The Best Nineteen Minutes Ever

So anyway, a long time ago in a posting far, far away we discussed our top ten pieces of music that we couldn't live without. You know, the whole if I were stuck on an island and I could only have...yada, yada, yada. Anyway, I thought I'd throw a new one out there for any and everyone who'd like to contribute:

Name your top 10 favorite individual cues/tracks ever.

"Gee, thanks Mike, that's not going to be challenging or anything". You know, these are the ones that you repeat ad infinitum every time you play the CD (assuming said cue even has a recording available). This doesn't necessarily have to be what you'd pick for the top ten greatest individual cues ever recorded for film, just your ten personal favorites. Of course, one might correlate one's ten favorite cues/tracks as being the best ever, but in this case, that doesn't necessarily have to be the the case. You don't really need to explain your reasoning for every choice unless you want to (I know I'm not). One rule, stick to actual timed cues as much as possible (this can be difficult when dealing with music from the MV guys, I know), we'll discuss Main Themes in my next posting...and then, a real treat (hint: break out your CD's).

So without further ado, here we go:

10: Stealing the Enterprise - Star Trek III (James Horner) - I know, III isn't exactly a fan favorite, but I really love this cue. It takes most of the best elements from II and cranks them way up (better recording too).

9: The Mutant - Total Recall (Jerry Goldsmith) - I've spent hours trying to pick this out at the piano and have yet to get my brain around it.

8: The Ludlows - Legends of the Fall (James Horner) - Ok, so this is essentially a thematic suite timed to the film, but it's still gorgeous.

7: Theology/Civilization - Conan the Barbarian (Basil Poledouris)

6: Adagio and Transfiguration - Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Elliot Goldenthal)

5: I Could Have Done More - Schindler's List (John Williams) - I still get misty when I hear this...and put it to the film, fuggedaboudit - total waterworks.

4: The Last Giant Piece - The Iron Giant (Michael Kamen) - Goosebumps by the end, all one minute of it...seriously!

3: Wifeing - Conan the Barbarian (Basil Poledouris)

2: The Hand of Fate, Pt. II - Signs (James Newton Howard) - This cue alone was worth the Best Score Oscar...combine it with the rest of the score and... (what were they thinking that year?).

and......

1: The Battle of Hoth/The Asteroid Field - The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams) - Ok, so let's be honest...regardless of how many different ways this has been broken up in the various iterations of the soundtrack album (the original double LP/CD had it in five parts, spread out all over the album, I think), it's still essentially one cue. A hefty 19 minute cue, but one cue nonetheless. Sure the Asteroid Field portion was recorded separately, but in the film, there's no break...so it's one cue, one damned fine cue, maybe one of the best ever composed for film...period.

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!

So anyway, how's about a two for one sale today. I know that's (the title, that is) a bit of a paranoid alarmist statement, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned about affairs around the world at the moment. I'm sure that the grandparents of people my age expected World War III a long time ago. And as for my generation, I think most of them figured they could just put the war-mongers of the world in time-out before anything serious happened. Honestly I was hoping never to see a major global conflict in my lifetime...but as things are currently shaping up, I'm not so sure that's going to happen. I wonder if any pools have been started as to when this will bust out into all out war? I'm not entirely up on my Middle Eastern politics, but I'm assuming that these Hezbollah rebels that took the Israelis are based out of Beirut...and that's why Israel is seeing fit to lay the holy smack down on Lebanon.

The word for the day boys and girls is escalation...can you say escalation? This is just going to get worse, I can feel it. The trick will be to see just who will get involved over the next few days and weeks. I can't help but think Egypt may actually have enough collective sense to stay out of it at all costs, lest them silly Jews smack'em 'round like bitches again. The Iraqis are currently too busy slaughtering themselves right now to get in on the action. The Iranians, I would imagine, are now really in a rush to get "the bomb". The Saudis will probably stay out of it or risk losing all that oil moolah from the U.S. And as for Syria, Jordan, and Libya, only Allah knows what they're up too!

I don't know. I'm something of an incurable optimist so I'm hoping this will end swiftly and quasi-peacefully. But I'm also a cynic, which means my realist tendencies are trampling all over my positive Chi and telling me that I have a very bad feeling about this.

Thoughts?

That is all.

