• Because You Love Me…
  • Follow
  • The Podcast
  • About
  • Friends

Useless Things Need Love Too

Useless Things Need Love Too

Monthly Archives: July 2016

Silent Sunday or: The Exact Opposite of…

31 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Life as We Know It, Silent Sunday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Engagment, The BCPF, Walt Disney World

Salutations™!!

I saw that I wrote this on my Facebook page three years ago. It was some good writing, I’ll admit, so I’m just going to repost it here. Today is the fifth anniversary of me asking The BCPF to marry me. So, here it was…

“I got on a plane, a plane with a beautiful girl. Man, she was gorgeous. Flew to my favorite place, Walt Disney World. Free Magical Express ride to my favorite resort in the “World,” Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. We were greeted like we were family; I love that. No hesitation, on to Magic Kingdom. Had lunch at my favorite hotdog stand, Casey’s and looked and debated whether these birds were Ibis or not (they were). Swiss Family Treehouse, no waiting… check. Jungle Cruise... check. Pirates of the Caribbean, front row… check. Hall of Presidents, yes. Haunted Mansion, yes. 74582-the2bringIt’s a Small World (damn, I hate that song but love the ride), front row, indeed. Peter Pan’s Flight, flying high.
Wow… Gotta get to Epcot, easy access to the monorail. Jump off and send her through the “no bags” line as I manipulate my fanny pack through check-in (yes, I said fanny pack). Stop at Spaceship Earth to hear how Dame Judy Dench does it; still prefer Jeremy Irons, but no waiting. Go to Mexico and ride El Rio del Tiempo, front row seats. On to Norway and ride on Maelstrom, again front row seats. Make our way and eat an early dinner at Tutti Italia in Italy. After eating a great dinner with this magnificent woman, we go to Canada to see the new rendition of ‘O Canada’ and I’m not disappointed.
The scare of the day, going to Yacht Club to get on a boat and the place is shut up – closed. About to
dial 911, or at least the 407 number to find out why and out pops a slew of boat captains. Uncle Fester, or Captain Ron takes us on a boat and tells a brief history of the way the World Showcase Lagoon and the Crescent Lake were made and how long it took to fill; also a history of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We finally tether to the other 4 boats on the lake and watch some of the 2631c-just2bengagedgreatest fireworks on the planet, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. I had a lovely lady leaning on me while we watched bombastic light explosions and she turns to me to say, ‘Today has been a perfect day.’ I agreed and smiled. The show went on and I held her tight. At the end I had said ‘Today HAS been perfect. There’s only one thing I can think that would make it more perfect…’ As soon as the sparkle in the sky was over, I presented the sparkle in a box, which ended up on her finger with a surprised ‘yes’ whispering from her lips.
That was 2 years ago, today. I love that woman. I love that woman. I love that woman. And yes, she’s still
gorgeous.”

I’m a lucky man and I absolutely know this. This is number two of the three anniversaries we celebrate, whether that’s juvenile or not, we know that this, our second time around (each) that we’re very lucky to have what we do and I love that we basically shout it from the rooftops.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
” Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.” – Loretta Young

Sideways or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

30 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Movie Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

a/perture Cinema, AFI, Alysia Reiner, Amazon Prime, DVD.com, Friends, IMDb, Jessica Hecht, Netflix, Orange is the New Black, Paul Giamatti, Rotten Tomatoes, Sandra Oh, Sideways, The Less Desirables, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Wine, WSNC

Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Sideways (2004), starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh.

Per IMDb: “Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California’s wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.”

Miles (Giamatti), an unhappy English teacher, failed author and self-proclaimed wine

Sideways_poster

©Fox Searchlight Pictures

connoisseur, takes his college roommate, Jack (Church), an actor who has passed his prime, on a week-long bachelor party through the Californian wine country. Jack’s to be married to Christine (Alysia Reiner – Figueroa on Orange is the New Black) a wealthy socialite but he’s not sure he’s ready to go through with it. Miles takes him to Santa Barbara County to the area that he is quite familiar with and is known, and liked, by the locals, including Maya (Madsen), a Graduate school student who is also a waitress at The Hitching Post, and a Stephanie (Oh) a wine pourer at one of the wineries Miles frequents.

