If you are a movie fan, there are movies that you never think you will never see. Sequels to old favorites, adaptations of books you love or property re-imaginations or just grand concepts that make you go “Whoa.” We call theses movies “highly anticipated.”

So a friend of mine asked me, “What are the top ten most highly anticipated movies of your life?” The movies that you were just so excited for, you could feel it deep down in your bones. Now this was something I could sink my teeth into - which is appropriate, as I’m writing this on the weekend “Twilight” comes out and that, surely, would be on several people’s lists.

But not mine. Here are the top ten most anticipated movies of my 28 years on Earth.

10.

This was the first movie I heard about exclusively online, thought sounded amazing, and had to actively seek out. I emailed the filmmakers and they sent me autographed, personalized posters and everything. After months and months of reading about it and telling friends it was about a post apocalyptic Elvis trying to get to Las Vegas, it finally came out at the Cinema Village my freshman year of college. I got about 10 people to go. And the movie is very very average. But I was talking about it forever. Number ten: “Six String Samuari,” directed by Lance Mungia. Released Sept. 18, 1998

9.

I got huge into SNL around like 5th and 6th grade. I didn’t get half the jokes, but the most of the ones I did get were on “Wayne’s World.” So when I saw that it was being made into a movie, I felt like something that *I* personally got was being adapted. It was rewarding. Number Nine: “Wayne’s World,” directed by Penelope Spheeris. Released Feb. 14, 1992.

8.

While in college, I worked at Scholastic and was literally in the center of the Harry Potter universe. I was reading the books as they came out and became a huge fan very early in the game. I was also beginning my entertainment journalism career and got to see the movie early, interview the stars and everything. The memory of seeing that Privet Drive sign in the first shot will never leave me. Number Eight: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” directed by Chris Columbus. Released Nov. 16, 2001

7.

I loved the first Batman and was very excited for it. I was equally as excited for Batman Returns. But by the time Batman Forever came around, I was STOKED. I wasn’t very aware of the Burton vs. Schumacher thing, I just thought it was going to be a more colorful version of those movies with Jim Carrey at his peak. This looked more comic booky to me. I could not wait and wasn’t disappointed initially. In hind sight, it kind of stinks. Number Seven: “Batman Forever,” directed by Joel Schumacher. Released June 16, 1995.

6.

One day I was at summer camp and my parents picked me up early. They said they had a surprise for me and started driving toward the movie theater. I then started to cry. “Why are you crying?” “Because Terminator 2 started at 4 and it’s 5, we missed it!” Yes, I was so excited to see this movie I literally studied the movie times in the paper. Thankfully, I was wrong, and it was playing at 5 and I got to see it. At age 11. Number Six: “Terminator 2: Judgement Day,” directed by James Cameron. Released July 3, 1991.

5.

I grew up on Freddy and Jason and one of those movies that everyone always talked about was Freddy vs. Jason. But it was never going to happen right? Well it did. And it was okay. It was just one of those things I never thought I’d see, then did. Number Five: “Freddy vs. Jason,” directed by Ronnie Yu. Released Aug. 15, 2003.

4.

From the moment I saw the White House blow up during the Super Bowl I was hooked. And I wouldn’t shut up about it. Every day I would talk about Independence Day in school and at home. I devoured every single piece of footage or press I could read. I finally saw the movie on July 2 at 7 p.m., the first show, with about 8 other people. And I loved it - even though I really really had to go to the bathroom at the end. But when I asked my mom what my most anticipated movie ever was she said, “Well, besides Star Wars, Independence Day” without thinking. Number Four: “Independence Day,” directed by Roland Emmerich. Released July 2, 1996.

3.

I remember getting a VHS copy of Temple of Doom for Christmas. I remember seeing Last Crusade in the theater and putting up the poster when I got home. I literally never though I’d get to see Indiana Jones again. And like everyone I completely neglected all reports that it was going to happen for almost two decades. Then it did. And I wish it hadn’t. Number Three: “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” directed by Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately released May 22, 2008.

2.

