2013 Spring Music Preview

I really could not tell when I bundled up while walking the dogs yesterday with light flurries coming down, but supposedly spring started yesterday. It seemed like the groundhog lied to us once again this year (there is nothing above 40 degrees in the ten day forecast here). It also looks like the music business saw its shadow because more of the most interesting album that may come out this year are mostly listed in the TBA category, which usually means just before Christmas. But here are a couple albums coming out over the next couple months that at the very least caught my eye. If you would like to pre-order the album on Amazon, click on the title name and the artist’s name to be taken their iTunes page.

This Week
Same Trailer Different Park - Kacey Musgraves
Happiness Waltz – Josh Rouse
More Than Words – Brian McKnight
Anthems – Anthrax
On The Verge – The Fabulous Thunderbirds

March 26
Girl Who Got Away – Dido
Delta Machine – Depeche Mode
Based On A True Story... - Blake Shelton

April 2
Dear Miss Lonelyhearts – Cold War Kids
Pioneer – The Band Perry
Gravel & Wine – Gin Wigmore
RKives – Rilo Kiley
Silver Linings Under Grey – Shanna Sharp

April 9
Stories Don't End – Dawes
Paramore - Paramore

April 16
Mosquito – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Twelve Reasons to Die – Ghostface Killah
Ghost on Ghost – Iron & Wine
Let's Face The Music and Dance – Willie Nelson
Matangi – M.I.A.
Devotion - Jessica Ware
The Terror – The Flaming Lips
Save Rock N Roll – Fall Out Boy

April 23
Indicud – Kid Cudi
Reincarnated – Snoop Lion
Bankrupt – Phoenix
Love Has Come For You - Steve Martin & Edie Brickell

April 30
Prisoner of Conscious (P.O.C.) – Talib Kweli
If The River Was Whiskey - Spin Doctors
Ready to Die – Iggy & The Stooges
The Anchor and the Sail – Jessica Campbell

May 7
Modern Vampires Of The City – Vampire Weekend
Mother – Natalie Maines
Volume 3 – She & Him
More Than Just A Dream – Fitz & The Tantrums
Magnetic – The Goo Goo Dolls
Nocturnes – Nocturnes - Little Boots
Golden – Lady Antebellum
Time – Rod Stewart

May 14
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here – Alice In Chains

May 21
True Believers – Darius Rucker
Good Songs & Great Friends - Bret Michaels

May 28
Wrote a Song For Everyone – John Fogerty

June 11
13 – Black Sabbath

TBD
& Then You Shoot Your Cousin – The Roots
James River – D'Angelo
West Coast Time - Michelle Branch
Don’t Look Down – Skylar Grey
Roses – Selena Gomez & The Scene
My Name Is My Name – Pusha T
The Black Keys
Diane Birch
Kanye West
Pearl Jam
Elvis Costello and the Roots
Barenaked Ladies
Jay-Z
Jimmy Eat World
Eminem
Matt Nathanson
Beyoncé
Arcade Fire
Sleigh Bells
Avril Lavigne

And let me leave you with the obligatory, maybe this is the quarter that Dr. Dre finally releases Detox.

10 Things I Hope Make it into the Veronica Mars Movie

Last Wednesday, I was scrolling through Google Reader when I came upon a Veronica Mars article referencing Kickstarter. I was a little annoyed with what I thought at the time was another way to get a Veronica Mars movie that would never come to fruition like the ten or so other rumors over the year. But being the sadomasochistic, I still click the link where the article linked to an actual Kickstarter page started by creator Rob Thomas complete with a video featuring Kristen Bell, Dick Casablancas, Logan Echolls, and Keith Mars. The Kickstarter quickly got to a million dollars, and reached its two million goal in less than a day. Which means the movie will be made and by my best estimation will end up with around five million dollars.

Now I am not one of those people who demand silly plot points like Ronnie and Logan end up together. I would be content if the movie would end up being Ronnie working cases for the FBI like the proposed fourth season. From interviews it does sound like Rob hopes to get the band back together and setting the movie in a Neptune ten year reunion (even Parker and Piz made his outline). Currently only Bell has officially signed on for the movie (well Kristen and the guy who paid $10,000 to say one line) but considering they are listed in the rewards, it is a safe bet Keith, Logan, Wallace, Weevil, Mac, and Dick will all be part. Here are ten things I also hope make it into the Veronica Mars Movie.

1. Vinnie Van Lowe – Number one with a bullet. Not having Vinnie Van Lowe (who very well be Sherriff Vincent Van Lowe by now) make at least a cameo would be like leaving a concert of your favorite band and they did not play your favorite song. Considering Ken Marino also starred in Thomas’s Party Down and Kristen Bell starred in Marino’s hilarious Burning Love webseries, I am sure Vinnie will make an appearance.