Practical Physics

So anyway, something funny happened to me the other day. I was coming out to my car from work thinking my week couldn't possibly get any shittier. Alas, the Lord had greater plans for my day. I park in a garage across the street from the building I work in, and, like most downtown parking garages, it's poorly lit so I couldn't see the, ahem, problem from outside the car. I get in and a glimmer catches my eye. On the dashboard is a fragment of orange plastic. If you were me, about that time you'd likely be saying, "What the fuck?!?!". I toss it away only to see a spray of little orange remnants all over the dash, console and passenger seat. Again..."What the FUCK?!?!". It seems that at some point prior in the week, my mother left a cigarette lighter on the dash of my car. Said lighter, after an afternoon in the sun, became pressurized or heated (or likely both) and exploded all over the front of my car. The force of said explosion combined with projecting the one metallic component of the lighter (the top) CRACKED MY FUCKING WINDSHIELD!!!

Actually, it is really pretty funny...I mean come on, what are the odds?! I suppose I should just be glad I wasn't in the car when it happened. As it turns out, the force of the blast was powerful enough to wedge a couple of pieces of plastic between the glass and the interior portion of the windshield frame directly in front of me. I swear, I'm always fixing something on that goddamned car!

So...who wants to blow up some more shit? (I do, I do!!!)

That is all.

Ignorance is Bliss

So anyway, he did it again. I'm actually kind of bitter really because it seems like anymore the only time I have something to blog on is when Dubya does or says something completely stupid. Case in point...go here. It seems yesterday in an interview with Larry King, Fearless Leader stated that he would "...rather be...correct, rather than being popular". Ignoring the alert for the redundancy police (how many times can a person say rather in a single sentence?), that may be the single most mindless bit of rhetoric I've heard...ever.

This of course comes in the wake of the most awful public approval ratings of his stint in orifice (that was intended, btw). While it's true that history has occasionally shown that doing an unpopular thing (Hiroshima, or turning that "ugly duckling" into the prom queen on a bet, for instance) was still likely the right thing to do, more often than not being so despised by a full majority of your people (even some of the ones that voted for you) is usually a good indication that you are, in fact, not doing something right. Mutinies and military coups (sp?) start this way you know!

Currently, his approval rating is sitting at or just below 30%. Roughly translated, that means that about 50% of the people in this country think that Bush could fuck-up wiping his own ass. While another 20% or so believe he could manage it as long as Cheney was gentle in removing his fist. The remaining 30% don't believe his shit stinks to begin with (many of these are likely the same type of people who would like to see cow tipping added as an Olympic event and find nothing wrong with marrying your cousin/sister/mother so long as she's purdy and puts out). Luckily for him (not so much for the rest of the world) he has some of the best (or perhaps worst, depending on your point of view) spin doctors money can buy making it look like an Iraqi Al-Qaida cell was attempting to hide WMD's in the President's ass thereby preventing the toilet paper from making good, solid contact. On a side note, remember the one about the American Indian trying to buy toilet paper from the General Store...you know, where he gets the cheap stuff and brings it back saying "This'm toilet paper like John Wayne...it rough and tough and don't take'm no damn shit off'm any Indians!". Anyway...

Just venting a little...so what does everyone else think?

Smooth Move Ex-Lax!

So anyway, in the spirit of Lewis Black's now famous (or perhaps infamous, depending on which side of the fence you hang out on) rants on Michael Jackson and Dick Cheney - for those that are unfamiliar, his idea is that just saying their names is enough to induce a good belly laugh, one need not actually tell a "joke" on the subject - I give you:

George W. Bush.

Why, you may ask?! Well as no doubt the entire world (free or otherwise) has heard by now, our fearless leader, at an outdoor press conference two days ago, mocked a reporter for wearing his "shades" (as he so eloquently put it) to the event. Unbeknownst to the great one but now knownst to everyone everywhere (come on...please say somebody gets that!), said eyewear donning reporter has a degenerative optical condition that has rendered him...wait for it...LEGALLY FUCKING BLIND!!!

In the immortal words of Mr. Slave..."OH, JESUTH CHRISTH!!!"

I'd like to take this moment to hold my head down in shame on behalf of everyone in this country!

You can find the original CNN.com story here. At this point, I've nothing left to say. He finally did it...he finally did something so fucking dumb that it rendered me speechless.

Thoughts?!

That is all.

Hooray For Our Side!!!

So anyway, I was just wondering, is anyone else as ecstatic about this as I am?! I've been following this for a while now and I say it's about fucking time!!! Thoughts?!?!

That is all.

(Horrible) Thought For The Day, Part Deux

So anyway, had another interesting thought I'd share with everyone. Have you ever looked at your boss and wondered if they've (in my case, "she's") ever taken it up the keester. Let me be clear in disclaiming that I mean this in no sexual connotation whatsoever. I'm relatively sure my boss has, seeing as how A: Her ass is exceptionally large and disproportionate to the remainder of her body. She flaunts it proudly, almost patriotically, in pants that are always at least one size too small...and B: Even though she's a woman, I'm almost certain that she has a penis...ergo, she wouldn't have another hole to put it anyway.

