I Guess We’re Doing Something Right

Today marks 17 months and 2 weeks for my baby girl. Well, not really a baby anymore. Her scuffs, scrapes and bruises are clear indicators that she’s a toddler now and what many refer to as the “terrible twos.” However watching my daughter in wonderment as she interacts with the world is worth enduring a tantrum just because her coloring book has too many pages.

My daughter began nurturing her stuffed animals earlier this week and a few days later, began playing with dolls. Today I watched her lovingly place her doll on the floor, cover it with a blanket, pat it on the back, laid down next to it with a book and started whispering. It blew my mind. She was copying her own sleep routine that my wife and I do with her every evening.

To see my daughter be so gentle in caring for her doll and know that she is imitating the way we care for her means we’re doing something right. I’m proud of my daughter for being so smart and I’m proud of my wife and I for setting an example of loving care.

Bald, Middle-Aged and at the Top of His Game

In TV land, I haven’t had much to look forward to on a nightly basis. The season just wrapped on my two favorite NBC comedies, Parks and Recreation and Community. Previous to those, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Portlandia, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia have wrapped early in the year and probably won’t boast new seasons until the fall.

So what’s current in this turbulent summer season of TV that’s worth a few chuckles? The Whitest Kids You Know are keeping it fresh on IFC. However this being their last season, each episode is bittersweet. So really, the question still lies as to where to go for some fresh comedy. In this case, it’s old faithful comin’ through… Comedy Central.

As the network continually attempts to fill the sketch/variety void that Chappelle’s Show created, Jon Benjamin Has a Van now steps up to the plate. To mainstream audiences, Jon Benjamin is taking a huge step in revealing himself in front of the camera, after voicing such popular animated characters in FX’s Archer and Fox’s Bob’s Burgers. However comedy nerds are well aware of Benjamin’s on-camera prowess. Personally, my favorite appearances of his were as the Bruce Willis impersonator on Human Giant and the sleazy, temperamental Benjamin Franklin on Important Things with Demetri Martin.

Being one of my favorite comedic actors, I was thrilled when hearing that Comedy Central was giving him his own show. Of course being familiar with his work on the aforementioned shows, I assumed that the show would be purely sketch comedy. Being an absolute sketch comedy nerd, I would have been totally fine with the straightforward format. However upon watching the previews, some apprehension arose when I realized that Jon Benjamin Has a Van seems to be a lot of prank comedy. Besides Jackass, prank comedy generally leaves a bad taste in my mouth after my years of experience as a stuntboy on an FM radio morning show. However if I love the cast enough, I will sit through prank comedy shows, such as Dog Bites Man, starring Zach Galifianakis.

Joining Benjamin in the new show is a favorite stand-up comedian and actor of mine, the very underrated Leo Allen. He has appeared on Comedy Central Presents both as a solo comic and with his comedy team, Slovin and Allen. Fans of the short-lived Michael and Michael Have Issues also recognize him as the timid office worker who refuses to pee on women… quite an admirable trait. Outside of Comedy Central, Allen has dominated the comedy video website, Funny or Die.

So what am I saying here? Will I watch the show? Hell yes and I am incredibly happy for Jon Benjamin’s success. He is always in company with phenomenal comedians, which leaves him with two animated series that were recently renewed and his first starring role on the small screen. Make no mistake, dreams can come true later in life. Even when you’re bald, short and middle-aged. Just ask Danny DeVito.

Oh yeah… and Jon Benjamin.

The Real Deal – PIMPBOT’s 3rd Album

I usually try to steer the subject of my blog posts toward pop culture but this week I have to address something that is dear to my heart, balls and soul.

I am the singer and trombonist of PIMPBOT, a band that I started after getting out of college in 2001. I’ve been driving my tunes into the skulls of ska fans for the last 10 years and this year is shaping to be one of the most pivotal in my music career.

My band is about to release its third full-length album. In a land of cover bands and watered-down reggae known as “Jawaiian,” I have faced a constant uphill battle for my music to be heard. The case with this 3^rd album is no different.

