Tso Long Productions

The Flannel Diaries

Ultra-Concentrated KML

 
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Now here's a superhero I could really get into. Why don't they follow the current hollywood trend and turn this one into a live action movie as well?

Stripperella: an exotic dancer by night, a sexy superhero by... later night.

 
Thunder... Thunder... Thunder...
Thundercats! Ho!!!

 
Just found out about a new movie coming out next year that looks to be pretty cool. It seems the legendary character vampire hunter, Dr. Van Helsing will be going up against the top 3 monsters/villians of all time movie history! I think he usually sticks to vampires, but in this movie he's taking on not only Dracula, but Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman as well! Should be sweet. Check out the movie site: http://www.vanhelsing.net/

 
I give you the 2002 golf season results. Little Reed (a.k.a. Ed) has compiled a spreadsheet complete with stats of last year's golf outings. As you can see, I dominated most of the time. What can I say except: I got game.
- Zigfield Troy (Woodridge, IL) -
C.Tso 47 / C.Reed 50 / E.Reed 53
- Twin Lakes (Westmont, IL) -
C.Tso 43 / C.Reed 46 / E.Reed 53
- Pottawatomie (St. Charles, IL) -
C.Tso 61 / C.Reed 63 / E.Reed 70
- Hyatt Newporter (Newport Beach, CA) -
C.Tso 40 / C.Reed 46 / E.Reed 51
- Hyatt Newporter (Newport Beach, CA) -
C.Tso 36 / C.Reed 46 / E.Reed 48
- Twin Lakes (Westmont, IL) -
C.Reed 46 / C.Tso 53 / E.Reed 56
- Downers Grove (Downers Grove, IL) -
C.Tso 68 / C.Reed 70 / E.Reed 71
- Spartan Meadows (Elgin, IL) -
C.Tso 61 / C.Reed 62 / E.Reed 70
- Western Acres (Lombard, IL) -
C.Tso 58 / C.Reed 59 / E.Reed 63
- Ken-Loch (Lombard, IL) -
C.Reed 48 / E.Reed 50 / C.Tso 53
- Downers Grove (Downers Grove, IL) -
C.Reed 65 / E.Reed 72 / C.Tso 55(INC.)

 
Well... my much anticipated summer concert series is about to begin. Every year when summer rolls around, the best things to look forward to are always concerts and golf. What else can a man possibly ask for? Tonight, the Wallflowers will serve as a warmup for the rest of the concerts this summer.
Here's the list so far:
5/2 - The Wallflowers (The Vic -aka Brew & View) - I saw these guys once when they were opening up for Blues Traveller in DeKalb, IL. Everybody who I went with said they sucked, but I thought they were actually pretty good.
6/26 - Fleetwood Mac (Allstate Arena) - Not my favorite venue to go see a concert, but it will have to do. I guess the one good thing Bill Clinton did while in office was to talk the Mac into getting back together.
6/29 - Fleetwood Mac (Summerfest) - That's right... a double dose of the Mac. I love summerfest. Lot's of great food, beer, and free concerts. Too bad this one isn't free though.
7/5 - Sheryl Crow (Taste of Chicago) - A free show at the Taste. Truth be told, I really don't like the Taste of Chicago all that much, but how the hell can I pass on a free show. Especially if it's Sheryl Crow!
7/6 - Dave Matthews Band (Alpine Valley) - My favorite place for a summer show. This will be the second concert in as many nights. We'll be sure to get there a few hours early as getting piss drunk while tailgating is half the fun.
7/12 - Bon Jovi with Sheryl Crow (Alpine Valley) - Two weekends in a row for Alpine Valley. I can't seem to get enough of Sheryl Crow either. As for Bon Jovi, let's just hope they do most of the old classic hits. Newer Bon Jovi leaves something to be desired.

A couple more that I don't have tickets for yet...
7/19 - REO Speedwagon & Styx (Tweeter Center)
9/6 - Aerosmith & KISS

I looks to be a great summer for concerts!

 
General Tso: The man, the myth, the chicken. This guy sounds like he was pretty ruthless... Now everytime I eat the chicken I will think of Tso's enemies getting "sliced and diced" to death. Hmmm... maybe this guy was onto something.

