San Francisco's historical preservationist community can be really stupid. Especially when it comes to the Presidio.

We coulda had this:



I mean, if there's gonna be a freakin' Disney museum in the Presidio, what possible harm could having a world-class art collection there cause? Yeesh.

Um, did I just see Meat Loaf pouring a giant bottle of A1 steak sauce on my television?

Someone find the link to that, I'm off to Cafe International.

I think it has something to do with this.

Today I present to you: Bad Paintings of Barack Obama.

Aww man, I've always had a soft spot for the one with the open white shirt and the roses.

Top Five Albums Of 2009 So Far:

1. The Decemberists - The Hazards Of Love
2. Regina Spektor - Far
3. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
4. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
5. Silversun Pickups - Swoon

The Four Movies Of 2009 I've Seen, Ranked:

1. Star Trek
2. Up
3. Taken










... 999. Land Of The Lost


Top 3 Republican Douchebags:

1. Michelle Bachmann
2. Glenn Beck
3. Rush Limbaugh

REST IN PEACE BILLY MAYS

...Sorry, couldn't resist. But yes, it's true.

As the passing of MJ, Farrah and Ed took place last week, this begins a new trifecta. Let this serve as a warning to the ShamWow guy and Fitness Celebrity John Basedow.

(How could such a quiet and peaceful man as Billy pass so suddenly like that?)

If the Iranian ambassador comes out and says the CIA killed him... well, hmm...

(alright, no more jokes, i'm sure he was a good guy and i feel for his family. his loud, loud family.)

Really

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The Academy Awards are doubling the number of best-picture nominees from five to 10.
Academy President Sid Ganis said at a news conference that the academy's board of governors made the decision to expand the slate. Ganis said the decision will open the field up to more worthy films for the top prize at Hollywood's biggest party.
The change takes effect with next year' Oscars on March 7.
The move is a return to Oscar traditions of the 1930s and '40s, when 10 nominees were common.

I suppose this means twice as many movies will be the objects of virtual bribery among producers and Academy members.

So what would this have meant for this past year's nominations had this policy been in place? The nominees for the 09 Oscars were, of course:

Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Milk
The Reader

Here are my picks for the other five nominees:

Wall-E
The Wrestler
Revolutionary Road
The Dark Knight
Doubt

Would the presence of any of these films have blunted the momentum Slumdog had with the Academy? I'm not sure, but it might have helped Mickey Rourke's chances if his film had been up for the top prize.

(Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith)

Also, for a good laugh, read Roger Ebert's review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Thanks for coming everybody!!!

The set:

Missing A Cue
Rain
Ghost
Remember
Serenade
In My Secret Life
Imperfect Crime
The Young Man And The Sea
Friend Of The Devil
Life In Reverse
Night On The Mountain

The shoes:

Awesome.

The friends:

Varied and great. And grood.

The things that made me happy:

All the strange minglings of different corners of my life. Especially when they meet my brother!

The cool:

I have an offer for a personal assistant/manager starting early next year. Yes!

The video:

Thanks to secretnthewings and crudown, coming soon!

My life, for the next 45 hours or so, has the singular purpose of putting on the best possible show on Monday night at the Rockit Room as possible.

So, for anyone planning on coming, or thinking about it, I would love to get any help you could possibly provide in the photography/video department. Compensation wouldn't be beyond the question! Even if it came in the form of chocolate cake á la mode!

Back to resting my voice... CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? OBVIOUSLY NOT!

I'm going on near-total vocal rest between now and my big show on Monday.

No extended talking or phone conversations.

Lots of tea.

No alcohol.

Plenty of rest.

This show is a really big deal to me, so if you're at all able to make it, I'd love it if you were there. Again, the details are:

Brendan Getzell
Live @ the Rockit Room
406 Clement Street (between 5th and 6th Avenue -- MAP)

Monday, June 15th
8pm
21 and over
No cover

Street parking is findable, but budget a little time, as I'll be starting right at 8.

My goal is to draw at least 30 people, but I'd be thrilled to pieces if I could get it higher than that, so anything you can do to help would be mightily appreciated! (:

I bought Mondrian-themed Vans today.



...on eBay, because they're out of stock everywhere, and the Vans website doesn't sell them anymore.

