The Many Wines
...Rumi
God has given us a dark wine so potent that,
drinking it, we leave the two worlds.
God has put into the form of hashish a powerto deliver the taster from self-consciousness.
God has made sleep so thatit erases every thought.
God made Majnun love Layla so much thatjust her dog would cause confusion in him.
There are thousands of winesthat can take over our minds.
Don't think all ecstasiesare the same!
Jesus was lost in his love for God.His donkey was drunk with barley.
Drink from the presence of saints,not from those other jars.
Every object, every being,is a jar full of delight.
Be a connoisseur,and taste with caution.
Any wine will get you high.Judge like a king, and choose the purest,
the ones unadulterated with fear,or some urgency about "what's needed."
Drink the wine that moves youas a camel moves when it's been untied,
and is just ambling about.
(From "RUMI: One-Handed Basket Weaving," versions of Rumi by Coleman Barks (Maypop, 1991), p. 75. The original is from Rumi's Mathnawi, Book IV, 2683-2696.)
Thanks to Nudel for this scan of a little blurb from InStyle magazine...
It's nice to know if I ever take a cross-country roadtrip with Reeves, we won't fight over music.
"Pull over. Let's dance."
I'm liking Joy Division more these days (thanks to Rhonda and Tharize for some great mix CDs) and I've always been a fan of The Ramones, The Clash and the Violent Femmes.
I've actually been listening to a lot of Femmes recently because Vibemerchants want to cover Please Do Not Go. I had to tell Roi and Dave if they thought I was in any way going to be able to play any of Brian Ritchie's bass parts that they were freaking high.
One day, maybe. Just not anytime soon.
Big Love to Another Angel for the great photo from the Green Valley show.
Go check out her site at Keanufan.com
- KeanuWeb reports that Lou Taylor Pucci's site reports that:
Lou [..] was reshooting scenes For "Thumbsucker" with Director Mike Mills, Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Tilda Swinton, in fact he said he felt like he was in "The Matrix" as he was shooting scenes in the daytime with Keanu and at night with Carrie-Anne Moss [who just joined the cast of Lou's newest project, titled "The Chumscrubber"]...
- USA Today (and a bunch of other sources) reports that Keanu will be honored for his work in action movies at the upcoming Taurus World Stunt Awards, which are scheduled to air on May 26 on SpikeTV.
The awards, which recognize the men and women who put their lives at risk to make fights, explosions and tall-building falls on TV shows and movies look more realistic, will be presented May 16.
The 39-year-old Reeves will receive an honorary trophy for best action movie star. His films include The Matrix trilogy, Speed and Chain Reaction.
"Keanu's work with The Matrix trilogy was some of the best from an actor of his generation," said Gernot Friedhuber, executive producer of the show. "He has consistently shown an ability to learn from the stunt teams on his many films and has expressed a genuine interest in the field of stunt work."
- becky's Paulie will be tending goal at two charity hockey games this weekend in Calgary and Vancouver. See HollywoodCelebrityHockey.com for details.
- Keanu co-star Diane Keaton makes People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful list. The man himself is overlooked once again, which is fine as it allows me to keep up the tradition of NEVER, EVER buying People Magazine.
- Vibemerchants officially have a new drummer, and she has a rad haircut (which allows me to usurp her old one, glee!) and completely rocks. Expect gigs as soon as July.
- Red Bull comes in handy to carry 4-packs now. Be still my heart......no, really.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The influential New York Times Book Review may soon begin to emphasize nonfiction books and cut back on its coverage of literary fiction. "The most compelling ideas tend to be in the nonfiction world," Times executive editor Bill Keller said in an interview, launching the rumors. Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti decried such a move, telling the San Francisco Chronicle's Heidi Benson that "the national consciousness has [already] been taken over by the technological and pragmatic." He'd like to see more fiction and poetry. Regardless of where you might stand on this issue for the long haul, Virgo, it's important to side with Ferlinghetti for now. You need less knowledge and more imagination, fewer of the hard facts and more of the dreamy truths.
Club-Keanu reports the Keanu's May 10 taping of Inside the Actor's Studio has been cancelled due to Keanu's film obligations.
Drag.
I know a lot of people (including me) were looking forward to this.
Maybe now there's time to enroll in the Masters Program at the New School University to take advantage of this perk should he appear at a later date...
"Following the interview, students in the Actors Studio Drama School's M.F.A. program participate in a class with the guest."
Can you imagine?
"Today we're going to work on the trust excercise. I want you to cross your arms in front of your chest, close your eyes and fall backwards.KEANU REEVES WILL CATCH YOU."
(Ok, ok....I know that's like, Acting 101. Still sounds like fun....)
Keanuette tells all about last night's Roxy gig!
Augh! He shaved! And I missed his baby face!!!!!!
I have been so into working on vibemerchant music this week I haven't even worked on everything I'm supposed to learn for my lesson.
Minor Scale....check
Minor Blues....check
Righteous Brothers - (You're My) Soul and Inspiration.....an anthem to co-dependency if I ever heard one.
...NOT checked.
Bleh....
Evidently, in the world of comic-based movies, the unveiling of the logo is a big deal.
This appeared on the official site today...
Huzzah.
Actually, I kind of like it.
-via SuperHeroHype & thanks to Niobe.
Thank you to Rhonda for sending me a link to Brandon's site that has a bunch of great bass tab, including most of Dogstar's Our Little Visionary.
