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August 31, 2007
Regularly scheduled programming returning soon...
Posted by LYT at 8:08 AM | Comments (2)
August 25, 2007
I'm in England
Very light blogging for about a week or so. In the meantime, enjoy the latest reviews...You can call Right At Your Door the feel-bad date movie of the year, a contemporary answer to something like On the Beach, When the Wind Blows, or any number of Twilight Zone episodes about the end of the world. Whether audiences will want to spend their movie night watching residents of Los Angeles helplessly endure a bio-terrorism attack is hard to say; there’s a reason the most infamous apocalypse movies, like The Day After and Threads, were made for TV, as people don’t necessarily want to shell out movie-ticket dollars to be hugely depressed and made even more paranoid about the world outside. But, at the very least, it may make you glad you live in OC.
Whole thing HERE
It’s easy to pick on small-town America. We know, just know, they still like George W. Bush there, love their religion while totally ignoring its basic tenets, and have an unhealthy obsession with guns. But they also tend to have convincing southern accents, unlike approximately half the cast of Stages Theater’s production of Lanford Wilson’s Book of Days. And those who get it right are often doing entirely different types of southern accent from one another (yes, folks, there’s more than one kind). That may not be an issue for the target audience, but for this West Virginia-born, North Carolina-raised reviewer, it’s a big distraction.
Get more theatrical HERE.
Posted by LYT at 1:23 AM | Comments (5)
August 22, 2007
The Musical Fruit
I have a short review of MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY posted over HERE Will be traveling for a while -- OC Weekly this week will contain a theater review by me (BOOK OF DAYS) and a film review (RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR). I'll link to them when I can, or you can just check OCweekly.com in the late afternoon.Posted by LYT at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
August 21, 2007
Hayden Panettiere: 18 today
Yep, she's legal. Not that anyone who reads this has a chance with her. Good actress, though. I may actually now be at the point where such girls are too young for me -- I admire her more for her talent than looks, but she's certainly not lacking in those.Posted by LYT at 6:23 PM | Comments (3)
August 19, 2007
FIRST LOOK: LYT in the movie WALKIN' MY BABY BACK HOME
The movie has wrapped production, and is now in post. These are stills from the current work-in-progress cut, filmed and directed by Andrew Shemin, and starring my sister, Nicole Ayach.If this man invited you inside, would you say yes?
Something's on his mind...
Pretty cool T-shirt
"Would you care for a juice box, young lady?" [NOTE: Not actual movie dialogue]
"Sure..."
"How about you spend the night?"
Tucked in
Oh face
Make it stop
Army of me
Posted by LYT at 9:02 PM | Comments (14)
August 17, 2007
New OC Weekly stuff
All the hate mail (and some nicer ones) is HEREPlus I reviewed DEATH AT A FUNERAL
So, yeah, we get a lot of English people swearing here, which some will find inherently funny (though not so many in England, I suspect). Wonderful colloquialisms such as “fucking tosser” and “wanker” abound. There’s an old man yelling profanities as he discusses his need to shit, threats to “beat the living shit” out of someone, and a character saying, “Jesus fucking Christ” just as the priest walks up beside him. This isn’t particularly shocking or offensive and would be less troublesome if it weren’t for the fact that the film doesn’t have much else to offer.Full review HERE
Posted by LYT at 11:20 AM | Comments (3)
August 16, 2007
OOh, a sarcasm detector! That's a REALLY useful device!
One thing I'm curious about...
90% of all female Internet dating profiles proudly proclaim "sarcasm" as a positive trait.
I don't have a problem with that, but it doesn't seem like something that would appeal to most guys -- even my female friends say the same.
Why so quick to proclaim it?
Posted by LYT at 2:17 AM | Comments (5)
Generation Chickenhawk
This is some must-watch stuff. Especially when Tom De Lay says that if we'd had no abortions, we'd have people to do the jobs illegal Mexicans do now.
Posted by LYT at 12:50 AM | Comments (1)
LA Weekly reviews this week
Got a couple:
Tell me this introductory graf doesn't get your interest...
