Michael and Michael are Back!

All fans of The State and Stella rejoice! Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter are back with a new Comedy Central show titled Michael and Michael Have Issues. I'm so excited I can't contain myself. Now, if only MTV would release The State on DVD and relieve us all of our VHS copies...

Sarcastic Disco

Saturday night's Sarcastic Disco with the master, DJ Harvey was nothing short of mind-blowing. Once again, Harvey amazed me with his selection of music and his untouchable ability to move a crowd. Maybe it's the fact that he's been at it since the '70s,  but no one comes close to throwing a party like Harvey. The highlight of the night was hearing C.O.M.B.I's remix of the 1979 hit High On Your Love by Debbie Jacobs. I was jumping and singing at the top of my lungs.

I found the mp3 on AudioSeduction.com -  Click Here to listen. Wait for it to hit you at the 4:00 mark.

If you live in LA, then you're in luck - Harvey only lends his skills to the underground, playing the Sarcastic Disco exclusively. If you're a real disco junkie and want to relive the days of David Mancuso's loft parties, then make your way to Hawaii to check out Harvey's club, the 39 Hotel. Harvey purchased Mancuso's soundstystem to create his masterpiece.

To listen to the original version,

TECH: The Browser Wars

What is it about cut and paste thats so hard to implement on mobile browsers. It look apple 2 years to put it on the iphone and my favorite BlackBerry browser OperaMini still doesnt have it.

Good news hit my in box this morning announcing newbie Bolt has a new version that can actually cut and paste plus a whole hot more!

My new browser of choice? Time will tell but this is a step in the right direction.

FILTER Remembers Michael Jackson

We at FILTER were very saddened to hear about Michael Jackson's untimely death yesterday afternoon. Some of us wanted to share our thoughts.  Please feel free to add what you think in the comment section below.

Mike Bell
I remember my mom allowing me to stay up past bedtime to catch the MTV premier of Thriller in 1983. I was about 5 at the time and thought the werewolf scene was VERY scary. I still get chills when I see those yellow eyes! I was really bummed when I heard MJ died and spent yesterday evening playing two of my all time favorite albums, "Off the Wall" and "Thriller".  (I wanted to include the real Thriller video below, but I can't find one that can be embedded)

Connie Tsang
My first action figure was an mj one. fully equiped with red leather jacket and silver glove... I think I was 4 or 5 then?
 

Jose Vargas
Without a doubt, the greatest entertainer of all time. I remember wearing one glove around the house when I was a child, I remember trying to moonwalk, I remember each time he released a new video on TV and the MJ parties that followed. To this day, every time my siblings and I get together and we hear Thriller at a party, we perform the entire dance routine. When I heard the news, it was like a little part of my childhood died. There will never be another Michael.

Mikela Floyd
I'll always have a special place in my heart for Captain EO. During childhood trips to Disneyland, that was always a must in my book, much to the protest of my family members. I lived for it! From Michael and his sidekick "Fuzzball," to the awesome "We Are Here To Change The World," I was hooked. RIP, Captain EO.


Samantha Barnes
Michael Jackson was simply one of those undeniable talents whose music will live on forever and always bring a smile to my face. Growing up, I was most drawn to the fun, motown sounds of Jackson 5 - so much that I even convinced my junior high basketball team to warm up to "ABC" and "I Want You Back" before every single game and scrimmage. Seriously. While my jump shot may have suffered due to time spent wagging fingers and miming lyrics, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Regardless of his eccentricities and personal struggles, the world lost a true icon yesterday, who will continue to fill hearts with joy and laughter for years to come.
 

Wes Martin
There are so many ridiculously awesome moments to choose from, it’s super difficult to find the one to pick out. After much thought, I picked the 1993 Superbowl in Pasadena. He performed the absolute best halftime show I have EVER seen. I think this was when I first grasped exactly how huge MJ was. Just watching it again made me tear up a little (It didn’t hurt that my beloved Cowboys won either.)

Gaming Fail: Tiger Woods Vs. Rush

Tonight on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the ex-SNLer will be taking on Tiger Woods, the world ranked number one golfer at Wii Golf. Spoiler alert: Fallon wins.

So the big question is; which is the most epic fail? Tiger Woods losing at Wii Golf, or Rush crashing and burning while they try to play "Tom Sawyer" on Rock Band backstage at The Colbert Report?

Tiger Woods Loses To Jimmy Fallon At Wii Golf:

Rush Play Rock Band On The Colbert Report.

Delicious Foodstuffs: Dining Like a Queen

 

I always tell my friends I only spend my money on food.  This weekend definitely confirmed that statement, thanks to San Francisco and Napa Valley.  It's very easy to splurge when you're on vacation and I gotta say, I don't regret it one bit.  I know I'll have to be on a tight budget for the next couple weeks, but man... SO worth it.

FRIDAY
Breakfast...

Squat & Gobble
http://www.squatandgobble.com/
Various locations

Lox Benedict.  LOVED their hollandaise sauce (for once not too rich and leaves you feeling stuffed)

Wine Tasting...

Del Dotto Caves (Historic Winery and Tasting Room)
http://www.deldottovineyards.com/
1055 Atlas Peak Road, Napa

• My favorite from the trip
• Very exclusive. They do not distribute
• Limited bottle production per year
  
• $40 for 12 different wines, port, cheese, chocolate and olive oil

Most of the wine I tasted included:

• 2006 Zinfandel
• 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (American Oak)
• 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (French Oak)
• 2007 Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve
• 2006 Sangiovese
• 2006 Cave Blend
• 2007 Cinghiale Vineyard Pinot Noir
• 2007 Lot ST Cabernet Sauvignon (American Oak)
• 2007 Lot ST Cabernet Sauvignon (French Oak)
• 2007 Cabernet Franc **this was so good I bought it knowing it hasn't even been bottled yet!

If you go, ask for Ed.  He's a great tour guide. 

Darioush Winery
http://www.darioush.com/
4240 Silverado Trl, Napa

• $20 tasting flight with 4 types of wines 
• Not too memorable
• Loved their pistachios, but I won't pay $9 a bag for it
• Reminds me of Las Vegas
• Still willing to try this place out again
  

Dinner...

Ristorante Allegria
http://www.ristoranteallegria.com
1026 1st St., Napa

• The outdoor patio was perfect for the summer weather
• Prices were reasonable considering the quality and portion
• The waitress was a tad slow, but it was nice to sit, unwind and sip on some wine.

Fried Calamari


N.Y. Steak with Mushroom Risotto (yes, that steak is rare)

SATURDAY
Wine Tasting...

Merryvale Vineyards
http://www.merryvale.com
1000 Main St., St. Helena

• They offered different tastings within $10-$20
• The white wines were a lot better than their reds
• If you ask them for an extra tasting they won't charge you (maybe it was our luck)

I also want to have a birthday dinner in their Cask Room.

ZD Wines
http://www.zdwines.com
8383 Silverado Trl., Napa

• Great choice in music (indie rock for life!) 
• For $15, they offered tastings upstairs on their patio with all you can eat cheese (another plus) 
• Some wines we tasted were over $100 and the cheese were at least $33/pound

Domaine Chandon
http://www.chandon.com
1 California Drive, Yountville

• $29 prefix lunch, which came with 2 dishes and 1 glass of wine to pair with your meal 
• Overlooks a nice lawn and pond
• Full menu offers a wide variety of dishes to go with any type of wine or bubbly they serve
• Bubbles and Oysters tasting for $62, but I'll have to wait till next time

White Corn Soup with Dungeness Crab


Foie Gras with Strawberries


Star Anise Braised Duck Leg


Fresh Oyster with Shallots


Palate Cleanser (ice and champagne)

Elizabeth Spencer Wines
http://www.elizabethspencerwines.com
1165 Rutherford Rd., Napa

• A very small store, but it made for a nice change from the big tasting rooms 
• $20 for 6 tastings 
• Their tasting menu changes daily, so it's worth checking out multiple times

Alpha Omega Winery
http://www.aowinery.com
1155 Mee Ln., St. Helena

• The winery itself was exceptionally beautiful.  The architecture was fitting for their name and the patio and fountain area was great to chill as the sun sets 
• $15 for 4 wines
• If you buy a bottle of wine, they apply that $15 into your purchase! 

Dinner...

Nopa
http://www.nopasf.com
560 Divisadero, San Francisco

• Typical late night eats calls for fast food or 24-hour diners, but this place was a classy joint 
• Not too much to offer on the menu, but when it's late you don't really want to think anyway
• Nice vibe and made me want to stay out all night

Warm Goat Cheese, Pickled Beets, Frisee and Crostini

Olive Oil Coated Cherries with Sea Salt

Grass Fed Hamburger (rare), Pickled Onions and Fries

SUNDAY
Breakfast...

