Wow no new posts for awhile now. I guess nothing has really been going on but I just can’t stand these post droughts. I would of wrote about the Super Bowl, like I did the past few years but I had to miss it to work. Paul and I are currently editing a new “The Morgue” video while simultaneously buying a new computer this week (Strictly for video projects.) So the next installment will probably done by around early March but I hope for earlier.

Got some neat flicks coming up; The Wolfman and Shutter Island so they’ll probably be some reviews coming up. I was trying to think of an idea for some kind of list or interesting post soon. I can’t wait for baseball season so I can finally do my “Best Baseball Movies” list. I guess it’s good I put it off so now I can see Sugar and maybe even The Perfect Game, due out finally in March. It’s a movie about a Mexican little league team that’s supposedly finally making it to theaters after floating around nowhere for like a year.

In other news I’ve been thinking about abandoning my personal blog out of laziness. I just don’t have it in me to write both here and there, so I may just stop posting there. Until that I hope everyone is having a proud “Black History Month”. Remember to embrace that by uhh… Watching lots of The Cosby Show, though I guess that’s a pretty offensive thing to say.

I can’t express my excitement whenever the Oscar nominations are announced. It’s another step closer to my favorite annual celebration of cinema and the only award show I care about. In more recent years it’s become a tradition for Colin, Sean and myself to try and see all the films nominated for Best Picture. Which sounded like a daunting task with 10 films nominated, luckily I only have one more film to cross off my list.

So ten nominees for Best Picture huh? I guess it’s to make up for people being pissed about past snubs for films like The Dark Knight and WALL-E but if you ask me it’s not that they don’t nominate enough films, they just nominate the wrong films. Looking at this years group I think they made a lot of interesting choices.

They are;
1. Avatar: No surprise here coming in with a whopping nine nominations, not to mention winning the top prize at the Golden Globes. Avatar will probably sweep the technical awards but I don’t imagine it’ll scoop up anymore than that.

2. The Hurt Locker: Also nominated in nine categories The Hurt Locker is shaping up to be the film to beat. The skillfully acted, culturally relevant, war drama is completely worthy of the most prestigious award in movies, I’m definitely pulling for it.

3. Precious: This was another early shoe-in for a nomination. It may be too dark to win best picture but it’s easily one of the most powerful films of the year.

4. Up in the Air: Completely worthy of being in this category I loved Up in the Air but it’s starting to look like more of an outsider as Hurt Locker’s popularity grows. If anything it’s got a good chance to win adapted screenplay.

5. Inglourious Basterds: It’s so cool to see the Academy honor such a stylistic, over-the-top, Tarantino outing. It’s probably got the worst chance to win (in the top five) but I’m so glad to see that the Oscars can be hip every now and then.

6. Up: Only the second film to ever be nominated for best picture (after Beauty and the Beast) it’s about time that animated films got more recognition. Though I hardly think this should of been the film to re-break that barrier (that should of been WALL-E) but I’m glad the door is now opened for anything.

7. An Education: You always got to round out this category with a slower British film, so I’m not surprised to see it here. I wasn’t that taken aback by it but film’s like this seem to be Oscar staples.

8. A Serious Man: If it wasn’t for this ten nomination dealy-o, this film would of never received this honor. It’s a great entry from the Coens but a little too low key for most audiences. I was a little disappointed Michael Stuhlbarg didn’t get a nomination but this will do just fine.

9. District 9: How cool is that? This is a big shocker and I just love it. To see one of the year’s best blockbusters get Academy Award recognition? Yeah that’s pretty awesome.

10. The Blind Side: Almost a bigger surprise than D-9 is the recognition of this family drama. I haven’t seen it so I can hardly judge but I bet there’s other film’s more deserving of this spot. This kind of attention only makes Sandra Bullock’s potential road to Oscar Gold that much more likely. I guess she’s become the frontrunner.

It’s a lot to take in so I’ll end it here in a beat. Aside from “Best Picture” I can’t say there’s a lot that jumps out at me. Jeremy Renner is a pleasant surprise for best actor but I ain’t complaining. I’m glad to se “The Weary Kind” nominated for best song… I don’t know where I heard it couldn’t be nominated, anyways it better win. Until I write another Oscar themed post before the big day this is the Ottman reporting, good day.

I was still relatively unfamiliar with Phoenix months ago when Sean asked me if I wanted to go to this show (The show was last Saturday.) I liked a few of their songs but hadn’t dipped too much into any of their albums but something in me said “I bet it will be fun.” Damn glad I accepted because this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever gone too.