2. Shelly Pomroy – When I visited the set of Veronica Mars, one of the first questions I had to ask Rob Thomas was will we ever get to meet Shelly Pomroy (see The Mystery that Is Shelly Pomroy). Her name had been dropped since the first episode as it was her party where Ronnie was roofied but we only got fleeting glimpses of Shelly by three different actresses. Let’s face it, a Neptune High reunion will not be complete without Shelly Pomroy. And since there have already been three Shelly, why not bring in a fourth this time in the form of Lizzy Caplan, who starred in Thomas’s Party Down. And if she is unavailable starring in the upcoming Masters of Sex, may I suggest Allison Brie.

3. Deputy Leo – Most of the fangirls hope that Ronnie will end up with bad boy Logan, not me. If I had to pick one of her suitors, it would definitely be the good cop, Deputy Leo. Hopefully by now Detective Leo can help Ronnie solve whatever case she will be tasked with in the movie.

4. Madison Sinclair - Long before the ABC Family show aired, Mac and Madison were switched at birth (fun fact, both Switched at Birth co stars Katie LeClerc and Lucas Grabaal guested on Veronica Mars early in their careers). Ronnie would usually find herself butting heads with the boys of Neptune High, Madison provided one of the few female antagonists tangled with and was a worthy adversary. Plus what reunion would be complete without Dick running into his ex? Thankfully this looks to be likely because Rob has stated in multiple episodes he hopes to bring her back. And for those that did not bother to click on the Shelly Pomroy link above, Shelly Pomroy is a real person that Rob went to high school with and the actress who played Madison is her niece.

5. An “I (Heart) Dick” T-Shirt – One of the stories Rob Thomas regaled us while on the set of Veronica Mars was when Standards and Practices forbid them from letting a character wear an “I (Heart) Dick” t-shirt. Sure someone could actually say, “I love Dick” on screen but they could not wear it on their person. Instead, they were forced to give an actress an “I (Heart) Dick Casablancas” t-shirt. Ironically in the episode I Am God, the camera actually cut off the “Casablancas”. Now without the confines of Standards and Practices, I hope they do not go overboard and have Dick turn into Al Swearengen saying (expletive deleted)sucker ever third word and gratuitous nudity. Well maybe some gratuitous nudity. And since a Veronica Mars t-shirt is part of the rewards by donating to Kickstarter, how about an official “I (Heart) Dick” t-shirt? Either that or a “Veronica Mars Is Smarter than Me” t-shirt.

6. Jessica Chastain – You may ask yourself why the chick who took down bin Laden is on this list, but Chastain does have a Veronica Mars connection in that it was her second acting job ever playing Ronnie’s pregnant neighbor who went missing. Hopefully Rob kept her in his rolodex.

7. Kristen Bell Singing - Ronnie sang karaoke early in season one but do not get to hear her sing again until she serenades someone with Bad Day after making him have a bad day. Certainly they can work a song (or two) into the movie. Maybe the gang can meet up at Java the Hut for a little karaoke.

8. Ten Year Old Lilly Kane - Last time we saw Lilly Kane (not to be confused with her dead aunt), she was a baby on a beach with her dad in Australia. I am not sure what the statue of limitations on kidnapping is, but it would be nice to see the Kane family represented in the movie someway. Also some tribute to her namesake, like the memorial that Neptune High put up at right, would also be nice.

9. Hannah Griffith – Much like Deputy Leo, I am in the minority (or at least part of the silent majority) when it comes to Hannah who everyone else hated (at least on the internet) because she came between Logan and Veronica. It may be tough to write her in because she did not graduate from Neptune (she was shipped off to boarding school because her father disapproved of her dating Logan) and was not even in the class of ’06 to begin with.

10. The Movie Is Successful Enough for a Bryan Fuller Kickstarter – Moments after the Veronica Mars Kickstarter went live, the internet was abuzz with other possible resurrected prematurely canceled series. I am not saying I would not watch a movie version of Terriers, Chuck, Deadwood, Rome, Friday Night Lights, The Cape (six movies and a season), a preemptive Community campaign, anything associated with Joss Whedon, or the other bandied around by creators or fans, but really all I want is for Bryan Fuller to get a Kickstarter campaign or two going. And it may happen as Thomas stated in an interview that Fuller has already contacted him and like Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies is owned by Warner Bros. But Veronica Mars definitely has to be successful to open up the floodgates (notice the lack of cult television shows made into movies after Serenity bombed at the box office). But what will Warner Bros., or other studios (20th Century Fox owns Fuller’s other cult show Wonderfalls) consider successful: five, ten, twenty-five million gross after everything is said and done? Warner Bros. is in the business of making money and though they do not have to worry too much with the upfront costs thanks to Kickstarter, if they do not make money off the project, we may have to go back to hoping Netflix, DirecTV, or other companies of their ilk resurrect our favorite canceled too soon shows. Hopefully it is successfully enough for Bryan Fuller to do more Pushing Daisies (which he guestimates would need to raise ten million dollars) and / or Wonderfalls.


