Best of the Week - 1/19/13

Quote of the Week: But I don't even trust the way you just now said I could trust you. (Winn Duffy, Justified)

Song of the Week: (They Long to Be) Close to You – Carpenters (as sung by the Bee Girl, House of Lies)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Lance Armstrong Is a Lying Liar: Also how bizarre is the Notre Dame Football player / fake girlfriend story? Way too many inconsistencies to believe. Just a bad week for sports as a whole especially considering the AFC will be sending to the Super Bowl one of my three least favorite teams. Guess I will be rooting for the NFC like usual.

Preview Picture of the Week:

Bunheads "I'll Be Your Meyer Lansky" Monday at 9:00 on ABC Family

Free Download of the Week: Introduction – Holly Williams (Noise Trade)

Deal of the Week: $2.99 Albums: Amazon is having an unadvertised sale with a lot of classic albums for only $2.99 including Thiller, Born in the U.S.A., At Folsom Prison, and Under the Table and Dreaming. So stock up while you can because thesale may end as soon as it started.


New Album Release of the Week: 12-12-12 The Concert for Sandy Relief (2 CDs)

New DVD Release of the Week: The Men Who Built America

Video of the Week: Almost two decades ago Harmony Korine wrote a warped script about kids in America called, well, Kids. He was not far removed from being a kid himself at a time. Now forty, he has written (and this time directed) another film about kids, but instead of casting relative unknowns, this time around he raided the Disney line up with Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), and Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars, which airs on ABC Family which is also owned by Disney). Spring Breakers looks glossier than Kids, but looks like it will be just as warped. Oh yeah, it also stars a cornrowed James Franco.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Parenthood, Tuesday at 10:00 on NBC: If it seems like every season of Parenthood gets shorter and shorter, you are not paranoid, this season comes to a close this week after only fifteen episodes, three less than last year and seven less than season two. But as the cable model shows longer is not necessary better and the show remains the best drama on network television and hopefully returns next season to defend its title.

I Want My Music Television vol. LVII

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.


22 - Lily Allen



Is it wrong that I think the “disheveled” Lily Allen looks hotter than the “posh” one? And what is with the random dance sequence?


Everything I Own - Vanessa Hudgens



I featured the trailer from Bandslam a couple weeks ago and now a full video for Vanessa Hudgens version of Everything I Own. I wonder if there is a longer version out there because there is an obvious edit during the song so sloppy I am surpise they would release it like that. But anyways. The movie still looks like it is going to suck and I am still gioing to watch it if only for Jason Street.


Skipper Dan – “Weird Al” Yankovic



It looks like only the T.I. parody will be the only one on his upcoming Internet Leaks. Hopefully he gets inspired to send up somebody soon because as entertaining as the style parodies are, they just are not memorable. At least give us a polka Al.


Let’s Take a Walk – Raphael Saadiq



Just another classic jam from Raphael Saadiq.

Cleaning Out My Inbox vol. XI

A plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Voting Machines, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Cha$e, Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal, Haunted History Collection: Volume 2, Redemption Song, and Crusoe.

- In a story I broke three years ago, electronic voting machines are faulty, unreliable, and will only lead to trouble (See: I Rocked the Vote (I Think)). I remember four years ago, when we first used the devises, that a county in my home state of Ohio managed to have 100% turnout with over 90% of that going for George Bush (granted Indiana managed to out do that by registering 110% of eligible votes this year). I bring this because the Sci-Fi Channel of all people have created a map showing how vulnerable each state is to voting fraud on DVISE their consumer electronic website. I’m surprised the site considers electronic voting lower in the error prone department because the three years I have had that type of voting there has been at least two machines with “Not Working” signs on them.

- Remember back in your youth when you would buy a movie ticket to The Little Mermaid then sneak into seeing Legal Eagles? This weekend may be the first time that this philosophy gets reverses with old dudes buying tickets to Saw V and sneaking into High School Musical 3. Expect an expose by Chris Hansen in the next couple months. Until then check out this blooper reel from High School Musical 3: Senior Year in theaters now or check the movie’s YouTube Channel for more behind the scenes action:

High School Musical 3 “Blooper Reel”!


- The Sci-Fi Channel has a new reality show called Cha$e premiering on Tuesday, November 11 at 10:00 that looks interesting. Interesting may be an understatement considering it is bases on a Japanese game show. Here is a trailer for the show:



- Out on DVD tomorrow in time for Halloween is Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal from A&E. Here is a synopsis and if you are interested in buying, check out shop.aetv.com:

Watch as psychic/medium Chip Coffey and clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller come to the aid of these remarkable children, who discover they are not alone. Follow them as they compare notes, discuss long held-in feelings, and with guidance, bravely seek out the spirits they dread in six eerie episodes.

Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal is an intense journey into the lives of children who live with gifts they frequently see as burdens. With the help of caring experts, they begin to understand and manage their powers, realizing their potential both as psychics and human beings.

- Already out on DVD is History Channel’s Haunted History Collection: Volume 2. Here is a synopsis and if you are interested in buying, check out history.com:

Haunted Histories Collection: Volume 2 takes you on a spine-tingling tour of truly frightening phenomena. Uncover the real stories behind American haunted houses, zombies, voodoo rituals, and a mad scientist caught up in the dark world of alchemy and body snatching. From bone-chilling interviews with eyewitnesses who have felt the presence of restless ghosts, seen the walking dead, or participated in spirit possession rituals to expert testimony from historians, scientists, and psychics. This collection features in-depth profiles of the world's scariest stories on 5 DVDs, including Haunted Houses, More Haunted Houses: Tortured Souls and Restless Spirits, Zombies, Voodoo Rituals, In Search of the Real Frankenstein.

- Remember the FUSE campaign of “Where the Music Is” taking pot shots of the lack of music videos MTV was playing. Well apparently is starting to show more non music video shows including the upcoming Redemption Song taking, as they say, the eleven hottest women in reality TV from the wrong side of the tracks, to compete in a singing competition. So it is basically Rock of Love: Charm School meets American Karaoke. Naturally wrestler Chris Jericho is hosting. The show premieres this Wednesday at 11:00. Check out a sneak peak below:

Check a Sneak Peek at FUSE Redemption Song!


- NBC keeps on cranking out great online videos for their show, here is the latest showing how they designed the massive treehouse on Crusoe. Head over to NBC.com for more behind the scenes look at the show including how they come up with their intricate costumes:

Basically What We Gonna Do Is Dance

What a difference a generation makes. Everyone under the age of thirteen knows Vanessa Hudgens as the wholesome chick from the High School Musical series while everyone over that age knows her as the not so wholesome chick from the internet pictures. No matter the age group, very little people know her as a singer outside the musical. Of course it didn’t help that her best songs dropped just shortly before the scandal broke last year.

Since nude scandals no longer hurt careers anymore, and in most cases actually help, Hudgens is back with a new album Identify before parents across the country to see the third installment of High School Musical. If there is a theme to the album it is dancing. The first single Sneakernight is dedicated to the footwear of choice when it is time to go out dancing while Hook it Up is what happens when the shoes are on.

Hook it Up also features the annoying faux rap that ever female dance act goes into at least once an album ever since Gwen Stefani. Most of the dance tracks are you typically paint by numbers tracks that break no new boundaries complete with overproduction and Pro Tools aided vocals. The only song that even comes close to deviating is the album opener Last Night, a danceable track that with banjos that could get people moving from Middle School dances to your local ho-downs. Well ho-downs hosted by Jessica Simpson.

Of course I don’t think there has been a more profound lyrics written this year than, “I see Milky Way hotties so beam me up Scotty” from Party on the Moon. Granted the only other songs worth checking out are the slow songs, highlighted by Don’t Ask Why that comes close to last year’s breezy Say OK. Well unless you fall in the under thirteen category, then maybe the recycled dance beats may be more your style.

Song to Download - Last Night

Identify gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television vol. XXVIII

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form so here they are courtesy of YouTube. I advise you to watch them before you read my reviews if you don’t want me to spoil things. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available, if not the link goes to YouTube where you can watch the video in full screen). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.


My Medicine - Snoop Dogg

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Snoop Dogg singing country music. Words cannot do this video justice.


Dance with Me - Old 97’s



Okay, some real country music courtesy of the Old 97’s and the hot chick from Battlestar Galactica. I actually had a chance to meet her but unfortunately had a charity event that weekend. All for the best as I probably would have said something stupid, or worst nothing at all while I starred wide-eyed at her.


Hollow Man - R.E.M.



Just a cool video and another great song off of Accelerate from R.E.M.


Sneakerlights - Vanessa Hudgens



I have a soft spot for Vanessa Hudgens because my review of her album quadrupled the record amount of hits for one day at that time. Now there is no way to gauge it, but I also think that day I had the highest percentage of people disappointed to find the 9th Green. But anyways. It is odd that her singing voice in this song sound very little like her talking voice and her singing voice tends to change from song to song. Just thought I’d point that out.

Hello, My Name Is Scooter McGavin...

... and I am a statistics-addict. It probably started in my youth, on Sundays the local paper had a full page of baseball leaders, ranking the top one hundred best players ranked by batting average for the hitters and earned run average for the pitchers as well as team averages for both leagues. I would scour over that page for hours analyzing every detail and every column.

Just to show you how stats obsessed I am, while in college I took a statistics course just for fun. Then while working for the intramural department, I implemented a program where we would keep track of stats in most major sports, and by we I mean me who created an extensive Excel spreadsheet and then went through all the game sheets and enter each stat into the spreadsheet.

This has gone into my adulthood where I play way too many fantasy sports, usually multiple teams per season. You want to know how bad it is: I actually play fantasy hockey (speaking of which, anyone who want to join my league, shout me a holla). I have cut it down to just one football league this season, but I bet had my draft not been rescheduled I would have most likely done a second one this past Wednesday.

This gets me to why I am writing this post, my latest stats time waster, the stats for this blog. I have six different stat counters hidden in the code for the 9th Green. Many apologies to the people who drop by everyday and have to wait an extra second or two for the page to load while those counters get the information. Although you can always subscribe (see the top of the side-bar) and see each new post without coming here by subscribing to a feed reader, and yes I have something that keeps track of all the subscribers, who accesses the feed and click on it.

This morning I did my daily ritual of enjoying breakfast while checking out my recent stats when I noticed that I had four times the usual hits I get by this time. This was constant with all of my counters. Under further inspection I saw that sixty-five percent of the pages that people landed on were on two different pages: my review of Vanessa Hudgens’s album V (see It Takes a Girl to Understand) and the archive of the week that post was part of.

Like I said in her album review, “If Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale both walked in on me right now I would be able to tell you which one is which.” And it took my rereading my review, which for the record I wrote way back in October of last year right in the middle of a run when I made a Chris Hansen reference every other post (including the one in question), to be reminded that both are cast members of High School Musical.

So this gets me wondering, why is an eleven month old post all the sudden so popular? Is there something I missed, did she release a new song from the album? Or was one of the songs recently used as a soundtrack to a montage on some crappy medical drama because the writers were too lazy to write any more dialogue? I sure hope she didn’t die or get kidnapped by Osama bin Ladin. This is something that may keep me up all night if I don’t figure it out. Feel free to give me any theories you may have.

Don't Download These Videos vol. XII

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form so here they are courtesy of YouTube. I advise you to watch them before you read my reviews if you don’t want me to spoil things. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available, if not the link goes to YouTube where you can watch the video in full screen). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.

Trapped in the Drive-Thru - “Weird Al” Yankovic



The greatness that is R Kelly’s Trapped in the Closet is parody proof mainly because the opera is basically a parody upon itself so everyone who have tried to make a parody of it has failed. Well until now. Leave it up to the parody king “Weird Al” Yankovic to come up with the best try to date. Granted that doesn’t mean his version comes close to the original and could have done better job. First the narrator only takes on three different characters and he doesn’t split the song into chapters lie the original. But he does leave it on a cliffhanger so maybe we will get more someday. As for the video, it could have been much better had it been live action with Al playing all the different characters. That would have been classic.


Bump de Hump - Red Hot Chili Peppers



Seriously, how can you go wrong with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Chris Rock? Well I guess only when you put the band in “ironic” grillz. The only thing that would be lamer is if they would have ironically claimed to be bringing SexyBack will wearing the grillz. Other than that this video is pretty cool with the Peppers playing Rock’s block party.


Say OK - Vanessa Hudgens



I just wanted to showcase this video to see if anyone can explain to me why Vanessa Hudgens is wearing one of the drive thru mikes along with a hand held mike. What makes that combo odder is I wouldn’t be all surprised if she’s pulling a Milli Vanilli. With that said, I actually find the song entertaining.


In other news, a melancholy happy trails to Calvert DeForrest, better known as Larry “Bud” Melman. I have been a long time Letterman fan and it was always great whenever Bud would show up. My favorite was whenever Letterman would hype for the first part of the show a big A-lister like George Clooney would be reading the Top 10, only for Bud to come out. Below is a classic appearance:

It Takes a Girl to Understand

To be honest, if Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale both walked in on me right now I would be able to tell you which one is which. But apparently both were in the Disney Channel’s hit High School Musical which landed them both record contracts with Disney’s Hollywood Records, the label that has brought us albums from Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan. We’re not really talking Motown here, but anyways. Now one of the reason I can’t tell the actresses/singers apart is that I haven’t seen High School Musical for fear that is I got up to get a snack during a commercial break, Chris Hansen would be waiting for me in the kitchen. Hopefully just listening to the album won’t raise any red flags over at Dateline.

The first of the duo to get their album out is Vanessa Hudgens, apparently the brunette from looking at the album cover, with her album V which I assume isn’t a roman numeral or a nod the alien miniseries from the eighties but rather the letter as she is called “Baby V” a couple times on the album. The album is anchored by the lead single Baby Come Back that oddly samples Player’s sad love song of the same name and turns it into a dance track, but remains almost catchy. The album is your typical for pre-teen fair with songs about puppy love gained and puppy love lost along with your prerequisite girl anthem track Never Underestimate a Girl. But even though Drive comes close, nothing on the album is on par with any of Duff’s guilty pleasures, but on the bright side see does sound better than Lohan (which doesn't say much). Now I have a couple months to figure out which one is Ashley Tisdale before her album comes out.

Song to Download - Drive

V gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Scooter McGavin's Fall Preview

One of the many reasons why the music industry is crumbling around itself is that all the record labels hold off the big name releases for the fall leaving the other nine months with albums that the labels have no faith in. To that point, the highest selling album of the year so far is the Soundtrack to High School Musical with a dismal just over two million copies (my data is a little old so it may not be totally accurate). Then when the labels get around to releasing all their big names over a three month span hoping to capitalize on the holiday season leading to a few big hits, but even more albums with disappointing sales because the consumer just can’t afford to buy them all. Then of course the record labels don’t blame the slump on their stupidity instead point to downloads as the problem. With that said here are a few albums that I am looking forward (or dreading) to this fall season, many of which you can look forward to me reviewing (click on band name to find music on iTunes, click on the album name to pre-order from Amazon and feel free to tell me what you are looking forward to in the comment section):

September
5th Audioslave - Revelations: I just review this album yesterday, scroll down to check that out.
Beyoncé - B-Day: Like I mentioned in my VMA post, it’s not a good sign when you have to rush out a second single before the album drops. Beyoncé and her group were always good for two or three great songs per album, but after the last Destiny’s Child tanked, and two poorly received singles the Beyoncé era may be over. At least her movie Dreamgirls is getting good buzz. Look for a review shortly.

12th John Mayer - Continuum: I’ve already heard the album and it features studio versions of a few songs from his live Trio album and a Hendrix cover. Where Heavier Things was his decent into the blues, Continuum is Mayer’s stab at soul music.
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds: From the two songs he performed at the VMA’s, it look like this will suck like his previous work. Although Rick Rubin produced one track, the album closer Another Song and that has me intrigued a little bit. (Okay, just heard the album, it's not Paris Hilton bad, but one of the worst I've heard lately, look for a review next week.)
Lionel Richie - Coming Home: Richie has always been better at producing hits than child rearing, and from what I’ve heard from the album, he’s back to top form except when lesser producers bring down the album.

19th Clay Aiken (A Thousand Different Ways) and Fergie (Dutchess) both release album, place your bets now on which one will suck more.

26th “Weird Al” Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood: Look for a “Weird Al” themed Lyric Quiz this month in honor of the album.


October
3rd The Killers - Sam’s Town: Lofty expectation considering how lead singer Brandon Flowers brought out the Bruce Springsteen comparison. For the songs I’ve heard so far it sounds like more of the same.
Evanescence - The Open Door: Word has it that the departed Ben Moody was the driving force behind the band, so it will interesting where Amy Lee takes the band. By the sound of the new single, it doesn’t sound like the band will deviate from past success.
Jet - Shine On: yet another band trying to avoid the sophomore slump after their first disk delivered some of the best rock songs of 2004.

10th Robert Randolph - Colorblind: One of the best guitarists of the current generation looks for his breakout hit. Look for guest spot from Dave Matthews and a decent guitarist in his own right Eric Clapton.

17th Sarah McLachlan - Wintersong: One of the few Christmas albums that I’m aware of that will be released this season. Look for Christmas standards like Little Town of Bethlehem and The First Noel as well as John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over).
Diddy - Press Play: Diddy says he named the album because it is an album you can press play and never have to skip a song. But after hearing the first single with the chick from the Pussycat Dolls there will be at least one song I’d skip.

24th John Legend - Once Again: Legend put out on of the few R&B records of this decade worth listening to. But since then he won the dreaded Best New Artist Grammy. To prepare for the new album, Legend listened to a lot of The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Sufjan Stevens and brought back Kanye West to produce the album along with Will.i.am Raphael Saadiq.
Brooke Hogan - Undiscovered: I really hope this is a joke and won’t happen. This will essentially Paris Hilton take 2.

31st Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose: You know you’ll like it even if you won’t admit it.

TBA Natalie MacMaster - Yours Truely: I really don't know much about this artist, but it comes reccomended by Russ.


November
7th Nas - Hip-Hop Is Dead: Although a legend in the rap game, Nas rarely gets the commercial respect he deserves. This may be the album that gets him back on the radar with production by Kanye West Will.i.am and Dr. Dre.
Talib Kweli - Ear Drum: An hopefully an album that will prove that rap is actually not dead. Look for for production from Kanye West and Just Blaze as well as an appearence from Grammy winner Norah Jones.

21st Snoop Dogg - Red Carpet Treatment: Snoop is always good for a club banger or two so hopefully this album will have a few

TBA - Maroon 5: The band’s first album was top-heavy with a bunch of hits but the rest was basically filler, will have to wait to see if the band can make a whole album this time.


For all you karaoke fans, this is your season for crappy music as aside from the previously mentioned Aiken, you can expect bland albums from Rubin Studdard (The Return 9/26), Fantasia (TBA 11/7), Taylor Hicks (TBA 11/14), and Katharine McPhee (late November) and even though the band hasn’t even chosen a singer yet, Supernova has a release date of 11/21. And for my readers that have yet to go through puberty yet, there is not one, but two High School Musical alums (Vanessa Ann Hudgens - V 9/26; Ashley Tisdale - TBA) that will be releasing albums in time for Christmas. Start bugging your parents now.

Also for all you music fans out there, the latest edition to my "Blogs I Read" list, Culture Bully is hold a CD giveaway for everyday in September. For those keeping track at home, that thirty CD's up for grabs (but you can only win once), so hop over there to see what albums you can choose from today and the complete rules.


Some television shows have already started but my Fall TV season doesn’t start up until the 14th. Here’s a revised look at what I’ll tentatively be watching this year since some shows have since switched times or days since I last made my schedule, including their premiere date (feel free to tell me what you're watching in the comment section).

Mondays
8:30 - How I Met Your Mother (9/18 CBS)
9:00 - Heroes (9/25 NBC)
10:00 - Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (9/18 NBC)


Tuesdays
9:00 - Veronica Mars (10/3 CW)
9:00 - Kings of Prosperity (10/17 ABC)
11:00 - Ice-T’s Rap School (10/17 VH1 - most likely will catch repeats)


Wednesdays
8:00 - Jericho (9/20 CBS)
9:00 - Lost (10/4 ABC)


Thursdays
8:00 - Survivor: Jim Crowe Cooke Islands (9/14 CBS)
8:00 - Smallville (9/28 CW)
8:00 - My Name Is Earl (9/22 NBC)
9:00 - Supernatual (9/28 CW)


Sundays
7:00 - Everybody Hates Chris (10/1 CW)
9:00 - America’s Next Top Model (9/20 CW)