After coming off of an east coast tour, the band’s funds are exhausted, to say the least, and are now counting on family, friends and fans to help put this album out. This is more than a plea to get donations for just another album so that we can get more money and head out on another tour, then record, then tour, then record, etc. If this is my last mark on Earth to sum up my musical existence, I will be okay with that. I believe in this album THAT much. I’ve never been so proud of any of my projects. I believe in every beat, chord and lyric.

If I heard this album 10 yrs ago and was told that it was my band, I would’ve crapped myself. This is the album I have been waiting to make, with haunting harmonies, soul-twisting chord progressions and undeniable rhythms. The stories in these songs are so real and personal, not only to myself but any struggling musician crawling out from the doldrums of defeat. I’ve been “road testing” this album and it has never left my CD deck as I drive through the streets of Honolulu. I want to hear this album over and over again.

Not only am I asking for the support of ska, reggae and punk fans… but fans of music that comes straight from the marrow. Fans of dreams coming true. Fans of keeping hope alive.

I thank you in advance for your support.

Blogging every week in 2011

Image via Wikipedia

My double-jointed fingers are already trembling at the thought.  Just kidding.  Blogging weekly has been a loose target for me in 2010 but I plan “tighten the reins” sort to speak.  In the past ten years, I took a tiny step up the workforce ladder from retail to customer service.  To be honest, I don’t know which is worse but since I’m making more bucks in customer service, I’m assuming it’s a step up.  Either way, I’ve decided to no longer let the Want Ads control my destiny.  I am choosing my future career and taking steps to achieve my goal.

I want to be a full-time writer.

I currently write for the Honolulu Weekly, Island Scene Magazine and I am a blogger for LocalBigwig.com.  Having weekly writing assignments have established a new rhythm for my writing, which in turn has benefitted my personal blog.

WordPress has recently launched two campaigns to aid bloggers in posting consistently in 2011.  Interested users have the choice of challenging themselves to either PostADay or PostAWeek.  Yours truly is signing up for PostAWeek, as I’m hopeful in continuing to receive writing assignments to keep me busy.

As I have interest in all the pieces I write, whether it be corporate or personally charged, I publicly commit to this 2011 challenge of hopes that you will subscribe to this personal blog of mine.  Nobody wants to read personal diaries, unless you’re a teenage girl.  Therefore I do my best to relate personal events in my life to pop culture.

Thank you for reading and I look forward to writing more for you in the coming year.

Noob writer,
Fernando Pacheco

Nine movies I got for Christmas

Many debate on whether or not it’s worth it to purchase DVDs anymore.  With the convenience of digital downloads increasing, shelves that once held DVD collections may now hold things like your 7-11 collectible Big Gulp cup collection.  I however hold tight to the idea of hard copy ownership.  I love having a stack of shiny discs next to my computer and popping one in when I’m bored.  Then later if I get a virus and my computer crashes, my movie collection is safe… the way God intended.

This year, my friends knowing me all too well, purchased and wrapped these babies in yule tide spirit.  The nine DVDs I received for Christmas are as follows:

 

Boy Eats Girl

Dead and Gone

Return of the Living Dead 3

Return of the Living Dead Necropolis

Pumpkinhead II

Leprechaun

Wishmaster

Wishmaster 2

Inception

 

 

5 Free Christmas Albums

In my 10 years of living as a professional touring musician, I’ve learned a whole new appreciation of hospitality.  Bands all over the world that play ska, punk, reggae or rockabilly know of a crash pad in Richmond Hills if they roll through California’s Bay Area.  These bands know the musician haven as Strange Manor.

The house was originally claimed by a band from Honolulu, Hawaii called Red Session.  The ska/punk band moved to the Bay Area in hopes of more tours and gaining a larger fan base.  Over the years, the band became smaller as some members went back to the islands and eventually the name Red Session fizzled out.  However the band’s remaining members continued to rent the house and kept the “Aloha Spirit” with their neighboring musicians.

With countless BBQ’s and other themed get-togethers, Strange Manor has gained a world-wide reputation with tattooed, pierced and multi-color haired musicians.  Bands on tour know that the multi-leveled house welcomes musicians to crash a day or two while in town and even utilize the soundproofed practice/recording room.

