What the f**k?

Well, if THIS isn't the weirdest idea in the history of mankind...

http://www.myspace.com/evildeadthemusical

One question: does it have the Delta '88 in there anywhere?

Straight Outta Wal-Mart with Straight Outta Lynwood

New Weird Al! Whoo! :)

I went the extra "White & Nerdy" mile and went to Wal-Mart at 12:30 last night to grab a copy of "Straight Outta Lynwood," and it's really good. It's not my favorite Al ("Running with Scissors" still holds a strong place in my heart), but there's a lot of really great stuff here. In order...

--The tracks that were previously released on Al's MySpace page are awesome, as noted...the CD opens with the Chamillionaire parody "White & Nerdy" and closes with the soon-to-be-classic "Don't Download This Song."

--"Pancreas," a musical tribute to that most comical of organs, didn't really impress me at first, but the more I've listened to it, the more I like it. There's some great musical invention here.

--The Green Day parody "Canadian Idiot" crams every Canada joke into 2 minutes that you can, and is very funny. (J. won't like the line about curling. :) )

--"I'll Sue Ya" may be Al's most hard-rocking tune ever, with a surprisingly catchy baseline over some very funny lines about our lawsuit happy culture. ("I sued Colorado because it looks a bit too much like Wyoming.")

--"Polkarama," the traditional polka medley, is, as always, more entertaining if you know the songs he's using, and as someone who doesn't listen to much modern pop music, it kinda went over my head. Anyone who does listen to modern pop wanna post their take?

--"Virus Alert" is a very fast-paced tribute to that most annoying of modern computer trends, and very entertaining. Musically, it almost feels like 80's pop, which is an unusal departure for Al.

--"Confessions Part III," an Usher parody, is hysterical, as Al confesses to everything from infidelity to hogging the last of the rice krispies, while noting how rediculous it is to break up your soul-exposures into episodes.

--"Weasel Stomping Day" may be my favorite of the whole album, even at only 1:30 or so...I defy anyone to hear the sound of rodent's getting crushed and not at least chuckle. A light and upbeat tribute to a joyfully masochistic holiday ("It's a tradition, that means it's okay!"), it may be the greatest companion song to "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" ever.

--"Close But No Cigar" is also brilliant, an original about a guy who keeps nit-picking every relationship in beautifully absurd ways. ("She kept using the word 'infer' when I know she meant 'imply.'")

--"Do I Creep You Out" is a bit historic, as Al first takes aim at an American Idol (Taylor Hicks), with great success (though somewhat brief success, as the song itself is short enough as it is). The overblown chorus and climax exactly captures the phony bravado of the Idol crowd, and one must applaud Hicks as well for having the guts to let Al go through with it.

--Then comes "Trapped in the Drive-Thru," a parody of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet." It runs...get ready...10:50. No typo. Al's done rambling epics before, but always originals...he's never tackled this big a parody before, especially one with as bizarre a premise...it's nothing more or less than a depiction of a couple heading to get some dinner at a drive thru. That's it, really. I think this is one where its success is truly in the ear of the individual...me, I loved it. The sheer absurdity of spending nearly 11 musical minutes documenting a relatively uneventful trip to grab food is what I find funny. You may think differently.

That's the album...at least, the musical side. Thing is, this here is a dual-disc release, one side musical CD, the other side DVD. While I HATE double-sided discs, this one has so much stuff crammed on there that I can forgive it. Side B features:

--The whole album in 5.1 surround sound, an enhanced stereo mix and a karaoke mix. All with on-screen options for the hearing impaired. Tres cool.

--A 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, as we see Al and the band working on the music in the studio.

--And...SIX new music videos of all the album's originals, done by prominent animators from the Academy Award-nominated Bill Plympton to the guys from "Robot Chicken" (which, if you saw the show last Sunday, you've already seen). Just a terrifically packed set of extras which would only be made complete with the inclusion of the "White and Nerdy" video, which sadly was completed after the album was.

