Russians, So Many Russians

The winds of change were blowing this season on Chuck. Sarah and Chuck got engaged, Casey and Chuck (re)connected with long lost family members, Ellie and Awesome had a kid, even Buy More got a CIA make over after getting destroyed last season. But the more things change, the more things stay the same as the Buymorons Jeffster stay unevolved (and that is a good thing as they performed Push It while Ellie was delivering her kid).

This season though belonged to one man: Timothy Dalton as this year’s big bad, a CIA handler turned arms dealer turned English scientist. He commanded every scene he was in with vigor which was a grand contrast to last year with Superman’s boringness (and this year’s Sarah Conner blandness). Superman aside, this was really the first real singular big bad after Chuck and his team battled institutions like Fulcrum and The Ring. There has never been anyone on television that could effortless switch between menacing and humorous like he did this season most notably during the Thanksgiving episode.

The season built up to one last battle between Chuck and the family Volcoff after Vivian poisoned Sarah at their rehearsal dinner. And the episode delivered as Chuck went on a search for an antidote against the wishes of the wishes of the dude from Desperate Housewives (I geeked out when originally I thought it was Lost’s Man in Black who popped up on the screen until realized my eyes deceived me), one of the few men who strikes fear into Casey.

The episodes had so many chill moments that seem to have been missing since the second season including when the Russian army dropped in on at the hospital. Although the actual wedding was a bit disappointing in its subtleness compared the Jeffster infused nuptials of Awesome and Ellie. They could at least have performed at the reception. Oh well.

But all that good will was lost with the cliffhanger (silly me thought the title Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger was going to be homage to the Sylvester Stallone film). Sure Team Bartowski going rouge was telegraphed when Chuck gave his secret identities to Vivian and that should lead to some freshness next season (though how they will get cases is yet to be seen, but if The A-Team could find clients it should not be too hard or maybe General Beckman will be looking for work, and I assume the C.A.T. Squad may be out of jobs too). But what disappointed me was Morgan downloading the Intercet. I always hope for less screen time for Morgan and this probably means more screen time next season. I am already dreading it. Why couldn’t it been a member of Jeffster to find the glasses?

Chuck 4.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Guess You Forgot My Title: Undercover Specialist

I’m a purist at pretty much everything, I hate the designated hitter, David Lee Roth is the only lead singer of Van Halen. So when Survivor announced not one, but two twists for this season I cannot say I was thrilled. Make things worse is not only was one of the twists bringing back two past contestants, they were two of my least favorite of all time, Russell Hantz and “Boston” Rob Mariano. But surprisingly Redemption Island started out watchable enough with entertaining contestants such as Federal Agent (!) Philip Sheppard, Chewbacca impersonator Ralph Kiser, and two of the more attractive contestants in the history of the game, Andrea Boehlke and Natalie Tenerelli.

But then the Zapatera tribe had to go and anger the Survivor Gods and threw a challenge just to get Russell out after taking a quick 9-7 tribe advantage. But after quitting at a challenge they only one more after that, seeing their torches get stuffed eight straight times (if you do not count Matt getting his snuffed for the second time). This let Boston Rob and Manson Family style disciples to take hold on the game and made his reign the most boring stretch of episodes on any season of Survivor.

As for the other twist, Redemption Island also turned out to be an epic fail. Matt Elrod reenters the game and promptly gets voted out. Andrea reenters the game and promptly gets voted out. Redemption Island was an interesting concept, but the problem with introducing it into a game like Survivor where you almost always go with the easiest vote at tribal council and there is no easier vote than the person you already voted out.

In the end, a guy who played four times, half the time could not even make it to the jury, was the easy winner because he was saddled with the dumbest tribemates ever, lucked out that the other tribe was stupid enough to throw a challenge, and somehow competed in the season where all the immunity challenges had puzzles, even the last one which is always an endurance challenge (yes I am suggesting that Survivor helped Rob win). But congratulations to Rob, you won the most boring season ever. You join Barry Bonds as the least worthy person in the record books. Hopefully Survivor looked at the ratings, their lowest ever and never invites Rob back again. Also do not bring back Russell (which I was surprised Jeff flirted at considering it was revealed Russell leaked the outcome of his seasons. They should be suing him, not bringing him back).

But Rob is not the biggest problem with Survivor these days, after two of the three worst seasons back to back, the biggest problem with the show is casting. Seriously whoever did the casting these past seasons need to be fired quick. How does someone like Natalie get through the casting process? She got less screen time this season than the first person voted out this season and we saw why at the final tribal council when she could barely form complete sentences. Sure she is moderately attractive, but surely you can find token hot chicks that actually play a competent game much like former winners Parvati and Jenna. I would rather see a season full of Shambo’s than one full of Natalie’s.

