Entertainment Ave! What's New and our Not Usually Daily Blog.

What's New? A Podcast of: Technology Sucks, No WGN, iPhone Schematic Requests, and a Cowbell.

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:22:45 -0500

The Dude on the Right has internet issues so he told The WGN to be patient and wait until next week to do a podcast. But internet issues won't keep a good Dude down, so he recorded a quick podcast about "Batman: The Dark Knight," with Heath Ledger, his need for some iPhone schematics, and how having a cowbell on his iPhone just makes him smile. Do you have a "cowbell" on your cell phone? Good luck with that!

What's New? Movie Previews Galore, or at Least a Few.

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:01:34 -0500

By: The Dude on the Right
So as I'm looking to get back into the swing of posting, and not feeling totally creative, I realized I had a batch of Movie Previews already written. So, this evening, well, it was all about getting previews of movies like "Swing Vote," "Bangkok Dangerous," "Pineapple Express," "Henry Poole is Here," "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," "The House Bunny," and "My Best Friend's Girl," among others, up and integrated into the website for your perusal, or at least to help you to find their official sites.

Happy perusalling!

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! The BFF Meets the Family, Lots of TV Talk, and an iPhone Update.

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:31:20 -0500

The Dude on the Right took his BFF to visit some of his family in the old country, while Stu Gotz missed a Cubs' game, and those are just some of the topics they both cover in this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!"

Sure, they also talk about miniature golf, give a shout for The Dude's mom to "Get well soon," the uber-coolness of the iPhone update, and The Dude is psyched to see "The Dark Knight," but let's not forget Stu's love of "Burn Notice," SCUBA, and the younger Gotz's love of "Mr. Men." Now if only The Dude would have talked about his and his BFF's lottery winnings, well, this podcast might be complete, but that might just have to wait for The Dude chatting with The WGN, and explaining to said The WGN why opening car doors for girls could be fixed by more-advanced, door-unlocker key fobs.

The Old Country With my BFF, Back to Normal Programming, Spock Philosophy, and an iPhone Update.

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:43:44 -0500

By: The Dude on the Right
As you may have noticed there haven’t been any new posting since nearly a week ago, and I have to admit that part of it was some laziness, part of it was being a busybody, and part of it was caused by a quick trip to the old country, where my BFF got to meet some of the members of my family. Yup, you can guess it, they all like her more than they like me! Oh well. I’ll talk more about that trip when I talk to Stu Gotz for our "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll have my nephew along for this Thursday’s podcast so I can explain to him why car doors do not need to be opened for dudettes anymore.

For some quick notes about the trip home, though, some of it was tad melancholy as my mom isn’t feeling too well, and I would have preferred my BFF’s first visit being under a different light, but on the other hand, mom’s meeting my BFF seemed to lift mom's spirits, especially when she could give my BFF her two word, blunt, synopsis, of the old country. The trip was also a great time for family members to pummel me about my lack of chivalrousness, when I was just trying to do some recon to assess the threat assessment of our group and make sure the coast was clear on the treacherous path from the safety of the craft store to the safety of the dude-mobile. I risk my life for the safety of the group, just like Spock philosophied in "The Wrath of Kahn," that "The needs of the many outweigh," responded by Kirk "The needs of the few," with Spock coming back, "Or the one.," and what happens, I get chastised for it! Some people are so ungrateful, but I’m sorry, I digress.

The trip home also had the tech nerd in me in total withdrawal because, while I was gone, Apple came out with their giant update for the iPhone, and although I’m waiting for a 3g version of the phone that will hold all of my music before I buy a new one (and from the news reports of the activation meltdowns that occurred last Friday I’m kinda glad for that), I kept looking at my iPhone, with its old, crappy, obsolete version of firmware, knowing it would be days before I could have a lightsaber duel with another iPhone user, be able to "scratch my records" like a DJ, or have a better way to organize my grocery store list. As I’m typing this blog, though, my iPhone is doing all of its updating, and hopefully, as opposed to those poor schlubs who had problems on Friday, maybe my utmost patience (it is a virtue, don’t ya know?) in not pulling out my laptop while I was at the old country, on Friday, to spend the time to upgrade it the minute I could and ignore my BFF, will pay off. See, who says chivalry is dead?

Well, my iPhone is almost done upgrading, it’s time to get back to work, so normal programming of Entertainment Ave! is ready to be back on track tomorrow, with a fantastic, phenomenal, enlightening, and exciting new podcast of "Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast. I hope.

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! "Hancock," Fireworks, Cars, Church, and More!

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:12:13 -0500

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz survived the 4th of July weekend with all of their appendages attached, but more surprising was the fact that The Dude didn't get struck down by lightning as he entered a church with his BFF, especially since The Dude, at times, wondered more about what the sensors were at the top of the ceiling and why parents let their kids wear street clothes to mass, as opposed to focusing on what was really a nice homily, about an "e-mail" from God. This podcast, though, of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" isn't all about fire and brimstone, or at least fireworks and religion, the boys also talk about cars, "Hancock," "Nancy Drew," Pringles, and some upcoming nuptials. The Dude also sends "Get Well Soon" wishes to his Mom.

