David Lynch Signature Cup Coffee Commerical…

As you know, I’m still not a huge fan of his David Lynch Signature Cup coffee (organic-smorganic, give me my chemicals!) but, I’m still a mega-fan of Mr. David Lynch, the artist. So, when I heard that he’d directed a super-creepy 4 minute online ad for his coffee, co-starring Barbie? Well, how could I not share that shit with you?

The ad runs a bit long and like I said, is a tad disturbing — a couple times it looks like Barbie’s pretty little head is gonna pop right off in Mr. Lynch’s hand, yikes! — it is also really darkly hilarious as well, so, enjoy!

The return of the Mt. Dew hillbilly!

Has anyone else seen this retro logo coolness on their grocery store shelves? I haven’t “done the Dew” in many a moon — Mountain Dew’s strange electric green color makes my stomach churn — but, wow, I almost bought a 12-pack just for the packaging. So cool!

I don’t know why Mountain Dew brought back their classic hillbilly logo, but, any company that sells their product with the totally un-PC image of a hillbilly drinking hooch from a jug, well…you had me at hillbilly.

If I see it on the shelf again, I’m buying me a whole case of that shit! Yee-haw!

Free Slurpee Day @ 7-Eleven

My apologies for not posting news of this wondrous event in time for y’all to actually partake in said free 7-Eleven Slurpees, but, the good news is that once you read this post, you’ll know to look out for Free Slurpee Day 2011. So, yay!

Never heard of Free Slurpee Day? Well, until last week, neither had I. And I am a fairly regular consumer of Slurpees,  my usual being a mixture of Fanta Banana and Coke flavors. Anyway, this magical day is celebrated every year at participating 7-Eleven stores on July 11th. Seven-eleven…get it?

Cooler still is the fact that the free Slurpees come in cute-ass little cups that measure out to exactly, you guessed it…7.11 ounces. Awesome! The only problem we had is that the first 7-Eleven store we went (at Verdugo and Olive in Burbank) claimed to be out of free sized cups by the time we arrived? Huh?

I mean, yeah, it was 8:30PM, but the promo was supposed to last until 11:00PM! So, as you can imagine, we were seriously annoyed.

We got even angrier when the dude behind the counter wouldn’t answer us when we asked him if they had any more free sized cups. He just stared into space ringing up customers. It was so weird. Luckily for us, my brother Ryan (who took the lovely pictures you see here) was there to cut through the bullshit.

Glaring at the dude from across the store, Ryan bellowed, as only he can bellow: “Oh really?! You’re out of free Slurpee cups on Free Slurpee day?!” I swear to God, I thought the cashier was gonna faint…he looked absolutely terrified. And two seconds later, we had four free sized cups in our hot little hands. Ha!

So, we filled our tiny cups a few times over then headed off to another 7-Eleven that was supposedly offering 50-cent hot dogs as well! Yee-haw!

That 7-Eleven (which is now officially our favorite in Burbank) is located at the corner of Hollywood Way and Burbank and was far more festive with all kinds of banners and balloons and shit in the store.

But even though they were much more forthcoming with the free sized Slurpee cups, they were totally out of 50-cent hot dogs, which kinda sucked. That said, the cashier there was the nicest 7-Eleven clerk in the world and even had a big old plate of free sliced fruit at his register, so…we left smiling!

Until next year, happy belated Free Slurpee Day 2010, amigos!

Free Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea Day @ Popeyes

When Christine told me last night that yesterday was National Iced Tea Day, I just knew we had to have some. And when we walked into Popeyes for dinner and the place was covered with flair advertising their brand-spanking-new offering, Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea, well, guess what we ordered to drink?

Actually, Greta and her sweet-tea-hating Mommy had water. And even though I am usually more of a Dr. Pepper man at Popeyes, I decided to honor this awesome holiday I knew nothing about by sampling the Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea.

And, man, was I glad I did! I haven’t had sweet tea in years, even when my Mom and sister lived in the South, we never drank it. I mean, it’s good and all, but, a little Southern sweet tea goes a long way. I’m not kidding, you get like, instant cavities…it’s freaky.

