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January 30, 2004
7 Days 'Till Punk Rock Bowling 2004!!!!
Adam and the Bear Boy, PRB 2001
For all of you who have heard rumors, read the headlines, and are distressed at the idea of Punk Rock Bowling 2004 may not happen.... Super Shawn and Super Mark to the Rescue! Or something like that.... The back up plans are being put into action.
I am crossing my fingers that we will go to the Gold Coast...
Email from Shawn Stern this morning:
Ok, here's a little more detail on what's going on:attention all bowlers,
yesterday at 3:00pm, the courts came into the Castaways Casino and shut the whole place down.
First of all, we here at BYO are determined to make this happen, so don't panic! We already have another bowling alley that we can use, but we will have to bowl in two seperate squads (cuz they only have 56 lanes instead of 106). So bowling can happen.
We are now working to get the accomodations sorted out. Hopefully by the end of the day we will have everything in place and let you know what's going on.
In the meantime, we apologize for the problems, these things happen. We've been through punk rock riots worse than this, so we'll get it all worked out. And, for those of you wondering, we never gave the Castaways a dime. We'll be in touch later today with the new plan.Thanks for your patience and understanding,
BYO
"The Castaways, Formerly The Showboat, Shuts Down
The Castaways ClosesJanuary 30, 2003
Steve Crupi Reporting
For the second time this month, a big Las Vegas hotel has closed its doors.
This time, it's the Castaways -- a property that opened fifty years ago as
the Showboat.As the Castaways, the hotel struggled financially and filed for bankruptcy
last summer. Now, bowlers are removing their equipment, the marquee is dark
and customers aren't all that surprised. "Whoever named it the Castaways
named it the wrong name. It just kept going down." "I go back to the day
when it was the Showboat."One woman told us she had just lost two-thousand dollars playing slots and
was ready to win it back when the announcement was made over the PA system
that the casino was abruptly shutting down. It's a hotel that many will
remember for its famous bowling center and the many tournaments that have
been held there.Mayor Oscar Goodman says he's hoping someone will rescue the property.
"Binions shut down, but Harrah's comes in and they're gonna make it a great
hotel again."The hotel owes 22-million dollars to the Vestin Mortgage Company and the
collateral for the loan is the casino. "The cash in the casino was part of
that collateral. Vestin was allowing the Castaways to use that cash with
certain stipulations."Vestin claims those stipulations were violated, and so with the permission
of the courts, and the supervision of the gaming control board, the
mortgage company came in and collected all of the cash. And what happens
next, is a very big question mark.The owners of the Castaways had big plans for the place. They bought the
hotel from Harrahs in 2000, and were planning a 57-million dollar expansion
that would have doubled the number of rooms to 780. They also wanted to add
the Holiday Inn brand name to the property."Posted by Ms. Jen at 11:48 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 29, 2004
January 30th Film Releases
Farewell my readers! While you're singing along with the boys of Punk Rock Karaoke on Saturday, I'll be pursuing journalistic integrity in the reviewing of movies at the 19th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Writing for free has finally paid off in the form of a media pass (when you don't have much, every little bit counts).
1) Girl With a Pearl Earring (wide release)
2) The Big Bounce
3) I can't decide between an independent gay film, or a French action film. You're on your own.Now for the true test of the value of this pass -- will it get me into all the parties with the free food and booze? Cross your fingers and hope that dear Maureen in PR pulls through for me.
