The Twelve Events That Will Make 2012 Awesome

Sure the world might be coming to an end December 21 but that does not mean we cannot have a little enjoyment before it happens. Here are twelve things that could lessen the blow of the world ended by the end of the year.

12. Detox - Dr. Dre: I put this at number eleven last year just in case it was not actually released and twelve months later no sign of it even if the first single was release in 2009 with the second last year. Maybe because neither really caught fire is why we are still waiting. Dre has eleven and a half months until the world ends, so hopefully he can get it out by then.

11. Work It: I have been waiting way too long for a Bosom Buddies reboot and I have a feeling this will be as close as I will get. And I will enjoy all three episodes that air before it is canceled.



10. The Amazing Spider-Man: When they first announced they had dropped Sam Raimi from the Spiderman franchise I was all ready for a boycott (even if it freed him to do another Evil Dead movie). Then they cast Emma Stone (number one on my list of the 100 Most Entertaining People of 2011) as Gwen Stacy and even though I do not care for her as a blonde, or with bangs, I will see anything she is in until she makes a bad film. Plan your July 4th weekend accordingly.



9. Bruce Springsteen: Yeah The Boss does seem to do his best work when a Republican occupies the White House (Born in the USA, The Rising) but with the economy in the tank maybe the working man’s hero of the past four decades may just have another good one in him despite the Democratic president which will be the first since the passing of his longtime sax man Clarence Clemmons. Plus the new album cannot possibly be worse than Working on a Dream.

8. In Living Color: I have long nothing is as good the second time around, then Beavis and Butt-Head came back funny as ever (granted their television watching habits have been less to be desired) so maybe the return of In Living Color for its specials (and possible regular series) will still be funny. And it will be see if any of the original cast will show up.

7. The Avengers: All of the individual Avengers movies have been at the very least solid and hinted at a collective movie and have now assembled under the tutelage of Joss Whedon. Sure I would have rather seen a Justice League movie this year instead, but you will take what you can get. The movie hits theaters May 4.



6. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: There will be two Lincoln starring movies released this year and who would have guessed that the one with Steven Spielberg directing Daniel Day-Lewis as the titular character (along with Sally Fields, Joseph Gordon-Levett, Tommy Lee Jones, Lee Pace, Walton Goggins, John Hawes, and Hal Holbrook) would not be the most anticipated one. I guess he should have added more vampires and cast Ramona Flowers as Mary Todd. The movie is set to hit theaters June 22.

5. The Mayans and Roman Emirich Could Be Wrong: Sure, the Mayan calendar maker may not have had any insight into when the world end and stopped in 2012 just because he figured taking the calendar out 5000 years in the future was good enough. In any case, you may want to spend the year partying like its 1999 just in case.

4. House of Lies: Sure I did not love the first episode (see Previewing House of Lies) but is nice to see Veronica Mars back on weekly television without having to slum it on a horrible show like Heroes.

3. The 2012 Olympics: The greatest sporting even comes around every four years (two if you include the winter version) and I may watch even more this year as this will be the first one I will be able to watch in high definition. Get ready to plop yourself on the couch starting July 27.

2. Mumford and Son / The Avett Brother: As you may have noticed there was a lot more folksier music on my 100 Best Songs of 2011 list than in previous years and these two bands kicked open that door two years ago with a pair of great albums. Both should be back early this year with new material. Bassist Ted Dwane recently called their second album "Black Sabbath meets Nick Drake." The Avett Brothers again worked with uber-producer Rick Rubin who worked on I and Love and You.

1. The Dark Knight Rises: If you need to ask why this is number one; obviously you have not seen the first two films of the trilogy. You might want to get in line now for the July 20 release date.

The 25 Best Live Performances of 2011

For the best live performances of the year, you can take the song title link to view the performance(aside from the first couple embedded ones) and the iTunes links will take you there where you can buy the performances (where available).

1. Friday – Stephan Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, Taylor Hicks, and the Knick City Dancers (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)



2. The Cave / Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise / Maggie’s Farm – Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan (2011 Grammy Awards)



3. Someone Like You – Adele (2011 MTV Video Music Awards)

Get More: Adele, Someone Like You (Live), Music, More Music Videos

4. Heartless – Dia Frampton (The Voice)



5. Deep River Woman / Stuck on You / Dancing on the Ceiling – Lionel Richie, Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, and Rascal Flatts (2011 American Country Music Awards)

6. The Song Otherwise Known as Forget You – Cee-Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Muppets (2011 Grammy Awards)

7. Wake Up – The Sing-Off Contestants (The Sing-Off)

8. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love - Mick Jagger featuring Raphael Saadiq (2011 Grammy Awards)

9. You’re All I Need to Get By / Stand By Me – Usher / Valerie Simpson and Mike Stroller (2012 Grammy Nomination Special)

10. Love Is a Battlefield – Cee-Lo Green and Vicki Martinez (The Sing-Off)

11. Love the Way You Lie / I Need a Doctor – Rihanna, Eminem, and Dr. Dre featuring Adam Levine and Skylar Grey (2011 Grammy Awards)

12. Ignition (Remix) – The Dartmouth Aires (The Sing-Off)

13. Otis – The Throne (2011 MTV Video Music Awards)

14. Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe and The Roots (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)

15. This Love – Blake Shelton, Patrick Thomas, Xenia, Jared Blake, and Dia Frampton (The Voice)

16. Grenade – Delilah (The Sing-Off)

17. Colder Weather / Sweet Baby James – Zac Brown Band and James Taylor (2011 American Country Music Awards)

18. Valerie – Bruno Mars (2011 MTV Video Music Awards)

19. Aretha Franklin Tribute – Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams, Florence Welch and Jennifer Hudson (2011 Grammy Awards)

20. The Message – Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Scorpio, Common, Lupe Fiasco, and LL Cool J (2012 Grammy Nomination Special)

21. Put Your Records On – Afro Blue (The Sing-Off)

22. Mean – Taylor Swift (2011 American Country Music Awards)

23. My Body – Young the Giant (2011 MTV Video Music Awards)

24. Motownphilly – Boyz II Men and The Roots (VH1 Divas Live)

25. Tubthumping – The Yellowjackets (The Sing-Off)

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 9/3/11

Quote of the Week: Does anybody know what tonight is… Lower your hand if you are going to say the season finale of Glee, I (expletive deleted) hate that show. (Captain Dashall, Death Valley)

Song of the Week: Someone Like You – Adele (Video Music Awards)

Big News of the Week: Video Music Awards Still Make Me Feel Old: I actually missed watching the show live because when I tuned in I thought the MTV feed somehow got mixed up with a local access channel airing the worst community theater version of Streetcar Named Desire ever. So I went ahead and watched Leverage instead. I realized my mistake when I watched a re-air of the show. Oops. Here are some thoughts:

- Best performances of the night in this order: Adele, Kanye West and Jay-Z, Young the Giant, Beyoncé.

- Oddest moment of the night goes to Britney Spears who in lieu of giving an acceptance speech for the Video Vanguard Award just introduced Beyoncé.

- I feel as if we failed as a society if Chris Brown is allowed to perform on a national stage. Dude should be trolling in relative obscurity by now; it is not like the guy has much talent to get away with all the crap he has pulled. And who does he think he’s fooling by wearing the drive thru microphone? A four year old could tell he was not really singing.

- The Amy Winehouse tribute was weird all around considering she never once appeared on the show (she was set to appear with the house band during the disastrous Las Vegas experiment but had her visa rejected) and rarely even appeared on the channel and just released one album anyone cared about. Then Bruno Mars chose to perform an obscure (at least here stateside) Mark Ronson cover of a Zutons song that Winehouse sang on instead of one of her own songs.

- Lastly, and this is for all award shows, not just the VMA’s, stop inviting artists to perform if every third word you are going to bleep out anyway. And if you are an artist who curses every third word, either chose a different song or change your lyrics, because it may seem like artistic integrity to perform your song as is, but it just comes off as a really crappy performance on television.


Leverage: Holy Dr. Abbot sighting! But I am disappointed in myself that I did not realize the chick was Sterling’s daughter, they really beat you over the head with those hints. You can stream recent episodes on TNT.tv. You can also download Leverage on iTunes.

The Lying Game: The dude from Heroes remains to be the most interesting character on the show (how he was not in the Pilot is befuddling), him showing up in Los Angeles was really creepy. And I am beginning to wonder if either of his kids are his, neither of them look much lke him (but that could just be casting directors not caring). You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Lying Game on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: I cannot believe I just made my first ever Better Than Ezra joke during my mid-season wrap up of the show (see Two Can Keep a Secret if One of The Is Dead). I rally dropped the pop culture ball on that one. I promise when the show comes back, I will make at least one Better Than Ezra joke for every episode he is in. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Rescue Me: I have longed believed that Tommy would not make it to the end of the show and that one other fireman would die this season. But it never crossed my mind that they would kill off the entire crew. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Rescue Me on iTunes.


Free Download of the Week: Ghost on the Canvas - Glen Campbell (iTunes)

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5: This week you can get albums by Mumford and Sons, Coldplay, Eric Clapton, and Carrie Underwood for five dollars.



