Lifestyle
Gary Anthony Williams and Jeannie Roshar Give Insight into L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival
On April 4th, the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival opens up to showcase and celebrate comedic short films. This festival now it its fifth year looks to have screenings, industry panels, red carpet events, and cash prizes awarded to directors of the winning comedic films. There is even the coveted “Commie Award” that is given out by the panel who they believe deserves recognition. Past winners of the “Commie Award” are Bobcat Goldthwait and Missi Pyle. This year, the award recipients will be Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele of Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele” show.
I was able to talk with Jeannie Roshar, who is the festival director, and actor Gary Anthony Williams, who is the artistic director. As soon as the conversation began I knew that these two were perfect to host and produce a festival that is centered on comedy. Williams and Roshar have a great chemistry and I would love to see them acting together in a comedic film.
They started this festival to bring all lovers of comedy to one spot and look out for the next artist or actor who should get a chance to be discovered. Winners of certain categories will be able to meet up with some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as managers and studio executives. With prizes like these I asked them about the number of entries they received for this year’s fest. Gary said that there were a lot of funny short films. For those who might not know to be called a film short the length of the movie cannot exceed 30 minutes.
Some of the aspiring directors or actors might not have the high price camera equipment to shoot a great looking short film. When I asked Jeannie if they cared about the footage she said, “We care if it is funny. We have had films play that may have been shot on an iPhone. We have had films play that had probably had $70,000 to $80,000 budget. We are looking for comedy voices. Certain things have to be in place. People can forgive a bad picture better than they can forgive bad sound.”
In regards to those aspiring actors and directors I asked Gary if he saw any one film or talent that stood out from the rest. Gary told me, “I can honestly say there are so many of them. Like we just watched the film where there is this little girl in it, who is as dynamite as anything you will ever see.”
Jeannie followed up Gary by telling me, “We see some great stuff too from groups. They put out a ton of great content.”
Talking with the two of them, it seems that not only will the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival be funny as ever, but there is some excellent talent out there for directors to discover. For more information on the festival you can go to their website. If you want get a small taste of what you will experience at the festival, make sure you click here to listen to my interview with Jeannie Roshar and Gary Anthony Williams.
Mar 19th
Introducing The Bolt from Star Motorcycles
This past week, Star Motorcycles, a subsidiary of Yamaha, announced the release of a new model, the Bolt. The Bolt comes in two specs, the standard spec, starting at $7,990 and the R-Spec at $8,290. The Bolt is a “bobber” style cruiser with classic looks and modern performance at an affordable price.
Gone are the days of outrageous custom choppers with flamboyant styling. With the Bolt and Bolt R-Spec, Star Motorcycles is going back to the basics, focusing on performance and value with a no-nonsense approach to the design of this bike. The Bolt offers style, comfort and performance while providing lightweight and unmatched maneuverability.
Mar 14th
Raising the Bar: Teams Go Head to Head to Create the Ultimate Bar from Scratch
On March 4th Hulu started airing the “Raising the Bar” series which took place during last year’s American Royal World Series of BBQ. There was a contest that had six teams that had to construct a bar within an eight hour time limit. Each bar was judged on its uniqueness and ability to pour George Dickel Tennessee Whisky. The producers of shows like the “Deadliest Catch” and “Storage Wars” were the ones that created this series.
The first episode followed three guys who are metal workers that dubbed themselves “Team Big Steel”. They used over 4000 washers that were welded onto metal slabs to construct their bar. Their design also called for a steam powered arm that would actual pour the whisky. They had eight hours to build the bar and make sure it was in working order. I don’t want to tell you if they were able to complete the bar in time, but if you want to find out what happened click here for the video.
One of the reasons that this contest took place was to celebrate the fine art of American craftsmanship and ingenuity. George Dickel Whisky was looking to see which team would rise above the rest of the other challengers and create the perfect bar. 
One of the cool concepts coming from the “Raising the Bar” series is that viewers get to voice their ideas of what they would add to the bar to make it stand out even more. The series runs for five weeks and in each episode a new bar is created from a different team. Each idea that is sent in will be given to that specific team. For instance after watching the video of “Team Big Steel” and if you feel you can add something to make it better send in your ideas on Twitter using the hashtag “RaisingtheBar.”
