Andy Labis, Author at Entertainment Ave!

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! A Birthday Weekend Part II, The House of Mouse, Star Trek, and Angels & Demons

By:

The Dude on the Right
Gosh, I’m really hating my Apple MacBook, or maybe I should be blaming Garage Band, or maybe it’s just my own screwing up, but there are some drop-outs during this episode of “Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, so I apologize. This episode, though, with me celebrating my BFF’s birthday, most of it is about me, and Stu is getting sick of our lovey-dovey relationship (what is wrong with two people having the same ringtone?). Stu and I also do some movie talk, with him finally catching up with “Star Trek,” and I give my take on “Angels & Demons.” Stu wonders what happened with the Jennifer Aniston/Steve Zahn flick, “Management,” that neither of us saw, and with TV wrapping up, it’s also time to enjoy nature, although I think Stu had his fill of nature with Mom Nature causing travel woes for him back from Mickey’s House, while the BFF and I planted some flowers. Lastly, but not leastly, I tell Stu that if he likes Soft-Shell Crabs, or Crab Cakes, he should be getting his butt over to SugarToad because they have the best crab dishes (and a kick-ass steak) that I’ve ever tasted.

Next week we might talk about “Terminator: Salvation,” or the “Night at the Museum” sequel, or maybe both.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the
Right!! L8R!!!

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I’m Engaged! How Did That Happen?

By:

The Dude on the Right
I must say that at 42 years old, after not having a serious girlfriend in just about forever, and even having some cousins thinking I was gay, it is both exciting and scary as hell to tell people I am engaged, as a new chapter in the book of my life started last Sunday when I asked my BFF to marry me. The thing is, at the time I asked, as much as I was 99.9% sure of her answer, that 0.1% is the reason for being scared to death she just might say no, or request conditions for our getting married, or say she wasn’t ready, or say anything but a simple “Yes,” thus leaving the experience, in my eyes, as a total failure. Happily she said “Yes,” she cried, I got weepy, and we went to go see “Star Trek.” My God that woman loves me, and no, she didn’t dress like Uhura, and I didn’t dress like Spock.

Looking back, though, over the past year, or I suppose I should say past 20+ years, it still amazes me how this is all coming together. Why? Because so many things had to happen for us to re-find each other. You see, I met my BFF back in high school. I was a senior and she came in as a new junior, transferred from this mystical city of Chicago because her dad ended up relocating to the Cleveland area for work. Somehow she was interested in drama, I was a member of the drama club, and we both took a school trip to New York City where a simple song played during the trip would always remind me of her. Over that year in high school I would say we became friendly, but not friends, as I ended up being focused on going off to college, in all places, Chicago, and besides, she was a junior and I was a mighty senior. As time went on I would remember her for one reason or another, and even one year, one of those high school alumni directories came out and I noticed she was living in Chicago at the time, but never really thought to reach out to her (hell, how creepy would that phone call be: "Umm, hello? I don’t know if you remember me, but I noticed you in the newly published high school alumni directory and just wondered how you were."), and the years went by.

Me, I went from this job to that job, totally putting my Aerospace Engineering degree to no use whatsoever, living in the Chicago area, finally finding myself in a western suburb, and she, well, she became a world traveler, working in various countries, but then finding herself back in Chicago.

Then, one night, a little over a year ago, I heard a song, the same song that always reminded me of her, and I entered Google stalker mode. Low and behold there she was, and I did what may well be one of the smartest decisions I have ever made: I sent her an e-mail. The strangest part – She e-mailed me back! An e-mail here, an e-mail there, we decided to meet, and then, wouldn’t you know it, 20+ years after we met in high school we fell in love, I found my best friend, and I also found the only person that has ever made me not care about all of my stuff. Sure, I’m leaving out a few details of our past year together, of our 20+ years apart, but hey, if Oprah wants to know I suppose we’d be happy to be guests on her show. Even some things, for me, I like to leave private, and I’m guessing she wants to, too.

And so I must now just focus on being happy because if I think about even some of the things that needed to happen for us to be together, it would be mind-boggling. I mean, if her dad never ended up in Cleveland for work; if I didn’t come to Chicago for college, if I actually used my engineering degree I probably wouldn’t be living here; if she didn’t find a place in Chicago; if I had called her years ago and she thought I was creepy; if I hated dogs; if one of us didn’t take that trip to New York City in high school; if I had won the Mega-Millions; if I weren’t a Google stalker, and for that matter, if the dudes at Google never made Google, well, I would still be loving all of my stuff instead of being in love with my BFF, being engaged, and looking forward to merging the individual books of our lives into a new volume devoted to us.

I guess such is life. Happily, such is love.

That’s it for this one!
I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

What’s New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! A Birthday, Camping, Cubs, and Apprenticing.

The Dude on the Right had a Birthday, and even though Stu Gotz failed to acknowledge it on Facebook, B-Day wishes abounded and cake was shared during this Podcast episode of "Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up!" The Dude gushes a lot about how he has the greatest BFF, and also got to catch a Chicago Cubs game, while Stu Gotz spent some quality family time at Jellystone Park in Amboy, IL, and got to wake up Yogi Bear. Stu also caught "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" via Netflix, while neither of the boys caught the "Wolverine" flick. Hopefully, though, next week, The Dude will write a review of "Star Trek," especially since Stu might not be around since he’ll be hanging at the House of Mickey Mouse.

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! A Birthday, Camping, Cubs, and Apprenticing.

By:

The Dude on the Right
As "Celebrity Apprentice" is winding down, and since both Stu Gotz and I are big fans, during this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" Podcast we give our analysis of the upcoming finale with Joan Rivers and Annie the Poker Dudette, and how we both sort of wish it were Jesse James instead of Ms. Rivers. We really don’t care that much about Donald Trump, so rather than him we mostly talk about our weekends, as we are really supposed to do.

Stu, well, he took the Gotz family to Jellystone Campground in Somewhere, IL, and enjoyed the time going to see Yogi Bear. Somehow he also had Mama Gotz watching "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay." Me, it was my birthday weekend, and along with a Chicago Cubs game on Saturday, my Birthday day on Sunday was spent with some quality time with my BFF, a new remote control (she knows me so well), and I even share some awesome chocolate cake, made by my BFF, with The Gotz family.

Neither of us saw the "Wolverine" movie, I’m hoping to see "Star Trek" next weekend, and Stu Gotz will be hanging with Mickey Mouse for a spell next week so we’ll see when we talk again!

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the
Right!! L8R!!!

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It’s “Rat Pack” Night. It’s Jamie Foxx? Oh, Why Not.

By:

The Dude on the Right
Sure, I loved Jamie Foxx in "Ray," I wanted to see "The Soloist" but now will probably wait until it comes out on DVD, and thought he did a big cop-out when, after he made the Miley Cyrus joke, he called himself "The Black Howard Stern" as sort of an excuse, but sure, why not have him be the coach for "Rat Pack" night. Actually, why is he the coach for "Rat Pack" night? Jamie’s got stuff to promote, he’s popular, but Jamie Foxx aside, what the hell is Paula wearing (My BFF says it looks like she is wearing "two boob cones.")? Oh well, let’s get to the singing..

Kris Allen
– Sings – "The Way You Are Tonight"
– Starts slow, picks it up-tempo, and did an okay job. Guess it must have been great in the theater because the judges are treating him like he’s the next Frank Sinatra, well, all except Simon who didn’t think he was all that.

Allison Iraheta
– Sings "Someone To Watch Over Me"
– She sings great, has some sultriness, is wearing an ugly dress, and I hate to make it about looks, but she needs to drop a few pounds to reach superstardom. Again everyone thinks she is the bomb, except Simon. Thank God for Simon keeping things in perspective and trying to keep Judge Kara in her place.

Matt Giraud
– Sings – "My Funny Valentine"
– I thought he looked grumpy and wasn’t that great, my BFF didn’t care for him either and thought he shouldn’t have changed the key he sang in, Randy didn’t like him, but Simon thought he was all that and a bag of chips. Hmm?

Danny Gokey
– Sings – "Come Rain or Come Shine"
– I think he did a great job, actually has been the only person to actually perform up to this point, and that might keep him around another week, but his looks just don’t seem to have it for an Idol winner. Sorry, but at this stage you have to have the entire package because we already know you can sing. Randy seemed to want his baby, Kara seemed to want to jump his bones, and Paula, well, she’s Paula. Simon, rightly so, gave props to the band for having a great arrangement for him.

Adam Lambert
– Sings – "Feeling Good"
– Yup, you might as well just crown him already and not have us have to sit through any more weeks of this. He’s into his groove, he knows how to work it, the crowd loves him, and Kara is almost hitting Paula level in her comments.

Well, we know they can all sing, now it is starting to come down to performing and their looks, so in that respect we get an Adam/Kris finale. Danny did great in the performance side this week, but his looks will drop him in the end, Matt will probably be gone next week, and the only thing Allison really has going for her right now is that she is the only girl left. In the end it’s Adam’s Idol to lose.

On the judges side, Kara is more annoying than Paula if only because she actually has this attitude of "I know more than you," as opposed to Paula who just, well, is Paula, and is it me, or maybe I’ve just not been paying attention, but has Ryan stopped saying "Seacrest, out!" at the end. I’m too lazy to go back to the tape.

That’s it for this one!
I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

What’s New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! No Swine Flu, Dirty Uniforms, Movies, a Brickhouse, and Jesse James.

Swine Flu probably would keep Stu Gotz and The Dude on the Right from doing a "Weekend Wrap-Up" podcast, but since neither of them have it, well, they decide to talk about the flu since, well, everyone else is, and since everyone else thinks they are an expert, the boys try to be experts, too. Thankfully their weekend escapades bring them away from pig talk and on to other conversations like a Confirmation ceremony, T-Ball pictures for the Gotz boys, Stu finding a restaurant called The Brickhouse, and The Dude finding out his BFF cooks some kick-ass ribs. Of course they have some movie talk, and who knew they were both fans of Jesse James on Celebrity Apprentice?

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! No Swine Flu, Dirty Uniforms, Movies, a Brickhouse, and Jesse James.

By:

The Dude on the Right
Neither Stu Gotz nor myself have Swine Flu, at least not yet, so why not podcast during our "Weekend Wrap-Up!" about it. Yup, we’re not Doctors, and we don’t play them on TV, but we sure seem to know a lot about this Pig Virus hitting Mexico and also its effect on the financial markets. But as the flu was hitting people over the weekend, I went to another Confirmation and think maybe I should start reviewing religious events, while Stu got a chuckle at the T-Ball Newbie parents and their not understanding the concept that baseball jerseys are meant to get dirty. The weather also helped keep the both of us inside where I saw "Role Models" again (and highly recommend it), while Stu caught "Leatherheads" and agrees with me on how good it might be. Stu found a restaurant called The Brickhouse that I won’t be taking my BFF to visit, my BFF showed me she can cook some kick-ass ribs, and both Stu and I are fascinated with Jesse James on Celebrity Apprentice, but for different reasons. See, we don’t always think alike!

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the
Right!! L8R!!!

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What’s New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! Seeing the Chicago Cubs, Seeing 17 Again, Seeing Slumdog Millionaire, and Seeing More!

Crappy traffic couldn’t keep The Dude on the Right and Stu Gotz apart this morning, especially since they had a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast to record! Stu had quite the adventure because he took The Gotz family to see The Chicago Cubs play the St. Louis Cardinals, and little did he know but Wrigley Field would be invaded by seagulls. The Dude tells Stu that "17 Again" isn’t that horrible and Matthew Perry might actually be a really good actor, and Netflix queuing abounded with Stu seeing "Slumdog Millionaire" and The Dude seeing "The Secret Life of Bees." Stu missed out, though, because The Dude saw Donald Trump make fun of Jesse James on "Celebrity Apprentice," but the both of them got to see some large breasts during The Miss USA Pageant. Such are their weekends, sometimes.

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! Seeing the Chicago Cubs, Seeing 17 Again, Seeing Slumdog Millionaire, and Seeing More!

By:

The Dude on the Right
Another Weekend Wrap-Up! podcast, so it must be a Monday, or, well, it’s at least Monday, and traffic aside, I finally meet up with Stu Gotz to talk about many a thing. There is the thing like The Gotz Family at The Chicago Cubs’ game where Stu witnessed a seagull invasion while me, I got to see the Zac Efron film, "17 Again," where I saw glimpses of Matthew Perry being a great actor. Stu was able to catch "Slumdog Millionaire" via his Netflix queue, so we have a Netflix movie to chat about, and my Blu-ray player is finally hooked up with the inaugural movie not being "The Dark Knight," not being "Ironman," but "The Secret Life of Bees." Stu, of course, makes fun of me for this, but at least I got to see Donald Trump bust on Jesse James during "Celebrity Apprentice" over the weekend. Hey, we also talk about pretty girls, namely discussing the "Miss U.S.A." pageant a tad.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the
Right!! L8R!!!

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This is “American Idol” and Quentin Tarantino is in Da House! But why?

By:

The Dude on the Right
I know I’ve been lax in my "American Idol" analysis this season, but what the hell, there’s no time like the present to start it up again!

Anyway, people were pissed last week because their TiVo missed the ending or cut into whatever show was after "American Idol" because it ran long. To trim time this week, now we can’t hear what all of the judges think about each contestant, instead they are broken into groups of two. You know what? I think they should have a shock buzzer on Kara DioGuardi so she shuts up some times because Randy is usually just inane but we like him saying "Dog,"
Paula is wacky and we never know what she’ll say, Simon has the only comments that matter, and Kara just keeps talking. Well, it’s Quentin Tarantino week. I agree he picks great songs for his movies, but as a vocal coach? I guess we’ll see.

Here we go…

Allison Iraheta
– Sings – “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” Aerosmith
– I generally like her, but thought she overdid the song a bit. I think it came across better live, as Paula and Simon really loved her.

Anoop Desai
– Sings “Everything I Do, I Do for You” Bryan Adams
– I thought he was really good singing-wise, and he’s getting a decent stage presence. He’s almost getting a chance to stick around a few more weeks.

Adam Lambert
– “Born to be Wild” Steppenwolf
– He’s keeping his persona, he’s trying to channel Elvis body movements, and Simon is probably just licking his chops because he sees the commercial potential Adam has. Simon, though, has the best looks at Paula when she talks. Everyone loves him.

Matt Giraud
– Sings – “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” Bryan Adams
– Wow, this is a mess. I really, really, really, didn’t like him. He started nice enough, but in making it his own I couldn’t stand it.

Danny Gokey
– Sings – “Endless Love” Lionel Richie
– This dude has no soul. I didn’t care for it, Paula seemed to love it (maybe it sounded better in the studio), and Simon had the right take on his performance. Could be time for him to go.

Kris Allen
– Sings – “Falling Slowly” The Swell Season
– I absolutely love this song, but cutting it into pieces really ruins this song, and as okay as he sounds, he doesn’t have nearly the passion that Glen Hansard has and it really needs a true duet partner like Marketa Irglova to be pulled off. I think Kara is crazy for liking his version.

Lil Rounds
– Sings “The Rose” Bette Midler
– Well, she can sing, but I thought she was doing better keeping the song toned down. When she hit the middle where she gospel’ed it up, it seemed messed up. She needed to do it one way or the other, and not both. And what did Paula say? Simon had it right becuase f you’re into the R&B, the soul, and the gospel, then why did you pick “The Rose” which is none of them.

Let’s wrap this up…
Even with them limiting what the judges said, the show still ran long. Someone needs to adjust some scheduling on Fox. As far as the performances, they can probably just shut the show down now because the person with the potential to be a star is Adam Lambert. That said, I’m thinking Kris Allen or Lil Rounds will be going home tomorrow night. Kris’ song choice was too obscure and just plain bad, and Lil Rounds doesn’t seem to be able to pick a song in her wheelhouse. The rest were probably good enough to stick around another week, but I’ve been wrong before.

That’s it for this one!
I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!