New Album Release of the Week: In The Grace Of Your Love - The Rapture

New DVD Release of the Week: Community: The Complete Second Season

Video of the Week: Mel Brookes and Dick Cavett have been chatting it up for four decades and now they are doing it one more time for an HBO special to air this Friday at 9:00. Here is a sneak peak:



Next Week Pick of the Week: Rescue Me, Wednesday at 10:00 on FX: It is an end of an era Wednesday as Rescue Me finishes it run just days before the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

The Best of Neo-Folk

Someone recently asked me what kind of music I listen to and I responded, “Hardcore gangsta rap, Taylor Swift, and bands no one has ever heard of.” After realizing I was not kidding, she asked me of those bands no one has ever heard of; sadly I was proven right at least in this case. Later I realized that most of those bands were based in the folksier type of music which has been gaining momentum in recent years and seems to be an evolution of the alt-country of the late nineties and / or Johnny Cash’s Rick Rubin era. So I thought I would make a CD sampler of these bands which I have dubbed Neo-Folk. Hopefully long time readers are familiar with most of these artists because I have been hyping most of them here on the 9th Green, but if not, give them a try.

1. Barton Hollow – The Civil Wars

2. Feeling the Pull – The Swell Season

3. Belated Promise Ring – Iron and Wine

4. Magpie to the Morning – Neko Case

5. White Blank Page – Mumford and Sons

6. Skinny Love – Bon Iver

7. Furr – Blitzen Trapper

8. Lost In My Mind – The Head and the Heart

9. Home – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

10. Mykonos – Fleet Foxes

11. If It's the Beaches – The Avett Brothers

12. You Still Hurt Me – William Fitzsimmons

13. Little Lovin' – Lissie

14. No One's Gonna Love You – Band of Horses

15. A Little Bit of Everything – Dawes

16. Art Isn't Real (City of Sin) – Deer Tick

17. Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe – Okkervil River

18. Shadow People – Dr. Dog

19. Coney Island – Good Old War

20. The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone) – The Decemberists

Feed Your iPod vol. LVIII: White Blank Page

Over the past year, very few acts have very much staying power on the album charts beside Justin Beiber (of course it is easier when you release four albums in that time). The only other act is the antithesis of Beiber: Mumford and Sons. For those that still have not yet caught on to English lads it is time to jump on the bandwagon. A bandwagon that recently welcomed Taylor Swift who performed the band’s deep cut White Blank Page. The country starlet turned the passionate song and turns it into a subdued ode of yearning. Both are worth a listen.

White Blank Page – Mumford and Sons




White Blank Page – Taylor Swift

I Want My Music Television - 2/16/11

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.

Howlin’ for You – The Black Keys



Seriously, if Robert Rodriquez can turn a trailer he made for Grindhouse in the full length feature Machete, how about turning this Black Keys music video into feature film. I’d plop down money for the blu-ray just to see more of Sir Todd Bridges as a preacher.


Good Man - Raphael Saadiq



Ooo, Raphael Saadiq goes dark. Speaking of music videos that need to be turned a motion picture, someone create a Blaxplotation film to put this song on because it would make the best soundtrack since Curtis Mayfield.


White Limo – Foo Fighters



I do not know about the new Foo Fighters song or the homage to Journey’s Separate Ways video but the awesomeness of the video can be summed up in one word: Lemmy!!!


And lastly, here is my favorite performance from this year’s Grammy awards.



And for your downloading pleasures, here are the studio versions of the songs performed in order:

The Cave – Mumford and Sons
Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise – The Avett Brothers
Maggie's Farm – Bob Dylan

We on Award Tour: 2011 Grammy Awards

- What a way to attract an audience that an Aretha Franklin tribute. Why they introduced everyone involved twice. And poor Christina Aguilera, first she flubs the national anthem then falls on the Grammys. It almost makes up for having to sit through Burlesque.

- The first award goes to Train and is the only award given out in the first hour which is why the Grammys is the only award show worth watching. Instead of expanding Best Movie, the Oscars should make Best Song ten to fifteen nominees and perform them all and push most of the awards to “handed out before the telecast.”

- Lady GaGa’s performances are known for being painfully to watch with her smearing herself with fake blood or fake ash, but Born This Way is most notable for just being painfully boring. And “Don’t be a drag, be a queen” may be the lamest chant in a song ever. Hopefully this is the official end of the Lady Gaga era.

- Marky Mark is officially off the hook for worst use of Walk on the Wild Side because that HP now holds that honor.

- I wonder if Muse gets asked to perform if the lead singer didn’t knock up Kate Hudson.

- It is a shame Janelle Monáe isn’t bigger than she is, she is the female embodiment of James Brown. And I really enjoyed the do-wop version of Grenade. Also, bonus points to B.o.B for rocking a monocle.

- Wait, Jewel is a country artist now? Was that common knowledge?

- Odd that Eva Longoria came out just as Desperate Housewives was starting on another station.

- What was with the Sub Zero dancers during the Justin Bieber performance?

- Speaking of Beiber, Donny Walberg is in no position to scoff at the crappy teen starlet because he was ten times worse.

- I liked how Selena Gomez hightailed it out of there after she announced Lady Gaga as the winner. I would too.

- Despite Bob Dylan being even more gravelity voiced than usual, the Mumford & Sons / The Avett Brothers stole the show with the best performance of the night.

- Teddy Pendergrass deserves better than having one line song in honor of him. And didn’t Lady Antebellum sing Need You Now last year?

- Kings of Leon did not look happy that they were paired with Miley Cyrus. And speaking of Cyrus I am completely against her hosting Saturday Night Live because The Miley Cyrus Show is the break out sketch of the season and I fear her showing up on it with ruin it.

- Apparently the Grammys made Cee Lo Green change so many lyrics that he actually forgot them. Or maybe he was distracted by his Elton John costume.

- Just when you thought Katy Perry couldn’t get any worse she breaks out a balled featuring pictures of Russell Brand. Eww.

- I liked how they referred the Cee-Lo song as “The Song Otherwise Known as Forget You” much more entertaining than simply “Forget You.”

- Lady Antebellum wins Song of the Year. Keep in mind this is a songwriter’s award, which went to a song about drunken dialing.

- When Seth Rogan said Adam Levine was part of the Eminem / Rihanna / Dr. Dre performance I thought he was joking, but there he was at the piano. And Dre, it time to stop teasing us and give us an official release date for Detox.

- At least they spruced up the token old white guy moment this year by playing music over him. Now he knows how long winded award winners feel like. Although it was odd how he talked about accepting free speech right after a heavily censored Eminem set.

- I am not the biggest The Rolling Stones fan out there, but Mick Jagger tore the roof off the place. Too bad Raphael Saadiq get mentioned as the guitar player.

- Okay, Lady Gaga wasn’t as boring as Barbra Streisand. It’s too bad Duck Sauce didn’t come out and perform with her.

- Walk Up is a good song and all, but I have never gotten Arcade Fire as a whole.

- If Arcade Fire wins Album of the Year but lost Best Alternative Album to The Black Keys, doesn’t that mean Brothers is really the true Record of the Year?

The 100 Best Songs of 2010

1. Tighten Up - The Black Keys

2. (Expletive Deleted) You - Cee-Lo

3. The High Road - Broken Bells

4. Power - Kanye West

5. Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

6. King of Anything - Sara Bareilles

7. Runaway - Kanye West and Pusha T

8. The Cave - Mumford & Sons

9. Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise - The Avett Brothers

10. Radioactive - Kings of Leon

11. Rolling In the Deep - Adele

12. Airplanes - B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore

13. Breakeven (Falling to Pieces) - The Script

14. Mine - Taylor Swift

15. In Sleep - Lissie

16. Kandi - One EskimO

17. Next Girl - The Black Keys

18. Do-Wah-Doo - Kate Nash

19. Beg Steal or Borrow - Ray Lamontange and the Pariah Dogs

20. 40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet) - Bob Schneider

21. Wake Up Everybody - John Legend & The Roots featuring Common & Melanie Fiona

22. No One's Gonna Love You - Cee-Lo Green

23. Tightrope - Janelle Monáe featuring Big Boi

24. Release Me - The Like

25. Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down) - Johnny Cash

26. Thinking 'Bout Somethin' - Hanson

27. American Slang - The Gaslight Anthem

28. Got Nuffin - Spoon

29. I Should Have Known It - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

30. Valentino - Diane Birch

31. The Catalyst - Linkin Park

32. In the Sun - She & Him

33. On to the Next One - Jay-Z featuring Swizz Beatz

34. Laredo - Band of Horses

35. Everlasting Light - The Black Keys

36. Dog Days Are Over - Florence + the Machine

37. Rewind - Diane Birch

38. At or With Me - Jack Johnson

39. Young Blood - Norah Jones

40. Horchata - Vampire Weekend

41. Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

42. Gimme Sympathy - Metric

43. I Know What I Am - Band of Skulls

44. Animal - Neon Trees

45. Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

46. Giving Up the Gun - Vampire Weekend

47. Every Subway Car - Barenaked Ladies featuring Erin McCarley

48. You and Your Heart - Jack Johnson

49. Half of My Heart - John Mayer featuring Taylor Swift

50. I Never Told You - Colbie Caillat

51. Bang Bang Bang - Mark Ronson featuring Q-Tip & MNDR

52. Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare) - Kid Cudi featuring MGMT and Ratatat

