I can't wait for Lisa Hannigan's album.

I did a little digging around to find out who was that haunting, ethereal voice next to Damien Rice's in 9 crimes.  Apparently she collaborated with him on his whole first album (they have since broken up professionally).  She's an Irish singer just about 2 weeks older than I am.  She's lovely and amazing, and she's touring with Jason Mraz starting in October.  Anyone want to catch them with me?

Check out her myspace--I especially like her newest demo, 'Sea Song.'  She seems like she would make an amazing actress, too.


About Lisa Hannigan (from her MySpace): Hello, I am a singer. I often hum away without realising it until I get funny looks on camden street. I'm good at roasting potatoes and sewing on buttons, but not good at voice mails and competitive sports. I get a little rush of excitement when i pass through airport security without beeping. I only recently realised that pipe cleaners are used for cleaning pipes and not making lopsided farm animals out of. I love a good festival, and would happily live at the electric picnic if Bren Berry would let me (and keep the pie shop open). I am very bad at all things computer related so my best friend Una is keeping the keys to this site (She has a terrible sense of direction but is brilliant at everything else, especially voice mails). We'll be putting up bits and bobs over the next few months, some live songs and demos. I'm in the middle of making my first record and I want it to come out as soon as possible so I can sing in venues more socially acceptable than superquinn and the luas station.

Chinese food.

Went to "Nutrition House" in Milpitas with a coworker for dinner last night.  I'd never had dishes flavored with Sichuan flower peppercorn outside of China before.  I think the cuisine was more northen-Chinese style, Sichuanese and Hunanese.  Ordered the snow cabbage with "bean sheets" (we thought it would be tofu sheets but it was like translucent flat noodles), a pot of chicken and bean sheets swimming in spicy chili broth and some other stuff, then a full order of pork and cabbage dumplings =)  Yum!

Ping Pong Playa!!

I just saw this movie with a bunch of coworkers.  It was GREAT!  Hilarious, real, interesting.  Irreverent.  There are few things I hate more than whiny-angsty Asian-American indie films that take themselves too seriously.  This was not one of them--this, my friends, was good!  I haven't laughed this hard since Harold and Kumar.  An old Hollywood contact produced it and I'm so proud of them all.

Find it at a large city near you =)


PING PONG PLAYA opened SEPTEMBER 5th

NEW YORK CITY
AMC Village 7, New York, NY
Regal E Walk (42nd street) , New York, NY

LOS ANGELES
Mann Chinese Theater, Hollywood, CA
Mann Glendale Exchange, Glendale, CA
Edwards Alhambra Palace, Alhambra, CA

IRVINE
West Park Regal, Irvine, CA

BAY AREA
Metreon AMC, San Francisco, CA
Shattuck Landmark, Berkeley, CA
Camera 12, San Jose, CA

And SEPTEMBER 12

SEATTLE
Lincoln Square, Bellevue, WA
Meridian Regal, Seattle, WA
Alderwood AMC, Lynwood, WA

HOUSTON
Marq E Houston, TX
First Colony, Houston, TX

The best '9 Crimes' covers on YouTube.

There are a heck of a lot of covers to be found on YouTube of Damien Rice's spiritually bankrupt and hopeless, but nevertheless hauntingly beautiful song, '9 Crimes.'  I think Damien Rice is pretty hella whiny and angsty, but I do like this song a lot--I like how it gives rise to a lot of different interpretations, on piano or guitar, by men and women, boys and girls, some terrible, some wonderful.

I originally wanted to post on all the homegrown talent on YouTube doing covers of popular songs in their bedrooms/living rooms, but it's practically old news, especially with the rise of Marie Digby and her debut album (I love how she's singing in front of a white pleather couch on one of her early videos, and a dog wanders into the room on another). 

But then I realized many of my favorites did some version of '9 Crimes.'  Interesting.  So here are some of them:

Sleeve
By far my favorite.  Yes it looks like they're a couple of goofball ass-clowns (is that a towel on his head?), but the second they start playing you're hushed by the very masterful fingering and even the boys' voices.  Awesome.

Kiersten Holine
I love this girl's voice, even if it's a bit jazzy for this song.  Fabulous control, just a sprinkling of vibrato, effortless and lovely.  Her guitar isn't bad.  I first found her through her rendition of Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am," which is just fantastic.

Almond96
Ignore the skull cap and beer gut, and you'll find a really sensitive and nuanced rendition.  Love it.

