With the eleventh pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select...

SUCK.

That's what they select.

So today, after all the hustle and bustle of real life, I ended up going to Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis with my friends Chris and Kory, for an NBA Draft party. It sounded pretty cool, and we figured there was nothing really better to do between the hours of six and midnight, so that was our choice.

"With the eleventh pick in the two-thousand-and-eight NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select... Jerryd Bayless."

Crowd goes wild. Bayless was a projected fifth- or sixth-pick, and managed to drop as low as eleventh, and the Pacers caught him. The crowd at Conseco was ecstatic. We didn't really need a point guard, after the magnificent trade with Toronto to receive T.J. Ford. But now, we had a Monta Ellis-esque off-the-bench combo guard that could probably make me REALLY happy as a fan.

Here's an example as to why:


So what do I do? I leave my seat to plug in my laptop to announce the awesome news. I didn't have any battery power, and there was some good WiFi, so I thought I'd work on it. Well, I'm sitting down, and Chris comes stomping up to me and says the words...

"We traded Bayless."

I was hoping we traded up. Get rid of Bayless and Tinsley, and hell, maybe even Dunleavey, and get Eric Gordon, or something decent.

We traded him to the Portland Trailblazers for Brandon Rush, Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts. I'll repeat myself. We traded a guaranteed future superstar and a decent power forward [Ike Diogu] for players we don't need.

Thanks, Larry.



So there you go. We also managed to get [GASP] Roy freakin' Hibbert from Toronto's pick. I sigh at this. I can't believe we have such outstanding management, that not only have the continued to screw us, but they plan on doing so for a very long time. What did we do to Larry Bird to have him hate us so? Fans come to games. The team tries to win them.

This is pointless. I apologize to the non-basketball fans out there for this extremely biased blog entry. But if you can explain to me as to how we can get so screwed, then maybe I'll change my mind.


Oh, and by the way, I am pretty sure I have the greatest girlfriend, evah:

[bt]: We drafted an AWESOME PLAYER. And traded him away for [nothing].
Kaitlyn Kritzer: who would that be?
Kaitlyn Kritzer: is that jarryd?
[bt]: Jerryd Bayless. He was projected at, like, 6, and we got him at 11.
[bt]: YEH.
[bt]: And we traded him for [worthlessness].
Kaitlyn Kritzer: but arent you excited to see the Rush brothers play together?
[bt]: Hahaha. Sure, I guess. If we keep Kareem.
[bt]: I didn't know you were that... interested.
Kaitlyn Kritzer: ahaha...

AHHHHH! That's amazing. I'd have video up from the party, but I'm sure it's copyright infringement, and I don't want that right now.

AGH. I'm moving to the Congo, so I can watch Serge Ibaka play. Or to Portland, who has an incredible team now. Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge in the post, Brandon Roy at shooting guard, Jerryd Bayless starting at the point, and the only not-completely-awesome player is Travis Outlaw playing small forward, and even he's really good.

They are definitely a dynasty in the making. Or rather, in the made. I don't know how it could get more perfect for them. Unless the Pacers decide to trade the rest of their depth to them.

This can't get more ridiculous. I'm going to go ahead to sleep. I'll probably post about my band's practice session tomorrow. I'm too sick and tired and worn out to go any further.

Night, kids. Hope your teams did well in the draft.


[/btyler]

Finally got my new camera...

So today, I got my new Flip Video Ultra Series camera in the mail. It's kind of teh awesome. The only disappointment I've noticed is that I expected the tripod to be bigger than... say, a Sharpie. But lo and behold! it's actually decently small. Probably four to five inches, at the most [which is what she said].

I'm really impressed with it though. The direct upload to YouTube downgrades the video quality, which just means I won't be doing that unless I can figure out how to get it to upload at maximum. Oh well, it still works just like I need it to, if not better.

Here's the first video I made with it today. I've already shot plenty of footage, just messing around, and my gay friend, David, after seeing this, has decided that he wants me to hook him up with a YouTube show. So I'll probably set everything up for him, and be his director, producer, and everything but the star. I'll cut the footage, edit it, and upload it, whatever. He's pretty psyched, and I'm happy to be helping someone out.

