Bowling, Hollywood Style

We went to see John Williams conducting the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. This year, special guest Julie Andrews narrated a Henry Mancini retrospective using the music from her husband Blake Edwards' films. A little PINK PANTHER, a little PETER GUNN, a little BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S.

On the way in, multiple vendors were selling light sabers. I saw a couple kids with them, but I thought it was silly. Who would want a light saber? Yeah, I love STAR WARS, but John Williams has written so many great scores. Would he even be conducting STAR WARS? Never underestimate the power of STAR WARS and the fanaticism of its fans.

Those light sabers were everywhere, lightly bobbing to the rhythm of the songs in place of lighters. Fittingly, the encore ended with "The Imperial March."

Besides STAR WARS, there were a number of arrangements played from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, which was probably my favorite part of the show. A piece from LINCOLN was showcased, which was beautiful, but not a piece that would stick in the public's mind; it doesn't have that element of catchiness to it. The L.A. Phil also played the theme from ET, which I always enjoyed more than the movie itself.

It was a beautiful night to end the summer with.

Ponies & Weezer

Keeping with the horse theme, a few weeks ago Hubs and I went to Del Mar. Always have wanted to go, never been.

I love Santa Anita. It will always be my favorite racetrack because it's my home track. I love how it's a little grimy, crumbly, and the bathrooms haven't been updated in decades and I always feel like I'm in a church bathroom from my youth. And because of this lack of updating, the admission is dirt cheap and there aren't hoards of people unless it's Derby Day or the Breeder's Cup. Oh, Santa Anita, I miss you. Is it time for the Oak Tree yet?

Hubs took this stunning photo.

But back to Del Mar. Del Mar is a little more put together, and pricier. You have to pay to get in, and pay more if you want to sit down. But the food options are much better, and they have events. Currently, they have a not-too-shabby summer concert series featuring a bunch of solid bands, the two standouts being Jimmy Eat World and Weezer. Both bands are great live, but JEW was playing on a Friday and trying to get from LA to Del Mar after work on a Friday...it's not going to happen.

So we went on a Saturday and it still took freakin' forever to not go very far and we missed two races. But, alas, Del Mar is lovely. There were a bunch of close races. My sentimental favorite Switch (who almost beat Zenyatta at her last race at Hollywood Park and gave me a heart attack) did not win, despite being a heavy favorite. And that was the betting story of the day. We won absolutely no money, which was depressing, because we usually win enough to cover food. Sigh.

But then there was Weezer. As always, they brought it. Highlights were "My Name is Jonas" and their covers of "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People and "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead. I mean, "Paranoid Android"? Awesome. We were inspired to listen to OK Computer on the ride home.

Their show got me thinking. I haven't been a huge Weezer fan since Pinkerton. But they've had A LOT of radio songs since then. It's actually pretty impressive that a band that's been around that long can still keep cranking out hits and remain relevant. Their coolness is transcending decades. And I like knowing I was there at the beginning. And then I was there at Del Mar in 2011.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

Though Amy Winehouse's death doesn't come as a complete shock, that doesn't make it any less tragic. Her music and her amazing, soulful voice had a unique, honest vibrance and vulnerability that pop music hasn't had in a long time. And it stinks that we won't get any more of it.

More Wall Decorations

After remembering the photo of Trent on my adolescent closet, I searched for other photos I had hanging up. Here's what I found:

Oh, Bai Ling. What went wrong? I saw you in Red Corner and thought you were so amazing and were on your way to being the next big thing. So beautiful, so talented. You were creepy in The Crow. Well done. Then in Anna and the King you were so beautiful and so talented again. And then you stopped being in movies and started dressing like a total wackjob, even winning Fug Madness (okay, I'll admit, that's impressive, but sad). And now you're going to be on Celebrity Rehab 5. Argh. You are still hot and can still act. You were even good in LOST, though I remember your part was some lame storyline to explain Matthew Fox's tattoos (you know, which are his real tattoos, so they need not be explained in a fictional show). But that wasn't your fault, that was the awfulness that LOST was at times. Please, clean it up, girl. I still have hope for you.

I was never a huge No Doubt fan, but I always worshiped Gwen's red lipstick and black liquid eyeliner. I also had mad respect for her multiple magazine interviews where she emphasized how she worked out a lot to keep her thin frame when all the other celebrities were saying they never worked out and ate whatever they wanted to. She made teenage girls believe they could grow up to be healthy rock princesses without starving themselves.

Rob Thomas? I guess I really liked Matchbox Twenty's first album. And the dude was homeless for a bit before their big break. It was a nice story. Moving on...

 CZJ, I loved you in Mask of Zorro. I'm still a little creeped out that you married Michael Douglas.

Wino Forever. How come Charlie Sheen can be a wife-abusing, anti-Semitic, host of porn stars hauling suitcases of cocaine, yet completely in demand when all he was good at in the first place was playing a womanizer who spouted bad dick and fart jokes? And you, with years of solid film performances and multiple Oscar nominations have one small misunderstanding with Saks and some prescription pills and your career is toast for ten years. Hollywood is not fair. Lucas was a childhood fave. Dracula, Little Women. So good. You looked great in Black Swan, not a hint of Botox. Here's hoping for more leading roles in the near future. And finally...

Okay, this was not the same photo of Shirley Manson that I had up, but it was the same hair and makeup, so it may have been from the same shoot. In my photo she was wearing a sleeveless robin's egg blue latexy shirt, but I can't seem to find that photo. Anyway, Shirley was my hero, still is. Love her voice, love her lyrics, love her style. Love Butch Vig and the rest of Garbage. No, I did not watch her in The Sarah Connor Chronicles because I gave up on that show long before then, but I'm always tempted to check out the episodes she's in. Maybe someday.

I had many, many more photos, mostly from Premiere (does that magazine even still exist?) and Rolling Stone, which is business savvy and makes you pay a subscription fee to look through their archives. Darn you RS for refusing to adapt to the free internet age.

Wall Decoration

Holy hell! I can't believe I forgot to include Trent Reznor in my Oscar blog!

In high school I had magazine photos of all my favorite actors/actresses/musicians hanging on my closet doors. This SPIN cover of Trent Reznor always stuck out the most. I would stare at it all the time, hypnotized and pondering: Why did they apply concealer around his nose in perfect trapezoids and then not blend it? Why does he look so much like Jesus? Is he praying? Where did the bump on his nose go? This is the most photoshopped photo I've ever seen. I can't believe Trent signed off on this. It seems so un-Trent Reznor.

I even remember the article a bit. "The Perfect Drug" had just come out and was a huge hit accompanied by an awesome video. Trent was asked about his next album and he said he didn't have much material. He was having writer's block and a little perplexed. Oh the woes of being an artist. I was shocked when The Fragile came out a year later because not only was it awesome, it was a massive two-discer. I guess the inspiration must have struck. There is hope for us all.

In high school, if you had told me that Trent Reznor would cut off all of his hair, win an Oscar, and give a completely tame, everyman acceptance speech, I would have told you to eff off, turned up the NIN, and continued applying my black kohl eyeliner. But now that I'm older (and not any wiser) my inner fifteen year old celebrates this former rebel winning an Oscar. He deserved it. The Social Network's score was perfect for the the movie. And when was the last time a true rock star won an Oscar? I've seen a number of concerts in my day, and Trent in concert rocked it for two hours straight. It was most impressive. The only other musician I've seen capture the stage like Trent was Bono, and Bono didn't writhe around for two hours.

Congratulations, Trent. I'll always remember you as the picture on my closet door; you, but not quite you. As any artist should be.