2008 Spring Music Preview

The first quarter for music is pretty boring but the past winter saw surprise releases from Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Gnarls Barkley and The Raconteurs that came out without the usual months long hoopla, instead coming out within days of their announcement. Hopefully that trend continues because there isn’t much on the docket for the spring that really piques my interest that much. Wait, apparently the trend has as you can expect an album from Foxboro Hot Tubs (i.e. Green Day’s garage band side project) “any day” now. Here is a list of the albums that at least caught my eye.

If you are interested in preordering the albums from Amazon, the link on the album name will take you their, the links on artists names will take you to their iTunes page. If I left one of your favorite artists off the list with an upcoming album feel free to drop me an e-mail or feel free to wax poetic in the comment section on which albums you are looking forward to. (Note: release dates subject to change):

May 6
Home Before Dark - Neil Diamond: Yet another round of songs from the Diamond created with the help of Rick Rubin. You can preorder Home Before Dark on iTunes and get a bonus preorder-only track.

Gavin DeGraw - Gavin DeGraw: His first album was listenable in an easy listing kind of way. But that was five years ago. DeGraw says the new batch is more rock as evident from the first single, In Love with a Girl. But how rocking can something be when working with Daughty’s producer? You can pre-order Gavin DeGraw on iTunes.

Snack Time - Barenaked Ladies: It has been a while since they have created a great song, but rarely do they put out anything bad.


May 13
Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie: If the eight minute opus of I Will Possess Your Heart is any indication, the new album will be a big departure from the breakthrough of their last album. You can preorder Narrow Stairs on iTunes and receive a bonus track.

Blame it on Gravity - Old 97’s: Maybe the best band no one outside of Texas has heard of is back for some more southern rock.

Rockferry - Duffy: The latest Bristish import who is like Amy Winehouse without the modern feel, potential drug overdose, or jail time. The more I listen to Mercy, the more I am looking forward to the whole album. You can pre-order Rockferry on iTunes.


May 20
3 Doors Down - 3 Doors Down: Third time wasn’t the charm for the band as Seventeen Days was a huge disappointment. Hopefully they can rebound. You can pre-order 3 Doors Down on iTunes and get a bonus pre-order only track.

Anywhere I Lay My Head - Scarlett Johansson; Julianne Hough - Julianne Hough: Julianne Hough is what I like to refer to as moderately attractive, but I couldn’t make it more than a minute into her video before I had to turn it off. Johansson’s stab at Tom Wait songs do not fair much better. Hopefully the two stick to their day jobs.


May 27
Lay it Down - Al Green: Hopefully ?uestlove of The Roots can do for Green what Rick Rubin was able to do for Johnny Cash. John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae and Anthony Hamilton also guest on the album.

Same Old Man - John Hiatt: Simply one of the best songwriters of the past couple decades.


June 3
Perfectly Clear - Jewel: Her last album bombed now Jewel is trading in her van for a cowboy hat for a country album.

The Glass Passenger - Jack’s Mannequin: Shortly before the first album was released, Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Natually they were not able to promote the album since he was recieveing cancer treatments so the gem was widly unnoticed. Now that his treatments are over, hopefully the new disk will reach a larger audience.

Rock My World - Bret Michaels: No, seriously, that is the name of his album.


June 10
Seeing Things - Jakob Dylan: The Wallflowers are basically a one album wonder, a decade after that hit; Bob’s son has hooked up with Rick Rubin for a solo album.

Seeing Sounds - N.E.R.D.: When not producing for other people Pharrell William is pretty hit or miss with his solo outings and trio N.E.R.D. You can download the first single Everybody Nose for free over at Spinner.com.

Self Portrait - LaLah Hathaway: All I know is that her dad is named Donnie whom you may know best as the dude that was referenced by Amy Winehouse, “There’s nothing you can teach me that I can’t learn from Mr. Hathaway.”


June 17
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends - Coldplay: There has been nothing more disappointing this decade that X&Y to the point where the album almost sounded like a Coldplay cover band. The band has said to have broadened their musical palette this time around with lead singer Chris Martin, taking a break from singing hooks for rappers, discovering lower register for his vocals this time around. This week only, you can download their first single, Violet Hill on their website, Coldplay.com.


June 24
Weezer - Weezer: Just start calling it The Red Album now to avoid confusion with their two other self titled albums. You can pre-order Weezer on iTunes and receive a pre-order only track and a unique password to purchase Weezer concert ticket on Ticketmaster.com before the general public.


July/August
(Expletive Deleted) - Nas
Life, Death, Love and Freedom - John Mellencamp
Everything Comes and Goes - Michelle Branch
TBA - Ben Folds
TBA - B.B. King
TBA - Ray LaMontagne

Sitting by the Sea Shore Soaking up the Summer Breeze

Being what may have been one of about only a hundred people who picked up the debut album from Tristan Prettyman, I found a breezy summertime disk that was a great listen as long as the weather was as sunny of what was found on the album. And since sadly not many checked out her first album, her first single off the follow up Hello…x follows the template created for that first album down to the chorus repeating the title three time, this time being Madly instead of Love, Love, Love. But Madly isn’t too derivative thanks to some well placed hand claps and a sing along chorus that should replace Bubbly in the overplayed category on the radio sometime soon.

But it is elsewhere on the album where her growth shines through. The album does starts out with the sunny California fireside bounce of Hello and Echo, but it quickly takes a big turn to the Deep South with the on the front porch blues of California Girl that morphs when an eclectic guitar takes the song somewhere else near the end. Also fitting the blues genre is Just a Little Bit which ends with Tristan singing over a bunch of guys hoping to bring her down to her knees. Handshake could have had the most infectious bassline of the year if it weren’t for Death Cab for Cutie’s I Will Possess Your Heart and can have even the most uncoordinated guys try to break out a dance move or two.

The high point of Hello…x is War Out of Peace a driving song which that may be best heard when your are driving yourself along a country road with the windows rolled down with nothing sounding you but rows of corn on a nice summer day. Then there is Don’t Work Yourself Up, a soft song that slowly evolves into a wall of sound with multiple vocals overlapping to great effect. So be sure to pick up Hello…x this summer when you are heading down to the beach or just the local swimming pool as it will get you ready for the season.

Song to Download - War Out of Peace

Hello…x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. XXVI

Quote of the Week: It’s a pretty nice chair. It used to belong to a pimp friend of mine Snookie. He got rid of it because he thought people didn’t respect the chair. Now he has one of his (expletive deleted) carry him around in a backpack Yoda style. (Patty, My Name Is Earl)

Song of the Week: Sandcastles in the Sand - Robin Sparkles (How I Met Your Mother)

Big News of the Week: Scooter Is Back: Sort of. After a three week hiatus where I had nearly zero free time, I wrote my first post last week and I should slowly get back into my groove within the next couple weeks. Since I may be still a little spoatic until them I highly recommend using that orange button on the top of the sidebar to subscribe so your feed reader can tell you when I do update. Also many thanks to Jo and Vance for sending along some guest posts.

Coalition Links of the Week:
Buzz played agent to Lauren Graham and asked what her next career move should be. (BuzzSugar)

Sandie shared pictures from the set of Moonlight. (Daemon's TV)

Marcia liveblogged the UK's BAFTA Television Awards, in which shows most Americans have never heard of took home the big prizes. (Pop Vultures)

Rae listened in on a teleconference with Jason Dohring about the return of Moonlight and shares her favorite bits. (RTVW)

This week, the TV Addict set the internet ablaze with his review of the highly anticipated Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica. (the TV Addict)

How I Met Your Mother introduces everyone to Vance's Canada! Welcome, eh! (Tapeworthy)

This week, Jace dished about the Torchwood season finale but he was really all about the shape of things to come on Lost. (Televisionary)

TiFaux launched a new regular feature this week with Dan recruiting some of his gal pals for Ask a Lesbian About This Week's Work Out. This week, they addressed Jackie's new haircut and Rebecca's shouting for attention. (TiFaux)

Jennifer was downright giddy after Robin and Barney's kiss on How I Met Your Mother and couldn't resist gushing about the Robin Sparkles-centered episode guest starring James Van Der Beek. And she can't stop singing, "I'm building sandcastles in the sand." (Tube Talk)

Kate scoured casting notices until she was able to confirm that yes, there really will be a Wedding of the Year on Gossip Girl. (TV Filter)


The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon quickly became one of my favorite characters on television and I may have realized why this week, dude is basically me. If you remember last summer I mentioned how I could win VH1’s World Series of Pop Culture by myself, and Sheldon actually tried win a team competition all by himself this week. I loved how the janitor was actually a physicist back in Russia. Check out the latest episodes over at Innertube. You can also download or The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.


How I Met Your Mother: I’m not sure if I can watch this show anymore after seeing Marshall in all his doughy glory. Check out the latest episodes over at Innertube. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.


My Name Is Earl: I’m not sure what I liked less since Earl came back from hiatus: the coma storyline or Earl’s coma sitcom. It did get better this week with the introduction of Jason Street’s buddy Herc and luckily Earl finally woke up because Randy as the lead just wasn’t cutting it, he should only be seen in small doses. Check out the latest episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download My Name Is Earl on iTunes.


Survivor: Why do these morons hold onto the Hidden Immunity Idol so long? If I am not mistaken that is four Idols that have gone unused over the last two seasons when the owner’s torch got snuffed out. And with the girls’ alliance, why didn’t the guys get together, recruit Amanda who is last in their pecking order, and force a tie instead of resigning to being picked off one by one? Last week was the opportune time to do so, now they are just waiting around to get voted off. Check out the latest episode over at Innertube.




Lost: I haven’t decided if I loved the ending or hated it. On one hand, Not-Henry is back to his un-castrated self playing mind games. On the other hand, if the rules have changed, why not cap Whitmore right there. And how hard is it for Not-Henry to find Penny, she has been waiting in the same apartment for a decade waiting for Desmond’s call. As for the rules changing, the easy explanation of what Not-Henry was doing in the Bat Cave was summoning the Smoke Monster, but what if this week’s flashbacks / forwards, were actually neither, and Not-Henry was actually went through that black wall and was transported to Tunisia, went through the whole thing with Sayid (do you really believe his Fiji explanation), found Whitmore, threatened him, and went back to the island. Check out the latest episode over at ABC.com.




Next Week’s Pick: Lost, Thursday at 10:01 on ABC: Leave it a Not-Henry-centric episode to make it look like the show is back on track and maybe the episodes the show lost due to the writer’s strike will speed things up for the rest of the season. Next week looks like a Jack episode but will we be getting flashback’s or flashforward. Of course if we get any more flashbacks from the Oceanic Six will be a huge disappointment, so hopefully it is a flashforward.

I Want My Music Television vol. XXIV

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.


>The Best Damn Thing - Avril Lavigne



If revoking NAFTA means an end to Avril Lavigne’s pink and punk era comes to an end here in America I am all for it. It was moderately cute circa Girlfriend, but she has gone way over the line of tolerability with this video.


I’m Your - Jason Mraz



Jason Mraz is one of those artist that makes some crappy music, yet every once in a while can create a completely great track. I’m Yours is one of the latter in that is just a quintessential springtime song. And if you have time you really want to hunt down the mash-up How Six Songs Collide that landed at number 14 of the Best Mash Up’s of 2007 list.


Strange Times - The Black Keys



If I am not mistaken I think I was an orientation instructor back in college for one half of The Black Keys (and while I am name dropping I routinely hit on a future Playmate of the Month while working at the Recreation Center in college too). Despite the connection, I have never checked out any of the group’s album even though I have been meaning to for years now. Hopefully the great laser tag themed video (hey, we need a way to fulfill our paintball urges when there is too much snow on the ground) will finally get me around to that.


Mercy - Duffy



For those of you that like the retro stylings of Amy Winehouse but could do without the course language and tabloid antics, give a listen to Duffy (not to be confused with the MTV VJ of the nineties) who does the retro vibe much closer to the sixties girl groups.

Would You Like to Pick Out the Outfit You Want to Break Up with Me In

It seems the only way a comedy can become a hit these days is to have the name Judd Apatow. The guy who perfected the lovable loser in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. And the guy is building up a family tree that rivals that of Bill Walsh has in the NFL. And to help them out, Apatow slaps on the “produced by” tag for himself so their movie gets an extra boost, the latest is from Jason Segal, who worked for Apatow in Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Knocked Up and has now written Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Segal doesn’t steer to far from Apatow territory with the lead, which he cast himself as, is yet another lovable loser who has taken to eating Fruit Loops out of an oversized bowl while watching Project Runway in sweatpants. And that is what is happening when he is dating television star Sarah Marshall, for who he does the music for (the movie is almost worth the price of admission for her television partner and be sure to stay for the credits for her second special co-star) so things only gets worse when she dumps him for known player Aldous Snow, lead singer for Infant Sorrow.

Also an Apatow trait is the numerous cameos and their plenty of them here including hilarious turns from Apatow regulars Paul Rudd (Knocked Up), Jonah Hill (The 40 Year Old Virgin), and Bill Hader (Superbad) as well as new comer into the fold Jack McBray (Mariah Carey Touch My Body video) who gets some of the best lines in the movie. They even brought in some native Hawaiians for some memorable characters.

It is nice to see Kristen Bell in something good not named Veronica Mars (there is a not so subtle dig at Bell’s Pulse in the movie) the only problem, despite being the title character; hers is the most poorly written in the film. In fact writing for woman is apparently not Segal’s strong suit because Mila Kunis (American Psycho II: All American Girl) as the potential rebound girl isn’t much better. But with a lesser actress, Sarah could have turned into your token cold hearted ex but in Bell’s hand there are times you will find yourself rooting for her to land the good guy in the end.

Oh and did I mention there are puppets? Seriously. Go see this movie or at the very least wait for the DVD for hopefully an extended version of the puppet scene.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television vol. XXIII

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.


Homecoming - Kanye West



I believe Kanye West is now half way to making a video for each song off his new album. I always found it silly to have the dude from Coldplay sing the hook about Chicago. I don’t think he remembers fireworks on Lake Michigan. The effect are pretty cool anyways.


I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie



Yeah some die-hards are upset with this song but I have to give it up to anyone with the gall to go with an eight plus minute epic as their first single without any lyrics until half way through. Now if only Death Cab for Cutie had taken a page out of the Guns n’ Roses playbook and had an accompanying super epic video to go along with it. But the infectious bass line almost makes up for it.


Bottle it Up - Sara Bareilles



What I like about Sara Bareilles, and why I think she will outlast other potential one hit wonder of the moment Colbie Caillat, is that she has an underlying starkiness. If you thought Love Song was about some dude, take a closer listen to the lyrics (hint: its dircted at her record company). And I love the opening line of this song, “They’ll be girls across the nation that will eat this up.”


Madly - Tristan Prettyman



I should have a review of Tristan Prettyman’s album up sometime this week, but in short it is better than her debut, of course I think only a small handful ever heard it. To hold you over until I get that up, you can currently download this song for free as iTunes Free Single of the Week (as long as the below graphic is still of her).

The TV Blog Coalition for April 19

Buzz combed through photos to speculate about upcoming storylines on Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty, and more. (BuzzSugar)

This week, Sandie posted the first part from our Alex O'Loughlin interview during our Moonlight set visit. (Daemon's TV)

Reality TV certainly was in rare form this week, and even the last hurrah of Rob & Big couldn’t compare to the utter lunacy of Vh1’s ¡Viva Hollywood!. (Mikey Likes TV)

Marcia faced a post-strike TV slump and wondered if there is such a thing as "viewer's block." (Pop Vultures)

Forever a fairy tale kind of girl, Rae was only too happy to take an early look at ABC Family's modern fairy tale, Princess, and share what Kip Pardue and Nora Zehetner to say about filming the movie. (RTVW)

You're allowed to fall in love with Burn Notice now that USA Network is re-running an encore of the First Season in anticipation of Season 2, but Jeffrey Donovan/Michael Weston will forever be Vance's, so back off! (Tapeworthy)

Holy Joss Whedon! This week, Jace had everyone buzzing with his review of the "brilliant" and "gripping" pilot script for Joss Whedon's new Fox drama Dollhouse. (Televisionary)

Maggie willingly relived the trauma of high school by exposing herself to MTV's new reality show The Paper, which is set in a real-life high school. (TiFaux)

