4/29/08- You're missing out...

...If you don't go to www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com and check out the tons of funny articles, blogs, hot chicks, podcasts, and hilarious videos like this one:



You only have yourself to blame if you don't register a free username and take part in commenting our content and downloading our podcasts over at www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com right now.

3/6/07- www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com...

As I still own the rights to post on this site(and seeing as I still have people signed up for my RSS feed) I might as well use this space to whore out my new place of residence: www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com.

Here's some shit that i've been up to over at www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com:

New segments: http://www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com/?q=blogs/mightyvin/versus-nyc-vs-la

Updated classics: http://www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com/?q=content/idont-want-my-mtv

And Dog and Pony Show specific posts: http://www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com/?q=content/dapspecific-dave-pacheco-edition

It's more then I could ever begin to do on this shithole of a server. So come and join me over at www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com and be sure to take two minutes to register a username so that you can leave comments, download podcasts, and post on the forums.

2/8/08- When DAPS call, you must accept the charges(or else be forced to feel the wrath of Jean-Claude Van Damme)...

That's right gang, i'm moving to a different server(this time it's an actual domain name).

Effective February 17th, I will become an offical member of "The Dog and Pony Show"(for more info on them look right below this post).

What does this all mean?

Well, in simple-terms it means that instead of posting here, from now on I will be the exclusive official featured blog of www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com (again, the site doesn't launch until the 17th, so it's just a splash/teaser page for now).

When the site launches there will be a sampling of some of my best work all ready and pre-packaged for a new and exciting audience. After all of the how-do-you-do best-of introductory posts are done with, I will start posting all-new material for your enjoyment. In other words: expect new material sometime around February 20th.

I would like to take the remainder of this post to thank Chris, Carlo, Andrew and everyone else over at DAPS for allowing me to join them in their new venture. Thanks guys!



See you all over at www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com on the 17th.

1/25/08- This Week's Guest: The Dog and Pony Show...

In short: "Dog and Pony Show" is a comedy team that produce comedic videos via their website(www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com [the site has all of their videos up, but the site is really just a teaser for now until it launches on February 17th]) that have become quite popular as of late. Being featured on Best Week Ever, the "featured" page on Funnyordie.com, and also getting a ringing endorsement from popular celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. Since there is no real way of accurately describing D.A.P.S. without fucking it up. I give you their official myspace bio:

"Dog and Pony Show (DAPS) is the brain-child of former college newspaper writers Chris Olivieri and Carlo Montagnino along with Andrew Sotiriou, who does something with computers that both Chris and Carlo find completely uninteresting. DAPS, as we lovingly refer to it, is (in theory) a weekly online magazine that offers a glimpse into the brains of the afore mentioned trio. The brain-trust is joined by their apathetic army of constituents, who should (hopefully) aid the brain-trust in creating content that typifies and illuminates the world view of the publication."

Answering questions are DAPS editors in chief: Chris Olivieri, Carlo Montagnino and Andrew Sotiriou.

1. First of all, how did you guys come up with the name "Dog and Pony Show"?

Chris: Me and Carlo started out DAPS writing for our college newspaper the Banner, we knew that we were going to do comedy stuff but didn't have a catchy name. Like any other smart comedy writers would do, we went directly to the source of all good comedy names 'A Business Term Dictionary' (Note: Wikipedia says; "The term has come to mean any type of presentation or display that is somewhat pathetically contrived or overly intricate, or put on for purposes of gaining approval.")

Carlo: Yeah, I think the name works out well with what we are trying to do. The funny thing is that many people ask "who is the dog, and who is the pony?" these people are ignorant to what the term means. The question is aggravating.

Andrew: The name was created while Chris, Carlo and I were spelunking off the cost of Costa Rica. I was talking about my dog...Scotty, who you can see in Dancing with Scotty, and 1 guy 2 cups...But while we were spelunking I was telling the guys about this cute thing my dog does when he gets confused and then we rode ponies up to the cave to go spelunking and thus we came up with Dog and Pony but we needed something to catch people's interest so we decided to add the word "Show"....thus we have Dog and Pony Show.

2. It's pretty clear that making short films is your bread and butter. What was the first film you ever made?

Chris: I've always messed around with video, the first one of note featured a "Barbie like" Alex Rodriguez doll who spoke in a heavy Cubanish accent... I made that one with fellow DAPS writer Damian Thomas. It aired on my high school TV station, and people were very confused.

Carlo: The first video I made was a sketch comedy show with two friends from high school called "Hot Lunch." A lot of odd humor and making fun of pretentious artfags. Then came the UA movie and the Urine Trilogy with a lot of the present day DAPS crew.

Andrew: Well, if you count High School Musicals since they were filmed, or the time that I performed on a cruise ship that was just recording though. Otherwise I think the first video I shot was with Chris in high School when we went to Antietam. I personally can't recall what the video was about I just remember feeling very ill afterwards.

3. How many people make up the comedy troupe that is D.A.P.S .? Who are they?

Chris: First we consider ourselves a comedy collective, because we write, do video, audio, and anything else that comes into our warped consciousness. There are the three of us who you are lucky enough to interview, The aforementioned Damian Thomas, former 'Cousin Brother'Mike Bongiorno, CSI Banner Write Will Kline, Adam Miller and our friends who prefer to be known as only "Flam" and "Lobsterman." We're also going to be hosting a podcast called DEGOCAST by the immortal Emilio Sparks.

Carlo: At the moment there is something like 15 people who all come in and out of the pictue (when schedules permit). We're pretty tight knit, which makes for a good time doing anything, especially being funny.

Andrew: We have good number of people with various degrees in comedy, every single person that has joined our crack team has a very distinct version of what is funny. For example, I think when Chris falls down a staircase is funny...he tends to disagree. Also I believe that when I take Carlo's digital camera and take 148 pictures of myself is funny...he tends to disagree.

4. Which one of your short films are you the most proud of?

Chris: "Offensive Macbook" is my personal favorite.

Carlo: I like subtlety, so I'm going to go with "Out of This World" Then I'll agree with Chris. "Homosexuwhales" is slowly creepping into the spotlight for me as well.

Andrew: How can you make me pick on child over the other? That's just wrong. It makes me cry on the inside. My inner mother is crying that you asked her to choose a child to live and one to die. Do you know how painful this is for me and also how painful this is for you. How heartless can you be....Anyways, I will go with.......(insert Jeopardy music)....What is "Hide and Seek with a Blind Guy."

5. Who and where do you draw your influences from?

Chris: Kevin Smith, Norm MacDonald, Dmitri Martin, Jim Gaffigan, & Conan O'Brien

Carlo: Pretty much everything. From people on the bus to Law Service billboards. Everything is funny to me.

Andrew: Andy Kauffman, Andrew Sotiriou, Christopher Walken, Andrew Sotiriou, Christopher Loyd, Flight of the Conchords, Chris Rock, The Rock, George Carlin and of course one of my most favorite comedians that has ever set foot on stage Andrew Sotiriou. This guy is hysterical he always makes me laugh.

6. What music are you guys listening to these days?

Chris: I'm a huge Less Than Jake Fan, I'm also big into The Matches,Say Anything, You Me and Everyone We Know... Oh and I know all of the words to Will Smith's 'Gettin' Jiggy With It'

Carlo: I like Medeski, Martin, and Wood. They are a really cool jazzy trio. Broken Social Scene is always in the mix. And any Heavy Metal I can find (pre nu-metal that is.)

Andrew: I grew up on punk rock and metal. Nowadays I am kicking it old school with a lot of Led Zeppelin, Queen, Rolling Stones, Rush, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. But realistically I listen to a lot of everything.

7. T.V. shows you're watching?

Chris: I'm totally addicted to The Biggest Loser right now (It's sad really.) Lost, Heroes, Survivor, The Big Bang Theory, Weeds, The Office, Entourage, 30 Rock, My Name Is Earl, The Office, CSI:, I'm also very upset that Veronica Mars got cancelled; Wow, I need a girlfriend... ::cries::

Carlo: I don't really watch much TV. I like Tim and Eric. You can't avoid Scrubs and Family Guy at the moment. 30 Rock is pretty hysterical too.

Andrew: There are only three things I consistently watch: Heroes, Giants games, and Rangers games. Otherwise I will try and catch: Scrubs, Futurama, Simpsons, Family Guy, Californication, Lost (only on DVD, so I can choose), Ninja Warrior and cartoons. I also have a personal obsession with watching the Food Network, the only problem is even if I just finished eating watching this channel makes me hungry no matter what. I can just see Alton Brown cooking a delicious Red Snapper en Papillote, the smell of the onions, artichokes, garlic, lemon...Oh my I seem to be getting hungry again. This kids is why I can't watch the food channel.

8. Where do you guys see yourselves in 5 years?

Chris: I think we'll have quite the following, be making lots of money, and I'll be Married to Kristen Bell. I gave her a pound last year, there were fireworks she just doesn't know it yet. (don't tell Carlo or Drew, but i'm planning on going Gwen Stefani)

Carlo: Doing the exact same thing, just with more exposure. By that I mean nudity. I'll be directing porn.

Andrew: I see me trapped in an office working on deadlines and making the young interns go get me coffee. For all those future interns out there, I like my coffee light and sweet.

9. Funniest thing you have ever seen?

Chris: I could watch Norm MacDonald's movie Dirty Work like 40 times a day.

Carlo: Ever? ummmm wow, I don't know.

Andrew: Christopher Walken dancing in the Weapon of Choice video? That was funny...I guess.

10. www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com. For those who don't know, what is it?

Chris: Porn for the mind?

Carlo: Dogandponyshowwebsite.com is basically the online home of our party. It's where people everywhere can engage in discussion with a group of creative funny people and really belong. We use the metaphor of a party. Everyone is invited to the party, it's not ours, or yours,it's just a party. Fun!

Andrew: www.dogandponyshowwebsite.com is what it is. I will tell you that it is a whole lot of fun and everybody should start coming as soon as possible and some sweet awesomeness will happen in February 17th.

11. Lets end on some word association:I say Mayor McCheese, you say?

Chris: i'd hit that.

Carlo: Monster.

Andrew:Jerry Lee Lewis.

I say Cracker Barrell, you say?

Chris: Justin Harrell (of www.porknbomb.com)

Carlo: Cheese?

