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Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

May 2001


Thursday
May 31, 2001
8:27 AM EDT

"Three day weekend, time to have some fun"
-Black Eyed Peas "Weekends"

No dice on the Ocean's 11 gig. It would have been fun, but no big deal. Hell, if I had been on set with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, after the Jennifer Lopez night two weeks back... I'd have to get a waiting list for people wanting to come down here to visit.

My weekend is now underway. And that's a very good thing. With Friday off, I've got my freedom for an extra 24 hours. So tonight I'll finally get to sample the Thursday night Tampa nightlife, which should be fun. Plus hopefully my friend Scott and some of his friends will ramble down here to Ybor City and find some fun to be rounded up on the club circuit.

The trip to England that I've had in the works for a few weeks has officially been signed, as I bought my plane ticket last night. First week of August, and it should rule. I had an absolute blast there in 1998, and this time it'll be my brother Matt and I there... so who knows what will happen. It's all in the company you keep, as Matt would say.

If you are in Napster-block pain and MP3 withdrawl... then check out AudioGalaxy.com. Trust me, you won't regret it. It's far superior to Gnutella in my opinion, and clearly offers more material than Napster. My friend Jere suggested it to me, and I became a quick believer. It's excellent.

I want to address the madness that has been going on in the media, and in the radio talk show circuit, concerning Jenna Bush. Our country has plenty of ass-backwards laws, but among the top of the list comes the federal rule that ties highway funding to states having age 21 drinking laws. Jenna Bush, being 19, is a legal adult. But, because our country has its laws formed by special interest groups, age discrimination exists against young adults. And don't kid yourself -- MADD is a special interest group, which receives an incredible pass from the media when it comes to rational criticism. They get that even more so than teacher's unions. MADD conspires to take your freedom away, and rest assured that as you read this, that organization is plotting to further curtail your individual freedom. But relating this to Jenna Bush, the prohibition against young adults is as ineffective in modern times as prohibition was against the general population in the 1920's. As a legal adult, it is madness to think that she should not have the freedom to enjoy alcohol, and strong-armed state laws that create this type of situation are good for no one.

If you haven't watched the WWF in the past week and a half.. you've really missed out. For months, WWF programming was by-and-large boring, with the Austin/HHH vs. Undertaker/Kane feud coming across as stale and uninspired. But with the recent overdue push of Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit, and some incredible TV matches (Austin/HHH vs. Jericho/Benoit RAW 5-21, TLC match with Jericho/Benoit vs. Edge/Christian vs. Dudleyz vs. Hardys Smackdown 5-22, and Austin/Benoit RAW 5-28), things are much more interesting as of late. And tonight, Austin and Benoit have a rematch from RAW on Smackdown that was taped on Tuesday night that goes more than 20 minutes and it said to be a must-see match. There's a definate Paul Heyman influence there, which is a good thing.

The Sixers and Bucks are having a good series in the Eastern Conference finals... but there's that feeling in my head that no matter who wins, the Lakers will clobber them. I'd like to think that maybe Mutombo could match up against Shaq... but if the Spurs, with Duncan AND Robinson, couldn't do it, then tell me: who can?


Tuesday
May 29, 2001
9:45 PM EDT

First and foremost, I finally have my DSL back today, after losing it on Thursday. Verizon told me that it was a problem on their end. Nothing can make you appreciate high-speed net access like having to revert to dial-up for several days.

I went to an open casting call today for the movie Ocean's 11 that was held down in St. Petersburg. They need 450 extras for a circus scene with Brad Pitt and George Clooney for Thursday and Friday. Luckily, since I have Friday off from work, I would be available for that... though they haven't called as of this writing. The crowd at the casting call didn't have many people that met my demographic (23 year old stud with a shaved head), but it's hard to say what they're looking for with a call for people ages "5 to 50". They wanted 150 of the 450 to be kids.. so that only leaves 300 slots for adults. While it was a bitch to interrupt my sleep and drive down to St. Pete in the middle of the day like that, it was worth it to at least give it a shot.

