BATTLE STUDIES

John Mayer's fourth studio album is all about his relationship with Jennifer Aniston. Battle Studies (as if the title doesn't give it away) is an album about nasty break ups. The songs are about as bitter as you can be while going through a break up. Here are some of the titles of the tracks off the album: Heartbreak Warfare, Assassins, Friends, Lovers or Nothing, War Of My Life....sounds like a break up album to me. Not exactly the happy, love struck tracks from Mr. Mayer's previous albums.

If this is what going out with Jennifer Aniston is like, EEEK! That said, Battle Studies is a very good album. I really like the songs Heartbreak Warfare, Half of my Heart, Who Says, War Of My Life, Edge of Desire, and Do You Know Me.

For anyone who has ever been through a break up (and who hasn't), to say that you can relate to this album is an understatement. Personally, I haven't been through a break up this bad, but I understand where he's coming from. (And I will definitely take Jennifer Aniston's list of lovers - Brad Pitt and John Mayer - now that's what a I call an ex list).

The true test of any break up is who comes out on top. Jennifer Aniston is a true talent and outstanding comedienne. While Courtney Cox has her own TV show, only Jennifer Aniston has managed to become a major movie star post FRIENDS. And she deserves it. The trailer for Ms. Aniston's next movie looks like a big flop (The Bodyguard). Whereas with Battle Studies, John Mayer is doing his very first all arena tour selling out 20,000 seat venues all over the U.S. and internationally.

Believe me, I will be scanning the audience on Thursday, March 25th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to see if Jennifer Aniston is front row center to hear the album that is all about her.

NINE IS THE BEST MOVIE OF 2009

Of the 10 films that will be nominated this year, my early prediction is that Up In The Air will win Best Picture of 2009. For me though, the Best Picture of 2009 is Nine. Nine is a beautiful movie. The film is shot all over Italy, so the setting could not be more picturesque and romantic. Even though it's a musical, there are only a few songs that really stand out. The lighting, set and costumes will all get nominations. There's so much going on in the film that I have to see it again.

As I've said in a previous blog, Daniel Day Lewis is the best actor working today. And he can actually sing, which was an even bigger surprise. Although Nine is the story of man, it is a film about women. Mother, Lover, Mistress, Wife, One Night Stand, Girlfriend, Friend, Muse, Whore - they are all present and all representing a different aspect of this man's life. He loves them all, but cannot be with just one of them. Some of the women love him, some used to love him, some are too deep in love, while others are falling out of love. Nine is about love in all of the forms that it can take in a man's life.

What I like most about the film that is missing from films today is that Nine is about real love, not the kind of love you see in your typical Hollywood romance. Up In The Air had the same quality. You think it's going to work out for them, but, just like real life - things don't always work out like they do in a film. There is no "Happily Ever After", just After.

Without a doubt, Nine is most emotionally resonant film of the year for me.

AVATAR IS A GAME CHANGER

No less than Steven Spielberg called Avatar, "The most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since 'Star Wars'." And he's right. Avatar is a game changer. It is truly a movie unlike any other. A game changer for 3D and motion pictures on a global scale.

The world that James Cameron has created is mindblowing in its detail. Every tree, leaf, flower, mountain and creature, and even the ground has been thought about and fully realized. The true genius in the movie is the emotional depth of the Na'vi, the humanoids who inhabit the world of Pandora. With their large eyes and long faces, I have never seen such realistic aliens rendered with such an emotional range. And therein lies the genius. In order for the movie to work, the audience has to believe these are really humanoid aliens. That's why both Hulk movies didn't work with audiences. The Hulk was so poorly rendered as a digital creature that the audience couldn't form an emotional connection to the Hulk. So as an audience member, you didn't care about what happened to him as a creature. The Hulk was more caricature than character. Not so with Avatar. Their lips looked like human lips, their eyelids looked human. The movie is 3/4 aliens on Pandora and 1/4 humans in a their futuristic environment. And to pull off a movie like that truly shows that James Cameron is visionary director unlike any other director currently working in the 21st century. Every single dollar of the $350 million that was spent is up there on the screen. I always think it is so pretentious when any director is quoted as saying, "I had to wait for technology to catch up with my genius mind and ideas for this movie to be made." This is the first time I have found that statement to be true.

And while the movie is action packed and visually stunning, Avatar is a very predictable movie. Every plot twist and turn is telegraphed way ahead of time. It's like Titanic all over again - you know the ship is going to sink. With Avatar, you know what's going to happen a long time before it occurs and exactly how the movie is going to end. Although their is plenty of magic in the world of the movie, the script is formulaic and with a paint by numbers quality to it. That doesn't mean it's not a good movie, but the fact that you know everything that's coming up does take away from some of the enjoyment of the film. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be seen, it definitely should. Expect to get carried away in the film to a world unlike any other, but as far as story goes - cinematicly "going native" has been done better on film ("Dances With Wolves").

My only other criticism of the film is that the bad guys in the film are the humans, us. As an audience member, it put me in the very awkward position of routing against my own species. It was bizarre to hear other audience members (not me) cheering when the humans were being attacked and killed. (Then again, I did see the movie with a Floridian audience.....).

And yes, the film had a very timely eco-friendly, environmental message to it. But the audacity of the film is that Americans always root for the natives. And that's strange. The U.S. is always the aggressor with the superior technology and overwhelming firepower, and yet, we always cheer for the underdogs. It's a strange dichotomy.

That said, go see Avatar in 3D. It's unlike anything you've ever seen before.

I'M EXCITED TO GO BACK TO FLORIDA!?!?!?

I know, I know, I can't believe what I'm typing either, but it's true. I'm really looking forward to spending 2 weeks in Florida.

The first week will be Christmas with my family. And what's Santa bringing down the non-functional chimney this year? Turns out its a .45 or a .38! Gee, just what I always wanted! That's right boys and girls, I'm going to the gun range for Christmas! Sometime over the Christmas holidays, my parents and I are having a family outing to shoot real guns at a real gun range. Awesome! My parents (and all of their friends) have decided that the economy is so bad that people will inevitably turn to home invasions to make their money and my parents and the rest of the baby boomers are armed and ready for them! You gotta love Tea Party Republicans. And I'll have to keep a count of how many broadside hits I take because of "my" President. ("Well, you voted him.")

Seriously, it will be nice to spend a week with my parents, go to Hooter's for dinner, start working on my tan, catch up with them, discuss real estate options, get some home cooked meals, take the motorboat out on the bay and the Gulf of Mexico, watch a ton of movies in the cinema so I'm fully caught up by the time I get back to LA., and get reacquainted with as much of real America as I can possibly take.

I'm also really excited to return to Miami for New Year's weekend. Although I've only been gone for 6 months, I know a lot has changed. There are new clubs, new bars, new restaurants and new shopping centers that have opened up. I am looking forward to seeing what the new tenant has done with my condo. I want to see how the recession is effecting Miami. I'm looking forward to seeing my former co-workers at Warner Bros. Miami and catching up with old friends. I can't wait to spend as much as possible on the beach, get some sun, and listen to the waves crashing in the background. It may be too cold to go in the ocean, but maybe I'll jump in at least once.

I really miss Miami. It's a beautiful city filled with party people and I had a great life there. Going back as a tourist for the first time will be a bit odd. But at least I will know my way around. And New Year's in Miami is always a festive time of year. Nearly every hotel is sold out for the weekend. And I can't wait to go shopping. Not only will I get to hit the outlet malls with massively discounted after Christmas sales, but the 7% sales tax will be so much better than the 10% sales tax in California. I need new suits, new work shoes, new work shirts and some jeans. The weather looks to be in the 80's, so hopefully I'll be able to come back to LA with a tan. Moving back to LA was definitely the right career move. And keeping the condo in Miami is definitely the right lifestyle choice. I would gladly make Miami one of the cities I either teach or retire in.

