NICK DANGER NOW!

The Future!

2009-12-12T16:11:00.002-05:00

Looking into the future, I will continue to try to develop my unique narrative voice in my writing. I plan on obtaining a typewriter, and trying to write something new each day. Maybe a page, maybe a half a page, maybe a poem or maybe an outline. I will be continuing to write as a music reporter for the paper, but I will be trying to push the boundaries a bit and try to foray more into new Journalism.

Maybe I'll go out on adventures, soley on the basis on writing creative non-fiction.

Review of Group Writing

2009-12-12T16:03:00.002-05:00

Personally, I didn't enjoy group writing too much. It was nice to get to know other students better, but I don't feel very attached to the story, nor the characters, and I'm not sure how much it helped become a better writer.

I understand how this illustrates the affects of editing on writing sometimes, and I know you can't write and not be edited, but I still will hold on to that hope. Editing may be determinental to solo-writing, but I'm not sure if its the same.

Reviewing another's blog

2009-12-12T16:02:00.002-05:00

So, I decided to review Kelly's blog.

I discovered that her voice transfer over pretty supremely into her words, which something I believe many writers stuggle with.

Her posts were well thought-out, yet sponatanoues, and (since I was also her in group), I understood and felt her group writing her view.

Also, the design is fantastic.

Hunter S. Thompson Presentation

2009-12-12T15:55:00.002-05:00

Slide 1-

Hunter S. Thompson : A True American Hero

Slide 2-

Who is Hunter S. Thompson?
Author Journalist, and Politician
Inventor of Gonzo Journalism
Key member of the New Journalism Movement
Author of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

Slide 3-

Memorable Use of Point-of-View
The use of a point-of-view perspective is a key aspect of Thompson’s work; and is an imperative component to Gonzo Journalism.
This effect is perfectly shown in the opening paragraphs of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which is considered by many as the high watermark of Gonzo.

Slide 4-

Excerpt (colors don't translate over to this post)
“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, "I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive . . ."And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about 100 miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming: "Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?"

Then it was quiet again. My attorney had taken his shirt off and was pouring beer on his chest, to facilitate the tanning process. "What the hell are you yelling about," he muttered, staring up at the sun with his eyes closed and covered with wraparound Spanish sunglasses. "Never mind," I said. "It's your turn to drive." I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red Shark toward the shoulder of the highway. No point mentioning those bats, I thought. The poor bastard will see them soon enough.”

Slide 5-

Analysis, Part one

Thompson’s unique use of point-of-view is exemplified in these highlighted phrases in many ways.
First of all - he pushes the devise of using point-of-view to it’s physical limits - the narrator is literally seeing things that are not there.
The fact that the narrator knows, and realizes, this, further characterizes him and helps drive the narrative and themes of the story.

Slide 6-

Analysis, Part Two

Thompson’s expert use of the first person bleeds over into his use of dialogue.
The character is so far gone from the drugs, that when he speaks, he is not even sure he is speaking.
He does this by saying “I remember saying..” and “A voice screaming…” when the main character speaks.
The manipulation of dialogue is a direct bi-product of Thompson’s masterful use of point-of-view.

Slide 7-

Importance

Thompson’s use of point-of-view had an incredible impact on Journalism, and therefore fiction.
By filtering reality through it’s writer (the narrator, Raoul Duke, is Thompson’s alter-ego), it created a unique form of story-telling, which lays somewhere in between fiction and non-fiction.
This foundation is almost entirely built on the ability to tell a story through the point-of-view of the narrator.

Slide 8-

(an Awesome Picture of Hunter S. Thompson that says "Professionalism" underneath it.)

Week 12

2009-12-12T15:45:00.002-05:00

I enjoyed the presentations in class today. One I was particullary fascinated by was Frank's on Sherwood Anderson.

The idea of creating a seperate, fictional book, inside of a book, was very interesting to me. I like the idea of a subjunctive reality, and it was a rather inlightening philosphy.

Very well done.

Fiction Project 3

2009-12-12T15:41:00.002-05:00

So here's my idea for the third fiction project: I want to create a world where everyone has a corresponding faceless person, which represents the filling of the void created by emotional needs. I want it to say a lot more than that as well. It'll follow a family, introduce the reader to the world, create tension through the lack of knowing how to respond to what's going on.

That's it for now - I hope it's digable!

Short Scene with Dialouge

2009-10-29T15:06:00.001-04:00

I'm going to use this as a chance to point out my work as a filmmaker -

http://hfcfilms.com/film

and go to When the Tin Man Needs a Heart, or 01 An Untitled Sonata, if you dig.

They are both screenplays I wrote and later films I directed based on the idea of the importance of conversation.

Please dig!

Publishing

2009-10-29T15:04:00.003-04:00

A Scene of Me Dealing with Publishing-

"What, I need an agent to get published by a big house?"
...
"But I can't get one if I'm not published?"
...
"That's a catch 22, you realize that right?"
...
"Yes, I know you published the book."
..
"Ye- yeah, you have a good day too."

I hang up the phone, and turn to my Obama-cia.

"Barack, I believe I want to publish my own book - indie style. You dig?"
[implied nod]
[Mental Fist Bump]

I leave.

Un-Realism

2009-10-15T15:41:00.002-04:00

Hmm.... un-realism

Well, one of the first things I can think of is the scene in Dan Brown's Deception Point, where they find themselves on an oil platform surrounded by hammerhead sharks... as it sinks...at the critical moment in the story.

Usually, it would through me out of the story, citing the lack of realism as a distraction. But to the contrary, this lack of realism only played with the already extreme tone of the book, and I know only question it years later in retrospect. So I guess Dan Brown is good at that.

Also - the 'black' robots in Transformers 2... I'm not sure if they are just unbelieveable or it was unbelieveable that Michael Bay would actually put them in there... it was pretty racist. Also, Megan Fox's clothes never really get that dirty. Strange...

Projecto numero dos

2009-10-06T12:21:00.003-04:00

I fucking hate spanish.

Anyway, here is my tentative idea/outline for project #2.

I am going to adapt my first idea, and create a story in which tension is built between two characers... one of which turns out to be a man, the other, a coffee maker. The tension will come with either the coffeemakers inability to talk, or the man's desire to destroy the coffeemaker because it won't talk. Or a combination of both. I haven't decided.

Anyway, it will resolve itself with either the realization that the man is lonely and crazy, or that the coffee maker is dead and bleeding coffee beans.

That's what I've got for now.

-N

Writing

2009-10-06T12:15:00.002-04:00

My stengths, weaknesses, influences and goals for improvement... this will be an introspective exercise.

I believe my stengths lie in my ability to create conversational writing, which allows my words to have a distinct voice. Recently, I believe my weaknesses lie in fact that I am not angry enough, or angsty enough, as I like to be. This is my goal, at least recently, is to take my conversational strengths and add a bit of bite into them.

My three favorite authors are - JD Salinger, Hunter S. Thompson, and Chuck Klosterman.

I believe that Klosterman retains a very distinct and conversational voice, which I value. Thompson has a unique voice as well, but his words can hurt, add energy, create tension even when there isn't any. Salinger is, in my opinion, just a perfect writer... with a unique voice and beautiful storytelling technique.

I would love to find myself as some kind of cross between Salinger and HST, which I realize are on opposite ends of the spectrum... but I believe it can be done.

Switching up the Story

2009-09-21T23:21:00.002-04:00

So I decided to switch up my short story.

I felt like my older idea couldn't fit into Man v. Man conflict, so I am instead going with another idea, which I have written into a draft.

It's about a man watching another man and a woman talk. He narrates the story, seeing how both the man and the woman really want to have a true conversation, but can't, and therefore resolve not to talk at all.

The outside man views this, and reflects on it.

It's less crazy than my last idea, but it could be okay.

N

Using an Unreliable Narrator

2009-09-17T12:28:00.001-04:00

The following is a short sequence that I've written using an unreliable narrator. Feel free to comment.

---

I’m a bastard.

I thought you should know this before I got into this whole shitty situation, as it may be helpful to figure out what the hell I’m talking about. She, on the other hand, isn’t a bastard, just so you know too.

All I did was tell her how I felt. I figured being honest was the best way to cut it all off, but I guess she didn’t feel the same. When I told her, she started crying, and I calmly asked her to stop. When she didn’t, my inner bastard came out and I flipped some shit and walked out.

Now, three days later, I’m at her goddamn door and she’s not answering. Pisses the fuck out of me… does that sentence make sense? Fuck if it it doesn’t.

Anyway, I wrote her a letter and left. I think it was a nice one, but hell if I know. It could be heinous by your standards, but to mine it seems pretty damn cordial.

I got in my ford escort and got the fuck out of there.

---

I used a self-criminalizing technique to undermine my narrator. By the narrator admitting that he's unreliable, or at least skewed, it puts doubts in the readers mind. That, combined with an admitted skewing of the narrators perspective, also in turn let the readers know that it is in fact skewed, therefore making him even more unreliable.

Also, by not including any dialogue, I took away all the 'hard evidence' of the situation... giving the reader only the narrators point of view and inner thoughts of the said events, rather than any inkling of their true nature.

Therefore, I think I've mad a pretty unreliable narrator.

Plots & Conflicts

2009-09-14T23:42:00.003-04:00

I've been mulling the idea around for our first fiction project in my head for quite some time now.

Here's what I've got.

I want to do a story where the conflict is between two men. One happens to do most of the talking, where the other talks, say, sparingly.

The conflict esclates, mostly about loniliness, and then is resolved.

The quiet man ends up being a coffee machine.

Hope you dig it.

Characterization

2009-09-14T23:27:00.002-04:00

What makes a Character?

This question seems to hold a good amount of weight when it comes to Creative Writing. Almost every narrative story has at least one character, and it is in those characters where we relate and remember, forgive and forget, and liken ourselves too.

But any John Doe with a pen and some paper can create a character... but it's only great writer's who create ones that are complex enough to become part of our lives after we put down the book.

What makes a character fully developed?

To me, I believe it lies within the author's ability to write what is not written directly on the page.

What I mean by this is that the some of the greatest characters in literature (Holden Caulfield, Seymour Glass, Zooey Glass, Franny Glass [I apologize for all the Salinger references... I can't help it]) have the majority of their emotions lie below the surface. Great writers (like Salinger) can give a character such complexity that them not writing something makes the character even deeper. Real people don't go around and gloat about their thought processes and problems, do they? No. So when authors try to develop characters in that vein it inevitably fails.

Although I sadly haven't read much of Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises is sitting pretty high on my to-read list), I believe that his iceberg philosophy of writing can be attributed directly into characterization. His characters in "Hills Like White Elephants" show this perfectly. They are so deep and personal but say so little.

Great characters are complex, but realistic characters who people can relate too. So, great characterization comes from achieving those goals.

(500) Days of Summer

2009-07-24T23:07:00.002-04:00

Was (500) Days of Summer the best movie I’ve ever seen? As a reviewer, I’m supposed to say no… but I’m not sure if I can. I’m not sure if it was the best, but I am sure it’s pretty damn close.

(500) Days of Summer, directed by music video veteran Marc Webb, is funny, smart, and not pretentious. The script, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (of Pink Panther 2) is one of the most original of the decade. It provides the A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius generation an cinematic anthem for them to rally behind.

(500) Days of Summer tells of the relationship of Tom (Joseph Gordan-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) through their 500-day relationship, in random order. Yet, much like Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s 21 Grams, it maintains it’s dramatic art and leaves a lasting impact.

Both Gordan-Levitt and Deschanel provide landmark performances, especially Gordan-Levitt, who has and will continue to be a rising leading man in our cinematic landscape. You feel his every up and down, and you’re with him to the very end.

I’d be doing a disservice to you if I described the movies plot in detail, but know that it is exactly how the trailer describes it, however cheesy it may sound, “This is not a love story. This is a story about Love.”

God, I am certain that the cinematic hounds are going to reign in on me any minute for providing such a glowing review, free of any real critiques. If every aspect of criticism is actually part autobiography, then this is my WEINGARTNER by Nick Weingartner, and I am fully aware of it.

For all its worth, however negligible it may be to you, I suggest this movie with highest regards. I felt every reference, and felt as if I were literally attached to every actor. It was great film that said a lot, but it didn’t make a point of doing so. It was important, but it wasn’t self-important, and it will soon join the ranks of films like Garden State as a cult classic of a new generation. I mean, damn, there’s even a part where Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) looks into a car for his reflection and sees Han Solo… how can you beat something like that?

By all means, take or leave my advice. But I’ll tell you that if you choose the latter, you’ll be missing one of the best, most original and most beautiful films of not only the summer, nor year, but maybe the decade.

POST-SCRIPT (written many a while later): Have you ever seen a movie and been thrown into a fit of joy? That’s when I wrote this review, and I think that that says plenty about the quality of the film. I apologize for any over-hyping that may or may not have occurred because of this.

MOON

2009-07-18T23:56:00.001-04:00

Moon is just about the best damn movie of the summer. In fact, it may just be the best piece of science fiction since The Matrix, or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, if you count the latter into the genre.

The movie is a tour-de-force. Duncan Jones’ (formerly Zowie Bowie) story and direction is immaculate, Nathan Parker’s screenplay is amazing, Clint Mansell provides his best since The Fountain, and if Sam Rockwell doesn’t get an Oscar for his performance as Sam Bell… well, let’s just say that I’ll lose all faith in the Academy.

I am confident enough to say that Moon has renewed my faith in film as a medium. After facing letdown after letdown and seeing pretension reeking havoc in independent and ‘art film’, I have been slowly becoming disillusioned with it all. But Moon is one of those movies that leaves you with a feeling when you leave the theater… it makes you think, appreciate, and actually view life a little bit differently.

Now I’m not going to belittle the film by cracking into its plot and such here. Just go see the film and experience it for yourself. I know I’m probably doing it injustice by hyping it up so much, but I can’t help myself. Even though the movie has already been reviewed by one of the websites I write for (JustPressPlay.Net), I find myself rushing home from the theater to whittle at my keyboard and hope to drum up some response that will represent the film for what it is.

It’s not perfect, but it’s damn near close, and if you have been finding yourself losing faith in filmmaking, then just get to your local theater, pay their outrageous prices, and sit down and watch this film. You will not regret it.

Fear and Loathing in Pennsylvania

2009-06-23T19:56:00.005-04:00

Hey all,

I'm sorry this website isn't updated as much as it used to be... I've spent the majority of my writing time focusing on my two other gigs, JustPressPlay.Net and IFC's Make Media Matter. Still, this website and the small following it (at least used to) have, mean a lot to me, and I still wish to update in the most irregular way deamed possible.

I've just finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by the infamous Hunter S. Thompson, and I must say that I'm not quite sure I'm impressed as I thought I was going to be. The book is for sure a ride, and reading it I see how important it was at the time - in 'the year of Our Lord, 1971', just after the 60's ended - and that's where most of the themes lie.

Thompson's most insightful remarks in the book regard the fact that the optimism of the 60s is dead, and while searching for the American Dream in early 70s Vegas, he found that maybe the American Dream is too.

But I'm not sure, and this is because I'm not totally sure of the narrative. I like what it does, and what it was trying to do (Thompson called it a 'failed experiment in Gonzo Journalism'), and even what it says - but it was a bit exhausting to read; as 204 pages of two guys on a mad drug trip tends to be.

Even after finishing it, I'm not sure if I even like the characters. Only because I have read a good portion of Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 before this (I had to return the book, but don't worry, I'll someday buy it and finish it), I like HST. But as for his companion, I do not share the same feelings. He's pretty much just an asshole.

Still, I like Fear and Loathing, and what is says, but I think I like the story and stigma that surrounds it much more.

But anyway, back to reality. I'm on my goal towards reading/finishing 10 books this summer (last summer I did 9 and 3/4), and I'm four down so far - Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller (finished that last quarter from last summer), Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, Screw-Jack by Hunter S. Thompson (I think I like this more than Fear and Loathing), and of course, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by him as well. I still plan to read the 'and Other American Stories' part of the book (It's the modern library hardcover, so they through alot of extra stuff in, like the original jacket copy, "Strange Rumblings in Aztlan" and "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved"). I've got a few ideas for whats next on the list, but here's what I'm contempating (the latter of the two which I have already started):

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

No Logo by Naomi Klen

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

and I hope to buy/read

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

V. by Thomas Pynchon

Tapping the Source by Kem Nunn

Seymour: An Introduction and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters by J.D. Salinger

and maybe City of Theives by David Benioff.

I don't know, but that's what I'm thinking.

ANYWAY, thank you all of you for still reading, if you have made it to this point, and I hope to be in touch.

In the meantime, keep updated on JustPressPlay.Net and IFC.com/MakeMediaMatter and have a great summer.

With Love,

Nick

Update

2009-06-02T16:51:00.003-04:00

Hey all,

I've got a few new articles on some other sites I thought you'd like to check out:

"Is YouTube Becoming the New Napster?" on IFC Make Media Matter Website

"We Bet Our Money On You Review" on JustPressPlay.Net.

It'd be awesome if you checked them out!

-Nick

Just Press Play Article

2009-05-21T20:29:00.003-04:00

Hey all!

Check out my article on my Top 5 Summer Albums at JustPressPlay.Net!

Sorry about not updating this more often, but check that shiznat out and I'll be back soon.

-Nick

Apologies! It's Finals Time!

2009-05-07T18:02:00.002-04:00

Hey all,

I realized I've been slacking lately, and I'm very sorry! Schools coming to an end, which of course means mounds of work and finals, so I haven't had much time to post, but don't worry it will happen soon.

I'll probably start posting much more regularly starting in mid-May, when I get back for summer and get things moving into chill mode.

Also, I was just offered (and accepted) a staff position writing for JustPressPlay.Net! I'll be blogging on music, and reviewing both albums and movies for them. They're awesome people and they've got a great site, and I'm really excited to be working with them!

So check them out in the meantime and check back soon and I'll be posting in no time!

Nick

"I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell"

2009-04-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

After I read books, I always write in the back (with the exception of classic hardcovers) the exact time, date, and place I finished them, and my thoughts on them.

These are my notes after I read I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max:

"Book Finished 3:44 / 3:45 PM on Weds., 4/29/09, [hall name] at Hofstra, NY.

Thoughts-> Tucker Max is potentially the worse person to have ever lived (discounting Hitler, murders, and actual killers) so I guess he is the worse non-law breaker in history.

That being said, this book is hilarious & addicting, but still makes me thank God that people exist that aren't him. He makes me never want to drink/smoke again, and wait until marriage for sex."

That's what I wrote. This book made me laugh out loud many times, but also made me disgusted about every 6 words.

So check it out if your up for it, but if you aren't, stay away.

Is the Internet Awesome?

2009-04-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

So I searched "Internet Awesome" and found this site.

It's for some company that does some thing - not totally sure, but its a cool marketing idea.

IstheInternetAwesome.com

Thought I'd pass it on to you guys.

-Nick

Apologizing for the Missed Posts!

2009-04-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

I have very little time to write right this second, but I just wanted to apologize for not posting so much this weekend - its the first time I missed in a while and it makes me sad inside. I did do some very awesome things though in the time spent and can't wait to write about them.

But for now, I must rest, and I'll write tomorrow.

Nick

Angry German Kid

2009-04-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Seriously, this kid needs to chill.

WATCH HERE!

I can't tell if I'm amused or a bit disturbed.

(He may or not be an actor, but I'm not sure.)

Comtemplating a World Currency

2009-04-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

With Europe already achieving in the creation of the Euro, and Former Mexican President Vincente Fox fighting for the Amero, how long will it take until the world comes under a single currency?

It's impossible to tell. But how would it effect us?

Currently, values of different types of money go up and down and effect everyone else. When the American dollar drops in value, so does the Canadian, Mexican and Japanese (usually) and when we travel we constantly have to change our money for their money and vice versa.

But if we operate in a world economy, what would be the harm of having a world currency? It seems as though it wouldn't hurt anyone, and it would probably stabilize the world economically for a bit, and keep countries all over the world from risking inflation.

One of my professors had talked about a time in Germany right before the Nazi Regime, where the German dollar was almost worthless, and it would cost hundreds of them just to reach the value for a loaf of bread.

This would of never occurred if it had been under world currency, and perhaps then the German people wouldn't have been exploited so much by Hitler, which would of had an effect on our world history as we know it.

Now, I'm not saying WW2 happened because we didn't share the same currency - that would be ridiculous. But I do think in a time where the American dollar is dropping in value daily, that we consider the option of establishing such a currency, or at least talk about it a bit.

Book Selections

2009-04-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hey all,

I thought I'd post about books for awhile; a few I'm working on reading, a few of my favorites, and a few of my suggestions for ya'll to take a look at.

Books I'm Working On:

1. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 - Hunter S. Thompson

2. The Motorcycle Diaries - Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

3. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

Book I soon Hope to be Working On:

1. Tapping the Source - Kem Nunn

2. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - Tucker Max

3. Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpeteners and Seymour: An Introduction - J.D Salinger

4. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

5. The Heart Breaking Work of a Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers

Some of My Favorites:

1. West of Jesus - Steven Kotler

2. Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger

3. Everything by Chuck Klosterman

4. Into The Wild - Jon Krakauer

5. The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundrea

Current Suggestions:

1. Franny and Zooey - JD Salinger

2. Yes Man - Danny Wallace

3. Fargo Rock City - Chuck Klosterman

4. Choke - Chuck Palachniuk

5. Rebels on the Backlot - Sharon Waxman

Paper-ed Out

2009-04-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I spent in the library doing a 10-20 page paper on America's Health Care System and it's effect on the economy.

Afterwards I studied and took a French Test.

Before that I had to hand splice a black and white film for a film production class.

And I'm paper-ed out, and my allergies are killing me.

So I apologize for this short post, but I my mind is no longer functioning on a writing basis for this short time being, but tomorrow I will be back with a post about how I may be living in the worst place to have allergies ever.

And maybe after that on how I'm addicted to HOUSE.

Until then,

Nick Danger.

"Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson"

2009-04-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

This movie is amazing.

I saw it a few weeks/months ago when I was back home, and I've been thinking about it every since.

Hunter S. Thompson was one crazy bitch. The guy lead an amazing life, and is in a way someone to be revered, and someone to be pitied - and this documentary catches it all perfectly.

Watch the trailer, rent the movie, and tell me what you think.

You'll at the very least have a new found love for journalism.

Sunday Genius #4 : Jeff Magnum

2009-04-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

One day, I'll write more in-depth about how much of a genius Jeff Magnum of Neutral Milk Hotel is.

But for now, just listen to this song - "Little Birds" - it's the only recording of it and is the only known song that he wrote and played in public after In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - which is one of the best albums ever written.

WATCH IT.

Adventureland Phone Review!

2009-04-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

Recently, I guest-starred on my friend Alex Stenman's Video Blog, doing an in-depth phone review of Adventureland which is now posted on his blog.

Check it OUT!

Stenman's video blog is great and I highly recommend you check it out more often!

"Naked" Review

2009-04-17T06:00:00.001-04:00

No, I am not naked while writing this review.

But instead I'm reviewing a book I recently read, called Naked written by David Sedaris.

Naked is a memoir of sorts, with each chapter being akin to a different essay written on a specific incident, or series of incidents, in Sedaris' life.

It's pretty funny. The author hitchhikes America with a quadriplegic companion, spends his childhood shaking his head as fast as he can to get a headache (among other things, like licking windshields and making high pitched noises for no reason), gets bit by a naked old woman on the first day of his new job at a mental asylum, picks apples in Oregon and in doing so mistakenly befriends a creepy man named Curly who has dozens of fake penises in his room, and so on.

It's full of stories like these, but the book lacked a certain linear quality for me.

I love books of essays, and I love books with full stories - but as this was advertised as a memoir, rather than a book of essays (like his first - Barrel Fever) I felt like something was missing.

Not to mention the author has a habit of leaving us with annoying cliffhangers - or more like stories that just end. When you read 20-30 pages of a essay-like story, and the author just ends it with a cliffhanger, it's annoying as hell.

One other thing that bothered me about the book, was the graphic description of sex. Sedaris is gay, which is totally cool, but in the book provides a little to much description about sex acts - one line being "a fistful of flesh" comes to mind, which would be nasty in any context - and an incident where he talks of attempting to masturbate to the image of a young man outside (while staying at a nudist colony in Pennsylvania). Acknowledging these events is fine, and story-serving, but his description is to the point where it could probably make any reader uncomfortable.

But on that note, the book is still pretty funny, and is a good read if you need to pass sometime. I wouldn't read it again, but then again there are few books I would, but if you've got sometime to kill and want to laugh a bit - check it out.

"Franny and Zooey" Review

2009-04-16T06:00:00.004-04:00

So, I'm a little behind on the times.

I just finished reading a few books while away; and one of them was J.D Salinger's Franny and Zooey.

Published in 1961, the "novel" consists of a short story named "Franny" and a novella named "Zooey". The two are title characters, and Franny ends up playing a major role in the Zooey portion of the text.

Franny and Zooey revolves around the Glass family, a fictional family in which many Salinger short stories are based on. The family is a family of almost geniuses, with 3 brothers, 2 sisters and an eccentric mother.

Franny and Zooey was great. I have to admit, earlier this year was I finally read The Catcher in the Rye, and like most - I loved it. But Franny and Zooey is much different from Catcher, from the telling of the story (Catcher in first person, Franny and Zooey in third) and though they both smell of Salinger's classic Teen Angst, Franny and Zooey reaches higher philosophical aspirations that Catcher does.

That being said, I still like Catcher more.

But I highly recommend Franny and Zooey not only to Salinger regulars, but to anyone really. It's simply a great book, and Salinger is simply a great writer.

So check it out - it'll be worth your time.

Jeff Magnum Is a Genius

2009-04-16T06:00:00.002-04:00

As you might have already heard - I'm a huge fan of Neutral Milk Hotel.

I happen to think that they're second album, In an Aeroplane Over the Sea, is one of the greatest ever written, and I've just got ahold of they're first - On Avery Island - and it's also awesome.

Recently I've been searching youtube for different live performances Jeff has done, and I keep running into songs that I've never heard - they're probably from one of the many demos / EPs / maybe LPs he recorded before On Avery Island and only released to friends.

But I ran into this song - "My Dream Girl Don't Exist" - and it's absouletly amazing. I think it's a companion song to one of the songs on In an Aeroplane Over the Sea - "Ghost" if I'm correct - as they share a line and melody towards the end, and he says it's is a companion to a song on the album before he performs as well.

Check it out HERE on youtube.

and PS, Mr. Magnum, if you happen to be reading this, please come out of wherever you are currently hiding and release some new music.

"Jaydiohead"

2009-04-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

I know I might be late on this, but if you haven't already heard of Jaydiohead - you need too.

Mixed by Max Tannone (formerly known as Minty Fresh Productions), the album mixes Jay-Z's words with Radiohead's music.

Reminiscent of course of DJ Danger Mouse's The Grey Album, which mixed Jay-Z's Black Album with The Beatles White Album, it brought the mash-up genre into the limelight, and they have since remained in the public eye with acts like Girl Talk, an artist whose music is entirely made of other peoples music.

Tannone's mix brilliantly marries the two artists beautifully, however opposed their music was to each other's before.

And the best part is, like most mash-ups, it's free.

So Download Max Tennone's Jaydiohead HERE.

And while your at it, download Girl Talk's most recently (and arguably best) album, Feed the Animals - HERE.

And, what the hell, get Danger Mouse's The Grey Album too. HERE it is. This one is harder to get off the internet because The Beatles are probably still pissed about it.

Happy Listening!

-Nick Danger

I'm Back! - Nick's Trip to Curaçao

2009-04-14T06:00:00.005-04:00

Hey all, I just arrived back from an amazing trip to the island of Curaçao in the Netherlands Antillies!

It was awesome. Just 45 miles off the coast of Venezuela, it was warm as hell - which is a great change for someone based out of New York.

The island isn't as well known as it's Dutch counterparts- Aruba and Bonaire - and I'm not totally sure why. Inhabited by only 140,796 people (Thank you, Wikipedia), it is the largest of the ABC islands, with 144 square miles (thanks again) of space.

The largest city/town on the island is Williamsted, which is oddly more European than you'd assume. With a floating bridge, alleyway shopping and Amsterdam-style Cafes, it's obviously that the Dutch haven't left the island out to dry.

Half (or probably more) of the tourists there were Dutch, and from this I have deduced I will never be able to speak they're language.

But the cool thing about Curaçao and the other ABC islands is that they speak a language entirely unique - Papiamentu (or Papiamento, in Aruba) which is a combination of English, Spanish, French, Dutch and Indian Tounges, which linguistically dates them back to all of the countries that have settled there throughout history.

The island is beautiful. My family and I rented out a Jeep Wrangler (all the tourists get white ones, so I guess people knew what was coming when we started driving) and gave the island a tour.

Once you leave the more heavily populated area of Williamsted, the island is almost empty. The hills and terrain roll for uninterrupted miles and the beaches are very secluded. In fact, we may have found treasure on one of them (looks like a silver Galleon or something, but it could defiantly be fake) and the people were great.

Overall, the island seemed to be a combination of the Caribbean, Europe, and it's landscape reminded me a lot of Hawaii - specifically the islands of Maui and Kaua'i.

The only downside is that prostitution is legal there, and according to my wikipedia search, the island holds the largest open-air brothel of the entire Caribbean.

But I never saw it, and I think we only saw one prostitute, which is good.

Oh, and the drinking age is 18, and they import a brand of bear called Polar from Venezuela, and it's awesome.

So overall, my trip to Curaçao was great. I suggest the island to any and all travelers interested in the Caribbean.

This is Just Scary (Nick's Picks for Pix #10)

2009-04-13T06:00:00.003-04:00

How much did he get payed to model for this?

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 1 DAY!

Marilyn Manson Without Makeup! (Nick's Picks for Pix #9)

2009-04-12T06:00:00.002-04:00

Just as scary.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 2 DAYS!

