57 Channels and Only This Is On: 1/4/14

Quote of the Week: Minuses are made up! (Annie Edison, Community)

Song of the Week: True Colors – Cyndi Lauper (The Millers)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Television Is Back Already: Most shows started their “winter break” less than a month ago, but shows started returning as early as last Thursday and most other shows will make their return this week. Here is a full run down of what I will be watching into the spring and when they return:

Monday
8:00 – Switched at Birth (January 13)
8:00 - How I Met Your Mother (January 13)
8:00 – The Voice (February 24)
8:30 – 2 Broke Girls (January 13)
9:00 – Dallas (February 24)
10:00 – The Blacklist (January 13)
10:00 – Castle (January 6)

Tuesdays
8:00 – Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (January 7)
8:00 – Pretty Little Liars (January 7)
8:00 – The Voice (February 25)
9:00 – The Goldbergs (January 7)
9:00 – Ravenswood (January 7)
10:00 – Justified (January 7)
10:00 – Perception (February 25)

Wednesdays
8:00 – The Middle (January 8)
8:30 – Suburgatory (January 15)
9:00 – Modern Family (January 8)
10:00 – Nashville (January 15)
10:00 – The Americans (Febuary 26)

Thursdays
8:00 – The Big Bang Theory (January 2)
8:00 – Community (January 2)
8:30 – The Millers (January 2)
9:00 – The Crazy Ones (January 2)
9:30 – The Michael J Fox Show (January 2)
10:00 – Parenthood (January 2)
10:00 – King of the Nerds (January 23)
10:00 – Vikings (February 27)

Fridays
8:00 – Last Man Standing (January 10)
8:30 – The Neighbors (January 10)
9:00 – Grimm (January 3)
9:00 – Hannibal (February 28)
10:00 - Helix (January 10)

Saturdays
9:00 - Orphan Black (April 19)
11:30 – Saturday Night Live (January 18)

Sundays
9:00 – Once Upon a Time (March 9)
9:00 – Shameless (January 12)
9:00 – Revenge (January 5; moves to 10:00 March 16)
9:00 – The Walking Dead (February 9)
10:00 – House of Lies (January 12)

TBD
Penny Dreadful
The Strain
Mad Men
Survivor

Preview Picture of the Week:

“Who’s in the Box” Pretty Little Liars, Tuesday at 8:00 on ABC Family

The Big Bang Theory: I got a little worried when Penny proposed to Leonard because that would ruin the whole dynamic of the show. Well assuming Leonard moved in with Penny. Penny moving in with Leonard and Sheldon would be awesome, but the other way around would be disastrous. Who would be dumb enough to move in with Sheldon, Raj would know better, Amy would not be a good idea. That could only leave Stuart which could be interesting unless they would bring in someone new.
You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Community: When it was announced that creator Dan Harmon would be brought back to the show after a year’s sabbatical I assumed we would be treated to a last season was all a dream season opener like Dallas. Nope, it actually did happen, the group actually graduated and now are back at Greendale (except for Pierce who is just resigned to being a creepy hologram. Oh, except for Jeff who is now a teacher. It was a wise idea to bring the show back with two episodes just to make a smoother transition back into the original creative team after the last fan-fiction type season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Parenthood: I actually thought Drew’s friend with benefit was going to propose Amy join their benefit package. Nope it turns out she was just jealous. Too bad for Drew who has constantly been on the bottom of the Braverman Power Rankings for five seasons now. That storyline would be a nice reward for having nothing to do on the show. But I guess he should be happy he has not been dragged into the Julia / Joel saga.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.


Free Download of the Week: Artists to Watch in 2014 (Amazon MP3)

New Album Release of the Week: Scratch My Back and I'll Scratch Yours - Peter Gabriel and Friends

New DVD Release of the Week: Archer: The Complete Season Four

Video of the Week: The first official trailer for Veronica Mars was released though most of it we have already seen aside from our first looks at Deputy Leo, the new Sherriff Lamb, and a blink and you will miss it cameo from Dax Sheppard. But the big question will the people who did not see the show be inspired by the trailer to actually see it? The first half a minute is filled with boring trailer clichés but it does finally pick up when Dick Casablancas finally makes an appearance. We will have to wait until March 14 to see how many people who did not contribute to the Kickstarter campaign are willing to part with their hard earned cash now that the product is finished.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Justified, Tuesday at 10:00 on FX: Instead of the usual Big Bad, last season Justified went with more of a mystery season with the Ballad of Drew Peterson. The season five premiere is entitled “A Murder of Crowes” and from the promos that feature a newly released Dewey Crowe, I am guessing he will be playing a bigger part this season. As great as the last season was, it was severely lacking some Dewey Crowe. The only question is if Dicky Bennett also became a free man since last season, they maybe the greatest moronic duo since Beavis and Butt-Head.

