Dream Out Loud by Justin Luey

Today is the 10th Anniversary of the theatrical release of the film Armageddon, and I may be the only person left on earth that is celebrating it. Armageddon is one of those films that has a very different reputation online then it does in the real world. In real life, it was a huge hit both theatrically and on home video and everyone I know likes or loves the film. Online it is widely considered one of the worst films ever made and its the butt of many jokes. I personally enjoy the hell out of it. I don’t think it’s a great film, but it’s a fun, over-the-top, and very entertaining summer movie.

Do yourself a favor and forget the science, believability, and the plot holes and concentrate on the great characters and performances. Steve Buscemi’s character and performance steals the show, but Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Billy Bob Thornton, and Peter Stormare all play great characters as well. Another positive aspect of this film is the chemistry between the cast. You really get the feeling the guys on the oil rig are great friends. Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler also have great chemistry, its a sweet relationship worthy of its power ballad moment.

The most surprising aspect of the film is that despite how silly and over-the-top it can be, it still has some real emotional impact. The scene at the end with Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis gets to me every time and many people tell me it has the same effect on them. There is also a nice moment between Ben Affleck and Billy Bob Thorton when he gives him the N.A.S.A patch. The bottom line is take this occasion, the least celebrated film anniversary of all time to watch the film again. It might surprise you. If you still hate it, blame Canada who shares an anniversary with Armageddon.

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Another classy and moving tribute to Tim Russert.

Tags:   Bruce Springsteen · Tim RussertComments

When tragedy strikes, wether its a major disaster or the untimely death of a celebrity you know it’s going to be covered 24 hours a day by the media. That is just the reality in today’s media environment. The rush to air and need to fill hours of time often leads to insensitive, intrusive, and self-serving coverage. The death of Tim Russert has really been the exception to that trend. Most of the coverage has been sincere and moving, you can really see the way his colleagues and competitors respected him. Here is a video interview of Tim’s son Luke done by Matt Lauer. It may be the best of the already excellent coverage of Russert’s death. You forget you’re watching a major news network, it’s just a good friend of the father trying to console the son. Even if you have a heart of stone or somehow don’t know who Tim Russert I think you will be hard pressed not to shed a few tears.

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Here is the first of a soon to be regular feature on my blog, where I feature songs that are stuck in my head and are worthy to be stuck in yours.

The first song I’m going to share is “Get Better” by Mates of States. Mates of State are a great two piece indie rock band from Lawrence, Kansas. “Get Better” is poppy but has great lyrics and it just buries itself in your head.

Here is the official video:

Here is a great live performance:

Lyrics:

Forget your politics for a while
Let the color schemes arrive

Come on board, it’s a curious site
Absorbing sound that’s never been right
Never ahead of, never behind it
Occasionally guarded, just keeps us surrounded
It’s luck

Everything’s gonna get lighter, even if it never gets better

I propose a less serious boat
Don’t mistake for a party of jokes
You are never ahead of, never behind us
Floating in circles, there’s more to remind them of less

Everything’s gonna get lighter, even if it never gets better

Forget your politics for a while
Let the color schemes arrive

Download the song from iTunes or Amazon and support the artist.

Tags:   mates of stateComments

I’m not a cook, in fact about 80% of my meals are either take out or in a restaurant.  When I do eat at home it’s either a hamburger, sandwich, or something I just have to heat up. I have no skill or ambitions in the kitchen.  I do however enjoy eating food, it’s a passion of mine. My taste in food is not every exotic, I basically live on hamburgers, subs, chicken wings, and cereal.  I like other things but not many other things.  My eating habits very much mirror my life philosophy of only doing things you love.  As a result of these eating habits I’ve found myself inventing meals. Inventing isn’t really the right word, I create food mashups. Just like the DJs producing music mashups I take two or more foods and mix them together. I will use this blog to share these mashups.

Mashup 1 - Buffalo Rice

I have made this exactly once, so it’s a work in progress. I basically took instant white rice and prepared it according to the box instructions. I then added Frank’s Red Hot ( I love Frank’s Red Hot, and it will be an ingredient 90% of my mashups) fresh ground pepper and oregano, and stirred it all together. This came to me in an instant, it wasn’t even thought about ahead of time and it’s a result of mixing a bunch of stuff I like together.  The result was very good, so if you like rice and Frank’s Red Hot give it try. If you have any of your own Frank’s Red Hot creations make sure to contact me or post a comment. 

Tags:   food · frank's red hotComments