... Actually, I am not even sure that will save the show anymore.
There was a lot of talk this season about Heroes being in a sophomore slump, but I was in the camp that the first season was vastly overrated. Aside from Hiro, Ando and the Bennett family, none of the characters were all that likeable and Absorbing Dude, Hearing Guy, and Split Personality Chick were down right cringeworthy. What made this worse were the secondary characters were much more interesting and I’d take Radioactive Man, Invisible Fellow, Mind Erasing Chap, Shape Shifting Girl and Eve over anyone in the main cast. Then everyone came around to my thinking after the completely lackluster and poorly planned finale.
Like millions of people who already did so as the first season rolled on, I was ready to jump ship until the show went and had to sign up Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell. Granted that should have made me want to watch the show even less because watching Ronnie recite bad dialogue while surrounded by bad actors would be watching Pulse every week for two months. Well, actually it is worse that watching Pulse every week because instead of being in almost every scene, on Heroes Bell has to share screen time with fifteen other cast members most of which are even worse actors than the dude from Lost. And watching Bell kiss the Absorbing Dude was the most disturbing image in my head this year that did not involve Larry Craig and an airport bathroom.
Then not only did the show didn’t solve the problems leftover from the finale they compounded the problem with letting Sylar and Peter survive the finale and added evem more characters to the already bloated cast. Speaking of the bad idea of bringing Sylar back, the actor who plays him really showed this season why the most impressive thing previously on his resume had been So NoTORIous. And I know I am not breaking any new ground by saying this, but the Wonder Twins didn’t bring anything to the story and Hiro stayed in feudal Japan way too long.
And so we trudged along to the second season finale which I really can’t say was disappointing because you need to have even moderate expectations to call something disappointing, so instead the finale pretty much met expectations. I guess I should be happy that Split Personality Chick when down in a blaze of glory, but with Absorbing Dude and Hearing Guy still wandering around it is hard to celebrate. And the finale hinted for the twelfth time that Absorbing Dude could die when he absorbed the ash remains of the Shanty Virus, but I gave up on them having the fortitude finally kill off the worst actor of our generation once and for all a long time ago.
As for the other promised death, are we actually supposed to believe Flying Gentleman #1 is going to stay dead? All he needs is a blood transfusion from his brother or daughter to reverse that. Granted we shouldn’t underestimate the stupidity of Absorbing Dude who may actually not think of it. And there in lies one of the two biggest problems with the show you can bring back anyone at anytime. What is stopping Mohinder injecting Split Personality Chick’s charred remains and bring her back?
The other big mistake was bringing back Sylar and Absorbing Dude for another season. They had gotten too powerful last season and even though they neutered Sylar and gave the Absorbing Dude amnesia, the chapter Villains will just fall into the doldrums that plagued the end of the first season with the two of them going at each other with neither being all that successful. And speaking of Sylar getting unneutered, when did he actually get the cure and how didn’t the notice the cure was gone and gone after him?
And the rest of the finale, and the season as a whole was ripe with other gaping holes. Like why, when getting a call from Sylar, did Mohinder not call his roommate, the gun toting, mind controlling guy instead of going to the apartment alone and unarmed even though he knew it was being inhabited by some evil, sadistic person? And the whole last half of the season was about The Company getting Claire’s blood yet how did no one for thirty years think to use Adam Monroe’s blood as they had him locked up for that time? I used to think Heroes could turn thing around, but it may be time to jump ship myself.
Quote of the Week: Um, you know what, don’t even try to show me that Screech porn again, ‘cause a little part of me dies every time; thank you very much. (Jason Street, Friday Night Lights)
Big News of the Week: Oprah stumps for Obama: I’m not entirely sure how much impact the Big O can have on the little o considering the bored housewives that make up the Oprah army are pretty conservative in nature which doesn’t help that much in a Democratic primary. Giving bumps to book and record sales in a time we not many people are buy either is completely different than endorsing a presidential nominee. Of course unlike Barbara Streisand, an Oprah endorsement won’t hurt and if it turns out to be a close race she may factor into the race. But then again Barbara and Oprah are certainly no Chuck Norris.
