Trojan Hardtimes Commercial

Saw this commercial and thought it was pretty funny. "We believe we should RIDE out these HARD times together." Excellent.

Match Report- gaLAxy vs. United 3/22/09

Thoughts after watching the match between DC United and the gaLAxy at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA:

• LA's defense looks very much improved. Omar Gonzalez appears to have a bright MLS future. Bruce Arena's impact is noticable after one off-season. While LA did allow two goals, the PK is forgivable. Chris Pontius' goal was a beautiful sight, but was created by a lethargic defensive let down. I don't expect that to happen often.
  
• Landon stands out on the field. He is clearly LA's field marshall and he controls the play. You can tell he has played top flight in off season, as he sets up teammates and dribbles around the opposition with ease. He appears to be one step ahead of the game at all times.
  
• It was very noticable that the game was not sold out. The MLS website indicates that there were over 18,000 fans there in a stadium that seats 27,000. Clearly, this is a combination of the frustration over last season's results and the Beckham saga in the off-season. Beckham could have turned away more LA fans than he created league wide.
• It was sad that the traveling Barra Brava were louder than any of the LA support groups. They could be clearly heard the entire game, and I could not pick up on any LA chants.
• LA got lucky with the phantom handball call that gave them their first goal. However, Landon's second goal was a thing of beauty.

Street Sweeper- The Oath

Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, has teamed up with Boots Riley from The Coup to form Street Sweeper. Embedded above is "The Oath," which definitely has my heart rate going faster. I found out about Street Sweet from the newly announced Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction tour (cleverly named NIN|JA). Go to the NIN|JA website to download the tour sampler, which includes "The Oath" and an even better song in my opinion titled "Clap for the Killers." I cannot wait to hear more from this band. An album is supposed to be released sometime in 2009. Also note that the sampler has two new Nine Inch Nails songs on it, plus two previously released Jane's Addiction songs.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 6

I love the nicknaming of Guus Hiddink. Wayne: "I've already forgotten his real name."

The Parlor Mob- Bullet

I am feeling this new band I came across from New Jersey called The Parlor Mob. If you are a fan of Wolfmother and Led Zeppelin, you will enjoy this band. Check out "Bullet" as performed live by the band.

The Bellagio- Step Brothers Remix

I took this video of the Bellagio fountains and added a Step Brothers twist.

Perfecto Las Vegas- Paul Oakenfold

From Day 4

Part of my trip to Las Vegas involved checking out Paul Oakenfold as part of Perfecto Vegas at the Rain Nightclub located in the Palms. I had previously seen Oakenfold in a stadium situation, which was awesome, but I have heard amazing things about his club experience. The entire night was audio-visual stimulation. Just prior to Oakenfold coming out to spin, gymnasts and masked creatures entered the club.

From Day 4

From Day 4

I overheard several people who were confused at first when they saw these creatures enter, but were very much in awe. When the fire was added in, the stage was complete and ready for the greatest DJ to take his place behind the LED turntable.

From Day 4

I heard one attendee call his friend on the phone and say this experience was crazy but the coolest thing he has ever seen. I would totally have to agree. Oakenfold opened with an amazing mix of "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon and played a wide variety of music. The actors in the show also walked around the VIP tables, which I was fortunate to get upgraded to (Thanks Tatiana!)

From Day 4

Naturally, he also played an amazing mix of The Killers, since the band is from Las Vegas. The sound system set up for the show was incredible, with bass-thumping speakers that made my ears ring after the show. The dancers really helped add to the atmosphere as well, with thier black light reflective outfits.

From Day 4

Overall, I rate this experience as a must-see in Vegas. I could tell that several people had not heard of Paul Oakenfold, but everyone I talked to really enjoyed the show and the experience. There is something for everyone, including a club experience, a Las Vegas level show with acrobatics and fire, and one hell of an experience that screams "Only in Vegas". I can't wait for the CD to be released from the show.

From Day 4

In-N-Out Burger

From Day 4

While in Las Vegas, our group checked out In-N-Out Burger. Some of the group had been there previously, but many, like myself, had not. On first arrival, I was amazed at how busy the place was.

From Day 4

It took about 5 minutes to order, and about 15 minutes to receive the food, but it was totally worth the wait. I ordered a Number 1, which is a Double Cheeseburger with fries and a drink. It came "Animal Style", which has Thousand Island dressing.

From Day 4

The burger was fantastic. I think the best part of the burger is that the ingredients are fresh, especially the onions. The burger was juicy, greasy, and very tasty. As for the fries, I thought they were underdone, which seemed to be a consensus of the group. The people who had been there there before said that the fries were excellent, so for this visit I will blame the massive crowds. All in all, the food was excellent and I plan to visit again.

Vegas Internet $$

I want to apologize for the lack of posts, but I was in Vegas last week. My plan was to provide updates daily during the morning downtime, but internet was expensive in Vegas. I stayed at the Paris Las Vegas hotel and they believe it is a good idea to charge $14.99 for 24 hours of internet access. This is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. We paid enough to stay there and they want $15 more for internet? I could maybe understand $15 for an entire stay, but not per day. This fee was to take advantage of the business traveler, but seriously takes advantage of the private traveler. I tried to find other wireless locations, but I had no luck connecting. Look for several updates today.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 5

Line 3 is the Voyer imposter. All in all, not that great of an episode, but somewhat funny.

Las Vegas Airport- Sun Dog Amber Wheat

Buying time, I stopped into the Budweiser Racing Track Bar & Grill in the Las Vegas Airport, mainly because I have not eaten in seven hours. I decided to try the Sun Dog Amber Wheat. This beer was surprisingly tasty with a nice compliment of hops. Slowly, Anheuser-Busch is starting to impress me with their craft beers. They still do not reach the level of micro-breweries, but a step in the right direction for AB.

Las Vegas

I have landed in Las Vegas. Let the good times roll.

The Takeover UK- Ah La La

A new band that I'm digging is The Takeover UK. Don't let their name fool you, as they are from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I've checked out the album and like what I hear.  The song embedded is "Ah La La", which is very catchy (also it is the only official video I could find on YouTube). I may plan a trip to see them at their CD release party in Pittsburgh on Friday, April 17. I hope you enjoy this band as much as I do. Please let me know what you think.

Beckham Move Hurts MLS

The agreement between AC Milan, the Los Angeles gaLAxy, and David Beckham allows Beckham to stay at Milan until the end of the season and return during the summer window in mid-July to the gaLAxy. The agreement includes buyout money from Mr. Posh himself, which speaks loudly as to how much he wanted out of LA. But this was not the most unnerving aspect of the deal. The gaLAxy scored a summer friendly with AC Milan on July 19 as part of the deal. The previously scheduled SATURDAY match with the Red Bulls was moved to THURSDAY. Therefore, the league moved a date for Becks in New York. While ESPN will be clamoring to adjust the schedule and pick up this Thursday night game, the fans who wanted to attend this game lose out by putting it on a week night...in the biggest market in the league. The league will forgo a sold out Giants Stadium for a cacophonous shell of a stadium. The league and the fans lose on this deal.

iPod Helps Win Carling Cup

According to this article, an iPod helped Manchester United win the Carling Cup. Goalkeeper coach showed goalkeeper Ben Foster highlights of Tottenham players taking penalty kicks. My first reaction to this is that this could be a form of cheating. But being an advocate for technology, I came around to believe that athletes should be able to use whatever technology is at their finger tips in order to win. Winning is the name of the game, and this situation is similar to watching game film. The only difference is that the game film was being watched on the field. But who cares? All that matters is Tottenham lost.