Countingdown, Rebelscum, TheForce.net, Yakface, AintItCool, repeat. Countingdown, Rebelscum, TheForce.net, Yakface, AintItCool, repeat. That Web site cycle was my life from 1997 to 1999 as I was DYING for any kind of information on the new Star Wars movie. As a child, my oldest memories have to do with Star Wars so this was something on a whole new level. I changed my computer wallpaper on a daily basis, studied every single image, talked about the casting, paid money just to see the trailer - then snunk into another theater and saw it again - weeping each time. Then I saw the film 8 times in the theater - not because I thought it was amazing - but because that was the only way to quench my thirst for this movie. But still, it’s not number one? Number Two: “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” directed by George Lucas. Released May 19, 1999.

1.

This is number one because, it had everything in it that I was hoping the first one would. If this movie was made into three movies, I would have been happy with the prequels. I wasn’t nearly as jazzed for this movie as I was Episode 1, because my expectation had been held in check, but my entire life I had been waiting for the answers that this movie provided. To see the things this movie had in it. The birth of Luke and Leia, Obi Wan vs. Anakin, the rise of the Empire, etc. No movie - unless I make it - will ever be more anticipated than this one. Number one: “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” directed by George Lucas. Released May 19, 2005.

Runners up: “Jurassic Park,” “X-Men,” “Transformers,” “The Simpsons Movie,” “Bad Boys 2″

What are yours? Feel free to comment below.

Brian Regan is a very unique comedian. He’s best known for several jokes that first hit the public conscious in the late 1990s. He played college and high school football. And very few people will disagree that he’s one of the funniest comedians on the planet.

That’s because Regan simply doesn’t fit into a category. There are blue comedians who use a ton of foul language. There are cringe comedians who use that language to make you feel really uncomfortable. There are blue collar comedians who specialize in Southern humor and there are ethnic comedians who use their race as a basis for humor. Those are just a few of the stand up categories and Brian Regan is none of those. He doesn’t use foul language, he doesn’t make you feel bad, and he does his best to relate to everyone. If anything, “Brian Regan” is his own category of comedy and trust me - it sounds way easier than it must be.

Case in point was Regan’s opening act Thursday night at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston: Jim Colliton. Colliton is very much in the mold of Regan - middle age white male, married with kids, clean, relatible humor, likable/self deprecating delivery and at times, very funny. I *believe* Colliton opened for Regan when he was last in Kingston in late 2006 and at the time, I found him very funny. This time though - I just felt like I’d heard most of the jokes before. He did one about the music being loud in Abercrombie, about being scared of a bat and the humiliation of going back into the party to get your wife’s Tupperware. Maybe these jokes were new - I’m definitely not an expert on the man - but either way they felt tired. He certainly has a friendly persona though, joked about trying one new joke about Tapas and Cheese Pizza and in the end did a semi-successful 20 minutes or so.

Then out came the man who has been on “The Late Show with David Letterman” 20 times - Brian Regan. This was probably the fourth time I’ve seen him and just seeing him walk on the stage is cracks me up. He bounces around like a bunny - just happy to be there and always very animated. On a CD, Regan’s jokes are hilarious, but in person, there’s just such a wonderful energy about him. When he started off with a home run about Game Show hosts I was very excited and figured I was in for a great night. And I was. But…

Sometimes comedy fans get punished by seeing TOO much comedy. Like I said, I’ve probably seen Regan four times in the past four or five years and throughout his 75 minute set or so, about 50% of the material was old. Not ten years old but maybe three or four years old. Which - for most people - is fine. But for me, it was a tad bit disappointing.

That said - the jokes are still hilarious and even though I know some of the set ups, punchlines and tags, Regan’s childlike wonder still makes them funny. While watching the master at work, I tried to figure out what it is about Regan’s act that makes him so funny. The answer is simple: vocabulary. He inserts words that most people don’t use, or maybe just a few extra words and it makes things funnier. You don’t just walk somewhere, you “meander haphazardly.” You don’t run fast, you “run swiftly - swift of foot.” You don’t asl a question, you make “persistent queries.”

All the while too, Regan deals with simple topics that anyone can enjoy. He turned the fact that it was raining outside into a joke about people scrunching their shoulders or holding a paper over their head. He deals with a lot of awkward restaurant situations and at one point, when he flubbed a joke which required his daughter’s age, he turned it into a two minute improvisational rant that had the crowd rolling in the aisles.

After the set was over, Regan did an encore. What comedian does that? And when that comedian comes out, what comedian - unwillingly - takes requests from the crowd? “Cup of dirt!” one person screamed. “Blank inside!” another one said. And Regan, though he didn’t want to, obliged with these tried and true bits that everyone has heard but still laugh at because Brian Regan is simply such a great comedian.

It’s all about words, it’s all about delivery, it’s all about timing and it’s all about personality. Regan has all those things rolled into one and is certainly a recommended ticket anytime he comes to town.

This past weekend I went into Manhattan to see a film that is only playing there and seven other cities. It’s a film based on a cult horror opera and it’s currently getting a dismal 26% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, this blog isn’t a review. It’s about the weird experience of being too close to a movie.

The film in question is called “Repo! The Genetic Opera.” It is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (”Saw 2-4″) and the director of photography is Joseph White. Joseph White also happens to be a close, personal friend of mine. You can see them both below (Joe on the left, Darren on the right) with star Alexa Vega in the middle.

As a film critic, you have to be completely objective. There should be no preconceptions, no bathroom breaks and total concentration. That blanket respect is the price one must pay for having such a cool job. However, this was the first time I have ever NOT been able to do that. For the record, I was not asked to write a review of this film and never could - simply because I’m too close to it. Even so, I still attempt to watch a movie that way and this was the first time I found myself watching a movie differently.

“Repo” is a wild movie about a future where disease has killed most of the world so organ transplants and surgery have become necessary and chic. However, because the procedures are so expensive, if one can’t pay their bills, a Repo Man comes and dismembers them to get the organs back. In the middle of all this is a young girl who has ties to all the biggest players.

Now, I like both musicals and horror movies a lot but the fusing of the two wasn’t something initially very appealing to me. That was, until, my friend Joe told me he was working on it. I met Joe in my sophomore year at NYU. We were both in the same major (Cinema Studies) and shared an intense love of movies. We saw many together, and with other friends, and have stayed in touch ever since. He went on to USC for a graduate degree in film production and has gone on to shoot multiple movies and win several awards. It was “Repo!,” though, that was the first of his films to open anywhere I could easily see it.

So I made plans to go. Beforehand, though, I read some reviews. Oof. The film was hammered by Rolling Stone, the Associated Press, the Village Voice, Entertainment Weekly and more. The New York Times said, “Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of several Saw sequels, has devised an excruciating new torture with Repo! The Genetic Opera.” And as I’m reading people share my profession, I started to get a little bit mad. Didn’t they get it? This was a cult film! It was supposed to look all trippy! The music is meant to be over the top and campy! I haven’t even seen the movie and I knew these things! It was then that I realized I wasn’t defending a movie, I was mentally defending my friend. This was why many performers don’t read critics and for the first time - I understood why.

Anyway, the film opened Nov. 7 at the Angelika Film Center in Manhattan and though the 8:25 show was sold out (which was awesome for them) I purchased to tickets to see it the next morning.

As a film, “Repo” is admittedly kind of a mess. The story is unnecessarily confusing, the music is never as epic as it wants to be and the film loses its great pacing when it reaches its climax. The last 10 minutes drag on for what seems like an eternity. However, while watching all of these things I kept thinking about the photography.

What did Joe do with this shot? What did the director, Darren, intend here? Did Joe do it justice? And while the film has a very ethereal, almost murky feeling with huge blasts of color - it’s completely in line with the director’s vision. There are some impressive shadows, great big lighting effects and more. As someone who isn’t 100% familiar with cinematography techniques, I thought it was an overwhelming and great job by my friend Joe.

There in lies the unique problem though. Walking out of a movie, you can’t be thinking that much about the cinematography. You have to think about the film as a whole and I simply was not. This level of subjectivity was something completely new and unique to me. Hopefully - with many friends in the business - it’s something I have to deal with in the future but this weekend, I was taken back by it.

I even looked at the weekend box office numbers. It opened at #33 with $51,600 dollars on 8 screens for a great per-screen average of $6,450. To put that in perspective, the #3 movie “High School Musical 3″ did only $2,683 per screen. Again - this isn’t something a critic generally looks at, but I was happy that my friends movie was successful.

The point of all this is that sometimes critics have to choose to not do their job. Sometimes we can be too close to something, be it for a million reasons, and just have to remove ourselves from it. Thankfully, it is highly doubtful that “Repo!” will open in the Hudson Valley and even if it did, I would not review it. But having a reason to distance myself from a movie has been an interesting and welcome experience. I hope my other friends enjoy the kind of success that Joe has and give me a reason to disown a movie again. And I’m confident enough to be able to come out and say that.

Every Halloween, a new “Saw” movie hits theaters, does a ton of business and I never really cared. I enjoyed the first film but didn’t really feel the need to see more and more versions of the same thing.

However, being a film fan when you are presented with a unique movie going experience - it’s hard to pass up.  So yesterday I braved “SawFest,”  a marathon screening of the first four “Saw” films leading up to the 12:01 a.m. premiere of the latest, “Saw V.”

It took place at the AMC Palisades Center 21 in West Nyack. And much like one of Jigsaw’s victims might say after narrowly escaping with their lives, I feel like “I won.” Not only did I survive the ten hour marathon unscathed, I would actually now consider myself a “Saw” fan.

For those who don’t know, the “Saw” series is about a man named John (Tobin Bell) who, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, becomes a psycho nicknamed Jigsaw who tests people he believes aren’t taking full advantage of life. They’re presented with a situation that he hopes will rehabilitate them by providing an impossible choice between life with horrible guilt/disfigurement or death.

My overall feeling on the evening (and early morning) is that this environment - back to back - has to be the best way to watch “Saw” movies. I had no idea, but really, they play out much more like a television program than a film series. Each movie picks up right where the last one left off and spends long segments filling in blanks from previous movies. “III” goes back to “I,” “IV” goes back to “III,” “V” goes back to “II” and so on. This “Previously on ‘Saw’” layering effect really lends itself to marathon viewing so that you don’t miss all the clues and nods to other films.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

4 p.m. “Saw” (2004)
Food of choice: Buffalo chicken sub. Physical state: Perfect

This was the only installment that I had previously seen and is essential viewing for horror fans. Having seen it before, I knew the big twist, which is always cool on a second viewing because you’re able to decipher the clues, a luxury I wasn’t going to have for the next four films. I did notice more this time how terrible the acting is, even by several members of the”Lost” cast (Michael Emerson!!) but still, the first “Saw” is a great mix of gore, scares and story. Very good movie and worthy of a sequel.

Grade: B+

6 p.m. “Saw II” (2005)
Food of choice: Oatmeal cookie. Physical state: Feelin’ fine

Uh oh. The second “Saw” is a huge drop off from the first one and really worried me that the rest of my evening was not going to be pleasant. Unlike the first film which is largely set in one room, “Saw II” makes use of a whole house. Okay, that’s cool. However - it also relies on BY FAR the stupidest, most annoying characters EVER. No one listens to reason, everyone is selfish and there’s way too much pounding on doors - a definite theme in the “Saw” films. Not to mention just some horrific acting. When the characters literally step into the world of the first film at the end, though, I was excited for the third movie. Anything had to be better than this “So Bad It’s Good” installment.

Grade: C

8 p.m. “Saw III” (2006)
Food of choice: Bottle of water and apple. Physical state: Status quo

After the terrible “Saw II” I wasn’t expecting anything from the third installment, but it’s almost on par with the first one. The reason being, this film truly sets up the expanded “Saw” universe where Jigsaw has people working for him and creates tests upon tests and even more tests. “III” is sort of part one for the rest of the series. The gore is amped up, the acting is much better, and while the twist at the end isn’t as shocking as the previous two films, the combination of scenes from the first film and disgusting torture really made for a fun movie. There’s even a hint of the morality from the first movie. Plus - we finally have a real Saw! “Saw III” really surprised me and though it doesn’t make a lot of sense until the very end, it’s quite enjoyable.

Grade: B-

10:10 p.m. “Saw IV” (2007)
Food of choice: Large popcorn and coke. Physical state: Surprisingly chipper. Thanks to the Coke.

