57 Channels and Only This Is On - 9/3/11

Quote of the Week: Does anybody know what tonight is… Lower your hand if you are going to say the season finale of Glee, I (expletive deleted) hate that show. (Captain Dashall, Death Valley)

Song of the Week: Someone Like You – Adele (Video Music Awards)

Big News of the Week: Video Music Awards Still Make Me Feel Old: I actually missed watching the show live because when I tuned in I thought the MTV feed somehow got mixed up with a local access channel airing the worst community theater version of Streetcar Named Desire ever. So I went ahead and watched Leverage instead. I realized my mistake when I watched a re-air of the show. Oops. Here are some thoughts:

- Best performances of the night in this order: Adele, Kanye West and Jay-Z, Young the Giant, Beyoncé.

- Oddest moment of the night goes to Britney Spears who in lieu of giving an acceptance speech for the Video Vanguard Award just introduced Beyoncé.

- I feel as if we failed as a society if Chris Brown is allowed to perform on a national stage. Dude should be trolling in relative obscurity by now; it is not like the guy has much talent to get away with all the crap he has pulled. And who does he think he’s fooling by wearing the drive thru microphone? A four year old could tell he was not really singing.

- The Amy Winehouse tribute was weird all around considering she never once appeared on the show (she was set to appear with the house band during the disastrous Las Vegas experiment but had her visa rejected) and rarely even appeared on the channel and just released one album anyone cared about. Then Bruno Mars chose to perform an obscure (at least here stateside) Mark Ronson cover of a Zutons song that Winehouse sang on instead of one of her own songs.

- Lastly, and this is for all award shows, not just the VMA’s, stop inviting artists to perform if every third word you are going to bleep out anyway. And if you are an artist who curses every third word, either chose a different song or change your lyrics, because it may seem like artistic integrity to perform your song as is, but it just comes off as a really crappy performance on television.


Leverage: Holy Dr. Abbot sighting! But I am disappointed in myself that I did not realize the chick was Sterling’s daughter, they really beat you over the head with those hints. You can stream recent episodes on TNT.tv. You can also download Leverage on iTunes.

The Lying Game: The dude from Heroes remains to be the most interesting character on the show (how he was not in the Pilot is befuddling), him showing up in Los Angeles was really creepy. And I am beginning to wonder if either of his kids are his, neither of them look much lke him (but that could just be casting directors not caring). You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Lying Game on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: I cannot believe I just made my first ever Better Than Ezra joke during my mid-season wrap up of the show (see Two Can Keep a Secret if One of The Is Dead). I rally dropped the pop culture ball on that one. I promise when the show comes back, I will make at least one Better Than Ezra joke for every episode he is in. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Rescue Me: I have longed believed that Tommy would not make it to the end of the show and that one other fireman would die this season. But it never crossed my mind that they would kill off the entire crew. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Rescue Me on iTunes.


Free Download of the Week: Ghost on the Canvas - Glen Campbell (iTunes)

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5: This week you can get albums by Mumford and Sons, Coldplay, Eric Clapton, and Carrie Underwood for five dollars.



New Album Release of the Week: In The Grace Of Your Love - The Rapture

New DVD Release of the Week: Community: The Complete Second Season

Video of the Week: Mel Brookes and Dick Cavett have been chatting it up for four decades and now they are doing it one more time for an HBO special to air this Friday at 9:00. Here is a sneak peak:



Next Week Pick of the Week: Rescue Me, Wednesday at 10:00 on FX: It is an end of an era Wednesday as Rescue Me finishes it run just days before the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Around the Tubes - 9/2/11

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 Sons of Anarchy, Border Wars, Fall TV, Community, The Big C, Web Therapy, and TNT Mystery Movie Night.


- Sons of Anarchy returns to FX this Tuesday at 10:00 and if you need a refresher course, below is a recap of season three (though I would personally like to forget most of it). Here are links to recaps of season one and season two.

Season 3 Recap


- Also returning in the next couple days is Border Wars on the National Geographic Channel. This Sunday the show is airing new back to back epsodes starting at 9:00. Here is a sneak peak of what you can expect:

Big Big Bust


- Do not ask me who they surveyed, but Terra Nova, Ringer, and Prime Suspect topped TV Guide’s list of The 10 Most Anticipated New Fall Shows. In fact none of my Five Most Anticipated Shows of Fall 2011 made their top ten.

- Community has promised to be less weird than the first two years and just how do they plan to do that: a song and dance number of course.

Community Is Back


- CBS has recently released their CBS Fall Preview app for the iPad where NCIS’s Pauley Perrette guides you three the networks five new shows hitting the channel this fall. If you are too poor or not pretentious enough to own an iPad, head over to cbs.com for exclusive content for all of CBS’s new and returning series.

- The Big C fans rejoice, the show has been renewed for a third season. The second season continues to air Mondays at 10:30 on Showtime until the September 26 season finale.

- In other Showtime news, there will be a mini-Friends reunion on Web Therapy when Courteney Cox stops by the show to play an internet psychic who turns to therapy to regain her powers

- Last week I gave you the rundown of TNT Mystery Movie Night and here is one more the network recently added to the schedule. Silent Witness is set to premiere Wednesday December 7 at 9:00 The movie stars Dermot Mulroney (Zodiak, Copycat) as prominent defense attorney Tony Lord, who returns to his hometown to defend the teacher, played by Michael Cudlitz (TNT’s Southland). Tony’s involvement re-opens the heartache from his own high school days, when he was a student falsely accused of murdering his first love. Then on Tuesday December 13at 9:00 they will air Good Morning, Killer. William Devane (24) will play Everett Morgan “Poppy” Gray, the grandfather of Bell’s FBI Special Agent Ana Gray, an undercover operative tracking down a serial kidnapper. Titus Welliver (The Good Wife, Lost) will play FBI Special Agent Mike Donato, Ana Gray’s FBI partner.

Everybody Wants to go Forever I just Wanna Burn up Hard and Bright

Ryan Adams went on an amazing streak during the 00’s releasing an album a year for the first five years then three alone in 2005, all of them managed to be at the very least good. We are currently in his slow period where he has only released four albums in the last six years, with another set to drop next month. Though all of his albums are solid, his first two solo records stand out above the rest with his sophomore outing Gold being, well, the gold standard and this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame.

The album starts off with New York, New York, an ode to a city that was about to change forever, the music video featuring a still intact city skyline was filmed on September 7th 2001. Even though it was recorded months before the attacks, the song became a fitting tribute to the city and its strengths and even without the sentimentality of its release date, New York, New York remains Adams’ best song to date.

Ryan puts the alt in his country on the next song where he breaks out his harmonica for Firecracker, a hoedown for the rock set. Adams mellows out for Answering Bell with his buddy Adam Duretz on backing vocals. Further in the album, Enemy Fire is just straight ahead rock and roll with a tinge of punk. Gold is still Ryan Adams’s most diverse album stylistically and definitely makes for a better listening experience, especially at a full seventy minute album.

But let’s face it; nobody does depressingly sad songs better than Ryan Adams and you can finally break out the Prozac for the fourth track, the drink alone anthem La Cienega Just Smiled. And you really cannot get more pretentious than a balled named Sylvia Plath. Then right around the time Gold hits its halfway point, Adams breaks out the epic almost ten minute Nobody Girl that could have gone on for a half an hour and I do not think any fan would complain.

If there is one depressingly sad song that stands above the rest is When the Stars Go Blue (which has almost become a standard thanks to the cover by The Corrs and Bono). The song should be near the top of every breakup playlist from now until eternity where your heartbreaks with every crack in the singer’s voice. It has been a while since Ryan dams has written any new material (by his standards) but I am sure we will hear more songs like this when Ashes & Fire comes out.

Two Can Keep a Secret if One of Them Is Dead

I am confused. Keep in mind this is a statement I never made in six years of watching Lost (alright I may have said that I was confused that that was the best ending they could come up with). But there I was sitting on my couch going, “huh” at the end of the season summer finale of Pretty Little Liars. I could have sworn that Jenna and the cop outted themselves as Allison’s killer and as the people leading the Liars on the wild goose chase. Yet at the end it was a shadowy figure releasing the headshrinker. Does that mean that Jenna and / or the cop are not “A”? Do they know who “A” is and were copying that person? Were they ones that pulled Emily out of the barn? If I stopped caring about this show months ago, my head might hurt.

Just as confusing with the scene with Allison. I have longed believed that she was “A” but that is getting harder to come up with a good theory of how to explain how she mangaged to make it of having her head cracked by a shovel (unless the show devolves into a Pulse situation; hopefully not because that movie was so bad Jason Segal wrote a joke about it into the script of Forgetting Sarah Marshall making fun of the film to Kristen Bell’s face). Nor do I understand Allison’s reason of not telling Emily who “A” was because if two can keep a secret if one of them is dead, does that not mean that Emily would be able to keep the secret if Allison was dead? Or were subtly implying that Allison is not dead theory if in fact right? Okay, I may have a small migraine.

With that said, after a couple strong episodes going into the hiatus, they may have pulled back in. Of course a good race against time episode and a big reveal goes along way these days (though the show still needs more of the latter). “A” even forced the Liars into their biggest mind game ever, even making Hanna stop her father’s wedding (hopefully the no longer step sister sticks around to exact some revenge because she is making for a more entertaining antagonist than “A” these days). “A” even took a turn for the morbid by leading Emily into her secret wish: a forced suicide. Also here’s hoping that Mrs. Montgomery’s black mail finally gets Ezra out of town and ends that creepy relationship. At this point almost any suitor for Aria would be better than Ezra.

Though I am a bit confused going into the hiatus, I am ready to bump Pretty Little Liars back into the guilty pleasure category after being in just guilty for most of the season. Hopefully they straighten things out when they come back which looks to be for a while because it will be sometime after the special (presumably all flashback) Halloween episode.

I'll Take My Words and Turn Them into Sounds, it Will Survive

It is hard to go into the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album without some reservations. The last time they recorded an album without guitarist John Frusciante it was so bad Tiny Tim could have placed him instead of Dave Navarro and would have been just as poorly received. It seemed as if Dave and the remaining Peppers did not bother to adapt to each other’s style and the fans were left to listen to one hot mess of an album. Thankfully that lasted for just one album and John rejoined the band to record their next three albums.

