So I didn't bother going to see The Thrills on Friday because I had better things to do, ie quality time with the Twins. Whatever...I don't *love* The Thrills and I saw them in January so there you go.



We also *finally* watched I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which is weird because Wilco gives us all boners. But we finally saw it and it was terrific. Seeing Jeff Tweedy (above) go to Wendy's with his wife and kids is great; he seemed like a very cool guy, and he even hung out and shot the shit with Fred Armisen before Fred was on SNL. It also sheds an interesting light on the departure of Jay Bennett following the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions. Normally when you hear that one of your favorite bands has kicked out one of its main components it's kind of troubling; afterall, I loved Wilco with Jay Bennett. But then you see that Bennett was more or less a tool and you think "fuck him." And then when they show him playing a solo gig, futilely trying to sing a Wilco song he helped write but that only Jeff Tweedy can sing...well, there's definitely some Schadenfreude there. Granted, they distilled a year of stuff down to 90 minutes, but it's all about the illusion of being an informed viewer, eh?

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Latest schedule of bands:

6/1 Ambulance Ltd@TT's
6/3 FNX Thing: The Stills, The Rapture, Elefant, more Indefinite Articles on Landsdowne Street
6/8 The Secret Machines@TT's
6/11 The Bravery@TT's
6/16 Franz Ferdinand@Avalon (probably won't compare to being first row@TT's in February, but I gotta go)
6/20 Longwave@TT's
7/23 The Hives@Avalon
8/7 Interpol/Muse/The Rapture (WOW...and I don't even really like the Cure...)
6/29 Aimee Mann@Avalon

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At the risk of letting my limey-loving go too overboard, "The Office" is probably my favorite show. Ever. I watched the second season and Christmas special again with the twins this weekend and the combination of subtle, incisive humor with brilliant characters that you actually care about is amazing. The show simply can't be pegged as merely a comedy either. I think Martin Freeman's Tim (the porn stand-in guy from Love Actually) has to be my favorite. But every character is great in their own way--David Brent the massively toolish boss, Gareth the oblivious, scrawny, and middling "team leader," Dawn as Tim's love interest who is way more attractive than she objectively should be, Keith the huge black hole of personality, Chris "Finchy" Finch the deplorable sales rep. Fair warning--if you talk to me in the next month I may start gushing spontaneously about the show.

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Conan Quotables:

"Christina Aguilera is denying that she cancelled her upcoming tour because she couldn't fill the concert venues. Aguilera said, 'That's not true. I cancelled my tour because I ran out of whore makeup.'"

"Today, McDonald's launched its new adult Happy Meal that features a large salad, a bottle of water and a booklet of health tips. As a result, the company will change its slogan from 'I'm Lovin' It,' to "I'll Be At Wendy's.'"

"Secretary of State Colin Powell says he may not serve a second term if President Bush is re-elected. Apparently, Powell is angry that after four years Bush keeps mistaking him for Cuba Gooding, Jr."

"In a new interview, an Iraqi who worked closely with Saddam Hussein said that despite what's been reported, Saddam only had one body double. The surprising part is, it was Burt Reynolds."

"This week, Yankee Catcher Jorge Posada said he toughens up his hands by soaking them in urine. In other words, Posada takes the subway to work."