A.J.T.F. Interviews Douglas Reese

Douglas Reese had a few things to say about his new bait, "Reservations". Let's watch.......

AJ - Hey Douglas, long-time-no-interview. What have you been up to during The Hiatus(which will hereby be the official name we give the dark part of the contest, like the Bait an Oscar Holocaust)? (and yes Alex S, that WAS a holocaust joke. WESTSIIIIIIDE!!)

DR - Urhm... I wouldn't really refer to the recent pause in the contest as a bad thing. Obviously everybody agreed to take a miniature break before it even started so, it wasn't really Johnny acting like Adolph or anything. *Laughs*

AJ - I watched this movie last night called "Bronson". It was a very original film, and reminded me a lot of the look I pictured for my January 09 bait "Major Tom". Have you seen a flick recently that made you go, "If my bait, [fill in the blank], was a real movie, it would be like this....."?

DR - It's funny you mention "Bronson". I just watched that film last night. It was a complete piece of shit. *Laugh* Anyway - the only time that moment has come with me would have to be when I re-watched "Boogie Nights". It comes as no surprise that the film obviously holds the same style that I picture "Realm of the Bird". Smooth long shots, era-appropriate soundtrack, and quick-cut montages, etc. God, I love PTA.

AJ - What in the news/media has really pissed you off this month? Personally, I'm getting tired of all this Dave Letterman/Sarah Palin shit. How about you?

DR - I actually never heard about the Letterman/Palin crap, nor do I want to. One dude that is really annoying me in the news recently is Adam Lambert. Untalented hack. Also, if I hear about "The Hills" cast one more time I am shutting off cable and sticking with TCM, HBO, and Showtime.

AJ - In your opinion, do you think David Carradine accidentally died whilst masturbating? (Much like Kevin Nealon on last season's finale of Weeds) Or did the Bride finally catch up with him, and it was foul play?

DR - I really can't say, because, making opinions with facts I really don't know makes absolutely no sense to me. I never understood the concept. Like how some like to have the "opinion" that Courtney Love killed Kurt Cobain. I don't understand having "opinions" over a death you personally have no specific information on. All we go by is tabloid and gossip, and myth gets mixed with it all, eventually.

AJ - So, enough nonsense in this interview. Tell me a little bit about the baits you have planned for this month. "The Lioness" is sure to get people talking, and I think that "Stillbirth" looks interesting. How about that new, mysterious Soderbergh poster you posted yesterday, "Reservation"?

DR - Yikes, "Reservation". Probably the first bait that is very risky, but not risky because of its subject matter. It's a very experimental pet project on my part. It's completely out-there, and the premise is nearly impossible, but... I felt like treading that daring water to bring forth something that could possibly be great from something that would seem otherwise during thought is a risk 'worth' taking. I mean, all I can reveal is its a cast of 27 and the film clocks in at about three-and-a-half hours long.

AJ - How is the festival working out? Are there a lot of baits? Is it a successful thing, or a complete "Ishtar"? (Another word that will now be slang for "Epic Fail of a Bait". I love starting cool slang terms.)

DR - It's going great. Have three panelists, and so far there have been four or so submissions. It's going great! (Submit guys, come on, don't afraid.)

AJ - OK, final question. If were to unexpectedly discover a girlfriend from 8 months ago is pregnant with your child, what would you name it and why?

DR - I totally want to name my second child. If I couldn't it would aggrivate the shit outta me. *Laughs* I'm a sucker for bizarre, out-there, fucked up names. For a boy - I freaking love the name Sebastian Xander. Fucking love that name... And then for a girl, I have no freaking clue....

AJ - Well thanks for your time here at Adrian James: Theater Fag. We expect you to be back in mid July for a panel discussion on the baits and what not.

DR - Sure, count me in. And thanks for the interview!

10 Songs I Love This Month

Anyone who has a shitload of music in their library knows that you recycle music. You get tired of whatever you happen to be listening to this week, so you go through your library, or playlists, and pick stuff you want to listen to. And then you listen to those songs for maybe a week or 2, until you start the process all over again. Well, I'm going to start recording what I'm listening to so that maybe my readers will, if they don't already, go download some of the songs. So let's start it off with one of my favorite songs of all time......

Pale Blue Eyes, The Velvet Underground
The entirity of this song is comprised of slow, steady, smooth electric guitar and a tambourine. Add that to the calming sound of Lou Reed's voice, singing about a broken heart(maybe, I'm not a certified lyrical analyst). The song plays great as a background song and is a solid 6 minutes of beautiful music.

