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September 2009
Hulu is streaming Austin City Limits Festival
Shut-ins, penny-pinchers, misanthropes and claustrophobics rejoice.
If you didn’t splurge on buying a pass to this weekend’s Austin City Limits Festival, or were just planning to stay inside to avoid the crowds/heat/rain/sunshine/swine flu/noise/insert reason here, but still want to catch the music without standing on your friend’s porch in South Austin, hulu has you covered.
The online site that offers hundreds of TV shows and movies online will be live streaming the ACL Fest all weekend.
Each day of the fest, the stream will begin at 1 p.m.. While the full list of streaming shows is not out yet, it appears online viewers will not be stuck with bottom-of-the-barrel acts, as hulu is offering the following teases:
- Dave Matthews Band
- The Dead Weather
- Ben Harper and The Relentless7
- John Legend
- Raphael Saadiq
- The Knux
- Bon Iver
- Thievery Corporation
- Medeski Martin & Wood
- Andrew Bird
The list of sets being streamed will be announced on the site each day.
If you’re wondering what the shows will look like, hulu ran a similar stream of the Dave Matthews Band at the Beacon Theater in June, which you can check out below. Hee-haw.
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Jenny Slate deserves to keep her effing job
If you were one of the thousands of people who made it through the first hour of bad Megan Fox sketches and U2 desperately grasping at relevance on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend you may have noticed that new cast member Jenny Slate dropped an f-bomb in her first-ever sketch on the legendary show.
Of course, if you didn’t happen to see it live on television, if you have an Internet connection, you probably read about it and saw it the following day.
In the clip, you can see Slate puff her cheeks in a mix of horror and shock that represents the unique look that comes when you’ve just done something beyond your belief that could very well get you fired. In the split second after her slip of the tongue, you can see Slate’s career pass before her eyes. We all know to a small degree what that must feel like, but there are probably none of us who can can totally relate. “SNL” is notoriously grueling and competitive, and while the show may not hold the place in the zeitgeist it once did, for a comedian to get a gig on Lorne Michaels’ show is often a crown-jewel-like achievement. Slate was so mortified, according to the New York Daily News, she didn’t even show up to the after-party at Prana following the show.
Many folks assumed that Slate, who appeared as a Harley-loving Jersey girl (a character that probably uses the dreaded word quite a bit if we are being honest), would probably get the axe. After all, there was a precedent of sorts for dropping that special four-letter word on live TV, and specifically on “SNL.” (Turns out, she didn’t. But I will still examine the case, nonetheless.)
During the 1980-81 season, Charles Rocket, whom many saw as being the savior of the show following the departure of Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, dropped the f-bomb at the end of the show. Rocket was fired soon thereafter. I have heard from some friends that if Rocket was fired for using profanity in 1981, an act that appeared in the first sentence of his effing obituary in The New York Times, that Slate should be fired as well.
However, it should be noted that Rocket was fired in part due to complaints from viewers. Viewers in the Reagan years. Following wardrobe malfunctions, hot-mic “mofo-ing” by governors, uncountable episodes of “South Park” and much more, Americans are a little more desensitized to foul language. Besides, how many children or delicate adults who had not heard that particular word before could actually be watching “SNL” at 11:30 p.m.?
It should also be noted that while Rocket, fellow cast members Gilbert Gottfried and Ann Risley and four of the show’s were writers dismissed following the profanity in 1981, at the season’s end, everyone was fired from the show, with the exception of Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy. Joe Piscopo? Are you effing kidding me?
And for those who think Lorne Michaels should show some consistency in whom he fires and for what reasons, it should be noted that Michaels had left the following year. The miserable 1980-81 season was run by Jean Doumanian, who would also be fired at the end of that season, with Dick Ebersol coming on to take the reins.
The most memorable appearance of the f-bomb on the show in recent years is from Norm MacDonald, who said the word in 1997 when trying to clear his throat. While MacDonald was fired a year later, it is much more likely that, despite his genius, MacDonald’s tenure ended because he was too smart, dry and ribald (Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson jokes come to mind) even for “SNL” fans.
Considering “SNL’s” viewership numbers for the season premiere were down by more than a third, I am sure the show probably doesn’t mind all of the attention. Especially with Sarah Palin’s political career on hiatus. (Although, with news of her new book, “Goin’ Rogue,” I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tina Fey make an appearance soon.)
Some will say that Slate kept her job because she is cute, something that can never be considered a ratings hindrance. Others will claim it is because the slip was innocuous enough for a one-time drop on national TV. Whatever the reason, I think it is much ado about nothing and that Slate deserves another chance.
Below is the clip from “SNL.” Obviously, it contains foul language.
