Andy Labis, Author at Entertainment Ave!

Do You Buy Any Music on CD Anymore?

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The other day I get an email from one of my favorite music folks, Michael Stanley. Alright, it was technically from the record company releasing his music, Line Level, and it was announcing that Michael Stanley had a new CD coming out called “The Job,” and that I should get it now!

Sweet! Or so I thought.

I go to the link, and sure they have some mail order options to pay them money, and they’ll send me a CD, but I’m there looking for a link to iTunes, or at least Amazon, because, like the kids, I don’t have time to wait for new music, let alone want the trouble of paying online and waiting for a CD to arrive in my mailbox that the mailman might damage. No, I want my new Michael Stanley now!

Okay, no link. I’ll head directly to the sources. iTunes. Nope, no listing. Amazon. There it is! Wait, it references a CD available, but on a release date of May 6th?

Jumping over to the Michael Stanley message board there are people who seem to have gotten the CD, so right now it looks like the old-fashioned way is the only option of getting a new music fix, or trying to find someplace to download it illegally.

Now I’m sure there is some metric about the profitability of selling the CD yourself, via mail order, before releasing it on the digital platforms, and some folks still won’t put things out there on the digital realm (Garth Brooks – please, for the love of all things big and small, let me pay you more money to get clean, digital copies of your music), but alas, it looks like if I want to actually download some new Michael Stanley, it’s going to be a while.

It’s weird, because as the computer life is changing, and laptops aren’t coming with DVD slots anymore, let alone people who live by the tablet and smartphone only, it seems limiting to release things on CD only anymore. I know “The Job” will be on iTunes eventually because his other release have ended up there, I just hope Michael sends me an email letting me know so his new CD doesn’t become an afterthought. In the meantime, if he wants to send me one to review, I’ll be happy to listen to it in the car, I suppose, since that’s the only place I really have a CD player anymore.

Okay, this wonder was a little lengthy to get to it, but I wonder: Do you buy any music on CD anymore?

That’s it for this one! L8R!!!

Should a Men’s Haircut Place Advertise Waxing and Pedicures?

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Driving down the road the other day, I regularly pass a men’s haircut place, and although it has changed names a few times, it always seems to stay a “men’s haircut” kind of place. I admit I’ve never been there. Now, I know recently there has been a larger push for men to be pampered when they get their haircuts with places like Sports Clips offering TV’s at every station, a little scalp massaging/shampoo, and a hot, steamed towel treatment to make you feel a little more manly. Ok, I admit it, I’ve been to a Sports Clip once, but skipped the massage and the steamed towel just seemed a little weird.

In any case, as I’m driving by this other place, I see a banner under their sign, and I was a little perplexed. Right there, under “Haircuts for Men” was a banner touting 20% off waxing and pedicures. Yes, I know some men get some waxing done, or at least Steve Carell did in “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” and I know some men will go and get a pedicure with their wives, kind of a “couples” thing to do, and maybe I’m a little crotchety as I get older, or maybe I’m wondering if men actually do it on their own, or I’m wondering if maybe I should start, but I’m wondering a lot in this post mostly because, I guess, I’m wondering if dudes are going out on their own, maybe not so much for the waxing as that seems like a more personal experience, a necessity even sometimes, but a pedicure?

Brad Paisley has a song, “I’m Just a Guy,” with the lyrics, “These days there’s dudes gettin’ facials, Manicured, waxed and bottomed,” so I’m guessing I would know Brad Paisley’s answer to this question, but I wonder: Should a men’s haircut place advertise waxing and pedicures?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Do You Yell at the TV While Watching Sporting Events?

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Everything was shaping up nicely for me to have a repeat run at a March Madness bracket win. I had Louisville to win it all, and as long as that shaped up, the only thing standing in my way from booting a competitor who also had Louisville to win it all was for UConn to beat Iowa State. With that win securely in my back pocket, there wasn’t much standing in my way of wealth and riches, or at least bragging rights and trying hard not to explain how I picked the winning bracket for two years in a row, but alas, there I was, tired, falling asleep, and figuring I would wake up the next morning secure in my continued involvement of paying attention to the NCAA tournament.

Then Milo had to pee.

Yup, it’s 11PM, Milo’s done in his litter box, and rather than turn the TV back on I do what anyone else would do, check things out on their phone. I launch the CBS Sports app, check out the scores, and there it is, Kentucky back in the game against Louisville, with only a little time left. Lying in bed I was now more torn about turning the TV back on, except I knew one thing: If the TV was on there was no chance I wouldn’t wake my wife because I’m a TV yeller.