Andrew: Giant Robots.

and I say Fun Bubble, you say?

Chris: Virginity (as in I lost mine there)

Carlo: Oh the time when I was in 8th grade and got with some chick,then invited her to play with me in the ball pits during one of those dances. She looked at me like I was retarded. Very satisfying.

Andrew: Pin


Normally Here is where I would post a video of the persons in question that granted me the interview. But instead I direct you to their youtube page where you can go and decide for yourself which one of their videos tickles your fancy the most: www.youtube.com/dogandponyshowyoutub (the "e" got cut off)

1/23/08- The green elephant in the room...

Limewire.

We all have it. We all use it. We all don't give a shit about what using it is doing to the recording industry.

Limewire has become the biggest elephant in the room since the stunning revelation that Freddy Mercury was gay. I'm convinced that there is some government conspiracy at work here. I mean, if the government really wanted to shut Limewire down and subsequently force people to actually pay for music, they could easily do so. Yet they allow this illegal download service to thrive in a musical climate where album sales are down and illegal downloads are up.

I think that the rise of Limewire is responsible for the rapid decline in the quality of music in general. Before Limewire came around, people were actually forced to make informed decisions about what music they wanted to buy. The operative word being "buy". Now that people don't need to shell out money to get their hands on music, all artists need in order to have a hit song is a catchy riff and a chorus that is so repetitive that it drills itself into your brain to the point where you can't get it out of your head, and thus you're hooked.

It cheapens music to the point where you might as well just give it away for fre.....oh, wait.

1/18/08- The *REAL* Comeback Kid...

...ME. Not McCain or Huckabee, me.

That's right, I'm coming back. Why? Well I'm glad I asked.

First of all, the reason I left in the first place was because I set out to post articles on a constant basis, and when my job and college work started to limit the amount of time I could put into this site, I decided to leave it.

Then something weird and exciting started to happen: My site was still getting around the same amount of hits it was getting before I left after I left. This was also coupled with several weeks of discovering different comics and bands that would be perfect interview material. Also, those two things combined were coupled with myself getting pissed off at something and no longer having a place to vent.

And all of that combined leads me to where we are now.

Effective January 21st, I will return to this site. But, there will be one little change. I will become Maddox-esque in my frequency of article posting. Gone are the days of trying to cram out gold material every day of the week. The reality is that it just isn't possible. I'd rather post a few times a week at my leisure and churn out brilliant articles that will get passed around the internet et-nausium rather then waste all of my ammo on a single post and then half-ass the rest of that week.

Finally, I am certainly not one to make mistakes or be off the money on anything that I say. But I can honestly say, with no doubt in my mind, that I was a fucking idiot for thinking that I could just leave this all behind and be done with it.

Now that that's off of my chest, this brings my total ratio of times I've been right vs. times I've been wrong to:

154,865,427 - Right
1 - Wrong

It's time to get back to work.

12/31/07- The End: Part II...

Well, this is it. The final post.

When you really think about it, I've accomplished a shitload of things for a seventeen year-old this past year. I built a site that went from 2,000 hits per day up to 85,000 hits at it's best. Some of my articles have been passed around message boards, sent to people all across the web via e-mail, and have gotten hundreds of thousands of hits.

I also got to interview some pretty cool people. including Paul Scheer, Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, Will Forte, Tay Zonday, Doug Benson, Karl Koch, Matt Senreich(creator of Robot Chicken), and Nick Kroll. Think about it. That's a huge fucking accomplishment in and of itself.

But enough about me, lets talk about you, the fans(yes, I have fans). Even though I am leaving this site to concentrate on radio, I am not forgetting about you. I have found a new way to give my uncensored opinion on stuff. Podcasting.

Starting on January 9th you can hear me every Wednesday night from 11:00pm-12:30am live at www.blogtalkradio.com/untitledshow. I will be joining "The Untitled Show": Hosted by myself and fellow DJ Andrew DiLorenzo. The show will consist of uncensored talk and new music. After every live show, that day's show goes up as a podcast that you can download onto your iPod by clicking the "upload to iTunes" link on the right side of the show page.

So, in essence, I'm not leaving, just moving to a new medium.

Now, on to the big "Thank You". Well, thank you. Thank you all who read my odd little posts. Thank you to everyone who sent me hate mail(and fan mail). Thank you to all of my guests from the past year. Thank you to [insert someone I have forgotten to mention].

Goodbye, for now. Remember: Never say never. I did not say that I would never return here, just that I am leaving.

I hope that you will all follow me over to "The Untitled Show" and support uncensored Internet radio and podcasts.

So long, Farewell, Goodbye, and in the immortal words of Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald: Go Fuck Yourself.

-Vin Forte(vaf89.blogspot.com and www.blogtalkradio.com/untitledshow)

12/24/07- Christmas Blowout Spectacular...

Well, here it is. At long last, it's the VAF89 Christmas Blowout Spectacular. Full of new shit, old shit, and shit that was just plain awful. Enjoy!