Bold biplane-pilot lives need not have been wasted back in 1933, if only the military had known then what all video-game players came to understand in the ’80s: The best way to defeat a giant ape perched atop a high building with a hot chick in his hands is to send in a fat Italian plumber with a large mallet. Just make sure he can jump over a flaming barrel, and Kong is doomed for sure.
Full review HERE. Scott Foundas says it's one of my best ever.
Capsule review for SPLINTER cam be found HERE
There'll be another one in OC Weekly posted tomorrow.
Posted by LYT at 12:21 AM | Comments (1)
August 15, 2007
Hi Los Angeles friends! I need a favor
Need a place to stay Thursday FRIDAY night, preferably near Hollywood. (Though with Sunset Junction going on, maybe not Silver Lake)
I have my own inflatable mattress. All I need is a floor. Please help.
(Thursday is taken care of)
Posted by LYT at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2007
Goddamn, not another one...
Pro-wrestler Brian Adams, not to be confused with the irritating Canadian soft-rocker, has died, at the age of 43.
Adams was best known for his stint in the WWF as "Crush," first as the third member of Demolition and then as a Hawaiian surfer-type, a purple-clad villain, an ex-convict with a fake tattoo on his forehead, and the leader of a motorcycle gang called "D.O.A.: Disciples of Apocalypse"; though the persona varied, he kept the name Crush throughout.
In WCW, he wrestled under his real name as one half of the tag team "Kronik." Following the WCW/WWE merger, Kronik briefly appeared in WWE, but were promptly fired after a poorly received PPV match with Kane and the Undertaker.
Adams was a big guy, but didn't look particularly "juiced." No cause of death has been announced yet.
Posted by LYT at 2:59 PM | Comments (4)
Jaye Daye
Happy birthday to our favorite rock star.
Posted by LYT at 10:56 AM | Comments (4)
August 10, 2007
Okay, here's what I'm going to do...
There's a demand for these OC Weeklies from friends and family, and while the issue remains available (i.e. this week), I can help some of you out, if you are willing to pay the postage.
Here's how it works - if you want to get one, post in comments below with a working email address. Come Tuesday, I will cut the list off. Then, I'll see however many extras I have, and will give priority to the regular LYTrules commenters [you don't have to be a recent regular commenter, or a constant one -- I remember most of you. The only commenters who don't count for this offer are ones I banned or asked to leave, and I think only two people fit that description].
Ideally, everyone who does this will get one, but we'll see. Once I've figured it out, I will ask you to mail me a correctly sized, post-paid envelope [not responsible for your miscalculations on postage - think a hefty newspaper, it's like $4 in the continental U.S.], and I'll send you back an OC Weekly.
Alternately, if you have other friends in OC, have them pick you up one for free.
After this week, they'll only be available as back issues from the paper, for $4 in-person, $8 with postage.
And we may find out that no-one wants to pay $4 -- but let's give it a shot!
Posted by LYT at 11:43 PM | Comments (10)
Number of readers who've called for me to be fired, based on cover story
Two and counting...Posted by LYT at 10:17 AM | Comments (5)
Y'all are AWESOME!!!
A heartfelt thanks to everyone who got the word out and responded to my blatant link-whoring today; those of you I'll call the LYTerati even though I doubt anyone will actually accept that label.
The hate mail from the haters is already coming in, of course, including one lengthy diatribe you'll likely see in the paper next week. But everywhere I've looked, it's been flying off the racks.
Perhaps the best tribute was one from a former colleague who started at the exact same time as me [we both answered the same ad, and beat out applicants that included Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly] ...his site is behaving oddly, but it's somewhere here; I hope he doesn't mind my linkage. I'd give him a similar tribute but I'm never 100% sure how discreet he wants me to be.
I'm sure we can expect the usual suspects to chime in with naysaying, but I also defy them to tell me the article is poorly written. It is not.
I was a little off on prices as far as ordering copies...OC Weekly charges $4 per back issue if you pick it up in person, and $8 total for issue plus postage. That's a lot more than a buck, and will probably seem too hefty for many of you. I'm going to save a limited number of these, but given the size of my readership it simply isn't possible to get free copies to all. Stay tuned, or find a friend in OC who can grab you a freebie.
