Best of the Week - 2/12/11

Quote of the Week: Here’s what I wonder about zombies: what happens if they can’t get any human flesh to eat, they can’t starve to death, they’re already dead. (Raj, The Big Bang Theory)

Song of the Week: Wind of Change – Scorpions (Chuck)

Big News of the Week: Super Bowl Shuffle 2011: It’s clear that if go around raping chicks that referees will no longer give you the same home cooking that let you win your previous championships (well at least in the NFL, NBA refs apparently have short memories). And in the first yea in a while, the commercials were just as good as the game thanks to Darth Vader, dog destroying doors and Eminem. Unfortunately the same could not be said about the halftime show where The Black Eyed Peas managed to limbo under the low bar The Who set last year. Here is a suggestion for next year: Dave Matthews Band; they are only the biggest touring draw of the past decade.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick picture of the Week



Free Download of the Week: Your Pick: Scooter's Note: This offer is no longer available, check back later for more free offers. Nothing really caught my eye on the free front this week so I will be giving away two free songs via Amazon MP3. Just e-mail me (ScooterKSU(at)aol(dot)com) what song you want by 5:00 PM tomorrow (Sunday) and I will be sending two people the song they picked tomorrow. Note this is only available for people with an American account and make sure you e-mail me, with subject line Free MP3, with the account that is linked to your Amazon account.

New Album Release of the Week: Go-Go Boots - Drive By Truckers

New DVD Release of the Week: Waiting for Superman

Video of the Week: And for anyone who managed to miss it, here is the previously mentioned Eminem Super Bowl ad.



Next Week Pick of the Week: Survivor: Redemption Island, Wednesday at 8:00 on CBS: After drawing it out longer than they should, Survivor unveiled the worst kept secret in that they were bringing back Boston Rob and Russell, neither of which are the redeemable especially Russell who just got caught spoiling the previous two seasons he was on. Should make for an interesting reunion show if Jeff Probst brings it up. Hopefully they are both out early (keep I mind the only time they brought back two previous contestants, one went out early while the other made it to the final tribal) and get booted promptly from Redemption Island soon after that. My preseason pick is Andrea Boehlke.

Around the Tunes - 2/11/11

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 Friday Night Lights, The Sunset Limited, Greek, Prison Women, Hard Times, The Steve Miller Band, Ghost Hunters International, Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen, O, The Oprah Magazine, and The Grammys.

- Friday Night Lights aired its last episode this week on DirecTV (non subscribers can look for the season to start up on NBC in April, or buy the DVD that month) and TV Guide has a three part series speaking to Kyle Chandler (Eric Taylor), Connie Britton (Tami Taylor), Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor), Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins), Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen), Matt Lauria (Luke Cafferty), Michael B. Jordan (Vince Howard), and executive producers Jason Katims and David Nevins about the show. Click for part 1, part 2, and part 3 but be warned for those that have not seen the final season, there are spoilers in the third part.

- Samuel L. Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones, Cormack McCarthy. That is all you need to know about The Sunset Limited which premieres tomorrow on HBO at 9:00. For those that need to know more, here is a trailer:

Preview Clip

- Want to grab some Greek swag? All you have to do is tweet about the various ways they give back and each tweet will be considered a sweepstakes entry and winners of items will be selected at random. Head over to abcfamily.com/giveback for more information and what you can win.

- Next week National Geographic Channel will look at women in prison on both sides of the bars. Sunday they will air Prison Women: Females on Guard at 8:00 followed by Prison Women: County Jail. Then Tuesday at 10:00 they come to Ohio for Hard Time: Female Offenders. Check out a preview below:

Mom and Baby and Prison


- The Steve Miller Band put together one of my favorite Greatest Hits disks of all time and now the group is back with a new album Let Your Hair Down in stores April 19. That is also the date Steve and boys will kick off a tour in support of the album with special guest Gregg Allman which will include opening the Moody Theater for Austin City Limits on February 24 and a live taping there two days later.

