VIC-torious!

I am so very very happy to say that I WILL be attending the Pearl Jam, fan club only, Lollapalooza warm up show at The Vic Theater in Chicago, next Thursday,but this time, I cannot take the credit.

Like fan club members all over the world yesterday, I logged into pearjam.com just before 2PM EST, clicked on tickets, then began rapid fire clicking on refresh for- GET THIS- the next 4 hours and 45 minutes! Roughly 500 pairs of tickets were sold yesterday, and you'd think, they would have SOLD OUT in 5 minutes, but in order to maximize our misery, two idiots put two pairs of tickets into their carts, and never checked out, leaving a total of 4 tickets in virtual limbo all day long! Every one of us ticket hungry pearl jam beasts salivated with every click and the thought of snagging the coveted gems, which would gain us entrance into a very intimate, exclusive, surprise show with our favorite band in the universe. I didn't pee for hours. I skipped lunch. I had my secretary feeding me tylenol to squelch the nervous headache that was blurring my vision and making the tiny Matt Cameron in my head bang away furiously!

Did I ever get those tickets? Nope. BUT, my dear friend, who is my travel buddy for the whole Lollapalooza trip this year, got himself a pair at 2pm, and we were in the game together yesterday, so, thanks to him, I have a ticket!

Why did I try for tickets all day if I had one by 2:30? Thats an easy question! If I got tickets, then 2 more serious Pearl Jam fans would be able to go to this show. It was worth the headache, to try to do my jamily some props. I'm sorry it didn't work, and I congratulate everyone who got tickets, but it was much harder than I anticipated.

Please don't give up, my friends. I have gotten tickets from random people who don't have a ticket buddy, from radio contests, from someone who knew the booking agent, etc....just be creative, and think positively!

I certainly hope today is much less stressful than yesterday. Now, about switching my flight on Thursday so I can actually get to the show on time........*sigh*.........the things ya do for love!

PEARL JAM to play Lolla warm up show!!!

Holy crap! It has just been announced that Pearl Jam will play a special, 10Club members only Lollapalooza warm up show on Thursday August 2nd at the Vic Theater in Chicago!!!

Tickets go on sale THIS THURSDAY at 11AM(PACIFIC TIME), which means 2 PM for us East Coast peops!!

THANK GOD I fly into Chicago on Thursday! AUGUST 2007 JUST MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE MONTH YET!

Del Close Marathon...

Don't forget that this weekend is the 9th Annual Del Close Marathon at UCB.
"Del Close was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade to name a few. After Del's passing in 1999, the UCB started the Del Close Marathon to celebrate their mentor and keep alive his name and teachings for future generations."

Catch shows at virtually any hour of the day or night starting this Friday July 27th through Sunday the 29th. Enjoy! (Oh, and let me know which ones you're seeing cuz I may want to join you)

Eco Friendly Pearl Jam Article on Variety.com

I have been known to recycle everything possible, and even go through the trash to pull out things that may have been accidentally pitched. I also go around shutting lights off on people frequently, all in the name of protecting the environment. Obviously, then, it just tickles me senseless that Pearl Jam is as eco-conscious as I am, and uses their status to do great things for our environment.

On Friday, Variety.com posted a brief article on some of the environmental work Pearl Jam has been up to...
"The group's ultimate goal is an admirable, if lofty, one. Pursuing an ambitious, integrated strategy to clean up their act, the band will donate $100,000 to nine environmentally-conscious organizations, and they plan to eventually reach 0% net emissions for their tours and businesses."
Click HERE for full story.

Um, can these guys BE any more perfect?! *sigh* Good work, boys! I approve!

Lemonheads and Kaiser Chiefs

The Lemonheads are playing Warsaw in Brooklyn tonight, and I will be there! Doors open at 8, and the opening band is The Icarus Line.

Also, FYI, TICKETS for The Kaiser Chiefs at The Beacon Theater on September 29 go on sale tomorrow. Kaiser Chiefs are currently on tour in support of their latest album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob, of which I am very fond.



Did you know that The Kaiser Chiefs are named after the South African football team?

2007 Lollapalooza Map is Avaliable

Thanks for the heads up, Julie :)

Check out the map for Lollapalooza 2007.

For no reason at all...

Behold: An otter that can shake it like a Polaroid picture! Go ahead, watch it 36 times in a row and forward the link to all your friends. It's necessary.

We did it! Uh...well...maybe....

