Last night my friend Pam and I made the trek up to Bakersfield to see our boy Jack Ingram at the Crystal Palace. I'd never been there before, but Pam and I characteristically left much later than we'd intended to, so I didn't get to have the full Crystal Palace experience, visiting the museum, etc. But it was still fun!

We did get to hang with Jack on the tour bus for about 15 minutes before the show started. He used the facilities on the bus, then came out and hugged us. I asked him if he'd washed his hands and he said no. I will forgive him only because he's Jack Ingram, and he plays country music
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A special note regarding the Oscars. I have not see the nominated movies but I do have some opinions about the show, winners, losers, outfits.

1. I thought the whole thing was a bore. Truly disappointed. I actually felt bad for Hugh Jackman, even embarrassed.
2. I did see Vicki Christina Barcelona and although, I thought Penelope Cruz's performance was great, I didn't think it was Oscar worthy. But again, I didn't see the other nominees performances.
3. Am pissed at the movie making gods from keeping my beloved Javier Bardem from coming to the Oscars. How dare they!
4. Although I thought it was a very nice tribute that past Oscar winners came to pay tribute to the nominees but it took too long.
5. I really loved Angelina Jolie's dress but the earrings did not go.
6. Mickey Rourke is a freak . . . but I think I like it!
7. I do agree with yahoo, that the best presenters were Tina Fey and Steve Martin.
8. Why only 3 nominated songs? What's up with that? And two were from the same movie!?!
9. I was so hoping that Jennifer Aniston was going to leap off stage and throw a smack down on Brangelina!
10. Again, disappointed.

Now onto Movie reviews:
He's Just Not That Into You, starring a slew of actors, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, etc.
I would say that Cupid has not been so kind to me in regards to healthy relationships so when I saw the original episode on Sex and The City by the same title, I thought, Wow, how 6 little words, one little sentence can make the most heart wrenching relationship/experience seem so easy. That by just realizing that He's Just Not That Into You can uplift and help you move forward. Then I subscribed to the book when it came out and I think I had various non-relationships between the episode and that book and one tends to forget that He's Just Not That Into You mantra so reading it was, again, catharsis. It does suck but it makes everything so much better. So in between the book and the movie I was involved in this non-relationship that took over my life (I let it) truly thinking that was going to be something. So I really debated about going to see the movie in the theater. I knew I eventually see it on DVD but to go see it BY MYSELF in the theater made me shutter. So I was in a mood and went to the movie theater on a whim and it was movie that didn't seem the crappiest and was playing next.
THERAPY. I'm so glad I saw it. How we woman torment ourselves over guys and how sometimes outside pressures like married and dating friends make this huge deal about being in a relationship but when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter.
It's about being yourself and just keep moving forward.
I really enjoyed Ginnifer Goodwin's character. I can relate with her situation(s) a lot. Although, I'm still single. But that's movies for ya, somebody always has to have a happy ending.
I give it 4 Tink's.

Interview Starring Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller
I thought is was a boring movie. It was nice that they honored the original director who had passed and wanted his movies filmed in New York City but is was a so-so movie. It kinda made me sad. It's about not judging people but at the same time not trusting people as well. And that we are all pretty much f*** ups!
I really like Steve Buscemi but I'm still out to lunch on Sienna Miller. I saw the movie, Factory Girl, which I thought was a good movie and she did a good job but there is something that bugs me about her acting.
I give it 2 Tinks!

Iron Man Starring Robert Downey Jr, etc
Like Hancock, I really liked it. A bit predictable but it was entertaining. Not sure if Gweneth Paltrow was right for the part but I can't say too much about her character since I have never read a Iron Man comic but I felt something was missing in her character or it was not the the right role for her. I think it's great that Jon Favreau directed this. I also really like the fact that Robert Downey, Jr is getting these great roles. He's character in Tropic Thunder was hilarious. Totally deserved the Oscar nod.
But like Hancock, that is what Sequels and pre-quels are about, right?
I give it 3 Tinks!

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Starring Natalie Portman, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Batman
I really enjoyed this movie. It had a great message. Very whimsical and imaginative.
It's about a very old man who has a magical toy store. The old man, played by Dustin Hoffman, feels that it's time for him to go. Kinda like Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings. Not really dying but just going "someplace". Well the old man leaves the store to Natalie Portman's character, well she is having a difficult time believing in herself . Basically once you start believing in yourself anything is possible.
I give it 4 Tinks!

The Women Starring Meg Ryan and well a lot of women.
A remake of the 1939 movie by the same name, The Woman is about well women. There are no men in any of the scenes except at the end. One of the characters finds out her husband is having an affair and how she deals with it. Of course nothing can compare to the original movie. I thought it was o.k. not great but it has it's moments. I have decided that I'm not a fan of Meg Ryan. The stand out was Cloris Leachman's character and I'm glad Debi Mazar got some attention, I think she's a great actress.
I give it 2 Tinks!