- The season finale of Ghost Hunters International is next Wednesday on Syfy and here is a sneak peak:



- I think it is a little silly that Britney Spears is still singing songs about how sexy she is, that ship sailed a shaven head and two kids ago. But anyways. MTV will return back to music television next Thursday when they premiere Hold it Against Me right before a new episode of Jersey Shore. Head over to MTV.com for the full story.

- When news broke that Charlie Sheen got caught in an anger filled motel rager with a porn star all us fans of good television rejoiced think the scandal would plummet the ratings for Two and a Half Men. One rager later and the show is still the most watched comedy on television and the Hollywood Reporter has conducted a poll that may explain why with 82% of woman saying they will continue to watch the show as often a one fourth polled say they view Sheen much or somewhat more favorably after hearing recent news about him. I fear for America.

- Or you can check out the March installment of O, The Oprah Magazine which will feature a feature by Nate Berkus who will give you ways to De-Clutter Your Life which includes Nate philosophy: “People first. Dogs second. Things last. It’s a simple philosophy.” Look for the issue to hit stands February 15.

- I cannot entirely agree with their methodology, but Klout is predicting that Eminem with take home Record of the Year with Lady Gaga will take home the biggest prize, Album of the Year at the Grammys Sunday. Head over to their blog for their complete predictions.

They Call Dawn the Morning and I Wish We Said Goodbye

There is a lot of great music that comes out of a break up (just ask Fleetwood Mac) and Nicole Atkins hit the trifecta since her last album breaking up with a longtime boyfriend, her band, and her label. On Neptune City, Atkins went for a songs that harkens back to the singer-songwriters of the fifties but bigger. But for Mondo Amore Nicole gets much moodier with songs that border on psychedelic at time.

This is no more apparent than on the track that closes out Mondo Amore, The Tower where she unleashes any pent up emotions from the previous nine songs for six full minutes where Atkins wails just as much as the guitar on the track. It is a good bookend to the opening track Vultures which is more contained than the closer but still manages to hit an emotional high.

Other standout tracks on Mondo Amore include Cry Cry Cry, the catchiest tune on the album which should be coming to an adult contemporary radio station near you soon if you have a competent musical director. On the flip side You Come to Me rocks the hardest of the songs and borders on indie fuzz but never cross that line. While My Baby Don’t Lie is a foot stomping old time track that sounds like it was recorded in the time of Leadbelly.

Song to Download – Cry Cry Cry (You can currently also download Vultures for free on iTunes)

Mondo Amore gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television - 2/9/11

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.


Never Gonna Leave This Bed - Maroon 5



I wonder at what point to the other dudes in Maroon 5 say to the lead singer, “Um, when do we get a music video where we spend the whole time making out with models?” And is Adam Levine in a bet with former tour mate John Mayer who can cover the most skin with silly tattoos?


Thunder On the Mountain (feat. Jack White and the Third Man House Band) - Wanda Jackson



Jack and Meg may have retired The White Stripes but it looks like Jack isn’t quite done with color coordination just yet, this time going with black and pink to help out Wanda Jackson on this Bob Dylan song.


2getha Baby - Ghostface Killah



Who else but Ghostface Killah make a song about chicks that still sounds hard?


Wet - Snoop Dogg



One rapper that cannot is Snoop Dogg. Sexual Sedution was entertaining in a cheesy kind of way, but someone really needs to hold an auto-tune intervention with the Boss Dogg.

Don't Call it a Comeback vol. III: Toad the Wet Sprocket

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: Toad the Wet Sprocket

Biggest Hit: All I Want



Last Hit: Good Intentions (1996)

Where Are They Now: The group broke up in 1998 but regroups occasionally for shows. Lead singer Glen Phillips released three albums last decade. Last year the band released its first new studio track in over a decade, the Sam Phillips holiday tune It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas. Word has it they currently writing songs for a new album which would be their first since 1997’s Coil.

