Yes, I Am Having A Good Friday Barometer

I'm really going to be bringing the video content on this one since KRS-One needs it for oh so very many things. Seriously, though, you 56k-using dial-up AOL.com e-mail having pranksters may want to join us in the 21st century and skip this go-round. As for the rest of y'all--

REGULAAAAAAATORS! Mount up!

ALBA: Mmm-MMM, this week has been freedomtastic. With the rest of the family going to the chick ball final four I have had the house to myself. You'd be surprised to find this out, but it turns out my family and the lack of money are the cause of all the lack-of-female stress in my life. Give me my tax return at the speed of light and autonomy? It turns out I can get around 30, almost 60, and sometimes 90 minutes of writing done a day while buffering it with practicing poker, keeping up on podcasts, wallowing in my own crapulence, and laughing as the creditors dial the house phone as the same time as my cell and I ignore both. I'll be broke by Monday giving them a little cash and paying off old rent, but that should settle my equilibrium.

Cheney: Why do I have to write the Friday Barometer with Firefox every week? It's like Opera has a thing against the content I bring specificially for FBs. Some Ghost in the Machine shit going on, I swears.

Cheney: And how the hell did I get a cold in this, the best of all possible times?

ALBA: Quality speakers for $20. First time I have the new tower alongside actual audio. Life is good.

ALBA: BundchenBundchenBundchen! It's fun to say and a million more times more fun to look at. Of course, thinking about things has sent me down a Lewis Black path that should be killing me in the course of the next week, but it's a fine way to go. Questions that need to be answered, if you ask me--how does she have 3 other sisters with no brothers, b) how is the Victoria's Secret supermodel not automatically the hottie of the family, c) what are the odds of having 6 girls, c.5) let alone six hawwwwwwwwwwwt ones, 4) how much of your soul would you give up to walk in that house with your best friend, look around at the Bundchens at the pool, poke him in the shoulder and go "I'll dive on the grenade here"?, e) is this the first time in recorded history you would push your family in traffic to dive on the grenade?

And right before I passed out in a pool of my own DNA and sweat, I remember thinking "If it weren't for my horse..."

Cheney: Tom Brady. Seriously, motherFUCK him.

ALBA: "So, about 10 years ago we're in London riding in an original Edsel, and then we got to go all the way to the left side of the road. We're in Great England, is why! And all of a sudden Brasky goes, 'Did that rich bitch in the limo just cut us off?!' and I look ahead and I see this logo for the royal family, so I say to Brasky, 'Bill! It's Princess Diana!' And Brasky stares a hole from me--which healed in 4 months--and he says to me, 'You mean was Princess Diana.' The next thing I know I'm flying through a windshield wondering if my passport just fell out my pants. I can tell that story now because the statue of limitations has expired."

ALBA: Grindhouse. Just assuming. Now if there was only a way they could get cheap, awesome publicity and blow KMB's heart out his chest...naaaaaaaaaaah...

ALBA: In one of the greatest parodies of all time, Alanis will have you spending all your money on her, and spending time on her--her jiggling...it's oddly hypnotic...like a lava lamp...



ALBA: As the alleged table-setter the rest of the world takes their cues from, why the hell does our TV suck so much? Mexican TV owns us, and Brazilian TV owns everybody. Exhibit A.



And the defense motherfucking rests, because it's feeling oddly sleepy now.

ALBA: For everybody I'm dragging into the mashup world, Ramdom Thoughts brings an hour of bastard pop sweetness a week. And they shout me out in episode #50, which in no way, shape, or form influenced their position in this site. *cough*

ALBA: Girl Talk may not be the best DJ alive, but nobody's better. Almost an hour of phenaweomnal goddamn Gregg Gillis power, from his live New Year's Eve show in Chicago. There are singalongs from Tom Petty AND Tag Team. Paula Cole makes a 12-second appearance. Even the lowlight with the drunken moron screaming "GROOVE IS IN THE HEART" for the minute it's on is immediately assuaged with Jermaine Stewart. You read me right, Aaron. Jermaine Stewart. Anyhow, if I got to sell you on him after this, find yourself a new friend.



ALBA: San Diego's new mashup night is tomorrow night and thanks to his tireless grassroots promotional efforts certain people you know, love--well, tolerate and even take blog ideas from is getting a half-hour of requests to make heads turn, necks bruise, ears perks, and booties to decrease in horizontalality as if the surface is heated. I've been saying for months I'm going to throw it all away to become a DJ...and I might.

Cheney: Trying to narrow it down to 8 songs and a half-hour's worth of stuff when I have 200 songs and 12.4 hours worth.

ALBA: Libby had a few suggestions as I dropped a few of my favorites--stuff in the final pile of 30 that may make the cut and she's a fan of the Montell Jordan/GnR headbanger "This Is How We Do It In The Jungle" and the Most Evil And Wrong Song In the History Of Mankind That's Still Listenable, nin and Ace of Base bring together a rape baby in "She Wants Animals". I'm going with the fine folks at Uncast so you should have some pictures and I'll let y'all know how it goes.

This Friday Barometer Is Sponsored By Dunder-Mifflin

ALBA: I think my trip through the poker desert is over, at least today and probably tomorrow, too. I've played about 12 times this week--11th, 5th, 2nd yesterday, the win earlier this week. I am really proud of my play advancing almost to the point where I usually get busted by getting outdrawn (i.e., getting my money in with the best hand and the giddy fickle middle finger of fate coming into play and rarely getting trumped by the three, two, or single hand(s) they might have that can beat me, in which case I say "nh" and go "Well, the odds on that were pretty small. That's poker." I've been laying down two pairs and outdrawn three of a kinds recently, and that is some hard shit to get away from. I think something not noted about the proliferation of Tex on TV is that it gives so many myriad options to improve if not wholly overhaul whatever your style is, and you can pick and choose what you're going to take from the best players in the world. Old me was just getting lucky, more or less; me now is actually a good player. Great is way too egotistical for even me to believe at this point, but I definitely feel like I'm...I dunno, like 85th percentile or something. I suppose we'll find out next Saturday night.

GONZALEZ: Heard back from the unemployment office; turns out that firing was justifiable and I won't be getting the 90 bucks a week. (bitterly) Thank you, President Ford.

ALBA: there was that night that we thought that John Berryman could fly/but he didn't so he died... I am sooo close to renaming the blog a line from that song. Lazy Undisciplined Sleeping Late, mayhaps?

ALBA: Guess who's rocking the 2nd Uncast Sunday? Oh, yeah. You should get the first since Danny and Vicki did an actual debut that didn't blow chunks in the least, and if you don't know, now ya learnin'. It should be going up late Sunday/early Monday.

ALBA: San Diego is getting its own sort of bootleg Bootie all-mashup songs night club starting on the 7th, and you wouldn't believe who's in some early talks thanks to online forums about helping with the playlist. Then again, you are here. Maybe you would.

ALBA: You seen Sideshow Bob's sister on the Idle? Oh, I would chutney in those mangos...ya feel me? Ya feel me?! Ahhh, ya feel me.

GONZALEZ: I cannot stay asleep past 9 a.m. anymore--we're living odd because the apartment across from us is empty and getting shown. That living room shares a common wall with my bedroom. The one above from us had some sort of infestation and/or moveout, so upstairs they are banging and moving shit around on our roof.

ALBA: The novel (which at this point is still somehow unnamed, since I am beginning to sour on calling it Spin Spin Sugar given it's more hip-hop than whatever the fuck pointless label you'd like to assign the original Sneaker Pimps) is writing itself, at least for the next few scenes. It's excellent how new ideas present themselves as I write. When you wait for The Muse to come along, it's part of the feast or famine mentality. KRS-One feels me on this; maybe Libby, too. When it's not working it feels like It Will Never Work Again but when it does you become less "I'm writing a story" and more like court stenography.

