Best of the Week vol. XXXII

Quote of the Week: Just like Bartowski, bring a knife to a gun fight. (Casey, Chuck)

Song of the Week: One Night in Bangkok – Murray Head (The Big Bang Theory)

Big News of the Week: Lost Returns for the Last Time: And surprisingly I excited about the show for the first time since season one. Of course this may have something to do with me taking five minutes to figure out how Lost will end (if you are interested to know too, check out First Impressions: Lost the Final Season). And much of the discussion is about the dueling timelines which apparently have been dubbed “flashsideways.” Speaking of my orginal post on the Lost season premiere, naturally I left a few things out in my rush of posting it, and I forgot my way out there theory of the week in that Claire is no longer pregnant (we conspicuously never see her belly when Kate hijacks her cab). I am also beginning to think that Christian Sheppard is not a conduit of Jacob as he would like us to believe but was actually, Smokey / Fake Locke / Richard Hatch all along using the name of Jacob to put into action his masterplan.



Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: Choclate Chip – Isaac Hayes (Walmart.com)

Deal of the Week: Save on TV Show Favorites (Friday Night Lights, Kings, Bionic Woman)

Video of the Week: Remember about a year ago there was a special hosted on all the major networks (sans Fox) called Stand Up 2 Cancer? Well the non-profit is still going and has recruited none other than Sheldon Cooper’s alter ego Jim Parsons to show that everyone can make a difference when it comes to fighting the disease.

Up2 You + Me


Next Week Pick of the Week: Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Thursday at 8:00 on CBS: I hated Survivor: All Stars and when they brought people back for Fans vs. Favorites, it wasn’t much better. Yet I am actually looking forward Heroes vs. Villains (an idea they stole from the Real World / Road Rules Challenge) and they divide up all the devious players from those with a stronger moral compass. Although some odd choices like Candice Woodcock who deserted her tribe as a hero and I am not entirely remember what qualifies Danielle DiLorenzo (who topped my list of The Hottest Token Hot Chicks of Survivor list) and Sandra Diaz-Twine as villains. Be on look out later this week for more Survivor content to get ready for the new season. As a preseason prediction, I will say Stephenie LaGrossa.

Around the Tubes vol. XXXVII

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on NFL Full Contact, Parenthood, Caprica, and FX Movies.

- It was a hard season for us Browns fans and really the only thing that us threw was the hilarious Troy Polamalu Head and Shoulders commercial. Whenever a Steelers fan would give me crap about the Brown all I had to say is “You ask with your eyes (insert name), you ask with your eyes.” And thanks to TruTV, I can pile on even more thanks to this absurdly ridiculous commercial Troy is in and his little yelp. Thanks TruTV.

truTV Super Bowl Ad with Troy "Punxsutawney" Polamalu


- After the Olympics, we will finally get a look at the new Parenthood redo which looks like it may break the do over curse that plagued ever remake on television of last decade. Here is a behind the scenes look:

Inside Parenthood


- The latest episode of Caprica airs tonight and will feature featuring Sasha Roiz’s character Sam Adama. Check out a preview below:

Reins of Waterfall Sneak Peak


- Movies coming to FX this March include The 25th Hour (3/5), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (3/18), and Eastern Promises (3/25). All movies start at 8:00.

The Hotest Token Hot Chicks of Survivor Ever

Next week marks the start of the twentieth season of Survivor (there is some sort of Survivor special tonight) and sure there should be a discussion of the greatest Survivor contestants of all time (which I will get to later), but what started out as a cool social experiment pitting strangers against themselves in the middle of nowhere has dissolved into a contest of who they can find to fit into the smallest bikini with a cool social experiment going on in the background. Not that I am complaining. And to honor that, here are the 25 Hottest Token Hot Chicks in the history of Survivor who managed to remain hot despite not taking a shower for a month.