Right now I'm rocking out to a Counting Crows double live CD, recorded at a show in New Orleans. Lots of rare and cover songs there -- very nice. As if the Crows' three studio albums weren't enough, they have lots of great covers and unreleased tracks out there that are absolutely great.

It's a good thing that Nick Greco and Randy Hite and John Tenisci weren't around down here last week to give me grief about the Spurs being swept by the Lakers. Man, what an embarassing performance. The Lakers are super tough.. though I would like to see how Iverson would match up against them (plus there's the old school Lakers/Sixers rivalry from the early 80's). But I don't see anyone beating the Lakers 4 out of 7, short of the NBA bringing the '93 Bulls to the present time.

I finally finished reading the book "Point of Impact" by Steve Perry today. I bought it during my trip to Louisville last month when I went to Brad Ott's wedding. The book has "Tom Clancy" written on the cover in big letters.. and it was only after the book that I noticed that it was the Tom Clancy Net Force series... written by someone different. It had its entertaining elements, and the Thor's Hammer concept was intriguing.. but it came across to me as being rather formulamatic.

It's looking like my trip to England to August will be a firm go. I need to triple-check everything... but I've got the time off from work already, so assuming my finances don't take an unexpected hit, I anticipate I'll buy my plane ticket this week. I already have a passport (which lasts until 2007 or 2008).

Now I need to shave and head out to work. Only two work days left before a three-day weekend... and that's alright by me.


Friday
May 25, 2001
9:20 PM EDT

"The movie never changes -- it can't change -- but everytime you see it, it seems to be different because you're different -- you notice different things."
-Line from the movie 12 Monkeys

If you've never seen the movie 12 Monkeys, do so sometime. There are many lines in there that have a certain underlining reality that can be easy to miss, like a great number of things in the film. I first saw that movie in 1996, and it hit me tonight that it was five years ago. Time sneaks up on you when you're not paying attention.

I have a story to tell... and I really wonder if it's a good idea to put it on the webpage. Cause I know that many people will read it and disregard it as bullshit. And I'm not one to make up stories or to brag about things... but I figure all I can do is tell you that it's true, that it's 100% true, and you can decide for yourself. So here goes. A select few out there have seen a version of this on e-mail...

My bro Matt came down to Tampa this weekend to visit. And wow, what an incredible time it was. We partied and went to a Devil Rays/Tigers game and ate at some of the finest restaurants in Ybor. But the big story, the one that we won't forget for the rest of our lives, and the one that you might have a tough time believing is the story of Friday night. And I almost hesitate to tell this story, cause I know how improbable it sounds. But it's true.

I only had about 2 hours of sleep on Friday, as I stayed up that day to pick Matt up at the airport in the early afternoon. So I napped from 5-7 and then woke up, and he and I started drinking. We watched some TV and played some SSX on my Playstation 2, and chilled. We drank enough to get a nice buzz, doing lots of shots of Seagram's 7.

So we were feeling pretty good by the time we left. Luckily, with my nice apartment being in Ybor City, there are a ton of clubs and bars in walking/stumbling distance. With Matt being only 20, we couldn't go to just any club, but there are some that let 18 and up in. One of those clubs is Empire, which I had found had the best Friday night scene in town.

We went in, and the place was packed. Now sleep deprivation and large amounts of alcohol can make for a tough combination, but I was feeling good. We both got a drink and went on the prowl, chasing after women and talking our game and what not. Anyway, some of this gets fuzzy for me, cause the drinks started to add up and I got pretty blitzed. So Matt did his thing and I did mine... Well the end of the night hit and Matt came up wanting a pen, which I gave him. So he went into the crowd, and then came back. As we're leaving, he tells me that he had been dancing with... JENNIFER LOPEZ. Yes, *the* Jennifer Lopez. He said that he and her danced for a long time, and how fast she could dance and that he had a tough time keeping up, etc. By chance I had mentioned earlier how the movie review guy for the St. Pete Times really praised her performance in Angel Eyes and gave it a B+ (and he normally trashes movies). But Matt said that Jennifer was saying that she was afraid that the movie wasn't going to do well. He said that she was an incredible dancer, and that she could move super-fast and that he had a tough time keeping a rhythm going with her. He gave her his e-mail address, so we'll see if she writes.

