but he's mysterious.

i recently discovered something that i knew i always did subconsciously but never openly admitted it to myself.

i am obsessed with guitarists.

now me and 50 million other 14 year old girls can say the same thing, with our love of mysterious boys who are tall with dark hair and look down to the ground and write the most sensitive songs but they will never see the light of day cause they're not the star so they'll just have to play out their emotions through a distraught guitar solo.

guitarists: not as cocky and pretentious as the lead singer, not as weird and moody as the bassist, and not as laid-back and naive as the drummer. they are always the perfect amount of selfish, depressed and self-involved for them to break your heart.

i've dated a few musicians but never a full fledged lead guitarist. too dangerous. i also vowed to myself to just stay clear of musicians in general. they always look so good, but man are they a pain in the butt to fall for. am i right girls? you've been there.

anyway, despite all that, boy do i love guitarists. and no matter what concert i go to, my eyes immediately fall to the side of the stage where the guitarist is set up and they usually don't wander anywhere else. i have such a strange fascination with them. i wait for the little moments where they finally look at the crowd and smile, the moments where they sing (guitarists with underrated backing vocals, be still my heart), how many guitar switches they do, everything is interesting to me. the lead singer or anyone else in the band can never entertain me as much as the guitarist.

weird? maybe? yes? whatever.

the last concert i went to, the temper tramp (check em' out live if you get the chance, balls to the wall amazing) my habit didn't betray me. i flew right to our lead guitarist who did not disappoint. even my concert going companion, caely-ann, commented on him: "he's like a more bad ass version of Frodo". indeed he was. and of course the next morning at work, i was right on their website, looking up his bio and pictures to learn more about my new guitarist friend.

Here is a glimpse of some of the guitarists who have stuck with me till this day who i have had the pleasure of seeing live.

jamie hince.

this bitch. this motherfucker right here. pardon my language but this guy is the epitome of rock and roll guitarist. he swaggers on stage with numerous scarves and suggestively looks at his band mate and lead singer (a female) like she's a pice of steak and he's gonna do naughty things to her later. he uses his chocolate barry white voice to sing back up when he feels like it and plays his guitar without much thought, but damn does it sound good. oh and like any rock guitarist should be doing, he's banging a super model, Miss Kate Moss. Jamie Hince, i salute you. and come back to vancouver soon so i can see you shake your skinny ass again.

tom linton

i've always "liked" jimmy eat world. in the sense that i had one of their albums and listened to it on occasion, but when my friend byron invited me to their concert couple years back i was converted to full fledged fan. and one of those reasons being because of mr. lifton. what a great presence onstage. he has a whole aura of loyal faithful bandmate going on, with a touch of but i could be an asshole if you want me to be. awesome player, awesome attitude and most of all, he tapped into one of my weaknesses, a beautiful backing voice. strong and sometimes in my opinion, overshadowing the deeply talented frontman, jim adkins.

dave genn

i can write a whole blog about this incredibly talented individual but i won't. he is my favorite. of all time. words can not describe thy. why him? who knows. but one blistering hot and humid ottawa summer day matthew good band was playing bluesfest (why was the biggest canadian rock band at the time playing a blues festival? still a mystery) and as my friend jen and i waited around for hours and hours for the show to start, complete with random thunder shower where we all got soaked and muddy and standing through the worst.opening.band.of.all.time, they finally hit the stage. and as i was 3 rows back from the stage on the right, i was standing right in front of dave genn. who proceeded to blow my mind. granted i was 15 and this was only my like third live show but something about the way he handled his gibson les paul standard and played around with his 20 pedal set up made my skin tingle. after that concert, i finally picked up the acoustic guitar i had been given for free a year ago and finally took lessons. my teenage years were spent obsessing over him. i scrutinized his every solo and played them over and over. when he left matthew good band, i cried. when he started playing with holly mcnarland live i ran to the calgary stampede to see him. i waited backstage and got him to sign my ticket, he asked me my name and i said julia, to which he replied was his favorite song. i was so excited to be standing in front of my guitar god's presence that i blanked out to what song he was talking about. he tells me, "from the beatles, you know?". i melt into a pile of goo like Amelie, of course. of course i know. IDIOT. i let my obsession die down a bit after i graduated high school. although when i would hear through the grape vine what indie band he was helping produce, i would still go check em' out. finally, years later at the age of 22, caely-ann and i went to the commodore to go see 54-40. i knew that dave had joined the band. i told myself i was gonna go enjoy the night and see a good old canadian rock band, this wasn't about dave. but who was i kidding, i ran to the right part of the stage as soon as i got there and ogled his pedal set up. and out he came and i realized he would always, always be my favorite guitarist. to the point where recently, at the age of 24, my heart skipped a beat at a film premiere where i learned that one of the people involved with the film was his brother James Genn, a director/writer. And although we've lived in the same city for 5 years now, i've yet to see him anywhere but the stage. and that's just the way i like it. dave genn, don't ever change.