It'll be like "Fueled By Ramen", except YouTube stars! WOO!

Anyway, here's a video from today. No intro, no outro, but decently fun.

Enjoy!



[/btyler]

P-P-Panda, ftw.

My ZOMGWTFBFF Panda posted a video today that made me happy. It's the absolute amazing.

Song: "Grace Kelly" by Mika
www.youtube.com/littlepandaexpress
www.littlepandaexpress.com



Yarhar! I <3 Panda!

[/btyler]

George Carlin is Dead.

SOURCE: From the Los Angeles Times:

LOS ANGELES - George Carlin, the acerbic, Grammy-winning comedian whose career spanned more than 50 years, died of heart failure Sunday after being admitted to the hospital complaining of chest pains, a hospital spokesman said. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart problems, died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica shortly before 6 p.m., said his publicist Jeff Abraham.

The comedian, who toured college campuses for years and made a name for himself using dirty language and delivering biting social commentaries, had released 22 solo albums and three bestselling books.

He finished a show at The Orleans in Las Vegas last week and was planning to take the month off to relax and work on a new book of essays and musings, Abraham said.

Carlin normally took summers off and was scheduled to begin touring again beginning with a July 20 performance at Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay in San Diego. He had dates lined up through December, Abraham said.

"He was looking forward to it," Abraham said.

Carlin went to the hospital Sunday afternoon because "his heart just didn't feel right," the publicist said.

Carlin starred in a variety of TV and movie roles and gained fame for a routine about the seven dirty words that could not be uttered on television.

"There are three ingredients in my comedy," he said in a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "Those three things which wax and wane in importance are English language and wordplay; secondly, mundane, everyday observational comedy -- dogs, cats and all that stuff; and thirdly, sociopolitical attitude comedy."

He earned several gold comedy albums and five Emmy nominations.

Carlin was arrested in 1972 in Milwaukee for using indecent language. In a separate case in 1973, a radio listener complained after a station played part of his album. That case went the Supreme Court, which in 1978 ruled in favor of the Federal Communications Commission, saying the radio station could not broadcast those words at times when children could be listening.

Last year, he said a highlight of his career was a 1992 HBO special titled "Jamming in New York."

"That was the point where I probably became more of a writer who performed his own material.

"The material became more like essays, they became more socially conscious, and it was just a major jump from being what I think of as only an entertainer to being an artist-entertainer," he said in a 2007 Times interview.

Last year, Carlin released "George Carlin: All My Stuff," a 14-DVD collection of his HBO specials from 1977 to 2005. He had shown no signs of slowing down.

Just last week, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Carlin would be awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

The center is scheduled to honor Carlin at a tribute performance by former colleagues on Nov. 10, which will be broadcast later on PBS. Actor and comedian Billy Crystal won last year's Mark Twain prize.

Carlin was born May 12, 1937, in the Bronx and grew up in New York.

He is survived by wife Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law Bob McCall; older brother Patrick Carlin; sister-in-law Marlene Carlin and longtime manager, business partner and best friend Jerold Hamza. Carlin's first wife, Brenda, died in 1997.

I know it's extremely profane, but that's the point. If you'd like to watch probably his biggest and most-remembered bit, here is "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television". Need I warn you? There are enough curse words here to "curve your spine, grow hair on your hands". So watch yourself, I'm not joking. But he is.




I personally wasn't a huge fan of Carlin. I enjoyed and respected his work, but my friend Starkey was one of those people who didn't ever have an original material for comedic work, so he used other people's. Then at the same time, he was one of those people who only watched one comic, so he basically repeated the same bits all the time. This is a recipe for disaster.

So needless to say, I've heard enough Starkey-read Carlin to last me a lifetime. But I still respect the man. As I heard someone say, he would hate me for saying "rest in peace", so rest in restlessness.

[/btyler]

A video to make you think...

A recently-featured video on YouTube, this got me thinking a lot. I mean, am I the favorite person of someone? Who is/are my favorite person/people? It gets kind of sad, but it's definitely worth watching if you haven't already. I might do a video response soon, after I get this helluvalotta videos out.



