still ringing.

really cute ducklings in Echo Park Lake

Dear The Echo & British Sea Power,

Thanks for taking ten percent of my hearing from me.

Not,
Laura

British Sea Power

via mikeakelley|flickr

FYI, British Sea Power on Automatic Stapler tomorrow Tuesday 02.26 4:45pm pdt. Listen at UCLAradio.com as usual. IM us at BruinRadio during the show.

Also, check out a photo of mine being used by LAist!

Murder, He Wrote

Ian David | flickr

Oh man, how did I not know about this?! Jerry Orbach as a returning character on six episodes of Murder, She Wrote!!!!! Playing almost exactly the same character as Lenny Briscoe on Law and Order. At the end of the episode, Orbach asks Angela Lansbury to join him at his private detective agency. She should have said yes; they could have had a spin-off, and it would be my favorite show ever. Probably even top Ellery Queen!

Superb!

Oh yeah, Alex Rocco is in one of the episodes, too!

Ok, so I have to edit this because the episode "Murder Takes the Bus," which is on the same disc as the previously described Jerry Orbach episode, is full of crazy guest stars. I love how both Murder, She Wrote and Law and Order attract all the great character actors, plus some big names as in Julia Roberts in L&O. Anyways, this episode had Michael Constantine (who was also on Law and Orders amongst many other things), Larry Linville (M*A*S*H!!!!!!!), David Wayne (Inspector Queen from ELLERY QUEEN!!!), and Rue McClanahan from Golden Girls. yowza, what an episode.

Happy Presidents' Day!

I almost bought Gerald R. Ford stamps today. HA!

Just so you know, TR is my fav president.

Dear Kevin Roderick,

Thanks for using the phrase "Holy Geography, Batman."

I now love you,
Laura

Americana

1. I am SO excited that I got the Eddie & the Cruisers soundtrack LP today from the oldmanrecordseller on campus. woooooo! There is nothing better than a movie about the false death of a fake Bruce Springsteen. yowza.

2. Weird.

3. I am giving away tickets to see Afrika Bambaataa (at the Roxy 2/21) on my show next week. Listen in Tuesdays 4-6pm pdt UCLAradio.com

I should post about Jon Brion more frequently.

Dear 'harmonium,'

I am not dreaming, but thanks for getting me a lot of hits.

Laura

Letter Writing Campaign

Dear USPS,

Please stop increasing the price of letter postage. I am quite the fan of letter writing, but I really can't afford all these increases! Plus, I still have 37 cent stamps, nonetheless 41 cent stamps. Not ready for 42 cents. Oy!

Sincerely,
Laura

P.S. Would it be ironic or just stupid to start a 'letter writing campaign' to the USPS to stop the price hikes?

A Series of Letters Relating to this Evening and Other Things

Dear Largo,

Thanks for being so awesome. I could deal with better prices on the food or no cover charge--fixing one or the other would be excellent, but otherwise you're real smooth.

I love you,
Laura


Dear Greg Proops,

You are pretty hilarious. I, too, am glad we have advanced enough technologically as a people to have a cyborg run for president. "You like Tusk? I Like Tusk!"

Please be on my show,
Laura


Dear Jon Brion,

You looked super greasy today, maybe wash your hair tomorrow. Nevertheless, how are you so awesome? Your ragtime Tainted Love was solid. Your jacket was supacool, too. Please make the world align so that I may actually get reservations for one of your Largo shows in which you play more than two songs. Have fun in Paris.

Please be on my show,

Laura

The first #2pencil portrait I ever did, back in the day

Dear Rhett Miller,

Your hair might be a smidgen on the too long and feathery side today, but you are still beyond handsome. And your hip swiveling is always grand. Additionally, I appreciated your compliments about my show, and if you wouldn't mind getting Spoon on my show like you said you would tonight (really randomly, I might add), that'd be swell.

I love you and please come on my show (again),
Laura


Dear iTunes,

Why do you make the Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits' album art the album art for every greatest hits collection?

Not cool,
Laura


Dear Readers,

You are grand. I adore your comments.

Please listen to my show tomorrow (or today, I guess. Tues 4-6pm pdt UCLAradio.com!),
Laura

What? Jenny Lewis is doing a duet with Elvis Costello? Huh?

Maverick

It is a really beautiful day--the epitome of a perfect spring day in the middle of winter.

He's Fantastic

Don't steal my drawing, thanks.

Going through my daily time-waster of reading a gazillion blogs, I was inspired to write a post about two of my favorites combined! also known as Sondre Lerche's obsession with Alfred Hitchcock. So wonderful, but you may not have noticed. So, let me illuminate:

1. The font on all Two Way Monologue-era material is very much like the genius Saul Bass' poster work for Vertigo.
2. The bird motif on TWM is also an obvious allusion to The Birds.
3. The spirals inside the album booklet of TWM are another (slightly less obvious) allusion to the title sequence of Vertigo (also Saul Bass's work).
   
4. "She's Fantastic" off of The Phantom Punch makes obvious references to Rebecca: "In that old movie 'bout Rebecca's spell, I feel like Max never felt, minus the drama and the fraud..." and Vertigo: "Just like in that old movie about Carlotta's spell, I feel obsessed like Scottie felt."
5. In almost all interviews with Sondre about his scoring for the recent film Dan in Real Life, he brings up Jon Brion and Bernard Hermann, who scored Vertigo and Psycho, among many other Hitchcock films.
   

I am sure there are more but that's all that come to mind at this moment.

Also, while we're on the Saul Bass posting spree, check out this amazing website that has over twenty of his title sequences and info about them, including a non-Hitchcock film, but my second favorite move EVER, Around the World in 80 Days with David Niven and Cantinflas! (which I of course own on DVD if you'd ever like to watch it. hehe).

And, while not scored by Bernard Hermann, Victor Young's Oscar-winning score of Around the World in 80 Days is my favorite film score ever--a gift I would be happy to receive. ;-) (I have four different releases of it on vinyl but not on CD).

I kinda want to go to this...

http://laist.com/2008/02/07/jayz_mary_j_bli.php haha

Also, I just ate about a gazillion sugar snap peas.

Rollin' with the Homies

I knew he looked familiar! But more than looking familiar, his voice is so only his voice! I didn't place it when he played an obnoxious lawyer representing the bad guy on an episode of Law and Order or CI (I can't remember), but right now I am watching an episode of the new season of L&O for the first time on which he is a regular (the newest in a series of replacements for the best--Jerry Orbach). Aaaaaaaaaand it is none other than Elton from Clueless!!!!!

A Rascal's Disciple

photo via derekb at flickr

It's a little crazy how many recognizable actors have been on an episode of Law and Order or L&O: Criminal Intent. In the episode I am currently watching, Jeffrey Tambor plays a hilariously inept judge, Honorable Barry Dilwynn.

Also, I just love that people other than me use the adjective 'Saulbassian.' While that is not a particularly exciting post, I highly recommend the Brand New blog about brand/identity work.

Finally, while 'falling on your ass' is perhaps more embarrassing, I am pretty sure falling on your knees is more painful as the blood on my left knee can confirm. Thank you, the combination of socks and slippery wood floors.

By the way, Saul Bass has the coolest signature.

for evil to flourish all that is required is for good men to spout cliches

Dear KCRW,

I gave you almost a week's worth of my salary this afternoon. I didn't win the iPod Touch or the MacBook Pro, but I can still win the Australia trip or the SmartCar fortwo. Please make that happen.

Thanks,
Laura

P.S. Obviously, the title has nothing whatsoever to do with this post. It is just a great quote from the last season of A Bit of Fry & Laurie, which I have now sadly finished.

procrastination comes in many forms

Dear movies,

Congrats on being oh so modern and using instant message conversations in your plots. It, however, drives me CARAZY that your characters always read aloud their conversations. It doesn't work that way, though. And in your worst offenders (Thanks, Erica), the reading of each sentence comes after the line has already been typed and entered.

Please change your ways,
Laura

Ryan, Royce, and Random.

I should point out that while I complained about Mr. Adams, the show was, indeed, pretty spectacular. But the real kudos goes to Royce Hall acoustics--man, it sounded nice.

And now that we are on the topic of Royce Hall, I might as well update you on the celebz (a post theme I haven't revisited in months!). On the first of December of last year, I reported that Donald Sutherland wore his shlumpy pajamas (or what might well have been) to see Teatr Zar (at Freud, but close enough). Since then, there have been a small smattering of less than fascinating folks but celebrities nonetheless. First, Kate Beckinsale and David Arquette (not together) went to see The Nutcracker on December 22nd. At the second Ryan Adams show, we lovely ushers were graced with the presence of Mandy Moore, Zoe Saldana (whom I will be cool with even though she was a little rude, just because she is in my fav chick flick EVAR, Center Stage), Joel Stein! (who thinks he is really funny while he is only a little funny but I love him anyways), Margaret Cho, the October Road kid (too lazy to imdb that), and the coma woman from Grey's Anatomy.

On the first Ryan Adams, the one in which I was an audience member and not an employee, I wasn't in prime position for being bored and spending my time looking for celebrities, and thus I saw only two folks -- Sam from The Parson Redheads (who are pictured above on my show, which you should listen to Tuesdays 4-6pm) and Frankie from Big City Rock.

The following isn't actually what one would consider a 'sighting,' since, uh, it was his show (1/18), but part of my job is scanning tickets, and that evening David Sedaris scanned tickets for his own show. er go, David Sedaris and I scanned tickets together. It was kinda amazing. He said all the snarky things to the patrons that I always want to say but for which I would get fired.

Finally, Rainn Wilson was at Dan Zanes today.

And that, my friends, was your every-once-in-a-while update.