53. Love the Way You Lie - Eminem featuring Rihanna

54. If You Let Me - JP, Chrissie & the Fairground Boys

55. Wavin' Flag – K’naan

56. Hey, Soul Sister - Train

57. The Sound Of Sunshine - Michael Franti & Spearhead

58. Howlin' for You - The Black Keys

59. All Summer - Kid Cudi, Best Coast and Rostam of Vampire Weekend

60. Back to December - Taylor Swift

61. When a Woman Loves - R. Kelly

62. The Ghost Who Walks - Karen Elson

63. He's Not a Boy - The Like

64. It's Gonna Be - Norah Jones

65. Misery - Maroon 5

66. Dear God 2.0 - The Roots and Jim James of Monsters of Folk

67. Kush - Dr Dre featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon

68. Infinity Guitars - Sleigh Bells

69. Opposite of Adults - Chiddy Bang

70. Erase Me - Kid Cudi and Kanye West

71. Stylo - Gorillaz featuring Mos Def & Bobby Womack

72. Run Back to Your Side - Eric Clapton

73. Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin' - Mayer Hawthorne

74. Forgiveness - Sarah McLachlan

75. Soundtrack 2 My Life - Kid Cudi

76. Naturally - Selena Gomez & the Scene

77. Bright Lights Bigger City - Cee-Lo Green

78. Undo It - Carrie Underwood

79. Fearless - Taylor Swift

80. Written In Reverse - Spoon

81. Gypsy - Shakira

82. Paris (Ooh La La) - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

83. Hey World - Michael Franti & Spearhead

84. Pyro - Kings of Leon

85. This (Expletive Deleted) Job - Drive-By Truckers

86. Not Afraid - Eminem

87. Hard Times - John Legend & The Roots featuring Black Thought

88. Maybe - Sick Puppies

89. Do You Love Me - Guster

90. People Say - Portugal the Man

91. Alice - Avril Lavigne

92. Too Late for Lovers - Gin Wigmore

93. Amazing - One EskimO

94. Come and Get It - Eli "Paperboy" Reed

95. Next Best Thing - Nikki & Rich

96. Playing God - Paramore

97. Had It All - Katharine McPhee

98. Heaven and Earth - Blitzen Trapper

99. Unthought Known - Pearl Jam

100. Stop for a Minute - Keane featuring K’Naan

The 25 Best Albums of 2010

If you interested in buying any of the albums below, click on the album title to go to Amazon and the artist name to download it in iTunes. Also check out my orginal album reviews in the link under the album where for those I reviewed.

1. Brothers - The Black Keys

2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
Is Hip-Hop Just a Euphemism for a New Religion?

3. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons

4. The Lady Killer - Cee Lo Green
I Guess He's an X-Box and I'm More Atari

5. Contra - Vampire Weekend
Here Comes that Feeling You Thought You'd Forgotten

6. Catching a Tiger - Lissie

7. Kaleidoscope Heart - Sara Bareilles
I'm Going Down, Follow if You Wanna

8. Speak Now - Taylor Swift
All Those Other Girls, Well They're Beautiful, but Would They Writea Song for You?

9. Wake Up! - John Legend and The Roots

10. Love Letter - R. Kelly
I Want to Bring Love Songs Back to the Radio

11. American VI: Ain't No Grave - Johnny Cash
Until We Meet Again

12. Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton

13. To the Sea - Jack Johnson

14. Infinite Arms - Band of Horses

15. How I Got Over - The Roots
Look How They Got Me on the Def Jam Payment Plan

16. The Velveteen Age - Diane Birch with The Phenomenal Handclap Band

17. Transference - Transference - Spoon
Got Nothing to lose but Loneliness and Patterns

18. The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monáe

19. God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise - Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs
Can I Come Home for the Summer, I Could Slow Down a Little While

20. Court Yard Hounds - Court Yard Hounds
I Was Raising Can, Now I'm Raising Babies

21. Record Collection - Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.
I Only Want to Be in Yoyr Record Collection

22. The High Road - Broken Bells
The Dawn to End All Nights; That's All We Hoped it Was

23. Release Me - The Like

24. My Best Friend Is You - My Best Friend Is You - Kate Nash
I Don't Careif We're Just Friends, I CanHang out with Myself

25. Plastic Beach - Gorillaz