I can generally control myself watching sporting events, especially when my wife is around, but back in the bachelor days, if I was watching a Chicago Bears game, I’m sure my neighbors wondered what all of the ruckus was in my place as expletives, cheering, and general merriment was a regular staple of watching the game. The Louisville/Kentucky game, especially with a few bucks and ultimate bragging rights on the line, well, it would have been nearly impossible for me to control myself.

So there I was, continually hitting the little “refresh” arrow on the app, even though it was supposed to update itself, cringing through ever timeout, almost yelling at my phone when I would see a missed free throw on the text summary, and then, with the realization that I was now with most people, with a fully busted bracket, I had to resign myself to the fact that my fail-safe method of winning another bracket game wasn’t so fail-safe after all.

Much like the Cubs, though, there’s always next year, when I won’t know a damn thing about any team, but will go into March Madness thinking this it will be my comeback year.

I’m sure my wife was happy I “watched” the end of the game on my phone, thereby securing her sleeping ability, and unless the Bulls or Blackhawks end up in the playoffs (I’m not even going to mention the Cavs in that statement), TV yelling will be kept at a minimum, at least until fall when the Chicago Bears, with their newly-formed defense, will lead to my dream matchup of a Bears/Browns Super Bowl!

As my TV yelling possibilities have come to a close for a while, I wonder: Do you yell at the TV while watching sporting events?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Have You Gone Somewhere to do Something You’re Not Supposed to Do?

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Fine. I’ll admit what I’m wondering about is kind of weird today, but it was spurred on by a news report about the opening of the baseball season this week, specifically the Chicago White Sox as the Cubs aren’t in until Friday, April 4th for their home opener, while the Sox start at home today. Right now the White Sox seem to be the bearer of better opening day weather, hopefully in the 60’s but kind of cloudy, while the Cubs will have the traditionally cold, 43 degrees, but at least it’s not supposed to rain.

Sorry, I got a little distracted about the weather, back to the news report.

I’m watching the report and it’s your traditional kind of stuff how the weather should be fine, how hope springs anew for the team, how there are new food offerings at the ballpark, and then they show a clip of a police office detailing how there will be zero tolerance for alcohol on the street, how the police will be watching for drunks in the neighborhood, and how they’ll be on the lookout for “individuals coming down to do stuff they’re not supposed to.”

To me it just seemed like an odd statement, “individuals coming down to do stuff they’re not supposed to.” Isn’t that who the police are always supposed to be looking for? And what dictates “what you’re not supposed to do” at an opening day? So please, tell me if you would like to comment, what are some things you are supposed to do at an opening day so that I know what I’m now supposed to do?

As opening days go, or any event I suppose, there are probably a lot of things you didn’t intend to do, but I’m wondering, in attending an event, have you gone somewhere to do something you’re not supposed to do? And for that matter, what was it?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Will We Hear Another Song from The Chainsmokers?

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The other day I’m doing some channel-hopping on the Dude-mobile radio, and I land on some relaxing Eminem with Rihanna. I’m singing along, nailing the Rihanna parts, the song finishes, and on comes a new beat I’ve never heard before. I quickly look at the display on the radio, and it says the song is called #selfie. Basically it’s a dance beat with some girl talking about being at a club, but mostly talking about taking another “selfie.” You know a selfie, those generally dorky pictures of yourself with or without some friends, taken with your camera-phone, which we can now count on to go away quickly thanks to the old folks at the Academy Awards trying to be hip and ruining another thing the youngin’s enjoy.

Anyhow, the song plays along, with the girl, Alexis Killacam, speaking in rapid, broken-thought, rambling commentary about club-going, some dude named Jason, but mostly how she is going to post another lovely photo of herself to the internet where, and she’s not commenting on this, but you know five years from now, when she is looking for a job, she will have forgotten about her long-forgotten Instagram account, because, really, who will be using Instagram in five years, and her potential employer will see these wonderful photos and not hire her.

Fine, I’m coming up with my own story for this girl, back to The Chainsmokers.

In my in-depth analysis of The Chainsmokers, I’ve come to find they are a DJ due from New York City, one of the born the year I graduated from high school (Ugh!) who came up with the song on a lark. They wanted to spotlight the conversations they would hear in a club, and sure, capitalize on the term “selfie.” Smart dudes.

