Best of the Week vol. LVI

Quote of the Week: It’s the first season of Lost on DVD… No, it’s a metaphor, it represents a lack of payoff. (Abed, Community)

Song of the Week: Piano Man - Piano Man – Billy Joel (as sung by the cast of Castle)

Big News of the Week: I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas: But I was kind of hoping for a sixty and sunny Chanukah. Instead I had gotten eight days of shoveling snow. And it doesn’t look like things will be letting up since the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm advisory that isn’t set to expire until Wednesday evening. I guess I will be sending the next week inside watching 25 Days of Christmas.

Free Download of the Week: Christmastime Is Here (Instrumental) - Vince Guaraldi Trio (iTunes): You may know this song better as that song from the Peanuts Christmas Special.

Deal of the Week: 100 Christmas Albums for $5 Each: Get some holiday cheer from Sarah McLaughlin, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Diamond, and John Denver with the Muppets.



New Album Release of the Week: III/IV - Ryan Adams

New DVD Release of the Week: Cyrus [Blu-ray]

Video of the Week: The Sing Off returned this week and here is more favorite performance of the first two episodes (of which you can buy, along with the other songs from The Sing-Off on iTunes):



Next Week Pick of the Week: Leverage, Sunday at 9:00 on TNT: In a story I broke earlier this week, Leverage concludes its third season over the next two Sundays (see Previewing Leverage: The Ho Ho Ho Job). And do not forget you can chat with the chat tomorrow after the show over at TNT.tv.

Around the Tubes vol. LXXVII

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 Leverage, Explorer, Wishful Drinking, 24/7, Tom Brokaw Presents: Bridging the Divide, Paul McCartney: A Life, Marry Me, The Funniest Commercials of the Year: 2010, Shameless, and R. Kelly.

- In a story I broke earlier this week, Leverage returns Sunday and the cast of the show will hit the internets to talk with the fans about the Christmas episode. After the show Sunday at 10:00 head over to the show’s Facebook page, TNT.tv, or TNT’s mobile site m.tnt.tv to watch and submit your questions.

- Henry Rollins teaming with National Geographic? Sure, why not. The singer / poet / actor / author / radio and television broadcaster has teamed up with The National Geographic Channel for Explorer: Born to Rage? Which will take a look at the “Warrior Gene” that is associated with violent behavior. The show airs this Tuesday (12/14) at 10:00. Here is a preview.




- Carrie Fisher will be bringing her one woman show Wishful Drinking to HBO this Sunday at 9:00. Here is a trailer:

Trailer

- In other HBO news, their Emmy winning series 24/7 returns next Wensday (12/15) at. The four episode special this time will feature Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic.

- Tonight on USA the network is debuting their inspirational documentary Tom Brokaw Presents: Bridging the Divide that “looks beyond recent inflammatory headlines, sensational stories and politicized rhetoric to where our increasingly diverse country really stands on a range of civil rights issues.”

- If you are still looking for a gift for that Beatle’s fan on your Christmas list, you may want to check out Paul McCartney: A Life, by Peter Ames Carlin which “built on years of research and revealing interviews with friends, bandmates, and collaborators spanning McCartney’s entire life.”

- The latest Lifetime miniseries Marry Me premieres this Sunday and concludes Monday and stars Lucy Lui and Rescue Me’s White Shaun. Here is an exclusive clip:



- We may still are three weeks away from the end of 2010 but that hasn’t stopped Vibe from releasing their top ten albums of the year with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West taking the top slot. Head over to their website to see what made up the other nine albums.

- Who better than the Old Spice guy to host The Funniest Commercials of the Year: 2010. Tune in next Thursday (12/16) at 10:00 on TBS to see what made the list.

- Fans of Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven, The Hours) will want to head over to Livestream Monday at 6:30 to watch an interview with the New York Times the actress live.

- For anyone who wants to take a look at Showtime’s latest series Shameless starring William H Macy and Emmy Rossum, you will not have to wait until January 9 when the show premieres because the first twenty minutes will air immediately after the fifth season finale of Dexter this Sunday.

- And just because, R. Kelly performing Ignition with the Roots:

Don't Call it a Comeback vol. II: Hall and Oates

It seems like once a week I am listening to my iTunes library and I hear a song that makes me go, this artist really needs a comeback. So I thought I would start a new feature here on the 9th Green highlighting an artist that really needs to reenter the public consciousness. The only criterion is that the artist hasn’t had a legitimate hit in over a decade.

