Todd Sokolove Presents - BEWARE OF THE BLOG - Blogging from New York City: January 2008

catland empire...

Inspired by my new HV20 camcorder (awesome), I've shot my first Heather and Thor Cat Theatre production in HD! Loosely based on a film by David Lynch...

thank god I'm a country boy...

I just knew it was only a matter of time before one of the trend pubs of New York found out about my favorite little secret indulgence from back home - CABELA'S.

That's right, New York Magazine has sighted Cabelas as being "worth renting a car and driving to its Connecticut location" for.

Of course, their take on the place is more about the incredible bargains you'll find on hipster essentials like antler chandeliers and fur-lined hunting caps. And I quote:

"As we were drifting toward checkout, I saw the day’s best find: a chandelier made from six fake antlers, $349.99. Jason Miller’s Superordinate Antler chandelier, made with white ceramic antlers, sells at the Future Perfect in Williamsburg for $1,550."

Seriously, read the article and get back to me when you feel the irony grab you by the throat and gut you like a fish.

jerry o'connell is my new favorite actor ever...

Who knew the fat kid from Stand By Me was so damn funny?

leave heath alone...

I'm really pissed off by local Channel 2's news team for attempting to break that they had some sort of exclusive "lost tape" interview with Heath Ledger.

They claim Heath was "fidgety" and "uncomfortable" being interviewed in regards to Casanova.

Um, did you see that piece of crap film? I'd be uncomfortable to promote it too.

Then they point out Heath was drinking red wine and it was, get this, 3 in the afternoon! Shocking!

There are people who drink wine in the afternoon, and sometimes even the morning. They're called French. And when it comes to health, they have us beat.

Anyway, this whole Heath shocker is really sad, especially coming off of the Brad Renfro shocker last week. I hope they find closure to the ordeal and some answers and some cautionary good comes out of it. Now back to Channel 2's breaking news that Heath Ledger is still dead.

like whoa...

Everyone knows, I'm just a big kid, so I thought I would update you on what I think is so, like, totally awesome in 2008 so far:

The new Taters of the Lost Ark Mr. Potato Head Doll.

Designer Fruit Roll-Ups!

This new video for the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie Minutemen...

the real cloverfield monster...

I wanted to post one of these crazy testimonials that are flooding YouTube about Cloverfield. If you haven't seen them yet, check it out. They're all the same: a talking head web-cam shot of a geek saying how he "just got back from the midnight showing..."

Instead, let me just say, I really loved the film, but last night I had some of the worst nightmares since 9-11. It took a couple days for it to sink into my subconscious, but it happened.

This is not a fun movie for New Yorkers. It is a fun movie for lovers of monster movies. As a New Yorker and a monster aficionado, it all evened out to a really exciting movie experience, but I will warn you it's a really challenging film to sit through for the most part. Especially the first hour. The movie is obviously playing in to our memories of the real attack on our city, and does so much more tasefully than Spielberg's disgrace War of the Worlds ever did.

After leaving the cinema on 69th and Broadway, it was even spookier to walk home through the midtown area just leveled on film.

I'm afraid the real monster though will be revealed in countless rip-offs of the shaky-cam "found footage" technique done so masterfully in Cloverfield. I predict a few television series done this way, and it's really only a matter of time before we get Monster Movie from the producers of Meet the Spartans. Ugh.

the there will be coffee podcast...

BEWARE OF THE BABYLON is live on tape this week from
CAFE UN DEUX TROIS

After listening to this show, you'll surely want to buy one or two of Todd's THERE WILL BE COFFEE mugs by clicking here.

When not hocking mugs, we discuss:

* How you too can be "with" the band.

* Rachel's latent homomphobia.

* Todd's inability to stop selling his mugs.

* What missiles will look like if a woman lands the White House.

* Why we don't need no stinking WGA.

As alway, this and every BEWARE OF THE BABYLON podcast can be automatically downloaded from iTunes.

Or play it right here, right now...

things can only get better...

Last night I saw Howard Jones in concert with my friends Lisa and Rachel, who knew his material a little better than I do and subsequently stalked him after the concert.

The show was at this performing arts center in midtown usually reserved for French avant-garde ballet and interpretive dance, and was a low key gig with a keyboard and guitar. No keytars, no drum machines. Just Howard and a back-up guitar player and way way too much explanatory monologues on what songs like "Life in One Day" are about. Glad someone finally cleared that mystery up for me.

I always thought that Howard and Melissa Etheridge were the same person...