"Is it possible that, struggling to carve out a new life in America under backbreaking adversities, and having heard of the sword skills of the remorseless General Tso (who had the top leaders of the Nian Rebellion executed with the proverbial "death of 10,000 cuts"), the overseas exiles indulged in some gallows-humor about their old enemy? That the chopped-up chicken dish may have gotten its name from the sliced and diced victims of Tso's grim reprisals?"

Apparently somebody has also made General Tso into a comic strip. And just a quick warning: It's not funny.

 
Well it seems that Saddam Hussein has either run away or he caught a bomb up the ole wazoo. Either way, he's not in charge any more and his and his regime's butts just got smoked. We just had a 3-week war which has to be one of the shortest wars in the history of wars. And to quote Dennis Miller... "Hell, Joe Millionaire took 8 weeks to choose his soul mate and he didn't even get into her 'Baghdad'." Makes you wonder what the heck took them so long to finish the hundred-years war. Seriously though, props to the troops out there who got the job done so quick and congrats to the Iraqi's who no longer have to live in fear.

 
Is it true? Do most college students pee in the shower? Madonna says, "Everyone does two things. Everyone picks their nose, and everyone pees in the shower." Man... am I glad I wore shower shoes when I was in those college dorm showers. Hell, George Costanza did it and look where it got him...
And for the record: I do not. Okay, okay... one time when I was 10, I went in a swimming pool. But that's it!! Oh yeah, and in the Pacific Ocean too but I looked to make sure nobody was around.

 
It seems that the Big Reed is going out to Las Vegas again with Bigger Reed (his dad). Little Reed won't be making the trip this time because he couldn't get any time off from work. That's probably good though, because he didn't have the best of times out there before (see previous vacation post). Anyways, Big Reed said he could place some futures for me out there so maybe I should go with the Cubs to win the World Series this year. I think they're finally due. Too bad I would have to wait until October to find out if I had won that bet. It would be so much easier to just win next week's lottery instead.

 
What's with this fondue thing. If I go into a restaurant, I expect the food to be cooked when it arrives. And all this fondue grease insn't helping either. I feel sick after all that grease. Needless to say, it will be a very long while before I do fondue again.

 
A big THANK YOU and GOOD LUCK to all the allied troops out there. I know they're not in the middle of the desert checking out this blog, but I'm just trying to throw some good vibes out their way. Keep safe!

 
Interesting movie news. I'm usually down for any movie with a futuristic setting. I know one thing... whoever they get to play the lead had better be as scantily-clad as the cartoon character.

Karyn Kusama Developing Aeon Flux
Tuesday, March 18, 2003 12:48 CST
According to Variety, Girlfight writer/director Karyn Kusama is the leading candidate to helm Paramount and MTV Films' Aeon Flux, the live-action feature version of MTV's futuristic cable series.
Kusama is in final talks to develop the last part of the script with the intent to direct the film. The project is based on the animated series created by Peter Chung, which centers on an acrobatic superheroine who is the top agent in an underground organization.
Project will be produced by MTV Films and Gale Anne Hurd's Valhalla production company.

 
Did you know Kevin Smith actually named his daughter Harley Quinn? How cool is that?

 
Hmmm... perhaps I should go back to school to study my first passion, UBW. Or maybe I should go to South Korea for a year. If their neighbors to the north were not causing all sorts of problems, I might have actually considered it. Here's the job description from Monster.com:

US-IL-South Korea-English Teachers Need in South Korea - NO EXP REQ
No Teaching Experience or Knowledge of Korean is required
Bachelors Degree (3-4 year) or Equivalent Required
Please note: You must be from a Country that is Recognized by Korean Immigration as being an English Speaking Country. The Mother Tongue of the Country must be English. (Ex: Australia, United States of America, Britain, Scotland, New Zealand, Canada)
One Year Contract Includes
- Furnished Apartment
- Private Medical Insurance
- One Month Severance Pay at completion of Contract
- Free Internet Access
- Round Trip Airfare
- Monthly wage of 1,600,000 to 2,100,000 WON per month (Depending on location and teaching experience)
- Paid leave on National Holidays (approx. 14 per year)
- Paid Vacations and Sick Days
Other bonuses
- Low cost of living (Transportation, Utilities etc)
- Low income tax (3-5%)

 
Okay.. just a couple of links to add to this whole "celebrity" thing.

Snopes
Scroll down about two-thirds of the way down. Very eloquently put.

Citizens Against Celebrity "Pundits"
You'll have to ignore many of the idiot posters on the site, but I agree with the general position of the petition.

Scrappleface
Onion-like, but probably true nonetheless. Not to mention it's a good chuckle. (not celebrity related)

 
All right.. all right, my so called hidden agenda has at last been revealed by Diggerblue here. While it is true that I would support the President's decision to go to war, my argument here is still based on the negative effects of celebrities speaking out to any political issue. Specifically, Diggerblue asks, "...as long as celebrities are endorsing what they truly believe in and not what they simply believe to be the "popular cause" that will net them more viewers, what's the problem?"

Well here's the problem. Hollywood celebrities known for their intense liberalism have made their views loud and clear and the problem here is that things get blown way out of proportion. We get only a lop-sided view of the issue because while most Hollywood stars get to voice their views in front of cameras, buy television spots, and take out print ads against the war, the other side of the argument doesn't get nearly as much publicity. A regular Joe-Schmoe-American in support of the President doesn't get these same privledges a Hollywood celebrity gets and therefore has a smaller voice. Let's face it, no TV crew is going to be rushing to cover Mr. Anonymous John Doe's side of the issue. So just because celebrities have the resources to make their side of the issue more well heard, does this make their side of the argument any more "right"? It appears so doesn't it? We are hearing everyday how Sean Penn is against this and Jessica Lange is against that, but we don't ever hear from regular people who support this and that. When celebrities speak out on political issues, they are basically making their voices heard over the voices of every other non-celebrity person out there. And here I thought that in this country everyone was suppose to have an equal voice. Apparently not.

Once again, I'm not trying to trounce on anyone's first amendment rights here. If celebrities really want to speak out then by all means speak out. But just think of the negative effects of such an action before you run your celebrity-mouth.

 
Okay... I'm going to get slightly political here (but really not too much I guess). I just have a short rant to go off on as I've seen one too many celebrities irresponsibly voicing their opinion on the impending war with Iraq. Actually, there's really very little political value in this post, but here I go anyway:

As a free American, I believe everyone (even celebrities) has the right to free speech. However, the power of celebrity status should be used very responsibly. By publicly endorsing one side or the other, celebrities are effectively altering public opinion. When this happens, all reasonable debate goes out the window and the issues turn into popularity contests. Imagine the potential consequences if popular opinion on important issues came down to which artists sold more records or sold more movie tickets. We do not want issues to be decided based on the number of Americans willing to jump on a particular bandwagon. The power of celebrity endorsements are evident everyday in the things we buy. We get cellular phones because Catherine Zeta-Jones offers us a great deal or we buy the new Chrysler because Celine Dion drives one. All that is fine as far as pushing commercial products go, but political issues cannot be treated in the same fashion. Decisions on political issues need to be based upon the weighing of facts; not upon a celebrity's status in our popular culture. While no one is denying celebrities the right to speak out, I'm simply urging them to use that right responsibly. Lets not turn political issues into just another product that is pushed onto the American public.

 
Well... Revo (formerly Crush), my longtime favorite cover band is no longer. Desiree, the band's lead singer, has decided not to return after taking a maternity leave to deliver her first child. According to the band's website:
"Revo's long time friend and singer Desiree Starr has decided not to return to performing with Revo. She has officially decided to "pursue her own ventures and wishes to thank everyone for all their support and friendships in the past." She can still be contacted through her Revo email address. We wish her all the best in everything she does."
I've heard the replacement singer and to be quite honest, she sucks. As a matter of fact, the whole band sucks. The only thing that band had going for it was Desiree. Man... she could really carry a tune. The fact that she was hot didn't hurt either. Now where am I going to find a new band? I'll probably wind up at some German restaurant listening to the Deutchland Yodelers or something.

