Cinema+Bar=Less Kids!

My husband and I are on the way to see Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull tonight. I checked Fandango for movie times and noticed a new theater in our area. It's called Cinebarre and it's opening in the theater that once belonged to our beloved Movies at Mt. Pleasant. According to the article from The City Paper it's due to open in July. The theater will feature restaurant quality appetizers, meals and snacks as well as a full bar. Mt. P. is the 2nd location in the US to get this style of theater; apparently all the cool cities are getting them. The best news about this theater is that no children under 6 are allowed and kids 6-17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Now I have nothing against kids but I've had numerous movie experiences spoiled by kids running around and screaming in a theater. No, I don't go see all G-rated movies either, if that's what you're thinking. I'm talking about PG-13 + movies that parents seem to think is perfectly acceptable to have their infants/toddlers/ankle biters etc. in tow. Nothing ruins a dramatic movie moment for me like a kid whining "I have to go to the bathroom!" just as the most important line is delivered. I've also turned every shade of red when I've been in the same row as an 8 year old while some very adult content is flashing on the screen. I always want to lean over and cover their eyes but from what I can tell from my peripheral vision, the kid is usually playing with some toy while their parents munch popcorn happily. But I digress. The point here is that I'm very excited about this new theater opening and hope it will be a success. For now though, it's Indy time!!

American Idol Gets Eccentric!

Before we leave American Idol completely behind until January, I had to share my favorite audition of all time. Please note Eccentric’s 3 trademarked “moves.” If I had been one of the judges, I would have called 911 when he went into those spasms he substitutes for dancing. I heart Fox for adding cartoon sound effects to his audition and Simon’s reaction to it all is classic. Spread the love!!

David C. Rocks Phantom

The showtunes performances was my favorite week on American Idol. I think it was also my favorite David Cook moment. I know that technically, this is not his venue but I feel he rocked (forgive the pun) this song!

American Idle

I was exhausted when I came home from work last night and I crashed in bed and then slept through the election results for American Idol. When I woke up at about 12:30am, it was the first thing on my mind. Throughout the season, I thought Archuleta was consistently good and had the stronger vocals. He was also more adorable than the Snuggle Bear and I figured he'd have the tween vote locked up for sure. I can't say I'm unhappy about Cook being voted the winner though, he's a rocker guy and America spoke by choosing him about 12 million times over Achuleta. Regardless of his defeat, I'm sure little Archuleta was snatched up for a record deal seconds after Cook was announced the winner. I think both David's will have excellent careers. Congrats David C.!

Bad Apple Turns Good

I saw exactly 10% of American Idol tonight because I was fiddling with my iPod. My iPod is with me 24/7. It's in my car, at work, in bed and strapped to me while I clean house. While driving home from work today, it froze. Froze!!!! I about had a wreck because I was so concerned. OK, I'm being slightly melodramatic here but I have to stress the importance of my iPod. I was rockin out in my car to my tunes like I always do and I pressed the forward button to skip a few songs. It landed on Madonna's Vogue and then it was like time stood still. I pressed the buttons frantically but nothing happened. There was no error message or frowny face to let me know there was a problem; it was just stuck. I got home and had to take care of some other business and by the time I was ready to deal with my iPod, American Idol was on. I had the show in the background 'cause I thought the solution would be easy, just restore to original settings. Simple right? Wrong, because I plugged it into my computer and nothing registered. I might as well have plugged a toaster into my computer; nothing came up showing my iPod. My freakout mode went into overdrive at that point. I immediately went to Apple's Service and Support. The screen instructed me to perform a series of 5 troubleshooting scenarios, none of which worked because my iPod would not even register on my computer. I reviewed each scenario thoroughly though; knowing all the while I would have to get on the phone with a tech to resolve this disaster. However, I didn't want to be embarrassed when the tech would inevitably ask "Did you do X?" and I'd sheepishly reply "no." I've had this happen on way too many occasions so I decided to get everything in order so that I could quickly exclaim that I'd already tried that when the tech fired questions at me. It was just before I was ready to make the call to Apple support that I saw some information stating that "complimentary phone support" is only available to Apple customers within 90 days of ownership. My iPod is almost a year old. I read the statement over and over again trying to comprehend the meaning. What was I to do? I didn't think the good people at Apple could be this unfriendly. Was I not allowed to call simply because my product was aged over 90 days? I decided I'd have to make the call anyway. It was either my iPod was getting fixed or Apple was going down! Prior to my phone call, I held an imaginary conversation with the Apple tech to prepare myself. In my head the conversation went something like this:

Apple tech: Hello, thank you for calling Apple Support. How can I help you?

Me: (on the verge of tears) My iPod is broken.