In the cafe:

Ghost
Night On The Mountain


Outside in the garden afterward:

Blue Hands
Blueprint

Really good music/networking night. Met an English teacher from CCSF and talked with her for quite a while about the strife educators are facing lately. Met a handful of really cool singer-songwriters, including Kempie O and the unbelievably-15 Abby Frenes, who's going to be amazing in several years. There were also others, Mr Andrew, Easton, Robin Galante (the host, who reminds me profusely of my US History teacher from Mateo), and so on.

My new policy: Every day I will do at least one thing that propels me forward in the San Francisco music scene, whether it be playing a venue, securing a gig, contacting another musician, jamming with someone, selling an album, recording a song, whatever. I have never had such a singular sense of purpose in my life as I do now.

And no, sadly I will not be auditioning for Ray Of Light's Tommy.

Goodnight, and go Mousavi!!!

Rock Band Beatles trailer...



1) They never played "Taxman" at a concert.

2) Ringo was not the studio drummer for "Back In The USSR", Paul was.

3) George capo's the 7th fret for "Here Comes The Sun", but he clearly had no capo in the animation.

...

...4) I'm still getting it the first day it's out.


(Hmm, could this game have an "uncanny valley" problem?)

Celebrating the murder of an ob-gyn on Twitter.

140 brain cells or less.

George Tiller, the Wichita doctor who became a national lightning rod in the debate over abortion, was shot to death this morning as he walked into church services.

Tiller, 67, was shot just after 10 a.m. at Reformation Lutheran Church at 7601 E. 13th, where he was a member of the congregation. Witnesses and a police source confirmed Tiller was the victim.

No information has been released about whether a suspect is in custody.

Homicide detectives and Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston have arrived at the church.

Members of the congregation who were inside the sanctuary at the time of the shooting were being kept inside the church by police, and those arriving were being ushered into the parking lot. Witnesses are being transported downtown for interviews and other members of the congregation are slowly being released from inside the sanctuary.

Tiller has long been a focal point of protest by abortion opponents because his clinic, Women's Health Care Services at 5701 E. Kellogg, is one of the few in the country where late-term abortions are performed.

Pro life!

Ann Friedman at Tapped has more.

And, charming as always, the right-wing reaction.

Progress: I can now almost sing "Heron Blue" in its original key.

If I tilt my head waaaay back.

Hmm.

Better keep resting those vocal chords.

As long as I'm able to make normal-sounding conversation by Wednesday, I'll be fine.

I pretty much spent all day around the bed, getting the proverbial "bed-rest" and "vocal rest" I'm supposed to get. I had four cups of tea (Earl Grey. HOT.). I watched portions of movies on On Demand (hadn't seen Hancock before, it was pretty dumb).

On Sunday I'll venture out of my man-cave to see Up in San Mateo with Heather Rey and Jaime (oh great, I'm surrogate-Meghan again). I wasn't that jazzed about the Pixar film until I saw its 98% Tomato-meter -- I was concerned that this would be relatively light fare after the deeper, emotionally wrenching Wall-E, but the various reviews I've skimmed (as well as the status updates of my friends) seem to say otherwise.

And now, sleep.

Don't play those violins no more
Their melancholic overtones
They echo off the floor and walls
I cannot bear to hear them

My voice: still 100% gone.

The diagnosis (from my doctor/dad): acute inflammation of my throat, down to my larynx.

What I need to do: Not talk, plus drink lots of tea w/honey, and take anti-inflammatory meds.

Time to heal: a week. FRAK.

The more I think about it, the more it sucks.

In honor of Conan O'Brien's debut on The Tonight Show, the mag gives us the following songs:

Neil Young – “Tonight’s the Night”
Kiss – “Tomorrow and Tonight”
Bob Dylan – “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You”
TV on the Radio – “Tonight”
The Misfits – “Night of the Living Dead”

Laaaaame. My turn!

Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight (duh!)
Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight (double duh!)
Spinal Tap - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
Elton John - Tonight
ACDC - You Shook Me All Night Long
Sun Kil Moon - Tonight The Sky
Kriss Kross - Tonight's The Night (hehehe)
INXS - I Need You Tonight

(do we really need any West Side Story songs here? oh fine.)

Let's see what the RS commenters came up with...

Jennifer Lopez - Waiting For Tonight (ugh, awful)
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight (a huge oversight on my part)
BeeGees - Night Fever
Kiss - Rock And Roll All Nite

I'm just killing time until the NyQuil takes effect.