This room is one of the key incentives for the tenants of Strange Manor.  Being that majority of them are musicians themselves, their bands have a home base to practice and record demos.  For the past 5 years now, it has been a tradition for the rotating cast of live-ins to collaborate on an annual Christmas album.  The song selection is nothing new, consisting of traditional holiday cover tunes or some Weird Al-esque parody.  What makes these albums brilliant is the multitude of genres in which they record these seasonal favorites.  The arrangements on these volumes are what makes them original.

Strange Manor now has a library of 5 volumes, consisting of almost every holiday hit your local contemporary radio station will annually churn out.  In the same giving spirit that Red Session once instituted, all of these volumes are free.  Yes, volumes 1-5 can be downloaded here.

If you’re not sold on downloading some free music yet, these album covers alone should entice you for a listen.

Merry Christmas!!!

Brain Buster: Quantum Leap Theme Song

Image via Wikipedia

Over this past weekend, my saxophonist in PIMPBOT leaned over to me and said “Hey, you know what song we should learn?  The theme song to Quantum Leap.”  My first reaction was to wonder whether or not he was joking.  However that factor was quickly dismissed as I realized I had no idea how the song went.

I tried clearing my mind out completely to make room for any vagrant memory to trigger some retro playback action in my head.  To this moment, the two songs I keep hearing in my head are the theme to MacGyver and Doogie Howser, MD.  I explained this brain freeze to my saxophonist and he said “well, it’s kinda like those songs.”

By now you are probably wondering why I won’t just hop on over to youtube and listen to the dozens of bad recordings probably uploaded by users all over the globe that have way too much time on their hands.  It is the same reason why some men won’t ask for directions… pride.  I take serious pride in my knowledge of late 80′s/early 90′s pop culture.

Hoping to jog my memory without totally cheating, I researched the theme song’s composer.  In hopes that perhaps the composer was maybe famous for writing another theme song exactly like Quantum Leap’s, I discovered the tune in question was composed by TV hit-maker, Mike Post.

Post is a legend in the TV theme biz.  He belted out classics like the theme to The A-Team, Law & Order, Magnum, P.I. and Doogie Howser, MD.  Honestly I was a little relieved the Doogie theme is in his library, proving that I’m not crazy and perhaps a little “warm” in guessing how the Quantum Leap theme song goes.  However the his other TV hits are too familiar in their own right to trigger a memory of the brain busting theme.

I’ll be giving myself one week to figure it out before admitting defeat.  At which point, I will sulk on over to youtube and hit myself on the forehead with my computer mouse.

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Fall 2010 Top TV Picks

I didn’t watch much TV in my 20′s so I find it hilarious how I’m now a tube junkie .  Coasting along in my 30′s, I sometimes get darn right giddy about some of the crap that’s on TV.  Now that my summer of reruns has come to an end, I’m elbow-deep in season & series premieres.

One new show that I won’t be cheering nor jeering, is the new Hawaii Five-O.  Being that I live in Hawaii it’s all people talk about and frankly, I’m burnt-out and numb to the subject.

Moving on, here’s some fall programming that make my nipples tingle:

The League, season 2 (FX) – A show about the trials and tribulations of an 8 team fantasy football league.  The characters are brilliant but what really drives the show home for me are the performances from Paul Sheer and Mark Duplass.  Guys effectively knocking each other down a few pegs while drinking beer.  It’s a delicate balance that is perfected in this series.

Boardwalk Empire, season 1 (HBO) – Adapted from the book by Nelson Johnson, Steve Buscemi brings life to tales of corruption in Atlantic City during the prohibition era.  Violence, nudity, music, it has it all.  Martin Scorsese directed the first episode.  For me, it’s like watching Gangs of New York every week.

Bored to Death, season 2 (HBO) – The adventures of Jonathan Ames continues as an unlicensed private detective.  So far it looks like Zach Galifianakis’s appearances are still lightly gingered throughout each episode however Jason Schwartzman and Ted Danson keep the dialogue aflutter until we see more of the funny Greek.

Community, season 2 (NBC) – The powerhouse cast left viewers hanging in romantic suspense at the end of season one.  Thus far, it appears they are making it up to us with a rhythm of chuckles consistent of season 1, while adding depth to characters we’ve come to love.

