the Palms continues to stay a step ahead of the pack

via Digg

Gage: what’s your opinion on invite only blogs? I don’t really get the purpose myself… ass, gas or grass?

people should blog. they should write down how they feel about stuff, they should use the part of the brain that only writing stimulates because when its stimulated it connects with other parts of the brain and makes the writer healthier and brighter.

but not everyone feels comfortable writing the way you really should write, so if doing it in private is what will get the good stuff out there, then i have no problems with it.

but i will suggest that they should also make a second, public blog because writing without a net stimulates something different than writing in private, and thats valuable.

little bursts of exhibitionism is good for you.

and little bits of positive reinforcement from people you dont know can really inspire you to blog more. its a phenomenon that can be tantamount to creating things that would otherwise never be set free.

so blog, blog in the dark, blog in the light, but blog.

m&ms

g/d: Can one survive broke in Brooklyn
ask’s a artist Canuck with New York neo-expressionist abstract dreams?

i dont know how anyone survives in new york. tokyo either. but somehow people do it. even poor people! but you know, artists should starve a little.

Mike: Can ya get me some of those cupcakes?

Sprinkles is available in several locations: Dallas, Newport Beach, Scottsdale, Palo Alto and Beverly Hills.

If you dont think you’ll be anywhere near those towns, i wouldnt recommend giving any one any money to “ship” them to you, because they will be eaten en route.

every deliciously sweet crumb.

Ella: Did you get a ticket for the MegaMillions? And if so, what would you blow the money on if you won?

i did get a ticket, but it looks like it wasnt a winner. but if i had won i would have bought a black 82 trans am, a blue 82 vette, and a red 2010 escalade. id spend a million producing the next Tsar record. i would buy a house in isla vista and give the rest of the money to my mom.

pitt: how much will i enjoy costello at massey tonight?

elvis costello is so over rated. critics are all blah blah blah and fans are all yeah yeah yeah. so what that he can sing so pretty and his songs are so great. so what that hes amazing live. hes a foreigner. hes taking a job away from an american.

Kris: blonde or brunette?

when i was younger i was really attracted to blonde. but now that im well into my triple digits i like the darkness. i like the mystery and the perceived evil. smokeyness. danger. loss of innocence. depth. and in the end, vengeance. sorta like when ali met sam jackson. in fact its been a very long time since ive made out with a blonde girl. ashley might have been the last one.

timmay!!!!!: propofol? what the hell is propofol?

i learned a few things at ucsb. one of the things i learned was there are a few different types of drugs. ones that mellow you, ones that wake you, ones that trip your ass out, and ones that will make you wanna make out. propofol is one that makes you pass out and then you dream of moonwalking on the moon. and then bam you really are dreaming. forever.

Basart: Should Milton Bradley stay in Chicago?

milton bradley is a lot like kanye west, minus the talent. he needs to realize that you dont need to fight the fans of chicago, especially cub fans. he needs to take out his anger issues on the ball, not the paying crowds.

hopefully the cubs front office will learn that players often blossom during their free agency year and then get fat and lazy once theyre making the big bucks. will all the great young talent we have in the outfield there was no reason to buy a bat unless it was capable of 40+ homers, which milton sure aint. his kind should go back to the AL.

David: what’s the best place to take a first date if you wanna be waking up with her in the morning? how about the bleachers at wrigley?

camping or vacation. and although many say that you shouldnt move that quickly, it never hurts to see what a date looks like first thing in the morn. the bleachers is a terrible place because its too much stimulation and everything after that will feel like a let down.

John Wayne Maioriello: First off… I totally back you on the ice cream and cake song. When i hear it it conjures the most embarrassing dance moves… My question is: What top 5 things should one do/consider when starting their first first freelance journalist business?

1. think about what content you could provide that would be unique enough that your publication(s) of choice wouldnt have thought about getting a staffer to do it, but something that doesnt stray too far away from the tone/style that their readers are used to

2. think about exactly who these publications are, and if they are looking (and paying) for the things you have to offer.