Mikey Likes TV: Desperate Housewives' über cliffhanger made Mikey wonder how long he'll have to wait for a conclusion. He is far less concerned with the return of Heroes.
(Scooter's Note: I know there are a lot of things talked about by the Coalition that I have absolutelty no understanding of because I do not watch many of the shows but should I know what NGAB means?)
MTV/MySpace Presidential Dialogue with John McCain: During the YouTube debate I complained how there were no questions that dealt with education, health care or the environment and this forum dealt almost exclusively on those subject and on the latter two McCain did a great job addressing the subjects. I wasn’t thrilled with his pro-voucher stance, but I really can’t expect much on education from a man who back No Child Left Behind, which has turned out to be a bad idea to end all bad ideas. And Curt Shilling is certainly no Chuck Norris (see below). You can watch the full forum on the MySpace Election page.
Chuck: Did they seriously start off the episode with Pimp Juice? Whoever thought that was a good idea should be fired. And then they proceed to misquote an actual great song, the Dr. Dre classic (Expletive Deleted) Ain’t (Expletive Deleted). Yeah, so they really can’t use half of the lyrics on network television, but I’d like to think they could come up with something cleverer than they did. And can I call that the cliffhanger will be a letdown of Heroes proportions. If Casey really takes care of Chuck like they are insinuating (i.e. kill him) and go back to the spy vs. spy between him and the Token Hot Chick that got old by the second episode, it would be a horrible mistake. Now if on the other hand, if Chuck, Casey, and the Token Hot Chick all go rouge and retreat to the Los Angeles underground and even though they are still wanted by the government, they would survive as soldiers of fortune. Then if someone would have a problem, if no one else can help, and if one can find them, maybe they could hire The Token Hot Team. Seriously, how cool would that be? Oh, and of course they would need to kill Morgan in the process too. Check out the latest episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.
Heroes: After starting to write this I realized it needs its own post, check back tomorrow for that. Check out the latest episode over at NBC.com.
My Name Is Earl: By far the funniest episode of the season, but sadly I think I may miss Coach. The second biggest laugh of the week was when the best excuses he could come up with for being in his underwear was that he was engaging in self love. But on the bright side hopefully this will mean no more Michael Rappaport. Granted Camden Country isn’t the best at keeping their prisoners their whole sentences. Check out the latest episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download My Name Is Earl on iTunes.
Survivor: Can we please get Courtney’s dad on the next Survivor? Check out the latest episode over at Innertube.
Friday Night Lights: Hopefully this puts to rest the Landry murder case. But then I thought last week was the end of Riggins and his meth lab buddy. And is Coach really going to let him sleep in his garage? I’d like to think he would be able to talk him into moving back in with his brother or at the very least put him in Santiago’s top bunk at the Buddy current dwelling. Oh, and for the biggest laugh of the week would go to Jason’s date who asked for him to go R. Kelly all over her. Check out the latest episodes over at NBC.com.
Last Call with Carson Daly: Just when you thought Carson Daly couldn’t be less funny he comes back without his writers and instead of extended interviews or extra musical performances he actually tries to still do bits. Of course the only reason I checked this out was because Alicia Keys and the Token Hot Chick from Chuck made appearances this week. There is something to say that, unlike Michelle Ryan who got more attractive when she broke out her native British accent on Bionic Woman, Yvonne Strahovski’s Australian accent is kind of a turn off. I would also like to take this time to commend Carson for running over the writer from Two and a Half Men and Standing Still. Something that gets lost in this writer’s strike is there a whole lot of crappy writers certainly don’t deserve any more money, and are so bad they should be paying us to watch their crap.
Don’t forget to check out my previews of Oprah Winfrey Presents Mitch Albom’s For One More Day and Holiday in Handcuffs. Speaking of ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas (see the full schedule here), I was watching Snow earlier this week which got me wonder how can the improbably hot Ashley Williams not get steady work? She made the unwatchable Good Morning Miami almost watchable and I am beginning to think it isn’t a coincident that How I Met Your Mother hasn’t been consistently entertaining since her character went off to Paris. Can we please get her a new show ASAP? And if it involves her Snow co-star Tom Cavanaugh that would be an added bonus since the premature cancellation of Love Money was the biggest crime against humanity that didn’t involve Fox. I can even live with the bad continuity if they bring her back to HIMYM and reveal she is indeed the mother and add her to the cast. You can catch the reairing of Snow Christmas Day at 4:00.