Even though both twists were massive fails, Survivor is bringing them both back for next season. After twenty-two season, I may be out. I will give next season one episode but it is hard to think I could sit through another season like the last two. Maybe if the two they bring back are Coach and Philip for a showdown of the crazy people, which will up the comedy for the first three episodes, because I do not see either lasting longer than that unless they go on a Matt style Redemption run.

Survivor: Redemption Island gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

P.S. Is Vegas taking bets on how long the engagement of David Murphy and Carolina Eastwood will last because I would like to take the under. She definately wanted to say no.

Lyrics Quiz: As Seen on TV 2011

As we wind down the television season, I am going to run down the best music placement of the past twelve months and as an added twist, I am going to do it in Lyrics Quiz form so you have to guess to see the actual list. As usual, place your guesses in the comment (or e-mail me), both artist and song title, and if you are correct I will un-bold the lyric. You can also get a bonus point is you correctly guess which show the song was featured on and double bonus points if you correctly guess the character how sang the song on the show if it was not performed by the original artist (you can steal the bonus point if and only if someone correctly guesses the lyrics).


1. Now I’m looking at a flashback Sunday, zoom lens feelings just won’t disappear. Close-up darkroom sweet talk in my ear.
2. Now every time I go for the mailbox I gotta hold myself down cause I just can’t wait ‘til you write me you’re coming around.
3. A little bit softer now. A little bit louder now.
4. Watergate does not bother me, does your conscience bother you. Tell the truth.
5. I am so in love with you. Whatever you want to do is alright with me. You make me feel brand new.
6. Close your eyes, give me your hand darling. Do you feel my heart beating? (Eternal Flame - The Bangles; guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)
7. I’ll be your non-stop lover, get it while you can. Your non-stop miracle: I’m your man.
8. Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man. Though my mind could think I still was a mad man.
9. After all it was a great big world with lots of places to run to. And if she had to die trying, she had one little promise she was gonna keep.
10. Go on now go, walk out the door. Just turn around ‘cause you’re not welcome anymore. Weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? (I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor; guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)
11. You’re motoring. What’s your price for flight in finding Mr. Right? You’ll be alright tonight. (Sister Christian - Night Ranger; guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)
12. Worry, why do I let myself worry? Wondering what in the world did I do.
13. It sort of like, well another way to call a cat or kitten. There’s five little letters missing here. (O.P.P. - Naughty by Nature; guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)
14. Anybody could be that guy. Night is young and the music’s high. With a bit of rock music, everything is fine.
15. I came in the door, I said it before: I never let the mic magnitize me no more. (Eric B. Is President - Eric B. and Rakim; Bonus Not Guessed)
16. Think I’ll spend eternity in the city. Let the carbon monoxide choke my thoughts away.
17. We don’t want nothing, not a thing from you. Your life is trite and jaded, boring and confused. If that’s your best, your best won’t do.
18. Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it’s time to sing along. When your day is night alone, if you feelin like letting go, when you think you had too much of this life, well hang on. (Everybody Hurts - R.E.M.; Guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)
19. It’s gonna take a lot to take me away from you. There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do. (Africa - Toto; guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)
20. If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall. And the mountains should crumble to the sea. I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear. (Stand By Me - Ben E. King; guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)
21. Son can you play me a memory I’m not really sure how it goes, but it’s sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete When I wore a younger man’s clothes.
22. Take me to the magic of the moment on a glory night where the children of tomorrow dream away. (Wind of Change - The Scorpians; guessed by Doug; Bonus not Guessed)
23. You, You belong to me now. Ain’t gonna set you free now. When those girls start hanging around talking me down. Hear with your heart and you won't hear a sound.
24. There’ll be no strings to bind your hands. Not if my love can’t bind your heart. There’s no need to take a stand for it was I who chose to start. I see no need to take me home, I’m old enough to face the dawn.
25. This dance ain’t for everybody, only the sexy people. So all you fly mothers, get out there and dance. Dance I said! (Push It; guessed by Doug; Bonus Not Guessed)

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 5/14/11

The Killing: Now that is an ending, I finally was able to pick up my jaw around the time the “next on” segment came on (which sort of implies the FBI are not an important player as the situation is never addressed). I was a little disappointed that Richmond’s wife’s death was just a drunk driver; I was expecting something seedier when people were comparing it to Rosie’s death. At least they are finally moving away from the teacher (who has lawyered up twice now, yet they have not drug him in for official questioning yet) and onto his buddy. You can download The Killing on iTunes.