All in all, an excellent CD with some truly nifty special features added in. If you're an Al fan at all, it's well worth the buy, and at 14.88 (at Wal-Mart, anyway) it's uber-cheap, too. Awesome stuff.

Holy S**t.

Attention: This blog entry will be of major importance to wrestling fans and of absolutely no importance to anyone else.

The week started when TNA announced there would be a "big announcement" at this Sunday's No Surrender PPV, thus giving one of the least talked about shows in the company's history a sudden influx of buzz.

Speculation abounded. What or who was it? Then word began to leak out of a major change in the booking team...the current writers were being ousted and former WWF and WCW writer Vince Russo was being installed as new head booker. Internet buzz soured. That moron was largely responsible for booking WCW into the ground over its last year. Was THIS the big announcement that was supposed to turn the wrestling world on its ear?

No. Tonight at the PPV, TNA shocked everyone with not only one, but TWO huge revelations. First, starting on November 16th, TNA's flagship show, Impact, would go primetime, airing on Thursdays at 9 p.m.

Then, a video package played, ending with the announcement...that Kurt Angle was coming to TNA. Angle's last words: "It's real. It's damn real."

Refer to the title of this post to sum up my reaction.

Well, this has been an eventful week, hasn't it? In the space of a few days, almost ALL the talk in the wrestling world has now switched to TNA, for better or worse. Time will tell what any of this means. My capsule reaction to all three announcements...

Russo: Sucks. Has no business in the business. Will REALLY have to prove that he can book a consistently entertaining wrestling show for me to be okay with this.

New Timeslot: About time. First step toward really running with the big dogs. Next two steps are a longer show and a move to Mondays. If this first stage is a success, we'll see about the rest.

Angle: Is insane. I really, really, REALLY hope he knows what the hell he's doing. Beyond worrying about his own well-being, I worry about the wrestlers he's gonna work with. Angle/Samoa Joe may be a dream match, but the dream becomes a nightmare if one of them ends up seriously injured because of it.

Time will tell. For now though, my initial response is one of stunned silence. Yet I just wrote a couple hundred words about it. Go figure.

Be safe, Kurt. Be smart, TNA. Begone, foul Russo.

I Was Right the First Time

(Prologue: I was listening to NPR a few weeks ago and they had a feature about love songs and how there are so few that cover the subject of couples who get back together after breaking up. There's "Reunited" and a couple others, but that's about it. A notable absence, sure, but as I listened to the story, I couldn't help but think about an even more noteworthy (and, frequently, more realistic) vacancy in the love song cannon: a song for those who get back together, and realize they really should have stayed broken up. The germ of an idea got stuck in my head, and in a feverish hour last night, it finally spilled into my computer. My first new song in a few years, and I really, really like how it turned out. Imagine this one sung as a torchy love ballad, with a little modern pop sensibility mixed in. Think Meat Loaf crossed with Taylor Hicks. If you wanna hear the actual tune, you'll have to ask me to sing it for you. :) )


I Was Right the First Time by Jeff McGinnis

It was plain to see
We were meant to be
Until the day we weren’t

For the bond we shared
Just could not compare
To the volume of the hurt

So that sad, sad day
We went separate ways
But I could not let go

Of the memories
That were you and me
With our love all aglow

So I asked for another chance
To rekindle our lost romance
To make spring of this December
But now you’re here, and I remember

The way you snore, the way you sneeze
The way you hog all the cream cheese
The way you talk loud in movies
The way you never “thank” or “please”
It’s clear to me this set-up is a crime
I was right the first time!

