copyright protection - it's like Communism, except everyone's OK with it...

I'm sick of Hollywood and the music industry using deceit and threats to squash the competition. They tried closing people off from the opportunity to hear GOOD music by killing internet radio, they distribute viruses to people's computers, they sell blu-rays that don't work with anyone's blu-ray player, and now I read that my copy of THE LAST UNICORN is in violation of "copyright protection" laws?
Let's get this straight - I, for one, don't have a job. But that's b/c I would fail, and be fired for it. My eye hand coordination is half-axed, and my ability to concentrate is almost always impaired. And mostly I'm just not motivated by threats, like "shape up or ship out". If this were an accurate description for everyone, I could see how Hollywood's actions could have a valid defense, even a sympathetic one, but the fact is if you have a job, you're supposed to do it - not do something that LOOKS like you're doing it and then fail and then cry to the gov't about not having any money.
If Hollywood wants a valid reason for having a job, they should A) make movies that SOMEONE in this world wants to see B) quit making movies that minimal or no value to ANYONE other than punk kids who just wanna see an "R rated" movie regardless of what it is and C) distribute these movies as they were in theaters, maybe with an option for an "extended cut" or "unrated version" or whatever the situation may call for...And they should look and sound at least as they were in theaters, if not better, w/ no freezes or jumps or anything else that can easily be avoided...
My copy of THE LAST UNICORN is a German import - with "25th Anniversary" Edition picture quality UNCENSORED. Whoever is/was responsible for getting THE LAST UNICORN out on DVD in Germany did it right long before the 25th "Anniversary" of the film - they did it right the first time. The U.S. on the other hand released a super-crumby looking version of the film, then released it again with the picture restored EXCEPT ---- IT'S CENSORED!!!! First off, the MOTION PICTURE Association of AMERICA is supposed to eliminate the need for censorship am I not right? - and second, THE GERMANS DID IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. But I'm not German, so I can't have it.
Racism might be stretching it - but greed should not be freely granted by the courts. If someone wants to hog what's rightfully theirs, fine, just as long as Dennis Cooper books are still legal, but to stave people away from what is rightfully THEIRS should not be upheld by the courts.
I'm getting a region free DVD player - I'll see you in court if you really want...

"It's true! I chopped him up; but I didn't kill him!"

nowhere (1997), not officially released on DVD b/c some prissy parts don't want their music used in the movie or at least not without monetary compensation or some other b.s....not sure what the deal is. I think New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features gave up on an agreeable settlement between all parties involved in the hold-up...
But the FILM, with the music, and all other aspects herein, is a teen-angst masterpiece. I'm no longer a teenager, old enough in fact to be late in going to college; 27 going on 30...maybe it's b/c I'm a romantic with his head in the sky, but the film resonates with me like a 85 minute music video. The film, for some reason(s) or another, was released in Australia, was available to buy from 3rd party sellers on Amazon, but not anymore; there's also a region 5 DVD (from Germany I think...) but nobody ever offers it for sale. The Australian version is out of print, and I guess the German one is OOP, and has been for a looong time now. There was a French edition on eBay several years ago, with a supposed running time of like 2 hours, there's nothing I've found on the internet since then explaining this...
If you want your normal USA DVD player to play this cult-classic I suggest doing what I did and go to CultCine.com and buy it. Those morons holding up the release have deprived EVERYONE from a proper profit by legally allowing the film to end up in Public Domain, which basically means the anti-piracy laws don't apply...I mean, thank goodness I don't have to keep buying a VCR every 10 years to keep the FBI from being allowed to knock down my door any time they feel like it...
But anyway, there's a book, very colorful cover, that I noticed while shopping on Amazon or some site (I think it was Amazon...), that looked a lot like the book in nowhere, but I had myself thinking "that can't be it!". But as I was watching the film this afternoon I saw the book and recognized the name on the cover and I was like "well, I'll be darned! I FOUND the thing!". And I would not have found it if I had not somehow come across this author by the name of Dennis Cooper, who I guess sponsored the publication of "Dear Dead Person And Other Stories" by Benjamin Weissman.
So, in a nutshell, a curiosity has been fulfilled and if you're a moody teen, find 'nowhere' and see it. It's not wildly experimental, although it is pretty out there considering it's a professionally made film backed by a professional movie studio.
And remember "When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed".

finally - attempt 2 - adventures in hi-fi (or "hi-fi" - ?)

I finally bought a replacement receiver; I actually bought it about half a month ago, but didn't get it paid for until the 25th, then I received it via UPS last night.  The speakers are on the way, probably to arrive this evening...so I haven't tested many of its functions, I listened to a little music with my $4 sony headphones I got from WalMart several years ago - not exactly the best test, but I did find the re-mastering in the Japanese mini-LP edition of INVISIBLE TOUCH wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought - I guess it just didn't import properly to my computer, idk...
  I didn't get a very good speaker set to compliment my receiver, but I think it'll be at least tolerable until I get money to get a better set.  I still need to get speaker wire, which I have not bought yet (will probably buy it later this month...) and HDMI 1.4 cables are also not here yet, they were shipped a couple days before the speakers, but they didn't have the benefit of UPS Ground shipping...(it was shipped with UPS Mail Innovations, which is basically UPS getting from Point A to ALMOST Point B and then USPS gets it the rest of the way...Actually, it's not UPS' fault it's not here yet - USPS received the cables like on Thursday or Friday...not sure what the deal is...).
  Anyway, the receiver will also need some time to "break in" (I don't fully understand it, but then again is there anything I truly understand when it comes to electronics?  Or even the mere existence of electricity for that matter?), so even after I get the speakers, speaker wire & HDMI cables, it won't sound as good as possible...but I'm still relieved to have this!  I think if I'm not satisfied thoroughly with this receiver, I'll just keep it until I can get a new one.  I hate being without a real audio set-up; I mean, a TV & DVD player is fine, but it just seems stupid buying/owning CDs with cover-art if the discs themselves don't do anymore than a CD-R...I figure I might as well just buy a painting(s), which would be more expensive, and would get boring looking at through time...I doubt this receiver will fully utilize all the benefits of the compact digital audio disc, but I'm confident it'll do it justice, or at least something like it...

Two-Faced Bane?

Since Two-Face died in THE DARK KNIGHT before he could even become anything he was in the comics (i.e: crime boss), it's hard to know what the Christopher & Jonathan Nolan's Batman series will make him out to be, but since Warner Bros apparently wants Robin to be introduced to the series, maybe Bane will kill Batman (like he did in the comics back in the early 1990s) and WB can re-start the series anew?  It'd kinda suck, but really, Christopher Nolan will die one of these days, and who wants Christian Bale playing Batman 'til he's 80?  Also, as interesting as the last two were, they weren't perfect.  I think the whole Batman big screen adapting is an experiment still.  People thought the Tim Burton films were untouchable, but then (eventually) everyone saw how great Batman Begins was and by the time The Dark Knight came out on video, Tim Burton's Batman films were out of print.  There'd be a lot of ifs and buts, but I think the public will at least someday have to face the idea of a new Batman series, if not a long-term absence from the big screen.  Batman is more suited for the small screen (i.e.: Batman: The Animated Series) anyhow.  After all, its origins were in comics books, which, at the time, were small stories spread out through even smaller installments.  The closest thing to that is a TV show, which is often used as a way to express movie-sized ideas as well.

The Vietnam Sport

I've never liked sports.  I know they always say winning isn't everything, but why play if you can't win?  And why lose if you're gonna play?  I mean, sports IS a game, is it not?  And like all games, isn't winning the objective?
  Of course, if we as humans were more loving and peaceful, we could show the kids how to play games/sports without getting all hell-bent on winning.  But underneath our clean clothes and skin and conscious minds are a savage beast just inches from the surface, awaiting an opportunity to lash out.
  Hence, sports = war.  If people want to play sports, sure, let them.  It doesn't harm anyone and if you're playing with friends, you'll all get over it.  But schools teach kids the principles of winning by simply having a "physical education" class.  I think things have gotten a little better in this department.  However, instead of p.e. teachers putting pressure on children to win, p.e. class is essentially a waste.  Kids have 55 minutes to learn all kinds of stuff and they don't learn anything.  Instead you learn this in health class.  So, really, p.e. is a waste of money.  Phys ed teacher-material would be better suited in a private business rather than a welfare program; in my semi-small town, there's already two health-centric places where people can exercise and learn.  My town keeps growing, so sooner or later I'm sure another one will open up...
  It just boggles my mind how human beings that grew up in this great nation can find reasons to put thousands of people through such Hell.  I mean, even if the Vietnamese WANTED to expand and take over the world, how the heck could they?  I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they were one of those countries that doesn't (and still doesn't) have any sort of say in what goes on in the rest of the world.  I mean, if England or Japan or Mexico wanted to become communists, I could understand the argument of sticking with it.  I wouldn't agree with it, especially if the public was against it, but I would understand the argument.  But Vietnam should have been left alone like they were to begin with.  If we had any will to free them from their poverty in some way or another, THAT would have been an accomplishment.  Invading Vietnam, win or lose, is not an accomplishment.  The Republicans talk about wasting money on the welfare of the people, then, to this day, defend Vietnam, every other War that ever happened or even could have happened, as well as greed and selfishness.  Creating jobs is not a top priority.  Having enough money to live and not feel suffocated is.  If jobs are available, great, but how can business be given all this freedom to destroy the unemployment rate while the common man has to go without medical care?

hope for the best, but know it won't happen...