Double Face! (Nick's Picks for Pix #8)

2009-04-11T06:00:00.003-04:00

As I'm scared of the back of this guy's head, I'm still amazed by the fact he has a head-stache.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 3 DAYS!

Too Many Hemingways (Nick's Picks for Pix #7)

2009-04-10T06:00:00.003-04:00

It's alot of work to grow a beard - think about that. Oh, and that dude's medal is much more than a medal- it's a frisbee made of steel.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 4 DAYS!

A Book I'm Afraid to Read (Nick's Picks for Pix #6)

2009-04-09T06:00:00.003-04:00

Let's be honest - it's probably awesome. Or at least concerning.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 5 DAYS!

The Jaws of Life (Nick's Picks for Pix #5)

2009-04-08T06:00:00.003-04:00

One day - if I get remotely good at surfing and get over my fear of the ocean.

So probably never.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 6 DAYS!

I Need to See This (Nick's Picks for Pix #4)

2009-04-07T06:00:00.004-04:00

I'm thinking Oscar-worthy.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 7 DAYS!

Way Too Many Beers (Nick's Picks for Pix #3)

2009-04-06T23:21:00.003-04:00

Thankfully, I have never run into this problem.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 8 DAYS!

Canopy Dress (Nick's Picks for Pix #2)

2009-04-05T06:00:00.005-04:00

Do you have to hire people to help you walk down the isle? How would the groom kiss the bride? Too many questions.

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 9 DAYS!

Too Many Beers (Nick's Picks for Pix #1)

2009-04-04T06:00:00.005-04:00

Probably a bad decision. Did he do this himself?

NICK WILL RETURN HOME IN 10 DAYS!

Embarkation ( Bon Voyage to Nick!)

2009-04-03T06:00:00.004-04:00

Hello All!

I am about to embark on an amazing journey for spring break - to somewhere in the tropics.

I am finally going to turn my brain off for awhile- and just read some good books and get some good sun; and in doing this hopefully figure out my life.

But don't worry! I'll still be having posts saved to be posted for you, and the best thing is - they'll have a theme!

They'll be called - "Interesting Pictures Nick Danger Found on the InterWeb"

Maybe it's too long.

So how about - "Nick Danger's Interesting Pictures"

Nah... "Nix's Pix!"

That's totally it.

Tune in starting tomorrow for some awesome-ness!

Bon Voyage, to Me!

NICK DANGER

"YES MAN"

2009-04-02T06:00:00.001-04:00

Recently I finished Yes Man.

Now, not the movie, but rather the book written by Danny Wallace, about his real-life experience of saying Yes - to everything.

It's a great book, and even though I loved the movie, I think it's much better than the movie. It's much more realistic, and the movie seemed to just take the concept and run with it - leaving the book a unique experience un-replicated by modern cinema.

Read it. It's actually motivating, and really really enjoyable. The English humour takes a bit to catch on at first, but after a few chapters it becomes natural and in due to time you begin to want some English tea every time you read it.

So, say YES to this post, and go and buy this book. It's brilliant, and as some critic said sometime about it - it actually has the ability to change your life.

Love,

(awesome signature here)

Nick Danger

The Crossword is Hard as Hell

2009-04-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Today I attempted to do a New York Times Crossword Puzzle.

Today I failed at completing a New York Times Crossword Puzzle.

Even thought it's early on in the week, its extremely difficult.

I feel like I'm having Deja Vu right now, which is weird. But back to the story.

The puzzle is full of things you don't normally store in your brain, but after seeing "Kicking and Screaming" (1995's by Noah Baumbach) a few times - I decided that it would a good habit to pick up.

So today started my journey, and I perhaps inevitably ran into failure, but it's still cool - because I learned an Eagle's Nest is also know as a Eyrie.

To the Crossword!

PS - even Spell Check didn't know what an Eyrie was!

Burnt Out as Hell

2009-03-31T06:00:00.002-04:00

I am burnt out.

Combining film shoots with academics with work and everything- I've been running non-stop morning to night everyday for weeks.

Now, there's advantages to this - being that I am getting a lot done, but to tell you the truth it doesn't feel like it. I feel like I'm running on a treadmill and barely moving at all.

My room is a mess - I wish I had a picture to show you - to the point where I sometimes have trouble walking across it to get to bed.

I'm pretty much just banking on Spring Break coming, where I will get some much needed Rest and Relaxation and get my head back on straight.

So, for all you out there that are burnt out too - I feel you.

Keep checking back for awesome post-age!

My New Favorite Snapple

2009-03-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Lemonade is great. Iced Tea is alright. Snapple is wonderful.

Therefore, Snapple Lemonade Iced Tea is AMAZING.

I first begun my tango with this flavor on a fateful night of festivites, and it has since evolved into my new favorite (overcoming Peach).

Go try it.

-Danger

A Break from Sunday Genius - NEW 500 DAYS TRAILER

2009-03-29T11:48:00.002-04:00

Hey all,

I took a break from my Sunday Genius series to tell you that-

THERE IS A NEW TRAILER FOR "500 Days of Summer"!

Here IT is.

LOOK AT IT NOW!

-Nick

"Strange Kid Singing"

2009-03-28T06:00:00.002-04:00

Look at the picture. Let your imagination run wild.

NOW WATCH THIS!

You'll thank me later.

"Away We Go"

2009-03-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

So after I began my fervor about "Where the Wild Things Are", I looked into the credits and realized that it was written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers. So I asked myself, who is this Dave Eggers?

So I looked him up, and he's written one other movie (well, co-written). And guess whose directing it?

SAM MENDES.

WITH JOHN KRANSINSKI (the office) and MAYA RUDOLPH (SNL).

And its completely different than everything Mendes has done (American Beauty, The Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road) and looks totally indie and amazing.

Oh, and the writing and acting looks amazingly amazing.

Oh, and it's DPed by Ellen Kuras - who did eternal sunshine of the spotless mind.

Damn, I'm excited for this movie.

Check IT out!

"Where The Wild Things Are" Trailer

2009-03-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

So I'm not sure if you heard yet - but the "Where the Wild Things Are" trailer - a movie based on the awesome childrens book, and directed by SPIKE JONZE - has been released!

I've been physced for this movie for a while. I'm a huge fan of Jonze (director of "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation.", among others) and when I heard he was combining eight to tweleve foot tall anamatronics with CGI - I knew it'd be awesome.

So here IT is! Let me know what you think!

Battle of the Bands

2009-03-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

Last night my band and I played battle of the bands at Hofstra University. It was a good time.

Punk Chameleon is the name - and the band usually just is me, and whoever I can get to play at anytime; so that's how the recordings are.

So when it came to assembling the band- I called on some recording's all-stars (Sam, Thomas, Brian, Winslow) and we jammed out using a drumset made of laundry bins and stop signs, and just had a good time.

It was fun. We had fun and I think others did too.

And that's all the matters.

- I mad tired, so im going to bed, but talk to you all soon!

The Fray Covers Kanye's Heatless

2009-03-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hey all,

I ran across this the other day, and it's pretty amazing. Normally I hate the Fray, but here they cover Kanye's "Heartless", and its badass.

Check IT out

The Economic Stimulus

2009-03-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Seems like the Obama's Economic Stimulus is getting a lot of heat these days - mainly because of its size ($ 787 billion) and the defecit it will put us in for a bit.

But I came across this article by Paul Krugman - a nobel prize winning economist - who argues that the stimulus isn't big enough.

Check it out.

Sunday Genius: Genius #3 - Bill Gates

2009-03-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

Bill Gates is a hell-of-a genius. He bought and sold, negoitatied and stole his way all the way to the top. He may be the only reason why our country had a federal surplus in the 1990s.

I've been obsessed with Gates and Jobs and the Personal Computer Revolution since I was very young- and this mostly has to do with a little film that little or no people have seen - called "Pirates of Silicon Valley". It's a 'docu-drama' both attempting historically actuaturate and dramatizeing the experience.

And it's one of the few movies I may have seen 50+ times, at least. And it's still awesome each time.

Where Jobs is an artist, Gates is just a genius. He sold IBM an operating system he didn't have, and used their egotism against them and kept the rights to it and liscenced it to other competitors.

Bill Gates is basically the shiz-nat.

PS, check out the movie - and tell me if you love it to. Buy it HERE. And believe me, it's worth it to just buy it.

"The Holly Jolly Jib Jive"

2009-03-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

I just wanted to let you know I've been getting my filmmaking groove on lately as well. Shooting tomorrow is a film I wrote and am currently producing called "The Holly Jolly Jib Jive". It's being directed by a good fellow named Jonathan Lauder, and its about a guys mission to get a girl in a universe where they speak in jazz speak, and where every line rhymes like a poem.

We've been preparing for quite a while, and not only will I be producing on set tomorrow, but I will also be taking the role of "Teacher", where I will constantly babble meaningless words.

I think we've got all the pieces in the right place, with a great director, DP and crew included. I'm pretty psyched; so wish us luck!

In the meanwhile, check out Incubus's "Make Yourself" Release of a few years back - I've been listening to it a bunch lately and it's still amazing.

God Bless!

Nick Danger

Political Science is Killing Me

2009-03-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry to say I've got no ground breaking post for today. I've spent all my recent time studying for my massive Contemporay Issues in Politics Class, and have been trying to memorize things like the Six attributes in a Perfectly Competitive Marketplace, the 5 Problems inherent in Representative Democracy, and the 5 Problems of Public Bureaucracies.

So, that's no fun. It's 10 essays, which is killer. I respect my teacher though, and even though I'm hating studying for this massive midterm I keep getting the feeling like this is what college is meant to be; a true learning experience filled with stress.

And I kinda dig it, but I also hate it.

Maybe I love to hate it.

That's probably it.

Anyway, I'll be sure to let you know how it all goes. I saw Anderson Cooper speak yesterday, so I'll be sure to be commenting on that soon.

And sorry if my posts have been a bit lame lately, Midterm Week is A-Killing Me.

Anyway, Thank you as always,

Hugs and Kisses

Nick Danger

Why the French Language Should Be Phased Out

2009-03-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Everyone should learn Esperanto. Or English. Or anything but French.

I can't tell you how much I hate French. Not the French, just their damn language. I

It makes little sense, you don't pronounce half the words, and French 2 is way harder that in should be.

I know I'm running the risk of sounding ignorant right now- but I don't care. I want to take an axe to the French Language.

The Best Website I've been To in Years

2009-03-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Seriously, check this website out. It's called F my life, and its a blog of people from around the world and the horrible things that happen to them.

But really, it's funny.

CHECK IT OUT

"Get Trashed"

2009-03-17T06:00:00.002-04:00

It's a unreleased song by the Killers, and it's either amazing, or horrible, or amazingly horrible.

Check IT out

CHE

2009-03-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

I may or may not be a fan of Che Guevara.

From what I'v heard he's either a brilliant revolutionary that fought for the common people - or a mass murdering fraud.

So I'm not so sure.

But I am sure that I want to see CHE - the new film by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean's 11 through 13) starring Benico Del Toro about Guevara.

Actually, it's two seperate 2 and 1/2 hour films called The Argentine and Guerilla; but together they form the 4 hour master-film CHE.

HERE is the trailer. I hope you are as excited as I am.

Sunday Genius: Genius #2 - J.D Salinger

2009-03-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

J.D Salinger is a genius for more than one reason I am sure, but for me there is but one - The Catcher in The Rye.

The book is a masterpiece. It has influnenced just about every artistic medium, and reading it for the first time recently, I was captavaited by how, well, captivated I was for a book written in the 1950s.

If you haven't read it, you should.

And even though a fair share of assassins have made it their book of choice- don't worry about it - it probably has something to do with the fact that they're outkasts and relate to Holden (the main character), and probably already had something seriously wrong with them prior to their reading. Or maybe Mel Gibson is right and its a government conspiracy. Either way, the chances are pretty slim - so you should just go ahead and read it.

Happy Sunday,

Nick Danger

Blink 182 is Back

2009-03-14T06:00:00.002-04:00

I'm mad excited that Blink 182 is coming back together.

For those of you that don't know, the legendary trio that helped jumpstart pop-punk in the 90s has reunited and not only played the Grammys, but also announced that they will be going on tour and writing and releasing a new album.

I don't know about you, but when I think back on the music that I now play, sometimes I can see that Blink has influenced me in someway.

Are you as psyched as I am?

"Religulous"

2009-03-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Recently, I've had the pleasure of watching "Religulous", a documentary film with Bill Maher directed by Larry Charles (Borat).

And it's pretty awesome.

Bill Maher basically travels the world and confronts believers of all religions and points out their flaws and basically rips on them. So it's obviously a bit one sided, but it's insanely funny. I mean, he gets a senator to call himself stupid, a pastor to say that Jesus wore fine linens and gold, and a man who calls him self the second coming of Christ to say he'd be good at being Satan too.

It's a pretty good watch, and it brings out very important questions that are rarely brought out about religion and points out the hypocrisy and flaws in them. It's pretty great though.

But note, he only really interview two very intelligent people about religion, Father George Coyne (the former director of the Vatican Observatory) and Francis Collins (Author of "The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief") and those interviews only last about 2 and 1/2 minutes.

But in the end, it's one-sided-ness is outweighed by it's awesome-ness, and I'd gladly recommend the film to anyone who believes (and doesn't believe) in something.

Forrest Gump in One Minute in One Take

2009-03-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is pretty funny. Check it out.

I can't believe someone spent so much time doing it, but that's besides the point.

-Nick

"Winter Passing"

2009-03-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all,

Nothing long today- just thought I'd recommend you a movie that's been passed under the radar for sometime now.

"Winter Passing" is directed by Adam Rapp, who has numerous plays and books published and has worked with "The L Word" before the film.

The film (I believe) is loosely based on the life of J.D. Salinger (their last names are even "Holden") and tells the story of a daughter (Zooey Deschanel) coming to visit her crazed-writer father (Ed Harris) to retrieve a set of love letter between him and her late mother to sell to a publisher. Her father now lives with a ex-christian rocker (Will Ferrell) who quit is band "'cause they went all ska" and an ex-student of his (Amelia Warner).

With great performances by all the actors - especially Zooey (whom you all know I love) and Will Ferrell (who's hilarious but still has soul) - hell Ed Harris and Amelia Warner's performances are great too. It has a great storyline and it's just overall a good movie.

Pick it up, or rent it or something. It's a shame this movie hasn't been more recognized.

My Top (High) 5

2009-03-10T06:00:00.004-04:00

Below, I will attempt (key word, attempt) to listen my top (or high, for the sake of being clever) 5 movies, albums and books.

This is all subject to change, but as of right now, this exact moment, this is what they are:

Top 5 Movies (In no order, except for Garden State):

1. Garden State - written and directed by Zach Braff

2. Fight Club directed by David Fincher, based on the book by Chuck Palahniuk, adapted by JIm Uhls

3. Kicking and Screaming (not the Will Ferrell movie, the Noah Baumbach one) directed by Noah Baumbach

4. Being John Malkovich dir. Spike Jonze

5. The Wackness directed by Jonathan Levine

Top 5 Books (In no order):

1. Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

2. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman

3. West of Jesus by Steven Kotler

4. Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman

5. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Top 5 Albums (definitley in no order):

1. In an Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

2. God and the Devil Are Raging Inside Me - Brand New

3. I'm Wide Awake It's Morning - Bright Eyes

4. Let it Be...Naked by The Beatles

5. Exodus by Bob Marley

I'm not saying that all of these are the best ever made, just that they are my favorite and I highly suggest you all read/watch/listen to them.

-Danger

The World Corn Syrup Conspiracy

2009-03-09T06:00:00.002-04:00

Due to the request of a fellow reader -- I will be writing about Corn Syrup. So Mikey, this goes out to you.

Corn Syrup surrounds our lives. It's in half of our drinks, and countless things we eat. But what the hell is corn syrup? What does it do? Does it do anything? Does it make us fatter? Do we really need it?

Is there a world Corn Syrup Conspiracy?

Well, let me start this expedition into the CSC with a personal story. Much like David (at the Dentist), I at a young age had to deal with dental surgery of sorts. I had a cavity, and it needed to be taken care of.

Note, it was not a big cavity- I believe the Doctor described it as "half a cavity" - and before and since I have yet to have another. I'm pretty good (knock on wood) with my cavity control.

But before the surgery I had taken a keen interest in the ingredients in my Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew was my most favorite of drinks at that young age, and I still have an Achilles heel for it. It tastes great, and gives you way too much caffeine in the process.

But, on the back I found that Corn Syrup was an ingredient in my favorite beverage. I asked my Mom, "Mom, what is corn syrup?" And I believe her response was "I don't know. Are you ready to go in babe?" I said yes, and we quickly through the corn syrup issue to the wind and entered the world of cavity cleansing.

Now, they didn't put me on that many drugs, but they did put me on laughing gas - my first experience with such a substance. It was even cherry flavored. I didn't feel anything, and the procedure was over in no time.

BUT- I did taste something. Was it the taste of my drilled teeth? Probably. But I thought otherwise- I thought it was Corn Syrup.

And therefore started screaming:

I TASTE CORN SYRUP.

Before being dragged out to the car and then falling asleep.

------

So what does this have to do with the world Corn Syrup Conspiracy? Probably nothing. But maybe something- maybe is that at a young age I was aware that Corn Syrup was infiltrating my foods and drinks and slowly taking over our lives.

But what is it (supposedly) used for?

Wikipedia says this:

Corn Syrup is a syrup, made using cornstarch as a feedstock, and composed mainly of glucose. A series of enzymatic reactions are used to convert the corn starch to corn syrup. Its major uses in commercially-prepared foods are as a thickener, sweetener, and for its moisture-retaining (humecant) properties which keep foods moist and help to maintain freshness.

Note, there is also such thing as High-Fructose Corn Syrup, where its use is less clear and it's use is MORE BROAD!

---

So it seems clear to me- Corn Syrup is trying to take over the world.

By slowly working its way into all our foods and drinks for thousands of different reasons yet unclear, it is infiltrating the bloodstream of the American Society and will soon be taking hold of it.

BUT WHY, you ask?

Probably Corporate World Domination.

Probably World Slavery.

Probably.

At least I'm 99% sure.

Sunday Genius: Genius #1 - Thom Yorke

2009-03-08T06:00:00.002-04:00

Hey all,

Since there's been such a response to the blog (which I thank you all so much for!), I decided to start posting on the one day of the week where I don't normally post, Sundays, just because I love you all so much.

When I was thinking about what to post, I thought it'd be neat to do a Sunday series of sorts called "Sunday Genius" where each week I'd post about someone who I thought deserved the title of genius.

And this week- it's Thom Yorke.

Thom Yorke is the leader and perhaps key songwriter for the band Radiohead. As a band they have released 7 studio albums; including landmark albums such as "OK Computer", "Kid A", "The Bends" and their latest "In Raindows". ON TOP OF THIS, Mr. Yorke has also released a solo album called "The Eraser" which is also pretty brilliant.

It's not clear if he is or isn't the key songwriter in Radiohead because all the songs are credited to the band; but through reading and listening to all the interviews I could- it pretty much seems that way.

Pushing the band to their limits, they create music that hasn't been heard before, and start the music trend years before it would of ever arrived. Coldplay's Chris Martin has even said that he "owes [coldplay's] career to [Radiohead]".

Check out their albums, and you can see what I mean. With "Pablo Honey" they changed the English music scene from Brit-pop to more grunge, with "The Bends" they created Coldplay, with "OK Computer" they set the standard for 90's rock, and with "Kid A" they created some of maybe the only truly original music created in the past decade or two.

So, Thom Yorke, I'd like to say you're "NickDangerNow.Com"s first Sunday Genius.

Congrats Thom.

"Loose Change" - A Controversial Film About a Controversial Subject

2009-03-07T06:00:00.003-05:00

Hey all,

I just recently finished watching the online documentary "Loose Change". It investigates 9/11, and although biased, brings up questions we should all be asking.

I want to make it clear I'm not distinctly supporting the claims said in this film; rather I'm supporting the questions being asked.

Take it at face value. It's not all going to be right. But some things they say deserve some thought.

Take a look at it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

You can check it out HERE.

Have a good weekend, and don't forget to keep asking-

Nick

"Watchmen" Remains Un-filmable

2009-03-06T03:27:00.005-05:00

It's 3:27 AM and I just got back from seeing Watchmen.

And I thought it was okay.

Now, it wasn't bad, but it was just okay. Okay, maybe it was just good. But either way it wasn't great.

Zack Snyder takes Alan Moore fantastic world and translates it almost directly to the screen- and fills it with everything from prolonged fight scenes to prolonged sex scenes to make fan boys cheer.

To me, it feels like something was lost in Watchmen and that to me proves that Alan Moore did in fact accomplish what he wanted - he made a graphic novel that wasn't just a storyboard for a movie.

I'd probably write more tonight, probably about how the other directors previously attached could have done a better (or at least different) job - Terry Gilliam, Darren Aronofsky, and Paul Greengrass - but I'm mad tired and I've got to make it to class tomorrow.

But hey, I'll be seeing it again tomorrow night - in less than 24 hours - so maybe my opinion will change.

But until then, Goodnight and Good Morning, and thanks for stopping by.

-Nick

WATCHMEN

2009-03-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I will be seeing Watchmen at midnight.

I can't tell you how excited I am. I love the thrill of seeing a midnight showing; let alone one of a movie that I'm mad excited for.

So far I've seen Iron Man at midnight (which was amazing, and lead me to drive home and watch it again within a 24 hour period in a different state), and The Dark Knight (which I got too like 3 hours early to wait with my friend Mikey and sit and become the first in our theatre to enter).

Both were amazing not only because of the movie, but because of the crowd. People who really want to see a movie see it at midnight, and because of that everyone in that theater is excited and wants to be there- and the energy is amazing.

So as I prepare myself for a midnight feeding of the greatest graphic novel of all time written by a snake-worshipping genius (see my first post from back in August "The Nature of Authorship... And Snake Worshipping" to see more!) to a group of fan boys (see the movie Fan Boys), I share my excitement with all of you.

Check in tomorrow to see my reaction to the film and the theater!

Why 90s Hip Hop is the Best (The Wackness: Part Two)

2009-03-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

From what I hear, the 90s was the Golden Age of Hip Hop.

From what I hear, every major artist was releasing a masterpiece every week. Artists like Biggie, Tupac, and Method Man were slamming out hits like it was nothing.

Recently, after seeing The Wackness for the third time, I've been constantly listening to this kind of hip hop. Albums like Ready to Die by Notorious BIG and Black on Both Sides by Mos Def (the latter of which has already been one of my favorite albums for sometime now), and I started to think of the differences between hip-hop then and now.

Back then, hip hop was chill. It was smooth, and it was about the flow. Artists like Biggie had a chill beat and let their words flow smoothly and constantly, creating a type of poetry over rhythm.

Now a days, everything is rushed. The rappers are trying to go faster and faster, and the beats are getting louder and harder (that's what she said). People like Lil' Wayne and Kanye West are still talented, its just that they don't have the laid back vibe that hip-hop used to have.

Pick up The Wackness soundtrack while you pick up the movie, and you'll see what I mean.

Why Everyone Should See "The Wackness"

2009-03-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

So, everyone should see The Wackness.

I just saw it again last night, and it reminded me how much I absolutely love it. For all I say about The Dark Knight and the Oscars, I mean just the same for The Wackness - should of been nominated for everything (and the wackness should of won best original screenplay).

Telling the story of Luke Shipiro (Josh Peck), and his summer before college in NYC 1994, there is an amazing range of characters. His shrink, Dr. Squires (SIR BEN KINGSLEY) treats him, but in payment of pot (Luke is a pot dealer, did I mention that?), and Luke falls in love with his stepdaughter Steph (Olivia Thribly), and the three interact in the hot city summer.

Shot amazingly, it takes full advantage of its use of film - and the film feels like a mixtape from 94. Jonathan Levine directs the shit out of it, with the slang never sounding more natural.

I seriously am in love with this film, so much so that it's made its way into my top 5 movies of all time.

Go get it on DVD now, you'll thank me later.

"Hallelujah"

2009-03-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

"Love is not a victory march / It's a cold, and it's a broken Hallelujah"

Hallelujah is a song written by Leonard Cohen, released in 1984 - and it may by lyrically the most beautiful song ever written.

Covered by the young and fleeting Jeff Buckley covered the song for his 1994 album, Grace, and with this brought it on a new wave of popularity.

The song describes love and lust in ways that haven't been told before, and with it's rhyme and prose - it stands as one of the greatest works of poetry of the past century.

Below are the full lyrics to the song (as sung by Leonard Cohen), and below those are some links to the songs as well as famous covers of it by the likes of Bob Dylan and (my favorite) Jeff Buckley.

Hope you enjoy. -

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

Now I've heard there was a secret chord

That David Played and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled King composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrow you

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke you thrown, and she cut you hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before

I know this room, and I've walked this floor

I used to live along before I knew you

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain

I don't even know the name

But if I did, well really, what's it to you?

There's a blaze of light

In every word

It doesn't matter which you heard

The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch

I've told the truth, I didnt come to fool you

And even though it all went wrong

I'll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Song Versions:

Leonard Cohen

Jeff Buckley

Bob Dylan

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do-

Nick

How "Free" is the Internet?

2009-02-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to a talk by Morgan Spurlock - famed documentarian and filmmaker- whose credits include "Super Size Me", "30 Days (TV)" and "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?".

The main component of the night was film and the first amendment. Did you know Spurlock has 24 lawyers working for him? For freedom of speech, that's a bitch. He and a few others talked about how the internet is making it very hard for free speech to be enacted, because it is by nature spreading the information around the world - and therefore into different jurisdictions who don't have the same freedoms of speech and press that we do.

This was all very interesting, but at some point during the night it was mentioned the idea of how "free" the free press really is.

To print a paper, you need the ink, you need the paper, you need the distribution and you need the publicity. This is all not free. I realize this seems obvious, but I'm getting to the point soon.

So in reality, the physical press is an expensive business, which is being ran by a few instead of the many, and this is mainly because of financial issues.

So where has the free press migrated to? The internet.

With people like me and you numbering in the millions exercising our freedoms of speech, the majority of the independent free press has migrated towards the internet.

It is easier for people to read, easier for people to post, and all around easier to get your message out there.

But is it really free?

Everytime time I publish, and everytime you read, we are giving money to large corporations.

It cost money to get on the internet, remember? Internet is not free; it is not a commidty. We are paying to be able to absorb "free" information.

Everytime we log on the internet, we are being bombarded by advertisements, and with each site we visit we are, as the moderator of this event (I forget his name, but he was brilliant) said, "Making CEO's smile."

But is this all that bad?

You have to play by the rules to win the game.

Although we are making these "CEO's smile", we are also making us smile. Information is a commodity and we are its consumers.

But it's not the worst thing to be consuming, is it?

One day, maybe in the future Internet will be free to all, but it will still be riddled with business. But this is life, and we have to learn to live with and embrace it. Spurlock's show plays on a Murdock network, but he's still saying what he wants to say and getting his word out there.

So maybe the free press really isn't as "free" as we'd like; but at least we can still operate inside of it, and maybe if we play by their rules, beat it.

The philosophy of Everclear

2009-02-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Remember Everclear?

I'm pretty sure they were a big hit a few years back with songs like "Wonderful", "Father of Mine" and "I Will Buy You a New Life" . They're still around and all, but I don't think anyones really heard of them for awhile.

I was listening to their album So Much for the Afterglow and was jamming out to the major single of the album - "I Will Buy You a New Life" - and one of the lines really struck a chord with me and made me start thinking.

"I hate those people who love to tell you / Money is the root of all that kills / They have never been poor / They have never had the joy of a welfare christmas"

This made me think a lot. He goes on to say how he will buy us a new garden, a new car, a new house (up in the west hills!) and overall, buy us a new life.

But it was that line that stuck with me after the song ran out.

I have never been on welfare. I've been pretty forunate in my life and my family has had its struggles, but never to that point. And thoughout my life, I can't tell you how many times I heard that "money was the root of all evil" - enough times to brand it into my conciousness.

But is it?

It's true, money can lead to a lot of bad things. A lot of the problems in the world involve money - this fact is undeniable. But after thinking upon it, I realized something.

Money isn't the root of evil, Greed is.

It's greed that fucks us up, not money. When money consumes your life, it isn't the actual money that's doing that, it's the greed. Money isn't evil.

And to someone whose family struggles with financial issues, it must be hell to hear that what your being denied of is evil- and therefore implying that it's good you don't have it.

Like I said, I never experienced the "joy" of a welfare christmas, but I'm starting to begin to understand it.

So, thank you Everclear. I hope you come back into the spotlight someday.

David After the Dentist

2009-02-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

You've probably all have seen this, but I just ran into it and its hilarious. It's a little kid thats tripping after getting dental surgery. Check it out:

DAVID AFTER THE DENTIST

-Nick

Why I Enjoy Metal Music

2009-02-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

So, as my roommates must know, I sometimes like to indulge in music of the metal genre.

After as few instances of my rocking out, one of my roommates told me that he could not understand why people liked listening to it.

This is my response and reasoning to that.

So, first of all, Metal vocalists do not have beautiful voices, or really any voices at all. This usually comes up first in such a debate, for many don't understand how listening to a man (or woman) scream can be pleasing to the ears.

Well, it's not the voice that us Metal listeners are enjoying.

It's the feel of the music (at least for me).

The musicianship in metal is amazing. Metal houses some of the best guitarists and drummers of all time- but this fact is only vaguely recognized by few. Their techinical prowess and artistic ability are often passed by during critical analysis by music critics, and this is once again because of the nature of the music. And it is the nature of the music I like, and it is for this reason;

Metal makes me want to move.

Few genres make people react more physically than that of metal. A breakdown can make you jump around and break things- even when your not angry. This is probably one of the only types of music that can do this.

Even as I write this, I am constantly breaking away from the keyboard to air guitar and hand bang, listening to an old local band called BYNOMEANS.