Riding the surprise of “Saw III” I was raring to go with “IV.” And despite an awesome opening scene, within 15 minutes, it felt like we were in for another “Saw II” incident. There’s some okay tests and stuff but this one felt more like a police procedural than a cool horror movie. I just kept thinking, “Why are we spending so much time with these side characters from ‘II’ and ‘III’?” Well, then the film reached it’s climax and wouldn’t you know it? It saved it! The whole thing made sense - sort of - and almost made me forget how bored I was for extended stretches of the movie. “IV” hinges almost completely on “III” and sets up “V” in a really cool way. Not a good movie, but not a terrible one either. It was time to get to the main event.

Grade: C+

12:01 a.m. “Saw V” (2008)
Food of choice: Leftover popcorn and soda. Physical state: Shakey

This is the one that all the “Saw” fans are going to be flocking to this weekend and, I’m sorry to say, it kind of stinks. It follows the formula of picking up where “IV” left off but it feels like Twisted Pictures finally realized if they want to keep pumping these things out, they were going to have to stretch big time. Plus the whole theme of “Cherish Your Life” sort of goes by the way side. However, having watched all the films back to back you begin to see things that will pay off in later films which is sort of exciting. That isn’t enough to make a good movie though. I can take it when an episode of “Lost” just teases us for the whole time because I’m not paying for it, but when I’m paying for it, something should happen. “Saw V” really is just more pieces to the puzzle from the previous films and yet another kick start to the next one.

Grade: C

Walking out of the mall at 1:45 a.m. into the icy cold night I realized a few things. First, I wasn’t as tired as I probably should have been. Second, despite 10 hours of highly entertaining, albeit it mediocre, film watching, AMC and Lionsgate had done their job. I HAD to see the next piece in the Jigsaw puzzle. I will DEFINITELY be there next Halloween for “Saw VI,” and seven, and eight and nine and ten simply because the plots of the films are very engaging. Sure everything relies on the most unbelievable, check your brain at the door coincidence, but I can’t wait to see what coincidences these characters walk into next.

FINAL RANKINGS

1. “Saw”
2.  “Saw III”
3. “Saw IV”
4. “Saw V”
5. “Saw II”

Final grade for the night: A solid B. I’d do it again.

As I wade through the leaf pile of my autumn years, one of my missions is to go to concerts of artists whom I’ve admired but never heard LIVE. And the Hudson Valley is a great place to do that, since lots of these performers show up here (especially at the Bardavon in Po’kpsie, UPAC in Kingston and the Paramount in Peekskill).

So that’s why I paid big bucks (for me) to attend Sunday night’s fundraiser at the Bardavon for John Hall, the 19th Congressional District’s rock ‘n’ roll representative.

The audience was mostly middle-aged folks – well-dressed, well-groomed, well-fed Democrats. There was a lot of checking one another out — who was who, who was with whom. Afro-pop was playing through the huge speakers hung to the right and left of the proscenium, and black-clad roadies meanered across the stage making mysterious adjustments to the band equipment. People were milling around, talking talking talking, having a good time.

Suddenly, I got a big whiff of patchouli (which went nicely with the whiff of spliff I got walking through the parking lot on the way to the Bardavon), then the lights dimmed, and everybody started applauding and yelling.

The show was billed as “Bonnie, Nanci and Friends,” and it opened, after introductory remarks by Silva and Hall, who looked dapper in a gray suit and a red-patterned tie, with a short acoustic set by the ever-charming John Sebastian. His voice may not be much any more, but his guitar-playing is terrific, and the songs were great, as always. He pointed out that “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind,” which he played while being accompanied by John Hall (who still has the chops, folks), had a special meaning with the upcoming election. Oh, yeah, baby — this was a crowd of Democrats (especially the enthusiastic dude sitting in front of me, who was, unfortunately for me, a full foot taller than either of the ladies on either side of him, thus blocking my view for most of the concert).