Chuck: When Vivian called Chuck to tell him that he would see someone close to him suffer I was chanted please be Morgan only to be shocked that it turned out to be Sarah. Of course it will turn out that Vivian just doesn’t have it in her to kill somebody which is why the does she gave to Sarah will not be fatal. And let me go on record that the “Oh boy” twist ending is Sarah is pregnant. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: I actually thought the big plan was to put the lion’s head on the new GNB building, but I guess it works better in Barney’s bedroom. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: I love how the acting president ordered air strikes on American soil and only one dude walked out of the Situation Room. Isn’t that grounds for impeachment? Although I guess Martinez already did that this season. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Just in case people would not get the obvious Donald Trump homage with the sleazy hotel owning, pageant runner, they just had to put a bad wig and eyebrows on Michael McKeon. What, was Darrell Hammond too busy? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: I hate the episodes that push a contestant so hard as if they are going to be voted out because the editors are trying so hard it becomes obvious the person they are targeting is the person that will end up winning immunity much like Ashley this week (it is not a good sign of the quality of this season that after thirteen episodes I actually had to check to see what her name was). You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Modern Family: I wonder what the over / under is for the number of times we will ever see that dog again. 1? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



The Big Bang Theory: When I heard this episode was about Howard’s mom in the hospital I thought maybe we would finally get a glance at her. Silly me. I wonder if we will see her at the wedding. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Community: So is Annie going to kiss a new group mate every season finale? It was Jeff last year and Abed this year. Thankfully the show has been renewed for a possible Annie / Britta make out session next season. But it is a shame that they could not switch this episode with last week’s because the spaghetti western motif was much better than the Star Wars theme. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Outsourced: Of course just hours after launching my Save Outsourced campaign, NBC had to go and cancel the show. Oh well. At least we got to see Gupta and Charlie serenade a horse before it rode off into the sunset. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Outsourced on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: Oh snap, that Julie getting confronted was painful to watch. But at least there were plenty of great scenes featuring Billy Riggins, Luke rapping, Buddy Jr.’s lipstick, the desk clerk, and Tink’s movie festival. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

Best of the Week - 5/13/11

Quote of the Week: Success is not a goal, it’s a byproduct. (Coach Taylor, Friday Night Lights)

Song of the Week: Let’s Stay Together – Al Green (as sung by Gupta and Charlie, Outsourced)

Big News of the Week: Save Outsourced: Ever since the internet saved Chuck a couple years back there has not been a good save this show campaign, maybe because there has not been one worth saving. But let me make a case for Outsourced. Sure it is not the funniest show on television (I’ll let Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, and Community battle for that title) but it may be the most consistent. Diedrich Bader is good for an absurdly funny moment every episode. Anisha Nagarajan (Madhuri) may not talk much but has some of the funniest reaction shots currently on television. But the MVP of the show is Rizwan Manji who play Rajiv is the comic foil to everyone at the call center (and multiple butts of their jokes) who would rule with an iron fist, but is only the assistant manager but pesters the manager like he is Wile E Coyote and Todd is the Road Runner.

But who cares about quality, Outsourced is worth renewing by the numbers. It was the network’s highest rated new series. It also pulled in higher numbers than the already renewed Parks and Recreations in the post-The Office timeslot and comparable ratings to the already renewed Community in a less comedy friendly timeslot. Plus Outsourced did it will very little help from the NBC PR team like those already renewed. And NBC should not forget other lowly rated / critically ambivalent freshman series like Cheers, Seinfeld, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. And the network should not bank too much on big names like Christina Applegate (*cough*Paul Riser*cough*) and the last time they won bidding wars like with Chelsia Handler include J.J. Abrams and Aaron Sorkin which turned into one season wonders Undercovers and Studio 60. Outsourced may not be the sexiest choice to remain on the NBC schedule, but it may be the smartest. So renew Outsourced.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: Booker T created the most recognizable instrumental in pop music with Green Onions and he has a new album out and you can get two different songs for free. Over at Amazon MP3 you can get Progress featuring Yim Yames (the solo alias of Jim James from My Morning Jacket) while at iTunes you can download Representing Memphis featuring Matt Berninger and Sharon Jones.

Deal of the Week: Over 1,500 Albums $5 Each Through May: With that many discounted albums, I thought I would highlight four more digital albums you can get for the great price of $5 including Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles, The Pharcyde and Huey Lewis and the News.



New Album Release of the Week: Rome - Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi

New DVD Release of the Week: ESPN Films 30 for 30 Gift Set Collection, Volume 2

Video of the Week: Last summer ABC debuted its guilty pleasure Pretty Little Liars which will return for its second season one month from today at 8:00. Premiering right after it on Tuesday is new show The Nine Lives of Chloe King. It stars the new guy from Friday Night Lights and the chick from Caroline in the City not named Lea Thompson. Will it be as good of a summer diversion as Pretty Little Liars was last summer? Check out a promo below to see for yourself if it has potential.



