This is a response commented on DeadLantern.com in regards to the parts of “David’s Situation” that we’d missed:
I agree the first scene was a little slow, but you should have stuck around to give an accurate review. Although, in your defense, I’m not sure I would have stayed in an adjascent room either. We got in, but arrived at 5pm to make sure we made it in for the 7pm start. It was absolutely packed and for those of us that got in we were not disappointed.
Some of what you missed: John Ennis and Zach Galifianakis in a fucking hilarious parody of “To Catch a Predator” (BJ did a great job as Chris Hanson). A second stand up set by David even better than the first. A “round table” discussion with the cast and Andy Dick who appeared in a mock video relating to the story of the episode. The mock video may have been the highlight of a great night.
Janeane Garafalo was not in the show, but was on the set with a long list of great comedy minds (Patton Oswalt, Jerry Minor, Michael Blieden, Brian Posehn were among those I saw).
Based on the reaction of the audience I can’t imagine this show will not see more episodes. Bob and David delivered as I had hoped. It was great to see them together again. Don’t judge the show by the first scene. It is not at all indicative of the show. Lump of coal? Hardly. A diamond that could use a little polishing, but a diamond none the less. If you’re a fan of Bob and David you will be a fan of David’s Situation. Anyone else see it?
So my review was premature and perhaps they saved themselves in the rest of the show. HBO doesn’t put out shitty products so I guess they know what they were doing. Sad we missed the rest, sounds a lot better than the first scene. And fuck those fucking fuckers in production that made no mention of over-booking the show, completely ABANDONED the 40 people who got left out and worst of all MADE US WAIT IN A FUCKING LINE FOR AN HOUR before all that shit happened. They should have told us we weren’t getting in within 10 minutes of our being there! For that, fuck those assholes. I’m going to pirate the shit out of this show if it makes it on the air. We probably would have stuck around had they not cut the cameras in between scenes. If we could have watched the details while they were resetting then we might have stayed a little longer. Still, fuck them for not telling us about it being overbooked. When i’d replied to the confirmation email with an angry comment the AUTO-REPLY mentioned that it would be over booked and to arrive early as opposed to the 6pm time listed. Who the fuck would that help if they had to reply to the confirmation message? Only people who had to cancel would have responded to that message. Stupid.
They overbooked the audience for the pilot taping of Bob & David’s new show “David’s Situation” so lucky you, AvantTrash is the first site to review it.
It’s not very funny, sorry. The first scene that is. Sure, pilots are messy, rough, and usually need a LOT of tweaking. In this case I think they’d need to revamp the show altogether. But this snap judgment is only in regards to the FIRST SCENE which we watched 3 TIMES via Closed Circuit TV from JUST OUTSIDE OF THE STUDIO because they overbooked the audience by about 40 people. So after waiting in line for like an hour at CBS they guide us to this craft services room with a 20-inch TV of the show being taped next door. Fucking Lame.
The show’s main angle seemed to be a 4th wall breaking mockery of sitcoms, delivered a bit half-assed with sitcom cliches that have already been parodied a hundred times. Any post-modernism intended seemed to swallowed up by it’s lack of originality. Harsh, I know but it seems to be well worn territory (remember Garry Shandling’s Sitcom?). So could this indictment be because we were bitter about not getting into the actual taping? Not really. I am a HUGE fan of Mr.Show who has sung its praises and done my part to indoctrinate everyone I know about it for more than a decade, and the only thing I could think about while leaving the studio was “my how they have fallen”.
To spoil it for you the plot of the mock sitcom is that David is done with the Hollywood life and moves to “middle America” to write for an in-flight magazine and becomes roommates with stereotypical hippie Matt Besser and a flag waving old guy played by nobody. (Bob Odenkirk is featured in a very short sidebit)
Hippie Matt: “Did you know that every time you hug someone it releases positive ions into the atmosphere?” David: “Did you know that every time you hug a hippie you kill a practical thought?”