But then Frusciante up and quit at the end of the band’s last tour leaving the band go on the look for their eighth and this time around they wisely did not fill John shoes instead opting for band friend John Klinghoffer to record their tenth album I'm With You with. Unlike virtuoso Frusciante or frantic Navarro, Klinghoffer is a much more traditional, fading into the background in most songs and really helps transition into a more adult sound the band has drifting towards their last couple albums.

Flea has always been the MVP of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but with a new guitarist in the fold, he really stepped his game up for the album carrying the band on his back on many of the stand out tracks. Like on the first single The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie where he lays one of the best grooves of his career. Almost as good is the album opener Monarchy of Roses where Flea’s driving bass gives the song a very disco feel to it (and Flea must have been listen a lot to the genre because many of the songs on the album would not sound too out of place at a seventies disco).

Even with a reinvitalized Flea, it is hard not to listen to I’m With You and wonder what it would have sounded like with a more proficient Frusciante. Some songs you are just waiting for that one special moment of weirdly awesome riff you have come expecting from a Red Hot Chili Peppers album, and sometimes it just never comes. If this is I’m With You is the start of the new mature era of the band, it is off to a solid start as long as they build on it in subsequent albums. Like more instrumentations like the trumpet on Did I Let You Know. And more songs in the theme of Brendan’s Death March (on their first day of writing the album, the band got word that friend Brendan Mullen had passed away), the band best subdued song to date.

Song to Download – Brendan's Death Song

I’m With You gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television - 8/29/11

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.

Muppet Show Theme Song - The Muppets & OK Go



I wonder if OK Go was picked to remake The Muppets Theme because of the video because the song is not even close the best Muppets Theme ever. But you have to love the part where the Muppets are revealed to be controlling OK Go.


Up All Night – Blink182



The best thing I can say about the new Blink182 song is that it is a more welcome comeback then the recent Limp Bizkit ateempted comeback. If nobody likes you when you’re twenty-three, I can image what they think of you when you are thirty-three.


Called Out of the Dark – Snow Patrol



I really liked Snow Patrol first album, but it seems like every subsiquant album get a little more bland to the point when their last song was featured in the trailer of a horrible chick flick (see Leap Year, or better yet, do not, it was horrible). And for the sound of their first single, the next album will not break that trend. But at least the video shows off a funny side for the first time.


1+1 – Beyoncé



When I reviewed the latest Beyoncé album (see You a Bad Girl and Your Friends Bad Too) I thought I liked this song, but I did not remember how annoying her pronunciation of “you” was. It is really distracting. But I still like the guitar solo at the end.

Previewing George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview

For my generation, September 11, 2001 is the defining moment that we will be talking about until the day we die the way previous generations talked about the Kennedy Assassination and Pearl Harbor. Everyone has a story about where they were and what they were doing the day the Twin Towers. But there may not be a more compelling story that someone can tell that was not actually in New York that day then of President George W. Bush.

Bush only granted one interview to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the date and that will be airing tonight on the National Geographic Channel at 10:00. George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview, the forty-third president goes into detail of what he did that day, starting with a mundane run and ending with a speech to the nation in the Oval Office. W. goes into detail of what was going through his mind in that classroom, where he went in Air Force One after he left Florida, his decision to shoot down any commercial airline that did not respond, and even his one attempt at humor he made that day.

This interview is not an overview of the entire George W. Bush presidency, so do not expect him to explain Katrina, the economic meltdown at the end of his term, and the wars he waged are just alluded to. Topics remain only focused on that one day and the direct aftermath and ends with Bush famously on the rubble in New York City with the megaphone. There is a quick epilogue where he talks about the murder of Osama bin Laden. The interview is very down the line politically and if worth viewing whatever your political persuasion is and should not elicited cries of soft ball or gotcha questions from anyone unless nutjobs on either side of the aisle.

George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview airs tonight at 10:00 on the National Geographic Channel. Check out a promo below:

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 8/27/11

Quote of the Week: I didn’t kill you, God killed you. I just made sure it took. (Nate, Leverage)

Song of the Week: Poison and Wine – The Civil Wars (Pretty Little Liars)

Big News of the Week: A Melancholy Happy Trails to Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford: We lost two songwriting greats on the same day this week. Nick Ashford wrote some of Motown’s greatest hits including Ain’t No Mountain High Enough which was made famous by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. But Nick may most be famous for the awesomely cheesy song Solid which he recorded with his wife as Ashford and Simpson. Jerry Leiber was also famous as part of a duo, he and Mike Stoller wrote some of the biggest songs of early rock and roll including Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog and Ben E. King’s Stand by Me, one of the few songs I can play on piano.


The Lying Game: My biggest problem with the Pilot is that there seemed to have all the elements of an underlying conspiracy theory, but there were no clues or hints that there was any. Like I doubt it is a coincidence that the Mercers would adopt just one of the twins but the writers did not throw anything in to back up my suspicions. We finally got some of that this week in spades when the dude from Heroes showed up and mentioned something ambiguously shady with papa Mercer then turned out to be the one that was behind Sutton’s missing laptop. I also like how “The Lying Game” plays into the story. I was so bored after the first episode I did not bother to come up with any theories, but this episode gave me hope that the show may be salvaged. I even came up with a wild conspiracy theory: we learned that that mama Mercer and Char’s mom went to high school together and I bet all the parents go all the way back to school together and they somehow tie into Sutton and Emma’s parents. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Lying Game on iTunes.

Weeds: Apparently Silas is as dumb as he looks. I had Dawn Summers as a double agent right when she talked about how unhappy she was. What I did not see coming was her being the big bad or that she would clean him out that quickly.

Pretty Little Liars: I knew I should have put money on head shrinker dieing before she could tell anyone who “A” is. Why is it in every television show or movie whenever somebody calls someone to tell them a deep dark secret, they do not just tell them there so there is time for whoever is hiding the secret to do something to them? The head shrinker could have easily told Emily, “Hey, I know who “A” is, it is Bob the Bus Driver, tell your friends to meet me in my office to discuss. Oh and call the police just in case Bob the Bus Driver kills me before you get here.” You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Free Download of the Week: Pumped Up Kicks (Chrome Canyon Remix) - Foster the People (Rcrd Lbl): Ever wonder what the summer jam Pumped Up Kicks would sound like if it were reimaged as a early nineties slow jam? Wonder no long, just download this remix.

New Album Release of the Week: I'm With You - Red Hot Chili Peppers

New DVD Release of the Week: Parenthood: Season 2

Video of the Week: When you have George Harrison and Martin Scorcese in the same sentence, you know you are in for something. The former is the subject and the latter is the director of the documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World which will air in two parts October 5 and 6 on HBO. Check out the trailer below:



Next Week Pick of the Week: George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview, Sunday at 10:00 on the National Geographic Channel: With 9/11 tributes I full gear, National Geographic Channel has the biggest get, an exclusive interview with former president George W. Bush taking about the day for the first time since he left office. Look for my full preview tomorrow.

Around the Tubes - 8/26/11

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 Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, How to Make it in America, Indecision 2012, Strike Back, Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Animals, American Horror Story, and TNT's Fall lineup.

- If you are in a band and would like to do some international touring, Reyka Vodka, the first vodka to be distilled and bottled in Iceland, will be taking three American bands to their homeland to perform at the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival taking place October 12-16 2011 to play on the same bill as headliner Björk. All you have to do is upload three orginal tracks, photos, and a biography/website link to the official Breakthrough at Iceland Airwaves Soundcloud Account by September 5.

- HBO has released its first promo for How to Make it in America which returns for its second season October 2 at 10:30. Check it out below:



- Indecision 2012 is creeping up on us and The Daily Show’s Best F#@king News Team is giving you primers on Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, the Tea Party and check out the Two-Party System below:

The Daily Show - The Correspondents Explain - Political Parties - The Two-Party System
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

- New episode of Strike Back tonight at 10:00 on Cinemax. Check out a preview below:



- Bones star Emily Deschanel is the new spokesperson for Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Animals which will be taking place this fall. For more information, click on the link.

- Only one new promo for American Horror Story this week which is entitled Belly.

- TNT has announced its fall schedule which includes the return of Leverage (11/27), The Closer (11/28 at 9:00), Rizzoli and Isles (11/28 at 9:00) and Southland (1/17/12 at 10:00). They have also announced their slate of TNT Mystery Movie Night and here is the rundown (Scooter’s note: this is cut and paste from the TNT press release excepted I changed Kadeem Hardison’s credited work because who actually remembers him from Made of Honor?)

Scott Turow’s Innocent – Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
Bill Pullman stars as Rusty Sabich, a judge charged with the murder of his wife, a situation that comes 20 years after he was cleared in the death of his mistress. During this latest trial, a secret affair from Rusty’s r ecent past threatens to hamper his defense and fracture his relationship with his son. Oscar® winner Marcia Gay Harden plays Rusty’s wife, while Alfred Molina is his friend and defense attorney. Emmy® winner Richard Schiff (The West Wing, The Lost World: Jurassic Park), Callard Harris (TBS’s Glory Daze, Intermedio) and Mariana Klaveno (True Blood, While the Children Sleep) also star. Scott Turow’s Innocent is a sequel to Turow’s bestseller Presumed Innocent. The movie is written and directed by Mike Robe (TNT’s HawthoRNe, Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King), with Robe and Frank von Zerneck (We Were the Mulvaneys, Miracle on Ice) serving as executive producers.

Ricochet – Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
Two homicide detectives find their careers – and lives – on t he line when they get caught up in a case of murder and betrayal in high-society Savannah. Emmy nominee John Corbett is set to star in this atmospheric tale based on the book by #1 New York Times best-selling author Sandra Brown. Corbett plays Det. Sgt. Duncan Hatcher, who is investigating a corrupt judge (Gary Cole) while also becoming romantically involved with his wife (Julie Benz). Kelly Overton plays Det. Deedee Bowen, Hatcher’s blue-collar partner; Kadeem Hardison (Dwayne Motherfracking Wayne) is Detective Bob Worley; and Haaz Sleiman (The Visitor, Nurse Jackie) is drug dealer Robert Savich. Nick Gomez (Dexter, Drowning Mona) is directing Ricochet from a script by Donald Martin (The Craigslist Killer). Howard Braunstein (The Informant!) and Jim Head (On Strike for Christmas) serve as executive producers.

