Tomorrow is today

I'll put a full post up tomorrow morning about today...Confused? You won't be tomorrow...

Orange chicken and chicken feet

Tonight was a fun night. Ted's new friend, Andy dropped by the our Toluca house of fun. Ordered in some mediocre Chinese food from Toluca Garden and talked through an episode of "Dawson's Creek," which I hadn't seen in MONTHS. It's funny what a little distance can do to one's perception of the show. Geez, was it bad...Now, Dawson and Jen are banging each other and Pacey's looking like ass...Jack has a cute new hairdo, but he's become an asshole. Ack...

Fortunately, there was a great episode of "Amazing Race" to wash away the bad aftertaste. Man, this show is good...and many times, it's better than the current season of "Survivor." They had a couple of interesting obstacles, namely a ping-pong match against a local kid champion and the obligatory reality show "eat the weird food" competition. Beetle larvae and chicken feet...Mmmmm! Fortunately, we had finished our Chinese dinner long before watching the show.

The last several minutes were REALLY intense. Much to my chagrin, Team Guido (the bitchy, catty, rude life partners) barely made it in third place knocking the fun fratboys, Kevin and Drew out of the game. I'm not a fan of Team Guido at all...Like some other friends of mine, I agree that they are yet another bad representation of the gay community on a reality/game show. (This is not counting shows like "The Real World.") So far, the only cool gay guy on a reality show has been Jim Morrison (not the one from The Doors!) from the first season of "The Mole." And as cute as I think Brandon on "Survivor: Africa" is, he's just a 'twee bit too queeny sometimes. For example...that archery competition on the show a couple of weeks ago. Good lord! Fortunately, it looks like Team Guido has no chance of making it to the front of the pack as the gap between 2nd and 3rd place is soooo big.

Survivor prediction for tomorrow: I think Lex or Frank are gonna get the boot. Lex looks like he's really gonna start to piss people off by trying to figure out who voted for him.

So ends another day...The rest of the week is looking to be fun. Friday night, a return to the "Rock 'n Bowl" at Jillian's at Citywalk. My last game resulted in a 69...that is, a SCORE of 69, you dirty birds! And Saturday night is the first of many holiday parties that I'll be going to this holiday season...

Purty

Took a walk down the 3rd Street Promenade this morning on some work-related business. It was such a nice day today. Just the right combination of winter and sun. Despite the stroll past some shops in my field trip today, I still am nowhere closer to figuring what I'm getting people for the holidays. Grrr....

Speaking of shopping and all, I may be in the minority, but that new Geoffrey Giraffe in the Toys R Us ads is creeping me out. For those who haven't seen him, he's now a realistic looking giraffe with an animated mouth. He just doesn't have the charm or cuddly friendliness as the cartoon one. And the cartoon one had family too. Where's his wife and kids?!? This new Geoffrey brings back bad images of Jumanji.

I'm so glad we had this time together...

Eased back into the work grind today. Got a couple of projects we've got simmering on the front burner. Hopefully, they'll be fully cooking within the next few weeks. And hopefully, I'll be through with the culinary metaphors by then...

Had a pleasant surprise tonight when Adam, Jered, and Joel dropped by. I threw in a few Toll House Chocolate Chip and Caramel cookies in the oven...which were ok, though I probably wouldn't buy them again. The guys came over to watch AbFab and that led to watching the latest episode of Justice League (btw, the Flash rocks my world) and the Carol Burnett special which was hilarious...Anyhoo, it was great to see the bunch again especially Joel whom we hadn't seen in ages!

So I've started thinking about holiday shopping...I might stop by the mall during lunch tomorrow to think even harder about what gifts I want to get people...

Now, a little soapboxing for some indie music...Ever since college, I've been one to scrounge around the 'net for any interesting new indie artists. That's actually how I stumbled upon the bands "Self" and "Fluid Ounces," two really good power-pop bands from Tennessee. The latest indie artist I've gotten hooked on is Linus of Hollywood. It's actually one man...a one-man band of sorts. He plays all the instruments on his CDs a la Paul McCartney in his "McCartney" and "McCartney II" albums and Jason Falkner. This guy's stuff is AWESOME. Pure pop with very catch melodies. His cover of Ozzy Osborne's "Goodbye to Romance" is worth the price of admission. In any case, if you like Beach Boys/Beatles/Jellyfish-style pop, check this guy out.

Speaking of music, another one of my holiday plans (in addition to getting shopping done) is composing a holiday tune. I was going to start work on this during Thanksgiving weekend, but alas, my lazy ass took over and it was not to be...However, I hope to start working on this song and have it ready to put up on the web in a couple of weeks.

RAIN!

So it rained this weekend...actually...it RAINED. More reason to sleep in and become Mandelrrito. And it was so cold this weekend...[How cold was it?] It was soooo cold we christened our heater at the little house in Toluca Lake.

The rain helped with making this a REALLY lazy weekend. Lots of Gamecube playing and TV watching. Ted started decorating the house for Christmas. As always, he's done fabulous job. This year's theme: a Harry Potter Christmas. The tree is awesome and we have these candles hanging from the ceiling set to look like they're floating in the air. It's quite impressive especially at night when the lights are off. I'll have pics of it up on the site by tomorrow night hopefully.

Met up with Nathan last night who continues to chastise me on my ogling...It's my bad habit. I admit it...But hey, at least I don't smoke or do drugs...all right...lame comparison, but I know it's a bad habit, and maybe I've stumbled upon what my New Year's resolution will be. :-)

Today was no more lazy...Cleaned up the room a bit and watched more T.V. Tonight was that Hollywood Christmas Parade...Lame-ass...It's basically the poor man's version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. I was majorly disappointed. Usually Alex Trebek and Leeza Gibbons do the duties of the announcing for the parade but this year we got some local reporters. It was sorely lacking Trebek's feigning excitement for the holiday cheer. Tonight was also the big "Press Your Luck" Marathon on Game Show Network. I liken the show the game show equivalent of crack. My fondness for the show tends to puzzle and sicken my friends...Speaking of which, I must say that there's a bit of a comforting feeling as my friends came back into town today. Yet again going back to how thankful I am that I've met so many good people out here...

And thus, the holiday weekend ends and I haven't even started holiday shopping...Methinks I'm going to regret not starting this earlier...

Lazy days...

Wow...what a lazy day today...I took in my car for the 30,000 MILE MAINTENTANCE check up [cue fanfare]. I found out that I also needed to get my brake pads replaced. All in all, it cost me a few hundred bucks. Not quite what I was hoping for...

Spent most of the day playing "Luigi's Mansion." Gosh, I'm a big nerd...It's an addicting game though. Gotta hand it to Nintendo to make a simple, fun, engrossing game...

Aside from that nothing much...I helped Ted out with his webpage which should look pretty kick-ass once it's up. There'll be a link, of course, once it's done. Did a little catching up on stuff I've got on the TiVO namely watching "Being Mick," which basically is a documentary about Mick Jagger during the making of his latest album. And just did a little chatting here and there. Bumped into Keith online...He's a cool guy with a neat website. You should all check it out.

Gobble gobble

Just got back from another GREAT dinner...this time courtesy of Rob and Charles. In addition to the usual suspects of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and yams, there was a nice helping of peach-cranberry-ginger chutney and pumpkin bread. Mmm...mmm...good. They are great chefs. I think Rob and Charles should have their own cooking show. Just think about it ...gay twin chefs! We ended up not doing the slumber-over thing, but along with dinner we watched "Showgirls" on DVD along with "Survivor" (Brandon didn't get voted off, YAY!) and "Will and Grace." I had never seen "Showgirls" before. Good lord...was it a bad movie. In fact, I'll say that it was the worst movie that I'd ever seen in my life. Way too many boobies for Mandel to handle...

All in all, it's been a great Thanksgiving...Hell, it's been a good year with much to be thankful for. I still have a job and it's one that I'm enjoying quite a lot. I've in a nice living situation, probably the best that I've been in since moving out here. And I've got great friends. Thanks to all of them for being there for me...you all know who you are. And thanks for putting up with my shenanigans! I must say that L.A. has really become home for me and I truly feel like I have a second "familiy" out here.

Well, I just found out that "Greed," the show I wrote for is going to be re-run on Game Show Network beginning in January. Quite surreal...another example of how things coming full circle. After years of watching Game Show Network, a show I worked on will now air on it!

Shock the monkey...

Ahhh...just got back from a pseudo-Thanksgiving dinner at Chris, Kristen, and Adrianna's apartment. Kristen's mom was in town and helped Kristen with the cooking and boy was it a good dinner! Nothing beats some good turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes and candied yams. And it's not even Thanksgiving yet!

After dinner, Chris, Ted, Larry, and I engaged in a little "Super Monkey Ball." It's quite the fun party game. The "Monkey Fight" mode is ridiculously addicting. And who wouldathunk that Sega would be making games for Nintendo. I can't wait to see if Mario Party comes to the Gamecube...if so, that'll be insane...

As expected, work was very quiet today. We had a half-day so I was able to get a little snip-snip at the barber shop. I went to this place my friend Adam suggested called Shorty's in West Hollywood. I figured I should break the usual Supercuts trimming and give the ol' mom and pop shop a try. It's a nice little place. And they did a good job with the haircut especially with my vague directions of "just make it less thick and use the clippers." I really needs to do a bit more research beforehand next time so it sounds more like English the next time I tell them how I want my haircut. I'll have a pic of the 'do up some time tomorrow on the Photo Album page.

Speaking of which...to all of you heading out of town, have safe trips! I'll be spending the holiday in town this year and I'll also be spending Christmas in L.A. as well. I'm still a bit antsy about flying. Ted and I will be heading to our friend Rob's for a dinner/slumber party tomorrow evening so it should prove to be some fun.

So yeah...

We had a pilot taping today. Went pretty smoothly and once it goes through the wonderful world of post-production, it should turn out prettty decently. Nothing else really new...Just winding down and getting ready for the two Thanksgiving feasts I'll be partaking in this week. Mmmm....pumpkin pie....

All I want is some damn chicken!

Pretty busy day today at work...We're taping a pilot tomorrow night and had dress rehearsal tonight. The usual hiccups happened as people tried to figure out camera positions, stage cues, etc., but it looks like everything should fall in place by taping tomorrow evening.

