Hello, welcome to the Peverett Phile, how do you know my name? That is the title of Strawberry Blondes Forever's new album that was just released this past Friday on iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon. "How Do You Know My Name?" by Strawberry Blondes Forever... download it now and give it to someone for the holiday's. There you go, got that plug out of the way. I am sure you'll be hearing a lot more about it on the Phile. So, the Empire City's elegant and visually-poetic skyline got a bit of a facelift last night as One World Trade Center One, which at an ostensible 1,776 feet is currently vying for position alongside Chicago's Willis Tower as the Western Hemisphere's tallest building, turned on its beacon light for the first time and began dazzling the city with its hundreds of oscillating red, white and blue LEDs, almost as if to say, "Hey, look! I'm here now to start classin' up this fucking joint." One World Trade Center is 1,776 feet tall, which seems triumphant until you realize the rest of the world sees that as 541.3 meters tall. Should you need an example of how modern liberalism is corroding the very foundations of our society, you need look no further than the case of Pinkberry co-founder Young Lee. In June 2011 (just prior to the onset of the Occupy Wall Street movement, mind you) the yogurt entrepreneur simply used a moderate-sized tire iron to bludgeon senseless a homeless man, who had allegedly exposed Lee's fiancé to a ribald tattoo, and everybody went all PC crazy. Now, he's been found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon, despite the fact he is clearly very rich and the homeless man is clearly very poor. And now he's going to go to jail?! We ask you, wise readers, is this justice? Lionsgate wants to open a theme park based upon The Hunger Games. You know, that movie series about the children who are rounded up by adults and sent into the woods to kill a bunch of other children for other adults' entertainment. Yeah, that Hunger Games. Should be a great family fun trip. Can't wait to see what they're selling at the gift shop. You know, if you can't read the "Hunger Games" books or see the movies, just visit a middle school because same thing. This is fucked up... A spa in Jakarta, Indonesia is now offering "massages" that pretty much just involve a bunch of snakes crawling all over your body for an hour-and-a-half. And they're only $43. ... No, you pay them $43. ... No, "snake massage" is not a euphemism. ... Yes, human beings are very very weird. If you don't believe this is happening check it out.
That guy is either very relaxed or very dead. I'm sure Jeff will mention this when we talk about football in a few minutes but Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin was reportedly bullied so badly by his Miami teammates, including guard Richie Incognito, that, after leaving the team last week, he was admitted to a South Florida hospital to receive treatment for emotional distress. Allegations of "harassment that went far beyond the traditional locker room hazing" really pokes a hole in the traditional stereotype of football players as super polite and nurturing people. Luckily for Jonathan Martin after a couple concussions he'll forget all about all the locker room bullying. Well, November 5th was not only my son's 14th birthday but Election Day. The most surprising aspect of the elections was the stunning lack of any surprises whatsoever. New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio will now get the chance to fulfill his campaign promise of turning New York City back into the wretched hive of scum and villainy that residents know and love. Now that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has handily won re-election he can start spending all of his time in Iowa, preparing for the 2016 Republican primaries. Virginia voters went to the polls, and they pulled the lever for the guy who seemed slightly less like a dick. So, looks like Terry McAuliffe is gonna be the governor. Good for him? Detroit elected a white mayor. A white mayor! Remember this moment! You'll be telling your grandchildren all about the day that America finally became post-post-racial. Though this isn't Election Day news strictly speaking, it's worth mentioning that Illinois' legislature voted yesterday to give gay residents the right to marry their partners and straight residents the right for that to continue to not affect them at all. Ferris can legally marry Cameron after all these years. Whew. That was a lot. Okay, so, it's November, and on November 23rd "Doctor Who" will be turning 50 years old and I will be turning 45. Anyway, I think the folks at Pixar are secretly "Doctor Who" fans. Check out this exclusive screen shot from the upcoming movie Finding Dory.
You know, when I watched Star Trek Into Darkness in the theater, when everyone was agonizing over the plight of the poor parents whose daughter was in the hospital, I was bouncing up and down in my seat trying not to scream, "Hey, it's Mickey the idiot!" Hey, who watches "The Simpson's"? I have to share this as I thought it was sweet...