Jack tells Miles that he’s going to get lucky before he gets married and ends up starting an affair with Stephanie as Miles is pushed upon Maya. He does like Maya but has a hard time with Jack’s affair with Stephanie because it’s both wrong and it’s screwing up his plans for the week. All the while, Miles is still somewhat hung up on his ex-wife, Victoria (Jessica Hecht – Susan, Ross’ ex-wife’s lesbian lover in Friends) and is torn up to find out she’s remarried. That plays in his mind as does Jack’s infidelity and his struggle to strike up a moment or more with Maya. One thing leads to another and the whole situation blows up. How and why? You’ll have to watch to find out.

I haven’t been to California’s wine country, but I really want to go. I want to, especially now that I have gained a new fondness for red wine and seeing the beautiful countryside in this film. Miles talks frequently and passionately about Pinot Noir in the film while pretty much taking a dump on Merlot. I don’t have a preference there, but I like jammy. I don’t know enough about either to know if they’re that way. However, the film did pique my interest on it. I’ll have to check more out. Incidentally, some reports said that after the film was released Merlot sales dropped and Pinot Noir sales jumped. If it had any kind of impact like that, then… “wow!” I say.

This is the first film that I can remember seeing Paul Giamatti in that he wasn’t playing a skeez. I found it hard to not see him as one, which in some ways hampered my ability to feel sorry for him, but I did anyway. Don’t take that wrong. I love his acting and enjoy him in films and he plays those skeez parts quite well. But, I did get over that after a bit and did feel sorry for him; the way that was supposed to go. You’re to get annoyed at Jack for being the a-hole and feel sorry for Miles. That’s the human side of all of this. You pull for Miles to just get with it about Maya and let go of the ex and you get annoyed when he doesn’t. You keep waiting on Stephanie to find out about Jack’s upcoming nuptials and hope that she beats the shite out of him. That’s the human element, again.

This film was one of the 400 nominees for the AFI‘s 100 Years… 100 Movies distinction. That’s why I watched it. It’s only available via Netflix‘s DVD.com or renting it from Amazon Prime (although with a Starz subscription, you can get it free). I have owned a copy since it came out, but never got around to watching it until now. It was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Church), Supporting Actress (Madsen) and Best Writing – Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium… whatever that means. Oddly enough, the only one it won for was that last one. Scorp shrugs.

Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at 96% Fresh but only 78% on the Audience Score. IMDb has it at 7.5 stars out of 10. I will say that I enjoyed the film. I thought it was good on its own merits but I can’t for the life of me figure out how it was good enough to be considered one of the best of all time. There are plenty of films that aren’t on that list that I’d consider for that list over this one. Again, I enjoyed it and rate it 4.25 out of 5 stars. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“You know, the day you open a ’61 Cheval Blanc… that’s the special occasion.” – Maya

End of an Era or: Finished on Fourth

29 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Blogging, Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

a/perture Cinema, Atelier on Trade, Camel City Dispatch, City Beverage, Fan Interference, Finnigan's Wake Irish Pub & Kitchen, Hoots Roller Bar, King's Crab Shack & Oyster Bar, Mary's Gourmet Diner, Omega Sports, Tart & Tangy Triad, The Beer Dads, The Garage, The Less Desirables, The Less Desirables Network, The Man Who Ate the Town, The Man Who Walked the Town, Washington Perk & Provision Company, WSNC

Salutations™!!

Last Friday, I gave up the ghost on the nearly-cryptic news that we had made our move of The Less Desirables Studios to the new Test Pattern Studios. I, along with Jon and Paul, The Beer Dads, moved all the big stuff and then 3B and I moved the last essentials before setting up in the new digs. We left some stuff there for a bit whilst getting everything else figured out. Today, however, 3B and I went and cleared the last of stuff that I was taking away from the old space on Fourth Street and did a little cleaning before turning out the lights one last time.

It was a bittersweet moment, really. I owe a lot to that space. When we were doing The Less Desirables out of my bedroom, I had gained a little recognition for what I do, but I wasn’t in it, doing it. I was just figuratively tiptoeing around what I was doing. No one really knew what podcasting was (and there are plenty who still do not) and it was my job to get the word out there. I did so, also, with the help of sponsors that I gained along the way of being in that space: City Beverage, a/perture cinema, Finnigan’s Wake, King’s Crab Shack, The Garage and Washington Perk for TLD; Washington Perk for The Man Who Ate the Town; Omega Sports, Mary’s Gourmet Diner, Atelier on Trade and Hoots Roller Bar & Beer Company for The Man Who Walked the Town and Hoots for TBD.

