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If you like comedy, PR or the occasional inside scoop on the entertainment world,
then drop by for a daily dose written by me, Kambri Crews, producer and publicist to comedians and more!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Video Hosting
I got lots of great emails from folks who saw the NY Times Sunday Styles article and photo in my newsletter. It's great press for Andres and the timing couldn't be better since he has a show on March 1st at the Kraine Theater that y'all should DEFINITELY come see! Here's the *rough* draft press release for your review. Feel free to review and comment on any typos or ideas you may have.
One nice note came from my pal Ricky Van Veen of collegehumor.com who was kind enough to recommend a free video hosting service after my plea for tips a few days back. He told me to try Vimeo.com and it's precisely what I needed. If you're looking for a free spot to host your videos, check it out. I signed up today and in doing so noticed it's owned by Ricky's company, Connected Ventures. The dude is omnipresent.
--Kambri
Gonna start video taping everything.
Link - 4:16 PM -
For Your Reading Pleasure
Off to the Brooklyn Business Library for a self-employment workshop. Meanwhile, enjoy the Latest Ballyhoo! For you regular readers, you're already ahead of the game since much of the content has already been posted here.
--Kambri
I'll try to do better next time.
Link - 7:56 AM -
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Ballyhoo Promotions client, Andres du Bouchet, is featured in the Sunday Styles section of today's New York Times. Here he is pictured demonstrating a Recordilator, an invention unveiled at his weekly free sketch comedy show Giant Tuesday Night of Amazing Inventions and Also There is a Game!!! which runs every week at Rififi in New York City.
See the scan of the whole article here.
Also, THANK YOU to everyone who voted for my boyfriend/other client Christian Finnegan in Comedy Central's Stand Up Showdown. His 1/2 hour special was aired today thanks to your dedication. Incidentally, he came in 19th. Not bad. Not bad at all!
--Kambri
Link - 2:10 PM -
Saturday, January 28, 2006
NY Times Sunday Styles Article
Check out this piece by Warren St. John which will be in tomorrow's NY Times Sunday Styles section regarding the alternative comedy scene. There are a few quotes from Ballyhoo client Andres du Bouchet and about his wildly popular and drop dead funny show Giant Tuesday Night of Amazing Inventions and Also There is a Game!!!
Check out the videos I posted in yesterday's entry before I take them down...they gobble up too much space.
--Kambri
Looking for a free video hosting site. Any recommendations?
Link - 12:57 PM -
Friday, January 27, 2006
I just set up my new laptop and lord almighty this is the best free thing I've ever gotten in my whole life. I'll be up till sunrise putzing around with this new baby.
I finally am able to capture video from my fancy little Sony video camera for your viewing pleasure. So, here are four videos from way back when I was in New Orleans with my good friend Keith helping with the whole animal rescue and recovery efforts post-Katrina.
-- The beat up old mama dog and her adorable little babies that will appear on Puppy Bowl Super Bowl Sunday on Animal Planet.
-- The deer I hand fed & the newborn calf and her mom and the calf's first steps.
-- The teeny weeny baby kittens we fed formula via syringe (being fed by others in this clip).
-- The puppy I trained to sit, shake and lie down. (In this clip he has mastered "sit" and we're working on "shake".)
Look for video of Christian Finnegan in his newsletter and his website and my other clients on BallyhooPromotions.net.
Speaking of Christian, on tonight's Best Week Ever, Paris Hilton admitted she has watched the pop culture hit show which made me cringe a little. Not that I care about Ms. Hilton or anything, but I know that Christian has wished her dead -- in jest, of course -- in many ways on the show.
--Kambri
Link - 10:16 PM -
Today is a Very, Very Good Day!
And it's barely started! As Paquita naps peacefully on my lap, she has no idea how stressed she's going to be. The cable man is coming today to install DVR! My laptop is due to arrive today! The buzzer will ring twice and Paquita is going to flip her wig. Oh my God, EXCLAMATION POINT!