My teacher really doesn't like me using tablature, but I have yet to find Dogstar sheet music so I'm really happy to see these.
One of the songs that I'd really like to be able to play is Denial. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do the run like Keanu does, he's got those big fast strong hands, but it'll be fun to try.
Denial - tabbed by Brandon
verse#1 (rep x2) verse#2 (rep x2) G---------------|-------------------| D---------------|-------------------| A------00000000-|-33333333----------| E---------------|-------------------|verse#1 (rep x2), verse#2 (rep x1)
verse#3 (rep x1)
G---------------|
D--23532--------|
A--------53-----|
E---------------|Chorus (rep x1)
G--------|-------|-------|-------|
D--------|-------|-------|-------|
A--0-0-0-|-------|-------|-5--5--|
E--------|-3-3-3-|-1-1-1-|--5--5-|verse#1 (rep x2), verse#2 (rep x2), verse#1 (rep x2),
verse#2 (rep x1), verse#3 (rep x1), chorus (rep x1),bass and drums: verse#1 (rep x2), verse#2 (rep x2),
verse#1 (rep x2), verse#2 (rep x1), verse#3 (rep x1),
verse#1 (rep x2)verse#4 (rep x2) verse#5 (rep x1)
G---------------|-------------------|
D---------------|-------------------|
A------22222222-|-55555555----------|
E---------------|-------------------|verse#6 (rep x1)
G---------------|
D---------------|
A--45754--------|
E--------75-----|verse#4 (rep x2), verse#5 (rep x1), verse#6 (rep x1)
chorus#2 (rep x1)
G--------|-------|-------|-------|
D--------|-------|-------|-2--2--|
A--2-2-2-|-0-0-0-|-------|--2--2-|
E--------|-------|-3-3-3-|-------|verse#4 (rep x2), verse#5 (rep x1), verse#6 (rep x1),
verse#4 (rep x2), verse#5 (rep x1), verse#6 (rep x1),
chorus#2 (rep x4)
Unless a couple hundred bucks, a case of red bull and the ability to manipulate time fall into my lap sometime between now and 6pm (when I get off work) I'll be missing tonight's becky show at The Roxy in Hollywood.
Keanuette will be there. So to her and everyone else going, have a great time :)
By the way, go check out her blog for some special becky goodness from Green Valley.
Want to know how to rock like Reeves?
Well, here's Keanu's bass rig config. It's a start.....
Up top, with the red glowy thing, is a rack mounted tuner. After a lucky google image search, I figured out that it's a KORG DTR1.
Beneath that is the heart of the rig, the amp.
Keanu plays through a Gallien-Krueger 800RB head.
"Designed twenty years ago, the 800RB has become a standard of the industry. In an era where most bass amps came in bulky wooden cases, had three knob passive EQ, and weighed a ton, the 800RB stood alone. A 400W Bi-Amp head in a rack mountable metal case, with four bands of active EQ, three voicing filters, and weighing only 23lbs. It was an instant hit! Today it is still the choice of countless players, touring bands, and back line companies, and is the foundation upon which all GK bass amplifiers are built." - Gallien-Krueger.com
If you'll look closely at Keanu's GK 800RB, you'll see that there's a piece of tape below the controls. I'm pretty sure it has his settings written on it.
The Musician's Friend website says: "You can't go wrong with the 800RB, as long as you have some speakers. "
So what speakers does Keanu use?
SWR Workingman's Series 4x10T speakers.
These puppies weigh 97 pounds each and Keanu uses two of them.
They get good reviews at Music123.com and Harmony Central, reliable with great sound and affordable. Even his rumble is humble. You've got to love him.
The GK 800RB has footswitchable boost and that requires....a footswitch!
Reeves uses a Boss FS-5U non-latching footswitch. It's a "momentary"-type switch that only engages the effect when those pigeon-toes are actually standing on it. I'm really going to pay attention at the next show I go to as to when he hits the boost.
If the amp is the heart of the setup, then the bass is its soul.
Keanu's played quite a few basses over the years, including a Fender Precision. These days, his basses are custom made by Dan Ransom of Ransom Guitars in San Fransisco.
He seems to favor this one recently. I can't blame him. It's gorgeous and has great sound as well. I'd love to hold it almost as much as I'd like to hold him. I've actually dreamt about this bass. Someday, hopefully I'll have my own Ransom.
Now, I'm not ready to go out and invest in this kind of rig for myself yet, but when I do you can be sure I'll be trying some of these components out, especially the GK 800RB. I don't know about those 97 pound speakers, though. I'll need someone strong to carry those for me.
Dear Mr. krix's bass teacher,
Please excuse krix from playing The Pink Panther this week.
Apparently, ever since Friday night, all she wants to play is becky songs.
According to this press release, The Matrix Reloaded is nominated in in two MTV Movie Awards categories : Best Kiss (Keanu and Monica) and Best Fight (Keanu and Hugo)
You can vote and see clips at MTV.com
The MTV Movie Awards airs on June 10th at 9PM
TO HELL AND BACK 5 Questions With...Keanu Reeves --Todd Casey He can fly. He can fight. And he’s certainly heroic. Keanu Reeves has already played the ultimate superhero as Neo in “The Matrix” trilogy. Now get ready for him as the ultimate anti-hero.
Wizard sat down with Reeves, who trades in Neo’s flowing coat and sunglasses for a plain old shirt and tie as the sarcastic anti-hero John Constantine, and attempts to prevent demons from turning L.A. into a hell on earth in the September-released film “Constantine,” based on the DC/Vertigo comic Hellblazer.
