So I'm at home for the holidays, and one of the rituals is going to Archie Moore's (the local neighborhood bar) with my sister and her husband for beers and dessert.
During the course of our round table, we found ourselves with a lot of conflicting views: who looks better (in US Weekly and onscreen), Aniston or Jolie?, is Beyonce going to have a baby in 2009 -- or is Lil Wayne going to fall off?, who rocks harder, U2 or Journey?, neighborhoods vs. subdivisions, Eliza Dushku vs. Elisha Cuthbert, Pittsburgh vs. Harrisburg (S T E E L C I T Y baby), and even blondes vs. brunettes (I think you all know where I stand).
Of course, I was drinking and my voice rings loud, so I dominated the discussion. But I'm never sure how my opinion sits with you readers. That said, I'd like conduct an informal poll regarding the most heated of our discussions:
U2 Vs. Journey
(when it comes to the ultimate test: karaoke, are you going to pick Don't Stop Believin' or Sunday Bloody Sunday?)
Leave a comment and tell us who you are rooting for.
Depending on your geography, jimmies is either old-hat or it makes no sense. As a young'n growing up on the (not so) mean streets of Pittsburgh, I was exposed to a lot of Pittsburgeese including slippy and redd up. For me, jimmies represents a way of life and for that matter ordering dessert. South of PA, my requests are met with jeers and guffaws, but I gets no static at ice cream parlors throughout the Northeast.
jim·my/ˈdʒɪmi/Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[jim-ee]noun, plural-mies -noun 1. The delicious little sprinkle things you get on ice cream, cupcakes, and donuts - usually rainbow or chocolate colored. Best enjoyed at Rita's or Dave and Andy's: Yo, make sure you put some rainbow jimmies on my wafflecone! I need my jimmies!
[Origin: Physically speaking the Netherlands if this Wikipedia article can be trusted]
Nathan is one of my favorite pieces of slang that I picked up while living in the FTC house junior year. My roommate was a complex character named J Feezy. A Pittsburgh native, Feezy was always hip to the next big vernacular craze. If anyone had lingo, it was him. I'm not sure, but Nathan may have been his magnum opus, a creation all his own. This is an advanced term, it invariably leads to raised eyebrows and convoluted explanations. Casual use with the uninitiated is not recommended.
na·than[ney-thuhn]-noun, Na·than Ri·ley[ney-thuhnrahy-lee] -noun 1. nothing, as in nothing important: Speaker 1: Hey holmes, what's crackin? Speaker 2: Nathan, just chillin at the crib.
2. vernacular alternate and personification of 'nothing really': Speaker 1: Are you doing anything tonight? Speaker 2: Nah, just hanging with Nathan Riley doing fuck-all.
[Origin: 2003, Pittsburgh, PA. Popularized by FTC housemate J Feezy]
Welcome to our new feature, Slang of the Week. Every week we'd like to share with you a phrase from our shared vocabulary. Some of these phrases and terms are available in the Urban Dictionary, some are not. This week's term is squirrel. Nick and I have had this one in heavy rotation for a couple years now. Don't be afraid to use it.
squir·rel/ˈskwɜrəl, ˈskwʌr- or, especially Brit., ˈskwɪrəl/Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[skwur-uhl, skwuhr-uhl, skwir-uhl]noun, plural-rels, (especially collectively)-rel, adjective, -rely.
-noun
1. an attractive female: Cindy Crawford is a total squirrel! -adjective
2. resembling or possessing the traits of an attractive female, mainly in appearance: The checkout girl at the record store is looking kind of squirrely today.
[Origin: 2004 Pittsburgh, PA. from an observation by Matt Johnson that attractive girls are like squirrels because 'they like nuts']
Okay, seriously, if these nine comedy movies were actually bad, I wouldn't like them. By "bad," I mean "in bad taste" or not received well by the movie going public.
What are some common themes here? Sex, for one. And big losers for another. In fact, every main character is a "loser" or "down on their luck" at the beginning of the film. Pittsburgh is also a reoccurring theme, acting as the setting for Houseguest, Screwed, and a good part of Kingpin.
Notable exceptions to this list are the Naked Gun and Night Shift, if only because they are generally well received and accepted as quality comedy films.