From the pages of "And You Thought Your Father Was Bad"
The folks at FRESH YARN told me my essay about growing up with my deaf parents in a tin shed and is going to run on Father's Day. Boy that seems so far away but it totally makes sense since the story revolves around my dad and culminates with him basically trying to kill my mom. Feel good story, no? Everyone will feel so guilty they will immediately run out to buy a tie rack to go with that special tie. You can thank me later, you dads out there.
Meanwhile, I'll have to churn out new stuff on Love, Daddy which my pal Liam kindly plugged in addition to all his encouraging words. Thanks, Liam!
UPDATE: The cable guy just left. I'm pretty sure he was stoned. He was here maybe ten minutes and he used my bathroom (left the seat up), had me make him a glass of water and told me about 5 times how he loved my tattoo.
--Kambri
Link - 10:13 AM -
Thursday, January 26, 2006
The New World was beautiful and quiet. Not much happens so don't expect an epic tale...just lovely sights and sounds...kind of like listening to my nature CDs. By tomorrow, I'll have forgotten all about it. I have a hard time watching movies about the discovery of America. The Indians and their mistreatment...the land and how it's now filled with strip malls and billboards. It just makes me sad. But, boy, New York is great, huh?!?
I'm all scanned out. Half of the pictures I came across are of my dad making out with some random chick. The other half are of me working. Seriously... hammering, shoveling, chopping, burning...those fu*kers worked the hell out of me. Love, Daddy, my ass.
As a special treat, here is a picture of my dad getting stoned which I salvaged from a negative.
--Kambri
Next book I'm going to read: The Year of Magical Thinking. Any recommendations after that?
Link - 4:53 PM -
Ah, the 80s
 I just sent an email to my dear friend and business partner, Scott, with the subject line "URGENT" that read: "Give me $1,000,000 in small bills or else this will be on the front page of the NY Post tomorrow!"
Here's how we look today. We've aged well, I'd say.
I found some other fun pictures which I'll share soon. My mom kept every single negative ever, it seems. So I was able to recover photos that have disappeared over the years, including a few choice ones of a fun looking pot party. Pot as in marijuana. My dad is so baked in one picture his eyes are merely slits. The good old days. According to him he can get a one hitter of weed in jail for $5.00. He said it's not worth it. Too expensive for too little and he says he's done with drugs.
I'm off to see The New World. Meanwhile, check out this very brief mention of Christian in Rolling Stone.
--Kambri
Link - 12:01 PM -
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Last night's GTN was big fun but free drinks courtesy of the bartender and a reporter made today get off to a very slow, groggy start. Four drinks over five hours really knocked me for a loop. I'm getting old.
I scoured through boxes of old photographs in a quest for the perfect picture of me and my dad for Love, Daddy and after searching for an hour, I only came up with four. Four pictures of just the two of us from my entire childhood. That doesn't seem right. And heck, one of them I had to crop someone out to make it qualify.
I also managed to find a picture of our outhouse. I didn't think one existed and lo and behold there it is in the background of a picture of me of all people. How lucky is that?
--Kambri
Too busy scanning pictures to post them.
Link - 5:32 PM -
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Putting it "Out There"
If I put this out there and give it to you, the internet, maybe I'll feel pressured to do something with it sooner rather than later. GULP! Here it is:
It's a scary thing for me to start. That's why I've put it off for so long. I know people will hate my dad. Some people might grow to like him, though. Some folks, I'm sure, will wonder why the hell I would still talk to him and others will be inspired by my ability to forgive him and love him.
Now off to a really amazing night at Giant Tuesday Night of Amazing Inventions and Also There is a Game!!! See you there, I hope!
--Kambri
Link - 5:07 PM -
Monday, January 23, 2006
A big meeting with Comedy Central is under the belt and our trip to Dublin is that much closer to being finalized. Oh boy, I can't wait!
I've spent much of the day working on my Jailed Deaf Dad project. I think I've settled on a name, Love, Daddy, because no matter how vile and racist, demanding and bitter or sad and lonely they are, that's how he always signs his letters. For the header I've got a scan of an actual letter. Click it for a larger view:
I know it could be much better...I'm not totally jazzed about any of it**, so any ideas are appreciated and encouraged. I spent too much time scanning and futzing with his signature and not enough time actually getting down to the business of writing. I do alright, but oh, if only I were one of those infinitely talented web/graphic design slash writer/journalistic types.
**Okay, Christian just saw my blog template with the above header and he loves it. What the hell?
Maybe y'all can help me with some FAQs? Please? Here's a few to start:
Why is he deaf and why aren't you?
Why is he in jail?
Is he guilty?
Do you know sign language?
--Kambri
Link - 8:45 PM -
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Fun Publicity Stuff
My job has been super fun today. My boyfriend (fiance, I guess, really) / client Christian returned from some college gigs in Boston and we tried out a new local swanky place in our very own Astoria called Locale. It's only open a month and is on 33rd St. & 34th Ave so there's not much on the internets yet. Our waiter (hi Pablo!) just moved here from DC to become an actor and immediately recognized Christian from both Best Week Ever and Chappelle's Show. That's always nice, but him being new to the City and just starting out made it genuine and *special* (insert Church Lady voice).
Over dinner I told him about last night's SNL and made him call our friend Bryan, a writer for the show, to grill him with questions. Who wrote this? What happened here? Can we come see Prince on the 4th? Please?!?!
Christian told me that after one of his shows some girls told him how I had sent them an autographed photo of Christian at their request as a gift for one of their 30th birthdays. They relayed our email exchanges and how I sent it right away to make sure it got there in time. Basically telling him how nice I was and what a great job I did. Warm and fuzzy, my belly was.
Then I checked out the Television Without Pity Forums for Best Week Ever, which I rarely visit because there's not much activit. But after all the Clay Aiken buzz I got in the whole forums frenzy mood and saw all these really awesome posts about Christian.
Finally, while Christian was in the bathroom, I stood outside the door with my face super close to the door with a huge, Joker smile planted on my face ready to scare the living sh*t out of him when he emerged. But I blew it because while I stood there frozen and silent I could hear Christian rehearsing lines in a low whisper for an audition for a sitcom he has tomorrow. I nearly came unglued trying not to laugh / pee my pants so as not to spoil the surprise but he heard me and my scare attempt was ruined. =(
--Kambri
Clay Aiken fans are "Claymates". Clever, right? So for Christian I came up with FinneFan. Whaddyathink? Eh? Eh? Christian's response: "I think I need to have considerably more fans before I start naming them."
Link - 10:44 PM -
Attending Saturday Night Live was a load of fun and little did I know, my girlyfriend Heidi had never before attended a television show taping. (Her going to a Dr. Ruth Westheimer show nearly 15 yrs ago doesn't count.) I was stunned as this woman is always out doing / seeing something, so I am doubly glad I asked her to go.
If you stayed up late enough, you may have caught the sketch that almost was a complete disaster. Peter Sarsgaard was in a hotel room and couldn't find his remote to turn off the annoying hotel service channel that kept repeating for hours on end. At one point he hits the tv out of frustration which made the tv shut off. It was NOT supposed to shut off! They had to cut to Rachel Dratch while someone fixed the problem. The rehearsal version was really hilarious but knowing live television was going horribly wrong was even better. Clay Aiken was in the audience. Odd.** And Drew Barrymore did a surprise little pop in during Weekend Update. Heidi was over the moon.
**For all the Clay Aiken fans (holy cow, he's popular) coming to check out my account of last night. Clay was at rehearsal not at the actual on air show. I found it odd that he was in the rafter seating and didn't manage to get a better seat. If you want more dirt, vote for my boyfriend, comedian Christian Finnegan (VH1's Best Week Ever, Chappelle's Show), in Comedy Central's Stand Up Showdown and help bring him up in the rankings. Then I'll spill the dirt on who he was with. I gotta milk this attention while it lasts! =)
The NY Post ran the story on the alternative comedy scene in the Pulse! section and featured my Ballyhoo Promotions' client Andres du Bouchet and his long running, always funny Giant Tuesday Night. Read the article titled Inside Jokers by Mandy Stadtmiller here.