Hide – Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
In this movie based on Lisa Gardner’s book, Carla Gugino plays Boston Police Detective D.D. Warren, who is called to the grounds of an abandoned mental hospital where a buried chamber is discovered. Inside are the mummified remains of six young women, who have all been missing for years. The case leads D.D. to Annabelle, a young woman who spent her childhood moving from city to city, from identity to identity, hiding from someone or something totally unknown to her. D.D. uses clues from Annabelle’s secret past to unravel the mystery behind her twisted family history. Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Kevin Alejandro also star. Hide is written by Janet Brownell (Eloise at the Plaza), directed by John Gray (Ghost Whisperer, Helter Skelter) and executive-produced by Stephanie Germain (The Day After Tomorrow).

Silent Witness – Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
This legal drama based on Richard North Patterson’s novel stars Dermot Mulroney as prominent defense attorney Tony Lord, who returns to his hometown to defend an old friend, played by Michael Cudlitz. The friend is a teacher accused of murdering one of his students, and the case re-opens the heartache from Tony’s own high school days, when he was a student falsely accused of murdering his first love. Lizzie Friedman and Greg Little, the team behind One Lucky Elephant, Whiz Kids and Sex and Death 101, serve as executive producers along with Howard Braunstein (The Informant!). Peter Markle (Bat*21, Flight 93) is set to direct from a script by Thomas Michael Donnelly (Our Fathers).

Good Morning, Killer – Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
Adapted by April Smith from her own novel, this thriller stars Catherine Bell as FBI Special Agent Ana Gray, an undercover operative tracking down a serial kidnapper. As Ana develops a rapport with the kidnapper’s latest victim, the suspect suddenly changes his pattern. Now Ana must race to find him before he strikes again. Cole Hauser (Chase, K-Ville) co-stars as Detective Andrew Berringer. In addition to writing the screenplay, Smith is set to executive-produce Good Morning, Killer with Frank von Zerneck (We Were the Mulvaneys, Miracle on Ice). Maggie Greenwald (Songcatcher, The Ballad of Little Jo) will direct.

Deck the Halls – Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT)
Based on the first book in Mary Higgins Clark and daughter Carol Higgins Clark’s series of holiday mystery novels, this warm-hearted story brings together two of the authors’ most popular characters: Cleaning-woman-turned-pr ivate-eye Alvirah Meegan (Kathy Najimy) and Detective Regan Reilly (Scottie Thompson). The women investigate the kidnapping of Regan’s father and a young female driver just before the holidays. The race is on to rescue the pair and get them home in time for Christmas. Two-time Emmy® winner Jane Alexander plays Regan’s mother, famed mystery writer Nora Regan Reilly. Ron Underwood (Tremors, City Slickers) will direct from a script by Howard Burkons (John Q, TNT’s The Ron Clark Story), who also serves as executive producer with Brenda Friend (Joan of Arc, TNT’s The Ron Clark Story) and Frank von Zerneck (We Were the Mulvaneys, Miracle on Ice).

Don't Call it a Comeback vol. VI: A Tribe Called Quest

It seems like once a week I am listening to my iTunes library and I hear a song that makes me go, this artist really needs a comeback. So I thought I would start a new feature here on the 9th Green highlighting an artist that really needs to reenter the public consciousness. The only criterion is that the artist hasn’t had a legitimate hit in over a decade.

Due for a Comeback: A Tribe Called Quest

Biggest Hit: Award Tour



Last Hit: Find a Way (1998)

Where Are They Now: The group announced their breakup prior to the release of The Love Movement but continues to tour and perform together the past decade. Q-Tip released two critically acclaimed albums and is a successful producer, most recently on the Kanye West / Jay-Z Watch the Throne album. The most recent collaboration from the group was on the recently released documentary Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest.

Why the World Needs a Tribe Called Quest Comeback: Because rap crews are virtually extinct. Remember the good old days when the majority of rappers were in groups and the fun they had playing off each other? Now a day’s every rapper is solo and just has random people jump on ever track (there was a running gag in college of the resident hip-hop head who’s every song on every album he own had “featuring” next to every song). After seven years of reunion tours it is about time the boys get back in the studio and give us some new material. Just do not forget your backpacks when you get back into the studio.

Feed Your iPod vol. LXIII: Hey Stephen

Like I mentioned yesterday, these days I spend most of my days listening to hardcore gangsta rap, Taylor Swift and bands no one’s ever heard of. I cover the latter in yesterday’s post and let me tackle the middle today. I know Taylor Swift is much maligned by pretentious music types and some of their critiques are warranted: her live performances are not always on key, most of her lyrics sound like they came straight from the diary of a middle-schooler, and she has horrible taste in boys. But let’s face it, flaws and all, if you hate Taylor Swift you hate America, and you don’t have America do you?

My favorite song of Swift’s may be the song that sounds the least like her. With every successive album her songs get more and more poppier but still have an underlining hint of country be it the addition of some banjo or fiddle, but there is none of that on Hey Stephen. The song is build on a fun groove and you can tell Swift is having fun herself singing along and the softer and smoother delivery perfectly hides any limitations she may have vocally. It is a perfect template if Swift ever wants to transition into adult contemporary, I for one would not mind if she made an entire album that fits this mold.

