All posts by Kev Brock

I'm a musician, singer/songwriter, blogger, writer, poet, bodybuilder, movie lover, music lover, video gamer, history/political buff, conservative/republican, etc. I like to do a lot of things.

Cool Video: Black Sabbath makes full time reunion official…

Like the band promised, they revealed their not so surprising announcement on 11-11-11. They make their reunion official today. Announcing a new studio album with original songs and a tour to follow. Their first show of the tour will be the “Download Festival”, in the UK. While this announcement was expected, I’m happy the band is back. I wasn’t liking Ozzy’s new solo stuff too much. He was beginning to be more like a pop artist instead of a metal singer. Now he can finally go back to metal.

I wonder what the new Sabbath songs are going to sound like with Ozzy? Will they still sound like they did back in the 70’s? Who knows. I’m sure their new album won’t disappoint and I’m sure they still got it after all these years.

Hopefully the new album will stick to the dark and scary sound.

Kev

Cool Video: First trailer for “Haywire” starring Gina Carano online now…

The Steven Soderbergh directed action movie, “Haywire”, which stars Strikeforce fighter, Gina Carano is now online. The movie looks great. I’m a big fan of Steven Soderbergh movies. He was the one who did the Oceans trilogy, “Traffic”, and other films. “Haywire” looks to be an action packed ride. I like female action hero’s, and we need more of them.

I’m sure Strikeforce events on Showtime, will be promoting this movie pretty heavily.

Kev

Cool Video: “Snow White and the Huntsman” actually looks like a very good movie, count me in!!!

When this “Snow White and the Huntsman” movie was being put together, I was at first skeptical of it. I’m like, “Oh no, they’re going to ruin a Disney classic by doing a live action version of this legendary tale”. When this trailer came out this week, I was very impressed with it. The movie actually looks like a very good one. I would probably go see it when it comes out, now. I don’t like Kristen Stewart too much, but the movie itself looks great. Check it out.

Kev

This Day In Music: 11/11/11

Here’s the “This Day in Music” for this great Veteran’s Day!!!

Kev

– In 1954: Bill Haley scored his first US Top ten single with ‘Shake Rattle And Roll’. He had dropped his cowboy image about a year and a half earlier, while renaming The Saddlemen to Bill Haley and His Comets. The song became the theme song for the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League. ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ was originally made popular by Big Joe Turner.

– In 1965: The final recording session for The Beatles Rubber Soul album took place, at Abbey Road, London. They needed three new songs to finish the album so an old song ‘Wait’ is pulled off the shelf and the group recorded two new songs from start to finish. Paul’s ‘You Won’t See Me’ and John’s ‘Girl’, the basic tracks for both songs being completed in two takes. Rubber Soul was completed, and finished copies of the album were in the shops by December 3 in the UK and December 6 in the US.

– In 1969: The FBI in Phoenix, Arizona arrested Jim Morrison for drunk and disorderly conduct aboard a plane. The Doors singer who was on his way to a Rolling Stones concert with actor Tom Baker had been drinking and annoying the stewardesses. The pair spent the night in jail and were released on $2,500 bail.

– In 1972: Allman Brothers bass player Berry Oakley was killed when his motorcycle hit a bus at the same intersection as former band member Duane Allman, who had died a year earlier. Oakley was 24 years old.

– In 1978: Donna Summer started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with her version of Jimmy Webb’s ‘MacArther Park’, also a hit for actor Richard Harris in 1968, (made No.5 in the UK). Also on this day Summer went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Live And More’.

– In 1978: The Cars released the first picture-disc single commercially available, ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’ which made No.3 in the UK charts.

– In 1990: A 21 year-old AC/DC fan died after being attacked outside the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey where the band were playing a gig that night.

– In 1995: The Smashing Pumpkins double album ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ went to No.1 on the US chart.

– In 1999: Britney Spears won four MTV Awards; Best Female Singer, Best Pop Act, Best Song, ‘…Baby One More Time’, Best Breakthrough Artist. Best Rock Act went to The Offspring, Best Male Act, Will Smith and Bono won the Free Your Mind award.

– In 2001: Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Invincible.’

 

Report: And your replacement host for the Oscars is…Billy Crystal…again…

Well, this is no surprise and totally expected! Billy Crystal is set to host the Oscars for the 9th time! Replacing Eddie Murphy. The Muppets may not be hosting the Oscars this year, but maybe the Muppets will make an appearance during Billy’s opening segment for the show? After all, Billy did make a cameo appearance in the new “Muppets” movie coming out in theaters later this year. Could the Muppets do a song and dance performance with Billy? Could be a possibility.

