^^^ Do you use creamy or chunky peanut butter? Eating vegan/vegetarian is fine but sometimes you want to indulge. Breakfast at The Griddle with my godson before he left town to spend Christmas with the grandparents. Banana pancakes and a pot of French-press coffee. Later was a late-night nosh at Canter's Deli on Fairfax. I had the Brooklyn Ave. Hot pastrami, coleslaw, and Russian dressing on rye bread. With a dollop or two of deli mustard. Mmmmmm...mmmmmm...good.

Well worth seeing redrum. Bruce Dern is excellent. Slightly reminiscent of David Lynch's "The Straight Story", where Richard Farnsworth had a late-career defining role. jb126 only meant that after seeing the emotionally draining film "12 Years a Slave", she was in the mood for something more enjoyable and fun to watch. Hence, "American Hustle" fit the bill. Groovy clothes...groovy hair...groovy locations. Saw "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug"...better than the first part, I guess, but it still feels unnecessary and greedy splitting the book into three movies. At least the first Hobbit movie ended at a natural break in the story. This second one just leaves you hanging...it's a bit unfair. Smaug the dragon is definitely one of the better dragons you will see in a movie, but I cannot put this up with the best films of the year...a group that includes "Gravity", "12 Years a Slave", "Inside Llewyn Davis", "Dallas Buyers Club", "Nebraska", "Act of Killing", "Blue Is the Warmest Colour", "Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears", "We Are the Best", "Manuscripts Don't Burn", "Philomena". "American Hustle", "Ron Burgundy 2", and "Wolf of Wall St." are films I hope to see this week.

That album is always in my Christmas playlist, Staci. One of the great ones, for sure.

Getting in the Christmas spirit with: December 22, 1972 Alexandra Palace, London. Wendy's "Riot House". December 23, 1972 Alexandra Palace, London. Wendy's "Disturbance House".

Dammit Paul...wake up your Dolphins!!!

Had a late lunch/early supper with some vegan friends at this place called Veggie Grill. Oh. My. God. They have the most amazing french fries I have ever tasted. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, with a tasty curry ketchup to dip the golden sticks, although the fries are plenty yummy enough on their own. My entrée was a Bombay Bowl. Herb-roasted veggies, super grains (millet, buckwheat, quinoa), kale, cannellini beans, cilantro-green curry sauce with coconut milk, almonds, hemp seeds. Very delicious. Not all vegetarian/vegan food is bland and boring.

Never seen Jack at a Kings game. Have seen Sylvester Stallone, Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, and Tom Cruise. Win or lose, the Lakers always get more coverage in the press than the Clippers or Kings. That's just the way the pecking order is among the local teams...as follows: Lakers Dodgers USC football/UCLA basketball Clippers Angels Kings UCLA football/USC basketball Ducks Galaxy/soccer Santa Anita/horse racing

Hooboy...two weeks left...let's see if I don't squander the lead like I did last year. Week 16 picks: Miami...I got a look at Tannehill's girlfriend for the first time last week. Nice. Cincinnati...both the Vikings and Bungles never do what I want them to, so I might as well go with the home team. Kansas City...I can't figure the Colts out. St. Louis...see my comments above for the Minn@Cin game. NY Jets...fuck it, I'll take a gamble with the Jets. Dallas...Incredibly, Dallas still has control of their playoff destiny...win out and they're in. Carolina...Sorry pottedplant, New Orleans has looked too awful on the road for me to pick them against the Panthers. Tennessee Denver...What? No 28 point spread?!? Detroit...Again, see above. Seattle Green Bay San Diego New England...New England rarely loses two in a row. Philadelphia...Foles seems to like home cooking. San Francisco...49ers in playoff-push mode.

All right people! Now it's really the Christmas season...Darlene Love makes her annual appearance on Letterman tonight! http://popdose.com/soul-serenade-darlene-love-marshmallow-world/

Whoa...I had no idea. That blows Belichick's balls.

For the umpteenth time, "Rain Song" was not performed in 1977.

I prefer the "For What It's Worth" of 9.4.70.

Excellent find, ccrider!!! Although the article is filled with inaccuracies (Iowa was NOT the second date of the tour) and puzzling comments (the writer's observation that the band members had more of a future as individuals than as a band), it is always instructive and fascinating to read contemporary accounts of the early days of Led Zeppelin...before revisionism set in. Note, for instance, the use of the term "acid rock" in regards to Led Zeppelin. That's what I always tell people...back then, bands like Zeppelin would be described as "heavy blues rock" or "acid rock" or "hard rock". The Heavy Metal tag came later. At least they spelled Led Zeppelin correctly...dig the stage backdrop in that photo!