Why the World Needs a Toad the Wet Sprocket Comeback: Because modern rock has all but disappeared. Maybe it was my formative year, but I remember the mid nineties music very fondly with so called modern rock from Toad and similar bands like Hootie and the Blowfish, Counting Crows, Better than Ezra, and Blues Traveler. Only Dave Matthews Band seemed to transition well into the new millennium, but maybe a reunited group that started the trend (unless you consider R.E.M. part of the genre) can kick start the modern rock movement. Even if it isn’t very modern anymore.

Previewing Lizard Lick Towing

Every professions seems to be getting their own reality shows these days, truck drivers, tanning salons, pawn shows, and you can add towing to that list tonight when Lizard Lick Towing premieres tonight on TruTV at 10:00. Like any reality show it is less about the location than the personalities and Lizard Lick has a few of them.

Ron Shirley looks like Nasty Brian Nnobbs complete with pointy Mohawk but is pure redneck and is an ordained minister. Amy Shirley is quick with an insult to her husband when she isn’t worried about him taking high risk repo jobs. And there is Bobby Brantley who is listed at Ron’s best friends despite the two fighting most of the time.

Tonight focuses on a particularly tenuous repo of a car whose owner’s rap sheet is about as numerous as the number of tattoos on his body that leaves Bobby in a precarious situation that tests his friendship with Ron even further. Bobby also has a run in with someone who needs something out of his car, and the anger confrontation is only made more humorous when you find out what that is. And Amy drops a bombshell almost worthy of a daytime soap.

Lizard Lick Towing airs Mondays at 10:00 on TruTV.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 2/6/11

Shameless: Showtime was nice enough to give me a preview of tonight’s episode and I didn’t have much expectations going to the show but it was highly enjoyable. I am not sure it happens every week, but the episode starts up with the greatest “previous on” segment where William H Macy is sitting in a hospital bed saying, “Here is what you missed on Shameless last week: I got really drunk… I’m not sure what happened after that.” Sure I have now seen Emmy Rossum do her lady business more than I would like to, which is something you would have to see every week because it is in the title sequence, and you get a bonus scene as part of tonight’s episode which also features an bachelor and bachelorette party while Frank learns that his third testicle may not actually be a good thing. If you have missed Shameless, Showtime is reairing the first four episodes starting at 5:00 tonight which give you time to catch up before a new episode at 10:00 after new episode of Episodes and Californication because it is not like there is anything worth watching tonight.

Chuck: Is it wrong that I was disappointing it is Volkoff going off to jail not mama Bartowski, because I would much rather have Timothy Dalton stick around long that Linda Hamilton. At least we got more Jeffster. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

Greek: If Ashleigh hooks up with Dr. Mike Burton I will be totally creeped out even more than Cappie taking advantage of a drunken Casey. I do not think she will be happy when she wake us tomorrow. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



The Cape: When I saw we had our first female baddie of the week I was hoping for a good old girl fight with Orwell and how disappointed that we only got a punch out of each of them. Hurmph. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Cape on iTunes.

Harry’s Law: Hopefully the fast food lawsuit goes forward because Scoote McGavin remains to be the best (and really only good) thing about the show. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

Lights Out: It has long been debated what would happen if a boxer took on an MMA with the consensus being that neither could beat each other at the other’s sport. Except of course in a fictionalize setting with Lights taking out an MMA fighter in the octagon. Hulu. You can also download Lights Out on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: I am jealous that Dr. Cooper was never lectured a class I attended. I may be more jealous that I never got acting lesions from Penny. It should also be pointed out that Outsourced had a much more entertaining Bollywood dance sequence two weeks ago. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Community: I still can’t Chang’s elf out of my head. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Outsourced: I do not know if the getting on train thing is real, but I hope it is because it was hilarious. I would also like to point out that I was The Pretzel king back in my team building days. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Outsourced on iTunes.