You never believe the hype. You stop to take in the little details around you that make you more human then most and more grounded/humble then the rest. You feel strongly that Silverlake is where artists live and that Hollywood is filled with service industry get rich quick without the culture kinda of so-called artists types that you avoid over long looks down at a well worn bar top. You don’t drink anything in a can and you smoke out back near the alley cause it makes for a dangerous Polaroid picture. You can smell the street cause you’re still connected and the loft you sublease is considered chic and romantic. You love girls with trendy but sloppy haircuts and guys with better outfits. Los Angeles is the mouth to mouth you’ve always needed. Stardum digs your DIY ethic and your homemade outfits we just don’t want to wear them on our sleeves or even make them our sleeves. Stardum brings people in through common qualities recognized and shared by admitting the commonality of all of us. Stardum ushers forth the appeal of a business being built bu people who enjoy building. We create a community created by the creative for the purpose of creating work that can be enjoyed and perpetuated by those who love to create. Stardum is an island, a brand, an awareness of the gang needed to push the product. And we love what we do. We skate, we surf, we fight, we connect and we create with a simple brand and a simple band of people making music and enticing us with humorous dialogue. This is us making you laugh and saying, “Ya, you can help. Do some work. We’ll let you in. Look for Stardum to be reviewing author and personal Hero, Tommy Chong’s new book as well as being featured at tonights Premier for “Hancock”, and also to be working in the future with FiveFour Clothing and Tommy Rockers Clubs. We thank all our fans and all our new fans and all our mortal enemies.
This Equals That= You having a great day in the sun. Don’t let the traffic get you down.

As the pre-programmed UFC fight game continues we will be treated to an excellent bout this Saturday evening courtesy of a very talented and jovial Forrest Griffin versus a very ready to break into prime time Quinton Jackson. Both fighters are deserving of this nationwide fight. Rampage has been due to break into American hearts and homes since his storied career began. With his coffers filled with highlight reels of him slamming opponents and knocking fans senseless with strikes it seems like Rampage has been on the very cusp for much too long here. Rampage continues to defend his title with much aggression and that in itself is worth every penny on pay-per-view. Forrest, a household name, is no slouch. He has manged to notch big wins when they matter most. He also loses with ferocity and grace. When two fighters enter it is almost inevitable that one will remain standing in the end while the other sucks air and struggles for footing. Forrest wins and struggles well. He looks good losing. This fight will test his ability to look good winning. Sherdog published an excellent article on the lack of enthusiasm surrounding an otherwise stellar match-up. The article brought up some good points about the lack of pre-fight Rampage homages and the UFC’s drought of ten months with both Forrest and Rampage. The idea that in ten months both Rampage and Forrest have cooled off considerably with casual fans and some hardcore fans is all too real. The perception is that this fight on July 5 was once a major grand slam and now maybe regulated to a solid triple in the 8th. We’re excited however the chips fall cause this is the meeting ground for the face change of the UFC. Will Rampage dominate the UFC Poster Boy? Or will Forrest Griffin slam another Pride Fighting Legend back into the “What Happened Zone?” Stardum will be featuring results and coverage throughout the week and weekend. Enjoy the fists and kicks of life.

That headline screams the point we’re trying to make to you; Anthony Johnson is fighting this July 19th! Aren’t you f-ing stoked! Seriously though, mma fans should take note, Johnson is no joke and a formidable opponent for any fighter. Fans of UFC Fight Night should remember Johnson’s stunning knockout of Tommy Speer as well as his other great knockout win over Chad Reiner. Johnson is doing well in the UFC with three fights equaling two Knockout wins and one loss which was to Rich Clementi. Anthony Johnson has lots of explosive striking ability, using his reach and strong upper-cuts paired with advanced combos has allowed him to dominate the majority of his mma bouts. When the UFC decided to go head to head with Affliction they came prepared to stack a phatazz card against their rival. The new addition of Anthony Johnson along with Brandon Vera(article to come) is a sure sign that the UFC is ready to throw heavy hands at all their competition inside and outside the ring.

Monday and madness are as common as peanut butter and jelly, lube and less pain, stinky sheets and poor wiping but all that doesn’t mean that all of us can’t get together to dance and groove and enjoy the newest installment in the archives that are Will Smith. The man is a modern machine, churning out painfully well-done pieces of cinema that gain success in all faucets of entertainment. People love him, animals fear him in a respectful manner, child emulate him on playgrounds across the globe and somewhere confused computer literate people are struggling to figure out what “emulate” means and through it all Will Smith stands gracefully poised to become the biggest, strongest, fastest Movie Super-Star ever. He is on the cusp. Tom Cruise is extending his hands towards him. Money, Power, Fame, Scientology and the desire to private school one’s children are all making this possible. We enjoy us a good Will Smith flick. The man has made a few good films hasn’t he? Tomorrow Hancock premiers in Hollywood, California. The stars will be there and where there’s stars there’s Stardum. We will be live from the Red Carpet which means alive and under-dressed with no connections and slightly drunkin’. Sorry mom, it’s L.A. they make you drink the punch before you review the film. Zombie dreamers unite! See you on Hollywood Blvd. Monday Night for the Premier of Hancock!
Hancock= We’re saving all the lowbrow jokes for the party.
Hancock and Will Smith= The Fresh Prince of Chatsworth?
Will Smith an Tom Cat= Wow. Who says Tom Cat these days?
Stardum and it’s love affair with all things slacker action= A strong desire for adventure.

Andy Dufresne and the Disconnection Redemption:
It took Andy Dufresne just shy of 20 years to chip away a hole though his prison wall. After climbing to the sewer systems of Shawshank Prison; he then crawled his way through a pipeline of sh*t five football fields long.
After the fecal crawl he was greeted by the rains and reached his hands up to the heavens in complete joy…he escaped ‘The Machine’. His final goal was disconnecting from the world in the town of Zihuatanejo, Mexico where
he would spend the rest of his days chartering a fishing boat. 20 years, chipping away at the stone and crawling through hundreds of yards of sh*t just to disconnect from the world. Luckily for us it only took a few clicks on Orbitz.com and a four hour plane ride to reach the beaches of Mexico. We were seeking one thing (well two if you want to count consuming plenty of liquor) to mock Andy D. and
simply disconnect from the hectic-day to day grind we call life. Flying out of Englewood gives you an amazing opportunity to see how far we’ve really come in life. Staring out of that airplane window the lights of Los Angles resembled a blanket of diamonds reflecting the moonlight.
You suddenly realize what a massive Fu**er LA really is. It’s hard to
believe that not even 150 years ago this town was pretty much a barren
desert. Back then California was a whole other world for the settlers back
East. But through the wonders of evolution and modern technology, we keep
connecting. As LA dissolves the desert begins. From 20,000 feet in the sky
I keep noticing splashes of life below. The lights from a desert-town
resembles lava pouring out of a volcano. They’re in the middle of
nowhere…yet they’re connected.
There’s not doubt all this connection and technology is an amazing thing.
We can talk to love ones by saying their names into our phones. We can
send a love letter instantly by the click of a mouse. We can visit family
and friends across the country in just a few short hours. Yet I can’t help
but to wonder… If connection is such a great thing…Why are we always
trying to escape it? Is it possible that we’re just too connected?
Reaching the sands of Mexico we soon found out that we had no cell service
and no wireless internet…which should be considered perfect. But for the
first few days, it’s strange. Its like losing your fix. And there’s no
weening process, no, no, no… we’re talking straight cold turkey.
It was actually an upsetting moment for me; coming to realize how addicted
I am to a stupid phone and computer. This connection-obsession came to
light a few weeks back when I was working my night-gig at a music club on
the Strip. A disgustingly popular boy band from the 90’s (who in my book,
never did and still don’t have the right stuff) where performing a private
show for their fan club. There were strict orders from the band to have
all cell phones collected at coat-check before the guests entered the
venue. You would have thought we asked the Please Don’t Go Girls to check
in their left knee cap. Just as the whining from the
40-something-has-been-fans was becoming unbearable, a woman tapped me on
the shoulder and said “I have a question for you. What happens if someone
needs to get a hold of me for an emergency?!” As professional as possible
I told her that I guess she’d have to find out after the show(which by the
way was only a 25 minute performance). I tried to lighten up the mood
(because she was obviously furious)by telling her “Hey, think about 9, 10
years ago. We didn’t carry cell phones, but life went on right?” She then
said the greatest line that any human on the face of not just LA, not just
Philly, THE EARTH, has ever said to me. “Yeah well that’s great, but
that’s not the way it is anymore and I have a 7 year-old home by himself.
If something happens, he won’t be able to reach me!?”
Needless to say it took everything in my god given soul to not lay into
this broad. The way I see it, if you have a 7 year-old and you can’t get a
baby-sitter….maybe you should just skip reliving senior year, put away
your poster-board sign with “I Love U Joey” written in glitter on it and
go home to your child!?! But that’s just it…in her mind she did have a
Baby-Sitter…the f**king cell phone. I guess soon enough we’ll be
expecting the iPhone to change diapers and take the kids to the pool to
give mommy some alone time with Donnie Wahlberg.
We’ve become totally reliant on electronic devices. It’s making us all,
well, kind of cyborgish. Cause here I am, just a few hours North of
Zihuatanejo staring out at the Pacific…still checking my cell phone to
see if I have service!?! I just couldn’t find that peace. That freedom
that Andy feels when he emerges from the sewer waters completely clean.
Baptized by the rains of freedom.
Escape. It can be a beautiful thing if you submit to letting go. And what
better place to escape then Mexico…hell George Straight and James Taylor
sang about coming here to regroup…but those were different times. Jobs
didn’t require you to carry a phone at all times so good ol’ Boss can
track your each and every move. Friends didn’t get mad at you if you
didn’t return an email within a few hours. Families didn’t go into a panic
if you didn’t answer your cell by their second call. People who were meant
to be a part of your past and your past only, couldn’t seek you out on
MySpace. And when you left work…you left work…as in done working for
the day, week, whatever. We are now in each others business and private
affairs more then ever. Cell phones, email and text messaging could
possibly be f**cking with fate. They make it easier for cheatin’ folks to
cheat….They make it easier for the MAN to monitor Every Breath We
Take…They’re making us lazy, crazy and reliant. Its like what Brooks
wrote to Andy “The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry.”
I want to slow down. I want to leave the house without my cell and not go
into a panic. I want to reverse my need to be connected every waking
second and enjoy the beauty that is freedom…the beauty that is life…
4 mojitos, a shot of tequila and 3 Dos Equis later the disconnection
begins. I feel the wires in my brain unplug. My eyes soak in the sun. My
skin feels the ocean breeze. The Baby-Sitter is gone! I’ve escaped
Shawshank! I begin to feel a sense of overwhelming joy knowing that I
don’t have to check email…that no calls are coming in and no calls will
be going out! I dive into the waters to short circuit the machine. I
emerge with my hands raised to the sky, laughing in complete joy. I hear
the words of a folk singer singing “This is freedom, this is freedom. Do
you want some more?” I do want more. That is the challenge. Because in a
few days I’ll board that plane back to Angelville. How do I keep this
freedom? How do I stay detached from the great and powerful cell? How can
I make this technology driven life slow down?
So many questions. Sittin’ here with the sand between my toes I can only
think of one thing; Get busy living, or get busy dying. Living; that is
what life is for. So I sip my beer and watch the Pacific glisten as blue
as it was in my dreams; beautifully disconnected from the world on the
shores of old Mexico.