Also, I had this article in the LA Weekly. I've been invited to the event in question with a guest; if anyone would like to be that guest, email me.
And I have tix to Poison and Ratt on Sunday here in OC. Anyone want to come with?
UPDATE: This entry has become a spam-magnet, so I've closed it to comments.
Posted by LYT at 12:00 AM | Comments (8)
August 9, 2007
Cover Boy Live
Here's the feature:http://www.ocweekly.com/features/features/2007-a-comic-con-odyssey/27562/
It was distilled down from a bunch of live and almost-live blog posts that can be read in their entirety here:
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/san_diego_comic_con_2007/
here's the sidebar from our webmistress/photographer who came with me:
http://www.ocweekly.com/features/features/confessions-of-a-comic-con-virgin/27563/
The cover image itself will be going up on the OCW site momentarily. In the meantime, it is posted at the OCW's myspace site, and on the front page of lytrules.com
Ladies and gentlemen, start your linkage (if you deem it worthy)
Posted by LYT at 3:20 PM | Comments (6)
August 8, 2007
Whoa-oh, I'm your cover boy
Friends and readers. tomorrow will be a momentous occasion.
I'm going to be on the cover of OC Weekly, as drawn by comic book artist Todd Nauck. The feature story will be my comic-con coverage, compiled from the best of my live blog posts.
It is very important that this gets out there. There will be people who are bothered by me being on the cover, and they won't hesitate to offer their feedback. I need yours. I need all of you to show them that LYT = ratings.
The issue will be distributed throughout Orange County starting tomorrow. It will be online later that afternoon.
If you can pick up an issue, please do. If you don't live in Orange County, you can order them direct from the paper for a buck or so. Contact info is here.
If you have a blog, please link to it when it's online. Tell everyone. I need a media blitz on this. The more awareness there is out there of me, the more likely it is that I can do the kind of creative work I want to do and am best at. If you're reading this right now, obviously you enjoy what I do to some degree. Help me entertain you even more.
Posted by LYT at 10:17 PM | Comments (7)
The right to bear LYT
Posted by LYT at 2:00 AM | Comments (1)
August 7, 2007
Finally...Clint Eastwood action figures?
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly has always been one of those unattainable grails in the toy collecting world, a license that could supposedly not be attained.
Then again, so was Hannibal Lecter, and it happened.
I did a long post on this issue a while back, but some of the other "grails" include Brad Pitt (for Seven and Fight Club) and Christopher Reeve.
Posted by LYT at 6:19 PM | Comments (9)
So, yeah, I had snails and duck fetus for lunch today
Some of you might find this food review of mine -- and the pictures accompanying it -- a little bit gross.Posted by LYT at 5:26 PM | Comments (8)
My newest mixed drink
I never would have come up with this in L.A. But thanks to Mexican grocery stores in Santa Ana...
Two great tastes that taste great together. The first is Mexican apple soda. Mexicans love their carbonated apple beverages, so much so that even Pepsi has taken notice and tried to do their own version, Manzanita Sol. The real Mexican varieties are better, though, made with real sugar instead of corn syrup.
I also noticed a product in Mexican liquor stores called Rompope, which Gustavo Arellano says is just eggnog but I disgaree. It's basically alcoholic custard, comprised primarily of milk powder, egg yolk, vanilla, and cane sugar alcohol. Really cheap stuff, too, like 8.99 a bottle.
Anyway, one part Rompope to three parts Mexican apple soda = Pie a la Mode. It's wonderful -- a dessert in a drink.
If you can get hold of the real ingredients, try it.
Posted by LYT at 12:35 AM | Comments (7)
August 6, 2007
Neglecting the Guests
So, yeah, I haven't been posting a whole lot here lately. There are legitimate reasons for that, but they don't likely matter a lot to the reader. Most anything I do that's blogworthy nowadays is either in the category of (1) stuff I can write about for work, so I do; or (2) stuff dealing with my ongoing bouts of depression, which may be no fun to read and/or counterproductive to post, or even (3) stuff that I can't talk about for professional reasons.
This doesn't leave much, at present, though as the new life settles perhaps that will change. I will still be posting here, at least a couple times a week, but not as daily as before, perhaps.
