the moon..."

Wondering if you qualify for a quarter-life crisis? Here's some common characteristics, as gleaned from Wikipedia. You "win" if you score more than ten.

  • feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level
  • frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
  • confusion of identity
  • insecurity regarding the near future
  • insecurity regarding present accomplishments
  • re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
  • disappointment with one's job
  • nostalgia for university, college, high school or elementary school life
  • tendency to hold stronger opinions
  • boredom with social interactions
  • financially-rooted stress
  • loneliness
  • desire to have children
  • a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you

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Hangin' Tough  
Monday, November 26, 2007 : 10:47 AM : 0 comments

My Thanksgiving was mostly spent transported back to the late 80s as Lilly introduced me to New Kids on the Block: Greatest Hits - The Videos. I don't care what you think of me after my next statement but here it is: That shit is hot. NKOTB wasn't just a boy band, they were clearly the boy band. Driving down to Lilly's in preparation for time travel, I was trying to figure out who the fifth member was.

"Danny," his name was Danny.

Some observations: It's clear that Jordan Knight is a marvel -- as was his hair -- and the greatest boy band leader of all time. Joey McIntyre had a crazy voice for a twelve year old; shame puberty didn't skip over him. Donnie Wahlberg looks increasingly out of place as the years went by. Jonathan is like an 80s version of Ross -- but with no personality -- and he consistently gets the worst outfits. I was also informed that he went out with Tiffany during this time, which discredits the gay theory. Danny is simply ridiculous (not in a good way).

Seriously though, the New Kids are good. For five white guys from Boston, they can dance, as evidenced here and here -- even if it's way dated. And damn, I'd forgotten how good some of their songs were. It all came flooding back. I've been listening to their greatest hits all weekend. Insanity.

In honor of all the joy they've brought me this holiday season, here is the dream team boy band lineup. Note, the members don't have to necessarily have been in a boy band, although most of the following have.
  1. Jordan Knight
  2. Justin Timberlake
  3. (Young) Michael Jackson
  4. Chris Brown
  5. Ricky Martin
Look over that lineup. Tell me you wouldn't pay money to see these guys. There was some talk of throwing in a member of New Edition, Color Me Badd, Boyz II Men, B2K, something like that. But all potential prospects were all eliminated for various reasons.

I had originally slotted in Usher for Chris Brown's spot but Brown's a better dancer and seems more boy band material. I'd take Usher as a replacement for Michael when MJ quits halfway through the first tour, claiming plagiarism and identity theft against everyone else.

And no, I have no idea if Ricky Martin can dance but he adds to the group's multi-ethnic appeal and I assume his experience with Menudo is a plus.

That's how my weekend went, how was yours?

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Heartache?  
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 : 11:17 PM : 0 comments

I'm not sure how I missed this but the Sci-Fi channel is coming out with an original TV mini-series about the Wizard of Oz. Tin Man is an edgier version of the story we've all come to know and love and while I'm in support of anything Oz related, I'm a little scared about this one.

Zooey Deschanel stars as Dorothy. Alan Cumming of Nightcrawler fame is the Scarecrow, Neal McDonough is the Tin Man, and Raoul Trujillo is the Cowardly Lion. Richard Dreyfuss plays the Wizard and Kathleen Robertson is the Wicked Witch. No idea who's playing Toto.

The cast sounds great but the problem starts with the abbreviations. Dorothy is now D.G., short for Dorothy Gale. Say that out loud. Sounds stupid right? Even worse? Oz is now O.Z. (as in Outer Zone). Nevermind the similarity to "The O.C.," that just sounds straight up ridiculous. And the Cowardly Lion is now named "Raw." Not "Rawr" mind you. But still pronounced rawr, I think.

The other problem I have after watching the trailers is that Zooey Deschanel, otherwise known as Fairuza Balk lite, doesn't seem very into it. Her lines sound wooden as hell. I mean, please, give it some emotion. I've always been on the fence about Zooey as an actress but this could make it or break it for me. Some of the dialogue seems pretty horribly written too. I cringed a few times.

Anyway, the series starts in December so I guess I'll be dedicating six hours of my life to it, even if it sucks. All this reimagining of Oz is good on the surface but I'm not sure I'd be ready for Todd McFarlane's version if it hits the big screen, even if I did enjoy his twisted Oz toys.