Bonus Video of the Week: Also debuting this summer on ABC Family and starring the chick from Caroline in the City that actually is named Lea Thompson will be Switched at Birth. Constance Marie and Friday Night Lights’ Joe McCoy also star. Though not explained in the promo below, hopefully they explain how a Hispanic took sixteen years to realize that her redheaded daughter isn’t really hers. Or how the WASP’s did not figure out that their Latina daughter did not come from their loins. Switched at Birth premieres Monday June 6 at 9:00.



Next Week Pick of the Week: Chuck, Monday at 8:00 on NBC: After two uneven seasons, I will not be completely upset if Chuck does not make it onto NBC’s schedule next fall which will be announced just hours before the season / series finale airs (although “sources” says it already has which makes me wonder now that Friday Night Lights is over that Chuck will inherit its coveted Friday during Spring at 8:00 timeslot). But the best part of this season, Timothy Dalton, will be returning for one last time so the show will at least go out with a bang. Apparently the show is a glass half full because the episode is entitled Chuck vs. the Cliffhanger.

Around the Tubes - 5/12/11

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 Smallville, PBS Newshour, TV Guide, HGTV'd, All My Children, Rosie, and USA Today.



- I jumped shipped from Smallville right around the time Lana Lang did but the series finale may get me to tune in tomorrow (which would be the first time I watched The CW since they canceled Everybody Hates Chris). To celebrate Warner Bros. is giving fans the chance to download each season premiere for free in HD on iTunes. The first nine seasons are also discounted.

- PBS Newshour grabbed a couple of big names for the next two airings. Tonight Jim Lehrer will be chatting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss the national debt. Then tomorrow Judy Woodruff will interview Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden.

- TV Guide recently ran down what they think are the eleven most promising pilots. Only one (The Playboy Club) appeared on my list of pilots I’d like to see get picked up, while three appeared on my least anticipated list.

- Fans of HGTV will soon be surprised by the channels biggest stars including David Bromstad (Color Splash), John Gidding (Curb Appeal: The Block), and Vern Yip (HGTV Design Star). They getting a room makeover of their own for HGTV’d starting June 6.

- With All My Children coming to an end soon, I am sure there will be a few familiar faces return to Pine Valley and one already signed on to return is Cady McClain who will reprise her roles as Dixie Carter.

- Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show will not just be airing on OWN this Fall but later in the day you can listen to it SiriusXM.

- US Today and Gallup recently polled Americans about the death of Osama bin Laden and below you can look at the findings below at the infographic from ColumnFive and GOOD:

Feed Your iPod vol. LX: Strobelite Honey

Every time I see the commercial featuring The Choice Is Yours it is like Kia Soul created a time machine to go back in to my Middle School and kill my childhood. Watching hamsters rapping the classic is like being forced to watch Glee on a loop. For those that only know Black Sheep from the commercial (or did not even know the name or were an actual group), their debut A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, which features The Choice Is Yours is full with bangers including my second favorite track of the album Strobelite Honey, an ode to chicks who look a lot better inside the club than outside (something I unfortunately became familiar with when I went off to college). Hopefully Kia pulled the Hamster ad in the near future because it shaves months off my life every time I see it, until then, I will have to jam to their other classic tracks like this one. Hopefully no other car companies ruins Strobelite Honey.

Strobelite Honey - Black Sheep

Let Love Bring Us Together

On his last album Raphael Saadiq a twelve track love letter to the heyday of Motown and his new album, Stone Rollin’ is still in a retro mood but expands his RnB repertoire from the fifties roots rock to smooth seventies soul and still manages to sound as cohesive as The Way I See It. Really the only time Saadiq dipps back into the Motown pool is on the grooving Movin’ Down the Line.

The rest of Stone Rollin’ is like a compilation of great rhythm and blues music from thirty years or more ago. The album opens up with Heart Attack which moves like a Jr. Walker & The All Stars song. Radio has shades of early guitar players like Chuck Berry. Day Dreams sounds like one of Eric Clapton’s poppier mid seventies songs. Raphael gets his Stevie Wonder on during Over You. Oddly, Just Don’t starts off with the same guitar strums that begin Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer.

But the biggest standout track on the album is also the greatest song Saadiq has done in his quarter century making music. Good Man just drips cool like Curtis Mayfield when he was penning music for Superfly. The song is so great someone in Hollywood needs to write it’s on blaxplotation film for Good Man to anchor the soundtrack for. Seriously screenwriters out there, just expand the equally great music video that has already been released. The other album high is the antithesis of Good Man, the heavenly Go to Hell (I understand the irony, but the song is about someone trying not to go there) which floats through your ears before heading for a gospel ending. The song is a prime example than even though the songs he makes sound like they could be from an era long gone, Raphael Saadiq can still make it sound modern.

Song to Download – Good Man

Stone Rollin’ gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television - 5/9/11

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.

Mean - Taylor Swift



One thing that always struck me about this song is how Taylor Swift spends four minutes taking some dude to task for being mean, but then calls the dude a liar and pathetic and alone in life, which is pretty mean spirited itself. And isn’t that the chick from Ramona and Beezus in the video (um, not that I actually saw the movie, um, let’s move onto the next video)?


Sadness Is a Blessing - Lykke Li



It’s videos like this that make me want to sit in on some pitch meetings. “Lykke Li, you are going to be in a swanky restaurant taking shots for two minutes, keep in mind we will not start the song yet, and by the time we start the song, you will spend the rest of the video doing weird music.” “Sure, but how about we throw in a dramatic pause in the middle for no apparent reason.” “Brilliant, let’s start the casting.”


L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. - Noah and the Whale



This by Noah and the Whale is one of those songs if it was released in the mid-late nineties it would have been heavy rotation on MTV along with Harvey Danger, Marcy’s Playground and Cake until teen girl came along and ruined the channel. I miss those days.


Poison and Wine - The Civil Wars



Last time I posted The Civil Wars' first single and here is their latest which is my favorite off their album because it is just heartbreakingly beautiful.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 5/8/11

The Killing: One of the reasons I never watch Six Feet Under is because I had no desire to see a dead body prepared every week, and I could have done without seeing Rosie getting ready. But I guess we have to have the teacher’s wife very high on the suspect list. Now that we are at the halfway mark of the season I wonder if we are going to start narrowing down the suspects or keep adding to the list until the end. You can download The Killing on iTunes.

Chuck: Early on I actually thought Volcoff was Agent-X before changing my pick to Mama Bartowski. But I love the people who think the show went with Volcoff to explain away Timothy Dalton’s in and out Russian accent. Here is hoping he gets reunited with his mother at some point. I would not be surprised if she exchanged information with Casey. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: Hopefully my special talent that is brought out by a special mix of cocktail never gets revealed to the general public. And how disappointing was the Arcadian? It is supposed to be some great historical landmark (as so Zoey would have us believe) but it looks like it should be condemned and torn down even if it were her childhood home. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: If there are plenty of nutjobs out there that believe Obama is a foreigner and Bush ordered the Twin Towers destruction, I do not understand how the evidence they already have against the vice president would not be enough. But my favorite part of the episode is they just so happened to have an antidote laying around to give to the president. How convenient. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Nice to see Billy Riggins still getting work, and he was the butt of the best gag of the episode, a fake interrogation room as they were brought in by actors. But I am disappointed that we did not get any more on Beckett’s mom’s case. Wasn’t the detective killed involved with it in an earlier episode? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Survivor: Redemption Island: One thing that amazes me about the remaining players is that none of them are paranoid. Have none of them actually watched the show before? It’s like they are all playing checkers when they should be playing chess. It is a shame that any of the remaining players made it this far let alone even got cast. After a couple busts in a row, it may be time to get a new casting director, because casting just a pretty face makes for boring television. Seriously, is Natalie actually going to be the first winner ever to have less screen time in a season than the first person to get voted off? You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



The Big Bang Theory: I now want to play three person chess. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.

Community: If you scroll the 2000+ posts I have made you will notice that I never talk in hyperbole, so believe me when I say Spaghetti Western Annie is the greatest thing ever. EVER. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Outsourced: Wow, we actually got to hear the bearded dude talk. Although if he picks up the quiet chick in the office, I wonder what those conversations would be about. And as great of an episode Community’s second paintball one was, no sight gag was funnier this week than Pinky on the bike. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Outsourced on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: The Lions continues its theme of players from the island of misfit toys with the addition of Buddy Jr. (I’m guessing it is not the same actor). It is nice to see Mindy warm up to Becky just by saying her butt is small (and can we please get a Riggins family spin-off sitcom next season? I’d watch that). And note to East Dillon High: In School Suspension, it is way worse punishment that out of school suspension, just sitting in a small room for eight hours staring at a wall and you only get to leave twice a day to go to the bathroom. And if you do not follow the rules, more time in The Box (as we affectingly called it when I was in high school). But seriously, how has Texas yet to come up with a more cruel and unusual punishment than Ohio? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.

Best of the Week - 4/7/11

Quote of the Week: I'm making it rain Canadian style. Which is technically making it snow. Dolla dolla, coins y'all! (Lester, Chuck)

Song of the Week: Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car – Billy Ocean (Chuck)

Big News of the Week: Osama bin Laden Dead: Almost ten years ago I awoke to find the world a different place. And earlier this week it almost felt as if that chapter of American history is over though it probably will not officially be closed until we are out of Iraq and Afghanistan. After nine and a half years Navy Seals finally found and killed the guy who came up with the plot to bring down the twin towers and attach Washington by hijacking plane. Though no attacks the rival that kind of scale has happened since, you still have to feal a little more safer this week.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: Two Against One – Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi featuring Jack White (iTunes): Very high on my most anticipated album list is Rome, a collaboration between the American producer and Italian composer. Danger Mouse as an amazing battering average, from mash-up artist to producer to Gnarls Barkley to Broken Bells and from a listen to the first single from Rome he is going to continue the streak. Rome is set to be released May 17.

Deal of the Week: Over 1,500 Albums $5 Each Through May: Yes you read that right, big discounted MP3 albums this month for about the price of an extra value meal. Here are some albums I highly recommend: Mumford and Sons, Raphael Saadiq, Beastie Boys, and Weezer.



New Album Release of the Week: Stone Rollin' - Raphael Saadiq

New DVD Release of the Week: Webster: Season Two

Video of the Week: One hidden gems I found while sifting through Amazon’s 1500 albums was The Best of P.M. Dawn. My first thought was who knew the psychedelic rappers had more than two songs. Then scanning the track list I saw a song I completely forgot about, the George Michael sampling Looking Through Patient Eyes. I probably forgot after blocking L.L. Cool J’s disturbingly bad Father from my memory that also sampled Father Figure.



Next Week Pick of the Week: Community, Thursday at 8:00 on NBC: Very few things are better the second time around and I cannot say I was excited for another round of paintball at Greendale, let alone an hour long two parter. How wrong as I was as the spaghettis western theme actually outshone the action parody of last year in no small part to Annie Edison who showed she really needs to be the focus more often next season. And from the look of the final scene, next week looks like they will switch gears and go sci-fi, possibly alien invasion themed for the season ender.

Around the Tubes - 5/6/11

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 Game of Thrones, America's Got Talent, Shark Men, The Wild Thornberrys, Big Morning Buzz Live, Mancations, Conan, Chrysler, Dan Rather Reports, Trip Your Face, Almighty Thor, Con Con, reality television, Turner Classic Movies, Steven Tyler, and the Republican Primaries.

- HBO’s new series Game of Thrones is still rolling around (for those that subscribe, I am still patiently waiting for the Blu-Ray release) and below is a clip entitled “Tyrion and Theon in Wonderfell” from episode four which airs this Sunday at 9:00.



- If you are an American and think you have talent, you can upload an audition tape to YouTube for the new season of America’s Got Talent from now until Monday. Producers will chose twenty entries for everyone to vote on with the top vote getter will advance to the quarterfinal broadcast.

- On this week’s episode of Shark Man, the boys head down to Guadalupe Island where tag their biggest shark to date: a 17-foot, 9-inch great white.



- If you grew up in the late nineties, you may be glad to hear that The Wild Thornberrys: Season One will be hitting DVD shelves later this month. Check out a clip below:

- Starting this Monday, VH1 will be airing their new daily entertainment show Big Morning Buzz Live with host Carrie Keagan which will talk the day’s biggest headlines, celebrities, music and other hot topics.

- It’s about time The Travel Channel got into the comedy game. Mancations “will follow comedians, Evan Mann and Gareth Reynolds as they travel the country in search of the perfect testosterone getaway, where guys get together in search of laughter and bonding to reunite with their manhood, giving men ideas for those perfect vacation spots and giving women a glimpse inside guy-only retreats.” Starting this Sunday , the boys will experience Navy Seal Training in Virginia, Ninja Camp, Space Camp in Alabama, Civil War Re-enactments, crab boat fishing in Alaska, firing automatic weapons while doing extreme watersports in Arizona. Head over to their website Evan and Garth to get introduced before the show.

- Not sure what to put on your Facebook wall today? Well let Conan O’Brien come up with something for you via F*card.

- Chryslers Imported From Detroit Super Bowl ad was universally praised and now here is their latest in the series featuring Lions’ beast Ndamukong Suh.

Homecoming


- In other Detroit news, this Tuesday at 8:00 Dan Rather Reports will present a special two hour expose on the Detroit Public School System on HDNet.

- Nothing like a subject “Party with Celebs: Vanilla Ice and Dennis Rodman on Trip Your Face” to grab your attention. Trip Your Face (presented by Hotels.com) lets you upload pictures of you and/or your friend to make it look like you are parting with the Surreal Life legends.