What's New? A Movie Review of: "Hancock."

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:27:21 -0500

As The Dude on the Right is a tad worried what Stu Gotz will say when he reveals something that happened over The Dude's 4th of July weekend during their next podcast, and The Dude is also a little more worried about some happenings in the Old Country, he figured out a way to review the movie "Hancock," even though, if you have an 8-year old and you took him to see the movie, The Dude's review might be a little too late because now, your 8-year old, probably, totally, loves the word "Asshole."

Happy movie-going!

What's New? A Podcast of: Apologies to The WGN&N, Bro-i-l, Sis, and Night Ranger. That Said, Happy 4th of July!

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:16:34 -0500

The Dude on the Right is in the doghouse for many too many reasons, so for this podcast he tries to apologize to The WGN&N, his Bro-i-l, and his Sis (but maybe not that much to his Sis), for previous comments done wrong, and he's also doing some apologizing to Night Ranger because The Dude always wanted to be a weather forecaster, but sucks at it, thus causing him to miss their concert.

The Dude also hopes people play things safe this 4th of July holiday weekend. Hopefully he won't try the firecracker experiment mentioned in the movie "Armageddon," and you shouldn't try that science experiment, either. You should, however, super-supervise any kids in your sight playing with sparklers, because, as an adult, that's your job. 1800 degrees F is a sparkler temperature (that's the bright, glowing part on the rod of a sparkler), and also close to the burning temperature of cremation. Do your best to not let your kids, or the neighbor kids, know what it might feel like if they get cremated.

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! RV-ing, Penn & Teller, Movie Talk, Toilet Paper, and More!

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:54:36 -0500

Some travel issues delayed Stu Gotz getting back in town so the podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!" was a day late, and even with some extra time, well, The Dude on the Right screwed up the opening. But that's okay because they have lots to talk about, including some movie talk about "Wanted," "Wall-E," "Presto," and "Letters from Iwo Jima." The Dude relates to Stu that he really should get Showtime so he could see "Penn & Teller: Bullshit," and Stu should also get Sirius Satellite Radio so he could hear ABBA, 24/7, for a couple of weeks. Stu, on the other hand, relates his woes of toilet paper at airports. They both talk about a fight at the Cubs/White Sox Crosstown Classic, they talk about tattoos, and with the 4th of July weekend coming up, they talk about how it looks like The Dude's BFF still won't get to meet any of The Dude's friends, even with the lure of REO Speedwagon.

What's New? A CD Review of "Hole In The Sun" from Night Ranger.

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:10:45 -0500

The Dude on the Right is happily surprised that The WGN knows who Night Ranger is, but The WGN didn't know that Night Ranger also has a new CD coming out, "Hole In The Sun," which The Dude recommends. If you ever were a fan of the band, and their songs, like "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" or "Sister Christian," it might not be a bad idea for you to spend a few bucks and get their new CD, because, well, Night Ranger isn't trying to re-invent themselves, they just rock. They might help you rock, too.

What's New? A Movie Review of "Wall-E."

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:00:13 -0500

The Dude on the Right is probably one of the few reviewers in the world that didn't like "Wall-E" that much, and for his review, well, he can't even justify it. He blames the lack of dialogue; He blames his own PMS; He even blames a dude sitting a couple seats away from him. What he doesn't blame, though, might be his own lack of just being able to envelop himself in a movie where, a lot of the time, only the eyes of the characters tell the feelings. The Dude might just need new contact lenses.

What's New? Movie Reviews of "Get Smart" and "Wanted."

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:05:44 -0500

The Dude on the Right was a little lax in getting his review of "Get Smart" posted, but it is now here for your reading pleasure, and The Dude recommends that if you don't want to be in a movie theater filled with little kids, and hate gratuitous violence, maybe "Get Smart" might be a good matinee for you and your lady to see over the weekend. The Dude also saw "Wanted," and that review is also posted, and if you want to be in a movie theater with no little kids and seeing a movie with tons of gratuitous violence, Angelina Jolie's butt, and physics be damned, enjoy the ludicrousness that is "Wanted."

What's New? A Podcast of: A Special Guest Podcaster, The WGN, Joins for TV, Comedian, Gun, and Socially Inept Talk!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:24:57 -0500

The Dude on the Right was joined by The WGN for this Thursday podcast, and they talk about a lot of things. The Dude introduces The WGN to "America's Got Talent," the both talk about George Carlin, and The Dude learns that The WGN is making contacts for his future. They both talk about guns (how topical, what, with the Supreme Court decision today), family gatherings, and if The Dude's family is socially inept. The Dude is also happy to hear The WGN knows who Night Ranger is, hopes the two of them might be able to see Radiohead at Lollapalooza, and fears he might get sucked in to "Dolphin Olympics 2." Maybe The WGN is a worse influence on The Dude as apposed to The Dude being a worse influence on The WGN?

What's New? A Concert Review of The Swell Season.