Grove Cafe
http://www.yelp.com/biz/grove-cafe-san-francisco
2250 Chestnut St., San Francisco

• Love their woodsy, cabin feel inside
• Lots of random breakfast/lunch items to choose from
• It doesn't seem like there's ever a down time in the cafe, so seating may be a little tough (you order first then find your own seat)

French Onion Soup

Mac n Cheese

Politics: Top 10 More Important Issues Than Iran

Mixtape Monday

DJ Pants Off has just dropped his June Gloom Disco Boom Mixtape and it's a groovy accompaniment to your set of work-time headphones. Pants Off is the only DJ in the world to have the Pacific Horizons track but look for the vinyl soon.

To Listen/Download, Click Here

Tracklisting

Pacific Horizons - The Amulet

Low Motion Disco - Low Low Low (Still Going Remix)

Forces of Nature - To the Brain (Prins Thomas Discomix)

40 Thieves - Don't Turn it off

Doves - Kingdom Of Rust (Still Going Remix)

Free Disco - Left Field Boogie

Fromage Disco - Vicious

Lullabies in the Dark - Indium (Super Pincher Remix)

Curses! - Deep End (Holy Ghost! Day School Dub)

The Feed 100 Bag

I'm proud to say that I have cut out supermarkets from my weekly grocery shopping. It's been months since I've ventured to the corporate food markets but this weekend I made a point to make my way to Whole Foods to purchase The Feed 100 Bag. It's is a large canvas bag that is a step up from the usual potato sac you see people carrying at the farmer's markets. Made from 100% cotton and sustainable burlap, I use the tote as my everyday bag. But the big plus to this bag? For the price of $25, The Feed 100 Bag will provide 100 nutritious school meals for hungry children through the UN World Food Program! Support the cause and buy one for yourself or gift them to people.

For more information, Click Here

TECH: Give your iTunes a Makeover

What is more frustrating that clicking on a song in itunes and a exclamation point popping up instead of a song playing. Yes, the infamous "please locate track" message as stuck again.

I cant be the only one with endless broken links and duplicate tracks. What i need is an itunes makeover and thankfully meta-iPod is there for me.

The amazingly awesome meta-iPod does it all...download it for free!

File Metadata & iTunes Database Label Comparison
By comparing these two labels to each other, meta-iPod can tells you if your tracks are mismatched which could indicate that your track has the wrong label. After finding mismatched tracks, meta-iPod lets you fix them quickly by selecting the appropriate labels.

Album Art Download & iPod Transfer
Got album art? This feature automatically finds the tracks from iTunes with no album art, then lets you automaically search an iPod for matching artwork or download artwork from the internet.

iPod to iTunes Playlist Copy
Want to recover a playlist from your iPod? This feature lets you transfer a playlist from your iPod to iTunes. The playlist transfer will automatically determine if the tracks are in iTunes or not. If they're not in iTunes, they will be transferred, then added to the playlist.

iPod Play Count & Rating Recovery
Did you transfer music from your iPod to your computer and you lost your ratings and labels? Or did you rate a track on your iPod and can't get that rating into iTunes? The Better Metadata feature chooses which play count or ratings are most up to date and applies that to iTunes.

Automatically Assign Ratings
By analzying the play counts and skips counts of a track, metaiPod can help you quickly assign ratings to all tracks in your library.

iPod to iTunes Track Transfer
This feature lets you quickly and easily transfer tracks from your iPod into iTunes, without having to use a .txt file. By transferring tracks using this feature you will also keep your ratings and play counts.

Scan folder sources & find tracks not in iTunes 

The Lost Tracks feature lets you find out what's really in your My Music folder. Do you have two copies of your music library on your computer with one just taking up space? This feature scans the folders on your computer and finds files that aren't already in iTunes.

Automatic Duplicate Track Removal
Have your ever tried to remove your duplicate tracks from iTunes, but found it tedious to go through the list removing 1 duplicate track at a time? The duplicate track analysis feature will automatically guess which track to delete so you can clean your duplicates in one fell swoop.

iTunes No-Location Track Finder
Automatically find tracks with no location (!) in iTunes. Next, meta-iPod will search iTunes to see if that track has a duplicate already on your computer. If no duplicate is found, then it will rapidly check other analyzed data sources to see if it can find the tracks location automatically.