big 4...

@ the Huntington Hotel. My meal of choice is usually the chicken pot pie, but last night I tried the lamb stew. It's fantastic! It's called the classic lamb stew for $16 off the bar menu...

Ty recommended it to me. BTW, he's the stellar bartender that's been @ the Big 4 for many years. He works from wednesday to saturday @ night, since the restaurant is no longer open for lunch.

Going off on a tangent- Ty and Roberta who's a server are members of the Elk's Club and they highly recommend it. I may have to join... I'm thinking outside the box because there's an Elk's Club near Diamond Head(HNL) on the water that I wouldn't mind frequenting...

Let me interject, the above painting isn't a rendering of Ty. He's a classy african-american gentleman originally from Buffalo.

And, I won't do another post this month, since this is my 44th of January in honor of our new President Barack Obama...

Perhaps a name change to the Big 44 may be appropriate...

people who say they're going to do something and don't follow through...

I hate fucking people like that!

I'm far from being a saint, but if I commit to something, nearly 100% of the time, I'll follow through...

You can count on me... An excellent film starring Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo.

I'm a fuckup, but not as bad as Ruffalo's character in the film, but Linney who plays his sister in YOU CAN COUNT ON ME is simply that- a great sister.

I have a great sister and I can always count on her.

I fucking can't stand people I can't count on!

ny...

I'm pretty sure I've written about my initials in a previous post, but I want to remind myself that I'm going to introduce myself as NY to people from now on...

I know it's going to be tough, but I'll do it!

NY

art of shaving...

I hate fucking shaving and I don't even have a thick beard. I do have problem areas around my lips.

The Art of Shaving shaving cream with lemon scented oil is the only way to go. You get a real close shave with this stuff.

Now, I need to buy a shave brush...

new iphone...

Rumor has it, there's going to be a new iPhone coming out in probably in June since the last two years that was the month new models were released. June 2007- original iPhone. June 2008- 3G iPhone.

The cat writing the rumor article is speculating better battery life. My 3G iPhone has horrible, horrible battery life. A better camera. He's saying 5MP. I could dig a better camera... Thinner and lighter? That would be cool!

However, I have my iPhone and I love it, except for the horrible battery life. And I've even gotten used to the keyboard...

Fuck verizon and fuck that horrible, horrible voyager!!

velvet lion...

Not that I frequent these type of establishments, but Las Vegas has a new strip club located @ 3750 S Valley View Blvd called Velvet Lion.

It just opened on January 9th.

Doesn't Vegas have enough strip clubs? Apparently not...

My friend Daisy Delfina via twitter informed me of the place. Her tweets on twitter are very entertaining...

BTW, Daisy works @ Sapphire.

hong kong clay pot city restaurant...

That's a long fucking name!

BTW, the menu states that name of this restaurant is Hong Kong Clay Pot City Restaurant. The pic states otherwise. They probably couldn't fit the whole name on the awning...

From 11am-3pm rice plates are $4.60.

HKCPCR is closed on Wednesday.

I like the tofu with chicken. The tofu tastes very fresh. Just the way I like it...

The mongolian beef was tasty, but the dish was 3/4 onions and I hate fucking onions!! I like green onion, but red and white onion are my enemy...

They give you a large bowl of hot soup with your meal which isn't very tasty. I think there was a small penis in my soup?

960 Grant near Jackson- on the 2nd floor.

dosa...

A fabulous South Indian restaurant located @ 1700 Fillmore @ Post.

I went to a food and wine pairing @ this spot on Monday night which was sponsored by Citysearch. Both Dosa and Citysearch did a wonderful job of putting on this event!

The space is beautiful in an old Bank of America building and of recent note, it's been a Goodwill.

I'm just sorry I missed my friend Lauren who's a certified sommelier @ such a ripe young age. I met Lauren @ Press Club where she poured for Saintsbury...

kapiolani farmers market pizza...

On Saturdays. It's fucking phenomenal!!! Pesto, mozzarella, fresh local tomatoes, and basil on a cornmeal crust...

against the current...

The 4th film I saw @ Sundance starring Joseph Fiennes, Justin Kirk, Elizabeth Reaser, Mary Tyler Moore, and Michelle Trachtenberg.

I saw this movie screened @ the Park City Library on Sunday the 18th. While in the wait list line I ran into a kid who works @ my club- Robbie. What a small world?

Kirk, Reaser, and Trachtenberg were @ the screening.

I wasn't really impressed with the film, but it was somewhat entertaining. The film takes place on the Hudson River and some of the scenery is wondrous!

