PHOTO OF THE WEEK - THE SLEEPING CAT

Now there is no way that I consider myself a professional photographer, (far from it) and I surely don't own any type of expensive camera equipment either. All I own is a simple Point and Shoot Canon camera. That's it. I do feel that I know an interesting image when I see one but that is really about the extent of my "talent". As I was in my customary position of laying on the sofa the other day I happened to notice the image of my cat sleeping and the sunlight streaming through the window. I thought it made for an interesting photo so I quietly grabbed my camera before my cat woke up. Anyway, here's my image of The Sleeping Cat.

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK - RETURN TO THE 36th CHAMBER

This weeks DVD Pick of the Week is another 70's Kung Fu classic titled Return To The 36th Chamber. This is the sequel to the original (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) which catapulted Gordon Liu to superstar status. Now this classic piece of Kung Fu cinema is being released this Tuesday on the Dragon Dynasty label which is a company that really goes the extra mile to put out a superb release. Although I already own the Chinese (Region 3) version of this film, I will definitely pick up this new release with the additional English soundtrack and many bonus features. I see on Dragon Dynasty's web site http://www.dragondynasty.com/

that they have also started to release dvd's in the Blu-Ray format. Anyway, go pick this dvd up this Tuesday! Not familiar with this classic piece of Kung Fu cinema? Well here is the original trailer for this classic! Enjoy!

SOUL CD PICK OF THE WEEK - BILL WITHERS

Now those faithful readers of my blog know that SAXOMAN usually steers clear of most "Best Of" cd's. I usually feel that several songs are usually missing from these so called 'Best Of" compilations and well, I'm just a completest anyway. One rare exception to this "Best Of" category is this gem by Bill Withers titled The Best Of Bill Withers - Lean On Me. Now this to me is truly worthy of the title "The Best Of". Now I'm sure you all know the songs Ain't No Sunshine, Lean On Me, Just The Two Of Us with the late, great Grover Washington Jr. , but what about some other gems like Who Is He (And What Is He To You), Grandma's Hands, Use Me, I Wish You Well and Harlem? Huh? Are you hip to these as well? If not, shame on you. Well anyway, all of these hits are here with many, many more. Now one of my favorites on this cd is the song titled Harlem. Give this song a listen as it slowly build in intensity. A great cd and another must have for your collection. SAXOMAN recommended! Hear me?

TACO BELL AND DIRTY LAUNDRY - HUH?

OK, now you are all probably wondering what does Taco Bell have to do with dirty laundry so here's the story. There is a Taco Bell close to my job that I sometimes frequent for lunch. I usually use the drive- thru window to place my order. Now this Taco Bell is right next to a small apartment complex and as I am in the drive- thru I can see the bathroom windows of the apartments. One thing I always seem to notice in one of these bathroom windows is that someone has their laundry and underwear hanging up to dry for everyone to see. I can tell you that it is not a pretty sight and there is laundry hanging up there every time I go to Taco Bell! Now I'm not sure what's worse, me having to look at someones laundry (and underwear) or living in that apartment and having to listen to people in the drive thru place their orders all night long. Oh well.....

SALSA CD PICK OF THE WEEK - LUIS ENRIQUE

This weeks Salsa CD Pick of the Week is the classic recording by Luis Enrique titled Amor Y Alegria. Now I must admit I was a little late hopping on board the Salsa bandwagon but once I did I began buying this music like there was no tomorrow. This is one of the very first salsa recording I had purchased back in the late 80's. Now Luis Enrique is one of my favorite Salsa singers and I must admit I have a lot of his stuff (12 cd's to be exact!) Luis Enrique is one of the early pioneers responsible for the Salsa Romantica style of Salsa (sometimes called Salsa Erotica) A great cd all the way through that you are sure to enjoy. Not hip to Luis Enrique? Well that's my mission right? Anyway, here is Luis Enrique performing one of the many hits from this cd, Desperadado. Check it out and get hip to Salsa!

TEARS OF JOY...STILL SAXOMAN? OH YEAH...

Ok, now I know it has been about 7 months since my beloved Purple and Gold (Lakers) won the NBA Championship but today they were officially honored at The White House and met with President Obama. All I can say is that the tears of joy were flowing freely once again. Oh yeah.....

THE FREEZE BELL

I got to thinking the other day about something that happened way, way back when I was in Elementary school. Now I'm not sure if this was a common practice in other cities but at my school in Pasadena we had something called "the freeze bell". Huh? What the hell is this freeze bell SAXOMAN? Well basically this was a bell that would ring signaling that recess time was over. Now as a kid I can tell you that recess was the most enjoyable part of school (at least for me). We would all be running around playing dodge ball, baseball, basketball or causing general mischief during the recess period and then RING!!!!! Yep, the dreaded freeze bell. What this meant was that whatever you were doing you had to stop as soon as the bell sounded and freeze. They would then have a couple of hall monitors or teachers pets collect all of the balls and stuff we were playing with. What I remember most about the freeze bell is that my friends and I would freeze in the most overly exaggerated poses as a way of making fun of this ridiculous practice. We would freeze on one leg with arms stretched out like we were trying to catch a ball or any number of other wacky poses. Anyway, that's my take on the dreaded freeze bell.