Around the Tubes: 1/3/14

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 Parks and Recreations, Chasing Shackleton, Frank Sinatra, Tales of Olde, Raising Whitley, Austin City Limits, and Hawking.

- Parks and Recreations will celebrate it’s 100th episode next week and here is a video of the cast reminiscing:


- PBS announced today that Chasing Shackleton, a new three-part series about a modern expedition that follows the path of history’s most extraordinary survival story, will premiere January 8, 2014. The series follows a crew of five intrepid explorers led by renowned adventurer, scientist and author Tim Jarvis as they re-create Shackleton’s epic sea-and-land voyage in a replica of the original explorers’ boat, using only the tools and supplies his team used.
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which launched in 1914, met with disaster when his ship The Endurance was crushed by arctic ice and sank. His heroic leadership in the face of almost certain death saved the lives of 27 men stranded in the Antarctic for more than 500 days, and has inspired explorers and leaders across every continent over many generations.
Jarvis’ team’s recreation included crossing the treacherous Southern Ocean from Elephant Island to South Georgia (800 nautical miles) in a small wooden boat while battling gales, rough seas and stomach-churning swells. Once on land, the crew faced weather conditions they described as “Scotland on steroids” — simultaneous high winds, torrential rain, snow, hail and ice. When the weather eased, Jarvis and two teammates (Barry Gray and Paul Larsen) trekked inland to reach an old whaling station at Stromness on South Georgia, traversing an icy, crevasse-riddled mountain range in unmapped territory, the route Shackleton and his men took as their only hope for rescue almost a century ago.

- With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, set the perfect mood for this special night with the romantic styling of “The Chairman of the Board.” On January 28, 2014, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will release Sinatra, With Love, a 16-track collection of Sinatra’s romantic classics from his Capitol and Reprise catalogs. This is Universal’s second release under the newly launched “Signature Sinatra” imprint, a deal uniting Sinatra's classic Capitol and signature Reprise recordings.

- If you are looking for new music in the new year, check out indie / folk group Tales of Olde. You can listen to Little Bird below and head over to Pledge Music to help fund their debut EP.



- Actress and comedienne Kym Whitley, known for her larger than life personality and hilarious roles in movies and film alike, returns with all-new episodes of her hit docu-series, Raising Whitley on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network tomorrow at 9:00. Kym’s accomplished career never prepared her for the phone call of a lifetime. While mentoring a troubled young girl, Kym received a call from the hospital saying, “Your baby is ready.” After learning that the girl left the maternity ward leaving her four-day-old baby and only Kym’s contact information, Kym was faced with making a life-changing decision – to become a mother.


- Austin City Limits returns to PBS this weekend (check your local listings) and here is the full lineup this season.
January 4, 2014 | Queens of the Stone Age
January 11, 2014 | Jason Isbell/ Neko Case
January 18, 2014 | fun. / Dawes
January 25, 2014 | Portugal. The Man / Local Natives
February 1, 2014 | Sarah Jarosz / The Milk Carton Kids
February 8, 2014 | Kacey Musgraves / Dale Watson

- Hawking, the first-ever autobiographical documentary about physicist Stephen Hawking, premieres Wednesday, January 29, 2014, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. The film offers rare insights into Hawking’s life, past and present, aided by a cast of stellar contributors and Hawking fans, including astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr., actors Jim Carrey and Benedict Cumberbatch, mathematical physicist Sir Roger Penrose and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.

The 25 Best Music Moments from Veronica Mars

For January’s Scooter Hall of Fame inductions I always induct a “first ballot” honoree from ten years ago and now that it has been a decade since Veronica Mars hit the small screen, that was a easy no brainer for the potential first ballot inductees from 2004 than Veronica Mars (sorry The College Dropout, Lost, and Dodgeball, you will have to wait a couple months or so; well except Lost, you will probably never get in). But since I have wasted quite a lot of virtual ink on the show over the past decade, instead of the usual fluff piece, I thought I would look back with another list (I have already done the 10 Best Veronica Mars Episodes) by looking back at the best music moments from the show.


1. We Used to Be Friends (Theme Song) (Seasons 1 and 2): I am typically morally opposed with licensing song as a theme song. Seriously, what does The Who have to do with investigating crime scene investigators? But The Dandy Warhols song with its shiny exterior and darker lyrics, fit so perfectly with the show to the point where it was even used as dialogue halfway through the first season. The less said about the third season remix, the better.

2. One Way Or Another (Clash of the Tritons): Lily Kane ended up being the one who would go onto starring in multiple musicians, but it is a shame this is one of the few times we have heard Kristen Bell sing on screen. Seriously, get this girl in front of a mic more often.

3. Adelaide (Donut Run): Rarely do I ever to the internet after an episode but the song the end of Donut Run the best hour of the second season, did just that. A fitting soundtrack to the end of the Duncan Kane era on the show.

4. Private Eyes - Private Eyes (Remastered) (Weapons of Class Destruction): Vincent Van Lowe is by far the best recurring character on the show, and more entertaining than some that were in the main cast. And our first introduction to Vinny was a good one when he caught Ronnie trying to eavesdropping on him and instead of just crushing the bug, he decided to serenade her with his favorite Hall and Oates song.

5. Ashes (Normal Is the Watchword): After missing the bus, Veronica is cruising down the PCH on the back of Weevil’s bike only to see the bus she miss sink to the bottom of the ocean over the lines, “I sink like a stone, I lost my control.” Brilliant. It is a shame the Embrace song was not a bigger hit here.

6. The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack (Donut Run): Everyone has their breakup playlist and Ronnie busted out The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack to sell her fake breakup to Duncan including How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by Al Green and The Air I Breathe by The Hollies.

7. Right Here, Right Now (Spit and Eggs): Sure in retrospect, the Fatboy Slim could have been a spoiler for who the Heart rapist is (certainly the DJ would have a dance song as the background for his rapes), but it definitely fit the mood.

8. Bad Day (The Bitch Is Back): Ronnie warned Dominick Desante that he would regret not giving her the name of the person that e-mailed his the video of her. So after maxing out his credit card right before a big date and stealing his wheels, Vee serenaded him with the Daniel Powder one hit wonder to top things off.

9. Veronica (Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle): See Veronica, be nice to someone and the lead singer of Spoon may serenade you with Elvis Costello.

10. What's Left of Me (Postgame Mortem): You rarely see Nick Lachey on a list of “best music” anything, but his song was responsible for one of the funniest moment of season three when an eleven year old dedicated the song on behalf of Logan to Veronica, and the look on Ronnie’s face was priceless.

11. One Week (Show Me the Money): Sure, on the surface, being Canada in the dorms Around the World party may see lame, but stock the fridge with Molson’s, thrown in an “eh” at the end of every sentence and everyone has a good time. And I am sure the Barenaked Ladies is better than anything they are playing in Germany.

12. Busted (President Evil): Over three season, Ronnie took down jocks, fratboys, cheerleaders, and even a movie star, but maybe the most entertaining come up pence was when she snapped back her necklace from a annoying elementary school student that her father robbed from Vee with Johnny Cash playing in the background.

13. Papa Was a Rolling Stone (Blast from the Past): What do you say to the absentee dad you never knew you had when your mother tells you he was a junkie cop who could not raise a kid? You do not say anything, you just sing a few lines from the Temptations classic like Wallace did.

14. Love Hurts (Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang): At the start of the second season, Ronnie took a job at Java the Hutt where they regularly had karaoke night and one of the first singers was Courtney Taylor-Taylor, lead singer of The Dandy Warhols (their song Smoke It also was featured in the episode) who provide the theme song, singing the Nazareth classic.

15. The 80’s Dance (Ruskie Business): One of my favorite scenes in the series, forget Logan, Deputy Leo was Ronnie’s greatest boyfriend and here is where it all started, soundtracked by The Fixx, Cindi Lauper, and Spandau Ballad with Vee dressed up as Madonna (only Ronnie can pull of crimped hair) and Leo doing his best Crockett (possibly Tubbs) impression.

16. Run (Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner): This episode ends very creepy with Veronica and Duncan finding Meg’s sister locked in the closet, they get arrested and set free by Sheriff Lamb who did not take kindly to kids being locked up (he heard the same speech by his father). The creepiness was only heightened by the Air song playing in the background.