Fired up a Marie Callender's frozen chicken dinner tonight and I have to say that the directions to heat it up are the most complicated directions ever. Here's how they read:

- Puncture FILM COVER and GRAVY POUCH 3 - 4 times with fork to vent.
- Set gravy pouch aside.
- Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes.
- Pull back film cover and remove chicken from plate.
- Replace film cover and microwave corn and potatoes on HIGH for 2 minutes.
- Pull back film cover, stir potatoes; and return chicken to plate; re-cover.
- Stand gravy pouch in microwave-safe bowl and place beside plate in microwave.
- Continue microwaving 3 to 4 minutes or until hot.
- Let stand for 2 minutes in microwave oven.
- CAREFULLY remove pouch, plate, and film cover as PRODUCT WILL BE HOT; serve with gravy.
- Receive your honorary degree from the Cordon Bleu school for figuring all of this out.

I made that last part up...Making Thanksgiving dinner is less complicated than this!

Game on!

Well, it's been quite a "jump on the bandwagon" weekend. Friday night, Ted, Larry, and I went to see "Harry Potter" at the Mann's Chinese Theater. We managed to get tickets to the 10:40 PM show. We got in line at 10 PM and it was already around the corner deep into Orange Drive! Somehow, we were able to get seats next to each other and I was able to get my mug on the KNBC local news that night. All in all, I thought it was a fun little movie. A 'twee bit on the long side and it seemed like the action happened in fits and starts. Definitely one of the better "kids'" movies I've seen but not quite up to par with "Babe" and "Willy Wonka." I actually seemed to like it better than Ted and Larry probably because I hadn't read the books and they had. We also bumped into the lovely Hilary and Chad outside the theater after the movie which was quite nice since we hadn't seen them in months. BTW, the exit system SUCKS at the new parking structure at Hollywood and Highland. It tooks us half an hour to get out of there...Nevertheless, it's a really great new complex. Very Times Squares-ish...

Saturday was quite the laid-back day. I met up with Chris, a friend I made online not too long ago. We spent the afternoon walking through this park near Porter Ranch. Actually, it was just across the street from the new shopping center that had just opened there. It was very cool and very calm and serene...kinda like a little secret forest in the middle of suburbia. It was probably the most walking I've done since Disneyland and most I've seen of nature since my attempt at hiking with Adam, Ted, and Larry in Griffith Park.

I got back home that night to find some visitors namely Christie and Jeremy. Christie and Jeremy and the boys were watching "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" on DVD. After which, Christie left and our other friend John arrived to join us in watching the first episode of "Justice League." At around 10 PM, I made a trip over to Virgin Megastore in Burbank in hopes of securing a spot in line for their midnight release of the Nintendo Gamecube. I milled around the store for about a half hour and got a bit worried. There weren't any signs about a midnight sale nor were there any special lines in the store for people waiting for the midnight release. I end up going to somebody up at the counter and asking them if they were having a special line for the Cube. Sure enough they were handing out reserve tickets to save a spot in line for the midnight release. He gave me one...the LAST one...I decided to just walk around the store and browse through the books and magazines and check out the listening stations until midnight arrived. In the midst of this, I noticed a familiar looking red-head with tattoos all over his arm and one on his neck. It was the lead singer of EVE 6!! He was there with a few friends and it looked like he was buying a Playstation2 and a bunch of PS2 games. Now, I had thought he was a pretty-good-looking guy when seeing him on TV, but my oh my...[girl mode on] he is even better looking in person! [girl mode off]

Midnight arrives and there are about seven or so people left...We all knew pretty much what we were here for. Another family arrives not knowing about the reserve tickets only to find out that all of them had been given out. I head up to the counter, hand over my ticket, and receive a Gamecube bundle which included a black Gamecube, a controller, a memory card, and three games. After paying for it, I rushed home, re-jiggered the entertainment center and popped in the game. The first thing that caught my eye is how damn small this thing is. It fit perfectly in our center without being too intrusive. The games look like those smaller 3-inch CDs!

Now...I've been a video game enthusiast for a while...I remember being wowed by Colecovision, the original NES, the Super Nintendo, and Nintendo 64. I thought Playstation 1 and 2 were cool but the games never really sparked that "oh my gosh" feeling from me. Same with what I've seen of the XBox. As soon the opening movie of Luigi's Mansion popped up, I was like a little kid again. This thing is phenomenal. What I love about Nintendo is that they know how to make fun games. Luigi's Mansion is a FUN game. The new Star Wars game is mind-blowing. At the risk of sounding cliche, it's like being in the movie. Super Monkey Ball looks silly on the outset, but it's plays like a twisted version of the classic Marble Madness.

Today, Ted, Larry, and I went shopping around for kicks at Toys R Us and Target. Little did I know how lucky I was to get my hands on the Gamecube Saturday night...They were sold out everywhere. There were hardly any games left at both stores. In any case, if you do see one and you like fun video games, snap one up right away. This is a great little machine and it's already proven its worth with three games. I can only imagine what lies ahead!

The rest of today was quite fun. Mike, James, Jered, and Tony joined us for some evening roller-skating in Glendale. Tony brought along a couple of friends (Clinton and Josh) who were also very cool and whom we hopefully willl be seeing more of in the future. I suck at roller-skating. I really didn't skate too much. I probably covered a few feet on the rink and that was it for me. I had a bad fall the last time I tried. Didn't break anything that time, but my ass was sore for about a month! [Insert obligatory joke here...]