--Kambri
I've gotta contact Clay's publicist. The boy is wildly popular!
Link - 12:24 PM -
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Live From New York...
I'm finally going to Saturday Night Live tonight. Christian's pal Bryan writes for the show and has invited us before, but Christian wasn't able to make it. This time, I'm going without him and taking a girlyfriend instead as Peter Sarsgaard and The Strokes are guests. I'm not sure if I'll be able to sneak a photo but I'll give it the old college try. The last time I saw Peter (in person) was in Burn This with Elisabeth Shue at the Signature Theatre in November 2002. Much too long ago.
--Kambri
Link - 8:37 AM -
Friday, January 20, 2006
Queens
I can't imagine how Fran the Nanny was from Flushing...she's not Asian. I was amazed at this whole other Chinatown in Queens. All hustle and bustle on the outside and octupus and eyeballs on the inside. Not a thing was written in English anywhere. Anywhere. It was fun window shopping and marveling at how busy a city Flushing is when the bigger city is just a few minutes away. All the Chinese New Year celebration decorations were being sold in every single storefront sending me festive brain waves.
I got home and curled up on the couch with The Secret Life of Bees and had a good cry for Lily. It was a really loving Southern yarn about sisterhood, spirituality, racism and so much more. In doing my recap of the year project, I realized I have read a crapload of books in the last year. A trend that I hope continues and is off to a good start with two books down this month alone. I'm beat, though. I haven't woken up to an alarm clock in God knows how long and I feel zapped. Time for some zzz's before meeting Liam in Queens later tonight. Look for a write up on Liam and his show Tell Your Friends along with Andres du Bouchet and Giant Tuesday Night... in the NY Post this Saturday. Color photos included.
--Kambri
Link - 7:43 PM -
Quick Hit
I'm actually leaving the house today and going to Flushing. Isn't that where the Nanny was from? All I know is it is the very last stop on the 7 train. I'm running late already so that I can give you this very special blog entry. Okay that will be later, but meanwhile check out the Boston Herald to read an interview with my boyfriend/client Christian Finnegan.
--Kambri
Link - 8:05 AM -
Thursday, January 19, 2006
R.I.P.
This sweet girl had been through so much: Hurricane Katrina and her harrowing plight that followed was troubled and sad and now she's finally at peace. They tried to spay her without knowing she had a terrible case of heartworm and, so it goes, she died in her sleep.
--Kambri
For more on her story and the other rescued animals I cared for in NOLA, click here.
Link - 11:44 AM -
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Christian Finnegan is Best Week Ever's Clip of the Day with his What Your Purchases Say About You segment.
--Kambri
Link - 11:33 AM -
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
You can still vote for Christian on Comedy Central for the Stand Up Showdown.
He's slipping in the rankings, folks! Visit http://www.comedycentral.com/events/SUSD/ Scroll down to the bottom, pick him, then click "Vote Now". Spread the word and vote often! And you can also text Finnegan to 91757.
Comedy Central will air the stand up comedy specials of all 25 finalists (including CHRISTIAN's if he stays in the top 25) on Sunday, January 29th. So if you've never seen Christian do regular stand up, now's your chance!
--Kambri
Link - 9:58 PM -
Monday, January 16, 2006
Letters From My Jailed Deaf Dad
Another letter arrived from my Jailed Deaf Dad. He wants a subscription to Discover Magazine so I bought it today for his upcoming birthday. 59. Fifty-nine! And he still gets into jailhouse brawls. Sigh.
He wrote to Christian, "Yes I have great time with you. I guess that you are enough good to be my son in law. And I wish you best & happy being with my daughter. Important: No Heavy drinker and use stupid drugs. Promise me."
He had another tooth pulled. "It is last bottom left tooth. Good thing not front tooth. Ha." They no longer provide dentures so I'm not sure how he'll be expected to eat in another year or two.
He received the $40 Christian sent and $20 I sent for Christmas but for some reason they won't let him have access to it. I have another $20 set aside for his birthday but think I'll wait to mail it since he will have $60 to spend over the next few weeks.
 He tried to send me a Christmas card that they wouldn't mail because, it "contains illustrations or written messages on envelope." He enclosed the offending envelope and their write-up sheet as proof that he tried. It is very clear that these "drawings" are from the manufacturer Shoebox. As if that weren't absurd enough, he bought the fu*king card in their commissary! For some reason, he didn't bother mailing me the actual card. So I missed another* Christmas greeting from my Jailed Deaf Dad. Thanks TDCJ!
*Last year he was in solitary confinement. So receiving his envelope is a huge improvement. Flashback to December 2003's card:
Yesterday I received the first note from my incarcerated father since last May. He's been busy, I guess. It was a Hallmark Christmas card. The front read, "God made all the nights and days and all the world to sing His praise." The inside read, "The very sweetest song on earth once brought the news of Jesus' birth - And as we sing His praise today, may you be blessed in every way."
Then my dad wrote a warm and fuzzy Christmas note in his "deaf speak" handwriting that included this sentence, "I had been [in] solitary confinement four times since April for fighting with n*ggers cause me mad because stealings - all offenders are haters, thief, jealous, etc." Looking back at that note makes me realize how he actually has settled down despite the occasional fight. His letters aren't strewn with so much anger -- oh it's there, just not as much -- and I can't remember the last time he was in solitary. Sure I'm happy he's settling down a bit, but that also reminds me of how beaten down he is. It's just a matter of time before he's just a wrinkled, toothless shell of a once vibrant and magnetic man.
--Kambri
Wants her dad to fight more.
Link - 3:06 PM -
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Moving on Up!
From yesterday's NY Post:
The dilapidated area near the East River is getting spruced up in a leafy, $3.1 million makeover, Councilman Eric Gioia announced yesterday. In four years, the grimy, industrial stretch will be a thing of the past .A paved walking path -- dotted with trees and stunning views of Manhattan -- will span from Long Island City to northern Astoria, then extend east, farther into Queens. Awesome! I just sent an email of thanks to Mr. Gioia. This project is long overdue. I've spent many a day in Astoria Park wondering why there aren't more parks, lush grass and trees along such an obvious span of real estate. Soon, I won't have to wonder any more.
--Kambri
Stay tuned for Letters From My Jailed Deaf Dad tomorrow. Oh yeah, and Happy Anniversary to me & Christian!
Link - 1:06 PM -
Saturday, January 14, 2006
HP Pavilion zd8000
I got a souped up, tricked out entertainment powerhouse on order. Thanks to JJ for the tips!
--Kambri
Link - 10:07 AM -
Friday, January 13, 2006
AGH! I totally forgot!
Best Week Ever returns tonight! So now I get to see my boyfriend after all. Say it with me, "Awwwwwwwww...
puke!"
Tune in to VH1 at 11:00 PM. I'll be camped out in front of the tee vee working on our annual year in review project. From last year's entry:
Having an anniversary that falls during a season of new beginnings affords us the opportunity to look back at the year together, acknowledge our amazing milestones and fun times as well as set goals for the future 12 months. We did this last year, and I'm pretty certain that one of Christian's goals was to have his own 1/2 hour special (CHECK!) and one of mine was to start my own production and PR company (CHECK!). I can't wait to see if this year's goals are checked off with similar success. Stay tuned for January 15, 2006, for an update.
Link - 7:07 PM -
Random Spew
Oh boy, did I love Match Point! It started off a bit slow and I was initially turned off by Scarlett Johansson and the Jonathan Rhys-Dude because it seemed as though they were posing for a photo shoot and competing to see who was prettier. But that wore off soon and once the conniving began, I was hooked. Loved, loved, loved the ending.
Christian is doing a college gig upstate today. Hallelujah! I have the place to myself! This detox thing we're doing has made for some hilarious cranky spats that quickly turn into peace only to flare up suddenly again. But we are laughing about it and acknowledge that what we are doing for our bodies is a good thing.