17. It Never Rains In Southern California (The Bitch Is Back): Le sigh.

18. Sway (Pan B): I always thought Logan was horrible for Ronnie but this was still a great moment and song.

19. My Before and After (Debasement Tapes): Paul Rudd dropped by in an episode as a washed up alternative rocker Desmond Fellows of the nineties group My Pretty Pony who has resigned his life on the nostalgia circuit with the tapes of his deceased band mate’s vocal tracks playing beside him while he gives half hearted performances. When Piz forces him to perform an original, this is what Fellows performed (which in reality is an obscure Cotton Mather’s song).

20. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) (My Big Fat Greek Rush Week): When smoking out bad guys, Ronal Regan would blare Van Halen on a loop, George W. Bush opted for Rage Against the Machine. Wallace and his guards went with a more inhumane root torturing Logan and his terrorists with Rupert Holmes.

21. I Hear the Bells (Look Who’s Stalking): See above but even I have to admit Logan’s epic speech was awesome. Plus Ronnie loves this song and so do I.

22. Rump Shaker (Welcome Wagon): We had not see Dick all summer after his brother flung himself off the roof of the Neptune Grand, so how is he introduced in season three? Interrupting an anti-rap rally wearing nothing but a Union Jack Speedo and a ski mask and blasting the classic one hit wonder. I expected nothing less from Dick.

23. Don't Stand So Close to Me (Mars vs. Mars): Of course when a student admits to having an affair with a teacher she is going to get taunted with The Police song even if the song is twice as old as the girls singing it.

24. True Colors (My Big Fat Greek Rush Week): As Ronnie prepared to go into the den of debauchery that was the sorority life, she is instead greeted by a capella renderings of the Cyndi Lauper classic.

25. Folsom Prison Blues (The Rapes of Graff): Veronica once shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, unfortunately it was a bit of a letdown.


Aside from the Tin Anniversary, Veronica Mars will have another milestone in 2014 as the movie will be released March 14 of this year. The first trailer is supposed to hit the internets today and I will add that here when it does.