Nanci Griffith was next. She came out dressed like Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, wearing tight black pants and a long black frock coat and cute little black flats. Cute, that’s Nanci; cute and quirky. She had a guitar player with her, Thomm Jutz, “from the Black Forest,” said Nanci in her introduction. Nanci, who reminds me of ZaSu Pitts, chatted about her hardscrabble Texas roots, gave us a nice set of songs (including “From a Distance”), and for her encore sang a song by fellow Texans Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

I popped outside for intermission, talked to the omnipresent Michael Weisbrot, a photographer who takes pix for the Bardavon, and then asked Chris Silva about who he’s working on getting for the upcoming Bardavon/UPAC season. He mentioned Ray Davies, Emmylou Harris, Stevie Winwood and David Byrne. Seen ‘em all, so that won’t help me tick off names on my list, but I’d see them all again, so I’m happy.

Back inside, where Rep. Hall took a few minutes to talk politics, but gracefully and passionately, especially about the HR Paycheck Equity Act, passed this summer but hung up for now, which the House plans to reintroduce. Then he introduced his friend Bonnie Raitt.

Bonnie came out wearing tight black jeans and heels and a shimmery, lowcut blue top with black shear sleeves — very sexy, this 59-year-old woman! In her opening remarks, she mentioned that she’d gone to Oakwood, a Quaker-founded boarding school in Poughkeepsie, and later gave a shout-out to one of her revered teachers, who was in the audience.

She opened with “Rainy Day Man” and proceeded to play a great set of songs, which I started to write down but then got so caught up in the whole thing that I quit. Sorry about that. I remember she sang Randy Newman’s “Political Science” (”Let’s drop the big one, there’ll be no one left to blame us”), Richard Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day,” John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” (the latter two with Nanci singing, too), and a whole LOT of Raitt’s astoundingly good guitar-playing and passionate singing. She played keyboards a couple of times, too, but, gee, I can’t remember on what. Sebastian played harmonica on several numbers. (He’s a great harmonica player, as you know.) The joint was jumping, that’s for sure.

For the obligatory encore (no WAY was the end the end), she brought Hall and Sebastian and Griffith back on stage, and they all jammed out on “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About.” But the piece de resistance was the encore to the encore, when Bonnie introduced Pete Seeger, and the great man himself walked out on stage, carrying his banjo. How does Pete do it??? I mean, he was born in 1919, and he can still hold an audience rapt. He said, “My voice isn’t so good any more, so I can’t sing much, but YOU all can sing!” and then led the audience and other artists in both “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and “If I Had a Hammer.” So touching, so moving.

No matter one’s politics, one’s stand on this or that issue, it is a fine thing to see generous, loving people getting together to support one another. This benefit concert was a heartwarming example of what the species can be and do. A marvelous evening in the Hudson Valley …

This blog hasn’t been updated a lot because most of the people who regularly post on it have been gearing up for the Woodstock Film Festival.

So if you’re looking for some bloggy goodness, visit www.recordonline.com/woodstock. We’ll be back next week with that NKOTB blog, maybe a Ben Folds blog. I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll have time.

I just had to tease everyone that coming later rather than sooner I will be blogging about my night at the IZOD Center for the first American stop on the New Kids on the Block reunion tour.

Yes, I was at a New Kids show. Last night. Not 1990. Why? How was it? Why am I revealing this? Well, all the answers are coming…in a matter of days….

Before that, though, here’s just a little taste of the goodness…

Oh boy, oh boy. I am so dang happy that I finally got to see/hear Randy Newman live in concert. The artist is one of my Top 10 singer/songwriters. Heck, judging by how many of his albums I’ve bought, he’s one of my Top 3!!Last night in Peekskill, he began a tour in support of his new album, “Harps and Angels,” with a long, rich, excellent show at the Paramount Center for the Arts.To cut to the chase, the show was absolutely wonderful, one of the best evenings I have ever spent listening to a performer. I had a front-row seat, way over on the left side, so I got a great view of Newman’s piano playing, which is astoundingly good, so easy and funky and bluesy and moving. I could spend hours, I mean HOURS, just listening to this guy play the piano, sing and talk — he’s that engaging.He walked out on stage wearing his customary Hawaiian-style (muted design, because he is nothing if not tastefully casual) loose shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and a smile. He bowed to the loud applause by the almost-sold-out crowd. (But why oh WHY were there any empty seats? Randy Newman is a giant, folks.) Then he sat down at the Steinway and launched into a thumpingly rousing version of “It’s Money That I Love.” Gotcha!He gave us, fans all, a hearty musical meal of two sets, each about an hour long, and the set list included most of the songs from the new album (highly recommended). He also dished out a plateful of “greatest hits” including “I Love L.A.,” “Short People,” “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and “Mama Told Me Not to Go” (the actual hit was recorded by Three Dog Night).All Newman’s chatter was warm and funny and honest and wry, just like the man’s songs. When he introduced “Potholes” (from “Harps and Angels”), he said (as I remember it), “This is the only song I ever wrote that is completely true.” When he introduced “Miss You,” he said, “I wrote this song about my first wife when I was married to my second wife.”Here’s what makes R.N. so great, methinks: First he’s a real smart guy, REAL smart, observant and wise. He is witty in that sly way that Brits often exhibit (he’s not British, only the wit reminds me of Jolly Old Whatsis). He’s a musical genius and a grand songwriter. He is heartbreakingly honest about stuff, and sneaky about applying the honesty to himself (but the listener knows it’s in there, hidden or not). He nails hypocrisy. He is a patriot, my kind of patriot, the kind that rails, rails against cruelty and discrimination and injustice. And did I say he was funny? As a line from one song puts it, “You give me reason to live.” OK, that’s overstating the case, but there are some people on this planet that give me faith in humankind. Randy is one of ‘em.He’s got a concert at Carnegie Hall later this week (Friday, I think). Lucky New Yorkers! If you like Randy Newman, and if tickets are still available, I guarantee you’ll have a memorable experience if you go.(Addendum 9/24: This review was originally posted LAST week. The Carnegie Hall concert is past. He’ll be in Glenside, Pa., on Sept. 26 and Princeton, N.J., on Sept. 27.)

A lot of the movie sites are reporting today on what DJ Caruso hopes to be his next movie, Y THE LAST MAN. I wrote about it a few weeks ago and have since finished the series. For those who don’t know much about it, it’s a 60 issue comic book series by Brian K Vaughn about a world where every single man dies except one.
Long story short, I’d been curious about Vaughn’s writing just cause of all the talk about it so when I saw the books at a friend’s house, I asked to borrow the first two volumes. And I read them in 2 hours. And I was hooked. And I went on eBay and bought all 10 volumes. And read them. And effing LOVED them.

The first issue, for my money, is one of the most exhilarating and well written pieces of fiction I’ve ever seen or read. Ever. From
there, the story gets better - then meanders a bit in the middle (as one would expect from a 60 issue story arch) - then finishes strong.

What makes Y such a great read is Vaughn’s writing. He has such an amazing pop culture vocabulary that he infuses into an incredibly well researched and logical story. In an instant, all the men die. What does this mean? Well there are no more soldiers. No more politicians. No more factories. No more pilots. No more a lot of things. As the women struggle to put everything back together, the bare necessities become important. Clean up. Government. Food. Shelter. Distraction
from the horrible situation.

And then theres Yorick Brown. A wise cracking escape artist who, for some reason, was spared. What does that mean? Should the women try to use him to repopulate? Or should they kill him and finish the job? Is it even possible to repopulate?

I can’t recommend Y THE LAST MAN high enough. It’s a sprawling, fun, thought provoking story that - much like Harry Potter did over a decade ago - reinvigorated my interest in a seemingly forgotten medium: comic books.

Y THE LAST MAN completely changes what I thought a comic book could be. It’s not all slam bang action. It’s poignant and funny and frightening. The way Vaughn jumps through time and space by simply changing the size of a frame is remarkable. And his ability to throw in references to Chinatown, Ghostbusters and everything in between made me laugh out loud.

Anyway - to the movie adaptation. I think Shia LaBeouf is a great choice for Yorick. He’s just snarky enough to be believable and just tough enough to pull it off. I don’t know if DJ Caruso can handle such a sweeping story (Eagle Eye will help me decide) but the fact that Vaughn is on board with all of them gives me faith.

I just have been really excited today reading all this news that this movie is potentially going to be made for a 2010 release and figured I’d share that excitement with you.