ALBA: Watching the Bush-helmed chain of fools come apart is making for some especially awesome Daily Shows, Repors and Countdowns. Anybody else see the palpable sexual tension between Katie Couric and Stephen last night? Is it wrong I find Katie Couric attractive?

uhh: So I was writing the other day and this blonde sits across from me, which is usually good but she's too hot for Brittany. This is also usually good but since I am trying to be Serious Writer it's a problem. (The old brain-vs-penis chess game, y'understand?) And then the sweater comes off and holy Roger and Zapp, More Bounce to the Ounce. The tank top is stru-guh-ling. I lasted about 20 minutes and then I had to get to another computer and focus, dammit.

ALBA: On Broadway, my former favorite place in town but now merely a contender to the throne, is having a fun localized MySpace party next Thursday. Should be great; one of my favorite mashup DJs, 20 localized hotties (including a couple I know, go fig), and, most importantly to Rob, an hour-and-a-half of a hosted vodka bar. No sin greater, no rapture more exquisite...(Homer drool sound)

GONZALEZ: Why were all my out-of-town friends more than willing to have free vodka with me at an awesome place packed with hot girls getting drunk St. Guinness Day and none of my local ones? Hmm.

ALBA: Will headline the new Cuarenta Caliente out tomorrow, and this will probably be discussed in the Uncast.

GONZALEZ: I am finding ways to be broke. I have a little, but since I assumed unemployment was coming I restarted my account to get a debit card. It's going through processing. Hopefully it'll get here in the next couple days so I can e-file the taxes and score the big return money. That'll let me pay off some of the rent I owe and harvest the rest.

ALBA: The family is leaving for the chickball Final Four next weekend, which is great on its own. But they're also going back home to the Burgh so I get a week FREE to wallow in my crapulence. #1: Write whenever I want. #2: Drink. #3: When in doubt, go back to #2. #4: Poker night next Saturday. #5: WrestleMania at Hooters! #6: #2--really good idea. #7: Make sure AA's still for quitters. #8: Also, writing.

Sixx Mixx 69 (recommended: Lumidee over Audioslave, the Doors block, and "Intergalactic" over the Veronica Mars theme) Party Ben

Friday Barometer: Dude, I Think I Just Filled The Cup

Friday Barometer: Dead Or Alive

Kristin at E! is about yeaclose to making the On Notice list--

You may have seen my earlier report that Veronica Mars has been canceled.

Well, let me just say that though I heard this heart-wrenching info from six--yes, six--reliable sources on both the network and studio side...apparently that news may have been somewhat misguided. See, although this "cancellation" rumor ran rampant around all sectors of Hollywood today, it turns out the picture is more complex than a straight canceled-or-not-canceled scenario.

At this hour, here's what I can tell you:

I just heard from Veronica mastermind and showrunner Rob Thomas, who tells me, "If we're cancelled, I certainly don't know about it."

And according to CW insiders, the CW has not officially canceled Veronica Mars. However, here's the catch: They are currently considering a different format for the fourth season. From what I hear, that format would leap four years into the future and focus on Veronica Mars as an FBI agent. Aside from returning star Kristen Bell (duh), the rest of the cast is yet to be determined, but it isn't likely that many of her current co-stars would be on board.

So bottom line: Veronica Mars could be: 1) spinning off into a new format, 2) returning in her college years or 3) getting canceled.

And let me just say, number 3 could be a very real possibility, so it is most definitely time to rally the troops before it's too late! If you care about Veronica Mars and want it to survive (and if you're a fan of good TV, I know you do!), please comment below with your name and message of support. And email your friends the link of this column so they can do the same. (I will forward your comments to the powers that be at the CW.)