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Review: ‘Big Fan’
I couldn’t quite decide what to make of “Big Fan.” In his directorial debut, writer Robert Siegel (“The Wrestler”), paints a fully realized and natural portrait of a sports-obsessed nerd living in his own world, doing his best to block out the noise coming from anything besides football. Patton Oswalt, although not a sports obsessive, brings a strong understanding of fandom, thanks to his love of movies and comics, to the role, but he seems too clever for the sad-sack character at times.
While it is easy to understand the character’s disdain for the monotony of suburban Staten Island life, and even easier to laugh at the insider world of sports talk show geekdom Siegel creates, Oswalt’s is not a sympathetic character. I never really cheered for him, though I never completely held him in contempt, leaving me almost apathetic by the movie’s dramatic climax.
Siegel’s gritty direction and naturalistic script harken back to some 70s films, and his anti-hero is reminiscent of a nerdy Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver.” But the stakes are just too low here to make the conceit work.
Below is my official review that runs in Friday’s paper:
With apologies to the late Karl Marx, in modern American society, sport has become the opiate of the masses.
The common fan may find in sports fandom a refuge from day-to-day life, a chance to escape from responsibilities and obligations for a handful of hours a week.
But true junkies cannot be satiated. Unfulfilled by simply indulging a passion, they become consumed by it. They feed themselves not just on the games, but on the ancillary compulsions that come with fanaticism, such as the over-caffeinated world of sports talk radio.
In “Big Fan,” Paul Aufiero’s (Patton Oswalt) love of the New York Giants doesn’t offer a diversion from his life; it is his life.
With his directorial debut, which he also penned, Robert Siegel ventures into the dark places where the sports addict lives — in Aufiero’s case, the airwaves and his mother’s house.
Thirty-five-year-old Paul has done his best to remove any substantive distractions from his life, allowing him to focus all of his time on his obsession with the Giants and their star linebacker Quantrell Bishop.
Paul doesn’t find working in a tiny parking garage toll booth in Staten Island to be a mind-numbing endeavor, simply an opportunity for him to obsess over the tepid scripts he uses for his nightly calls to a local sports radio show.
His life might be adrift and pointless, but his calls are tight and focused. With each successive call, Paul, the public defender and champion of his gridiron heroes from the Meadowlands, feels his sense of singular purpose reinforced, a feeling amplified by his friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan), who holds him in high esteem for his trivial linguistic feats on the radio.
Paul’s obnoxious mother feels the time has long since passed for her youngest son to leave the safety of her house, from which he makes most of his late-night calls to the Sports Dog radio program. She wants him to find a career, maybe even meet a “nice girl,” but Paul explains that he is happy with his life. He doesn’t want to lead the mundane life that his family wishes for him.
Oswalt, with his sympathy for nerdy underdogs and biting disregard for the inauthentic, imbues Paul with an ironic and caustic haughtiness as he dismisses his Chinese food packet-hoarding mother and ambulance-chasing attorney brother. Though Oswalt brings a rich and tender humanity to a character for whom we reluctantly want to cheer, the script paints Paul’s family in grotesque caricature, leaving one with the feeling that Siegel has crossed the line from sardonic satire to a sort of unnecessary class warfare.
Siegel and Oswalt do begin to bend sympathies towards their lovable loser. And though he might lack ambition, at least Paul knows his place in the world, comfortable with who he is and in what he believes. That is, until a night when his sad fairy-tale life as gridiron troubadour comes crashing into the realization that, despite his imagined fellowship with the Giants, he is not a part of their world.
After catching a glimpse of their hero Bishop, Paul and Sal follow him and his entourage to a Manhattan strip club. But things go terribly wrong when Paul approaches his hero, a move of clumsy naivete that eventually lands him in the hospital courtesy of a beating from Bishop.
Just when it seems comfortable to find humor in this innocuous loser, the movie takes a turn from pitifully funny to the darker places of the junkie experience. A slave to his passion, Paul refuses to lay blame at the foot of the symbol of his sacred obsession, despite the protestations and meddling of his family and the authorities. Slowly, Siegel’s anti-hero concocts a misdirected revenge fantasy, the vague nature of which works to build a discomfiting suspense at a slow boil.
As Paul ultimately attempts to exact vengeance for a humiliating slight brought on by the public revelation of the extent of his addiction, he exclaims, “You didn’t have to be mean. Everybody’s always so mean.”
Unfortunately, Siegel’s ambivalence toward the character produces little in the way of empathy, and the audience will likely be glad to let this unfortunate junkie return to the small box he has created of his life.
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With The Highball, Tim League and co. prepare to set ‘em up and knock ‘em down
Tim League and his small pack of visionaries have captured the zeitgeist of the hip and repackaged it in the form of entertainment with such amazing clarity and brilliance that marketers and PR people would kill to get inside their brains for just five seconds.