Before...
Before…
...After
…After

Making that move put me in the heart of the downtown of the city that I love and the city that I try to do my best to promote within about. I was there and in the middle of it. Listenership of the show grew. People started to know who I was for what it is that I do. That was in the first studio outside of the house. Same building but different spot, but still, I consider them both as one, just a different room

Moving to that spot also allowed me to do a few other things that I had wanted to happen: to record audiobooks, to do vlogging and perhaps the most important part – create a network of podcasts. That’s exactly what I did, all of it. All because I was able to be where I feel I was supposed to be. Some of the shows have come and gone but some are always right there. Camel City Dispatch News Hour (then Electric Camel Pod, now on permanent hiatus), Fan Interference, Tart & Tangy Triad (now defunct), The Beer Dads and now The Man Who Ate the Town and the soon-to-be blog/vlog/podcast, The Man Who Walked the Town.

However, time passed and we outgrew the space. That and the fact that I needed cell phone service, hated having 3 different keys  to go through about six doors to get to the studio, had to have a separate key and walk halfway around the building to get to and use the restroom and it was a mite scary place to be for people not used to it, especially women. All that, though, it still served me, and its purpose well. Now, it’s time to move on and so I have. Goodbye old friend, it’s been nice.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“It’s good to wander into the studio and walk out with something that’s better than you’d imagined it to be. If everything was as you imagined it to be, it just wouldn’t be as much fun.” – Dave Grohl

MM3AMMC Week 6 or: Spouting the Consciousness

28 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Music Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Anand Gan, Clay Howard, Corky McClellan, Doug Davis, Eddie McBride, Jerry Chapman, Joshua West, KG Noble, Monday Morning 3AM Music Club, Patrick Ferguson, The Less Desirables, WSNC

Salutations™!!

This past Monday ended the Fifth week in Round 13 of TLD/MM3AMMC. Before we continue, I’d like to congratulate Patrick Ferguson on his song, “SHUT UP!! (and Just Bang Your Head)” for being last week’s “featured song.”

A recap of how this works: So, on Monday morning around 8:30am or so, I go and listen to the submissions. Truth be known, I actually try to listen along the way.  But, I really listena2390972354_16 at 8:30am. I look over the assignment, compare the lyrics and songs to that assignment and then pick the one that I think makes the best representation of the assignment’s rules. To hear all the entrants this week visit the MM3AMMC website HERE.

This week, the assignment was from Eddie McBride: “Let’s get weird! I always enjoy stream of consciousness style lyrics, or as I like to call it “Lyrical Vomit”. Songs like Beck’s ‘Loser’ and Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ are great examples of this style of lyrics. Write your stream of consciousness song. It obviously doesn’t need to make sense. Just have fun with it. Maybe we can generate some silly smiles this week since the rest of the world is so messed up. Genre and style are open.”

The submissions are as follows:

  • Clay Howard – “It’s Just…”
  • Joshua West – “Words are Toothpaste”
  • Doug Davis – “Last Day of December”
  • Eddie McBride – “Live True Like Hyperbole”
  • Corky McClellan – “I’ll Never Be Alone”
  • Anand Gan – “Get It Right or Lose Control”
  • Patrick Ferguson – “Teenage Hooker”
  • Jerry Chapman – “The Beatle Wing”
  • KG Noble – “Treadmill”

And the winner was… nah, you don’t get it that easy. I mean, I want you to listen to the whole show, right? So, you need to listen to find out who won. You can do that on The Less Desirables website, on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or the newest addition, Podcast Addict. Or, I’ll save you the trouble and post it here, I’m good like that. And yes, there may be a reposting of this next Tuesday, you never know.

http://thelessdesirables.com/podcasts/072716.mp3

Enjoy!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Eight o clock Eisenhower, don’t get caught in the shower. Take toke take a ride, take it from the other side. Feeling ill, I’m at ease. Spin the wheel, wheel of cheese. The only thing that would have been. The only way is from within. What the hell am I saying?
What the hell am I playing?”
– “Words are Toothpaste” by Joshua West (not necessarily the winner)

Starlight Ale or: The Less Desirables Beer of the Week

27 Wednesday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Beer

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

BeerAdvocate, Bombshell Beer Company, City Beverage, The Less Desirables, Untappd, WSNC

Salutations™!!