Here are some "B-Sides" that were cut because of either length, quality, or time-sensitivity:

http://bestofvaf89.blogspot.com/2007/12/b-side.html

Here is a college essay I wrote for my COM 100 class. It is a review of the movie "Psycho":

http://bestofvaf89.blogspot.com/2007/12/movie-review-psycho.html

Here is a report that I did last year for Media class. I had to listen to Podcasts of Bill O'Reilly's radio show and write a review:

http://bestofvaf89.blogspot.com/2007/12/bill-oreilly-is-motherfucker.html

Here is that "Failed Interview" I was telling you about:

http://bestofvaf89.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-failed-interview-with-yoko-ono.html

The best hatemail ever:

http://bestofvaf89.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-favorite-piece-of-hatemail-ever.html

Now onto the "Best of the Blog":

Most well-received post goes to "Hockey Monkey" because no one can deny the appeal of monkeys + knives + ice + Death Zamboni = Awesome. :

http://vaf89.blogspot.com/2007/04/43007-hockey-monkey.html

Most controversial post goes to my "Radiohead" post. People were completely split down the middle about this. :

http://vaf89.blogspot.com/2007/11/11607-in-rainbows-in-red.html

Post with the least amount of hits goes to "Ramen Noodles". No big surprise there. :

http://vaf89.blogspot.com/2007/05/5707-ramen-noodles-because-your-moms-on.html

Finally, the post with the largest number of hits with 483,000 goes to "Vin Forte interviews all three members of Human Giant". Not a surprise. My site was one of the first to jump onto the Human Giant bandwagon before the damn wagon even existed. Having your interview be at the top of Google's search engine under "Human Giant" for two straight weeks while being linked to from www.humangiant.com doesn't hurt either. :

http://vaf89.blogspot.com/2007/04/this-weeks-guests-paul-scheer-rob.html

Now go and enjoy your Christmas, folks. Also, Fuck Chanukaha! Fuck Kwanzaa! And while i'm at it, Fuck political correctness! I'll be back on December 30th with my final post. Until then, go fuck yourself.

12/9/07- The End: Part I...

To answer all of the e-mail that I have been receiving: Yes, I am hanging up my hat and leaving this site behind.

Effective December 31st, I will no longer be posting articles on this site. The reason? Well, there are several. The first, and most important, being that I work at a local radio station(WSIA 88.9fm) here in New York, and working there takes up a shitload of time. Then you add in the fact that I am now in college, I have assigned essays to type up, homework to complete, studying to do. Also, when I'm not dicking around at the station or writing sociology essays, I'm working at my medium-wage job to make enough income to stay above water.

Quite frankly, I don't have enough time in the day to post as frequently, or as passionately, as I would like to. So I have decided to go out on top and get out while the getting is good. My hits are at an all-time high(83,000 hits per day as of 3 weeks ago). This sudden burst of readership started to happen after I posted my exponentially negative review of Radiohead's new shit-tastic album. Apparently more people agree with me than I expected. And the hits grew from there.

As stated before, I want to start investing more time into my radio career. Working on my show, tooling around with it to find the right mix of concept and music, culling an audience and whatnot. The only reason I started this site in the first place was to have an outlet to vent and explore different ways of coming up with recurring segments and to have an outlet for all of this until I could score a radio gig. But now that I have one, I must go and work on it until I can reach the next stage of my career.

What happens now? Well. On December 24th, I will post, as promised, my "Christmas Blowout" of rare posts, essays, best-of posts, and failed interviews. After Christmas, on December 30th, I will post my final article on this site. What will it be about? Well, judging by the fact that THIS post is called "Part I", it will most-likely be "Part II".

What will happen to this site? Will I ever return to it? Is Tupac still alive? Answers to all of these questions and much, much more to come in "Part II". Until then, enjoy the ride while it lasts, because it isn't going to get any better than this when I'm gone.

12/4/07-12/8/07: Countdown to something...

Oh, hello. I'll be stunting the blog until Sunday, when I make a big announcement. What is "Stunting"? "Stunting" is where you use video and/or sound clips that carry a recurring theme that tips off the listener/viewer/reader as to what the big announcement will be at the end of the aforementioned "Stunting". Videos will be posted sporadically until Sunday. Hint: The first video REALLY premiered during the last "Saturday Night Live" post.













Find the running theme in the first 3 videos, then the last 3, and take a wild guess. More details on Sunday...

12/3/07- Indie sucks and you know it...

I'm sick and tired of all of these college student, Liberal douchebags bombarding me with their holier-than-thou, my-shit-doesn't-stink attitude about Indie music. It sucks! You're not going to convert me, shut the fuck up!

Why do these Indie-lovers hate every big label band? Their excuse, most of the time, is that all of the big label bands have sold out. How? Because they're actually good and can gain large followings outside of small factions of college students that don't already listen to either Pop or Rap? It's all complete bullshit.

Now i'm not saying that ALL Indie artists suck. But it is very fair to say that 90% of them do. What ever happened to just liking music? Just listening to something, Indie or not, liking it enough to buy the record, and just enjoying it. Why should I care if some college Liberal, vegan, pale-faced nobody thinks that I suck because I listen to Foo Fighters and not Tegan and Sara?

Fuck you! I'm not falling for it. I'll listen to whatever the fuck I want, when I want, and no pussy Indie suck-up is going to tell me otherwise. All of you shitheads who will only listen to Indie music can go beat-off to back issues of Alternative Press.