The song is kind of funny, is going viral, of course, and my guess will go away in about a month. As much as this song will be gone, it’s still kind of difficult for DJ’s to break into the world of the mainstream, so I’m wondering: Will we hear another song from The Chainsmokers?

Have You Played Flappy Bird?

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Let me tell you a story. There once was a man, Dong Nguyen. He came up with a game. It was called “Flappy Bird.” It was a simple game, easily addictive, and the man was making, rumor has it, $50,000 a day. Said man didn’t like the fame, or infamy as some people might say, for creating a game supposedly responsible for marriage fights, lost time at work, bad grades, and being a cheesy game. Lots of people downloaded it, and yes, even I downloaded it, but even more surprising, while I was helping my mom-in-law with her iPhone, there it was, “Flappy Bird” on her phone – yup, it was viral, and yes, she was annoyed with its difficulty.

What is a man to do who doesn’t like the “fame.” He pulls the game from the app store, or course, and gets even more publicity.

And now what is a man to do who doesn’t like the “fame.” Well, the stories are going around, thanks to Mr. Nguyen’s own tweets, that he will be putting the game back in the app store, “but not soon.”

Alright, oddness of things as it is, and as a person who has a few apps in the app store who wishes to God they would make just $50 per day, and as a person who was kind of shocked to see the game on his mom-in-laws phone, I wonder: Have you played “Flappy Bird?”

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Mostly Entertainment: Things From the Past Week

It’s a Trailer for Sophia Grace & Rosie’s Royal Adventure
You either know ’em and love ’em because you are a fan of Ellen DeGeneres, or you will wonder where did these girls come from, but Sophia Grace and Rosie, two little girls who became famous for goofy dancing and being Ellen’s Red Carpet correspondents have a movie coming out. Yup, their fifteen minutes of fame have been parlayed into Sophia Grace & Rosie’s Royal Adventure, out on DVD and Blu-ray on May 20th. It does look cute, for the little girls at least, as Sophia Grace and Rosie become involved in helping a Princess become Queen material. Will they be “one and done” child stars, or did Ellen maybe find the next Mary Kate and Ashley?

DVD Releases from IFC Films
Coming April 8th for your movie player are two releases from IFC Films, Bastards and Everyday. Hopefully we’ll have a review of Everyday posted soon.

Malaysian Flight 370 – When Will We Forget?
The first weekend it was all over the news, the second weekend there are still a few stories, especially as a new report of debris being found pops up, but for the most part we are starting to forget about Malaysian Flight 370, and unless something major happens in the next few days, unless we are directly involved either through loved ones missing or helping to continue to search, it will just be a blip in our memories, a “Did they ever find that plane?” memory that might pop up in our heads at lunch with colleagues one day, . There are a ton of conspiracy theories, from Aliens to black holes, a story going around as the “Startling Simple Theory” was recently debunked, but blips in our memories are what most news stories become.

There’s a Taxpayer Uproar, I Guess
The headline reads “Obama ladies touch down in China amid taxpayer uproar,” and as much as I try to stay up on current events, and did hear about the First Lady’s trip to China, I have yet to hear the uproar. With the Malaysian plane, March Madness, Russia taking over the world, and most people just caring about living their own lives, calling it an “Uproar” might be a little far-fetched. In any case, Michelle Obama and her girls are in China. Hopefully they have a good time, I guess.

Microsoft Office for iPad is Coming March 27th, Maybe
Always one to get their products to market with the latest technology, the story is that Microsoft is going to have a media event on March 27th where they are going to be launching Microsoft Office for the iPad, a mere four years after the first iPad was released, and a mere 3 years and 364 days after most people figured out a way to use their iPad without it. Good luck, Microsoft! Way to stay with the times!

Do You Have the New Facebook Wall Yet?

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Much in Facebook fashion, once people finally get used to the latest “design” rollout, quit complaining about it, and just accept it, Facebook changes the look of things again, sparking a few people saying how much they like it, but mostly creating a tidal wave of complaints wondering why Facebook has to change things. I’m coming to realize one, that people don’t like change, but mostly I’m coming to realize that the folks at Facebook are geniuses, knowing that the best way to get people who might have lost touch with their engagement with the social media site to come back is to have their friends complain about it.

