Best of the Week vol. VIII

Quote of the Week: Well, then allow me to put this to you delicately. You see, men are dogs. They come, you know, sniffing around, barking up your tree. But if they don’t see a kitty cat up in that tree, pretty soon they stop barking. Dwight’s not missing. He's barking up somebody else’s tree. (Emerson Cod, Pushing Daisies)

Song of the Week: Barney’s Christmas Medley - Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)

Big News of the Week: Design Your Own The Office T-Shirt: Here is a cool offer if you are a fan of slave labor. Head over to NBC.com to design your own t-shirt dedicated to The Office. A grand prize is awarded to one lucky fan who would be chosen by producers of The Office and will be sold through the NBCStore.com. And that is pretty much the whole prize, no Dundie and it sounds like NBC won’t even cut you in on the profits your shirt makes for the site.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Coalition Links of the Week:
Buzz reflected on the year Grey's Anatomy went totally crazy. (BuzzSugar)

This week Team GMMR shared our TV on DVD wish list. What's TV series are on your list? Here's to hoping Santa likes TV as much as the rest of us. (Give Me My Remote)

Which EW 2008 Pop Culture moment photo, recreated by the gang at How I Met Your Mother, do you love best? Vance wants you to vote on it! Vance thinks it's a toss up between the Michael Phelps Olympics one and The Jonas Brothers one. Either way, Neil Patrick Harris is hot. (Tapeworthy)

This week, Jace once again took a look into the future, offering advance reviews of Season Three of HBO's Big Love and the Skins season finale on BBC America. (Televisionary)

Amy Poehler's send-off on Saturday Night Live was bittersweet -- Jesse was sad to see her go, but glad that she left on what could be the best episode of the season thus far! (TiFaux)

This week, the TV Addict poked fun at NBC's latest attempt to cut costs. (The TV Addict)

Free Download of the Week: Being the last Free Download of the year and everyone seems to be in a giving mood here is a list of some cool free stuff. And of course there is also the free iTunes or Amazon gift card you can win just by sending me your favorite songs of the year:

Listen Up - EPMD (Amazon MP3)

25 Days of Free Christmas Songs (Amazon MP3)

I Believe - R. Kelly (iTunes)

Flight of the Concords: Season 2 Premiere (Streaming at Funnyordie.com)

Video of the Week: Kenneth the Page has a new edition to his Kenneth the Web Page and here it is:



Next Week Pick of the Week: Leverage, Tuesday at 10:00 on TNT: It seems to be a light week thanks to the holidays but for those that cannot stomach spending all that time with your family and have overdosed on The Christmas Story marathon by the third hour, Leverage offers up their Christmas episode. Had I waited an extra month to post the list, the show would have easily been number one on my Best New Shows of Fall 2008 and this episode is the best of the first four and features D.B. Sweeney as a priest whose church the gang tries to save from being bought from a shady business man.

Nobody Wants to Hear You Sing About Tragedy

Just when you thought emo was dead and buried, Kanye West of all people made an album that rivals anything My Chemical Romance did in terms of whiney nonsense. Aside from Kanye’s lovelorn 808’s and Heartbreak the only other big emo albums released this year are by band that really are not that emo other than their penchant for eyeliner and tight leather pants.

Yeah Fall Out Boy started the trend of absurdly long song title that seem to go away in between Meatloaf albums and features more punctuation than daytime PBS shows. But there songs tend to be chipper especially compared to other bands that broke on the Warped Tour over the past decade. The Boys would like you to think they don’t care (as heard on the first single off Folie à Deux) but their problem is they care too much.

This is most evident on the opening song, Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes, song that could have been up their with othe rwannabe The Who rock anthems but they end up ruining by trying to hard to add too much too the song, specifically for the song with the silly chanting of “Detox just to retox” at the end of the song. And that goes throughout the album where they take a perfectly catchy song and tinker too much with it to the point the four lines Elvis Costello sings on What a Catch, Donnie comes and goes without you even thinking it was him.

Folie à Deux gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Then there are The All-American Rejects who have been thrown in with the emo crowd despite sounding more like a band on the Sunset Strip in the eighties than My Bloody Valentine. And like those eighties band, they may not be writing the most profound or musically challenging songs, but they aim to please which they do for their core audience with the addition of sing along choruses like in Give You Hell. In fact most song seems built for audience participation for their live shows.

But three albums in, the latest being When the World Comes Down, you can’t help but think the band has already run out of ideas like the guitars in I Wanna is only like a half a second different than those that start off Swing Swing. The Rejects do add the sweet title track to their repertoire and Catherine and Allison Pierce add some brevity to Another Heart Calls. But it was the lack of change that doomed those bands on The Strip to VH1 reality shows two decades later and if they don’t embraces change Tyson Ritter might be expecting a call form the channel in a couple years.

When the World Comes Down gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Previewing Kung Fu Temple

The last time I talked about a special on the National Geographic Channel I mentioned that the narration sounded like something you would here from a video a science teacher popped in when he was too lazy to come up with a lesson plan which I have since realized was pretty silly because National Geographic is really the go to for lazy science teachers. So that point was a little mute. But anyways.

The most recent special from the channel debuting tonight really isn’t something for the science teachers, but maybe more suited for lazy social studies teachers with Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple. And as a fan of the Wu-Tang Clan and all their Shaolin references, this is right up my alley. Granted it is a little off setting having the curtain pulled back to see the Shaolin Monks using computers and cell phone and interjecting hip hop dancing into their traveling show. You can check out a preview video over at nationalgeographic.com and below are some more photos from the show:

Press Release: Christmas in Washington

Last week I mentioned that this would be the last Christmas in Washington for George Bush but apparently last year was his last because he did not actually show up this year. Not sure if he did not want to share the bill with Straight No Chaser or he was trying to peel shoes out of his grill. But the moderately attractive Julianne Hough is still showing so that is good enough for me. And Kristin Chenoweth is being counter-programmed against Olive Snook. Or just catch the 11:00 re-airing. Here is the full line up:

TNT’s CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON, the annual holiday concert event now in its 27th year. Taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and premiering on TNT Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

WHO: Performances will include Casting Crowns (“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”); Kristin Chenoweth (“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “What Child is This”); Julianne Hough (“Jingle Bell Rock,” “Santa Baby” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”); Darius Rucker (“If I Had Wings”); Raphael Saadiq (“Merry Christmas, Baby”); and Straight No Chaser (“Carol of the Bells” and “The 12 Days of Christmas”). Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw host. First Lady Laura Bush is among the honored guests for the hour-long holiday concert.

WHEN: TNT Premiere: Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)
TNT Encores: Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. (ET/PT)

I Want My Music Television vol. XLI

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. 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.


The Fear - Lily Allen



I had some fear that Lily Allen would hit a sophomore slump after deciding not to work with Mark Ronson on her second album (she eventually did), but those fears were subsided with a solid debut single off an album you can find sometime in February. And she hasn’t mellowed much as she rightfully put Katy Perry on blast for ripping her off but without actually writing her own songs. Oh snap. And for those that like to participate in Lyric Quizzes, you may want to pay close attention to this song).


You Found Me - The Fray



Also coming out with a new album in February (and you also want to pay close attention to the lyrics) is The Fray. Sophomore slump is also a concern for the band, but this song has grown on me since I first heard it in the cheesy Lost promotion.


The Weight of Her - Butch Walker



One song you won’t find in this month’s Lyrics Quiz is by Butch Walker though I did plan on including the line about the girl making mixtapes even though she was born the year he graduated high school. As obsessive compulsive (no seriously, check out my iTunes playlists sometime) I am about stuff like that, even I forget things sometimes.


Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects



A week from today I will unveil the Best Albums of 2008 and I may have a review from The All-American Rejects before then although I am not entirely sure they will make the list. But as I compile the list I have come to the conclusion that there were plenty of great songs this year but really no great albums.

Lyrics Quiz: Best of 2008

The songs are listed chronologically from when I put them in my iTunes playlist that helps me track the best songs throughout the years. As always leave your guesses, both artist and song title, in the comment section or e-mail me. If you are correct I will un-bold the lyric. Please keep in mind the lyrics quiz is for entertainment purposes only so please only use your own meandering mind to guess them. Now onto the last lyric quiz of the year:


1. You said I must eat so many lemons ‘cause I am so bitter. I said I would rather be with your friends, mate, because they are fitter. (Foundations - Kate Nash; guessed by Akosua)
2. There are times when the poets and porn stars align and you won’t know who to believe in, well that’s a good time to be leaving. (Shine - Anna Nalick; guessed by Julie)
3. I don’t know who I am, who I am without you, all I know is that I should. (Where I Stood - Missy Higgins; guessed by Julie)
4. How can we seek salvation when our nation’s race relations got me feeling guilty of being white?
5. But I should of known better cause now I feel like America’s underbelly, R. Kelly, got a smart better less, internet predators, chat-room irregulars.
6. I’ve been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror. And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer. But my breath fogged up the glass so I drew a new face and I laughed. (I'm Yours - Jason Mraz; guessed by Jo)
7. They’ll be girls across the nation that will eat this up. (Bottle it Up - Sara Barilles; guessed by Jo)
8. All the girls in the line for the bathroom. (Everyone Nose - N.E.R.D.; guessed by Rose)
9. I ain’t gonna make the same mistakes that put my momma in her grave. I don’t wanna be alone. (Sweet and Low - Augustana; guessed by Christy)
10. Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts. Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art. (Pork and Beans - Weezer; guessed by Rose)
11. Got some bad news this morning which in turn made my day.
12. As the flashbulbs burst, she holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child. (Cath... - Death Cab for Cutie; guessed by Annie)
13. Still in musical prison, in jail for the flow. Try telling Bob Dylan, Bruce, or Billy Joel they can’t say what’s in their soul.
14. Cause you don’t always have to hold your head higher than your heart. (Hope - Jack Johnson; guessed by Liz)
15. For some reason I can’t explain, I know St. Peter won’t call my name. (Viva la Vida - Coldplay; guessed by Rose)
16. I bide my time with physiological questions. Not for nothing, but what came first: the chicken nugget or the Egg McMuffin?
17. Faith and desire in the swing of your hips just hold me down hard and drown me in love. (Come on Get Higher - Matt Nathenson; guessed by Charli)
18. Then the congregation all stood up and sang the saddest song that she ever heard. Then they handed her a folded up flag and she held on to all she had left of him. (Just a Dream - Carrie Underwood; guessed by Jo)
19. All I wanna do is !!!! and * $ and take your money. (Paper Planes - M.I.A.; guessed by Rose)
20. Will those feet in modern time walk on souls that were made in China? (Love is Noise - The Verve; guessed by Rebekah)
21. But this feels so unnatural. Peter Gabriel too. Can you stay up to see the dawn in the colors of Benetton? (Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend; guessed by Liz)
22. I’m just a little bit caught in the middle. Life is the maze and love is the riddle. (The Show - Lenka; guessed by Rebekah)
23. I’m telling you things get better through whatever. If you fall, dust if off, don’t let up. Don’t you know you can go, be your own miracle? (Just Stand Up - Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Natasha Bedingfield, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood, Keyshia Cole, LeAnn Rimes, Ashanti, Ciara & Mariah Carey; guessed by Rebekah)
24. I’m alive, I know don’t need a witness to know that I survived. I’m not looking for forgiveness. (The Resolution - Jack's Mannequin; guessed by Molly)
25. ‘Cause you were Romeo, I was the Scarlet Letter. (Love Story - Taylor Swift; guessed by Charli)
26. How could you be so Dr. Evil? (Heartless - Kanye West; guessed by Rose)
27. They play Sleepy Jackson on the radio and that’s the way I like it. I hear Beyoncé on the radio and that’s the way I like it. (Catch My Disease - Ben Lee; guessed by Rose)
28. Hottest girl I know, if you had some lipo, you could be second runner up Miss Ohio. (Whatever You Like - "Weird Al" Yankovic; guessed by Mia)
29. I found God on the corner of First and Amistad where The West was all but won. (You Found Me - The Fray; guessed by Rebekah)
30. I’ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless. ‘Cause everyone knows that’s how you get famous. (The Fear - Lily Allen; guessed by Molly)

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. LIX

The Big Bang Theory: Just when I thought Sheldon’s knocking was getting old really quick, having him do it with computer was hilarious. But how could no one make a Steven Hawkins joke? You can stream current episodes over at Innertube. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Chuck: Chuck got me, I predicted Lunberg would end up like Chuck’s ex and Casey’s sensei, but just slipped away. Although I am not entirely sure why he put the money in Chuck’s account and skipped town. But the DeLoeran bit cracked me up. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met your Mother: I have a hard time believing that for someone that basically lives in a bar in New York, that was Ted’s first and apparently only fight he has ever been in. When inebriated, it doesn’t take much to start one. I am one of the most mannered people you would meet, but even I have partaken in a couple bar brawls and more than a few bench clearing brawls in various sports. And I do have some scars to show Robin. Which begs the question, how easy is it to bed Robin: Ted, Barney, Naked Man, any dude with a scar. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Eli Stone: I have no problem believing that Eli gets messages sent to him by God through George Michael, but there is no way I am believing that Bridget Moynihan is an heiress that gets acupuncture in Chinatown and lets said acupuncturist set her up on blind dates. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com. You can also download Eli Stone on iTunes.

Pushing Daisies: The chest bump may have been the greatest thing on television of the year. If I were to make a list of the best duos on television, Emerson and Olive would definitely be in discussion for the top spot. It almost makes me want to send pies to ABC. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com.



Gary Unmarried: I completely come down on Gary’s side that a person’s very first concert is important. Case in point: For the rest of my life I am stuck telling people my first concert was the Club MYV Party to Go Tour featuring Bell Biv DeVoe, C+C Music Factory, Gerado, and many more. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube.

Survivor: My prophecy of Kenny getting the boot didn’t completely come to fruition, but close with his ally Crystal taking his place. Barring immunity, he is most likely the next gone and it should be safe to assume Bob will win in a landslide and will also get the fan’s poll prize too. All this because Kenny over thought everything.
You can stream current episodes over at Innertube.



My Name Is Earl: It is good that Earl is on the right side of karma because the his plan was one of the most devious thing on television not thought up by Eric Cartman. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download My Name Is Earl on iTunes.

Best of the Week vol. VII

Quote of the Week: So? make it look like an accident. Trip over an ottoman. Dick Van Dyke his (expletive deleted). Tap that! (Emerson Cod, Pushing Daisies)

Song of the Week: Crazy - Seal (Eli Stone)

Big News of the Week: NBC Has Just Given Up: Ealier this week I started writing about the 10:00 Jay Leno only zone and kept writing to the point it was long enough for its own post. Read it in its entirety here: Your New Most Inept Executive in America Is…

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Coalition Links of the Week:
Buzz went looking for opinions about the best underappreciated TV gem of '08. (BuzzSugar)

In the latest installment of Take 5, GMMR looked back at the top 5 episodes of Veronica Mars. (Give Me My Remote)

Rae takes a look at one of the shows she's been anticipating for months, TNT's new series Leverage. (RTVW Online)

Vance checks out Toronto's cast for the play Dog Sees God which happens to look a lot like Degrassi: The Next Generation (Marco! Craig! Jay! Jane!). (Tapeworthy)

This week, Jace was all about looking forward, with advance reviews of Season Two of FX's Damages and the pilot script for ABC's Flash Forward, which could just be the next Lost. (Televisionary)

Holy affluent teen drama! This week Gossip Girl featured a funeral, a wedding and a Blair/Chuck meltdown. (TiFaux)

With the shocking announcement by NBC that Jay Leno will be sticking with the network, theTVaddict.com put together a list of Winners & Losers. (The TV Addict)

Raoul talked to the winners of The Amazing Race. (TV Filter)

Suffering with an almighty pre-Christmas hangover, TV Spy was, to its shame, a blog of few words, as it looked forward to the new series of Flight of the Conchords and Battlestar Galactica. (TV Spy)

Deals of the Week:
1) Blu-ray Deals and Discovery: Amazon and Sony are offering incredible values on high definition products such as Blu-ray players and movies, as well as PlayStation 3 consoles, games, and accessories. New deals will be debut every week through Feb. 7, 2009.
2) Save up to 60% on Over 550 DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. Offer valid from 11/17–12/16.
5) The Big DVD Sale—Great Entertainment as Low as $5.99. Offer valid from 11/17-12/16.
3) Save at Least 42% on ABC TV shows. Offer valid from 12/2-12/15.
4) Save up to 60% on over 900 DVD Boxed Sets. Offers posted from 12/2-12/22.
5) The TV Holi-Daily Deal: Special one-day deals on favorite TV shows. Offers posted from 12/4-12/16.
6) Save at Least 50% on Movies & TV: Offers posted until 12/18.
7) DVD Boxed Sets up to 60% Off: Offers posted until 12/23.
8) Buy 2 Blu-ray Discs, Get 1 Free: Offers posted until 12/18.

Free Download of the Week: Lost Starter Kit (iTunes): We are just a month away until the best show comes back to broadcast television. But enough about Friday Night Lights. Also returning in January is Lost and like ABC does here is a recap, or as they call it a starter kit. Of course I would bet there will be a full hour recap sometime before the premiere on the channel.

Video of the Week: For those like me and have missed the Battlestar Galactica bandwagon, here is a starter kit, or as Sci-Fi Channel calls them, a recap called Catch the Frak Up before the last season resumes January 16 at 10:00. Granted I think I may wait and watch BSG prequel Caprica first to see the show in chronological order, because you know Star Wars would have been more satisfying had you seen Episode I first instead of IV. Or I will wait until Jo shows up on my doorsteps with the complete series on DVD and a shotgun from the Sarah Palin collection.

Catch the Frak Up


Next Week Pick of the Week: Pushing Daisies, Wednesday at 8:00 on ABC: At the very least it is the last Pushing Daisies of 2008 and hopefully ABC doesn’t pull a Fox and not show the remaining three episodes at some point so they can hype a DVD with never before seen episodes. Actually, hopefully ABC gives the show a stay of execution and brings the show back and just a have another limited season to cut down on the costs. That would be the best Christmas present. Unless of course anyone out there wants to hook me up with a Playstation 3.

Cleaning Out My Inbox vol. XIII

A plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Flight of the Concords, Christmas in Washington, Ron Howard, Momma’s Boy, Howie Does It, Spyder, and Dallas Austin.

- Coming back in the New Year is HBO’s Flight of the Conchords on January 18 at 10:00. As the press release goes: In celebration of this momentous event, Mel -- Bret and Jermaine’s (married, obsessive, terrifying) number one superfan -- would like to extend an invitation to all her fellow Conchords fans, an opportunity to video yourself lip-synching to "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros."

Here’s what you do -
1.) Learn "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros" by downloading the official MP3 from http://www.flightlipdub.com/
2.) Video yourself lip-synching the song.
3.) Upload your video to http://www.flightlipdub.com ! The best clips will be edited together to make a final "Fansterpiece" which will air on HBO.

- I was supposed to participate in a tele-conference with Julianne Hough earlier this week but sadly it had to be canceled. All the well anyways because I would have spent most of my questions hitting on her. It was to promote next Wednesday’s Christmas in Washington on TNT at 8:00. Also serenading George Bush for the last time as president will be Casting Crowns, Hootie’s Darius Rucker, a capella group Straight No Chaser, and chest bumber Kristin Chenoweth.

- Coming up Monday December 29 on Turner Classic Movies is Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film starting at 8:00 which followed by Ron in Grand Theft Auto at 9:30 while his directed A Beautiful Mind comes on at 1:00 with The Journey following that at 3:30 which also stars Ron.

- In a story I broke yesterday, Momma’s Boy is coming to an NBC affiliate near you and it is disturbingly a concept take from I Love New York. But you cannot expect quality or creativity when the show was created by Ryan Seacrest, the guy behind all those crappy reality shows on E! Okay it is slightly different as the show puts three mothers in the house of thirty-two potential daughter in laws as they date their sons. The show premieres Tuesday 16 at 10:00. And here is Ryan and his momma talking about the show:



- Next on the How Does Ben Silverman Still Have a Job docket is Howie Does It, a prank show by Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandell where sometimes he pulls the prank as himself or sometimes Howie goes ingocnido. The show premieres Friday January 9 at 8:00. Check out a clip below:



- If you caught C.S.I. Miami this past week, you may have seen The Spyder which was featured in the episode. Head over to SpyderRyder.com to connect with other Spyder aficionados.

- If you are interested in some interesting music (to say the least), Dallas Austin is offering up some of his remixes on his MySpace page. Check out remixes of everything from Nirana’s In Bloom to Kanye West’s Love Lockdown.

- Also let me remind you there is still pleny of time to submit your top 10 favorite songs (in order) to the 9th Green Readers Poll. And for those that get theirs in before Christmas, you can win a gift card to Amazon or iTunes to those with valid US account to those stores (but those that do not are still welcome to send their top 10).

Your New Most Inept Executive In America Is...

This hasn’t been a good year for inept executives, Isaiah Thomas and Matt Millen were both axed and George Bush is down to his last month in office. With the three worst executives in America all gone, there is a scrabble to claim the top spot. Their have been plenty of contenders like the big three auto execs taking private jets to ask for millions of taxpayer dollars and the Illinois governor trying to profit from naming Barack Obama’s replacement in the Senate. But the clear choice for the next generation of inept executive top moron clearly goes to Ben Silverman, head of NBC’s entertainment division, with his recent announcement that 10:00 on the Peacock network would be a Jay Leno only time zone.

One horrible decision doesn’t shoot you to the top of the inept list and Silverman has yet to draft three straight receivers, but he has steadily sunk NBC so far down, it will soon rival The CW. You knew he was destine for most inept executive title with his very first move at the head of NBC when he brought The Apprentice back to life and added D-List celebrities to the mix because lack of no name star power was everyone decided to stop watching in the first place.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg as Silverman was also the guy who thought not making pilots wouldn’t hurt new shows which has led to My Own Worst Enemy (already canceled), Crusoe (all but canceled) and Kath & Kim (should be canceled). But then again pilots even when he sees them, like the backdoor pilot of the Knight Rider movie, which was universally panned by critics and viewers alike, still get ordered to series (and then has the episode number cut). And this was after the reinvention of Bionic Woman tanked a year early. Not to mention American Gladiators which lost it’s nostalgia after two episodes. Should we expect The New A-Team on the 2009 schedule? Or should I not give him an idea?

Other brainchildren from Silverman were to cancel Journeyman but brought back Lipstick Jungle for a second season (only to give it the ax a couple weeks in), thinking Heroes was NBC’s own Lost only to find it getting doubled in the ratings by Two and a Half Men, and maybe his most egregious move: thinking Jimmy Fallon was funny enough to give his own talk show. Let us not forget this is also the guy that brought us Clash of the Choirs, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, Celebrity Family Feud, The Baby Borrowers, Celebrity Circus, Phenomenon and brought Quaterlife from the computer monitor to the television screen. As well as the upcoming Momma’s Boy a dating show where a mom has a hand in which person their child dates. Wait, did he still that idea from I Love New York?

And not only is Silverman a complete moron, the Jay Leno move shows that he is also lazy giving him five less hours of television to fill each week. Keep in mind NBC already has one whole night already blocked out for programming thanks to Sunday Night Football. Of course this is a guy who thought it was time to take vacation to the Beijing Olympics just before the new season launched. This begs the question, with the Jay Leno 10:00 hour taken up, how long until Silverman announces that 9:00 is a Law and Order only hour? Or should I not give him an idea?

Naturally the Leno deal is a bad idea to end all bad ideas. Early talk shows have failed time after time and as seen by Rosie’s recent variety debacle, people don’t want that kind of stuff in prime time. And if Leno happens to be successful, and even if he isn’t, it will undermine the three other talk shows on NBC, which will be more than the other networks combined. Who will get the top names when the switch accuser, Leno or Conan? This may make the Leno/Letterman spat look cordial. Seriously, the NBC corporate has to be the most entertaining event ever.

Of course NBC is getting what it deserves. This is what is going to happen when you hire someone who’s “hits” only include stealing already successful shows from countries like The Office, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Ugly Betty. I would think that the five less hours would likely spell the death nail for Friday Night Lights (keep in mind his second order of business was to stop airing FNL reruns that summer) but with Silverman’s laziness he most likely won’t cancel it as long as DirecTV still foots half the bill.

So congratulations Ben Silverman, you are a first ballot Moron Hall of Fame. If you are lucky Ken Lay will induct you. And if we are lucky you will be eligible for the Class of 2014.