I really have only one thing I hope does not make it into the Veronica Mars movie: Paris Hilton. And can we get a Kickstarter going to save Google Reader please?

I Want My Music Television: 3/19/13

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.


Whisper in the Dark – Mumford and Sons


Mumford and Sons shot four videos for their latest single, but why release them separately when you can combine then into one? The lower left is my favorite.


22 - Taylor Swift


Taylor Swift with cat ears is way more attractive than it should be.


Radioactive - Imagine Dragons


I really have not put much thought into Imagine Dragons, they are good at what they do: soundtrack for movie trailers, nothing more and nothing less. And I really did not give much thought to them unless the latest sci-fi trailer is released. But I am a bit disappointed that I am just learning that their music video features a killer Care Bear, Lou Diamond Philips, and Adam Braverman’s hot assistant.


By Crooked Steps - Soundgarden


Who knew Soundgarden had a sense of humor? Though I have a feeling the thirteen year old version of myself would have hated Soundgarden doing basically a Foo Fighters type video (this was directed by Dave Grohl).

Previewing Bates Motel

In a measure of full disclosure, I should mention it has been a very long time since I have watched Psycho. It has been so long that I may have just assumed I saw it but really all I have seen was the famous shower scene which over the year morphed into me thinking I have seen the entire movie. I definitely never watched Psycho II (or Psych III or Psycho IV: The Beginning or the shot for shot Gus Van Sant remake of the original or the recent Hitchcock film starring Anthony Hopkins that focused on the filming of the original). So I really had had no expectations going into Bates Motel, a series focusing on a teenage Norman Bates whose mother just bought a motel.

The show stars Freddie Highmore as the future psycho. I actually thought Highmore was one of the interchange guys who all look the same on Pretty Little Liars, but apparently he was never on the show but was the titular character in the Tim Burton Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reboot which I avoided out of respect for Gene Wilder. The big name in the cast is Vera Farmiga (The Departed) as Norma Bates who is much more interesting in the new series that the creepy boy she raises. The show also boasts a few familiar faces, some that ma stick around while others definitely will not be seen again including Nestor Carbonell (The Tick) and Max Thieriot (House at the End of the Street) play local cops. Keegan Connor Tracy (Once Upon a Time’s blue fairy) is Bates teacher who tries to him more involved at school. W. Earl Brown (Deadwood’s Dan Dority) shows up as the former heir to the Bates Motel. The show also stars a couple of Norman’s classmates in newcomers Nicola Peltz as one of the popular girls and Olivia Cooke (who should be cast as Rachael Leigh Cook’s younger sister in something) as the school’s outsider.

Weirdly, Bates Motel starts out in the fifties, or least it looked very much like the fifties in what the Bates were wearing, watching, and driving, when the twosome move from Arizona to the Bates Motel. Then unexplained, after what I assume will be a commercial break, Norman is listening to Cults on his iPod and inexplicably in modern times. And a warning to horror movies purist, there is a scene in the first episode which depicts the young Norman Bates riding around in a convertible with a couple cheerleader types listening to Taylor Swift. I wish I were joking.

But Bates Motel really does not seem like it is the story of Norman Bates which may be a good thing because the high school stuff is very run of the mill: teenagers sneaking out or pretending to study so they can go drink and drug out at a house party (and I think Rosie Larsen’s douchebag boyfriend plays a douchebag on this show too). If there is a reason to watch Bates Motel it is because of Vera Farmiga portal of Norma. Even though he seems relatively normal now, you can tell even after one episode how Norma will drive Norman to grow up to be a psycho. But Vera is not over the top and the subtlety in her performance is really captivating and may have racked up her some awards if the show was better written and acted around her. But if you are to only watch one famous serial killer prequel over the next, I have a feeling Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal will probably be a better bet (at least in terms of quality, Bates Motel may end up airing more episodes since the young Lecter's series airs in NBC's death slot).

Bates Motel airs Mondays at 10:00 on A&E. You will be able to download Bates Motel on iTunes.