Here is basically the code I've been using:

PORT1 EQU P1

ORG 0H
MAIN:
CLR PORT1
END

now, i've tried a few different things, but I'm trying to clear the port because it seems that the LEDs are always on, slighty, but still on. It never works.

I've read Mihai's post and I'm goign to give some of that a try right now, but just wanted to mention that I'm using a quartz clock generator at 11.0592mhz. Its the square kind, that has 14 pins(actually, jsut the corner pins)this is how I have it hooked up: (btw, works fine while programming the MCU)

14 VCC 8 XTAL1 and XTAL2
| |
---------------
| 11.0592mhz |
---------------
| |
1 not used 7 GND

I'm not 100% sure this is the way to hook these up, have never previously used one of them, I usually, use the 2-pin types, but couldn't find one locally.

The way I hooked the LCD was exactly (copy/paste) how the tutorial on this site did, the only difference was that instead of using ports 1 and 3, I changed the code to use 0 and 2, because I use port 3 to connect to PC for uploading code.
I've verified the code many many times, and the most I can get out of it is some random stuff on the screen, but usually it just sits there with both lines with all pixels lit up.
Do I need to use any resistors in any of the LCD lines?

Thanks!
Phil