ta!

julia gulia

2 hour lunch break

holla!

for those who don't know, i have a knack for finding websites to waste my time. i'm passing these on, so you as well young grasshoper, will have the tools to waste time at work while you wait for your day to end. or any other occasion.

First: http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/

if you haven't discovered this yet, you are in for a treat. basically people send in their funniest/oddest text messages. Some highlights:

(612): i want tt clbm rinabw nd ride uncrn

(952): what?
(612): i wnt tto climb a rainboww and ride a unicornnnnnnnnn

(540): it was 6 in the morning, and you cried until i put mulan in. then you proceeded to say every word, not to mention sing along... stop drinking.

(512): watchout when you come home, dougs at the top of the stairs naked eating doritos

(203): i'm at the st pattys day thing. the bar is packed. they just put on celine dion its all coming back to me now. i'm screaming the words.
(1-203): it's 1 pm.

(757): I understand Curling. That high.

(407): I woke up this morning with a hospital armband on containing all the information off my fake i.d. WTF did we do last night!?!?

(215): we found you eating frozen orange juice with a spoon and then drinking vodka from the bottle.

(706): Almost accidentally stole a baby... explain later

(519): and then she said I drew a line on her forehead with my cum and whispered "Simba"

(757): At McDonald's last night the guy gave you the wrong kind of McFlurry, so you screamed at him, "YOU MCFUCKED UP."

(330): First off: I'm drunk so fuck you. Second: you weren't a bad girlfriend. Tres: thats 3 in spanish. Number 4: fuck 3 Doors Down

(410): can you sing with all the voices of the mountain? can you paint with al the colors of the windddd
(443): wasted?
(410): im pocohantasssss

(570): why did i make a hit list last night containing only McDonalds?
(1-570): you tried to order a magarita mcflurry and when they said they didnt make those you tried to call 911

Second: http://fuckyeahslightlyamusing.tumblr.com/

random pictures that may or may not make you laugh. i started reading this blog and it's stupid but then i find myself chuckling at some of the pics and next thing you know i'm on page 20. ugh.

some gems:

Third: http://www.lamebook.com/

People being stupid on facebook. enough said.

we didn't need dialogue. we had faces.

This morning I was able to leave my desk for 2 minutes to go get a coffee. As I was enjoying the beautiful crisp morning air and sunshine, basking in my refusel to wear my large parachute VANOC jacket and instead sporting my peacoat, I thought, if I were famous, this would be a good paparazzi shot.

Never would this thought have occured if it wasn't for scripted reality TV.

Now before I get into the theory and specifics of that last statement, let me start by breaking down reality TV.

First of all, get over it. To the people who still complain TO THIS DAY about the "demise" of society and our generation because of reality TV, sit down. TV is a choice, either watch it or don't. If you're a parent, turn it off. Of course your kid can sneak away and watch it online and blah blah but honestly, it was the same issue 20 years ago with scripted shows. There is always some show, some song, some movie that is too violent. Reality TV is the same, except it's mindless, stupid entertainment. And just cause MTV is showing a 16 year old who's a teen mom, doesn't mean your duaghter will be pregnant at 16. If she is, I hardly think Jersey Shore is what influenced her. If anything, I watch reality TV and go, lord I hope I am never one of these people. Also, the argument of how we have no art left on TV and this is it blah blah, EXCUSE YOU. There are wonderful shows still on TV. Friday Night Lights, Lost, Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, Community, Mad Men, Dexter, The Wire (even though it's done now). Remember in the 70's when all they played was game shows? 70's had game shows, we have reality TV.

Now what my statement above refers to is SCRIPTED reality TV, and trust me, there's a difference.

Reality falls into 3 categories for me. These categories come from working in reality tv for the last 5 years and knowing the difference from raw footage.