I listen to the music not because it is distinctly pleasing to the ear, but because it is not - and this is what makes it pleasing to the ear.

I realize what I just said is somewhat confusing, but what I mean is the un-listenability of it is what makes it listenable.

Think about that, you metal haters.

Maybe its not for everyone, but it is for a few. And I am one of those few.

And my roommate just closed his door.

Reaction to the Oscars

2009-02-24T10:00:00.002-05:00

The Oscars we're pretty good this year.

But like always, I didn't agree with somethings.

This is how the major awards went-

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Sean Penn for Milk

Best Actress: Kate Winslett for The Reader

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for the Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black for Milk

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire

Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire

This is how I think they should of went-

Best Picture: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Director: David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler and Sean Penn for Milk

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonaugh for In Bruges

Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire, or Claudio Miranda for Benjamin Button, or Wally Pfister for The Dark Knight -- I still can't decide.

As you see, I didn't totally agree with everything the academy said, but I still think they did a good job.

But, as we all know, the single movie that made the biggest impact this year, and may just be the best- was The Dark Knight.

But we'll figure that out later.

Thanks to all of you and Request for requests!

2009-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone-

How's things? For those of you that been checking the blog regularly, thank you! It's awesome to see that people are reading, and it means a lot to me that you spend part of your day listening to me.

I also wanted to ask you out there- wherever you are- if there was anything in particular you wanted to hear about!

I'd be happy to write about anything- and if there is anything out there at all you'd like to hear me write about, let me know and I'll do it!

But that's all for now, I hope you all have are having a good weekend and hopefully I'll be hearing from y'all soon.

NICK

"500 Days of Summer"

2009-02-19T13:38:00.004-05:00

As many of you may already know, I am currently (and always been) in love with Zooey Deschanel. She's got a beautiful face and a beautiful voice (and I imagine her personality is great)- so what more can you ask for?

But all bias aside, her new movie looks fantastic. It's called "500 Days of Summer" and it's directed by Marc Webb - a music video director that has directed videos for Brand New, My Chemical Romance, and Fergie, to name a few.

Zooey plays the role of Summer, the love interest of Tom (played by Joesph Gordon-Levitt), and together they relive 500 days of their relationship in random order - but the coolest part is the fact that they break out into song while doing it.

Normally I hate musicals, I mean really hate musicals- but the fact that this has Zooey singing, and is directed by a music video director, makes me really psyhced.

HERE is the trailer and official website- you must watch!

-Nick

God & The Government : Part Three - The Judicial Branch

2009-02-19T09:49:00.006-05:00

God has no part in the judicial branch, either.

In this blog I'll be mainly arguing that aspect for two specific cases: Gay Marriage Rights and Roe v. Wade.

1. Gay Marriage

If you have read my other posts, you will know that I am a supporter of Gay Marriage. I believe that it is everyones right to pursue their happiness, especially when it doesn't affect others. And, in fact, doesn't that seem constitutional?

The only reason why Gay Marriage is illegal is because of the Religious Right who is forcing their views of morality onto the law- thereby merging religion and the Judaical branch.

Now, why exactly these people are doing this, I am not so certain. They say it's to save the sanctity of marriage, but it looks like to me as if they just want to deny the right of marriage to others.

My friend once said that she supported the idea of "having Gay people get something like a marriage, just not called a marriage". I asked if she meant it was separate, but equal, and she said "Yes."

Doesn't that sound familiar?

Gay Marriage is just the new civil rights movement (if you want to hear more of this argument, please check my blog archive and you'll find a past post about this).

For the sake of time, I'll move onto Roe v. Wade.

2. Roe v. Wade

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, 'Roe v. Wade' is the name of the trial that sanctified the legality of abortion. It put the decision into the hands of the woman, not the state.

Christians have been fighting this since it's inception. They believe it's wrong, and it's state sanctified killing.

Ironically, most of them have never faced the choice they are fighting against.

I am mostly against abortion- but I am for Pro-Choice.

How is this you ask?

Well, even though I believe aboritons are often misused, I don't think that the government should be telling people what to do with their own bodies.

If you are faced in the decision of getting an abortion, the Christian movement begs you to keep it and raise it. I usually do as well, but if a parent feels like they cannot properly raise a child- they probably can't.

Freakonomics author Steven Levitt argues that this fact when coupled with the effect of Roe v. Wade is the reason that the crime dropped so drastically in the 90s. His argument is extremely persuasive and revolves around this idea: when abortion was illegal, mothers were forced to have children they knew they couldn't raise- and they therefore grew in broken homes and got involved in crime; but when it was legalized, mothers that knew they couldn't properly raise a kid didn't have too- and then the crime wave dropped.

Check it out here for the full description.

What am I getting at though? A woman's free will, a woman whom may or not believe in God, is constantly being protested against. Free will is being protested against because people are forcing their morality onto the justice system.

And because of this, God's judgements should be reserved for His people, and not everyone in the eyes of the law.

------------

This ends my God & the Government series, and in conclusion I'd like to end with this:

God & the Government should never be mixed. Neither were created to be intertwined with the other, and the morals of one God differs from that of the general populace. In a land founded on the freedom of religion, the idea that religion is infiltrating the government and taking away that freedom is appalling. Everyone is free to worship (or not worship) as they choose, and the morals of one should never be pushed upon another.

And like I said in the beginning of this series:

God is not Government, and the Government is not God.

And it should stay that way.

-Nick Danger

God & The Government : Part Two - God & The Executive Branch

2009-02-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

There are many things in the executive branch to talk about in it's relationship to religion, but there is one I'd like to focus on for this article, and it is one that strikes close to home; God & The Military.

Now, in the past few months a very good friend of mine has informed us that he will soon join the military (the army specifically), and he is to sign up on his 18th birthday. This announcement obviously brought concern and controversy in our circle of friends, and I'm still not sure if that controversy has subsided.

But here's the dilemma; my friend is extremely religious and has devoted his life to God and Jesus Christ.

This opened up an philosophical can of worms for me. Mainly revolved around this quesition: Does the system of belief that he dedicated his life too agree with the choice he is about to make? Or easily put; how does a Christian join the military?

From what I understand, Jesus of Nazareth was a pretty peaceful man. Everything I've been taught about him was about turning the other cheek, and love, and never casting a stone onto another, and how we should all just love one another.

Now before I dive into my interpretation, let me make this clear; This is not a religious blog; and therefore I will not be quoting scripture in making this argument. If there's one thing I've learned about scripture, it's that it can be used to make any point for anyone- even the Ku Klux Klan had scripture to support its beliefs.

Back to the topic- my fundamental perception of Jesus Christ and His teachings is tells me that I should turn the other cheek and love everyone.

So how is killing another fit into that?

No matter what the reason is for war, at it's most fundamental perception it is a "justified" form of murder. People who oppose one another for whatever reason, kill each other to settle the matter.

I'm not going to be talking about this war specifically; as many of you may already know I don't agree with it or the reasoning behind it and I don't want this to turn into a political discussion; so please by war know that I am talking about all war; not just this one.

I guess it's just this fundamental question - can a pacifist God support the idea of War?

In my opinion, I don't think so.

Now I realize that the Christian God - the one my friend belives in- has a general contradiction between it's two parts- the Old and New Testaments. In the Old one, God killed. In the new one, God didn't.

But being as the doctrine adopted to explain the differences between the two - called the New Testament Convenent- says that things said in the Old Testament were redone by the New.

So maybe the God of Wrath was too.

I guess in the end, like everything, it is up to interpretation. I just think that a God who never cast a stone wouldn't be shooting and bombing either.

God & The Government : Part One - God & The Legislative Branch

2009-02-17T09:27:00.000-05:00

The Government is not God, and God is not the Government.

These are two basic facts that one needs to understand before arguing the topic. You don't worship the Government, and the Government doesn't worship God.

In fact, the United States Government is founded on several ideals, one of them being in the separation of church and state.

God has no place in lawmaking.

Though, in a country like ours (Center-Right Based) many feel like it should be. They feel like our countries laws should adhere to their religious morals. And here's why:

1. Not everyone believes in the same God that you do, or even God at all.

America was founded on the ideals of religious freedom. It's first European settlers came here to avoid religious persecution. People were forcing their religion on them, and they left to avoid that. Isn't infusing your religion with the law forcing your moral judgements onto others? Is that not what the Pilgrims were avoiding?

People have the right to follow their own moral beliefs, whether they fall under your religion or another, or no religion at all. And when lawmaking merges with a single religious viewpoint, you are infringing upon the freedom of religion of others; and that is wrong.

2. Government operates better without God involved.

Look at history; religious states are always temporal and rather oppressive. I mean, look at the middle east now- extreme beliefs associated with the most conservative forms of Islam are being forced upon the entire country- and we are fighting to relieve them of that. Why aren't we fighting the same battle at home.

3. The more religion merges with politics, the more we lose our individual freedom.

We are the "Land of the free", right? Fighting to outlaw or enact laws for things that correspond with one group of people considered taking away the rights of others?

---

Yet, even with the points above, people still argue against it.

Here are some arguments and myths people cling too.

1. But America was founded on Judea-Christian Values, and the Founding Fathers would have wanted it this way.

This is untrue. The founding fathers first of all, wrote the constitution the way they wanted America to be: Nothing more and nothing less. We are a country founded on a document, and that document doesn't permit the merge of Church and State.

Plus, it is also important to know that the founding fathers were deists. In large, from my understanding, they believed that God created earth, but then left it to it's own devices. Think about that.

2. But my Religion is right.

No, it's not. It is only right to those that follow it and to no one else. No one is taking away your right to believe your religion is right, just asking for you not to take away theirs.

----

Therefore, the chasm between Religion and Lawmaking should remain and in fact be further opened. The two are fine on their own, but they were not designed to be bridged. Every person has the right to follow their own religion, but no person has the right to force that religion onto others.

God & The Government: An Introduction

2009-02-16T11:57:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

Tomorrow I will be posting the first part of a three part post, and it on a subject I have been wanting to talk about for a long time: The relationship between God and The Government.

This three part series will be divide as so- God & The Legislative Branch, God & the Executive, and God & The Judicial.