1. What makes John Constantine such a cool guy to play?I liked his anger. As an actor, it’s fun to play someone who is wounded but fighting. I like his never-give-up attitude and I like his humor, kind of gallows humor.
2. In the comic, Constantine is a bit of a trickster/con man as well as a magician—is he a little more of one or the other in the film?
He has practical magic. He can cast out demons; he has certain powers that he can use. It has a hard-boiled side to it, there’s a mystery afoot. He’s definitely less of a trickster and more of a magician. And a con man? [Exhaling a large cloud of smoke] Yeah, he’s trying to buy his way into heaven. Is he doing what he’s doing because he’s altruistic or is he doing what he’s doing so he can hustle? You don’t know. There’s a bit of a con man in there.
3. So he’s a hustler?
He’s a hustler. He has an insight into the workings of the world and he just hates it. He hates the hypocrisy. He’s also not the nicest guy in the world.
4. Do you see him as more of a hero or anti-hero?
He’s a heroic anti-hero. [laughs] I think of him as a hero because he’s fighting against all odds. I like that he just doesn’t quit, he’s just like “f--k you all!” One of the lines in the film is: “God has a plan for all of us. I had to die, twice, just to figure that out. Some people like it, some people don’t.” That, to me, is how I think of Constantine. He’s a man who is trying to find his place in the world and come to terms with his life and the circumstances of it. “Some people like it and some people don’t”—he’s kind of ambivalent.
5. Will we sympathize with Constantine—or love to hate him?Hopefully both. There are sequences where he’s not the nicest guy. He makes a sacrifice in the end, so hopefully there is something redeeming about him. But he’s a hard man to love.
-thanks to dish
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You have two options to choose from, Virgo. The contrast between them reminds me of the difference between two singers, Norah Jones and Ani DiFranco. Jones's work is "tasteful and listenable," said the New York Times, though "Nothing much happens in her songs." ShakingThrough.net wrote that though Jones can be maudlin and subdued, she creates "a winning collection of polished (albeit innocuous) gems." About Ani DiFranco, the New York Times noted that "It's worth putting up with a few overbearing moments to hear someone so willing to take chances." Billboard said DiFranco's latest CD is "raw -- for better (the immediacy of the performance) and worse (traces of off-key harmonies)." So which way will you go, Virgo: bland and classy like Jones, or rough and stimulating like DiFranco?
I'm having some technical difficulties but want to get this posted before I take a bat to my intarweb....
The becky show at The Roxy has been confirmed at the becky board. Tickets are ten bucks and are available at the club box office or through ticketbastard.
For more info, check the The Roxy site.
It's been mentioned that this may be the last gig for a a bit since the bass player is going to be heading to Austin, Texas to begin filming A Scanner Darkly.
Thanks to Club-Keanu for pointing out that ShoWest's official site has a link to photos taken at the convention that are browsable and actually available to purchase as prints.
I'm just getting a chance to look through the 1000+ images and there are several groups of Keanu photos.
-During the award ceremony for Nancy Meyers
- and also graciously posing with other ShoWest attendees.
Thank gawd there's internet cafe's in LA! Keanuette's posted reports of her experiences at the HOB and Green Valley shows at her blog, A Keanuholic.
From ComicBookResources.com:
John Constantine, another character close to Bradstreet's heart, will stroll onto movie screens next year. Bradstreet provides the covers for Vertigo's monthly "Hellblazer" book and would love to do some promotional work for "Constantine," the film adaptation of "Hellblazer" starring Keanu Reeves, which is currently in production. "I think it would be an absolute trip to get a shot at doing a one-sheet for that. Send [Lauren] Donner a bunch of mail. I may be known for doing a certain kind of thing with the regular covers, which may not be the kind of thing they are looking for, but I think it's fairly clear that I can grasp what it takes to bring it to another level. I'd love a shot at that. I know the nuts and bolts of that character inside and out. Applying it to Keanu would be a fun challenge and a great opportunity," Bradstreet explained.
As you may know, I love Bradstreet's work and have even picked up one of the artist's proofs of my favorite Hellblazer cover.
Check out the whole article to see his work on the Punisher movie posters.
Don't bother looking at your local newstand for it because Buy magazine is the first all-digital magazine.
This month features Keanu in an article/interview. Most of it is nothing new, but I did like this quote...
What does the concept of destiny mean to you?KR: Destiny is one of those tricky words. It’s one of those aspects that’s like a particle in a wave. Maybe the wave has a destination but the particle doesn’t quite know what the destination is and yet it’s making itself a part of that wave.
-Thanks to Joy
The venue on Friday night was gorgeous. A great setting for a rock show. The crowd was huge, the sound was good. Palm trees and movie stars and beautiful redheads, what more could you ask for ? Well for one thing, I wished I was triplets because there were so many people that I wanted to see and spend time with. I got to the resort early and peeked in at the restaurant where I knew some beckyfans were supposed to be meeting up. I only meant to pop in and say hi, but ended up hanging out and meeting some very cool girls. Aretha, Fortunado, Sharon and Nancy [*due to some emails I've received I want to point out that this is not the Nancy that is known on some of the boards, this was a friend of one of the other girls] it was nice to meet you :) and Tyler! So great to finally meet you. I hope you had a good time. The food was lovely, but I still think we should have thrown a tenspot on the table and hit the bar. I probably came off as really cheap and apologize for that, but they totally should have told us how much that appetizer platter was going to be.