SCRIPTED COMPETITION REALITY - Survivor/Biggest Loser/American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance/The Bachelor.
These people are in it to win it but mostly have boring personalities so to spice things up, producers will tell them what to say in the interviews so they can build a story. Yes they do get "reality" moments, but if you believe anything that is said in the interview clips, think again.
*** the amazing race is an exception to this. The producers are actually not allowed to talk to the contestants because it's considered cheating, therfore what you see on the amazing race is what you get. which is why it deserves every emmy it has. also, there's no need to try and create drama when you put two people together in a high stress sitaution (ps working for the amazing race was, no pun intended, amazing. wonderful team to work for).

REALITY HELP TV - Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew/Intervention/Extreme Home Makeover.
Shows that try and help and bless em'. Sometimes it's good, something it's a grey area, like with Dr. Drew. Yes he is truly trying to help people, but why would he exploit them by putting them on TV? Oh right cause he gets money. These help shows are... you feel bad for watching someone else's pain and struggle but you can't look away. Most of these are what you see is what you get, but it's scripted in the sense of, lets build a scene. Aka, all those Ty Pennignton moments of "MOVE THAT BUS!!!!!!!!" or Dr. Drew's group sessions.

SCRIPTED REALITY - The Hills/Jersey Shore/Laguna Beach/Peak Season
The creme de la creme of Reality TV. Meaning, why am I watching this showit'ssostupidnothingisactuallyhappeningBUTICAN'TSTOP. Everyone has one of these shows on their guilty pleasure list. It's harmless and honestly, there is nothing to be ashamed of. I feel like scripted reality tv is the sitcom of the 2000's. And why not?

And this is where my statement draws from. Lets get one thing straight, Laguna Beach is what started this, it's the head bitch in charge. It created the term. But what's funny is, IT DIDN'T USED TO BE SCRIPTED. I can say this confidently because I worked on season 2, back when the most involvment a producer had was "hey guys, can we have you walk through that door, we missed the shot" or "hey you guys gonna talk about the party from last night?" after filming them talk about fucking clothes for 3 hours and they are running out of tape. But along came the spin-off The Hills and the producers realized if the show is gonna be focused on only one chick and her bimbo friends, we gotta spice it up. And that's when it got really, really bad. And now, it's painfully obvious that all the people are hired to be standing at this party while reading off a script of "oh my God I can't believe so and so is at this party, what a bitch". It's lost most of it's appeal cause THEY'RE NOT PROFESSIONAL ACTORS, but we still watch.

But back when it was still teetering on being half real, there was a craze where everyone started thinking, man they should TOTALLY do a show about me and my drama. Brent and I would talk about this all the time in Film School. "Fuck the Hills, they should do a show about film school". People started to THINK that other people cared what they did during the day. And then came facebook, and twitter, and countless gossip blogs with minute to minute updates of where Ashton Kutcher was getting coffee from. Granted, I feed into it. I check out gossip blogs and when I'm in LA I can't help but look out for celebs when I'm at said coffee shop that I saw in a picture a couple of days ago. Hence why I'm swaying my hair in the wind thinking, this would be a great paparazzi shot. AM I HIGH?????!!!! No, no one cares who I am or what I do. No one would care what my life would be in film school. No one cares what I'm doing AT THIS SECOND (I refuse to get a twitter account). I have to remind myself of this every day. It's so easy to feed into it. We are accesible to everyone.

AND this is my problem with Scripted Reality TV. It's not the "demise of society" that I have a problem with.

IT'S THE DEMISE OF HOLLYWOOD.

There is NOTHING private about hollywood aymore. It has no mystique. Celebs post pictures of inside the fucking golden globes on their twitters now. Now I know what it's like to stand beside Tom Cruise on the red carpet, or what they serve as food, or how bored Jack Nicholsan looks. All these things that were the mystery of being a none famous person getting the privelege to see a glimpse of the stars when it came to award show season, GONE.
Hey I wonder what Ryan Gosling is doing? Oh he is at a rock show, there he is standing in a crowd. Uploaded instantly from someone's phone to a gossip blog. I know what celebrities are doing 24/7. I see inside their houses. Christ this morning someone posted pictures of Hilary Duff getting PROPOSED TO on a balcony. One of the happiest moments in her life, now public.

Also what defines being a star these days? NOTHING. Fucking bitches from Jersey Shore were at THE GRAMMY's. Why? Who knows! Hey they are on TV, put them on. Popular blogs are invited to discuss things on CNN. lord. Anyone can be fanous now. You got a million hits on your youtube video, well then, lets get you a TV show.