Then, please send your "Save Veronica" postcard or letter to:

Dawn Ostroff
President of Entertainment, The CW Television Network
4000 Warner Boulevard, Bldg 168
Burbank, CA 91522-0002

And pardon me while I step onto my soapbox and advise the CW: cancelling Veronica Mars would be a mistake of epic proportions. It is by far the best thing going on the green net, and one of the most addictive, smart, funny and well-written series ever to air on television. The fans would not take its cancellation lightly.

(P.S. That Pussycat show makes me want to gauge out my eyes.)

Now, VM fans unite! Comment away below for the love of good TV!

I got property to belong to!  What's my purpose without it!?



Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) Jay-Z

Friday Barometer: Know The Ledge

I'm going to try an experiment today in which I post nothing but awesome pictures until I find out the rumor is nothing but a rumor, in which case I will sigh deeply and then go about bombing E! off the face of the earth, or the rumor is fact, in which case St. Patrick's Day gets started early.

Let's go!



HAW haw!



BALLIN'!


Because The Night (unplugged) 10,000 Maniacs

Friday Barometer Music Club

the Hold Steady > Stuck Between Stations (Letterman performance)


Travis > Why Does It Always Rain On Me?


Toad the Wet Sprocket > Something's Always Wrong

Under Atmospheric Pressure...

ALBA: I love Australians. Even more so than usual.

ALBA: Since the Blogoogle switchover looking at the labels is almost as good as the posts sometimes.

MENCIA: Opera's being uppity, so I'm doing this out of Mozilla. I don't think there's that much of a difference, but it still seems off.

MENCIA: Why did my friend float the possibility of going to Mexico, getting drunk and lapdances tomorrow after I'd already made plans?

ALBA: iPod. Teacher. Mother. Secret lover.

ALBA: Rob floated me a little walking around cash.

ALBA: Finding more mashups. When they work, they work. Gary Numan + the Beatles. I may dedicate next weekend's Follow the Leader to a creme de la menthe list.

MENCIA: Getting shot down. I'm not exactly surprised given my lot in the world right now, but it would've been nice.

MENCIA: Actually lost at a home game Saturday for the first time in forever. Mere hours after the rejection, too. Apres moi, le deluge... I haven't posted a top 5 finish in a month. I keep coming between 13th and 25th, which was the original plan, and yet now that I'm here it sucks. So I'm in Must Always Win Mode. (Friends: As opposed to? Me: SHARRUP YOU MOUTH)

ALBA: Going to try to get back in the black tomorrow night.

ALBA: Had two consecutive excellent interviews with one of my top 5 clubs. It's a security position at a place I love where I've never seen a fight in the 12-17 odd times I've been there. Nice late start, too. Honestly, if I don't get this I don't know what I'm going to do. I might as well give up. I can't interview any better than I did. Even in the face of a ludicrously hot boss, I held serve.

MENCIA: The Rent Issue. Still. Where does one get $200 by the end of the month?

MENCIA: I owe about 3x what I thought I did bill-wise (forgot about other phone).

ALBA: Holy GOD was the Office awesome last night. Roy's meltdown was #1. #2 was Fancy New Beesley v2. #3 was "...or collapse in on myself like a dying star." I usually don't say this in the face of white-on-white crime but Roy is going to fuck that nigga Jim up...

MENCIA: In six weeks. Sad face.

ALBA: Well, the label says it all. Let's end this on an up note--









I Want To Take You Higher Sly and the Family Stone

Friday Barometer: Neptune? Grand.

Yup, I had an interview I went from being late for to being 15 minutes early from that I think went well.

Don't care.

Put down another 750 words for the first time in what seems like forever.

Don't care.

I may have walked outside during my snack break and found them filming Veronica Mars a spit away while I was inside the lab writing. I may have walked right past Kristen Bell. I may have asked a producer what was happening and he may have revealed they were taping the 17th episode of the year and may have divulged the primary storyline.

He may have seen the Picture.