Which has made me wonder whether inviting in guest-bloggers might be a good idea.
What say you, readers? Would you read a guest-blogger's posts? Would you want to be a guest-blogger here? My grandfather already sort-of is, and everyone seems to like him.
The only topic restrictions I would enforce are the same as my ad restrictions: No right-wing causes or animal rights.
Post below, with an appopriate email address, if you'd be into this idea; or just leave a comment regarding whether you'd want to see guest bloggers or not (and maybe who they should be , among the regulars here)
Posted by LYT at 6:23 PM | Comments (12)
August 3, 2007
_________The OJ Simpson Case>>>>>>>>>LOL
Guess who finally caught up with OJ last week?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjEMgwyfYC4
Posted by LYT at 5:28 PM | Comments (6)
Rodimus Prime
Ho...Lee...Shit
Hot Rod is the best comedy of the year, hands down.
UPDATED: Full review HERE
Posted by LYT at 2:02 AM | Comments (2)
August 2, 2007
Make Michael Moore your servant!
I don't know that I have any conservative readers, but this seems like a fun deal:
Well, that's a start. Here's what I'm going to do. Because last weekend's "Win a Trip to a Universal Healthcare Country" was so successful (the winner will be announced next week), this weekend we're going to try something different: it's "Take a Republican to 'Sicko!'" C'mon, we all have a conservative in the family! They mean well. It's just that they believe what they've been told about that scary "socialized medicine." Treat them to the movie this weekend and tell them to send me their ticket stub and entry form. I will hold a drawing and the lucky winner will get to have me come to their home and do their laundry -- just like in France! Now, what would make a Republican happier than to see me working away in their laundry room?!
Those of you "fair-minded" folks who think MM's just the equivalent of Ann Coulter -- alert me when she offers anything similar.
Posted by LYT at 2:22 AM | Comments (2)
August 1, 2007
Oh No! I looked inside the Lost Ark!
Posted by LYT at 5:48 PM | Comments (2)
My Grandfather's Column
Couples Gay and Straight
Our Vicar Karen's letter in our last month was a splendid piece of praise for Church Weddings I hope you haven't thrown it away because I want to make some comments on it. She told us that the General Synod of the Church of England had decided to make it easier for couples to marry in church. It was here, reading those words, that made me ask myself: "What would gay couples think about that?" Everything Karen wrote in this piece was fine for straight couples but it strikes me that gay or lesbian couples have even more need for this Church ministry than straight ones, for many of them want to make the same vows of life-long commitment to each other and to God. Currently, while they can have their civil partnership registered lawfully in register offices or other recognised places, just as can those straight couples who either don't wish - or feel they can't afford - a wedding in church, these homosexual couples, no matter how deeply they may be committed to God and to each other, are not allowed to have their partrnership celebrated in our churches.
A christian wedding, as Karen helps us to see, is more thasn a contract and has rather the nature of a covenant between the two parties and reflects the relationship between God and us. Is this not equally true if the couple are of the same sex?
Obviously this way of thinking is fairly new and controversial and is the cause of much anguish in the Anglican Communion and in other Churches. My own convictions, already strong, were further fortified by my presence and participation in the ceremony in which a godson of mine celebrated with his partner and many friends and relatives their union and life-long commitment to God and to each other. Most surprising to me and most delightful was the form of words used by the Registrar and the couple in front of her. These words came almost entirely from our Prayer Book Marriage service. After the legal bit, including the exchange of rings, the Registrar left and we went on to listen to two passages from the Bible, two further deeply christian readings, an address and a prayer and blessing. A bishop and some nine priests were present among the great crowd of friends and relatives of the couple.
After this we all went off to a Parish Church where we enjoyed a splendid banquet. The whole event was just as glorious as many weddings I've attended.
Much as I used to enjoy presiding at weddings during the days of my active ministry, I could hardly fail to be aware that in quite a lot of cases it was not easy to believe any commitment to God was involved. A same-sex couple would hardly ask for a Church ceremony unless they really wanted to express their love of God as well as of each other. So I hope that before I die the Church will come round to blessing such unions, as God himself has often obviously done.
-Peter Graham
Posted by LYT at 2:52 PM | Comments (1)