FOOTNOTE:
Ah yes, the wonders of technology are turning us into giant machines and I
guess we have to roll with it. All I’m saying is get out and get away from
it…you don’t have to go to Mexico, but just try to do one day a week, or
even two days where you go out without the cell, you don’t check email and
you don’t text…We know how to live with them, all I’m saying is that we
should remember how to live without them again as well…It is possible
for the cell towers to crash one day and then what? You deserve some
peace! Give yourself that one day of disconnection and feel the freedom!
You never know; that disconnection-day may be the day you come up with an
idea that may change your life. -PBILA
Don’t forget to checkout STARDUM’S Complete Steve C. Archives.
Make sure to link to his numerous creative endeavors, links are at end of most articles.

The Sunset Grill wasn’t a far walk from the computer with which this writer poured cheap thoughts into and it offered many a respite from the stench of Sunset Blvd. There’d be music tonight. There’d be college kids, street kids, homeless men and scantily clad women all posturing and posing as if the very eyes of Jehovah were upon them. The food went well with a busy schedule and heaping spoonfuls of creative regret topped off with sour living and rotten morals. We all ate well bitchin about Al Pacino this and Eva Mendes that. “This street is no rock spot!” someone yelled from a balcony above our heads at a few Swedish looking kids sporting mohawks and bad tight pants. Everybody laughed expect for one kid named Phil who spends his time fighting the world. The point is that no matter how much it kills you to watch somebody else pump gas into Eva Mendes car as she languishes, looking relaxed and fit, you still can’t let yourself lose it all crazy Al Pacino like. Let it just flow through you. Let the struggle to get at least 18 bucks into your tank be a meditation in patience and poise. Stay calm, breath. Think of Buddah. Would Buddah want an autograph?
Jesus vs. Buddah= One tough grudge match rife with submission locks and head kicks.
Al Pacino vs. Eva Mendes= Well, there’s one we’d rather see win.
Al Pacino and movie premiers= Bad seats for me. No autographs and no songs.
Training Day needs a Silver Box Set Edition just for collectors.

Like this is smart: The disgruntled Matt Hughes may possibly not have the soo needed surgery to repair his torn knee. News surfaced this morning after Hughes posted an update on his blog about what condition his knee is in, and the possibility of not having surgery.

“I found out my results, I’ve got a totally torn MCL that is still attached to my femur. I’ve got a partially torn PCL. They really think that the PCL will repair itself and that MCL has a chance of repairing itself. So we’re going to hold off on surgery right now. I am going to get a second opinion this week, so that might change; but for now we’re going to hold off on surgery.”

Get that second opinion. There is a possibility Matt, but a marginal possibility if any. The surgery would be the smartest choice to make. But hell, it’s Matt Hughes. Why not just let the old-ass Matt Hughes do what he wants? So what if he gets destroyed yet again and again? He’ll learn.

The body of a pregnant soldier was found yesterday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, after authorities received a phone call about a strange odor coming from a motel room. The soldier, Spc. Megan Lynn Touma, 23, was a dental specialist from Cold Springs, Kentucky. She had recently been assigned to the 19th Replacement Company in Fort Bragg and arrived June 12. The body was sent to the state Medical Examiner’s office in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to determine the cause of death. This marks the second time in the past few months that the body of a pregnant soldier had been found in North Carolina. Which sparks the question: What the f*ck are soldiers thinking in North Carolina? Do they really believe that after their girl gets knocked up that the next step is to murder the burden? It just blows my mind. These are individuals who our government trained specifically to kill using our tax paying dollars, and look how they use the skills they have acquired! A deeper look at these individuals’ mentality in and out of the war is screaming from America’s throat. It always hits deeper when you can relate to the issue…Stardum will not rest until our friend in North Carolina returns home safe and un-pregnant.