Didn’t take me long
To see something wrong
In you and I, take two

I look in your eyes
And part of me dies
And I just want to spew

‘Cuz you’re just the same
As that crazy dame
That I had left last week

I don’t know why I
Went from that goodbye
To this hello so bleak

Was I that desperate for something
That I’d give you another fling
Well, lock me up, call me insane
‘Cuz who you were you still remain

The way you talk, the way you whine
The way you snort like a big swine
The way you chew each time you dine
The way my will to live declines
I’d be better off dating a French mime
I was right the first time!

(The first time…
The first time…
The first time…
The first time…)

So it’s time to go
Gotta let you know
What do I have to lose?

If I don’t, I’ll croak
From the cigs I smoke
Or maybe from the booze

They are my relief
From the disbelief
Of waking up with you

For I now detest
Every night I rest
At your side, so, adieu

No turning back, my mind’s made up
I’ll not drink again from that cup
You look at me with those eyes then…

…no, I won’t fall for THAT again!

The way you taunt, the games you play
The way you nag me everyday
The little, painful things you say
The way you make my hair turn grey
Let freedom ring, and let those church bells chime!
I was right the first time!

(The first time…
The first time…
The first time…
The first…)
I was right the first time!

(The first time…
The first time…
The first time…
The first…)
I was right the first time!

(The first time…
The first time…
The first time…
The first…)
I was right…the first time!


(P.S. For the record, nothing about the song requires its subject to be female...it can easily be altered to a male character by changing the "crazy dame" verse to the following:

'Cuz you're just as lewd
As that crazy dude
That I had left last week

Just FYI. :) )

*breathes*

I just finished a song. I mean, for the first time in, like, YEARS.

And there's at least one more in my head.

I mean, this is a big deal for me. The past few years I've been all ideas and no execution.

And you know what? It's GOOD. I mean, I think so. And I'm usually a pretty harsh critic. :)

I'll post it when I've finished polishing it up a bit...I'd love some feedback.

Damn, this feels good.

Those Brain Dead AOLers...

Because some moron somehow got a hold of Al's video and leaked it on the Net before the "world premiere" that was supposed to take place on Monday night, AOL isn't gonna be premiering the video of "White and Nerdy" on their site after all.

Way to penalize the artist for the idiocy of a fan, guys.

Not to worry though...Al has posted the vid on his MySpace site! Check it out!

The Movie Quote Game Update!

Summary of the game so far:

1. “A kiss is not always the truth, but it is always what we wish were true.” - “L.A. Story” - Lindsey
2. “Zero point eight six seconds, sir. For an android, that is nearly an eternity.” - “Star Trek: First Contact” - Lindsey
3. “Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage.” - “Clue” - Lindsey
4. “Burt, I like you!” “You should!” - “Tremors 3: Back to Perfection” - NO ONE
5. “I think I need a root canal. I’m sure I need a long, slow root canal.” - “Little Shop of Horrors” - Lindsey
6. “You know how it is, you’re out at night, looking for kicks, somebody’s passing around a weaponized hallucinogen…” - “Batman Begins” - Dave
7. “You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I’ll have to close this place in…60 years.” - “Citizen Kane” - E. Sean
8. “Mr. President, I’m not saying we wouldn’t get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than 10 to 20 million killed, tops.” - “Dr. Strangelove” - Lindsey
9. “It can’t be rednecks. No redneck is THIS creative.” - “The Blair Witch Project” - Dave
10. “And do you know what else? The women…the women prefer the traditional monsters.” - “Ed Wood” - NO ONE
11. “Can’t even get decent food…right after I got here I ordered spaghetti and marinara sauce, I got egg noodles and ketchup.” - “GoodFellas” - Natalie
12. “Well, you see, I didn't know where your office was. So I asked the newsboy. He didn't know. So I asked the fireman, the green grocer, the butcher, the baker, they didn't know! But the liquor store guy…he knew.” - “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” - Steph
13. “What is your nationality?” “I’m a drunkard.” - “Casablanca” - NO ONE
14. “Don’t forget, time is tissue.” - “Snakes on a Plane” - NO ONE
15. "He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up." - “V for Vendetta” - Beth
16. “If on your journey you should encounter God, God will be cut.” - “Kill Bill, Volume 1” - Lindsey
17. “Where’s Olive?” - “Little Miss Sunshine” - Lindsey
18. “I use antlers in all of my decorating!” - “Beauty and the Beast” - Lindsey
19. “You take a chance getting up in the morning, crossing the street or sticking your face in a fan.” - “The Naked Gun” - Dave
20. “He always used to tell us, ‘When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.’” - “Dawn of the Dead” - Greg