I know what movies studios are making, what scripts producers are reading, who had lunch with who, etc. I know who made out with who at the club last night. Nope not a rumour, here are the pics!!! NOTHING IS PRIVATE.

When celebs from back then write bios or tell all books, they are awesome. Just cause we had NO idea what was going on back then in Hollywood's mystery party machine. Now, don't even bother, I just read about it on TMZ.

It takes the fun out of it. Growing up, wanting to be part of Hollywood, all I wanted was to pearce that bubble into their world. Now though, it's open 24/7.

That being said, I could easily point the finger at reality tv for all of this, but at the same when i sit down on the couch and america's next top model is on, I'll watch it. So I cant stay mad at it for too long.

http://www.thevine.com.au/entertainment/articles/top-ten-most-memorable-reality-tv-moments.aspx

uh oh it's the last day of the year.

New years New years New years. I love it. Don't why cause I've had pretty shitty New Years in the past and only in the last 3 years have they been better. But I love it. And you know what I love even more than getting dressed up and paying for overpriced drinks at a mediocre bar?! REMINISCING.

1) Where did you begin 2009?
On a boat on the ocean in Los Angeles, surrounded by fog, with my boyfriend borderline grind dancing with my mother.

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Still with said boyfriend.

3) Were you in school anytime this year?
Yes, bar-tending school. I now can legally make my friends drunk on a Tuesday night with gin martinis.

4) How did you earn your money?
My expertise, post-production. Un-employment insurance. Now with the Olympics.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Once for my sister while I was in Germany, she had an ear infection.

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
No! How refreshing ;)

7) Where did you go on holiday?
Berlin, my fave spot in the world. Then Italy, which was heaven on earth. You have not lived until you've ridden on a scooter by the amalfi coast in 45+ degree weather.

8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
Summer trip to Europe. worth.ever.penny.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Yes, good old Dave Sanderson to the always lovely Emily Bolton. Awesome wedding. Awesome couple. There even was Brickhouse.

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
A lot of people's family dog died this year, which is very sad.

12) Did you move anywhere?
Yup, into the new party/day drinking pad with Franzie.

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
Nine Inch Nails in Berlin, can't get any better. Okay wait the Kills were pretty good. Oh who am I kidding, Animal Collective blew my brain. again.

15) Are you registered to vote?
Nope, I am an alien.

16) Who did you want to win Big Brother?
stupid question is stupid.

17) Where do you live now?
vancouver, 'tis still lovely.

18) Describe your birthday.
it involved twister, a large cake, party hats, fake tattoos, the fairview and drew and I singing Forever Young very, very loudly.

19) What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2009?
Actually go to Italy. With my boyfriend. Direct something. Semi make it into Crazy 8's after having to change my story/pitch 12 hours beforehand.

20) What has been your favorite moments?
- directing a music video
- randomly escaping to Tofino multiple times.
- lying on a gorgeous beach in Positano Italy with Dan feeding me drinks.
- any day drinking. which was a lot.
- U2 concert and drinking with my dad after.
- not working in july/august and actually taking time to enjoy my summer and vancouver during the heat wave of 2009.

21) What's something you learnt ?
unemployment fucks you up. mentally and emotionally.

22.) Any new additions to your family?
billy mays, the new house cat of dan.

23.) What was your best month?
july!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

24.) What music will you remember 2009 by?
The Kills. The Raveonettes. The Cool Kids.

25) Who has been your best drinking buddies?
franz. alexis. uuuggghhh way too much drinking.

26) Made new friends?
besides getting to know dan's gang even more, it's been the same old crew. which is fine by me :)

27) Best NEW friend?
uhh billy mays?!

28) Favorite Night out?
oh christ. can i even remember them? my birthday was pretty awesome. that night in berlin where i got mad at the african dude. that night at the morrissey while my sister was here where i ran into my old producing teacher peter helm and we talked for like 3 hours. oh wait, here was a good one, byron's birthday in the VIP lounge, p.i.m.p. oh and that random night at barney's with dan and cody, hellz yes, felt like the summer of 2007.

29) Someone you liked ?
yes, i like his cat that's not really his cat as well.

30) have you kissed the one from question 29?
yeah, it's one of my fave things to do.

31) kiss any one of the same sex?
no, it's been tame again.

33) something you look forward to before 2010?
getting that side mirror fixed on my dad's car.........................

34) where will you start 2010?
somewhere with good friends, pints, music and dan for a midnight kiss.

HAVE A GOOD ONE GUYS :)

Ta!

Julia Gulia

sleeping in for 3 months

Have you ever been unemployed? I hadn't been unemployed since I was 13. I started delivering newspapers and never looked back. Making money is awesome. Even after film school I swallowed any pride and worked at Chapters before I got hired in the film/tv industry. When I came back from my awesome euro trip this summer at the end of July and found out that the recession wasn't a myth and had finally hit my production company (which had been my home and life for almost 3 years), I was dumbfounded.

What do you mean, hiatus?

Oh we're getting new shows in December?

Oh wait we're not?

HOLY FUCK.

I decided to forgo any type of panic attack and head straight for the crown bottle and enjoy my time off for the rest of summer. I mean seriously, I'm sure I'll get hired for some other project come september. And I'll be honest, at first I was one of those naive people who was out on a tuesday getting hammered yelling "dude unemployment is AWESOME. I'm on EI, I get money for doing nothing!". Next thing I know it's fucking mid october and I'm finally having that panic attack. Followed by a quarter mid life crisis. See when you're unemployed you suddenly have time to THINK.

What am I even doing with my life?

Where am I going to be in 5 years?

Holy shit I'll be 28 in 5 years!

It's gross. And makes you drink more. But alas, starting November 30th I will be employed. Just in time for Christmas where my extreme holiday cheer kicks in and I buy a bunch of shit which pisses Franz off 'cause I attack him with holiday decorations and music that drives him nuts. At least now I'll be able to afford Bailey's to keep him happy. I have joined the drones and signed up for the Olympic army. At least I'll be working in the department that's sort of up my alley, aka the people who organize all the parties/events/medal/victory ceremonies. My plan to escape the Olympics are now demolished.

Frankly, I will look back at my 3 months of unemployment as quite a memorable time where I learned a few things of myself that I've been ignoring for 4 years because frankly, it's easy to ignore your own issues when wrapped in your daily life routine. But after almost drinking every day and discussing life with your 2 other unemployed friends, some things go "click", for better or worse. So here are some of the things that I've done during my no work period.

- went to bartending school. hopefully I can use my actual right to serve alcohol legally one day. who needs a wedding bartender?!
- used said new learnt drink recipes to entertain people at my house.
- created a make shift air conditioning system with franz during the vancouver heat wave of 2009 by putting a bucket of ice in front of a fan.
- finished my first feature length script.
- learned how to dress like a grown up/lady after numerous franz "you're not going to the morrissey" like that moments. apparently i know how to dress myself now.
- finally started watching mad men, it's always sunny in philadelphia and dexter in full season lengths.
- learnt that using cola, vanilla extract, coffee liquor and vodka makes a mean cocktail at 3 am on a monday night.
- going to tofino to escape quarter mid life crisis helps immensely.
- food on a budget - tomato sandwiches are AWESOME.
- food on a budget - spaghetti with watered down ketchup sauce is AWESOME.
- 13$ rain boots from canadian tire are way better then the expensive shiny designer rain boots.
- buying the cheaper brand of tequila is not though.
- start thinking of ways to make money, franz "we can become high priced escorts", Alexis "we can sell handmade dog balls!".
- day drinking and then taking a gin nap is WAY better then night drinking.
- also jogging and then drinking champagne is a great way to prepare yourself for a job interview at HMV.
- on that note, getting my dream job at HMV... 8 years late.
- wait I just remembered I have to call HMV and tell them I can't work for them.

in the end, unemployment blows but it had some great moments. so therefor, I salute you unemployment and all the ridiculousness you come with. now let us never meet again.

I leave you with my fave character from mad men, roger sterling.

music on reel

the other day i had the rare treat to catch a music video on muchmusic and it was miley cyrus. and it was stupid. now of course you can argue miley cyrus is stupid but honestly, i used to watch music videos from artists that i HATED cause back in the day, music videos were AWESOME. now, not so much. it's either disney friendly or some epic kanye west shit. same old, same old.