So, instead of doing other things, I'm going to stay here a while longer and see what else I can find/do. Who knows what may come of this? Maybe nothing else. But I'm going to flit back and forth between the set (HA! I said the set cause I was there and walked through it!) and these computers, keeping updates on serve.

I'm sure you guys would expect nothing less.

(Perhaps a little keyed up; it took me 3 tries to spell expect just there.)

ONE
Max, why do you think I didn't name what the primary storyline is? Dumbass.

Anyhow, a few things since their job fair scene is taking a bit longer than they thought.

Bells for the tower go off hourly at SDSU--and they don't post-edit them out, I suppose. They sent up some sound people who put stuff around the actual ball portion of the bell, thus making it a silencer every hour at the top of the hour.

The extras are full of cute girls but they're all bored. It takes them a while for each scene and they're just background anyway, so it looks like you hanging out with your friends when none of you had the strength to get up and go somewhere. Some of them seem to be RL friends. They all text like mad. When they move around the 400 feet or so marked off, they line up like baby ducks and follow the producer guy I talked to and a couple of other executive-types.

The crew have these awesome big black trucks to move around. They look like where the MIB would keep people if they had to flash-fry a bunch at once.



I've decided to take a few pictures and send them to Rob, in the hopes they'll enhance the report.

So they are. Hearst represent! (You can also see the aforementioned bell tower. Talk about brilliant photography.)



More updates as they warrant.

TWO
Some guy is sitting where I've been all day so this update is shorter and taking an extra couple minutes. The fucktard.

A lot of parents around taking pictures. It may be Parents Weekend or something here at State and it's bleeding over into filming. A lot of them are walking right through the set with no break in their actions whatsoever. Probably Idol fans.

THREE

I guess the job fair scene took longer than expected, as if I know.  What I do know is it hit dusk and the crew leapt into action like vampires.  I heard dinner mentioned, so I split.  They may come back later, I dunno.

The $48,000 Pregunta: do I go back tomorrow?

Another One Bites Da Funk Party Ben Queen/Daft Punk mashup

And The Friday Barometer's Heart Expanded Three Times That Day

Leaving aside the guy who was just interested enough in the digicam to make an appointment and then completely blow it off, today is a fine, fine day.

Thirdly, my friends are SROing the birthday party next week. Some cute girls, too.

Let us pray.

Secondly, milling around downtown, I met Ryan Hansen. THE Dick Casablancas.

Yes, again. See?


SHOCKER! They were filming at a college, and it turns out Ryan is very impressed with my Brooke Burke wallpaper. The one worrying thing is the look on his face when I revealed I was the guy who got his arm signed. I can only wonder what stories have been told on set. Tragically, I was so overcome by the moment that I forgot to invite the cast to my birthday party. Now that would've been a damn scene and a half.

And ultimately I got home from all of that to find out KS & Rob tag teamed back again to get me the iPod of my dreams. Even if my brother beat me to it by a few weeks, it's par excellence, as the French would say. So I have to figure it out before I get some belts at the bar and hit the casino and decide if I'm going to hit the club for free tomorrow night the week before the real partay or not.

MAN.

Like the kid in Almost Famous said: it's all happening.

Welcome to Jamrock Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

UGH.

Friday Barometer?   

My cold just ejaculated so hard I don't know where the snot ends and the tears 
in my bleary eyes begin.   

The perfect job went to somebody else.  Yup, again.

The creditors won't stop calling.  

Pretty soon I'll be behind in the rent, too.  

I'm behind on writing, so at least it'll match.

I've got one good thing in my life and it's not for two weeks.  

Posts format weirdly now.

Yeah, here's your f'n Barometer (and the video went down!
WATFO?!):

Sawed Off Saturday Barometer

ALBA: Found my disk with Title TBD on it, thus allowing me to copy edit the first 3 chapters and add some stuff as well. At least it holds up; I was worried giving it some shelf life I was going to come back to it and be nauseated.

