Best of the Week - 3/2/13

Quote of the Week: Why do they all have mustaches? (Carl, Shameless)

Song of the Week: I Swear – All-4-One (House of Lies)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: The Oscars, Yawn: I have only watched the Oscars once in my life (the Chris Rock year) and I certainly was not going to tune in for Seth McFarlane. I did flip over during the commercial breaks of The Walking Dead to see Les Misérables win the award for Best Hair which I found odd because they kept showing Anne Hathaway getting her hair chopped of; that does not seem very hard or award worthy. Then I saw McFarlane talk about John Wilkes Booth was the only person that truly got inside Abraham Lincoln’s head which he must have known was going to bomb because he had another lame follow up joke after everyone groaned. Can they please give Rock another chance? Actually do not, that way I do not have to watch the borefest ever again.

Preview Picture of the Week:

The Lying Game "The Grave Truth" Tuesday at 9:00 on ABC Family

Free Download of the Week: Four Songs - Myla Smith (Noisetrade)

Deal of the Week: $2.99 Greatest Hits: Pick up Best Of packages from Hootie and the Blowfish, Prince, The Eagles, JamesTaylor and more.


New Album Release of the Week: The Stand-In - Caitlin Rose

New DVD Release of the Week: The Bay

Video of the Week: Last year History debuted the very well done Hatfields & McCoys and now they are trying to transition that to a full series with the debut of Vikings this Sunday. Hopefully it is just as good. And if that is not enough Vikings for you, in two weeks History is releasing The Real Vikings Collection with three of its special programs. Look for my review of the set around the time it is released.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Grimm, Friday at 9:00 on NBC: I vaguely remember there was once a show called Grimm who had its mid-season finale around Halloween thanks to it pre-Olympics early start. Even fuzzier was what was going on prior to the hiatus. The promos would suggest that Juliet was hooking up with Nick’s boss and Nick just found out (I think it had to do with the sleeping beauty storyline from the premiere). Hopefully there is a lengthy “Previously On” segment.

I Got More Rhymes than the Bible's Got Psalms

It is time of year again where it is time to put on some green, fill out your brackets while sipping on a Shamrock Shake. And of course thanks to seeing it in the House of Pain video, pin on your “Expletive deleted) me I’m Irish” button even if you do not have any relative from the Emerald Isles. Jump Around will be getting plenty of play over the next couple weeks as one of the preeminent Irish song that does not even feature bagpipes and is this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame.

Sure Jump Around will get any St. Patrick’s Day party pumping, but it is in the pantheon of great party starting of all time at any party throughout the year. Really, if you put the song on, every guy in between the ages of twenty and fifty will stop whatever they are doing and start shouting, and jumping, along. The only other songs that have the same effect on such a wide range of males are Glory Days and N.W.A.’s Automobile.

From the opening royal horns, you knew you were witnessing something new, and then the screaming sample kicked in and the song kicked into high gear like a dirtier and grimier version of the rock tinged rap invented in the early Def Jam day. It is almost four minutes of a full frontal assault where Everlast is serving everyone up like John McEnroe even if it is your girl (the sound effect there may be the most entertainly offensive sound effect ever in a song).

One of the few disappointments on the group’s debut album it turns out the prelude song from the Jump Around video does not actually precede the song, but it shows up as a full song later as House of Pain Anthem for anyone who want to jam to it. It is one of the few slower songs on the album while rest it filled with plenty of (expletive deleted) kicking songs (including Put on Your (Expletive Deleted) Kickers) featuring the likes of B-Real from Cypress Hill, Son Doobie of Funkdoobiest, and the great Pete Rock adds a verse to his remix of Jump Around.

But the best song on the set after the original Jump Around is very appropriate for the month Shamrocks and Shenanigans. Go ahead and skip the original version and go straight to the Butch Vig Remix (who was between coming off producing Nirvana’s Nevermind and forming Garbage when he remixed the track). The fuzzed out track is one of the great lost alternative songs from the Golden Age of Alternative Rock and should be added to any St. Patrick playlists you are working on this month.

Around the Tubes - 2/28/13

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 The Client List, Dallas, Veep, Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, Brand X, Carrie Underwood, Californiacation, new DVD releases, Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout?, Pete Holmes, King of the Nerds, and Celebrity Apprentice.

- Kiddies sit right down so I can tell you a story. Believe it or not, there was a time when Jennifer Love Hewitt was Kate Upton, Zooey Deshanel, and Katy Perry all rolled into one. Okay, she only tried to be a singer. Actually that may have been her downfall because after that her Party of Five spin-off crashed and burned and nobody cared when she did two summers ago in theaters. But these days Love is back on the small screen, even got a second season, and she just recorded a new song I'm a Woman, produced by Randy Jackson, for the upcoming season of The Client List, returning March 10 to Lifetime.


- Dallas will be saying farewell to their iconic character J.R. Ewing on March 11, and until they you can view all seven episodes of the second season over at tntdrama.com (the seventh video, airing Monday, will become available after it airs) until the day after the special episode airs.

- The second season of Veep does not premiere until April 14, but you can check out a first look below:


- At this years Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp: Brian Wilson and Jeff Beck. Not too shabby.

- Starting tonight, Brand X moves to 11:00 on FX with guest star Dermot Mulroney. No word yet if they will be playing Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney.

- Six time GRAMMY winner Carrie Underwood will bring her critically acclaimed “Blown Away Tour” to AXS TV for a LIVE full concert performance from Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on Sunday, March 3rd.

- When most people think comedy, they probably do not think Marilyn Manson, but the Antichrist Superstar will be on this weekend’s episode Californication when Hank tries to scare his daughter straight by showing what the rock star lifestyle turns you into. Needless to say, it does not turn out as planned for Hank.

- New DVD’s out this week include Midnight Stallion which centers on a young girl and her family who are rescued from their financial struggle by an unexpected guest and stars Kris Kristofferson (Joyful Noise, Dolphin Tale), Jodelle Ferland (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, ParaNorman), and Chelah Horsdal (Rise of the Planet of the Apes); the Hallmark Movie Channel Original, The Seven Year Hitch, starring Darin Brooks (“CSI Miami,” “Castle,”), Natalie Hall (“Pretty Little Liars,” “Law and Order: SVU”), Frances Fisher (Titanic), Griffin Cleveland (“The Walking Dead,” “Desperate Housewives”), Ryan Doom (“Raising Hope”), and George Wendt (“Cheers”); the Lifetime Original Movie based on a true story, Abducted: The Carlina White Story, and Power Rangers: Clash of the Red Rangers Movie.


- I had to shake my head when Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? premiered because it would be sad to think people could actually lose. This Monday Nat Geo Wild premieres Are You Tougher than a Boy Scout? and sadly, I probably should not find out.

- Conan will be getting some company late night on TBS this fall as the channel has ordered up a late night comedy series starring Pete Holmes. In other TBS news, dust off you Klingon dictionary because King of the Nerds has been reviewed for a second season. No word if they have taken my suggestion to bring in Ted McGinley and/or The Ogre.

- All-Star Celebrity Apprentice seems a little redundant (and a double oxymoron considering who is involved), but it premieres this Sunday and here is the full trailer:

Previewing Boston's Finest

It has been well documented on this site my dislike of the city of Boston and everything about it (see Previewing Wicked Tuna) but if there is one thing about Beantown that I do not hate massively it is the musical styling’s of the Dropkick Murphys. So TNT’s latest foray into unscripted drama, Boston’s Finest, where cameras follow the lives of Boston police officers both on and off the job, gets a small pass. Granted that pass is revoked when it turns out the show is narrated Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids On the Block) who also serves as an executive producer. That darn chowderhead

The premiere follows members of three different departments on the force: beat officers, the gang unit, and fugitive retrieval while future episode will also film the daily routines of detectives, SWAT, and special task forces. Going deeper than your average episode of Cops (but with 90% less shirtless perps), you get to know more of the officers profiled as the camera follow them home where you meet their wives (one segment devolves into an episode of The Real Housewives of the Boston Police Department while the men stay home and look after the children) and even document one officer as she sees her twin sister for the first time in two years. There are even partners that may or may not be sharing some extra time off duty.

Boston’s Finest is a gripping look at one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. Tensions run high when you do not know if these officers will be coming home alive, and seeing their loved ones back home, it makes every bust and home invasion more heart- pounding. Unfortunately you will have to put up with more than a few annoying accents. But for those that enjoy drinking games while watching television, take a shot every time you see a Brady jersey (the irony being that currently Walberg stars alongside Brady’s baby mama). Also I had to roll my eyes when after an officer calls a perp an “OG” Wahlberg comes on explains that the initials stands for “Original Gangsta” for those that did not get the explanation from the Ice-T song twenty years ago. Thanks Donnie.

Boston’s Finest airs Wednesdays at 9:00 on TNT. You will be able to download Boston's Finest on iTunes.

Feed Your iPod vol. LXVIII: No One's Gonna Love You

It is weird to entitle a love song No One’s Gonna Love You and leave out the second half of the line, “more than I do” (maybe the printer charged a heavy per letter price) and then open up the song with “It's looking like a limb torn off” but even with those two strikes against them, Band of Horses still ended up knocking that song out of the part with one of the great love songs of the past decade. It was so good even Cee-Lo Green became inspire to put out a cover almost immediately (Band of Horses returned the favor by recording his Georgia with the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching Band). The song is so beautiful it should become a standard by the end of the next decade.

No One’s Gonna Love You – Band of Horses




No One’s Gonna Love You – Cee-Lo Green

I Want My Music Television - 2/25/13

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.


When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars


Didn’t Bruno Mars already do the filmed on seventies film look for the Locked Out of Heaven video? I guess he is going for a whole motif for the videos off the album.


3AM - Kate Nash


The first album Kate Nash released was full of ultra catchy snarky pop songs, but lately she has gone all Riot Grrrl, which the fifteen year old version of myself may have liked (he still wears his Bikini Kill t-shirt every once in a while), but I much liked the original. It does sound like she is going back with the release of the first single off her next album, which even lifts the “Girl” character name from the Pumpkin Soup video.


Candles In the Sun - Miguel


I much prefer Miguel when he is in baby making mood (this is certainly no Sign 'O' the Times or even Money Don't Matter 2 Night) but the video is beautifully shot.


Tonight I’m Getting Over You - Carly Rae Jepsen


This month’s installment of Carley rae Jepsen: One Hit Wonder? We get our first look of grown up Carly, singing about getting drunk, wearing skimpy clothes in the bathtub, and laying on a shirtless dude, which is a little creepy considering you could have told me she was as young as fourteen when I first saw Call Me Maybe. As for this being the song that lifts her from one hit wonderdom (depending on how you rule Good Time as being a hit for her or not), much like the four previous singles, I am guessing no; the chorus is the same annoying dance beat in every other song for the past two years and I doubt people want grown up Carly.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 2/24/13

Once Upon a Time: Wow, eyeless girl was creepier than anything on The Walking Dead this week. Although will Mr. Gold be willing to get rid of his grandson just because he will be his downfall? Stupid question, this is a guy who let his son slip through a portal alone just to keep his powers.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Revenge: It was pretty obvious that the person at the bottom of the boat would turn out to be the evil dock guy, but I never would have guessed that he would take Amanda down with him. After she had Jack’s baby, I assumed she would be here for the long haul of the show. Hopefully this inspires Emily to get back to taking people down again and stop with all this slow and boring cooperate espionage that has gone on this season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

The Walking Dead: I thought crazy Rick stopped after he realized he was getting phone calls from beyond the grave. Ugg. And all the zombies that came out of that delivery truck might as well all had wigs on because that was essentially a clown car.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Shameless: Of course child services shows up at the most chaotic time ever on the show. It will be hard for to get the Gallagher’s to get out of this one, but I have a feeling the inept worker will help them out inadvertently or not. And can you really get pregnant with a turkey baster? I always that that was an urban legend.

House of Lies: Uh, oh, Veronica Mars went on a blind date with the Hearst rapist this week. Hopefully she will be back next week with all her hair.

How I Met Your Mother: I am too lazy to even bother to think about it, but I am pretty sure the show has done the three stories from three perspectives before, probably multiple times, and it it gets less interesting every time. With that said, I kind of want to watch this episode again just to see of Barney’s Austrian king actually shows up in the background somewhere.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

Switched at Birth: I had the new girl pegged to be a mole, she was acting a little too weird, but I would not have guessed that she would turn out to be the opponent’s daughter. But will Toby be able to use that to his father’s advantage?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Switched At Birth on iTunes.

Bunheads: I did not think the show could top the weirdness Istanbul dance from last summer, but I think they may have done so with the dancing miners.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Bunheads on iTunes.
2 Broke Girls:

Castle: I was going to take this time to make numerous Taken jokes, but the promo monkeys already beat me to it with the previews showing an upcoming Liam Neeson joke. Hurmph.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Do people in the suburbs really have shower / spas like that in their homes? I defiantly need one.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Go On: I am really ready for Simone to go back to wherever she came from.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Go On on iTunes.

Justified: The video that Jody made for Raylan (with the aid of Paul Kinsey!) was so entertaining I will completely ignore that he really never had the time to make said video (or how implausible that basically every episode this season so far took part in less than a week). Also the show could use more Jackie Nevada. I take her over Ava, Wynona, or the barmaid from earlier this season. If you cannot get enough of Nevada, I highly recommend Raylan the book (see my review here), this episode is basically the end of the book, except there was no doubt if Raylan got any. Then again, in my experience, whenever a girl leaves the bathroom door open when she takes a shower, it is a sign she wants you to join her. Okay, that has never actually happened to me.
You can download Justified on iTunes.

Survivor: Caramoan: I really like the trend of people outing other people at tribal council who have a Hidden Immunity Idol. I do not like the trend of people claiming that they are going to use said Idol but keep it in their pocket. I also do not like how the “Player of the Week” commercial is almost always spoilery. When both Laura and Douchebag #1 (not to be confused with Douchebag #2 whose name I also have no desire to learn) were up for the award, you knew they were going to do something but they did nothing interesting before then. I am usually good at skipping the ad, but the show really needs to move it to the last commercial break to avoid such spoilers.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Caramoan - Fans vs. Favorites on iTunes.

Modern Family: Holy Bud Bundy sighting! T is a shame that it took Al this long to get his son some work.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.

The Americans: It is weird watching this episode with all the paranoia that the Russians were behind the shooting of Ronald Regan when we now know that some crazy dude did it just to impress Jody Foster (I hear she’s currently single). I guess the closes thing similar that I can think of was when the power went out here and most of the northeastern part of the United States right after 9/11 and everyone thought it was another terrorist attack, but just turned out that our power grid just sucks. And a decade later, they still have not fixed it.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Community: I am now convinced the new showrunners are just fracking with us between the Stockholm Syndrome attempt and Luke Perry and Jennie Garth ruining Inspector Spacetime. This is going to be a long final season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

King of the Nerds: It is weird that for a show entitled King of the Nerds, that there is only one guy that remains even though the game started out with more guys than girls. I guess it may not be all that surprising that a bunch of male nerds would get flustered with chicks around, losing ever head to head gender battle in the Nerd Off. Now will the chicks band together to make sure Ivan (like when Parvati won Survivor) or with the self implode and let the guy win (like that season with Eliza)? Actually come to think of it, has there ever been an all male final on Survivor? (Researching… It has happened three times out of twenty-five seasons; five were all female)