3. think about how you would advertise what it is that you have.

4. study who else is doing what you want to do and find out if they are satisfied with their life.

5. think about doing it all on your own, publishing to the web, and selling ads yourself. or writing a book. especially a picture book. like a coffee table one. for example. there are like 200-300 places to buy weed in LA. what if you just took a picture of each of the signs of all of these crazy stores. make a little book and sell it for $20 + $4.20 shipping. i think people would be amazed to see such a thing happening legally in the usa.

katie: what are the fundamental differences between Cubs fans and White Sox fans?

there are two types of Cub fans which means there are two types of Sox fans, because the Sox are merely the anti-Cubs. the two types of Cub fans are the pre-Sandberg fans, and the post-Sandberg fans. Before Ryne Sandberg (BRS) wrigley field was a place where you never needed to buy your tickets in advance. they were the lovable losers who played all their home games in the day, under the sun, the way Jesus intended.

but Ryne Sandberg and the rest of those cubs of the 80s were so fun to watch that it attracted a new type of fan that jumped on the bandwagon and finally gave sox fans a valid reason to hate the cubs. these new cub fans were yuppies who didnt drink old style and had no real concept about the 80 years of misery that led to Ryne’s acquisition to the cubs. they were just there to party in the bleachers and hit on girls who wanted to buy pink hats.

pre sandberg sox fans were more geniune about their team. they had a fascinating owner in bill veeck, the greatest tv team in baseball (harry caray and jimmy piersall), and a stadium that had an exploding score board, a barber chair in center field, a shower in left, and hard alcohol every where. i was like a whorehouse with a pipe organ.

the only thing that kept old comiskey legit were the black folk from the southside who were there to root on the likes of richie allen bobby bonds harold baines and chet lemon. the president is right to root for the white sox on many levels but most of all because he did most of his community organizing on the south side, where the sox play. he would have been a sell out if he had tried to claim allegiance to the cubs as well as the sox because most of the people believe you need to pick a side, and then defend your team.

its why i flash cubbie colors whereever i go.

another difference between fans: sox fans secretly wish they were cub fans, and cub fans pity sox fans more than they pity themselves.

update: im discovering that there is a third group of cub fans. youngsters who would have probably been cub fans even if there had been no sandberg. fascinating. meanwhile sox still suck.

zona: I’m gonna have to scroll way down to see this after you answer katie’s question.. but, apple’s snow leopard. yes or no?

im of the belief “dont fix whats not broken” i have no problem with OSX which is what im blogging with right now. but if St. Jobs has a new miracle to bestow upon us then im willing to check it out. i just dont want it to crash my iphone.

jackassjimmy: Any tips for writing great love notes/letters?

make them long and detailed and if subject matter that will make her blush when she shows her bffs. when in doubt, rhyme, and make sure to spritz it with some ridiculous cologne. my favorite is a drakkar smell-a-like that you can get at the 99 cents store.

adriel: best way to get over it when something hot fizzles before you’d like it to? don’t want to be a puppy dog…

usually i recommend sending a stranger something erotic. a real stranger, not a blogstar who you adore. but a real stranger that youd pick out of the phone book and mail something to. something like a picture of your most personal region. like your eyeball. or lower. but now that everyone has a cd player i think you should make this stranger the cd mix that youd send to the one who fizzled in front of you, and send it to the stranger and definately not the inspirationer. for if you simply send it to the stranger you will see that you are really over him/her. and then you can move on (west) with yr life.

Scott: When is the economy gonna pick back up?

this week ended with the dow rallying for the ninth consecutive day, “the longest winning streak since 1996“, home prices have risen in major us cities for the second consecutive month, and cash for clunkers came in under budget and accounted for 700k new car sales; unless youre expecting naked cherubs to float down from heaven handing out gold encrusted piggy banks heavy from diamonds and pearls, id have to believe that the economy has picked back up this summer.

butterflykarma: Do you think Coachella will have a good line up in 2010? What would your top headliners be?

coachella always has good lineups. if i was paul tollett id get van halen to close one night and no doubt to close the other night. if i was U2 id play there for free and in secret. as in unannounced. as in totally surprise and without all of the bells and whistles that have turned u2 shows into distractions away from the heart of their specialness.