Enjoy!

[/btyler]

Quoting the Greats...

This quote comes from the late, great Hunter S. Thompson. Anytime I hear someone mention a wave, or a wave crashing, or something, this is the first thing that comes to mind. Hunter S. Thompson has had his own individual influence on my short life. I think that there's a little HST in all of us. Every little weird, strange, or eccentric moment we have in life his just him going, "Gahh! Stop being a tool!"

HST said that the "wave speech" from his book and the movie, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," was "probably the best thing I've ever written." Every once in a while, it kind of hits me, and I think about it. It can certainly be related to our own timeframe, rather than that of his hippie era.

"Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Five years later? Six? It seems like a lifetime, or at least a Main Era—the kind of peak that never comes again. San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. . . .

History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of “history” it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody really understands at the time—and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened.

My central memory of that time seems to hang on one or five or maybe forty nights—or very early mornings—when I left the Fillmore half-crazy and, instead of going home, aimed the big 650 Lightning across the Bay Bridge at a hundred miles an hour wearing L. L. Bean shorts and a Butte sheepherder's jacket . . . booming through the Treasure Island tunnel at the lights of Oakland and Berkeley and Richmond, not quite sure which turn-off to take when I got to the other end (always stalling at the toll-gate, too twisted to find neutral while I fumbled for change) . . . but being absolutely certain that no matter which way I went I would come to a place where people were just as high and wild as I was: No doubt at all about that. . . .

There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . .

And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting—on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. . . .

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark – that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."

You have to have seen the movie or read the book or at least known HST's work, somehow, in order to understand this, really. But nonetheless, it's an amazing quote. One of the greatest I've heard.

That's all for tonight, kids. I have to go to church in the morning. Unless I can manage to get myself out of it. I'm not really necessary; merely a redundant reminder of the youth of the church, and yet, an adult leader in the making...

Man, responsible adultship sucks.
G'night, my sugarplum fairies.

[/btyler]

Plans.

Here are some plans that I have for the next several videos:

• Last Day of School: Got some footage. Lots of hugs and such. Many cameos.
  


• Graduation: Basically lots of love and friends and last-times, including footage of me walking.


• Haircut: Long-due footage of my entire haircut that I got recently. When I got rid of all my long hair, for this shortness.


• McRants: A new series where I talk about things that bother me whilst working at McDonald's.

Among other things, I'm going to try doing more frequent BlogTV shows. Let me know how you feel about them, what's up, etc.

Hope you guys are enjoying your summers. Be good, have fun, stay safe.

[/btyler]

Attention: Alaska has been found.

So I just thought I'd inform you kids that I just finished John Green's "Looking for Alaska", after owning it for no more than 36 hours. It was very possibly one of the greatest books I'd ever written, and I strongly suggest reading it if you have a soul.

John Green is one-half of the Vlogbrothers project:
www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers
His website can be found at:
www.sparksflyup.com

Anyway, that's it. Time to sleep soon.

[/btyler]

The B.eaT.; Brown County under state of emergency

YouTube Description

The B.eaT. with btyler

Filmed on Saturday, June 7, 2008.

After storming like hell on Friday night, Brown County, as well as many other counties in the southern part of Indiana, were placed under a state of emergency due to immense flooding. A few dams broke, and the entire city of Columbus [large compared to Nashville] is still locked down.

I managed to get out of my grandmother's house and get to McDonald's, thanks to a helpful and friendly manager. She picked me up and took me to work, so I could chill out and finally have WiFi.

At about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, the flooding at my grandmother's had receded, and my parents were able to leave. After taking a completely inconceivable route to get back home, we managed to do so, and our power was back on. The flooding that kept us from getting home via the two regular routes we'd previously taken had also gone down on Sunday morning.

Backstory:
Our power went out at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, due to the storms, and I was awakened at 10 a.m. that morning, and we went to my Nana's to have air conditioning and food.

While bored to tears, I started capping some basketball footage, when I nodded off for about an hour. When I woke up, I saw how high the creek had risen outside, grabbed my camera, and started filming.