More on it, here.

Anyway, I like Billy Crystal. He’s a very talented actor and a funny comedian. I loved, “City Slickers”, “When Harry Met Sally”, and “Analyze This/That”. All great movies.

Kev

 

Marilyn Monroe…

Today at Barnes & Noble, I picked up the Marilyn Monroe DVD collection which includes 5 different films. “Gentlemen Prefers Blondes”, “Let’s Make Love”, “Niagara”, “River of No Return” and “The Seven Year Itch”. It also has a bonus disc which is a documentary of her life called, “The Final Days”. I wanted to find a Marilyn Monroe DVD collection boxed set and Barnes & Noble was the only place where they had it. So I had to get it there.

I really should learn more about her and watch more of her classic films. When I was in L.A. last week, Marilyn was pretty much everywhere you go. Everywhere you look in Los Angeles, you’ll see her photo somewhere. Why? Because she was born in L.A. and she died there too. That’s why she’s a big deal in that city.

I figure it would be good to research her more by watching more of her films and reading about her past. I happen to be a fan and starting to collect some of her merchandise stuff.

Celebrities of today can try to impersonate her all they want to, but they’ll never be in her league. Her career and life was something else. I guess this is just me getting older and wanting to get into classic stuff more.

Kev

Film Review: Paranormal Activity 3

Starring: Katie Featherston, Chloe Csengery, Sprague Grayden

Directed by: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Well, I decided to hit the mall today to see, “Paranormal Activity 3” and do a little shopping for myself. Today, I picked up the new Stephen King book, “11/22/63”, the new Megadeth album “Thirteen”, and I also picked up the “Marilyn Monroe – Special Anniversary Collection” DVD set, I’ll talk about that in another post some other time. This will be the last week I’ll be buying stuff for myself ’cause Christmas is obviously around the corner, and I got to start my Christmas shopping. On with my review….

Plot/synopsis: This is a prequel of the first film. It is set 18 years before. It shows the childhood of the young Kristi Rey and Katie Featherston. Kristi and Katie both live with their Mom, Julie, and her boyfriend, Dennis. Dennis notices that something is wrong with Kristi, that she has an imaginary friend, named, Toby. Strange things begin to happen around the home, and Dennis becomes obsessed with it by video taping everything. Dennis thinks that there is something in the house and Julie thinks he is crazy, of course. Throughout the film, Dennis tries to investigate the home on whether or not it is haunted. 

When the first “Paranormal Activity” was coming out, I was at first skeptical of this new franchise. I actually tried to stay away from it. I thought to myself, these films are just another , “Blair Witch Project”. I never planned on seeing the films at all, but when the first film first arrived on DVD, I was pulled into seeing it when family members were watching it together. I ended up loving the first film so much, that I couldn’t get enough of the series. I’m usually never scared of horror films ’cause I’ve watched so many of them over the years. Horror is my favorite genre as some of you know. Then they made the 2nd movie, “Paranormal Activity 2”, which I actually went and saw in theater. I loved that movie too.

I just love the storytelling and the writing. I like what they’re doing with the Katie Featherston story, keeping her story mysterious. What is it with her obsession with ghosts? What is wrong with her? That’s what these movies don’t want you to find out until the time is right. Found footage movies are awesome, ’cause they are so realistic. These movies wants you to believe that ghosts could be real and there could be actual haunted houses out there, even though these movies are fictional. They want to make these movies seem believable. They are doing a very good job so far.

So here is “Paranormal Activity 3”, and I think this is the best film of the trilogy so far. The filming style is similar to the first two, but they take the scare to the next level. I was actually a little creeped out watching this movie and that rarely happens when watching horror films. There is a huge shocker at the end of the movie, I must warn you. Most found footage movies usually try to end the film with a shocker, but “P.A. 3” ending, this one will do it to you. While this film can be a bit predictable at times, I loved how it revealed most of the secrets and mysteries from the first two films. It basically explains how the stories of, Katie Featherston, all started.

It’s still keeping Katie’s story mysterious though. They want to keep you watching to see what’s going to happen to her up ahead. I absolutely loved, “P.A. 3”. The first two films weren’t that scary, but this one actually is pretty scary. I’ll be looking forward to “Paranormal Activity 4”, which I hope would take place after the events of the 2nd film. You don’t need to have blood, guts and scary music to make a good horror film. The film makers have something to prove. Good low budget horror films still can be successful to this day.

Score for “Paranormal Activity 3” = **** (4 stars as in “excellent”)

Kev

This Day In Music: 11/10/11

Here is the “This Day In Music” for the day.

Kev

Musician birthdays: Warren G. (1970)

– 1955: Elvis Presley attended the fourth Country Music Disc Jockey Convention in Nashville Tennessee. Back at his hotel Mae Boren Axton played him a demo of a new song she had written with Tommy Durden called ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’

– In 1967: The Beatles filmed three promotional films for their new single ‘Hello Goodbye’ at the Saville Theatre in London. Each of the three film clips featured different costumes and Beatle antics. In the first film they wear their “Sgt. Pepper” uniforms, for the second The Beatles are wearing everyday clothes, the third film clip features shots from the first two films, plus additional shots of The Beatles (especially John) doing the twist. A Musician’s Union ban on lip-sync broadcasts prevented the film being used on British television.

– In 1973: Elton John started a eight week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, the singers third US No.1.

– In 1975: David Bowie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Space Oddity, the track was first released in 1969 to tie in with the Apollo 11 moon landing. Rick Wakeman (former keyboard player with Yes) provided synthesizer backing. Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and ‘Hallo Spaceboy’.

– In 2002: Eminem was at No.1 on the US album chart with the ‘8 Mile Soundtrack.’

– In 2007: The mother of Kanye West died after complications following surgery at the age of 58. She was taken to hospital in Los Angeles after she had stopped breathing at home and could not be resuscitated. Dr Donda West had managed her son’s businesses and educational foundation and was the subject of his song Hey Mama.

– In 2007: Carrie Underwood was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Carnival Ride’, the US Country pop singers second album and first No.1.

Report: Eddie Murphy out as Oscars host, who is going to replace him???

Look like Eddie Murphy says, “hosting the Oscars is for f*gs”. Ooopps, somebody had to say it!

More on the story, here.

The question you’re all probably wondering is, why would he drop out of the Oscars after Brett Ratner dropping out? Well for one, Eddie and Brett have worked on films together in the past. Secondly, they are great friends and Eddie probably felt that his performance couldn’t be done without him. It’s about the artistic direction, I would believe.

Now the important question is, who is going to re-place Eddie Murphy??? Hugh Jackman? Billy Crystal? Steve Martin? Alec Baldwin? Hugh Jackman would not do it because I remember him saying that hosting the Oscars was a one-off kind of thing for him. The other guys I listed is a possibility.

Lets hope they don’t bring James Franco and Anne Hathaway back because they were terrible. I’m sure the Academy would announce a replacement very soon here. I’m sure they already have a second host lined up in case, Eddie backed out.

Kev

Eating out on vacations…

One of the hardest things to do when going on vacations is trying to eat healthy as best as possible. I still tried to eat good throughout the week on vacation as best as I can, but you’re going to get forced to eat junk food a lot. Why? Because junk food is everywhere in big cities. Junk food makes a lot of money, that’s why it’s a hit out West. Yes, there are healthy restaurants that serve real healthy food, but there isn’t many out in the California area.

That’s why I said the hell with it, if I am going to take off a week off fitness and exercise, I’d take a week off of the healthy nutrition too. I was out there to have fun and enjoy myself. You can only live once, right? Life is too short. Even if I did lose a little muscle or gotten a little fat while doing that, that’s okay. No big deal on that either, ’cause when you go back home, you can get it all back quickly. Just by burning off all the junk food and getting your muscle back is real easy in a very quick time.

I did try the “In and Out Burger” which is a popular fast food restaurant chain which is available out West only. I actually loved the, “In and Out Burger”, they make great fast food there. Better than McDonald’s/Burger King, in my opinion.

Another great restaurant is a place called, “The Pearl” which is a healthy restaurant. I ordered scallops and rice there ’cause I was in the mood for sea food. When you go on an ocean vacation, you got to eat sea food somewhere, ’cause I love sea food. Especially lobster, crab legs, shrimp, clams, various fish, etc. I love all that stuff.

Eating right is hard to do on vacations. I’m sure there are better ways to eat healthy on vacations, but healthy food is expensive out there. Now that I’m back home, I’ve returned to my strict nutrition. It’s okay to take a week off of both fitness &  healthy nutrition at least once a year, it won’t kill you. As long as you know what you’re doing and you’re careful. Eat all the junk food you want, but don’t over do it. It actually helps adds the extra pounds and helps you get bigger with calories. Then you can take it off after, then you get better results that way. That’s the trick.

It’s okay to eat junk food once in a while. You can’t ignore junk food completely anyway.

Kev