Yes, she's that kind of ugly. You know, the kind that makes you have a serious philosophical debate with yourself as to just what gender said person is. I like to imagine that there are no mirrors in her world. Not because she's a vampire, but rather because her reflection could destroy the fabric of space and time.

The really icky part...she has four children. Some poor schlub actually put his penis in her...four times!!!

Ewwww......

that is all.

Didn't Your Mother Ever Teach You To Share?

UPDATED!!!

So anyway, I just discovered something interesting the other day and I thought I'd share with everyone. If you sign yourself up at MySpace.com as a musician they allow you to post up to four "songs" from your "band". I personally have the gayest "band" name in the world...Michael Shehan. Can't you just hear the record companies beating down my door to sign up Michael Shehan? Fuck American Idol, Michael Shehan is going to be the next pop sensation!!! Sure, and I'm going to grow a second asshole on my elbow to help get the bullshit out of my system that much quicker!!! Anyway, don't sign-up at the main page, go to the "Musicians" tab near the top of the page. Oh, and posting a picture of yourself is a lot fucking easier than here too!

Question is...now what the hell do I put out there for the world to hear?!

Well...I'm on. For the moment I've posted the "Shyamalan-esque" demo piece, the closing credits to the wine show, and a little electronica thing I did for an animatic demo in a gun safety vid. Still not sure whether or not I should post the trombone trio. Brad and I cleaned up the recording quite a bit, but while I'm extremely proud of the piece, I'm still a little underwhelmed by the performance. Maybe I'll put it up and let you all decide whether to keep it there. By the way, just as a reminder, you can find me as Michael Shehan.

(Horrible) Thought for the Day

So anyway, I was thinking (I don't know why really)...there's nothing in the world that is quite so totally hillarious and simultaneously equally completely horrifying as watching two retarded people fucking. At least nothing I can think of, and I've (obviously) thought of some really odd shit. Not that I've ever seen it personally, but I can imagine...how unfortunate.

That is all.

You Can Do It!!!

“The reports of my assimilation have been greatly exaggerated.”

So anyway, yeah, I’m still alive. I know I haven’t had a new post for a while, but aside from all the Monkey love I’ve been getting lately (my God they grow up fast) life’s been kind of in the suck zone. But…I’m not here to bitch today.

I saw an interesting poll on CNN.com yesterday. It asked simply “Can American consumers affect the price of gasoline?”. To my amazement, the results were split 50/50. Not to begrudge anyone their right to their own thoughts and opinions but believing that we as consumers can have any affect on what the major oil companies of this country charge for their product, particularly with the current Presidential administration in office, is naïve at best. Stop me if you’ve heard this one: “YOU CAN CHANGE THE PRICE OF GAS TODAY. On 'so and so' date, all Americans should boycott buying gas for one whole day…yadda, yadda, yadda…”. There is absolutely nothing that we as common citizens can do to lower gas prices…zip, nada, zilch, zero, diddly-squat. The only thing that will change gas prices is to find an alternative non-fossil-fuel based energy source.

Not to sound like a conspiracy nut, but even if cold-fusion or hydrogen-fusion based technologies existed today, and worked, does anyone honestly believe the public will ever hear anything about it so long as Big Oil continues to make billions (maybe even trillions) of dollars in revenue yearly. You can say “no” now.

American consumers will never be able to affect gas prices for one simple reason: materialistic American Capitalist Pig human nature. The idea of a national boycott would never ever work because you could never get everyone to do it. Think of the millions of people who wouldn’t do it simply because they’ve got to get to work in the morning. Then add on the shipping industry, then the public transportation departments, then the private transportation industry (airlines), and then just for flavor the extremists who don’t believe there’s really a problem anyway (what the fuck is wrong with some people, really?). That’s thousands, perhaps millions of combustion engine vehicles filling up daily. Then there’s fearless leader who was an oil baron before he became PODUS, and will continue to be one once he’s out of office (how can someone so inherently stupid make so much money?). Anyway, that’s my two cents.

On a positive note, I may have a miniscule bit of a gig in the works. My guy Rich who’s found me what little work I have had has just finished doing sound for a group that’s producing a 30-minute T.V. show about cars…you know, the kind you see on Spike or TLC or something. Anyway, they’re making a 3 or 4 minute sales spot to market it with and they want music for it. Enter, the Pikey. Yea!!! Keep ye olde fingers crossed and hope they’ll let me do it.

that is all...