For a dark reimagining of the Wizard of Oz that I surely did enjoy, check out "Was" by Geoff Ryman. "Ryman's darkly imaginative, almost surreal improvisation on L. Frank Baum's Oz books combines a stunning portrayal of child abuse, Wizard of Oz film lore and a polyphonic meditation on the psychological burden of the past."

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Bug Juice  
Thursday, September 20, 2007 : 3:36 PM : 0 comments

Did you see this show the other night? Kid Nation? Like a supervised Lord of the Flies but hopefully, hopefully, with less disastrous results? Forty children aged 8 to 15 are picked to live in a New Mexico ghost town for forty days. During that time they'll have jobs, they'll have town councils, they'll have fun, and they'll show the world how smart kids are and I guess, how dumb adults are. Or that's what I took from the concept anyway.

During the first town meeting, the kids are asked if they'd like to go home. Nobody takes the host up on his offer until shyly, meekly, one little boy raises his hand and despite protests from the group, makes up his mind to return to mommy and daddy. His reason? "I'm really homesick. I'm not mature enough for this." He was eight. And obviously mature beyond his years.

This show is wrong on so many levels. What kinds of parents let their kids go on national TV to mingle with a bunch of other children? Don't they know that these kids are about to be exploited -- or placed in danger? This is hardly a benign summer camp or a quick sleepover at a trusted neighbor's house. Who knows what will happen behind-the-scenes?
Critics have rounded on parents for signing waivers that stated the program "may expose the minor to conditions that may cause serious bodily injury, illness, or death, including drowning, falls from heights, encounters with wild or domestic animals, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and pregnancy."
The worst thing about the show is that every three days, the council gets to pick a team member to reward with a gold star, and along with it, twenty thousand dollars. Pretty soon this thing's about to get cut-throat and nasty. Just like the producers want it. There's no way something dramatic won't happen and these children will suffer irreparable psychological and emotional damage. I'm already setting my Tivo for "Kid Nation: A Decade Later" on VH1.

Currently I'm ready to devote my television time to Beauty and the Geek 4. While the beauties only get dumber and boring-er each season, the geeks are as real as reality television gets. You can't fake being that weird. And the twist is enough to entice me; although I'd hoped for an entire switcheroo with all beautiful guys and geeky girls. Maybe next year.

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Role Bounce  
Thursday, March 29, 2007 : 1:32 AM : 0 comments

A few months ago, I was touting the potential of two new MTV reality shows that were about to air. "Dancelife" turned out to be a bust. You would think that a show about dancing would be somewhat exciting -- especially to a semi ex-dancer. But without drama, story, or any particularly captivating characters, the show was a waste of time, even on DVR.

The other show, "I'm From Rolling Stone," I just watched the finale for today. Guess what? It sucked too. Maybe it had something to do with the half hour format but both shows just weren't able to translate the hard work of writing and dancing to the small screen. Oooh, another tryout. More money trouble, exciting. Making some more calls to schedule phone interviews? Struggling through writer's block? Not so must see TV.

The other thing that killed me about the Rolling Stone show was how nonchalantly the six contestants took their once in a lifetime opportunity. The founder and executive editor of Rolling Stone were available as resources for ten weeks and they didn't appreciate it? It wasn't even an elimination show. Everyone got two and a half months to prove their mettle.

One guy was talented but kept on showing up to work late. He also neglected to turn in any assignments for the last month. Another girl was more interested in crashing the red carpet, than working it. Most of the other contestants either weren't into it, didn't work hard, or were simply not that capable. The girl who won it, Krishtine, certainly deserved it (here's her final article), but she bitched about the gig the entire time.

Who are these people? I would die to have a chance to become a contributing editor to Rolling Stone. Do you know how prestigious that is? These people were being paid to sit around and compose one thirty word blog entry a day. I've been busting my ass trying to crank out 3,000 words each day this week. Gimme a break.

As one of the advisors said, "Don't get in the way of your own success."

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Games Even Your Mom Could Love  
Wednesday, February 28, 2007 : 6:03 PM : 0 comments

Maybe you begged mommy for a Game Boy when you were twelve (or twenty) and got one for your birthday. Isn't it time to give her something back?

Start off by buying one of those newfangled Nintendo Dual Screens (DS) in grey, black, pink, blue, or oh so heavenly white. Avoid action adventure games that will make her sweat and squirm. Avoid games that take hours to complete. Pick something that she can enjoy for fifteen minutes at a time while waiting in line at the grocery store, the doctor's office, or curbside ready to give you a ride home -- yes, she's still taking care of your errands and carting you around while waiting for you to "grow up."

