Ballin' Outta Control

The luck of the Irish failed miserably yesterday after Thierry Henry's handball assist to French teammate William Gallas allowed for the go ahead goal. The French now advance to the World Cup final qualifiers and the Irish stew over poor officiating and the reality that soccer needs to enable reviewing. I don't care if it interrupts the beauty of "the beautiful game": there's nothing beautiful about an undeserved loss based on one blown call. Especially when it's as blatant as yesterday's mistake.

On a more positive note, Lakers star Pau "Goofy" Gasol made his 2009-10 season debut after a few weeks fighting a hamstring injury. Looks like Christmas has come early for the Lakeshow, as Pau went for 24 points and 13 rebounds while Kobe struggled the first couple quarters.

As Chuck said in the TNT Postgame Report, if you put in a lineup with Kobe at the point, Artest at the two and Lamar playing "small" the shortest player in the lineup is 6'6" (that being Artest). Without a doubt this is the biggest and most powerful lineup the NBA has to offer. While I agree with the TNT postgame squad that this Laker team can win a couple more championships, the only question mark remains at the point position and the consistency of the bench.

Now that Lamar is sixth man Laker nation feels at ease with a definitive leader driving and popping during the cool down stretches, but this still leaves plenty of pressure on Farmar, Shannon Brown, and Josh Powell to step up big as they have so far this season. I'd like to see more incremental substitutions from the coaching staff (keeping Artest in as a defensive anchor when turnovers are ripe for the picking) rather than sweeping overhauls that have the tendency of throwing momentum as we've seen early on this season.

The Colts and Saints remain 9-0 and are due for a loss: the Colts play a vengeful Ravens team that needs to prove itself without star OLB Terrell Suggs in a very tough AFC East division while the Saints go to Tampa Bay where the Packers lost a couple weeks ago against a breakout performance by rookie stud Josh Freeman. The Tampa Bay secondary is still very talented, and if New Orleans can't get their off-and-on running game going, I expect this to be a defensive battle and a possible upset. The Vikings are now 8-1 and play the struggling Seahawks this weekend.

Upset alerts for Pac-10 football: Oregon at Arizona, Cal at Stanford (Go Bears).

And no one cares about college basketball this early in the season.

Back In This...

Songs Of Summer 2009

The recession hasn't just affected our wallets. The music landscape's been pretty barren in 2009, but on the bright side we still have a little less than half the year to make up for it...

Here are some songs heating up the summer so far:


"Stillness Is The Move"
Artist: The Dirty Projectors
Album: Bitte Orca





"Kinda Like A Big Deal"
Artist: Clipse featuring Kanye West
Album: Til The Casket Drops
Clipse feat. Kanye West - Kinda Like A Big Deal



"Southern Point"
Artist: Grizzly Bear
Album: Veckatimest

Some GREAT footage of their performance in SF. The track finds a new center in rhythm.



"The Reeling"
Artist: Passion Pit
Album: Manners

It was a great pleasure hanging out with these guys in Berkeley my last semester of college. I saw them rock San Francisco's Mezzanine the night after.



"The Fixer"
Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: Backspacer





"Best I Ever Had"
Artist: Drake

Drake - "Best I Ever Had" (EXPLICIT)

Terrible raunchy lyrics but killer delivery from the beat to the schizophrenic vocals.



And for anyone looking for a solid, cheap yet filling taco joint check out Casita Taco al Carbon on Cahuenga in Studio City (so glad I live down the street!). My only caveat is that they close at 8PM so unfortunately no late night runs.

Extreme Makeover: Aquaman

Aquaman is the lamest superhero ever. His powers consist of breathing underwater and talking to sea animals while donning tasteless leather bodysuits. Since his birth in 1941, the character's only solid development occurred in 1994 when Arthur Curry lost his hand to piranhas and attached a prosthetic harpoon launcher to his wrist (Badass, right?).