THE SCORECARD:
Lindsey: 8
Dave: 3
Beth: 1
E. Sean: 1
Greg: 1
Natalie: 1
Steph: 1

In summary, Lindsey has the lead, Dave is a solid second, everyone else has some work to do! New quote is up on my MySpace page now, so let's get cracking! :)

A survey that's actually fun! I thought so, anyway...

From Lia's blog...

1.You and Jesus go out to dinner - who pays?
Pay? What do you mean? If he’s got all those powers they claim he does, he can feed us both by just multiplying the dinner rolls, right?

2. You suddenly have to flee the country and adopt an alias what is it?
Um, my name? My name is, uh…pea…tear…griffin. Yeah, yeah, Peter Griffin. Oh, cr*p.

3. Pick one state in the U.S. to get rid of permanently?
A state of confusion and paranoia. We’ve been there far too long.

4. You wake up AS the opposite gender - what's the one thing you wanna try?
Wearing a thong. Can it REALLY be comfortable?

5. Luke Skywalker or Han Solo?
Han Solo. But only if he shoots first and never does that damn Christmas special.

6. Toy you always wanted but never got as a child?
Original Nintendo system.

7. Top celebrities you have crushed on?
Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke…the REAL Daisy Duke, thank you), Kate Winslet, Trish Stratus

8. What's an automatic deal breaker in a potential significant other?
Dull conversation.

9. What is the last movie you saw that actually scared you?
The Exorcist. One of only two that have.

10. Stupidest thing you've ever said out loud?
Stupidity is a way of life for me, I think…

11. You're sentenced to death and its the morning of your execution. What's your last meal?
5 pounds of fried chicken chunks and rice, with about 2 dozen crab rangoon on the side and a big ‘ol milkshake. After that, I’d like to see them TRY to fit my fat *ss in the electric chair.

12. What's something that most people do that you've never done?
Have sex. Sigh.

13. Before you die you want to go to...?
Anywhere that’ll have me.

14. Something you'd really like to do but probably won't ever be able to do?
Be hot. I mean, flat-out do-able.

15. A wild animal you'd like to have as a pet?
None, really. That’s why they’re called WILD animals.

16. A drug you'll never try?
None of ‘em. I have enough addictions in my life to deal with, I don’t need useless ones like those added on top of it.

17. If you were an animal, what would you be?
An elephant. No tusks, though. And in a zoo. I don’t need no poachers shattering my calm.

18. If you had to marry someone you knew at the age of 12, who would it be?
Probably Jill Comer, but she’s already getting married, so…

19. What's something most people don't know about you?
I’m not nearly as happy-go-lucky as everyone seems to think I am.

20. First celebrity crush?
Uh, we covered that. Daisy Duke, dude.

21. What's a weapon to suit your personality, habits and abilities?
A water gun.

22. With whom did you share the most memorable time of your life?
There are too many. Look at my friends list…everyone on there has, to some extent, been present at some of my highest of highs or lowest of lows.

23. Favorite breakfast bread style (pancakes, waffles, toast etc.)?
Waffles. By god, waffles.

24. Favorite parody movie?
Top Secret.

25. Worst way to die?
Ironically. You know, being a guy who works with electricity and being electrocuted, or being a grave digger and burying yourself, whatever. Then no one remembers you, the human being, they just remember you as a punch line.