But they’d be fools to think they could figure out the strategic planning that results in a place like the Alamo Drafthouse or the soon-to-be-revealed The Highball .
That’s because, by all accounts, there is no special calculus involved. No amount of brainstorming, demographic research and brand testing by Generic Corporation X would be able to calculate what League and his team bring to the table with The Highball. That’s because it’s organic. League places his bets that the public will love the things he and his friends love, and after talking to him and taking a look inside The Highball, it seems a foregone conclusion that his new club will be a hit.
I caught up with League, as well as architect Richard Weiss and executive chef Trish Eichelberger, to discuss the newest addition to Austin’s entertainment scene.
For a sneak peak at The Highball’s food and drink menu, click here.
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A sneak peak at The Highball’s menu
After talking to Highball ownership, one thing is certain: This ain’t your grandpa’s bowling alley food.
For the diner at The Highball, owner Tim League brought in former Alamo Executive Chef Trish Eichelberger to create diner food with a local and epicurean twist. Eichelberger says the menu has a throwback feel that will evolve while featuring fresh and local fare. The bar offers 16 tapped beers, with 12 of those being local, along with wine, liquor and the venue’s Signature Highballs. The Signature Highball menu will include 10 different cocktails created by former Alamo Ritz manager Ryan Schibi and Eichelberger, who will re-imagine some classic cocktails along with more modern drinks featuring fresh ingredients.
(For a video interview with League and a look inside The Highball, click here.)
THE HIGHBALL MENU
(Please keep in mind that this is a very rough draft of the menu, given as an exclusive to Austin360, and I have been told my Tim League that prices are not yet established.)
MARTINIS
Executive chef Trish Eichelberger has worked with bar manager Ryan Schibi to craft a signature line of cocktails for The Highball. These drinks are from two camps: reimagined classics and modern creations with fresh ingredients and infusions.All of our signature Highball cocktails are $10 and are made by hand with fresh ingredients and premium spirits.
Please allow a few extra moments for the creation of any of the signature highballs.
OLD FASHION
Cherry Infused Bourbon, Muddled Orange, Maraschino Liqueur with bourbon cherry
THE DAISY
Citrus Infused Silver Tequila, Cointreau and Agave Nectar and black salt rim
RASPBERRY FIZZ
Citrus Infused Vodka, Elderflower, Rosemary, Muddled Blackberries
THE SILVER LINING
Rye, Lemon Juice, Licor 43 and Egg White
MOJO RICKEY
Kaffir Lime Infused Rum, Mint with a sugar cane swizzle
THAI ONE ON
Mango Infused Rum, Palm Sugar Syrup, Thai Basil, Ginger, Cucumber, Mint,
Cilantro and Lime Juice with a sea salted rim
THE HEIRLOOM
Pepper Infused Vodka, Tomato Water and Basil with a cherry tomato and
smoked salt rim
THE 10 PIN
Cucumber Infused Gin with Muddled Strawberries, Basil with a strawberry
and smoked salt rim
APPETIZERS
HIGHBALL HOTWINGS
Texas Quail, flash fried, tossed in sriracha bacon emulsion. Celery, Carrot
sticks and mild pickled okra
DR. PEPPER RIBS
Spice Infused Dr Pepper glazed pork ribs with toasted peanut crust
FRIED POTATOES AND ONIONS
House cut Burbank Potatoes, Beer battered onion rings
House made tomato ketchup, demi-glace for dipping
BLT CHICKEN SALAD FINGER SANDWICHES
Local free range chickens, house made bacon, cherub tomatoes, toasted
Texas pecan creamy avocado dressing stacked on multi-seed bread with
crispy romaine
TEXAS GULF SHRIMP CAKES
The best you can score from our coast, caked up with local seasonal veggies,
flat seared to golden brown delicious and served with roasted jalapeno tartar
BALLER CHEESE PLATE
Selection of local and imported cheese, something fruity, something nutty,
something pickled, water crackers
DEWBERRY HILLS FA RMS CHICKEN LIVER PATE
House made pate, seasonal jam, water crackers and grilled sourdough
PINS AND BALLS
Anson mill grit “balls and pins”, jammed full of something tasty and flash fried,
demi glace to dip
ENTREES
TEXAS GULF SHRIMP PLATE Fried or grilled, fries or rings, slaw and roasted jalapeno tartar sauceLOCAL VEGGIE PLATE
Four farm-fresh seasonal selections, ask your sever for details
MEATLOAF SAMMY