City Beverage, the Official Beer Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents Starlight Ale from Bombshell Beer Company, The Less Desirables Beer of the Week.

Last week we had the Head Over Hops IPA and I thought it was a decent beer. I’ll admit that I liked it better on The Less Desirables more than I did on The Beer Dads. I don’t know why that is. I think I rated it a 3.5 on TLD and 3.5 on TBD. I guess I was expecting more the second time around. Anywhat! I like the concept of what Bombshell Beer is doing, so I 42c83247-4b99-44ef-aeea-2c7913fb1f14decided to go with them again, just not an IPA, but instead a regular ale. We’ll see how this goes. Spencer wasn’t in so I couldn’t ask his opinion.

I gave the story last week, but Bombshell is the first 100% women-owned brewery in NC. Starlight Ale is only 4.9% ABV and has only 13 IBU so it shouldn’t be hoppy at all. There is no rating on BeerAdvocate, yet and Untappd has it at 3.39 caps out of 5. Have you had it before? What did you think? If you haven’t had it or just want it again, you can go down to City Beverage and grab your sixer. Tell them it’s The Less Desirables beer of the week and get 5% off your order. Listen in this week to hear what Tammy, Kelley, Byron and I think of it!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Our goal is to produce approachable, easy drinking quality beer!” – Bombshell Beer Company website

The Best or: Those Who Deserve It

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Life as We Know It

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

a/perture Cinema, Ali Brown, Atelier on Trade, Beer, Camel City BBQ Factory, Camino Bakery, Chef Tim Grandinetti, Chef Travis Myers, City Beverage, Coffee Park, DiLisio's, Finnigan's Wake Irish Pub & Kitchen, Hoots Roller Bar, Jared Keiper, Jimmy Greer, Karon Click, King's Crab Shack & Oyster Bar, Mark Grohman, Mary's Gourmet Diner, Meridian, Michele Russell, Mission Pizza Napoletana, Quanto Basta, Shane Ward, Silver Moon Saloon, Single Brothers, Small Batch Beer, Smitty's Notes, Spring House Restaurant, Tavern at Old Salem, Test Pattern, Test Pattern Studio, The BCPF, The Beer Dads, The Garage, The Genuine, The Katharine Brasserie, The Less Desirables, The Less Desirables Network, The Man Who Ate the Town, The Man Who Walked the Town, The Porch, Tommy Priest, Twin City Hive, Vagabond Saints Society, Willow's Bistro, WSNC

Salutations™!!

Smitty’s Notes Best of 2016 list came out this week and I, along with The Less Desirables Network, have a lot of friends on that list. You can read the entire list HERE. This is only the winners that pertain to me, my family and friends and my businesses.

The abbreviation key: Winner (W), Runner-up (RU), Honorable Mention (HM).

The Less Desirables sponsors:

  • King’s Crab Shack – W, Seafood
  • Finnigan’s Wake – HM, Late Night; HM, Tap Beer; W, Restaurant Bar; RU, Male Bartender (Brandon Creason)
  • a/perture cinema – W, Movie Theater
  • City Beverage – HM, Beer/Wine ShopBOWS2016_150x226
  • The Garage – W, Live Music Venue

The Beer Dads sponsor:

  • Hoots Roller Bar & Beer Company – HM, Local Brewery

The Man Who Walked the Town sponsors:

  • Mary’s Gourmet Diner – RU, Local Activist (Mary); RU, Best Scenester (Mary); W, Breakfast; W, Brunch
  • Atelier on Trade – RU, Bakery; HM, Dessert
  • Hoots Roller Bar & Beer Company – HM, Local Brewery

Friends of me, The Man Who Ate the Town or just cool people I like:

  • Test Pattern – HM, New Bar/Nightclub (Open since July 1, 2015); HM, Power Couple (Brian and Drew Cole)
  • Tommy Priest – HM, Local Activist; W, Local Scenester; W, Power Couple (w/Kendall Priest), HM, Coffee (Coffee Park); HM, Barista (Jimmy Greer Coffee Park Airstream)
  • Camino Bakery – W, Bakery; HM, Dessert; HM, Coffee; HM, Barista (Kevin McHugh)
  • Twin City Hive – HM, Chocolatier; RU, Coffee; W, Barista (Rachel Hayes); RU Barista (Joey Burdette); W, Free Wi-Fi
  • Willow’s Bistro – HM, Brunch; RU, Chef (Travis Myers); RU, Server (Shane Ward)
  • Spring House Restaurant & Bar – RU, Romantic Dinner; W, Fine Dining; W, Chef (Tim Grandinetti); HM, Restaurant Service; HM, Restaurant Bar
  • Quanto Basta – RU, Italian Restaurant; HM, Take a First Date; HM, Restaurant Bar
  • DiLisio’s – W, Italian Restaurant
  • The Katharine Brasserie – W, New Restaurant (Open since July, 1, 2015); HM, Romantic Dinner; HM, Fine Dining Restaurant; RU, New Bar/Nightclub (Open since July 1, 2015); HM, Restaurant Bar
  • Meridian – RU, Take a First Date; HM, Fine Dining Restaurant; RU, Wine List; HM, Chef (Mark Grohman); W, Server (Brandy); W, Bartender, Female (Michele Russell); RU Bartender, Female (Ali Brown)
  • Single Brothers – RU, Dive Bar; HM, Meet After Work; RU, Craft Cocktails; W, Best Place To Meet Single UNDER 40
  • Silver Moon Saloon – W, Dive Bar
  • Camel City BBQ Factory – RU, BBQ; RU, New Restaurant (Open since July, 1, 2015); RU, Ribs
  • Tavern at Old Salem – HM, Chef (Jared Keiper)
  • The Porch – HM, Mexican; HM, Brunch
  • Mission Pizza Napoletana – HM, Pizza Parlor
  • Small Batch Beer – RU, Local Brewery; HM, Tap Beer; RU, Meet After Work; HM, Bartender, Male (Quentin Williams)
  • Local Band – Winner: The Genuine, Runner Up: Karon Click and The Hot Licks, Honorable Mention: Vagabond Saints Society

So a hearty congratulations to all those mentioned. Your worth shows in the community. I’m proud to know you all and for the sponsors, I’m proud to be part of your, and for you to be part of my, family. Still can’t figure out why The BCPF and I weren’t on the Power Couple list. I have to vote more next time… wait, there isn’t a next time for this “best of.”

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“As you enjoy the kudos bestowed upon you by your fellow citizens, I encourage you to savor the moment, because this year, 2016, marks the last year of my Best of Winston-Salem competition.” – Smitty’s Notes Best Of 2016

25 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Podcasting

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

As Ardmore Turns, Test Pattern, Test Pattern Studio, The Less Desirables, WSNC

Salutations™!!

Still settling in here at The Test Pattern Studio. Today I recorded the first As Ardmore Turns for The Less Desirables in the new studio. No, not the first episode, but the first one that has been recorded at the new digs. I couldn’t do an episode for it last week because I was moving the studio. I hated not having that, too.

Someone asked me couldn’t I just do a straight read on a specific subject and I said no. For one, the typing and grammar skills of the Ardmorians aren’t top grade skills. They’re also, not easy reads. Plus, I couldn’t read that and control the organ music underneath at the same time. Could I do it without the organ music? Why, no. The organ music,the sound ardmoreturnsbeds and sound effects that I put in the reads are, to me (the one who has to live with the result), 65% of what makes the piece so good. The other 35% is the wackiness of the contributors of the Ardmore Neighborhood Page.

You see, the average amount of time that it takes me to completely produce an episode of AAT is about four hours. That includes the read (that takes a good bit of time), editing that down, while coming up with sound and music effects and placing them. Sometimes I find I need to reread a section to ensure it makes sense in the continuity of the read. I do that and then pick the closing song that ties the whole thing (or at least a part of it) together. Then I have to listen through it again to make sure that it all fits together in real time. Then I mix it down to create what you hear on The Less Desirables every week. I spend a lot of time on it because it’s important to me and the show. I know it’s but one reason that we’ve seen a surge in downloads and hits and we treat it with care. Again, that’s why it was aching me to not have one, but I couldn’t have done it justice and I couldn’t have made it worth hearing. I take it, my show, everything that I do, very serious. I’m glad you listen and enjoy it, too.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“But, someone has to provide fodder for AAT.” – Sarah, an Ardmore resident

Silent Sunday or: Friends and Neighbors

24 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Silent Sunday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Atelier on Trade, Hoots Roller Bar, Krispy Kreme, Mary's Gourmet Diner, Mission Pizza Napelotana, The BCPF, The Beer Dads

Salutations™!!

After a long week, The BCPF and I both decided it was good to do minimal stuffs. We went to dinner at Mission Pizza and then just went home. Watched some Frasier and went to bed. Early to rise, although I didn’t sleep very well or much.

We walked our “10k by 10a” and had some Mary’s Gourmet Diner and Atelier on Trade.12193884_10156170070610058_1133490012936724568_n After fulfilling a shot list, we headed to Hoots Roller Bar and Beer Company and had our “liquid reward” and then ran to Krispy Kreme to get some donuts to take with us to our pals: Jon of The Beer Dads and his Pilot. Also joining us, TBD Paul and his Pilot. We sat around, drank a few beers, ate some great Mexi-based snacks and wonderful fellowship. It was so wonderful that I believe we all forgot to take a picture of it. I was planning on putting that here, but oh well. Other than the walk we did not much of anything other than relaxation and great times with friends. I hope your weekend was fantabulous.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.” – Charles R. Swindoll

Ray or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

23 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Movie Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

a/perture Cinema, AFI, Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic Records, IMDb, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Netflix, netflix.com, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Regina King, Rotten Tomatoes, The Less Desirables

Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Ray (2004) starring Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington.

Per IMDb: “The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.”

Jamie Foxx plays Ray Charles Robinson from his earliest performance days trying to get to work in Seattle on. The film also follows Ray’s involvement with Quincy Jones, signing to Atlantic Records, meeting his wife, children, the advancement of his career and life on the road. The dark side is the drug addiction, womanizing, rock and roll lifestyle, the drug

RAY_RGB_TSR_Comp

©Universal

busts and arrests and the darkness that Ray wandered through. How much of this portrayal is true is debated, not necessarily the events themselves, as there’s plenty of documentation to substantiate the evidence, but the accuracy of how.

Jaime Foxx’s portrayal of Ray Charles was believable, other than sometimes there was a bit of overacting when it comes to the dialog. And, in some instances he sang Ray’s parts. Most of it was just right, at least from what I know about Ray Charles and I’ll admit there isn’t a lot that I know about him. The rest of the cast were great at their parts, including the usually greasy Curtis Armstrong playing a bald, slick Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records.

I think they front loaded that film with a lot of information and then let the last 40 years of his life be. To me, it seemed like it made his time becoming clean and sober less interesting and I find that almost insulting to Mr. Charles; like saying he was no longer newsworthy. They were thorough for the first two and a half hours with the early days, I suppose it would have been another two and a half to cover the later days. I think they could have cut down some of the front and added some to the back, but, oh well.

This film was one of the 400 nominees for AFI‘s 100 Years… 100 Movies list. That’s why I watched it. It’s only available on Netflix‘s DVD.com and not on streaming. You can also rent it digitally on Amazon Prime. It’s not free. I have owned the DVD since it came out but had never seen it until this.

Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at 81% Fresh with an Audience Score of 87%. IMDb has it at 7.7 stars out of 10. The film won Foxx a Best Acting Oscar and the film won for Best Sound Mixing. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Costume Design. Do I think it was “best of all time” material and deserved to be on this list? Not really, but it was a good watch. I rate it 3.75 stars out of 5. Have you seen it? Do you agree? Let me know what you’d like to see or hear me review.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Scratch a lie. Find a thief.” – Ray Charles (according to the film)

Cryptic No More or: The Test Pattern Studio

22 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by TGBII in Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bruce Cole, DiLisio's, Silver Moon Saloon, Single Brothers, SOB40, Such-N-Such Limited, Such-N-Such Media, Test Pattern, Test Pattern Studio, The Garage, The Less Desirables, The Less Desirables Network, Threadbare Trio, Twin City Hive, Washington Perk & Provision Company, WSNC

Salutations™!!

You know how I’ve been spouting nondescript and cryptic posts over the last week about changes and such? Well, it’s time to let that cat out of the bag, yeah?