Next Week’s Pick: Survivor, Thursday and Sunday at 8:00 on CBS: One of the more entertaining seasons in a while thanks to the incompetent contestants. And then you have three of the weakest contestants physically ever making it into the top five with Todd, Pee Gee, and the disappearing Courtney. As for a winner, I picked at the beginning of the season for Amanda to win so I’ll still put my money on her if I were a betting man. And let us not forget the fifth finalist, the mullet rocking Denise.
Aw, the nineties, back when all the “it” girls had three names and all you needed to get on television show was a pair of dimples. Now the three named girls have virtually disappeared (Rachel Leah Cook, where are you?) and now you don’t even need dimples to get yourself on television. But ABC Family seems to love the nineties as much as VH1 and roll out a made for TV romantic comedy movie every couple months that resurrects some of your favorite forgotten nineties stars for some cheeky fun.
Being December, the latest in the line of movies from ABC Family brings a Christmas theme that teams up Sabrina the Teenage Witch with AC Slater for Holiday in Handcuffs. The plot is an age old story of a wayward twenty something that can’t quite live up to the image that their parent to have for them. The breaking point hits Sabrina, is currently using her college education to use as a waitress, when her boyfriend decides to dumped her when he arrived to pick her up to take her up to her families cabin to meet him for the first time.
Slater just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, instead of proposing to his girlfriend at the restaurant, he gets kidnapped by Sabrina to be a stand in for the shady now ex-boyfriend because in her mind committing a felony is better than showing up to Christmas alone yet again. And of course hilarity ensues. Or as much hilarity you would expect from a made for TV movie. And you really need to suspend belief a lot when Clarissa explains it all to her parents to why her “boyfriend” keeps on telling them she’s keeping him prisoner.
The movie is a prefect fit for anyone who dreads yet another Christmas with the family that will involve questions about where your life is going, why you haven’t found anyone yet, and/or are you gay or if you want to reminisce about those days. You can catch the premiere of Holiday in Handcuffs this Sunday at 8:00 on ABC Family and it also repeats later that night at 10:00 as well as Tuesday December 11 at 8:00, Saturday December 15 at 6:00.
December is the time for movies on television. There will be plenty of mainstays that will be popping up this month like It's a Wonderful Life, countless A Christmas Carol versions, and of course the twenty four hours of A Christmas Story. And like most years, there is a couple that hope to become future Christmas classics, two of which premiere this Sunday. I will get to Holiday in Handcuffs tomorrow, and today I am going to focus on Oprah Winfrey presents Mitch Albom’s For One More Day which airs Sunday, December 9th at 9:00 on ABC.
Being a guy, I only know Oprah from Peggy Bundy’s obsession for her and Bon Bons and her feud with David Letterman. But it was her Harpo Films that produced the best selling book from Albom who also wrote The The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The two’s previous collaboration, Tuesdays with Morrie landed four Emmy Awards. But despite the December premiere it isn’t your traditional Christmas movie in that it doesn’t have anything to do with the holidays aside from the It’s a Wonderful Life comparisons.
The movie starts off with a very dishelmed Chick Benetto (unless I missed it we never learned what is with the Chick nickname), who stops at a local convenient story for six pack and it is telling that he doesn’t also take his usual lottery ticket too. This is because he is off to his little league baseball field (Chick played for a World Series team) to breathe his last breath. Well that is until he sees his mom. Oh, and she’s been dead for about eight years.
Her death was one of many events that lead him to the dugout as well as being stuck in a job he wasn’t good at and his last phone call was to his ex-wife to ask why he wasn’t invited to his daughter’s wedding. The movies weaves between a present day writer, who is writing Chick’s life story (it shouldn’t take too long to figure out who it is), the day the writer interviewed Chick, Chick’s one more day with his mother, and Chick’s life from early childhood to college to life with his family. This gets a little cluttered at first figuring what is happening when, but once you are introduced to the main characters it is much easier to follow.
