Ruben_Dominguez's Blog

I stumbled accross some slaming music on the radio this past Thursday afternoon.  I hit a preset button that I don't often hit and it was tuned to 91.7 KTRU.  That's Rice University's radio station and you will  usually find a pretty wide varitey of stuff there.  I dialed in at 6:45pm and caught the end of the DJ's set which apparently every weekk is dedicated to real deal Funk and all it's off-shoots.  The young man on the mic knew his material in and out and was playing some amazing tracks.  I didn't catch his name but his show is every Thursday from 6pm-7pm.  If you are looking for something a little different that's going to make you want to get your groove going this is worth an hour of your time.

Are you holding out hope that the price of gas is going to come back down to earth at some point? Do you think that if you can just make it past this summer all will be well again? I don't think so. In fact now that big oil has us paying four dollars for a tank they know we will just keep forking it over.

The only reasonable solution for me is to drive less. My friends and I have decided to start sharing rides as much as possible and even at home the wife and I take one car whenever we can. I may even start riding my bike to the grocery store to pick up a few things instead of driving.

What are you doing to ease the gas gouge?

 It was a blast.  This is how it all went down.

BANDS
Every band we saw was playing their heart out.  The boys from Every Time I Die were totally whipping the kids into a frenzy and they had the best pit going of the afternoon.  And newcomers the Aggrolites also impressed with their classic Lee Scratch Perry influenced ska.  Some of the bigger names that I didn't get to see included Against Me and Gym Class Heroes.  Everyone I talked with said they were awesome so at least the fans got to see great sets.

THE HEAT
It was hot as you know what out there.  By the end of the day they were running low on water at some of the booths but there were plenty of ems people on hand and tour personnel to watch over the fans.  Message to ninety percent of the lilly white skinned suburban kids in the crowd - put on lots of sunscreen, no one looks good in lobster pink!!

THE CROWD
Everyone their was having a great time.  We didn't see anyone getting crazy, falling down drunk or starting any funny business at all.  Each stage was well populated by music fans enjoying their favorite bands on a weekend afternoon.  All the kids we talked with were so happy to be there and had smiles tattooed to their faces for the entire time.

PORT-O-POTTIES
Scary.  No, really they were the most frightening ones that i have been in.  Period!

AND FINALLY
It was my first time at the Vans Warped Tour and all I can say is if you haven't been, go next year!  You get see tons of new bands that you probably would not be exposed to otherwise and you get to work on your tan.  Drink a lot of water before, during and after and you will be fine.  See you guys there next summer.

It's 3:30pm on a blazing hot afternoon and instead of staying inside with the A/C cranked I'm off to the Warped Tour out at Sam Houston Race Park.  This will be my first visit to the annual summer festival that features lots of poppy punk bands, skaters, bmx-ers and a thousands of fans frying under the sun.   My friend and partner in crime, Tripple G will be riding shotgun for this journey so be on the lookout for a our blogs, photo gallery and maybe even some video (on your favorite website - myfoxhouston.com  of course!)

What's up you guys?  I just  got back from vacation with the family and am I glad to be home.  We drove down to Destin, Florida and it was a real good time I must say.  I played a couple of rounds of golf and we did the family thing down on the beach.  It was our first time there and we had a blast.  I would do it again in a heart beat. 

Any of you headed out or just returning from a little R&R? 

Remember the fish taco craze from way back?  It was like they just appeared one day and everyone was eating them.  Suddenly lots of restaurants started adding them to their menus.  The only problem is that a really good fish taco is hard to find.  Take the joint I stopped at for lunch today.  The tacos were just OK.  I was really expecting so much more but in the end I wasn't really satisfied.  So I'm asking you, the wise bloggers, where can a guy get a great plate of fish tacos?

I'm not the biggest Tiger fan but what I just saw was pretty amazing!  Even with a knee that is not 100% the guy is still money.  He just showed the world (again) why he is the best there is.  30 on the back nine, are kidding me?

And how cool is watching a major in prime time on a Friday night?  If you ask me, they should play the U.S. Open in California every year.  Just chillin in the bedroom with a cold beverage and watchin golf, Awesome!

Let's hope that Tiger doesn't just flat out run away with it.  It would be great to see Roco and Appleby there on Sunday with a chance to win it.  And nothing would make me happier than to see Lefty get in a groove and make a serious run.  This is gonna be a good one.

I finally cashed in my golf lesson certificate that my lovely wife gave on last Father's Day.  It was for a one hour lesson at the Matt Swanson school of golf at Wild Cat.  I had been to the course many times but never stopped in to Matt's place to check it out.  So today when I walked in I didn't know what to expect.

Matt and his staff could not have been nicer and more professional.  The atmosphere was pretty casual and the entire experience ended up being awesome.  They have all the cool video and computer gadgets to check your swing from every angle.  After  I submitted a few swing samples, Matt watched them with me and said that at least I didn't look completely terrible.  He says that if I wanted to, I may even be able to improve from my current woeful state.

By the time I left I was pretty jazzed because I had some things to work on that hopefully will help me  be a little more consistant.  I don't care what your hobby, passion or job is, having to practice at it is never fun.  But I left this lesson really wanting to spend more time on the range.  So thanks Matt and I will be seeing you soon.

Oh yeah, I need you guys to not blow my cover.  I told everyone I was leaving 15 minutes early today to get a spray on tan.  So shhhhhhhhhhh!

Did you grow up playing arcade games? You know Galaga, Defender, Asteroids, Pac Man and of course Donkey Kong? Well then you probably know about a little documentary called The King of Kong. If you don't know about this movie, find out about it right away and for Pete's sake see it!

It tells the story of an average guy from Seattle named Steve Weibe. All Steve ever wanted to do was be the best that he could be at something. First he tried sports and almost got there if it wasn't for the fact that his pitching arm gave out right before the most important baseball game of his high school career. Then he tried music, and was even involved in the grunge movement but his band just never got that record deal they were chasing. During the film you see him play amazing piano and even a great drum solo on a toy set that his son has in his room so obviously the guy has some talent.

Steve eventually gets his hands on a Donkey Kong machine and sets it up in his garage.  He discovers that the highest score ever recorded is somewhere in the mid 800 thousands. Weibe manages to beat the score and so starts his journey into an insane world.

The official record keeper of high scores is Twin Galaxies which we find out in the movie is a kind of Guiness Book of World Records for video games.  Weibe notices that the record holder is a guy by the name of Billy Mitchell who is a semi-mythic figure in the arcade world.  To make a long story short, Mitchell is the dark lord in this story and Steve the hero out to wipe his foul stench from the realm.

Mitchell commands his nerd army via cell phone from his home in Florida and as Steve quests to beat him head to head at Donkey Kong, he becomes more and more elusive.
If you manage to not laugh out loud at least once during the scenes where Billy is being interviewed in the kitchen of a cheap burger and wings joint that he owns, you are probably dead.  Hollywood could not have written a better screen play if they tried. 

Just see it please.  It's gold

I have two very close friends that routinely turn down my invitations to play free golf.  Most of the time I even offer to drive and buy the first round of beverages. Still, I get "uh, thanks man but uh, I got to mow the lawn" or "dude, i need to buy new golf shoes, my old pair fell apart."  The way I see it, I'm offering to buy so I'm saving you $75 bucks on your greens fee which means you can pay someone to mow your lawn or buy yourself a pair of shoes.

So today is the day that I permanently take said friends (and you know who you are) off my list.  I will no longer be calling you to join me for a free round of 18 holes.  Only my go-to-guys will get the offer.  These are the guys that will use an emergency vacation day,  tell their significant other that they have to go to the hospital to visit a sick friend, reschedule a dentist appointment or just basically do whatever it takes to get to the links.

I know what you guys are thinking and yes the thought has crossed my mind that these guys just don't like playing golf with me.  Maybe they don't even care for my company in general.  Hey, I can't tell you how many times I have played with people that I didn't particularly like just so I could get out on the course. It's not a date, we don't have to hold hands!  But seriously, how do you turn down free golf?

Wednesday morning (3am LA time)

After three ours of sleep, my photographer and I were back out in front of the Nokia theater getting ready to do live shots from L.A.  We were a little grumpy and wondering what the (you know what) we were doing out there in the middle of the night when David Cook walked right over to the media area.  Suddenly we were very, very happy to be there!

I have to tell you guys that mister Cook could not have been more gracious and quickly agreed to interviews with the small pack of hungry reporters for as long as he was needed.  When I was finally able to get him cornered for our morning show he was pleasant, and a pretty good interview considering he had been up for 24 hours.  I know it comes with the territory but he really impressed all the Fox crews by the way he handled himself.

Not long after that David Archuleta showed up with a small group of handlers and he jumped right in front of the camera as well.  He was also wonderful to speak with and such a nice guy you almost get the feeling that it's a put on.  It's not.  He was as happy as if they had handed him the title and not his fellow contestant.  And honestly, if the guy never sells a record in his life he could make a fortune with that smile selling toothpaste.  This kid is blessed with the entire package, wholesome good looks and a killer voice.  It won't be long before he is cashing pretty big checks on a regular basis.

But it was Cook's night and it's his turn to shine.  He has the task of proving to the world that an American Idol winner can be a rocker and sell a ton of records.  And no, Daughtry does not count, he was cut half way through the top ten during his run.  Taylor Hicks doesn't count either.  Come to think of it, what happened to that guy?  Huh?

I had a great time in L.A. and worked with some great people in the Fox family.  The Idol crews were fantastic and so were the contestants.  Can't wait for next year.  In the meantime, GO TO MY PHOTO GALLERY!  WATCH MY INTERVIEW WITH DAVID COOK!  ...help a brother out won't ya?  The powers that be really like lots of the little "clicks" from you guys.

I do have one last thing to mention.  I was disappointed to see Jordan Sparks arrive and bascially ignore all the media.  She did a few quick interviews and when she was not on camera she was actually pouting about something.  Then she insisted on leaving rather abrutly which left the rest of us wondering what was up.  I interviewed her last year before her win and she was awesome.  But hey, everyone has a bad night or maybe she just wasn't feeling well.  And finally I must talk about Amanda (don't remember her last name), you know the girl with the skunk streak in her hair?  She came out on the red carpet on Tuesday and walked from one reporter to another like someone was holding a gun to her head.  She actually seemed angry.  On Wednesday after the results show she came out was in the exact same mood.  This time none of the reporters even looked at her as she walked by.  I saw one reporter checking his messages on his cell phone as she approached so as not to catch her eye.  Other reporters and phoographers just ignored her as she passed.  You get what you pay for miss Amanda.

See you guys later ...

This is it .. it doesn't get any bigger than this.  We are two hours away and it is a mad house out here.  The line outside the Nokia theater began forming hours ago and the fans just keep getting more and more excited.  Things are going to get really out of hand when the Laker fans start showing up next door for game one of their playoff game.

The show really got a shot in the arm over these past few episodes because the contestants werew able to take it up a notch.  The "best season ever" was in danger of not materializing.  But give it up to David A., David C. and Syesha for making things a lot more compelling at the end.  Without those performances and the Archuleta v. Cook story line, things may have just ended with a whimper.  Instead, the fans area excited again and right back on the bandwagon.

We are currently sitting in the media area as I type this out waiting for our turn on the podium for our 9pm live shot.  Usually for every one minute of television that you see there are several hours of just standing around doing nothing.  The camera guys have to hustle a lot more than those of us that just stand there and hold the mic but even they eventually run out of things to do.  And then we all wait and wait some more.  But I'm not knocking it, this sure beats a real job!

Can't wait to see what happens in a little while ....more to come

 

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I'm up at 5am because I promised my good buddy Kevin at 93Q that I would phone in for his morning show today. I'm a man of my word so I was ready when they called. But now I'm up and I don't know if I will be able to get back to sleep. So I thought a quick blog might tire me out a bit.

I thought the Idol performances last night lived up to hype. David Archuleta did everything he could to steal it away from David Cook. The youngster sang his heart out and both the audience and judges responded. Cook was strong as always but he just did not dazzle on the last song like Archuleta did. Will this be the determining factor? It's really anybodys guess right now. But I will tell you most of the folks we talked with as they walked out of the Nokia theater thought that little David took over control of first place.

Ok, more blog soon .. must try to sleep a little now. Oh yeah, check out my photo gallery!!!!!

Ruben Stops for a Pink's Hot Dog Waiting for American Idol

Greetings from beautiful and smoggy Los Angeles!  I just checked in at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood which serves as home base this week for most of the Fox stations that are here to cover American Idol.  It's next door to the Kodak theater which is where the Idol finale was .... last season!  This year it's at the Nokia theater which is nine miles away in downtown L.A.

But I'm not complaining because this is a sweet assignment and I'm really lucky to be here.  I've already seen pictures of David Archuleta and David Cook all over the place.  There's even a giant billboard outside of my hotel reminding me to watch all my Idol coverage on the TV guide network.  I wouldn't say this town is all about A.I. right now but there is definitely a buzz. 

As soon as I get cleaned up, my photographer Greg and I are gonna hop in the car and drive to the Nokia theater and pick up our credentials.  After that it's a bunh of hurry and wait for the show to start and then do our live shot for the 9pm news.  Which you are required to watch if you are reading this.

I never know what to pack when I'm headed out to L.A.  For some reason as soon as I get there I realize that I packed all the wrong stuff.  Last year when we flew out for the top 24 I didn't pack anything warm and it was actually pretty chilly at night.  Then when we went back for the top 12 red carpet, I packed my favorite black boots that ended up killing my feet because the after party ran late and we ended up standing in the same spot for six hours instead of three.  So I think for this trip I'm just gonna throw whatever I see first into the bag and hope for the best.

But packing aside, I think Tuesday night is going to be a barn burner on the American Idol stage.  The Davids know that it's do or die so I'm hoping both sides put up a good fight.  The numbers are down a bit compared to previous seasons so I bet there is a little extra motivation being applied to the two remaining singers.  I just have a feeling that the sparks are gonna fly.

I will be blogging as soon as we hit L.A. on Tuesday afternoon so look for my updates.  And as always, drop me a line and tell me what's on your mind.