Unfortunately there are also some disappointing shows this season that are making me limp from the waist down:

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, season 6 (FX) – This is actually heartbreaking because I’ve been a hardcore fan of the show for a while now.  The season kicked off with what seemed like a two part episode, however it was not acknowledged as a two-parter.  Which implies that the show is straying from their signature mantra of not having their characters grow and develop and starting each episode with a clean slate.  The dialogue seems a bit lackluster and doesn’t have the intensity it once had.  I’m starting to think that the days of Nightman and Kitten Mittens are over.  This new season may be one where you’ll have to catch it from the beginning or you may miss the ride completely.  To be honest, it’s starting to look like a ride you may not care to catch.

$h*! My Dad Says, season 1 (CBS) – As a follower of the popular twitter feed, I really wanted this show to do well.  The obvious let down is the piss poor acting from Jonathan Sadowski but when I thought about it more, I’m not sure that William Shatner was the best choice for the role of Edison Milford “Ed” Goodson III.  Off the top of my head, Ed O’Neill would’ve been a better crabby old man.  If I had it my way, I’d yank O’Neill from Modern Family and cast him in this show on a cable network so that he could be a full blown potty mouth.

It’s still early in the season so really, there’s hope for all.  There’s a few shows yet to air that my thumb is ready to set to DVR:

Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time, premieres October 12 (Comedy Central) – Stand-up Comedian Nick Swardson rolls the dice with his own sketch comedy show, hoping for the same moderate success as Important Things with Demetri Martin.  I’m a fan of Swardson’s stand up act and I’m a sketch comedy writer and performer myself so I’m going to do my best at supporting the craft.  Based on the sample clips on Comedy Central’s website, it looks decent enough to avoid the sketch comedy graveyard recently populated by Michael & Michael Have Issues and Chocolate News.

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, premieres October 1 (IFC) – The first episode of the show created, written by, and starring David Cross can already been seen in its entirety on IFC’s website.  Cross has been apart of some home run comedy shows such as Mr. Show and Arrested Development and his stand up alone crushes audiences into a submission of laughter.

Conan, premieres November 8 (TBS) – The new lead-in for Lopez Tonight is expected to begin a new era in late night comedy.  Teamcoco.com is steadily serving up bite-sized hype for the upcoming show with twitter feeds, show promo videos and interviews with Conan O’Brien himself.  After all these months since the Conan vs NBC drama, I thought I’d be tired of saying that Jay Leno is a douchebag.  But I’m not.  Jay Leno is a douchebag and is a hershey stain on the underwear of comedy.

The fall 2010 season is shaping up to be a healthy entrée of entertainment.  Sifting through these hits and bombs are sure to keep viewers like me busy as I wait for my 2011 fresh helpings of Parks and Recreation, Entourage and Whitest Kids U’ Know.

Action Ninja Theatre – Episode 1

In early 2006, I didn’t have much to my name.  I had a very cheap digital camera, some construction paper, a few  markers and some toys from a dollar store.  With these elements, I created something that shook MySpace to its core.  Being pulled deep from the ferN dawg archives, Action Ninja Theatre is back and is re-released to blow the minds of facebook users, wordpress users, and beyond.

Enjoy.

Stay tuned for episode 2!

This Movie Always Gets to Me

I admit, I probably haven’t seen this movie in at least 25 years but I don’t ever recall crying so hard as I did when I watched 1977′s Dot and the Kangaroo.

I’m guessing I was charmed by the childlike voice of Barbara Frawley as she befriended a wild animal just as I played with many stray animals in my youth.

My tear-filled eyes remember the Aussie film ending with the animated Kangaroo hopping away in a live-action forest. Those tears revisited decades later as I came home to an empty room after an ex-girlfriend took my DVD collection and only left my DVD copy of Dot and the Kangaroo that I found in the dollar bin at Wal-Mart.

I’ve contemplated watching the film from time to time but every time I see the DVD case sitting on my shelf, I keep thinking of that bitch who took my Spinal Tap DVD.

Again… tears.

Cover of This is Spinal Tap (Special Edition)

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