After skating, Mike, James, Jered, and Tony joined us at home for a little board-gaming. We tried to play "Beyond Balderdash," but that proved to be dull, convoluted, and disastrous. We moved on to games that involved less bookkeeping and paper...namely the new platinum electronic editions of "Scattergories," "Taboo," and "Outburst." These are awesome adaptions of party games and they simple to set up. Ted and Larry's team kicked my team's asses on all three games. I blame it on computer shenanigans...especially "Outburst!" We get categories like "Wine Manufacturers" while the other team got "Bakery Items" and "Things You See at a Library." SHENANIGANS!

Whew...it's been actually quite a fun-packed weekend...And a great way to segue into the Thanksgiving week!

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

Ahhh...I know when winter's here when I can roll up in a blanket turning myself into a Mandelrrito. It's so snug and cozy feeling all warm as the onset of the winter cold nips at my nose. It's so dangerous though especially as I wake up in the morning to hit the snooze button constantly (becase it feels oh so toasty and good as Mandelrrito) as my time to prep for work dwindles leaving me with only 10 minutes to get into the shower, throw on some clothes, brush my teeth, hop in the car and brave the traffic down Sepulveda as I crawl towards Santa Monica. Damn you, Jack Frost and damn you, snooze-button inventor!!!!

Not much new to report on the homefront...Last night, Rob, Tony, and Nathan (GASP!!!!) came over for our usual "Survivor"/"Must See TV Thursday" fest. I actually was right with my prediction for the vote! WOO-HOO! But that sucks for the rest of the young-ins on Samburu, namely my boy Brandon. Poor baby...at least he was spared of being voted off last night. I was getting quite worried there at the end. Missed the preview for the next episode thanks to CBS's dirty trick of ending the show after 9 PM. The TiVO automaticaly switched the tube to "Will and Grace" which thankfully NBC has spared of its dirty trick of starting before 9 PM.

mmmm....Strawberry Eggos....mmmm.....

Well, tonight's Harry Potter night. I've never read the books, so I can't say I'm as excited about it as everybody else. Still, the previews have looked damn good. Ted, Larry, and I are going to check it out tonight at the Mann's Chinese Theater. We're seeing the late show so we'll have time to check out the new Hollywood & Highland complex, so it should be doubly fun tonight...

Random musings...

Just some random musings for today's blogger entry...

Went to Dave's last night and watched the movie "Traffic"...I missed this one when it was in the theaters. It was much better than I thought it was going to be and it was quite interesting to see Topher Grace outside his "That 70s Show" persona...

29 MILLION people saw the Michael Jackson crap-tacular...Good lord...And according to the overnight ratings, the audience increased EVERY half hour. I'll be curious to see if this translates to more album sales...

Mmmm....Toll house cookies...mmmm....

My "Survivor" prediction for tonight: Lindsey will be given the boot and I think that the there won't be a merger...PERIOD. My guess is that they're going to keep two tribes and just keep mixing up the tribe members. But then again, I could be wrong...I was the one who thought there was going to be sex in the safari last night...

XBox was released today, and frankly, I'm not that excited about it. (Sorry, Mike...) The games just don't look as fun. However, this weekend, I'll be going for a long shot by trying to get my hands on a Gamecube. I might even try to head down to the stores that are having a midnight release. And yes, I'm THAT much of a dork...

Picked up the new Paul McCartney album this week...Not sure what to make of it quite yet. It is definitely not up to par with "Band on the Run" and "Tug of War" but on the other hand it's not as bad as "Off the Ground" or "McCartney II." Still, there are some goodies on there worth checking out namely "I Do" and "Heather."

Mama-say, mama-sah, mama moo-sah!

Well, last night was the moment I was looking forward to this sweeps month...it was CBS's presentation of Michael Jackson's 30th Anniversary CRAP-tacular and boy was it craptastic!

Christie and Adam joined Ted, Larry, and me in the festivities after they had sampled the night's new edition of "Buffy." The show opened not with Marlon Brando's original intro which consisted of a reminder that children are being hacked to death in Third-world countries, but instead with Samuel L. Jackson prepping us for a rendition of "Wanna Be Starting Something" with Mya, Usher, and the living corpse of Whitney Houston. Usher and Mya came dancing along with people in what looked at first to be caveman outfits. The two's performances were all right, but Mya's sparked what would become the evening's game: "Lip-synching or not lip-synching?" I thought, "nahh, it's not," but the others were convinced she was. Upon closer inspection (thanks to some instant replaying on the TiVO), it did look like she was. But that was certainly not the highlight of this number...that honor is reserved for the appearance of the living corpse of Whitney Houston. Ted said something to the effect that they had brought out one of the robots from A.I. Damn, she's skinny...hell, I look like a buddha standing next to her. As Whitney gasps out her part of the song there's more dancing, a little fire-eating, and Mya and Usher doing their best Mary Martin's flying above the Madison Square Garden stage. Gawd, this is going to be a good show!

After a commercial break, we're treated to Billy Gilman's rendition of "Ben." While there's no question that this boy's going to be joining the team, Ted and Adam get into a little debate about whether Billy is going to be cute or not when he grows up. Ted says "yes." Adam says "no." I say "oh my, look at Macauley sitting next to Michael...I think he's getting jealous of Billy!"

