Storage War$ Rundown Episode Four

Not in it to win it.

Storage War$ still has my complete attention with its riveting drama and unanswered questions. Who will win that sweet locker? Did Barry take his meds today? Why is big breasted Brandi still with Jarrod? When will Darrell purchase some sunscreen? It took all my willpower not to power through all the episodes I have on my computer.
After taking an episode off Barry was back and on his meds for the time being. Don't fret, he was crazy enough to wear skeleton gloves and bid on a locker that was full of items from a beauty salon. The irony of Barry's purchase is that in it he found a mini piano and in his last episode he had a midget with him, what I would give to see his little person friend playing that little piano.

Barry commented on the fact that he was all alone at this auction more than once. On one hand I feel a little sorry for Barry having to auction by himself but on the other hand this makes me almost certain that Barry will have awesome partners in tow in future episodes.
I don't have much to say about Dave, he continued to mogul. Dave did talk shit quite a bit and ran up bids, clearly he is the villain of the series. My man Darrell did manage to figure out Dave's tell, simply put, when he is interested in something he criticizes it. The producers set this up nicely with Darrell breaking down Dave's strategy followed by Dave explaining the strategy like it was genius.

For the sweet love of Christ, give me sunscreen!

Yes, Darrell is still sun burnt, either this entire series was shot in one week or he doesn't care for his skin at all. Besides his brilliant insight into Dave's strategy Darrell admits to stupidity in this episode. His admission turns out to be misplaced because he scores a sports memorabilia collection amongst a locker full of junk that he was purportedly stupid for buying.
Jarrod and Brandi ended up not buying a locker this week but not for lack of trying or maybe it was from lack of trying. Brandi was very interested in the "salon unit" that Barry ended up with and instructed Jarrod to get it. Jarrod admitted to the camera that he was only bidding to shut Brandi up but didn't really want it. Brandi quickly caught on to the fact that he was not in it to win it and took over the bidding herself but without Jarrod's support dropped out early, she was not pleased.

The greatest moment in the show came at the very end, after Jarrod explains to Brandi how the auction works with a series of cliches she looks at the camera in the interview and says "Yeah, that's the father of my children."

Jeans, Proof of God

Only divine inspiration could lead to something as amazing as the Fresh Jive "The Hellions" fleece jeans. Just look at that, a jean cut but sweatpants material. I have two pairs of sweatpants courtesy of my good buddy Union Shane but this being Paris I've never worn them outside the house in fear that the Parisians would throw stones at me because of my fashion faux pas. But these are the answer, I'm assuming they are as comfy as sweats but still look like a great pair of jeans. They come in the classic gray or a darker charcoal color. Nice work Fresh jive.
Now if anyone wants to buy me a pair I would probably take a 38 since I like my sweats and jeans loose and these are based on Fresh Jive's slim cut hellions jean.
Get 'em here in gray or here in charcoal which for some reason are 4 dollars more.

Storage War$ Rundown Episode three

Ahh Storage War$ is back, in fact, I found several new episodes. First things first, Darrell still has a sunburn. There was a lot happening in this episode, Darrell brought his son Brandon and Jerrod has Brandi in tow once again but Dave was flying solo.
Darrell decided to run up the bids on a couple of lockers and got a little carried away and got stuck with a locker he didn't want. Unfortunate since we learn in this episode that Darrell is financially providing for his niece. but hings work out in the end because Darrell finds a coin collection amongst the junk he's bought.

Jarrod cracks a safe.

Jarrod leaves the bidding up to Brandi because for some reason no one but Dan knows she is Jarrod's wife. You can't fault Jarrod's logic since Dave says he would have run up the bid if he had known who Brandi was. There ends up being a safe in the unit and Jarrod brags on his safe cracking skills for a minute before getting into the safe only to find it full of paper.

Brandi is pleased with her purchase.

The locker Jarrod and Brandi buy ends up being full of unopened electronics so they make a nice profit and their thrift store is stocked.
Sadly Barry didn't bring his crazy to the auction.

So Dope

This is so awesomely bad and so NSFW. Rhymes this dope are rare.

Will Farrell as Bowie

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly from Will Ferrell

This is Christmas magic.

Eiffel penis

This is the view from the Eiffel Tower last Friday. The question is was it tourists or Parisians? My money's on the French.
(from Boing Boing)

Henry & Glenn 4-ever X-Mas Special

The Igloo Tornado guys are back at it with this hilarious Henry & Glenn X-mas Special. These guys are genius. If you don't have the book yet get it immediately right here.

Cycling Pixies

The Pixies got with Miltag to create this cool cycling jersey. It's hard to tell but that's the flying P that makes up the pattern. You can see detailed picture and buy the jersey here(quantities are super limited.) or on the Pixies official site. I'm not sure that even the XXL would fit Frank but damn these are sweet. The Pixies are into cycling!

Michael Stipe Photo Project

Our boy Michael Stipe is busy, R.E.M. has a new album on the horizon and he finished a cool photo project that Slam X Hype did a great write up on complete with behind the scenes video.

