Welcome to the Machine
Currently listening: Shangri-Las, Ladytron, Queens of the Stone Age, Everly Brothers
AOL and Warner Bros. are now offering reruns of old televisions shows online – for FREE! Sheer bliss for those of us who adore programs like “Growing Pains,” but scoff at actually buying the DVD. A fine business move on the part of AOL and WB, indeed; I imagine this will be huge. Let’s hope “Beverly Hills 90210″ will be available soon because, holy cow, did I love that show.
Cameron Crowe to release only soundtracks. Ha. And I intended to blog this a few months ago: A “recut” of The Shining trailer, purposefully edited to make the film look like a Cameron Crowe-style coming-of-age dramedy. HILARIOUS. Be patient; it takes a few seconds to load. Is there a Peter Gabriel song? Of course there is.
Over the weekend I had the pleasure of dining at the historic Keens Steakhouse, home of the famous mutton chops. The restaurant opened in 1885, and is the only survivor of the Herald Square Theatre District. The steak and potatoes are delicious, the wine list is extensive, and the collection of churchwarden pipes alone is worth a visit.
Afterwards, we checked out the Aristocontest at Peoples Improv Theater, where a half dozen comedians told their own versions of “The Greatest Dirty Joke Ever Told.” Years of watching violent films, and bad television like “Saved by the Bell,” has more or less desensitized me to vulgarity, but some of the comedians’ retellings of the joke almost — almost — made me blush. I haven’t seen the Aristocrats documentary that was released this year, but I certainly plan to now. The PIT is a really fantastic venue, and I highly recommend checking out one of their many shows, with an especial emphasis on the monthly Aristocontest.
I also took in — suffered, rather — a screening of Saw II, which despite its career-reviving performance by former New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg, dimmed in comparison to its surprisingly-scary predecessor, the aptly-titled Saw.
Word on the street is that a Depeche Mode-themed bar is opening in NYC. Has anyone heard anything official?