It had a few laughs but overall wasn’t what any of the 20 or so of us watching would call funny. The highpoint of what we saw was an intro delivered as David would in his standup where he blasts Jeremy Piven and the Hollywood Scene. “And I knew that it was too much when I saw that Jeremy Piven’s dog was wearing the same Von Dutch hat as me.” We didn’t stay for any of the other scenes (they killed the feed in between scenes and we’d already waited enough today) but outside of the studio on our way out we saw B.J. Porter, Mo Collins (featured in the first scene) and Jerry Minor. Before the show when we were parking the car we saw Janeane Garofalo walking to the studio, but can’t be sure she’s in the show or not (probably not).
Btw, David, are you done with standup? I think you are due for more. The inevitable failure of this pilot just might give him the opportunity to do so.
The scene did get a little better the more they worked through it so there is a slight possibility that with A LOT more work it could be passable but I don’t think we will be seeing a Bob & David lump of coal turned into a comedy diamond anytime soon.
AliUptown is in town from Chicago this weekend! I’m trying to give her the optimum L.A. experience. She’s having nappy time already, i tuckered her out. Last night we went to Beauty Bar (you’re so great, why are you dying?), Boardner’s (the bar side, not goth night) and finally Tiny’s (where 10 cops walked in and arrested 2 HUGE bikers from the “Mongols” MC. After they passed by I turned to AliUptown and said, “So 10 cops walk into a bar…” and the girl next to me was cool enough to say, “…right!?” and dish the High-5. It was a moment.
So far today we walked by Hollywood & Highland to see the costume freaks and Grauman’s to get our coffee (i live 2 blocks away), we went up Beachwood Cyn by the Hollywood sign, cruised half of Melrose (i finally got a haircut), and had lunch at the Village Idiot. Now its rest time because we are going to CBS in Studio City to check out the taping of the PILOT episode of “David’s Situation” by Mr.Show geniuses Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. Not sure what the plan is for later tonight; maybe Los Feliz, maybe the Strip. I think we’ll hit the beach tomorrow and Silverlake tomorrow night.
Oooooh…tight. As simple as this is I think it trumps the douche-owned Han Solo Carbonite desk. It looks awesome (very well crafted), can be used as very much needed storage for NESessories (i just made that up) and perhaps best of all, IT IS A FUNCTIONAL CONTROLLER! Snap!
Ok I got one more. It holds all of your NESessities. (hire me)
So with the detoonings of Mario, Homer, and Jessica Rabbit by Pixeloo, its about time someone else got involved. But as opposed to a photorealistic rendering, Essenmitsosse throws down more of a photo-esque re-tooning of Mario’s reptilian nemesis. Click the image and be magically transported down the green tube to see and read more.
OKAY FOLKS! After much ado here is AvantTrash’s FIRST GIVEAWAY! I mean sure, everyday we give away AMAZING links, reviews and commentary on all things entertainment, newsworthy pop culture. But now you get a chance to take home some free music, fresh gear and lightey disco’ey stuff compliments of Filter Magazine and SacramentOakland’s own party-pumpin’ dance rock-splosion, Wallpaper.
So here is the contest… Presented before you are 4 AMAZING T-Rexes (Rexi? Rexae?). Answer the Questions associated with each Terrible Thunder Lizard and you will win (1) Signed copy of Wallpaper.’s T-REX EP, (1) Wallpaper. T-Shirt, and (1) Fancy Disco Light to get your own party started! Sound Great?! Should multiple people answer correctly then I will select a winner at random (probably cointoss, maybe roll a die, or if all else fails, random number generator.
Ready? Here ya go:
T-Rex #1: Jim Henson made this wacky sitcom neighbor T-Rex. Who is he or who is he eating?
T-Rex #2: This T-Rex might have eaten someone’s prized Red Bicycle in a dream sequence.
T-Rex #3: Name the belated Flying V loving glam-rock dynamo frontman seen below:
T-Rex #4: Name the pint-sized human voice of this plastic T-Rex (Hint: “INCONCEIVABLE!”)