I simply just don't care about you and I hope that one day you are driving in your car and hear a song by Green Day from 1994 and thoroughly enjoy yourself, stop your car, realize that you have just enjoyed a song by a major-label band, and then proceed to admit that you have wasted your life and promptly drive off of a fucking cliff, subsequently dying in an inferno of fire and self-pity.

12/1/07- Saturday Night Live...

This week's live cut is of Elvis Costello and The Attractions playing "Radio Radio" live after abruptly stopping "Less Than Zero". This was in protest of his label ordering him to play the less rebellious "Less Than Zero" over the controversial "Radio Radio" on Saturday Night Live back in the late-70's. Enjoy.

11/30/07- Al Gore is a douche and so are you...

Fuck global warming. Why? Because it's wasting time that is part of my life and yours. Here's a little news flash for you: global warming doesn't fucking exist!

It was made up by scientists who desired money from the government in order to fund their other projects. But without the inclusion of a project like researching ways to stop the Earth from heating up into a ball of fire, they could never have gotten research grants from the government.

Also, these are the same fucking scientists who, back in the late-80's, said that we were going to be experiencing an ice-age in twenty years. Well, it's been twenty years and these assholes are now saying that the Earth is going to get warmer instead of colder? Why would I buy into anything they have to say after a huge fucking blunder like that?

As for the "proof" that the polar ice caps are melting, that's just the fucking liberals bending the truth. The fact is: there is ice, there is also a huge fucking fireball in the sky called the Sun, when the two meet it make the ice melt. What those liberal fucks aren't telling you is that the ice caps are regenerating at a faster rate then they ever have before. Whoops.

And then there's Al Gore. Al Gore is a giant douche and I don't give a shit about him in the least. He claims to be the savior of global warming, but in reality he flies around in Gulfstream jets that emit more carbon emissions then 10,000 Hummers. He also lives in a huge mansion that does not operate off of green power such as solar or wind. But the biggest snafu when it comes to Al Gore is that stupid Live Earth concert that was put on this past year. Great fucking job, Al. Do you realize how much pollution was created by THAT many people driving THAT many cars to one single location and throwing all of their trash on the ground while all of those performers fly to the concert in their big, carbon emitting jets? Once you figure out how much carbon was emitted from the drive to the concert, be sure to double that number to account for the trip back home from the concert.

The bottom line: There is no global warming crisis. The Earth's heat cycle goes in patterns. Every few decades there is a run of Indian Summers and heightened temperatures. This is also followed by a run of colder temperatures. Don't believe me? Google the yearly seasonal high and low temperature records from 1900 on, and you'll have all the proof you need to debunk Al Gore.

11/28/07- Paul Scheer talks to me about the Writers Guild of America strike...

(left to right) Aziz Ansari and Paul Scheer on the picket line.

Writer, star of such shows as Human Giant and Best Week Ever, Upright Citizens Brigade alum, and good friend of the blog, Paul Scheer took some time out to talk to me this week about the W.G.A. strike and is here to break down just what exactly this whole strike actually means for the writers and you.

1. Most people have no clue what this writers strike is actually about. Quite frankly, what is it all about?

It's kinda complex but at the same time pretty simple. The Writers Guild protects the Writer's rights and helps create programs for residuals, payments, health care etc... and the Producers Guild represents the producers, they want to make sure that they get properly compensated for the projects they invest in.

The big hot button issue is that the producer's guild doesn't want to pay the writers for any of their projects in new media (mainly the internet). For example something like "Webisodes" from your favorite shows are written by writers and so far their hasn't been a program to compensate them for rendering such a service. The same is true for internet downloads. The writers believe that they should share in the revenue of these new types of technology but the producers keep telling the writer's it's too soon to tell if the internet is going to be profitable. However they are simultaneously telling their share holders that the internet is the future for new additional revenue. So something doesn't add up.

In 1988 during the last writer's strike the Producers made the same case with Home Video. They didn't believe Home Videos would be profitable and the writer's believed them and they saw very little revenue from the Billion Dollar DVD and VHS market. So this time the writers were cautious not to get screwed over.

For more detailed and better analysis of the situation check out www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com and www.unitedhollywood.com

2. What will the strike mean for people's favorite t.v. shows?

Well daily scripted Talk Shows were affected first. Shows like the Daily Show, Letterman, Colbert, Conan, etc...All have been in repeats for the last 2 and 1/2 weeks since the start of the strike. As far as scripted shows go right now people aren't really going to notice a big difference right away but in a few weeks scripted shows will also be going into repeats because the scripting of new episodes stopped when the strike started and once they run out of scripts shows go dark. Hypothetically if the strike was to continue for a long time. The only new shows you'd see would be REALITY SHOWS. Which would suck.

Movies are also being affected, for example The Davinci Code Sequel stopped Pre Production because of script problems that can't be fixed because of the writers strike. Even work on the new Star Trek Film has been compromised because JJ Abrams who is a WGA member as well as a director can't script any new lines while filming because doing so would violate the WGA stance on writing during the strike. Those are just 2 examples from a wide array of problems in the feature film world. So as you can see the problem is BIG.