We present five DS games that are sure to make mom appreciate and treasure video games -- and you by extension. All these titles are kid tested and mother appproved. Now all your phone calls from home will involve "So, I'm on Level Three, what do I do next?" It's a win-win all around.

1) Brain Age
Simple arithmetic, reading comprehension, and memorization mini-games are fun? Sure is, when the goal is to get better and faster at each of the education based mini-games. It's a game that's not a game -- those of you familiar with Kumon will groan but this is actually fun!

The idea behind the game is that by giving your brain daily exercise and repeatedly doing simple tasks, you'll make yourself healthy, wealthy, and wise. Mom won't burn out on the game since it limits itself to only a few minutes of play a day. Brain Age has taken the world by storm and there are now dozens of spin-offs but nothing beats the original.

2) Animal Crossing: Wild World
In Animal Crossing, an entire self-contained universe sprawls out before you as a young human who moves into a town filled with cutesy, and industrious, creatures. You are tasked with exploring the town and finding a way to make money to pay back your animal benefactor. You can do this by running errands for people, digging for gold, harvesting vegetables, and randomly dropping by to visit your kid at college. Just kidding about that last one.

Best of all, every task can vary depending on the time of day, the changing of the seasons, and the timing of major holidays. For example, shops close promptly at 11pm, fish are more plentiful in the early mornings, and there's a New Year's celebration on the real December 31st, Earth-time. Additional money you acquire can be used to buy a house, spruce up the place, and invest in rare decorations and knick-knacky treasures.

Sanrio plus the Sims equals a game any mother will love. Give them a world to over-invest in; one that's not yours.

3) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
It's "Murder, She Wrote" for the DS. The titular character, Phoenix Wright, is a lawyer fresh off passing the bar and is thrust into a series of capital murder cases. While it may seem grim and oh-so CSI (Crime Scene Investigation), the unique concept and anime-inspired graphics make the game a joy to play.

The goal is to find contradictions between the court submitted evidence and the testimonies of witnesses in order to uncover the truth. Searching for logic gaps and putting two and two together will remind your mom of the good old days when she caught you "studying at Melissa's house." The game even allows you to yell "Objection" into the microphone during heated moments in court. Every mom is a detective and lawyer at heart, she'll love this game.

And if she loves it and can't wait to do it again, there's the sequel, Phoenix Wright 2: Justice for All.

4) Bust-A-Move DS
When your mom kept stealing your Game Boy to play Tetris and ended up setting the household record for it, you were embarassed right? Admit it. Now here's a similarly addictive game for her to try out. It's a classic and beloved by gamers everywhere but your mom may not be hooked yet.

It's Bub and Bob -- rosy cheeked roly poly dragons who first co-starred in Bubble Bobble (flash version here) -- hard at work using a two-dragon slingshot to bust similarly colored bubbles. It's simple and quick to play and your mom will be addicited within five minutes. You can also challenge her to a multi-player match by sharing a single cartridge of the game; but you need to bring your own DS to the party.

5) Pokemon
By now, everyone in the world knows about the phenomenon that is Pokemon, even your totally unhip mom. She may not be clear about exactly what a Pokemon is but any of the games in the series will educate her immediately.

All the core Pokemon games are role playing games-lite and involve running around capturing Pokemon for your collection and for battle with other Poke-masters. "Pokemon" is a Japanese contraction for the words "pocket" and "monster". We recommend getting the as yet unreleased Diamond and Pearl versions (April 2007), which will have a brand new story and an all-new collection of critters to capture.

For your mom, the hardest part of this game may be overcoming the misconception that this is a "game for children." If your mom is feeling uneasy about being seen playing a "kid's game", tell her to tell detractors that she's "using the game to bond with my grand-children." Then quickly give her a kiss and hug before she can ask you how that's possible when you're single, not dating, live at home, and are no closer to having grandchildren than she is to collecting each of the the hundreds of Pokemon available. It'll be a bonding experience, trust me.

BONUS) Trauma Center: Under the Knife
Went to school to become a doctor but came out with a sociology degree and a career in administration? Parents don't understand that your C+ in Orgo wasn't good enough to get you into a leading medical school? Tell them that it's not as easy as it looks and present them with Trauma Center.

You may never become a real surgeon, or live up to their expectations, but you can still save (virtual) lives together. Trama Center lets players wield the scalpel and repair all the (financial) damage that your six years of undergraduate study and three major changes have caused. The game might be a bit tough for all ages alike but as you now know, being a doctor ain't easy.

This concludes our look at six of the best DS games to get your mom involved in the digital age. This list also doubles as "Games A Wife (or Girlfriend) Will Love" if you're in a gift giving pinch. Got some other suggestions?

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American Idle  
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 : 10:23 AM : 0 comments

It's Season Six of American Idol. That's astounding to me. Where was I before? While the show is endlessly copied and parodied, each season seems to get "better" than the last. It's all highly subjective of course, since it can be argued that Kelly Clarkson will be the biggest star to ever emerge from the show.

If you saw the Grammys, two Idol alumni -- Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson -- took over the stage and were legit stars. Hudson has been Oscar-nominated for her role in Dreamgirls and Underwood won a Grammy on Sunday night (for Best Female Country Vocal Performance).

Kelly Clarkson won two Gramophone Awards in 2006; previous Idol winners Fantasia Barrino and Ruben Studdard were both nominated in 2004. That's a lot of Grammy nominations for past participants of American Idol. Astute Grammy viewers will also note that the audience-selected girl who sang with Justin Timberlake, Robyn Troup, also tried out for this season's American Idol -- but was cut on last night's episode.

The American Idol train just keeps on chugging along, gaining steam and getting bigger each and every year. I admittedly watched most of last season and was stunned that Taylor Hicks won over the far more talented (and bewitching) Katharine McPhee. The show just sucks you in man. Having it on as background noise eventually leads to a total inability to do anything else; I couldn't help it. I even attended an American Idol concert in San Jose a few months ago. These people can sing! You did good America. Golf claps all around.

It's like I hate the show, but I love the show. Maybe not love, but tenderly tolerate. It's a phenomenon I'd rather not be a part of, but since it's around me all the time, I have to pay attention to who makes the cut each week and then put in my two cents about whether or not they deserved it. I'm still stunned that this is Season Six. Will this thing ever stop? How long can America want to keep picking Idols? American Idol Twenty? Thirty?

I've decided that for women, American Idol is the cultural equivalent of the Super Bowl.

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Five things I now know...  
Friday, February 9, 2007 : 11:52 AM : 0 comments

...after re-watching and web-stalking "The Sound of Music"
(1) Edelweiss is not a traditional Austrian song, or even popular there. The song was written for the musical. This is crushing news, as if learning that "America the Beautiful" was really done as a 1870's French rock song.

(2) The musical is loosely based on the real Von Trapp Family Singers. There was a real Maria von Trapp?! Yes, there was. And she wrote a whole damn book about it -- plus had two movies done about her story previous to this film. This website gives the real backstory of the von Trapps.

(3) Who can forget the stunning blue eyes of Charmian Carr as Liesl? I'd read somewhere that her eyes really are that blue but re-watching the movie, that hue seems unearthly.

Charmian pretty much stepped away from films after the Sound of Music -- she too has written a book about her experiences. She became a close friend and interior designer to Michael Jackson -- designing for him a "mannequin room." Yeah, don't ask.

(4) "During the Cold War, in the event of a nuclear strike on the United Kingdom, the BBC planned to broadcast The Sound of Music on radio as part of an emergency timetable of programmes designed to 'reassure' the public in the aftermath of the attack."

I wonder what the United States has/had planned, "It's A Wonderful Life?" Or that other American classic, "The Day the Earth Caught Fire?"

(5) The entire musical has about five songs played on loop. I thought I just happened to remember all the classics because they were the classics; overlooking the other songs from the film. But no, I remember those five songs because they were driven into my head from repeated exposure. Not that I minded this, but I didn't realize how many times "Do-Re-Mi" or "My Favorite Things" was played throughout the movie. No wonder the thing ran three hours.

Apparently, a cinema in Hong Kong had thought the movie was too long and cut out all the musical numbers. Just "The Sound" was enough for the Chinese.
It's a gift, to be able to watch these seminal films with fresh eyes -- not a gift I was given however. Not many people I know have never seen Star Wars, The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, etc. as a kid. I like sharing these movies with them to see their responses. Is the experience still magical? Or merely good?

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