beyondhelp

Book Giveaway: A Baker's Dozen

Books!

I continue to make progress in unpacking and de-cluttering.  I emptied out a box of books that I had packed away to deal with donating/recyling.  As I am being a ruthless ninja now, half the books that I thought oh, maybe, someone will want them as a resource even though they are old and out of date, are in the recycling bin.  Classics like the 2000 Zagat New York City Restaurants Survey, the 2004 Consumer Reports Buying Guide and Palm Pilot: The Ultimate Guide from 1999.  When I told you that I moved a lot of crap around unpacked, I was not kidding.

However, half the books are perfectly readable.  Nice, not too taxing and perfect for airplanes, airport delays and too exausted to think but to adrenilne hyped to sleep late night post conference hotel room fare.  In fact, most were purchased at airports. Two were read just while spending 18 hours trying to get from Hartford, CT back to Cali. All were enjoyable. I wouldn't offer you something that put me to sleep or I did not or wasn't interested in finishing. No great art but entertaining, satisfying reads if you like this sort of thing.

I was prepared to attempt to donate them to the library but I thought I'd offer them first to you, dear readers. (If I get no takers by Monday then I'll see if the library wants them and if not then freecycle then recycling bin).

If you win the Take Maria's Crap Off Her Hands Contest, I will send you a box of 13 books comprised of:

Five of the James Patterson Women's Murder Club series (this was made into the TV series starring Angie Harmon as Lindsey Boxer):

2nd Chance (PB)
3rd Degree (HC)
4th of July (PB)
The 5th Horseman (PB)
The 6th Target (HC)

Five of the James Patterson Alex Cross books (there were two movies made starring Morgan Freeman as Cross - Along Came a Spider and Kiss The Girls). There are seven prior books in the series and a few after at this point I'm sure. Patterson is a crank-em-out machine.:

2002 Four Blind Mice (PB)
2003 Big Bad Wolf (PB)
2004 London Bridges (PB)
2005 Mary Mary (PB)
2006 Cross (HC)

The additional three are:

See How They Run by James Patterson (PB)
The Devil Wears Prada
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (who wrote The Kite Runner)

So leave me a comment (If you are not a Vox member you can comment at PopConsumer) or send an email if you'd rather not announce your interest in pulp fiction to the world.  I'll count comments and emails by 11:59 pm PST Sunday, January 25, 2009.  If I get more than one "contest entry" I will be shocked and will number by order received and use a random number generator to pick.  Or I'll pick the most entertaining request.  We'll see how it goes.  I reserve the right to make up the rules as I go along :)

Request Your DTV 2009 Coupon Now

Apparently the powers that be, the nebulous "they" decided we should get a reminder about the analog to digital television conversion today.  I saw a report on the news, read an article in the paper and saw tweets all in the space of about 2 hours this morning. 

Far be it from me to ignore the universe bonking me over the head (well actually there are plenty of messages I am dawdling on but this one no longer) so I skedaddled over to the official website www.dtv2009.gov and ordered my coupon.

Good thing I stopped procrastinating.  The reason for going to the website is so that you can request a $40 off coupon for a converter box.  Boxes run about $50 to $60 so the coupon makes the effective cost $10 - $20.  You need a converter box for any set that uses an antenna and is not hooked up to cable or satellite.  I've got a couple of older sets that need a box so I ordered two coupons.  I had already checked to make sure I would be able to purchase a converter box.  Know where you are going to get yours before getting a coupon because you have just 90 days to use the coupon and if it expires you cannot request another one.  Our government in action.  Early on in this program, few stores had converters to sell.  Now I can order online and use a code from my coupon for the discount.

Yay! Right? No, not so much at least on the instant gratification front.  Though you can request the coupon online, it is snail mailed to you.  And mailed weeks after you request it - mine isn't going out for nearly 3 weeks.  Plus they emphasize the "snail" aspect as it does not go out first class and you must give it 10 days to arrive.  Therefore I will not receive my coupon, ordered today, until nearly the end of January.  Then I still have to buy the box which I will probably buy online so give it another week or so to arrive.  After you get the box you have to hook it up to the TV, attach the antenna to the box and then play with the signal strength settings so you can find the best reception in your area.