Anyway, afterward I ended up running into Tess (who is my frequent roadtrip buddy and was going to be coming home and staying with me) and her friend Renee in the bathroom so I broke off from the first group. We headed for the Whisky Bar, where I thought we were going to be able to hang out and wait for Brittany but it didn't work out like that because you needed your ticket to get to the bar and I had Brit's. While we were waiting we got to say Hi to Rebecca in the hallway. She was as sweet and friendly as ever. She was carrying a bag of coughdrops and a bottle of throat spray which makes me appreciate her performance that night even more. I finally hooked up with Brittany and we headed for Whiskey Beach.
The good news is we didn't have to wait in line, the bad news is that the people who waited in line were 4 people deep in front of the stage. But it really didn't matter, I was drinking and mingling and schmoozing with Brit. I did fianlly get to see Keanuette who was looking gorgeous (and had a b-day pressie for me, yummy Valentino parfume...Thank you!) and Keana. Roi and Dave showed up and it was very cool to have them there.
The band finally hit the stage around 8:20 or so. Rob walked out with big strides and a bottle of (mostly consumed) wine in his hand. Paulie bounced across the stage in his shocking red mohawk and Keanu....erm....keanu-ed out and strapped on his bass to the squeals screams and hoots of the crowd. Last onstage was Rebecca, with her hands full of assorted liquids to soothe her "Vegas voice".
I didn't see a set list and my memory is redbull-addled but I know that they played some of my favorites including One Thing and Oblivious. I was impressed with the sound because aside from some muddy drums at the start (which was corrected), the sound was great for an outdoor venue.
Keanu's bass playing was strong and steady, not as flashy as I remember from the Spaceland show (could have been my perspective, I was much farther away this tiime). He loosened up as the night went on (once the crowd got more into the music instead of gawking at the movie star there was less chance of his every move upstaging Rebecca). He played with a pick most of the night but did use his fingers on at least one song. I actually noticed that he tends to use just his index finger at times rather than alternating, which is really bad form but when I think about how strong that finger must be....um....the muscles in my thighs twitch. Which has nothing to do with bass playing.
Once again, Keanu sang along (not mic'ed) with a song called Grace. He riffed a little Joy Division in between songs, and in another break he went off on his own little riff. Sweet. Rebecca even commented on it. At the end of another song he stood feet apart, head down and still wagging for a half a minute or more, lost in something I recognized. No sound was coming out and his hands were still, but I nudged Brit and said "look...he's still playing."
Bass and drums took a break and Paulie picked up the accoustic and Rebecca sang I Adore You. Because of her tired throat, she sang the chorus in a whisper. I could hear some of the crowd that knew the song singing along and I suddenly really wished that there were enough of us that could sing it with her, back to her. A whole crowd of becky fans singing "I adore you" to support her angelic whisper would have been a perfect moment.
The set was nice and long (there was no opening act) and they even did a cover of INXS' Don't Change which is much better without those cheesy 80's keyboards.
They ended with the song called Debaser, which is growing on me in spite of the Pixie-blaspheming aspect of it. It's bittersweet though, because like Dogstar's Denial, when I hear it I know it's the end of the show.
When Brit (who really liked the show)
and I finally found Dave and Roi, Roi was all, "Let's go jam."
So we did.
And next time becky comes to town hopefully they'll have a kickass opening act.
...because I've still got company and no time to blog.
This will have to tide you over.
I just got home. Really fun night. And I'm exhausted. I got a few pictures with the regular camera, most of then aren't so good but I will post the best of what I have sometime tomorrow. I really like this one though.
good night....
(*note, don't bother playing this one. I tried to audblog a song from the show and the phone mic just doesn't cut it)
audio post powered by audblog
A little dish told me that a trailer for Constantine (most likely a teaser) will be attached to the theatrical release of TROY on May 14th.
I'm insanely excited about tonight.
Not only do I get to see becky in my own backyard, but I'm going to get to hook up with some great friends and fans - some I haven't seen in ages and some I'll be pressing the flesh with for the first time.
AIEEEEE!
The cherry on top of it all is that Roi and Dave and (hopefully) Brittney* will be there as well so it has all the potential of a historic "becky meets the vibemerchants" moment. (See, the short term vibemerchant goal is to open for becky. Long term is them opening for us.) I've tried to subtley suggest that Roi seek Keanu out and thank him for inspiring me to play bass, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be too distracted by Rebecca. I can't wait to see what 6-string virtuoso-Dave thinks of Paulie's shredding, and I'm hoping to get Brittney to absorb some of Rob's greatness by osmisis.
By the way, big bold print on the tickets says NO CAMERAS so don't hold your breath for shots from the show, but I will have the camfone just in case.
Of course there will be drunken audblogging.
*OK, Brittney is the girl drummer that we audtioned the night I came back from the last becky show and she isn't actually a Vibemerchant, yet. But I'm going to work on it. It seems to me that even though she's a beginnner (drum-wise anyway. She's a freaking jazz guitarist so I KNOW she's got musical talent), if we had spent the month of waiting for drummers to SHOW UP working with her and teaching her the songs we'd be done with drummerquest. And frankly, I like her a lot and want to work with her in some capacity. Maybe an all-girl Dogstar cover band?
Canadian friends, set your VCRs, eh?
Next week on April 22nd, The Discovery Channel Canada will air The Great Warming, a documentary made for United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change (check my previous entry for more info on the UNFCCC). Keanu co-narrated The Great Warming with Alanis Morissette and you can see some video clips at the documentary's official site. No word on when or if it will air in other countries, including the US.
-via POTD
AAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
I just got off the phone with Keanuette in LA, she's at House of Blues and the band is sound checking right now :)
She tried to hold the phone out for me to hear but I couldn't.
I can't wait for tomorrow night.
\m/
*eyeroll*
I can't decide if I really want one of these or if I want to point and mock it.
I think I'll stick with my illegal "I [heart] Keanu" baseball jersey.
It's affectionate without being presumptuous.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It's time for a check-in, Virgo. What progress have you been making in your work on this year's big opportunities? As I suggested last December, you'll attract unexpected help in 2004 by growing the parts of your life that are small and timid and immature. Likewise, you'll generate good luck any time you enlarge your sphere of influence and energize your ambitions. Thirdly, you'll feel more and more at home in the world if you aggressively seek out interesting responsibilities that liberate you from your old images of yourself. My sense is that you've been doing OK in all these tasks, but there's room for improvement. The coming weeks are the perfect time to kick your efforts into high gear.
BLOWN AWAYI miss the way you smell
I miss the time we had
I pushed it to the end
I threw myself down againI miss the light I miss the day
I'm on the ground I'm blown away
In a world that's gone I need
Another day
Blown awayI miss the way you stayed
I will return there someday
I pushed it to the end
I threw myself down againI miss the light I miss the day
I'm on the ground I'm blown away
In a world that's gone I need
Another day
Blown away-Dogstar
I'm still blown away by the birthday love. Rereading the comments and emails, stumbling into the kitchen and seeing the roses on the table....
Have I mentioned Wow...just wow.?
I'm going to hold it all in a very special place. I know I said I wasn't going to have a team of trainers in my 37th year, but I've got the best damn bunch of friends and support network a person could ask for. I pretty much feel like I can do anything.
So let's rock.
becky plays HOB on the Sunset Strip tonight. I hope everyone has a great time and I will see many of you tomorrow (eeeeee!)
Speaking of the Sunset Strip (see how I did that?), a film I think I've been waiting for since I came into online fandom: Mayor of the Sunset Strip- by and about Rodney Bingenheimer, is finally seeing a limited release. Keanu makes a 2 second appearence in the trailer, which you can see here (via keanuweb). It looks like a really interesting film if you love LA rock and roll. Keanuette saw it in London last fall, and has a good write up.
Check the official site and see if it's coming to a theater near you.
I actually wept before 7 am this morning and it wasn't because the cat woke me from a Kieferdream (which is true) or I was out of coffee (which isn't...thank gawd).
It was because I felt so warm and fuzzy and was feelin' the love.
Keanuette made me this fierce greeting before she left for her trip to this side of the pond, rawrrrrrrr.....and Zen sent me this desktop greeting with just about everything I could want for a present pictured (y'all get the halfsize version).
Nudel blogged a birthday wish and also made soymilk come out of my nose, bwahaha!. There were lovely picture posts for yours truly from Catz and Sta-cie as well, you guys rawk!
-update: Holy Crap! I need to pay better attention, Sta-cie's was WAY more than a picture! It's the GREATEST THING EVER.
Not to mention all the wonderful snugglies from all of you in the comments, including my secret internet boyfriend, James who made me think there was some hot Constantine news going on over at the hellforums, only to find that webmaster John McMahon risks sleeping on the couch for turning the whole forum into a greeting for me and my birthday buddy, Sethos!
Oh! Oh, and along with lovely warm wishes and pictures from my great friends in the various egroups I'm in, JeniLyn sent me Dr. Mercer's "Happy Birthday, Baby".....*swooon* Perfect!
THEN.....Then!
Then, I get to the office and find that a dozen freaking red roses have been delivered.
From Julie!, Nudel and Zen.
At this point I pretty much lost it. I'm still sniffling.
You guys are too much. I'm blown away.
And it's not even noon yet.
I want to say something poignant and perfect about friendship and distance and Keanu bringing such wonderful people into my life, but I think I might just take another big sniff of these flowers and dance around the office some more.
***Some other wishes that were too cool not to share...
From Irene and Daria.
And lookie what skits made! Wowsers!
Thank You!!!
Keanu spent his entire thirty-seventh year working on The Matrix Trilogy.
I won't have a team of trainers or a multi-million dollar check at the end of it, but I hope to make the most of mine as well.
On Saturday afternoon, I finally got around to watching the Matrix Trilogy from start to finish. I love the way it all fits together and anyone that continues to bitch about these movies can freaking bite me.
My....so eloquent today, no?
Seriously, though. In watching the three together I really saw things brought full circle. And also with the help of the subtitles, I caught a lot of important dialog that had gotten by me before. One thing that stood out was Morpheus' speech in the temple.
"Tonight let us send a message to that army. Tonight let us shake this cave! Tonight let us tremble these halls of earth, steel, and stone! Let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember. This is Zion! And we are not afraid!"
The citizens of Zion dance to shake the earth, to show the machines that humanity is not afraid. It wasn't a "cave rave", it had purpose and especially cut with Trinity and Neo's lovemaking it makes so much sense. Again, anyone who bitches about that scene not making sense or going on too long can bite me.
Anyway, I could probably go on and on, but not today.
For more deep mind feeding matrixy goodness, Stephen Faller, author of Beyond the Matrix, has written a 5 part article , The Passion of the Neo.
The first 4 parts can be found at his website
UPDATE: Part 5 is now up at The Last Free City, I imagine it will be also at Mr. Faller's website shortly.
-via The Last Free City
Just like me and my caffeine addiction, my new phone is Java-enabled and I totally want this.
- via google news
I could bring some order to this mess
live a life less hideous
in my palace of distress
I won't be so obliviousdon't leave me here today so fragile and so frayed
I don't wanna play if you're not here to stay
you're changing what you say please don't go awayI don't care what they yell at me
I don't hear
it's what you do that's compelling me
oh...you're always selling mein the valley we kiss goodnight
sitting there you're sitting tight
if I lie down where you lie
what would it take to steal another trydon't leave me here today so fragile and so frayed
I don't wanna play if you're not here to stay
you're changing what you say please don't go awayI don't care what they yell at me
I dont' hear
it's what you do that's compelling me
oh....you're always selling meI don't care what they yell at me
I don't hear
it's what you do that's compelling me
oh...you're always selling me out
you're always selling me out
I've decided that I'm completely envious of Keanu and the fact that he gets to play with such a kickass drummer.
Is it Friday yet?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The Indian activist Gandhi lead many peaceful rebellions against oppressive governments, first in South Africa and later in British-controlled India. At first he called his strategy "passive resistance," but later disavowed that term because it had negative implications. He ultimately chose the Sanskrit word satyagraha, meaning "love force" or "truth force." "Truth ('satya') implies love," he said, "and firmness ('agraha') is a synonym for force. 'Satyagraha' is thus the force which is born of truth and love." According to my reading of the astrological omens, Virgo, satyagraha should be your word of power in the coming weeks. Your uprising against the forces of darkness has got to do more than say "no." A fierce, primal YES should be at the heart of your crusade.--from freewillastrology.com
I full-on-robot support Erin's campaign to become NBC's Average Jane.
Vibemerchant news, click below if you're interested...
So, last night I played with a drummer for the very first time. It was fun!
He actually showed up, which is a big plus. He's very powerful, and fast. Very metal-influenced, which is great for some stuff, but he's going to have to turn it down a notch for a lot of the rest. He's from Seattle and generally a good guy, really enthusiastic which is also good. He seems really anxious to start gigging, which makes me nervous.
We're going to keep looking for "the one" (note the lowercase) though.
Oh, my fuck.
I'm in a band.
From Businesswire/Google News:
International Sports and Media Group, Inc. (OTCBB:ISME), and Macias/Clark Media Group, LLC, San Diego, have formed a joint venture to create 5ive Media Entertainment to produce HDTV television productions, "Toy Show" and "Built."International Sports and Media Group will be aiding in the financing of the television productions through the newly formed 5ive Media Entertainment. The first two TV productions are the "Toy Show," a celebrity infused, action-charged adventure on the Motorcycle, Automobile, Aviation and Marine industries; featuring special guest appearances by Keanu Reeves (Matrix Trilogies, Something's Gotta Give), Tom Arnold (Best Damn Sports Show), Angie Everheart (Jade), just to name a few.
Bret and his "just for fun" cover band will be playing a gig in the LA area on Sunday, April 18.
Details developing, more later......
Today's the day! Bring on the behind the scenes featurettes!
Oh wait.....
I've got a Matrixfest in one hand and a drummerquest in the other.
Damn, it looks like I will miss out on the mass consciousness of synchronized matrixy viewing goodness because we're practicing with (hopefully) a drummer tonight.
If he actually shows up it'll be worth it, though.
Kaz sent out this scan of Jude Law and Keanu at ShoWest from Oz mag New Idea.
I have no idea what the caption means.
KeanuA-Z.com has a huge collection of screen captures from Revolutions up.
Wowsers.
One more day until full-on trilogy goodness. I can't wait to watch all three films together.
True fact: The first boy I ever kissed grew up to be a bass player.
I've kissed a few others over the years...
I think I'd like the last boy I ever kiss to be a bass player as well.
Which means from now on, I'm only kissing bass players.
-phototographer Aaron Settipane has a review of becky's Feb. 18 Viper room gig at his website, myracleworks.com
Some of you lucky ducks already have your Revolutions DVD!
Thanks to Niobe for this scan of the cover of the German DVD booklet that I've sized for wallpaper.
Eric sent me this picture of an electronic puzzle game in his bar. See if you can figure out why.
note: don't click the comments unless you want the answer
One of the songs I've learned recently was Something by George Harrison and it reminded me of this article, one of my favorites.
In defense of Keanu Reeves.
By Charles Taylor
Is there anyone in the movies who allows the camera to drink him in the way Keanu Reeves does? Movies have always yielded to performers with charisma and beauty. Sometimes the mechanics of a movie -- plot, dialogue -- can seem frozen for an instant as the camera basks in the person in front of it. There have been histories of the movies written in terms of genres and filmmakers. Perhaps one needs to be written in terms of erotics, the moments that break movies down in our minds into images of faces, bits of movement, a snatch of music on the soundtrack. Those moments seem to reveal other, more delicate, movies inside the one we're watching, as if we were in the midst of reading a novel and a symbolist poem had floated up between the lines.