music videos were the first things to inspire me to become a filmmaker. i used to have a notebook full of music video ideas. i was a major music nerd/snob in high school and spent my days day dreaming in class listening to my walkman (hellz yes) thinking about how to pair the song with film. i seriously spent about 3 hours a day doing this. i couldn't help it. as soon as i heard a song i connected to, the reels in my head started turning. it also helped that you could turn on muchmusic and waste 4 hours watching music videos. anyone my age (between 20-25) remembers the golden age of music videos. the 90's was the decade for music videos. to elaborate dance sequences, to indie film makers breaking new ground (michel gondry, spike jonze) to rappers making videos that had a bit more substance then naked chicks and booze. I MISS IT.

now i could sit here and pretentiously type out what the BEST videos are, but that's easy. take your pick from michael jackson, radiohead or missy elliot. but this list are my fave videos that left a mark on me, that still have an impact on me, that made me watch muchmusic all day hoping it'll come on and that make me want to be a teen again scribbling in my notebook. lets go!

p.s i omitted any dance videos cause everyone knows i'm a huge dance nerds and there would be like 40 videos on here.

Bush - Swallowed
hey remember when gavin rossdale was hot? this video introduced us to Bush, which is all fine and dandy but this video stuck with me because of the sheer randomness. why is there a girl about to give birth? why is that one chick freaking out in the corner? why is a creepy old lady dancing when gavin starts losing it on his guitar? the lighting and slo-mo pull you in till the end. the parting shot of gavin with the immobile party-goers blew my mind for some reason. this made me want to find a crack addict house party and start moshing.


Everclear - Father of Mine
say what you want about everclear, but don't be hating on art alexakis. guy is one of the most honest and brilliant songwriters. he cuts right into the story and pairs it great with his pop friendly rock. as a pre-teen finally dealing with the aftermath of my parent's divorce, this song hit home and helped me deal. a lot of everclear's songs helped me deal with stuff so they will always have a special place in my heart. they had a lot of great videos like everything to everyone, but this one really shows off their ability to use their video to heighten the story of the song. all their videos were always colorful and memorable.
Father of Mine by Everclear


Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore.
This is how you shoot a one shot video. I didn't even dig this song from them (I was more a Siamese Dreams era fan) but this video made me love it. from the crazy art direction in every room billy enters, to darcy's creepy stalker dance, to the pan over the actual set (awesome) and james's creepy makeup, this video is just EPIC EPIC EPIC. you can't tear your eyes away. no matter what i was doing, when this came on i had to watch it. also, billy corgan's creepy nosferatu dancing at the beginning is AWESOME.
Smashing Pumpkins - ava adore


Beastie Boys - Sabotage
What can i say? it's a classic. it riles me up everytime. just brilliant. amazing concept. amazing editing.
beastie boys: sabotage


Prodigy - Breathe
i had no idea this kind of music even existed and this video brilliantly introduced me to the genre and i'm a huge fan of it now. so many great eye candy in this video. it also scared the shit out of me, but i could not turn away. same thing as ava adore, i had to watch the full thing everytime it played. the middle part when the hair grows out of the arm in fast motion still gives me goosebumps. great performance from the 2 leading singers in this band.


Jay-Z - 99 Problems
this is a more recent one but it just proves that jay-z is amazing. also take note pretentious filmmakers, black and white only works properly and has the effect you want when done right. aka with purpose. wait vincent gallo AND a dance sequence?! mind blown. jay-z getting shot down at the end? yeah you are the best rapper alive.


Linkin Park - Faint
another band i usually don't enjoy but blew me away with this video. brilliant concept. a truly fresh take on a performance video. when the camera finally reverses to reveal them it gives me chills. well played.


My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
Shitty band, amazing video. A great homage done to Rushmore that speaks to you. Amazing editing at the end, i dare you not to get riled up from it. awesome acting from the band. emo mcgee's scene with the cheerleader where he pulls out her eyelash is hilarious. actually this whole video is hilarious. great way to debut your band and get people's attention. Teenagers unite.


George Michael - Freedom
I could also make another list of early 90's videos cause I love that era and all it's pop music from it. But this one is so brilliant it would have been number one on that list. George Michael leaving Wham! and going solo was awesomely displayed by the burning of his leather jacket in this video while every single famous supermodel from that time are singing his lyrics. So 90's. so awesome. directed by david fincher!
George Michael - Freedom '90


Matthew Good Band - Apparitions
MGB ruled muchmusic in the late 90's and early 2000's. They put out video after video that played heavily and won them MMVA awards. The craze all mostly started with this one. Like everclear, MGB always used their videos to further show their story and out of all them, this one did it the best. Still gives me chills. Still makes me love Matt Good. Still reminds me what a huge crush i had on dave genn... and still do... WHY DID HE MARRY TAMARA TAGGART?!
Universal Music is a bitch and won't allow embedding so click on the link to see the beautiful music video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsljWSslr5s


so there you have it. i left some out, like The Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails or any Chemical Brother videos (check those out), but these still hold up as my faves and will cherish them till music videos become completely obsolete. sigh.

ta!

julia gulia

p.s listen to Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi f. MGMT and Ratatat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfAR5wKEp4A

amateur cooking hour. chicken.