Think you got it? This contest ends May 12th @ 11:59pm. The winner will be announced (discreetly if preferred) by next Wednesday. Warm up your Googles and send your answers to contest@avanttrash.com
I find their name insulting, maybe. Like I don’t know, people get off work at 5 O’Clock? It reminds me that I have shitty hours and they probably lay around all day being British doing cocaine and getting free clothes.
My West Coast conversion countdown has begun. In two days, AliUptown and intr0vert will reunite when I visit my L.A. counterpart for his birthday (which is Mother’s Day, go buy a card). If you’re in the L.A. area, give us a call. If you are in the Chicagoland area…too bad. I can’t wait. Can you?
I was at Sundance last year a few people we all atwitter about the movie “Teeth“, so i’m watching it now and its kinda boring, a little slow, but only half way through. At the part I’m at now she’s doing a web search for Vagina Dentata so I figured I’d do the same (at the least there will be some crazy tentacle hentai or something as a consolation prize). The first and last thing I found was a page selling The RapeX which is A BARBED FEMALE CONDOM TO THWART AND IDENTIFY RAPISTS. I guess you just put the thing in your hoo-hah and let your short skirt and a bad neighborhood do the rest. (Just make sure you don’t have it on inside out)
The next time I have consensual sex even, I will be checking. Nothing personal ladies, safety first.
Certain songs should be protected against being covered. Not by a bar band, not in karaoke, not at Live Aid, NOT EVER!
Drunken Stepfather posted this live video of Madonna’s “Hung Up” and noted that she fucks up at 1:50 because she is a SHITTY guitar player but I decided to watch it anyway because I was curious at to whether Madonna is actually getting better at guitar…she isn’t. She is constantly looking at her hands and worst of all she doesn’t move around AT ALL when she’s playing. I thought she was a dancer? And I also watched because almost ANY girl looks better when she’s playing a Les Paul. She never really could sing so its a good thing she’s finally trying to validate her “artistic” existence with some musician cred. Thats why I play guitar anyway. So I was watching this video and her absolutely horrid guitar skills and it got to about 4:33 they break into the riff from PANTERA’s “A New Level” off of A Vulgar Display of Power! I know its kind of a generic riff for Pantera but that is exactly the riff, is that legal? It shouldn’t be unless it turned gays and teenage girls into Pantera fans. I was just having a conversation with my co-author here about how people shouldn’t be allowed to cover Michael Jackson or Madonna and I think in this case Madonna shouldn’t be allowed to cover Pantera. Not even that 1 simple riff. I’m also jealous because I really want a black Les Paul Standard and thats what she is pretending to play.
While we are on the subject of covers, allow me to turn you on to one of the best podcasts ever. Its called Coverville and it comes from a guy named Brian Ibbott in Colorado and he does like 3 shows a week and they are nothing but covers. Some are absolutely amazing. Some support my argument of “thou shalt not cover” but its worth subscribing to. Where else are you going to hear an hour of Hall & Oates covers?
And now, to wipe your brain clean of any of that anglophilic albino’s recent musical abortion… fucking PANTERA! (Moscow ca.’91. solo @ 3 mins)
Every Wednesday, Boardner’s in Hollywood becomes Club Moscow to host a few bands and then a night of 18 and over clubbing. This last Wednesday the typical Hollywood “distressed to impress” set and their “no-longer-jailbait-but-not-yet-legal” girlfriends came out to see SacramentOakland’s 2-piece dance-synth-poppers WALLPAPER. The 2 opening bands of the night drew meager crowds and seemed genuinely bored as opposed to just projecting an image of disinterest. Very little energy was expelled and hence very little applause was given, a typical L.A. Show. And then as Wallpaper took the stage it was as if the crowd had been waiting for them all week. Fresh off a successful showing at the Filter Party at Coachella, Wallpaper brought their infectious retro-electro party A-game and for an athletic 30-45 minute set and proceeded to rock the seemingly unrockable Hollywood crowd.
I’d heard Wallpaper’s songs via their myspace so I had an idea what to expect but seeing them and hearing them became as different as night and day. The songs seemed shaved down to only the meaty goodness “we were told our songs have to stay under 90 seconds” and it made for a streamlined set full of energetic originals and some well selected covers. It was very refreshing to see a band unbridled by pretension and willing to drop some recognizable songs into their set. In fact, the night started off with a rendition of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love” with Bell Biv Devoe’s “Poison” sprinkled further down the set. The musicianship rested squarely in the capable hands of drummer/iPod Maestro Arjun Singh with vocals/Vocoder Ninja/party startin’ compliments of the satin-to-sequined frontman Ricky Reed. There was also an appearance by T-Rex himself during their song of the same name. It was so in demand that night that they played it twice.
I think you will be impressed with the caliber of a good portion of Wallpaper’s music. Standout tracks such as “T-Rex”, “A Million Dollars” and “Everytime We Do It” have some of the best synth work that I’ve heard since Prince was hanging with The Time.
Rating: 7/10 for their live show and 6/10 for the songs. These boys show definite promise! Keep watching Avanttrash this week for a chance to take home some gear from Wallpaper!
L.A.’s Pennsylvania-transplant Songbird Priscilla Ahn doesn’t seem intimidated by a city full of singer-songwriters. Her album is confident and honest. Her voice is light and young but with hints of adulthood that have creeped in between her new full-length release A Good Day (out June 10 on Blue Note) and her previous EP. Her songs like lucid dreams take their time in delivering their message which could help it to hold up on repeated listenings.
The whimsy of the album reaches it’s peak with the song-story “Astronaut” which listeners might find in the vein of the Ditty Bops with its “Being For The Benefit of Mr.Kite” instrumentation. It follows like a cloud with “Lullabye” which features some of the loveliest vocals on the record. Her voice would be like mixing a milkshake of Keren Ann and Delores O’ Riordan in a blender with some tiny smooth pebbles for texture. But like many albums. the A-side is the strongest while it’s B-side remains passable thanks mostly to a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Opportunity to Cry” and the albums titular closer. But this is by no means a weak showing.
Last month I’d recommended you keep an eye on her and after hearing the new album, i mean it. The musicianship is clean with a sound thats layered but not overproduced thanks to notorious hired gun drummer/producer Joey Waronker. (Beck, R.E.M.)
No doubt Priscilla Ahn will be involved in some heavy touring to promote A Good Day, should the opportunity present itself, go see her! More than likely she will be headlining within a year. Rating: 7.5/10
Show of hands, how many people expect “Speed Racer” to suck? Come on, be honest, I read message boards, I’ve heard your podcast, you aren’t thrilled at all, are you? The print campaign with the cars on the track is messy and the trailer was lukewarm. It’s not nearly the campaign of say, Iron Man, which is already a sure thing summer blockbuster to be. But maybe all of this bad publicity could have let you down again; because there may be a lot of very satisfied uber-nerds on May 9th when the Wachowski brothers’ “Speed Racer” live-action living comic book candy fireball sensory orgy hits theatres. I expected to be underwhelmed by this movie, writing it off as effects laden fluff but I might have found a bit more in it than the rest of the public.
The story is sparse and plays 2nd fiddle to the technically awe-inspiring visual effects, but I should hope you didn’t expect a repeat of the depth of the Matrix from this Manga-to-Anime-to-Live Action film. I appreciated that the storytelling was delivered at times in a liquid form with visuals co-mingling with the narrators as the timelines wrapped and coiled into themselves. The film centers around the Racer family: Pops, played by John Goodman - a racecar builder devoted to his family; His wife, referred to only as Mom, played with beautiful sentiment by Susan Sarandon; Rex, the eldest brother who dies in a shady racing accident; Emile Hirsch’s Speed, the prodigal son; Christina Ricci as Trixie, Speed’s love interest and best friend; and of course the comic relief, Speed’s Kid Brother Spritle and his monkey Chim-Chim. During the story Speed shuns the corporate sponsors who have corrupted racing to stay in business with his family and has to race to save their reputation and the very sport of racing.
Casting was spot on as the actors held this movie together wonderfully through the effects. The females that I saw this movie with admitted to misting up during a scene between Sarandon and Hirsch. Christina Ricci seemed to get hotter in the grimier moments of the film and although the dialogue like everything else becomes saccharine to the point of aspartame, the perfomances are true and warm. Adding emotion to a primarily green screen movie can’t be an easy task but each of the characters indeed has their opportunity to shine. And Oh how this movie shines. Us designers had conferred that the movie was more of an animated film than live action. Stylistically the exact polar opposite of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
I mentioned that this movie is eye candy right? Can I maybe repeat that a thousand more times? Maybe thats not decadent or bright enough to describe its seizure-inducing effects and Japanese inspired hyper surrealism. Think of having neon injected straight into your brain through your eyeballs. Maybe if you just lined your skill with an OLED TV above your Pineal gland. You know that feeling the morning after you’ve been tripping balls and know you are still kinda tripping because stuff is still kinda melty and the walls are still breathing a little bit? I kinda got a little of that going right now after seeing “Speed Racer” this afternoon. This is the exact movie that IMAX was made for. Not so coincidentally, it will be released in said format as well. I recommend that venue but only if you want your brain to turn to a happy pile of overstimulated nerd mush.
My proper introduction to Speed Racer happened sometime around 1996 when a pre-Adult Swim Cartoon Network had a sort of marathon one stormy Saturday night. I’d only seen a couple scattered episodes but when I sat down in front of the TV that night I expected to see 1 episode but what happened was them showing literally hours and hours of the show, in sequence and seemingly without commercial interruption. I was pretty immersed in the story. And what I saw today was a pretty faithful translation of that. Sure the characters are simple, sure the production designers have blown everything out of proportions; but you will learn within the first 10 minutes of this movie is that the filmmakers consciously decided that if they were going to make an over-the-top living cartoon, then the only way to do it is to go WAAAAAAAY over the top. There are some disgustingly kiddie moments in this film. I have an aversion to the use of chimps in films anyway but to summarize (like i never do), there was monkey poo. And unfortunately it was in the middle of a pretty good 60’s Batman style “Bank! Crash! Ka-Pow!” fight scene.
Assuredly there will be doomsayers next week saying the movie is “unfocused”, “simple” and “confused about it’s demographic” but it’s just because most film reviewers think they should squash a movie that doesn’t appeal to them, well, news flash, IT’S PROBABLY JUST NOT FOR THEM! This isn’t a movie that you have to bring any more of your brain to than the part that WANTS TO HAVE FUN …And maybe the part that controls bladder function, cause this movie is 2 hours long and there aren’t many places you can safely wizz without missing something.
Some people have said that they are put off by the video game-like graphics of the trailers, well then maybe you won’t like the movie. But there is a much better chance that you will get totally sucked in by the ultra-saturated seizure inducting shininess of this movie that simply never lets up. Half of this film is on par in action with the Pod Race scene in Episode 1 with the inevitable final race that will surely rival its excitement. Remember how you gasped the first time you saw the 18 Wheeler-collision scene in the Matrix Reloaded? There are a couple of those moments in this movie for sure. And isn’t that what an overblown summer blockbuster is all about?
On the DeadLantern.com 10 point rating scale I give “Speed Racer” a 7.5 overall with a 9.75 for the effects.
So here is the contest… Presented before you are 4 AMAZING T-Rexes (Rexi? Rexae?). Answer the Questions associated with each Terrible Thunder Lizard and you will win (1) Signed copy of Wallpaper.’s T-REX EP, (1) Wallpaper. T-Shirt, and (1) Fancy Disco Light to get your own party started! Sound Great?! Should multiple people answer correctly then I will select a winner at random (probably cointoss, maybe roll a die, or if all else fails, 