Reaser and Trachtenberg are very good looking in person. Trachtenberg had a great line in the film which went something like this, "Do you want to taste me?"

For second day in a row I saw Clayton Rohner waiting for a film...

trading places...

The film is 26 years old. What has Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis done lately?

I wonder why director Jon Landis chose to film in Philly as opposed to Wall Street, since this movie revolved around the finance world.

Minnesota Senator Al Franken has a small role in TRADING PLACES along with ex-comedy partner Tom Davis who is now in oblivion...as baggage handlers.

cary joji fukunaga...

The kid won two awards @ Sundance for directing and cinematography for his film SIN NOMBRE. My Sundance friend Jean Lortie was correct in his prediction after we viewed the film that SIN NOMBRE would win a Sundance award...

jean lortie...

I want to give props to Jean for seeing 40 films @ the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It's fucking incredible! In my prime, I saw 20+ films.

I will go out on a limb and say basically no one has seen 40 films during a single Sundance.

round 9...

Stop the fucking fight! It's over! What a fight by Sugar Shane Mosley! Margarito never should have came out for the ninth round.

Once again WBA Welterweight Champion of the World- Shane Mosley!

round 8...

What a great ending to round 8 with Mosley knocking Margarito down!

shane mosley...

Thus far he's beating the shit out of Antonio Margarito. The first five rounds of the fight in my view. But in boxing, you never know how they are going to judge a fight.

Celebs I see in the audience is Spiderman Tobey Maguire and Entourage producer Mark Wahlberg. Sly Stallone and I believe Governor Terminator...

the buffet @ bellagio...

It cost $19.95 for lunch. My last visit for breakfast was fair @ best. Lunch is very good and well worth it.

I'll start with dessert. The tiramisu is good served in a chocolate cup. The carrot cake was too tangy for my taste.

Now to the entrees: the salmon on a plank is tasty. I'm sure it's farm raised from the Atlantic, nonetheless it's good.

The chicken wellington is fair @ best.

The honey baked karabuta steamship tastes like kalua pig.

The soy chili marinated flank steat is excellent.

The sliders are average.

The chinese sausage(lop cheong) fried rice is good.

The singapore style noodles(thin)are okay.

The pesto mashed potatoes are very good.

Spicy tuna hand roll made to order is fair.

The peeled gulf shrimp is always good.

Other than Wynn, Bellagio is my buffet of choice in Vegas...

rehab breakfast @ mr. lucky's in the hard rock casino...

Egg whites, spinach and mushroom omelette with sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, toast or english muffin, and fresh orange juice for $13.95. Healthy breakfast and pretty tasty. I'm almost positive the tomatoes weren't vine-ripened when I ate this meal last Tuesday.

One thing about restaurants in Vegas and I get why- you have to ask for water. The water isn't very good in LV, it's probably better to bring your own bottled water...

celebrity sightings @ sundance...

Billy Bob Thornton in the parking lot @ Eccles. He fairly tall and quite skinny. The guy is constantly smoking.

Robin Williams after a screening @ the Library. Very gracious to his fans- signed autographs and took more than a few pics.

great pizza...

Globe makes phenomenal pizzas! Last night I shared with a buddy of mine JJ a wild mushroom and truffle oil pizza. It was unbelievable! I'm sure the oven has a lot to do with the pie and the cornmeal crust is just perfection.

sin nombre...

A film that was so violent in the beginning that I was thinking about walking out. Then, the movie started to become extremely entertaining.

The director is half Japanese and I believe he was born in Oakland and attended UC Santa Cruz. His name is Cary Fukunaga.

Where he got the inspiration to write a script in Spanish and direct a cast of unknown actors from Mexico and Central America is beyond my comprehension?

Per my Sundance friend Jean Lortie who has seen over 30 films this festival, this film will win an award @ Sundance and I concur.

The lead actor was bawling after the world premier of SIN NOMBRE @ Eccles. It was a first in the hundreds of movies I've seen @ Sundance. It was touching...

maile...

My sis' new puppy. A shi tzu. She's about eleven weeks old. The above pic was taken two weeks ago when we went up to Napa.

back home...

It's sure is nice to be back in my studio and relaxing- listening to jazz on XM radio.

auntie anne's @ oak...

In Terminal 2- the Southworst area. The joint is known for their pretzels. The do a good breakfast combo- breakfast sandwich with a beverage of choice(I had orange juice) and the added bonus is a pretzel. For $6.79.

The terrible breakfast burrito I had @ SLC cost nearly 8 bucks without a drink. With a beverage, my bill would be about $11.

Auntie Anne's is the way to go @ Oakland Airport.

blue burrito @ slc...