But this Popeyes deliciousness is a freaking revelation! I don’t know if it’s the cane sugar or what, but this is the best sweet iced tea I’ve ever had anywhere. And unlike most sweet tea, you can really taste the fresh-brewed tea in every sip. I actually had flecks of tea leaf in my ice when I finished! Awesome!

So, I take a bunch of pictures and am getting ready to blog about this cane sugar perfection and what do I read online? This Saturday, June 12th, in honor of National Iced Tea Day and Popeyes’ 38th anniversary, Popeyes locations nationwide are offering my favorite new drink in the world for free! That’s right, y’all, free Cane Sweeeet Tea for everyone! Yay!

Here’s hoping Popeyes has a rocking birthday and to the visionary soul who invented the best new holiday ever…we salute you. National Iced Tea Day 4eva!

The results are in…Via rocks!

Contrary to popular belief it did not take me twenty days to decide what I thought of Starbucks new Via Instant Coffee — I knew what I thought the second I tasted it! — but it did take me that long to find time to blog again with the wee one taking up almost all of my waking hours, so, many apologies. The truth is, I’ve missed you guys, probably a whole lot more than you missed me (ha!) but, in any case, it’s very good to be back.

And now, at long last I can tell you that the new Via Ready Brew is absolutely fantastic. I was so shocked at how good it was that I literally failed my taste test.

Seriously. I made such a face when I found out I’d guessed wrong that the barista actually laughed out loud. It was hilarious and I must say, completely surprising. Who would think instant coffee could taste exactly like brewed? Amazing.

I can’t vouch for the Colombian, but the Italian I had was so good that I actually bought a three pack to take home. And next time we go anywhere, you can bet your ass that a couple dozen of those cute little packages will be stashed somewhere in our Vue! Add some hot water at a gas station, stir, and I can drive all night, baby! Que viva la Via!

FREE COFFEE ALERT: Starbucks Via Taste Test Challenge starts today!

Just when you thought Starbucks had done it all, the mad scientists from Seattle have outdone themselves yet again. Starting today Starbucks will be selling their very own line of instant coffee — you know, the stuff your Grandparents drink — in the form of the beautifully-packaged Starbucks Via.

Available in two flavors, a mellow Colombian Roast and a more bold, dark roast Italian, the coffee comes in little packets that look to me like those fancy sugar containers at hotels and such. And though the mere mention of instant coffee brings me back to the bad old days of my Maxwell House-filled youth, I have to admit, I have been dying to try Via since I first heard about it. So, hooray!

Even more exciting than the launch of this new coffee product is the fact that Starbucks will be giving it away all weekend long as part of their Via Taste Test Challenge. All you have to do is show up at your local Starbucks, ask to take the taste test and you’ll be given a cup of Starbucks’ traditionally-brewed coffee and a cup of the new Via Instant Coffee. That’s right, two free cups of coffee all weekend long. Awesome, huh? I mean, hell, even if it sucks, it’s still free, right?

I might not be able to take the test myself till Saturday, but in the meantime, am dying to hear what the rest of you think of the latest and greatest from Starbucks. So, by all means, comment away…

Free Mocha Mondays @ McDonald’s

Just found out from one of our regular tipsters (thanks, Aunt Debbie!) that McDonald’s is offering free McCafé Mochas between the hours of 7:00AM and 7:00PM every Monday until August 3rd! Cool, huh?

Don’t know if you’ve had the chance to try this new line of fancy coffee drinks at McDonald’s yet, but Christine and I were first in line when they launched them back in May. And though the Caramel latte she had was downright hideous — I don’t know if it was the cheap caramel or what, but that thing SUCKED! — the iced Mocha I had was pretty damn good.

And when some freebie coupons came our way a week or so later, we tried some more of the McCafé drinks and were both very pleasantly surprised by how tasty they were for the price. It’s not Starbucks or anything, but they do pack a wallop in the caffeinated department and they are way cheaper than almost anything else on the market…so, I say try them out at least once.

