The Hollywood Reporter Book of Box Office Hits

Laurie Anderson by John Howell

Sphongle

Thomas Newman – American Beauty Soundtrack

Tribute to Jeff Lynne

Human League – Dare (21st Anniversary CD)

Human League - Travelogue

Bowie at the Beeb

Bowie – Station to Station

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – The Good Son

Ben Lee – Breathing Tornadoes

Pretenders – Pretenders

Y tu mama tambien

Best of Bowie

Andy Warhol’s Trash

1/30 – Donnas – Emos

1/31 & 2/1 – And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Emos

2/1 – Pat Travers - Backroom

2/2 – Wallflowers – Lazona Rosa

2/3 – Papa Roach – Lazona Rosa

2/10 – Ian Moore – Cactus Café

2/11 & 2/12 – Cheap Trick – Emos

2/19 – The Queers - Emos

2/21 – Billy Joe Shaver – Cactus Cafe

2/14 – Big Head Todd and the Monsters – Austin Music Hall

2/28 – Ben Kweller – Emos (early)

2/28 – Briefs – Emos (late)

2/28 – Dave Chappell/Lewis Black - Paramount

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

The Pianist

Road to Perdition

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Antwone Fisher

Just Married

Kangaroo Jack

Empire

The Hot Chick

I Spy

2/4 – Formula 51

2/4 – Igby Goes Down F13 Review!

2/4 – Little Secrets F13 Review!

2/4 – Sweet Home Alabama

2/11 – My Big Fat Greek Wedding

2/11 – The Fast Runner F13 Review!

2/11 – Full Frontal

2/11 – Murderous Maids F13 Review!

2/11 – Possession F13 Review!

2/11 – Swept Away (Madonna version)

2/18- The Four Feathers F13 Review!

2/18 – Rules of Attraction

2/25 – Knockaround Guys

2/25 – Road to Perdition

2/25 – Tuck Everlasting

2/25- Welcome to Colinswood

2/28- The Banger Sisters F13 Review!

2/28- Sex and Lucia F13 Review!

3/11 – Swimfan

3/18 – Sordid Lives

3/28 – Ghost Ship

3/28 – Auto Focus F13 Review!

3/28- Bowling for Columbine F13 Review!

3/28 – Jackass F13 Review!

3/28 – Frida F13 Review!

3/28 - The Man from Elysian Fields F13 Review!

3/28- Moonlight Mile F13 Review!

3/28- Punch Drunk Love F13 Review!

Wow – lotsa good 2002 movies due out on DVD and many of them will be getting a big push from the Oscars! I’m wondering if a few of them, like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Road to Perdition,” won’t get moved because they will be spending some time in theaters still. If Dreamworks doesn’t widely re-release “Perdition” back to theaters sometime in February, they’re idiots. (They have since I wrote this put it in some theaters in the big cities where Academy voters tend to congregate).

Several of my faves from last year, like “Igby,” and “Sex and Lucia,” will be on my “must-purchase” list. I highly recommend these two films for anyone who didn’t get to see them in theaters.

Finally, mention must be maid of Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s ill-fated “Swept Away,” which was pulled from theaters after just two weeks. This film didn’t play many cities, including Austin. I’m surprised that it’s getting a DVD release so soon. Maybe it will eventually appear in a box set with “Shanghai Surprise” and “Who’s That Girl.”

1. The Legz (who could promote themselves by saying “The Legz open for anyone”)

2. Einstein’s Cock (The Legz open for Einstein’s Cock)

3. Donna Karin Rockets

4. The Orange Monkeys

5. Erupting with Drama

Went to court for my ticket for a loud party that I got at the Lube TV 100th Episode taping. I thought I could get them to dismiss the ticket, which was only $176.00, because there were some factual errors on the thing but they weren’t interested in hearing about it. They offered to defer it for $100 bucks and 16 hours of community service to which I said no thank you. Now we are going to have a jury trial. What a waste of time.

I only bring this up because as I was waiting with the 30 or so other folks there to discuss their unfair tickets, I heard the prosecutor, a female, talking to a colleague about movies. She must have went to see something at the Dobie over the New Year’s holiday (this was on 1/2/03) because she was talking about seeing the trailer for Pedro Almodovar’s “Talk to Her.” She seemed really excited about seeing it. And then she began to talk about wanting to see Michael Caine in “The Quiet American.” Both of these are coming to the Dobie soon, I believe.

While I was there waiting another strange thing happened. Leslie, Austin’s resident weirdo, came in with pink hair and a pink outfit with skirt. Leslie is a man but he wears women’s clothing. He has a full beard and moustache and does not wear fake tits. He is simply a man in women’s clothes. He is also supposedly homeless. When I first moved to Austin, he used to be parked out in front of the Black Cat on 6th Street every night in a huge little trailer he built himself that had all sorts writing on it about how unfair the police were to him and others. Leslie would stand atop this thing, with full beard and moustache mind you, in a two piece bikini and twirl a baton while startled onlookers looked on. He’s sort of a local hero. Everyone knows who Leslie is. Leslie has run for mayor a few times on the platform of working with the police to promote 6th street. He seems like a real kook to me. I see him allover town. Down on 6th a lot. He comes into Casino el Camino occasionally. And I’ve seen him at Barton Creek Theater and now at court. It was a bit surreal.

Anyway, after being told a letter would come to me with my trial date, I left and decided to go to Jiffy Lube to get my oil changed. (Not in a good way. Seriously, to have my car’s oil changed). While I was waiting, these two burly mechanics came in and I overheard them talking. One said, “Richard Gere does this tap dance and it’s amazing!” That’s right. In Austin the auto mechanics are big fans of musicals. Even more surreal.

I haven’t been in a very good mood lately. With financial woes, this stupid court appearance, my work situation being beleaguered with problems, and dealing with health issues, things have seemed downright shitty. Pile my 40th birthday on top of all of this and you can see that I need to be left alone. It just seems like it is one problem followed by another. And although some of these seem like they should be simple to solve or deal with, every single issue in my life, like the court appearance has simply been one bullshit stumbling block after another. It’s enough to make me think the universe is conspiring against me.

The worst of all of these, however, is trying to make my financial situation a little better. Austin isn’t an expensive city. Unless, of course, you want to go out and do things, then it’s outrageous. I have curtailed my partying a lot trying to spend less money I hate that! I want to go out and have fun dammit!

I did go to Louisiana to gamble with my parents for my 40th birthday and dropped far too much money. What can you do? To have fun in a casino requires a ton of cash. I’m never going to walk away up on the game. Never.

I went to the Hideout the other night with Mark Brauner and my roomie Amanda for a thing they do called “No Shame.” This is sort of like an open-stage night where different performers sign up and do their bit. It only cost two bucks to get in.

Mark had gotten an e-mail from some local performance artist with some long Hispanic name inviting us to come see her perform. She supposedly has some video work she wants us to show on Lube TV. This artist was a no-show on the night we went, though. Bummer.

There were 7 performers when we went and they were only allowed 5 minutes each, so it was a short performance that night. First up was a hilarious short film called “A Case Study” about a woman who has food phobia. It was well-done and amusing.

Then there was a nice little scene performed by a male and female about breaking up.

Unfortunately, the middle of the show denigrated into typical coffee house crap as a chubby girl read a horrible poem in her mousy voice and a lesbian acoustic guitarist folk-singer whined her way through some angst-ridden nonsense.

Then there was some sort of improv interview segment where a guy called up volunteers. A woman and her husband went up and he proceeded to make her talk him into sleeping with her mate. It was goofy and dumb but amusing.

Oh, there were also a couple of absurdist pieces. One was dumb, where a girl just kept running up and down the stairs. The other was quite amusing as a guy talked to a gray elongated pillow and kept calling it “little elephant leg” while he rambled through some funny and pedantic dialogue echoing Hemingway. A rather random set of stuff but interesting and well worth the two bucks, for just the experience alone. Oh yeah, and the female ticket taker, who was also the Lighting Director, hugged the males as they entered and thanked us for coming. That was odd but interesting.

After the short set, Mark, Amanda and I went over tot he Driskoll and had a couple drinks.

I’m getting ready for all the Oscar mania and still trying to catch a few movies that might garner a nod, like “The Pianist.” I’m pretty burnt out on movies right now, which is sad, but I’ll keep trying to plug along.

Until next time, I’m in the frame…

Lodger2003

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