WTF?: Katy Perry's new music video for "E.T." featuring Kanye West.

My nostalgic love for the music video tends to lead me to watch videos by artists that I am not interested in and/or have never heard of. I am willing to give pretty much any music video a shot because sometimes a video can take a song to a level that it never would have reached if it was just experienced on an auditory level.

Lately, it seems as if artists like Kanye West and Lady Gaga are the sole creators of epic and artful music videos. The last few who are trying to carry the torch into a future where the music video itself is becoming less and less relevant. But here I am pimping a music video by none other than Katy Perry. What is happening in this video, hell if I know. All I can tell you is that it's visually amazing in HD. So set that youtube video to the highest setting possible and prepare to be blown away.

ART-FAG'N it up: H.R. GIGER

H.R. Giger

You might not have ever heard of Mr. Giger, but you have most likely seen some of his work. His art started getting more play on the international stage after he did the creature design for the movie Alien.

While he is most known for his work on Alien, he's actually a talented and prolific fine artist. A surrealist in the vein of Salvidor Dali, Giger developed his own "biomechanical" style. A dark and twisted way of combining machines and human bodies in often sexual and interconnected relationships. Over the course of his career he has predominantly worked with airbrush, creating nightmarish landscapes and characters drawn from his own dreams and nightmares. 

His influence on tattooist and fetishist has been huge. Nearly every tattooist in the country and beyond has been asked to create some sort of Giger-esque tattoo for their patrons. Most recently, Giger has been commissioned to work on Ridley Scott's prequel to the original Alien. Even if you're not into fine art you should definitely at the very least google image search his work.

JUST EAT IT: Chez Elle Creperie and Coffeehouse

CHEZ ELLE CREPERIE AND COFFEE HOUSE

1713 Summit St. Kansas City, Mo 64108

I discovered Chez Elle about a year ago and have slowly been spreading the word to friends and family alike. It's quickly become one of my favorite places to get breakfast/lunch in Kansas City.

 

Chez Elle has found it's nitch somewhere between a French bistro and a classy coffee shop. It's locally owned and operated, serves from scratch food made from fresh ingredients, and still manages to stay moderately priced. 

 

If you've never had a crepe and the unfamiliarity of the term makes you want to disregard this post, then please get over it and go out on a limb. A crepe is basically a very thin pancake that's been stuffed with tasty filling. You can fill them with sweet or savory ingredients; Chez Elle has a good selection of both.

 

 

The Menu:

 

Prices Range from: $5 to $10

 

Chez Elle: Roasted chicken, sauteed mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, baby spinach, mozzarella, pesto cheese sauce, topped with a marinara sauce    

Acropolis: Chicken, tomatoes, kalamata olives, baby spinach, feta in cucumber sauce 

Tour Eiffel: Smoked salmon, capers, caramelized onion, artichokes, herbed cream cheese spread   

Le Franco: Caramelized green apple with spices, toasted walnuts, fig compote and Brie cheese   Suisse: Black Forest ham, Swiss cheese, asparagus tips, topped with a Hollandaise sauce    

Le Jardin: Spinach, artichokes, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, Provolone cheese   

Pollo Verde: Pepper jack cheese, verde salsa and chicken

Jambon: Black Forest ham, pesto, spinach, mozzarella cheese 

Petite Maison: Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms, spinach

Fromage: Brie, bacon, pesto

Legume: Caramelized onions, spinach, sauteed mushrooms, tomato

Petit Enfant:Your choice of swiss, cheddar, mozzarella or cream cheese 

Philly Cheese Steak crepe: Roast Beef, Roasted peppers, Provolone cheese, au jus

 

Sweet Crepes 

Prices Range from: $5 to $9

 

Patriote: Strawberry, banana, and blueberries,  filled with creme Anglaise topped with                        whipped cream 

Tropicale: Coconut cream custard, almond brittle and tropical fruits

Citron: Lemon curd with strawberries and whipped cream 

Glace: Vanilla ice cream, strawberries and creme Anglaise

Paris: Nutella and banana and or strawberry topped with whipped cream 

Blanche Neige: Crepe with butter and powdered sugar

Confiture: Orange marmalade or  Strawberry Jam

Au Chocolat: Chocolate crepe batter filled with chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce

Mon Cheri Amour : Cherries and vanilla ice cream with whipped cream

Pomme Tarte:  Warm apple crisp topped with creme Anglaise and caramel sauce

 

Breakfast Crepes

Prices Range from: $5 to $7 

 

Bonjour: Bacon or ham, egg, and choice of cheddar or swiss cheese

Monsieur: Spicy chorizo, cheese, seasoned potatoes topped with egg and Hollandaise sauce

Cheese blintz: Strawberries, ricotta

Frere Jacques: Egg and Cheese

   

Salads and Soup of the Day

Pastries- Scones, muffins, cookies, biscotti

Coffees, Teas, Smoothies, Italian sodas

 

Also, the coffee drinks and smoothies are delicious. So even if you aren't hungry, stop in for a drink

 

Chez Elle 

Introducing: How to Destroy Angels

How to Destroy Angels is a musical project featuring Nine Inch Nail front man Trent Reznor, frequent collaborator Atticus Ross, and  Mariqueen Maandig of the band West Indian Girl. The group released a self-titled, six song EP in June of 2010 which they are offering for free on their website.

FREE HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS EP DOWNLOAD

HTDA's debut EP seems more like a testing ground for a band trying to find it's way than it does a fully realized offering. The songs tend to musically be echoes of NIN marerial that has come before with the edition of Mariqueen's distinct but subdued vocal delivery. There are forshadowing moments of brilliance like on the track A Drowning, whose slow and meditative pace causes the song to become almost trance inducing. But for every high point there is a flash of retread; like on the song Fur-Lined, which comes off as a discount version of NIN's The Only off of 2005's come back album With Teeth. The potential for something amazing is here, but Reznor and company are still going through the birthing pains of finding an original voice. Of the project, Reznor says that the band has been working very hard at finding their "own sound and identity this time." The band is currently working on a full length offering due out sometime in mid to late 2011.

Check out the amazing music video for their track The Space Between:

The UNpopular Opinion: SAW is the best of the major horror franchises.

I know, I know, as a horror movie fan you are starting to develop an eye twitch just because you read the title of this post. But don't freak out. I actually have some grounds for the argument.

First off, the franchise started off with a bang. The ending of SAW was one of the best twist endings I have ever seen. No one saw that coming. If you claim to have predicted that the first movie would end the way it did, then you are straight up lying to yourself. It is probably one of the TOP TEN most memorable moments in cinema for me.

Second, the SAW franchise has, by far, been the most consistent and coherent. From the first to the last film, the writers of the franchise have been further defining and expanding the mythology of the series while managing to keep the same tone. There haven't been any major hiccups in the continuity or general direction of the franchise. Which, in its self, is a major achievement. Look at all the other major players out there.

HALLOWEEN went strong for the first two films and then totally changed the format for the third, making it a stand alone film that has nothing to do with Michael Myers. Further into the franchise, the writers couldn't seem to decided what to do with Michael; so from film to film he would be pure evil, a crazed killer, a supernatural being, some bizarre cult's evil weapon, and eventually they just tried to humanize him and explain him off as some abused child.

In A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, Freddy began as a sinister supernatural murderer only to gradually be made into a campy cartoonish version of his former self.

As for Jason of FRIDAY THE 13th fame, he started off as the deformed son of the original murderer until he was finally vanquished only to be resurrected by unexplained supernatural forces. Over the course of the series, he went from man, to supernatural killer, to evil demon worm, to an undead cyborg in outer space.

I'm pretty sure you are starting to get the picture.
 
Third, Regardless of what you think about the series in regards to overall quality, The SAW franchise IS the most successful horror franchise in box office history. That's not debatable. Check out the numbers:

Box office

Film	Release date	Revenue			Budget	References
		United States	Foreign	Worldwide
Saw	October 29, 2004 (2004-10-29)	$55,185,045	$47,911,300	$103,096,345	$1,200,000	[8]
Saw II	October 28, 2005 (2005-10-28)	$87,039,965	$60,708,540	$147,748,505	$4,000,000	[9]
Saw III	October 27, 2006 (2006-10-27)	$80,238,724	$84,635,551	$164,874,275	$10,000,000	[10]
Saw IV	October 26, 2007 (2007-10-26)	$63,300,095	$76,052,538	$139,352,633	$10,000,000	[11][12]
Saw V	October 24, 2008 (2008-10-24)	$56,746,769	$57,117,290	$113,864,059	$10,800,000	[13]
Saw VI	October 23, 2009 (2009-10-23)	$27,693,292	$40,540,337	$68,233,629	$11,000,000	[14]
Saw 3D	October 29, 2010 (2010-10-29)	$45,710,178	$87,600,000	$133,310,178	$20,000,000	[15]
Total		$415,914,068	$454,565,556	$870,479,624	$67,000,000	N/A

The franchise has grossed over 870 million dollars world wide. The closest that any of the other major contenders has come is the SCREAM franchise which  has grossed just over 507 million dollars world wide.

Here's how the major horror franchises stack up:

• SCREAM                                                        $507,253,139       
• FRIDAY THE 13TH                                          $465,239,523
• A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET                    $455,293,334
• HALLOWEEN                                                 $366,893,444
• THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE              $203,672,393

Another achievement of the franchise is that of the major antagonist, JIGSAW himself. It's hard to create an enduring horror icon, and the SAW franchise actually managed to come up with an interesting one who has a little more depth than the average slasher. The closest that anyone has come to creating an enduing horror icon in the last few years is the Ghostface killer in the SCREAM series. To me, Ghostface just isn't up to par with Freddy, Michael, Jason, Jigsaw, Leatherface or Pinhead.

All in all, I think that if you look at the facts and compare the franchises, SAW is far and away the winner. It might not be your favorite collection of horror movies, but it's definitely the overall best.

Your thoughts? What's your favorite horror franchise?

Babies are Evil... It's science.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a "kid person." I don't have children, and I can't see myself ever having children. I wouldn't mind being an uncle, but that is as close as I want to get to raising children. I'm not sure where this unnatural need to NOT reproduce came from. I just know that I feel very strongly about it.

Last night, a friend of mine brought over her toddler and new born. Both of her children are very cute and well behaved. Anytime the toddler did something that he wasn't supposed to, it wasn't out of blatant disobedience, he was JUST being a little kid. They don't know any better. And the baby was really cute and wasn't a crier. So my question is WHY do I feel so uncomfortable around them? It also occurred to me that I am relatively sure that I haven't held a baby since my sister was an infant., which is very strange in its own right. There's just something about them that makes me uneasy. For whatever reason, I have this bizarre aversion to them. I think that they are deceptively helpless. Perhaps they have a plan.

I recently read and article that explained how evil babies can be. It was nice to see that my views are validated by science. Check it out.

6 Shockingly Evil Things Babies Are Capable Of

So are you a parent? Do you hate Children? What's the problem here?

Got Oil?

There's a lot of talk in the media right now about the price of gasoline going up. Everyone is blaming the rise in cost to the social and political unrest going on in the Middle East. But is that really the major contributing factor or is our current administration's energy policy responsible for the escalating cost of fuel?

Going green is a great concept, but you can't force the country into being more environmentally responsible on the back of a fragile and recovering economy. The President's "green initiatives" have delayed nearly all permits for drilling in the gulf and has severely impaired domestic oil exploration. We could have nearly 800 million barrels of oil in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming alone, not to mention what is just waiting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The delays on new drilling have also caused many American's to lose out on jobs related to drilling, refining and shipping oil.

We definitely need to work towards a more environmentally friendly energy policy, but we need to work it in slowly and at a realistic pace. We need to lessen our foreign dependency on oil by bulstering our ability to utilize our domestic resources.

I'm not saying that Obama is a complete and utter failure, but his energy policy doesn't seem to be working out.

I mean, if Captain Amazing (George Bush) himself can maintain low gas prices, I would think that a clever guy like Obama could figure it out. But I haven't seen any good ideas in regards to the problem. To help alleviate the American consumer, the Obama administration is considering emptying the country's strategic petroleum reserves. This, frankly, is retarded. Are we really considering blowing our EMERGENCY reserves to help smooth over the effects of a naive and idealistic energy policy?

Do we really need to call in the big guns?

What do you think? What's the answer?