Ok, so remember when I begged you to help SAVE INTERNET RADIO? Well, Rolling Stone reported this morning that those harsh royalty increases for internet radio, which were supposed to go into affect this weekend, WILL NOT be enforced.....yet.
"...late yesterday, Jon Simson, director of SoundExchange – the label-affiliated organization responsible for setting royalty rates – told Congress that the group would not enforce the new royalty rates and would continue to work on negotiating new rates with the Digital Media Association (DiMA), who are acting on behalf of webcasters. “This is definitely a step in the right direction,” Pandora founder Tim Westergren, told us this morning. “At this point, provided there’s good-faith negotiations, they’re not going to go after people.”
Get the full story HERE

We love the internet, and we love music, lets keep it free!

Message from Ms. Fart: Please Call

I have discovered that busy people that have alot on their minds often make hilarious mistakes. The human brain (remember I am immortal so this does not pertain to me) can only handle so much information at once before it starts to sputter and hiccup. These little imperfections, ladies and gentlemen, are what I live for!

Ok, so in my office, our realty department is currently super busy. Tons of clients and files all preparing for closings around the same time in the near future. As a result, we have lots of phone messages with many different people calling throughout the day. I, because I am brilliant, can keep all the names straight but the other people in the office have a little more difficulty.

For instance, while on the phone with my colleague just now regarding a real estate file, I mentioned that I needed to return a phone call from the purchaser's attorney. My colleague (a man older than my father, who is not the joking type) then, with complete sincerity, asked me to"get Ms. Fart on the phone and...."

ME: "Ms. who?" I giggled.

COLLEAGUE: "Isn't her name Fart?"

ME: "I wish! No, its FLING."

COLLEAGUE: (embarrassed) "Oh, I knew it was some funny kinda name."

Fart references on the job are brilliant, for me, no matter how old I get! Happy Friday everyone!

More free SH!T

New York is just teeming with free shows this summer, and here's your daily dose. The Siren Music Festsival, produced by The Village Voice, celebrates its 7th year with two stages in Brookly's historic Coney Island this year on July 21, 2007. Among the bands playing this year is Voxtrot, which makes my 2007 hot songs of summer list with their song, Kid Gloves (listen here). Although I've never been to Siren before, I've been told it can get pretty crowded, so be prepared to catch an elbow in the eye socket or two. I dig Coney Island, and as a proud Brooklyn resident, I'm planning on attending!

Take me back to the two handed cell phone!

Sure, we used to have a grand ol' time joking about technology. Remember when the worst it got was the fear that robots were breakin in at night to steal old people's medicine? Well I am legitimately afraid of the devil's iphone. What is it? A computer? Camera? Mp3 player? Cell phone? I like to keep things separate and simple. I use a phone to call people. A camera to take pictures, a computer to make friends....

With everything all rolled into one dangerously tiny device, I have to watch my back 24/7 in public. If I so much as scratch an itch in the wrong place, one evil person, with an index finger can make my dry skin malady into a full on internet scandal in seconds with something as covert and tiny as a pack of candy cigarettes. You KNOW people have taken your photo unwillingly on the subway. You can forget about running for office when those photos of you snuggling at 4am on the R train with the ugly guy from Irving Plaza surface. Yeah, thats right- scary!

For these reasons, and many more, I propose that we go back to the time when cell phones required two hands to hold, and everyone knew you were making a phone call because of that blood curdling screech made when you pressed each number key. While we're at it, lets make cameras all big and clunky so you can't hide them in your pants pocket. And lets leave the computers for NASA, shall we? We can fax jokes to each other at work, like the old days. Who's with me?

No one? Ok, well, enjoy your iphones, just make sure you warn me before you snap my photo, k? Enjoy this video of the first cell phone commercial below. A girl can dream anyway.

Zeitgeist Listening Party on AOL

Today, I'm listening to the full 6th album by Smashing Pumpkins, called Zetigeist, on AOL. The album will be released on July 10, but until then, you can listen to the whole thing, streamed for free HERE. Its not bad, but I don't think theres really anything original about the sound either. You know what Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin sound like together already. No surprises. You'll probably recognize Tarantula, perhaps even mistaking it for a track you think you heard on the radio repeatedly in the 90s, but nope. Its new. Weird.

Eddie Vedder to release full album of new songs for Sean Penn movie...

Rolling Stone reported on a blog tip today that Pearl Jam frontman, Eddie Vedder, would be releasing a full album of songs for the Into the Wild soundtrack, directed, by Vedder buddy, Sean Penn, and based on the book by John Krakauer. I heard a few weeks ago, that Eddie was on the soundtrack, but I had no idea it was going to be a full album of new solo songs! I hope this rumor is true!

The movie looks pretty awesome, and when Eddie Vedder and Sean Penn team up on a project, we can expect nothing short of greatness.

UPDATE: The sountrack is scheduled to be released September 18, 2007, AND, Eddie Vedder is rumored to have a small part in the movie, as well! Thanks for the tips!

Watch the Trailer for Into the Wild below: