Category: People

Sacramento gets Real (again)

I am not sure how I missed this one (oh, that’s right, I had no idea the show was still on television), but the 38th installment of MTV’s “The Real World” will feature a local gal by the name of Shauvon. Fans of the show might put together that this marks the second consecutive season of the show featuring a Sacramento native. Not to mention the 29th cycle of American’s Next Top Model which included yet another River City product.

So, rather than go on and on about how lame The Real World is or how they simply cast the same “characters” each season, I want to know what you think about Sacramento’s knack for producing reality show contestants. Are we just so diverse and cultured that we can’t help but kick out well rounded, dynamic individuals? Or perhaps our town is just now moving into the mainstream of hip?

How says you, Sacramento?

Why lie, Keith Lowell Jensen needs more exposure

Why lie, Keith Lowell Jensen needs a drinkAn early screening of local comedian and filmmaker Keith Lowell Jensen’s new feature-length documentary, “Why Lie? I Need A Drink,” based on his blog of the same name, is being presented tomorrow night at Fools Foundation. KLJ will be in attendance to answer your questions and will take your comments on the rough cut of his film. Chances are he won’t be wearing the banana costume for that.

Chainman

Has anyone else around Midtown encountered Chainman? A.K.A. Chainguy? A.K.A. Chaindude (I hear he is called that around the Beach Hut Deli)?

For those of you whom have not had the pleasure, Chainman is a fairly normal looking guy, although his style is a little Venice Beach for Sacto. Normal, except for the two chains wrapped around his fists. He prefers chains with thin torus-shaped links and a stainless-steel veneer. They each appear to be 6 feet in length. I wonder what his deal is with those chains.

He jangles as he walks. Usually, before seeing Chainman, you hear him. Down the street. Around the corner. Tonight, it was a few aisles over at Safeway. I was getting some Kefir and heard the distinctive chink-chink-chink somewhere near the “lunch” aisle. Spooky. (Sidenote – Is anyone else bugged by the crappy reorganize of the S Street Safeway?)

I was a little spooked. Then I giggled. Then, I hoped I didn’t have an encounter with Chainman while giggling, for that would be tough to explain, so I got spooked again.

Keep an ear out for Chainman.

Another Local Obsessive Fan

Sacramento’s Randy Jennings’ 15 minutes just got extended by a bit by noting on this here blog that he is featured in the June 22, 2007 issue of Entertainment Weekly.

Chosen as this issue’s “Obsessive Fan of the Week,” Randy collects Arnold Schwarzenegger memorabilia and runs an Arnold fan site.

Props to Entertainment Weekly for listing us as just “Sacramento” and not “Sacramento, CA.”

I’ll take “Awkward Photos” for $600…

Carlos and AlexDid anybody else catch Bee columnist Carlos Alcala on “Jeopardy” last night? His take on the appearance from Monday’s Bee is a fun little read.

Carlos, who’s visited the Rag a few times, was up against a 2-day champ, a young grad student from back East. He started the first round off slow but had a great run in double jeopardy that almost put him in the lead. During that run I thought it was notable that he got the champ to change categories a few times. Also I thought it was notable that he started the “Star Wars” category. He was down going into Final Jeopardy (“Who is Nancy Pelosi?”? Seriously, that’s your “final Jeopardy” notable woman?) and since that usually takes a really obscure category to force the leader into a low wager or an actual wrong answer by the leader, he bet big but finished second. Good work, Carlos!

I Heart Armstrong & Getty

If your radio dial hasn’t quite made its way to 650 on the AM, do yourself a favor and move it there between 6am-10am Monday through Friday.

Once Shawn & Jeff left the airwaves, I quickly became a convert to the Armstrong & Getty morning drive program after hearing my friend Elizabeth start virtually every sentence with, “This morning on Armstrong & Getty they were talking about…” Continue reading “I Heart Armstrong & Getty”

Paul’s Long Run

Even if the only time you listen to Y92 is when you’re at the dentist office, you probably know who Paul Robins is — the morning DJ and former longtime on-air partner of Phil Cowan, comprising the duo Paul & Phil (AKA “The Nicest Guys in Radio.”)

Less than an hour ago, Paul left his morning drive studio to start on his 92.5 mile run around the Sacramento area to raise funds to purchase new vans for Atkinson Youth Services. He will return to his studio by 7am tomorrow to finish up tomorrow morning’s show. If he needs to be pushed in a wheelchair to get there, he will donate $5,000 out of his own pocket. He is committed to making it the entire way under his own power.
Continue reading “Paul’s Long Run”

Long hair: not just for hippies!

Even hair fashion has a local angle… Bee fashion writer Leigh Grogan covers the recent trend of longer hair being acceptable for women of all ages. Which personally I think is a triumph of the human spirit on par with “Babe” the talking pig or The Astronaut Farmer. At first I laughed to see Celine Dion, Gwynneth, Demi Moore (still alive), Nicole Kidman, and then Christina Mendonsa, but I suppose she does have the most fabulous hair among the local celebrity set. Although I was always partial to John Alston, though not in that way…

NicoleMendonsa

Jackpot’s..err..I mean..Didley Squat’s Gear Stolen by Thieving Dicks!!

(Author’s Correction – The gear did not belong to Jackpot, but to their friends Didley Squat, and Jackpot helped pass along the alert.  I stand by the accuracy of the “Thieving Dicks” part, unless the brigands are revealed to be ladies.  In that case, I will issue a correction to “Thieving Cunts”. – Stickie)

This always pisses me off. Musicians and other artists have a tough life, and I can’t think of anything more professionally devastating than having your gear ganked by some fucking fuckity fuck fuck.

Local faves Jackpot have issued an alert. Please keep an eye out….

$2,000 Reward for the return of stolen goods
No Questions Asked

Last night, Friday March 9th, at 9:15 PM, various pieces of recording equipment, instruments, and laptops were stolen from a vehicle at the intersections of J St. and 48th St. We request the help in recovering these valued items in exchange for $2,000 – No questions asked.
The recovery of these items is extremely important as they have high sentimental value to us. We have no hesitation in exchanging the items for cash.

PLEASE CONTACT US WITH ANY LEADS OF ANY SORT
Contact:
Stuart Nishiyama
Valmuten03@yahoo.com
916-996-9611

Melody Mundy
merry.melody@gmail.com
530-400-8223
and/or

Matt Wrenne
mwrenne@hotmail.com
916-912-0251

Good luck, Russ

Tower Records, R.I.P.Few businesses in the history of capitalism blew as badly as Tower Records. The Sacramento-founded and West Sacramento-based company went from having must-shop stores in Hollywood, Tokyo and Manhattan to being the current generation’s edition of a buggy-whip manufacturer.

The Bee is reporting that Tower Records founder and Sacramento-area legend Russ Solomon has signed a lease for the former TR site on Broadway, with plans to open a … um … would it still be called a “record” store? For the history-minded, that location would be right across the street from where it all began, in the corner of the Solomon family’s Tower Drugs.

Fergoshsakes, Russ, you’re 81 years old. Why don’t you open an iTunes account like the rest of the world and enjoy your retirement? Still, gotta admire the spirit and wish him the best.

As an aside … isn’t it strange that after all those years Tower didn’t own that property? The family that does has also leased the Tower Books site, to the Avid Reader.