Ali M: Tell us your most rock n’ roll moment.

i have been so blessed in my life to have met so many wonderful people, and experienced so many once-in-a-lifetime moments. the most rockin of all was jamming with rivers in the weezer practice garage where they cranked out what would be the blue album and pinkerton.

but, stangely, i think the most rock n roll moment of my life had to do with photography specifically two pictures. one i took, one i didnt take.

a long time ago i was something somewhat special in the blogging world. and i drove around the us and canada and i thanked people for pitching in to buy me the car that i now drive. and i thanked them for years of support. and i thanked them for helping me get my gig at LAist.

in one particular town two girls wished to know me. not because i was handsome or rich or tall or spectacular, but because of the tap tap tappings on a keyboard that miraculously made it into the interwebs and onto their computer screens. before it went down, i could see the look of love in their eyes, the moment of anticipation about to be fulfilled, and i asked if i could take a picture. and i did.

the picture i didnt take was of one of the girls in the windowsill hours afterwards. smoking a cigarette as the moon was about to set and the sun was about to rise. she looked so happy and new and calm. just like she could have sat in that window sill forever. im glad i didnt take it because sometimes your memory is better than a bad pic.

top photo of the hills of Los Angeles in flames by Moxie, photo of Elvis Costello at Amoeba by Burns!

so does Ask Tony

but first this strange coincidence:

remember how i told you the sprinkles coowner was on the panel i moderated?

i finally caught up with sunday’s Entourage, and there was Drama trying to bribe the security gaurd
to let him into the studio gates.

as this tv blog describes:

Eventually, he manages to convince the lot attendant to raise the gate and let him in (he gives the chubby guy the gift basket… cookies and Sprinkles cupcakes).

yes they are that good.

and yes you are good if you ask Tony a question in the box below.

baskin robbins commersh

so i looked for what the original was cuz no way did 31 flavors say

“you know what, we need a song for our ice cream cakes – you know, the things that we really pull in a big profit with.”

and then someone came in with a song that goes “ice cream and cake and cake…”

so i looked through youtubes and learned that the original is by a group called the Buckwheat Boyz

and i found this homemade version of the video

and it made me wanna eat ice cream

and cake and cake.

then i found this one which was even better

it will be the first check that i put a good chunk of in the bank. im saving up for a nice camera.

but like a really nice camera.

because i get to go to some wildly sweet places with some wildly sweet people. and i should do better for you, busblog readers.

if in the end it turns into better photos for my glorious employer, then great. in fact it probably will. but i want this picture on the left to be the worst picture i take in 2010.

because secretly i love photos and photography so much.

why has there not been any olde school photo galleries like in olden times? i’ll tell you why, because something happened after i dropped my canon s45 – i have yet to really love a camera.

i got an s50 after that, but it was so blah. none of the magic of the 45.

then i got like the g5 and that was blah too. the rebel was better but not magical.

not long ago i got the g7 and i was so disappointed in that that i sold it to a friend almost right away and got the leica that i have now.

and you saw my sunset junction pics. nothing. horrible.

i think it knows my displeasure because it was so much better yesterday at wolfmother than its been in a while, but it might be because the lighting was better in there because they were filming it.

as much as id like the mark II i think im going to get a nikon for a grand and then spend another grand on lenses. so if i save up every pay check for a few months i should have something better for all of you by christmas.

if im ever to be remembered for anything i would hope that it would be for amazing pictures. no lie.

today i had lamb on a stick. they have these farmers markets on thursdays on the lawn of city hall. and i was all, this is so weird. like how much meat could there really be in a lamb.

later in the day someone from the ucsb alumni association asked me if i would write a letter to the governor because of all the cuts in education thats going on.

i dont think the letter was for me me because they called me Anthony. so i think it was for everyone in the college.

and i was all, this is so weird. cuz if they dont even know me, then what makes them think that the governor will give a crap.