The Big Bounce
No one writes a comedy crime caper like Elmore Leonard, so if you're looking for something fun to see this weekend, then this could be your best bet. Owen Wilson stars as a con artist among con artists, and there is no honor between anyone. Girls get Owen Wilson (who is steaming hot in that funny/charming kind of way) and the guys get Sara Foster (who I've never heard of, but has a body I would kill to have and walks around in a bikini for the whole movie). Hard to beat.The Perfect Score
Scarlet Johansson went from Lost in Translation and Pearl Earring to this?! What happened? Did she develop a sudden case of retardation after stellar back-to-back acting choices?! There's simply no excuse for this underwhelming teen comedy.You Got Served
The best team of hip hop dancers in LA must learn to suppress their egos and work together in order to beat a team of white kids from Orange County. Do you hear that? It's the sound of crickets chirping in a movie theater.Girl With a Pearl Earring (wide release)
I had to go with the intellectual choice for my first pick. The cinematography is breathtaking. The perfect choice for we art aficionados who can properly pronounce Vermeer and Monet.Latter Days
A super gay party boy falls in love with his new next-door neighbor who is a missionary for the Mormon Church. The trailer looks sappy, but the competition is less than fierce.On the Run: Trilogy 1
A man escapes from prison and returns to his hometown, where the wife of the captain of police agrees to hide him. Not to seem like a criminal genius or anything, but if I escaped from prison, that last place I would go is my hometown. Is it that obvious, or did I miss my calling as a felonious mastermind?
It's in French, and not to worry, it's only the first of three. Maybe he'll get smarter.Posted by xx - Ms. Lauren - xx at 9:18 PM | TrackBack
Only 8 More Days until Punk Rock Bowling!
Steve of the Ten Foot Powlers gets a wee bit of help from Delia, PRB 2002
Posted by Ms. Jen at 3:14 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 28, 2004
The Count Down: 9 Days To Go...
Team Wallis - Danny and Sandy cheer on Barflies.net and Doll Hut folk, PRB 2001
Posted by Ms. Jen at 12:01 PM | TrackBack
January 27, 2004
Pink Panther 40th Anniversary
Shag fans and all retroswankiphiles take note: the cat in pink is back to celebrate his 40th anniversary, more dashing and deliciously debonair than ever.
>Meeeeow!<
Posted by Lucky at 2:02 PM | TrackBack
January 25, 2004
Countdown to Punk Rock Bowling, 12 Days To Go
Posted by Ms. Jen at 3:55 PM | TrackBack
January 23, 2004
Two Weeks (14 Days) from Today: Punk Rock Bowling!
Posted by Ms. Jen at 7:53 PM | TrackBack
January 22, 2004
January 23rd Film Releases
I think stupidity is the theme for this week. Stupid teenagers, stupid accents, stupid criminals, stupid mountain climbers, and so on. You get the idea. It's not necessarily a bad thing, its just a commonality.
My Top Three:
1) Mystic River
2) Dirt
3) Touching the VoidButterfly Effect
Ashton Kutcher is wanted for crimes against humanity. One count for Dude Where's My Car. A second for Just Married. A third for Texas Rangers (You've never heard of that one? Well, there's a reason). A fourth for My Boss's Daughter. Shall I keep going? I don't think I need to. But I will say this: I heard that he's so bad at dramatic acting that Cameron Crowe threw him off a set. Ouch.Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!
Oh to be young and dumb. A naive but pretty West Virginia girl wins a contest to go out on a date with a Hollywood hunk who is not as clean cut as he appears (say it isn't so!). When she comes down from her little stroll in fantasyland, her childhood friend tries to confess his love for her, but not before Tad shows up to spoil the moment and steal the girl. Such a quandary for our little heroine. The hottie or the stick figure? Which way to go?
And yes, there really is an exclamation point in the title.Dirt
This is another re-release. I finally saw the trailer and it looks funny as hell! Raising Arizona kind of funny.
Two brothers kidnap a woman from a grocery store parking lot to take over the role of their recently deceased mother (cook, clean, think, etc.). One problem, her abusive husband is the sheriff. Next problem, they need money so they start robbing banks.Touching the Void
It’s a documentary with reenactments of two boneheads with little climbing experience who decide to climb a mountain that has never been climbed before. Its not until they're halfway up that they realize that there's a reason it's still virgin territory. Poor planning makes for great film. Enjoy!Mystic River
In a last ditch effort for Academy votes; Warner Bros. is re-releasing this South Boston drama. If you can get past that annoying Southie accent, then this has all the makings of a great film. Good actors, critical acclaim, and strong word of mouth. That stupid accent is the only thing holding me back from seeing this movie.Posted by xx - Ms. Lauren - xx at 9:10 PM | TrackBack
