Before I get into the best of the past week, let me remind you to enter the Ice Road Trucker Giveaway where you can pick up the first two seasons on DVD and more. Click the banner to the left to see how to enter.
Quote of the Week: Save it for your inevitable reality show. If Mr. Stone does work for God I’m not going to chance damnation by disqualifying him. (Judge Marcia Phelps – Eli Stone)
Big News of the Week: Michael Jackson: After passing away late last week, Jackson dominated the news this week which I am sure Mark Sanford was happy to see happen. And that looks to continue with his public viewing next week and funeral. His death even highlighted how bad the record business is these days as four of his albums outsold the Top 200 number one album last week. And are there really that many people out there that didn’t already have a copy of Thriller or were those just people updating their cassettes, vinyl, or 8-track to CD or digital?
Kings: What I don’t understand is why didn’t the Queen have the chick that was blackmailing her killed? She’s the Queen. Certainly there is someone loyal enough to her that would do that and get her back all the incriminating evidence. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Kings on iTunes.
Eli Stone: So by sleeping with Eli, Maggie was able to over him? Huh? Doesn’t that women more clingy? If only that worked in the real world. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com. You can also download Eli Stone on iTunes.
Charm School with Ricki Lake: Well that was anticlimactic. Bay Bay Bay is given the chance to bring somebody back, which she never should have in the first place, just to agonize over it and in the end doesn’t do so. You can also download Charm School with Ricki Lake on iTunes.
Rescue Me: Hopefully just because Garrity is awake he will still be pumped up with enough drugs to give us a couple more musical numbers. Or maybe have Teddy try to suffocate him again. But what a disturbing ending with Tommy burning himself. Hopefully that doesn’t get revisited. You can stream current episodes over at Hulu.
The Philanthropist: Nice little history lesson with some entertainment. Surprising though, that after much discussion that Burma is the better name, Myanmar was the name of the episode. This episode was hurt a little by the recent news story about how some nut job was able to swim to the house and stayed the night. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download The Philanthropist on iTunes.
Free Download of the Week: Pilot - 10 Things I Hate About You (iTunes): ABC Family has always been good about free downloads and now you can get the premiere of their new show 10 Things I Hate About You for free before it even airs and in HD. Want more free stuff from the network? You can also download the first episode of their other new show, Make it or Break It for free and in HD.
Deal of the Week: TV Under $15 (Sledge Hammer!, The Lone Gunmen, King of the Hill)
Next Week Pick of the Week: Eli Stone, Saturday at 10:00 on ABC: Only two episodes left. And just when you thought being banished to Saturday wasn’t bad enough, having the second to last episode air on July Fourth is just mean. But I guess that is why God gave us a VCR (or Tivo’s for you pretentious types).And it will also will be available on the network’s website. Which gets me thinking, when exactly is ABC going to add their shows to Hulu?
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
Here is a song that I want to link more than I do. I absolutely despise auto-tune and having one of the most prevalent rappers of the decade in Jay-Z come out against it would vindicate my hatred. But like much of his post-retirement songs, it falls a little flat when you put it up against his classics.
Another reason why the Jay-Z doesn’t fully work is that he got beat to to ripping the Steam chorus by lightweight Kristinia DeBarge who pretty much killed any credibility the word swagger had left in this song. And to answer the question everyone is thinking, yes she is an offspring of a member of 80’s greats DeBarge (don’t tell me you don’t remember Rhythm of the Night or the theme to Short Circuit, Who’s Johnny. And don’t tell me you don’t remember Short Circuit).
About a week ago a buddy of mine told me to be on the lookout for a new Leighton Meesters to hit the web soon and, um, this is a bit disappointing if this is what he was talking about. Apparently no one involved in the song got Jay-Z’s memo. In the range of television personalities turned singers, Meetsters’ singing ability probably lands somewhere between Jennifer Love Hewitt and Paris Hilton. And the dude from Cobra Starship is now in the running for biggest douche of 2009.
There seems to be a lot of Teen Wolf in pop culture lately, the latest being the video by Jet, to the point I wonder how soon until we get a remake starring McLovin as The Wolf and Ellen Paige as Boof. Actually, I might watch that.
Twenty years ago this month saw the release of one of the truly classic movies in cinematic history. No I am not refereeing to Batman, Ghostbusters II, Lethal Weapon 2 or even Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, all of which landed in the top ten grossing movies of that year. I am talking about a movie that may not have even cracked the top one hundred that year, but still manages to be inducted into the Scooter Hall of Fame: UHF starting and written by “Weird Al” Yankovic.
