Blooming Ideas

James Brown's stuff for sale

2008-07-20T19:10:00.004-04:00

Christie's auction of James Brown memorabilia got off on the good foot, with about a hundred buyers bidding on custom-made jumpsuits of varying colors (many had the word "SEX" embroidered on the front), awards, furniture, musical instruments, and a great number of flashy items from Brown's wardrobe. The sale of 329 lots of personal items belonging to the late Godfather of Soul, who died in 2006, almost didn’t happen. But a South Carolina court gave Christie’s the go-ahead when it lifted a temporary stay requested by two of Brown’s former business managers, still fighting their removal as estate trustees by Brown's children after his death.

Bow-tied auctioneer John Hayes soon became the hardest-working man in the auction business when a medical bracelet etched with the words "JAMES BROWN ALLERGY PENICILLIN DIABETIC" set off the day’s first bidding war: Estimated at $200–$300, for some odd reason it skyrocketed to $26,000. One disappointed bidder for the bracelet was Paul Shaffer, who also lost out on a set of red-leather living-room furniture, estimated at $1,500–$2,000, which went for $32,000. But the third time was the charm for Shaffer, whose $8,000 bid won him Brown’s Hammond B3 organ and Leslie speaker cabinet.

As a number of the so-called "sex suits" were about to go on sale, the intro to “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine” piped into the room, providing a rare moment of funkiness in Christie’s rather staid Rockefeller Center confines. “And now the Sex Machine belt,” Hayes said, deadpanning. “I’ve waited my entire life to say that.” Including Christie's premium, the belt sold for $4,750.

Posted at NYmag.com

Call Me James: How I Met the Godfather

2008-07-03T19:06:00.004-04:00

This article appears in the upcoming issue of Heeb. It's about my unusual relationship with James Brown. I also have a story, originally published by Down Beat in 1980, in The James Brown Reader: 50 Years of Writing About the Godfather of Soul.

Here's the Heeb piece:

My first meeting with James Brown was not going well.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he screamed at me inside a suite in New York City’s swank Sherry Netherland Hotel in 1979. “It would be best if you don’t do too much speaking and do more listening. You don’t know what I’m saying. You don’t know anything about soul music.”

What apparently set Brown off was a comment I had made about disco being much more arranged than, for instance, a song like “Sex Machine.”

Despite his short stature, James Brown was incredibly imposing. He’d been a prizefighter as a teenager in Georgia during the late ’40s and early ’50s, so perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised when he lashed out at me.

“New York is nothin’ about soul music,” Brown spit. “It’s about what’s left of it. You got to go down South to cut your records, bro.”

“What about Motown?” I asked.

“Motown was never soul. It was pop,” he replied.

“And what’s disco?” I asked.

“It’s a vamp of good soul music, but disco can’t stay ’cause it has no arrangements. You said it was arranged. You don’t understand it. You’ll understand it in another five years.”

Then he delivered the knockout shot: “You don’t know nothing about music, bro. Cut the interview off.”

With that, he pushed the stop button on my tape recorder and our session was over.

I wasn’t gay, black, Hispanic or Italian, but by the late ’70s, I had fallen in love with disco. I bought loud shirts and tight pants and walked around with a boom box. Yes, I was that funky white boy. So while everyone at the SoHo Weekly News fought over who was going to cover the next punk band playing at the Mudd Club party, I was given a column called “Rhythm & Bloom,” which led to my James Brown assignment.

I was into Brown’s ’60s hits, “I Got You” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” but it was the Hot Pants album of 1971 that really gave me a hard-on. Admittedly, I hopped aboard his soul train a little late, but I played catch-up with a vengeance. I began collecting his albums—Brown released over a hundred—and got hooked on the smartly arranged horns, chicken-scratch guitar, thumping bass and syncopated drums that defined his music and the black music of America at the time. The Godfather of Soul released four albums a year from 1968 to 1972, and produced numerous solo acts on his People label.

But by the late ’70s, Brown was no longer relevant in the black community and was viewed as an oldies act among many whites. Record sales ebbed and Brown’s wealth dried up.

I went back to the hotel the next day, hoping he’d give our interview another shot. I was nervous given the agitated state I left him in, but Brown didn’t seem to remember our discussion the night before. He sat patiently under a dryer with his straightened dark hair in curlers as I peppered him with softballs about the plight of the ghetto.

“I can hug and kiss you for the questions you are asking me today,” he said, startling me. “I love you for that, and I appreciate it. I really do. You can probably see the water in my eyes for giving me the opportunity to say this without arguin’ and fightin’ because this thing is going to get across to people."

“See, I ain’t never been down against white people because I know they’re the best friends blacks have ever had.” Then Brown smiled at me. “Well, Jewish people have been more helpful because they taught blacks about their rights. The Anglo-Saxon, or whatever you call them, didn’t teach the blacks no rights. He is guilty of that.”

Maybe it was my last name or maybe it was my nose or maybe it was just part of the crazy stream of consciousness that was flowing from his lips that day, but somehow Brown had ascertained that I was Jewish. Or so it seemed.

He went back and forth from subject to subject furiously during that meeting, recommending that blacks go back to the land (“Stay in the country and leave society alone.”), praising the white R&B band Tower of Power (“There’s no black group that plays my stuff as good as them.”) and warning about his upcoming shows at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem (“If they mug you white people, then I’m through. I’ll never come back. It doesn’t make sense because there’s nothing that white people like more than black entertainment.”).

As the interview wound down, Brown picked up a phone and dialed MCA Records: “This is James Brown, the entertainer. Let me speak to the President.” He was forwarded to the A&R department and they invited him to stop by.

Next thing I knew I was in the elevator heading down to the lobby with Brown and his entourage. As we hit the street, people stopped in their tracks. Short, dark, muscular and wearing a cowboy hat, Brown was unmistakable.

Two sneaker-clad black teens that weren’t even 8 years old when “Hot Pants” came out stopped and stared incredulously.

“James Motherfucking Brown,” one yelled out.

Brown climbed into limo. He told me to get in and I did.

“MCA Records!” Brown barked to the driver.

“It’s at 55th and Park,” I added.

Brown placed his hand on my shoulder. “You know, Steve, I need a bright young Jewish man like you in the organization.”

That topped it all. Less than 24 hours after Brown had bolted from my interview, he was offering me a job—undoubtedly the greatest Jewish moment since my bar mitzvah.

“You got a pretty good story here, Steve, right?”

“Yessir, Mr. Brown,” I replied. (All of the members of his band and entourage called him Mr. Brown.)

“You don’t have to call me Mr. Brown,” he said. “You can call me James.”

From that moment forward, I had access to Brown straight through the ’80s. Any time he played New York City or nearby, I was invited backstage where I was permitted to conduct impromptu interviews before and after shows and during intermissions.

Unfortunately, as time went on, I saw him less and less, even though our bond was solid as a rock. “There’s so much more I want to do,” Brown told me in 1988. “I want to do a country album. I want to do a gospel album. I want to do a jazz album….” Then he looked directly at me with a sly grin. “And I want to do a Yiddish album too. Shalom!

I don’t want to make too big a deal of James Brown’s closeness to Judaism, but I know that he enjoyed jiving me about it. In hindsight, I wonder whether some of his fondness for the Jews came from his relationships with his original manager Ben Bart and King record label president Sid Nathan. Wherever it came from, it was part of the story of our friendship. I imagine there weren’t just a few fellow music journalists who marveled at how I had infiltrated the James Brown camp.

Being a funky, Jewish, white boy sometimes pays off.

You Don't Mess With the Zohan

2008-06-08T11:33:00.005-04:00

Zohan, who bears a remarkable audio resemblance to Borat, is a major departure from Adam Sandler’s palette of self-deprecating losers (The Water Boy, The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore). Instead, we find a self-assured, and very buff, Sandler whose ego and confidence are as big as his codpiece.

A Rambo-like Israeli army special-ops soldier with superhuman powers, Zohan leaves hero status behind to follow his dream of becoming a hair stylist in New York. Faking his death and defeat to The Phantom (a silly John Turturro), the film playfully transitions from discord in the Middle East to Zohan's ability to “make sticky” with a parade of delirious elderly women (see the Sandler-produced Grandma’s Boy for another example of these perverse pairings) at a beauty parlor run by Dalia (Entourage's Emmanuelle Chriqui), who’s Palestinian.

Written by Sandler, Judd Apatow and Robert Smigel, Zohan has plenty of raunchy gags to spare — such as a game of cat hacky sack — but the movie ultimately bogs down as Zohan pursues Dalia, and The Phantom arrives for a showdown with his comic-book rival. Cameos by Mariah Carey, Henry Winkler, Kevin Nealon and George Takai add little to the story, though Chris Rock’s patois-chatting cab driver is a momentary hoot.

While diehard Sandler fans will trace Zohan's desire to change the world by making hair "silky smooth" to Billy Madison, they’ll have to settle for a lukewarm, feel-good resolution that’s a metaphor for ending the conflict in the Middle East.

Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Shine A Light

2008-04-04T13:05:00.002-04:00

From Rock and Roll Circus to Gimme Shelter to Sympathy for the Devil to Cocksucker Blues to Ladies and Gentleman: The Rolling Stones to Let’s Spend the Night Together, filmmakers have faithfullly fixed their cameras on the Rolling Stones. Now comes Shine a Light, shot in 2006 at the Beacon Theater during the Stones’ A Bigger Bang tour.

The doc begins with Martin Scorsese frantically trying to find out what the show’s set list is going to be. After a full-throttle “Jumping Jack Flash” opener, three special guests are introduced at various points: while Jack White nervously duets with Mick Jagger on “Loving Cup,” Buddy Guy injects genuine blues ferocity to Muddy Waters’s “Champagne & Reefer” and Christina Aquilera climbs octaves on “Live With Me.”

Quick cuts and extreme close-ups capture Jagger awkwardly shimmying about the stage and catwalk, and Keith Richards joyfully leading the 13-piece band (including backup singers and horns). In addition, Scorsese intersperses archival interview footage between songs. Towards the end of the 18-song set, the Stones’ signature centerpiece “Sympathy for the Devil” falls flat as the audience chants “ooh ooh.” But “Brown Sugar” – again, with the crowd loudly wooing along – is a rousing finale.

Shine a Light provides a backstage pass to rock and roll nostalgia of the highest order. It’s the nature of the game.

Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Stop-Loss

2008-03-28T16:15:00.004-04:00

A few years ago when I was editor-in-chief of High Times' Grow America, we published a controversial photo of a U.S. soldier stationed in Iraq posing next to a small marijuana plant growing somewhere in the "Green Zone." The soldier, Carlos "Singe" Arellano, is a stoner and was proud to see himself and the plant on the cover of a High Times magazine.

Singe never complained about being in Baghdad. When his tour ended, he came home and, probably before he kissed his relatives, sparked up a joint. Little did he know he would be drug tested shortly thereafter. Singe failed the test and was ordered back to Iraq. He had been "stop-lossed."

I never heard the term until I saw Kimberly Peirce's movie Stop-Loss earlier this month at the SXSW Film Festival. The movie, which opens today, is about three U.S. soldiers who come home after a devastating tour in Iraq. They're all suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but each deals with their problems in a different way. Brandon (Ryan Phillippe) is a sergeant who's haunted by an ambush that killed and maimed several of his men - including ambush survivors Steve (Channing Tatum) and Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who predictably act out in several drunken, violent scenes in their Texas small town.

Then Brandon finds out he's being stop-lossed. Despite his loyalty to the Army, Brandon fights back, hoping to overturn this arbitrary decision. In the movie, it's described as a "backdoor draft." Quietly, the military finds any number of reasons to reenlist soldiers, as they did with Singe, because they simply need bodies to hold down the fort in Iraq.

Brandon takes off on a road trip to Washington, where he hopes a Congressman will come to his aid. But now he's branded a deserter and no one will touch him. It's a classic Catch-22 scenario.

He's joined on the drive by Michele (Abbie Cornish), who's engaged to Steve and lives with Brandon's parents. (The Australian Cornish starred with Heath Ledger in the junkie love story, Candy.) You keep expecting them to get romantic, but this never happens. (In real life, they reportedly did get involved, causing his breakup with Reese Witherspoon.) Finally, after considering crossing into Canada or Mexico, Brandon heads back to Texas, defeated.

The dramatic finale with Brandon and Steve coming to blows and wrestling homoerotically is an unnecessary exclamation point on this explosive story.

After the screening, Peirce took questions from the approving audience. I asked if she's heard of soldiers being stop-lossed after failing drug tests. The director drew a blank. Unlike Brandon, Singe willfully returned to Iraq. He's one patriotic stoner.

Drillbit Taylor

2008-03-21T12:21:00.008-04:00

Now we know why Owen Wilson tried to commit suicide. OK, that’s a cheap shot, but the last film he made before slicing his wrist is pure formula – Revenge of the Nerds, Bully style. Except they don’t kill the bullies in Drillbit Taylor, they just kick the crap out of them.

With Judd Apatow co-producing and Seth Rogen co-writing, the jokes come fast and furious, but still can’t help the formulaic plot. Wilson’s Drillbit is a homeless vet hired by high-school frosh (Danny McBride, Josh Peck and David Dorfman) to be their bodyguard. His stint as a substitute teacher is straight out of School of Rock, just less hilarious. Rather than spending so much time with him coaching the kids, the film could have focused more on Drillbit’s budding relationship with Lisa (Leslie Mann of Knocked Up and Apatow’s wife) - the goldielocked duo generate sparks - and subdued the traditional revenge message. But that would have been a different and, more likely, better movie.

For Wilson, it’s time for him to leave the Drillbit Taylors of the world behind. His next role as journalist/dog lover John Grogan in Marley and Me (with Jennifer Aniston and a Golden Retriever) looks promising.

Posted at LMagazine.com

Strange Wilderness

2008-02-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

Guaranteed to be among the Worst Movies of 2008, Fred Wolf's raunchy stoner comedy should have been shot with a tranquilizer dart rather than released on Super Bowl Weekend. This send-up of nature shows starring Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill, Allen Covert and Justin Long has little going for it except for a few bong hits (by Long), joint pulls (Zahn, Covert) and a zany road trip.

Unfortunately there are few laughs along the way as the crew tracks Bigfoot - unless you consider a turkey clamping down on Zahn's pecker for an extending bit hilarious. That's about as good as it gets.

Though I love stoner movies, I can't in good conscience recommend Strange Wilderness.

Posted at CelebStoner

Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show

2008-02-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

What if they held a comedy concert and nobody laughed? That’s pretty much the case with this disappointing doc, which stars Hollywood frat-packer Vince Vaughn and four comedians who barnstormed the country for a month in 2005.

Sans the star of Swingers and Wedding Crashers, few people would have ponied up cash for Vaughn’s faux-variety show. The lanky actor emcees and performs occasional skits. One with special guests John Favreau and Justin Long doing shtick from Swingers is the highlight, and it comes within the first 10 minutes. Another during a stop in Bakersfield features a tone-deaf Vaughn crooning alongside country singer Dwight Yoakam.

Unlike the talented Comedians of Comedy cast, the stand-ups here are mediocre at best. While Egyptian-American Ahmed Ahmed has the edginess of someone who’s endured the worst of racial profiling since 9/11, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco are fairly indistinguishable, with Caparulo’s crude cursing setting him apart as the least entertaining of the minor-league bunch.

Another questionable element to this whole undertaking is the tour’s timing. The first show takes place in Los Angeles on September 12, 2005, less than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. A visit to a trailer camp in Alabama shows their concern, but perhaps the tour should have been postponed (or, better yet, canceled). Intended for a 2006 release, Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show is dated, vain and, worst of all, not funny.

Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Caramel

2008-01-31T21:33:00.000-05:00

Named for a hair-waxing technique popular in Lebanon, Caramel is a bittersweet first feature by Nadine Labaki, who also stars in the film.

Layale (Labaki, at right in pink) owns a beauty parlor; she’s single, lives at home and is having an affair with a married man. Her workers and friends include Jamale (Gisele Aouad), a vain, fading beauty; Nisrine (Yasmine Elmasri), who is about to have a Muslim wedding, but there’s a catch: she’s not a virgin; and Rima (Joanna Moukarzel), the butch of the bunch.

A slice-of-life movie, Caramel captures Beirut’s slow pace and Paris-style sophistication. The parlor’s broken sign and the choppy sidewalk outside symbolizes the city’s inertia.

More progressive than most Arab countries, but still holding on to its Islamic traditions, Lebanon remains a difficult place for women. Caramel’s convincing characters are caught between their desire to move ahead and the need to respect the country’s customs.

Not a lot is resolved in Caramel, though plenty of hair does magically disappear.

Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

2007-12-20T18:19:00.000-05:00

John C. Reilly delivers a Steve Martin-esque performance as a guitar-playing doofus who travels through modern musical history. From the '50s, when Dewford Randall Cox emerges as a rock crooner, to the '60s, when he drops acid and turns into Brian Wilson, to the ’70s when he goes through the inevitable disco transformation, Walk Hard tramples all over hallowed pop-music ground in an anything-goes, Airplane!-style spoof. Lower left: the White Stripes' Jack White as Elvis
Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Watch the "Reefer Scene" with Tim Meadows and John C. Reilly

The Great Debaters

2007-12-20T18:06:00.000-05:00

This earnest effort pairing Denzel Washington (right) and Forest Whitaker as academics who encourage youngsters to become college debaters gets bogged down in its predictable premise. Set in the racist Deep South (circa 1935), the African-American Wiley College team takes on Harvard brainiacs in the movie’s leaden climax. With Oprah Winfrey on board as producer and James Newton Howard conducting the orchestra, director Denzel settles for uplift and tears rather than disappointment and rage. Posted at TheLMagazine.com

The Rocket: The Maurice Richard Story

2007-12-02T03:14:00.000-05:00

One of the better sports biopics, The Rocket tells the story of hockey’s first 50-goal scorer, the legendary Montreal Canadian Maurice “The Rocket” Richard (played stoically by Roy Dupuis). While he and other French Canadian teammates face prejudice, less talented but more physical opponents regularly challenge Richard. More of a boxing movie at times than a hockey flick, the action is crisp and believable with plenty of blood and bruises to prove it. Posted at TheLMag.com

American Gangster

2007-11-08T22:42:00.000-05:00

Two Academy Award winning actors - Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe - face off, then team up in Ridley Scott's American Gangster, which chronicles the life of '60s and '70s Harlem heroin kingpin, Frank Lucas. You'll find pieces of The Godfather, Superfly, GoodFellas, Scarface, The French Connection and Serpico in this sprawling 240-minute dope epic.
Click here to read my review at CelebStoner.com

Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains

2007-10-27T22:04:00.000-04:00

This doc is not about a Georgia peanut farmer’s unlikely path to the presidency. Rather, director Jonathan Demme focuses on the controversy surrounding the publication of Jimmy Carter’s 2006 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which challenges Israel’s continued occupation of neighboring territories and construction of border barriers. While cameras follow the unflappable Carter on his promotional tour, little is revealed about the 39th president during the film’s often-boring 125 minutes. Posted at TheLMagazine.com

30 Days of Night

2007-10-18T18:53:00.000-04:00

Freaks come out at night, right? Adapted from the horror comic book written by Steve Niles, this zombie flick is set in Barrow, Alaska, which experiences total darkness one month a year. Goth ghouls whinny and yelp as they tear through the town terrorizing the population. A sheriff (Josh Hartnett) leads the counterattack, but he’s no match for the bloodthirsty hordes. Only the sun (or maybe a marijuana grow light) can stop the savagery. Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Lars and the Real Girl

2007-10-11T21:51:00.000-04:00

Ryan Gosling is all about damaged characters. From his Jew-hating Jew in The Believer to his loner carpenter in The Notebook to his cracked-out teacher in Half Nelson, he’s full of surprises. But his latest turn, as a delusional office drone that has a relationship with a blown-up sex doll, is a stretch even for him.