"The Matrix" has already broken down in my head to moments of Keanu Reeves striding through crowded city streets, dank back alleys and the decaying rooms of ghost town tenements. Reeves' movements have always conveyed an unsettled mixture of eagerness and wariness (just as the combination of his muscular build and fine-boned face convey a mixture of strength and grace). Maybe it's the way he seems to be led forward by his shoulders as he walks, or the way he has of looking from side to side as he strides forward, scanning the scene he's already trudged into. If the film's protagonist, Neo, is a role that Reeves seems born to play, it's because it's the one that allows us to revel in his physicality, which has always been such a strong component of his acting.Movement is accepted as part of the performance of a dancer or a comic. And certainly talking about the physicality of, say, Olivier as Henry V, or Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet, wouldn't surprise anyone. So why does it still startle some highbrow moviegoers and critics that, in an action movie, the way an actor moves is the performance? In her Entertainment Weekly review of "The Matrix," Lisa Schwarzbaum claims she "can't get [Reeves] in focus as an actor," but as for his "fine form," well that she can "clearly see and appreciate."
I don't think that the way Keanu Reeves looks or the way he moves is all there is to appreciate about the guy. But I often get the feeling that admitting to enjoying his physicality means that I'm failing my critic's responsibility of treating cinema as a serious art form, that having a sensual or kinetic response means abandoning intellect, that I'm forgetting to maintain that even failed or boring or pretentious art is more worthy of serious consideration than successful entertainment.
Let's face it: Love him or hate him, nobody wants to envision the movies without Keanu Reeves. If it weren't for him, what would snobs do to amuse themselves?
No doubt there are people who just don't dig Keanu Reeves. But I've almost never heard anyone content to say they merely dislike him: They loathe him. Subjected to more ridicule than perhaps any other movie star, Reeves is attacked with the enthusiasm people reserve for someone who truly drives them crazy. "Young, dumb and full of cum," is the way Reeves' hard-ass FBI boss describes the character he plays in "Point Break," a line that the Keanu haters themselves might have coined. I'm guessing, but I suspect that part of the vitriol directed at Reeves stems from the way he stirs up all the old arguments about the differences between actors and movie stars. Reeves is also a repository both for the lingering resentment over the attention and devotion that beauty continues to command in pop culture and the way in which he represents a subversion of traditional sex roles
In "Girlfriend," her new book about cross-dressing, Holly Brubach argues that drag sends conventional sex roles topsy-turvy, that while maintaining traditional images of femininity it "upholds the very definitions that it subverts; it is at once radical and deeply conventional." I'd argue the same applies to Reeves. Looking at good-looking people has been one of the great pleasures of the movies since the silents. But the performers who have offered themselves most willingly to the camera have almost always been women. Their seeming passivity has disguised the position of power they hold over the viewer. Ready for worship, they have presented themselves as if they were the sacred icons of pop culture. Men, on the other hand, have traditionally acted to deflect attention from themselves, as if doing anything less would seem unmanly or feminine.
Reeves is one of the few contemporary male stars whose presence acknowledges that people are out there in the dark looking at him. He's not narcissistic, just comfortable with himself, and his slight languidness encourages looking. That willingness to be looked at evokes -- in women as well as men -- a homosexual panic. I don't mean that as a sop to the rumors that have hovered around Reeves' sexuality -- though it's significant that we can conceive of a man comfortable with his good looks only as being gay -- but as a suggestion of how some people still feel threatened by men who don't conform to their ideas of what men should be.
For someone who's been most successful as the star of action movies, Reeves hasn't shown any interest in macho bluster. He may be playing hot dogs in "Point Break" and "Speed," but he doesn't swagger, not even in the scenes with his leading ladies. Like other actors of his generation -- Eric Stoltz, James LeGros, John Cusack -- Reeves is remarkably generous, even deferential, to the women he plays opposite. Look at the scenes between him and Sandra Bullock in "Speed." Reeves doesn't play them as a testosterone-jazzed cop out to show who's in charge -- he treats her as an equal partner in disaster, encouraging, even leaning on her, without once seeming less heroic or masculine.
It's surprising then that audiences that enjoy that sort of gender switcheroo haven't embraced Reeves. Maybe it's because they're the same kind of audiences that buy into fashionable notions about beauty being a false, oppressive standard. Reeves demonstrates that movies have never abandoned their veneration of the beautiful, and he does so at a time when that impulse is deeply suspect.
A film critic I know recently said to me that he thinks people look at Reeves and see nothing going on. He said they weren't looking too hard. Instead of the "serene blankness" Schwarzbaum described, I have almost never seen Reeves play a scene -- regardless of whether he or the movie was good or bad -- where he didn't seem completely concentrated. That commitment may have sometimes worked against him, leading him to appear overly serious in a crummy movie. But I'd prefer that to an actor condescending to a scene by signaling his contempt. Or to the furious scenery chewing that is often praised in the movies as fine acting -- Jennifer Jason Leigh in "Georgia" or "Kansas City"; John Malkovich in "Jennifer Eight" or "Rounders"; Gary Oldman in almost anything.
That sort of showy self-consciousness is often mistaken for off-screen intelligence. Unfortunately, people still assume that actors are the characters they play. Reeves is often talked about as if he is the slow-witted dude he played in the "Bill and Ted" movies. It's almost always his voice and the accents that he affects that's used as evidence against him. Sure, his British accent in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" was noticeably strained, and it's often counted against him. But nobody was good in that movie. (Coppola seemed more interested in his production design than in directing the actors.) If actors are often confused with the roles they play, they are also held accountable for the follies of their directors. Which is also what happened to Reeves in "Little Buddha": Any actor would have looked ridiculous done up in eyeliner and prancing around as Siddhartha. And yet, who could blame Reeves for wanting to work with Bernardo Bertolucci, especially after being so consistently mocked as a nontalent.