Due for a Comeback: Hall & Oates

Biggest Hit: I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) (#1 on the Top 40, RnB and Dance charts)



Last Hit: So Close (1990)

Where Are They Now: They still seem to be everywhere despite not having a hit song on twenty years. They are still a go to for fun movie soundtracks (see last year’s (500) Days of Summer not at all ironic dance sequence featuring You Make My Dreams), they have been sampled by De la Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, and Young Jezzy, Gym Class Heroes created a Hall and Oates mash-up album, The Bird and the Bee recently released an all Hall and Oates covers album, and who can forget Vinnie Van Lowe’s serenading Veronica Mars with Private Eyes? As for the greatest duo in rock and roll history, they are still trucking, releasing a Christmas album four years ago, continue to travel, and Daryl became an internet phenomenon last decade with Live From Daryl’s House where Hall would sing with this generation’s artists including Rob Thomas, Train and Diane Birch while giving everyone a cooking lesson.

Why the World Needs a Hall and Oates Comeback: Because Daryl Hall is still the best Blue Eyed Soul singer out there (and who wouldn’t be against more of their awesomely bad music videos).

If there is one thing that Live From Daryl’s House shows is that Daryl still has it whether it is dusting off his old stuff, be it the hits or deeper cuts, reinventing the songs of that show’s guest or just a random cover. Don’t tell me you didn’t get chills when Smokey Robinson showed up. It is really a crime that these songs are no available to buy on iTunes because I would have bought at least ten of the shows in full and would have cherry picked from the rest of the episode.

Since Christmas is around the corner, here is their most awesomely cheesy video they ever made for Jingle Bell Rock.

Previewing Leverage: The Ho Ho Ho Job

Just in time to spread some holiday cheer, Leverage returns this Sunday to finish off its third season and naturally taking up a case from Santa Claus. Yes, red suit, long beard Santa Claus has been unceremoniously fired after being framed by his boss, guest star Dave Foley who does his best Grinch impression for the episode, at the mall he was working at. And he is not the only familiar face as a certain Sheldon Cooper will make a triumphant return to be the thorn in the side of the Leverage team.

Ironically it is the next episode that is entitled The Big Bang Job which starts off a two part finale, both airing December 19 starting at 9:00, where the group gets back to tracking down the infamous Damien Monreau, the ruthless international financier that guest Elisabetta Canalis has hired the team to take down. A job so big the group resorts to stealing the Department of Defense and a whole country just to get near the big bad.

Fans of Leverage should really enjoy these three final episodes with so many twists and turns in the finale, TNT sent a laundry list of topics that they forbid me from talking about. I can say they two scenes that I have been banned from talking about left a big grin on my face (and many more that are not on the list, but are way too good to spoil either, at least one for each character) and one that deserved applause when it concluded. And unlike many series that just do not how to close out a season/series, the ending to the third season is very satisfying.

Leverage returns this Sunday at 9:00 for its Christmas episode (The Ho Ho Ho Job)and the two hour finale also starts at 9:00 12/19. You can stream recent episodes on tnt.tv. You can also download Leverage on iTunes.

I Want My Music Television vol. XCVI

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.


It's OK - Cee-Lo Green



The new Cee-Lo Green song seems like nice version of (Expletive Deleted) You with its Motown style delivery and even the cartoony video. Of course it is not as fun to sing “It’s Okay” at the top of your lungs like his previous hit.


Rolling in the Deep – Adele



It is weird in a time whenever a movie features someone smoking we first have to watch an anti-smoking PSA to see Adele start out her video smoking a cigarette for no apparent reason. I do like that she has continued to name her album after her age. I wonder if she will keep that up when she goes on the wrong side of forty.


Christmas Lights - Coldplay



All these Christmas tunes that radio pulls out every year are decent enough, but do you know what they are all lacking: violin playing Elvi. Now I can fully get into the Christmas spirit this year thanks to Coldplay.


Shake Up Christmas – Train



Train is also getting into the holiday mood (coming to a Coke ad near you soon) and my favorite part of the video is the crowd bum rushing the door after the barricade gets knocked down. As if a four foot barricade was stopping them before. As a former amphitheater usher, whenever a large group tried to get past me, I totally pulled the if you can’t stop them, join them routine. Unfortunately I still was never able to get a hand on a member of Duran Duran.