All this has to be done before February 17, 2009 or signal go bye-bye. 

So, order your coupon(s) today.  And if you've got a less tech and AV savvy person among your friends or family, why not offer to hook them up?  Makes a great gift :)

Bruce Springsteen and "The Wrestler"

Mickey Rourke's redemption song comes in the movie, The Wrestler.  Today on Bruce Springsteen's website, Bruce shares a message from Mickey.

"I wrote Bruce a letter, because we've known each other over twenty years, and he knows what I used to be, or whatever. Where I went. What I'd been reduced to. I told him how I felt lucky now and didn't have to end up being this guy, being Randy (character from The Wrestler). A while later I got a call in the middle of the night: he said he'd written a little song, for nothing. It's fucking beautiful, right? I was honoured he took the time, because he's a busy cat. I mean, I'm so goddam proud of this magical movie and to have Bruce's input... ain't nobody in Hollywood with all their millions can just ring the man and he'll do a song, y'know?"
- Mickey Rourke

Who knew they were buds?  Anyhow, starting today you can download the single from iTunes (doesn't seem to be at Amazon, bummer).  You can preview it here on the trailer.  And Rourke is right, it is fucking beautiful.

In December 2008 Punk Rock from the 80's will live

Flipping through radio stations today I happened to hear a college radio concert listing.  Even though I rarely go to shows anymore other than Bruce Springsteen, something told me to listen.  This month three of bands I saw the most live in the 80's are coming to town.  (Others included friends like The Balancing Act, Milo Bender, Peter Case and Victoria Williams)  I might just have to drag myself out to see all of them even though I've got none of the old Los Angeles crew is around me to go with. :(

My most memorable X show was at UCLA when I could walk to a show and I vividly remember walking home from this one.  I wedged myself upfront right next to the barriers and lost a few pounds in sweat.  Exene leaned down into the audience with her mic and stand and sang right too me.  Years later when I worked at Geffen, I met John Doe which only deepened my massive crush on him.  Even now, 30 years later, the 50-something married dad can still make me swoon.  I saw them a few years back in Philly and they are still rocking hard.

My friend Kimley and I saw many, many Fishbone shows when they were first coming up.  I had a tee shirt that someone had made a few of and sold at one show.  Extreme limited edition.  I wore it to another show at UCLA where most of the audience were just curious students and staff having lunch vs. fans.  Kimley and I were the only ones who danced through the whole show.  The combo of my shimmying and shirt won me the honor of bassist Norwood removing a rubber shark from his belt and gifting it to me.  I still have it and even named our girl band after it.

Youth Brigade, the LA version not the DC group, was fronted by Shawn Stern (and filled out by two of his brothers) who went to UCLA with me.  I was a huge, rabid fan after my friend Bobbi introduced me to their music.  They were one of the interviews I did for the Beyond Help zine for which this blog is named.   I even very briefly managed their "Brigade" incarnation.  Shawn always impressed me with his intellectual, political approach to punk rock combined with musical aggression.  I'm glad to see that he's still hardcore given how far I've fallen off the wagon.

December 13 Youth Brigade at Gilman (which I've never been to even though I worked with one of the organizers at Rough Trade Records)

December 14 Fishbone at the Independent

December 26 & 27 X at Slim's

Video goodness:

X on Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson 10/28/2008

2007 Interview with Shawn Stern

Youth Brigade - Fight to Unite

Fishbone - Party at Ground Zero

Chester French - She Loves Everybody

About a year and a half ago I told you about Chester French a true one hit wonder.  One hit because they had precisely one song out which took off after being featured on HBO's Entourage.  Well finally they've made some progress and a few weeks ago released an EP of She Loves Everybody, assorted remixes and two new songs.

They've signed on to Star Trak Entertainment which is the label founded by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, better known as The Neptunes and home to N.E.R.D.

You can check out a medley of the EP Tunes at the Chester French website.  You can download the EP at Amazon ($2.24) or iTunes or you can buy a physical CD.

A year and a half later and I don't tire of listening to this track.  Well worth the couple of bucks and change.

Go. Buy.

We Here - Illa J

Still debating how much I like this but the beat has got me bouncing in my chair despite the simple lyrical content (and cliched video).  This review from Evolving Music  hits on some of what I was thinking:

Indeed, the neo-soul and hip-hop hybrid comes through continually on the album, producing the smooth and effortless sound that makes listening to it as easy as bobbing your head. The first single, “We Here” comes next, and immediately steps up the tempo and introduces you to Illa as a rapper. His rhymes are simple in content but complex in rhyme scheme, never sounding forced, but at the same time coming off skillfully crafted. At times however, this is a weakness in the album as it seems that the mellow melodies sometimes leave Illa feeling content and therefore failing to challenge himself to stretch for something a little harder to reach.

Check it out and let me know what you think

We Here

It's A New Day

Who Wants to Work for Maria?

What's the hottest topic on both twitter and reality shows? Assistants! We want them, we need them, we can't live without them, they are our best friends (when we don't want to wring their necks) and some of us really want to be them.

Many of the reality shows focused on celebrities (and I use that term loosely) include a subplot about their assistants. Kathy Griffin has Team Griffin consisting of three assistants. Margaret Cho has Selene Luna (although I suspect she might just play an assistant on TV) an assistant so loyal they made a mock sex tape together. Rachel Zoe has the squabbling Taylor and Brad. Poor child real estate seller, Madison, from Million Dollar Listing practically couldn't function when his assistant quit. Liza showed up cheery and yay-ing for her often rude boss, New York - I mean Tiffany - when New York went to Hollywood.

The ultimate in reality assistant shows is I Want to Work for Diddy. In his continuing quest to find assistants who apply by uploading clips to YouTube (Diddy announced one winning applicant on Oprah last year) Diddy turned it into a competition. Personally, after she compared herself to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jesus, I'm rooting for Kim aka "Poprah" to win it all and give Diddy a run for his money in the ego department.

It's not just the D List who seek assistants.  I see a steady stream of twitter peeps who bemoan their lack of assistance.  In response to a tweet from @QueenofSpain about her renewed search for child care assistance, @AroundHarlem had a genius idea: nannys for adults.

I fantasize constantly about hiring an assistant.  Just as soon as I work that whole cash flow thing out.  Oh and time.  I joke that I need an assistant to find me an assistant.  Sigh.  In my dream world I have a fabulous, brilliant assistant who would keep me current with what the kids are up to, who would share a cocktail and allow me to gaze after her maternally when she goes off to meet a blind date, and whom I could shower with life changing handbags.  Yes I just described Carrie's assistant, Louise, from the Sex and the City movie.

Carrie and Louise are sweet together. Don't you think older women like to be sisterly wise friends to younger women? And often learn something from them in return? - from Kate K at Scandalicious Suburbia

And that's a big part of the reality of my assistant fantasy. Yes I need help getting work done and freeing up my time in order to continue growing my business. But, even if it is make-believe for "reality" TV or the movies, that idea of having someone who is not just an employee but part of your team - that's the real dream.

Off to set up a YouTube channel!

KellyT is also looking for an assistant and she thinks she'd make a good boss

GI Kate wonders if Henry Rollins needs an assistant

How about you? Having assistant fantasies? Have you hired one? Please share in the comments. I love knowing that I'm not alone and could use a good inspirational story.

Cross posted at BlogHer

The Timeless Genius of The Smiths Courtesy of Radiohead

I am not much of a Radiohead fan but they have interesting, eclectic taste in cover songs.  Plus Prince covered them so extra cool points accorded for that.  Here they demonstrate said cover taste and, as I mentioned in the headline, they illustrate how enduring is The Smiths' greatness.  (PS - this is not new but it is new to me so it might be to you - enjoy)

Via ayşe.

Radiohead plays The Smiths "The Headmaster Ritual"

And bonus from that same session - "Ceremony" (which I personally don't think is as good and shows that Joy Division & New Order are tough to cover - not that either band incarnation is not great but rather that their songs are so much their own that they don't stand alone as well.)

"Ceremony" by Radiohead

DNC Celebrity Sighting: Jaime Foxx

Jaime Foxx DNC

Update: Link to video at Dance Monkey, Dance