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:46:52 -0500

It took The Dude on the Right about a week to get his concert review of "The Swell Season," you know the duo from the movie "Once," those duo being Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, posted, and as much as he would like to blame computer issues, he probably just needs to get back into the swing of things about writing concert reviews. He loved the movie "Once," and even though, at times, Glen didn't actually relate a story in a way anyone could understand, The Dude, well, he loved the concert.

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Computer Issues, Movie Talk, The Rest of the Family, and Remembering George Carlin

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:50:56 -0500

The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz both had computer issues for this podcast, which they, sadly, reiterate in way too much detail, before they get to the fun stuff like Mama Gotz being pissed at The Dude for recommending "No Country For Old Men" to Stu, Stu wondering if there is any way he can now get free stuff from Apple since his shipment is late, The Dude meeting the rest of the family of his BFF, and both of them remembering George Carlin, with his "Seven Dirty Words" historical rant and "The Buddy Christ." In the end, George Carlin, R.I.P., or the hell with that, The Dude just hopes Mr. Carlin can make everyone laugh in the afterlife because it is what he does, did, and should be doing for ever, more.

I'm Boycotting "The Love Guru," but Who is Rajan Zed, and Why am I Getting So Many E-Mails, Maybe From Him?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:52:18 -0500

By: The Dude on the Right
As I have fallen behind on a couple of things, well, the last thing I wanted to do was to waste a couple of hours at a movie that degrades a religion. Yup, for the last bunch of months I've been getting e-mails from, well, I'm not really sure who, although there is an e-mail address yet I'm not really sure if it is valid or a spoof, mostly because I'm too lazy to actually reply to the e-mail and figure out exactly who is e-mailing me. In any case, though, they have been promoting that Rajan Zed (maybe not so surprisingly the e-mail prefix is "rajanz"), who is a prominent Hindu leader (at least so says the e-mail), states that I should boycott the latest Mike Myers' film, "The Love Guru," because, at least with today's e-mail (it's the only one I didn't delete), "it lampoons Hinduism and Hindu concepts and uses Hindu terms frivolously." With that line, especially since this e-mail was sent after Rajan supposedly saw the film, I knew it was my civic duty to skip the film and save two hours of my life.

The e-mail continues in its lambasting the movie, saying "the antics of Guru Pitka (Mike Myers' character in the movie) are a mockery of the esteemed institution of guru," also stating "This is pure and blatant ridiculing and Paramount and its parent Viacom should immediately issue a general public apology for denigration of Hinduism and Hindu concepts, utter disregard of the protesters, backtracking on promise to pre-screen the movie for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders, making no efforts to have an open civilized dialogue with protesters to arrive at an mutually acceptable solution, Zed said."

As the e-mail begins to wrap up, we get: "Rajan Zed further said that comedy should make everybody smile and should not come at the expense of ridiculing others faith and spreading misinformation. Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion followers and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. No faith, larger or smaller, should be ridiculed at."

Hear, hear, Rajan, I'm down with you brother! Oh, wait, don't most comedies ridicule others, if not their faith, and spread misinformation? Never mind, hear, hear Rajan!

But do you want to know the most bizarre part of the e-mail, calling for my boycotting of "The Love Guru?" Well, I'll tell you. It's the last paragraph that states, not something like "This is why we are calling for a boycott of "The Love Guru," or "until Paramount and Viacom recognize the dignity of Hinduism...," we get this: "'The Love Guru' (88 minutes), a comedy starring Mike Myers (of Austin Powers fame), opened today nationwide and will be released in different parts of the world in the near future. Viacom's family of brands includes MTV, Paramount, DreamWorks, etc. Paramount Pictures Corporation is a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment." What the hell kind of ending to an e-mail calling for a boycott is that? No "So maybe you might want to boycott those entities as well," nor "You should also be boycotting "Kung Fu Panda," instead just a vague "legal" disclaimer about the movie, complete with the movies running time.

Suddenly, all this e-mail seems to scream is "I'm Rajan Zed. How can I get loads of publicity? I know, Spam!", or a viral campaign on the part of someone to make people go and watch "The Love Guru" to see if it actually "lampoons" Hinduism, because some news outlet are bound to reference the e-mail, or if this e-mail was really from Mr. Zed, maybe his press release should have been written in first person, starting out simply as "I am Rajan Zed, a Hindu leader, and after seeing 'The Love Guru' I urge you to boycott the movie, and here's why..."

Now that I think about it, I'm not boycotting "The Love Guru" because of this series of e-mails I received saying the movie makes fun of Hinduism, because, you know what, I'm all for making a mockery of all kinds of governments, ethnicities, freaks, geeks, jocks, horror movies, religion, and any other stuff that is open to be made fun of, especially if it's done in a funny way. I'm boycotting "The Love Guru" because, from the trailers, it looks like a load of crap, and from the early reviews most of them say it is a load of crap, and you know what, I've got more important things to do right now than invest in a potential load of crap. This movie will wait for Netflix, or cable, or a number of stints on the shitter, watching it in phases on my iPhone, unless, of course, Richard Roeper tells me to see it when I watch him over the weekend.

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!