You be Smokey, I’ll be the Bear

In a story I broke earlier, music under the Obama administration is gonna suck. The latest case in point, Obama’s Chicago brethren, Common, who managed to make an even cheesier pro-bama song than will.i.am’s two silly diatribes with Changes. And Common’s is actually scary because he forces a child to spout lines about the future president. That is right out of Third-Reich playbook of propaganda using children to make something seem alright for political gain. With that said: Anh Cao 2012!

Thankfully that was Common’s only politically charged song on Universal Mind Control. Unfortunately like his other Chicago brethren, Kanye West (who shows up on the uninspired Punch Drunk Love, but at least 'Ye does not sing), Common seems to have been listening to too much of one genre. Where 808’s & Heartbreak relied too much on emo and auto tune, Universal Mind Control has set up shop in the Zulu Nation with an overabundance of techno beats throughout the album.

It is set up well with the title track opener with Common spitting a few decent rhymes over The Neptunes production but the schick gets old quick leaving you wanting something different by the third track. As luck would have it, Cee-Lo shows up on that third track, Make My Day, which would have fit nicely on a Gnarls Barkley album even without the Danger Mouse production.

The real downside is Common spends way too much time only the album trying to act like he is the king of the booty rap with lines like, “You be Smoky, I’ll be the bear.” (Sex 4 Suga) Seriously, what does that even mean? He even claims that stripper always choose his songs to do their job too. Even though I can’t say I have ever patroned a strip club, I doubt any Common song ranks high on their playlist.

But the worst lyric comes in the other wise solid Gladiator, which intertwines lines from the Russell Crowe epic with A Tribe Called Quest references, but is bogged down by suggesting to get Michael Vick out of jail. I am certainly not on PETA’s Christmas card list, but even I can agree dude needed to spend some time behind bars. Hopefully by the next album, Common doesn’t suggest O.J. Simpson got a raw deal and he drops the techno.

Song to Download - Make My Day

Universal Mind Control gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Previewing Leverage

Watching Leverage, one has to think how hard is it to make a television show that is watchable (which ninety-five percent of it isn’t). Yet Leverage doesn’t have great writing, the acting isn’t stellar (even with Academy Award Winner Timothy Hutton) but the show is still highly enjoyable. The show actually reminds me of one of my favorite shows of all time: The A-Team.

Of course the concept is updated for the new millennium with gadgets, higher bounties, and, thankfully, moderately attractive chicks. Hutton (Beautiful Girls), who comes up with the plans that he loves when they come together, fills the shoes of Hannibal. Christian Kane (Carrie Underwood’s So Small video) provides the muscle much like B.A. Baracus and even does so with his own unconventional hair style (what is with dudes on TNT and their long hair?).

The resident nut job is Beth Riesgraf (My Name Is Earl and mother of Pilot Inspektor) who might as well share a cell with Murdock. The Face of the operation is Gina Bellman (Coupling, the English version) who play any role to get her team in except when on stage or in front of a casting director. While Aldis Hodge (Friday Night Lights Voodoo Tatum) rounds out the team with his technology knowledge.

The rag tag group of former thieves are much like The A-Team when it has a very select pool of clientel. And even though it doesn’t have the government after them (even though they all broke out of jail in the first episode), there seems to be a building nemesis in Hutton’s former employer, an insurance company that pulled the plug on his son’s health insurance that may have kept him alive. They get mentioned quite a bit, and if there is one complaint is that they bring up his son way too often, and next week the company gets a public face in Hutton’s replacement.

Much like The A-Team, each character is unique and likable in their own way which brings me back to my original thought because some television show manage not to have one likable character on their whole show. And the differences creates plenty of humorous friction of former advisories, Kane and Hodge looking for gang members in the Christmas episode airing December 23. And how the team comes together in the episode tonight is reminiscent of The Justice League and is so entertaining you almost wished it was a weekly gag.

Leverage airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on TNT (catch a reairing of the first episode tonight at 9:00). You can download . Leverage at Amazon Video on Demand. And for those interested in an extra $100,000 spending cash this Christmas (although I think you will not recieve the money until after the holidays), head over to LeverageHQ.com to play Get Ready to Get Even.