Yup, Jim at the office hasn’t been on Facebook for a while, is walking past a group of colleagues and hears Joe complain, “Facebook changed things again. I hate it.” while Steve says, “It’s not so bad.” Jim, wondering what the hubbub is about, decides to head back to his cubicle, have his password reset because he doesn’t remember what he used and hasn’t logged in for a while, and then bam, there he is, “Liking” his friend’s post about a dinner at an Applebee’s, getting sucked back into Candy Crush, and looking up an old friend from high school. Meanwhile, at the McDonald’s where the retirees hangout, Mable is telling Earl that Facebook changed things again, Earl says “Why do you go on that thing, anyhow?,” and then Dorothy, who hasn’t been on Facebook for a while, asks Mable what is going on because she didn’t hear while she was changing her hearing aid batteries. Mable again starts talking about how she doesn’t like that Facebook keeps changing things, Dorothy tells Mable she hasn’t been on it since the last time they changed things, that she hated it, and not having enough neighbors in Farmville to get to the next level bugged her, and Earl sparks in “Why do you go on that thing, anyhow?”

Guess what happens next? Yup, you guessed it, Dorothy immediately, when she gets home, logs back into Facebook, using her super-secret password of her dog’s name, and posts on Earl’s wall, who has a fake Facebook identity of Billy, that it was great seeing him at the McDonalds, and that he should come by later for some “pie.”

Yes, I’m thinking the folks at Facebook really are geniuses as they roll out new “versions” of the timeline, ponder if Mable will ever find out about Dorothy and Earl, and I wonder: Do you have the new Facebook wall, yet?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Have You Watched a Concert on TV?

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I was going to wonder about primary elections, but while I’m sitting here on the couch typing things, I have the replay of Pitbull from the South by Southwest conference, or I guess, to be hip, I should just go with SXSW, playing on my Apple TV. As much as it occurs to me that I haven’t been to a concert in a while, do miss them, and maybe should investigate getting back in the swing of them, what occurs to me more is how much fun Pitbull is having. Maybe weird for me, a dude closing in a 50, but I do know most of the songs he’s singing, and watching his concert is kind of weird because things have come a long way in the concert world. No longer is anyone “ashamed” or tentative about using “virtual” duets during their concerts, in fact, Pitbull might just be the poster child, as it also occurred to me that just about every one of his songs is some kind of duet with another pop star, from Christina Aguilera to Kesha (notice I dropped the $, as she wishes), from Shakira to Ne-Yo. During the show he had the “Pitbull Dancers,” and a super-solid backing band, but also during the show, on the giant screen behind him, were the “video” portions of the duets he sings, with the other singers there in spirit, while Pitbull would sing along with them.

It was a great show, makes me really want to go see Pitbull live, even if half of the people who sing with him won’t be with him, at least physically, because, well, if half of the fun Pitbull seems to be having wears off on me, that concert would just be a happy-fest, but as I sit here watching my TV, and Pitbull, I wonder: Have you watched a concert on TV?

That’s it for this one! I’m Andy!! L8R!!!

Does Your Pet Have a Facebook Page?

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Our dog, Milo, recently had a birthday, and some of his friends on Facebook wished him a “Happy Birthday.” Yes, that’s right, he has a Facebook page. He thanked those who wished him the best for another year, with his traditional “Woof!” at the end, and as he is now older than I am, clocking in at a 49 years, he wonders if he should maybe shut down the page. Okay, he’s not wondering that, right now he’s probably just wondering when I’m going to give him his breakfast while I’m typing this, but his introduction into Facebook wasn’t out of my being a “trying to treat our dog like a human” thing, he ended up with a page simply because I was in full Farmville mode and needed more “neighbors.” His having a page helped many a time, through the proliferation of “…ville” games, and even into the Candy Crush era, but it was kind of funny, as his posts would show up on my wall as “Liking” the latest game, that my friends would undoubtedly become “friends” with Milo.

He doesn’t give as many updates as he used to, mostly because you can’t have two Facebook apps on your phone and it’s too much of a pain to log out and back in on the app, so when we are out and “he” wants to let his friends know where he is checking in at, it’s up to me to quit being lazy and do the extra steps.

Maybe once I get hooked into the next game he’ll be a little more active, but for now his page sits kind of quietly, like many a Facebook page, where people wish their friends, who probably don’t even pay attention to Facebook any longer, Happy Birthday, and never even notice their “friend” didn’t thank anyone. I do wonder, though: Does your pet have a Facebook page?

That’s it for this one! I”m Andy!! L8R!!!