Chick is played by The Sopranos Michael Imperioli with the younger version actually played by Michael’s son Vadim in his first acting film. Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream) is his mom who shows up to put her son on the right path while Samantha Mathis (who you may remember as Princess Daisy from the live action version of Super Mario Bros. No? Oh never mind) as the younger Posey Benetto does her best to give her son what he needs after her husband leaves.
Aside from jumping around from era to era too much, the film is dogged by too many clichés like the former sports star who has trouble adjusting to real life after failing to make it and the dad who pushes to hard as if he was trying to live out his fantasies through his son. Not clichéd are the One More Day segments which may not be a good thing because instead of your usually this is your life and why you should live, momma takes her boy on these inane tasks. They do lead up to a theme (which again are easy to figure out where they are going), but it still doesn’t make them any less inane.
But the story does pay off in the end if you are willing to spend the two hours with it. And with the holidays upon us, which makes some people seem even more alone than the rest of the year, maybe this movie can help you remember what you have to live for. Although if you can wait another week, you may want to wait for NBC to roll out It’s a Wonderful Life as it does a better job at the story.
It is the start of the awards season as the Grammy nominations were announced today. No huge surprises as Kanye West and Amy Winehouse lead the pack with eight and six respectively. Of course it wouldn’t be the Grammy’s without a few head scratchers (Herbie Hancock released an album lately?) and there is no better indication that R&B as a genre is pretty much dead looking at the nominations. Here are some of the highlights, if you want to know who nabbed the Polka nominations, check out the full 110 categories here:
I may get into this more later during my Year End lists, but this has been a mediocre year for music and this list just empathizes my theory. All these songs are catchy, but none are what I would label as great.
Who Will Win: Graduation
Who Should Win: Back to Black
Kanye certainly had the most hyped album of the year and that may carry over here. Granted it may be better suited for the most disappointing album of the year even if it were one of the top five albums of the year.
Song of the Year Before He Cheats - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood) Hey There Delilah - Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T's) Like a Star - Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
Rehab - Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
Umbrella - Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius “Dream” Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z)
Who Will Win: Umbrella
Who Should Win: Umbrella
Isn’t Like a Star two to three years old? The requirements for the Grammy’a are really screwy. And could it kill them to actually have the deadline in December instead of October? Do they really need four months before the deadline and when they hand out the awards? It is just strange that a song from Carrie Underwood’s 2005 album gets nominated for this year’s Gammy, but nothing from the album she released this year. But it is not as strange as Before He Cheats getting nominated for a songwriting award.
Who Will Win: Amy Winehouse
Who Should Win: Amy Winehouse
Nothing I love better that the laughable Best New Artist category. Would have liked to see Lily Allen or Sara Bareilles here but they already had your token pop act (Winhouse) and needed to have room for a token rock act (Paramore), token country act (Swift), and token R&B act (Ledisi). Then Feist gets your token Canadian nomination.
There are very few songs I hated more this year than Big Girls Don’t Cry. Every time it would come on the radio, which was way too often, I would think, “Cool, they dipped into the catalog to play More than Words by Extreme” only to have that ruined by he la la’s. Ugg. I can take a look at my iPod to find ten or so songs by chicks that were better than that rip-off.
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Everything - Michael Bublé Belief - John Mayer Dance Tonight - Paul McCartney Amazing - Seal
What Goes Around...Comes Around - Justin Timberlake
Who Will Win: What Goes Around...Comes Around
Who Should Win: Belief
It used to be really to predict Grammy winners; you just pick the oldest dude. Then a couple years ago Kelly Clarkson (who is not so conspicuously missing this year) beat out McCartney for Best Pop Album. How Timberlake became a golden boy is beyond me, his album was unlistenable, but I’d take an actual musician if I had a vote.
Who Will Win: Makes Me Wonder
Who Should Win: Hey There Delilah
Seriously? Daughtry? Well I guess there is no Best Mom Rock Performance catergory to put them in. But certainly there spot could have been reserved for Snow Patrol or The Fray, I’d even take Lifehouse or The Killers over them. But then again, I’m not a soccer mom.
Who Will Win: Amy Winehouse
Who Should Win: Amy Winehouse
I seem to be picking Winehouse a lot but I wonder if her British Lindsay Lohan routine will hurt her chances of taking home any awards even though it were her eccentricities that made this album so entertaining.
Who Will Win: Icky Thump
Who Should Win: Working Class Hero
Best Rock Song
Come On - Lucinda Williams, songwriter (Lucinda Williams)
Icky Thump - Jack White, songwriter (The White Stripes)
It’s Not Over - Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young, songwriters (Daughtry)
The Pretender - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)
Who Will Win: Radio Nowhere
Who Should Win: Radio Nowhere
Fun fact, Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s husband is nominated in this category. Keep in mind he has absolutely no chance to win.
Best Rock Album Daughtry - Daughtry Revival - John Fogerty
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters Magic - Bruce Springsteen Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
Who Will Win: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Who Should Win: Magic
It is a little surprising that the Foo Fighters grabbed the proper Album of the Year nod over the Boss in the big category. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Magic takes this award as it was the better album.
Who Will Win: Icky Thump
Who Should Win: Alright, Still...
They really need to get rid of this category as it is about ten years past its prime. It’s a shame that this is the only recognition that Lily Allen got for her album as it deserved as much press as Amy Winhouse’s.
Who Will Win: Because Of You
Who Should Win: B.U.D.D.Y.
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Same Girl - R. Kelly Featuring Usher Disrespectful - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige Hate That I Love You - Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo Baby - Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright Bartender - T-Pain Featuring Akon
Who Will Win: Baby
Who Should Win: Hate That I Love You
Best R&B Song Beautiful Flower - India.Arie & Joyce Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)
Hate That I Love You - M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo)
No One - Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys) Teachme - Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie Smith II & Corey Latif Williams, songwriters (Musiq Soulchild)
When I See U - Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam Watters, songwriters (Fantasia)
Who Will Win: Because Of You
Who Should Win: East Side Story
I am just going to combine because it is just sad this is what R&B has come to that the horrible Bartender song can get a nomination. And should I even know who Tank is? And it is odd that Umbrella got nominations in the major categories but is left out in the R&B. Lukily next year they will have the Alicia Keys album to sweep everything.
Who Will Win: Southside
Who Should Win: Better Than I’ve Ever Been
R.I.P. Pimp C
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration I Wanna Love You - Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg Kiss, Kiss - Chris Brown & T-Pain Let it Go - Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim
Umbrella - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z Good Life - Kanye West Featuring T-Pain
Who Will Win: Umbrella
Who Should Win: Umbrella
Is what T-Pain does really constitute as “sung”?
Best Rap Song Ayo Technology - Nate (Danja) Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
Big Things Poppin’ (Do It) - Clifford Harris & Byron Thomas, songwriters (T.I.) Can’t Tell Me Nothing - A. Davis & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West) Crank That (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy Tell'Em, songwriter (Soulja Boy Tell'Em)
Good Life - A. Davis, F. Najm & K. West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters) (Kanye West Featuring T-Pain)
Who Will Win: Can’t Tell Me Nothing
Who Should Win: Can’t Tell Me Nothing
I am really beginning to think that the Grammy people throw rap songs into a bag and randomly pick five for Best Song, a songwriting award. Seriously, who reads the Ayo Technology lyric sheet and say, yeah that was well written? They should have just gone and made this category completely laughable and thrown in This Is Why I’m Hot.
Who Will Win: Graduation
Who Should Win: Graduation
There really is an argument here even as disappointing as Graduation was.
