SIASOM

Somewhere Over the Chihuahua

I know, it's a little off-topic, but I say we bring this 6 year old over here to from the UK to kick some ass on American Idol.  She would get at least as far as Sanjaya.  I would really be looking forward to "songs of Biz Markie" night.  So what if she's technically not American.  Neither is one of the judges.  And if she can bring this female judge to tears, I imagine Paula Abdul would curl up in a ball sobbing.   

Don't Stop

There's a lot of debate going on about the ending of the Sopranos.  I was a fan, but only started watching it  the last two season.  I liked the ending.  The symbolism and foreshadowing in the last episode were fun to watch, and even though the final scene keeps things open, it does allow the audience to create its own ending. 

I thought AJ's car blowing up and the shiny new M3 he got as a replacements was dripping with symbolism.  And the cat that the crew brings back to the Bada Bing...does it represent a reincarnation of Christopher perhaps?  Tony pointed out that the cat killed a 'mouse in the basement', maybe not unlike his crew might 'pop a rat'.

There are some who are saying that the ending, like many points of the series, had no resolution because David Chase (the writer) just simply couldn't come up with one.  I see a point in that.  It's much easier to come up with twists and situations that are ambiguous (ie who was the guy in the Member's Only jacket?  And do they really still sell those things?) than it is to write brilliant resolutions to every plotline.  Whatever the case, I thought the whole series for the time I watched it was exceptionally well done.  Life will go on whether or not Tony Soprano got whacked.  It's been a great ride.  And, oh yeah, way to go AJ!

Makai

Watched an episode of Iconoclasts on the Suncance Channel this morning.  If you haven't seen it, it's a show that puts two celebrity figures together where one is an admirer of the other.  One of the two travels to the home environment of the other and the two basically just spend time together in what appears to be unrehearsed situations and discuss their jobs, attitudes, feelings, and anything else that might come up in converstaion.  One of my favorites from the first season was Michael Stipe of REM going to New York to interview celebrity-chef Mario Batali.  One of my favorite momentes was when the chef rode the singer on the back of his scooter to the Union Square farmers market where they shopped for ingredients for a dinner they were cooking that night.  I've been to that market many times, and it was interesting seeing powerhouses of music and cuisine pick out cobs of corn.

The show seems to strip away the artificial celebrity BS of the actors, musicians, athletes, and yes, chefs, that are involved in each show, and captures more real, everyday kinds of moments.  The episode I watched this morning on the Tivo was Eddie Vedder + Laird Hamilton.  Eddie had gone to Hawaii to visit Laird at his home.  They did some surfing, paddled boards along the coast, took a helicopter ride over the island, and generally talked about what it means to love and respect the ocean.  I knew that Eddie was a friend of the ocean conservationists prior, but didn't know he was a surfer until I heard he was going to be doing this show. 

I remembered Pearl Jam contributing a song for the Music for Our Mother Ocean (MOM) project.  Eddie mentioned during the episode that the band was a quarter through their tour during his visit to Hawaii, and the episode ends with Laird coming to see Pearl Jam play at Santa Barbara (by the way, Laird rides up to the concert site on a bike and reveals that he's ridden all the way from Malibu to see the show).  During the show Eddie dedicated his song "Big Wave", an ode to surfing, to Laird as he sat at the side of the stage.

For those of use who would love to do just once what Laird does weekly, it was an amazing show.  To see Laird in his own environment talking about what gets him charged, and to see the incredible views of Maui , makes you want to hop on the next flight.  And as if living with Peahi in your backyard is not enough good fortune, to be married to the beautiful beach-volleyball playing Gabrielle Reese isn't such as bad situation either.  Those daughters of Laird's have come from good stock.

The episode reinforces the notion that there is definite spirituality in the ocean.

Here is "Big Wave".  The lyrics are difficult to understand, but you can follow along here.

Download 225_big_wave_pearl_jam.mp3

 

Aloha

The

Mr O'Brien Goes to Napa

Conan taped his show from San Fransisco last week.  He's usually good in his "in-the-field" segments.  Here he takes a visit to a winery.  Laughter ensews.