1. Danielle DiLorenzo - Panama

2. Monica Padilla - Samoa

3. Amber Brkich - Australia

4. Eliza Orlins - Vanuatu

5. Sydney Wheeler - Tocantins

6. Parvati Shallow - Cook Island

7. Jamie Dugan - China

8. Jenna Morasca - The Amazon

9. Julie Berry - Vanuatu

10. Kimberly Mullin - Palau

11. Morgan McDevitt - Guatemala

12. Paloma Soto-Castillo - Gabon

13. Natalie White - Samoa

14. Michelle Yi - Fiji

15. Kelly Goldsmith - Africa

16. Carolina Eastwood - Tocantins

17. Amanda Kimmel - China

18. Stephenie LaGrossa - Palau

19. Alexis Jones - Micronesia

20. Dolly Neely - Vanuatu

21. Kim Powers - Africa

22. Elisabeth Filarski - Australia

23. Erinn Lobdell - Tocantins

24. Ashley Trainer - Samoa

25. Darrah Johnson - Pearl Island

First Impressions: Lost the Final Season

I call foul. The promo monkeys said The Time for Questions Are Over and though we got some long awaited answers (five years later we finally know what, or who the Smoke Monster is) but they still set up plenty of questions in the season premiere of Lost most notably, how was Faraday both right and wrong about what happened after they set off a hydrogen bomb (they passengers would find themselves back on the plane as if their plane didn’t crash and ending back in real time respectively).

Speaking of that plane ride, did the writers really try to slip in that Shannon didn’t actually get on the plane and stayed with her boyfriend? Again, I call foul. I really hate it when the writers think we are stupid. Seriously, if you couldn’t get Maggie Grace to come back, you could be a little more creative that to change history to get around the fact she isn’t there. And I wouldn’t be so made if I didn’t assume we will never know why this happened. And I could have done without all the cheesy tongue and cheek lines like Charlie saying he was supposed to die, or Boone telling Locke he was pulling his leg. At least Arntz didn’t make any explosion jokes.

That is not to say none of the revisionist history was bad. I am eager to see just how they explain how Desmond ended up on the plane, where is Christian Sheppard’s body (but do not care at all what happened to Locke’s knives). And of course, if the island if 20,000 leagues under the sea, where is Ben, Juliet, Zeke, Richard Alpert (who has to be presumed dead without that healing spring at the temple) and those hired by Whitmore: Faraday, Miles, Charlotte.

Oh, yeah, and there was the healing spring we could always assumed existed since it miraculously saved Ben from Sayid shooting him and ironically saved Sayid after being shot by Ben’s father. Which begs the question, if Smokey needed Locke dying for his loophole, is Sayid Jacob’s loophole to come back to the land of the living? And at the Temple, we finally get a four year question answered in that we finally know what happened to the children, but still no word why The Others took who they did. Not that I really care anymore.

A few question answer in the season finale but I uncovered the biggest question of them all last night: how Lost ends which I am going to explain in the paragraphs below this one. So if you do not want to know how Lost ends, stop reading now (Scooter’s Note: This is not a spoiler per say as I do not have any insider information, but if I were a betting man, I would put a small fee on this being how the show concludes).

Faraday was right, you can reboot time, but he was wrong with the event. The bomb was always “The Incident” and was fated to happen (like I predicted). To use Faraday’s skipping record analogy, when Ben pushed the frozen donkey wheel, it created time to skip, it kept skipping until Locke made it stop, but they were left where Locke made the skipping stop, in the seventies. What the bomb accomplished was the blow the needle back to present day (well, back where Ben is, which I think is 2008).

So the ending of Lost will come when they figure out what that event that will start time will be which is when Jacob finds a loophole that will kill his buddy / Not-Locke / Smokie and in the ruckus, Jack gets decapitated explaining the cut on his neck back on the plane. Then when that happens “The Flashbacks” that we see of the plane are the result of happens from that event. But that just doesn’t reset back to the events of the plane, but the whole history of the island and that is why it is underwater and why Desmond can be on the plane, because he never crashed on the island because it was there. Or to put it in laymen’s term, remember the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where Cordelia wished Buffy never came to Sunnydale? Everyone but Giles died, and time was reset when he crushed Anya’s medallion. That is what the series finale of Lost will be. Bazinga.

Revisting Lost 1.x

The fans of Lost are basically just like the two main characters on the show: you are either a man of faith, or a man of science. If faith is your bag, you are giddily waiting tonight’s premiere of the last season and trust that the creators will deliver a satisfying end to the series because they have had a plan all along. If you are a man of science, you spent the ten months since the last season finale coming up with the 100 Questions Lost Better Answer or We’ll Be Pissed. I fall into the later and could have easily came up with more than a hundred, but to be honest I stopped caring sometime during the second season and may have dumped the show around the fourth had they not named an end date.

But back when I still was a Lost obsessive, I created my own mini list at the end of the first season with a bunch of unanswered questions bback in 2005 (see Guys (Dramatic Pause) Where Are We). So as we go into the final season, I am jumping into the Dharma time machine and see just how they did in answering questions I was left wondering after season one.


What did Kate do that was so bad that her mom is scared of her?
My Guess: Eco-terrorist blamed for the death of an oil tycoon.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Yes, she blew up her father

How did Locke get in the wheelchair?
My Guess: Complications to surgery.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Yes, his father pushed him out a window.

What is the monster?
My Guess: A specter.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No, Ben ambiguously said it was the island’s security system, but that is really it.
Chance There Will Be a Satisfying Answer: 75%.

What is the hatch to?
My Guess: A submarine.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Yes, it was to a Dharma station. Not so satisfying, there ended up being an easier entry point.

What happened to Rose?
My Guess: She went looking for her husband around the island.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Not really, she just was not written into those last couple episodes.

Why did the fortune teller change his mind about Claire keeping her baby?
My Guess: The fortune teller didn't change his mind. There is no couple in LA. He saw another castaway's future and made Claire get on that flight.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No
Chance There Will Be a Satisfying Answer: 10%.

Who was Ethan Rom and why did he want Claire?
My Guess: One of the others looking for the chosen one.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Yes, he was indeed an Other and they wanted to examine how she was pregnant on the island.

How did Claire escape someone who could capture two people at one time?
My Guess: She didn't escape, she was let go after it was realized that her child wasn't the chosen one.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Sort of, she was released by one of The Others but I don’t remember why they didn’t go back after her.

How did Jack single handedly beat up Ethan Rom after be beaten like a red headed step child days earlier?
My Guess: Ethan let him win.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No.
Chance There Will Be a Satisfying Answer: 0%

Why would Sayid hook up with Shannon after being so close to finding his true love?
My Guess: I, personally, would forget about any past loves if I had a chance with Shannon.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No, but my guess should suffice.

What's with the number?
My Guess: Just a way to connect everyone and everything.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Pretty much, they had to be inputted to keep from the world to end though no word on why those numbers or why they seem to bring bad luck.

What did the French chick say to Hurley to calm him down?
My Guess: Haven't a clue.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No, but to be honest it took me a while to remember exactly what this scene and don’t remember a resolution either.
Chance There Will Be a Satisfying Answer: 5%

Why did Claire name here kid Aaron? If she lost all her memory, what could the significance of this be?
My Guess: I think the writers screwed up.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No and No
Chance There Will Be a Satisfying Answer: 25% and 0%.

What do the Others want with Walt?
My Guess: He can control the monster.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Not really, Ben said Jacob wanted him, but we never learn why (besides “he’s special”) and since leaving the island, the writers don’t seem to care about Walt anymore, he didn’t even have to be part of the recreated plane ride back to the island.

What will happen to Michael, Sawyer & Jin?
My Guess: They will float back to the island and will discover the other survivors like Rose's husband and Michelle Rodriguez.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Yes, I guessed correctly.

What will Jack and company find down the hatch?
My Guess: Boone, Ethan Rom, the marshal, Scott and anyone else who died.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: Yes, it was a Dharma station manned by Desmond.

Why is a flight from Australia carrying so many non-Australians? By my count there is only one Australian that we have met, Claire.
My Guess: It's an American show.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No, it most likely is just a literary licence.

What was the secret Locke told Walt in the pilot?
My Guess: I'm not sure I really want to know.
Has There Been a Satisfying Answer: No but I am sure Chris Hansen would like to ask some questions about his relationship with Walt.
Chance There Will Be a Satisfying Answer: 10%.

For a recap of the questions left open after the first season of Lost:
No: 9
Yes: 6
Not Really: 2
Sort Of: 1
Pretty Much: 1

We on Award Tour: 2010 Grammy Awards

Even though music dying, that isn’t going to stop them from be self congratulatory. And even though the awards themselves are worthless (Hilary Clinton has more than The Beach Boys; Neil Young won his first ever this year… for album packaging), there are still plenty of great performances, here are my thoughts on last night’s festivities.

- Remember when opening the Grammy’s was a big thing. Prince being join Beyoncé, Madonna being backed by the Gorillaz performing in 3-D for the first time, the reunited Police, U2 even got things started last year. This year we get the most overrated thing in music possibly ever. Well at least Lady Gaga only covered herslf in soot instead of fake menstrual blood for this performance. So there’s that.

- In lieu of an actual host yet again, we get Stephen Colbert for a pseudo-monologue trashing the music industry (and they still laugh) all but pointing out how Susan Boyle managed to sell more albums than anyone in the audience (sans Taylor Swift) in less than a month then they did all year). But his bit with his daughter was the highlight, if only the cameraman was a little quicker with the reaction shot.

- Just a reminder, Song of the Year is a songwriting award. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) won a songwriting award. Whoa-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh Oh- oh-oh-oh.

- Who invited Jennifer Lopez? Was it just to memorialize the ten year anniversary since she wore “The Dress”? (If so, where was the twentieth anniversary memorial to Milli Vanilli winning Best New Artist?) It’s been eight years since she put out a song anyone cared about or a movie anyone wanted to see.

- And even odder, she introduces Green Day and the cast of American Idiot which didn’t really work. Had there been distractingly bad lip-syncing, it could have been something out of Glee.

- And cheesiest idea award goes to Lincoln who wants you to vote on which artist will perform in their next commercial.

- You know you are in for a great performance when before a note is played and you go “Oh snap.” That was my first thought when I saw Beyoncé standing in front of her futuristic SWAT team. Granted my second thought was “If they start doing the Single Ladies dance, I’m throwing my remote at the television.” Luckily the SDTV was saved as we get a interesting medley of If I Were a Boy and You Oughta Know. Although I could have done without the crotch grab.

- Interestingly Best Comedy Album gets a primetime spot. I cannot remember that happening before. And finally daughter Colbert finds her dad cool.

- Kings of Leon wins Best Record. Wow, for the first I think ever, I agree with the winner of this category.

- Most actors show up with the Grammy to shamelessly shill their latest movie or their CBS show, but Robert Downey Jr. is just there to call himself, “The Most Self Important Actor of His Generation.”

- Sure Blame It is one of the worst songs in recent memory, but it is hard not to like that performance. They just kept pulling out random people like Doug E. Fresh and Slash who for whatever reason starts shredding the solo from November Rain. Love it.

- Maybe not a good sign for the Dave Matthews Band for Album of the Year when they couldn’t even win the genre specific award. Which begs the question, how does Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas get nominated for the big award over Green Day and U2?

- Why tease that Taylor Swift is going perform with one her idols only to show video of her singing with Stevie Nicks. Huruph. The Rhiannon performance was decent enough, but hearing Nicks singing the kiddie lyrics of You Belong with Me was almost as disturbing as Def Leppard singing Swift's tenth grade poetry.

- Please stop with the 3-D television events until you perfect the art because the Michael Jackson performance was less 3-D and more just a redder version of the performance. At least it was just a couple minutes unlike the hour long Chuck episode that gave me a headache. And Earth Song may be one of Jackson’s most underrated songs along with Will You Be There. And are Jackson’s kids really that old? The boy looked like he is already in Middle School and the girl is starting to look like Amanda Bynes.

- No Kanye West to accept the Rap-Sung Collaboration. Maybe he was banned (nor was invited to perform on the Drake track). Sure he is a douche, but award shows are a little less interesting without Kanye’s ego.

- For those who want to download the Haitian relief song by Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli, go to iTunes.com/target (why Target, I have no clue).

- Old dude alert! And we get our yearly lecture on why downloading is bad. Yawn.

- Adam Sandler introducing the Dave Matthews Band: it like that did that just for me. Beyoncé made a valiant effort, but Dave and the boys, had the best performance of the night.

- Quentin Tarantino may be able to make some entertaining movies but his painfully uncool and his introduction was really cringeworthy.

- Note to Grammy producers, stop inviting artists to perform songs with copious amount of profanity. No one is enjoying these performances where the censors fall asleep on their mute button for most of the song. And did Lil Wayne pull out his Lil Wayne because my screen went yellow for about thirty seconds during the performance.

- One has to wonder if Taylor Swift wins this award for Album of the Year if Kanye West doesn’t turn her into America’s Sweetheart. I thought it was going to come down to Beyoncé edging out Dave Matthews Band with Swift just as a darkhouse (and Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas with zero chance).

- Here is my favorite performance of the night:

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CXV

Chuck: You know you have a great episode of Chuck when even Morgan isn’t even that annoying. Of course pairing him with Casey can have that effect. Then you have the appearance of Lana Lang which put a grin on my face as big as Chuck’s. There are very few people that can out-hot Sarah and Lana is one of them. Hopefully, unlike most of her run on Smallville, the writers give her something interesting to do (except for being a double agent). Speaking of the Man of Steele, of course Superman needs thick reading glasses. And if Lana Lang wasn’t enough, we also get Stone Cold Steve Austin as the bad guy of the week and may very well be the best token bad guy the show has had. My only complaint with this episode was we didn’t get to see the volleyball incident with Casey at the company picnic that Morgan mentioned. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Greek: How were the girls really okay with Casey telling Cappie about burning down the house? She was the one that made the oath not to tell anyone. And with everyone’s obsession with cop show, how could no one realize that throwing the shovel right near where they buried the clipboard not the best idea? And why not just burn the clip board? Tell people you have started composting to help save the environment. On the bright side, Dale having interns was highly entertaining. Hopefully they stick around even though he didn’t get the grant. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Castle: Maybe the most fun episode of the series, really embracing the will they or won’t they vibe of the two leads with them linked together in the paper then being preoccupied with each other and the case during dinner, but a little disappointing that there was no mention of Beckett’s mother breakthrough from last week. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes. Also be sure to check out my chat with Stana Katic.

Leverage: No comment on this week’s episode because I was too tired to stay up Wednesday night so instead of taping it I would just stream it. The problem with that is the latest episode is still not available for streaming on TNT.tv. To make things worse, I check the On Demand feature on my cable box and the only episode there was the winter premiere from two and a half weeks ago. Is it really that hard to get episodes up the next day? I at least want to see it sometime before the next episode airs.

Best of the Week vol. XXXI

Quote of the Week: When he does, you act like your little girlish self. Scream like a banshee so he doesn’t think you’re a threat. When he pulls you out, you find a weapon and flash. (Casey, Chuck)

Song of the Week: Respect – Otis Redding (Chuck)

Big News of the Week: The CW Is Going Back to the 90’s… Again: I haven’t watch a second of The CW since Everybody Hate Chris went off the air (to score bigger rating for repeats on Nick at Night and BET then it did for orginal episodes on The CW), on account that I am too old and too male to watch the channel. I still inadvertently catch news coming from the outlet like when it broke this week that the channel will once again be trolling the 90’s for television idea even after 90210 and Melrose Place have been miserable failures. But sadly my prediction last year that Models Inc. would be next on The CW docket (which itself was a spin-off of Melrose Place) though The CW I going with the equally laughable La Femme Nikita, the show that ran on USA for five series. Although I am not sure why The CW is even developing shows because either 1) the network won’t even exist next season (which some predict), or 2) it will cut its programming down to only four nights a week (which I predict). But if they are still around in 2011, may I suggest your next crappy 90’s reboot be Cleopatra 2525.


Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: Falling in Love (music video) – Raphael Saadiq (iTunes)

Deal of the Week: Up to 58% Off TV Shows (Freaks and Geeks, Leverage, Greek)

Video of the Week: Lana Lang in a Nerd Herd uniform? Yes please.

Next On: More Action, More Chuck


Next Week Pick of the Week: Lost, Tuesday at 8:00 on ABC: The long awaited final season of Lost commences this Tuesday and I am ready. I have been mentally preparing for a letdown since around the third season. And looking over Sci-Fi Wire’s The 100 Questions Lost Better Answer or We’ll Be Pissed, all I could think was, “Only 100?”

Around the Tubes vol. XXXVI

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Inside Polygamy: Life Is Bountiful, Fight Science, Temple Grandin, Caprica, and the new slate of TNT shows.

- For those that watch Big Love and enjoy the fictitious polygamy fun, will want to tune into the upcoming National Geographic Channel special Inside Polygamy: Life Is Bountiful coming February 10 at 9:00 which features Winston Blackmore who will be passing out more than twenty chocolate boxes this Valentine’s Day. But he will more than make that back on Father’s Day from his over one hundred children. For more, check out the cover story for February’s National Geographic magazine which went on sale yesterday.

- In other National Geographic news, a sneak peak at their new series, Fight Science airs this coming Monday February 1 at 10 before settling in on its regular timeslot on Thursdays. Here is a sneak peak of the sneak peak:



- For those of you with HBO, next Saturday, February 6 at 8:00, you can check out their latest film, a biopic about the best-selling author, animal scientist and autism advocate Temple Grandin starring Claire Danes in the title role. Check out the trailer below:

HBO Films: Temple Grandin Trailer (HBO)


- For those of you that saw the Caprica pilot long before it aired, just a reminder that the first new episode airs tonight at 9 on Syfy. But you will have to wait until the March 5 to get a first glimpse of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s James Marsters on the show. Until then, here is a supertrailer for the show.

Caprica Season Preview


- As some networks are figuring out ways to air less programming, TNT is upping their slate of new shows greenlighting three new series including the much talked about (and still untitled) Steven Spielberg produced, Noah Wiley starring alien invasion series coming sometime in 2011, Delta Blues starring Jason Lee, and recent Chuck guest Angie Harmon starring in Rizzoli and Isles, both set to premiere sometime this year. All shows are set for ten episodes each. To get you used to a mustacheless Jason Lee, below is a promotional photo for the show.

My Heart Recalls That It All Seems the Same

It is heartbreaking listing to The Sea, the sophomore outing from Corrine Bailey Rae. For those unaware, Bailey Rae’s husband was found dead in March of 2008 after seven years of marriage. And she doesn’t shy away from that subject, even starting out the album with the one-two emotional punch of Are You Here, where you your heart swells when she asks the title question and ends the song with the line, “Wait till you see those eyes.” And even though it was written before his untimely death, I’d Do it All Again, it takes on a different meaning the way she sings it after the event.

But it is where tries something new where The Sea really shines. Feels Like the First Time starts off with an ominous piano riff before going back to her smooth self reminiscent of her first album, but that riff comes back for the chorus to much effect. She fulfills that genre defying promise of Feel Like the First Time with the bass heavy, near rock of The Blackest Lily complete with the organ flair of a rock group complete with Bailey Rae unleashing her inner rock star on the chorus and a weird Peter Frampton vocal distortion (which sound refreshing today with everyone else in her genre abusing auto-tune).

The most accessible song of the set, is the breezy Paris Nights / New York Mornings which may not have the sing a long vibe as her breakout hit Put Your Records On but is just as fun and will most like be over abused in upcoming romantic comedies. Add some new wave type synthesizers and some attitude to that and then you get Paper Doll. But those songs are just a diversion for the heart break that starts off the album.

Song to Download – Feels Like the First Time

The Sea gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television vol. LXXII

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.


On to the Next One – Jay-Z featuring Swiss Beatz



Pretty wise of Jay-Z to debut a video called On to the Next One as the first of the decade. But dude sure likes his black and white videos just like his last one. No comment on all the weird vinaigrettes aside from following up the Obama line with a picture of a crucifix and bullets.


Skeletons – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs



On to the next artsy video, this time courtesy of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But the video does fit the song very well.


Dreamer – K’naan



K’naan landed three songs on my Best Songs of 2009 list and it looks like he may land another one for the 2010 list and maybe be crack the Best Videos list with this one.


I’ll Never Let You Go – Flavor Flav



So this Flavor Flav video happened. If Jay-Z wasn’t able to kill auto-tune, this song may inadvertently do the trick.

Breaking Down the Best Songs of the Year

At the end of every year since 1996, I have gathered up my favorite songs from that year for a countdown of my favorite. I was interested in seeing who were the artist that appeared most on those list over the past decade and here are the top 25 (well since there was a tie there are actually 31). I counted any song of which they were listed as a featured artist, not just when they were the lead artist. Also keep in mind this list has nothing to do with my upcoming Greatest Songs of the 00’s which I promise to release before the next decade ends. I also included a list of the number 1’s of the past twelve years as well as Mr. Irrelevant (the song that was last that year).  For the full list for the past five years, click the Best Songs label at the bottom of the post.

1. Kanye West - 25

2. Alicia Keys – 15

John Mayer – 15 (Solo, 14 and John Mayer Trio, 1)

4. U2 - 14

5. Jay-Z - 13

6. Carrie Underwood – 11

Coldplay – 11

8. Nelly Furtado – 10

9. Beyoncé – 9 (Solo, 6 and Destiny’s Child, 3)

Dave Matthews – 9 (solo, 1 and Dave Matthews Band, 8)

Eminem – 9

The Killers – 9

Michelle Branch – 9 (solo, 6 and The Wreckers, 3)

Nas – 9

Ryan Adams – 9

Snoop Dogg – 9

Snow Patrol – 9

3 Doors Down - 9

19. Christina Aguilera – 8

Jack Johnson – 8

Jack White - 8 (The Raconteurs, 2 and The White Stripes, 6)

Lily Allen – 8

Maroon 5 – 8

Santana - 8

25. Common – 7

Death Cab for Cutie – 7

Jimmy Eat World – 7

Rihanna – 7

The Roots – 7

Taylor Swift – 7

Weezer - 7


Most Top Ten Songs

7 - John Mayer

Kanye West

4 - Michelle Branch (solo, 2 and The Wreckers, 2)

Santana

3 - Coldplay

David Gray

Death Cab for Cutie

Jay-Z

The Killers

Ryan Adams

U2


Shortest Song: Fell in Love with a Girl – The White Stripes (1:50)

Longest Song: I Will Possess Your Heart – Death Cab for Cutie (8:36)

Longest Break Between Charting: 10 Years (Ben Harper, Steal My Kisses in 2000; Fly One Time in 2009)

Number One Songs by Year

2000: Maria, Maria – Santana featuring the Product G&B

2001: Everywhere – Michelle Branch

2002: Fell in Love with a Girl – The White Stripes

2003: The Seed (2.0) – The Roots featuring Cody ChestnuTT

2004: All Falls Down – Kanye West

2005: Landed – Ben Folds

2006: Crazy – Gnarls Barkley

2007: Drivin’ Me Wild – Common featuring Lily Allen

2008: I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

2009: Use Somebody – Kings of Leon


Mr. Irrelevant

2000: The Bad Touch – The Bloodhound Gang

2001: Standing Still – Jewel

2002: Friends and Family – Trik Turner

2003: Make Me a Song – Kiley Dean

2004: Some Girls – Rachel Stevens

2005: Give a Little Bit – Goo Goo Dolls

2006: Lithium – Evanescence

2007: This Ain’t a Scene, it’s an Arms Race – Fall Out Boy

2008: Stuck to You – Nikka Costa

2009: Let’s Take a Walk – Raphael Saadiq

Recasting We Are the World

When Michael Jackson passed away, like most people I went back and listened to the music of his on my iPod which included We Are the World. That got me to thinking it that there was still plenty of poverty in Africa and it may be time to remake the song for a newer generation (especially considering Do They Know it's Christmas? is already on it'd third version). While doing research, I realized the twenty-fifth anniversary was this year so I sat on the suggestions I made at the time so I could release it to coincide with the anniversary. Then new came out last week that the co-writers of the song Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones (along with Jackson) were planning on doing so after the Grammy’s next week to benefit Haitian relief (so I guess they will be renaming the group USA for Haiti). So here are my suggestions next to those that did the original part. And as a point of reference, here is the original song:




Lionel Richie – Ne-Yo

Stevie Wonder – Maxwell

Paul Simon – John Mayer

Kenny Rogers – Taylor Swift

James Ingram – John Legend

Tina Turner - Beyoncé

Billy Joel – Norah Jones

Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson

Diana Ross – Christina Aguilera

Dionne Warwick – Alicia Keys

Willie Nelson – Keith Urban

Al Jarreau – Justin Timberlake

Bruce Springsteen – dude from Green Day

Kenny Loggins – dude from Fall Out Boy

Steve Perry – dude from Maroon 5

Daryl Hall – Robin Thicke

Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson

Huey Lewis – dude from The Fray

Cyndi Lauper – Lady Gaga

Kim Carnes – Kelly Clarkson

Bob Dylan – Dave Matthews

Ray Charles – Jamie Foxx

Stevie Wonder – Stevie Wonder

Bruce Springsteen – Bruce Springsteen

Dan Akroyd – Adam Sandler

Jackson Family Chorus – Jonas Brothers and other Disney stars Chorus


Naturally the hardest singer to recast was Michael Jackson himself and came I up with three alternatives; Bono, who technically is not American; Prince, who was actually supposed to duet with Jackson in the original but didn’t show up the first time; or have a chorus do all his part. But maybe it would be best to just pipe in his original vocals. And even though I recast their earlier parts, I still have to bring back Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder to recreate their duet which was the highlight the orginal. Not bringing them back would have been like not asking Bono to sing "Tonight thank God it's them instead of you" for the new Do They Know it's Christmas? versions.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CXIV

Hope for Haiti Now: Stevie Wonder singing Simon and Garfunkel, Taylor Swift covering Better Than Ezra, Jay-Z teaming up with Bono, The Edge, and Rihanna, Neil Young and Dave Matthews dueting, Chris Martin playing piano for Beyoncé, The Roots backing Shakira, Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Hudson. It almost seems like a steal to buy all these performances, twenty in total, for $7.99, but you can download Hope for Haiti Now on iTunes and Amazon MP3 (see below) both of which also includes a studio version of the Jay-Z, U2, Rihanna song Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour). And you can also download the whole video in both places for $2.99. 100% of all purchases from either site will go to various Haitian relief charities such as Red Cross and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.



Chuck: We finally get to meet Shaw and no surprise it is Superman even though I still don’t see how he pulls rank on Beckman when, as Casey puts it, he has back issues of Guns and Ammo older than him. And it is not surprising dude is a tool either. And his big secret: he’s married? When he pulled out the ring I thought, Oh my, he’s part of THE Ring, then he put it on his ring finger and thought, that is an odd reveal. Could Superman’s wife possibly be the upcoming guest star Lana Lang? And the drunken Casey excuse: hilarious. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: Nothing groundbreaking as we have all had the Settler vs. Reacher debate (well, at least I have) and created our own stupid drinking game (well, at least I have). It was a little odd that they would bring in Amanda Peet for such a thankless role, especially when I would put a good chunk of change on her in a real fight vs. Alyson Hannigan. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: Of course Sheldon hates Windows 7 because it is more user friendly. But I am shocked that he didn’t have a contingency plan in case, or to keep someone from robbing him. Like he hasn’t put a GPS on his gaming systems. You can download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Castle: I was just wondering when they were going to bring up Beckett’s mother’s death and here they do in a big way. And she kills the person who did it. Wow. But one thing that bugs me is who in the police force is signing up to be a decoy (sorry unlucky token Asian guy on the NYPD)? While putting on his bullet proof vest all I could think is the mark is a trained assassin, former marine and could probably easily take someone out with a headshot. Lucky for Token Asian Dude the plan itself was a decoy for the assassin. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes. Also be sure to check out my chat with Stana Katic.

Mercy: Oh snap, Ronnie gets turned down because of a cat. I didn’t see that one coming. Although why was that Still Bill’s one premonition? Did I miss a scene wit Ronnie telling the comatose Still Bill she was? But I love how Dr. Sands’ inner circle consists of his drugged out sister, and the emotionally stunted bearded doctor. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Mercy on iTunes.

Modern Family: Holy Dylan sighting! The really need to get this guy involved more often. I miss him and the Rusty Zippers. But I wonder if the show is getting too stale already. Last week it was pretty easy to figure out it was Phil downloading porn and this week it didn’t take a detective to deduce that Manny’s date was going to overaged (and then come on to the gay Cameron). You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Also check out my First Impressions of The Deep End.