Vans x Tron

After all we've seen the new Tron movie can't be bad, right? It would be a major bummer if it were. I read somewhere that Disney won't re-release the original on DVD until after Tron Legacy hits screens. The rational behind the move is that if people think the original was cheesy they won't see the new flick. I'd bet that there are enough of us nerds out here that we will see it regardless and hey, we loved the original.
This post was supposed to be about these new vans branded with the tron logo. They should be out soon but regardless of whether Tron Legacy rocks or not these shoes look great.

Storage War$ Rundown Episode two

I don't know when Storage War$ actually airs but I found episode two the other day, and got way too excited about it, here is the rundown.

Darryl hopes this locker has sunscreen in it.

The biggest disappointment of episode two is that Darryl was only in it a little bit, he didn't buy anything this time but he did still have that gnarly sunburn. He also said something about whoever had owned one of the storage lockers being a pack rat, I guess he forgot that we saw his house last episode.

Barry is getting in our heads.

This was "The Collector" Barry's breakout episode. He rolled up to the auction with a midget named Jay, stilts, and night vision goggles. The problem according to Barry was that he wasn't able to get a good look at the locker contents when they opened it up for the five minute observation period. I had assumed that he would get on the stilts for the bird's eye view and the Jay would take the low view but instead Barry decided to put the Jay on the stilts in effect making him normal height. The lockers are dark so the night vision goggles were a good idea but a little person on stilts? It did allow Barry to nab the locker with a hidden, wait for it... micro car, you can't script shit like this.

Plenty of leg room in here.

Not too much from Dave this episode, he did take a little too much pleasure in running up the bids on "The Young Gun", Jarrod. Dave's partner Steve was absent but we did get a quick introduction to Dave Jr. whose job was to look up prices for the stuff Dave Sr. had bought, riveting television.

The watch dude and his VCR hat.

I thought Darryl was my favorite character but now I think Brandi is gonna be my number one. She had a bigger role in this episode, showing up at the auction to keep Jarrod's spending and crap buying in check. She was unsuccessful. They overpaid for one locker that she was quick to point out had porn in it. While going through said locker she pointed out that if Jarrod were to break his neck she would be out.

Brandi is not happy.

They thought they had scored with an expensive watch so they went to the watch expert and she began making fun of his hat. I like this girl. I also think she might have nice breasts.
Jarrod's best quote had to be when other "people see junk, I see mystery." He probably just saw that stack of porn.

Grammy Predictions Part two

More grammy predictions!
21. Best Rock Album. Backspacer - Pearl jam
I know that Muse album kicks ass but man that Pearl Jam album is good.
22. Best Alternative Music Album. Brothers - The Black Keys
Toughest category by far.

23. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Faith Evans
I voted for Faith because i've never heard of anyone else in this category, oh wait, I know who Monica is maybe I should vote for her.
24. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Usher
Is that Debarge, Debarge? I'm still going with Usher.
25. Best R&B Performance by a duo or group. The Roots.
Ok, I guess it's John Legend and The Roots but the Roots are where it's at.
26. Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. john Legend and The Roots
R. Kelly is in this category, is he still peeing on ladies?
27. Best Urban/Alternative performance. Cee Lo Green
None of these are alternative bands.

28. Best R&B Song. Shine - John Legend and the Roots.
Debarge is up for another award.
29. Best R&B Album. John Legend and The Roots
30. Best Contemporary R&B Album. Usher
Contemporary means older folks listen to it right? If so I gotta go with Usher, he's harmless and the old people like that.
31. Best Rap Solo Performance. Eminem
Just as long as it's not Kanye. i wonder if he would interrupt an acceptance speech by Eminem?
32. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz
I haven't heard any of these songs but it's Jay-Z.
33. Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz
Again, it's Jay-Z.
34. Best Rap Song. Empire State of Mind
Great song, maybe the song of the summer, I heard it a lot in New York this summer.
35. Best Rap Song. The Blueprint 3

Winona Black Swan

This is what Winona Ryder wore to the premiere of her new movie Black Swan. Very disappointing Mrs. Ryder.

Grammy Predictions Part one

The nominees for the 53rd Grammy awards were announced this week. What could be more fun then making predictions, 90% of which will be wrong? The Grammys have never really meant much to me but it's fun to see where the bands I like (I do have superior musical taste) rank within the confines of the pop leaning Grammys. i should mention that there are 110 categories so I might be skipping around.
1. Record of the year. Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Based on plays on my itunes I have to go with Cee lo with Jay Z a close second.

2. Album of the year. The Suburbs - The Arcade Fire
What's the difference between Record and Album of the year? I know full well that Lady gaga will win this one and Boobalicious Katy Perry will be right behind her but who would I be if I didn't cast my lot with one of the greatest bands in the world?
3. Song of the year. Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
I know that Ray Lamontagne is in this category and he put out a good record this year but damn that Fuck You song is good. What are the chances he'll perform and what will he wear?
4. Best new artist. Mumford & Sons
My head tells me that it's Justin Bieber but my heart says it's between Mumford & Sons and Florence & the Machine and they actually put out good music.

5. Best female pop vocal performance. Lady gaga
It's gotta be Lady Gaga, right? She did wear that meat dress. Wait, Norah Jones has a new album? Then again, Katy Perry has those breasts...
6. Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Half of My Heart - John Mayer
Ugh, what horrible choices. I chose based on tattoo quality.
7. Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals. Don't Stop Believing - Glee Cast
I like Glee.

8. Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. California Gurls - Snoop Dogg and Katy Perry
Snoop Dogg!
9. Best Pop Instrumental Performance. orchestral Intro - Gorillaz
The Gorillaz album is one of my favorites of the year.

11. Best pop vocal album. The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
She's going to win a bunch of awards right? This is a good bet.
12. Best Dance Recording. Rocket - Goldfrapp
I'm going Goldfrapp but La Roux has awesome hair.
13. Best Electronic/Dance Album. La Roux - La Roux
Really awesome hair.
14. Best traditional pop vocal album. Crazy Love - Michael Buble
The older ladies love Buble and they are the ones voting, right?
15. Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. Angry World - Neil Young
Why is everyone in this category old except for John Mayer?
16. Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Tough category, there are actually several good groups in this one.
17. Best Hard Rock Performance. Let Me Hear You Scream - Ozzy
There is no one I'd rather see on stage accepting an award.
18. Best Metal Performance. World Painted Blood - Slayer
Never bet against Slayer.
19. Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Black Mud - The Black Keys
Man that Black Keys album is gooooood.
20. Best Rock Song. Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Again, that Black Keys album is good but the Mumford & Sons song has a great shot.

Storage Wars Rundown Ep 1

Barry started collecting antiques when he was fifteen.

There is a new show on A&E called Storage War$ (the $ is their doing) that I stumbled across a couple of days ago. The title really told me nothing, which made me curious, which meant I had to watch it and somehow I got hooked. I should probably confess that i've got a soft spot for reality t.v.; cooking shows, fishing, pickers, builders, I actually watched a couple of episodes of that Vanilla Ice remodeling show.

Jarrod owns a thrift store.

Obviously my standards are incredibly low so this may sound really stupid but the show is about people who buy the contents of storage lockers once the owners stop paying their rent. The exciting part is that the storage lockers are auctioned off by another colorful character, Dan. Dan lays out the most important rules of the auction
1. Cash only (Dave likes to bring at least ten-thousand with him.)
2. The bidders only get five minutes to look at the contents of the locker before the auction begins.

3. They can't actually go into the locker or touch anything!
Riveting television right?

Brandi is pissed at Jarrod.

Let's run down the characters shall we? Darryl "The Gambler", may be my favorite. He has been in the auction buying buisness for a long time. I say "long time" because he says twenty years at one point and then a commercial break later goes with thirty years. His most noticeable quality is the horrific sunburn he sported all episode long. If that had been me I would have been wearing a half inch of aloe and trying not to touch anything.
After the scenes at the auction Darryl volunteers to take the viewers to his house so we can see "the life of an auction buyer", I had a brief "Cribs" flashback which was spoiled when we entered the cluttered house. Darryl found four Picasso's in a storage locker, he tells us that many times. He also bought an expensive flower pot and a shit-ton of comics. Darryl is the blustery type that every reality show needs.

Dave knows organs.

Barry "The Collector" is the old dude. He's been collecting antiques since he was fifteen, seems like a strange hobby for a fifteen year old but ok. Soon after claiming his cred as an antique collector all he ends up buying a bunch of clothing from Suge Knight's movers. Not the antiques I was thinking of but he does end the show with the biggest profit.
Dan "The Mogul" owns a thrift store and a consignment shop. I guess the rules for moguldom have changed during the recession. Dan also has a partner, which feels a little like cheating but he does say that he's the boss so we can let it slide for the time being. Dan strikes out by buying a locker he thought had a Hammond B3 organ in it. It did not but did contain a bunch of baseball cards so he finished strong.

Darryl needs sunscreen.

Jarrod "The Young Gun" has a wife, Brandi. Brandi did not go to the auction with him and was pissed when he came home with a bunch of crap and a questionable car. The car ended up being worth something which was a nice save for Jarrod but isn't the real head scratcher here. Brandi is actually kinda cute (the picture does not do her justice), why is she with Jarrod? He gives of a faint mexican gangster vibe and owns a crappy thrift store. I hope that question gets answered during this season.

Good Web: Terry Richardson's Diary

I thought I'd share some of the web sites I check out on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. First up, Terry Richardson's Diary. You're probably familiar with Terry's work, he's the famous photographer from NYC who shoots lots of hip people in a stripped down but recognizable style but also does commercial work for all kinds of companies including high fashion mags like Vogue. The reason we should all love him is that he's a big fan of nudity. His site is NSFW and if you get uncomfortable around naked dudes it might not be for you. The site is a visual diary that mixes street shots with off-the-cuff studio shots and occasionally highlights some of his commercial work.

p.s. Speaking of commercial... don't forget to click on those adds to the right.