barnson.org Half-baked opinions, served lukewarm.

I think the real problem is that the average performer these days is barely talented and that half of the performers are less talented than that.

I just saw Ben Folds in concert at George Washington University, and he was amazing, incredible.. but the guy who opened for him was just some schmoe playing rhythms and chords on gutiar that I could play, and singing songs not as good as mine in a voice not much better. Its not that I'm super talented, but why in God's green earth was he being paid to play for 5000 people, none of whom seemed enthused by his mediocrity?

I feel this way about a lot I see. I am a professional actor, and blast it, why does Ben Affleck get to live in a mansion and not me? Now I understand, I haven't taken my shot (yet).. but the point is, if I take myself out of it..

Now, there is a headline you don't see every day, eh?

Here's the deal. For a long time we have debated the question of copyright law and music downloading and the ways to stop it. An assertion I have made for a long time has been that the music industry needs to go the way of the motion picture industry (via DVD's), and make it so simply downloading songs doesn't give you the whole album experience.

So, the other day, i went to pick up the newest album by my favorite band (and the most versatile band since the Beatles for my money), Barenaked Ladies. The name of the album was "Everything for Everyone", and as I went to purchase my 15 dollar album, I noticed the album in different packaging for 20 dollars. Looking at the album, I noticed the difference.

Well, the fall movie season has begun.. and it leads so quickly to the Christmas movie season, that I now bunch it all together into one block. So..

Someone, somewhere discovered that this season could be the OTHER movie seaosn, stealing the summer's thunder. Because of this, we are facing the onslaught of films that used to be reserved for summe, and in honor of that, I have decided to compile a few top 5 lists of movies, and I invite you to do the same... READ MORE BELOW!!
'

THERE IS A SONG TO DOWNLOAD LINKED AT THE BOTTOM: READ ON!!

Matt and I had agreed to double date on homecoming my sophomore year of high school. I was bringing my girlfriend and Matt was bringing Ranj. We had a glorious plan including the premiere of the song, HOLDIN HEARTS, HOLDIN HANDS, to be sung as a duet to our dates.

Unfortunately, at the last minute, Matt crashed his car while trying to swat away a bee.

Remember your first homecoming?
Good Lord, I do. Music, French Duck, Bees, and Matt Barnson.

The fall of 1991 was an interesting time for me. I had a new girlfriend who was a year older than me, and although that relationship was fine.. I was really much more interested in her best friend. Ah, to be 16 again. So I promptly dumped my girlfriend, asked the friend to homecoming, got turned down, and promptly asked my new EX to go with me again, and please to be my girlfriend.

Got it so far?

So, wrapped up in this soap opera was my good friend Matt, the senior who had adopted me, and best of all.. he had a car. Now, I was a poor boy, and really had spent all I had getting my ridiculous suit, so Matt and I came up with a brilliant idea.

Matthew has graciously allowed me to post a random thought here and there because honestly I don't have the wherewithall to run my own blog.

This is not the first or probably the last time I will turn to Mr. Matt for tools that allow me to do that which I can't on my own. It is the nature of our friendship, and so.. being that Barnson is so candid with his first person view of the world, I wanted to share a candid third person look at him.

My perspective on Matt is unique, in that he preceded me in many many ways. I arrived at Quince Orchard high school an annoying freshman who plunked on the piano and guitar and tried to write songs, most of which.. well.. sucked. I wanted to act, be in show choir, and above all not be an annoying freshman. Enter Barnson, a Senior who did everything I did.. but better. He was eccentric, loud, brave, and underneath a nice person. So, I bugged him and bugged him until he would be my friend. Well, that's probably the story he would tell.

On a nondescript evening I went into Border's bookstore and nonchalantly made my way past the cappuccino swilling intellectuals and toward that one section of the store I know so well. Looking left and right I pretended to be looking at one, more respectable thing.. when in deed I was looking out of the corner of my eye at another. When no one was looking, I darted my grubby left hand outward and grapped my prey. I placed it on the counter face down, hoping no one would see I was buying it. I rushed the salesperson to put it in a bag, and nonchalant;y said, "some light reading".. chuckling, but ever aware of the judgmental thoughts in the middle aged woman's eyes. "He's one of THOSE" she must have thought.

I would never have the wherewithall to create my own blogging page, so I joined the ranks of Barnson.org, just to state my humble opinion. I have in one way or another contributed countless hours to debating matt on this here website, so I figured I'd step forward and introduce myself.

Hi.

That being said, I've been enjoying a conversation with many of my friends and family about the Summer Movie Saeon this year, and have been lamenting the lack of excitement present in this movie season.

It was only a year ago when STAR WARS came out 2 weeks after Spider-Man and kicked off one of the most successful summers in Movie History. After a summer of Men in Black, Austin Powers, and the like, I was already prepping for a year or fun fun fun.