3. Do you see the strike coming to an end anytime soon?

On Monday, the Producers and Writer's Guild have agreed to return to the table to continue negotiations after 2 weeks of silence. So that is a really good sign. But no one can be sure about when exactly this will end. However once both sides can agree to a fair deal and TV and Films can start again.

4. What is it like out there on the picket line? Are you finding it to be a suprisingly good place to network with other writers?

The Picket lines in NYC are a lot of fun actually unless it's raining, then it kinda sucks. But we do get to march around one of those one of those big inflatable pigs, that is pretty awesome. Obviously we are there with a defined purpose but it's great to see familiar faces and hang out with people who normally are swamped with work to do anything. I'm just really impressed and honored to be in a community who have come out in such a big way to support each other and this strike through picketing, viral videos, blog posts and even fund raising shows, like SNL and 30 Rock's live UCB Theater performances for the production staff of their shows.

5. What will be the impact of the strike on people who have roles other then a writer(such as producer, camera man, tech guys...etc)?

Production staff unfortunately is taking the biggest brunt of the strike because they are being fired from their jobs as shows and films stop production. Essentially many people are going on unemployment and unfortunately at the end of the strike these people won't benefit either way. The WGA and Producers Guild recognize that and it's in their best interests to get people back to work. I know this is one of the most troubling aspects of the strike for me. But luckily many of these people in production have been supportive of the writers and their stance, which is great.

A skit by Fred Armisen dealing with the strike:

11/27/07- VAF89 Mailbag...

This month's hatemail:

Jordan from Westchester, P.A. writes:

"How can you say such things about Kanye West so soon after his own mother died?"

Well Jordan, it would seem as if you have a rare case of mental retardation with a slight outbreak of down syndrome, so i'm going to spell it out for you: I can say these things because they are based in logic, proven true by example, and wrapped in a blatant display of ego. Besides, if Kanye West, for some godawful reason, actually cares about what some seventeen year-old douche like me thinks about him on the internet, then he really is a bigger narcissist then i'm painting(and proving) him to be.

Dave from West Palm Beach, Florida writes:

"Why isn't Radiohead on your stupid list of the top 5 greatest bands of the 90's?"

First of all, if my list is so stupid, then why did you care about it enough to write me a letter? Second of all, as I have explained in a previous post, Radiohead has been getting way too much credit lately for releasing their album for free online(which I am calling a desperate move on their part to garner publicity). Go on Wikipedia and check the facts. "Creep" was a big hit in the mid-90's here in America, but was never topped. If you really want to get technical, they can be considered a one-hit-wonder. Before people go e-mailing me yet again, yes, I realize that they have maintained popularity in England, but as is the case with many one-hit-wonders. Shit, half of all of those 80's one-hit bands have seen some form of continued success across the pond, but have never been able to top themselves here in America.

Dana from Hoboken, New Jersey writes:

"At then end of your post about radio sucking so badly in a politically correct world, you said "Fuck Opie and Anthony". Why? What the fuck did they ever do?"

"What the fuck did they ever do?" Well, besides stealing ideas and bits from Howard Stern, not a goddamn fucking thing. They are one of the main reasons why radio sucks, because they are a prime example of how unoriginal and stale regular radio has become. They can't come up with interesting shit to say on their own, so they "shock" their audience with bits and gags that Howard Stern has been doing for years. Also, they are screwing their fans over big time. Why would someone who paid for a subscription to XM, just to hear Opie and Anthony, keep paying their monthly fee when they can hear most of the show on regular radio for free?

11/26/07- State of the Blog...

The Rundown:

* I'm back. After stuffing my gullet with piles of the most delicious feast that you can imagine, and subsequently becoming ill with the flu because I was forced to deal with anemic, sickly customers all weekend at my job, I am back(you know you missed me).

* Interviews. Yeah, I know. I dropped the ball on the whole interview thing the past month. But I actually did make an effort to get people, it's just that when I threw out a line, no one bit. I'll try harder this month. But I was also a little sidelined by my next bullet point.

* My radio show. Yes, it is indeed true. I finally have my own radio show. It is broadcast once a week from 4:00pm-7:00pm every Wednesday on WSIA 88.9 fm New York. I know that 90% of you do not live in the radius of the station's broadcast signal, so come Wednesday, be sure to listen online at www.wsia.fm. Also, call me up and make a request, toll free, at: 1-(718)-982-3060.

* Christmas blowout. I made mention of this in the last S.O.T.B. This Christmas, I will be taking an extended Christmas break. Instead of leaving just a "Best-of", I will be leaving you an entire year-end blowout ensemble that should make you forget all about the fact that you got clothes for Christmas instead of an X-Box 360.

The following is a list of treats and rarities that you will find in the aforementioned "ensemble":

- A "Best of the Blog 2007 edition" highlighting links to some of the best posts of '07.

- Rare message board posts made by me.

- An exclusive "failed interview" that makes my interview with Patton Oswalt look like my interview with Human Giant.

- Slightly humorous essays from my High School era.

- B-side material that was too lengthy to cut it as part of just a cutting-room-floor montage at the end of each month, yet lacking large amounts of the normal dry wit and slight humor that would constitute me posting it on it's own.

- And much, much more(ok, not too much more, but maybe a few other things).

