Author Archives: Daimion
Review – “A Different Kind Of Truth” by Van Halen
They’re back. It took 27 years, 11 months, 29 days, 705 tour dates, two new lead singers, and one new bass player – but Van Halen have finally released the long awaited follow-up to their seminal album “1984” – “A Different Kind of Truth”. I have to say, it was well worth the wait.
Van Halen fans have always seemed to fall in two camps – fans of Roth and fans of Hagar. (Let’s face it – we can ALL agree that the Gary Cherone experiment was something that need not ever have happened.) I’ve always found much to like in both Van Halen and Van Hagar. “Van Halen” is one of my favorite albums of all time – and all of the classic line-up albums have done nothing but get better with age. What the band did in their early years laid the foundation for the guitar rock and heavy metal spectacle bands of the 80’s. But, none of those bands did it better than Van Halen.
On the flipside, Van Hagar was the soundtrack to my high school years. “5150” is also one of my favorite albums of all time. With each successive release though, (“OU812”, “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” and “Balance”), the band seemed to lose a little more juice and a little more of the cohesive vision of who they were. Those albums just don’t hold up as well as “5150”. That, more than anything, says to me that Van Halen has really always been Dave’s band.
A Few Thoughts On “Star Wars: Episode 1″ in 3D
I had a chance to take my family to see “Star Wars: Episode 1″ in 3D this weekend. Neither of my children had ever had the opportunity to see Episode 1 on the big screen – and it’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost 13 years since I’ve seen it theaters. As I left the theater, I had few thoughts on the day. I thought I would share them with you.
- Lucasfilm and ILM did a very good job with the 3D conversion. Given all of the CGI in Eps 1-3, it’s no surprise it looks good. I’ll be anxious to see what the original trilogy looks like in 3D.
- “Duel of the Fates” is one the best pieces of music John Williams has ever written.
- The light saber battle between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon is the epitome of Jedi badass-ery. The fluidity, grace, and aggression on display there is a thing of beauty.
- Jar-Jar Binks remains a disgrace and a distraction. He makes the Ewoks look Shakespearean.
- More than half the theater was filled with kids. For some reason, that makes me feel a little bit better about the future of America.
- Any day spent watching Star Wars with my family is a good day.
The Sharp Knife Of A Short Life – Remembering My Cousin Emily
We all sat around the table in my grandmother’s kitchen, talking. So many of my family’s roads lead to my grandparents’ kitchen. The children were in the living room playing loudly, my father watching over them with a protective eye. Over plastic plates filled with chicken, beans, slaw, and more, we swapped stories – sometimes laughing, sometimes smiling. It was a familiar moment there at table, shared by us countless times over the years. But this time was different. This time, we were sharing stories about my cousin Emily. She had just turned 31 a few weeks earlier and that afternoon we had buried her.
My mom had called to tell me Emily had been taken to the hospital on Saturday night, the 14th. That Sunday, the 15th, was her 31st birthday. I learned that her liver had failed and she had been put in a medically induced coma. Her brain began to swell and she eventually developed an infection in her lungs. Any one of those conditions alone would have been daunting, but taken together – well, the outlook wasn’t good.
American Idol: Season 11, Episode 3 – “I can’t wait to hear 40 people sing the same Adele song, for six f-ing hours!”
The third audition episode for Season 11 of American Idol found the judges in San Diego. The producers decided to go for huge production value and placed the entire production on the aircraft carrier USS Midway. Cool right? Well, it looked cool – they even played the prerequisite musical clips from “Top Gun”. (Who would have seen that coming? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?) There was just one teensy-weensy problem – the USS Midway is docked in an active harbor close to the airport. Plane noise? Check. Boat noise? Check? Wind? Check. All in all it made for a different vibe and as a bonus, gave Steven a chance to wear a ridiculous pair of green aviator goggles. But what about the Idol hopefuls, you ask. How did the singers fare on the evening? Have no fear – read on and get the entire scoop…
American Idol: Season 11, Episode 2 – The Unfortunate Planking Incident
The second night of our 2012 journey with Idol found us in the city of Pittsburgh. That’s right, Pittsburgh. We were welcomed to the “City of Champions” by a guy with a size 58 beer-belly wearing a size 28 shirt. (And by the way, it looked like he was there to audition. If he’s 28 or younger, I’m Captain Caveman.) With the bar set that low, I had to wonder what sort of talent Pittsburgh would bring to the table.
First up was Heejun Han. To say that he presented himself in an underwhelming manner would be an understatement. As he talked to Ryan I wasn’t sure if he had been sniffing glue or was just roused from his midday nap to attend the auditions. Dude was strange. To top it off, his family told Ryan they had never heard him sing. My thought was – “they’re probably the lucky ones.” But then he walked in the audition room and started singing. You would think by now I would know not to judge a book by its cover. Turns out dude was strange – but dude could sing. Three quick yeses and he was on his way. (By the way – he also had one of the strangest, and yet coolest, “I’m going to Hollywood” moments ever…)
American Idol: Season 11, Episode 1 – “The best note you hit was when you grabbed my @ss.”
It’s that time of year again – American Idol Season 11 is upon us. Randy is back, Jennifer is back, Steven is back, Ryan is back, and I am back. Well, I hope I’m back. I’ll warn you all now, faithful readers – I’m traveling a LOT for work right now. It’s going to be tough for me to keep up the commentary in real time (this recap of the premiere is almost a week late, for example.) Nevertheless, I’ll endeavor to do my best to bring you the snarky and insightful commentary you’ve come to expect from me. Just be patient – it may come a little slower than you would like.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in. The Idol premier came to us from Savannah, GA this year. (When asked about how this stop was treating him, Steven quipped – “Savannah’s treatin’ me great – but I didn’t know you knew her…”) The theme of the show was all about the young kids who grew up watching Idol and are now old enough to audition. Thanks for making me feel old.
David Leathers Jr. (or “Mr. Steal-Your-Girl”) was up first. My first thought was – this kid is seventeen? He looked like he was twelve. In the first of many flashbacks to their contestants’ earlier years, we found out that David was evidently in a competition a few years ago with Scotty McCreary. Small world, or at least it looks that way when you have millions of audition stories to choose from. Let me say this about “Mr. Steal-Your-Girl”, he may have a voice that sounds vaguely like a chipmunk, but the kid can sing. I wonder if he’ll still be able to sing like that when he hits puberty?
A few thoughts on the 3D release of “Star Wars: Episode 1″
In case you haven’t heard, “Star Wars: Episode 1″ is being released in theaters in 3D on February 10th. A few facts to note:
1. I am a huge Star Wars fan.
2. Seeing movies on the big screen is almost always better than watching them at home.
3. 3D can be very cool if done correctly. ILM usually does things correctly.
4. Notwithstanding point #3 above, I fully expect Jar-Jar to be even MORE annoying in 3D.
5. My son has never seen the Star Wars films in the theater. We will now be able to rectify that situation.
6. I’ll now have even more Star Wars posters to hang in the house. My wife will LOVE that.
Speaking of posters, Lucasfilm has posted five new posters for the 3D release of Episode One. Check them out after the jump…
New Van Halen Video – Tattoo
Here is the video for Van Halen’s new single – “Tattoo”. I’ve listened to it quite a few times today and, I have to admit, I like it. I didn’t love it at first, but it’s really grown on me. Its definitely a Van Halen song. Here’s the thing though – am I the only one who thinks David Lee Roth has become David Hyde Pierce? Watch the video and see for yourself…
Review – “The Devil Colony” by James Rollins
What do you get when you mix nanotechnology, Thomas Jefferson, the lost tribe of Israel, super volcanoes, Lewis and Clark, killer whales, Fort Knox, American Indian artifacts, secret codes, and Mormonism? You get the latest Sigma Force novel from James Rollins – “The Lost Colony”. You also get a quite enjoyable read.
My 2012 “To Do” List
Here I sit, on January 1st, and find myself again thinking about what I want to accomplish in the New Year. 2011 was a year of great change, great excitement, and great stress – but all in all, it was a pretty good ride. When I sat in this chair on January 1st last year, I put together a list of 15 things I wanted to accomplish in 2011 (you can read it here.) I didn’t get to them all, but I’m proud to say I was able to cross 10 of them off the list. In particular, I’m proud to say that I lost a total of 65 pounds last year, was able to do another interview with a NY Times Best Selling author, saw Rock of Ages twice more (both with Constantine), and tried my best to be a better father, husband, brother, and son.
So what does that leave for 2012? I’m glad you asked. It’s going to be another exciting year (I hope), as long as those pesky Mayans are wrong. I have lots more change coming my way, but also have lots more opportunity to try new things and embark on new adventures. Just as last year, I’m going to put it all out there and trust you to hold me accountable for my success or failure. Who knows, I might even remember to give a mid-year update this year. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. So, without further adieu, here’s my list for 2012.