Apple tech: What seems to be the problem?

Me: The screen is frozen.

Apple tech: (rolling eyes) Have you tried restoring to it's factory settings?

Me: No because I plugged it into my computer and it doesn't even register.

Apple tech: Let's see what we can do. What's your serial number?

Me: (giving the serial number)

Apple tech: I'm sorry ma'am, according to your serial number, your iPod is almost a year old and that makes you ineligible for complimentary tech support.

Me: What exactly is that supposed to mean? I bought this iPod and I take excellent care of it. It is my other "precious" besides my laptop. I demand that you help me fix my iPod!

Apple tech: Ma'am, you may purchase an extension of your AppleCare Protection Plan now and then I'll be able to assist you further. Would you like for me to set that up for you now?

Me: Absolutely not! I need for you to diagnose this problem immediately and help me fix my iPod. I realize that you don't make the rules at Apple but I really need my iPod to work. Do I need to box it up and mail it to Apple? I will! I just want my iPod to work again.

Apple tech: (sighing and rolling eyes again) Ma'am your 90 day warranty has ended. We cannot offer you any further assistance unless you purchase an extension of AppleCare Support or you also have the option to purchase a single incident of support for $29.

Me: $29?!?! Seriously!?!? (blood pressure rising and hyperventilation beginning) This issue can't cost $29! My iPod was not shattered into a million pieces on the concrete or doused in water. It can't be that serious. Can't you troubleshoot over the phone with me? I bet you can fix this problem in a jiffy. (trying to butter up tech)

Apple tech: (condescending tone) You will need to choose one or the other before I can assist you further.

Me: (sounding defeated) I'll purchase a single incident of support for $29.

Apple tech: Please give me your credit card # and expiration date.

Me: *#@^$!!! (under my breath) Giving tech the cc info.

Apple tech: Thank you. Now press the center button twice quickly and then hold it down for 45 seconds.

Me: OK. (performing action)

45 seconds later

Me: My iPod is unfrozen!

Apple tech: Everything seems to be in working order and it's now registering on your computer?

Me: Yes!

Apple tech: Thank you for calling Apple Support and have a good night. (hangs up)

Me: $29 for 45 seconds? *#@^$!!!

Fortunately for me, my imaginary scenario was completely inaccurate, starting with the fact that I never even spoke with a live person. I worked my way through the computer menu and my iPod was fixed in about 2 minutes by pressing the menu button and the center button simultaneously for 10 seconds.

I let myself get worked into a tizzy for nothing. I blame the combination of excess caffeine surging through my system and a cloudy brain due to sleep deprivation. I suppose that would have made for an even more interesting actual battle with an Apple tech but now I'll never know.

I'm happy to report that I was not charged for this tech support, my problem was resolved quickly and my iPod is at my side and humming along again. Apple turned out good after all. Thank you Apple!!

Madonna Obsessions/Confessions

This past Saturday night at about 2:30AM our cable went out, which meant no TV and no Internet. Horror of Horrors! Now my husband and I are definitive night owls so instead of going to bed, we decided to watch some previously recorded shows via our DVR. When Madonna did her Confessions Tour the performance from London was broadcast to NBC and we recorded it. We decided to watch it again and I was reminded just how awesome Madonna is. Incidentally, we are dead set on getting tickets for Madonna's upcoming Sticky and Sweet Tour. In the meantime, we'll just have to settle for reruns of her Confessions Tour. If we get tickets for her next tour, I'm expecting quite a show. Something along the the lines of the video above. Enjoy the disco/Madonna fusion!

Music Distractions

I'm actually trying to post a recap of last week's Lost episode but I'm too busy enjoying my recent iTunes purchases. I went crazy for some remixes! I got my boy JT (that's Justin Timberlake for the rest of you), Madonna and Britney. I had about $10 left on an iTunes gift card and what better way to spend it! Of course Paul Oakenfold is in a couple of the remixes for JT and Britney. He's always awesome. I got a really cool reggae version of Piece of Me and I think it may be my fav purchase so far. I also like the Pokerface remix of SexyBack. I've decided iTunes may be almost as addictive as coffee for me. That's a bad thing, 'cause it means I'll be spending lots of $. I do enjoy the instant gratification of iTunes. Plus, my iPod is oh so much more convenient than bulky CDs with their jewel cases. My iPod is the only Apple product I own but I heart it!! You know the question about what you would take with you if you could only have one item on a deserted island? I think my iPod would be it (with an endless energy supply of course). Practical people would probably want a hunting knife or a lighter or some such nonsense but I know I wouldn't survive long even with those items so I think I'd rather go out with some rockin tunes at least!