Do you like rock music and guitars and America and sometimes Liverpool?

This is definitely worth 6 minutes and 21 seconds in your day.

Prince, Tom Petty, a tribute to George Harrison, and the greatest guitar solo ever.

Best Halloween costume. EVER!

So, a velociraptor has been walking around Melbourne.

OK, not really, but this is such an incredible example of modern puppeteering. I really want to know if they're going to mass produce this suit. Wouldn't that be the greatest couples costume?

FOUND: Tatooine

Astronomers monitoring the Kepler telescope stumbled upon a multi-planet binary solar system that would yield a sunset much like the one George Lucas dreamed of for Tatooine.

Wookies and space geeks high-five!

I want to go there.

The Power of Imagination

A 9-year old boy created an arcade entirely out of cardboard and old toys,

and he called it Caine's Arcade.

This kid is my hero.

No, better yet, this kid's dad is my hero.

With a public education system that is centered around standardized tests,

an entertainment industry that keeps churning out remakes and

cookie-cutter pop singers, and the bully culture that torments, manipulates,

and sometimes physically beats the "weird" out of kids,

it's so refreshing to see a story of a parent who encourages his kid

to take his wackiest ideas and turn them into reality.

Bravo!

Who doesn't love a good Montana joke?

The guys at PandaSmashTV put out some great stuff, and this time they put together 50 State Stereotypes in 2 minutes. Though, I wonder which uncorrupt Illinois politician they're referring to.

Led Zeppelin meets Trent Reznor

I cannot get over how awesome this cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" is! Produced by Oscar-winners [!!!] Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and sung by Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it accompanies the equally amazing red-band trailer for the English-language adaptation of Steig Larsson's "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" (starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara).

Like most things, I highly recommend you check out the originals: song, book, and Swedish-language movie -- Noomi Rapace has big piercings to fill. But, I'm not hating these updates.

And, to the DOJ: I didn't shoot the video, so don't come after me.

Cray-Cray for Caprica

I've been watching "Caprica," the prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," and had an opportunity to go to a fan preview at Universal Studios earlier this month. They showed an awesome recap of the first season that I've been scouring the Net for ever since.

Found it!

Enjoy, and watch "Caprica" Tuesday nights on SyFy at 10 p.m.

Californians: Bypass Doom

Band of Skulls: Honest [Acoustic]

If you haven't heard of this band, you obviously haven't spent more than 5 minutes around me. My love for Band of Skulls runs deep, and this acoustic performance of "Honest" is just evidence of why. Watch it! Love it!

Desperately Seeking Shoes

Second year of law school has been insane.

I have a week off before finals, so I'm resurrecting the blog with this gem of a video taken at Coachella last weekend (not by me, grumble grumble). Enjoy!

The ways we amuse ourselves

Two questions:

1) What would you do with yourself if stranded at the airport for 10 hours?

2) How big of a laugh do you think airport security got watching this chick?

Coolest little kid. EVAH!

Is your five-year-old this awesome?

The Real Sunset Strip

Credit: Ann Johansson for The New York Times

The Sunset Strip is my home away from home out here in L.A. The New York Times ran a fantastic article this week on Nic Adler, The Roxy and the revitalization of the music scene on the Strip.

Also, I recently discovered a UStream show called The Real Sunset Strip hosted by Lauren Scheff and The Hawk, which is the next best thing to actually being there. Tonight, Mark McGrath, Nylon Pink, Purple Melon (check them out at High Voltage Sunday!), Anyshka, David Faustino (Bud from "Married with Children"), and Lacey from VH1's "Rock of Love" stopped by for a chat.

Check it out Saturday nights from 10PM to midnight.

And, keep up with all these awesome Strip people on Twitter,

God's gift to the computer-bound.

Nic Adler

The Roxy

The Real Sunset Strip

High Voltage

"Stop name-dropping, shadow!"

Suzi Barrett's love letter to Los Angeles. NSFW!

Waking The Dead

I was one of the lucky 2500-ish people who scored tickets to Bon Iver's sunrise show at the Hollywood Forever cemetery in the heart of Los Angeles on Sunday morning.

Movie Buffed's Casey and I made our way through the headstones around 1:30AM and parked our beer, fruit, nuts, Cheetohs, and blankets on the cold, wet grass. We shivered our way through the next 4 hours, alternating between sleeping, watching Bottle Rocket, getting kicked in the head, and practicing our campground hovers in the Port-a-Potties.

We sat up to the sounds of Buddhist monks chanting -- an odd sound, indeed -- but I figured I could sleep my way through any good blessings.

Finally, as the sky was turning pink and as the marine layer was starting to lift, Bon Iver took the stage and performed a 70-minute set.

The music itself wasn't the most amazing part of the 7 hours we spent that night in the cemetery, though, don't get me wrong, it was great. But, it was the incredible experience we had with thousands of others, socializing, snoozing, laughing, and singing for one night with strangers all brought together by a love for live music. It was like getting a taste of what Woodstock must have been like -- a music experience unsullied by the commercialization of today's outdoor festivals.

Check out the videos below of the evening. There are many more on YouTube. If you couldn't be there, do a quick search. If you were, relive the awesomeness. Read reviews of the show here at LAist or in the LA Times.

Bon Iver performs Skinny Love as dawn breaks.

Bon Iver closes the show with The Wolves (Act I and II).

Say You're Sorry

Ahhh, Interwebz! You have endlessly creative lovers.

One of them slapped together this gem: "The Kanye West Apology Generator."

P.S. How much do I love that Taylor Swift towers over him in that pic? THIS much!

Friday Round-Up

This has been a week from hell, which is why The Daily Special suddenly was not so daily nor special. So, I bring to you my Friday Round-Up -- a bunch of things I might have posted had I been joyfully assing around in class rather than making my school earn every penny of its outrageous tuition. Enjoy!

• Head over to The Top 13 Albums Project and submit your nominations for the top 13 albums of the decade. I will be posting my list here soon for you all to consider and copy. DEADLINE is October 2!

• I have a naughty habit of going to great lengths to get TinySpecialFriend (she loves little people/midgets, whichever you prefer) to crack up in our Evidence class. The effort came back to bite me in the ass this week when I found this little DIY gadget on the interwebz and we both had our heads on the desks crying with silent laughter, trying not to get caught. It's what you get for the guy who has everything...including foreskin.

• For anyone looking to stock up on unique deadly weapons, I direct you to a list of 7 items you won't believe are actually legal.

• Emails From Crazy People is a great site, but I just came across this gem of a "Not A Stalker" letter, and it reminds me a little of Dimitri, the perfect guy and his phone message. These guys know how to charm a lady.

• This Durex commercial was banned in Europe. I just love the squeaky sound effects.

The Daily Special 9.3.09

• Some people are just too special for words. I weep for the youth of America.

• And then when they get to college, this is what they pay for. I really shouldn't knock it. I totally would have wasted an elective on the class.

• But, then I would probably have ended up like this guy.

• Or the dude who wasted his herb on a fundraiser.

• I'm really hoping to end up like these women, though. RAWR!

The Daily Special 8.31.09

OK, gonna try to get back to the daily routine here. Fun tidbits below. Enjoy!

• Since when are English muffins considered junk food? And P.S., taxing breakfast is not going to make me skinny.

• The ultimate recycling: illegal home conversion.

• This is why the terrorists hate us. Ugh...even I hate us after reading that headline.

• Look ma! My internet obsession is actually good for me!

• Who doesn't love a foreign prankster?

Band of Skulls Tonight!

I am headed to check out the amazing British group Band of Skulls at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa tonight. If you haven't yet heard of them, check out their MySpace page and their single "I Know What I Am."