He then proceeded to grow long hair and a beard. With his edgy yet eternally skintight Kris Kristofferson look, Curry finds Atlantis and starts to kick some ass. The franchise returned to basic shitty Aquaman soon after the turn of the twenty first century.

Oh yeah, did I mention that of all the animals Aquaman could have kicked it with in his sixty odd years underwater, he chose a seal for a pet sidekick?

Anyway, I've provided you fine people with some ideas for how to make this miserably flamboyant seaman superhero worthy.


Lemme Lemme Upgrade Ya


The Crystal Sword could collapse into a spinning propeller so that Aquaman 2.0 could jet around the reefs in style.

And when I say jellyfish cannon, I really mean a jelly-school launcher. Remember that crazy scene in "Sphere" when Queen Latifah gets owned?

Just in case you forgot:


Her best work, I must say.

The Big Suck

El mundo hasn't changed much since last week, but there's plenty to update in the entertainment world.

Before we enter the suck, let's take a moment to appreciate a wonderful new remix of those catchy boys from Berklee.

And down we go. Two of the major disappointments of the summer hit theaters and teles this past week:

1) "Bruno" sucked, and sucked, and then sucked some more. Yes, I laughed a few times, but we should seriously consider drawing a line at talking penises. There are simply some things that you will never be able to cleanse your mind of (especially after seeing it on the big screen), and this movie contained more of those moments than "Attack of the Clones."

Borat won audiences because his presence lived as such an obscure and harmless referential parody that we could healthily rejoice in our endless list of Kazakhstani-Fried Quotables. Bruno is such an extreme that it becomes uncomfortable to watch on multiple levels, as if we had to watch the nude wrestling scene from Borat for an hour and a half.

Borat was built out of a strange sort of foreign innocence that can still deliver upon repeat viewings by virtue of his disturbing revelations of American society. Bruno, on the other hand, spawns out of the opposite, and watching the latter for more than fifteen minutes is disturbing in and of itself. Whereas Borat forced us to come to terms with an ugly underbelly of American society, there is a sense that Bruno reverses the camera, revealing less about any segment of society than the willing patrons in attendance.

2) The premiere of the sixth season of "Entourage" was so bad it was like watching a summary of last season sans the shrooming scene (just in case you missed season five, nothing happened). Ari has officially transformed from slightly sympathetic to straight up sadistic, Lloyd isn't funny, and Turtle's smoking-pot-in-the-bathtub relationship with Meadow Soprano is just about as believable as my Sunday strip poker sessions with Megan Fox.

Perhaps the only redeeming quality of the show at this point is Emmanuelle Chriqui, a.k.a. Sloan, who is so hot that we forget she can't act, or that she finds Kevin Connolly's prepubescence worth babysitting. Note: we will never see them in action because the TV might just explode out of confusion. Same goes for Turtle-Meadow.

My favorite part of the premiere had to be the conclusion, because the show actually tried to make us feel sorry for Vince, who had just nailed Sloan's steamy blonde friend in his Escalade and had no one to talk about it with...

Will someone just Gatsby him already? And I'm not talking about Scorcese.

3) HBO's new series "Hung" is actually pretty interesting though unbelievable for a couple of reasons:

A) Lenore, played by Rebecca Creskoff, wonders if she could have her ass licked by the Punisher, which is fine, but she actually says, "Will he lick my ass?" at speaking volume in front of a full salon.

B) Look at this family. The parents, played by The Punisher a.k.a. Thomas Jane and Anne Heche are in the center, the kids are surrounding them. How do these two sex symbols (in different ways) produce such hideous offspring? It's just plain uncomfortable to watch these brats when they enter the screen.

C) Why does he hook up with her?

Dem Blues of Disloyalty

The Democrats must be feeling a little uneasy about their future these days...

Okay, maybe that's a stretch seeing as how Stuart Smalley's recount win in Minnesota busted any hopes of a Republican fillibuster("Doggone it, people like him!"), MC Sanford disappeared to pay an international tribute to John Edwards (Chapurowned!), not to mention the simple truth that there is no current "head of the Republican Party" since that fat fuck resigned to pursue a blossoming music career.