- For those that would like to see Thor this weekend but do not want to slap down over ten buck to sit in a theater to watch it, Syfy has an alternative for you: Almighty Thor airing tomorrow at 9:00. Below is a trailer:



- Just a reminder if you wanted to go to Con Con, the Leverage Convention, the deadline to buy tickets is today.

- Fans of reality television will want to check out Kelefa Sanneh’s latest article in the recent New Yorker.

- For those that like cruises and old movies, you are in luck. Turner Classic Movies recently announced their first ever TMC Classic Cruise which will set sail December 8-12 2011. Presale begins Monday. Head over to tcmclassiccruise.com for more information.

- Billboard recently sat down with karaoke enthusiast Steven Tyler to talk about his new book, Does The Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir, got some inside scoop on the future of Aerosmith, and Johnny Depp.

- We are nine months before primaries start up but that did not stop potential Republican nominees from having a debate last night. While in New Hampshire, Suffolk University of Boston polled likely voters and of the eighteen Republican possibly on the ballot, Mitt Romney topped them all with 35 %. Birther blowhard Donald Trump did not do very well receiving a 56% unfavorable rating among likely voters in the primary. The margin of error for their poll is +/- 4.9.

I Can Still Arrest People You Idiot

The first season of Justified was as good as a television season gets, it kept building and building until the payoff of the season finale. Season two switched thing up almost ditching stand alone storylines completely with most episodes devoted to Hatfield’s and McCoy’s type relationship between Raylan and the Bennett clan, the area’s top marijuana export or to Wynona’s money problems thanks to her estranged husband poor business practices. (It should go without saying what the better storyline was this season.)

What was amazing, as great as the Crowder family, The Bennett’s managed to one up them this season in no small part thanks to Margo Martindale who commanded every scene she was in this season. She was blessed with the Larry, Curly and Moe of sons which makes you wonder whatever happened to Papa Bennett. When the police chief is the smart one, who you can actually see wheels spinning whenever he is around Raylan as he tries to figure out how he could kill the marshal and get away with it, you are in trouble. This is probably she took the spitfire Loretta under her wings, so she could pass down her legacy to someone who was not a complete moron.

Without too many stand alone episode, there were much more peaks and valleys this season unlike last season that kept building with ever new episode. First things built to Winona’s bank robbery, then to the Black Pike Mountain whoop-di-do, then to Coover’s demise, and the last couple episodes built up to the finale for the biggest showdown between the Gibbons’ and Bennett’s with Boyd stuck right in the middle.

Going into the season finale, the question was not who was going to die, but how many, and by whose hand. So many permutations going into the episodes and many more were added as it went along. Loretta finally exacted some sort of revenge of her father’s killer by putting a hole in Mags. Surprisingly the only Bennett to survive was the one with the biggest bullseye on his back, Dicky, who got a bit of his own revenge on Raylan in the form of a baseball bat. More surprising was that Mags drank some of her own apple pie upon learning a second son died by the gun thanks to her actions.

So as we go into season three both Raylan and Ava have a bullet each in them. And I have sinking suspicious that will not sit well with their significant others for different reasons. It is hard to think after putting bullets in both girlfriend and wife and aunt of Boyd, Arlo and Raylan respectively, the lone remaining Bennett may not be long for season three even in police custody, though he may not want to be sprung this time around. And with child Wynona may rethink her relationship with Raylan seeing him with a sizable flesh wound after telling him not to go down to Harlan. Should make for an interesting third season as long as Raylan does not get transferred to gun training.

Justified 2.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale. You can stream episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

In That Dream I'm as Old as the Mountains

Hearing the Fleet Foxes for the first time was one of those musical milestones: Mykonos came on the radio sounding like Bruce Springsteen fronting a seventies band from San Francisco that out of nowhere in the middle of the song switched gears turning into a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Springsteen song with sweeping harmonies. As luck would have it, a scan of my iPod would reveal that I had actually downloaded the song via a sampler some weeks before letting me listen the song on a loop for the next couple days and telling anyone who would listen about the song (see Feed Your iPod vol. XXXX: Mykonos).

Fleet Foxes continue their folk attack with their sophomore album Helplessness Blues. Though more melancholy than their self titled debut with less harmonies this time around, the new album continues the grandiose folk of the first but still enough beautiful harmonies that harkens back to the sixties with groups like The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and the previous mentioned Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes Young. Helplessness Blues is Sunday morning music at its best.

Even though they excel at lush harmonies and soothing folk music, but the acoustic guitar and singular voice of Blue Spotted Tail is just as beautiful as anything on the album. And lead singer finally unleashes vocally at the beginning of The Shrine / An Argument that ends with a more frantic sax burst than we have heard from the group. But Helplessness Blues hits its highpoints when the band goes with its strength like on the strumming glow of the title track and the driving Battery Kinzie which lets some Irish Folk influence drip into it. Then there is the hymnal opening of The Plains / Bitter Dancer, before switching into a soundtrack of a drive in the countryside. We seem to be in a boon for great folksy music and Helplessness Blues is worthy addition to the list of some of the best this decade.