All my podcasting, video production, voice overs, podcast consulting, audiobooks, etc. are all handled through the business of Such-N-Such Media which is owned by my (and my partners’) parent company, Such-N-Such Limited, Inc. We’ve been doing this media thing since at least 2010, or at least I have. It worked fine out of my house for a while but then we started having a lot of guests, guests were the feature and not just the hosts. That original studio was in my house, first in a downstairs room that became my son’s room and then in the upstairs “loft” that also housed my bedroom. That got awkward. So, I wanted a change.

In December of 2012, we moved downtown off of Fourth Street into the Chatham Building. The first location in that building was pretty cool. It was where we needed it and all was 2016-07-20 22.08.36right in the world. They had to do some building and improvements and that created a reroute of how to get into the building. Okay, no sweat. Then they added one of my favorite places downtown, Washington Perk right above me. That wasn’t too bad, either. But, then we realized that every time they would grind their coffee in the coffee shop, it would sound like a cat getting raped in the basement. I asked to move and the landlords accommodated me.

We moved into a new space directly diagonal from the old into a lonely, sometimes dark and cold hallway, which again, worked fine for me. However, after moving in that spot, I started getting more and more business and doing more and more podcasts. I was in there, sometimes, from around 8am until 11pm. Let me tell you, if you can’t see how the day’s progressing one day or so, that’s not too bad. When it’s almost every day, then it starts to get depressing. Add the fact that we had to have a separate key to go to the rest room and it was just a bit annoying. So, it was time to look for something else. It took us a while. I looked at several places, mostly around Main and Third and SOB40 near where DiLisio’s and Twin City Hive are. Those, for whatever reason, didn’t work out.

Back at the end of 2015 and into this year, our co-host was the “Right Reverend Cool,” Bruce Cole. He had a vision to start a radio station of some kind, whether terrestrial or internet radio, and was looking for places for us to do that, together. He found a place. It turned out that his brother, Brian Cole (from now on called BCole), owner of Single Brothers and Silver Moon Saloon had just purchased the Luna Lounge and Tiki Bar from its previous owner. In the back of this building was an extra space that once held the Lucky Strike retro store. It was sitting, well I can’t say empty, er… it was sitting unoccupied and needed something in there. Enter Bruce and me.

Bruce moved back to Chicago to be close to his wife (that’s a different story and it was sweet, but dang do I miss him) and that left me in negotiations with BCole. That’s fine, we’ve known each other for a while, even longer than I’d known Bruce. We had some talks and serious thoughts about what we could do. We came to an understanding as to what that was going to be. There were some repairs and mods to be made to the space, sure and there are still some that need to take place (and are taking place) but we decided that that was going to be the new The Less Desirables Studio. But, also, it wasn’t. At least we weren’t going to call it that.

When BCole and his lovely and brilliant wife, Drew, purchased the Luna Lounge and Tiki Bar, they had every intention of changing the name and theme. And, they did that. It is now called Test Pattern. It will go back to being a smaller music and performance venue and it has, because I’ve played there with The Threadbare Trio and will again in August. BCole and Drew decided that they wanted to be the “studio sponsor” of The Less Desirables Network and that they are. With that deal in place, every podcast that is recorded there (whether it is a TLD Network show or contract show) must state that they’re recording from “The Test Pattern Studio” and we’ll talk about what they have going on.

Now, that will not affect the sponsorship of The Garage. As BCole said on The Less Desirables this past week, there has always been a symbiotic relationship between The Garage and whatever Test Pattern has been and as far as he’s concerned, it will stay that way. I’m glad because I certainly don’t want to lose The Garage. So, located at the corner of 7th and Trade, 701 North Trade Street is where Test Pattern is located. Right behind there is where the Test Pattern Studio is where The Less Desirables Network now calls home. We’ve very proud and excited about this new venture.

Some of the highlights? Only one door (and a gate) to go through to get to it; a window that I can see out to the world and not be blocked off from it; a private bathroom that doesn’t need a separate key to use; access to glass washing (either mechanical or practical); accessibility to the area; an “On Air” sign that will light up when we’re recording; the ability to advertise that we’re there. There are more, this is just the beginning. Did I mention that we’re excited? So, while we’re still working out the bugs with things and getting everything just right, bare with us on the production quality of the shows as we’ll be working to tweak what we need to. Each room has its own personality and I’m still learning this one. But, no matter what… thanks for listening to all the TLD Network shows!