Bison meatloaf sandwich on toasted sourdough. Served hot or cold, with
house made mayo and romaine. Comes with fries or rings
DEWBERRY HILLS FARMS FRIED CHICKEN
Half a yard bird, lovingly fried, mashers and the vegetable of the day
LONCITO’S LAMB TIPS AND RICE
Fork tender chunks of lamb leg in a red wine and caramelized onion gravy on
mushroom wild rice blend
CHICKEN FRIED PORK STEAK SANDWICH
Tender cutlet of pork breaded, fried served on toasted sourdough with
housemade mayo, romaine and fresh tomato and onion. Fries or rings
THANKSGIVING SANDWICH
Roasted Turkey, house made mayo, a patty of seared leftover dressing,
cranberry sauce. Fries or rings
SALADS
THE SALUTE
Roasted beet, seasonal citrus, toasted Texas pecan and chevre on rocket
HIGHBALL CAESAR
The classic topped with sweet cherub tomatoes, fried anchovies fillets and
Moonlight foccacia croutons
HOUSE SALAD
Mixed greens, cherubs, carrot, and cucumbers
Add a seared Quail or BLT Chicken salad
WEDGE
A hearty iceberg wedge, red onion, cherub tomato, bacon crumbles and
homemade Highball 1000 island
BLUE PLATE SPECIALS
(All blue plate specials include tea or soda)MONDAY
Bison meatloaf, mashers, vegetable of the day
TUESDAY
Chicken and herbed dumplings, wedge salad
WEDNESDAY
Chicken fried pork steak, mashers, red eye gravy and vegetable of the day
THURSDAY
Thanksgiving! Turkey, dressing, gravy, mashers and vegetable of the day
FRIDAY
Texas Blackened, seasonal gulf fish, pecan rice pilaf, vegetable of the day
DESSERTS
CHOCOLATE GINGER ICEBOX PIE
Ginger infused chocolate filling with a pecan shortbread crust
FRESH FRUIT PIE OF THE DAY
Seasonal fresh fruit pie made from scratch, in-house. Ask your server
MILE HIGH COCONUT CAKE
The classic yellow cake, coconut custard filling, fluffy meringue frosting and
toasted coconut
THE SPLIT
The usual suspects on a flat seared banana, covered in liquor soaked fruits,
ignited and extinguished with vanilla bean whipped cream
BOTTLE SERVICE
Bottle Service is available anywhere in The Highball but is most common in our private
karaoke rooms. Bottle service comes as a package including your choice of two mixers,
one of our signature food platters and your choice of bottles below. With any bottle
service package, enjoy two complimentary hours of free bowling or two hours of free
karaoke for four or one hour of free karaoke for eight.
SANDWICHES AND VEGGIES
BLT chicken salad finger sandwiches with crudite and fresh fruit
CHEESE AND CHARCUTURIE PLATE
Cheeses, both local and imported, something nutty, something fruity,
something pickled, pate with seasonal jam water crackers and flat grilled
sourdough toast points
PINSETTER PLATTER
A combo platter of fried and seared golden brown delicious goodness from
our regular menu, ask you server for details.
Bottles of booze include the following: Titos Vodka, Bacardi Silver, Dripping Springs Vodka, Tanqueray, Jose Cuervo Silver, Herradurra Silver, Ciroc Vodka, Treaty Oak Rum, Hendrick’s Gin, Makers Mark, Bulleit, Crown Royal, Jameson, Don Julio Silver, Don Julio Anejo
Mixers (choose any two): soda, tonic, ginger ale, cranberry, pineapple,
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Fricano’s Deli is the business
Maybe it was my fondness for my grandmother’s summer afternoon preparations, passed down to my mother, to which I was paying homage. Maybe I was portending a future in the service industry or a life as a stay-at-home dad. Or maybe I felt guilty for acting like a jerk to my friends. Whatever the reason, I always had a love for sandwiches, their quality and construction and our desires to have unique and personalized creations even in the simplest of forms.
Over the years, sandwiches have been my staple, my go-to food. Sure, I love steak and tacos … and lobster … and pizza. But I can’t resist a wonderful sandwich. My passion has led me to find stacked pleasures across the country and abroad. Wagshal’s in Washington D.C., Parkway Deli in Silver Spring, Maryland, the original Antone’s in Houston, The Italian Store in Arlington, Virginia and countless sandwich places in Italy have all made me swoon and hold a special place in my heart. In Austin, I have made the occasional love connection to various degrees of intensity at Hogg Island Deli, Wisk (R.I.P.), Spec’s, Central Market, Food Heads, Buenos Aires Café, Whole Foods, Sullivan’s, Tam Deli, Wheatsville Co-Op.
Add Fricano’s Deli to the list.