Then after a performance by Shaggy (to which Michael was seen saying to the LizTaylor2001sitting next to him: "I love this guy"), there was a performance of "Heal the World" by nobody whom I recognized...except Mya, but that's because I saw her at the beginning in the show. Is that Beyonce? Is that Shania? Where's Chaka Kahn?!?" It is then that I realize that I should have spent a month watching TRL to bone up on my who's who in the pop/R&B world before watching this craptacular. The number is interspersed with the many faces of Michael Jackson holding poor, sick, foreign children and handing huge checks to them. The number is capped off by a chorus of more children singing while Michael, Macauley, and the LizTaylor2001 blankly watch...

The rest of the first hour consists of more renditions of Michael Jackson songs that are about as lifeless as the right side of Liza Minnelli's face. Speaking of which, what was up with her performance of "You Are Not Alone?" My goodness, what was she wearing on her face?!? For a second there, I think I had switched to Kabuki Theater.

Then, came the moment we'd all been waiting for: the return of the Jacksons to the stage. The LizTaylor2001 was wheeled out, plugged in, and cranked up to introduce the Jacksons. I think somebody forgot to oil up L.T.2001's mouth because it wasn't moving at all as it slurred through a flaccid intro to the Jacksons.

Cue pyrotechnics...cue shots of audience members crying...cue me crying at the fact that the show was only half-over and there was still a whole hour of this to go. All the Jacksons were there with all the moves they were famous for singing a medley of the songs we love beginning with one of my favorites: "Can You Feel It?" Christie was having flashbacks to watching them on Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin, while Ted and I were having flashbacks of seeing that really cool "Can You Feel It?" video where they spread the glitter all over the world and Michael Jackson was still black. It was clear though that it really wasn't about the Jackson reunion, it was all about Michael. Michael leading off the dance moves, Michael standing over that damn air vent (keep a tight grip on your nose!), and Michael making young girls scream and cry (yeah, right...). And you know, the other Jackson brothers seemed to be holding their own. Jermaine, though, looked like he just stepped off from his day job as the captain of "The Love Boat." There were more songs with the family interpersed with more shots of girls crying and gratuitous shots of current celebrities like "O-Town" to try to convince us that Michael Jackson is still relevant in today's society.

After the reunion, was Michael Jackson solo singing (or lip-synching?) some of his most famous numbers. His version of "The Way You Make Me Feel" had video bits of him with women interspersed to remind us that he IS heterosexual with a strong libido for women. Slash popped in for "Black or White" and "Beat It" and we were treated to a half-hearted rendition of his legendary Motown Anniversary performance of "Billie Jean." By then, he'd worn out his welcome. Ted and Larry had fallen asleep, Adam and Christie left, and I was pissed that he didn't do "P.Y.T." or anything from "Off the Wall." But Liza, Macauley (in a different shirt and seat!), and the LizTaylor2001 watched produdly as their elfin king soldiered on...

Ya know, I used to have respect for Michael Jackson. He was a very talented guy and "Off the Wall" and "Thriller" stand as two of the greatest albums in pop history. BTW, you should all check out the new remastered versions of those albums. They've got great commentary tracks by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton. It's like the audio equivalent of a DVD. But man, ol' Jacko is such a shadow of his former self. He could not even bear to look at the audience. It was like somebody jammed a quarter up his ass like a jukebox to drone out his greatest hits. And the new stuff really doesn't do much for me. In fact aside from the track here or there like "Scream," "Black or White," and "Smooth Criminal," he hasn't put out a consistently good album since "Thriller." This special, while it looked like it was intended to be a two-hour informercial as to why Michael Jackson should matter to us now (geez, I was expecting Ron Popeil to show up saying "if you act now, we'll throw in Tito!"), ended up being a reminder that he USED to be great, but for some reason, he just ain't..and he should realize that people "just can stop loving him" and he's gotta "make that change." Sorry, that was "bad..." D'oh! Oops...I did it again...wait...oh, screw it...

Some other final thoughts and observations...I know this was taped over two days, but still, it seemed like Macauley Culkin was changing seats and clothes after every number. I wonder if he was just a seat filler like those people at the Oscars...And I was also disappointed at the absence of Emmanuel Lewis from the ceremonies and the non-inclusion of Michael's duet with Britney Spears of "The Way You Make Me Feel"...though Ted probably would have beaten me up if I started ragging on that. (I wonder if Britney thought "The Way You Make Me Feel" was a song by Lionel Richie...) Finally, I think Alien Ant Farm was totally gypped in this...Their version of "Smooth Criminal" stands as THE definitive Michael Jackson tribute to date. Seeing that with Michael Jackson joining them would have validated the existence of this tribute concert...

This post has no title...

Last night, I went with my friend Judd to West Hollywood. * GASP * And I went to a bar. * GASP * Yes, that cold you feel is not just winter, but it's hell freezing over. Those of you that know me, know that I've never been a fan of the bar/club thing in West Hollywood. Too many people, music that's too loud, crappy street pavement, and lack of parking spaces don't make Mandel a happy camper. Last night, things were a bit calmer. Parking was easy, the streets are now better, there weren't too many people, and the music...well, the music was still loud. But hey, you can't have everything. Judd and I had a good time at the bar we went to. Judd's a neat guy...He seems to be looking for more friends (especially more gay friends) since he's new to town. At some point during the evening, we each had this look of befuddlement as to the goings-on of the bar which was reassuring.