No sell out at Rich Stadium? I thought you had the NFL package on Direct TV? All NFL games should be available to you. If not, you'll have to go to a sports bar that has Direct TV or Dish.

Excellent photos, redrum. The top one reminds me of William Friedkin's "To Live and Die in L.A.". How lovely for you both...quality time during the holidays is wonderful!!!

Frankly, most of the DC and Marvel comic book movies leave me cold. Only the Christopher Nolan Batman-Dark Knight movies and the first Iron Man resonated with me as successful adaptations and quality fims in their own right. Other standouts for me are graphic novel adaptations: "Ghost World", "Blue is the Warmest Colour", and "Ghost in the Shell".

Working 'til midnight every night...kind of makes life a drag. I've had to say "NO" to a lot of things this week. No... Jeff Tweedy Doug Benson VUM Tig Notaro Miranda Lee Richards Pere Ubu Redd Kross/Germs/White Flag Andrew Bird

I think my brother has, or had, one...I'll ask him when I get a chance.

Thanks dude. You think you're impressed, I'm completely thunderstruck. Even though they lost to Chicago on the road the other night, it's LA's only loss in December. I can't believe this kid Jones...7 consecutive wins to begin his NHL career, three of them shutouts! He made a save last night that was ridiculous! I have to tell you Rick, while I figured the Kings overall talent and Quick in the net would keep the team competitive this year, I had concerns over losing Scuderi (to Pittsburgh), Penner (Anaheim), and Bernier (Toronto) in the offseason. I thought our defense might suffer and what would happen to our goaltending if Quick had a slump or an injury? Well, not only has ex-Toronto goalie Ben Scrivens been a revelation in relief of the injured Quick, but now our call-up from the AHL, Martin Jones, looks like a real keeper. Which brings me to the point I made here a week or two ago...with a surplus of quality goalies, who will be the odd man out when Quick returns? There isn't enough playing time available to keep all three goalies happy...or salary cap space. Someone will be traded I expect...maybe to Buffalo if the Sabres feel they're losing Miller after the season? Of course, this is like the chicken and the egg...are the Kings goalies really that good or does the Kings rugged defense make their goalies look better than they are?

Keef spreading a little Christmas cheer!

KEEF IS 70! Happy Birthday Keith Richards! Here's to the man who takes a licking and keeps on rocking...the man who will outlive us all! Thanks for the tunes and the 'tude! Photo by Ethan Russell And happy birthday to Keith's good ol' sidekick from Texas, Bobby Keys!

Well, as a Neanderthal who still buys actual physical bootlegs, whether in vinyl or cd form, if March 10, 1975 San Diego is the next release from EVSD, I might still get it but I'm definitely 'meh' about the show. Perhaps it's because they're sandwiched between the excellent Dallas/Long Beach/Seattle-Vancouver string of shows, but both San Diego shows have struck me as merely average at best. Granted, 'average' Led Zeppelin is still pretty good and if a soundboard is available, I'm all for putting it out there. But, I still reserve the right to hold my excitement in check if a substandard show is released in lieu of better shows. How about some early '75 Soundboards...Chicago, Indianapolis, Brussels? Or, given that we know Led Zeppelin performed a phenomenal stretch of concerts from February 12 to March 5, with great-sounding soundboards to boot (MSG, Nassau, St. Louis, Baton Rouge, Dallas), how about releasing something from that stretch-run? Ft. Worth...New Orleans...Houston...Knoxville? Where's Philadelphia '75? Landover '75? All these would be preferable to 3.10.75San Diego. And I haven't even mentioned 1971...

I've been seeing them in Urban Outfitters for ages. They look cute, with their pastel colours of pink, green, blue, etc...but they also look cheap and not capable of providing much in the way of sound quality. No way I'm playing my "For Badgeholders Only" on one. You should be able to find a decent quality turntable setup online or your local stereo shop or even some of the better Goodwill/thrift/pawn/second-hand shops.

"All downhill"? Not quite. Don't be so morbid. There's plenty of great shows after July 29, 1973. As an ancillary question for the forum, do you like it when Robert sings "So I keep keeping on and keeping on" in the climax of the electric part (he did this often in 1975) or prefer it when he sang the usual "feels good...feels good now" right before the last "but I know that I love you so"?

^^^ The "Eddie" was the greatest until the one on the following Saturday night, June 25, 1977.