Oh gorgeous summer, what better way than to celebrate you then cook a feast? Granted, living in Canada we are lucky to be blessed with all four seasons, each one bringing it's own urge and inspiration to cook a feast. But there's something about summer... maybe it's all the colors of the different fruits and vegetables that come with summer, maybe it's the easier process of inviting friends over at the last minute to join you at your feast, or maybe it's all that summer wine. Either way, summer cooking is a blast. And here at Franz and Julia's pad, there's always a reason to be cooking a stellar meal, come join us won't you, FOR FRANZ AND JULIA AMATEUR COOKING HOUR.

like most of our adventures, it all began on a late morning while I was surfing the internet and Franz was doing a crossword puzzle when:

Franz

"I wanna braise something"

Julia

"okay"

Franz

"I wanna braise a chicken, how do I do that?"

Julia

"Many ways... easiest is to sear it and then boil it in chicken broth with water."

Franz

"..."

Julia

"Or you can cook it in wine."

Franz

"Lets cook it in wine."

So after browsing through the grocery store, we decided upon braising chicken thighs with a vegetable medley and polenta. A little French inspired, but isn't there a Julia Child in all of us?

STEP 1

Adorn tacky apron you got from your parents from Christmas and taste the cooking wine.

STEP 2

Heat a frying pan with oil. Wait until pan is hot before putting chicken in. Let it fry on one side till brown, about 5 minutes. Put chicken thighs in a medium sized cooking pan or pot. Cut up some shallots, red onions, leeks, lemons and mushrooms and place on top of chicken. Pour red wine on top of everything until pan is half full, fill the rest with chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper, cover and place into oven at 400 F. Apparently I haven't cut onions in awhile cause I had tears like that day Michael Jackson died rolling down my face.

STEP 3

Making polenta. Apparently some people are scared to make this delicious alternative to mashed potatoes, but trust me, it's easy and quick. Buy some regular cornmeal, bring a pot of water to boil and slowly add the cornmeal while whisking. You'll notice it gets quite thick very easily. Stir it around until all water has been absorbed and it comes off clean from the side of your pot while stirring. 

We then poured our cooked polenta into a pie pan to cool off. You can lay it out on a baking sheet as well, but we wanted our slices to be thicker. Franz then grated some parmesan cheese on top, stuck it in the oven for ten minutes for the cheese to melt and then let it cool again. In the end, we were able to cut pie shaped slices out like a pizza. Awesome.

STEP 4

Vegetable Medley! Our picks this evening were zucchini, leeks and asparagus. We just cut them into little pieces and then let them fry in butter for like 15 minutes. We also put in some fresh thyme just as a little punch. At this time we also started cooking our chicken at 475 F cause it wasn't boiling yet. We also started poaching some white pearl onions in boiling red wine and chicken broth. Those puppies cooked for 30 minutes until they were nice and tender.

STEP 5

Le sauce. After taking our chicken out (cooked for an hour), we put the pieces on a plate and covered them to stay warm. I took the leftover broth, red wine and everything else that the chicken had cooked in and threw it into a blender. I mixed it until it was smooth, and voilà, instant sauce. The flavors were out of this world. Nothing like a bunch of stuff that has been cooking together to give you a mouthgasm.

STEP 6

Plating time, aka eating time. This meal was an epic success. The chicken was so tender and juicy. The polenta had a nice texture compared to the velvety and buttery flavor of the vegetables. The poached pearl onion was a nice add on to bring a stronger and crisp flavor to the mix.

STEP 7

Of course, all meals must end with a dessert. After our epic french meal, we decided to abuse cherry season and opt for a simple and refreshing dessert. We cut up some strawberries and cherries and then whipped up some cream. All we added to the cream was vanilla, sugar and cinammon. So delicious.

After that, all there was left to do was pour another glass of wine and enjoy the season finale of so you think you can dance. Thanks for joining us!

Ta!

Julia Gulia