Punk Rock Bowling : 15 Days To Go
Posted by Ms. Jen at 10:26 AM | TrackBack
January 21, 2004
16 Days To Go - Punk Rock Bowling or Bust!
Punk Rock Bowling 2002 : FloydPosted by Ms. Jen at 10:39 AM | TrackBack
January 20, 2004
(f)Art
Well, if Miss Falling can be artsy fartsy, so can I :-P
Actually, I am not artistic in the least - the last "serious work of art" I did was in 1986 or so - a charcoal portrait of John Taylor of Duran Duran around the "Rio" period, heh heh; today I mostly get my jollies disecting others' works. However.... as I have nothing of note to contribute at this time, here's a recent photo:
"Living Dead"Posted by Lucky at 5:55 PM | TrackBack
Cute Boy : Matt
Apparently I was a very bad photo girl last year at Punk Rock Bowling, as I did not remember everyone's name.
In the 17 day countdown until Punk Rock Bowling 2004, I shall be posting a few best of shots from years past.
Today, I present to you Cute Boy : Matt - A.K.A. Nekkid Boy from PRB 2003!
The question of today is - are those bandaids or bowties or bowling pins on his boxer shorts?
Posted by Ms. Jen at 12:12 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 18, 2004
Boy Gone Wild at the Doll Hut!
Justin 'Went Wild' in the smoking patio at the Doll Hut last night during the King Double Bass NAMM after Party with the Guana Batz. He felt left out of the first "Boys Gone Wild" photo essay, so we had to give him his own exclusive Boy Gone Wild coverage.
Ladies... here is Justin!
Posted by Ms. Jen at 3:40 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 16, 2004
January 16th Film Releases
It's official. It's over. No more good movies. We have used up the resources of the oasis and now must brave the desert. So sad. So very sad.
1) The Cooler
2) Along Came Polly
3) Tokyo GodfathersWeep with me. It is indeed time to mourn. The good movies are gone and the savage wilderness begins. Pray that there are points of light in this endless darkness, because otherwise, we are lost.
Along Came Polly
Um. Well. It has potential. It could be funny. Then again, it could be awful. Ben Stiller portrays a risk adverse tentative guy who likes his universe safe and small. He catches his newly betrothed cheating on him and goes into a tailspin. So far does he fall that he asks out a quirky adventurous old school chum (played by Jennifer Aniston) who gets him to make wild changes, like salsa dancing and Moroccan food. Amazing. How unpredictable. Next thing you know, he'll be getting his nipples pierced and jumping headfirst into mosh pits while head-banging to Static X.
All in all, it still has that wondrous quality, otherwise known as “potential,” and is one of the better films being released this week.Torque
This is a 120-minute long Mountain Dew commercial. Filled with the lack of meaningful plot and amazing action sequences you come to expect from music video directors trying to cross over into legitimate cinema.
Just watch two hours of rap videos and not waste your $10.Disney's Teacher's Pet
I got annoyed just watching the trailer for this. A talking dog who wants to be human so badly, he dresses like a little boy and follows his master to school. He even elects to undergo experimental surgery in order to become a "real boy."
Nathan Lane is the voice of the dog. Can you imagine 120 minutes of Nathan Lane whining on and on about how he wants to be human? I could barely sit through 2 minutes.The Cooler (Wide Release)
I saw this and liked it. Macy is always great as the lovable looser, Maria Bello plays the hooker with the heart of gold to perfection, and Alec Baldwin is surprising good as the old school casino manager who doesn't want to let go of his Rat Pack ways.
Spend your $10 and enjoy.Tokyo Godfathers
A runway, a bum, and a transvestite discover an abandoned baby while rummaging through the trash searching for their next meal. In a surge of altruism, they decide to reunite the baby with its mother.
It's anime and in Japanese with subtitles. If you don't mind that, this could be worthwhile.Crimson Gold
Remember that Michael Douglas movie, Falling Down? Normal suburbanite snaps and takes all of LA with him? Well, this is that same movie. Only, instead of LA, it’s Iran.
I'd rent Falling Down instead. It’s a classic and you don’t have to read anything.Posted by xx - Ms. Lauren - xx at 8:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 9, 2004
Turning Japanese with Dan Dynotone
Every year, DJ Dan goes to Japan to visit friends and extended family. This year, I asked him to be our Barflies.net correspondent:
"Everybody always asks me what I do every time I visit Japan. This being my 5th visit, I decided to make an effort to write down as much as I could of the things I did when I was there this time.
Here are some of the highlights of this trip:
December 25th - Exchanging Christmas gifts with my Japanese friends. I never thought this would ever happen, completely blew my mind. Who says you can’t have Christmas in Japan?
December 26th - Ratholic at Gabi Gabi in Harajuku. Ratholic is an instrumental Surf band from Yokohama featuring all girls except for the guitar player. The girls wore matching dresses and we gave the guitar player a hard time for not having a matching dress. They played a mix of originals and covers. They had a perfect sound with keyboards, and saxophone to round it all out. This was an all night event and they went on at 12:30pm. The place was a small pub owned by the singer on the Japanese Rockabilly band The Rizlas. The Heineken on tap was good, but it cost 900 yen, which is about 9 dollars per glass! We didn’t stay for the other bands; we were told that they weren’t very good, so we left early. On the way home it snowed!
December 30th - “Garage Rockin Craze”, Shinjuku Loft. This was another all night event that started at 12am. We arrived at 12am and the first band Jet Boys started around 12:30. Jet Boys were a punk rock trio with a 40 year old singer/guitar player who gets completely naked when he performs. Thankfully they only played 4 songs. Then there was Taka who used to play keyboards for the surf band Jackie & the Cedrics. I had no idea he was a DJ as well as an excellent keyboard player. He did an amazing DJ set full of scratching his records, doing hand stands on top of his keyboards, and proceeded to light his keyboards on fire at the end of his set! Next were the 5,6,7,8’s, this show was to feature the original line up from the early 80’s. They just came out with a new CD of material from this line up, so they were only going to do a couple of shows to promote the CD. I was quite surprised when they hit the stage wearing 80’s clothing and whipped cream all over their faces. Their set was about 25 minutes long with them doing a very rocking version of the Go Go’s “We Got The Beat”. I love this band, check out their performance in Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie “Kill Bill Vol. 1. The best band of the evening was the Young Parisians. A Japanese glam band with every member of the band dressed up in glam garb. They looked absolutely fantastic, and they sounded great! I was a bit disappointed that they only played 7 songs, but ended with “All The Young Dudes”. After their set, we decided to leave at 4am. We wanted to see our friends Jackie and Enocky play, but they were scheduled to go around 6:30 and there were 3 other bands scheduled before their set. It was a great show even though we left a few hours early.
January 3 - This was my last day in Japan. I started the day by meeting my friends at Buddy’s store at 10:30 am. Our first stop was to do some shopping at Costco which is about an hours drive by car. We took 3 cars, and I got to ride in Enocky’s van with him and Jun. I can’t tell how weird it was listening to Buck Owens “Live in Japan” CD while riding in the car. We all took turns being the DJ in the car. Who would have guessed that Van Halen’s first album would be the hit of the day! Afterwards we went to a record store that was having a half off sale on used CD’s. We all walked out of there with a couple of CD’s each, and didn’t pay more than a 1,000 yen! Now it was time for dinner, and do my friends like to eat. We decided to go out for Korean BBQ were you can cook your food right on the table. While we ate were talking about music, and then we started asking what was the first concert we ever saw. The responses were seeing Miles Davis in a small auditorium, Ted Nugent at Budokan, and the Ramones at a kabuki theatre! Do you see why I keep coming back? It just gets better and better every time I visit.
Here is what an average day is like:
AM - Usually wake up between 5 and 7, depends on the jetlag. I could not get over it the whole time I was there during this visit. I’ll go for a walk around 8am. No stores or shops are open, only convenient stores. There are convenient store like 7-ll, AM-PM, Lawson, and others that are on every block! Around 9am I return home and have breakfast. Usually eat some fruit or bread from one of the local markets. Between 10am and 12pm I’ll either go shopping at the big department store located in the train station that is only a few blocks away or go to one of the local game centers and play video games. I got reacquainted Street Fighter Zero with characters I had never seen before. Once the local kids saw a gaijin (tourist) they would watch me play and give me tips on how to use the special moves. The younger kids know English better than the adults. I wish they had pinball machines in their arcades, but they don’t in the Kokubunji area.
PM - Most shops and small stores are open for business at 12pm. There are 4 small record stores nearby where I am staying. One record store is right next door! Since I can’t read kanji I have to literally go through everything. Most of the stores are categorized by Rock, Jazz, Blues, and Japanese Pops. You won’t find Bob Dylan under “D”, it’s under “B”. After awhile you catch on as to how they alphabetize. I’ll spend 2 or 3 hours easy looking at records and CD’s, afterwards I’ll go home and have lunch or eat out somewhere with the wife and mother-in-law. Maybe I’ll take a nap in the mid afternoon for a couple of hours or go to Rat Motor Beat. Rat Motor Beat is a vintage store my friends Buddy and Misuzu have in Kokubunji; it’s on the other side of the train station where I’m staying. It’s only a 5 minute walk to get there. While I’m there we will listen to music and talk in English and Japanese. Buddy plays in a band called Charlie & the Hot Wheels. They sound like the Ramones meet the Beach Boys. I saw them play last year and they really kick ass! He always takes me to shows and gets us on the guest list. He and his wife are the best tour guides ever! He’ll close his shop around 8pm and we’ll either go out to dinner or I’ll meet up with him later to go to a concert. If I go home for dinner, we’ll usually pick up something from a local shop and eat at home. It can be a lot cheaper this way. Not much to do after dinner except watch t.v.or listen to music. Watching t.v. with the sound off and playing Japanese sixties tunes is one of the things I like to do at home. The weather this trip was perfect, it didn’t rain at all the whole time there. Everyday was sunny and the temperatures were around 60 degrees!
Posted by DJWanda at 9:11 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 8, 2004
January 9th Film Releases
Happy New Year my readers! Did you all make resolutions? I only made one:
To strive for greater things and to stop settling for less than what I deserve.
Then I saw what was being released this week and realized just how difficult keeping my resolution would be. Bleak. Yes my children "bleak" is the only word I can use to describe our options this week. So here's my top three:1) 21 Grams
2) Monster
3) Big FishIf you think they sound familiar, it’s because all the new movies suck.
The movie studios had their communal orgasm of good movies, rolled over, and went to sleep. What about me?! I'm not finished yet! I want to be held! Is that so wrong?
Well kids, break out the proverbial vibrator (Blockbuster and your DVD player) and take care of business yourself, because he ain't waking up until next winter.Chasing Liberty
Mandy Moore plays the daughter of an overprotective president who ditches her Secret Service entourage and hitches a ride with a handsome stranger who just happens to be a member of the same club as James Bond.
Quite frankly, I think a reality series featuring the Bush daughters and the Gore girls would be a lot more interesting. Go rent Girls Just Want to Have Fun and go home happy.My Baby's Daddy
As though Mandy Moore wasn't bad enough, it gets worse. Three bachelors just happen to get their girlfriends' pregnant at the same time. What are the odds? No one has an abortion, or gives the baby up for adoption, or skips out on the child support. Again, what are the odds? It’s supposed to be a comedy, but I prefer to consider it a fantasy/horror story.