Emotionally scarred by his father, Lars Lindstorm can barely speak; he’s a basket case of halted comments and exaggerated facial tics. One day, a huge package arrives at his house: It’s Bianca, a plastic princess with whom he immediately falls in love. Following the advice of Lars’ doctor (played comfortingly by Patricia Clarkson), the town bands together in support of Lars and treats Bianca as an actual member of the community.

Humor is mined from the ridiculous plot, with Emily Mortimer, as Lars’ concerned sister-in-law, delivering the best of the subtle one-liners. Somewhere in this trifle of a movie there’s a message about kindness and compassion, as opposed to the kind of meanness that could have snuffed out Lars’ girlfriend with a simple pinprick.

Even funnier are Lars’ fellow office geeks, one of whom, Margo (Kelli Garner), he’s actually attracted to. Rather than cheat on Bianca, Lars conceives a solution that finally sets him on the path to human interaction and resolves the sticky little matter of an inanimate love affair. Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Kurt Cobain: About a Boy

2007-10-05T02:35:00.000-04:00

Based on audio interviews of Kurt Cobain conducted by Michael Azerrad while researching his book, Come As You Are (1993), A.J. Schnack has no Nirvana music or video to work with, forcing him to find creative ways to keep people interested. Cobain’s droll commentary may be riveting, but generic Northwest pics and speeding-car montages are guaranteed to send you into a classic Kurt nod. Posted at TheLMagazine.com

Across the Universe

2007-09-30T02:56:00.000-04:00

Beatles fans and everyone else - don't miss this movie. Across the Universe is one of the best of the year so far. Julie Taymor has taken liberally from the Beatles' songbook, creating an entertaining, evocative and mindbending '60s musical.
Click here to read my review @ CelebStoner.com

The Darjeeling Limited

2007-09-27T23:47:00.000-04:00

Wes Anderson's latest film, The Darjeeling Limited, features some of his favorite actors, such as Owen Wilson, Angelica Huston and Bill Murray (in a cameo). It's set in India, mostly aboard a train, where three brothers played by Jason Schwartzman, Wilson and Adrien Brody are traveling together in search of their mother.
Click here to read my review @ CelebStoner.com

El Cantante

2007-08-03T11:48:00.001-04:00

Salsa singer Hector Lavoe gets the Hollywood biopic treatment in El Cantante, which stars the real husband and wife team of Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez playing the fictional couple, Hector and Puchi Lavoe. Unsurprisingly, J-Lo steals the movie. Click here to read my review @ theLmagazine.com

The Simpsons Movie

2007-07-27T19:12:00.000-04:00

Homer takes a big dump on Lake Springfield and the town is in an uproar as the EPA decides to dome the city, trapping its inhabitants. That's the set-up for The Simpsons Movie - the first theatrical venture from the funny folks who have brought you The Simpsons for the last 18 years.
Click here to read my review @ thelmag.com

1408 and Evan Almighty

2007-06-22T02:08:00.000-04:00

Two of the weekend's hottest movies will surely be the debuts of 1408 and Evan Almighty. One is a creepy thriller, the other a religious comedy starring Steve Carell as a modern day Noah who builds an ark. I prefer 1408, which is based on a Stephen King short story and features John Cusack (right) in a tour de force performance as a writer who confronts a room with a mind of its own.

My review of 'Knocked Up'

2007-06-08T23:09:00.000-04:00

The hottest comedy of 2007 stars Seth Rogen (Ben Stone) as a stoner who impregnates Katherine Heigl (Alison Scott). It made nearly $30 million the first week of release. Is Knocked Up the best stoner movie of the year so far?

Read my reviews at CelebStoner and The L Magazine

My review of 'Brooklyn Rules'

2007-05-18T17:44:00.000-04:00

Michael Corrente's first film in seven years is a winner. Corrente directed the stoner comedy Outside Providence (1999) and his latest, Brooklyn Rules, has a similar focus on young adults searching for meaning in their lives. It stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Scott Caan and Entourage's Jerry Ferrara as three friends who are heading in different directions. A very grown-up looking Mena Suvari's plays Prinze's girlfriend and Alec Baldwin shines as a merciless mobster.
Check out my review at theLmag.com

My review of 'Pathfinder'

2007-04-14T02:52:00.000-04:00

Similar to 300 and Apocalypto in its blood-letting and mythical storytelling, Marcus Nispel's Pathfinder (starring Karl Urban, at right) will appeal to fantasy film fans. Click here to read my review at LMagazine.com.

Two other movies that opened this week:

• Rock the Bells - documentary about a chaotic Wu-Tang Clan reunion concert lacks the music that people went to the concert for. Too bad, because a few Wu songs at the end would have made this a must-see doc. Apparently, Wu-Tang did not give filmmakers Denis Hennelly and Casey Suchan clearance.

• Everything's Gone Green - Paolo Costanzo (Road Trip) stars in Paul Fox's tale of a slacker who gets caught up in an illegal money-making scheme. Written by Douglas Coupland (Generation X) and set in Canada, it's a tepid effort, though there is a marijuana angle involving a grow-up run by one of the characters' parents.

My review of 'Are We Done Yet?'

2007-04-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

Ice Cube (at right) started out as a radical rapper in N.W.A., then created the stony Friday movie series. He was great in Three Kings, but then came the Barbershop series and more recently the lame family comedies, Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet?, which opened last Wednesday. Check out my review posted at the L magazine website.

My review of battle epic, '300'

2007-03-10T11:43:00.000-05:00

One the biggest releases so far of 2007 is Zach Snyder's 300, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel about the ancient battle between Sparta (Greece) and Persia (current day Iraq). Lord of the Rings fans might find this movie interesting.

Click here to read my review at theLmagazine.com

Pic: Gerard Butler, who portrays Sparta's leader, Leonidas

Little Miss Musto

2007-02-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Finally someone - as it turns out, the very openly gay Village Voice columnist Michael Musto - agrees with me about the lavishly praised winner of Oscars and Independent Spirit Awards, Little Miss Sunshine.

In his review of the Oscars in the Feb. 28 edition, Musto writes: "11:14: Little Miss Sunshine claims original screenplay, which might be a good chance for me to finally state that the film is a tad overrated. When the once rebellious son insists, 'Go give Mom a hug,' you know it's gone strictly into formula land. And the ending just didn't work." You go, girl!

The Oscars' Depart-ure

2007-02-26T01:04:00.000-05:00

Actually, it wasn't much of a departure for Academy Award voters to select legendary auteur Martin Scorsese (right) as the Oscars' best director and to designate his movie, The Departed, as best picture. Though The Departed lacked the depth of GoodFellas and Raging Bull, Scorsese was not to be denied again (as was the case mostly recently with Gangs of New York and The Aviator). The director award presented by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, with freshly crome-domed Jack Nicholson lurking in the wings, was a victory for the former bad boys of Hollywood.

More winners
• Little Miss Sunshine - best supporting actor Alan Arkin, best original screenplay
• An Inconvenient Truth - best documentary and best song, Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up"
• Pan's Labyrinth - best cinematography, art direction and makeup, but lost the best foreign film award to "The Lives of Others"
• The Departed - also won best adapted screenplay and editing awards
• Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker - best actress and best actor

Losers
• Babel - too much Scorcese, shutout except for best score award
• Dreamgirls - too much Al Gore and Little Miss Sunshine, shutout except for best supporting actress Jennifer Hudson and sound editing awards
• Children of Men and Apocalypto - nada

Host Ellen DeGeneres was predictably quick on her feet, running up and down the aisles working the crowd. At one point she vacuumed beneath the front now. Eyeing an odd-shaped item on the carpet, DeGeneres joked, "Somebody's rolling papers. Must be the band's."

Overlong and way too respectful to the many important cogs in filmmaking's machine, the Oscars seem to take relish in boring its infatuated audience. This doesn't make for great TV, but the producers of the show frankly don't give a damn.

Check out my review of non-Oscar contender, The Number 23

Never mind the Oscars, here's the Bloomies

2007-02-17T01:03:00.000-05:00

Not counting film festivals, I saw a total of 74 movies that were either released theatrically or on DVD in 2006 (see list below). Based on this list, here are my selections for the 1st-ever Bloomie Awards:

Best Movie, Drama: World Trade Center
Having not seen United 93, I can't compare the two. But Oliver Stone deserves way more credit than he's received for his passionate portrait of two fireman buried beneath the rubble caused by the 9/11 plane attacks on the World Trade Center.

Best Movie, Comedy: Borat
A longtime fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, I knew what to expect with this movie, but never thought he could pull off the media coup that led up to its release. Cohen proved to be the master manipultor both on the screen and off.

Best Director: Richard Linklater
Linklater helmed not one, but two important movies: A Scanner Darkly and Fast Food Nation.

Best Stoner Movie, Drama: A Scanner Darkly
Linklater's futuristic polemic about the drug war is both dark and comical, thanks to a cast of stony characters and psychedelic animation.

Best Stoner Movie, Comedy: Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
Jack Black and Kyle Gass not only can sing, they can act. A heavy-mental musical for stoners of all ages.

Best Documentary: Commune
A wistful look at the California commune founded by the Diggers.

Best Music Documentary: Awesome: I Fucking Shot That
The Beastie Boys gave 50 concertgoers DV cameras and asked them to shoot the same live show, then edited all the footage down to a great concert film.

Best Foreign Movie: Mountain Patrol: Kekexili
Amazing docudrama set in the Tibetan tundra where a self-elected security force attempts to catch poachers in a forbidding climate.

Best Performance by an Actor: Nicholas Cage, World Trade Center
Underground and motionless for most of the movie, Cage and his partner hang in there as rescuers search for signs of life.

Best Performance by an Actress: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby
Gutsy acting by Gyllenhaal, who portrays a junkie just out of jail and adjusting to freedom.

Most Overrated Movie: Little Miss Sunshine
Tepid comedy hit a nerve with moviegoers, despite very few funny moments.

Most Overrated Director: Martin Scorcese
Scorcese has made so many better movies than The Departed - GoodFellas and Raging Bull to name just two - yet critics treated the film as some sort of masterpiece, which it's not.

Most Underrated Movie: Bobby
Critics hated it, but Emilio Estevez was onto something when he reconstructed the last day of Robert Kennedy's life.

Most Surprising Movie: Apocalypto
After all the controversy about Mel Gibson's anti-semetic remarks, he proved to be a powerful filmmaker, not just a blood-thirsty one.

Most Apocalyptic Movie: Children of Men
Alfonso Cuaron's look into the future (2027) is hopefully just a bad dream.

Most Topical Movie: The Road to Guantanamo
With this devastating depiction of overzealous policing, Michael Winterbottom continues to be one of cinema's most daring filmmakers.

Most Overrated Performance: Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
As the constantly stoned teacher, Gosling is neither compelling nor empathetic.

Best Pot Scene: Grandma's Boy
Allen Covert and Peter Dante light a fattie, then take a ride with a chimp.

Best Sex Scene: Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger, Candy
Playing junkies, Cornish and Ledger get it on in a pool.

Funniest Scene: Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
The dinner scene, with Will Farrell and his dysfunctional family.

Bloomie Achievement Award: Woody Allen
Allen rediscovered his sense of humor in Scoop, in which he plays a wacky character straight out of Broadway Danny Rose.

2006 releases: a/k/a Tommy Chong, American Hardcore, An American Haunting, Apocalypto, A Prairie Home Companion, Aquamarine, Art School Confidential, A Scanner Darkly, Awesome: I Fucking Shot That, Babel, Bobby, Borat, Brick, Candy, Casino Royale, Children of Men, Clerks II, Coachella, Cocaine Angel, Come Early Morning, Commune, Crazy Like a Fox, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Dreadheads: Portrait of a Subculture, Dreamgirls, Duck Season, Factotum, Fast Food Nation, Flags of Our Fathers, Friends with Money, Gram Parson: Fallen Angel, Grandma's Boy, Half Nelson, Haven, Hollywoodland, How to Eat Fried Worms, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, London, Man of the Year, Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School, Mountain Patrol: Kekexili, Music Is My Life Politics My Mistress, Nacho Libre, Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos, Rocky Balboa, Romantico, Scoop, Sherrybaby, Stoned, Strangers with Candy, Tales of the Rat Fink, Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Thank You for Smoking, The Break-up, The Departed, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, The Last King of Scotland, The Last Kiss, The Notorious Bettie Page, The Outsider, The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes, The Pusher III: I'm the Angel of Death, The Queen, The Road to Guantanamo, The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Waist Deep, Wassup Rockers, Trudell, We Are Marshall, World Trade Center, You Me and Dupree.

My review of 'Hannibal Rising' + more

2007-02-09T02:03:00.000-05:00

The prequel to Silence of the Lambs, Peter Webber's Hannibal Rising, starring Gaspard Ulliel (with syringe, at right), arrives in theaters today. Click here to read my review at L Magazine online

Check out my cd reviews of Disco Biscuits, the John Popper Project and Ziggy Marley at Relix online. Also, read Mike Greenhaus' revealing review of Trey Anastasio's appearance at the 92nd St. Y in New York on Wednesday night (he admitted he's an addict). Read more about Trey at Celebstoner

My main project right now is Pot Culture: The A to Z Guide to Stoner Language and Life, a book I'm writing with my old friend and colleague Shirley Halperin. It will hit stores in the fall. Harry Abrams is the publisher and Eva Prinz our editor. Eva co-curated the Radical Living Papers exhibit - documenting the alternative press from 1965-1975 - at 436 W. 15 St. in New York. The exhibit runs through March 7.

I'm excited to announce that I've surpassed the 1,000-friend mark after eight months on MySpace

I'm also busily working on the High Times Party & Doobie Awards @ SXSW, scheduled for March 16 at Redrum (401 Sabine St.) in Austin, Texas. They'll be plenty of awards and bands throughout the day, from high noon to 6 pm. Scheduled so far: reggae newcomer Joseph Israel, Austin's own White Ghost Shivers and Hellapeno and Flaming Fire, featuring High Times managing editor Natasha Lewin. Check them all out on MySpace.

Lastly, allow me rave about The Sarah Silverman Program. The first two shows (it airs on Thursdays at 10:30 EST on Comedy Central) have been brilliant. Look for Stoner of the Year Doug Benson in the latest episode about Sarah's homeless friend, played by another stony favorite, Zach Galifianakis.

NEWS FLASH: Check out my Skinterview

That's it for now, stoners!

My reviews of 'Smokin' Aces' & 'Screamers'

2007-01-26T01:07:00.000-05:00

I really do appreciate people coming to this site despite the lack of new posts. With that in mind, please check out my reviews of Smokin' Aces and Screamers in the L Magazine online.

After that, please play a visit to my new website, CelebStoner.com. That's where I'm doing bulk of my posting these days. My review of Alpha Dog is posted there. Make sure you vote for the Next Top CelebStoner. The polls are on the left sidebar. Leave a comment at CelebStoner. Let me know what you think of the site.

Jeremy Piven as Buddy Israel in Smokin' Aces does a pretty good Scarface imitation

'Babel' & 'Borat'

2006-11-19T22:56:00.000-05:00

Both international in scope, Babel and Borat take you around the world and back. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel starts in Morocco where an America couple are on holiday. A local boy testing out a new rifle his father purchased aims at the tourist bus as it rounds a curve and fires, sending a lone bullet crashing through the window and nailing one of the Americans in the shoulder. This sets off a major police inquisition and near international incident. Meanwhile, back in America, the couple's nanny takes their two kids to Mexico where trouble ensues. And thousands of miles away in Japan we meet a mute teenage girl whose father sold the rifle to the Moroccan. Each story unravels seemlessly and the cuts between the three are breathtaking. However, despite its global scope, Babel fails to pack the wallop of Inarritu's earlier work, such as Amores Perros.

Larry Charles's Borat begins in a fictional version of Kazakhstan, where horses pull cars and women are all prostitutes. Sacha Baron Cohen's incredible doofus Borat Sagdiev, who first appeared on his Da Ali G Show on HBO, arrives in America intent on filming a documentary. Borat is full of stunts and pranks that would make the Jackass guys proud. But Borat himself is so loveably stupid and profane, the movie is a blast to watch. At 84 minutes, it's like one long comedy sketch rather than a more elaborate movie. Traveling cross-country, with visits to rodeos, tent revivals and street corners, Borat has a lot in common with Road Trip. But Cohen, who's in every scene, makes the difference with his mild-mannered, "who me?" schtick.

My review of 'Come Early Morning'

2006-11-15T00:33:00.000-05:00

Joey Lauren Adams' directorial debut, Come Early Morning, stars Ashley Judd as a troubled single woman who lives in Arkansas. It's loosely autobiographical, based on Adams' life growing up in Little Rock. Adams has appeared in many movies, including The Break-up, Dazed and Confused, Harvard Man and Chasing Amy. Judd (pictured at left) is terrific in this smart indie film. Read my review at TheLmagazine.com.

Suzie - 1992-2006

2006-10-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

My darling dog Suzie passed away today due to breast cancer. She was 14.

I found Suzie in 1992. She was a stray that my neighbors took care of for a few days. My previous dog Duke had died six months earlier. They recommended I take her. They'd already named her Suzie. She was so adorable - all white hair with pointy ears and a bushy tail - that I couldn't refuse. I took her out for a quick walk, then let her into my apartment and went off to work. When I came home, everything was fine. Then I took her out and she almost ran away. But I caught her and started the training process.

I never knew how old she was - though she was full grown, I figured she couldn't have been more than a year old. She was definitely a pup. She was a mutt - but in time I figured out that she was mostly American Eskimo or spitz. I just called her the White Fox from the North. My mythical story had her traveling south through Canada to New York where she wound up on my Brooklyn doorstep.