If your idea is selected by the winning team and Master of Whisky Gerry Graham you have a shot of winning some cool things from that team that won the contest. Use your imagination, but the items that teams do not want is anything dealing with electronics or the latest tech gear. If you are a fan of good old fashioned hard work and independent thinking watch the “Raising the Bar” series each week and send in your ideas to make the designs of the bar you love even more impressive.
Mar 13th
Attention Dudes: AXE Cares About Your Face
AXE has been making dudes smell better for years now, but the Unilever brand is now branching out into other men’s care products that’ll help you fix your face, man. A few weeks back, AXE sent the MANjr team a huge bag of AXE Face Care goodies, and after testing the stuff out, we’re ready to report our findings.
I should start by saying that I’m a sensitive guy. I like heartwarming films, I have a soft spot for Enya and razor burn is a problem for me and my sweet manchild babyface. Okay, glad I got that out of the way.
So needless to say, I gravitated towards the sensitive skin line of the AXE Men Face Care products. And this stuff is awesome. The AXE Shield Shave Gel for sensitive, ultra-smooth skin is fantastic. It’s a gel, but it’s not some fluorescent neon color that comes out smelling like a tropical lady drink that you’d order in the Caribbean. It’s a gel that foams up like there’s no tomorrow and actually feels and smells like men’s shaving cream. What a novel idea!
AXE has partnered with Schick and Norelco for a co-branded line of razors and electric shavers. I’ve used both shaving tools before and I have no complaints there. I probably lean more toward the Schick Hydro, but that’s just me.
So after the Schick and sensitive shave gel routine, I moved on to the sensitive AXE Shield Face Hydrator & Post-Shave Lotion. Stuff worked like a dream. Seriously, I usually have some level of post-shave irritation on my baby-soft face skin. It either happens right away or shows up in the evening or the following morning. But not with this stuff. The lotion left me non-irritable and good-smelling. That’s what it’s supposed to do, right?
Before you can get your shave on though, you need to clean up that face of yours, dude. Being a sensitive fella, I’m not opposed to a little exfoliation every now and then. I usually reach for some St. Ives apricot scrub (or a generic equivalent), but I still like face wash that foams up and leaves your skin oil-free without being too dry and harsh. This is what AXE Controil Oily Skin Face Scrub can do for you. Foamy, a little bit of exfoliation action and a nice, smooth, non-dry skin finish. Go get some.
There’s a bunch of other AXE Face flavors available. Check out AXEFacescore.com to learn more about the product line and vote on user uploaded photos using Facescore.
Mar 12th
T-Shirts That Deserve a Double Take
As guys we tend to rock many different T-Shirts. There are the ones that support your favorite sports team, have a famous line from a film, or pays respect to iconic figure like Pac-Man. Then there are the shirts make people squint as they try to read or comprehend what your shirt means. For me I love these types of shirts. I have a stack of sweet T-Shirts that take a bit of thought to unscramble the message. Here is a list of shirts you can rock that will turn some heads.
One of these tees that I own gained popularity from the hit comedy show, “The Big Bang Theory.” It is the Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock shirt. Even though the show made the shirt famous the game was not invented by Sheldon Cooper and company, but two guys named Sam Kass with Karen Bryla. To me a shirt with only three hand signals is so 2000’s, but a shirt with five of them well now you are talking. Another good reason to own this shirt is that if you are bored well now you and a friend can play Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock and have the rules of the game guide on your shirt. It’s a win, win unless you lose to rock, or lizard, or…..
Going along with the geek theme is the Superhero Periodic Table T-Shirt. If you are into chemistry and comics well you might have to pick up this shirt at ThinkGeek.com. Just be prepared for people to have their eyes fixed at your chest trying to figure out if Batman is really the symbol for helium.
Another shirt you should have in your wardrobe is the Lannister/Lannister 2012 shirt. You can show your love for “Game of Thrones” by donning this political campaign style shirt. What is cool about this one is that people will wonder if the Lannisters were really on the 2102 ticket and if you are democrat, republican, or independent. I bet you the political junkies will check online to see who these political candidates are are affiliated with once they catch a glimpse of your shirt. 
Mar 10th
MANjr Crown Royal XR Happy Hour Recap
The MANjr team closed out the month of February in fine fashion with a little help from our friends at Crown Royal. During the holidays, we participated in a blogger gift exchange program called Pass the Crown. Having experienced the thrill of Pass the Crown the previous year, we knew what we were getting into, and we knew what we wanted to get out of it.
