I'm leavin', not on a jet plane...

I'm leaving for Park City, Utah tomorrow. I'm super excited. I hope I can remember how to snowboard. I know I'll remember how to Rock Band (yes, it's now a verb). I'll take some photos and maybe post some here, if you're lucky.

I'm in between classes right now, so I have a week break. It feels necessary...although I'm actually really excited about the upcoming class called The Art of Film. That should be a lot of fun to teach.

Also, last night I saw Thunder Power!!! and Honeybee at The Waiting Room. Both bands were great. It was the first time I've seen Honeybee live, and I was really into it. They're catchy and have some interesting instrumentation (say that five times fast). I can't wait until they have music on a physical CD.

Also coming up next week: Mamma Mia, the online premiere of the Thunder Power!!! video I directed, Tilly and the Wall at The Waiting Room and much, much more.

the best purchase I've made all year.

New idea

I've got a new idea for a short film that I want to film this summer. I'm not far enough along to really talk about it in detail yet, and I don't want to jinx it in any way, but I just wanted to document my excitement for this project.

I'm going to start writing.

This is pretty funny.

Rainn Wilson interviews Todd Haynes, in preparation for hosting the Independent Spirit Awards.

Rainn on Film With Todd Haynes
Uploaded by filmindependent

American Apparel opening

For those of you interested in keeping up with the changing cultural landscape of Omaha, American Apparel will open in the complex that currently houses Slowdown, Film Streams, Secret Penguin (graphic design), BBB Ltd.(skateboarding and urban apparel shop) and Urban Outfitters. It should be open in a few months.

There's definitely an interesting discussion to be had about owner/CEO Dov Charney and his behavior at work and official statements, including testimony from his current sexual harassment trial (3 counts), but that's a longer story/post...maybe for another day...

The Reptile Garden

The Reptile Garden was the fiction piece in The New Yorker a few issues back. I read the short story on the plane to Florida and loved it. I love it when The New Yorker introduces me to writers that I haven't heard of or read before, like Marisa Silver and now Louise Erdrich. The story really stuck with me, so I thought I would share it with anyone who might be interested. Also, for you Minnesotans, the author Louise Erdrich owns a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis called BirchBark Books.

Musica de Omaha

Friday night Thunder Power!!!, Flowers Forever and Baby Walrus played at the Bemis. What an awesome line-up. For those of you who read this who aren't in Omaha (which is probably most of you), please check these bands out. They all make really great and different music. You can buy the Flowers Forever album at Team Love, and the Baby Walrus one here , and you can listen to Thunder Power here. The show was to celebrate the releases of the Baby Walrus and Flowers Forever albums and also a fundraiser for Kianna from Tilly and the Wall's bulldog Foot Foot who needs ear surgery. The Bemis is a great place for shows -- it's a basement art gallery and the shows are usually in this small room off the gallery. So it's basically a warm, sweaty, sometimes smelly place with no stage and very little light.

Thunder Power!!! played a great set and sounded really good. Flowers Forever played their album in order. Derek was his usual energetic self, and the crowd was really into it -- a lot of dancing. Baby Walrus closed with another amazing set. I'm always really impressed with how good they sound live, especially since their songs have unusual arrangements and layers and stuff.



Flowers Forever.


Baby Walrus.

Molly's got the moves.

I caught about 15 minutes of The Breakfast Club on TV today and I must say that the dance sequence in that movie is so awesome, hands down one of the best. I want to learn each one's moves down to a T. Anyone down for a re-creation?

dispatch from Panera

I am currently writing from Panera, where I am trying to finish my two short writing pieces due tomorrow. I am also trying to keep up my motivation to drive to Film Streams to catch The Diving Bell and the Butterfly tonight at 7 pm. It's the last day it's there and I really want to see it on the big screen. It is FREEZING and windy out, the type of weather that really pushes you to go home, curl up with hot chocolate and watch a movie or read a book (or play Rock Band).

I saw There Will Be Blood last week, another one I was intent on catching in the theater. My reaction to that film could be summed up as frustration. First of all there was a group of teenagers that decided to do all of their social catching up during the film. I moved twice during the movie, standing up and staring at them in the back row both times, but could still hear them. I was seriously close to walking up to them and asking them why they even came in the first place. I played it over a few times in my head, getting down what exactly I would say (during the film), but didn't do it. So, suffice to say it was a less than pleasurable experience that was only magnified by the last third (or perhaps half) of the film. I could write a very long passage on the film, but I will refrain for the time being (mostly because of my current time constraints and large amount of work I have to get done).

I also recently watched 2 Days in Paris, which was overall a pretty good and enjoyable movie, despite its flaws and the annoying habits of the characters.

I finished Extras Season 1 Disc 2. That show is funny. I love the two main characters. I loved Patrick Stewart's screenplay pitch.

Up next (all of which I currently have rented): The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, La Vie en Rose and Interview (which I've had for weeks now and have still not watched), and of course finishing Gilmore Season 7.

SNL

SNL is slated to return next week with Tina Fey as host. The following Saturday Ellen Page is scheduled to host. I'm pretty excited for both of those. They're also hoping to do like 4 or 5 new ones in a row, instead of the usual 3 then break schedule that they're on. They've got to keep up with the political stuff, I guess, and make up for lost time.

Nebraska caucus

A good resource...

...if you're wondering what's going to happen to your favorite TV shows (read: Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock and The Office) post-strike. The NY Times published this TV decoder yesterday. It's a helpful guide that is broken down by networks, and the site states that it will be updated with new info as they get it.

Good news on The Office, 30 Rock front. And I must admit (shamefully) that I'm happy to see Gossip Girl will have 9 new episodes. Yes, I have revealed myself...the secret is out. Bad, yet not unexpected news for 24, which can't seem to get its act together, and possibly downright frightful news for FNL. Please, NBC, do NOT cancel Friday Night Lights. This is your chance to make amends for Freaks and Geeks (well, not really, but still); don't screw up again and cancel one of the best television shows on air.

More show photos

Photos from the Obama rally show at the Slowdown featuring Secret Life of Sparrows, Jim Ward, Bright Eyes, M. Ward and Jim James can be found here, taken by Omaha photographer Kayla Benker.

A-caucusing

Well, the caucus lived up to my hopes...and more. There were so many people! There had to be over a thousand at our location, and it was just 1 out of 12 district locations. Crazy. As a fellow caucuser noted, "I never knew there were so many Democrats in Nebraska." Others echoed similar sentiments: "We're the only ones in our neighborhood...I can't talk about it to people at work..." and so on. So, the Nebraska Democrats definitely came out of hiding today - in record numbers.

Photos and videos of the caucus to come.

Flo-rida

etc.

Just got back from seeing Darren Kean and Thunder Power!!! at Slowdown. Great show. I've got to get to bed for my early wake up tomorrow at 8:30 am to make history attending Nebraska's first ever caucus. I'm so excited! I am so intrigued by the weirdness and mystery that is a caucus. I even love the word.

Also, I wrote a review of the Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Jim James, etc. show for the great Omaha music blog, Omahype.

Obama in Omaha

Today (technically yesterday) was a busy day. I went straight from teaching to pick Kyle up and head downtown to the Civic Auditorium to attend a Barack Obama rally.

Bright Eyes, Jim James and M. Ward played a few songs at the opening of the rally. Then we waited awhile for Barack to come onstage (he was an hour late) and then he spoke for about an hour. We arrived at 3:30 and left at 7, at which time I had to head straight to Slowdown and stand in a long line in the freezing cold to get into the free Barack Obama rally show with, again, Bright Eyes, Jim James, M. Ward and Jim Ward of Sparta and Secret Life of Sparrows. The show was awesome. Basically an all star band that sounded really good and we got to hear about 5 great bands for free and Jason Boesel was drumming. I'm too tired to describe any of this in any detail whatsoever, except to say it was a great and exhausting day.

Photos below. I took some videos too, so maybe I'll post some more on the rally/show tomorrow. And I have photos from Florida yet to post. I'm getting behind!

Flashpapr

In a nostalgic moment last week, I purchased Flashpapr's self-titled CD from Polyvinyl (they're not actually on Polyvinyl, but you can order it there). Flashpapr is/was (don't think they've made music together in awhile, unfortunately) a really great band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Some of the musicians were living in New York at the time, but they all have roots in Ann Arbor. They are also a group of really nice people. The singer, Fred Thomas, has been involved in a bunch of other good bands/projects, including the current Saturday Looks Good To Me (who are actually on Polyvinyl) and has released solo stuff too.

I know I had this CD at some point, but it has been lost in the shuffle of numerous moves (or stolen along with most of my other CDs from the break-in of Laura's jeep in Detroit). Anyway, I decided that I wanted the real thing once again. Here is a song, Free Rides on the Bus, from that CD:



Free Rides On The Bus

random

I came across this photo from a Screenwriting practicum class in an old Michigan newsletter and thought it was pretty funny. I didn't know this photo existed, or maybe I did and forgot. Anyway, that's Alexander Payne in the white button down on the left. I'm to his left, looking very enthused.

I feel obligated to note that my expression belies the fact that I greatly enjoyed having Payne as a guest (for 2 days, we also had lunch with him) and that he was very helpful and inspiring. He workshopped a portion of my script and was complimentary and encouraging at a crucial time where I had pretty much no confidence in my writing ability. He gave me hope and turned things around. So, Alexander, I think it's time for another talk. I'm in Omaha now, please give me a call.

article

Here's my article from last Thursday's issue of The Reader (click on the photos to enlarge them, and thus be able to read the print):

back in Omaha

It's cold. I'm feeling under the weather. I missed the Super Bowl. I'm excited for Super Tuesday tomorrow - and love the moniker Super Tuesday. I wish we could sprinkle other random "super" days throughout the year. It would give us something to aim for and more cause for celebration. Like if it was a Super Thursday, maybe I would bring in cupcakes to work or allow myself a fun movie marathon day or something. I don't know if a Monday could ever qualify as "super" though.

I watched Together last night and loved it. More praise for Sweden! (It's a Swedish movie, directed by the super talented Lukas Moodysson).

Florida was super fun. A nice, relaxing (though I'm super exhausted from it) trip. It was great to see family, water and sunshine (but sadly, no gators). Look for some photos from the weekend in the near future.