Hey Stephen - Taylor Swift

The Best of Neo-Folk

Someone recently asked me what kind of music I listen to and I responded, “Hardcore gangsta rap, Taylor Swift, and bands no one has ever heard of.” After realizing I was not kidding, she asked me of those bands no one has ever heard of; sadly I was proven right at least in this case. Later I realized that most of those bands were based in the folksier type of music which has been gaining momentum in recent years and seems to be an evolution of the alt-country of the late nineties and / or Johnny Cash’s Rick Rubin era. So I thought I would make a CD sampler of these bands which I have dubbed Neo-Folk. Hopefully long time readers are familiar with most of these artists because I have been hyping most of them here on the 9th Green, but if not, give them a try.

1. Barton Hollow – The Civil Wars

2. Feeling the Pull – The Swell Season

3. Belated Promise Ring – Iron and Wine

4. Magpie to the Morning – Neko Case

5. White Blank Page – Mumford and Sons

6. Skinny Love – Bon Iver

7. Furr – Blitzen Trapper

8. Lost In My Mind – The Head and the Heart

9. Home – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

10. Mykonos – Fleet Foxes

11. If It's the Beaches – The Avett Brothers

12. You Still Hurt Me – William Fitzsimmons

13. Little Lovin' – Lissie

14. No One's Gonna Love You – Band of Horses

15. A Little Bit of Everything – Dawes

16. Art Isn't Real (City of Sin) – Deer Tick

17. Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe – Okkervil River

18. Shadow People – Dr. Dog

19. Coney Island – Good Old War

20. The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone) – The Decemberists

I Want My Music Television - 8/22/11

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.


Otis - Jay-Z & Kanye West



When I hear Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Spike Jonzes together I except something legendary, but this may not even be a top ten video of the year let alone of all time. But I have been thinking lately where exactly does the Otis Redding sample ranking in the all time rap samples category. I may have to start doing some research, look for a list sometime in the next five years.


The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie – Red Hot Chili Peppers



Did someone not tell the Red Hot Chili Peppers that when you do a rooftop performance that it is supposed to end with the cops shutting you down? But that is a funky bassline from Flea but I cannot say the same for the new guitarist. Or Anthony Kiedis‘s mustache.


Miracle Worker - SuperHeavy



And the award for most random Supergroup award goes to SuperHeavy featuring Mick Jagger (in the pinkest suit that I do not think even Elton John could pull off), Dave Stewart, Damien Marley, Joss Stone, A.R. Rahman (you may know him better as the guy who did the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack). It was if Mick put his iPod on shuffle and decided to ask the first four people that popped up to come into the studio with him. Hopefully Eric Clapton does the same because I would love to hear his collaboration with Mandy Moore, Babyface, Q-Tip, and Willie Nelson.


Day Dreams - Raphael Saadiq



Last week Cee-Lo had Urkel lip-syncing his words and this week Raphael Saadiq saw his Urkel and rasied him an Abed. Kimmy Gibler better get her agent on the phone.

Previewing the Liquid Bomb Plot

In a measure of full disclosure I should mention that I have a B.A. Baracus type aversion to flying and have only stepped on one airplane (well technically five in one trip) in the post 9/11 era. And I usually reply to anyone who whines about the junk getting touched or the three ounce liquid rule with, “would you rather be blown up?” For those of you that are frequent fliers and wonder why you can only bring three ounces of liquids with you, well you actually have Tang to thank. Yes that horribly powder drink your mom made you consume as a kid.

The liquid limitations came out a terror plot that we would be commemorating the fifth anniversary of its attacks right about now if the terrorist were successful and would have killed more people than in the 9/11 attacks. Due to being unsuccessful, many may not know much about the plot, if at all, but are aware of the fallout because of the three ounce rule that was put in place because of the plan. Now you can learn more about the plot from the mouths of those that prevented it tonight when the National Geographic Channel premieres The Liquid Bomb Plot at 9:00.

It all started when the British found Tang in the suitcase of a friend of a known terrorist which was considered suspicious by MI5 and kicked off the largest surveillance operation ever in the history of the U.K. And the spy operation looked like something out of Alias with camera’s in lighters, agents breaking into a terrorist house to bug it, even replacing a screw in a light switch plate with one with a camera in it and many counter measure by the terrorist who were filling up soda bottles hydrogen peroxide to make bombs to explode in ten different airplanes. I found myself screaming at the television multiple times to arrest somebody and let a real life Jack Bauer loose on them.

The Liquid Bomb Plot is a compelling look at just what our, and governments around the world are doing to protect us and includes interviews from former secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and his U.K. counterpart Lord John Reid, former home security and former defense secretary, as well as arresting officers. My only complaint is that we never get an explanation as to why a three ounces limit. If twenty can take down a plane (we see an experiment of what could have happened if the terrorists were successful), what damage exactly will three ounces do?