The Incredible Hulk Starring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler
I thought the special effects were good. They tried to be funny in some scenes but it didn't translate very well. I liked the guest star scenes but that was pretty much it.
I give it 2 Tinks!

After putting out a couple of albums that sounded like they were still searching for their new sound, the Derailers have hit the nail on the head with their new CD, Guaranteed to Satisfy. They performed at the Redwood Bar this afternoon to support the album, and even though they sounded fantastic, I will totally be okay if I never hear them do "Johnny B. Goode" ever again.

Split Lip Rayfield at Spaceland last night. We miss Kirk Rundstrom, but SLR is still awesome!

Yesterday afternoon I took the red line from North Hollywood to Civic Center to go to the "Americana Brunch" with the Gourds at the Redwood Bar, then took Metro Line 92 to the Grand Ole Echo for Ted Russell Kamp's CD release party, and got there early enough to see the last two songs of Dead Rock West. To go home, I took Metro Line 2 to the red line station at Vermont/Sunset, then took the red line back to NoHo. I love public transportation!

It seemed that nothing could stop Charlie Louvin from doing his thing at Spaceland in Silverlake last night, and certainly not the neighborhood blackout leaving the stage dark about 20 minutes into his set. He soldiered on, lit only by a flashlight, the glow of cell phones, and the occasional digital camera flash.

His show was a lot like a country music history lesson: he did Charlie Louvin songs, Louvin Brothers songs, Monroe Brothers songs, Kris Kristofferson songs, and Dallas Frazier songs.

His audience was a lot like a who's who of the LA music scene: spotted in the crowd were Dave Alvin, Brent Harding of Social Distortion, and of course Tex from the Groovy Rednecks. Of course, Charlie's special on-stage guest appearance from Lucinda Williams didn't hurt either.

But while a lack of light couldn't keep Charlie off the stage, and neither could a failed Obama joke, when the amp went out in the middle of Charlie's third-to-last scheduled song, he did give up, and after finishing the song acoustically, ambled off stage to reverent cheers and applause.

As a way of saying goodbye and fair passing to Mr. Lux Interior, of The Cramps, I would like to confess that I was a good child with a permissive mother who only ever got grounded 2x in my whole life. First grounding in 1978 was all my sister's fault, and the second grounding in 1982 was all Lux Interior's fault.

Yes, I did cut my sister's hair into a cannibal bowl haircut when she was only two and had finally grown enough hair to call for such a lovely flattering haircut. And yes, I did take my brother and a few friends to see Urgh! A Music War at the Balboa Theatre and yes we did ask my mom to pick us up.

But Mom was supposed to wait outside for the movie to be out and not come in halfway through the movie just in time to see Lux's performance in very low cut pants and stroking of himself. The above video is a clip from the movie, of which I never saw the end of as I had to go start being grounded at home before the end of the song.

Lux, we love you!

All night I've been trying to bring myself to listen to a Cramps record, but I just can't quite do it. As I'm sure you've read, Tweeted, or texted by now, Lux Interior has died.

As the Luddite I am, I wasn't on Twitter, online, or even on the phone. I was sitting in a chair, listening to the birds and the sound of traffic go by through an open window when a friend texted me from Europe to tell me Lux had passed. At first I thought it was a cruel joke, because about 20 years ago, there was another widespread rumor that Lux had died. Cramps fans are a cynical bunch.

So I went to the interwebs, which don't lie, and logged into my longest running yahoo group, staysick@yahoogroups.com, where the boards were going crazy - sadness, disbelief, swearing, links, photos, you've got it. As usual, all the virtual vomit made me a little sick, so I retreated into my brain.

And since the internet is all about random sharing, here are two of my favorite Cramps memories:

1) Halloween at the Warfield in San Francisco, probably 1996 or 1997. I wore a fur bra and skin tight black capris with black patent stiletto heels. So many drunk guys hit on me the guy I was with had to defend my honor four times just walking from the car. He turned out to be a jerk, so I'm glad he had to pay for the tickets and $25 bucks to park. That was an amazing show.

2) The Cramps in Tijuana. I am not even going to try to remember the year, but it was late 80s, at a night club that is now gone. Sabrina and I drove to TJ with some of the Black Hole crew to see the Cramps. I guess if you'll follow a band to another country, you're a fan. When Lux took the Mexican flag and stuffed it down his pants, a small riot broke out. I didn't think we'd get back to America alive. That was another amazing night.

Now Lux is gone, and I don't have any words, but I do have the music and the memories. Thanks, Lux.

Maybe Bobby Brom said it best over at Staysick: "We named our now eighteen year old daughter 'Ivy' .. she attended her first Cramps concert on my shoulders when she wasn't quite three - she would not let me take her down the entire show, my shoulders ache still. I'm starting to feel I've lived too long myself lately."