I will be examining each branch closely, and touching on the subjects of religion and lawmaking, the military and imprisonment- distinguishing their relationship (or their lack there-of) and arguing their place with one another. Not to mention whether or not they are even compatible at all.

As always, these posts will offer their share of controversy; and as always, I will encourage debate on each and every point.

I hope to see you all in the next few days, and to hearing from you as well.

Godspeed!

-Nick "Danger" Weingartner

Beautiful Music

2009-02-14T10:57:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the holiday, I thought I'd share with you a song sung from my valentine.

It's by the band She and Him, consiting of my future wife Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.

Now it may just be that I'm in love with her and I'm in love with her voice too, but I think it's a pretty rad recording.

check it out:

-Nick Danger

"Inglorious Basterds"

2009-02-13T10:42:00.010-05:00

Hey all,

I had a big philosophical post saved for today- but when I saw this trailer I decided to put it off to show you this.

"Inglorious Basterds" is Quentin Tarantino's new film (the director of hits like "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill") and- starring Brad Pitt among others- tells the story of a rogue American Battalion in WWII hell bent on "killin' Nazis."

Check it out- I haven't been this pshyced for a movie in a while.

Oh, and the dude with the bat is Eli Roth- director of Hostel.

Here it is-
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808404206/video/11988602

Why The Oscars Don't Mean Anything Anymore

2009-02-12T10:18:00.000-05:00

The Academy-Awards are heading down a long and lonesome road.... the road to become a meaningless award.

Award shows are meaning less everyday. The MTV video awards, whom when I was a kid were one of the biggest events of the year - filling up entire theaters, were last held in what looked to be like my high school gymnasium with nice lights. The Grammys, which also used to be an honor to musicians, are almost completely arbitrary. Not a single person I know cares about who wins a Grammy.

And this is happening to the Oscars.

Why, you ask? Because where the Grammys decided to award only the most popular, the Oscars have done the opposite- becoming more and more elitist. My chief example of this lies with the fact that "The Dark Knight" did not receive a Best Picture nomination, even though it is the second highest grossing movie of all time only to "Titanic" which won 11 Golden Statues. And who got the nomination instead? The Reader; I mean, come on.

But that's not the worst part. Even in it's elitism, the Oscars still don't choose by merit. They are decided by multi-million dollar marketing campaigns paid for by the studio- not by who should be nominated, but by who can pay to get our attention.

Now, part of this might rest of the fact that in the last 10 years filmmaking has become extremely more accessible to the point where almost anyone can put together a movie. This has increased the amount of films made, and therefore makes it harder to the Academy to see and judge all of them. And much like the Grammys, this influx lets the people with the most money or power win because they can get people to see it.

If you made the best film ever, in your own backyard right now, I doubt it'll ever been recognized by the Academy. You'd have to get it made by a studio, and that studio will have to spend millions sending copies to every member of the academy, and release it in certain cities at certain times and get you on the news- for you to even get a nod.

Bullshit, right?

A New Manifesto

2009-02-11T12:57:00.002-05:00

Hello world!

It is with this post that I wish to announce my return to writing.

With this return, you may have recognized a few changes. The main of which is the new name and address of this blog - Nick Danger Now! at www.NickDangerNow.com . I hope this makes it easier to keep updated with the blog, and easier for you all to tell your friends!

Also, I will be posting much more regularly. Ideally, everyday (except sundays), but more realistically every other day. Posts will remain the same - a mixture of life, politics, philosophy, music and film - plus whatever happens to take a stroll through my mind.

Now please, keep updated and check back tomorrow for the first of many a new blogs!

Stay in touch and check often!

Hope to see you soon,

Nick "Danger" Weingartner

Sorry, All.

2008-08-20T04:25:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone-

I apologize for my lack of posting during the last few weeks. I'm ramping up to go back to school and things get a little hectic. But I wanted to thank all of my loyal readers and give you somethings to look forward to while I get ready to begin the new school year.

1. AWESOME NEW BLOGS- including (maybe or maybe not) how Olympic Gymnastics is sometimes rigged, God and the War in Iraq, and the Existence of Free Will. They'll all be a-coming soon.

2. AWESOME RADIO SHOW- That's right! I'll be back on air coming in the fall, spinning records and talking philosophy. If your in the new york city / long island area's you can tune in on 88.7 FM, and if not you can listen on WRHU.org anywhere around the world! As soon as things are solidified I will be announcing the day and time of my bi-weekly show!

3. AWESOME FILMS- My last film, "When the Tin Man Need's A Heart" is in its last finalization stages and will be premiering at the HFC film festival in the fall. I will also begin production on a new short film in the coming months, one of which I will keep you in the dark about now... but I'll tell you it's much different then all of my past one.

4. AWESOME USAGE OF THE WORD AWESOME- Already done.

So see, there are things to look forward too! Keep checking back and I'll let you in on the information as it comes.

I love you all!

-Nick Danger

Was Jesus a Liberal?

2008-08-11T21:25:00.000-04:00

You can basically boil down all people into three groups (especially when applied to politics): People who want change, People that don't, and People that don't give a damn. When applied to politics, it translates into: the people who want change = liberals, people that don't = conservatives, people that don't give a damn = Canadians.

Barrack Obama is a liberal, George Bush is not. Journalists are liberals, the corporations that publish them are not.

Jesus was a liberal, and the people who killed him were not.

Now this does not mean that I'm saying that conservatives killed Jesus. That's ridiculous. I'm just saying that if Jesus and the people at that time were tested by this theory, Jesus would be the person that wanted change, and the people that killed him didn't.

Now, would Jesus be a democrat? I don't know. But he was revolutionary for his time, preaching to the poor and sinners instead of the rich and "Pius", preaching equal rights to women, and speaking out against capital punishment ('let him with no sin cast the first stone').

Sounds a lot like what the democratic party stands for today, eh?

But I really have no place to say what Jesus would do, or how he would vote, or if he would even support a party over another. But it is interesting that most Christians consider themselves conservative, when Jesus was honestly one the most liberal people to have ever graced this planet.

And, as a Christian, if your supposed to model you life after him, wouldn't it seem like you would want it too?

A Meditation on Water

2008-08-09T11:51:00.000-04:00

So last night I was watching some of the Beijing '08 Opening Olympic Ceremony. Some commentator was talking about Chinese Philosophy and symbolism in the performance, and quoted something along these lines:

"A good life is lead like water, constantly flowing and moving away from resistance."

I was (and am) like, "damn, that's deep" (no pun intended). But I started putting some thought into it and it seemed pretty enlightening.

Maybe going with the flow is always the best thing to do. Water never questions where it's going, but always ends up where it needs to be. As said earlier, it moves away from resistance, which doesn't seem like a bad thing at all. Who wants conflict?

But you could always argue that sometimes conflict is good and needed, and sometimes going with the flow might be the wrong thing to do. Sometimes you just have to Carpe Diem it up.

I don't know, and don't have a solid answer. I'm still living and trying to figure it out for myself.

I Won't Take Off My Glasses

2008-08-07T13:40:00.000-04:00

This may be the funniest thing I've seen in along time. Check it out.

Why Gay Marriage is the new Civil Rights Movement

2008-08-06T12:26:00.001-04:00

I recently got in an argument with a friend over the issue of Gay Marriage. We came to the conclusion that she believed that marriage was between man and a woman and that, "there should be another thing that [gay couples] could get that is the same thing, except not marriage."

So I asked her, "So you're saying that there should be something else, separate, but equal?"

She said, "Yes. Exactly."

I responded, "Does that sound like anything to you?"

----

I don't want a gay marriage. I'm not even gay. But I don't have a problem with gay couples getting married. In fact, it doesn't really effect me that much. I can't see why it would really effect anyone, to be frank. If you don't want one, don't get one.

I know that it says in the Bible that marriage is between a man and woman, and I get that. I'm a Christian. But I am also open minded enough to realize that not everyone else is. The separation between Church and State is what has kept our country strong, and only when this separation is crossed have we run into trouble (the past couple of years). What right do I have forcing my religious view upon marriage onto someone else who doesn't believe in God? And the even deeper question, Who says God is against Gay Marriage (I'll leave this discussion for another blog).

Either way, I don't believe that the country has a right to take away the rights and joy of marriage from gay couples just because they are gay, just like we had no right to take away the freedoms of black men and women, and just like Rosa Parks had the right the sit where she wanted on that bus.

Separate but equal doesn't work.

Aren't we all equal under the eyes of God anyway?

Do You Really Want to be an Olympian?

2008-08-05T10:44:00.000-04:00

So here's the thing, I kind-of always wanted to be an Olympian.

It didn't even matter what sport, as long as I was there, at the highest level of competition representing my country. I'd be awesome right?

Well, not really. You kind-of give up every other facet in your entire life in order to do that. I read an article in Men's Journal a while back that talked about a man who was training to be an Olympic marathon runner. He said that he trained so much, that he lost his ability to be with other people. Like he went to a party, and he would just lean against the wall thinking about how he could probably run faster then any of them.

And he didn't even make it.

In order to represent your country, you need to exclude yourself from it entirely.

Which to me, seems like an unfair trade off.

My great friend and mentor John was a state-level swimmer in high school who was recruited to many different division one colleges to swim. He chose not to go to any of them. When I asked him why he gave me this following explanation.

"Alright, so you go to school to swim. They make you practice every day for hours, twice a day, and you start to lose your hold on academics and not really find out what you want to do. All you do is swim, and there is no future in swimming unless you go to the Olympics. And say you do go to the Olympics, if you try your best and get really really lucky you get on a relay spot. You might even get there and not swim. But say you do, and you swim two your part of the relay and its great. You come home, and you really have no idea what you want to do with your life and you end up working at Home Depot" (They employ more Olympians then any other company), "And I don't want to work at Home Depot for the rest of my life."

John's now owns his own web design firm and has a great life with an awesome wife and beautiful kid. But would it all be the same if he would of went for an Olympic bid?

Probably not, because the Olympics steal your life.

So, on Friday, be ready to watch a bunch of loners run-swim-throw-dance-shoot-kick-polevault better than anyone else on earth.