I always thought I'd get a hi-fi music set-up - receiver, probably the Denon AVR-391, although it'd be nice if I had a large enough living space to include the Onkyo TX-8255, since I do mainly listen to my music in stereo.  The AVR-391 would be a comparable space saving solution since it can play hi-fi audio in stereo AND surround sound...I probably wouldn't use surround sound very often, but how can I know?  Aside from the local movie theater (which I have a bone to pick with for cranking the base so high on INCEPTION that I couldn't even hear the dialogue in some parts), I have no experience(s) with surround sound.  But just the concept - movies, which I hardly ever watch, and music DVDs, which are about as hard to come by as SACDs are, unless you're into the more mainstream stuff.  And speaking of SACDs being hard to come by, I don't think there's a single album that is available on SACD that I want to AND will buy.  Toto IV (1982) by Toto is a great album, but it's almost $100 to buy, which is absurd, IMO, and a few others have also come and gone and left outrageous price tags behind - Boston (1976) by Boston, Peter Gabriel's UP (2002)...

I just don't have much to work with financially as it is.
I still can't find any speakers that would go good with the TX8255 NOR the AVR391, although for the AVR391 the Yamaha HTIB speakers would probably be good enough for who knows how long...actually, I can't even find speakers with a low enough wattage to feel safe running the TX8255 at high(ish) volume(s).
 

So I thought the CS 325 by Onkyo would be a good solution, yeah it's a shelf system, but it's an extraordinarily good one, not those crumby $50-$100 ones you find at WalMart.  I had the EC55 by SONY (discontinued by about a year at least now...) & the base on it was just too friggin' high, with or without bass boost.  BASE IS A BACKGROUND INSTRUMENT!!!!  If Korn is all you listen to, tell SONY to make a Korn player.  Or just use the base boost function, will ya?  Anyway, I simply will have to wait at least another year for the CS 325 and I don't think I'm picky enough about sound as it is for me to shell out the extra money for a seperate receiver & speakers.  So I Just recently ordered the far more elegant and sophisticated looking CMTBX20i, made by SONY, which - if looks are at all indicative of the inside - should be a bit more mature when it comes to base/balance/etc.  It probably won't rock my world, and it's probably not worth saving up all my $ for, but I'm tired of feeling like I'm wasting my compact digital audio discs on TV speakers.  And I don't want to have to buy all my music on mp3 and not be able to tell my CDs apart w/o reading a bunch of generic looking labels that I have to take the time to make myself...
  So that leaves my 1940CI that I ordered about two years ago virtually useless.  But I can probably get enough back on it to buy a new (smaller) DVD player AND have $20++ left to myself for whatever (CDs?).  I just hope someone wants it bad enough to take it off my hands in the next week or so so I can ship it and use the funds from my old player to GET a new DVD player (see link above, also a SONY) and use that to watch GHOSTBUSTERS I & II and whatever I rent from the video store...I boxed up the 1940CI, to make sure I could fit it in there securely (fits like a glove!) and now it's sitting on my table behind my TV.  PLEASE TAKE IT!  Luckily I have GHOSTBUSTERS on VHS AND A VCR!!  I've been using my computer for music listening lately anyway, so that's of no consequence...
  I'm sorta counting on my sister to give me some/enough money to pay the majority of the $26 of the CMTBX20i's $128.04 price tag (it was actually $114, but I ordered a Squaretrade 3 year extended warranty with it) that I'm missing, although I actually have another $9.76, but it's on an AMEX gift card, which I can't just deposit in the bank, you see...my mom said this morning that she won't let me buy her a Walmart gift card and give me $9 cash in exchange for it, but she was half asleep when she said that and she got all angry when I acted surprised by her answer, so I'm HOPING all I'm missing is $17, 'cause even if my sister gives me a meager $15, I can get the other $2 from Hastings by selling some stuff....

MyPartyShirt.com Review

http://mypartyshirt.com/tshirts/movie-shirts/egon-spengler-shirt

Wow, a GHOSTBUSTERS t-shirt for only $14!??!  And the shipping ain't too shabby either (under $5).  I don't know why I can't find this shirt on Amazon, but most of the shirts on Amazon are sold by 3rd party merchants who have outrageous shipping costs tacked on to their already-inflated price(s).

This shirt is cool and I'm glad I find this website on my Swagbucks search engine (near the top of the results).

I'll be ordering from these guys soon, haven't done so yet 'cause I don't got no dough...well, not enough to buy a novelty shirt...

these are a few...

I got a $100 AMEX card from my grand father, who I'm sure will at some point want to know what I got w/ it.  So if no one else is reading this, at least I can look back on it for reference if need be...