Tube Talk got to take part in an interview with Bones star David Boreanaz that turned tense when another reporter called Bones a bubble show. (Tube Talk)

Show ABC that you care about quality scripted television and that not all of their shows have to include dancing, a bachelor or a nanny! Pledge your support for Eli Stone. (the TV Addict)

In honor of Tax Day, Raoul paid tribute to TV's greatest accountants. (TV Filter)

Pop Culture Quiz

About a month ago I was asked to submit up to three question for Hey! Nielsen's Pop Culture Quiz. The quiz went live earlier this month where you can win $1,000 in prizes including a Sony PSP, Apple iPod nano, a one-year subscription to Netflix, free music downloads, and more pop culture goodies. Of the ten questions I submitted they only used one so since I do not have time to whip up a Lyrics Quiz this month, I thought I would pose the questions I submitted to you instead. Feel free to leave your guesses in the comment section and I will let you know if you are right later. And don't forget to check out Hey! Nielsen's Pop Culture Quiz too as their prizes are better than my virtual pat on the back for being right.


1. What two Neptune residents were switched at birth on Veronica Mars?
2. What was the name of Rosco P. Coltrane's dog?
3. What was the first inanimate object to talk to Jaye on Wonderfalls?
4. What child actor was also the narrator for Arrested Development?
5. What two professions did Ed Stevens have concurrently?
6. What was the biggest fear of B.A. Baracus.
7. What FBI agent had a "The Truth Is Out There" poster on his office wall?
8. What was the one and only song Marshall could play in his car on How I Met Your Mother?
9. What band t-shirts do Beavis and Butt-head always wear?
10. Which one of these prematurely canceled Fox shows actually got a second season: The Lone Gunman, Undeclared, Firefly, A Minute with Stan Hooper, Tru Calling, Keen Eddie, Wonderfalls, The Inside?

Win, Speed Racer, Win

I am not the biggest fan of turning cartoons into live action movies but despite all my gripes, Hollywood continues to ruin my childhood. The latest being Speed Racer. But MTV is currently running a contest threw April 18 where you can win a $100,000 tricked out Corvette. Here is how you can enter:

1. Entries must be made by text on their website, http://www.raceforspeedracer.com/ (by entering your phone number and carrier) or by texting “fast” to 90736.
2. On April 18th, participants will be notified how to answer a “Speed Racer” trivia question via text.
3. They must answer the question within 2 minutes to qualify.
4. 10 winners will be flown to premiere in Los Angeles to race (mini cars) for a car inspired by “Speed Racer”.

Below are some pictures of the car:

The TV Blog Coalition for April 13

Buzz reminisced about the greatest game shows of the late '80s and early '90s — anyone remember I'm Telling? (Buzz Sugar)

This week Sandie teases us about her visit of the set of Moonlight with a picture of Alex O'Loughlin and of Jason Dohring, as well as a clip from Alex O'Loughlin's interview. There will be more to come soon! (Daemon's TV)

Getting excited about the return of Doctor Who? Anna celebrates by remembering what made the third season so great. (Pop Vultures)

Bored now? Kill a few minutes of your day fantasizing about your own TV network. (RTVW)

Vance outlines some better alternatives to popular (but bland) shows. Watch Everybody Hates Chris instead of According to Jim. Watch Bones instead of NCIS/CSI:Pick you city/Numb3rs. It's for your own good. (Tapeworthy)

While Jace was thrilled for the return of 30 Rock and The Office this week, he caught up on reading pilot scripts, including ABC's Good Behavior, from Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas. (Televisionary)

What in the world? Dan writes a letter to God wondering why Project Runway is making the switch from gay wonderland Bravo to housewife haven Lifetime. (TiFaux)

Ashley evaluated TV's best villains and you may be surprised who made the list. (Tube Talk)

The TV Addict uncovers ABC's top-secret programming strategy for Men in Trees. (The TV Addict)

Raoul talks to Sharon, a.k.a. Barbie, from Hell's Kitchen. (TV Filter)

So Unfunny Because it's True and That's Funny

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Cause God's Stopped Keeping Score

Due to circumstances out of my control, I have only gotten an hour or two of free time to get on the computer a day for the last couple week. So it was somewhat of a lark that I found this song by Carrie Underwood from Idol Gives Back, which I guess was sometime this week, when I gave a glance over at the iTunes top 25. Possibly my favorite song from a very underrated George Michael record (which begs the question, when is vol 2 of Listen without Prejudice ever going to come out?). And because of the previously mentioned circumstances, the song really hit me so I thought I'd share.

Are You Trying to Steal My Soul

Poor Amber Tamblyn, since the unceremonious cancellation of Joan of Arcadia, she has been slumming it in movies about pants, bad Japanese remakes, straight to DVD flicks, Hallmark movies and failed zombie shows. Her latest step into obscurity is with another straight to DVD outing, the psychological thriller Spiral where she plays the most interesting character. Although Zach Levi gives her a run for her money, even though with the short hair and beard looks more like Jesse Metcalf than Chuck Bartowski.

But the movie belongs to Joel David Moore (Hatchet) in every sense of the word as besides being the main character he also co-directed and co-wrote the movie. So when he is what brings down the movie, you only have him to blame because whether you blame him, how it was written, or directed, in the end it all fall on him.

Moore plays you token introvert working as a telemarketer under the eyes of Levi who has looked after him since high school and has been his only friend throughout that time. Not that Levi is the most nurturing friend who thinks being there and telling him the truths are enough. But Moore starts to turn around when he meets the carefree Tamblyn.

The big twist at the end of the movie makes things interesting, but once the twist is reveled, it is easy to predict a second twist, which turns out to be overkill. And as much Tamblyn and Levi are on throughout the movie, Moore just suck the life out of the film even with the cool jazz soundtrack.

Spiral gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

The TV Blog Coalition for April 6

Thought last week's pilot quiz was too easy? Buzz threw down the gauntlet again this week with Spot the Fake Pilot: Reality Edition. (BuzzSugar)

This week we took a look at some pictures from the new post-strike episode of Moonlight. (Daemon's TV)

Mikey finally got around to discussing the racy development in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic continuation. (Mikey Likes TV)

Pacey and Joey sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Find out the other four TV couples that make Rae weak in the knees. (RTVW)

Vance thinks he might just move to Alaska if everything in life there is really as wonderfully dreamy as it is on Men in Trees. (Tapeworthy)

This week, Jace interviewed Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff (and watched the new season), sent an open letter to Hell's Kitchen overlord Gordon Ramsay, and--in light of new Dollhouse casting--wondered just what ever happened to Joss Whedon's Buffy spin-off Ripper. (Televisionary)

Nerd alert! Dan surveyed TV nerds from My So-Called Life's Brian Krakow to 30 Rock's Tina Fey to see who's a nerd and who is actually cooler than you are. (TiFaux)

After watching this week’s How I Met Your Mother, Jennifer explored the “Ted Mosby Is a Jerk” Web site, rallied for a Robin/Barney romance and got nostalgic for Doogie Howser, M.D. (Tube Talk)

Even though he wouldn't spill the identity of the final Cylon, the TV Addict highly recommends you check out our interview with Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber. (The TV Addict)

Raoul interviewed Katee Sackhoff from Battlestar Galactica. (TV Filter)

Press Release: King Kong

This year marks the 75th anniversary of King Kong and the Turner owned stations are celebrating in style starting this coming Monday. Here a press release on the whole thing:


TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies to Celebrate
75th Anniversary of KING KONG in April

TNT and TBS to Simulcast Network Television Premiere of Peter Jackson’s Blockbuster Remake,

Starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody

TCM to Present Classic 1939 Original, Starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot

TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) are teaming up to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Hollywood’s tallest, darkest leading man: KING KONG. The celebration will begin Monday, April 7, at 8 p.m. (ET), when TCM presents the original 1933 classic, which stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot. Then on Friday, April 11, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), TNT and TBS will simulcast director Peter Jackson’s Oscar®-winning 2005 remake, starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody.

“KING KONG is an excellent example of how having a portfolio of networks like ours provides outstanding programming opportunities,” said Ken Schwab, senior vice president of programming for TBS and TNT.

Charles Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM, added, “Through our celebration of KING KONG’s 75th anniversary, we will be able to bring the past and present together in a way no other company can do.”

In addition to the April 11 simulcast of Jackson’s acclaimed blockbuster, TNT will present encores of the film Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). TCM will follow its April 7 presentation of the original 1933 version of KING KONG with four other movie classics celebrating their 75th anniversary: Dinner at Eight at 10 p.m., Little Women at midnight, 42nd Street at 2 a.m. and Queen Christina at 3:45 a.m.

As a build-up to the network television premiere of Jackson’s film, fans of his The Lord of the Rings trilogy can catch all three of those Oscar-winning films on TNT the weekend prior to KING KONG, with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring airing Friday, April 4, at 8 p.m.; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers airing Saturday, April 5, at 8 p.m.; and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King airing Sunday, April 6, at 8 p.m.

KING KONG tells the story of Carl Denham, a maverick filmmaker determined to capture on film images that have never been seen by civilization. He and his stalwart crew hire a boat and head to the remote Skull Island, where they encounter natives worshipping a mysterious god. After the natives capture Ann Darrow, Denham’s leading lady, and offer her as a sacrifice, the reality of their god becomes apparent: it is a giant gorilla they call Kong.

Kong, who is struck by Ann’s beauty, takes her back to his lair, fighting off numerous prehistoric beasts who would like to make a meal of her. Denham and his crew, meanwhile, set out to get her back alive and capture Kong to take him back to New York. Once in the Big Apple, Kong breaks free, finds Ann and climbs to the top of the Empire State Building, where he faces the bullets of fighter planes buzzing overhead. Bleeding and alone in a world he doesn’t understand, Kong looks to Ann for comfort. But even her beauty and affection cannot save him. He tumbles off the building to his tragic death on the streets below. As a crowd gathers, Denham provides newspaper reporters with their perfect headline: “’Twas beauty killed the beast.”

KING KONG began as the brainchild of director Merian C. Cooper, who came up with the idea while he was shooting wild-animal footage for the movie The Four Feathers. His original plan for KING KONG was to use a real gorilla made larger through the use of trick photography. When he saw some model animation that Willis O’Brien had put together for an abandoned dinosaur project, he realized the special-effects wizard was the perfect person to bring his giant gorilla to life. O’Brien’s work on the film took special effects to an entirely new level, paving the road for a number of subsequent classic films, including several created by Ray Harryhausen, who learned his craft working under O’Brien.

RKO released KING KONG in New York in 1933. At the time, it was the only film that had ever played by Radio City Music Hall and the RKO Roxy simultaneously. Audiences and critics were amazed, and KING KONG went on to make more than $1.7 million at the height of the Depression, single-handedly saving RKO from bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the studio mangled the prints in later releases, removing several sequences that were deemed too graphic or too suggestive for audiences. It was not until the 1960s that many of these scenes were restored.

In 1976, producer Dino De Laurentiis created a new version of KING KONG that featured make-up artist Rick Baker in a gorilla suit, along with a few sequences with a massively expensive mechanical Kong made by Carlo Rambaldi. The film was dismissed by critics, but managed to become a blockbuster and earn an Oscar for its visual effects.

Nearly three decades later, filmmaker Peter Jackson, hot off of his extraordinary feat of making The Lord of the Rings trilogy, decided to try for his own remake. He was determined to do everything right that De Laurentiis had done so very wrong. Jackson didn’t want to just remake the 1933 classic; he wanted to pay loving homage to it. To do so, he teamed up with writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who had helped make his Tolkien trilogy such a critical and financial success. And he called upon the same special-effects and design teams that brought Middle Earth to life.

Jackson’s film was released in 2005 to enormous critical praise and blockbuster crowds. Like the 1933 original, Jackson’s film took special effects to a new level, using computer animation and performance elements by Andy Serkis (Gollum in The Lord of the Rings) to make Kong to astonishingly realistic. The results were three Oscars (Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing) and a domestic gross of more than $200 million.

Previewing Battlestar Galactica

Unfortunately I have not been able to watch any television lately let alone write anything, the Gnarls Barkley review I wrote last Monday was the last I had time to do so. So instead of accepting the screener for the first episode of the last season of Battlestar Galactica, the good people at the Sci-Fi Channel, like Courtney, were kind enough to send my copy to Jo, who could definitely do a better job hyping the premiere, which you can see on April 4 at 10, than I could. And here is what she has to say about it (anyone else interested in doing a guest post, shout me a holla):

Battlestar Galactica amazes me. Every season has ended in jaw dropping fashion- last season especially. And the beginning of the final season promises a whole new direction. This episode is just the tip of the iceberg and I refuse to ruin it for you with spoilers.

The great news:
Starbuck is back!
No season can begin or end with the giant battle scene.
More Anders this year!

Some things haven't changed.....
- Gaius is still a slimy weasel. He gets whisked off to a cult dedicated to himself, so you know that'll take him about 3 seconds to learn to love. I wonder how long it will take him to manipulate them. Honestly, Caprica Six has more of a soul than him.
- Helo is still the open minded one while Roslin's first instinct is AIRLOCK! This is why I love both of them.
- Those that love and trust Starbuck still do, despite the evidence pointing to the weird and the unexplained.

Some things are very different....
- Starbuck doesn't seem to be all right in the head...and not in the usual Starbuck way.
- The four new cylons will probably take different paths through their upcoming identity crises. That's my personal guess.
- Apollo! Oooh Apollo. I'm very eager to see Apollo's new civilian take on life.


Scooter Update: As I mentioned weeks ago, those in NYC and LA, you can get a free pizza for watching the fourth season premiere. All you have to do is call or walk into a participating pizza joint and say "I want to order a frakking pizza", answer a question about the episode and you get a free pizza with one topping which comes with BSG branded boxes, while supplies last. I do not have the numbers, check your phone book, but here are the adresses:

NYC:
Adriana - 253 3rd Ave
City Pie - 166 W 72nd St
Crispy Pizza - 114 7th Ave
Fat Sals - 730 10th Ave
Fat Sals - 217 W 14th St
Freddy Peppers - 303 Amsterdam Ave
Little Italy Pizza - 55 W 45th St
Maffei Pizza - 686 6th Ave
Mike's Due - 415 2nd Ave
Pizza Joint 2 - 70 W 71st St
Rays St. Marks - 2 St Marks Place
Stroko's 2 - 1090 Amsterdam Ave
Torino Pizza - 22 W 56th St
Mariella - 151 E 60th St
Joes Pizza - 7 Carmine St
Stroko's - 888 10th Ave

LA:
Asparagus Pizza - 1809 N Cahuenga Blvd
Checker Cab Pizza - 750 S Flower St
Cheech's Pizza - 2116 Hillhurst Ave
Damiano's Pizza - 412 N Fairfax
Fratellis Pizza - 20929 Ventura Blvd #11
Lucia's Pizza - 1732 1/2 Westwood Blvd
NY Pizza Pasta - 11078 Santa Monica BLvd
Junior pizza - 3520 N. Figueroa
Jinas Pizza - 4551 Centinela Ave
Enzos pizza - 10940 Weyburn Ave
Italian Express - 10845 Lindbrook Dr
Mulberry Street Pizza - 17040 Ventura Blvd
Ciccero Pizz - 1536 S. La cienga Blvd
Grecos Pizza - 6814 Hollywood Blvd

Radio in My Head, Radio in that Car

At the turn of every decade it seems like radio dumps anything associated with the previous one looking for something new to define the next one. Then the band has to sit out ten years and hope to join the greatest hits circuit when nostalgia starts to set in. Sadly Better Than Ezra got lost in the shuffle even though they continue to put out solid album after solid album. Their best of which is this month’s selection for the Scooter Hall of Fame.

The band made a name for themselves thanks to the Adam Sandler assisted Good, but the group perfected their sound on their second album, Friction, Baby. The album starts off with the bombast rock of King of New Orleans. But the hit was Desperately Wanting, the greatest rock song ever about complications from a pregnancy.

(Scooter’s Note: I wrote this a while ago and planned a couple more paragraphs but haven’t the time. I may come back and finish it later.)

Sci-Fi Channel Upfront

Two weeks ago was the Sci-Fi Upfronts and as promised last week. Better late than never, plus I have not seen some of this info elsewhere. So here are the shows you can expect on the Sci-Fi Channel over the next couple months (most dates have not been released yet):

Ghost Hunters International: The show will return this summer to complete its first season with seven new episodes.

Scare Tactics: The reality show will be back with new host Tracy Morgan (The Longest Yard).

Mind Control with Derren Brown: Season two will return with six hour long episodes who the dude sometimes described as “part James Bond, part Yoda.”

Estate of Panic: This new show is part Fear Factor, part Survivor where seven people try to find a million dollars hidden in an expansive estate while overcoming terror.

Brain Trust: Think The Big Bang Theory with real geniuses that try to find new solutions to everyday problems. The Trust includes such luminaries as a MENSA Member and the dude with the highest IQ on record.

Mystery of the Crystal Skull with Lester Holt: Just in time for the new Indiana Jones movie with the same title, Holt travels ancient civilizations looking for the thirteen crystal human skulls. The special airs May 18 at 9:00.

True Believer: From the mind of Rosario Dawson, a comic book nerd hires a washed up superhero to be his sidekick in this backdoor pilot. Sounds like a cool concept, but isn’t there a Will Smith movie coming out this summer with the same plot?

The Stranded: From the Virgin Comics that was released this past January and sold out quickly will be the basis of a two hour pilot.

Deputize: A new show about an average Joe gets special powers after accidentally fitted with an alien exoskeleton that he cannot remove and is then enlisted to serve on the inter-galactic space force.

Alice: The success of last year’s Tin Man brings us a six hour miniseries a new modern retelling of Alice in Wonderland.

Caprica: Even with Battlestar Galactica coming to an end this season, fans can rest in the solace of the new two hour back door pilot for the prequel which will be set fifty years before the events of the original. Production is slated to begin this Spring.

Sci-Fi Game Center: Launching in mid-April this new part of SciFi.com will bring classic video games like Asteroids and new gaming experiences that will feature elements of their favorite Sci-Fi shows. It will also feature a blog like feature with reports on all things relevant to a gamer’s life.

Battlestar Galactica: Get a jump on the new season premiere with a live stream of the episode on Friday April 4 at noon EST. Also be on the look out for new webisodes from the show.

Join the Fight! Cylon or Human: A new social gaming experiences where you can choose either side with new battles each week.

Starcrossed: This Web-only series from David Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis) about a behind the scenes look at a long running sci-fi soap.

Sci-Fi Rewind Player: Check out select Sci-Fi shows on your computer whenever you want featuring high quality video.

The TV Blog Coalition for March 30

With pilot season finally kicking into gear, Buzz wondered if you could tell the real pilots from the fakes. (BuzzSugar)

This week, Sandie proclaimed her love for Doctor Who and Torchwood. (Daemon's TV)

Even Britney couldn't ruin this week's How I Met Your Mother for Mikey. He's also pretty sure joining Mother would be better use of Sarah Chalke's talents than another season of Scrubs. (Mikey Likes TV)

Pop Vultures looked back at the first nine episodes of Pushing Daisies and risked inciting an angry mob by saying some unkind things. (Pop Vultures)

Rae finally shares her "Adopt A Writer" interview with writer Lisa Klink whose TV credits include Star Trek: Voyager, Earth: Final Conflict, and Painkiller Jane. (RTVW)

Vance thinks there is finally a competition starting on American Idol. (Tapeworthy)

Dan found an article on Ryan Seacrest that is one of the most disturbing portraits he's seen in a good long while. (TiFaux)

This week, Jace took advance looks at HBO's Summer Heights Highand Showtime's Tracey Ullman's State of the Union and was overjoyed to chat with 30 Rock's Tina Fey and The Office's Greg Daniels and Rainn Wilson. (Televisionary)

To celebrate the return of The Office on April 10, Jennifer had the chance to chat with executive producer Greg Daniels and actor Rainn Wilson. She got Daniels to spill on whether Karen will be back, and there’s plenty of other spoilery scoop, too. (Tube Talk)

The TV Addict imagined what a Michael Sara reunion might look like on Prison Break! (the TV Addict)

Kate decided that The Real Housewives of New York City is the darkest show on television. (TV Filter)

Press Release: 21

A couple weeks back I started talking about the new movie 21 starring Kate Bosworth and tommorrow the movie finally hits theaters. Here are the last two characters profiles from the film and a Pres Realease (you can find the widge that is talked about on the previous post Previewing 21):

Fisher (Jacob Pitts)




Kianna (Liza Lapira)




Blackjack fans on MySpace looking forward to the March 28, 2008 release of 21, the high stakes action adventure from Columbia Pictures, can hone their skills and play for individual and college bragging rights with the new 21-themed blackjack widget, available now. A widget is a piece of software a user can grab and put on their own personal website.

In addition, users can enter the 21 Beat The House Sweepstakes for a chance to win a casino-style blackjack table, $1,000 in cash, and other valuable prizes.

Commenting on the announcement, Dwight Caines, executive vice president, worldwide digital marketing strategy, said, “Every year, millions of people travel to Las Vegas in the hopes of winning big. Most leave town licking their wounds and counting their losses, but 21 is inspired by the true story of a team of players from M.I.T., real geniuses, who used their powers and skills to beat Vegas at its own game. With this widget, users can experience the excitement of blackjack and become experts in Vegas’ only beatable game.”

The blackjack widget is skinned to promote 21. When MySpace members register to play, they will also identify their colleges (or alma mater). As they win games, they will earn points not only for the individual leaderboard, but also for a college leaderboard, so players will compete simultaneously for bragging rights among their peers and their schools.

The widget was built by Nabbr, a company that creates interactive widgets for premium content owners and distributes them to millions of users on the Nabbr Network. .

Zeeshan Zaidi, Chief Content Officer and Head of Business Development for Nabbr, said, “We’re thrilled to be building this widget for 21. We can’t wait for this movie and we think it’s a perfect fit for our wide reach into the social networks. As soon as we heard about the project, we brainstormed ways to take this widget to a new level – we wanted to build something that would be sticky and fun for MySpace users. Our 21-skinned blackjack widget does that.”

Columbia Pictures' action/adventure 21 is inspired by the true story of the very brightest young minds in the country – and how they took Vegas for millions.

Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a shy, brilliant M.I.T. student who – needing to pay school tuition – finds the answers in the cards. He is recruited to join a group of the school’s most gifted students that heads to Vegas every weekend armed with fake identities and the know-how to turn the odds at blackjack in their favor. With unorthodox math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) leading the way, they’ve cracked the code. By counting cards and employing an intricate system of signals, the team can beat the casinos big time. Seduced by the money, the Vegas lifestyle, and by his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), Ben begins to push the limits. Though counting cards isn’t illegal, the stakes are high, and the challenge becomes not only keeping the numbers straight, but staying one step ahead of the casinos’ menacing enforcer: Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne). The film is directed by Robert Luketic. The screenplay is by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb, based on the book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. The producers are Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey, and Michael De Luca.

First Impressions: Miss Guided

There is nothing worse than watching great actors slumming it on less than quality projects (think Kristen Bell in anything she has done not named Veronica Mars or Pootie Tang). Also landing in that category is Judy Greer who seems to get wasted as the sidekick in mundane chick flick. Then the few great roles she gets, like the slutty Bluth secretary on Arrested Development, are fleeting at best.

Greer gets a her first chance to get out of the shadows to as the star of Miss Guided the story of a guidance councilor who goes back to her old high school. Naturally she is easily the best part of the show. Sadly everyone around her are just one note or just plain boring. Kristoffer Polaha (North Shore) fills the boring quota as the object of Greer’s affection as the Shop Teacher turned Spanish teacher who know as much as the launguarge as his students.

But Greer has to fight for him with Brooke Burke (also North Shore), the English teacher that also graduated from the school as was everything Greer wasn’t back then. As for the authority figures there is the Earl Billings (never was on North Shore) as the momotone prncipal and Chris Parnel (Staurday Night Live) as second in command who seems like he is just playing an over ran skit.

The three episodes that have aired are mediocre at best, and someone should tell Ashton Kutcher, one of the executive producers, that is not a very good idea to include himself in his own creation because he is much better when someone else creates his characters for him. On the other hand, guest star Jamie Lynn Spears, sans baby bump, is by far the better actress in the family compared to her sister’s cringeworthy stab at acting on How I Met Your Mother.

Verdict: It is nice to see Judy Greer front and center unfortunately everyone around her, from the writers, to the actors, to the directors have dropped the ball. Don’t expect ABC to create anymore episodes than those already in the can. Miss Guided airs Thursday at 8:00 and 8:30 on ABC. You can stream episodes over at ABC.com.

Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing

There are basically two types of One Hit Wonders. There are the ones that put out extremely catchy songs, but you know you that do not have a second hit in them (think Lou Bega). Then there are the types whose first singles are so big, radio just doesn’t let them achieve a second hit because they are too busy playing the first one to bother given another of their songs a chance (think Semisonic). And that second route is what happened to Gnarls Barkley when, to this day, radio just keeps on spinning Crazy despite Smiley Faces and Gone Daddy Gone being great songs in their own rights.

One reason why the first group fails is they keep on trying to recreate their one and only hit. But don’t expect to hear anything like Crazy on Gnarls Barkley’s follow up album, The Odd Couple because the duo has already moved on. And they didn’t need to because with Danger Mouse’s seemingly never-ending well of beats, the group doesn’t need to try something they have already done. If there is anything similar to their debut on the new disk is Gnarls Barkley still manages to sound like something you have heard before and nothing you have ever heard before at the same time.

When you push the boundaries as far as Gnarls Barkley does, there is bound to be a misstep or two, for The Odd Couple, that comes in the form of Open Book where it sounds like Danger Mouse created a beat and thought to himself that it would be cool if Cee-Lo would unleash a vocal tirade over a backwards version of it. And sadly there aren’t any subliminal messages in there (or least none that I could distinguish).

Despite nothing as intrinsic as Crazy on the album (not that anyone should expect that) there are plenty of tracks worthy of multiple spins. First on the list is Who’s Gonna Save a Soul, a dark psychedelic trip that cuts so deep it will stay with you long after the album is done playing. On the other end of the spectrum, Run (I’m a Natural Disaster) is a frantic call to arms to anyone who wants to write the group off as too weird complete with cheerleader type shouts with Cee-Lo singing like he is running along side and a children storytelling breakdown in the middle just for fun.

Elsewhere there is Going On that incorporates Hendrix type guitars, gospel organs, and Motown snares that will have you clapping along. Blinds Mary is a bouncy pop song that will male you want to grab the nearest hand and skip along in a park. The album ends with A Little Better and an infectious bass line that is almost as good as Crazy’s but that is where the too seminaries end for the two songs. But the true power of The Odd Couple is that no matter how many times you listen to it, you will hear something you didn’t hear before.

Song to Download - Going On

The Odd Couple gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.