It was a long and confused road to the Showbox Sodo with Sean’s phone giving us the shaft on directions but somehow with Colin’s determination everything eventually came together. We got there about a half hour before the doors opened and were even lucky enough to see some pre-show puke! We eventually got in a little later than advertised but managed to snag some close spots to the stage.

Opening Act: The Soft Pack
The Soft Pack, who I’d actually heard of from one of my regular searches for new music opened the show at about 8:09. I wasn’t particularly excited to see the San Diego quartet but I did enjoy snippets of their set, especially their catchy lead single “Extinction”. They were more or less your typical indie rock band with hints of pop/punk. Kind of reminded me of a more “collegy” take on the Buzzcocks or something… I bet they like The Pixies too. Anyhow they could of just as easily been playing in some nowhere bar, they were fine just forgettable.

Headlining Act: Phoenix
Of course it was a long wait before the French Five-some took the stage but when they finally did the audience went ecstatic. “Listzomania” opened the show and it was hard not to get into when you’re deep within a group of bobbing concert goers watching such an energetic band. Lead singer Thomas Mars was a true showman and his interactions with the audience only made the experience that more exciting.

Phoenix’s sound was just as finely tuned as their studio work and their musicianship was as equally impressive. I think Sean, Colin and I were all as pretty blown away by the group’s drummer Thomas Hedlund (why he’s not an official member I’m not sure.) Hedlund’s parts translated brilliantly to the stage and he even stood up occasionally while playing, I’m all about that. The live setting definitely pumped some electricity into Phoenix’s catalog. Songs that used to seem more mellow like “Long Distance Call” and “If I Ever Feel Better” now totally rocked and they basically played every song you could of asked for. I mean nine tracks out of the ten from their last album? That’s awesome, as I’m still of the opinion that their last release is their best.

The group was very grateful towards the audience and Thomas Mars constantly thanked everyone for their support. They even gave a shout out to Federal Way…. Federal Way? It was just hilarious to see a French band who rarely makes to the Pacific Northwest say that and you had to love them for it.

The Show ended with a glorious rendition of “1901” that had everyone hopping up and down, myself included. Afterwards Thomas Mars reappeared at the back of the room surfing the crowd back to the stage. Colin was definitely part of that but I basically just reached my hand in for a touch… But not in any sexual way. It seemed surprising that Phoenix was playing such a small venue but it in the long term I’m glad they did.

Set List
Lisztomania

Long Distance Call

Lasso

Rally

Fences

Girlfriend

Armistice

Love Like A Sunset

Napoleon Says

Too Young

Consolation Prizes

Rome

Funky Squaredance


ENCORE:

Everything is Everything

If I Ever Feel Better

1901

Hmm that guy in the upper right hand corner looks familiar.

After seven months of hard work I am honored to present you with the latest and greatest from The Defenestrators, Shouting Whispers. It’s our seventh studio release and quite possibly the best one yet.

Enjoy.

Just thought I’d let everyone know that the first episode of “The Morgue” has been uploaded to Youtube. There’s one part where it makes this weird noise and the music for the Richard Muscle segment was accidentally misplaced but aside from that it’s all there in glorious HD (Paul will upload a retouched one tomorrow). Yes after over a month of let’s say “Post Production” the first episode of “The Morgue” named in honor of this very blog has been finished. It was a long and hard road with this one, the most technical problems I’ve seen on any of our videos; from Paul’s computer getting infected with a virus, to complications with the video’s size and HD quality. There’s still those two itsby bitsy problems I mentioned earlier but Paul already knows how to fix those, so let’s keep this on the hush hush before we show anyone else.

But all this may have you wondering “What’s the future of this series?” Well the big plan is that later this year, Spring or early Summer, Paul and I are going to be buying a new computer just for movies, new (non-pirated) software and a new camera. Yes we have the money to do all that but until than we’ll have to take it slow if we want this kind of quality. Anyhow hope you enjoy what we all worked very hard on.

P.S. I’m already planning another episode this month, so let’s work to try and keep this thing alive.

I’m sure this will cause at least a little outrage, but I hope you can be excited for me because I’ve been accepted to be a contributor to Proball NW. I’m on probation now so all my posts have to be approved by the site’s owner, but I’m on track to become a regular author, hopefully. I suggest you guys be reading that site if you aren’t already.

I’m going to make an honest effort to write more here on non-baseball topics so no one thinks I’m selling out.

Go Mariners!