Now I know it sounds hard to believe, I mean it really is incredible. But I've known Matt for his entire life, and he's never been one to exaggerate or make up stories or whatever. But, still, I thought well maybe some girl was working him, or maybe it was just a woman who looked alot like Jennifer Lopez who was too shy to tell him that she wasn't who she thought she was.

Anyway, on Saturday night we went back over to Empire. Matt told the bouncer at the door that he heard a rumor that Jennifer Lopez was there last night (not trying to play up that he was dancing with her). The guy said, "Yeah, she was here. She frequents this club." Matt and I looked at each other with the "Wow, it's true" look. I'd heard that celebrities are seen quite frequently down in Ybor... but now I know it's true. And the bouncer had no reason to lie, and he didn't do it in a used car salesman kind of way... but just a casual, no big deal sort of thing. I love Tampa.

Also, there were many other crazy moments this weekend, lots of women at lots of clubs. After Jennifer Lopez on Friday night, I brought a disposable camera with me Saturday night (if only Matt had had the camera on Friday night...). I'm not sure how many pics were used, or even remember what all happened. I know there was a hot as hell girl selling shots at Pleasuredome named Angela who asked me to come back this weekend and who I gave my card to. And I got my pic with her. Also some girls went wild for my dragon shirt as Matt and I were heading out, so I got my picture taken with them.

Well there are a thousand more stories to tell from the past 20 days... but I think this one will have to do for you now. And for those of you out there who check my page on a daily basis, I promise to do my best to provide more frequent content in the future for you. But until then...


Saturday
May 5, 2001
3:55 AM EDT

"We can make a moment last forever
Gaze across the ocean to the sun
Maybe I will find today
Maybe I will lose tomorrow
Gonna rock on to the oceanside"

-Robyn Hitchcock "Oceanside"


Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone. It will be interesting to see what tonight brings -- the past two Cinco de Mayo's were quite interesting (1999 in Evansville on a fun night with friends and margaritas at an extra low price at Chili Peppers, and last year partying up in Athens, Ohio with Mike Waterhouse and Jason Nicholas and all of their friends).

This week has been a good one for me. I finally have DSL -- which means a high-speed internet connection and no tied up phone line. It's been very, very nice to have in the past 24 hours, that's for sure. Plus it means not having to use my parents' AOL account (and thus blocking them from being able to log on). I need to look at what all Verizon offers with it, but it might involve web hosting. If so, you might expect to see the Lou Pickney webpage move over to a new server. I'll keep you posted on that.

Yesterday I met Daryl Sabara, who played Juni in the hit movie Spy Kids, and Daryl's twin brother Evan, who also had a role in Spy Kids. For being 8 years old, they were very articulate, and refreshingly down-to-earth about everything. The folks from Isuzu are on a nationwide promotional tour for Spy Kids, and they had a 40 ft. long truck that was decked out with Spy Kids stuff. Plus, they had a $2 million prototype Isuzu (that I presume had a placement in the movie -- since I haven't seen it, I don't know that for sure). But before we found out about it, Heidi Otway, the morning show executive producer at 10 News, was asking if they could put a third row of seats in the back of the vehicle (so there would be room for her kids). We laughed long and loud when we found out that was a two million dollar prototype that Heidi wants to add more to -- it was quite amusing.

So having the Spy Kids crew there was nice for our morning show (which should have had a monster lead in from last night's Survivor). Speaking of which, I am glad that Tina beat Colby in the finals. I had been rooting for Colby, because he earned his way through, but his weakness in trying to get over as a "good guy" in bringing Tina to the finals was a dumb move. Afterwards, Colby said that's how he wanted it and that he'd rather win the $100K with Tina winning than even give Keith a remote chance to take home the price. That's just dumb -- and ultimately it cost him the win. It also makes his argument that he'd do whatever it took to win sound awfully hollow. As for Tina, her deceit without making it personal technique paid off in the end, so hats off to her...


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