26. Grossest injury you've ever seen?
Sid Vicious coming off the ropes on a WCW pay-per-view and breaking his shin in half. Broken legs gross me out.

27. The worst injury you've ever had?
Dislocated knee. Most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.

28. Favorite thing about Thanksgiving?
Everything. It’s my favorite holiday. But I LOVE turkey.

29. Sport you hate the most?
Of the big ones? Football. I don’t really hate it or anything, but there’s WAY too much talk about WAY too little actual event for my taste.

30. What city in the U.S. do you want to visit?
Anywhere my friends are. I miss you all so!

31. What's something you think would be sweet to know everything about?
Love.

32. Favorite Actor/Actress?
Varies wildly. There’s really no one who I like so much I must see everything they’re in, or who has the opposite effect. I like tons of folks.

33. What's one phrase you absolutely detest?
“These seats?” I’m in the theatre. My job is to escort you to your seat. I take some folks to them. I point at two chairs with my flashlight. I say, “These are your seats right here.” They ALWAYS respond by pointing at them and saying, “These seats?” YES. THE SEATS I JUST POINTED AT WITH MY FLASHLIGHT AND SAID THAT THEY WERE YOUR SEATS. ARRGH.

34. What makes an awesome party?
Good friends.

35. What's your material obsession?
Board games.

36. What's something most would consider an insult, but you enjoy having said about you?
I kinda like being called a geek.

37. What's something most would consider a compliment but you hate being said about you?
“You’re such a good friend.” Because that usually follows, “I could never go out with you.”

38. Favorite carnival food (everyone has one)?
Roasted peanuts.

39. Morning or night person?
Night, definitely. Mornings suck.

40. Worst drunken/drugged up habit?
Don’t know, won’t know.

41. Weirdest eBay purchase?
A card game based on a board game I have which no one plays.

42. Favorite food to eat when you're wasted?
Another one of those great mysteries of the universe that will never go unanswered.

43. Its Saturday at 3am. Where are you?
Most likely in my room watching DVDs or sleeping.

44. Who's your favorite friend to go out with?
So many…Steph, Abby, Heather, Laura, Laura, and when I could, J, John, Beth, Lindsey, Greg, oodles more.

45. Worst job you've ever had?
Working at Wendy’s. By default really, as I’ve only had a handful.

46. What's something your friends make fun of you for?
I talk really loudly when I get passionate about something.

47. Favorite cereal?
Oatmeal Crisp with raisins. Hells yeah.

48. Book you could read repeatedly?
Most every book I love I read repeatedly. But most frequently? Mick Foley’s autobiography, “Have a Nice Day.”

49. What's the meanest thing you've ever done?
I’m sure I’ve done them, but none spring to mind…any suggestions?

50. Tell an interesting story about the last person to fill this out.
One day I was online with Lia. We were chatting about this and that, and at one point she was talking about how guys kinda get freaked out by how passionate she is, because they like more passive girls. I responded that guys will fall heavier for the passionate women than the passive ones. I said (something like), “It’s like a buffet. We may take bites of a bunch of different foods at first, but the meal we’ll eat for the rest of our lives is the one that really bowls us over.” She then said, “I dunno why, but that was hot.” I said, “My buffet metaphor?” She said, “Yeah.” So there you have it: Lia Metz, the only woman EVER to say that ANYTHING I did was hot. And I did it by comparing dating to a smorgasbord.

White and Nerdy!

The first new parody is up at Al's page.

Utterly awesome.

It's not QUITE my life story in song, but it's close.

A couple weeks ago, when I was picking up my copy of the "Weird Al Show" on DVD, the cashier looked at it and said, "Wow, I didn't know he was still around."

Yep, he is. And you may not have noticed, but he just gets better with age. Amazing.

Sofa Smackdown in Chi-Town

Check it out.

Rumors that a few thousand dollars of furniture was purchased from the store by a Mr. "B. Farve" are unsubstantiated.

(Sorry, Matt. Sorry, J. Sorry, any Packers fans I just offended with that joke.)

Yow.

There's a column by E.W. Swift on the latest doping allegations that have come out against Lance Armstrong over at Yahoo Sports.

One part of the story which I haven't heard addressed before is brought up:

"And why is that particular testimony significant? Because one of the possible side effects of prolonged steroid use is testicular cancer. It's impossible to prove, but if what the Andreus testified to under oath is true, than Lance Armstrong, role model and hero to so many cancer survivors, may very well have helped bring about his own cancer through his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Young athletes tempted to go down that road need to know if that's the case."

The implications of that possible dot-connection are staggering. So much of the public's respect for Armstrong is connected to his struggles with cancer. What would happen if people began to suspect that, if he was doping for such a long period, he overcame a disease that he may have had a hand in causing?

Swift is right, even if it is somehow verfied that Armstrong doped, the connection between that and the cancer is impossible to prove. But just the idea that much of what has cemented him as a national hero might have been a self-inflicted wound...

Five Years Later

(I posted the following commentary on September 11, 2003, to my Xanga blog.)

I remember that day clearly, still. Who doesn't?

I remember coming in to work on the third floor of South. I remember standing and talking to someone when Geoff came up and said, "Hey, did you hear? A plane just hit the World Trade Center." I remember my first thought: It's an accident. Gotta be. I mean, that plane hit the Empire State Building in the 30's, after all. What else could it be?

I remember walking down to the Grad Lab and bringing up Yahoo, to check the news headlines. The first "In The News" headline: "Two Planes Strike World Trade Center." Two planes. My first thought rocked me to my core and still does: That can't be an accident.

I remember walking over to the Box Office. I wasn't opening that day, but I still walked there. We had a TV in there. A crowd was already there, about 10 or so. By the time I arrived, the first tower had already collapsed. I watched for the next hour or so, long enough to see the second tower go. I remember how unreal it all seemed. I went downstairs to call Heather (I didn't have my cell phone yet), but she was too distraught to say anything, and asked me to please call later. I hung up.

I remember walking over to South Hall. More TVs there. Everything on, everything open, everyone watching, listening. No one talking. Conversation seemed meaningless. I walked around in a daze all day. I really didn't know anyone in New York. I have no family there. But that day, it didn't seem like it mattered, did it?

The next thing I remember strongly was taking a movie back to Meijer to exchange it for another copy. I have no idea why. It just felt like - it was something for me to do. Maybe if I focused on a meanial task - something tangible, simple, easy - I could shut out of my mind the things that I couldn't do.

I also remember going to Myles that night. Theta was cancelled, naturally, but there was a gathering at Myles. Drinks on the house, we sat and we watched the news and we still didn't talk much. Lots of hugs, lots of tears, not many words.

The world has changed a lot in the past two years, but in some ways, it hasn't changed at all. That day, I believe, saw some of the best traits of human nature come forth. The bravery of those who gave their lives trying to help. The sympathy and empathy of a nation. The giving that would follow - millions of volunteers giving blood or helping the rescue effort. All this happened, and all this I find heartening as a human being.

Of course, that day also saw some of the worst traits in human nature come out, both by those who committed these horrible atrocities, and by some of those who responded to them here at home through suspicion and violence.

It is only through keeping that eye of balance - weighing the actions and reactions of everyone involved - that I believe we truly pay just homage and respect to the victims of the attack. We recall events because we are living beings with memory. We feel and comprehend because we are human beings with the abilty to think. Somewhere in between these is the proper reaction to the horrors of that day. A reaction best summed up by the simple phrase:

I remember.

Dear Hot Women with Webcams,

I sincerely appreciate that so many Hot Women with Webcams want to add me as a friend on MySpace even though we've never met.

