Rilo Kiley show

Went to see Rilo Kiley last night at Richards on Richards. This was my first time at that bar, and I quite like it. My only gripe about it is that it needs better ventilation. It reminds me a lot of a smaller version of Barrymore's out in Ottawa.

There were two opening acts. One was Michael Runion, who just played solo. He had decent music, but kept whining about his monitor and how people in the audience were talking. He whined so much that eventually I just wanted him to get off the stage, even though I thought his music was good.

Next up were "The Brunettes", a poppy band from New Zealand. Their music was catchy and they had lots of horns, and hand claps. I really enjoyed their performance and would definitely buy their cd. They performed one song about Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen while wearing MK and Ashley masks, which was both disturbing and amusing.

Rilo Kiley gave a good performance. No complaints, except I was very distracted by Jenny Lewis' dress, which was way too short. You can see some of the photos that [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] took here .

What I've been reading lately

1. Small island by Andrea Levy- I forgot to write about "Small island", which won the Orange Prize this year. It's the story of some Jamaican immigrants who come to London during the Second World War. I found that I just couldn't get into the book until the middle. Then I couldn't stop reading and was fascinated. I also realized that for some reason, I just don't like movies or books set during the World wars. I'm not sure why, I just can't seem to get into them.


2. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain- I really liked this book because I got a glimpse into the world of chefs. It was pretty interesting and I learned a whole bunch of stuff that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. Bourdain is quite a visceral writer, and I enjoyed the ride. I read this book because I want to watch the "Kitchen Confidential" show when it airs.

3. The Lion in the Room Next Door by Merilyn Simonds- I met Merilyn Simonds in a cafe in the fall, so I picked up her book. It's a collection of linked short stories. I like her style and the way she writes, and I think that the majority of the stories in this collection are autobiographical. The title story was fantastic.

Get your celebrity air!

I love it when people think of smart-ass, amusing things. This dude, who was present at the Mr and Mrs Smith premiere, bottled some "celebrity air" after Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrived. He put the air for sale on Ebay. I'm not sure if the air sold, or was removed, but the bidding went up to $699.

More info and pics here and here .

ETA- The item has been removed since air molecules cannot be auctioned. Damn.