Rent Parenthood and save yourself $5.Big Fish (Wide Release)
A son puts together a compellation of his father's tall tales to tell the story of his life. I saw it. It’s fun. Go see it if you want something good that doesn't make you want to cry.21 Grams (Wide Release)
But if you do want to see something to get the tears flowing, then this is the movie for you. I hear there's enough weeping in this movie to make Tammy Fae Baker want to use waterproof mascara.
This is a good solid Oscar candidate and worth my $10.Monster (Wide Release)
If you're a guy, you'll cry the moment you see what Charlize Theron did to her body to prepare for this role. She plays a highway hooker who tries to clean up her act, but just can't seem to stop killing men. Does Nicotrol make a patch for that?
$10 worthy.Girl With A Pearl Earring (Wide Release)
If you have any appreciation for art and even the slightest idea of who Vermeer is, then go see this movie. Its visually stunning, but the story is weak. It just goes to show that you can't have everything.Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
This is an unrated documentary of the serial killer who Monster is based off of. I think I'll skip this and see the Hollywood version instead.Distant
A reclusive Turkish photographer lets a relative stay in her apartment while he's looking for a job. He brings her out of her shell.
What language do they speak in Turkey anyway? Turkish? It has subtitles so the illiterate will find it unpleasant, while the literate may not find it much better.Battle for Algiers
Oh joy! A movie that's filmed like a documentary chronicling the French foreign legion's attempt to liberate Algeria in the 1950's. I'll give away the ending so you don't have to see it - They fail.
I think I need to say somehting about doom and repeating history, but I hate to be cliche.Posted by xx - Ms. Lauren - xx at 8:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 7, 2004
Wreckers Ball 2004 - Sin Through Democracy?
In a gesture of unbridled impartiality (hmmm...we'll see how well that works out), the opening slots of the 2004 Wreckers Ball, scheduled for Halloween weeekend 2004 in Pomona, CA will be decided by online voting:
"YOU will vote for what bands you want to see get into the big show. There will be 3 rounds. As of now there are 28 bands who have signed up to be in the contest. Out of all the bands who end up signing on, you will vote for the top 15 then in the second round you will vote for the top 6 and for the last round only the top 3 vote getters will get into the big show. Whoever has the highest votes will get to choose what day they play. Go to the DSD website or click on this link and vote NOW http://vote.sparklit.com/web_poll.spark/805660 the first round of voting ends January 20th, The Second Round end January 31st and the last round ends February 14th and the WB 2 Site will be launched. The line up for the Wreckers Ball 2 @ The Glasshouse October 20th-31st will be announced."
So go vote, but please please pleeeease do all of us one little favor: if you friend/brother/sister/lover/whoever's band is in the contest, and they suck and you know it.....SPARE THE REST OF US AND DON'T VOTE FOR THEM! No one will know, you can lie about it - it is just a little white lie meant to protect their feelings, so it will be done out of goodwill and won't be counted against you when they're deciding your fate... in hell. >;-P
Posted by Lucky at 10:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 5, 2004
Welcome Frankie - Long Beach's Newest Resident!
A very warm welcome to Frankie Gardener who arrived on the scene this morning. Big congratulations to Kelli and Kimm Gardener on their brand new son!
Kimm emailed this evening:
Wanted to drop you all a mesage that Mom and Baby are doing well as I write.....
Francis Cash Gardener was born today at 8:02 am. He weighed 8 lbs 12 oz and is 21" long.
Kelli is doing great and we are lucky that Frankie is off to a great start....Mom plans to come home Wednesday, as she hopes to be up and on her feet tomorrow!
Thanks again for all of your good wishes,
KimmLiz Ortega sent this email to me late last night to post to the Barflies.net Blog:
"To Kimm and Kelli Gardener--
Thoughts and prayers to Kelli and Kimm Gardener who will be receiving their bundle of joy today. Best wishes to your new baby boy, Frankie! May Kelli have a speedy recovery because there's a drink waiting for her at the bar!Cheers!
Liz OrtegaPosted by Ms. Jen at 10:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