One of the night's highlights was seeing a certain host of a reality show that used to burrow its head on the air not too long ago (figured it out yet?) walk by us on the sidewalks of Santa Monica Blvd. This was the same host another friend of mine saw at a West Hollywood bar a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, this doubly confirmed our suspicions about him. :-) And Ted and Larry, I take back all my teasing about you guys thinking this host is handsome, because he really IS a handsome guy!

Ahhh...it's less than 24 hours away to the Michael Jackson CRAP-tacular. Here's one last quote of the day...I've saved the best for last:

"I speak to Liza [Minelli] every week. We come from the same planet. Like Elizabeth [Taylor] does...It's called Capricious Anomaly in the Sea of Space [laughs]. Gee, I can't name it. Just beyond our solar system, I think. But this is true, and this is not to be taken lightly: People who grew up as child stars have the same thing in common. You're cute, they love you; you go through the awkward stage, they don't accept you anymore. Very few make the transition to adult star. And most of them become self-destructive. And it's very sad."

Michael, YOU'RE very sad...You used to be so talented, why did you become such a FREAK!?!? Nevertheless, I'll be gleefully ripping your special apart tonight while noshing on some "candy, cookies, and ICE CREAM!" I refuse to dress up like a clown though...

Here we go again?

Oy...woke up this morning to turn on the tube and see the news about the plane crash in New York. Granted, nothing has been said about it being terrorist-related or not, but it still sucks. And something like this doesn't help to allay my uneasiness about flying. Call me a coward, a wussy, whatever, but I never was a fan of flying in the first place. I've been one to prefer the long cross-country drive...Ironically, I suck at driving, so go figure...

On a much lighter note, last night, I saw Varla Jean's "All Washed Up" ad The Village Theater in Hollywood. It was my first drag show so I didn't know quite what to expect. It was a cute, fun show. Not sure if I'd ever go see her perform again, but there were many funny lines in her monologue. It reminded me of a 70s variety show mixed in with that show on TBN with the poodle-haired woman and sprinkled with a touch of "The Gong Show." The big highlight was Varla's perfromance of "Enough is Enough" with Ethel Merman.

Before we went to the show, Ted, Larry, Christie, Rob, David S., and I had dinner at The Cash Cow. It's a nice little restaurant on Santa Monica and Sweetzer in West Hollywood. Every time I've gone there, we've been served by Shawn, this waiter whom I think is just adorable and totally fell into one of my "types" (the blonde hair, blue eyes, boyish face-type)...Cut to the chase...Ted and Larry start ragging on me about how I keep gushing about this waiter and how I should grow some balls and ask the guy out. Now, three things to keep in mind...1) I don't even know if the waiter plays for the team. 2) Even if he is, how do I know he's not single? and 3) If things were turned around and those guys where single, I don't think any of them would go up to the waiter and ask him out! Sooooo, I pay with my credit card and sign the receipt. Ted takes the receipt and proceeds to write "Thanks, Shawn! If you're ever bored call..." and puts down my cell phone number. I will be VERY surprised if the guy gives me a call, but who knows? Leave it to Ted and Larry to make life interesting for me...what great roommates...

And now Michael Jackson's response to a question about being a father in a recent "TV Guide" interview:

"I try my hardest. I try to bring them a lot of fun. Once a year I dress up like a clown, with the whole gear --- the nose, the paint. And I give them candy and cookies."

"Candy and cookies and being a clown..." yep, that's pretty much the mark of ANY good parent. And ya know what, just for that quote, I'm gonna be baking a nice batch of cookies tomorrow night for my roomies as we watch Michael Jackson's CRAP-tacular.

Putt-ered out

Went to Castle Park mini-golf in Sherman Oaks last night with Ted, Larry, David S., Mike, and James. Quite a lot of fun...It wasn't as crowded as I thought it was going to be. Hole-in-one honors go to Mike, David, and Larry, while I had the honor of getting the highest score of +18. Huzzah! Now, that means I'm the winner, right? :-) There was a creepy old man roaming around the mini-golf course though...He just roamed around the complex saying nothing. Ted and David joked that it was the "Phantom of the Mini-Golf" [cue thunder here]

Went to brunch with Nathan this morning for yet another around of teasing about my website and how it's confusing for me to be talking about yesterday in today's entry...blah blah blah blah blah. I've mentioned today's brunch in today's entry just to spite him. Hee-hee... >:-)

Ted's been getting his website ready. He's been showing me previews of some artwork he's done for it...one has me in cartoon form. (Yeah, I know...it's a bit redundant...) A link will be up once the site is open. It'll definitely be one to check out when it's up and running.

Quite a busy rest of the day lined up for me. Later in the afternoon, I'll be dropping by NBC to check up on the "Feud" family. And tonight, I get to go to my first drag show...Varla Jean Merman. I've never been to one before. It should prove to be interesting...

As promised, here's the Michael Jackson quote of the day...(just a couple days before his big craptcular on CBS!):

(This is talking about how he still goes "pioneering" for Jehovah's Witnesses)

"Yeah...I've done, you know, we call it pioneering. We do 90 hours a month. I don't do as much now because I'm busy...[I go door-to-door wearing] a fat suit, pop-bottle glasses, mustache, buck teeth, and like, an Afro wig. And I knock on the door and say we're Jehovah's Witnesses."

Oh yeah, THAT'S the way to convert people, Michael. BTW, did anybody see the Michael Jackson "TV Funhouse" on "Saturday Night Live" last night? It was FANTASTIC. It was very Hanna-Barbera-ish featuring Bubbles drawn as a Boo-Boo like character and it featured Marlon Brando, an old bearded Emmanuel Lewis, a llama, the Elephant Man's bones, Marilyn Monroe's ashes, and Liz Taylor's arm. Hopefully, there'll be a place online to view it. If I find it, I'll put up a link...

You got some explainin' to do!

The rest of yesterday was quite laid-back. Spent the night checking out the new Target and Best Buy in Burbank on Empire Ave. This shopping center is going to kick some major booty! There's going to be a Wendy's and a Krispy Kreme. Joyyyyyyyyyy! Had dinner at Dalt's where I heard on the P.A. a cover version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass." It sounded like it was the from the late 90s. It must be really obscure because neither Ted nor Christie knew who recorded this cover. Can anybody out there provide the info as to who did this version?

Didn't get home until a little before 10 PM. I still felt a little out of it, but I owed my friend Nathan a call. So I gave Nathan a ring who started ragging on me (justifiably) for not calling him until 10. (I did say I was going to call him when I got home...little did I realize I was going to be home so late.) In any case, I can always count on Nathan to keep me in my place. We got into a big long-winded (TWO HOURS!) discussion about (amongst other things) what the purpose of this site is, most notably this bit your reading right now...the weblog. And it was a good point...so far, I really haven't opened the door to my inner soul on this or provided any groundbreaking new philosophies and frankly, I don't think I ever will...That's just not my nature...

This site is mainly another venue for me to have a little fun. There are two purposes which I think this weblog serves...First, it's a basic journal, a little look at what I've been doing. This is especially helpful for letting my friends who I don't keep contact with often (be it because of distance or whatever) posted as to what I've been up to. Second, it's a little soapbox for me to just vent and spout off on what's going on in the world. Sure, my opinion isn't really worth a damn, but I hope that in my little rantings and ravings here, I can provide a little chuckle or smile.

So hopefully this addresses what he's been wondering and what some of you may have been wondering about my site.

Finally, as promised, here's a quote from Michael Jackson's interview in the recent "TV Guide":

"My favorite show is 'Malcolm in the Middle'...[My favorite character is] Malcolm. Mainly because he tries to fit into society, and he doesn't -- like E.T. or Bambi, he can't adjust to other people's concepts."

Riiiiiight...And I guess that makes "Will and Grace" like "The Fox and the Hound," and "Frasier" like "Aladdin"?!? What?!? Huh?!? Somebody take the damn tape off his nose and put it over his mouth!

So, I was wrong...

Alas, there was no sex in the jungle room last night...Still, "Survivor" had an interesting twist last night with each tribe unknowingly swapping three members. It definitely has made things a bit more unpredictable. Silas is gone (Boo!...but he was becoming a bit of a lunkhead) and Brandon showed some cajones in the immunity challenge (you go, girl!). And it seems like the merge won't be coming as soon as we think...Oh Jeff, you rascal! Not sure if I have a clear pick as to who will win. At the moment, I think it could be Ethan or I might agree with Ted and place my bets on Lex.

Feeling much better today, though I still had a twinge of a headache when I woke up and was slightly feverish last night. This is turning out to be an annual tradition. I clearly remember feeling this crappy around Election Day last year. At the time, I was living in North Hollywood and the polling center was in the lobby of my apartment. I woke up at 5 PM, literally rolled out of bed, and went downstairs to vote. After which I walked back up to my apartment and lied in bed not knowing the hanging-chad-filled madness that would ensue.

And I highly recommend picking up the current issue of "TV Guide." It features an exclusive fluff piece...I mean, "interview," with Michael Jackson. There are some priceless quotes that I'll be posting on here over the next few days in anticipation of what will be the greatest freak show of the year: Michael Jackson's tribute special, which airs Tuesday night at 9 on CBS. HUZZAH!

Pass the Excedrin

Ack...Woke up this morning with THE WORST headache...and worst of all, today is a big presentation day at the company. Grrr...Fortunately, I'm doing better now than I was a few hours ago. Hopefully, the trend will continue as the day progresses...

Last night, I had another "first meeting" with somebody I met over the net. Actually, this guy replied to my Planetout ad. (Quite a rarity...) It was a very laid-back get-together starting with dinner at Birds and a little relaxing at his place while checking out his CD collection which definitely rivals the electicness of my collection. A fun night all around...

Well, tonight is VCR/TiVO hell night...Survivor on CBS, Family Guy and The Tick on FOX, and Friends on NBC. Still pissed at FOX for slotting Family Guy against Survivor...It deserves a much better time slot. Things look promising for The Tick. My former roomie, Murad, showed me a copy of the pilot and it has potential. Oh...and my prediction as to "Survivor's" big surprise: SEX. It probably won't involve a certain contestant whose initials are Brandon Quinton, but methinks there's going to be some loving in the jungle.