but if i did write the governor, id say dear governor of california.

everything that ive learned, everything that ive done, and every super tight relationship that ive had is either directly or slightly tangentially indirectly because of the college of creative studies at ucsb, or the daily nexus.

if youre going to screw over anyone, screw over berkeley.

go gauchos.

of hosting a social media panel discussion in front of our OC advertisers, i got a quick lunch in Inglewood and headed to Hollywood to cover the return of Wolfmother.

if theres one thing that disappoints me about Generation Y (and Gen Z if thats an actual generation) is that they seem to not wanna rock. i mean ROCK!

almost every decade since the 50s had some legitimate rock Gods: Hendrix, Zeppelin, Sabbath, AC/DC, Van Halen. Even in the 80s and 90s you had Tom Morello and Kurt Cobain and J Mascis and Sonic Youth.

but when you think about todays sounds and todays bands and groups that started in either the late 90s or 00s there are plenty of DJs and producers and rappers and “groups” but no one who really brings the in-your-face-but-soulful ROCK.

Wolfmother is one of the sole exceptions.

i think i have a theory for why this is. i think its the video game industry. and of course girls.

back in the day, before XBox and Game Cube, and the really super great video games, when boys got bored they picked up instruments. after they mastered the guitar they realized that girls wanted to be around them.

but once video games showed up, when boys got bored they played video games and got fat. AND STILL SOMEHOW theyd get laid.

so theres no impetus for kids today to learn to shred on guitar.

thus they DONT.

they wear purple and pink they wear skinny jeans, they wear Kanye glasses, they dont work for it in any way and still they get their reward.

im blaming you, females.

so yes when I got to see Wolfmother, the only hope for the Aughts, i was thrilled because i had only previously seen them in a very hot tent at Coachella.

only problem with last night: way too short of a set, and bro never picked up his Flying V.

even the last hope seems to be happy with the middle of the road rock. still good, but not blazing. still rocking but not as inspired. and definitely derivative.

im still waiting for this generation’s Van Halen.

my complete review / photo essay here on the Pop & Hiss blog.

its why i drink

because if i was sober all the time id think things like

why am i the one who gets to go to all these great shows
and drink with these hot chicks
and work at these cool places
and eat these great foods
and puke up these exotic cocktails
and get locked up by these unforgiving cops
and bailed out by these strange strangers
and represented by these expensive suits
and tried by these foolish prosecutors
and hung by these very sweet jurors
and scolded by these backwards judges
and driven home by these speeding limos
and tucked in by these naughty nurses
and woken up by these clicky clear heels
and left alone by these heartless heartbreakers
who only leave a drop of orange juice
which i drink like a parched man in the desert
and dream of canada as i drift back asleep

cuz what i really wanna do is direct.

thats not who i think of when i think of me.

and yes thats me about to host a panel discussion about social media.

yes thats the orange county offices of the la times.

yes thats a standing room only crowd of our OC advertisers.

and yes some were also from ventura, and yes some had come in all the way from palm springs

among others on the panel was the cofounder of sprinkles

yes there were sprinkles cupcakes in the house for all to enjoy.

no i didnt have one because yes i was nervous like nobodies business

yes i like to be nervous sometimes, which is why i like to chase girls

but no i dont like to be nervous at work so i shook it off and got to business

and yes i was glad that i had to cover the Wolfmother secret show at the Roxy early in the afternoon so i could shake off the nervousness that i felt earlier.

and yes i was frickin hot in the OC.

$75.

Director Spike Jonze, screenwriter Dave Eggers, and actors Catherine Keener and Max Records will also attend and participate in a Q&A after the screening.

or $200 if you also wanna go to the after party.

god i love LA

via carolyn kellogg

although the news is sad, i tip my hat to the LAT for having this cover today

even though the news hit so late at night.

nowadays when everyone has a faux complaint about actual newspapers,

this morning 3/4 of a million Los Angelenos had the breaking news

waiting for them on their doorsteps.

even though the news happened when many of them were already in bed.