But even though the Democrats are sitting pretty for now and can basically pass whatever legislation President Obama wants, the future looks a bit more challenging for the blues due to two major resignations that have been announced over the past couple weeks.

Firstly, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villairagosa dropped out of the upcoming gubernatorial race, possibly due to his own adulterous past. Villairagosa would have certainly been the man to beat in the upcoming race as his popularity among minorities, especially the state's huge Hispanic voting body, is unprecedented in California history. His announcement, however, leaves the Democrats two remaining candidates: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Jerry Brown. Both of these choices may be too liberal for a California in the financial dumps. Neither of these candidates can really boast fiscal credibility or economic savvy. Though both men can show off various accomplishments in the trendy green sector, these blue bureaucrats might not be that attractive to the general public that has proven more conservative than most would have predicted. Given the economic times, the people just might put their faith in Her Bidness Meg Whitman. Her relatively centrist platform and business leadership, along with the clear opportunity for California to elect its first female governor ever could prove a feasible victory for the GOP.

Secondly, Sarah Palin quit as governor of Alaska, inspiring a national chorus of Gosh Darnits. The Republican Party had not been forewarned of her resignation, and when the announcement became public they responded with their own "Gee-Whiz!" Her resignation could mean that she's focusing all of her time on her potential 2012 candidacy, but it could also mean that she might not run for president. Either way, the Democrats lose their easiest target to date, for now if not forever, and will have to locate some new red fodder to replace her.

One final note: in light of the recent tragic death of quarterback and all-around badass Steve McNair, Villairagosa and Sanford should count their blessings that their mistresses have never been armed and dangerous.

!Mundo Monday!

After celebrating a long, finger-lickin' good weekend commemorating our nation's independence, it seems appropriate to return to the world at large as it spins in the ongoing summer scoop...




Ginger Ail

FYI: There is an ethnic group known as the Uyghurs (pronounced Whee-gurs).

FYI: Uyghurs typically stand out among other Chinese as many have blue eyes and red hair, and live in the Xinjiang Province (an autonomous region formerly known as the Islamic East Turkestan Republic).

I repeat, there are ginger kids in China.

Ever since Mao occupied Uyghur territory tensions have remained high between the Chinese government and this Muslim minority eastern province. Immigration policies and incentives for ethnic Han (majority Chinese) have continued to challenge Uyghur majority in the region, and today these people occupy 50 percent of the region. Since September 11, 2001 and China's vocal support of the War on Terror Uyghur nationalists have been dubbed terrorists by the Chinese national government, and violent clashes between the majority Han Chinese military and Uyghur separatists have often been fatal occurrences.

Things have escalated further in the weeks following Obama's liberation of two Uyghurs formerly detained at Gitmo under terrorist charges by the Chinese government. Protests over two Uyghur factory workers erupted into turmoil that apparently led to the PLA to fire indiscriminately into a crowd of protestors, leaving 156 dead. At least 800 people have been labeled "injured" in what the Chinese government call the Xinjiang riots. Nominally autonomous regions continue to plague the Chinese state with its lifelong legacy of a disunified and diverse internal empire. Brutal crackdowns in Tibet and Xinjiang stand as living testament to China's domestic nature of insecurity and hark back to the tanks of Tiananmen.



From Russia, With Love

Obama has met with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to achieve a new nuclear arms reduction agreement as apart of his START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) initiative that will cut each country's current nuclear stockpile by thirty percent. These two countries alone account for 95 percent of the world's total nuclear weapons arsenal.

The governments hope to achieve military cooperation in Afghanistan, even if it just means Russia supplies some weapons. The issue of missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic will surely be discussed this week. The erection of new missile defense systems would support international relations' Offense-Defense theory which suggests that as offensive capability gives way to defensive strategy states can increase defense so as to sustain a period of relative peace. Way to go O-Ders...This Scud's for you.