Well, she sure tore up the apartment that first year - grawing through plastic bottles, cd covers, wooden spoons. Fortunately, she left shoes and furniture alone.

Suzie was quite the athlete. She could catch anything. I'd toss her scraps. She'd never miss. It became our pet trick.

One day when I was throwing her a ball I noticed her catch it over her shoulder. I took her out to the park with a Frisbee. I flinged it and she went right after it and snatched it out of the air. Suzie was a Frisbee dog.

Suzie and I did some traveling together. We went to a few Dead shows and Rainbow Gatherings (Alabama, 1994; Ithaca, 1995). She was a great traveling companion.

But mostly Suzie was an urban hound. In her younger years, she'd claim alpha rights over all females, but mellowed as she grew older. Of course, she loved males dogs.

When Suzie was 8 or so, I got her a male companion - Wiggles the beagle. He was given to me by my brother and sister-in-law. He was four and hadn't been behaving. But with a little help from me and Suzie, Wiggles soon became well-trained. They were a terrific pair.

If you're going to have dogs, I highly recommend having two so that they can keep each other company. Another thing was that Suzie had been diagnosed with arthritis. I'm convinved that having Wiggles to play with made her more active and may have extended her life. That and steady doses of Arthogen kept her hind legs limber.

I also have two cats - Minnie and Lennon - who got along great with Suzie. Let's face it, I'm an animal lover.

Over the last few years Suzie began to slow down. She had developed some intestinal problems. She also had a small tumor removed from her outer skin. Then the breast cancer hit and there was no stopping its detemined advance through her body.

Today, my veterinarian, Dr. Roy Appel gave me the difficult diagnosis. I had to let her go.

To all the dog owners out there - be kind to your dogs. They truly are our best friends.

Adios, dear Suzie.

My review of 'Man of the Year'

2006-10-13T14:53:00.000-04:00

Fresh out of rehab, Robin Williams is back starring in Barry Levinson's election-season comedy, Man of the Year. Check out my review at lmagazine.com.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO: Willie Nelson's stash

2006-09-21T21:05:00.000-04:00

When Willie Nelson's bus was searched on Monday in Breaux Bridge, LA on Interstate 10, a "routine traffic stop" turned into a drug bust. Louisiana state troopers found more than a pound and a half of marijuana (0.7 kg) and more than three ounces (91 grams) of psilocibin mushrooms. See photo above

The 73-year-old Nelson's was traveling west after performing at the Hank Williams tribute concert in Montgomery, AL on what would have been Williams' 85th birthday. The day before he headlined the Austin City Limits festival.

The online Post Chronicle reports: "Our friends TMZ.com spoke with a spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police who said, 'The tour bus was stopped on a common interstate vehicle inspection, and when the trooper approached the bus door a strong odor of marijuana was detected. The occupants were not brought to jail because it was not accepting [inmates] on misdemeanor charges.'"

The 73-year-old Nelson (pictured above) was charged with possession of both substances as were his older sister Bobbie Nelson, 75; Tony Sizemore, 59; Gates Morre, 54; and David Anderson, 50.

One of Nelson's recent albums, Countryman, featured a pot-leaf on the cover. The country singer is on the Advisory Board to NORML. Allen St. Pierre, NORML's executive director, stated: “This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources that diverts law enforcement personnel away from focusing on serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism."

The source of the stash photo is the Louisiana State Police news release, dated Sept. 18.

The Smoking Gun, Mediabistro, Gawker, Defamer, Best Week Ever, Jossip, Nerve, We Smirch, Stereogum and Mollygood have all posted the photo on their sites.

Recommended reading: Bill Maher's column at Huffington Post, Wichita Eagle blog editorial and Rick Cusick's High Times interview with Willie, which refers to the red heart tin seen in the stash photo.

Bonghitters end season on high note

2006-09-10T20:53:00.000-04:00

The last three Septembers the Bonghitters have been invited by VNU (the publishing company that owns Billboard and many other trade magazines) to join them on Randall's Island for a day of softball, BBQ, beers, buds and remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy. Yesterday, High Times' slugging stoners arrived by bike and car with supplies aplenty looking forward to what has become the traditional last day of the softball season.

Coming into the game with a solid 9-5 record, the Bonghitters were sharp throughout, starting quickly with a 3-run 1st inning. VNU came back with 2 in their half. For the next 4 innings the game was a pitcher's duel. Then in the 6th, Jeremy Allen drove the ball high and long over the rightfielder's head for a 3-run HR. VNU, however, answered with 3 runs to close the gap to 6-5 going into the final 7th inning. With a runner on 1st and 2 out, VNU's leadoff hitter lined the ball between 1st and 2nd, but Bonghitter first-baseman Dawnja reached to her right and neatly backhanded the ball on the fly to end the game and season.

Afterwards, VNU coach Don Salkaln and others spoke about 9/11, and then we all planted bulbs for all those who died that day and with hopes of peace someday in the world.

Here's a recap of the Bonghitters' 10-5 season:

Apr. 27: Bonghitters 12, Business Week 8
May 4: Bonghitters 8, The Onion 6
May 9: Bonghitters 12, The New Yorker 4
May 25: Bonghitters 13, Vanity Fair 4
June 1: Bonghitters 9, WNYC 2
June 22: Bonghitters 17, DC Comics 12
July 1: VNU 11, Bonghitters 6
July 6: Vanity Fair 8, Bonghitters 5
July 13: Business Week 12, Bonghitters 4
July 17: WNYC 6, Bonghitters 5
Aug. 3: Bonghitters 12, DC Comics 5
Aug. 9: Bonghitters 11, Trader Monthly 5
Aug. 12: Wall Street Journal 12, Bonghitters 4
Aug. 31: Bonghitters 10, Rolling Stone 6
Sept. 9: Bonghitters 6, VNU 5

PHOTOS BY DAWNJA

Black cloud over the Crowes

2006-09-07T22:31:00.000-04:00

Two original members of the Black Crowes - guitarist Marc Ford and keyboardist Eddie Harsch - have left the band within the last week.

Ford's departure was announced on Sept 5. by band manager Peter Angelus: "Yesterday, the Black Crowes were notified by Marc Ford's attorney that Marc was quitting...effective immediately. Two days before the start of the fall tour, which begins on Sept. 7, the Black Crowes' attorney received a fax from Marc Ford's attorney immediately terminating his agreement with the Black Crowes... I am not going to comment on the timing of this notification or the way Marc has elected to handle his personal and business affairs with the Black Crowes; however, I will state as a matter of fact that this is not the first time that Marc Ford (pictured at left) has breached his agreement with the Black Crowes."

Angelus added that Ford's contract requires he give four months' notice. He was replaced by Paul Stacey, who played guitar and co-wrote songs with Chris Robinson's solo band, New Earth Mud, in 2004. Stacey also mastered the band's upcoming double cd, The Lost Crowes, which is scheduled for a Sept. 26 release. It contains songs written between 1992 and 1994, such as "Wiser Time" and "Conspiracy."

Ford actually replaced Jeff Cease as the band's guitar player for their second and best album, 1992's Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. He played on Amorica and Three Snakes & a Charm before being fired by the band in 1997. Ford rejoined the Crowes in 2005 after the band's two-year hiatus.

Harsch's tenure with the band was much less contentious. He too joined the Black Crowes in 1992 for the Southern Harmony album. When I interviewed Chris Robinson for a High Times cover story that year, Harsch accompanied us as the designated joint roller. At one point during the interview, he asked me, "Is there anything new and organic that we haven't tried yet?"

On Aug. 29, the band simply stated that Harsch (pictured at right) left for "personal reasons." However, his replacement, Rob Clores (he's played with Rich Robinson, Jesse Malin, Southside Johnny and the John Popper Band), disclosed on his MySpace page that "my opportunity comes as the result of Ed's unfortunate circumstance. I have never met Ed, but I have the utmost respect and admiration for him - and I am truly saddened by his health situation. If the band could have its way Ed would still be there. Let's send positive vibes his way." He, nor anyone else close the band, has stated publicly that Harsch is suffering from a particularly ailment.

All of this turmoil comes just weeks after lead singer Chris Robinson and his movie-star wife Kate Hudson filed for divorce. Hudson is reportedly carrying on an affair with her You, Me and Dupree co-star Owen Wilson.

And who could forget my ugly spat with the Crowes over press ticketing. Bad karma is a bitch, right?

Damian Marley & Ben Harper burn one down

2006-09-06T01:54:00.000-04:00

A rainy night didn't prevent rising reggae star Damian Marley from providing sparks in last night's opening set at SummerStage in Central Park. With umbrellas in the air, the youngest Marley brother mixed originals and his father's tunes in an hour-long performance. I arrived just as he embarked on a Marley medley - "Crazy Baldheads" > "War" > "No More Trouble."

He finished with songs from his two Grammy-winning albums: "In 2 Deep," "It Was Written," "Road to Zion" and his 2006 hit, "Welcome to Jamrock." Unlike his more traditional older brothers Ziggy and Stephen, Damian merges roots and dancehall styles. He's thoroughly conscious and clearly has leapt to the top of the Marley family tree.

Backstage after his show, Damian signed the June '06 High Times issue that featured him on the cover and uttered the kind words, "Give thanks," when a spliff was deposited in his palm.

Harper's 2-and-1/2-hour-long set dragged at times, but peaked with his ganja classic, "Burn One Down." The two bands return to Central Park tonight. Weather is expected to be mostly cloudy with temps in the high 60s.

This review is also available at HighTimes.com

My review of Ziggy Marley's latest cd, Love Is My Religion, appears on page 88 of the Sept.-Oct. issue of Relix. Check it out!

HIGH TIMES COVER PHOTO BY BRIAN JAHN

Boston Freedom Rally - 9/16

2006-09-03T18:50:00.000-04:00

I've attended every Boston Freedom Rally since 1994. It's the East Coast's biggest and longest-running pro-marijuana event. This year's Freedom Rally is next Saturday, Sept. 16 in Boston Common. Starting at high noon and running until 6 pm, bands and speakers will serenade the crowd with music and messages. I'll be among the many speakers. If you live in Boston or anywhere nearby, you should make it your civic duty to attend the Freedom Rally.

Boston Freedom Rally is organized by MASS CANN/NORML. Make a donation today!

Bonghitters get Stoned

2006-09-01T10:55:00.000-04:00

On the night of MTV's Video Music Awards, Rolling Stone staffers chose to play softball instead. It was a pretty shrewd decision for two innings, as they took a commanding 6-1 lead against the Bonghitters in Central Park. But then High Times' slugging stoners rallied for 6 runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings. Three more runs in the 6th made the score, 10-6. Rolling Stone didn't score again.

Web editor Mike Gianakos and Jeff Hemley had 2 RBI each, and Rick Reta (8-3) got the win.

The Bonghitters (10-5) finish the 2006 season on Sept. 9 vs. Billboard/VNU.

This story is also available at HighTimes.com

TEAM PHOTO BY JEREMY ALLEN

Are the Mets vulnerable?

2006-08-31T23:27:00.000-04:00

My sportswriter brother Barry is the national reporter for MLB.com. He's certainly more of an expert about baseball than I am. Barry's a professional, I'm an armchair observer with a platform. He's a longtime Yankee fan, I'm a Met fan. That's our sports dynamic.

After I gloated that, as of yesterday's games, the Mets possessed the best record in baseball, Barry sent me a series of emails. He said it was OK to post them. Barry began by explaining that the article I quoted, "Pieces in Place for Subway Series" (between the Yankees and Mets), written by Mike Bauman and published in yesterday's New York Times, actually appeared at MLB.com on Monday.

"Mike's our columnist," Barry explained. "Good writer and a great guy. I don't happen to agree with him. I think any of three teams in the NL West can beat the Mets in the first round because their starting pitching can match the Mets or do better.

"Giants: Schmidt, Morris and Cain or Lowry
Padres: Peavy, Chris Young and Williams
Dodgers: Penny, Maddux and Lowe

"I'm worried about an over-the-hill Pedro, a shaky Glavine and Trachsel being the stalwart. For that reason, the Mets are vulnerable. Plus all the NL West teams will be battling to the final weekend for either the division title or wild-card berth.

"The Mets would be better served if the Reds won the wild card because I think that's their easiest first-round match up. Otherwise, if the Phillies or Marlins win the wild card, they'd play either the Cardinals or the NL West winner (probably the Dodgers), whichever team finishes with the lesser record. The Cards would also be a good match for them because the Cards' front-line pitching is in shambles (Mulder's out for the season). If the wild card comes out of the NL West (Padres or Giants), the Mets would get that team in first round. Regardless, the Mets will be up against it versus one of these Western teams, whether its in the first or second round.

"Remember 1988? The Mets were 10-1 against the Dodgers during the regular season and lost to them in the NLCS in seven games.

"The Mets also better hope that the Astros don't make it. Oswalt, Clemens, Pettite. And that team is well-managed and battle-tested by the last two postseasons.

"Also, I don't have much faith in the Yankees' pitching to get them to the World Series. As we've seen over the last two weeks, the five-game sweep at Fenway was as much about the Yankees playing well as it was about the Red Sox's collapse."

My opinion:
I haven't seen the Dodgers much, so I can't really comment about their prospects. But in 1988, they beat the Mets in the playoffs behind an incredible pitching run by Orel Hershiser and hitting heroics by the injured Kurt Gibson." Are Brad Penny, Greg Maddux or Derrick Lowe Hershiser? I don't think so. But, yes, the Mets do have major question marks in the rotation and won't know the answers until Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine start pitching again. If either one are out for the playoffs, that would be a major blow to the Mets' postseason chances. And yes, due to the Mets' overwelming lead in the NL East, they won't be truly tested until the playoffs. But I still contend that the Mets will go to the World Series this season. Whether they'll play the Yankees, Tigers, White Sox or Twins is really the question people should be asking.

PHOTO OF BARRY BLOOM WITH BRIAN McCRAE & HEADSHOT COURTESY OF MLB.COM

Mets are best

2006-08-31T02:32:00.001-04:00

The Mets are "the best team in baseball," Ben Shpigel writes in today's New York Times. That's because, with the Mets' 11-3 victory over the Rockies last night, they now have the top record in all of Major League Baseball.

They overtook the Tigers, who split a doubleheader with the Yankees, by two percentage points. The Mets, .626. The Tigers, .624. The Tigers, at 83-50, have one more win and loss than the Mets (82-49). Until yesterday, they had the best record in baseball virtually all season.

The Mets have won 11 out of 12 games, and lead their division by 15.5 games, the widest margin in baseball.

Meanwhile, the Yankees (78-53, .595) extended their AL East lead over the Red Sox to 8 games, sparking talk of another Subway Series in New York (the last one was in 2000 when the Yankees beat the Mets in 5 games). In Wednesday's New York Times, Mike Bauman contended, "It could happen. In fact, the chances of this occurring have gone, in less than one month, from truly remote to distinctly possible.

"Presuming that both Martinez and Glavine are healthy for the postseason, it would be highly difficult to project any other National League team beating [the Mets]. The only possibility would be a team whose pitching gets on a roll at precisely the right time. Maybe the Dodgers of recent weeks suggest themselves in that area. The Astros still have this theoretical possibility. But over time this season, nobody else's pitching in the National League has reminded you of an October success story."

Regarding the likelihood of the Yankees playing in their first World Series since 2003, Bauman states: "What looks more difficult are [their] potential postseason opponents. Oakland will likely come out of the West and two of three should hail from the Central: Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago. All have better pitching on paper than the Yanks. But then, this is an American League year in all other ways, so its eventual champion should be severely tested by somebody."

The Mets go for the sweep against the Rockies today in Colorado.

PHOTO OF JOSE VALENTIN COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS

'Ari, you're fired!'

2006-08-30T11:16:00.000-04:00

Entourage's third season wrapped on Sunday night with a frenetic finale that saw Vince (Adian Grenier) dump his shit-talking agent, Ari (Jeremy Piven, who on the same night was awarded an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor). This is not the first time the two have parted ways. Surely, they'll reunite for Season Four.

Vince didn't do a speck of work all season long. Instead, he tried to push projects (biopics of Pablo Escobar and the Ramones) that ended up being torpedoed. So he hung out with his buds - manager Eric (Kevin Connolly), pot-toker Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and B-actor Drama (Kevin Dillon). Vince didn't have a real girlfriend all season either. Meanwhile, Eric had a two-on-one in the bedroom, Turtle lost his rapper client Saigon and Drama nailed a part on Ed Burns' TV pilot.

The pace picked up with the last three episodes, when Bob (Martin Landau) offered the Ramones script to Vince, then reneged, leading to the ugly split between Vince and Ari.

Look for Entourage to receive several Stony Award nominations when they're announced next week. The High Times Stony Awards take place on Oct. 24 at BB King's in New York. For tickets, got to Ticketmaster.com

'Weeds': 3rd episode pot-boiler

2006-08-29T02:20:00.000-04:00

After watching last week’s episode, I wondered if Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise-Parker), Weeds’ protagonist, was training to be a narc. After all, she’s dating one and never inhales on Showtime’s pot-friendly series, despite regularly dealing it all around suburban Agrestic. Monday’s episode, the third of Weeds’ second season, deposits another fly in the show’s ointment.

In this carefully-plotted episode, Nancy and Peter (Martin Donovan) have a heart-to-heart in which he lets her know that she’s “way below [his] radar, small potatoes, teeny tiny fish in a deep narcotic sea.” In other words, he has no intention to bust her. To prove it, he makes a proposal that’s unclear until the last scene.

Meanwhile, Nancy’s sons – Silas and Shane – have co-starring roles. Sixteen-year-old Silas wins back his girlfriend; they romp gleefully in bed. But Silas has a master plan to keep her: he punctures a condom before their next round.

Eleven-year-old Shane is having sex too, but of course with himself. Problem is he keeps dumping gummed-up socks down the toilet, backing up the plumbing. Nancy asks brother-in-law Andy (Justin Kirk) to talk to Shane about his new avocation. Andy’s masturbation monologue is a classic. Among his choice adjectives and verbs are “jerk the gerkin,” “pearl jam,” “goo glove,” “tuggin’ the tiger,” “creamy Italian” and “Randy Johnson.”

Andy, who’s enrolled in rabbinical school and has a crush on the admissions director (Meital Dohan pictured above, with Kirk), has become a stronger, comedic character in the show. He’s also starting a grow house with Nancy, Conrad (Romany Malco) and Doug (Kevin Nealon).

By the end of the episode, Nancy and Peter have whisked off to Las Vegas, where an Elvis impersonator takes their vows. Pot dealer and DEA agent at the alter? It’s a match made in cable heaven.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young carry on

2006-08-27T00:11:00.000-04:00

Move over Michael Moore, you've got company Cindy Sheehan, make some room Bill Maher. Neil Young's coming to your town with his old buds David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, and he's got a lot on his mind. The aging rocker sounds, well, young again, protesting like did in the '60s and early '70s against the Vietnam War. Now, however, it's the Iraqi War that has him all worked up.