Even though I was born, raised and educated in Massachusetts, between my parents on the west coast and my condo (the only home I owe), on the east coast, Florida will feel like going home again.....

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?

As I was walking the floor of the LA Auto Show last weekend, probably the slickest and most unique car that I saw was the 2010 Lexus LFA. The Lexus LFA is a very stylized car for Toyota's luxury brand and the car is definitely ultra luxury, and here's why - it cost $375,000!!! WTF?!?!?

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful car. Apparently Toyota had it in development for 6 years and at $375,000, I cannot see how Toyota will make a profit on the car. The LFA is powered by a 4.8L V10 engine that dishes out 552 bhp. The much power allows the car to hit 62 mph from a standstill in 3.7 seconds and go all the way to 202 mph. (From Googling, I'm not this much of a car freak). But come on, $375,000!!!

A car is depreciating asset. I cannot imagine what the depreciation is on a $375,000 Lexus, but I imagine it's pretty steep. Car payment? Auto Insurance? They must be through the roof. And on top of that think of the constant worrying. Should I park it on the street? Do I dare give it to the valet? Should I use that car wash? Who's going to steal it?

And really, $375,000 is money better spent on a house, not spent on a car. If I had that kind of money, you can be sure I wouldn't be spending it on a Lexus. I would definitely buy a Bentley convertible, or a Ferrari or a top of the line Barbus Mercedes, but definitely not on a Lexus.

APPLE MOVES INTO THE CLOUD

It had been rumored for about 2 weeks, and then this week, it happened. Apple acquired a music company called Lala. Lala is a web based music streaming service. You select your music artists, and Lala matches the artists to the music you've already downloaded, giving you complete access to your music library (stored on your computer) on, and putting it up in the cloud. Lala's music matching service lets you use any web browser anywhere in the world and have access to your entire music collection any day, any where, any time. Not that big of deal? I would beg to differ, not only is Apple moving into the cloud and giving consumers a jukebox in the sky, but it's also very interesting what it means for the future of the music industry (since Apple is the Walmart of music retailers now). Even more interesting is what it says about consumer choice.

ITunes is a classic walled garden, like the old AOL. You can only buy music from ITunes. ITunes is not compatible with any other service, and, as I've complained about before, it is not easy or convenient to move your purchased music from device (IPod) to device (IPhone). Apple has begun to plan for the future by moving its music service ITunes on the web by merging it with Lala's proprietary technology. The most interesting part of this whole acquisition is just that, Apple NEVER makes acquisitions. For Apple, when it comes to build or buy, Apple always builds. But by buying Lala, this means Apple wants to get ITunes onto the web quickly and buying was the fastest way to do that.

What does it mean for consumers? Well, Apple is stealing Pandora's business model. When ITunes was first released, it meant the music was going to be all about consumer choice. ITunes and the IPod revolutionized the personalization of music. From now on for the consumer, music was exclusively going to be about singular personalization. You could create your own playlist, listen to any track of any song you owned or ripped at any time, basically, you were your own DJ all the time. Apple saved the music industry with ITunes. Prior to ITunes, pirating music was fun, fast, cool, and easy. (Legal Side Bar - Don't steal music, movies, TV shows, or anything else illegally off the web). And ITunes worked for a number of years, but now there is a new generation of kids and teenagers who grew up with ITunes as one of their musical selections, but ITunes had 2 problems: 1. It cost money to buy songs, and kids are cheap and poor and 2. You could only listen to ITunes from your laptop, which you would have to lug around with you everywhere you went.

Pandora's business model, while I'm sure it's not very profitable, is a more compelling statement on consumer choice. Like Google, it's free, which is great, since it removes the pay element. But freedom does have a price when it comes to music. On Pandora's web based free music streaming, you can listen to most songs by your favorite artist, but Pandora would also suggest and play other artists similar to your favorite musician while also playing your favorite artist. Pandora does play commercials on its free web streaming service. And Pandora is highly portable because all you needed was a web browser and your favorite musical artist can go with you anywhere with you without you having to take your computer. The ease and portability combined with free (with restrictions) music, was too tempting for anyone to not use. With Pandora, the consumer model went from ITunes hyper personalization to the consumer giving up some choice and some control in return for free music, sampling other artists music, expanding their musical horizons, and unlimited portability. The music business is evolving yet again.

For Apple, the IPhone and ITouch (which itself has evolved into a portable gaming and web browsing platform), Apple must have taken notice that consumers are using internet radio apps to simply stream music onto their IPhones & ITouches. Consumers are slowing moving into the cloud without even realizing it. As a consumer why would I store all of my music on my IPhone or ITouch when I can simply store other media (TV shows, Apps, Movies) on my IPhone or ITouch, save space and stream music off the internet for free? The entire concept of not being able to stream your ITunes downloads off the internet is a rising concern that Apple has wisely identified before it becomes a major competitive threat and Apple has made a smart strategic decision to rapidly move into that space.

My prediction is that Apple will release a new version of ITunes this summer using Lala's technology (now Apples) and allow you to access all of the songs on your ITunes library via any web browser anywhere in the world at any time. While Microsoft may hold market share, it is increasing looking like Apple and Google are going to end up fighting for consumers in the cloud.

http://www.lala.com/ http://www.pandora.com/

DOWNTOWN LA

After 6 months in LA, I finally made it downtown. Downtown LA has changed quite a bit since I was last there 5 years ago. I was killing 2 social commitments with 1 trip downtown, and I wasn't driving or parking, so it was well worth it. The first reason for my downtown trip was the LA Auto Show. I really like the LA Auto Show. I've been going to auto shows either in Miami or LA for the last 10 years. While everyone has their reason for going to any auto show, I have 2: 1. I LOVE the concept cars. Concept cars rarely made, but always so futuristic and cool. At this year's LA Auto Show, only BMW had an incredible looking concept car. 2. I am eagerly awaiting the first 2 door hybrid hard top convertible. No sign of it yet, but I was looking.

After the auto show it was dinner at Rock N Fish, one of the 10 new restaurants at the Nokia Live concert venue right next to the Staples Center. The city has really tried to make downtown LA into an entertainment destination downtown. The trees were decorated for the Christmas season. The LA Kings were playing a hockey game at the Staples Center, the LA Auto Show as at the LA Convention Center and after the auto show and dinner, it was off to the Stevie Wonder/Jonas Brothers Holiday Toy Concert at Nokia Live. Now there's a double bill I thought I would never see, a Motown legend and the biggest boy band in the country right now. Nokia Live is a great space to see concerts. Nokia Live is the best indoor concert space in LA. (LA has the best outdoor concert spaces in the United States, from the Greek Theater to the Henry Ford Theater and the mother of all outdoor concert spaces - the Hollywood Bowl).

Stevie Wonder sounds as good as he always have and I love seeing musical legends playing their hits with some Christmas carols thrown in for good measure. Stevie let himself go. He's now Aretha Franklin big. The Jonas Bros. also played their hits and the girls would scream their heads off the entire song, all set long. I almost lost my hearing.

Downtown LA is very similar to downtown Miami. There was a lot of overbuilding and what were once condos are now apartments. And also just like downtown Miami, there's not a lot of infrastructure to support living downtown. Although I haven't seen it, I heard there is 1 grocery store in downtown LA. The Ritz Carlton is about to open a huge hotel in April 2010 and the Marriott also is about to open their hotel right next door. Now why someone thinks LA needs 3,000 hotel rooms I'll never know. But LA wants to attract all that lucrative convention business once the economy bounces back.

Also just like downtown Miami, downtown LA is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.