The Liquid Bomb Plot airs tonight at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel. Check out a clip below:

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 8/20/11

Quote of the Week: I don’t usually get to do the shakedowns, it’s very exciting. (Dawn Summers, Weeds)

Song of the Week: Teenage Dream – Katy Perry (The Lying Game)

Big News of the Week: Miami the Most Corrupt of a Corrupt System: Maybe it is because I went to a college that won as many games as years I attended, but I never understood the fanaticism of college football. Then there is the whole no playoff thing. And it has shown to be the most corrupt system in all of America (which says a lot considering our political system). And the latest in the long line of corruption is a ponzie schemer rolling on the college who detailed years of kickbacks to players including a boat that got wrecked and even an abortion for a stripper. I would say the death penalty is warranted, but it is not like that is going to stop anyone.


Leverage: Best part of the episode: Eliot in his Indiana Jones outfit. Classic. We finally met the big bang and learned his motive. Interesting proposal, Nate gets the lowdown on the scummiest of the scum, but the other dude gets to profit Martha Stewart style. I’m guessing dude ends up in jail by the hand of Nate and his crew by the end of the season. You can stream recent episodes on TNT.tv. You can also download Leverage on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Maybe I am just bored with “A” (I do not trust the promo monkeys when they elude that we may find out who (s)he is soon) but I do like this new evil step sister storyline. Evil is much more entertaining when there is a face attached to it. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Also check out my first impressions of The Lying Game and my last impressions of The Nine Lives of Chloe King.


Free Download of the Week: Magnifier.blogspot.com: Three months Google launched its new music site in beta. In it you can upload 20,000 songs to your account and use your Andriod devise to listen to your library on the go. But since I did not have an Andriod, I did not really care until Google launched Magnifier where you can add hundreds of free songs to your Google Music account. Of course there is a drawback that you cannot download these songs to your computer (or at least not yet, supposedly it is in the pipeline). The free music is an eclectic mix of everything from Alice Cooper to Wyclef Jean, Johnny Cash to John Legend, and even two songs from the dearly departed Jani Jane and his band Warrant. And be sure to bookmark the site because there will be a new free song every day. If you need an invite to Google Music, I have four invites to give, just shoot me an e-mail (sorry foreigners, Beta is currently only open to Americans) although I got an invite from Google less than twenty-four hours from requesting one.

Deal of the Week: Save up to 57% on Hit Movies & TV Deals (Batman Begins, Just Go with It, Planet Earth)

New Album Release of the Week: Muppets: The Green Album

New DVD Release of the Week: POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Video of the Week: American Horror Story has been dropping “clues” for the last couple weeks and now they have released the first promo featuring the actors from the show including Tami Taylor and, well, it is just as confusing as the “clues.” American Horror Story premieres October 5 on FX.



Next Week Pick of the Week: The Liquid Bomb Plot, Sunday at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel: I have a full review on this special tomorrow but I will leave you with what we call in the industry a tease: Ever wonder why you can only take three ounces of liquid on a plane? You actually have Tang to thank for it. Seriously.

Around the Tubes - 8/19/11

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 Hulk Hogan's MCW, Fix This Kitchen, True Blood, The Love We Make, Rebirth, The Angry Beavers, The Sing Off, Fall TV, INSP, Wendy, Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood, Leverage, and American Horror Story.

- Hulk Hogan and midgets. I have nothing more to add.


Hulk Hogan’s MCW


- Not so fun fact: I am not the best reader in the world. Like when I got a press release for Fix This Kitchen I got really excited when I thought I read, “see if you would be able to be featured on Fix This Kitchen” but after rereading, it turned out it actually read, “see if you would be able to feature Fix This Kitchen.” Sigh, I could really use a new oven, which I am pretty sure is older than me (hint, hint). You can check out those who did get surprised with a new kitchen when Fix This Kitchen returns September 10 at 9:30 AM as part of A&E’s The Big Help block.

- A new True Blood coming your way this Sunday at 9:00 on HBO. Here is a sneak peak of Jessica unloading to Nan:



- Showtime has lined up its 9/11 anniversary programming which will include The Love We Make premiering Saturday September 10 at 9:00 which follows Paul McCartney as he goes through the streets of New York City in the aftermath of the World Trade Center’s destruction as well the planning and performance of the benefit concert at Madison Square Garden six weeks later. Then on September 11, the network will air Rebirth that follow five people’s lives who’s livers were forever changed by the day and a minute by minute time lapse evolution of the memorial where the Twin Towers once stood.

- Awake your inner-child because The Angry Beavers: Season One and Two is hitting shelves this Tuesday but of course you can always preorder today.



- Wonder why The Sing-Off is the best talent competition on television? Check out this video:

Straight Up A Cappella


- We are less than a month away from the kick off of the fall television season and tvguide.com has you covered with info from over sixty shows including refreshers of returning shows, the eleven most promising new shows, a day by day schedule and premiere calendar.

- INSP (The Inspirational Network) recently announced their fall line-up starting September 26 including new to the network Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Brady Bunch, and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

- There won’t be new shows just on television, on September 15, Alloy Entertainment will premiere a new web series Wendy staring Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars) and Meaghan Martin (Mean Girls 2). Wendy is an updated telling of the classic Peter Pan story. Head over to the Wendy YouTube Channel to subscribe so you are alerted when new episodes are uploaded ever Tuesday and Thursday, watch a music video of Tyler singing a song from the show, and find out how you can download the mp3 for the low, low price of free.

