Tag / @Midnight

by admin

Post Mortem – After Midnight

@fter Midnight, the revamped version of the old Comedy Central show @midnight which has spent two seasons following Stephen Colbert on CBS, will be wrapping up its run after host Taylor Tomlinson announced she would be leaving the program.  CBS had previously renewed the show for a third season but decided to pull the plug rather than try and start over with a new host.  There will be no replacement program, and CBS will return this timeslot to its affiliates.

Tomlinson, who has been touring with her latest stand-up show while hosting the show during this second season, will be returning to stand-up full time, saying in an Instagram post, “Though it was an extremely tough decision, I knew I had to return to my first passion and return to stand-up touring full-time.”

I was unaware of Tomlinson prior to the show, but, having been a fan of the previous incarnation, I was excited to see the show come back.  Over the past two years, I’ve become a fan and saw her standup live at the Chicago Theatre this past February.  I look forward to more good comedy in the years to come.

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Travelling The 50 States – California

Over my 47 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we start today with the 31st state to be added to the Union: California.

State: California
Joined the Union: 1850
Visits: 11

With eleven visits between 1998 and 2019, the Golden State is the state I have visited the most, outside of those I have lived in and/or attended college.

My first visit was in 1998 to attend Comic Con International in San Diego.  I went early, spending the entire week and enjoying some pre-Con time checking out the sights, including the San Diego Zoo.

I returned the following year for Labor Day weekend, but this time up to the San Francisco Bay area, to visit my old friend Scott, who had moved out there after graduating to work at AMD.  What I remember from that trip is my first Giants/Phillies tilt at the former Candlestick Park, my first trip to the toilet that at the time was called Network Associates Coliseum, and a car trip over the Golden Gate Bridge.

I returned to San Diego for Comic Con in 2000 and 2003.  I don’t remember much of the 2000 trip, but the 2003 trip included my one visit to the former Jack Murphy Stadium to see the Padres face the Diamondbacks.  At the Con, I managed to see many of the stars (or, at least, bit players) from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Smallville, and Tru Calling.

With the Cubs coming off their first division title since 1989 and a new stadium opening in San Diego, my friend Pete and I planned a trip for the Cubs mid-May road trip.  We attended all three games at PETCO Park, which the Cubs swept, while also taking in the local sights and the ambience of the Elephant and Castle bar in our hotel. Continue reading →

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Book 13 (of 52) – Grand

Grand – Sara Schaefer

Comedian Sara Schaefer took a rafting trip into the Grand Canyon with her younger sister to celebrate her 40th birthday.  That trip becomes the framing device for her life story, as she faces her physical fears on the Colorado River and details the emotional fears that have built up over her lifetime, from the announcement from her parents that upended her life as a child, to her mother’s breast cancer battle and eventual death, her failed marriage, and her trials and tribulations in show business.

Of all the comedians I follow on Twitter, Schaefer is the one I’m probably the least familiar with.  I’ve seen her a few times on @Midnight, but, aside from that, there’s not much else.  To be honest, I probably would not have bought this book, but I managed to get an advanced reading copy for free from a Goodreads contest.  When I started the book, I was a little concerned about the framing device of the rafting trip, which alternated chapters with Schaefer’s tales of her younger days.  But, I soon was engrossed by the trip, something I know I would both want to do and never do.

Following up on this experience, I will be looking out for more of her stand-up work.  Maybe even venture out to see her in person, should this pandemic ever make that possible again.

 

by admin

Top 200 Albums – #91 – 98

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

We start the second half with the next batch of 10 albums ranked between #91 and 98, including 4 studio recordings, 3 compilations, 2 comedy albums, and 1 live performance.

#98: Pearl Jam – Ten

iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 70

The debut album from Pearl Jam places on the list on the backs of 6 different tracks.

#98: Various Artists – Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 92

The first soundtrack to the Lisa Kudrow/Mira Sorvino comedy uses 8 different 80s tracks to make up this total, nearly double its previous mark.

#98: Def Leppard – Vault (Limited Live CD)
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 107

The import version of Def Leppard’s first greatest hits compilation contained this additional live disc, of which 9 tracks make up this total.

#94: The Beatles – Help
iTunes stats: 74 plays
Previous Ranking: 60

The remastered version of this classic album uses 5 tunes to make up its total.

#94: Patton Oswalt – Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time
iTunes stats: 74 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

A strong debut from another of Patton Oswalt’s comedy albums.

Continue reading →

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Vacation Recap: Los Angeles

dodgerstadium

We left off yesterday with me in a rental car leaving San Diego behind and heading towards the city of Angels.  The plan was to stop at Dodger Stadium on the way to my hotel and take in an afternoon matchup between the Dodgers and the Giants.  I’d given myself 3 hours to make the 2 hour drive so I would have time to get to the stadium and acclimate myself before the game started.  Trip Issue #3!  Things were smooth sailing until I got closer to LA, when traffic started to swell.  All told, the 2 hour drive ended up taking closer to 4, and I arrived in my seat during the 4th inning, by which time the Dodgers had fallen far behind.  One Dodger Dog later and many Giant home runs later, the game was over and I found my way to Glendale and the local Hilton, which would be my home for the next 4 days.

Saturday night, in search of a nice dinner, I headed out for a drive and decided to just wing it.  Somehow I ended up driving through Griffith Park and seeing some of the sights, but I didn’t find anything interesting as far as food went.  Eventually I ended up back at the hotel, where I caught the end of the Wisconsin loss in the NCAA tournament along with a tasty hamburger at the hotel bar.

muppet_starsSunday was the only day I didn’t have anything specific planned, so, after a morning walk to the local Starbucks for a nice breakfast, I headed down to Hollywood to check out the Walk of Fame and to get a good look at the famous Hollywood sign.  To be honest, the Walk of Fame was mostly creepy, other than the block or so around Hollywood and Highland, where Jimmy Kimmel’s theater is located.  I tracked down all of the Muppet-related stars and a few others of interest, including Ricardo Montalban, Mister Rogers, and George Takei. Continue reading →

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GlobalFit III: Week 40

Y3Week40Overall, a disappointing week, with only 2 days crossing the mythical 5000 step barrier.  Monday got things off to a good start thanks to the Warner Brothers studio tour and a trip to the NerdMelt theater to see some comedy.  Tuesday’s low total was due to a final low-key day in LA that was spent taking in a taping of @Midnight.  Wednesday was a disappointing day, thanks to a cancelled flight that left me stranded at the airport for 16 hours.  Thursday I arrived back home and then went to work, despite feeling sick all day.  The rest of the week was nothing but disappointment.

Total steps: 29,796

Weekly average: 4256.6

by jim

California Love

SanDiegoAs discussed back in December, I won a free trip to San Diego from work due to my outstanding awesomeness.  Well, the time has come to cash in and today I will be heading out to southern California, with a quick stop in Denver first, leaving the cold of the so-called Chicago spring behind.  I’ll be spending the next three days in beautiful San Diego, before heading up to Los Angeles for another four.  And, of course, I’ve come down with something so I will likely be sick for most of the trip.

The San Diego portion of the trip should be mostly relaxing, with plenty of time spent by the pool with a book.  I have more activities planned for Los Angeles, including a Dodgers game, a trip to Warner Brothers for a studio tour, and a double dose of Chris Hardwick with a stand up set at NerdMelt and a trip to a taping of @Midnight.  Given the horrible winter and the cold spring (to date), this is a good time to get away.