Dismissed as a slacker Ken doll whose work has been mostly teen comedies and action films, Reeves has been even more ridiculed when he's attempted to stretch himself. Reeves played Hamlet in a Winnipeg, Manitoba, stage production and received good reviews, but most of the attendant press about the performance mocked the very idea of him attempting the role. As Don John in Branagh's film of "Much Ado About Nothing," Reeves took a functional, nondescript villain and gave him an undercurrent of malevolence that the movie's brightness couldn't entirely dispel. (The element of inexplicability Reeves brought to the don's treachery made me wonder whether Shakespeare might have used the part as a first sketch for Iago, a character he wrote three years later.) The reviews were predictably nasty, but it's always a giveaway when people spend more time deriding the notion of a performance -- Keanu Reeves in Shakespeare! -- than the specifics of the actual acting.
Movies are only occasionally high art. And even when they are, they need the link to their tradition of sensual pleasure that Reeves stands for. Performers with his sort of charismatic sexiness can make you feel plugged in, alive to that pleasure. In a world of movies that are too often (to steal a phrase from a Mekons song) the empire of the senseless, Reeves is the red pill.
Yeah, I'm completely evil for PUNK'D-ing you all but oh man, was it worth it. I wish the web were interactive enough that I could see some of your faces.
The comment that filled me with the most glee?
Smit too: "Man. You suck."
Hee! Precisely the effect I was going for, along with that slight nagging in the back of your mind that maybe I really had gone off the deep end into Kelso-land.
The key to a good fool is to carry it on way longer than needed.
Thanks to everyone, especially Red at AKN and the real Kutcher fans for being good sports.
Here's a little something to cleanse your palate with.
More yummy KEANU goodness in the morning.
Promise.
My newfound love for all things Ashton inspired me to do a wallpaper from some images found at AKN's Ashton-ished gallery.
Have a colorful, Kutcherful night everyone!!!!
*smoooch*
We still have to wait until July to see Ashton on DVD in The Butterfly Effect, but thankfully Steve Martin remade his classic Parenthood so he could give Ashton a part!!
Cheaper by the Dozen comes out on DVD April 6th, the same day that part 3 of that one movie comes out.
OMG! if he only played drums too......
I wanna be Demi Moore when I grow up!
You're Jackie!
Which That 70's Show Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Christopher Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7th, 1978 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His twin brother, Michael, followed about five minutes later. Ashton also has an older sister, Tausha. His parents, Larry and Diane, divorced when Ashton was thirteen years old. It was around this same time that his brother had to undergo heart transplant surgery, which went smoothly. Still, the medical emergency impacted Ashton’s life, and he later enrolled in the University of Iowa, where he studied biochemical engineering in hopes of finding some way to help people with cardiomyopathy, the disorder his brother suffered from.
When Ashton was fifteen, his mother moved her family, along with her soon to be second-husband, to Homestead, Iowa - a relatively small farming community. While in high school, Ashton excelled at sports, but also developed a keen interest in theatre - making his debut in a 7th grade production of "The Crying Princess and the Golden Goose."
However, for the time being acting was only a hobby, and he was focused enough on his studies to gain entry into the University of Iowa’s biochemical engineering program. It was while studying at that institution that an agent discovered him in 1997. He was spotted at a restaurant and the agent suggested he enter a modeling contest called Fresh Faces of Iowa. Ashton ended up winning the competition, and earned himself a trip to New York to compete in an International Model and Talent Agency competition. He was quickly signed to an exclusive agency, and ended up traveling the world doing photo shoots and runway shows. Ashton landed some very good gigs, including Versace, and Calvin Klein.
In 1998, he decided to spread his wings some more and went on the audition circuit. One of the first shows he tried out for was That 70's Show , and he was lucky enough to get a very big early break.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Ashton took steps to make the jump to the big screen. He quickly landed roles in the teen romantic comedy, Down to You , the Ben Affleck action flick Reindeer Games and the modern western Texas Rangers , starring James Van Der Beek. Still young, Ashton has already managed to make an impact in the mediums of print, television and film. Clearly, he is one to watch.
Fun Ashton Facts:
- Ashton has two webbed toes on his left foot, the second and third toe ["OMG! Me too!"--krix]
- Won a trip to New York in a modeling competition; subsequently signed by the Next modeling agency (1997)
- P. Diddy has been given a lot of credit for hooking up Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, because they really have been inseparable since his L.A. party that summer. But they actually met in April on Saturday Night Live.
- Ashton had to perform CPR on Colin Hanks in March 2003 when flying back from Mardi Gras and their plane suddenly lost cabin pressure.
- Ashton loves to make things and is quite the craftsman. He is currently remodeling his home in LA and has built such things as a deck and the mantle in his living room.
- Ashton is not only an actor, but wrote ("master-minded") and produces "Punk'd". He was actually a co-producer for "My Boss's Daughter" and is an executive producer in the thriller, "The Butterfly Effect", as well as, a producer for the comedy, "The Dinner Party", also starring Bernie Mac.
Source--Ashton-Kutcher.net