For those who travel by air, airport food is important. This joint in the Southwest section in the Salt Lake Airport makes a horrible and overpriced breakfast burrito!

I actually felt kind of sick while consuming the horrible burrito.

tyson...

A doc who's subject is Mike Tyson. Directed by James Toback. Toback previously worked with Iron Mike in BLACK & WHITE.

Audience members @ the Park City Library included Cuba Gooding Jr., Russell Simmons, Clayton Rohner(JUST ONE OF THE GUYS), and Clifton Collins Jr.(TRAFFIC and BABEL).

I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary. In the Q & A after the doc, Tyson fielded several questions. He seems like a humble guy, but I believe it's a facade. I've seen the guy around Vegas too many times. He has a Jekyll & Hyde type of personality.

As a fight fan, I was never a Tyson guy. But it always amazed me that the guy could beat up heavyweights who are much taller and bigger than him.

A real minor celebrity in the audience was Jackie the Jokeman Martling.

red banjo...

I've been going to Park City for about 13 years and not once did I even think about frequenting Red Banjo- a pizza joint near the Egyptian Theatre.

The pizza is decent. The service is mediocre like many restaurants in Park City. I like the joint down the street a little better- Main Street Pizza.

During Sundance, almost every restaurant is jam packed.

raspberry wheat beer @ wasatch brewery...

After not having the pleasure of drinking this dynamite brew in Park City for the past two or three years- Wasatch Brewpub & Brewery finally had one of my favorite beers on tap. For some reason, I like fruity beers. I love the Watermelon Wheat @ 21st Amendment in the City.

It's simply a fantastic beer!

butcher's chophouse & bar...

Had my first meal in Park City @ this joint on Friday. I've been going to to Butcher's for years. And going to the same space when it was called Lakota.

The menu has changed and I don't think for the better. I don't think their website has caught up with the menu change- which happened in November. New chef, new menu...

Anyway, I had a prime rib french dip sandwich with homemade chips for $12. The sandwich is quite tasty. I'm not really a fan of cheese in my french dip, but it worked in this case. The house made chips are fantastic!

samantha brown...

Of the Travel Channel. I saw her @ the bottom of Main Street in Park City on Friday night after midnight. She's pretty in person, but she looked like a bitch. She didn't smile while preparing for a shoot. Actually, Samantha looked slightly menacing.

I'm somewhat less of a fan now, but I'll continue to watch her on the Travel Channel. Passport to...

toe to toe...

The first film I attended @ the 2009 Sundance Film Festival- my 12th straight year.

The story line is based loosely on two prep schools girls who come from divergent backgrounds who play lacrosse in the Washington D.C. area. One is black from the ghetto and the other is white- seemingly from an affluent background. The white actress reminds me of Kirsten Dunst.

The writer/director is female and she seemed thrilled to be @ Sundance debuting her film @ the cavernous Eccles Theater which is located @ Park City High School. When I say cavernous, Eccles seats over 1200.

Usually, I can tell whether I will like a movie when I hear the director speak before a screening. I wasn't impressed with the young lady. She said her film was about race relations. She mentioned black, white, and hispanic. No mention of Asian whatsoever and there was an Asian actor in her film. I really don't like when the term "hispanic" is used. I'm more comfortable using latin, latina, or latino.

Anyway, I sat through the whole film. I found it to be mediocre @ best... I haven't seen Leslie Uggams in anything since what seems like the eighties. She plays the lead black character's grandmother. The only other recognizable face in the cast is Ally Walker who is the white protagonist's mother.

If this films get picked up for release- I will be very surprised.

Also, watching the lacrosse scenes. I couldn't tell whether the actors were competent or not, because I know nothing about la crosse. Usually, when I watch a sports themed film, I can tell whether the actor is athletic and skilled.

I can't recommend this film...

mark sanchez...

Announced he is going into the NFL Draft. Not a good decision. It's been reported that Pete Carroll isn't happy with Sanchez's decision. Quarterbacks during Carroll's regime have had limited success in the NFL thus far. I don't think Carson Palmer was recruited by Carroll and the person who developed him into an NFL 1st Round pick was Norm Chow.

I believe Sanchez is the first starting USC QB under Pete Carroll's watch that isn't staying for his senior year...

I hate to be negative, okay, I like to be negative @ times- Mark Sanchez should have stayed in school. The only thing going for him is that Bradford of Oklahoma and Tebow of Florida will return to college football next season...

a walk in union square...