I do want, quickly to thank my landlords at Chatham bldg. (WRCP) for all they have done prior to me leaving. It afforded me the opportunity to grow and expand my biz. Thanks, so much.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“That literally and figuratively makes sense on the side of Test Pattern…” – BCole on the idea of TLD being in the new studio.

← Older posts
Follow Useless Things Need Love Too on WordPress.com

Social

  • View tgbii’s profile on Facebook
  • View bassmantnc’s profile on Twitter
  • View timbeemanii’s profile on Instagram
  • View timothy-beeman-ii-9ab93827’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View +TimothyBeemanII1970’s profile on Google+

Recent Posts

  • Still Ticking or: The Tenth Second Birthday
  • Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 2/19 and 2/26
  • Silent Sunday or: Big Game Day
  • Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 2/5/22
  • Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 1/29/22

Recent Comments

Georgia Modica on Fabriqué en Chine or: I’…
Damien on The End of an Era or: Thank Yo…
TGBII on  He Occasionally Takes an Alco…
Damien on Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 1…
Damien on  He Occasionally Takes an Alco…

Archives

  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014

Categories

  • Beer
  • Blogging
  • Food
  • Friend Friday
  • Honeymoon
  • KISS
  • Life as We Know It
  • Movie Review
  • Music Review
  • Podcasting
  • Product Review
  • Rant
  • Records
  • Silent Sunday
  • Sounds Like Saturday
  • Spinning Sunday
  • Spirits
  • Talking Tuesday
  • The Less Desirables Network
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Wine

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Dealspotr

@themanwhoatethetown - influencer profile on Dealspotr
dealspotr.com
Follow Useless Things Need Love Too on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to receive notifications when the idiot who runs this blog updates by email.

Join 1,980 other followers

Recent Posts

  • Still Ticking or: The Tenth Second Birthday
  • Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 2/19 and 2/26
  • Silent Sunday or: Big Game Day
  • Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 2/5/22
  • Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 1/29/22

Recent Comments

Georgia Modica on Fabriqué en Chine or: I’…
Damien on The End of an Era or: Thank Yo…
TGBII on  He Occasionally Takes an Alco…
Damien on Spinning Sunday or: The Haul 1…
Damien on  He Occasionally Takes an Alco…

People Who Say Things That Rock!

Categories

  • Beer
  • Blogging
  • Food
  • Friend Friday
  • Honeymoon
  • KISS
  • Life as We Know It
  • Movie Review
  • Music Review
  • Podcasting
  • Product Review
  • Rant
  • Records
  • Silent Sunday
  • Sounds Like Saturday
  • Spinning Sunday
  • Spirits
  • Talking Tuesday
  • The Less Desirables Network
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Wine

People who love to read my spoutings.

  • 53,725 hits

Archives

  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Copyright For All Ramblings:

©Timothy G Beeman II

Blog at WordPress.com.

Useless Things Need Love Too Podcast

Just another rambling dude talking out his...

Fan Interference Podcast

Part of The Less Desirables Podcast Network

Asylum: Tales from the Devereaux Diaries

Eat Drink Triad Podcast

The Podcast of Triad Food and Beverage Coalition

Beeman-Metz Media

Coming Soon

FOX8 WGHP

News, Weather, Sports and more from FOX8 WGHP

As Ardmore Turns

An almost true-to-life soap opera that practically writes itself.

Beeswax Vinyl and More

A NC-based Podcast About Music and Music History!

Defining Yellow

Eddie Huffman

SippingNC: The Art of Drinking

A Blog and Podcast all about North Carolina libations.

Dr. Rock's Blog & Roll

Your dose of the BEST music ever made! (www.DrRock.com)

Sipping NC: The Art of the Drink

North Carolina Libations from Beer to Wine to Spirits

benedictbeerblog

Funny Redhead Loves Beer. Funny Readhead Writes About Beer.

The Beer Dads Podcast

Three guys having a beer and talking about being dads.

The Man Who Walked the Town

Exploring WSNC One Step at a Time

Somewhere Over the Olive Tree

Way up high in the Valencian mountains

Daily Inspiration Blog

Triad City Beat

Wrestling-Online.com

Covering pro wrestling news since 1998!

  • Follow Following
    • Useless Things Need Love Too
    • Join 1,980 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Useless Things Need Love Too
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...