A hole-in-the-wall spot located near the Bermuda Triangle that is the area where East 31st Street and Speedway Street collide, Fricano’s feels like the kind of sandwich shop that despite being open only three years feels like it has been there forever. And it feels like the kind of sandwich shop I’d want to open, or at least eat at a couple of times a week. There are small bookshelves stuffed with books and board games, a few seats at the counter bar, two-tops with seating for about a dozen people and about two dozen sandwiches and hot dogs on the menu.
The sandwiches refrain from trying too hard, offering just the right number of ingredients to provide good flavor, without putting on a show. Take for example the Jamilio’s Italian Cheesesteak I had earlier this week. While the only thing Italian about it was the mozzarella, the combination of Boar’s Head pastrami, grilled onions and peppers, homemade Rocket sauce and the aforementioned cheese on a crunchy, flaky hoagie provided a wonderful combination of savory and spicy. It comes warmed to perfection on a Panini press that looks like it gets a thorough workout each day and hit all of the right notes.
Longtime Austinite Paul Fricano, and his business partners, husband-and-wife team Jamil Muhaisen and DeeAnne Bullard, take pride in their attention to detail, fresh ingredients and the fact that almost everything in the store is homemade, excepting the ketchup. And, really, people can be fussy about their ketchup, so probably safe to stick with the store bought.
Homemade offerings include potato and pasta salads, salad dressings and a red and green cabbage slaw, five original spreads that can be added to any sandwich and a soup of the day. When I was in Monday, I sampled a bit of the corn chowder, which was rich without relying too heavily on the cream, and featured crisp flavors of crunchy vegetables punctuated by refreshing cilantro. Although I passed on dessert my last time in, next time I will be sure to pick up one of DeeAnne’s homemade cupcakes, which she bakes daily.
While I have yet to make my way through the menu, I will be certain to tackle their roster of Reubens (five in all), and am unafraid to bring vegetarian friends, as the menu boasts four delicious veggie options.
Fricano seems a natural behind the counter, which makes sense when you discover his parents once ran a Chicago-style deli. He and his partners fill the worn joint with an affable vibe that almost makes it feel as if one of your buddies is fixing you a sandwich after a grueling match of ping pong. And they don’t cheat.
Fricano’s Deli [site]
104 C E. 31st St. [map]
482.9980
Hours
Monday - Friday: 11 am - 7 pm
Saturday: Noon - 5 pm
Closed Sunday
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Facebook is for looking at pictures of chicks; MySpace is for hillbillies
That headline doesn’t quite summarize the findings of a recent study of social networking by Harvard Business School professor Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, but it does capture a part of his findings. Minus the pejoratives, of course.
Sean Silverthorne has an article, “Understanding Users of Social Networks,” on the Harvard Business School Web site that examines Piskorski’s findings, which indicate that men generally use social networking site Facebook to look at pictures of women, who receive two-thirds of all page views. Additionally, all Facebookers utilize the photo app. to create a visual narrative of their lives.
One of the more curious cases is Twitter, which has more female users than men, although “researchers still saw differences between how men and women are followed, perhaps pointing to a fundamental representation of the role of men and women in society,” according to the findings.
Back to the purpose of the study, it seems corporations are prolific in their use of social media, but their ability to come up with an actual social strategy to attract consumers and build off that base is another story entirely.
Some of the highlights from the article:
- With these general ideas of why people use these sites, Piskorski examined weblogs of social networking sites (not LinkedIn) to see what people did when they were online. “I just wondered why people spend so much time on these sites; what do they do?”
The biggest discovery: pictures. “People just love to look at pictures,” says Piskorski. “That’s the killer app of all online social networks. Seventy percent of all actions are related to viewing pictures or viewing other people’s profiles.” Why the popularity of photos? Piskorski hypothesizes that people who post pictures of themselves can show they are having fun and are popular without having to boast. Another draw of photos (and of SN sites in general) is that they enable a form of voyeurism. In real life there is a strong norm against prying into other people’s lives. But online enables “a very delicate way for me to pry into your life without really prying,” the researcher says. “Harvard undergrads do it all the time. They know all about each other before they meet face to face. ‘Oh, you’re that guy that did that internship in D.C. last summer.’ ” Piskorski has also found deep gender differences in the use of sites. The biggest usage categories are men looking at women they don’t know, followed by men looking at women they do know. Women look at other women they know. Overall, women receive two-thirds of all page views.
- Looking at who uses Twitter, which restricts users to 140-character messages, Piskorski and student-researcher Bill Heil (HBS MBA ‘09) found that 90 percent of Twitter posts were created by only 10 percent of users. This was not surprising, he says, because the technology uses words without photos to communicate. “Only the people who are willing to put themselves out there publicly in words to people who they may not know will use Twitter. Some people will find this incredibly appealing, others will find this too scary.” But the remarkable finding was the gender dynamics. According to the research, there are more women on Twitter than men, women tweet about the same rate as men, but men’s tweets are followed by both sexes much more than expected by chance. “That was stunning because on all these other social networks you see the opposite,” Piskorski says.
- So why doesn’t MySpace get the attention it deserves? The fascinating answer, acquired by studying a dataset of 100,000 MySpace users, is that they largely populate smaller cities and communities in the south and central parts of the country. Piskorski rattles off some MySpace hotspots: “Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Florida.”
- Corporate marketers by and large struggle with how to use social networking sites to reach potential customers, says Piskorski, who advises companies on this subject. The problem is that execs think of online social networks as social media and treat it as another channel to get people to click through to a site. It doesn’t work that way. For one thing, findings show that people don’t click through on advertising on social networks. “A good analogy is to imagine sitting at a table with friends when a stranger pulls up a chair, sits down, and tries to sell you something while you are talking to your friends. You will not get far with a strategy like this.”
Thanks to Clay Crenshaw for the link, whose Facebook page I read even though he’s not an anonymous good looking girl with a ton of pics on his page.
Images from Photos.com.
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Seeing the country, one airport at a time
Round Rock resident Brendan Ross, a soon-to-be air traffic controller, is either terribly bored or a glutton for punishment.
They say that air traffic controllers have one of the most stressful jobs in the world. So what do people wired to be able to handle that kind of work do for enjoyment? Apparently endure the mind-numbing, stomach-ruining pain of living on airplanes and in airports for 30 straight days.
Ross, profiled in this piece by the American-Statesman’s Claire Osborn, wanted to take advantage of JetBlue’s offer for an unlimited one-month pass on the airline, but he didn’t have the cash. He posted an ad on Craigslist asking if anyone wanted to buy him the $599 ticket. Fortunately/unfortunately for him, Wired magazine took notice and stepped in to foot the bill.
However, there was one massive catch. Ross, who had offered in his post to sleep in airports, would be confined to said airports when not on the Jet Blue planes. Wired has made the offer in exchange for Ross’s commitment to keep a blog for Wired.com.
I have always found airports to be fertile ground for people watching and storytelling, one that would provide compelling exposition for a novel or screenplay. So many people coming and going — excited, anxious, comforted or scared to arrive to something new or familiar. Or possibly just zombie-walking dead-eyed through their business routine, hardly taking notice of their environments. Aggravation, anticipation, dealing with children or slow-moving spouses. It is a petri dish of human emotions, and the demographics, while confined to those who can afford to travel, are rather heterogeneous.
I was almost ready to get on board with the idea, actually, pardon the pun …
Until I read this line from the story: “the purpose of writing a blog for the magazine is to focus on aviation.”
Wow. The guy has to endure a straight month in airplanes and airports and has to focus solely on aviation? No David Foster Wallace-like literary journalism focusing on the sociological and psychological aspect of the environment? No pithy Tweet-sized entries on the food vendors? Just aviation? Count me out.
From Osborn’s story:
He began his journeys last week by flying from Austin to Long Beach, Calif., to Oakland, where he spent the night in a chair in the baggage claim area. “I know this is kind of crazy, but it always makes for good stories later,” said Ross in a phone interview last week . “The idea is to act as if you were just a regular traveler and you were stranded for 30 days.” Ross said he only needs about six hours of sleep a night, and he plans to stay clean by bathing from sinks in airport restrooms and taking the occasional shower in airports that have them. “I’ve got industrial strength deodorant because I don’t want to make anybody uncomfortable.” Ross has also packed detergent so that he can wash his clothes in airport sinks.
Well, at least the dude has a sense of adventure. Or a taste for airborne illness, overpriced cardboard pizza, screaming babies and blood clots.
Read the full story here.
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Give as good as you get at Flavors of the Town this Thursday
The foundation works to battle Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, by providing support for Central Texas families of those afflicted with the disease.
The evening centers around tastings from a wide range of local restaurants, including Andiamo Ristorante, Eddie V’s, Garrido’s, McCormick and Schmick’s, Salvation Pizza, III Forks and Tiff’s Treats.
“We are delighted to - again - have such amazing participation for Flavors of the Town,” said Volney Campbell, board member of the Busby Foundation. “Our support from the Hyatt Regency Austin makes this event possible and the local restaurants that donate their time and effort make all the difference in our mission to increase awareness of ALS and raise funds to help people in the local community battling the disease.”
Tickets for the event are $100. Additionally, a limited number of raffle tickets for a vacation getaway to a Hyatt resort are being sold for $100 each.
For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit Flavorsofthetown.org or contact Chris Valentine at (512) 699-3467.
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Dallas Cowboy and former Aggie Martellus Bennett’s love affair with Cap’n Crunch
If you combined slick lyricist K’Naan with slant-rhyming Emily Dickinson then subtracted talent and a dictionary and divided by 1,000, the result might sound a little like this unbelievable rap from former Texas A&M student and current Dallas Cowboy Martellus Bennett.
Bennett, about whom the Ft. Worth Star Telegram once wrote “had more memorable quotes than memorable catches at Texas A&M,” is apparently quite the kid at heart. A very rich kid who likes Cap’n Crunch. A lot. He also seems to have a penchant for old Nintendo games, as it sounds like his DJ on this track is Super Mario, straight out the dungeon level.
And, if this dude really does dig on Cap’n Crunch for lunch, it’s going to be a long season for the Cowboys offense (hope, hope). If anyone can figure out how to make this into a ringtone, I would be eternally grateful.
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Idea fail: Texts from Last Night Web site to become TV show
First the Web site “Look at this F—-ing Hipster” gets a book deal, now this.
Desperate to keep up with the zeitgeist of the tech and snark-savvy 20-something (and a lot of 30-somethings, likely) set, Fox TV has bought the rights to develop an adaptation of the popular site Texts From Last Night, according to Variety.
For those not familiar, TextsfromLastNight.com (definitely not safe for work or children), aggregates absurd, obscene and obnoxious texts (alleged texts, I guess) from readers who submit them on the site. The messages are sorted by area code, so you can even go read Austin-specific messages and see if you can decipher if any of them are from or about you.
According to Variety, “In writing the TV version, Holland will loosely base the show’s characters and plot on the whole idea of racy — and sometimes embarrassing — communication, particularly among the twentysomething set. Holland’s other credits include ‘Rules of Engagement’ and ‘Less Than Perfect.’”
OMG, what a ridiculous idea.
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Get a piece of Austin indie music history and some art to cover the punch hole in your apartment
You know all of those sweet posters you see outside of gigs? Maybe you’ve torn one down off a wall at Emo’s or the Mohawk as you stumbled, dazed by PBR, from a show at 2 a.m.
Award-winning local graphic designer Bryan Keplesky of Misprint Magazine fame, is offering folks the chance to buy some of his previous designs, so you can have your own, clean print, without the added charm of cigarette burns or tears. And you can look all cool and stuff with some original art on the walls of your place, as opposed to that faded and torn Frank Zappa poster you’re currently rocking. Or Morrisey, or whatever the hell it is the kids listen to today.
Keplesky has put a few of his posters online at Gigposters.com and is selling them for $25 - $40 a pop. Shows represented include Death Cab for Cutie, Go! Team and Gang of Four. Check them out here.
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Pei Wei offers new ramen dish and a chance to help
Pei Wei Asian Diner, the fast-casual concept from P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, wants to change the way people think about ramen noodles. And they want to help stock food banks in the process. Most people know ramen as dried, packaged noodles with flavor packets that offer college students and budget shoppers sustenance at a low price. The restaurant company’s executive chef, Eric Justice, hopes Pei Wei’s new dish, chile beef ramen (fresh egg noodles glazed in soy-chile sauce, served with wok-seared vegetables and flank steak, topped with cilantro and spritzed with lime) will turn the idea of simple ramen on its head.
“Our goal is to offer Asian food-lovers an exciting and flavorful new experience ? and to finally give the ramen noodles the redemption they deserve,” Justice said.
Wednesday, all Pei Wei locations are offering 50 percent off the $6.95 chile beef, chicken or tofu ramen and the $7.95 shrimp ramen for all customers who bring in any package of ramen noodles, which will be donated to a local food bank along with a charitable contribution from Pei Wei. Pei Wei has five Austin-area locations. Details at www.peiwei.com.
Photo from Sue Tallon PEI WEI.
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New Groupon.com offers amazing deal at The Woodland
Take their initial offer: buy a $25 gift card to The Woodland on South Congress Avenue, and get $50 worth of food and drink. For this deal, 25 people have to purchase the coupon before the deal goes into effect. In this case, the site currently says that 126 people have purchased the coupon, so “the deal is on!” For those of you who do not know, The Woodland features refined comfort food. I suggest the fried chicken sandwich, which I searched out last week when looking for some culinary comfort.
Each day, Groupon users will have 24 hours to make the purchase and get the group’s numbers to the threshold.
I’ll let the folks at Groupon.com explain it more thoroughly:
Groupon is a combination of the words group and coupon. Each day, we offer an unbeatable deal on the best of Austin: restaurants, spas, sporting events, theater, and more. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, we get discounts you won’t find anywhere else. We call it “collective buying power”! If you want to get the deal, just click BUY before the offer ends at midnight. If the minimum number of people (25 for today’s deal) sign up by the end of the day, you’ll get a printable gift certificate in your inbox the next morning that you can use whenever you want (well, at least until the deal expires—today’s expires in three months). If not enough people join, no one gets the deal (and you won’t be charged), so invite your friends to make sure you get the discount! It’s nice to wake up to something new every day. Some people get their daily fix from desk calendars with a cute puppy and a funny caption every morning. Groupon is like a desk calendar, except the puppy is an unbeatable discount and the funny caption is a profound reflection on the flowers and needles growing from life’s cactus. We selflessly share our deep insights, hoping that you will join our mob of consumers, thus strengthening our collective buying power and commanding even better deals.