BRADY: "We Fly High". Because, that's why.

ALBA: Stephen Colbert Pwning the Big Giant Head on both ends of their home-and-home series Thursday. Hell, Thursday was just an awesome day for TV between that and the NBC comedy lineup (which in my land ends at 9:30--I need recovery time)

ALBA: With Quay back in school and it apparently kicking his ass every single day as opposed to last semester, this should open up my time to write.

BRADY: I totally ganked his working CD/radio player since he's iPoded out. I don't feel bad about the using of it, since he's not anymore; it's more of the the-wrong-brother-in-the-family-has-the-30 gig thing.

BRADY: The AFC Championship. Do I root for the chair or lethal injection? Geaux Saints Geaux.

ALBA: My birthday party in three weeks. All the major friends are in; anything after them is icing. Gravy's nice and all, but icing is much more delicious and much worse for you. Ergo, I will be using that term frequently this year to get it over and then point when someone not of my limited opportunities uses it in a mass-media forum. I'm guessing by the first day of summer.

ALBA: I had a great interview on Thursday with what turned out to be a hostel. I really hope I get this job; it's full-time and second shift in a hostel. 40 hours a week, 3Gs and then some, a bunch of hot foreign girls...besides having the slowest weekdays off fully, what's not to love?

BRADY: Selling off my DVD collection in stages because nobody's buying my digital camera or my throwbacks.

Night Ripper Girl Talk

What The--That Can't Be--It's...It's...OH, MY GOD!

ALBA: In attempt to reignite normalcy while at the same time bringing new things into the mix--Friday Barometer! You'll find most of your things as you left them.

ALBA: Title TBD, which I actually have been working on the last 2 days and throwing in another couple chapters to the tune of 3,000 words. I keep thinking I can get this done by the first day of summer--whenever the fuck that is.

THE BCS: I wish my brother would stop using my washcloth. I wish I'd bought an iPod instead of him--I don't think he even has 750 songs and I've got 18 GIG.

ALBA: Night Ripper. Because, that's why.

THE BCS: I'm actually going to miss him (at $12, no less!) next weekend in LA because my Angelino connection is coming down for the weekend. As much as I love Amanda, my favorite non-traditional DJ doing a live show in which people routinely get buck to the point of almost total nudity, especially in LA--I'm missing out on something, and Jessica Marie help y'all if I ever find out just how much.

ALBA: To the left, to the left...

ALBA: The creditors who left me alone for the holidays and then stupidly believed me when I said I'd have it 2 weeks from now despite all evidence to the contrary.

ALBA: Poker After Dark. Shawn Sheikhan's a .9 Matusow, Phil Hellmuth freaks out, Annie Duke had a prop bet over her first marriage, Shana Hiatt, 2 am. If that didn't sell you, I'll throw in another plug the week Evelyn Ng's on.

THE BCS: No Vegas birthday now, obv. I don't even know what I'm going to do this year.

ALBA: I got say anything... yesterday for FIVE FREAKING BUCKS!

ALBA: My Name Is Earl, the Office, and Scrubs. It's like if I was in a four-way and the other participants were Jess, Trish, and a streaming live video to the internet that people paid $49.99 to see.

ALBA: Chargers over the Saints in 41. My parents had their fun last year, now I get mine. MVP. Bye week. Shawne Merriman ripping off Tom Brady's arm and beating him with it.

ALBA: The holiday period really gave me a surge of ideas...

THE BCS: I just don't have the time to write 6 things at once. :)

ALBA: King Ian and Queen Chrissy. All hail.



ALBA: The Police reuniting annual rumor getting started early this year due to the 30th anniversary. Am I asking too much that I'd like to see the Police in my own town just once before one of them passes or they try to do it GnR style? Is it?

ALBA: You know it's hard out here for a pimp...

ALBA: My last post here was kinda ludicrously awesome. I'm just saying.

I Only Want To Be With You Dusty Springfield