Friday the 13th got off to a shaky start -- my computer wouldn't boot (not the 1st time this has happened, but it usually will after shutting down power once or twice), I dropped an egg in the kitchen, Christian's flights were canceled and changed to an entirely different city meaning he was scrambling for a new rental car reservation. But then I found some checks I never deposited. On my way out I ran into the Postman who gave me 40 $0.02 stamps for free! I was first in line at the bank with only one teller working when a HUGE line formed *behind* me. My computer rebooted.
I have a free laptop coming my way. Actually, I've had it due to me for months now, but I simply cannot decide. I've filled many an online shopping cart only to bail when the "confirm order" button appears. I would like it to be a desktop replacement (see above) but I don't know the difference between all the processor types and what not. It's overwhelming, I tell you. Anyone computer savvy readers out there with any advice?
--Kambri
Cnet.com is a great tech site.
Link - 5:08 PM -
Thursday, January 12, 2006
More details are emerging on my free Dublin trip. We'll be taping segments at the Guinness Storehouse, a 250 year old operation founded by Arthur Guinness. A historian will be interviewed for a portion of the taping who will also give us a private tour of the facilities. I've heard the Storehouse is really interesting and a "Must See" on the list of stuff to do while in Dublin. Other than that, I have no idea what will occupy our time. A literary pub crawl sounds good, and a castle or two perhaps.
I've been "detoxing" since the new year. No booze, sugar of all kinds or carbs (other than ones found in veggies, meat & low-fat dairy) and am really feeling the benefits. Why? I found myself *absent-mindedly* eating an entire pizza or big canister of pringles washed down with a whole crapload of wine. Working from home has its dangers in that regard. I would just grab whatever was handy. So, I cleaned out the cupboards and went grocery shopping. Crazy, right? By the time I get to Dublin, maybe I'll be cleaned out enough to indulge in a pint.
There was a day or two in the first week of detox where I felt lethargic and cranky, but overall it's been fairly easy. Thankfully, I happen to really love veggies and meat and dairy. My goal is to make it thru next Tuesday when I'll start eating fruit again and slowly re-introduce whole grains back into my diet. And popcorn. Damn, I want me some popcorn during all these flicks I'm watching.
The latest Ballyhoo Promotions Newsletter is online. Check it out.
--Kambri
Link - 10:39 AM -
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
More Reviews of Movies and Comedy
I enjoyed Munich, but I wasn't blown away (sorry) by it. Eric Bana was great as were all the other performers. I guess I saw it too closely on the heels of Capote which thoroughly moved me. I identified more closely with Capote, however, and have little to no interest in learning even more about just why Palestine & Israel hate and kill each other.
Next up: tomorrow's matinee of Match Point and Chapters 1-12 of Trapped in the Closet, a gift from my pal Keith.
Yesterday was a jam packed day of meetings with clients, potential clients, friends and two comedy shows. I finally caught Chicks & Giggles at Mo Pitkins. I got a kick out of Poppy Kramer and poor Michelle Buteau who had just gotten THREE root canals and performed anyway. Hysterical and endearing all at once. Mo Pitkins is supremely annoying, though. The bathroom is one really long flight of stairs down, around a corner, through the bar then another really long flight of stairs down where you are greeted with only two stalls shared by all. It made me re-think my bladder control and comfort level before I decided, "Yes. Yes, I really have to pee." The performance spaces themselves are pretty typical. And it's the hip new spot why? Maybe it's the food. I have never eaten there, so I can't fully judge it yet. I've also never bought a drink there, so I don't know what their prices are like. Maybe they have $1.00 vodka and the tastiest $5.00 steak.
I then walked ten or so blocks to Rififi where I caught the tail end of Giant Tuesday Night of Amazing Inventions and Also There is a Game!!! My favorite part was the game. This time "Match Game" with two Charles Nelson Reillys, comedian Christian Finnegan and Benjamin Franklin whom the host pulled out of the wormhole. Benjamin groused, "You finally pull me out of the wormhole and you want me to play a game? I'm a great inventor, why not have me for the invention part of the show?" It was very subtle and hilarious.