- TCM received it most ever Emmy nominations for Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood and if you missed it the first time around, they are re-airing the seven part series in its entirety starting Monday September 5 at 12:45 PM.

- Leverage fans rejoice, the show has been renewed for a fifth season of fifteen episodes. The show commences its summer episodes August 28 before finishing out its fourth season with new episodes in November and December.

- FX has released a couple more video clues for their upcoming American Horror Story which you can check out with the links below:

Clue #7: Stairs
Clue #8: Melt
Clue #9: Red Cello
Clue #10: Rubber Bump

Actually I’m Attached to my Toxins, We’ve Been Through a Lot Together

For anyone hoping to one day own ever season of Spin City on DVD, you probably have Mr. Tiger Blood to thank because just months after his Adonis DNA started to creep out for everyone to see, Spin City: The Complete Fifth Season, and the first to feature Charlie Sheen, has finally hit shelves. He replaced Michael J. Fox who off screen had to bow out due to his fight with Parkinson’s and on screen left after taking blame for Mayor Randall Winston’s association with the Mafia. Unfortunately Connie Britton left the show with Fox so anyone looking to see a pre-Tami Taylor Britton will have to pick up earlier seasons of the show.

Heather Locklear did return for her second season as the mayor’s Communications Director to get co-top billing with Sheen which lead to the funniest moment of the season during the credits where they share a scene where Locklear has a look on her face that read “why did they bring in the bum, I could have led the show by myself” while Sheen’s face read, “why won’t she have sex with me, I thought it was written into my contract?” On the show, Sheen took over as Deputy Mayor who had a reputation as a womanizer with a history of substance abuse named Charlie. No, seriously, that was how his character was actually described on the show.

With two leads whose comedy was not their strong suits, thankfully Spin City brought back some characters that could actually deliver a joke correctly. Barry Bostwick is back as the absentminded mayor as was resident kiss butt Richard Kind who may have the biggest mouth in the business. But the comedic standouts continued to be the bickering roommates Alan Ruck, the inept womanizer and the gay homosexual Michael Boatman. Lana Parrilla (who plays the Evil Queen in the upcoming Once Upon a Time) was also added to the cast as the office secretary but I do not remember one storyline she was given this season or was even spotted outside the office.

Throughout the season you will be able to spot such guest appearances by Marcia Cross, Raquel Welch, Rena Sofer, Jason Priestly, Vanessa Marcil, Kelly Monaco, Scott Wolf, Alyssa Milano, Willie Garson, Samm Levine, as well as Regis Philben, Barry Melrose, Rosie O’Donnell, Roy Firestone, and the disembodied voice of Bob Costas as themselves. You can also see a pre-fame Dakota Fanning, Kal Penn, Geoff Stults, Sarah Shahi, Bonita Friedericy, Kevin Rankin, Jack McGee and Seth Myers and blink and you’ll miss them cameos from Eric Stonestreet, Beth Riesgraf and Jenna Fisher.

You can now buy Spin City: The Complete Fifth Season now with all twenty-three episodes on four DVD’s (those who hate extra content wil be glad to know there is none on the set). Check out a clip below with new castmember Charlie Sheen and pre-Alias Sarah Shahi:



Full Disclosure Notice: This DVD set was given to me by Shout Factory for review.

I’m More of a Cat Person

In recent years, ABC Family has been a go to channel for guilty pleasures. But much like the channel they took the guiltiest pleasures crown from, VH1, the channel is teeter on being guilty without any of the pleasure. Pretty Little Liars is becoming more cumbersome to watch by the episode and The Lying Game debuted as a bit of a bore (see my First Impressions).

Then there is The Nine Lives of Chloe King which would be in the pleasureless guilt category had I not created the Chloe King drinking game where you take a shot whenever the show rips off Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As much grief I gave the show for its similarities to The WB classic, one of the show’s biggest problems is that it did not steal from Buffy enough.

Yeah, the best friends, chosen one, forbidden love were all Buffy staples, but what Chloe King should have adopted from Buffy was the monster of the week format. Instead of battling a new baddie every week, we only a small handful of them so the show could focus on the less interesting love triangle between Chloe, her protector, and a human she could kill if they ever kissed. The whole death thing took any intrigue of the love triangle. And let’s face it, in the finale, Chloe clearly did not kill the dude, she just paralyzed him and I bet there will be simple sure that will have him up and walking by the end of the season premiere.

It is a shame that the first season was not as interesting as the finale twenty minutes. We also got some cool action sequences (though I do not know why Chloe did not bust out her claws, We finally got some interesting plot twists: Chloe’s mom was dining with the evil dude, grandma had been poising as Chloe’s dad all along, the leader and her daughter were killed (okay, I bet the daughter survives and would not be surprised if the mom does too), and it turns out it was done so by the hand of the British dude’s brother. But I was disappointed he did not go into James Bond villain and give a monologue of his master plan when he poisoned the leader.

Had Chloe King spread those twenty minutes across the first season instead of cramming all the good stuff at the end, maybe the show would have been more please than guilt.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King gets a on my Terror Alert Scale. You can stream episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Nine Lives of Chloe King on iTunes.