That explains the yawning and drowsiness at the beginning of the video.

Keep praying for those whose houses were swept away by the flooding. They need it right now.


-btyler

[/btyler]

The B.eaT.; Honda Civic Tour - Part Two: Finding Murat

YouTube Description:

The B.eaT.

Filmed on Sunday, May 18, 2008.

After much waiting, here is the second part of my trip to Indianapolis to see Panic at the Disco, The Hush Sound, Motion City Soundtrack, and Phantom Planet at the Honda Civic Tour.

After getting crazy-lost and almost completely giving up, I managed to call my father, regather myself, and find the Murat Center. I located an ATM, a ticket [for $45 rather than my expected $85], and a parking spot directly across the street from the Murat.

The songs shown in this video are both by Panic at the Disco. The first is the beginning of "We're So Starving" and the second is the end of "Behind the Sea".

Videos of other recorded songs can be found at:
Bay Thirteen Productions
www.youtube.com/btmusicvideos

I made a few new friends, including Stickam entertainer dustin111 and Keith of Bay Thirteen Productions.

I spoke with Keith about YouTube and his plan was to host music videos and lip-syncing videos for those who couldn't or didn't want to make an account. I don't really get the point, myself, but he has videos that will soon be uploaded.

The starstruck kind of hit me right before Panic walked onto the stage, and I realized that I was breathing the same air as one of my favorite bands. I was literally twenty feet from the stage, at most.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. I'm glad I didn't give up when I thought I was going to, because I wouldn't have been able to see one of the most amazing shows I've ever been to.

Please rate, comment, subscribe, and favorite! And be sure to visit:
www.btylermargison.com

-btyler

[/btyler]

The B.eaT.; Re: Meh, Goodbye

The B.eaT.

We say goodbye to a legend.

Good luck, Phil. We'll miss you.

-btyler

Sad times.

[/btyler]

Sad news in the world of YouTube...

Philip DeFranco is leaving YouTube.
Forever.


[/btyler]

The B.eaT.; Honda Civic Tour - Part One: Getting Lost

The B.eaT.

Filmed on Sunday, May 18, 2008.

After much waiting, here is the first part of my trip to Indianapolis to see Panic at the Disco, The Hush Sound, Motion City Soundtrack, and Phantom Planet at the Honda Civic Tour.

I had no money upon leaving for Indy, and managed to get VERY lost. Here are some highlights from this part.

Part two will cover me regathering myself and finding the Murat Center.

Part three will [with hopeful non-copyright-infringing footage] show some video from the events... even though I wasn't supposed to have a video camera there.

Home of The B.eaT.
www.btylermargison.com

-btyler

[/btyler]

The B.eaT.; Discussing "Never Enough Time" with a teacher

The B.eaT.

Filmed Friday, May 30, 2008.

On the last day of school, I went there to say my goodbyes, and whatever else. I set up a table that had my laptop, laptop accessories, a 40-ounce fountain drink, and a box full of copies of my CD, "Never Enough Time", so I could attempt to sell a few. One teacher approached and asked questions.

I ended up selling five CD's that day. One shortly before filming began, one during this video, one to a friend at McDonald's, one in the high school parking lot, and the last to a manager at McDonald's. Now my account has money in it! Woohoo!

If you would like to purchase a CD, they're $10, plus $5 shipping. For more information, and to set up a sale, visit my music MySpace at:
www.myspace.com/btymusic


I've been spending a lot of time working and such lately, but I've got a few videos planned soon:
-- My trip [and maybe footage of] the Honda Civic Tour in Indianapolis.
-- More footage from the last day of school.
-- Graduation! Ack!
-- A series of rants about working at McDonald's, and some of the events that occur there.

Hopefully I can pump those out at full speed and have them out within the next week, as well as any other random videos and video responses that may come to mind between now and then.


Be sure to visit the website where The B.eaT. lives all the time:
www.btylermargison.com


NOTE: Oh, how I hate YouTube. This will be the fourth time I've attempted to upload this video. URGH.

NOTE #2: Oh my GOD, the center shot is ridiculous!

[/btyler]