And what would a blog entry by me be without a mention of some PR I've snagged? (Just as boring, I know.) Here goes:
The new issue of Punchline Magazine is out featuring an interview with Christian Finnegan.
-- Kambri
Link - 3:28 PM -
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
A New Newsy Newsletter
Read All Things Me, a promotional newsletter by comedian Christian Finnegan.
To subscribe to All Things Me, submit the completed form below. Subscribers are the first to receive his newsletter which will include chances to win free tickets to upcoming shows and other cool stuff, exclusive interviews, career updates and the like. Subscribe today!
--Kambri
Booked solid. My free trip to Dublin is almost an annoyance.
Link - 9:06 AM -
Monday, January 09, 2006
PR Stuff
One Trick Pony conducted an interview with Christian. It's really in depth on topics he's never discussed before, which is great for me and fans who've read other articles on him. He's still in the top 25 on Comedy Central's Stand Up Showdown. Vote for Christian so he doesn't come in last!
All the red carpet, backstage and after party footage of Last Laugh '05 is available on Comedy Central featuring none other than, you guessed it, Christian Finnegan interviewing guests Sarah Silverman, William Shatner, Carlos Mencia, Lewis Black, Greg Giraldo, Lisa Lampanelli...too many more to name. Browse video footage here.
--Kambri
Link - 11:00 AM -
Sunday, January 08, 2006
I Love the AMMI
Capote is a beautifully told biopic starring the Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The movie centers around Capote's obsession with a brutal crime in a small Kansas town. He devotes four years of his life researching the case, interviewing everyone involve and befriending the killers in order to get his ultimate book In Cold Blood. I started feeling immensely guilty when Capote began willfully withholding information from the killers, manipulating them to illicit more stories and betraying their trust.
"Oh my God," I thought, "I'm an infinitely less talented Truman Capote and I'm doing the same thing to my Jailed Deaf Dad for our joint writing project." I squirmed uncomfortably and wondered if my friends were thinking the same thing. Afterwards, Christian reassured me that there was a big difference, "It's your life."
But I still worry that my dad doesn't fully comprehend that, although I support him in jail and love him dearly, I don't 100% believe his side of the story and am 100% positive about the facts of his prior attempted murder (I witnessed it fergodsake) for which he got off scott free and for which he makes no admissions or apologies.
But I digress...
The director Bennett Miller is a schockingly young looking guy and cracked me up in his subtle disdain for the moderator, the same moderator who annoyed me and Glenn Close. I guess I expected an old coot to have directed it. Miller has already won a slew of awards and the film is nominated for a gamillion more. Well deserved nominations, in my opinion. I hope to read the book and am definitely going to watch the movie version of In Cold Blood starring Robert Blake.
Christian thoroughly enjoyed it as did my friends Scott & Brian who came to Astoria from the Village for one of our sadly infrequent double dates. Rachel & Chuck were there, too, and they also raved about the movie. So there's six thumbs up...is that enough to convince you?
--Kambri
Seeing Munich in two hours.
Link - 5:40 PM -
Friday, January 06, 2006
A Brief Book Review: The Lovely Bones
I read the The Lovely Bones in about 9 hours at the rave recommendations of my pals Scott & Kevin. After reading the plot description, I knew this book was for me:
Amazon.comOn her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey.
Alice Sebold's haunting and heartbreaking debut novel, The Lovely Bones, unfolds from heaven, where "life is a perpetual yesterday" and where Susie narrates and keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, as well as her brazen killer and the sad detective working on her case. As Sebold fashions it, everyone has his or her own version of heaven. I enjoyed the concept thoroughly, the narration was well written and the characters were drawn beautifully with flaws and anger and rage and sadness after Susie's death.
