Jack Jack

RIP Scott Weiland. Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts - MODZILLA

I've listened to and read a few of their interviews of late. I think that EP that they released was just a bit of a taste as Chester had commitments with LP (I believe they finished the last of the songs just a few hours before Chester had to fly out for a tour). There was also the messy breakup with Weiland at the time, which was still going through the courts, as such that EP had to be labeled STP "with Chester Bennington". They've been working on some new material and all seem pretty pumped about it, new album due out in the next few months (apparently). I don't mind the EP, but I'll hold judgment on them until I hear the new album (What am I saying, they'll be awesome). Chester's vocal range is dissimilar to Weiland's and he struggles to really nail the great STP tunes live, but maybe he's the change that the band needs. They all seems to be enjoying each other, the band, and playing music again, so that can't be a bad thing. STP & the DeLeo brothers have tried to go without Weiland on a few occasions, without much success. I don't mind either album, but I'm biased. Talk Show (STP with Dave Coutts(Ten Inch Men)) Army of Anyone (DeLeo Brothers with Richard Patrick (Filter)) Bit strange that the two popular songs are Hello and Goodbye.

Not sure if this has been posted already. It's a pretty catchy tune from OK Go, and the film clip is certainly an attention grabber with their supposed one take Rube Goldberg Machine.

New phone and new music player, so I've been listening to all my music as I load it in. I've found myself listening to some albums I haven't heard for years, mostly Scott Weiland stuff. The second album from Velvet Revolver is a cracker.

Well done Froome. He's been pretty dominant from the start. The Alpe D'Huez was a pretty amazing stage. Quintana attacking and taking some time off Froome. I think he probably stayed behind his Movistar teammate for too long when he should have been attacking harder and going it alone. But maybe he had started to run out of beans. Also missed an opportunity on Col de la Croix de Fer when Valverde couldn't go with him. If those 2 had got away it would have been a spectacular final climb.

Quitana into 2nd. Attacked a few times on what was a pretty minor final mountain section. He couldn't shake Froome, but like you said all his rivals are so far back he's going to have to cover a barrage of attacks in the coming mountain stages. Still, I think it's down to a 2 man race, with Quintana having to come from a long way back.

My favourite Tom Waits song is The Piano Has Been Drinking. Funny, entertaining and just a little bit tragic. The great man is an enigma. I caught some more good songs on rage the other night. There's some great music out at the moment, I probably should watch it more often. The Foals song does have a film clip, but it's explicit, so I'll just link it.

The race almost seems over already. I guess you've got to admire Froome for being so dominant, but it doesn't do much for the spectacle of the race. I'm hoping Quintana can give him a run for his money over some of the upcoming mainatin stages (16-18 maybe). Nibali has bounced back somewhat after a disappointing start to the tour, but he's too far back to be any threat. The big news for me so far this tour has been Porte's announcement that he will be leaving Sky at the end of the year to be a team leader. Not sure which team he's heading off to, but that will certainly make the next few years tours more interesting (hopefully) The mail stops for no-one (or race)

I'm a bit disappointed too. Not so much because of the result, but due to Bogut not really having an impact in the Finals. Still, the future is looking bright for Aussie's in the NBA.

Take a bow Matt Dellavedova.

It's going to be a struggle for the Cavs now. Irving out with a fractured knee cap, 1 of the big 3 remain. Of course that means we'll see a lot more of Delly, so silver lining and all.....

Maybe I've got my rose coloured glasses on (or maybe green and gold coloured would be more appropriate) but I can't help but think that Delly has got a serious role to play defensively against Curry (or Thompson). His defensive pressure has been outstanding so far in the finals. If the Warriors get through then it's a no lose situation for Aussies. Bogut or Dellavedova. Patty Mills was vital for the Spurs last championship, so I wonder if either of our 2 will bob up for some game changing performances.