For a decade, Al had been putting smiles on our faces with his witty parodies of songs, so UHF seemed like a natural progression for Al to lampoon movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark (The Last Crusade was the highest grossing film of 1989), television like The Beverly Hillbillies and even commercials like Spatula City. Sadly the film did so poorly; the movie remains the only one he has ever written.
UHF is also noteworthy as it featured a relatively unknown actor named Michael Richards who would later that year get cast as Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld. No word if Jerry saw UHF and decided to add the simple minded janitor turned children show host to his cast, but I will just go on living my life thinking so.
Naturally being a “Weird Al” vehicle, there was an accompanying album which featured the previously mentioned Beverly Hillbillies which was put to the tune of Money for Nothing by Dire Straits. Tone Loc got his own television twist with the Gilligan’s Island themed Isle Thing. There were even some of the ads from the movies that made it into the soundtrack like the trailer for the action flick Gandhi II. There was also the token food song with R.E.M.’s Stand being converted to Spam and the prerequisite polka set to Rolling Stone tunes.
(Scooter's Note: This contest has ended. Congratulations to Angie in Indiana for winning the DVD's. Check back later for more contests.)
As the mercury keeps on rising this summer, one way to cool down is to crank the air conditioner and tune into History on Sundays at 9:00 for literally the coolest show on television Ice Road Truckers. And if that is not enough for you, there is also an Ice Road Truckers app that you can download on iTunes for free (if you haven’t already as 35,000 people did in its first week). For those that want even more I am giving away an Ice Road Truckers prize pack that includes:
- American Originals (Which includes Season 1 of Ice Road Truckers and On and Off the Ice on DVD)
To enter the contest, send me an e-mail me, ScooterKSU(at)aol(dot)com (subject: Ice Road Trucker), and tell me what was the toughest job you ever had. Be creative and keep in mind it doesn’t have to be a paid profession. The contest ends Friday, July 10 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be picked at random from all eligible entries and will be contacted shortly after. Also this contest is only open to people with shipping addresses in the United States.
If you would like to double up your chances of winning, the good people over at TVScreener.com are also hosting a contest.
For more information on Ice Road Truckers, head over to History.com. You can also check there complete list of American Original DVD Sets. And you can also download season three episodes of Ice Road Truckers on iTunes after they are as well as season two and the most dangerous episodes for those that do not win the contest.
Samuel L. Jackson is back for his fourth ESPY hosting gig which remains one of the most entertaining award shows of the year. Two awards we already know that will be given out July 19 are The Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be given to Nelson Mandela while Don Meyer will pick up the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Usually an award voted on by fans, Dana Torres has already been announced as the Best Comeback. For those that are still being voted on by the general public, head over to ESPN.com. For my thoughts on the major categories, check out below:
Best Male Athlete Kobe Bryant, NBA LeBron James, NBA Jimmie Johnson, Auto Racing Michael Phelps, Swimming
Who I Voted For: Michael Phelps Who Will Win: Michael Phelps
Odd no football players made it this year. When I first saw this list I thought that Michael Phelps should win but may not because of his scandal. But then I realized he just got caught with a bong, not to sound like Manny Ramirez, but it’s not like he raped anyone.
Who I Voted For: Natalie Coughlin Who Will Win: Nastia Liukin
In Olympic years we judge our athletes by gold and Coughlin has gotten her fair share of them in her lifetime even if they have much more chances to grab them in any other sports. Had their not been a Michael Phelps she would have been the dominate story in the first week.
Best Championship Performance Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, Olympic Beach Volleyball
Who I Voted For: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Who Will Win: Kobe Bryant
Didn’t Kobe Bryant lose a game all by himself during the finals? Many they thought he made up for that by not getting called for an elbow at the end of the game Derek Fisher won. I’ll go with the team that won 108 straight matches.
Best Breakout Athete Shawn Johnson, Olympic Gymnastics Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Who I Voted For: Matt Ryan Who Will Win: Evan Longoria
Maybe the hardest category. I gave the edge to Longoria because he got further in the playoffs and to make up for all the Eva jokes I made all year.
Best Record Breaking Performance Usain Bolt, Olympic Sprinter Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer
Who I Voted For: Usain Bolt Who Will Win: Michael Phelps
Quick: what record(s) did Fitzgerald break? I didn’t know either. As much as I hated his antics, I had to go with Bolt. Dude pounded his chest with ten meters to go and still broke the record. Oh and Fitzgerald broke Jerry Rice’s records for receptions and reception years.