25 bloggers participated in Pass the Crown this time around and there were some pretty sweet gifts in the rotation. Everything from iPad Minis to cameras, guitars, Kindle Fires, watches, it was a pretty strong set of gifts this holiday season.
The first time we participated in Pass the Crown, we scored a Crown Royal Happy Hour and it was a really fun event. Good times with good booze and good people. So when it came time for us to open our purple bag this year (or choose to steal a previously opened gift), we knew what decision had to be made.
This was the purple gift bag that we had to ponder this time around:
We decided to pass. And instead, we targeted another Crown Royal Happy Hour as the gift that we want to steal. Having experienced a kick ass sponsored happy hour and having tried XR on multiple occasions, there was really one choice. So we liberated the Crown Royal XR Happy Hour from the poor fellas over at The Roosevelts (who ended up with two pairs of TOM sunglasses). We scored a bottle of XR for ourselves and one for you, our lucky readers.
The happy hour was a hit. With the Oscars on in the background, MANjr friends and colleagues enjoyed sips of the good stuff at Q’s on Wilshire. Not surprisingly, the XR went quick. That’s what happens when you invite too many Australians. If you haven’t tried this batch of Crown Royal XR yet, get on that. It’s really silky smooth stuff, not too spicy, not too stiff. Just full of subtle aromas and palate-pleasing sweetness.
Thanks again to Crown Royal for setting us up with such a great event. During the gift exchange, Crown sent out a purple gift bag of goodies to our troops for every tweet that included the hashtag #PassTheCrown. Over 1400 gift bags were sent out as part of the Crown Royal Heroes Project. So all good fun for a good cause. Can’t wait to swipe another happy hour next time around!
Mar 7th
Toyota’s i-Road Concept Car
At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show Toyota revealed the i-Road concept car. The three wheeled vehicle stands out on the look alone, but Toyota is looking make a car that is eco and urban friendly. The battery powered electric car runs on a lithium-ion battery. The battery powers up a pair of 2 kilowatt electric motors that drives the two front wheels.
The battery needs three hours to fully charge and you can use a regular power outlet. The i-Road has a feature called “Active Lean” which is a self leaning system intended to automatically balance the car when it turning or riding over some bumpy terrain.
According to Toyota’s website, “the system features a lean actuator motor and gearing mounted above the front suspension member, linked via a yoke to the right and left front wheels. An ECU calculates the required lean based on steering angle, gyro-sensor and vehicle speed information. And the system automatically moves the wheels up and down in opposite directions, applying lean angle to counteract the centrifugal force of cornering.”
The i-Road measures at 7.7 feet long, 4.7 high, 2.8 feet wide, and weighs a little over 660 pounds. This vehicle is looking to car that you can navigate through a busy city with ease. They also dubbed it as a Personal Mobility Vehicle (PMV) and it looks to provide a safe, intuitive and enjoyable, helmet-free driving experience for one or two people.
The Smart Car has bit of a following and if the concept car makes it out to the public you might see one driving near you. Some might think of it is an enclosed motorcycle while others see it as a way help the environment. With a top driving distance of 30 miles per charge you wonder how many of these cars will be sold.
Mar 4th
Know Your Beer – Blue Point Brewery
In this edition of Know Your Beer, we look at Blue Point Brewing Company. They are a microbrewery in Patchogue, New York. Founded in 1998 by Peter Cotter and Mark Burford, the two friends started out gathering brewing equipment and began to start crafting some fine beers. They built a brewery in a 1970s Penguin Ice Factory and never looked back. In 2011 Blue Point was ranked 34th in the Top 50 Craft Breweries in the Unites States. Their Toasted Lager won a World Beer Cup Gold medal in 2006.
Blue Point started their construction of beer in a traditional 25-Barrel Brew House. Scorching hot flames from a unique direct-fire brick Brew Kettle imparts a lightly toasted and complex flavor to their brews. Blue Point always uses natural fresh ingredients and is never pasteurized. They use quality hops from all over the world in places like Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, New Zealand and here in the United States.
If you are in the New York area you should make it a point to go out to Long Island in the town of Patchogue for a beer in their tasting room or for their annual Cask Ales Festival. I was there in 2010 and 2011 for the Cask Ales Fest and had a blast tasting the craft beers from over 20 breweries. Their tasting room is located at the brewery and you can sample 12 different types beer every Thursday and Friday from 3-7pm and Saturdays from noon to 7pm. Not only do you get taste some great beer, but the staff is well educated on pairing food and beer.
Blue Point staples are the Toasted Lager, Blueberry Ale and Hoptical Illusion and all three are available all year round. Some of their seasonal beers are Spring Fling Copper Ale, Summer Ale, Oktoberfest and Winter Ale that are sold in a variety 12-pack. Other notables are Old Howling Bastard, Double Blonde, Golden Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Sour Cherry Imperial Stout, 10th Anniversary IPA and No Apologies Imperial IPA. For more info on how you can find their beer in your area go to their website.
Feb 26th
The Art of Shaving VIP Oscar Event
This past Friday, The Art of Shaving threw an Oscars Weekend kickoff party at their flagship location in Beverly Hills, where Diana Schmidtke, personal groomer to Seth McFarlene along with Master Barber David, spoke about the rise of personal grooming in male facial hair.
Let’s face it, as guys, most of us were never formally trained in how to shave. We were thrown in the lion’s pit and found a way to fend for ourselves. Most of us eventually figured out a way to run a razor over our facial hair and achieve a successful shave. It seems simple enough, but sometimes, we run into classic problems like razor burn, skin irritation or ingrown hairs and we don’t really know what’s going on.
That’s where the master groomer comes in. They actually know what they’re doing.
One of the main points that they try to teach is that there is an art to shaving, hence the name of the store. The elements of the perfect shave are fourfold: prepare, lather, shave, moisturize. From here, we must discover which products are most effective and learn how to shave for the grain of our hair.
They were kind enough to prepare a perfect shave kit, complete with razor and badger brush. Additionally, one of the master barbers at the Art of Shaving named Alex demonstrated a Royal Shave on me and it was the closest shaves I have ever experienced. The process took quite a while between the shaving and the hot and cold towel treatments, but it was a soothing and relaxing experience.
I would assume it’s the guy’s equivalent to a spa day and now I can almost understand how women can spend so much time at the spa. Well, almost.
Feb 26th
Know Your Beer – Hangar 24
If you drive about an hour east of Los Angeles, you’ll find an up and coming craft brewery nestled in an old Norton Air Force Base building right across from the Redlands Municipal Airport. The Hangar 24 Brewery offers daily tastings from 11am to 10pm every day. Guided tours are available on Sunday from 11am to 6pm.
To understand Hangar 24, you need to know about the brew’s Founder and Master Brewer Ben Cook. A Biology major from Cal State San Bernardino, Cook took his love for beer to a whole new level and completed the Master Brewers Program at UC Davis. After finishing the program and putting in 6 years as a QA/QC guy at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Van Nuys, Cook searched for a place to launch his own brewery. The spot next to the Airport was where he landed, and that drove the name of the beer, Hangar 24.
The brewery has a solid selection of year-round craft beers, seasonal favorites and some other specialty releases. Orange Whet is the flagship brew. It’s an American Wheat Beer “brewed with whole, pureed, 100% locally grown oranges added throughout the process.” Think of it as a rich man’s Shock Top, with more of a full-bodied, silted/textured taste. They use the whole damn orange in there, man.
The other beers in the signature collection are they types of brews that you enjoy as standalone options. There are German classics like the light Helles Lager or the roasty Alt-Bier Ale. Hangar 24 brews a variety of Pale Ales like the Amarillo Pale Ale with a dry hoppy American touch, the unfiltered explosively hoppy Columbus IPA and the more citrusy-sweet Double IPA. A rich Chocolate Porter rounds out the year-round offerings.
The seasonal selections include Hullabaloo, a hoppy Scottish Winter Ale; Oktoberfest, malty-amber German lager; a tart Belgian Summer Ale and California Spring Beer, a warm weather wheat ale with a brisk hoppy finish.
So where can you get this stuff? If you don’t want to tour the Hangar 24 Brewery (which, you know, you probably should do), you can visit one of the 2,342 on and off-premise locations from San Diego to Sacramento that carry Hangar 24. You can also grab the stuff in bottles and cans. Hangar 24 is the first craft brewery in Southern California to provide quality craft beer in can form (I say start with the Helles Lager). Prost!
Feb 15th