Young's latest album, Living With War, is a broadside against US policies that have provoked wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. During his current tour with C, S & N, he opens the show with "Flags of Freedom," setting the anti-war tone for the evening. Young's clearly the leader of the band, and it's likely he would'nt have agreed to the reunion unless his partners allowed him the time to get his message across.

Throughout the show - I attended last Tuesday night's outdoor concert at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY - Young returned to his theme, performing such songs as "Shock and Awe" and the potent "Impeach the President." Peace signs and video clips - one ticked off the number of soldiers who've died in Iraq (more than 2,600) - reflected off the backdrop.

Most came to hear old C, S, N & Y classics, and the quartet augmented by a keyboardist, bassist, a pedal-steel player and drummer didn't disappoint. Crosby and Nash were in particularly good voice, while Stills held back a bit, perhaps preserving his. From "Carry On" to "Almost Cut My Hair" to "Wooden Ships" to "Helplessly Hoping" to "Our House," they reminded baby-boomers in attendance how great these songs really are. Lush four-part harmonies segued into staggering guitar duels between Stills and Young.

The 30-song showcase saw various combinations, with Crosby & Nash taking center stage for awhile and then Stills stepping to the fore, delivering the smuggler's anthem, "Treetop Flyer." Nash's alto soared on "Military Madness" and his solo hit, "Chicago," and Crosby nailed "Guinnivere" and "Teach Your Children."

But it was Young who dominated. He led a chant of "Peace is not an awful lot to ask," and for the finale, it was his own "Rockin' in the Free World," not "Southern Man," that concluded the two-and-half-hour show.

C, S, N & Y return to New York tonight for a show at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The tour, which has another eight dates, runs through Sept. 10.

This review is also available at HighTimes.com

4th Brazilian Film Festival of New York

2006-08-24T23:30:00.000-04:00

From August 6-13, Brazilian movies took center stage in New York. The 4th Brazilian Film Festival of New York (the festival also takes place in Miami, Barcelona and Beijing) held court at the Tribeca Cinemas, where 15 films were screened two times each.

The festival began on Sunday, August 6 in Central Park with a performance by Brazilian pop star Lenine (pictured at right), followed by a screening of This Is Bossa Nova, directed by Paolo Thiago. Lenine combines rock and samba with panache. The film traces the roots of the delicate music that has long been one of Brazil's principle exports.

During the week of screenings, which included many after-parties, I saw several films:

Angels of the Sun, directed by Rudi Lagemann
This sad story of young women being sold into forced prostitution is well told. One teenager, Maria, escapes twice and the second time ends up in Rio, where she's recruited by a madam. Maria runs aways again, hitchhiking her way north, but the movie offers little hope for Maria and others caught in the clutches of Brazil's ugly secret.

Teen Mothers, directed by Sandra Werneck
Set in the favelas of Rio, this documentary is as real as it gets. Teenaged girls get pregnant and have the babies, despite their age. Due to poverty and Catholicism, abortion is not an option. Many of the girls accept their plight, becoming young mothers, like their own mothers before them. For those unfamiliar with Brazil and even for those familiar, this is a fascinating look at what goes on high in the hills above Rio.

Women of Brazil, directed by Malu De Martino
The lives of five women are depicted in this episodic film. Because of its structure, you may choose to like one character more than another, such as Telma, a carnival dancer who falls during her judged segment and then attempts to commit suicide, despite winning the contest (which she doesn't know at the time).

Brasilia 18%, directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos
Shown originally at Tribeca Film Destival in May, Pereira dos Santos' film is a mediation on power and misogyny in Brazil. A medical examiner is expected to conclude that a female Congressional aide's death was due to natural causes. But when he decides otherwise, the examiner becomes caught up in political intrigue and is forced to make an unethical decision.

Arido Movie, directed by Lirio Ferreira
This road movie set in northeast Brazil features a band of stoners who smoke pot wherever the go. Essentially, they follow a friend who's attending a family funeral. Full of spunk and a sense of adventure, Ferreira's feature is one of the few movies at the festival that might capture an American audience.

In Evil Hour, directed by Ruy Guerra
Adapted from the Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel, this movie is set in a small town during a constant downpour. It works almost as a play, with people holed up in their homes and bars, going steadily stir crazy.

The winner of the Crystal Lens Award, selected by audiences, was After the Ball, directed by Roberto Bontempo, about a widow who has to decide between two elderly suitors.

BRAFF is produced by Inffinito Foundation of Brazil and directed by Adriana Dutra, Claudia Dutra and Viviane Spinelli. Make sure to attend it next year.

PHOTO OF LENINE BY DAWNJA

My latest reviews in 'Cleveland Scene'

2006-08-23T17:52:00.000-04:00

My two current favorite weeklies in the US are New York's Our Town/Downtown and Cleveland Scene. Why? Because they regularly publish my articles and reviews. My two latest reviews in Cleveland Scene are the Led Zeppelin DVD, The Origin of the Species, and the Bonnie Raitt CD/DVD, Bonnie Raitt and Friends. Check them out!

GOTV - the day after

2006-08-21T18:52:00.000-04:00

About 90 minutes after my post on Saturday - at which point I reported the weather had so far "cooperated" at the Gathering of the Vibes in upstate New York - it began to pour during Keller Williams' set. However, neither rain nor wind would stop the Vibes. Bob Weir joined Williams for the encore and then New Riders of the Purple Sage got going on the second stage. An hour of rain could hardly dampen spirits, right?

Clear skies greeted Hot Tuna, whose "Hesitation Blues" is always a highlight. They were followed by two Grateful Dead offshoot bands, Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann's Rhythm Devils and Weir & Ratdog. Weir also sat in with Hot Tuna on "Walking Blues" and with the Rhythm Devils on "Ripple."

Last year at the Vibes, which is hosted by Wavy Gravy (pictured at left), Ratdog played through a downpour. This year, the rain came, but later in their set - essentially during a perfectly timed "Birdsong."

Former Grateful Dead singer Donna Jean Godchaux MacKay, who opened the day with Zen Tricksters, joined her old partner Weir during his two-hour set that began with "Jack Straw" and "Little Red Rooster" and ended with "One More Saturday Night" and a flag-waving "U.S. Blues."

At 1:30 am on Sunday morning, the skies opened for a three-hour drenching complete with thunder and lightning. That snuffed out the late-night set by Everyone Orchestra.

Ten hours later, with the sun peeking out of the clouds, the music resumed. Unfortunately, New Orleans' Rebirth Brass Band had to cancel, but this left more time in the schedule for the day's other headliners, Burning Spear and Yonder Mountain String Band. Funky sets by Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Papa Mali on the second stage had the crowd dancing before the Zero reunion finished off the 11th Annual Gathering of the Vibes.

My review of the entire GOTV is available at HighTimes.com

WAVY GRAVY PHOTO BY VTSCAPES

My review of tonight's episode of 'Weeds'

2006-08-21T17:27:00.000-04:00

The second episode of Weeds' second season features High Times, NORML, the MPP and other marijuana-related groups. It airs tonight on Showtime at 10 pm EST.

Nancy (Mary Louise-Parker), Doug (Kevin Nealon) and Andy (Justin Kirk) attend a event loosely based on the High Times Cannabis Cup. People in the pot trade should recognize a few faces, such as High Times' editor in chief Steven Hager. Andy hits a vaporizer bag, which is probably a first on network television. You can also see Todd McCormick doing the same in the background at the High Times booth.

With so many opportunities, Nancy doesn't smoke at the event. Is she a narc? Read my review at Broadcasting & Cable's BC Beat blog.

Gathering of the Vibes: August 19

2006-08-19T15:39:00.000-04:00

It's a famous weekend in upstart New York. Thirty-seven years ago, a little event called Woodstock happened. It took place in Bethel, about 90 miles north of New York City on the Thruway and then west on Rt. 17. I flashed on this immortal event as I drove by signs for Bethel, Woodstock and Saugerties en route to Duanesberg - the site of the 11th Annual Gathering of the Vibes (GOTV).

It was this weekend 37 years ago when Woodstock occurred. And true to form, as it rained torrentially on August 16, 1969, causing a near catastophe and muddy conditions, there has been precipitation today at Day 2 of GOTV. Fortunately, the weather has mostly cooperated so far.

Now in its fifth year at Indian Lookout Country Club, GOTV is a seasoned event with quality entertainment. Yesterday's highlights included Assembly of Dust's "Woodstock" encore, versions of "Lovelight" by the North Mississippi Allstars and Martin Sexton, and night sets by longtime GOTV favored band Deep Banana Blackout and newcomers Tea leaf Green.

Right now, radio personality/singer David Gans is performing a Grateful Dead-inspired set on the second stage. Zen Tricksters opened the day with a rendition of the Beatles' "I Want to Tell You." They were joined by former Dead singer, Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay. G. Love & Special Sauce just completed a funky set. Keller Williams and New Riders of the Purple Sage are next, to be followed by Hot Tuna, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzman's Rhythm Devils, and Bob Weir and Ratdog.

It's quite a day for Deadheads. Tomorrow's bill is more diverse, featuring Burning Spear, Rebirth Brass Band, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Yonder Mountain String Band and Papa Mali.

GOTV SHOUT OUTS: Ken Hayes, for putting it all together; the VIP tent, for shelter, beer, food, once-a-day meals, cold showers, clean Portos and WiFi; Ed Bender and his Sundance Solar crew for having the most eco-friendly booth; anybody who was smart enough to bring a bicycle; the laid-back security; the bikers who run the place; John Driscoll, for shooting photos for High Times; hippie chicks; hula-hoops; the glow-stick war during AOD's set.

I'll be back with a review tomorrow...

Hollywood's latest scandal: Owen-Kate

2006-08-17T16:18:00.000-04:00

Us Weekly is reporting that Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson had an affair while on the set of You, Me and Dupree, leading to this week's break-up of Hudson's marriage to rock-star Chris Robinson.

“This is not a fling,” a source tells Us. “Kate is crazy about him. Owen gives her so much attention, and she loves it. [That’s why] she wants her marriage to be over.”

Hudson reportedly has been shacking up with Wilson at his Santa Monica house. “Owen is not-so-secretly hoping she will leave Chris so they wouldn’t have to hide. He is falling for her,” a source stated.

While Hudson's representatives have yet to comment about these charges, Wilson's lawyer offered a denial: “[Anything] that suggests that the separation of Ms. Hudson was caused by Mr. Wilson…is absolutely false.”

Wilson, who starred in last year's Wedding Crashers, may indeed be a wedding masher. And, well, Hudson did once star in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. With Black Crowes' singer Robinson, who she has a 2-year-old son with, it took Hudson six years.

The Hudson-Robinson break-up is similar to the Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston split, when Pitt left Aniston for Angelina Jolie after they worked together on Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Pimpin' ain't easy in Hollywood these days. Though I ripped him a few days ago (see post below), I now feel sorry for Robinson, who's currently on tour with the Crowes. He has not issued a comment about this tawdry affair.

Kate Hudson dumps Chris Robinson - couldn't have happened to a nicer guy

2006-08-15T02:01:00.000-04:00

After six years of marriage, celebrity couple actress Kate Hudson and rocker Chris Robinson have called it quits.

"Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson have confirmed that they are separated," Hudson's Hollywood publicist Brad Cafarelli commented yesterday.

The 27-year-old daughter of Goldie Hawn and the 39-year-old lead singer of the Black Crowes were married on New Year's Eve in 1999. They have a two-year-old son, Ryder.

Hudson's currently starring in You, Me and Dupree. Robinson's on tour with the Black Crowes.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GAWKER.COM

The scoop on Woody Allen's 'Scoop'

2006-08-15T01:00:00.000-04:00

My review of Woody Allen's latest movie Scoop, starring Scarlett Johannson, appeared in last week's edition of Our Town/Downtown. Here's the review:

The Scoop on Woody Allen

His 36th movie, starring Scarlett Johansson and himself, is a charm.

BY STEVE BLOOM

Scoop is a return to form for 70-year-old auteur Woody Allen. Like Manhattan Murder Mystery and Bullets Over Broadway, it’s a light caper, but with the London setting and Scarlett Johansson’s delightful performance, it’s one of Allen’s best movies in years.

Johansson’s slightly-daft journalism student Sondra Pransky stumbles upon a “scoop,” thanks to recently-deceased reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane), who makes frequent appearances fresh from his new home in hell. She enlists Allen’s Sidney Waterson – a two-bit magician right out of Broadway Danny Rose – to be her co-conspirator investigating the “Tarot Card Serial Killer,” a murderer who knocks off women and leaves a card as evidence that he’s struck again.

They’re a great team. Eventually, Sondra anglicizes her name to Jade Spence and convinces Sid to come along for the ride as her kooky dad. Strombel has reason to believe that Peter Lymon (Hugh Jackman), the scion of an upper crust family, is masquerading as the killer. In fact, Strombel’s dead because he knew too much. Now it’s Sondra/Jade’s turn to unearth the truth about Lymon.

Breaking every reporter’s rule, she sleeps with her subject after first stalking him. Taken by the charming Lyman and no longer objective, Sondra/Jade begins to lose grip of her journalistic mission. Sid, meanwhile, shifts from a cynic (“this guy’s a serial killer like I play for the New York Jets”) to a muckraker who inspires Sondra/Jade to crack the case.

As Allen’s latest muse, Johansson (she appeared in last year’s Match Point) combines the dreaminess of Kim Novak with the pluckiness of Geena Davis. Her comic timing is a revelation as she goes toe-to-toe with longtime stand-up Allen. “I can’t wear contact lenses,” Johansson starts a quip, then delivers the punch line with gusto: “I don’t like to put my finger on my eyeball.”

More subtly, she inquires, “Jack the Ripper – is that capitalized?”

Of course, Allen saves the best lines for himself. Reprising his classic neurotic mensch who never stops talking – again, see Broadway Danny Rose – Sid’s a barrel of Borscht Belt laughs. All the jokes may not land with aplomb, but the sheer volume of witty one-liners are cause for celebration among Allen acolytes.

When asked his religious affiliation, Sid deftly tap-dances, “I converted from the Hebrew persuasion to narcissism.”

As usual, the target of Allen’s many barbs is effete WASP society. Like his idol Groucho Marx, he has little patience for gentility, chattering on endlessly with relatively rude observations that only Allen (or Groucho) could get away with.

Allen lays his comic cards on the table early in the film when he observes, “If more people had a sense of humor, we wouldn’t be in the shape we’re in.”

Fortunately, Woody Allen’s in terrific shape as his splendid and smart Scoop amply proves.

PHOTO OF HUGH JACKMAN, SCARLETT JOHANSSON & WOODY ALLEN COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURES

Summertime blues

2006-08-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

Despite some waking & baking, High Times' Bonghitters were not quite ready for Wall Street Journal yesterday morning. WSJ used the 11 am start to its advantage, scoring 8 runs in the first inning en route to a 12-4 victory.

Down by so many runs, the Bonghitters never really mounted a challenge. OF Kyle Delaney drove in 3 runs and 1B Jeff Hemley had 3 hits. P Rick Reta (7-4) took the loss.

The Bonghitters, however, won the second game, 10-9, against a team consisting of some remaining WSJ players and various walk-ons. SS Darren Pelled drove in the winning run with a single in the bottom of the 7th. P Steve Bloom (1-0) got the win.

The Bonghitters' (9-5) next game is against WNYC on August 28.

PHOTO OF RICK RETA BY DAWNJA

My review of 'Weeds' second-season series premiere

2006-08-11T12:58:00.000-04:00

Showtime's pot-friendly comedy series, Weeds, is back. Check out my review of the second-season premiere, which airs on Monday, at Broadcasting & Cable's BC Beat blog.

Also, check out this coverage at TVsquad.com

MARY LOUISE-PARKER PHOTO COURTESY OF SHOWTIME

Bonghitters improve to 8-4 record

2006-08-10T09:48:00.000-04:00

"You guys are really good," Trader Monthly's coach Randall Lane said after his team's first-ever contest with High Times' Bonghitters yesterday. "You don't make any errors."

Lane, who used to coach the Forbes team in the '90s, invited the Bonghitters to play on Trader Monthly's permitted field in New York's East River Park. This particular field was covered with Astroturf, making for hops as true as on a classic asphalt black-top. The Bonghitters handled every ground ball cleanly in route to an 11-5 victory.

2B Danny Danko and 3B Dave Bienenstock led the offense with 7 hits between them (Danko went 4 for 4). SS Daren Pelled drove in 3 runs. P Rick Reta (7-2) notched the win. Female Bonghitters RF Rachel Smith and C Dawnja added 3 hits.

After the game, the teams convened for beers at Parkside Lounge, and then the Bonghitters headed over to the sports-bar Standings on E. 7 St., where a pizza party awaited them, courtesy of owner Gary Gillis. The Bonghitters enjoyed the post-game festivities, drinking and eating (and occasionally smoking) merrily as both the Mets and Yankees won their games too.

The Bonghitters' next game is against longtime rivals Wall Street Journal this coming Saturday.

This story's also available at HighTimes.com

Gathering of the Vibes: Aug 17-20

2006-08-09T13:46:00.000-04:00

My favorite Northeast jam-band fest, Gathering of the Vibes, is right around the corner. It begins next Friday, August 18, but ticketholders will start arriving on Thursday for early check-in and a surprise show that night. The fest, which takes place at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, NY, concludes on Sunday, August 20.

Here are the artists and bands scheduled to perform on two stages:

Friday
North Mississippi Allstars, Assembly of Dust, Deep Banana Blackout, Strangefolk, Martin Sexton, Tea Leaf Green, Juggling Suns, Rafter Bats, Ryan Montbleau Band, Scarecrow Collection

Saturday
Bob Weir & Ratdog, Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann's Rhythm Devils (with Mike Gordon & Steve Kimmock), Hot Tuna, New Riders of the Puprle Sage, G. Love & Special Sauce, Keller Williams, Zen Tricksters (with Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay), David Gans, Everyone Orchestra, Chuch

Sunday
Burning Spear, Yonder Mountain String Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Zero, Papa Mali

Wavy Gravy will emcee all three days.

Check out my interview with Vibes' founder Ken Hayes at HighTimes.com

Manu Chao & Los Amigos Invisibles celebrate Brooklyn!

2006-08-08T13:29:00.000-04:00

From the reggae/punk of Manu Chao to the suave dance music of Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles, worldbeat was the musical flavor of choice at the Celebrate Brooklyn! summer concert series in Prospect Park this past weekend.

In a rare US performance, Manu Chao electrified the sold-out audience on Monday night. Chao, who was born in Spain and raised in Paris, alternates between Bob Marley-style reggae, flamenco-accented guitar pop and intense hardcore/ punk. Chao was at his best when he slowed the pace down with such message-oriented songs as "Desaparecido" and "Clandistino" ("Africano clandistino, marijuana illegal").

Los Amigos Invisibles took center stage on Friday night, offering smooth Brazilian grooves combined with funk, disco and salsa. The sextet led by singer Julio Briceño formed in 1991, but didn't record until 1996. Many of the songs played were from Venezuelan Zinga Son Vol. 1, their most recent release. Though they mostly sing in Spanish, two English songs, "Ease Your Mind" (reminiscent of the Blackbyrds' '70s jazz-soul) and "Superfucker," stood out.

Their next US shows are August 17 at the Avalon in Hollywood, CA and September 17 at the Austin City Limits festival. They'll also be among the many bands aboard Jam Cruise 5, which leaves from Fort Lauderdale on January 2.

This review's also available at HighTimes.com

MANU CHAO (TOP) & JULIO BRICENO (BOTTOM) PHOTOS BY DAWNJA

Bonghitters snap losing streak

2006-08-04T13:47:00.000-04:00

High Times' softball stoners, the Bonghitters, improved their 2006 record to 7-4 with a 12-5 victory over DC Comics last night in Central Park. The Bonghitters ended a 4-game losing streak in defeating DC for the 7th consecutive time.

In the midst of a sweltering heat wave, New York's utility company Con Edison yesterday ordered businesses to turn off air conditioning and in many cases close buildings. High Times followed instructions, and the Bonghitters waited in the office until it was time to head up to Central Park. A sudden shower just before gametime cooled things down considerably and also dampened the dusty field.

DC grabbed a 4-2 lead, but the Bonghitters came back with 2 runs in the 3rd to tie the game. The Bonghitters forged ahead on RBI hits by Danny Danko and Craig Coffey in the 4th, and added 5 more runs in the 5th. Rick Reta (6-2) got the win.

Check out the feature about the Bonghitters on page 60 of the upcoming October issue of High Times.

The Bonghitters' next game is on August 9 against Trader Monthly.

Herbal Nation's "We Love the Herb" named GMMA Song of the Year

2006-08-02T15:39:00.000-04:00

You take a seed, you plant it, you grow it, you dry it, you roll it, you smoke it and it goes down smooth.

That little cannabis chorus, combined with pulsating funk rhythms and James Brown-style horns, lifted "We Love the Herb" by Providence's Herbal Nation to new heights as it was named Song of the Year by the Global Marijuana Music Awards, based in Australia.

I'm a longtime fan of the band and the song, which has been reviewed several times in High Times over the years. As a GMMA jury voter, I excitedly gave it the most points on my Song of the Year scorecard. My other favorites were "Chillies & Tomatoes" by Texas Belairs and "Love to Smoke" by the Individuals.

Here's the complete list of winners:

Song of the Year
"We Love the Herb" - Herbal Nation

Album of the Year
Herbal Nation - Herbal Nation

Best Rap Song
"Heaven for a Cheefa" - The Individuals

Best Country Song
"Chillies & Tomatoes" - Texas Belairs

Best Reggae Song
"African Herbsman" - Superdude

Best Rock Song
"Pothead Punk" - Superdude

Best Pop Song
"Cannabis" - Assi Rose

Best Blues Song
"I Thought You Knew" - The Individuals

Best Experimental Song
"Ever Been to Amsterdam?" - Jet Baker

Best Comedy Song
"100 Cone Billy" - Herb Superb

Best Video
"A + B = X" - Los Guys

Best Poetry
"Mr. Zag" - Paul Bullock

HERBAL NATION PHOTO COURTESY OF HERB-N-FUNK.COM

Beat the heat at a cool Met bar in New York

2006-08-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

For my latest column in Our Town/Downtown (7/31 issue, available free in sidewalk boxes around New York), I profile Standings, a nice little Met bar on E. 7 St. in the East Village. Owner Gary Gillis is a former Red Sox fan turned Met fan. The bar caters to both. Its large microbrew draft selection is the perfect antidote to the 100-degree weather New York is experiencing this week. The column is posted below.

Meanwhile, I was surprised to find out that I'm listed on the Bad Mets website as one of their 43 "famous fans." This company includes Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Paul Simon, Jon Stewart, Julia Stiles and Yo La Tengo, who named themselves after a saying ("I've got it!") the original 1962 Mets came up with to help white players understand Latin players. Of course, it didn't work. That team lost 120 games.

My entry reads: "Heavenly smooth like the cut of Pete Flynn's grass, Bloom's editorial skills turn his peers green with envy. Bloom recently resigned as the Editor for High Times magazine, but, I believe, is still the manager of the High Times softball team The Bonghitters, unarguably the greatest softball team in New York City history."

Despite the Mets' banner year so far, the site concentrates on Met low points, with polls to vote for the worst Met at every position.

Here's my "Worst Met Team Ever":

1B - Mo Vaughn
2B - Roberto Alomar
SS - Kaz Matsui
3B - Bobby Bonilla
LF - Vince Coleman
CF - Juan Samuel
RF - Roger Cedeno
C - Jason Phillips
Starter - Jose Lima
Reliever - Armando Benitez
Manager - Art Howe

Here's the column:

Standings by Your Team

A little brewpub in the East Village with a heart of blue and orange.

BY STEVE BLOOM

In a recent poll, Quinnipiac University asked New York sports fans which baseball team they preferred, the Yankees or the Mets. The results were not surprising: 49% favored the Yankees, 42% the Mets.

New York has long been a Yankee town, for several reasons. The Yankees have been playing in the Bronx since 1923 and have won 26 World Series, the last one against the Mets in 2000. The Mets have been playing in Queens since 1964 and have won two World Series, the last one against the Red Sox 20 years ago. So it stands to reason – even though the Mets are running away with the NL East - that the Yankees would have more support than the Mets.

With that in mind, I went searching for a bar to watch a Met game at with fans wearing light-blue and orange caps, not the familiar white “NY” on navy blue. A little joint on E. 7 St was recommended. Standings stands where Brewski’s once was. Gary Gillis took over the place in June of 2005. Seven screens decorate the walls and there are 12 beers (10 microbrews like Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat and Rogue Imperial IPA) on tap.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Gillis grew up a Red Sox fan. “It was too traumatic,” he says, explaining that he dropped out of baseball for 10 years before moving to New York and adopting the Mets in 1987. “I couldn’t adopt the Yankees.”

A CPA, Gillis owns a piece of Harrison’s Tavern on the Upper West Side. Then he opened Standings – named after that most basic of sports stats – with an eye on catering to Red Sox as well as Met fans. “They have a lot in common,” he says. “They both hate the Yankees.”

Gillis describes Standings as “a sports bar that serves really good beer. Too many sport bars are content to just serve Coors Light.” He’s got a point. I start with Blue Point, then shift to Blueberry Wheat, which makes you feel like you’re in Maine. It has a lovely aroma.

The Met game happens to be on. It’s Saturday and yet another rain-delayed contest is heading into the final inning. Can Met closer Billy Wagner hold the 4-3 lead over the Astros to give the Mets a three-game winning streak and an amazin’ 13-game lead over the Braves or Phillies? He strikes out the first two batters with blazing 99-mph fastballs, then allows a single. Wagner gets the next batter to ground out into a game-ending force play. Gillis and I high-five. He announces that the Mets’ “magic number” – the number of wins and losses combined that will add up to the Mets winning the division – is 53. He may be the only person who’s figured that out.

Every Friday night at 8 pm, Standings springs for free slices courtesy of the Pizza Café. August 10 is “Tribute to Colorado Night,” featuring Flying Dog and Dale’s drafts, free burgers and the Rockies on TV. Even better, on August 16, the Met fan that sings the best rendition of “Meet the Mets” will win $100. The Blue Point Festival on August 23 will offer four different drafts from the tasty Long Island brewery, plus free hero sandwiches.

While the Mets cruise along to their division title, the Yankees are in a pitched battle with the Bosox for first place. The arch rivals’ 5-game series from August 18-21 promises to crowd the smallish bar, which can squeeze in as many as 90 patrons.

Gillis points to a stained Red Sox banner on the wall. He says one night a drunken Yankee fan pulled it down, stomped on it and doused it with beer. “It’s all pretty friendly,” the bar owner/Met fan smiles.

Standings is located at 43 E. 7 St.

DAVID WRIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF DEADSPIN.COM/ STANDINGS PHOTO COURTESY OF GRIDSKIPPER.COM

More on Mel Gibson

2006-08-01T13:53:00.000-04:00

Bad Max is getting a taste of his own medicine. The anti-Semetic actor who unleashed a tirade of hate directed at Jews when he was arrested Friday morning in Malibu for drunk driving has already lost one major gig.

Get this: ABC, which had had plans to co-produce a TV miniseries about the Holocaust with Mel Gibson, cancelled the collaboration, due to the actor's comments. A Holocaust miniseries? You've got to be kidding! This sounds more like a late-night Jay Leno joke.

But the joke's on Gibson, who upon being arrested, asked the officer if he was Jewish and then inexplicably remarked, "Fucking Jews. Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

“I don’t think he should be doing a film on the Holocaust,” stated Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “It would be like asking someone associated with the KKK to do a movie on the African-American experience.”

Check out TMZ.com, who broke this story, and today's report in the Wall Street Journal.

MEL GIBSON BOOKING PHOTO COURTESY OF TMZ.COM

Mets deal Nady, Yanks get Abreu

2006-08-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

Xavier, we hardly knew ye. The former Padre is now a former Met. Yesterday, as the interleague trading deadline drew near, Mets' GM Omar Minaya dealt the slow-footed slugger to the Pirates for two pitchers. The move was hastened by a surprise injury to bullpen set-up man Duaner Sanchez, who separated his throwing shoulder in a cab accident in Miami on Sunday night. It was the first real blow to the Mets' juggernaut so far this season.

In return for Nady (.264, 14 HR, 40 RBI), the Mets received righthanded reliever Roberto Henandez, who pitched for them last year, and lefty starter Oliver Perez. Hopefully for the Mets, Hernandez (0-3, 2.93) can successfully plug the hole left by Sanchez (5-1, 2.60), who may be out for the season. Perez (2-10, 6.63) was sent to the minors, while rookie phenom Lastings Milledge was recalled; he'll platoon with Endy Chavez in RF.

Nady, acquired for Mike Cameron last winter, proved to be a streaky hitter at best with a shakey glove. The combination of Milledge and Chavez will add speed to the outfield and lineup. But can Hernandez and Aaron Heilman fill in respectably for Sanchez?

Meanwhile, over in the Bronx, the Yankees made a typical move with the trade for Phillies' RF Bobby Abreu and starter Cory Lidle. They gave up 4 prospects of medium standng and assumed lots of contract debt (Abreu will earn $15 million next season). Only the Yankees could get so much for so little. Abreu, whose stats have fallen off this year (he has just 8 HRs), will play RF until Gary Sheffield returns. Lidle is scheduled to be the team's 5th starter, a position recently manned by Sidney Ponson.

The Mets (63-41), fresh off their weekend sweep of the Braves in Atlanta, open a 3-game series against Florida in Miami tonight with Mike Pelfry (2-1) on the mound. They're 14 games ahead of the Phillies. The Yanks (61-41) trail Boston by 1 game in the AL East. They kick off a 3-game series against the Blue Jays tonight at Yankees Stadium.

Other trades of note:

• Cubs' P Greg Maddux for Dodgers' IF Cesar Izturis
• Pirates' 1B Sean Casey for Tigers' P Brian Rogers
• Yankees' P Shawn Chacon for Pirates' OF Craig Wilson
• Twins' P Kyle Lohse for Reds' P Zach Ward
• Phillies' P Real Cormier for Reds' P Justin Germano
• Pirates' P Kip Wells for Rangers' P Jesse Chavez
• Devil Rays' IF Julio Lugo for Dodgers' prospects Joel Guzman & Sergio Pedroza
• Royals P Jeremy Affeldt & P Denny Bautista for Rockies' IF Ryan Shealy & P Scott Dohmann
• Rangers' P Joselo Diaz for Royals' IF Matt Stairs
• Braves' P Jorge Sosa for Cards' P Rich Scalamandre
• Cubs' IF Todd Walker for Padres' P Jose Ceda

XAVIER NADY PHOTO (LEFT) COURTESY OF CANTSTOPBLEEDING.COM; ROBERTO HERNANDEZ PHOTO (RIGHT) BY RICH PILLING/GETTY IMAGES

Boycott Mel Gibson!

2006-07-31T15:36:00.000-04:00

Mad Max is an anti-Semite. If this wasn't clear with his negative portrayal of Jews in The Passion of the Christ, it came to the surface when Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving last Friday night. For some ridiculous and hateful reason, Gibson asked the arresting officer if he was Jewish and then stated, "Fucking Jews. Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." In addition, he cursed one cop ("You motherfucker. I'm going to fuck you.") and referred to a female officer as "sugar tits."

Of course, Gibson has profusely apologized for his intolerable outburst. But it's too late for him. Hollywood - which happens to be populated by many people of the Jewish persuasion - is rallying together to "shun" Gibson.

In the Huffington Post, Endeavor superagent Ari Emanuel wrote: "...alcoholism does not excuse racism and anti-Semitism. It is one thing when marginal figures with no credibility make anti-Semitic statements. It is a completely different thing when a figure of Mel Gibson's stature does so... At a time of escalating tensions in the world, the entertainment industry cannot idly stand by and allow Mel Gibson to get away with such tragically inflammatory statements... People in the entertainment community, whether Jew or gentile, need to demonstrate that they understand how much is at stake in this by professionally shunning Mel Gibson and refusing to work with him, even if it means a sacrifice to their bottom line. There are times in history when standing up against bigotry and racism is more important than money."

Gibson, who began his career starring in such quality Australian films as the Mad Max trilogy, Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously, has veered off the track over the years, despite the success of the Lethal Weapon series, his violent Oscar winner Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ, both of which he directed. His next film, Apocalypto, is about the Mayan empire.

I agree with Emanuel. The entertainment industry should not support future projects associated with Bad Max.

MEL GIBSON PHOTO COURTESY OF DEADLINEHOLLYWOODDAILY.COM

My latest movie reviews: 'Little Miss Sunshine' & 'Once in a Lifetime'

2006-07-28T23:03:00.000-04:00

My latest movie reviews appear in The L Magazine and Our Town/Downtown. I didn't care for the slapstick family comedy Little Miss Sunshine, which opened on Wednesday, but I do like Once in a Lifetime, a documentary about the New York Cosmos, currently showing at the Angelika Film Center in New York.

Click here for my review of Little Miss Sunshine.

My review (reprinted below) of Once in a Lifetime is in the July 24 issue of Our Towm/Downtown, which can be found in black sidewalk boxes around Manhattan. It's free of charge.

Soccer Dreams

A doc about the New York Cosmos recalls America’s first flirtation with the world’s favorite sport.

Everyone knows the ’70s was the true golden age of American cinema. Read Peter Biskind’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls if you don’t believe me. So it stands to reason that any movie set in the ’70s is worth checking out.

What was so special about the ’70s? Well, of course, it came right after the ’60s. America was brimming with hope and excitement following the Vietnam War. All sorts of rights issues – women’s, gay, civil – were at the forefront. The environment and no-nukes took precedence. A standing president was impeached and resigned. Sex, drugs and rock & roll spun their infectious web of promiscuity. Hot pants, roller skates and disco. Funk, soul and afros. Why, the decade was so cool, VH-1 now has a sequel to its popular I Love the ’70s variety series.

I went to college in the ’70s. I traveled around the country when people still hitchhiked. I lived in San Francisco for a year. I carried a boom box. I wore loud Quiana print shirts. I smoked pot and snorted coke. It was a fun time to be an American.

In the New York sports world, the Mets went to the World Series in ’73, the same year the Knicks won their second NBA championship. The Yankees, led by Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson, became a powerhouse again by the end of the decade. And then there was the New York Cosmos.

I watched the Cosmos out of the corner of my eye. They were the brash, international soccer team led by the Brazilian star, Pele. The Cosmos’ brief run of success from 1975 to 1984 is chronicled in the new documentary, Once in a Lifetime, now showing at the Angelika Film Center. This is no puff piece. Directors Paul Crowder and John Dower celebrate and expose Warner Communications’ grand plan to bring soccer to the notoriously uninterested American sports fan. It almost worked.

Starting out as a semi-pro club that played on a choppy Randall’s Island field, the Cosmos’ original fan base was less than a thousand diehards. But thanks to Warner’s corporate deep pockets, the Cosmos (or Cosmopolitans, named after the Mets’ Metropolitans) would become a fleeting phenomenon in a decade known for fads.

Once Pele came out of retirement to spark both the Cosmos and the nascent North American Soccer League, and the Cosmos moved to Giant Stadium in 1977, the US soccer boom flowered. The team recruited other international stars – Italy’s Giorgio Chinaglia, Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, Brazil’s Carlos Alberto. Money was no object. At one point, there were 14 different nationalities on the Cosmos’ roster. Soon, 80,000 fans were packing the stadium, tailgating like it was a Giants game.

The era is captured with fuzzy clips and many interviews, from Cosmos boosters Neshui and Ahmet Ertegun (the Turkish founders of Atlantic Records) to former players (Chinaglia, Shep Messing, Randy Horton) to soccer pundits (David Hirshey, Phil Mushnick, Lawrie Mifflin). Pele, dribbling like a sleight-of-foot magician, scores his share of goals. Life with the Cosmos, the doc maintains, was nothin’ but a party

Chinaglia takes center stage as the team’s bad guy and perhaps the ultimate cause of its inevitable downfall. He battled with Pele and won support of the higher ups. After Pele’s final retirement in 1977, Chinaglia and his cronies won control of the team, which is described as the lunatics taking over the asylum.

In actuality, the Cosmos only got better under Chinaglia’s leadership, winning the NASL title five times. Mindless expansion (to 24 teams) and dilution of the product drove the league to ruin. Within months in 1984, the Cosmos dissolved and the NASL disbanded. What began with so much promise ended swiftly and suddenly.

What did the Cosmos accomplish? According to the film, the US has become a regular competitor in the World Cup. Today, all across American, soccer moms in minivans escort their kids to games. There’s the Major Soccer League (MSL). But really, soccer came and went in the national consciousness like a phantom. Just like the ’70s.

PHOTOS: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE CAST (TOP) & PELE (BOTTOM)

Kottonmouth Kings @ Avalon

2006-07-26T12:11:00.000-04:00

There is no band today that's more obsessively pro-pot than California's Kottonmouth Kings. Cypress Hill, you say? Sure, they started the blunt-smoking, weed-happy trend in hip-hop, but they've slowed down a bit over the last few years - less new music and touring. Meanwhile, the KMKs keep surging ahead, with a full head of cannabis smoke. They're currently touring to promote their latest album, Koast II Koast, and on Monday made a stop at New York's Avalon (formerly the Limelight).