11/21/07- Californication vs. Californication...

You may have heard that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime over the title of their latest hit show: "Californication". Some un-informed douchebag posted this on AOL NewsBlogger:

"The Red Hot Chili Peppers have sued Showtime over the title of the network's show "Californicating," claiming that the word is associated with the band. This seems foolish. First of all, they aren't the first band to think of it. There's a J. Geils Band song called "Californicatin'" from all the way back in 1984, from an album called "You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd" (now, that's original). Second of all, isn't this just a ploy by the band to get more publicity?"

This shithead could not be more wrong. There are many things wrong with that paragraph. The first being that the show is called "Californication"(like the Chili Peppers album and song) not "Californicating".

Second, the J. Geils reference is moot because their song is called "Californicatin'" NOT "Californication". Not that anyone even knows of "Californicatin'".

Third, the fucking word "Californication" IS associated with the band. It was their biggest selling album and their biggest selling single to date. They have excellent grounds to sue. When I first heard of the show "Californication" I thought that the band had an input in it somehow(something along the lines of the show using their music as a soundtrack). Also, I guess that this very informed "news writer" forgot to mention that there is a character on the show named "Dani California". Oops!

As for this putz claiming that this is a way for them to get publicity, I say this: Why would they need it? They've been around since the late 1980's and are still making commercially successful albums that are also beloved by critics.

Let me put it to you this way: if you were a band, and the titles from two of your songs as well as your most successful album were being used to sell a T.V. show for profit, wouldn't you want some fucking royalties?

11/20/07- Karma's a bitch...

Back in September I posted my thoughts on Kanye West and how he has a huge, Trump-esque ego(see here: http://vaf89.blogspot.com/2007/09/91907-kanye-west-doesnt-care-about.html). I had a strong feeling that Karma would find it's way into his life one way or the other, and I was right.

Last week his mother died from plastic surgery malpractice. While in any other case I would feel sympathetic, in this case I can only just stand back and say that Kanye has finally paid for his big, overblown ego with his mother's life.

Why? Simple. Kanye and his mother grew up poor, humble people. Once Kanye got a little cash from his record sales, he was bitten by greed. In turn, his mother was also brought into the equation because she was his manager. She used Kanye's money to get the plastic surgery that killed her. So, in a way, Kanye West killed his own mother because if he never made all of that money off of stealing other people's instrumentals, his mother couldn't have taken his money, and couldn't have gotten plastic surgery, and wouldn't have died.

Also, it was reported that he broke down and cried on stage during a performance the other day. This further proves that Kanye West has a huge ego. Even though his fucking mother just kicked the bucket, he somehow still found time to perform instead of being with his family.

And don't fucking e-mail me saying: But Vin, he has contracts to obligate, he can't cancel all of his shows. Bullshit! The White Stripes canceled an entire leg of their tour last month because Meg White had a cold. If you can cancel an entire tour schedule for a fucking cold, I think that you can cancel a few performances because your own mother died.

11/17/07- Saturday Night Live...

This week's live cut is of Wolfmother performing "Joker and the Thief" live at the Rock AM festival on June 6, 2007. Enjoy.

11/16/07- Top 5 Rock Bands of the 90's...

#5- Pearl Jam:



The importance of Pearl Jam can't be ignored. It seems like there were dozens of Eddie Vedder rip-offs running around after Pearl Jam jumped on the scene. Their sound is, quite simply, one of those things that is often imitated, never duplicated.

#4- Red Hot Chili Peppers:



While Pearl Jam hasn't seen very lucrative record sales with their recent albums, Red Hot Chili Peppers have seen very consistent sales dating from 1990 up until today. Hell, "Stadium Arcadium" is one of their highest selling albums yet. While I don't see a whole lot of bands trying to steal their style, this may be due to the fact that it is pretty fucking hard to duplicate. When you hear a Chili Peppers song on the radio you can always tell by the first words out of your speakers that it is them.

#3- Green Day:



They have everything needed to make a legendary discography. The underground success, the hit album, the follow-up album that sells 4,000,000 copies but somehow still doesn't equal the success of their last, the next album that is considered solid but not as good as "Dookie", the quintessential flop album that becomes nothing more then a blip on the musical radar, the near death sentence of releasing a "Greatest Hits" album and a B-Sides album at the same time, and their latest resurgence at the hands of a rock-opera with political undertones and a plotline that is strangely reminiscent of something by J.D. Salinger. While they've won and lost and won back some fans along the way, there is no denying their staying power and ability to adapt to the times yet remain true to their music at the same time.

#2- Weezer:



After the death of Grunge(a.k.a. Kurt Cobain) Weezer was the first big band to emerge and set the tone for the next wave of Alternative music. But their impact, while big at the time with their revival of the "geek rock" style, would not be felt until a distant twelve years later when the entire genre of "EMO" would be attributed to them. ??? What? Well, apparently all of these "EMO" bands of today were really big fans of the album "Pinkerton"(which had emotional and raw lyrical content) and they took that to mean that by complaining about every little problem in their songs that they were somehow following in Weezer's footsteps, despite the fact that Weezer actually did have legit problems that they were making songs about, unlike all of these knock-offs that have dubbed themselves "EMO". So for better or for worse, Weezer comes in at number two for influencing an entire genre of music a full twelve years in advance.