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream - Barack Obama
Celebrations - Maya Angelou
Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World - Bill Clinton
Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World - Jimmy Carter
Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself - Alan Alda
This is really a toss up between Obama and Clinton and may be a prelude to who will get the Democratic nomination. Of course Cater is still the afterthought to the party.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Howard Benson
• Daughtry (Daughtry) (A)
• Devils & Angels (Mêlée) (A)
• Direction (The Starting Line) (A)
• Five Score And Seven Years Ago (Relient K) (A)
• Stay Inside (Sound The Alarm) (A)
Joe Chiccarelli
• Mercy (Burden Brothers) (A)
• The Narcotic Story (Oxbow) (A)
• Nightmoves (Kurt Elling) (A)
• Wincing The Night Away (The Shins) (A)
Mike Elizondo
• It Won't Be Soon Before Long (Maroon 5) (A)
• Under The Blacklight (Rilo Kiley) (A)
Mark Ronson
• Back To Black (Amy Winehouse) (T)
• Littlest Things (Lily Allen) (T)
• Rehab (Amy Winehouse) (T)
• Version (Mark Ronson) (A)
• You Know I’m No Good (Amy Winehouse) (T)
Timbaland
• Come Around (M.I.A. Featuring Timbaland) (T)
• Give It To Me (Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake) (T)
• Make Me Better (Fabolous Featuring Ne-Yo) (S)
• Timbaland Presents: Shock Value (Timbaland) (A)
• The Way I Are (Timbaland Featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E.) (S)
Who Will Win: Timbaland
Who Should Win: Mark Ronson
This is a no brainer to me as the sound of great music of 2007 was shaped my Mark Ronson. I’m not entirely sure why he is just credited for one Lily Allen track as I was under the impression he produced the whole album.
Best Long Form Music Video
Live & Loud at the Fillmore - Dierks Bentley
Trapped in the Closet Chapters 13-22 - R. Kelly
The Confessions Tour - Madonna
10 Days Out - Blues from the Backroads - Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Various Artists
Liberacion - The Songs of the New Cuban Underground - Various Artists
Who Will Win: The Confessions Tour
Who Should Win: Trapped in the Closet Chapters 13-22
As much as I dumped on Trapped in the Closet, it still by far the greatest cultural movement of the decade.
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.
For the long time readers to the 9th Green you know I am never a lost for word, but words really cannot do justice to this new Snoop Dogg video. It is either the greatest thing ever in the history of YouTube, or the word.
After seeing all the debris I was hoping for something cooler than the guitar being blown up. How Freedom ’90. But anyways, if you like the song, you can currently get it free over at Amazon MP3 (download Saving My Face free here) which mean not only that you don’t have to pay a cent, you get it DRM-free. Of course if you want to know more about Amazon MP3, see: Introducing Amazon MP3.
Exclusive Nip/Tuck Clip
A couple a weeks ago I got invited to a teleconference with New York of I Love New York fame in regards to her appearance on Nip/Tuck but as much as I wanted to pepper her with Midget Mac it was at a time I was unavailable. But as it turned out New York was unavailable herself as she came down with a cold and instead I got to submit e-mail questions to her. Well I got an e-mail Monday saying that New York hasn’t returned the questions yet and her people are not responding either, so I was unable to post the Q&A or hype her appearance on the show last night, but here is an exclusive look at that episode, which I guess is not as exclusive anymore because it has already aired. Although as a wide man once said, if you haven’t seen it, it’s new to you. And if I am not mistaken, Nip/Tuck repeats a couple times throughout the week so check your local listings for that. And if New York gets around to answering the questions and returns them, I’ll be sure to post them in as timely fashion as she was returning them.
There is not a bigger anomaly in music than the Fugees. Their first album tanked, panned by critics and ignored by the general public. Then they hit it big with The Score, an aptly titled album as they kept on scoring hit after hit. And as we know now, it happened to be their only hit because we haven’t heard from the group as a whole since excerpt when an equally recluse Dave Chappelle brought them back together for his block part.
What made the one album wonder group more bizarre is that it spawned two one album wonders itself (lest we not forget Pras who did appear on a soundtrack to a forgettable Warren Beaty movie). Of course their post album careers were completely different. After her Miseducation album, Lauryn Hill seemed to disappear except for her MTV Unplugged 2.0 appearance of all new material before disappearing again. Wyclef Jean on the other hand after The Carnival kept at it musically with each subsequent album garnering less attention.
That was until he jumped on the Shakira bandwagon for the international smash Hips Don’t Lie. And now ‘Clef says he has his swagger bank and has recorded a follow up to his 1997 solo debut with The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant. Much like the original, the sequel is disjointed; one or three tracks too long and is chalk full of guest stars, this time around only having one song without a featured guest. But in true Wyclef fashion, the guest list is eclectic, running from your typical hip-hop staples of Mary J. Blige, will.i.am and Akon along with the dude from System of a Down, Norah Jones and Paul Simon. No seriously, Paul Simon makes an appearance on Fast Car. And despite Wyclef never meeting a pop culture reference he wouldn’t drop, the song has nothing to do with the Tracy Chapman classic. The most bizarre of all the guests is the Minister Louis Farrakhan plays the violin on Welcome to the East.
And like his previous outing, the mish-mash of sounds and styles for the most part works though there is no emotional high here like on previous albums such as Gone ‘till November, 911, and Two Wrongs. Nor are there any completely absurd cover songs on songs that are untouchable which ‘Clef likes to put his touch on (see No Woman No Cry, The Gambler, Wish You Were Here, and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door) unless you count the remix to Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill) which samples the great Wu-Tang C.R.E.A.M.
That song points to some disjointment of many tracks on the album. Is the song about girls or is it about money? And I am sure that Wyclef and T.I. didn’t bother to discuses what Slow Down was about when they trade lines with ‘Clef talking about global problems and shouting out Guns ‘n’ Roses while T.I. focused on the hood and his legal problems, yet the song still works. The album is at its best when Wyclef breaks out the acoustic guitar and gets introspective like on the Norah Jones assisted Any Other Day and Heaven’s in New York.
But Wyclef still doesn’t know how to trim the fat. Hollywood Meets Bollywood (Immigration) is ill-conceived and instead an actual Indian to guest he gets Chamillionaire of all people to guest. Sadly the Mary J. Blige song, What About the Baby falls flat and Shakira’s King and Queens doesn’t come close to matching their original collaboration. But Memoirs of an Immigrant shows there is still some swagger left in the former refugee.
every week for two months. Well, actually it is worse that watching Pulse every week because instead of being in almost every scene, on Heroes Bell has to share screen time with fifteen other cast members most of which are even worse actors than the dude from Lost
. And watching Bell kiss the Absorbing Dude was the most disturbing image in my head this year that did not involve Larry Craig and an airport bathroom.
. And I know I am not breaking any new ground by saying this, but the Wonder Twins didn’t bring anything to the story and Hiro stayed in feudal Japan way too long.![Terror Alert Level: Guarded [BLUE]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCbHfExiuXqojow1zxkBUX6j-9BHg9IyrfzqR77jnja2Xq6dbv-7iiqMFzp_UKXGcUF9FyAHqCkNxa5uitXa5Xu2Q1OboN9-TLjsaeI1a2eoGLORU4vkTQ54l1C-_cZyn81QHyQ/s400/small_guarded.png)
on my Terror Alert Scale.
, countless A Christmas Carol versions, and of course the twenty four hours of 
. And like most years, there is a couple that hope to become future Christmas classics, two of which premiere this Sunday. I will get to Holiday in Handcuffs tomorrow, and today I am going to focus on Oprah Winfrey presents Mitch Albom’s For One More Day which airs Sunday, December 9th at 9:00 on ABC.
. The two’s previous collaboration, Tuesdays with Morrie landed four Emmy Awards. But despite the December premiere it isn’t your traditional Christmas movie in that it doesn’t have anything to do with the holidays aside from the It’s a Wonderful Life comparisons.
Michael Imperioli with the younger version actually played by Michael’s son Vadim in his first acting film. Ellen Burstyn (
) is his mom who shows up to put her son on the right path while Samantha Mathis (who you may remember as Princess Daisy from the live action version of 
No? Oh never mind) as the younger Posey Benetto does her best to give her son what he needs after her husband leaves.
free here) which mean not only that you don’t have to pay a cent, you get it DRM-free. Of course if you want to know more about Amazon MP3, see: 
![Terror Alert Level: Elevated [YELLOW]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-iVFV0hXCTSYP16K_V0Rrxp3GqFrtBIJKeTUyQ2LpxZQ9XKHFj6QGtqqa7oxhLadLV8vUj8R84AftD8IKUSfN0u_u0CYDtJwhrpCPN2DBWquAIDv0jbVlhZL0mDFKlPKluGyxw/s400/small_elevated.png)
on my