A Sharpshooting Sham

If you are thinking about going to see "Public Enemies," do yourself a favor and rent "Road to Perdition" instead. You'll thank me later.

"Public Enemies" is difficult to watch, and not because of its blood and violence. If anything, the shootouts pull this utterly broken time piece out of a static gutter, a testament to a brutal truth: tommy guns are the friggin' sweetest weapons in film next to light sabers (though shotguns ain't too shabby). The sounds of Depression-era weapons blasting through a digital audio filter are frightening, and the crossfire choreography, as expected from any Mann action flick, is deftly executed. But at the end of the day we do not care about any of these characters. The only evidence of their humanity ebbs red from their steaming corpses strewn across inexplicably bare Chicago streets.

The audience simply has no stake in the lives on the screen; the film's drama dribbles along a terribly misguided screenplay and score (if ever one was over an overture...). The script, co-written by Mann, a TV writer, and Ann Biderman ("Primal Fear"), does nothing but cater to formula. As the time piece awkwardly struggles to adapt to Mann's cutting-edge camera, the speakeasy script buries itself in cliche, leaving the audience waiting for the next gunshot to wake them up. The ominous, fatal silence that successfully opens the movie to surround the initial deaths of Pretty Boy Floyd and others fails to hold a substantial presence in the movie, removing any gravity that could have given the characters a tangible weight.

The production meanwhile puts all of its stake in the perceived nominal value of its cast that includes superstars Depp, Bale, and Cotillard. Even with these three monster talents, "Public Enemies" lacks dramatic or romantic resonance, and through Mann's high definition lens the story ironically proceeds without any defining depth. Dillinger becomes Depp's least interesting and least creative endeavor to date (see "Donnie Brasco" if you want to see him as a gangster). Dillinger's romance, including his romantic subplot with Billie (Cotillard) drags along after an all-too-sudden jumpstart, only to be laughed at until the over-the-top score sloppily reminds you that you should be taking this moment seriously.

On the other side of the law, Bale's Purvis could have been compelling if we knew something about him other than the fact that he is the quintessentially boring good cop. But we follow Purvis as a means to an end. Not the film's boring end, but rather the more appealing subplot that depicts the messy and painful birth of a national enforcement bureau under J. Edgar Hoover. "Public Enemies" is a mistake of a film whose only strength is its portrayal of mistakes. A silver screen turned grey: its only life seen in the smoke fading above empty black barrels.

Portrait Of An Artest...

...As A Laker.

"L.A. is what it is." Those are the words of Ron Artest who, earlier today, told Ken Berger of CBS Sports that he is "definitely" going to the Lakers. The Los Angeles Times reports that talks between Artest and the Lakers should come to terms this afternoon.

This comes as a surprise not just because of the friction between Kobe and Artest in the Houston-LA playoff series, but Artest also claims he would "play there for nothing." This sounds like a prank, which wouldn't be past the trash-talking veteran, but on the other hand it sounds like a best possible situation for the Lakers. If Ariza decides to leave Los Angeles for the Rockets, the early acquisition of Artest is certain to become the talk of the NBA.

Artest has the power and determination to become a star in Los Angeles. A tough, bad boy New Yorker, his defense has been his greatest strength over his career and is greatly desired by an offensive powerhouse like the Lakers. Artest has that balance of Kobe's intensity and Odom's humor that will hit our city (emotionally) and others (physically).

Artest can put up big shots and use his strength to drive ferociously, but most important for our team is his defensive skill. Kobe and Artest could become one of the great defensive duos in the league, and facing each other in practice will make both of them better on both ends of the court.

Hold on to your seats, folks. And scratch everything I said about keeping Ariza. This deal is simply too good to pass up (or be true for that matter).

Aftermath

Before the long weekend ahead, let's discuss some recent developments in the weeks following the Lakers' championship season.