Killing Me Softly, The Fugees
This cover has to be one of the best covers of all time. It updates the old words and melody, but with a new, Fugee-ish twist. Not to mention, anyone can sing along to Wyclef Jean when he goes, "One Time! One Time!". A good "sing-the-words-horribly-if-you-know-them" song.

Jesus of Suburbia, Green Day
The unsung hero of "American Idiot"(forget that Boulevard of Broken Dreams, cut my wrists shit). This 9 minute epic reminds me of a punk-rock version of Bohemian Rhapsody. Just a fun song. "Everyone's so full of shit/Born and raised by hypocrits" is definately one of my favorite lyrics ever.

Desolation Row, Bob Dylan
After I saw Watchmen, I heard the butchering of this classic by My Chemical Romance. And that made want to go listen to this 10 minute opus that covers basically everything Dylan was about. Acoustic guitar, harmonica, and words that protest the government. What more can you want?

Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon, Urge Overkill
Loved it in Pulp Fiction. Love it on my laptop speakers. Great guitar riff.

Rocky Racoon, The Beatles
Starts off goofy, almost like a parody of country western songs. And then it shifts into that sweet, harmonizing, Beatles-esque ballad. This songs just sounds so good, you can't pass it up. Especially when they get to "Rocky Racoon, checked into his room/Only to find gideon's Bible"

Ganja Babe, Micheal Franti and Spearhead
Well the title pretty much says it all, and this staple from the soundtrack to the first season of Weeds is a great mix of Acoustic Guitar and Rap. A great weed smoking song(who would have thought it?)

Guess I'm Doing Fine, Beck
Simply put, the best breakup song ever written. The most mature Beck song to date. And really just a terrifically beautifully heart breaking song.

Closer To Home(I'm Your Captain), Grand Funk Railroad
Another one of my favorite songs of all time, this plays like an epic tale of a boat captain, trying to reach the shores of his home. A guitar riff that gets stuck in your head for days after you hear it, and a second act that just calms the nerves.

Happy Ending, Mika
This is a song that is so melodramatic and, well, gay(and by gay, I mean homosexual for once) but everytime I hear it I feel like singing along to words I'm ashamed I know, and it makes me smile at the same time cause it's just soooooooooooooo lame.

Well, those are 10 songs I love this month. Do you have any songs you love this month? Leave a comment about it! And please, if you have never heard any of the songs on this list, go to youtube and look it up or download it or something. Each is worth at least one listen.

The 5 Movies I'm Ashamed I Haven't Seen

I'm a film buff. No question. Always have been, hopefully always will be. But there are films I have read about, that people talk about, and that are quite famous that I still have yet to see. It pains me deeply(if I were immature, I'd make an anal sex joke right about now [haha anal sex]) to be in discussions with fellow film buffs and have to explain that I haven't seen certain films. Films such as.......

5. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Yes, I haven't seen the Reese's Pieces eating child plaything, but from what I've gathered it is soomewhat of a reknowned film. Family friendly? Yes. Legendary? In its own sense. Interesting Enough for Me to Go Out Of my Way to See? Not entirely.

4. The French Connection
I have always been biased since it took the Oscar for Best Picture from A Clockwork Orange. But this is one that I may take a look at eventually.

3. Anything from the 1950s
Yes. You read that right. You name it, I'll bet I havent seen it.

2. Gone With the Wind
Sigh, I know. But when does it ever come on television? I have seen "The Rock" fifty times on TNT, but I have never seen Scarlett O'Hara star in the first sex scene with color(That is what happens in this film, right?)

1. Apocalypse Now
My bait "Dementia Ascending" was compared to this film by D.W. and I still havent seen it.

Well, now that that's over, I guess I'd better get on Netflix so I can write my next article. "Five Movies I'm Ashamed I Haven't Seen, But Less So Than My Original List of Five"

And the boys are back in town......

Welcome back, loyal readers, to the Oscar Bait Contest's favortie, snarky, jackass comedic columnist. Throughout the next couple of months, we will get a good feel about how the new contest will work out. But until then, you're just going to have to wait it out. What you can do in the meantime, is keep checking the site, the threads, and the blogs for updates. Write a bait. Send it to douglas for the festival. His new festival should be less bullshit than the last time.

Stay tuned for more updates loyal followers, but until then just remember, thug means never having to say your sorry :)