Previewing Men of a Certain Age 2.x and The Closer

Men of a Certain Age is a good enough show, but as a man of a somewhat younger age, it can be painful to watch and see what my life could be in thirty years (alright, twenty). You laugh, and they you realize may be happening to me soon. When we left off last season Joe has quit gambling (I wonder if he would take the over or under on that lasting five episodes) and decided to try out for the Senior Tour. Owen quit his father’s dealership only for papa to promote him to manager. While Terry decided to take his professionally charming self to work under Owen.

The show returns tonight with a second season where all the boys are now adjusting to new directions their lives are taking them and their new responsibilities. Owen now has a car dealership to run while still under the shadow of his father. Terry has his first nine to five and it doesn’t help that one of his early commercial pops up on YouTube. And Joe is trying to channel his addition into gambling into training for golf while still juggling his store, his divorce, and his kids.


Preceding Men of a Certain Age is the return of The Closer which closes out its sixth season with five more episodes. Tonight’s installment features an ambush on one Brenda’s own which sends the team to figure out how a man behind bars orchestrated the attack. The remainder of the season will feature a seemingly minor robbery involving medical marijuana dispensaries and a race to find a missing woman who may be in the hands of a violent drug dealer. Then in the two part season finale an immigrant family’s blood feud turns deadly, putting everyone’s holiday plans on hold.


The Closer airs Mondays at 9:00 on TNT. You can stream recent episodes on TNT.tv. You can also download The Closer on iTunes. Men of a Certain Age airs Mondays at 10:00 on TNT. You can stream recent episodes on TNT.tv. You can also download Men of a Certain Age on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CLIX

The Walking Dead: Gee, if you are going to move from your camp, why go to the unknown of the CDC instead of the old folks home where you just donated half your guns to? Oh well. The introduction of the CDC worker (which begs the question, where are all his coworkers, no one else was quarantined with him in the building when the outbreak broke out?) was very Lostian, in the best sense of the word. You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Chuck: What an odd villain for such an odd season. I really do not know where they go from here. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

The Event: I was recently lamenting to a friend how the next cheap remake Hollywood needs to do is Out of This World and low and behold, The Event apparently is doing the half human, half alien storyline, at least I assume that all the kidnapped girls are hybrids. Which begs the question were the old faced girls the result of being a half-breed which the shady organization are trying to cure (and apparently did so with Layla) or is the cause of it? And in another storyline stolen from the eighties, I take it the satellite that Thomas launched was to summon his race to Earth which potentially set up a second half of the season to be a V rip-off, but without the lizard undercarriage. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: Wow, that almost made up for the lackluster Irish storyline that dominated this season. I knew either Stahl and Jax would turn on each other and naturally it was both of them. And ever since Jax made the deal I wondered why not tell the club because it was a good deal and kept Gemma out of jail; it turns out they were in on it all along. Nice twist. I wonder when next seaon will start off, will we get a season on the inside, or will it start just as the club is getting released? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Glory Daze: Funniest moment of the week had to go to Jason being left hanging, trying to duet Up Where We Belong with his girlfriend (who need to be promoted to series regular) only to be helped out by Eli. It’s too bad they didn’t recreate the Officer and a Gentleman scene. You can stream recent episodes over at TBS.com.

Survivor: Nicaragua: Purple Kelly has to go down as the worst casting ever in the history of Survivor. Most people who got voted off first had more screen time then she had this season, and the four times she opened her mouth all season showed exactly why they didn’t go to her more often. It is a wonder how she got through casting, she isn’t practically attractive, so you cannot blame it on eye candy. Ugg, this season has just left a terrible taste in my mouth. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Terriers: I guess the theme of this show is that powerful men cannot keep it in their pants. The season started out with a sex scandal and ended with one. The guy behind the curtain seemed a little to calm about his airport plans going down in flames to a low rent private investigator. Should make for an interesting second season (hopefully there is one). You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Terriers on iTunes.

Community: Annie’s bad Texas accent was oddly alluring. But sadly (or lucky depending how you look at it) for me my twenty-first birthday fell on the same day as an econ test, so no bar hoping for me. Who knows if I would have survived the night if I didn’t have a reason to stay in? You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.