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WOXY.com wants to send you to party at the Voodoo in New Orleans
Internet radio station WOXY.com, which bills itself as The Future of Rock and Roll and threw a great launch party Sunday night at Scoot Inn (check out TV Torso and Black Before Red whenever you get a chance), are doing yeoman work endearing themselves to listeners. Point in case, they are giving you and your friends a chance to go lose your minds in New Orleans at the Voodoo Music Experience over Halloween weekend.
The Big Easy is always a party, but throw in the spooky festivities of Halloween set the to raucous soundtrack of Jane’s Addiction, the Flaming Lips, Justice, Gogol Bordello, the Black Keys and the like, and you may be lucky to get out alive.
WOXY, VTech and Voodoo are not sparing any luxuries, either, as they are giving away a VTech IS9181 Wi-Fi Internet Radio, two VIP passes to the Voodoo Music Experience, three Night’s hotel stay at the New Orleans Marriott and flights to and from the festival. Even a pauper can afford to go if he wins this contest.
To enter, email woxycontests@gmail.com with the subject line reading “VTech/Voodoo Fest.” Be sure to include your mailing address.
Image of Jane’s Addiction at Lollapalooza from AP
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Alamo Drafthouse offers free refills. Who knew?
Apparently I have not been getting to the bottom of my sodas at the Alamo Drafthouse fast enough of late, or not reading the fine print, to notice that the beloved Austin institution now offers free refills on its $3.99 sodas.
My attention was brought to the matter during an ACL-related comment back-and-forth on Austinist. Thanks, Seth, for the heads up. The folks at the Alamo told me they’ve been offering the refills “for some time” but did not offer an exact date.
So, while I am not condoning drinking hundreds upon hundreds of empty calories at the next screening you attend (nor am I going all New York City Health Department on you), I just figured, if you’re like me and love popcorn and soda at the movies, you should have as much information as possible the next time you hit the Alamo.
And, before anyone complains about paying $3.99 fro a bottomless soda, have you seen the prices at the multiplex lately?
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What is going on with ‘Mad Men’?
What exactly is going on with “Mad Men”? For those of us who were eagerly awaiting, for what seems like ages, the return of the critically acclaimed AMC hit, it has been a very slow and ambiguous start to season three, to say the least.
While last season got off to a somewhat cryptic start, it at least tantalized audiences and made me long for the next episode. With each episode, and almost every scene, a big reveal constantly felt like it could be around the corner. With this season, barring the Peggy Olson weed smoking bit in episode three (which was well written and perfectly performed by Elisabeth Moss), nothing terribly shocking or even interesting has happened and any revelations of the characters’ interior lives have been rather trite and expected. (I did like the creepy look Peter kept giving to the bosses while dancing, begging for their approval and admiration. Of course, we already know he is a scumbag. Also felt some trippy nostalgia in the bar scene that felt somewhat reminiscent early on of the bar in “The Shining.”)
Matthew Weiner and his crew have done a terrific job of building suspense and intrigue in the show’s first two seasons, while examining some delicious and extreme characters, but the characters all seem wooden and two-dimensional so far this year, and each sequence seems to end on a flat note.
Maybe my trouble comes from having had the benefit of watching the first two seasons on DVD, never having to wait a week for the next episode, but there is so little tension this year, nothing that makes me excited for the coming week. As David Itzkoff writes in his Arts Beat on NYTIMES.com, “Increasingly, Matthew Weiner, a former “Sopranos” producer, and his “Mad Men” writing staff seem to be so enamored with their characters that they are content to assemble them in potentially interesting settings, let the cameras linger on them and hope that an interesting scene emerges. This unhurried strategy may produce the occasionally transcendent image — think of Don and Betty Draper kissing in the moonlight at the end of the episode — but doesn’t do much to advance the internal narrative of the series.”
However, much like my faith in Houston Rockets architect, general manager Daryl Morey, I will give “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner the benefit of the doubt and trust that he is building something here that I can solidly get behind. The creepy slowness does give the subtle feel of the quiet before the storm. Maybe Weiner set the kettle to slow burn this season and soon we will all be drenched with the hyper-stylistic drama we fell in love with over the past two years. Let’s hope that is the case, anyways.
Image from AMC.
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