Song to Download – Battery Kinzie

Helplessness Blues gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

We Gonna Party for the Right to Fight

For all the kiddies out there wondering what us old people talk about when we talk about being “Old School,” check out the Beastie Boys catalogue. They were Old School even when they were the new kids on the block. And though their musical leaning have evolved over the years, their flow has remained old school, interplaying with each other as MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D trade off lines even though posse albums died around the time of the West Coast-East Coast feud. So Old School, there have been no vanity projects, just the three of them releasing albums together.

It took a while for Hot Source Committee Part One to see the light after the diagnosis of MCA with cancer (who now has a clean bill of health) which delayed the album which was originally supposed to come out in late 2009. In traditional Beastie Boys fashion, who never miss chance to make a joke, retiled the album Hot Source Committee Part Two, with almost the exact track list as Part One. Now the tracks originally set for Part Two will be released as Part One at a later date. Maybe.

Hot Source Committee Part Two is reminiscent of the electric vibe of Hello, Nasty but with more live instrumentations at points throughout the album like on the guitar fuzz of Say It or the punk drive of Lee Majors Come Again, their snottiest work since Sabotage. But aside from the opener upbeat seventies porn groove of Make Some Noise, most of the tracks lack the weird fun of tracks off of Hello, Nasty. And when all the other current rappers are over abusing auto-tune, the Beastie Boys over did it a bit on the vocoder especially on Tadlock’s Glasses.

But when their voices do come through it is classic Beastie Boys, whether they giving nods to the olden days shouting out rotary connection, John Salley and implore the listeners to be kind and rewind while Mike D calls himself the Jewish Brad Pitt. And it is about time someone put Kenny Rodger’s Roasters on blast (even if Kenny Rogers’ Gambler is my gambling theme). And Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament may be their funkiest instrumental to date. Though Part Two may not stand up to the rest of their catalogue, here’s hoping Hot Source Committee Part One makes it out before the end of the world next year.

Song to Download – Make Some Noise

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Feed Your iPod vol. LIX: Super Disco Breakin'

What better way to start your day, let alone an album, than with the line “Well its 50 cups of coffee and it’s on”? And that is how we were introduced to the Beastie Boys’ Hello, Nasty and showed the boys shying away from their traditional guitar heavy riffs of their earlier albums to a more electronic sounding album full of 808 beats. Though I would recommend paranoid druggies to avoid this song thanks to the multiple sirens throughout the album. Hello, Nasty may be the groups best party album and Super Disco Breakin’ can get any party started off right.

Super Disco Breakin’ – Beastie Boys

Now Here’s a Little Story I Got to Tell about Three Bad Brothers You Know so Well

In honor of its twenty-fifth anniversary, the Beastie Boys commemorated the event with Fight for Your Right Revisited to answer all the unanswered questions like did your mother kick them out of the house for not cutting their hair. My initial thought when this came out was, “wait, Fight for Your Right is a quarter century old?” Nothing makes you feel older that hearing about the twenty-fifth anniversary of an event that happened when you were in grade school.

But Licensed to Ill, this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame, was the perfect album for a pre-teen with a number of great sing-a-long primed for boys on the playground. Sure we didn’t know much about them at the time (and arguably still do not), but Girls got sung over and over again back in greade school (and middle school, and high school, and college, and reunions). But (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) was an anthem for a generation even if we did not know how to fight or party just yet.

Most rap album would be happy with two songs of that quality, but Licensed to Ill is wall to wall jams: No Sleep to Brooklyn is a road trip staple that is required listening at high speeds with the windows rolled down; Paul Revere is the ultimate posse track with Scenario that only song that comes close to matching it in that category; Brass Monkey remains an instant sing-a-long; all of which I could spit verbatim to this day.

And the production from Licensed to Hill was off the hook and is now the definition of old school. The production is so crisp it is a shame that Rick Rubin does not produce more rap record that he does these days (listening to 99 Problems clearly shows he still got it). Rhyming and Stealing sets the table perfectly with samples from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and The Clash especially with Kerry King of Slayer shredding a couple of tracks. While Paul Revere remains one of the most classic beats in the history of rap and a prerequisite beat for any freestyle rapper to spit on. And let’s not forget the “mmmmmmmmm… Drop” from The New Style which is one of the most iconic moments in rap history. With the release of a new Beastie Boy album finally being released this week, do not forget to go back and listen to how the group got to this point.