Things I enjoy

Are you watching 24 this season? Really exciting, really gets me going. Catch it, FOX Tuesday nights at 9:00 pm.

I received my new Groovelily CD today, and as I expected, it’s awesome too. I was really hyped when I saw all the band members had personally signed the CD! Very awesome. Now I have two CDs signed by them—the first I picked up at one of their shows a few months ago and asked them to sign. Check them out.

They’ll be back in Cary, NC at the Six String Cafe and Music Hall January 30, 2003. www.sixstringcafe.com.

While I’m plugging, the last artist I saw there was the wonderful Allyson Light. If you like Tori Amos, you’ll like Allyson. Although I don’t like to compare artists like that—each artist is different—Allyson has lots of talent, awesome piano, great lyrics and melody. Be sure to see her live. I’m sorry to say, Allyson, but I picked up Water at your show (and got a signature, thanks 😉 ) and it doesn’t do you justice.

Allyson will be performing at the Berkley Cafe in Raleigh December 6, 2002. She’ll be opening for another artist, Alex Bach. Show starts at 9:30. I’ll be there—maybe—I’ll try. Oh yea, I just went to the website for Alex, and yea, I’m pretty sure I’m going now 😉

Plug plug plug: I took a road trip last night all the way to Chapel Hill just to see a movie. But—extremely awesome movie—I’ve had to travel to two theaters I’ve never even heard of before just to see this movie. Yes, I’ve seen it twice: Spirited Away. By the wonderful Hayao Miyazaki, same guy of Princess Mononoke fame—another of my favorite movies.

Spirited Away is the number one grossing movie in Japan. Ever. Besting Titanic, Star Wars, whatever—Spirited Away is #1. Here, it only plays in small unknown independent theaters, despite the gracious efforts of Disney to present this movie in the US. This really outlines the major differences between our cultures. In a land where businessmen are more likely to be seen riding the subway reading manga (think comic books) than the newspaper… here in America, I’ve seen the movie twice, and each time I was one of no more than 20 people in the theater. It’s not advertised. Not admitted. Deemed unfit because it’s a cartoon. Americans don’t appreciate art apparently.

I have more animated movies than live action in my DVD collection. I’ve been to anime cons (check the con reports link to view some great pics!) to spend three whole days viewing anime. And I’m not just stuck on anime. The Simpsons also hold a dear place in my funny bone, as do classics from the Bugs Bunny family, Pink Panther, Tom and Jerry, Mad Magazine. I still subscribe to Wired magazine mainly for the great artwork—although I could read all the articles online for free.