Great game. Curry & Harden going head to head. Bogut with the quote of the year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSXtewCGmto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txX4mpL3CF8

Houston should push the Dubs, but they've been behind on too many occasions to fill me with any great confidence. Hawks and Cavs should be interesting. From all accounts Irving could have come back in game 6, so the injury may not be that serious. If the Cavs can stay healthy then they are surely the favorites, but they're still a relatively inexperienced team. A lot rests on Lebron's shoulders, but that is nothing new. I must admit, I haven't followed the Hawks much this season. Who's likely to win it for them, or are they just a good all round team?

Great game by Matt Dellavedova. Stepped up when Irving went off with an injury. The Bulls wiki page has been updated accordingly. Clips would be cursing themselves, they got smashed in the last quarter.

It's hard to disagree with those predictions Macca. The Mavs look good on paper, but it just hasn't come together for them of late. Still should be an interesting series. The Raptors Wizards and Clips Spurs series should also be worth keeping an eye on.

The finals start tomorrow, a few good matchups for the first round will make things interesting. I guess the big question that everyone will be asking is how will Cleveland fair when 2 of their big 3 have no finals experience? EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards WESTERN CONFERENCE Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs Portland Trail Blazers vs. Memphis Grizzlies I think it only fitting that we begin the playoffs with a look at the MVP candidates for the year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-7DqhGrI_s

Beat me to it Macca. Great song and a great show. Here's a few from Zero 7, featuring Sia on Destiny

I caught this song on Rage last night whilst doing a bit of channel surfing.

A recent visit to see my niece and nephew exposed me to some music that I wouldn't necessarily hear. Their favourite line, which they repeated incessantly, was "You know what to do with that big fat butt". Not being familiar with with that particular lyric meant it required some youtube research. Turns out it's Jason Derulo - Wiggle, but I was lucky enough to come accross a cover version by Scott Bradlee & The Postmodern Jukebox. It's a serious improvement on the original in my opinion. And they have many other great covers.

Sad news for cycling fans. Andy Schleck retires. He's certainly seemed out of sorts in the last tour. A crowd favourite, will be missed.

Some jazz from a few animes i've been watching Cowboy Bebop Baccano

That Harts track is awesome. I've been watching some anime of late. Here's a track that caught my attention, opening theme from Berserk!

If you are to believe some of the reports, LBJ signing with Cleveland will bring hundreds of millions of dollars into the local/state economy. I, for one, don't believe the reports, but there must be some truth to it. And being a town that has been devoid of success for so long in all their major league teams, having soeone like Lebron back in town must have a huge effect on morale. A few noteworthy happenings in the NBA of late PG broke his leg, during Team USA practice. If you haven't seen the footage yet, don't, it can't been unseen. An incredibly unfortunate incident that now sees him out for a likely 12-18 month recovery. Cleveland looks like they've secured Kevin Love. They're reported to be trading No1 picks Bennet & Wiggins plus a protected future 1st round pick. Seems like a high price to pay, but Love is still pretty young and will further confirm the Cavs as a legit title contender. The trade can't be made until the 23rd (30 days' after Wggins signed). The joy of Aussie basketball doesn't stop with the drafting of Exum. Keep an eye out for Ben Simmons and Thon Maker (and possibly his brother too). Australia is the next basketball powerhouse

There's been a lot of rumours and specualtion of late, but there's finally big news in the NBA. Lebron's finally annouced his decision (2.0) and is heading back to the Cavs. I, for one, think it's great for the sport, and shows a lot of character on his behalf. Well done Lebron. I'm Coming Home One of the rumours was that Bosh was holding off for James' decision with the possibility of going to Houston if he left. But he's now signed a max deal to stay with Miami. Still no news on where Carmelo is going to sign. NY must be getting a little nervous. And a recap on the draft, well done Dante Exum and Cameron Bairstow. Another 2 Aussies into the NBA. Exum has been widely touted as a lottery pick and was chosen by the Jazz with the 5th pick in the draft. Cameron Bairstow picked up by the Bulls with pick 49. Jazz is probably a good place to start for Exum. But after losing DWill a few years back because they wouldn't add more talent around him, I wonder what the ceiling is for the Jazz team. In any case, it'll be exciting journey. Certainly the Jazz fans think so with close to 10000 people turning up for a practice match.