In search of the great putt-putt

So tonight, I met up with Pete (yet another friend I met "online") for the first time in person. Originally coffee was scheduled for the early evening, but those plans were sidetracked due to Pete's needing to stay in a little bit longer for work. We ended up going to Bob's Big Boy for a late dinner. I had a nice club sandwich and was originally going to with a hot fudge banana sundae, but our waiter suggested I go with the hot fudge cake since it was the same price and it was "better." True on the first part, but not so sure on the last part. 'Twas a bit too rich for my tastes...Damn you, Big Boy waiter with the blue eyes and funny parted hair!

Pete's a cool guy with a good sense of humor and it turns out he likes the mini-golf or as they call it back east, putt-putt. In our talk about mini-golf, we've realized that there aren't that many mini-golf places in the L.A./Valley area. I mean, the only one I can think of is the one on Sepulveda near the Galleria. Oh well, in any case, it looks like a putt-putt showdown is in the works.

Let's all be there!

Spent the day over at NBC helping put together a rehearsal for some pitch presentations we're doing to the networks this week. It turned out to be a bit more work that I expected. Nevertheless, it should be fun once it all comes together. I still marvel at the fact that I get paid for creating games. *pinch*...Whowouldathunk?

NBC's an interesting little lot...The big shows that tape there now are "The Tonight Show," "Days of Our Lives" (which provided some nice eye candy at the commissary during lunch today...), "Weakest Link," "Family Feud," "To Tell the Truth," and "Supermarket Sweep." It's still bustling, but I just wonder how it must have been to work there back in the 80s when NBC daytime was big with "Scrabble," "Wheel," "$ale of the Century," and "Santa Barbara" (see Carrie-Anne, I can make soap references too!). And of course, years ago, Johnny Carson held court on the stage Anne Robinson dishes out the insults on...speaking of which...

In the midst of setting up for this run-through, I catch a little bit of the feed for the first taping of the new daytime version of "Weakest Link." I won't spoil too much, but I'll mention a few changes for those that are curious...

First, there are six players instead of eight. The money chain is different featuring the following configuration: $250-$500-$1,000-$2,500-$5,000-$12,500. Top prize is $75,000. First round is played at 1:45 with 15 seconds off for each round. The biggest difference is the host. George Gray (formerly of "Extreme Gong") is the host of this version. Whereas he had this slacker, KROQ look to him on "Gong," for "Link," he's gotten a huge makeover. His look is more of a 21st-century beatnik complete with a soul patch under his bottom lip (which he needs to lose...). And his hosting style is a bit different. He's more of a goofy wise-ass as opposed to a dominatrix, bitchy schoolteacher. I could get used to him...It'll be interesting to see how it plays over five days a week...

A page...where nobody dared to go!

Well here it is folks! Welcome to the brand new mandelweb.com. It's pretty much the same site I used to have in college and on XOOM/nbci.com, but we've got a new look and some new features including this...my weblog.

For those of you that haven't seen one of these online on other people's, this is basically a journal where I'll be recording my random thoughts and putting in little updates as to what I'm doing...I'll let the rest of the site speak for itself So what have I been up to this weekend? Two big highlights: "Monsters, Inc." and "Xanadu Live!"

Saturday night, I checked out "Monsters, Inc." with Ted and Larry at the digital theater at the AMC Burbank. It was a great and the little short before it was very funny. There were some big previews including the "E.T.", "Peter Pan 2," and "Star Wars: Episode II." Unsurprisingly, the trailer for the "Star Wars II" really didn't live up to the hype...Strike two so far...I'm still wincing over the title "Attack of the Clones." They might as well call it "Star Wars II: Watch Out for the Evil Boogedy-Emperor!" Oh well..at least the movie's got Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor...

But that wasn't the end of fun...Tonight, I went with Ted, Larry, Adam, David S., James, and Scott to the Gascon Theater to see "Xanadu Live!" You read it right..."Xanadu LIVE," a live stage adaption of the 1980 Olivia Newton John-Gene Kelly movie musical about a muse helping a guy who looks like a poor man's Andy Gibb open up a roller disco-rink while boogie-ing to Olivia's singing and some tunes by ELO.

I thought, "What the hell? I'll give it a shot." I mean it could be really fun or so bad that it's fun and that we could say ten years from now..."We saw Xanadu Live." And whaddaya know, it was a really fun show. It basically was a tongue-in-cheek, word-for-word rendition of the movie..complete with LOTS of roller-skating and nifty dance numbers!! The only gripe I had was that the actors didn't sing the songs. They all lip-synched to the original movie soundtrack. Nevertheless, it was a hoot. This was definitely NOT a show to be taken seriously and this pretty was the right way to go given the small venue and apparently low budget. It's worth giving a look at before it closes next weekend.

There was a somewhat-celeb presence at the show. Amy Pietz of "Caroline in the City" was the producer of the show and was at the bar in the lobby dressed up in a banana-colored rollerdisco get-up. There was also an actor who's name escapes me (it wasn't Malcolm Getz) from "Caroline in the City" in the audience. Amie from CBS's reality show "The Amazing Race" was in the cast and we saw Paul, her boyfriend and teammate from the show in the lobby. The biggest celebrity presence there was RuPaul sans drag. We almost didn't recognize him until Adam picked out his unmistakable laugh.