•Cheech and Chong have made amends and are reuniting for a comedy tour.
•Howard Stern is remaking Rock ‘n’ Roll High School and Alex Winter (Ted from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) is writing the script. No word yet on who’s playing The Ramones’ part.
•Have something not so nice to say, but you’re too cowardly to say it yourself? Let these guys say it for you. Or how about this: If you can’t say it to someone’s face, maybe you shouldn’t be saying it at all.
•Gawker’s pic of the day is priceless..but NAUGHTY! And probably photoshopped, but offensive just the same.
FROM THE MOMENT IT WAS ANNOUNCED that Vampire Weekend was coming, my reason for living has been to go to the show and love every second of it. Now that’s it’s over, I have two options: 1. Find a new reason to live. 2. Die. I haven’t decided yet which way I’ll go, but until then: let’s talk about the show.
Vampire Weekend came on a few minutes before 9 p.m. and played a good short set, and the whole thing was done by 10. Maybe it’s my age, but that’s my kind of show. Though I was admittedly a bit skeptical about whether the guys have had enough stage experience to really turn out a good live show, I needn’t have worried. They were awesome. They played hard, they played fun and they played to the crowd — and the crowd returned the favor.
Apropos the crowd: It was big and happy. I wasn’t sure what to expect with regard to audience turn-out, but the place was full. And yes, it was an all-ages event, but even that couldn’t ruin the night. And if I’m being honest, I actually kind of liked watching the goofy group of boys in front of us bouncing around awkwardly to a rhythm that only they could hear. There has never been a more coordination-challenged cluster of kids who’ve dared to flaunt their lack of rhythm, but dammit if they weren’t having a great time. I don’t even think they knew who was on stage. But it didn’t matter. They acted like it was the time of their lives — and it probably was.
Other highlights from the show included a high-energy version of the call-and-response song “One (Blake’s Got a New Face,” when lead singer Ezra Koenig got all rockstar on us with a fun, screamy take on the song; the crowd favorite “Oxford Comma,” with the whole room trying to sing along on the chirpy high notes; and watching bass player Chris Baio’s slick footwork. The guy can move. I wish I had been closer. The only time I would have taken my eyes off of him would have been to stare and Koenig’s shorts.
As usual, I was out-talled by the crowd.
I had a hard time getting any shots, much less good ones.
I couldn’t get his shorts (or a good face shot, for that matter), no matter how hard I tried!
I WAS GEARING UP (did I just say “gearing up”?) to write about last night’s Vampire Weekend show, but while looking through my photos of the band and trying to pick a few that don’t suck, I got distracted by lead singer Ezra Koenig’s shorts. The guy, who makes it a point to flaunt his preppiness — and why shouldn’t he? — was sporting a pair of baby pink, above-the-knee shorts.
I’m down with taking fashion risks, and while I didn’t love what he was wearing (I think my exact words were: “Oh! I just can’t get past the shorts!”), I could admire his sense for retro-prep fashion. It’s a Koenig thing, I thought. Fair enough. He’s a rockstar, he’s expected to have “a look.”
And then Plus One set me straight (he reads men’s fashion mags, I don’t). Apparently, short shorts are THE thing and men who dare stick with their below-the-knee duds are already so three years ago. (Caveat: Officer Dangle shorts are the exception to the short shorts rule.) I did some research, and what do you know? Plus One is right.
Confession No. 7 (read confession No. 6): After a couple of hours of picture gazing, the shorties are starting to grow on me. Though I stand by my first impression of Koenig’s shorts: They weren’t really working for him.
What do you think about men in short shorts? Awesome or not? And will men here ever adopt the shorter style when board shorts are a wardrobe staple? (Though my cubicle mate Sarah, who also works at Billabong in Waikiki, says her store carries short board shorts.) Do you know any super stylish Honolulu guys who dare wear short shorts?
To do:
1. Go to Art After Dark’s “So Sari!” event. CHECK
2. Check out Summer Sunday Sessions at Dave & Busters.
3. Go to the Vampire Weekend concert. CHECK
4. Watch the The X Files: I Want To Believe.
::SO SARI!::
What I thought would be a low-key evening at the Art Academy turned out to be the the party of the week. The place was PACKED. We got there a little early (dorks!) and thought we’d wait for the line to shrink before standing in it. Before we knew it, we had been waiting for an hour and the line just kept getting longer and longer. Finally I decided to use my guest-list status to help get us in (thanks Lesa Griffith!). I try not to do too much string pulling while I’m out and about because 1. It’s a misuse of my media status, 2. I don’t want the good people in the community to feel like I’m taking advantage of them and 3. I don’t want to look like a freeloading loser, but I just couldn’t bear to wait another hour to get in. I know. I suck. Sigh.
After cruising in the easy way, we surveyed the grounds, took a few pictures, contemplated standing in another long line to get drinks, thought better of it and then left without even getting to hear DJ Rekha. I know! I suck. Sigh.
Here’s the thing about Art After Dark. It’s too hot for my thick Euro-adapted blood. And I’m always miserable there because although the Academy grounds are wonderfully picturesque, it’s as if the place was built to keep out the tradewinds. The moment I step into that center courtyard, I can’t wait to get out. I know. I seriously suck.
::SUMMER SUNDAY SESSIONS::
I didn’t make it Sunday, but I’ll get there this week. Really.
::VAMPIRE WEEKEND::
The show’s tonight and I can’t wait. What I CAN wait for is a room full of underage kids. But I love VW more than I hate all-ages shows. And that’s saying something. I’ll post photos of the show tomorrow.
::X FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE::
How can I even call myself a fan? Shame on me for not making it to see this movie! Shame, I say. But for what it’s worth, I did see Step Brothers. And I laughed, laughed, laughed. I don’t care what they say, I thought it was funny. It’s not a cinematic triumph, but I didn’t expect it to be. I’ll post a little something on the movie later.
Here are a few photos of AAD’s “So Sari!” event Friday:
•It was shark week for Ryan Seacrest, who was bitten by one. Seriously.
•When did Comic-Con get so big? What used to be a geeks-in-costume-on-parade semi-notable event is now THE place to be. What’s happening?
•It looks like The Two Coreys is getting the boot. How bad does a reality show have to be for the American public — the same public that allows Wife Swap, You Wanna Bet and The Singing Office to continue — to depopularize it to the point of cancellation?
•July was list month at IFC.com. Read all the lists here. And then maybe make your own, you list-loving Gen Xers. (That IS a Gen X thing, right?)
FROM THE 
I WAS GEARING UP (did I just say “gearing up”?) to write about last night’s Vampire Weekend show, but while looking through my photos of the band and trying to pick a few that don’t suck, I got distracted by lead singer Ezra Koenig’s shorts. The guy, who makes it a point to flaunt his preppiness — and why shouldn’t he? — was sporting a pair of baby pink, above-the-knee shorts.
