It's Frank Zappa...which is all you need to say, haha. Well, Cate Blanchett has thrown down the first gauntlet...her performance in "Blue Jasmine" is riveting. A cinch for an Oscar nomination and every other actor accolade. Cate Blanchett. "Blue Jasmine". GO SEE IT NOW!!! Not that the rest of the surprising cast (Sally Hawkins ...Peter Saarsgard...Alec Baldwin...Louis CK!!!...Andrew Dice Clay!?!) is to be forgotten...they are all good. But Cate's performance will make your hair stand on end.

Another FAILED Redskins signing. Washington signs Devery Henderson in June; releases him in August. Dan Snyder is a laughing stock. Raiders lose starting LT Jared Veldheer to torn triceps injury. There goes our blindside protection. Another crucial injury in preseason. Tom Brady is day-to-day...probably not as serious as first feared. But that'll mean more time for Tebow.

Hell, just look at our own Paul Carruthers...Popeyes, Burger King, Mountain Dew by the gallon; the guy eats like a teenager and survives.

My problem with the "Celebration Day" video has nothing to do with the performance, which exceeded my expectations. As I said before in my review, it has to do with Dick Carruthers' editing and choice of shots and visuals. As a concert, the O2 show was great...as a video, I find I end up watching my bootleg dvd more often. That's why I would vote for "Charlie Is My Darling" over "Celebration Day"...as a video document it is better.

Fascinating documentary on ESPN2 called "Runner" about Mary Decker and Zola Budd.

That, too. It's in the jeans...er, genes.

Happy birthday to Led Dirigible and Janvier! Janvier turns the BIG 4-0 today! Happy 40th Janvier!

^^^ Yeah, but would you really want that to have happened?

4-4 in the 11th. Poor Rick must be on his third bottle of scotch.

Too true. I should have signified the difference. I am fortunate in that I know how to cook and can make anything from scratch and live in an area where fresh ingredients are available all-year-round. Even though I kid CJW about his H2O intake, he's right, and I imbibe at least 6-8 tall glasses of water a day. I'm not saying I'm in perfect shape...I'm not. I am far from my high-school weight. But even though I have added the pounds, it has to be that I eat lots of fresh food and limit the intake of processed and fast-food that has allowed me to still get a clean bill of health at my last full-physical. My heart, pulse, colonoscopy, cholesterol levels...everything perfect.

I haven't had anything to cheer for all season as the Angels have been a miserable sack of shit, so I have had to find other outlets for my support. Like cheering for the Red Sox and Orioles to make the playoffs above the Rays and Yankees...and hoping the Dodgers represent the West instead of SF and Arizona. Another team I hope makes the playoffs is Pittsburgh. It's been years since the Pirates were any good, so this year as they've been fighting with St. Louis for the Central Division, I began pulling for the Pirates. We need some new blood in the playoffs. That's why I was also happy to see Kansas City doing well earlier this season. Of course, the Royals couldn't keep it up and they've fallen behind in the AL Central. Pittsburgh is playing St. Louis in a crucial series that could go a long way towards solidifying their lead in the NL Central. I'm tired of the Cardinals in the playoffs every year, haha.

Now this thread has 'jumped the shark'.

Yu Darvish joins a select list of only three other pitchers in MLB history to throw 200 + strikeouts in their first two seasons: Hideo Nomo, Dwight Gooden and...can't remember the fourth guy.

With all due respect Jules, this sounds like another hype-scare by the food police. The world seemed to get along fine for centuries with sugar. Now all of a sudden, it is 'evil'? Sugar isn't evil, overeating sugar is evil. Overeating anything is a bad thing and risky to your health. Unless you have medical reasons(hypoglycemia, diabetes, etc.), if you don't over-sweeten your tea or coffee, eat fresh fruits and veggies instead of drinking fruit juices/sugared waters, and stay away from sodas/colas, you should be fine. I like to bake for birthdays and holidays...no way in hell I'm using sugar substitute in my cakes, pies and cookies. Anybody tries to take my sugar away is going to have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Maybe their eligibility period is like the Grammys...fom October to September. I see I have to register to vote...I'm not registering for any more shit online, so no vote for me. I probably would vote for the Rolling Stones "Charlie Is My Darling" or the Big Star documentary anyway.

Ouch. North Dakota? You really are isolated. I thought you lived in Arizona or Louisiana. FYI: No shows are truly sold out...there are always tix available the day of the show for face value at the box office. Sometimes less than face value. At Robert's Connecticut show last month, people were practically giving them away.

She's still around. I saw Maria McKee in concert last year. Still has the pipes.

I'm glad you all liked me sharing this...I aways enjoy turning people on to music. Pity I couldn't find any clips on YouTube of the Santa Monica show. Perhaps there are some from his stint on the Robert Plant/SSS tour this summer?

Now you're just being silly. Don't derail your own thread...at least, not this early in the game. What if Bob Dylan and Duane Allman never learned to ride motorcycles? What if Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens amd the Big Bopper don't get on that plane in 1958? What if Randy Rhodes stays on the ground?

Well, how about this, Ady: What if Walter's actions lead to his family getting killed? Skyler, Junior, Holly...all dead. Since the supposed reason for Walter getting into the drug business to begin with was to provide for his family after his death from cancer, how painful and deserving would it be that Walter sees his plans all go up in smoke...or in a sea of blood. In fact, that's probably the only way Walter could be alive at the end of the show...if his family dies instead and Walter lives to suffer the agony that his actions caused.

Of course, the avocado stand is always popular. A little music while you shop. Legumes, funghis and more... Taking a bite out of summer...

Call me a snob, but not for me the wax and chemical-laden fruit and vegetables of the supermarkets or grocery stores. What does it matter that the outside of an apple looks shiny and perfect if the inside tastes so poor? I don't even like buying my produce in the sterile atmosphere of Whole Foods. No, for me, give me the sights, the sounds, the colour, the smells, and most important, the flavoursof the local farmers' markets. From Santa Monica to Pasadena, there are farmers' markets nearly every day of the week. Then, there's the landmark Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax, open every day. My Sunday isn't complete without a visit to the Hollywood Farmers' Market. Not only is it ginormous with plenty of different farmers and bakers and fishmongers, too...but it's right across from Amoeba Records, so I can do some record shopping afterwards. If you feel the same as I do, and you have a local farmers' market that you support, share the fruits and veggies of your local market with us. What specialty of your region is in season now? Share and post photos of your local bounty. Here are my photos from the Hollywood Farmers' Market.

I know Deborah J loves Bombino, so at least one other person will enjoy this thread. Bombino was the best of the three different opening bands I saw open for Robert Plant this summer. If you like Tinariwen, then the Niger-born Tuareg guitarist Omara "Bombino" Moctar and his band should be right up your alley. Their new album "Nomad" was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and it is one of the best albums of the year. http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/nomad The Santa Monica Pier has a free concert series every summer, with the concerts held on Thursday evenings, beginning around 7pm. Last Thursday, 8.8.13, was Bombino and Hanni El Khatib, with Bombino opening with a set that lasted close to an hour, including an encore. By the third song, one was lost and transfixed by their groove. Bombino embodies what Jimmy Page and William Burroughs were discussing about "trance music" in 1975. It's music to lose yourself in and dance freely. Or if you prefer to just kick back and spark the ganja(I'm talking to you, CP), it's great music to accompany a smoke session. You should check them out and if you get a chance to see them in concert, go. Here are some photos of the Santa Monica Pier concert.

What if the Beatles kept Pete Best as their drummer? What if Eric Clapton doesn't leave the Yardbirds? What if Sam Phillips doesn't record Elvis Presley? What if Maria Callas doesn't have her heart broken by Onassis? What if Ian Curtis wasn't such a depressive and doesn't commit suicide? What if Elvis Presley had a different manager than Colonel Parker? Most importantly... What if Steve Marriott and BJ Wilson are available to join Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones in 1968?

If it's Brian Wilson and Jeff Beck - YES! If it's the sham that is Mike Wilson/Beach Boys and Jeff Beck - NO!