Despite a gimpy leg, band leader Brad Daddy X took the stage with the 6 other members of the KMKs crew - rappers Johnny Richter and D-Loc, DJ Bobby B, drummer Lou Dog, and performance artists Pakelika and Tax Man - and worked the rapt crowd for nearly 2 hours. KMKs mix hardcore punk and hip-hop to great effect. Mosh-pit slamdancing and crowd-surfing carried on throughout the set, with a surprising number of women joining in.

After "Bump" and "One Life to Live," the KMKs launched into a series of herb-drenched tunes, starting with "So High" and followed by their latest single, "Where's the Weed At?" On-stage accoutrements included a working vaporizer, a plastic pot plant and a huge smoking joint (not real pot inside). On several occasions, the band shouted-out to the numerous High Times staffers in the house and also announced their upcoming headline engagement at November's Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam (it will be their 3rd appearance). "A hundred strains in 3 days!" Daddy X exhorted. "And 500 beers!" Very appropriate for a band known to sing about being "Bong Toking Alcoholics."

Afterwards on the band bus, we puffed with Pak and Richter while others went out searching for food. Pak told us the KMKs are popular in Japan. "We always have the best weed when we're there," Pak boasted. Who knew?

The KMKs' Flyin' High Koast II Koast tour, including Suburban Noize labelmates Hed PE, Potluck and SubNoize Souljaz, runs through August 26. Tonight's show is at Boston's Avalon Ballroom. Check 'em out, stoners!

This review is also available at HighTimes.com

D-LOC PHOTO BY JENIFER ZIMMERMAN

I'm on the latest 'Chris Fabricant Show'

2006-07-25T14:29:00.000-04:00

Author/lawyer Chris Fabricant recently interviewed me for his podcast radio program, The Chris Fabricant Show, which is available on iTunes.

Chris is the author of Busted! Drug War Survial Skills, From the Buy to the Bust to Begging for Mercy. He's a criminal defense lawyer who works in the Bronx and lives in Brooklyn. He records the show with the help of BrightRED Pictures at his home studio in Crown Heights.

My interview on his July 7 podcast begins around the 25th minute and runs 20 minutes. Check it out!

Bonds turns 42, Mets up by 12 & 1/2

2006-07-24T16:00:00.000-04:00

Baseball's a game of inches and numbers. Today's numbers are 42 and 12.5. On this day in sports, aging controversial slugger Barry Bonds turns 42. He currently has 722 HRs (he hit his last one on Thursday against the Padres), 14 for the season. He's 11 HRs away from the all-time National League record of 733. Hank Aaron's 755 total was accomplished in the NL with the Braves and in the AL with the Brewers (where he ended his career).

Bonds is hitting a respectable .255 with 44 RBI and an amazing 83 walks. Despite his diminishing numbers, teams still would rather not pitch to him with runners on base. The Giants are just .5 games out of first place (behind the Padres).

Last week, my brother Barry Bloom reported that Bonds plans to play in 2007.

Now for a few words about the Mets:
The Mets have such a large lead in the NL East - 12.5 games over the Braves - that they only have to worry about losing momentum and allowing the Braves or Phillies an opportunity to crawl back into the race. This doesn't look likely. The Mets have won 6 out of 9 games since the All-Star break. Except for Pedro Martinez, the team is healthy - and Martinez is due to pitch this weekend in Atlanta against the Braves.

I doubt they'll make a major trade before the July 31 deadline. Dontrelle Willis is not available and with recent quality outings from 4th and 5th starters ("El Duque" Hernandez, Mike Peltry, John Maine), there seems to be no reason to mess with the Mets' chemistry at this point.

Are Met fans cocky? Sure, why not? Barring major injuries to David Wright, Carlos Beltran or Jose Reyes, the Mets will finish in 1st place by at least 8 games with 100 wins. Mark my words.

Brewskee-Ball mania!

2006-07-23T14:34:00.000-04:00

The following article was published in the July 17 issue of Our Town/Downtown.

High on Skee-ball

The good times roll in the East Village.

BY STEVE BLOOM

The Sunday afternoon clientele at Ace Bar deep in the East Village is not what you might expect. At 5 pm, Brewskee-Ball action begins with three-player teams facing off against each other.

Brewskee-Ball? The “Brew” part is pretty self-explanatory, since the action takes place in a typical dark bar. But the “Skee-Ball” part is the novelty.

Eric Harris Pavony and Evan Tobias are Skee-Ball-aholics. They love playing the old bowling-style arcade game (it debuted in 1909) so much that last summer the duo bought two used machines and convinced Ace Bar to install them at a buck per nine wooden balls.

But these holy rollers of Skee-Ball had a bigger idea: a league, consisting of 32 teams, competing twice a week (also on Wednesdays) for the ultimate bragging rights of the best Skee-Ball team in New York. This is their third “skeeson.” The top team will be decided August 27 on “Championship Sunday.”

An old hand at Skee-Ball myself, I’ve been known to roll a 300-point game or two. (You aim for the 30-, 40- and 50-point holes.) But watching the match between the league’s top two teams – Skee Amigos and Caucasian Asian Invasion – I’m not so sure I’m ready to pony up crisp dollar bills to take on these Skee-Ball hustlers, who regularly notch 300 scores with beer bottles in their back pockets.

As I play a few practice games, Pavony – the league’s grand poobah – offers a few tips. “You’re moving too much,” he advises. “No extra body movement. Nothing else should move except your arm.”

Then I nail a 300. Not bad. Put me in, coach!

Not on this Sunday. The teams have all arrived with their requisite players, many of who are female. In fact, the bar is crowded with athletic, but not jocky-looking women.

“The league is 60% women,” Pavony boasts. “Unlike competitive pool and even darts, women can challenge guys in Skee-Ball.”

His Skee Amigos’ teammate, Lindsay, is a good example. She averages 250 points per game. (To simplify scoring, the zero is deleted – 250 is scored as 25.) “Women keep it from getting too competitive,” she says. “It’s fun. I only miss getting the little tickets.”

She’s referring to the red tickets that spool out of Skee-Ball machines in places like Coney Island. Play for a few hours and you can redeem the tickets for a cotton-candy goat – or a back scratcher. Something you can take home, a prize for all the hard work and concentration.

Pavony cut his Skee-Ball teeth at Chucky Cheese birthday parties. “I was into being the best,” he recalls. “It’s perceived as a childhood game, but it’s actually quite a skill.”

Pavony proves this point frame after frame (each Brewskee-Ball game consists of 10 frames, like bowling). When it’s his turn, he aims for the 50-point hole, rather than the easier 40-point pocket just below it. One frame his total is an outstanding 410.

But “The Hundo Kid” – a chunky six-foot dude wearing a Met cap – tops Pavony’s feat with three straight frames of 490, 540 and 450 (you get a free game when you hit 400). What’s his secret? Hundo strictly targets the two 100-point holes in the upper corners.

“One day I was having a bad game,” he explains. “So I went for 100 on my two last balls and hit them both. Now I’m a one-trick pony. But it’s a pretty good trick.”

As for me, I’m ready to assemble a team for the fourth Brewskee-Ball skeeson starting in September. I’m thinking of calling it Live Skee or Die.

Ace Bar is located at 531 E. 5 St.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BREWSKEE-BALL. TOP: STEVE OF THE SKEE-LO'S & SARAH OF UNHOLY SKEES AS "THE HUNDO KID" LOOKS ON; MIDDLE: EVAN TOBIAS & ERIC PAVONY HARRIS; BOTTOM: JANET OF SKEE'S COMPANY AMID GENERAL FRIVOLITY AT ACE BAR

Woo hoo! 'Clerks II'

2006-07-21T21:39:00.000-04:00

Box-office news flash!
Clerks II placed fourth behind Pirates of the Caribbean, Monster House and Lady in the Water this weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, "Clerks II served up an estimated $9.6 million at 2,150 locations, a decent start by the raunchy workplace comedy's low budget standards. Writer-director-actor Kevin Smith's brand has not grown beyond a small niche in the years since the first Clerks' modest release in 1994, despite media hype that's been proportionally much higher than the $20 million to $30 million his pictures tend to eke out of theaters."

Here now, my review:
Only the depraved mind of Kevin Smith - and perhaps the Farelly brothers - could concoct a movie as crude and fun as Clerks II, which opened this weekend. Twelve years after Smith's debut, the original Clerks, he's assembled the same cast of Jersey schmoes, dorks and stoners for an update that finds them working at a fast-food restaurant (because their beloved Quick Stop convenience store burns down in the opening scene).

Both films are essentially double-buddy movies focusing on the inane lives of "clerks" Randall (Jeff Anderson) and Dante (Brian O'Hallaron), and pot dealers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), who do their business outside the store. Not much has changed over the years, except for the store location and the age-factor. Dante's engaged and planning to move to Florida, leaving the forlorn Randall behind. But Dante's also involved with Mooby's manager, Becky (Rosario Dawson). When he finds out she's pregnant, his plans eventually go up in smoke.

With his non-stop clueless wisecracks, Anderson steals the movie. O'Halloran, in the unenviable straight-man dramatic role, isn't a good enough actor to pull it off. Pairing him with the sexy Dawson doesn't help; they're not a believeable couple. Predictably, the geek chorus of Jay and Silent Bob provides some of the film's lower moments (Mewes goes frontal and bears his butt). And then there's the donkey-sex scene that needs no further explanation.

I expected to dislike Clerks II, but came away realizing it's a smart career-move for Smith, who faltered in 2004 with Jersey Girl. Clerks II may be dopey, but it has a heart of gold.

PHOTOS: (TOP) JEFF ANDERSON & BRIAN O'HALLORAN; (BOTTOM) JASON MEWES & KEVIN SMITH

Grace notes in Central Park

2006-07-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

Umphrey's McGee and Galactic might have been the co-headliners for last night's concert in New York's Central Park as part of the Summerstage series, but I was principally there to see opener, Vermont's Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, one of my favorite new bands. Despite playing a brief half-hour set, those who arrived by 6 pm caught one of the finest voices to appear on the music scene in many years.

Like Susan Tedeschi and Shannon McNally, Potter channels the great growly female blues-rock predecessors, Bonnie Rait and Janis Joplin. On the title track of the Nocturnals' second and latest album, Nothing But the Water, Potter climbed octaves like an opera singer. But, comping away at her B-3 organ, she oozed pure soul. Accompanied by Scott Tournet on guitar, Bryan Dondero on bass and the heavily-sideburned Matthew Burr on drums, Potter adeptly shifted gears and instruments (she also plays slide guitar). Besides the miniscule set, the only disappointment was that the Nocturnals didn't dig more into the material from the new album.

In the 50-minute second slot, New Orleans-based funksters Galactic offered jazzy versions of "Manic Depression" and "When the Levee Breaks." Chicago's Umphrey's McGee finished off the concert with a nearly two-hour set, showing off their precision playing that often veers into prog-rock territory. Though they lack a powerful frontman like Trey Anastasio, Umphrey's are top-notch Phish-style jammers. Oh, and by the way, they covered "Won't Get Fooled Again."

GRACE POTTER PHOTO BY DON15

Steve Wishnia's review of 'Burning Rainbow Farm'

2006-07-19T18:49:00.000-04:00

My longtime High Times colleague, former senior editor Steve Wishnia, has reviewed a book - Dean Kuipers' Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke - that's very close to his heart. From 1996 to 2000, Steve attended many events at Michigan's Rainbow Farm, which had a close association with High Times. Sadly, state official targeted the 34-acre property owned by Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm, harassing festival attendees and in May 2001, raiding it for tax evasion and pot cultivation. Several months later, in a armed showdown with the authorites, Crosslin and Rohm were viciously gunned down.

"I connected to it immediately when I went to Hemp Aid in 1999," Wishnia writes in his review at inthesetimes.com. "Coming from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, I recognized a fellow low-rent counterculture community, a blessed find when my own was being crushed by a ruthless real-estate market and paramilitary evictions. Marijuana was central, but passing the spliff was often more about bonding than intoxication. Being able to burn one openly was liberating [especially coming from Rudy Giuliani’s New York, which led the nation in petty pot busts], but once you left the gates, the descending paranoia was palpable."

Check out Steve's review and buy Kuipers' book.

PHOTO CAPTION: TOM CROSSLIN & ROLLIE ROHM

Oliver Stone: 'I like ayahuasca'

2006-07-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

Thrice-busted for marijuana and hash director Oliver Stone extols the virtues of hallucinogens in the latest issue of GQ. "I like ayahuasca. And I liked LSD, and I liked peyote," he tells reporter Chris Heath.

Ayahuasca, a natural psychedelic, is prepared by shaman's in South America's Amazon region. Peyote, derived from cactus, was imfamously used by Jim Morrison in Stone's biopic, The Doors.

According to yesterday's coverage in the New York Daily News' Rush & Molloy gossip section, "Guests this weekend at the Park Regency hotel may have been surprised to sniff some funny-smelling smoke drifting around director Oliver Stone's suite, but they shouldn't have been...The director of Platoon and JFK thinks tripping is so beneficial, he once spiked his father's wine with acid."

Stone's next movie, World Trade Center, is set for release on August 9.

Bonghitters lose close one

2006-07-18T00:42:00.000-04:00

In a nailbiter, WNYC edged the Bonghitters, 6-5, on Monday night in Central Park. The Bonghitters took an early 5-0 lead, but saw it quickly evaporate as WNYC - New York's public-radio station - tied the game in the 3rd on a homerun. Both teams went scoreless until the bottom of the 7th, when WNYC knocked in the winning run with two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd. On-air host Brian Lehrer, who singled to lead off the inning, scored the run.

With the victory, WNYC snapped a 4-game losing streak to the Bonghitters, who beat them 9-2 on June 1. Since the two teams started playing each other in 2003, the Bonghitters are 7-2. Virtually every game has been low-scoring and hard fought. A rubber match - to decide who wins the season series - will be played on Aug. 28.

The 6-4 Bonghitters don't play again until Aug. 3 - a rematch against DC Comics, who they defeated, 17-12, on June 22.

PHOTO BY STREBS

Interview with former Knick, Art Heyman

2006-07-17T12:50:00.000-04:00

Our Town/Downtown featured my "Q&A" interview with Art Heyman, who played two seasons for the Knicks in the early '60s and now owns Tracy J's Watering Hole on E. 19 St. between Park Ave. and Irving Place in Manhattan.

Downtown Q &A

ART HEYMAN
FORMER KNICK

You can’t miss Art Heyman when you walk into his bar, Tracy J’s Watering Hole, off of Park Ave. If it’s during the day, he’s probably sitting at the window looking out on 19 St., reading the sports pages. Forty-one years ago Heyman played for the Knicks, one of the few Jews to ever suit up in an NBA uniform. A star at Duke, he was the Knicks’ No. 1 draft pick in 1963. Heyman made the all-rookie team, averaging more than 15 points per game. But in his second season, he clashed with the coach and was soon dispatched to San Francisco. Heyman ended his basketball career in the ABA, winning a championship with the Pittsburgh Pipers in 1968. After his playing days were over, he went to law school and became a restaurateur. The 65-year-old Heyman opened the sports/karaoke bar’s Tracy J’s in 1996.

Who is Tracy J?
My ex-wife’s daughter.

What kind of clientele do you have?
We have karaoke on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Plus, all the Duke kids come in for basketball. We do a lot of business with basketball, baseball and football.

What about the Knick crowd?
Where? It’s not that much. It’s basically more of a college crowd.

You’ve known ex-Knick coach Larry Brown for more than 50 years. You both grew up on Long Island and played against each other in college and the pros. What kind of player was he?
Larry was a great point guard.

What’s the story about you and him getting into a fight during a game in 1961 when he was at the University of North Carolina and you were at Duke?
With about seven seconds to go, he drove for the basket and I fouled him hard. He threw the ball at me and started swinging, and I cold-cocked him. I also hit Donnie Walsh [current president of the Indiana Pacers]. All three of us were suspended. It cost Duke the national championship because we had the best team in the country.

Have you stayed in touch with Larry over the years?
Off and on. He played for New Orleans and I played for the Pittsburgh in the ABA. We beat them to win the championship.

What’s your take on Larry’s short-lived run as coach of the Knicks?
I was the only one who said it was a bad fit. I know Larry as well as anybody. That wasn’t his kind of team. And he couldn’t change it. With his egomaniacal mind, and Isiah Thomas’s and Jim Dolan’s, I knew it was going to be a bad fit. I was 100% right.

You weren’t surprised how bad the Knicks were in the 2005-2006 season?
No, not at all. It’s Larry’s way. For Larry to be happy he has to be unhappy, so he makes an unhappy situation. That’s his whole life.

What did you think of the Knicks letting him go?
It was his own doing. He went behind the boss’ back with trades. He completely demeaned his players in the papers. Stephon Marbury, Stevie Francis, Jalen Rose, all of them – and he wanted these players.

Why would he demean them when he wanted them?
Because he was getting a little crazy. New York is his hometown and they’re getting the shit kicked out of them and he has to have a reason why. It’s couldn’t be him.

You don’t think if he stuck around, he might have been able to…
No, no way. Nooo way. When your 66 years old, you have all the money in the world and you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re not going to change. You’re going to change for a 25-year-old kid? No way. Not Larry. He doesn’t conform. In professional basketball, you have to conform to the players.

What do you make of Isiah’s chances to improve the Knicks?
Isiah’s going to turn this around – and I’m not a big fan of his.

What do you think of the Knicks’ squad as it stands now?
With Larry leaving, these guys are going to come into camp in shape to show Larry Brown that he was 100% wrong. Marbury, Francis, Channing Frye and David Lee – you’ve got a good team there. If a guy has a bad game, you can’t sit him for three weeks. You get your rotation and you play. The division they’re in is not the greatest division, so they should do well.

What kind of turnaround are you predicting?
I think they’ll be 41-41 and they’ll make the playoffs. Let them run like Phoenix.

What happened during your second season with the Knicks?
I just didn’t care anymore. I had the ability, but I never had the right attitude. The worst thing that ever happened to me was being drafted by the Knicks. They thought I was the savior and I was wasn’t. I wasn’t 6’-10 and black. Back then you had to be Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlin.

Why did you stop caring?
In college, everybody worked together. In the pros, it was so individualistic. I couldn’t cope with it. I didn’t compromise. I cared in college, I cared my first year in the pros and I cared in the ABA. Every time I cared, I played well. I was my own worst enemy.

Why are there so few Jewish athletes in professional sports?
African-American kids want to get out of the ghetto through sports. Jewish kids have it too easy. Their parents don’t push them into sports, they push them into education. I just had the drive.

You’re in the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. What comes with that honor?
A plaque and I get a dozen bagels every year – without cream cheese.

Postscript: In the 2006-2007 season the Knicks improved by 10 games to 33-49. However, unlike Heyman predicted, they didn't make the playoffs.

DUKE PHOTO COURTESY OF ART HEYMAN; KNICK PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH SPORTS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM

My review of 'You, Me and Dupree' in L Magazine

2006-07-17T00:12:00.000-04:00

Owen Wilson (Dupree), Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon and Michael Douglas can't heat up this lukewarm comedy directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Read my review of You, Me and Dupree in New York's bi-weekly arts & entertainment guide, The L Magazine.

According to Box Office Mojo, since opening on Friday, "You, Me and Dupree scrounged up an estimated $21.3 million at 3,131 venues. In distributor Universal Pictures' research, the $54 million comedy skewed female [58%] and under 30 [58%], while the 'humor' was the top reason people selected for seeing the picture, with star Owen Wilson ranking second and co-star Kate Hudson third."

What do you think of You, Me and Dupree? Post a comment if you've already seen it.

High on Gnarls Barkley

2006-07-16T00:33:00.000-04:00

Gnarls Barkley - the genius collaboration between rapper/singer Cee-Lo and DJ Danger Mouse - has already yielded a #2 Billboard charting single ("Crazy") and a Top 5 album (St. Elsewhere). The band's latest tour takes them through San Francisco (The Fillmore, July 18-19), Chicago (Lollapalooza, Aug. 5) and New York (Central Park Summerstage, Aug. 17). MySpace friends may be familiar with the Cheech (Cee-Lo) & Chong (Danger Mouse) parody photo (at right) that rotates on their MySpace page. Gnarls Barkley are one of the leftfield hits of the year. Check them out!

Ratdog Incident @ Radio City

2006-07-15T09:38:00.000-04:00

Many treats were in store for lucky ticketholders of last night's String Cheese Incident-Ratdog twinbill at Radio City Music Hall. Both bands performed 2-hour sets and closed off each respective set with a special finale.

The meeting of Bob Weir's Grateful Dead music and the upbeat, lithe jams of Colorado's String Cheese Incident has already been one of the summer-tour season's high points. Each night as the bands have zigzagged around the country, they've switched off headlining responsibilities. Last night, Ratdog were the opener, which seemed the better of the two configurations. Unfortunately, some Ratdog fans left early and missed the closing collaboration.

Unaware that Ratdog hit the stage at 7 pm, I arrived late. Following lengthy versions of "Sugaree" and "Throwing Stones," Ratdog were joined by the nearly ancient harmony group the Persuasions on Weir's "Liberty" and a beautiful a capella version of "Black Muddy River."

(The set began with "Casey Jones," "Minglewood Blues" > "She Belongs to Me," "Brown-Eyed Women," "Crazy Fingers," "Big Iron, "Victim or the Crime," "Uncle John's Band" > "The Other One.")

Last year, SCI ambitiously organized the Big Summer Classic, a multi-band tour that included Umphrey's McGee and Spearhead. This summer's SCI progam has been pared down to two bands, which leaves more time for longer sets by each one. Opening with "Way Back Home," "Restless Wind" and "Sometimes a Woman," SCI pinballed between world beats, funk, jazz and their most comfortable genre, bluegrass, with guitarist Michael Kang occasionally switching to mandolin and violin. After "Miss Brown's Teahouse" gave way to "Land's End," singer Bill Nershi simply stated, "This is for Syd," and the band launched into a tribute to the fallen Pink Floyd founder, Syd Barrett.

SCI's choice of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" prompted Ratdog's return, making it a full dozen players together on stage. To top it off, they finished with a hearty "I Know You Rider." This true melding of the Grateful Dead and String Cheese Incident spirits was warmly received by the appreciative crowd, which sang along ("gonna miss me when I'm gone") as the clock nearly struck midnight.

Tonight's the final SCI/Ratdog show, with SCI opening, at Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA. The next 12 dates of the SCI tour are mostly solo shows, with the exception of opener Railroad Earth on the last three.

This review is also available at TimesSquare.com

SCI PHOTO BY NATURE55

Bonghitters subdued

2006-07-14T08:47:00.000-04:00

It was the best of games, it was the worst of games. A Bonghitters' 4-0 lead quickly turned into a 12-4 rout by Business Week on their astroturf field in New York's Riverside Park last night.

The High Times softballers scored 2 runs in the 1st and 2 more in the 3rd, and were playing a near perfect game through 3 innings, allowing just 1 infield hit. But BW's lefty slugger clouted a 2-run HR high over the rightfield wall in the 4th, starting their comeback. Sun glare created problems for the Bonghitters' fielders in the 5th when BW took the lead, 6-4. A 6th-inning 6-run bat-around by BW put the game out of reach.

It was the Bonghitters' 3rd loss in a row, a rarity in High Times softball history. (The last time that happened was in 1999.) The Bonghitters split their 2006 series with Business Week, winning on April 27, 12-8.

The 6-3 Bonghitters face WNYC on Monday, August 17 in Central Park. Earlier in the season, they defeated the pesky public-radio team in a rain-shortened game, 9-2.

PHOTOS BY MARY OUGHT SIX

Guster celebrate Brooklyn!

2006-07-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

Guster's show at the Prospect Park Bandshell last night as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn! series was an uplifting affair. The quartet plays cheery pop reminiscent of the Beach Boys. Many of the highlights were tunes from their latest album, Ganging Up on the Sun, which I reviewed for Cleveland Scene.

It was the second date of their tour with Ray LaMontagne. The next two nights they're in Philadelphia (Penn's Landing) and Wallingford, CT (Chevrolet Theatre) before heading south.

Guster are singer/guitarist Adam Gardner (top left), guitarist Joe Pisapia (top right), singer/guitarist Ryan Miller (middle left) and drummer Brian Rosenworcel (middle right).

PHOTOS BY DAWNJA

Syd Barrett, Johnny Damon & David Wright

2006-07-12T12:08:00.000-04:00

Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett dead at 60

One of rock's great cult figures, Syd Barrett, passed away on July 7. Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd with Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason in 1965.

He wrote the majority of the songs (“Astronomy Domine,” "See Emily Play") on the band's first album, The Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, released in 1967. He also contributed to Pink Floyd's second album, Jugband Blues. After they toured with Jimi Hendrix, Barrett soon bowed out of the band. "Barrett's mental state began to deteriorate, most likely related to his heavy LSD intake," writes rollingstone.com.

In 1971, he told Rolling Stone: "I'm disappearing, avoiding most things. Mostly I just waste my time... I've got a very irregular head."

In his Barrett obit, New York Times' music critic Jon Pareles states: "Band members have said Mr. Barrett was unstable even before he began extensive drug use, and he developed a reputation for odd behavior. For one show, he tried to slick down his hair with a combination of Brylcreem and crushed Mandrax tranquilizer pills, which were melted by stage lights and started to ooze down his face as he played. Playing the Fillmore West on Pink Floyd’s 1967 American tour, Mr. Barrett stood staring into space and detuning the strings on his guitar. The band cut short its American tour."

Barrett recorded two solo albums in 1970, but never returned to the psychedelic band he co-founded. Much like Brian Jones, who co-founded the Rolling Stones, but left the band after several albums, Syd Barrett's place in rock history - despite his short-lived run with Pink Floyd - is secure.

SYD BARRETT PHOTO BY MICK ROCK

Damon weed

In a cover story in the new August issue of Men's Journal, Yankee CF Johnny Damon tells Bob Klapisch that marijuana is a "part of life, it's natural, it's from the earth."

Damon smoked pot as a teenager. His dad counseled him, "If you ever want to experiment with anything, let me know. He smoked a little bit, so he said, 'Just let him know. Don't have me get a call when you're in jail. If you want to skip school, that's cool, as long as you get good grades.'"

JOHNNY DAMON/420 PHOTO BY TYDUFFY9

The Wright stuff

The Met all-stars did their best to wrest World Series home advantage away from the American League in last night's AL-NL contest. David Wright, following up his stupendous performance in Monday night's Homerun Derby (he placed 2nd behind the Phillies' big bopper Ryan Howard), blasted a HR in his 1st-ever All-Star Game at-bat (the 13th player ever to accomplish that) on his first-ever All-Star Game pitch from Kenny Rogers in the 2nd inning.

CF Carlos Beltran scored the NL's other run. But that wasn't enough, as the AL came from behind with 2 runs in the 9th off of Trevor Hoffman to win, 3-2. Would Billy Wagner, had he been selected to the team, saved the game for the NL? We'll never know, of course, but what we do know is if the Mets make it to the World Series, they'll play 3 games at home instead of 4 due to the ridiculous MLB ALL-Star Game policy which awards WS home advantage to the All-Star Game victor. It should simply switch off from year to year. But you can't say the Mets didn't try to gain the advantage. Without Wright and Beltran, the NL would've been shutout.

DAVID WRIGHT PHOTO BY CHARLES KRUPA/AP

Mets take a break, sort of

2006-07-10T16:01:00.000-04:00

Met fans must be red all over from pinching themselves. It's All-Star Break, and the Mets (53-36) are atop the NL East by a dozen games. They have the best record in the NL (St. Louis is 4 games behind them) and the 4th-best record in the majors behind the Tigers (59-29), White Sox (57-31) and Red Sox (53-33).

Four Mets were voted on to the NL's starting All-Star lineup (David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Paul Lo Duca), amd two more pitchers were selected (Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez).

Injuries to Reyes and Martinez, and Glavine's decision to withdraw from the team because he pitched yesterday, reduces the Mets' on-field contingent to three. Tonight, Wright competes in the Homerun Derby. Perhaps his game-winning HR yesterday against Florida will provide the Mets' MVP candidate momentum to win the long-ball contest. Wright's numbers at the break are staggering: .316 BA, 20 HR, 74 RBI. At this rate, he'll break the Mets' all-time RBI record for one season (120 by Robin Ventura in 1999).

The news is virtually all-good for the Mets. Yes, Martinez is hobbling a little and the 5th starter situation has yet to be resolved, but rookie Mike Peltry should be fun to watch for a few starts in that role. Aaron Heilman's been off his game somewhat, but not enough to spoil the team's fortunes. Carlos Delgado and Cliff Floyd are both hitting around .250 (could do better), but Delgado has plenty of HRs and RBI. Floyd, if he stays healthy, could have a big 2nd half.

Will the Mets make a major trade before the July 31 deadline? There's still talk about them trying to acquire Dontrelle Willis. If he were available, Lastings Milledge and Pelfry might both need to be in the package for the Marlins' lefty ace and occasional slugger (see his grand slam against Jose Lima on Friday). Other pitchers' names being bandied about are Washington's Livan Hernandez and the Orioles' Rodrigo Lopez.

But for now Met fans should just sit back and enjoy the All-Game featuring a rare trio of Shea Stadium starters. An NL victory equals home advantage in the World Series, a destination the Mets have their sights firmly set on.

DAVID WRIGHT PHOTO BY ALPINEINC

'High Times' Comedy Festival coming to New York

2006-07-10T02:00:00.000-04:00

Since October, High Times Comedy Night has been featured monthly at the Hollywood Improv and more recently at the Irvine Improv. In April, the High Times Comedy Festival took place in San Francisco. High Times Comedy Night and Festival moves to New York for the first time on July 27-29 at the Gotham Comedy Club on July 27-29.

Featuring performances by some of High Times' favorite comedians:

Thursday, July 27 @ 8:30 pm

Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing)
Buddy Bolton (Late Night with Conan O'Brien)
Jon Fisch (Last Comic Standing)
Doug Benson (The Marijuana-logues, Best Week Ever)
The Greg Wilson (VH-1, E!)

Friday, July 28 @ 8:30 pm
Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing)
April Macie (Last Comic Standing)
Doug Benson (The Marijuana-logues, Best Week Ever)
The Greg Wilson (VH-1, E!)
* More performers to be announced

Friday, July 28 @ 10:30 pm
Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing)
Doug Benson (The Marijuana-logues, Best Week Ever)
Joey Gay (Last Comic Standing)
John Mulaney (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham)
The Greg Wilson (VH-1, E!)

Saturday, July 29 @ 8:00 pm
Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing)
Doug Benson (The Marijuana-logues, Best Week Ever)
Kyle Grooms (Chappelle's Show)
Tony Camin (The Marijuana-logues)
Laura Levites (Cringe Humor Show)

Saturday, July 29 @ 10:00 pm
Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing)
Doug Benson (The Marijuana-logues, Best Week Ever)
Jessica Wood (Def Comedy Jam)
The Greg Wilson (VH-1, E!)
* More performers to be announced

Saturday, July 29 @ 11:45 pm
Rob Cantrell (Last Comic Standing)
Doug Benson (The Marijuana-logues, Best Week Ever)
John Barchitta (Comedy Central)
KT Tatara (Comedy Central's Live at Gotham)
The Greg Wilson (VH-1, E!)

Call 212-367-9000 to reserve your tickets now!

What they're saying about High Times Comedy Night:
• "Top comedy pick!" - Los Angeles Times
• "Completely recommended!" - Los Angeles Weekly
• "Funny even if you aren't totally baked!" - Defamer.com
• "This is some mad funny shit, yo!" - Steve Bloom

'Entourage' enthralls

2006-07-10T00:58:00.000-04:00

Entourage's true druggy nature came to the surface in the third season's powerful fourth episode, "Crash and Burn." For his next role, Vince is torn between the "Aquaman" sequel and a Pablo Escobar biopic directed by Paul Haggis, the Academy-Award winning director and writer, who plays himself. The major film studio Vince is contracted to won't let him take the meaty starring role. "I can't risk...having my Aquaman do three hours of blow in every multiplex in the country," the studio head tells Vince.

Eric, Vince and Haggis "brainstorm" with the of help pot and liquor.

Saigon and his homies smoke bongs with Turtle.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Piven's Ari rises to new levels of lovable smarminess; whether he's lunching with Turtle and Drama at Spago, chatting with Penny Marshall in the garage, chewing out the kid next door who seeing his 14-year-old daughter or asking his wife point-blank for a blow job, Piven's hyperagent is the real soul of Entourage. He greatly deserves to win the Emmy for suppoprting actor, which he was nominated for last week.

PHOTO OF JERRY FERRARA, ADRIEN GRENIER, KEVIN CONNELLY & JEREMY PIVEN COURTESY OF HBO

Meet Mez Merai

2006-07-08T18:38:00.001-04:00

My friend Mez Merai snapped this photo after the Industrial Canal in New Orleans split open during Katrina. The barge at left literally broke through the barrier protecting the Lower 9th Ward, causing the entire neighborhod and all areas due south (Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish) to be completely destroyed. The barge ended up next to the school bus. When I visited New Orleans in April, Mez took me to the Lower 9th Ward. He excitedly said, "Let's go see the barge." As it turned out the barge was gone, but the bus was still there.

Mez used to write and shoot photos for High Times in the '70s and '80s. My story about New Orleans will appear in the November issue of High Times.

My review of the new Guster cd in 'Cleveland Scene'

2006-07-08T09:05:00.000-04:00

My latest CD review in Cleveland Scene is of Guster's excellent album, Ganging Up on the Sun.

Guster will be performing at the Prospect Park Bandshell on Wednesday, July 12. Singer-songwriter Ray Lamontagne and Seattle's Fruit Bats are opening for the Brooklyn-based Guster.

Timeout New York recommends the show and calls Ganging Up on the Sun "the group's most confident effort to date, with breezy indie-pop songs recalling the Shins."

'A Scanner Darkly' & 'Nacho Libre'

2006-07-07T14:14:00.000-04:00

A Scanner Darkly

Richard Linklater's brilliant adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel A Scanner Darkly opens today. Rush to see it.

Not since Dazed and Confused has indie auteur Linklater seized on the drug issue with such zeal. But while Dazed was a lighthearted look at stoner life in the '70s, Scanner is a much more serious take on the government's attempt to eradicate a fictional drug. Starring Keanu Reeves, Scanner introduces drug cop Bob Arctor - wearing a shape-shifting suit to disguise his identity - breaking down during a speech to his fellow narcs. Arctor's under the influence of Substance D, and in turn can't quite spit out the anti-drug message he's there to offer.

As with Waking Life, Linklater employs rotoscoping animation to alter the real-time images. Each scene and character is painted somewhat psychedelically, with colors melting over the outlines, and twitching and shaking like the druggy characters depicted in the story. One such druggie is Rory Cochrane's Charlie Fleck, whose a long way down the hard-drug path than Cochrane's goodtime pothead Slater in Dazed; Substance D has him junked out, sprewing all sorts of conspiracy theories to justify his erratic behavior.

Since Arctor doesn't quite know what's happenning to him, the movie's a little hard to follow. Is he the cop who doesn't want do his job or the slacker who'd rather hang out on the couch with his buds? The buds are hysterical: two speed-talking jivers James Barris (Robert Downey Jr) and Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson). Topping off this amazing quintet of bad-boy and -girl Hollywood actors is Winona Ryder, who plays Arctor's coked-out dealer girlfriend.

By the end, Arctor's literally farmed out to a prison camp where he discovers the blue flower that Substance D is derived from growing all around him. Is he suddenly in heaven or is this just another hallucination? Find out for yourself.

This review is also available at Timessquare.com

Nacho Libre

I've noticed that Nacho Libre, Jared Hess' Mexican farce starring Jack Black as Nacho, has received mostly mediocre reviews. Some feel the movie just isn't very funny, others strain to call its depiction of Mexico racist. I disagree. Yes, I'm a Jack Black fan, so it's hard for him to go wrong with me. Black's one of a handful of current comic actors who can carry a film - that includes Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Will Farrell, Vince Vaughan and Eddie Griffin. Nacho could very well have been played by Stiller, but Black got the gig, and he nails the role.

Nacho lives and works at a monastary in Oaxaca. He longs for the hot nun and wants to be a luchador (masked Mexican wrestlers who wear "stretchy pants"). Nacho creates an outfit and begins wrestling, ultimately facing Ramses, el gran de todos los luchadores. Black's a hoot. He prances around in tights and not much else, fakes his way through Spanglish, and sports an oversized mustache. He even does some Tenacious D-style warbling. At times, he seems to be channeling John Belushi, who I've never seen him compared to.

Hess' debut, Napoleon Dynamite (last year's little movie that could), established his ability to take an offbeat character and build an entire clever movie around him. With Mike White's writing help (he scripted The Good Girl and Chuck & Buck), Nacho Libre has more heft and just a little less off-the-cuff whimsy than ND. Afterall, Nacho's goal is to help orphans and get the girl, which he does, sort of.

And, by the way, there's nothing racist abut farting after eating a bowl of frijoles. Mel Brooks wrote the book on farting (Blazing Saddles) and nobody accused him of being racist.

200th post! Veefers top Reefers

2006-07-07T09:28:00.000-04:00

There was a rare celebrity sighting at last night's High Times-Vanity Fair softball match: Tom Hanks. Yes, Forrest Gump was at the game. No kidding. His redheaded daughter Liz plays for the Veefers. Before the game I asked him if he was going to play. He said he hadn't in a while. Then he and his younger son camped out on a rock in foul territory and watched the game.

He must've been proud of the Veefers, who beat the Bonghitters 8-5 on their home field in New York's Central Park. Liz Hanks went 0 for 3, but the Veefers' awesome display of power - 2 HRs by their slugging centerfielder Justin Bishop - was enough to cause an outage for the Bonghitters, who grabbed an early 2-0 lead, lost it, then tied the game 4-4 in the 6th. But a 4-run VF explosion in the bottom of the inning sunk the Bonghitters, now 6-2.

Like last year, the teams split their two games. The Bonghitters beat the Veefers 13-4 on May 24.

The Bonghitters extended road swing continues next Thursday against Business Week, who they defeated 12-8 on May 9.

Read about the Bonghitters in Mediabistro

PHOTOS BY DAWNJA

Mediabistro picks up latest Black Crowes press ticket snub

2006-07-06T14:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Mediabistro/FishbowlNY reports:

"Black Crowes Deny High Times Editor's Ticket Request Because of His Blog

"High Times editor-at-large and sometime-mediabistro contributor Steve Bloom keeps asking the Black Crowes for press tickets in order to cover their shows. They keep rejecting him.

"For Bloom, it seems getting a free ticket to see the Black Crowes is, again, 'twice as hard.'"

My latest column in 'Our Town/Downtown'

2006-07-06T11:24:00.000-04:00

Last week Our Town/Downtown executive editor sent me to the Riviera Cafe in Greenwich Village to cover the opening game of the Mets-Red Sox series. What's so unusual about that? Well, the Riviera is a Bosox bar and I, of course, am a Met fan. Here's the column that appears in Issue No. 7 (July 3, 2006):

Beantown in the Village

At the Riviera, Red Sox fans can enjoy a game in peace.

I’d have to say it’s no fun going to a rival team’s sports bar and watch your team lose. That happened to me last Tuesday night when the Red Sox manhandled the Mets in the opening game of the teams’ three-game series at Fenway Park.

It turns out there’s a Red Sox sports bar smack in the middle of the West Village. Who knew? Guess you have to be a Red Sox fan or from Boston to know about the Riviera Cafe on the corner of 7th Ave. and W. 4 St. It’s housed in that odd-shaped triangular building that’s been there forever. I remember going to a head shop on the second floor back in the ’70s.

Walk into the Riviera and it looks like any other high-ceilinged drinking establishment, with cool jazz piped in. But steer to your right and go downstairs a mini-flight and you’re suddenly in sport heaven. A total of 26 TV screens decorate the room like an electronic mosaic. But then there’s the rub: Red Sox fans in red jerseys, t-shirts and hats everywhere. Sam Adams is on draft. People are talking with funny New England accents. Surprisingly, few Red Sox heroes can be found pictured on the wall.

But all it takes is one good hit or catch and the place erupts into a shameless chorus of “Manny, Manny!” I came to check out the scene and hopefully watch the Mets pulverize the Sox. No such luck. First I ordered a beer (Anchor Steam), a bowl of gazpacho and a side of fries (I don’t eat meat). I asked the wait staff to introduce me to the manager, who came over forthrightly.

It was George Ruiz, the man responsible for the stapled-together pages of Red Sox press notes on each table. The 10-page missive reminded me that the Bosox were on a 9-game winning streak – not good news for the Mets. It informed that the Sox were 11-1 so far vs. National League teams this season, and that the Mets last played them in 2001. In a very subdued graph, the notes reveal:

“Teams also met in the 1986 World Series with New York winning 2 of 3 games in Fenway Park en route to taking the championship in 7 games.”

Nice of that to be noted, since it was simultaneously one of the greatest and worst things to ever happen to both franchises. Only the Red Sox’s World Series victory in 2004 – the team’s first since 1918 – wiped the slate clean. Right?
George Ruiz manages the Riviera. He says Sox fans began gravitating to the place about five years ago when they started showing Red Sox games on a regular basis. God knows, transplanted Beantowners needed a refuge from their most hated rivals – Yankee fans – and they found one at the Riv.

His only advice to Yankees fans is not to wear their hats when they come to the bar. However, he says, Mets fans are welcome because “we can root against the Yankees together.”

Not on this night. Cuban defector Alay Soler wasn’t sharp for the Mets. He allowed eight runs in five innings. Met rookie outfielder Lastings Milledge muffed a ball in front of the Great Wall of Fenway (a.k.a. the Green Monster); must’ve been vertigo. “Manny, Manny!” Ramirez threw Met speedster and N.L. Player of the Week Jose Reyes out at the plate. It wasn’t the Mets’ night. They lost 9-4.

Like any self-respecting sports fan, I left early. You learn to cut your losses. But in my mind the Red Sox had better watch out because the next two nights the Mets best pitchers, Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine, would be on the mound. And I just might be back chanting, “Pedro, Pedro!"

PHOTO OF COCO CRISP COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS

Black Crowes reject new ticket request

2006-07-05T13:02:00.000-04:00

The Black Crowes are currently on tour with Robert Randolph & the Family Band and Drive-By Truckers. The show comes to New York's Jones Beach Theater on July 19. On June 30, I requested a "comp" ticket in order for me to the review the show for hightimes.com and Blooming Ideas. A comp ticket is the standard term in the music industry to a free ticket, which allows members of the press to review a concert without having to pay for the ticket. Most bands, via their publicists, usually honor these requests, especially from writers and editors who work for established publications.

In April, the Black Crowes' management company, Pete Angelus Entertainment, turned down my request to review the Robinson Brothers' concerts in New York. The Robinson Brothers are Chris and Rich, the Black Crowes' founders. When my request was rejected I posted an article on April 13. That post was picked up by mediabistro.com on April 14. I followed up with another post that was again picked up by mediabistro.com on April 17. After I received a phone call from the Black Crowes' publicist, Mitch Schneider of MSO, I posted that conversation on April 20.

On June 30, I sent Schneider the following email:

I'd like to attend the Black Crowes show at Jones Beach on 7/19. I will be covering for hightimes.com and my Blooming Ideas blog. Please let me know if you will be making press tickets available asap.

Today, I received the following email from Schneider:

Steve,

I forwarded your request to the Black Crowes' management.

Pete Angelus has asked me to convey this to you.

He says he is "rejecting this request now, as well as all future
requests, based on his numerous misrepresentations in his blog."

Mitch

I followed up asking, "What misrepresentations?"

Clearly, Angelus did not like me going public with the Black Crowes' unpopular policy of not providing comp tickets to the press. I have yet to hear back from Schneider or Angelus.

PHOTO OF CHRIS ROBINSON BY BOUCHE

Vince Welnick & Johnathan Sullivan

2006-07-03T22:53:00.000-04:00

The real story about Vince Welnick
San Francisco Chronicle pop music critic and Summer of Love author Joel Selvin has written the definitive story about the death of Vince Welnick, who slit his own throat on June 2. Bob Weir tells Selvin about the troubled former Grateful Dead keyboardist, "I wish I could have helped. I tried, but I failed. The people closest to him wish they tried, but they failed. He tried himself and failed. That's the story and it's a sad one." Read Vince Welnick lived the dream, playing music with the Grateful Dead, but depression dogged him to his final days.

Patriots' Sullivan busted for pot
Former 1st-round draft pick Johnathan Sullivan was arrested in Griffin, GA on June 25 on various charges, including possession of marijuana. Police pulled over his car at 4 am for alleged running 2 stop signs. In addition, he was cited for a noise violation (playing the music in his car too loud) and failure to use a seatbelt. Sullivan and his companion were released on signature bonds.

The 6th overall pick in the 2003 draft, Sullivan, a defensive lineman, was traded to New England by New Orleans on June 5. "I can't really comment on the matter except to say that we're obviously going to rigorously defend Johnathan against these charges," his agent Len Rowe said.

"We're aware of the report and will handle the matter internally," Patriots spokesman Stacey James added. Sullivan's court appeaarance is scheduled for July 20.

VINCE WELNICK PHOTO BY JAY BLAKESBERG; JOHNATHAN SULLIVAN PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRIOTSINSIDER.COM

'Entourage,' minus 1

2006-07-03T09:17:00.000-04:00

Despite his loathsome character, Domenick Lombardozzi's Dom pumped some much-needed life and vigor into the third season of HBO's hot-guy series Entourage. After two lackluster opening episodes that concentrated on Vince's blockbuster movie "Aquaman," Entourage's writers introduced Dom, an old buddy of the cute quartet - Vince, Eric, Turtle and Drama - fresh out of jail (on a pot rap he took for Vince). Vince feels he owes him, even though Dom embarrasses him wherever they go. The final straw came quickly in Sunday's fourth episode, "Guys and Dolls," when Dom couldn't resist stealing a prized Shrek souvenir from the film's producer. He lies about it until Vince busts him, and then is dispatched back to New York with the yellow Hummer to the satisfaction of Vince's boys, who smelled a rat from the beginning.

This episode also concentrated on Ari's efforts to get Vince the lead role in a Pablo Escobar biopic rather than taking the cushier "Aquaman 2" gig. What's surprising is how little interaction there's been so far with women - besides Ari's wife - in the third season. But surely that will come in future episodes.

PHOTO OF JEREMY PIVEN, ADRIAN GRENIER & JERRY FERRARA COURTESY OF HBO

Mets in a funk

2006-06-30T22:52:00.000-04:00

Three losses in Boston and 1 at Yankee Stadium are enough to get Met fans grumbling again. If they're so good, why can't they beat the AL East's best? Well, the Red Sox were hot, and the Yankees are the Yankees. It's just how the Mets are losing which is cause for concern. They've stopped hitting, are getting picked off bases and have made some bad errors (mostly Lastings Milledge's flubs at Fenway). The team's MVP David Wright struck out 3 times against the Yankess, who 1-hit them en route to a 2-0 shutout. No matter how improved the Mets are, they still remind you of the old Mets who couldn't put tough teams away.

Sure, they're 10.5 games ahead of the Marlins, and look like they'll cruise into the playoffs. But never be too sure. Pedro Martinez isn't pitching well, Tom Glavine is 40 years old and injuries (Carlos Delgado, Xavier Nady) keep hampering the lineup. "El Duque" Hernandez delivered 7 solid innings tonight, but he's been inconsistent. So has 5th starter, Alay Soler. Let's not even consider how Billy Wagner, who's already blown 4 saves, will perform down the stretch and in the playoffs.

The Mets still have a lot to prove. They can start by immediately snapping their 4-game losing streak tomorrow against Randy Johnson and the Yankees.

Bonghitters trek to Long Island
Billboard magazine usually challenges the Bonghitters to a double-header around 9/11. Tomorrow, the Bonghitters hit the road - actually, the Long Island Expressway - for an impromptu afternoon of ball, beer, BBQ and buds vs. Billboard in East Moriches. Wish us luck!

"ABANDONED MET HAT" PHOTO BY TOM-TOM

Bonghitters sprayed out

2006-06-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the Bonghitters were supposed to play Wall St. Journal in what promised to be a highly-competitive grudge match. Last year, WSJ tweaked High Times on gawker.com, calling the Bonghitters "morons" and claiming that each game is treated like an "idealogical battle." On the contrary, HT's main complaint with WSJ has been their refusal to play women on several occasions in what are supposed to be co-ed games.

Anyway, at 12:30 pm, Bonghitters 2B Danny Danko called to say he'd heard from a reliable source that the Parks Department was closing the Great Lawn in Central Park for pesticide spraying. I hurriedly contacted the department and confirmed the rumor. They said they'd left a message on the High Times voicemail at 9:30 am. That's the amount of advance notice we received. So the much-awaited contest had to be cancelled.

It turned out that by gametime the rains had come, drenching New York. So the Parks Department saved us a very wet trip to the park yesterday. By the way, WSJ had promised to play at least 2 women. We'll face them on their field on Saturday, August 12, 11 am start (wake & bake, Bonghitters!).

So a group of Bonghitters got together last night to watch the Mets-Red Sox game at the decidedly Boston-friendly bar, the Riviera, in the West Village. The Mets couldn't stop the rampaging Bosox, who won 4-2, extending their winning streak to 12. Not even several rally joints could help the reeling, but still way-in-first-place (by 11 games) Mets. They travel to Yankee Stadium for a subway series, beginning tonight.

The Bonghitters' next game is a rematch against Vanity Fair on Thursday, July 6. The Bonghitters are 6-0.

PHOTO BY AARON STREBS

My review of Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint's 'River in Reverse' in Cleveland Scene

2006-06-29T14:20:00.000-04:00

Since I began freelancing regularly - in addition to my editor-at-large gig at High Times - I've been in contact with numerous editors. One of them is Chris Parker, music editor of the alternative-weekly Cleveland Scene. Chris wrote many stories for High Times when I was editor and senior editor, and he's returned the favor lately with several assignments.

My first review published in Cleveland Scene is of The River in Reverse - Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint's brilliant collaboration. Click here to read my review. It's my favorite album of the year so far.

My next review is of Guster's Ganging Up on the Sun - another terrific album. It will appear in an upcoming issue and online as well. I'm also scheduled to interview VH1's Supergroup singer Sebastian Bach for Cleveland Scene.

Rick Cusick, auctioneer

2006-06-27T16:30:00.000-04:00

To most people, Rick Cusick is the associate publisher of High Times, and the magazine's longtime former ad director. (He was also co-editor with Dave Bienenstock and myself for 17 issues in 2005 and 2006.) But to Marijuana Policy Project and NORML supporters, Cusick may best be known as the hardest-working auctioneer in the drug-policy business.

At MPP's last two awards shows in New York (earlier this month) and Los Angeles (last year), he served as the events' mouth du jour. Midway during both programs, Cusick took to the stage, where he preceded to coax big bucks out of attendees, who'd already paid handsomely to be there in the first place.

"Rick did such a fantastic job at our Los Angeles awards gala in 2005 that we asked him to join us again in New York for MPP's 2006 awards gala on June 12," explains Stephanie Vogel, MPP's Director of Grants and Outreach, and the main coordinator of both events.

"He has a unique combination of enthusiasm for the cause and a knack for knowing what qualities of our auction items really appeal to our guests. With Rick calling the auction, MPP - known for its ultra-professional approach - can let its hair down, so to speak, while our pony-tailed auctioneer has some fun with the crowd."

Among the items the fast-talking Cusick has auctioned off are original Doonesbury and Alex Grey artwork; a Weeds script signed by the cast, writers and producers; trips to Hawaii and a retreat center near Santa Barbara; a medical-marijuana canister from federal patient Irv Rosenfeld; and handmade designer clothing from Sanni Diesner Atelier. Vogel says Cusick's well-timed pitches have earned more than $15,000 for the MPP Foundation.

Cusick has also auctioned at the last two NORML conferences in San Franciso. One of the highly-sought items was a Volcano Vaporizer, which went for $500. He's helped raise $12,000 for NORML. You can hear Cusick on stage at the Boston Freedom Rally and Seattle Hempfest, where he's been the main MC as well.

Anyone who knows him - such as High Times staffers, friends and his darling daughter Dylan - can attest to Cusick's enduring gift of gab. This has translated into raising money for a worthy cause, something more people should do.

LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF NORML/RIGHT PHOTO BY DANNY DANKO

My World Cup runneth over

2006-06-26T22:01:00.000-04:00

My latest writing gig is with Manhattan Media's new weekly Our Town/Downtown. The 6th issue - available for free in sleek black boxes mostly south of 23 St. - features an op-ed column by yours truly. Last week, executive editor Bill Gunlocke sent me the following email:

"Got anything in you about the Cup and U.S. losing, maybe with Heat and Mets?"

Here's what I came up with:

My World Cup Runneth Over

Soccer vs. baseball? Sorry – it’s no competition.

Every four years Americans get into soccer. Or are forced to get into soccer. The World Cup is such a big hype that sports fans have no choice but to pay attention.
Now that the US is out of the Cup after losing two games, tying one and scoring just two goals (one was kicked in by an opposing player), I suppose we can care less. It’s between the European (Germany, Portugal, England, the Netherlands, Spain) and South American (Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador) soccer powers now.

I’ve been having on ongoing argument with a friend about soccer. I call it boring. She claims otherwise and accuses baseball – my favorite sport – of being way more boring than soccer. She’s been to Brazil and Argentina, so she’s rooting for those teams. Perhaps if I’ve experienced soccer culture in Sud America I’d have a different opinion.

I’ve experienced European soccer fanaticism during my frequent visits to the Netherlands. There’s nothing like hanging out in a coffee shop smoking pot and hash, drinking Heineken on tap and listening to fans scream like hooligans during a good match.

But it still doesn’t make me want to sit at home for hours during the World Cup waiting for teams to score infrequent goals. My friend says baseball is similar, especially a 2-1 game. True, but what about 8-5 games? That doesn’t happen in soccer. We agreed that soccer and hockey probably have more in common. But I don’t like hockey either.

Baseball may be my thing, but I like basketball too. I particularly enjoyed the recent playoffs that resulted in a first-time champion in the Miami Heat. One player, Dwyane Wade, fully dominated the NBA finals series like Michael Jordan did during his amazing championship run with the Chicago Bulls in the ’90s. I don’t see one player having that kind of impact in soccer (except for Brazil’s Ronaldinho). It’s a team game, not a platform for superstars. That may be more egalitarian, but it doesn’t translate into thrilling TV watching.

Right now, for me, it’s all about the Mets. They have their best team in 20 years, which happened to be the last time they won the World Series. They’ve built a powerhouse comprised of mostly Hispanic players. As I write this, they lead the NL East by an astounding nine and a half games. Four starters – David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Paul Lo Duca – plus pitching ace Tom Glavine appear to be ticketed for the All-Star Game on July 11 in Pittsburgh.

Meanwhile, cross-town rivals the Yankees may be struggling with injuries and a depleted rotation, but still remain in a pitched first-place battle with Red Sox, who the Mets infamously defeated in ’86 World Series and play this week in Boston.

I don’t expect Subway Series 2, though I do think the Mets could be this year’s Chicago White Sox – build a big early-season lead, coast through the summer, hold on in September as an unlikely team (Marlins, Nationals?) gives them a scare, then charge into the playoffs with the kind of momentum that can take them all the way.

No such luck for the US soccer squad, which I guess is OK with me. Now I can get back to baseball, without any distractions.

PHOTO OF WORLD CUP TICKET BADGE BY BARRETT 79