Best Upset Mine That Bird wins the Kentucky Derby Oregon State stuns then #1 USC Tampa Bay Rays win the American League Championship Series US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals
Who I Voted For: US Soccer Who Will Win: Tampa Bay Rays
Upsets happen all in the Derby and College Football. This one is hard to gauge between USA and Tampa Bay. Here you have two “ever’s.” First time Tampa Bay ever was above .500 and ended up making the World Series. The US beat their first ever world number one. Unfortunately they both fell short in the championship game.
Best Game Federer vs. Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon Final Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII Syracuse vs. Connecticut in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals
Who I Voted For: Federer vs. Nadal Who Will Win: Steelers vs. Cardinals
Not only was the tennis match the best “game” this year, it may even be the best ever tennis match. The Super Bowl doesn’t even ranking the top five as the first half was horribly boring. Six overtimes is a cool novelty, but in the end, that’s all it is when it is not part of the big dance.
Best Moment Florida’s Tim Tebow’s speech Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500 US swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay
Who I Voted For: US swim team Who Will Win: US swim team
What a sad list. Certainly there were better moments than this over the past year. The swim team was the only on the edge of your seat moment here and the only part of Michael Phelps’ run that lived up to the hype.
Best Play Ovechkin vs. Rangers Pacquiao KO’s Hatton Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree makes game-winning catch vs. Texas
Who I Voted For: Ovechkin vs. Rangers Who Will Win: Roethlisberger to Holmes
Best Team Connecticut Women’s Basketball Los Angeles Lakers North Carolina Men’s Basketball Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Steelers Who I Voted For: Pittsburgh Penguins Who Will Win: Pittsburgh Steelers
I live in a city that hasn’t seen a championship in my lifetime and here is a city that had two in one year. I hate Pittsburgh. But the Penguins won two game sevens on opponent’s ice in the playoffs.
That is ten of the thirty-seven awards. Head over to ESPN.com to see all the individual sports nominees including how Micky Rourke can pick up one after getting snubbed by the Oscars.
I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Raising the Bar, Trauma, The Office, Nurse Jackie, Sons of Anarchy, and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
- After checking out the clip of tomorrow’s all new Raising the Bar (10:00 on TNT), one can only hope that Chris Hansen is involved somehow:
- NBC.com recently released promos for the upcoming shows, head over there to check them all out. Below is the one for Trama, the show I am most looking forward to:
- NBC has been compiling a bunch of The Office lists, the latest being The Best of the Accountants head over to NBC.com to check those out are watch the video below to see what the cast thinks is the best:
- Next Saturday is July 4 so expect a bunch of marathons. Over on Showtime startring at 8:00 the network is showing all the Nurse Jackie episodes. Granted I am not sure if two hours can constitute a marathon.
- The new season of Sons of Anarchy is coming in September and to get ready for the return, there is going to be a Sons of Anarchy Ride Free or Die Tour that will be traveling the country offering fans the chance to experience a replica of the notorious SAMCRO clubhouse complete with official show props. The exhibit will also includes sneak peeks at the new season, customized giveaways and prizes. For tour stops visit FXNetworks.com. Also the first season will be out August 19 on DVD and Blu Ray.
- For those that wanted to know who won I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! but didn’t want to sit through the whole episode, check out the clip below:
- Also, be on the lookout this week as I may have a little something extra special to give to some lucky reader.
Before I get into the best of the past week, let me remind you to enter the Ice Road Trucker Giveaway where you can pick up the first two seasons on DVD and more. Click the banner to the left to see how to enter.
(Sledge Hammer!, The Lone Gunmen, King of the Hill)
, Veronica Mars
and a Swingers
reunion of Trent and Mike? Yes please.
, Who’s Johnny. And don’t tell me you don’t remember Short Circuit).
in pop culture lately, the latest being the video by 
, 
, 
or even 
, all of which landed in the top ten grossing movies of that year. I am talking about a movie that may not have even cracked the top one hundred that year, but still manages to be inducted into the 
(The Last Crusade was the highest grossing film of 1989), television like The Beverly Hillbillies and even commercials like Spatula City. Sadly the film did so poorly; the movie remains the only one he has ever written.
. No word if Jerry saw UHF and decided to add the simple minded janitor turned children show host to his cast, but I will just go on living my life thinking so.