#1- Nirvana:



I know, you saw it coming a mile away. You already know the story. A band from Seattle makes it big, influences every aspect of the youth culture, makes two great albums, Kurt Cobain kills himself, big legacy, Generation-X, Dave Grohl starts Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters become huge, there's a happy ending after all. But in all seriousness, while Weezer influenced a genre of music twelve years in advance, Nirvana created a genre of music in their own time. For that, they have more then earned the top spot.

11/14/07- Asshole of the Month...

This month's asshole is:



Salvatore Roberts of London, England.

Our man Sal invited some friends from the States over to jolly old England for some tea and crumpets last summer and wanted to make damn sure that it was a trip that they wouldn't soon forget.

So, on the last night of his friends coming to visit him, Sal decided to make brownies for desert. But not just any brownies. No, these brownies were carefully laced with a potent mixture of Hashish and Peyote.

Upon ingesting the brownies, his guests started to hallucinate and become relaxed. This was mainly to distract them from the fact that he also put extra-strength laxatives in the brownies. When everyone woke up the next morning and the drugs started to wear off, they were all stunned to find that they had been sleeping, the entire night, covered in their own feces.

Naturally, they freaked out and left Sal's house vowing never to return. The closest thing they could get to revenge was contacting me and allowing me the distinct honor of awarding Salvatore Roberts as the "Asshole of the Month".

Be sure to send your submissions to assholeofthemonth@hotmail.com.

11/12/07- Radio killed the radio star...

The past few years have not been good for radio(unless you're Sirius Satellite, in which case, you currently hold the world of radio by it's balls).

It seems like you can't say anything anymore. These big corporations such a Clear Channel and Emmis broadcasting hire interesting personalities from smaller markets, tell them to mix it up on-air and be interesting, and then when they actually say interesting and controversial shit they get thrown out on the street with nothing more then a blacklisted career and a voided contract.

Also, this whole deal about radio stations flipping formats needs to stop. There is absolutely no reason why New York(market 1) should be getting rid of their only modern rock station to make room for another talk station, just so they can spite Howard Stern and load the whole station with watered-down versions of him.

But while they're getting rid of their only modern rock station, there are at least six different variations of dance/hip-hop stations. On top of that, these stations don't even play real dance music. They play remixed versions of pop songs.

Terrestrial radio better pull the reigns back soon. Because while Clear Channel has it's head up it's ass, Satellite radio is becoming the fastest growing new technology in history(beating out cell phones). Why? Because there are no limits on Satellite radio. You can actually be interesting and not have to worry, on a daily basis, about if you will live to work another day.

Fuck Clear Channel, Fuck the FCC, Fuck Opie and Anthony, Fuck Free FM, and Fuck the 6 stations here in New York that play pop/rap/hip-hop remixes!

11/10/07- Saturday Night Live...

This week's live cut is of Jimmy Eat World performing "The Middle" live on Conan back in 2002. Enjoy.

11/9/07- WSIA 88.9 fm...

If you just so happen to live in the New York City area, then you might have heard of WSIA 88.9 fm(Alternative). It is one of the most listened to college stations in America with a reach of over 2.5 million people.

I will be doing an on-air demo this Wednesday night from 8 until 9. This means that, barring some massive on-air meltdown, by the end of November I will be hosting my own show. More details on that to come in time.

As of now, I am already a part of "The Coach and Face Sports Show" that airs every Thursday from 7:00pm until 9:00pm. The show is primarily NFL based, but spreads out into other sports after the NFL season.

You can listen 24/7 by going to www.wsia.fm or, if you live in the New York metro area, by tuning into 88.9 fm. The on-air request line is 1-(718)-982-3060.

11/7/07- You're not cool(or original)...

I've had it up to here with Myspace. Sure, I respect the fact that it allows you to carve out a small niche for you to express yourself and keep in contact with friends. But I've had just about enough with all of these Myspace whores and their oh so generic and annoying profiles.

About 99.9% of every Myspace whore's profile can be described in the following paragraph:

Annoying profile song by some shit-head rap artist who will fade away just as fast as he appeared. Bright, sparkly, pink backround layout. Avitars of Boy Meets World, Family Guy, and Dane Cook. A big sign that reads: Beer pong champion. An "about me" description that contains more misspelled words than an essay on the Louisiana purchase written by a five year old with down syndrome. A bunch of comments by her other shit-head celebutard wannabe friends that say nothing more then "Yo U CuMmiN 2 Da PaRTy dIs WeEKeNd???". And of course, those oh so clever Myspace whore display names.

I swear to fucking God, there is actually a girl who has the display name: "they feen for her statuS- quO<3"

The only "status quo" this bitch is aspiring to achieve is drinking enough to not realize the fact that the condom broke, and now she's a 19 year-old college drop-out who now has to take care of an unwanted child while getting fat off of a diet of Funyuns and dog food because she was too fucking dumb to get a real job because she dropped out of college because she got pregnant because she drank to much because she was trying to achieve her idea of a "status quo".

I must stop here because if my whole "status quo, Myspace whore" rant didn't just prove my point, then nothing will.