1)  INVISIBLE TOUCH Genesis raglan shirt           not sure what raglan means, but it's a long sleeve shirt and it looks awesome!  It's very thin and doesn't quite fit me (yet?).  Hopefully my weight loss intent will become evident in the next few months and then maybe by the end of 2011 I can fit into it, have something to say for myself if the world actually does end in 2012...
  Amazon's "marketplace" seller, the well known OldGlory, will have you believe the shirt is worth $35, but I only paid $17.50 for it.  Go to BuyRockTshirts.com if you too wanna save some dough.

2)  a few CDS:  ANTICHRIST SUPERSTAR - Marilyn Manson.  NO JACKET REQUIRED by Phil Collins.  COMMENCEMENT - Deadsy.  PALE by Toad The Wet Sprocket.  (total: apprx $17)

3)  a nice outing with my mother to Panera (fka St. Louis Bread Co.)  (total: apprx $23)

4)  an introductory package to Columbia House DVD club ($6)

5)  THE LAST UNICORN VHS (the only DVD editions out there are censored and/or full-screen w/ low resolution picture) ($2.99)

6)  A gift for my sister since I spent my "actual" money on other things... ($20)

7)  an online movie rental that I never watched plus a virtual ownership of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM ($4)

8)  four mp3s at HotTopic.com that i haven't figured out how to download...apparently I need to call them but I don't even care.  The songs are available for free elsewhere, I just thought it'd be nice to own them.  I gotta borrow my mom's cell phone to call them since she decided we should have $30/mo instead of phone service..

9)  one and a half mp3s at Amazon.com (I already had $0.30 or so left from an Amazon gift card I got from an online promotion company called Swag Bucks).  (total - prior gift card = $1.40 apprx)

I still have $5.50 awaiting expiration, since the biznss charge your card IMMEDIATELY when u place an order; the credit card/debit card that one uses typically doesn't give that money to the bizniss right away, but rather freezes the funds that cover the purchase, then the retailer for whatever reason has to request from the CC co. that the money be granted to them  If the retailer or whatever business doesn't do that, in this case within seven days, then the money goes back to my card.

I'm gonna use the $5.50 to cover part of a $128.05 transaction on ABT.com for a SONY mini-hifi music system.

My grandmother got me a $25 Walmart gift card that I sold to my mother for cash and my uncle Eddie got me an undisclosed amount; he gave my mother $40 and my mom gave $25 + $10.  Make of that what you will...

WHAT THE HEKK!

Amazon is a day late on posting Avril Lavigne's upcoming CD GOODBYE LULLABY and their price is absurd.  You KNOW BestBuy and many other retailers will have it for sale for $9.99 or less the first week or more after the release date!  Amazon prolly will too + $2.98 S&H unless you order $15+ worth of stuff w/ it.

double shot of happy!

Well, I'm listening to INVISIBLE TOUCH mini-LP CD edition and I can't tell any difference in sound quality on my super-budget PC.  Not sure if I could tell any difference in a "real" stereo set-up, but it's not worth finding out...INVISIBLE TOUCH is the only CD I have and plan to keep that's from the pig-out days of the major labels, when indie records were thought to be junk just to take up space & payola was king.  So I imported it to my PC and will keep it on there...
  But for those who actually HAVE $1,000++ to spend on hi-fi audio, NO JACKET REQUIRED, Phil Collins' (lead singer of Genesis circa INVISIBLE TOUCH) biggest and bestest solo record, is being released on 24 Karat Gold CD.  FACE VALUE, remastered by the same person, was released on the same format about a month ago and supposedly doesn't sound any better.  But all the same...
  And for those who are just into no-frills music, Avril Lavigne FINALLY has a 4th CD coming out.  I'll admit, her music doesn't strike one as earthshatteringly original or artistic or whatever, but each of her CDs (thus far) has had a point of interest; her debut was kinda like Disney-emo, her 2nd was slick and sleek pop-punk, and her third was just a crazy pillow fight.  Supposedly her 4th album will be more mellow and deep, at least that's what the wikipedia said about a year ago or almost.  She may have changed her mind about all that...the first single is apparantly going to be a "He Wasn't" type song ("What The Hell" doesn't sound like the name of a ballad does it?).  If the album IS mellow overall, I guess I can look forward to about a month or more of people giving the album 1-3 star reviews on Amazon b/c they bought the album expecting more of what they heard on the radio...
  I bought WHAT SEPARATES ME FROM YOU by A Day To Remember, 'cause I had a bunch of stuff to sell to Hastings (GoHastings on the web) and got almost $13 in store credit and it was only $8.99 NEW.  Maybe years from now that won't seem like such a steal, but right now Amazon can't even beat that and the marketplace sellers don't want to...oh, and it sounds like krap on my TV/DVD-player set-up.  Had to import that to my computer to get any use out of it.