Next: The Top 9 Best Synthesizer Solos!
Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is a better number. 3 X 3 = Awesome. Now that's what I call math.
But not without something special by way of Neal, of course (last I checked, there should be an AIMcast coming your way in place of the podcast). I know all 10 to 20 (HA!) of our regular listeners will be devastated to know that the AudioShocker needs to take a week off.
But listen, this weekend I:
finished packing my entire apartment
moved from 9:30am to 3:30pm on Saturday
made it to the airport by 4:50pm for a 5:35pm flight that got pushed back three hours
made it to Philly and crashed
woke up on Sunday and moved an entertainment center
picked up a dog that is now officially a Pittsburgh resident in my apartment
made it back to the airport for another delayed flight
just now finished reviewing five new Marvel comic books coming out this Wednesday
With that said, you've got to pick up Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #3. It's nuts. Liquid tentacles, Iron Man armor with ponytails, and a wiseass Merlin wearing a traditional Bavarian getup. We're talking mind@#$% Iron Man. It's awesome.
I was raised in Pittsburgh; specifically Squirrel Hill. My sister and I both attended Taylor Allderdice High School and did normal Pittsburgh things like eat at Primanti's and the 'O'. So, it was both surprising and exciting when Nick told me about Wiz Khalifa - a rapper from Pittsburgh. According to Wikipedia, Wiz (or Cameron Jibril Thomaz) went to Allderdice too. What a coincidence!
The first Wiz Khalifa track I ever heard was Pittsburgh Sound and I dug it. Youngin' on his Grind was kinda ehhh and I believe Nick did not feel it either. I don't think Wiz is as inspired as JayZ or anything - but I like that he reps the 412, how he refers to PA as Pistolvania, and that he produces his videos locally on a small budget (or so it seems).
Now then, I currently live in PEORIA, ILLINOIS - hardly a hothouse of hiphop talent and certainly not a trendsetting market for music. Last week, I heard a new track that sampled that ridiculous Alice Deejay techno-pop song Better Off Alone. Imagine my surprise when the DJ came on and said "Hope you liked that new joint by Wiz Haleefa." I nearly crashed my car!
I raced home, flipped up YouTube, and briefly mourned upon discovering that DJ was in fact telling the truth. So, try to stay calm - I'll break it down for you with what I like to call: The AudioShocker Method
The Beat: I'm not sure what posessed Wiz to choose this beat - or why it is getting airplay. I know the economy is in the toilet - but listening to music from 1999 isn't going to reverse the recession. This track is not a viable economic stimulus package. In short: too much synth, too little knock. This is inline with last week's Usher video.
The Video: Like I said earlier, Wiz's videos always look really amateur. Whether that is a label issue or a personal preference is unclear - but I don't mind. I have a strong feeling this was taped in Pittsburgh. The tip off? None of these girls are good dancers, so they couldn't be professional video hos.
The 'around the world' concept was good - even if it was entirely green screened. I really enjoyed the part with the British Guard getting down. It rips off that Fergie video, but I'll let it slide. Also, the astronaut doing the moonwalk - PRICELESS! That sealed it for me.
My only real gripe is that in a city FULL of Indian women, the casting director couldn't find 4 for the India segment? I swear I saw a white chick in there somewhere. Or maybe that was for the Middle Eastern portion. Either way, poor casting.
The Content:Another song about making it rain on girls in the strip club? I'm really getting tired of this. Where are these strip clubs that have good looking girls? I ask, because Pittsburgh is not one of them. The chorus is weak and the verse is devoid of new slang or funny references (both extremely important in my book). I feel like I have already heard every joke and punchline in this song before. You know, in every one of those other songs about strippers and the rain dance.
The Vocals: Wiz doesn't have much in the way of a unique style. He lacks a distinct sound that you would immediately recognize and associate with him. Maybe he just needs more time in the game.
The Bottom Line: Wiz regurgitates tired thematic content over an ill-chosen beat and presents it with a rough around the edges - but entertaining video.
Depending on your geography, jimmies is either old-hat or it makes no sense. As a young'n growing up on the (not so) mean streets of Pittsburgh, I was exposed to a lot of 
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