Jennifer & John Yi
Super young twin sister and brother, as easy on the eyes as they are on the ears.  Their interpretation is very deliberate, correct, almost choral.  One might say it kind of strips the original meaning from the song, but it's still enjoyable.  Check out Jennifer's rendition of U2's "With or Without You" also.

Here's the original:
Definitely creepy.

The Best of the Rest:

1. Captain Burrito - They get props for adding "impromptu" tributes to Vanilla Ice, Salt n Pepa's "Shoop," and Bone Thugs n Harmony's "Crossroads" at the end.
2. Matteo Cocconcelli - I can't really take him srsly because he's so silly making love to the mic like that, plus he pronounces all his i's like ee's.  But that's some lovely guitar-pickin'.
3. CSandman - Lovely piano, and she gets her voice to sound like she's about to cry, which is perfect for the song.  Plus she's pretty. Timing's a bit off, but not bad!

3 Needles is just about the most depressing movie I've seen in months.

Doesn't matter that it's got heavy hitters like Stockard Channing, Chloe Sevigny, Lucy Liu and Sandra Oh.  Just a summary of what happens:

1. Lucy Liu organizes blood collection drives in China, where 1000s of villagers contract AIDS through her gross negligence (based on the true story of the infamous "AIDs villages" in China.
2. Shawn Ashmore has AIDS, but fakes blood tests so he can continue working as a porn star.  He gives it to all his costars.  His mother, Stockard Channing, takes out a $2MM life insurance plan on herself for her son's benefit, then actively tries to catch AIDS, first from her son's AIDS support group leader (FAIL) then by drawing blood from her son while he's asleep so she can inject it in herself.
3. I didn't really watch the last one.  All I saw were all these gorgeous sweeping south african vistas, the ocean, beautiful music, and Chloe Sevigny compromising her nun's vow with a plantation owner to save a bunch of orphans.

Indie film FAIL.

Foodie Tuesdays: European Imports

None of the following 4 food items quite merited their own entry, so I am combining them.  The only thing they have in common is their snackiness, and the fact that they are imported from Europe.

Le Petit Ecolier, or Lu Schoolboy Cookies: Gotta thank Wendy for first introducing me to these heavenly little treats.  Having these, I don't really need to keep any other kind of cookie around.  They aren't much to look at, but it's exactly as it's marketed: a smooth rich slice of quality chocolate (my favorite is Dark) on top of a delicate butter biscuit.  I have to control myself when eating them.

Chupa Chups: I think the first person to tell me about these cream-delicious lollipops from Barcelona, Spain was my old neighbor, Irene.  As long as you're asking for cavities, you might as well suck on a high-class lollipop, is my thinking.

Mozartkugeln: First encountered these bonbons on my first trip to Austria.  One of the more delightful things to come out of that country (along with the von Trapp family singers)--layers of chocolate and nougat wrapped around a delightfully squidgy pistachio marzipan center.  I'm talking about mozartkugeln by Mirabell, but the original maker was Furst.  Hahaha.  How appropriate.

Taralli: Christian first told me about these Italian specialties when I was in NYC two months ago, and we were traversing the city on foot like we always do, grazing along the way.  We found them in this fancy olive oil shop in West Village.  I tried one--dense, crunchy and flavorful, especially if you like cracked peppercorns and olive oil.  It's like a cross between a pretzel and a bagel, I guess...except they come in these small little knots that are perfect for snacking.  I picked up a package in Boston's North End.  And I'm almost out!

Back with a vengeance: Early 90s Monday

Took a vacation last week for Labor Day.  Now we're back!

Janet Jackson, "Love Will Never Do Without You."
This is the sunny, smiling JJ we all knew and loved--before she lost all that weight for Janet. and got all weird and kinky in The Velvet Rope.  I love this video also because it features a gloriously muscled, charmingly dimpled Antonio Sabato Jr. (here's to you, Karin!) AND Djimon Honsou.

Another Bad Creation, "Iesha," 1990
I love these pocket-sized proteges of New Edition.  Who knew 11 could look so badass?

Previous Entries:

5. Paperboy, "Ditty" and En Vogue, "Giving Him Something He Can Feel"
4. Mariah Carey, "Vision of Love" and Color Me Badd, "I Adore Mi Amor"
3. Mr. Big, "Be With You" and Mint Condition, "Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)"
2. PM Dawn, "Die Without You" and Mista Grimm, "Indo Smoke
1. Boyz II Men, "Motownphilly" and Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract"