updates and stuff...

another long break between posts and no other excuse but busy, busy, busy. i've got a few things on the burner as of right now, and hope that some of all this craziness either pans out or just plain stops.

i have been pursuing PME (my comedy hip hop group) for about 4 years now and have recently had some further success since our radio debut last year. we are still actively looking for some representation and a contract but no luck as of yet (i am making some great contacts at work though) after a while the radio play dwindled and we were anticipating our new album. we dropped it, (our second record) last fall and finally (after a lot of crap) played out for the first time about a month ago. the show went great there was about 250 people there and surprisingly all screaming our lyrics right back at us. we've got to meet a TON of really cool people that have been loyally listening to us for a long time. i have to say, i've never been in a band before, played only one show and had so many people know my lines better than me :) i am also horribly out of shape. our set was like 20mins and i was totally killed afterwards...in my defense, i did run around like an a-hole the whole time. we're booked again in september...a little over a year since "attack of the crackels" dropped and only playing our second show. it's really cool to see how much hype we can build before we play out though...i think this way is better than just playing every month and overkilling it. we're recording again...actually we have just confirmed dan weyandt from ZAO will guest on this new one (for those of you who know dan...he will be screaming). about 6 songs are developing and we should be done by christmas.

the lucky strikes (my other band) are still playing about 3 times a month. we have played some larger shows than we're used to lately and we've got one coming up in pittsburgh that will be especially big. we're playing the DVE steelers tailgate party and also possibly the dve coffee house on 102.5 fm in sept. we are really looking forward to that show. we're also planning to record sometime before next year.

the fabulous grundle brothers are still playing our weekly open mic night at scooby's in greensburg. things are going well there too, we've been seeing some great crowds and having a lot of fun.

i just realized that i had an unmoderated comment about my googenshizer brew that i made a while back...justin, it turned out really well. i decided to add a pound of clover honey to the mix and it really paid off. i only made about 50 bottles and after my family and friends all got theirs, well...i have 2 bottles left...i suppose that means that it was a success! here's a picture. looks good huh? it's still fermenting in the bottles so i can assume that it's 28% alcohol by now.













oh what else...work is still really busy, although the video stuff has slowed considerably. training camp has started for the steelers and i have been @ camp once a week to film and take pictures for the DVE steelers page. on top of all this, i have been freelancing in what little spare time i have. kelli and the dogs are doing very well...here are some pictures...

me and kelli @ jam night














stewie (black) and squiggy (brown). chillaxin on the couch.














dj bonics from 96.1 Kiss FM joins us (the fabulous grundle brothers) at jam night.














well kids, until next time
(which i hope will be sooner than later...)

Where I've been...

jeez...it seems like a year since i've last posted. there has been so much going on with my new job in the past 4 months. as many of you know, i am working for clearchannel broadcasting doing some really cool web video stuff. obviously, i've been busy as hell (hence the blog silence). so far so good though, i have to say that things are really going well.
so that chris can stop complaining, here's links to some of my work:

WDVE's Hairband Idol (* scotty, anthony & andy also on camera for this)
WDVE Comedians (*editing only...shooting was scotty ganoosh)
WDVE Coffeehouse (*scotty shot here too)

96.1 CRIBS (fergie edition)
Morning Freakshow w/ Mikey & Bob <--this is a mixed bag...the vids @ the bottom are older and unfortunately, not my work

otherwise...things are going well. kelli and the pups are great. the lucky strikes are booking the summer, so that's controlling my weekends, and the grundles are still on sundays.

i'm hoping to grab some time off for another LA trip next month, and a mexican vacation later this fall. i have some really cool pictures that i will post soon... until then, peace.

Reno 911! Miami

911! is really one of the funniest shows on television....well sorta, they haven't shot a new season for a while. but here's why. this insanely comedic cast has made a movie! members of a previous show on here's another one to check out. renomtv back in the day called "the state" these sketch comedians will leave you laughing with this fake reality cops show about a group of troopers that totally suck at law enforcement, their lives, and really everything. i was listening to xm comedy yesterday when this movie released and they were interviewing the cast, who was in character, and completely ridiculous. see this movie. i will too, then i'll write about it again and tell you that it rocked! thank you comedy central for taking a chance with these guys.

here's the trailer...

so what do you get when you cast nicholson, damon, dicaprio, wahlberg, sheen, and baldwin for the same movie? a masterpiece. kudos scorcese...kudos. i love this movie, i've watched it 7 times not including in the theater, and loved it even more each time. the acting, direction, story make this film an instant classic. truly his best work since goodfellas, and definately the best movie this year. close second, of course, is borat. if you haven't seen this flick yet, there's something wrong with you...here's a review to entice you...

After the dolled-up theatrics of his last few features, from "Casino" (1995) up through "The Aviator" (2004), it's a kick to find director Martin Scorsese back in prime form, at least in the terrific first half of "The Departed." The second half of this Boston-set thriller, based on the sleek, more sparingly brutal 2002 Hong Kong export "Infernal Affairs," can't quite match it, despite a few bursts of startling violence handled as only a first-rate director can. One question that comes to mind during that second half is actor-related. If anyone other than Jack Nicholson had played the big, bad crime boss, would the film have been 10 or 15 minutes shorter, simply because NObody talks in a more preDICtable, meTHODical RHYthm, even when he's fully engaged, than Jack NICHolson?

In his third meetup with Scorsese, following "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator," top-billed Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, a Massachusetts police academy cadet. Costigan's mobbed-up South Boston family makes him dubious cop material but excellent fodder for undercover work. Taking orders from Capt. Queenan (Martin Sheen) and endless grief from Queenan's number two (Mark Wahlberg), Costigan infiltrates the inner sanctum of Costello, played by Nicholson. After a year the strain of all the lying and, for DiCaprio, all the brow-furrowing, starts eating at him.

Nicholson's Costello has planted his own mole among the police. He is the stalwart-seeming Special Investigations Unit officer Colin Sullivan, played by Matt Damon. While trying to learn the identity of the undercover rat, Sullivan deceives everyone, including his lover (Vera Farmiga, whose angular features look stolen from a Modigliani painting), the state police department shrink, who's drawn to Costigan as well.

This is not daisy-fresh narrative territory. Scorsese hasn't so much improved upon a fine, trim thriller (the Hong Kong version was 50 minutes shorter) as pulled a grandiose and confident variation on it. Remarkably, for much of "The Departed" Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan balance the parallel stories of Costigan and Sullivan flawlessly. Aided by the razor-sharp editing of Scorsese regular Thelma Schoonmaker, the film's technique and pacing allows you to enjoy Monahan's ripest dialogue without worrying about who's uncovering whom.

Monahan used to write for Spy magazine, and it shows. "Do you want to be a cop or do you want to appear to be a cop?" Sheen asks DiCaprio, casually. Announcing a new mode of cell phone surveillance being used on Nicholson's gang, Capt. Ellerby (Alec Baldwin) jumps up and down like a kid on Christmas morning. "Patriot Act, Patriot Act--I love it!" he says. In a saloon where DiCaprio has just walloped somebody to a pulp, a Nicholson associate warns him that the injured party ranked halfway between "not a guy you can't hit" and "not quite a guy you can't hit." David Mamet would be proud of such distinctions.

While Nicholson relishes his role, there is such a thing as too much relish. "The Departed" overexploits its villain, or that's how it seems with Nicholson playing him. The actor has become a curious case of someone full of surprises in the most unsurprising way. Nicholson has a ball wrapping his mouth around the grunge-Runyon argot, but it's all play-acting all the time. That's the idea in "The Departed"; everyone's acting a role. But would it kill Nicholson to hurry it up for once? He's in a Scorsese movie, for heaven's sake.

DiCaprio and Damon are fine, but in a mobbed-up, copper-ridden genre exercise like this you tend to notice the players with the natural authority. The guys here are Baldwin and Wahlberg, who not coincidentally get all the best zingers. As a loyal Costello underling, British actor Ray Winstone likewise nails each slack-jawed look and weary realization of his lot in life like a master.

Certain things the director does here he has done before and he will no doubt do again. Many times Scorsese not-so-subtly cranks up the volume on the background music whenever violence is about to explode. He adds impish visual touches such as silent movie-style iris shots, as well as cuts and compositions recalling "The Third Man" and "Psycho." The best of "The Departed" moves with the assurance and swiftness of "GoodFellas." The most expendable stuff in it, by contrast, is just that--stuff that slows the narrative without making it any more important or meaningful.

The film makes a stab at social commentary, by way of Costigan's raging class issues. It also makes a stab at Scorsese's familiar theme of corrupt fathers and vulnerable sons. But what's a couple of knife-stabs against so many guns? "The Departed" exists in a movie-place about as far from personal statements as a storied director can get. Maybe those days for Scorsese are long gone. But Scorsese's sense of craft remains sure.

Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune

here's the trailer...

holy crap...i'm back!

in the past month...

the world famous in-n-out burger.

sweet santa monica sunset

my brew "googenshizer"

dave and i just before the flight to LA

this has been the longest "non-posting" period during the life of this blog. i have been unbelievably busy in the past month, and just haven't had the time or energy to post. lemme catch you up...

about a month ago, i decided to stop freelancing and take a job that has given me quite an opportunity to further myself and my career...i have to say that it's nice to finally work for a company that isn't full of crap, won't take advantage of it's employees, and is actually a real company, not just a bunch of idiots who have no idea what they're doing. i have a great, but demanding job which is overall, very cool! the drawback...i leave at 6:30a and get home at 7p.

right after i decided to take the job, my wife, myself, and my friend dave left for a quick trip to LA. the trip was great...quite therapeutic, and we saw p. diddy, brooke hogan & t.i. we visited some friends that we haven't seen in over a year and went bowling at the alley where they filmed the big lebowski. <---i still haven't got that video together yet...sorry.

what i haven't done... talked to my dad (miss you man), watched little miss sunshine, cleaned the house, spent enough time with the dogs, recorded, blogged, talked to my friends, hit the bar, washed my car, tasted my beer enough, brewed a new batch, seen the departed more than 6 times (boo!), stopped running around like and idiot, filled my gas tank less than thrice a week, and tons more that i was so used to having time to do while working from home. now my time is spent working or driving there...god knows how hard it will be to take care of the pool and grass this summer. i suppose we'll have to hire.

things i have recently enjoyed... a small portion of my micro brew "goodgen-shizer" ...coming to a bar near you ;) , the sarah silverman show, video production, reading about the sirius/XM merger, karaoke contests, working with a really good friend of mine, xm comedy channel 150 during rush hour on the parkway, the departed, the devil wears prada (no, i'm not gay)...just a good husband. ok so that's all for now... i promise that it won't take me so long to post next time!
see you soon...

Ahhhh! no connection.

yo yo yo! we'e got TONS of video to post...but limited connection. i'm trying hard to get all of this stuff together, and hopefully will tonight. we're going bowling at the lanes from the big lebowski today and we'll have some clips of that too...see you soon!
~shizer

Goin' 2 Cali!

sorry for the big delay in posts...i stopped freelancing and got a new job. we booked this trip to california a while back....so i was able to still go cause my anthony and andy are awesome! thanks guys! anyways, we're video blogging the whole trip so here's our first installment....

Miller Lite Is The Greatest Beer in the WORLD!

ok...maybe i'm drunk...maybe i've had one too many. but there's always a reason for miller. maybe it's because it doesn't give me diarrhea...maybe it's because it helps me keep my girlish figure (no it doesn't give you man boobies). i love miller lite. it just works for me...believe me, it's definitely once a week that i have more than 1. it used to be a daily. :) back in college...but i graduated, got married and now have "sponsabilities". either way, i don't care if you don't like it, or would rather drink your $5 bottles of crap. if it's available...drink it. love it. questions? ask the miller man himself, my man eddie daroza. he'll fill you in.

Lady Sovereign = Idiot.

if there was an idiot of the year awards show, she'd take them all. lady sovereign, who should have stayed in england, is now filling our ears with total shizer. i guess she's trying to come off as a bad ass...i don't know...i can tell you that i'm DEFINITELY afraid of white people with corn rows. how can she sleep at night knowing that she ruined all those beats with her crappy voice?! get back on the plane and go home...where apparently talent doesn't matter.

Brewing My Own Beer!

today, i went with my uncle to a home brewing supply store to gather the goods that i will need to brew my own beer. its my own creation, a mix of some really great german barleys (munich and light crystal) and some really great smelling hops (hallertau: german and saaz: czech). the outcome will hopefully be a really great porter with a rich but not overpowering flavor with an incredible finish. if the brew turns out well, i'll give it a name and post the recipe. i'm very excited to see what happens!

The Puppies Are Tired!

my wife and i watched wedding crashers tonight and our dogs crashed out!

here's the photos:

Fetzer Vineyards...Great wine in my book!

recently, my wife and i shared the best white wine i have ever tasted. Fetzer Vineyards Valley Oaks Riesling (2001) is friggin' amazing. those of you who know me, know that i'll drink beer any day of the week (especially amstel light), but when it's time to choose a great wine, this is the one. the taste is completely unbelievable. it starts a bit boring and then this sweet but sour, dry but mouth watering flavor explodes and sets the stage for the nicest finish in all of the riesling wines. i've had about 10 different types of this particular type, at all different prices, but fetzer is by far the best taste and price for your drinking. for about $10 it's worth your while to try...i promise you won't be let down. try it with a pepper jack cheese and triscuits, or even better a home cooked turkey dinner.

"Riesling comes in many styles, and is popular enough that some call it the new Chardonnay. We just call it good. Our personal style blends fruit from cooler areas of California to create a wine both rich and floral, pale yellow in color with aromas of pear and apricot. In the glass, you’ll taste peaches and apricots, a gracious invitation to sit a spell and enjoy with friends."

-Dennis Martin, Winemaker

here's the compass to help you understand the taste:

The Departed on DVD

the movie of the year (in my book) The Departed. Will be available on DVD February 13th, which is directly in the middle of Oscar campaigning. right after it wins craploads of awards, you can put your grubby hands all over it. directed by Scorsese, this film was an immediate classic. granted, it wasn't his best work, but look what this movie is up against! i thought it was unbelievable the whole way through, and i hope you feel the same way too.

Blades Of Glory

March 30th will be the release of the new Will Ferrell / John Heder movie Blades Of Glory. I found the trailer today and figured I'd post it. Enjoy, it's totally ridiculous.

PLOT DESCRIPTION

Will Ferrell, John Heder, and Will Arnett headline this high concept comedy concerning two male figure skating rivals aching to compete despite having been banned from the sport as a result of a nasty row at the 2002 Winter Olympics. When they discover a loophole that will allow them to perform together in the pairs figure skating category, they determine to put their differences aside for the sake or their gold medal aspiriations. Amy Poehler, Rob Corddry, Jenna Fischer, and Craig T. Nelson co-star.

~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Paula Abdul is BLASTED!

The Rad Report blogged this a while back, so they get all the credit! make sure that you read their awesome blog everyday cause it rocks...
watch this, and laugh guys. you're welcome.


The Rad Report The Rad Report The Rad Report

The Black Keys RULE!

if you haven't heard this band, you have been missing out! The Black Keys are most likely the only thing out of Akron Ohio ever. back in 2002, they dropped a debut called The Big Come Up, and have since dropped 3 more and an EP of some cover tunes. this is the most unbelievable blues group that i have ever heard. lead singer/lead guitarist Dan Auerbach brings his insanely groovy licks as drummer Patrick Carney drops the messiest, sloppiest beats that most blues groups wouldn't even dream of. i caught these guys about a year and a half ago in pittsburgh's strip district in a shady joint that was at that time called "The World" and had previously been the famous "Rosebud". we sat to the side of the room at some tables enjoying a beer after the first act had played and overheard a group of people saying things like "have a great show" etc. and soon realized that these two dudes and what had seemed to be their families were sitting beside us. they soon took the stage and the 100 people that were in attendance rushed to the stage to witness what i thought was never gonna sound like the record. these guys are a two piece, they recorded some, if not all of their records in abandoned tire factories in Akron...i just assumed that the live show would never have held a candle to the CD. i was totally wrong. you could close your eyes and think that there was a 7 piece right in front of you, and open them and be totally baffled. i strongly recommend that all of you check this band out...there's not one album of theirs that isn't amazing. you might have caught them on Conan last week (jan. 11th). a quick side note, i just realized that Dan's wearing a 102.5 WDVE t-shirt (pittsburgh classic rock for you out of towners) in the picture above. strangely enough, Dan HATES playing here...apparently, they can't fill a room in the steel city. come on back baby...we'll fill a venue.

here's the video for "Your Touch" off the recently released "Magic Potion"


website

Donald, Rosie, No One Cares.

it seems like every time i turn on the television i see one of these idiots crap talking the other. last night donald was on conan, seemingly to talk about the new season of the apprentice. conan's first question was about rosie, and donald, acting like he's better than that, seemed like he was irritated that conan brought it up. he claimed that conan's producers had agreed to not talk about the shamefully famous issue, and bitched about it for like 15 seconds. i actually thought for a second or two that he was going to walk off stage. instead, he immediately snapped into bash rosie mode and tore he apart with his usual "no one likes her", "she's unattractive" stuff that we all hear so much on television.

the truth of the situation is that they are both basically the same person. donald has a gay comb-over, rosie's not funny. donald is struggling for the lime light, rosie knows she's extremely lucky to be where she is. rosie and donald are both wash-ups in my book, both unattractive, no one really likes either of them. admit it guys...rosie's not funny, her point of view it completely uneducated, and she's in the perfect spot possible...the view. what a terrible chunk of programming. "let's fill a table full of one sided feminists and lesbians and let them tell the world right and wrong!" there's a great idea. i was curious this morning and hit rosies website the "r blog"...clever. i was totally NOT surprised to see that she's bashing donald on the front page. donald's about to launch the apprentice LA....which will totally suck. sorry to all you who still use the phrase "you're fired" around the water cooler. his hair still sucks, and the bottom line is, no one cares. i think that he feels like he might be really cool showing up on the today show, conan, and E! on a daily basis...like he's some kind of badass or something with his "clever" slams to rosie frickin' o'donnell....it's rosie for pete sake! why waste your breath man, no one remembered her 2 days after the news hit about her hire to the view...she was old news man! now you're furthering her career by feuding on national television. both of you, SHUT UP! you're taking up too much space on The Daily 10!

in closing, rosie...you have a job. don't mess this up, you may never work again. the more s*** you talk the less your last 10 fans are gonna like you. donald. don't stoop to her level, face it, she's the bottom of the barrel, and your floating just above her (that was not a fat joke). you're picking on someone that will not make you more popular...i see that you're moving on to get at barbara walters...she's almost dead man. give her a break. make the apprentice for the last of your fans, and move on.

iphone announced!?!

well, i've officially thrown up in my mouth. thanks to my buddy japps on a quick text this afternoon, i checked out engadget only to find the most amazing piece of technology that i've ever seen. the iphone is coming soon...maybe, and i'll be the first in line for a loan to buy this one.


Sweet, glorious specs of the 11.6 millimeter device (that's frickin' thin, by the way) include a 3.5-inch wide touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the sensor when it's close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth with EDR, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quadband GSM radio with EDGE. Perhaps most amazingly, though, it somehow runs OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes (of course) with CoverFlow out of the gate. A partnership with Yahoo will allow all iPhone customers to hook up with free push IMAP email.

-engadget

I am very much looking forward to the release of this phone. I'm sure that people will be using Q's as doorstops and razors to wipe their asses. I know i will :)

Interview with Mark Seremet

Mark Seremet will be the name to know this year when he and his team launch the highly anticipated Repliqa that is said to change the way that the world uses the internet. pretty neat stuff. we were able to get a hold of him for an interview and here it is:

1. So where did it all begin? Where did you come from, what makes you tick?

I'm from Latrobe, PA and I've been interested in businesses and the freedom they can bring since I was a kid. I grew up working on a par 3 golf course called Statler's. Marty Statler owned it and I really admired him along with the freedom he had.

I am most interested in personal growth. And I am hoping to really be part of building something that changes the world. Take Two was cool and it was definitely a nice success but, in the end, we just made video games. I'd also like to contribute on a greater scale to helping people and funding research into neurological diseases.

2. What made you decide to venture to the business of gaming?

In college we had a small business installing commercial software. For down time we used to go to the mall and play Karate Champ for hours on end. One day we realized we could make games and just shifted gears.

3. What games are you and the companies that you worked with responsible for?

The most famous ones were Grand Theft Auto, Jet Fighter, The Marvel Comics games, and to a lesser extent Hell and Ripper. I always thought the best game we did was Star Crusader. The worst I was involved in was BattleCruiser 3000 - a complete debacle from nearly every angle.

4. Why did you leave the gaming business?

Truthfully I jumped ship so I could sell some of my stock. I had nearly my entire net worth wrapped up in Take Two so I wanted to get a piece off of the table. Simultaneously I was recruited by Heidrick and Struggles to work for a company as COO and being based from Spain. It seemed like a cool assignment.

5. After Take Two, you were the CEO of Spreadshirt, Inc. did you do anything between the two?

I took two years off traveling and relaxing. I was also working on my spirituality too. I did a masters degree in Christian Ministry with a focus on psychology. Wrote a book about love and pursuing a life not self-centered.

6. Why did you leave Spreadshirt?

I wanted to explore my entrepreneurial side again and Repliqa was a revolutionary concept in my opinion. Truth be told, I really don't do well working for other people.

7. What exactly is Wallhogs? What are your plans with it?

We print big - from 24" up to 7ft. Wallhogs allows users to upload their graphics or photos and print them on semi-adhesive vinyl, poster paper, or canvas. The vinyls can be applied to any clean, smooth surface - once applied, you can move them or even store them to be placed later on. We also will launch a catalogue this week whereby users can contribute content for anyone to buy. Moreover, we licensed a lot of content (most not announced) including Nine Inch Nails, Greek Letters, Gwen Stefani, and Social Distortion.

8. Will Repliqa change the way that we use the internet?

Yes.

9. How did you come up with the concept?

I smoked a big bowl...just kidding. We started out wanting to apply the technology to social networking. We realized early in the summer that we could utilize the power across a broader spectrum to general discovery. We are still a little stealthy now so sorry for the quality of this response.

10. What's your future? Are you still planning on start-ups after the launch of Repliqa, or is that your last business venture?

I am intently focused on seeing Repliqa revolutionize our experience on the internet by shaping it to the individual. Until that vision is realized I don't even want to think beyond it.

We're gonna podcast!

it's been decided. my very talented friend dave and i are going to be making a weekly podcast or video for the daily shizer. every sunday night we act as a comedy duo (the fabulous grundle brothers) and host a jam night at a local bar. we plan on bringing some of that stuff in along with some original music that we've recorded in my studio. i've been trying to get him to do this podcast with me for a long time and he's finally agreed. we'll either start this week or the following. stay tuned!