 
Imagine a movie theater where there is a full bar, a full menu, leather seats, a smoking section, and a waiter to bring you anything you need. Well it really exists! The best part is that you have to be 21 or over to get in (i.e. no teenage pimple-poppers allowed)! It's called Hollywood Blvd. and it's got everything you could ask for in a movie theater. The seating layout is not your traditional layout. You're basically sitting in you own reclinable chair (which rolls around on the floor) and there is a tabletop in front of you for your food & drink. I was able to catch Tears of the Sun there last night and it's a great experience. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone. Movie tickets are only $8 which is actually a dollar cheaper than going to a regular theater. Hopefully this catches on and more of these places open up.

 
Meet the new Schueler baby, Julia Michelle. Or "Jumi" as proud parents Dave & Maria like to call her. Apparently, she was born to the sounds of Jimmy Buffett so you know she's going to be a lot of fun. Ain't she cute?

 
Whoa... Scrubs star Zach Braff is going to direct and star alongside Natalie Portman in something called Large's Ark. Here's the story:

According to Variety, Camelot Pictures has come aboard to finance Jersey Films' Large's Ark, a romantic drama that marks the feature directorial debut of Scrubs star Zach Braff.
Braff stars in the film alongside Natalie Portman and Ian Holm, with Peter Sarsgaard negotiating to join them.
Braff set the film up at Jersey last fall, based on his own script about a young man who returns home for his mom's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
Braff impressed Portman enough that she agreed to fit the film in before shooting the third "Star Wars" prequel this summer. Large's Ark will begin production April 23 in New Jersey and L.A.

 
I'm totally psyched... One of my favorite musicals of all time (2nd only to Les Miserables) may finally be adapted for the big screen:

Joel Schumacher Talks Phantom of the Opera
Friday, March 7, 2003 6:24 CST
The Chicago Sun-Times talked to director Joel Schumacher who addressed rumors that Antonio Banderas is still a frontrunner for Phantom of the Opera. "Antonio is not doing this version," Schumacher said, "I haven't cast yet, but I want to go younger. Maybe Antonio was part of a past project. He was in 'Evita' and Andrew loves him, but he's not my Phantom."
Schumacher is currently prepping the project and thinking about casting. "Not Leo. He's a little young for Phantom, but someone young. The hard thing is that the leads have to sing and act. The other interesting element is you don't see the face under the Phantom mask. He's always in makeup. So, I could cast anyone."
As for the female lead, Schumacher says he's looking for "a beautiful young lady who can sing." The director hopes to have the film out by next Christmas.

 
I guess Smallville has come out with a soundtrack. I would recommend it to anyone... particularly Eva Cassidy's rendition of Time After Time (I've always loved that song). If you dont want to buy the soundtrack, then at least go download that track.

 
How does this job description sound for me?? If only it were more stable, I'd be there in a heartbeat. I can totally see myself as a caller for the new Miss Cleo commercial.

What We Need:
MovieWork Now Casting needs all ages, types and sizes for upcoming feature films, independent films, made for television movies, commercials, infomercials, music videos, print advertisements, voice-overs and promotional projects. Projects may be for local, national, or international distribution. Applicants should live within one hour of Phoenix in order to meet the demands of casting.

Our Credits:
Our talent has worked on films that include: Skinwalkers, Impostor, Three Kings, Tin Cup, U-Turn, The Postman, Jerry Maguire, Waiting to Exhale, What Planet Are You From?, Interstate 60, Tank Girl, Dead Man, Flirting with Disaster, The Getaway, Boys on the Side, The Quick and the Dead, No Code of Conduct, Terminal Velocity, Bad Girls, The Ride, Hoop Soldiers, Legend, Family Plan, Tombstone and Geronimo.

Our clients include: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Starburst, AT&T, Glamour Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Americas Most Wanted, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Details Magazine, Rolling Stones Tour, Back Street Boys Tour, Duracell Batteries, Levis, GM, PetSmart, Oldsmobile, Helzberg Jewelers, Pokeman, Visa, Maxwell House, Sears, Nabisco, Corona Beer, Salon Selectives, WNBA, AWF, Fox Kids Network, CBS College Tour, Cartoon Network Channel, Oz Fest, Pfizer and many more.

Earn up to $1,500.00 Per Day
Flexible Part-Time Work
All Looks and Types Needed
Prior Industry Experience Not Required