"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."HST

I'm leaving for Atlanta, Georgia tomorrow bright and early. I've had the best time here at the Gazette and I'll miss everything and everyone. But it's time to move on.

My lush and sometimes ludicrous blog has been anything but normal, trying to pop ahead of the major blogs thrown to the side like a runt left hungry for attention.

But I shouldn't say that, because I was hovering just below them-struggling to keep my ranking at number #4 and I can't stay put!

Sometimes I wanted to deliver some real edgy, hard-hitting journalism with topics like the N-word, anorexia, and political prisoners...look em' up.

But most of the time it was a place to promote my favorite music and post stupid s*it I found online that made me laugh.

Thanks for reading, I know so many of you did and I'm still baffled by the numbers.

This may be the end at the Gazette but just the beginning for me. I will be continuing in Journalism so look for me now at http://itsyourweekend.blogspot.com/. It will be a bit before I update-hey I have a lot to do coming up!

And now I leave you with a few quotes from Dr. Thompson, without him I'd probably still be shuffling around at the Macaroni Grill.

"I have no taste for either poverty or honest labour, so writing is the only recourse left for me."

"If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up."
Hunter S. Thompson

Awesome Music Video Wednesday...last one!

So here is the last Awesome Music Video Wednesday...EVER! At least until I get my blog set up independently. Thursday's my last day-you know your going to miss me. Just type in my name in Google in a few weeks, you'll find me again.

I leave you with one of my favorite musicians. Here we have London born Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. (Maya Arulpragasam) as she dips in her South Asian roots in her new video, "Jimmy".

If you've heard M.I.A, you know what her typical sound is: Loud, booming electronica spliced with conga drums; a little bit of grime, dance hall and a lot of Baile funk.

Her debut album, Arular, received wild critical acclaim, was listed as the second best album of the year 2005 on Amazon.com and also named GQ Magazine's list of the "100 Coolest Albums Ever Released".

Arular has a revolutionary feel, inspired by her shaky past in Sri Lanka, the album deals with topics of war and poverty. The title of her album is in reference to her father Arul Pragasam, a member of the militant Tamil Tigers group in the Sri Lankan Civil War.

With her long dark hair and colorful animal print tracksuits and hoodies, she dances in hypercolor backgrounds smeared with her spray paint art . Her current style has entered the nu rave world with Cassette Playa as her personal designer: loud fluorescent colors, metallic body suits, gold chains and screaming cartoon couture.-I love it!

But don't under estimate this South Asian pretty face-M.I.A has been through more than most musicians.
She lived in Sri Lanka during the civil war in 2001 surviving through fear of rape and death.
Read her amazing story at RollingStone.

"Jimmy" is much different from her tribal sound. The song is a cover of "Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" from Disco Dancer, a 1982 Bollywood film. Watch the original here! Check out Jimmy's face, he looks like he's in need of some Imodium.

And just for the hell of it, here's another new single from Kala, Boyz. F-ing amazing.

Hot August Nights gallery

Hey Guys, head over to my last gallery at the RGJ to see pictures of people hanging out at the Hot August Nights Kick-off Party at the Peppermill on Monday.

Enjoy!

And for some classic Its Your Weekend, read my article about Hot Rod Bad Girl Aquanetta at last year's Hot August Nights.

Famous faces without the fame

Planethiltron.com is doing what every body wants to see: popular celebrity faces and meshed with tacky 80s suburbanites, senior citizens, and all around oddities of the planet earth...which they kind of are already. Photoshop+celebrities=hours of crackpot hilarity.

Here we have Mrs. Ashley Simpson snapping a photo for her portfolio.

My favorites, however, are the Paris Hilton compilation featuring a glamours Paris as a 1940s starlet and the happy Hilton couple circa 1962.

Check out the complete gallery at Planethiltron.com

Morphing USA

Here's something fun to distract you from your responsibilities at work. Morphthing is a website dedicated to morphing different pictures together. Take Adolf Hitler and Al Pacino and you get Al Hitler, that loud little angry landlord on the upper east side that has people issues. The Dali Llama and Carrie Underwood make The Carrie Llama, the wise country singer who strives to top the pop charts and reach enlightenment. And of course, Me and G. W. make Lex Bush, a loud naive leader who makes one-too many mistakes, trips over trashcans and likes tacos. Maybe we have more in common than I'd like. That's not funny.

Go for yourself and have fun! It's Friday after all!!

The photo is Myself and Audrey Hepburn

Reno Tahoe Open fans

I ventured what felt like a million miles to the beautiful Montreux golf course for the Reno Tahoe Open today to take pictures of the fans. It was a busy day on the course, even at 9:00 am, and folks were all smiles to get their picture taken. Out of 27 groups of people I talked to, only one one said no. So it doesn't matter where you are-talking with drunks at a bar or on a warm weekday at the golf course: people like getting their picture taken.

Enjoy these photos at the Reno Tahoe Open.


Why they sent one of the loudest people in the newsroom to a golf course where your supposed to be quite is beyond me but I had a great time anyway!


Photo:Bill and Penny Loscotoff at the PGA Reno/Tahoe open on Thursday.

Awesome Music Video Thursday

I got my nails done last night at Lucky Nails on Plumb Lane. I wanted to get something different, something funky! I wanted something like this ad for Dime Piece but it turned into half neon green and half neon blue. Still funky but a little ghetto fabulous as well.

I love them anyways, and as I found myself staring at the fluorescent colors on my acrylic nails I thought, diamonds would make me complete. As a poor, starving writer it's not likely I'll get diamonds to shine on my fingers and around my neck (although I do have some in my ear-hey hey hey!).

As I was fantasizing about the glamours life I suddenly started belting out "Diamonds are Forever" like some lunatic. Of course I'm no Shirley Bassey but there's always wishful thinking!

Dame Shirley Bassey has one of the most recognizable and stricking voices of all time. She has recorded the themes for three James Bond films, Goldfinger, Moonraker and of course Diamonds are Forever.

The Welsh beauty recorded a number of hits in the 1960s and topped the British charts with songs such as "What Now My Love" and "I (Who Have Nothing)".

I've always been entranced with her Diva-esq voice and stature but it's 'Diamonds are Forever' that captivates me. She is like a wild storm; her voice echos like thunder and her stage presence is electrifying.

I couldn't post Diamonds are Forever on the blog because the embedding from Youtube is disabled, but here is a link to the 1973 performance that will send chills down your spine. The song is heartbreaking. And her silver nails are viscous.

And just for the hell of it, here is her recent remake of Pink's "Get This Party Started", fantastic even at 70.