And with Free Mocha Mondays for the rest of the month, how can you not try these drinks out? I haven’t sampled the hot mocha yet, but I can tell you from personal experience that the two iced mochas I’ve had have been kinda magical. So, I’d go cold on this one, amigos. Or, if you really wanna get your freebie on, go cold for breakfast and then head back later and go hot just before dinner…either way, you gotta try these things!

Oh yeah, and just to give you a heads up, the free version of the Mocha is served in an 8 ounce cup, not the usual 12 ounce. Just wanted to let you know so you don’t bitch out your McBarista when you get a small-ass cup.

Dying to hear what y’all think of the drinks, so, as usual, McComment away!

“Not Forgotten” night at the Mann’s Chinese!

Friday night was the Hollywood premiere of my new movie “Not Forgotten” at the Mann’s Chinese and let me tell ya, it rocked! We had an awesome audience, great food and drinks at the after party at The Grill, and best of all, the movie played to packed houses all weekend long. Yay!

No official word on what that means for future distribution plans, but according to the fine folks at BoxOfficeMojo.com, “Not Forgotten” did manage to beat the pants off heavy-hitters like “17 Again”, “Hannah Montana” and even “Wolverine” (again!) on a per screen average, so, I’d say we kicked ass!

Also, I just found out that we will be moving to the Mann Beverly Center 13 on Friday, so, if you missed us last week at the Chinese, check us out this weekend at the Beverly Center by clicking here.

In the meantime, back to the premiere! After mingling with the cast and crew in the lobby, I walked the press line outside the theatre for a few pics and then Christine and I headed upstairs to our sweet-ass leather seats in the VIP section. Yep, I said leather seats, amigos. Honestly, I didn’t even know the Mann’s had a VIP section, but it was awesome.

The funniest thing was that Christine and I — who have both seen the movie a gazillion times — were completely freaked out by the kidnapping stuff this time around. I know it sounds crazy, but we both kept looking at each other like: “Should we call home just to make sure Greta wasn’t taken by Santa Muerte?” Wow, I guess that’s what being a parent is all about, huh? Weird…

Without giving too much away, all I can say is that if any of that spooky shit ever happens to my daughter…I might just go “mental” too. Yikes!

Immediately following the screening there was a super cool party just around the corner at the swanky Hollywood Grill. In keeping with the Tex-Mex setting of the movie, the food was all Mexican — right down to the never-ending bottles of Corona with lime! — and though the chicken tostadas were kinda weird, the carne asada was out-of-this-world fantastic. My brother, Ryan, and I went back for that like, three times. Awesome!

Of course, the company was even better. Although neither Simon Baker or Paz Vega could make the premiere — she’s eight-and-a-half months pregnant and lives in Spain, and Simon is supposedly filming a movie in Australia, although he appeared on both “Regis & Kelly” and “Jimmy Fallon” on Monday night, so, who knows? — the rest of mi buen amigos from the supporting cast were there in spades and we had a blast.

And though there were several cool celebrity sightings — Marion Ross from “Happy Days” came with her son, Jim Meskimen, who is the nicest guy in the world, even if he plays a child molester in our movie! — my favorite had to be Oscar-nominee and 70’s icon, Karen Black.

Miss Black was supposed to appear in an AFI student film of mine, “The Lone Star Letters”, way back in the day and I had always wanted to meet her in person. So, when I saw her noshing on tacos near the bar, I stumbled over. Being the geek that I am, I started with: “Are you Karen Black?” Lame…I know, but I was completely starstruck.

She was beyond cool and of course had no memory of my nerdy student film or why she couldn’t appear in it, but really, who cared at that point…I mean, I was talking about my movie with Karen-freaking-Black, how cool and totally Hollywood is that? Crazy!

Anyway, we all stayed way too late and drank and ate way too much, but, wow, what a party! Thanks to everyone who came to the premiere to party down with us and most of all to those of you who went out and actually paid to see “Not Forgotten” on it’s opening weekend in Los Angeles. My Aunt Linda and Uncle George actually drove down from the Fresno area to see the movie on Sunday afternoon. Wow!

So, thanks again for all the “Not Forgotten” love, amigos. You guys rock!!

Cherry Dr. Pepper rocks!

As huge fans of all things new in the world of junk food, Christine and I were thrilled to learn that Dr. Pepper — always the classiest of the soft drinks in my book, I mean, hello, the dude’s a doctor! — was improving on a classic with the introduction of Cherry Dr. Pepper.

And yes, it’s as freaking awesome as it sounds. No, I take that back, this drink is ten billion times better than it sounds. Really, truly, this is the flavored soda pop we’ve all been waiting for. Well, at least at our house.

Christine has been a “pepper” since she was a kid and you know I loves me some cherry-flavored shit, so buying a twelve pack of Cherry Dr. Pepper the moment it was released was kind of a no-brainer. And though it tastes amazing on its own, this beauty of a soft drink also makes spectacular ice cream floats.

Even Ryan and Laura (who are no fans of soda to begin with) were left breathless in the wake of this gorgeous, surprisingly subtle concoction. We had a little tasting party at their house the other night and they asked us to leave the unopened cans with them when we went home. Yep, it’s that good!

So, if you’re in the market for a tasty-ass caffeinated beverage this summer, skip the sickly-sweet Starbucks Doubleshot Coffee + Energy and pick yourself up some of this nectar of the gods. Seriously, all punning aside, it’s just what the doctor ordered…delicious!

Mt. Shasta Brewing Company’s signature brew: Weed Pale Ale!

As you may have read in my previous post, last summer, Christine and I finally got off the freeway in the mythical town of Weed. But we weren’t looking for gas, or, well, you know…weed. Nope, what we were looking for was some of the legendary Weed beer brewed locally by the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company.

And though Christine only gave me one shot at finding it — we were trying to make Oregon by nightfall, yo — I happened to find plenty of Weed beer at the first and only gas station we stopped at. Yay!

Why all this trouble for a microbrew you ask? Well, first off, I loves me some beer, the smaller the batches, the better, and secondly, I wanted to support the brewery in their epic struggle with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) over the pithy slogan on their bottle cap.

See, until spring of 2008, the bottlecaps on all the MSBC’s beers read: “Try Legal Weed”. Hilarious, right? Well, apparently, the suits in Washington did not agree and even though the trinkets at the gas station were loaded with pot humor and Weed references, the bottle caps had to be recalled. As the local headlines jokingly proclaimed: “Government is keeping us safe from bottle caps”. Insane!

Of course, that only made me wanna try the beer even more. Not just as a beer lover, but to help support the kick ass dudes who brewed it. I mean, hell, microbreweries are having a hard enough time making ends meet these days, last thing they need is to be replacing hundreds of so-called “inappropriate” bottle caps. The way I saw it, if my lowly purchase could in any way help their bottom line…sign me up!

So, we bought a six pack of their signature brew, the Weed Pale Ale, picked up some Weed-centric shot glasses and refrigerator magnets at the gas station and drove the rest of the way to Grants Pass. Only then, when safely ensconced in the bosom of Christine’s family farmhouse did I get to taste this magical beer for the first time…and let me tell ya, it rocked!

Crisp and malty with a vaguely sweet aftertaste, this was a pale ale for the ages, and after a long, sweaty trek up the interstate from Burbank, it was just what the doctor ordered. Amazing!

Sadly, the bottle caps I was searching for had already been replaced with a generic gold cap with no writing on it at all. LAME! But a few months later, the case was overturned and the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company was allowed to resume bottling all of their beers with their now-legendary bottle caps. So, yay!

To read more about the Mt. Shasta Brewing Company and the many fine beers they produce — I wanna try the space-alien-themed Lemurian Lager next! — click here. And, once again, happy 420, amigos!