If you remember Marcia Wallace who played Ms. Krabapple passed away a few weeks ago. Alright, like I said, my birthday is in a few weeks and if you are thinking about getting me a birthday cake, do not get one like this...
Even though it might be true. Haha. Moving on... and now, from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is this week's...
Top Phive Groups Of People Who Went To See Thor The Dark World
5. People who make it a point to see every single movie loosely based on Norse mythology.
4. Stan Leem eager to see his cameo as "Bus Passenger #12".
3. Eleven year olds who break into giggles whenever they hear the word "Asgard".
2. Film lovers who enjoyed Idris Elba's poignant portrayal of Nelson Mandela... but really wanted to see him in a giant metal hat.
And the number one group of people who went to see Thor The Dark World...
1. Excited nerds who can't wait the three weeks until its DVD release.
Haha. In Soviet Russia, the maps fuck you. If you spot the Mindphuck and I am sure you will right away, email me at thepeverettphile@gmail.com. Alright, it's Sunday, and you know what that means. Please welcome to the Phile my good friend Jeff for a pheature called...
Me: Hey, welcome back. So, here we are picking picks for week 10 and I have to ask... I don't stand a chance to win, do I?
Jeff: If it's any consolation I pretty much don't have a chance of winning either. So it looks like Lori will win this year, which means all three of us have to play again next season since we will all have a season win.
Me: So, what's the news this week? Have you heard about this Miami Dolphins bullying deal with the guy quitting because he was getting bullied?
Jeff: There are reports that Richie Incognito was instructed by the Dolphins coaches to "toughen up Martin" but that story is coming from Incognito himself, and could just be to pass the blame onto someone else. I don't know what to make of it, honestly. ESPN is predicting Martin will play football again, just not for Miami. For Incognito, his career may be done. But players have done worse and come back from it and played again. So time will tell on that one.
Me: Another news in the NFL?
Jeff: The other big news is the health of two NFL coaches. Both Houston and Denver's coaches were hospitalized this past week for chest ailments, though neither have been reported as heart attacks. Houston's coach Gary Kubiak fainted on the sideline of the Sunday night's game. Both will recover, fortunately though.
Me: Okay, so, how'd we do last week? The Giants had a bye week so I lost out on the point. Haha.
Jeff: We all had bad weeks last week as we went a combined 0-6. But thanks to the record tying effort of Quarterback Nick Foles, Lori gained a point thanks to an Eagles win. With the Steelers defense thinking they had a bye week and giving up 55 points to New England and the Giants actually having a bye week she was the only one to gain points. So the standings are 37 points for Lori, 23 points for me and 17 points for you.
Me: Man, you're not beating me by too much, Jeff, but Lori is kicking my arse by twenty bloody points! Good job, Lori. And now for this weeks picks... I say Redskins by 3 and Seahawks by 5. What do you say?
Jeff: And my picks for this week are Denver by 7 and Colts by 10. Lori has picked Saints by 3 points and the Cardinals by one point.
Me: Good job, Jeff, see ya next week.
Jeff: See you next week.
Today's pheatured guest is a Phile Alum who is the lead singer for one of my new bands Leftover Cuties. They have a new CD out on iTunes called "The Spark & The Fire" and they will be playing from November 21st to the 23rd at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Las Vegas. Please welcome back to the Phile... Shirli McAllen.
Me: Hello, Shirli, welcome back to the Phile for the third time. How have you been?
Shirli: I've been great, thanks!
Me: You recently finished a five week tour and played a few dates in Florida, am I right?
Shirli: Yup, we finished the tour in late August and during it we visited Jacksonville and Tampa in Florida.
Me: I am so irritated I didn't go see you guys. Anyway, how was the tour overall?
Shirli: The tour was a lot of fun, we played in many great cities, and we had wonderful crowds. Tampa was one of the highlights of the entire tour. We loved playing at the Straz Performing Art Center, such nice people and a memorable night.
Me: Was this the first main tour you kids have done?
Shirli: Yes, we've done many one offs in major cities before, but never an epic loop like this one with the Cuties. The guys have been on long tours with other acts, but for me it was the very first time and I loved it.
Me: What was the favorite gig on the tour did you do?
Shirli: There were a few. NYC is always a blast. We busked in Washington Square Park a day before our show at the Rockwood Music Hall and had a big crowd circle us for a whole hour of songs. World Fest in Grass Valley was an amazing experience as well.
Me: You didn't go to Disney World while you were in Florida, did you?
Shirli: Not this time around, but when I first visited the states I went down to Orlando for a whole week and went to a different theme park every day.
Me: Did you get to do a lot of sightseeing on this tour?
Shirli: Not as much as we would have liked. We did have a day off in DC, Savannah and New Orleans, so those were the places we got to see a bit more of. New Orleans is incredible! No other place like it.
Me: Okay, let's talk about your fantastic new album "The Spark & The Fire" which I downloaded from iTunes. Where did the album title come from?
Shirli: Essentially it's a lyric from the first song on the album titled "Thick and Thin", but the idea was to touch on the essence of our group and the longing to hold on to that feeling for as long as possible. The excitement, freshness and the promise of great things ahead.
Me: I am surprised the title has nothing to do with leaving, Shirli. I am happy though that you are on the album cover. Was that the first time you ever held a bow and arrow?
Shirli: First time professionally... haha.
Me: Where did the idea come from for that photo? The Hunger Games? Brave? Bows and arrows are in right now.
Shirli: I had no idea! This theme developed from another photo Stuart (drummer) took of me years ago. He shot it laying down on the floor and included his shoes in the shot and told me to pose like I'm shooting him. We tried to recreate it and from there came more ideas in a similar vein. We ended up liking the bow and arrow shot the best in combination with the title.
Me: Your last EP "Departures" was all cover songs... are their any covers on the new album?
Shirli: Nope, all originals.
Me: Who did most of the songwriting?
Shirli: I did most of the writing, though many of the songs were collaborations with Austin and Stuart. There's one song on the album that was written by Austin alone ("Rise and Shine"). The arrangements and voicing are always a collaboration between all of us, and I consider that our biggest strength as a band.
Me: I don't think I mentioned it last time you were here, but if I did so be it, I'll mention it again... one of your songs was featured in a Samsung commercial. I was excited everytime I heard it. What song was it, I cannot remember?
Shirli: It's called "Smile Big". Yeah, that was a really fun time for us.
Me: That commercial was played during the Summer Olympics last year, which must of been seen by millions of people. That really must've helped with sales and YouTube views, Shirli, am I right?
Shirli: Absolutely. It was awesome exposure for us, and the reaction was great. The commercial itself had over 3 million views on YouTube with many comments about the song. It definitely gained us lots of new fans.
Me: I have to say I saw your video for the single "One Heart". I have a photo of you from it, Shirli.
Me: It looked like it was a lot fun to make. Did you like being blonde for a short while?
Shirli: It felt like Halloween! Yeah, it's always fun to dress up and play around. We had a blast making that video in Barcelona.
Me: Alright, on the Phile this I am asking random questions thanks to Tabletopics. Are you ready? What's the best way to spend a rainy weekend? I say listening to Leftover Cuties and reading the Phile. What do you say? Do you like the rain?
Shirli: I hate it. Rain can be romantic sometimes. I prefer the sun though. When it rains I like to snuggle, watch movies, listen to oldies, and drink hot chocolate.
Me: Good answer. Shirli, it's always an honor to have you here on the Phile again. Please come back again soon, okay? Go ahead and mention your website. All the best, and continued success.
Shirli: Thanks so much for having us again! We really appreciate it. The Phile readers, check out our website at leftovercuties.com.
Well, that about does it for this entry. Thanks to Jeff Trelewicz and of course Shirli McAllen. The Phile will be back tomorrow with guitarist Greg Radcliffe from the British band Kamp David, and then there's gonna be an entry on Wednesday with singer Janet Abramson. So, spread the word not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes Forever!!
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