I went to the club an hour before it closed to get in a quick workout. By the time I got out of SCLA/SF it was about a quarter to eleven. On Powell St. from O'Farrell to Sutter, I was approached by ten beggars. It was overwhelming! The economy has escalated the amount of people begging for money...

Next time I go to the gym @ night, I'm going to take the 1 California or cable car home and stay away from Union Square...

kid mcdaniels...

The new 32 year old coach of the Denver Broncos. He's a fucking kid! What was Pat Bowlen thinking? And the moron hired Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. That should be a major RED FLAG!!!!

Other than John Madden, what fucking young kid coach has succeeded as an NFL coach? No one...

Mark my words, this McDaniels kid will not succeed. Young motherfuckers do not succeed!!!

I'm old school, where you have to pay your dues to get a plum job. What has this world come to?

don nelson...

The guy always self destructs... Always...

Sure, the WE BELIEVE playoff run was phenomenal, but what has he done for the Warriors fans lately- basically nothing.

The fat fuck should do the right thing and retire to Maui. Or make some more wine with his buddy San Antonio coach Greg Popovich. Popovich has four more head coaching rings than Nelson- which means Nellie has zero. As a player, Don Nelson was fortunate to play with the great Bill Russell, in which he won five rings.

average betty...

I met her @ Macworld on Wednesday. I became familiar with her on iTunes. She does a cooking show. I subscribe to her podcasts.

She's actually a bit better looking in person. I believe her real name is Sarah...

diana terranova...

She's someone who I met @ Macworld on Tuesday. She's manning the booth for iSkin. Whoever runs the iSkin booth is extremely sharp. It's full of beautiful women...

I spent most of my afternoon hanging out @ the iSkin booth.

BTW, iSkin is the skin you put on your iPhone, iTouch, iWhatever...

liskula cohen...

Up until 25 minutes ago, I didn't know who she was. Now I do...

She's a Canadian model who's seeking a court order to force Google which runs blogger.com to reveal the identity of an anonymous blogger who called her among other things the biggest skank in NYC.

This type of publicity will only help the career of a 36 year old model who's face was disfigured by an idiot who cracked a vodka bottle on her face @ a nightclub in Manhattan two years ago. She's had plastic surgery to repair a quarter sized hole in her mug.

I'm sure Liskula will grace the pages of Playboy in the near future...

why indy lost to san diego...

Charger punter Mike Scifres put on the greatest display of punting I've ever seen! All of his six punts were fielded inside the 20 yard line of Indianapolis and five out of the six punts were on or inside the 10 yard line. He averaged over 52 yards a kick. Only two were returned for 6 yards.

Then the other obvious reason is the play of 5'6 Darren Sproles. He had over 300 all- purpose yards. Which means, he rushed for over a hundred yards, caught passes for 45 yards, and returned punts and kickoffs for 178 yards. In addition, Sproles scored the winning touchdown in overtime.

Indy's return team was horrible! Poor special team play killed the Colts. They will really have to address this weakness next season whether Tony Dungy returns or not...

mrs. jazz...

Strange name for a model. I believe she's Russian and another name she uses is Olga.

I like this pic of her.

She's on OMP. AKA Valerie.

matt millen...

He's finally back in an environment that he's competent in- as a football analyst.

Let's just hope that Al Davis doesn't make another bonehead move and hires Millen as a GM..

I still like Millen over that petulant punk kid Kiffin...

tiki barber...

The guy should have kept playing. He's a horrible announcer! I don't give a fuck if he had a 4.0 or near @ Virginia. He has no charisma.

I've criticized for years the bimbo sideline reporters during football games. Tiki is no better than most of the chicks who don't know shit about football...

The above pic is incompetent Barber with his Asian wife...

chris collingsworth...

The fucking guys all over the board regarding the NFL. I used to pull for the guy when he came out of Florida and became a competent wide receiver in the League.

Now, I'm getting sick and tired of the bullshit spewing from his mouth.

The late Pat Tillman was a decent player in the NFL, but by no means anywhere near Hall of Fame material. Tillman of Leland High and Arizona State has to be commended for serving in the military.

Collingsworth suggested on the air during the Atlanta-Arizona playoff game that Tillman should a Hall of Famer. No fucking way...

slumdog millionaire...

An excellent film by director Danny Boyle(TRAINSPOTTING). Me and a buddy had originally planned on seeing THE WRESTLER with Mickey Rourke, but the 7:40 showing was sold out @ the Metreon.

We ended up @ Embarcadero Cinema for a 8:45 showing which was nearly sold out. People love to go to the movies on New Years Day...

I highly recommend this movie and I will keep an eye whether SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE does well in the award season. It's nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Movie.