concerts we've attended

this is a ‘concert’- me list listing all the concerts we’ve been to (so far). updated when another concert comes along.

[Bill Graham Civic Auditorium] 99 Grove Street, San Francisco CA 94102

Who we’ve seen there: Tori Amos (12.21.2002) Oasis (4.13.1996)

[Bimbo’s 365 Club] 1025 Columbus Avenue San Francisco, CA 94133

Who we’ve seen there: Cardigans (6.19.96)

Berkeley Community Theater 1930 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

Who we’ve seen there: Dido (05.23.04) Cranberries (04.05.95) Jewel Chris Cornell (11.30.99) Ani Di Franco (10.31.97)

[Concord Pavilion] 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord, CA 94521

Who we’ve seen there: Tori Amos/Alanis Morrisette (09.19.99)

[The Filmore] 1805 Geary Blvd. S.F. CA 94115

Who we’ve seen there: Fiona Apple (03.18.97) Sundays Lush (04.15.96) Morcheeba (4.11.2008) Lorde (9.27.2013) Greek Theatre-U.C. Berkeley Gayley Road, Berkeley, CA 94720

Who we’ve seen there: Alanis Morrisette Black Eye Peas/Macy Gray

Oakland Arena 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621

Who we’ve seen there: Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel w/Sinead O’Conner sing backup(11.22.93) U2 (11.15.01)

Oakland Coliseum 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621

Who we’ve seen there: Sugarcubes/Public Enemy/U2 (07.11.92) Oasis/U2 (06.18.97) Oasis/U2 (06.19.97)

Orpheium Theater

Who we’ve seen there: Sarah McLaughlin

Pac Bell Park

Who we’ve seen there: Macy Gray/Dave Matthews Band (5.18.01)

[Paramount Theatre] 2025 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

Who we’ve seen there: Bjork (10.17.01) Sarah McLachlan (10.30.97) Tori Amos (11.11.01 and some other date)

San Jose Arena

Who we’ve seen there: Garbage/Smashing Pumpkins (08.18.96) INXS (04.08.94) U2 (4.19.01)

San Jose Event Center

Who we’ve seen there: Pearl Jam Soundgarden (06.03.94) Tori Amos (09.19.98) Sarah McLachlan (03.9.98)

Shoreline Amphetheater

Who we’ve seen there: Sting Lilith Fair 97 (07.08.97) (Sarah McLachlan, Tracy Chapman, Jewel, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega) Lilith Fair 98 (06.24.98) (Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls, Natalie Merchant, Erica Badu, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Bonnie Raitt) Lilith Fair 98 (07.14.99) Santana Lollapaloza ‘94 (Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, George Clinton & P-Funk Allstars, The Breaders, Green Day…) - [http://www.jamesiha.org/interview/1994lolla.htm] Lollapalooza ‘95 (Hole, Sonic Youth, Beck, Cypress Hill, Elastica,…) REM (05.17.95) Sade (07.18.01) Sting (08.05.00)

Slims

Who we’ve seen there: Julianna Hatfield (http://www.julianasite.com/touragraphy.html#city) LLoyd Cole Garbage Cibo Matto (10.09.99)

[Villa Montalvo] 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga, CA 95071

Who we’ve seen there: Diana Krall (7.19.01) Norah Jones

[Warfield] 982 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Who we’ve seen there: Smashing Pumpkins (10.18 0r 19.93) Bjork (05.21.98) Portishead (05.31.98) Cardigans Crowded House/Sheryl Crow Garbage (05.20.98) Sundays Dido (08.10.00) PJ Harvey (05.19.95) Sonic Youth Sara Bareilles (12.16.2010)

I know I saw them, but where….

Hole (the Edge) Filter (somewhere in San Jose) Lisa Loeb (well, actually didn’t stay for that one) Pearl Jam @ Golden Gate Park (06.24.95) WOMAD (ft. Peter Gabriel) Golden Gate Park Smashing Pumpkins (2. 7.96) Kezar Pavilion

Tori Amos at the CPA TLC and MC Hammer (Hawaii) New Kids/Tiffany at Great America David Spade (05.30.98) Cassandra Wilson @ Nob Hill Masonic Center(10.24.97) Pharoah Sanders Quartet @Yoshi’s (03.17.01)


worth a new cut?

dvds are cool aren’t they? it’s almost difficult remember a time without dvds. the things i love about dvds are:

  • the crisp picture and sound (compared to vhs)
  • the commentary tracks (hopefully insightful)
  • the deleted scenes
  • the director's cut

but does a director’s cut make a better movie?

can a director’s cut of a bad movie make it better?

these questions have been posed in newsgroups and on websites with vehement responses by purists and idiots alike.

my current rant on this is based on two upcoming dvds/films: [underworld] and [exorcist: the beginning] the latter has yet to be released theatrically ( i’ll get into that in bit).

when i saw underworld i though, eh ok vampire/werewolve movie. but the review on the link provided made it seem like a whole new more full movie experience then the previous version. boy, do i feel ripped off. it’s a different feeling then say the lord of the rings triology where you knew longer versions existed. i just wonder why a movie studio would hesitate to put a better version of a movie out there for public consumption.

as for the exorcist: the beginning [paul schrader] originally directed a version of this movie that might/might not see the light of day. the movie studio (so i hear) thinks schrader’s version is too thriller-type scary. i’m sure renny’s version is more in-your-face-it’s-so-obvious scary. man, what if that is a better movie. i mean, he is a better writer (taxi driver, affliction) and director (affliction, auto focus) than renny harlin (die hard 2, cutthroat island). i’ve heard they might release both versions on dvd. i hope so.


who gives a hooters?

dave and i had lunch today at the new [hooters] in dublin. dave had never been to hooters before, and i hadn’t been to one in over 15 years. when the one in the city opened up they guys at my last work wanted to organize a trip to go there for our “every-so-often-dinner” get togethers. i don’t know what they heard the place is like but whatever they heard it didn’t meet up to their expectations.

in any event, today’s lunch was ok. i’ve never been to dublin which seems to be similar to any other east bay city. hooters itself hasn’t change from what i remember. girls in skin tight outfits, food that is decent but not outstanding and more guy patrons then women. worth the trip? eh???


wordpress is impressive

i gotta tell you, i’m really impressed with this wordpress program. i was able to setup this new weblog, import all the data from movabletype, and start posted within half an hour! i was amazing when compared to all the install trouble i went with movabletype. i’m going to test for a few more days, but the way it looks now i just might be a wordpress convert!


trials

last night i went to a rosary for my cousin who passed way last thursday, may 6, 2004. i didn’t know anthony that well. he was always big quiet person, even as a kid. i remember him being very quiet at family parties when i was younger. even when we got older he always seemed quiet, but a happy person when you talked to him. i can say i’ve never seen him sad or even in a bad mood.

about three or four years ago he started having difficulties with his heart. i don’t know all the details. suffice it to say he had difficult times, but from all accounts dealt with them without complaint and smiled to those who had concern for his well being. i guess the last several weeks something came about again. this time he couldn’t overcome the difficulties plaguing his heart.

the rosary and reading last night was a nice tribute to anthony. i found it very hard to hold back the tears especially when my uncle spoke about his son. he spoke about God putting his family through these ‘trials’ and how they would endure. it’s tough when someone passes away, especially someone so young.

i wonder if i should write about such things here on janella.com, but then right now it is my only writing outlet. please excuse any of these writings if they seem to be out of place. i’m just trying to make sense of times like these.


kill bill volume 2

Kill Bill Vol 2rating: **** out of 5

quick shot: continuing the revenge story of the bride from kill bill volume i.

what i liked about the film: slightly different tone from the first movie.  i like the dialog an interaction between bill and the bride towards the end of the movie.

what i didn’t like: the audience members who didn’t realize movie’s contain dialog.  yeah, this volume is more talk-y then the first but give me a break…it’s tarantino!


mean girls

Mean Girlsrating: ***1/2 out of 5

quick shot: smartly written tina fey comedy.  a cut above your average teenager movie.

what i liked about the movie: the way it treated most kids with some intelligence.  i also liked that the adults weren’t totally oblivious either.  smart script all around.

what i didn’t like: the movie bogged down a third of the way through, though it picked up in the end.


master and commander: the far side of the world

Master and Commander

rating: *** out of 5

quick shot: men at sea battling a faceless (for most of the movie) enemy, and amongst themselves. you can feel the isolation at sea, and the camaraderie the crew feels. russell crowe leads by example and charisma.

what i liked about the movie: the chemistry between crowe, bettany (who plays the ship’s doctor) and crew was very good. the chase and battle scenes were excellent.

what i didn’t like: the movie felt a little lengthy. i think it could have lost about 15 to 20 minutes and still been effective.


somethings gotta give

Something's Gotta Giverating: **1/2 out of 5

quick shot: jack and diane try to find love at there age!  overall good story of may-december romance and how it works for both genders.  the writing is good, though gives up in the last ten minutes of the film.

what i liked about the movie: jack and diane have good chemistry in the film.  i like the fact that they bared more than their emotions in the film.

what i didn’t like: keanu is as wooden as ever.  again, the ending is predictable but satisfying i suppose.


kill bill volume 1

Kill Bill Vol 1rating: **** out of 5

quick shot: a tale of bloody revenge tarantino style.  loved the bloody brutality mixed in with the animation and poppin' tarantino dialog.

what i liked about the movie: the bloody mess.  the fight scene with the cray 88’s was cool.

what i didn’t like: that i didn’t see this movie in the theater.  thank g. for dvd, but still would have been nice to see it on the screen.


yosemite redux

just got back from yosemite, where farrah and i spent about three days. i’ll have a few pictures to post from the digital camera later this week. we only took a few film pictures for some reason.


feeling like cartman?

Cartman
john or lotte, you gotta translate this!


thank you for a great weekend

i want to thank everyone for a great birthday weekend! it will be one i will never forget.

the weekend started early with dinner with doug at our old weekly hangout, satsuma’s. it felt like old times sitting, eating, drinking, and talking about everything and anything.

on friday, lotte, john, fina and farrah took me to king of siam for some great thai food. the atmosphere was pretty lively for downtown san jose, and the food was excellent as always. oh, and the tiramisu they brought for my birthday cake was to die for.

saturday morning, farrah and i drove up to have breakfast with tessie. she was in town on a business trip. it was really good to see her and spend time with her, walking to chinatown and such. i wish we could have spent more than the three hours we had together. it was good to see you tess.

saturday night found farrah’s parents, my mom, farrah and i at the fishmarket in santa clara. again, great food, good beer, and good dessert in chocolate covered strawberries.

sunday night the trabers came over and took farrah and i out to chevy’s. i had a nice mohito margarita, with farrah having a cantaloupe margarita. overstuffed with fajitas, but not before having some chocolate mint (i think it was) cake from gale’s.

last but not least, dave took me out to stacks for breakfast on monday. and get this, we were served by cops at the restaurant who were doing their part for the special olympics [please see the south park episode 803]


bond, james bond

just picked up the playstation 2 game [james bond 007: everything or nothing] it’s a pretty nifty third person game that has you shooting, driving, flying and firing at enemies all over the place. it has the voices of heidi klum, mya, shannon elizabeth, and of course pierce brosnan among others, so it feels like being in a bond movie.

yeah, i know, i was supposed to start playing final fantasy x-2. i’ll get around to it.


new photos added

some new photos have been added to the photos pages [of all places]! click the above images for a preview or go straight to the photos page to look at more.

celebrating birthdays for

  • kayla
  • mom
  • rex
  • john

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