In a tale of two swingmen, it has been reported that Trevor Ariza is dissatisfied with the Lakers' initial offer of $5 million/year. The other free agent on the squad, Lamar Odom, has expressed his desire for a $10 million/year contract (taking a $4 million salary cut). Ariza, at just 24 years of age, has a tremendous upside that includes rebound ability, defensive smarts, and three-point shooting. A swingman plus, the former Bruin can undeniably play ball and has proven himself confident in the clutch, especially in the postseason.

Odom a.k.a. Gummy Bear, has ten years of experience, outstanding popularity among his teammates and an exceptional level of versatility (though I hesitate to agree with anyone claiming Odom's "ball-handling ability"). The big man stepped it up harder than just about anyone each night of the NBA Finals and played well in the overall postseason after a hot-cold winter-spring.

At the end of the day, it's difficult to discern who's a better investment for the Lakers, though many claim that Ariza's breakout season had much to do with the Kobe-Gasol-Odom threat that would draw defenders and leave number three free to drop bombs. What renders this argument slightly less convincing is the fact that Ariza did not start until the postseason, and his performance with the bench team was just as good. Odom is a bigger loss for this team with respect to winning a championship in 2010, but trading Ariza would leave a major hole in the long-term Laker future. Furthermore, what Ariza displayed in the postseason was nothing short of spectacular from such a young acquisition.

Whether by steal or by triple, at home or away, Ariza's play, more than perhaps anyone else on the team, put out opponents' fire. While Kobe's superhuman focus would keep the team in the game, Ariza's big play factor in the clutch allowed him to redefine what we understand as swingman: he swung momentum.

It would be sad to see either forward leave, but I gotta keep the young'n if I'm thinking dynasty. The Lakers could really hit the jackpot by dealing Odom for a more consistent, younger three-point shooter and rebounder. It would be a blow to the team's charismatic, sugar sweet core, but Odom's inconsistent and lazy play in the regular season next to Ariza's consistent growth and work ethic was frustrating to watch, to say the least. But don't get me wrong, I genuinely hope both players can stay here to win again. Let us also keep in mind that this is merely an initial offer by the Lakers, and plenty of negotiating will follow.

Last Night...

I saw these guys. Twenty bucks later, Mundo Monday became Metal Funday...

Steel Panther, the band formerly known as Metal Skool, played at a packed Key Club last night. For those too young to have experienced the Sunset Strip in its hair metal heyday, Monday's midnight gave their (our) souls a belated spandexorcism. Many in the crowd, however, were definitely reliving the golden age of glam.

Van Halen to Crue, Steel Panther covered hit after hit interspersed with some "original" work. They are an entertaining bunch, and the show is, like the music, all about the girls, girls, girls. In sum, the tunes were loud and the bars were busy at this Monday night Hollywood staple.

A certain topless two-pair came on stage to leave the audience scarred for life. Let's just say they both have or will have SERIOUS BACK PROBLEMS.

It's dirty, lewd, and it just might be the best way to spend Monday night in the NFL offseason.

!Mundo Monday!

From this day forth, Monday is the day we take a step back and ask, "What's up, World?"

Lots of interesting stuff happening around el mundo:

Te-Juicy-Galpa

Four years after an extraordinarily close (3%) presidential election and Bush's implementation of CAFTA, the Honduran population is up in arms after the democratically elected president Manuel Zelaya was detained by the military. Zelaya and his supporters were arrested after he fired the armed forces commander Romeo Vasquez Velasquez. Velasquez's removal followed a failed referendum that would have allowed Zelaya to be re-elected for another four-year term. A Latin American advocacy group believes that Velasquez was trained in the United States.

Honduran presidents can only remain in command for four years in the current constitutional system. Zelaya's referendum would have changed the Honduran constitution, a constitution that was infamously crafted during the Reagan Administration's Latin American interventions. As we know from the United States' federal experience, four years is a surprisingly short period of time to get legislation passed. Honduras is currently the second poorest country in Latin America, and Zelaya had introduced widespread propaganda messaging in May 2007 to help quell what he then called "a campaign of misinformation" regarding his legitimacy.

Since the military detained Zelaya and his supporters, protesters have taken to the streets to denounce the military and judicial branches. The population seems to be divided at best in its support for Zelaya, a reminder that not much has changed since he was elected to office. Although Zelaya had been elected upon a conservative platform, he currently holds the largest amount of support among labor unions and social groups as his policies have continually pushed left on the political spectrum.

Zelaya has enjoyed relative approval in the West and across the world despite his recent dealings with Venezuela's Leftist leader Hugo Chavez. The U.S. and Honduras have continued a strong relationship between armed forces. Chavez currently claims that the U.S. orchestrated the coup. Secretary of State Clinton, the Obama Administration, and the vast majority of the United Nations currently condemn the coup and support a controlled, legal impeachment and election process.

Brazil's Still The Best

The United States international soccer team lost the Confederation Cup final in heartbreaking fashion yesterday, giving up three goals to Brazil in the second half after leading 2-0 at halftime. After coming out strong in Johannesburg to prove that Americans can compete with the world's best clubs, twenty-nine year old Sao Paoloan Luis Fabiano scored two of Brazil's three (including this lightning strike in the first minute of the second half) to capture the game's momentum. Fabiano fulfilled his promise of averaging one goal per game in the tournament on top of lifting his team to win a second straight Confed Cup trophy. Following the match, an ESPN reporter asked USA star Landon Donovan if he thought the USA had earned respect going into the World Cup qualifiers. "We don't want respect," he replied, "We want to win."

In other news, the United States prepares its troops for their first major withdrawal from Iraq (scheduled for tomorrow). The current American death toll stands at 4,317 after a casualty was reported earlier today.

Remembering A Legend

Farewell, King of Pop

Sources of TMZ have just reported Michael Jackson dead at the age of 50. He was sent to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. A life riddled in controversy, may he rest in peace. He might have done more to change how we perceive and receive modern music than anyone in the last fourty years. From his prodigious performance in "I Want You Back" to the moonwalks of "Billie Jean," Michael Jackson set a standard for pop artists that has proven near impossible to meet. A life cut short by difficult circumstance, there is no doubt that he will live on as a music legend for all generations to admire.

After wishing his family condolences, one can't help but wonder how AEG feels after investing over $20 million in promoting Jackson's London comeback tour that had been scheduled for later this year.

"Whatever" Doesn't Really Work

Sony Pictures Classics (2009)

I thought it would be appropriate to kick off The Residual with a review of a genuine film leftover. "Whatever Works" was a script Woody Allen wrote in his golden age (early Seventies), at the point in his career when the characters may have been relevant and its sexism acceptable. After watching this 93-minute, thirty-some-odd years delayed experiment in "rom-com nihilism," the major question one has to ask is, what does Mr. Allen, with this strange New York love affair, wish to accomplish through the discomfiting condescension of Nobel Prize Runner Up Boris Yelnikoff? Furthermore, should the audience -- the primary bearer of Yelnikoff's peevish "genius" -- accept this condescension as willingly at face value as the thickheaded supporting characters on the screen?


Now don't get me wrong. Not everything in this film is a failure. I even laughed a few times (the Viagra/red meat exchange quickly comes to mind). It's script is well-intentioned for the most part, even innovative in Boris' "breaking the fourth wall": a device employed to amusingly affirm Yelnikoff's otherworldly intelligence. I get it (though Alvy Singer did it better, at least more tastefully in "Annie Hall"). Hell, the directing is as glowingly affectionate as "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." But after the patient feminine complexity that allowed "Vicky" to succeed, there is simply no defense for the bizarre, underdeveloped and rushed (anti)romance that twists and turns "Whatever Works" inside out to reveal an unsettling lack of patience, a lack of soul, and a vacuum as empty as those Boris Yelnikoff studied in his academic years.

Whether the major disappointment with "Whatever" comes from the flaws of the script or Larry David's unsurprising inability to act as someone other than Larry David is up for debate, but any devout Woodyite will admit that a genuine comedic screenplay of his is immediately recognizable in its rough edges. These edges that more often than not roughen further under time's unforgiving press had been softened in the past by Allen's scrawny, harmless on-camera "innocence" that allowed us to patiently forgive the awkward or pretentiously obscure references thrown at silver screen damsels. This was because there was a sense that he was "speaking himself." That is, the lines felt natural even during Allen's most difficult neurotic moments. David's Boris is simply too difficult to digest and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth as his "As Good As It Gets"-ish moment of high horse failure proceeds to limp toward the plot's leaping conclusion. The necessary sympathetic backbone of the rom-com spirit comes up short; as brittle as its protagonist and at times impatiently contrived in its most (emotionally and sexually) liberated moments.

This is not to say that the other actors on the screen are much better than David. The characters at times seem to look past and "talk through" rather than to each other. The dialogue's delivery feels rushed, impatient and sometimes predictable. Even Evan Rachel Wood, who seems to shine through her most disturbed characters (cf. "Thirteen," "The Wrestler"), comes off as annoyingly sweet and overly accepting of Boris' geriatric curmudgeonitis. As with Wood's previous roles, however, her Melody continues to have mommy and daddy separation issues. Wood's (and Woody's) Melody lacks any sass that would effectively balance her naive Southern "hospitality." The movie loses its melody and romance in her redundant, tension-less motif that flutters aimlessly on its far off one dimension.

While Allen's homecoming presents itself as perhaps his most subtle affair with the Big Apple, the movie's internal romance lacks any semblance of subtlety. As a Woody fan, you don't expect patience from his comedic pen or vision, but patient subtlety may have been the one missing element that could have allowed "Whatever Works" to live up to its name; an element that could have helped to polish the crowns of two true kings of comedy.

Welcome to Blahg

Hello one and all! Thanks for visiting my blog, The Residual.

For those of you who don't know me, here are five facts to keep in mind as we embark on this weird and wonderful journey together:

1) My name is Nathan (pronounced nay-thun).

2) I am an unabashed Valley Boy (Go Lakers. Go Dodgers.)

3) I am a California Golden Bear, Class of 2009. (Go Bears.)

4) As an undergraduate I wrote for the Arts Review section of The Daily Californian for over three years and conducted international trade research for Berkeley's Political Science Department for one year.

5) I listen to lots of music, watch a lot of sports, see lots of movies, read lots of books, eat lots of food and attend lots of concerts.

I began this blog as a kind of evolving journal through which I could share, record, and compare opinions and discussions regarding political and cultural events as well as the annals and canons of contemporary social memory. Having just graduated college, I decided it might be interesting and fun to record my experiences, tastes and understandings as a young adult in one of the most dynamic and challenging points in modern world history.

re·sid·u·al
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a residue.
2. Remaining as a residue.
n.
1. The quantity left over at the end of a process; a remainder.
2. A payment made to a performer, writer, or director for each repeat showing of a recorded television show or commercial. Often used in the plural.

This blog aims firstly to act as a kind of cyber-Tupperware, i.e. a virtual container for the leftovers of our ever-evolving culture. As we take time to appreciate these delicious morsels of history, The Residual will often pay respect to those thinkers, innovators, and performers that deserve our retrospective time, appreciation or criticism.
(Definition of "residual" courtesy of http://www.thefreedictionary.com)

"A residual, unlike statistical error, is an observable estimate of the unobservable statistical error."
(Wikipedia, "Statistical Error and Residual")

The Residual will also act as a container (Tupperware, people) of critical observations surrounding the perceived errors of our time (and, inevitably, the errors of those who mean to represent our time).

Some Residual posts will simply be questions that I will attempt to answer to the best of my ability, but I would like this to be as interactive as possible, so don't hesitate to comment or try and answer the question yourself.