But sorry, Hot Women with Webcams, I'm afraid it just wouldn't work out. I don't know any of you, and I don't add folks I don't know to my list. (Unless they are Samoa Joe or "Weird Al" Yankovic, because it's just too damn cool to have Samoa Joe and "Weird Al" Yankovic as friends.)

Also, Hot Women with Webcams, I have to ask how you all came to the conclusion that I am such a cool person based upon the brief personal snippets I have on my profile. I mean, I AM a cool person, but how do you know so quickly? Maybe you all just have a natural intuition about such things. "Hey, this seems like a nice, stable guy. Maybe he'd be interested in seeing my boobs?"

And about this whole "webcam" thing...sorry, it just seems a bit, well, sudden. We don't even know each other and suddenly you want me to watch you and your hot...excuse me, your "hott" friends "being naughty" via the Internet? Excuse me, but perhaps I should delay seeing this kinda thing until I've at least said, "Hello."

Frankly, Hot Women With Webcams, I'm getting the impression you're just using me to get counter hits. And I refuse to be used. So, thank you for your interest, but no, I will not be adding any Hot Women With Webcams to my friends list.

Besides, if you would have bothered to look at my list, you'd have noticed that I have plenty of hot women as friends already. And guess what? A.) I actually know them, and B.) It is highly unlikely that they will open an e-mail with the question, "Hey, wanna see me get freaky on the web?"

Sincerely,

Jeff

Thanks for using us! Are you a felon?

So I recently joined the ranks of the MP3 player owners. I wanted something with which I could listen to music on the go, and if I bought a Walkman I'd be branded an unhip square and I couldn't have that. (Seriously, I wanna start working out again, and I always need music to work out to, and portable CD players ALWAYS skip when you're walking with them, so an MP3 it must be.)

So I buy a model on sale at Meijer. Really small, works really well, save for I can't for the life of me figure out how the heck to get tracks to play in a certain order. (The player just seems to throw them on there completely at random, no matter what playlist-making-thingy I use...any ideas?) Anyway, packaged with it was an offer to join a music download service, trial membership first month free, no obligation, 100 free downloads. Hmm, why not?

So, I sign up, fill out my info, tool around a bit and download whatever looks good...which on this site wasn't much. (A lotta tribute bands and so forth. The kinda stuff that you'd find one copy of at Finders for under 10 bucks. The best stuff I found was in the comedy and spoken word section...to thoroughly humiliate myself, the complete record of my downloads will be posted below.) So I decided I was not gonna re-up with the site, and promply cancelled my account post-downloads.

This occured with surprisingly little trouble, save for the usual "are you sure you wanna do this?" pleading. The funny part came in the form of a survey where you'd explain why you were not continuing with their service. There were a buncha "click here if this applies to you" boxes with a whole host of reasons for leaving - not satisfied with it, using another service, didn't like the selection, etc. Then, at the bottom, came this box: "I'm going to download music free from the internet."

You know, you enter your name and personal info when you sign up for this. You basically admit that you're violating Weird Al's plea, and THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE. I wonder how dense an individual must be to actually click that box?

(Jeff downloaded from Unnamed Music Buying Service:
2 Lewis Black albums
A Bobcat Goldthwait album
A "Best of Al Franken" album
The "Quantum Leap" soundtrack
An album-length interview with Johnny Carson
And two songs by Harry Chapin.

You may mock Jeff's taste in MP3s...starting now.)

Awesomeness!

Seems a little early to be announcing the host, but I can forgive it when the choice is this good.

She's got a couple great Emmy shows and a Grammys under her belt, it's more than time for her to get promoted to the big leagues. Congrats, Ellen! Just don't introduce Oprah to Uma!

An Unintentional Truth

President Bush, giving the third in his series of "only we can keep you safe, really!" speeches before the mid-term elections, said this in Atlanta today:

"And the United States Congress was right to renew the terrorist act -- the Patriot Act..."

Oh, Freud has never Slipped quite so appropriately, has he?