The 100 Best Songs of 2013

1. Royals - Lorde

2. The One That Got Away - The Civil Wars

3. Get Lucky - Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams

4. Youth - Daughter

5. Wake Me Up (Acoustic) - Aloe Blacc

6. Berzerk - Eminem

7. Pompeii - Bastille

8. Stubborn Love - The Lumineers

9. Bleeding Out - The Lone Bellow

10. The Mother We Share - Chvrches

11. Chill In the Air - Amos Lee

12. Lego House - Ed Sheeran

13. The Woodpile - Frightened Rabbit

14. Let Her Go - Passenger

15. Falling - Haim

16. Team - Lorde

17. Merry Go 'Round - Kacey Musgraves

18. Dust to Dust - The Civil Wars

19. Torpedo - Jillette Johnson

20. Diane Young - Vampire Weekend

21. PrimeTime - Janelle Monae featuring Miguel

22. Little Numbers - Boy

23. Closer - Tegan and Sara

24. Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran

25. Change - Churchill

26. Numbers On the Boards - Pusha T

27. Only a Clown - Caitlin Rose

28. Rap God - Eminem

29. I Got You - Jack Johnson

30. Better Dig Two - The Band Perry

31. Grace for Saints and Ramblers - Iron and Wine

32. Don't Save Me - Haim

33. Hero - Family of the Year

34. Paper Doll - John Mayer

35. Retrograde - James Blake

36. Hearts Like Ours - The Naked and Famous

37. Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

38. Tears Always Win - Alicia Keys

39. Blowin' Smoke - Kacey Musgraves

40. Gun - CHVRCHES

41. Fire We Make - Alicia Keys and Maxwell

42. Tennis Court - Lorde

43. Stay - Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko

44. Another Is Waiting - The Avett Brothers

45. If I Loved You - Delta Rae featuring Lindsey Buckingham)

46. The Wire - Haim

47. Chocolate - The 1975

48. Boy - Emma Louise

49. My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light Em Up) - Fall Out Boy

50. Survival - Eminem

51. Supersoaker - Kings of Leon

52. Unbelievers - Vampire Weekend

53. Inland - Jars of Clay

54. Still - Daughter

55. Her Favorite Song - Mayer Hawthorne

56. Still Into You - Paramore

57. Radiate - Jack Johnson

58. Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgraves

59. Babel - Mumford & Sons

60. The Ceiling - The Wild Feathers

61. Forever - Haim

62. Hurricane - MS MR

63. The War Within - Churchill

64. Better Days - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

65. Cups (Pitch Perfect's “When I’m Gone”) [Pop Version] - Anna Kendrick

66. Big Blue Wave - Hey Ocean!

67. Wings - Haerts

68. Treasure - Bruno Mars

69. Bad Things - Meiko

70. Murder of Crows - Lindi Ortega

71. No Cure - Megan Hilty

72. Shake - The Head and the Heart

73. Nosetalgia - Pusha T featuring Kendrick Lamar

74. Recover - Chvrches

75. February Seven - The Avett Brothers

76. Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford & Sons

77. San Francisco - The Mowgli's

78. Drinkin' - Holly Williams

79. Heartbeat - Kopecky Family Band

80. Wildest Moments - Jessie Ware

81. Wear Me Out - Skylar Grey

82. Mission Bells - Matt Nathanson

83. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

84. Beautiful War - Kings of Leon

85. Come & Get It - Selena Gomez

86. Pumpin Blood - NONONO

87. Hard Out Here - Lily Allen

88. Final Warning - Skylar Grey

89. The Man Who Wants You - Amos Lee

90. Ya Hey - Vampire Weekend

91. Breakfast Can Wait - Prince

92. You’re Not the One - Sky Ferreira

93. Mama's Broken Heart - Miranda Lambert

94. Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It - Stars

95. 3AM - Kate Nash

96. We Come Running - Youngblood Hawke

97. When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars

98. Sirens - Pearl Jam

99. Tin Star - Lindi Ortega

100. Done. - The Band Perry

The 100 Most Entertaining People of 2013

1. Lorde

2. Tatiana Maslany

3. Seth Rogan

4. James Spader

5. Timothy Olyphant

6. Mads Mikkelsen

7. Pharrell Williams

8. James Franco

9. The Civil Wars

10. Eminem

11. Rick Rubin

12. Jim Parsons

13. Kacey Musgraves

14. Vampire Weekend

15. Robert Downey Jr.

16. Rob Ford

17. Jon Hamm

18. Jonah Hill

19. Ken Marino

20. Kat Dennings

21. Charlie Hunnam

22. Daughter

23. Michael Shannon

24. Kaley Cuoco

25. Haim

26. Alison Brie

27. Keri Russell

28. Connie Britton

29. Craig Robinson

30. Janelle Monáe

31. Hayen Panettiere

32. Emma Watson

33. Bryan Fuller

34. The Avett Brothers

35. Leonardo DiCaprio

36. Megan Boone

37. Hugh Dancy

38. Caitlin Rose

39. Ashley Benson

40. Danny McBride

41. Jay Baruchel

42. Caroline Glaser

43. Eden Sher

44. Holly Henry

45. Ciera Eastin

46. Eliza Coupe

47. Donald Glover

48. Elizabeth Henstridge

49. Jane Levy

50. Kacey Rohl

51. Vocal Rush

52. Charlie McDermott

53. Amos Lee

54. Jeff Garlin

55. Mumford and Sons

56. Jack Johnson

57. J. B. Smooth

58. Chvrches

59. Maggie Lawson

60. Beyoncé

61. John Slattery

62. The Hero

63. Jere Burns

64. Abigail Spencer

65. Bailey Buntain

66. Come and Get It

67. Pearl Jam

68. Sarah Hyland

69. Sutton Foster

70. Kristen Bell

71. Donal Logue

72. Jeremy Renner

73. Patton Oswalt

74. Wendell Pierce

75. Ed O'Neill

76. Jason Segel

77. Amy Adams

78. Neil Patrick Harris

79. Margo Martindale

80. Emmy Rossum

81. Kings of Leon

82. Taylor Swift

83. Walton Goggins

84. Prince

85. Alexandra Chando

86. Emily Van Camp

87. Eric Clapton

88. Lana Parrilla

89. Madeleine Stowe

90. Robin Williams

91. Simon Helberg

92. Laurence Fishburne

93. The Roots

94. Gemma Arterton

95. Julie Bowen

96. John Stewart

97. John Mayer

89. Sara Bareilles

99. Nick Searcy

100. Aubrey Peeples