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK - MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE

This weeks DVD Pick of the Week is another piece of classic Asian cinema. The pick is Master of the Flying Guillotine. Now I must say that this is one wacky movie and for me the wackier the better. Heads are severed at an astounding rate in this move! I'm told the verison shown here is the better version to buy although it still leaves a lot to be desired quality wise. I'm told this is the best that could be done with the original print. Anyway, at least we have it to enjoy. This classic also features my man Jimmy Wang Yu as The One Armed Boxer. Want to see what I'm talking about when I say wacky? Check out the trailer for this classic piece of Asian cinema and enjoy!

LATIN FUNK CD PICK OF THE WEEK - LOS MOCOSOS

This weeks long overdue Latin Funk CD Pick of the Week is the second cd from one of my favorite bands, Los Mocosos. Now let me tell you this is one super funky band from Oakland, CA. So with that said, here is Los Mocosos with their cd titled Shades of Brown. Now I must say that this is one funky cd that is must have for lovers of latin funk. My favorite cut on this cd is Mi Barrio Loco however I wasn't able to find a sample of this on YouTube. Here is another funky cut from this cd titled Soy Callejero. Check it out and get hip!

CAR WASH

Now I don't know if people are just uninformed or what. All I have been hearing on the local news is about three storms heading our way this week. Basically they are saying it is going to rain all week long! So what do I see? I see people spending money getting their cars washed! Maybe people are just uninformed or maybe no one watches the news anymore. Me? I'll let the rain wash my car this week. HAHA!

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK - JIM KELLY

Well after a glowing review in this past Sunday's L.A. Times, the DVD Pick of the Week is from 70's martial art great Jim Kelly with the new dvd titled, Urban Action Collection: 4 Film Favorites. This is four great classic movies on two dvd's! A must have for your martial arts collection! This stunning release consists of the following four classic films: Black Belt Jones (1974), Black Samson (1974), Three the Hard Way (1974), and Hot Potato (1976). For those of you not hip to Jim Kelly all you have to do is watch Bruce Lee's classic film Enter The Dragon to get a taste of what Jim Kelly is all about or watch the trailer for Black Belt Jones (below). Now this dvd comes out tomorrow (1/12/10) and is going for only $12.99 at Best Buy! WHAT? You heard right! Only $12.99 for this great dvd set. ME? Well SAXOMAN well be there first thing to pick this up! Oh yeah!

SO LONG MY BELOVED ATRA......

Well I am sorry to say that my beloved Atra razor has finally bitten the dust. On my recent vacation it finally broke down on me forcing me to buy some cheapo disposable razors. No! Now I'm not sure how long I've had this razor but I can tell you it has been a very long time. I estimate that I've had this from 25 - 30 years! WOW! Now I'm not sure if this was my very first razor or if I had a Trac II prior to this. All I know is the Atra with the rotating head, two blades and lubricating strip have served me well for many, many years of faithful service. Now I know that it had become increasingly hard to find blades for this razor lately so maybe it was time to bid it a fond farewell. How sad this whole experience has been for me.
Anyway, I have now replaced the Atra with some new modern technology and have purchased the Mach III Turbo with three blades! WHOHOO! I can tell you that this is now one smooth (and handsome) face! HAHA!

SOUL CD PICK OF THE WEEK - BLACK IVORY

This weeks long overdue Soul CD Pick of the Week is Black Ivory with the cd titled Spinning Around. Now for those of you that aren't hip to Black Ivory let me tell you they were one soulful group. A teenage trio from New York that had several hits from 1971 - 1973. This cd here is the one to get in that it captures the complete sessions they recorded for the Today label. Don't get the Best Of with a similar cover as you will be missing out on several great love jams. Basically the cd pictured here contains the Don't Turn Around lp as well as the Baby Won't You Change Your Mind lp. These were two classic lp's that were filled with great slow jams. Not hip to Black Ivory? Here's one of their classic cuts titled Spinning Around. Check it out!

HIDE? AND SEEK

Well I am back to blogging after a short vacation followed by a bout with the flu. So what's the latest from SAXOMAN? Well every morning as I get ready for work one of my cats comes into the bathroom and hides (?) behind the shower curtain. I guess she thinks I can't see her. I dunno.....She then takes swipes at my feet and leg with her paw as I walk by . Crazy cat!