There was a sliver of plot towards the end that made me annoyed and I tried my best to think of how to write about it. I didn't read any reviews until today and the very first Amazon reviewer did the work for me:
This novel is not flawless, nor should it expected to be. The narrative loses some of its momentum near the end. In addition, Sebold makes the mistake of adding a scene (which I won't describe here) seemingly designed to lessen the reader's regret about Susie's missed coming-of-age, but instead the scene falls flat. But take those short three pages out and it is a really lovely memoir as told from a little girl in heaven and a riveting story of how a family (badly) deals with such a tragic loss of one of their own.
--Kambri
Next up: The Secret Life of Bees. Also a loaner from Scott.
Link - 11:33 PM -
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Luck O' the Irish
We just got word that we'll be going to Dublin, Ireland -- all expenses paid -- in February. Sweet. What a pot of gold after that Christmas rainbow!
Christian Finnegan one of Comedy Central's Top 25!
Christian Finnegan is one of the year's top 25 comedians on Comedy Central!!! Vote for Christian on Comedy Central's Stand Up Show Down: http://www.comedycentral.com/events/SUSD/ Scroll down to the bottom, pick him, then click "Vote Now" or text Finnegan to 91757. Spread the word and vote often!
Comedy Central will air the stand up comedy specials of all 25 finalists (including CHRISTIAN) on Sunday, January 29th.
--Kambri
Yay!
Link - 10:18 AM -
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
A Pot of Gold in Boston
I uploaded just a few photos on Flickr including one I took of a rainbow that appeared on a dreary Christmas day. I thought that was odd for Boston in December but I'm no weatherman.
--Kambri
A rainbow on Christmas: that's gotta be good, right?
Link - 2:00 PM -
Monday, January 02, 2006
Rachel hand-freaking-knitted the most adorable sweater for Paquita (new nickname: Pa-cutie). Check it out. I can't believe people can be so crafty with a ball of yarn and a couple of sticks. Thanks, Rachel!
Um, what else...I very much enjoyed Brokeback Mountain and King Kong and will be seeing Capote (with the director present...cool!) this weekend. Those three are just a tip of the movie iceburg and, unfortunately, now that the holidays are over I don't have time to dilly dally in a dark theater. I gots to get to work! Much of today was spent working on Christian's MySpace profile. I converted it from a person to a band so we can add his performance dates and then I plugged in his college tour dates. Now too much time is being spent trying to figure out why his comments column isn't lined up properly. ARGH! CSS CODE!
--Kambri
Link - 5:56 PM -
Sunday, January 01, 2006
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I'm back home from our Nation's Capitol where we rang in the new year on stage at the DC Improv, the most awesome comedy club in the country. Christian was the headliner for all the sold out shows and they already booked him for a return appearance in August. It will be nice to be there in warm weather for once and have more time to hang out with the greatest staff.
I am so happy I will be home for longer than one day before my next scheduled trip to L.A. where we'll be living for about two and a half months for work stuff. I might just be a cross-country commuter for a bit instead, depending on when / how we do the whole betrothing thing, what kind of Ballyhoo work I have and how a few ideas I have pan out.
I was sad to read about the fires in Seminole County, Oklahoma where much of my dad's family resides including my Grandma Crews who lives on a big old farm that has, as of this writing, remained unscorched. The church where her husband, my dear old Grandpa Crews, had funeral services and where one aunt and my dad's twin brother were married was sadly one of the casualites. My cousin Wil Fry has taken some great photographs for the Seminole Producer, including this terribly sad one of a pregnant goat. Pray for rain!
A few goals for 2006 I'd like to send out to the universe:
-- Get serious about working on my Untitled Jailed Deaf Dad Project.
-- Develop an updated marketing plan for Christian which should include promoting a yet-to-be-produced CD.
-- Budget a long range self-employed financial plan complete with health insurance.
Minor goals are things like:
-- Visit more NYC museums. I go to all of them out of town but only visit the AMMI in my own city!
-- Use my Ipod. I got one for free that I used maybe 20 times in the last three years and just got a Nano for Xmas that is too cute to let collect dust.
-- Learn how to transfer the video of my Sony Handycam onto my Windows-based computer and edit / create movies for my clients' websites.
--Kambri
Link - 6:25 PM -
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