Around the Tubes: 6/20/14

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 Legends, Wilfred, Cold Justice, Love Thy Neighbor, Sullivan and Son, Mainland, The Bridge, Kidnapped for Christ, Aerial America: Alaska, Quincy Jones, Skin Wars, Idiot Test, Roadies, and Syfy casting.

- TNT’s new series The Last Ship premieres Sunday and I am guessing the show will be inundated with adds for their next show Legends coming in August. The latest trailer just premiered on the internets and it looks like a prequel to Liam Neeson’s Taken where we see just how he got his “skills” and puts them in action for what they were meant for with Ned Stark subbing in for Neeson. I would have no problem if that is what the show turns out to be.



- Wilfred is moving and he’s taking an extra X with him. The boys are back Wed, June 25th on FXX.


- TNT's fascinating real-life crime series Cold Justice is back on the case with brand new episodes beginning tonight, at 9:00. The series follows former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and former crime-scene investigator Yolanda McClary as they travel to small towns around the country in order to help local law enforcement look into murder cases that have lingered for years without answers or closure. TNT's summer run of Cold Justice will include Justice Served, a special episode created in response to fan requests for case updates. Hosted by John Walsh (America's Most Wanted) and set to air Friday, July 18, Justice Served will look back at the remarkable results achieved by investigators on the show.

- OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s popular comedy series Love Thy Neighbor from Tyler Perry will return with all-new episodes on Wednesday, June 25 at 9:00. As the new summer premiere episodes unfold, Linda struggles with her feelings for Will and her growing attraction for Phillip. However, when Linda catches Will in a lie she begins to question his true character. Tired of being the good girl who always gets hurt, Linda decides to throw all caution to the wind and follow her heart…with some very unexpected consequences.

- Pittsburgh's favorite family-owned watering hole is open for business, and the bar regulars are back for another round of laughs as TBS's original sitcom Sullivan & Son returns for its third season, beginning with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, June 24, at 10:00. As season 3 of Sullivan & Son opens, the marriage of Susan and Jason (guest star Ken Jeong) faces a big test when Jason realizes that he’s never fully pleased his wife in bed. Jason then learns that Owen (aka "The Big O") gave Susan the Big O in high school. Meanwhile, Jack and Hank lead separate sides in a Civil War reenactment, and Hank is determined to win and "change history."

- Mainland began with an eclectic record collection, 4 New York City transplants and a cavernous rehearsal studio underneath the Manhattan Bridge, culminating in a spontaneous recording session with Jim Eno of Spoon. Mainland show their raucous merit with their 2nd EP, Shiner, produced by Eno at his Public Hi-Fi studio in Austin, Texas. A gritty and erratic collection of scuzzed out indie-rock, Shiner idles somewhere between the vintage sensibilities of The Pixies, and the carefree aesthetics of The Drums. It's a genre they've affectionately coined as "puke-up punk," and it's a term that couldn't be more perfect. Check out Leave the Lights On below:


- Seeing the unseen. A new threat crosses The Bridge July 9th at 10:00 on FX.


- On Thursday, July 10th at 7:30 Showtime will premiere Kidnapped for Christ, a powerful, award-winning documentary that chronicles the shocking truth behind Escuela Caribe, a controversial Christian behavior modification program in the Dominican Republic for “troubled” U.S. teenagers. Initially hoping to document the positive effects a boarding school like this could have on struggling youth, evangelical filmmaker Kate Logan is granted unprecedented access and allowed to live on campus for the summer. Once there, Logan’s eyes are opened to the truth beneath the sunny façade of this remote reform school—kids being taken by force in the middle of the night, rumors of physical abuse, and staff imposing arbitrary and degrading punishments on the young students—and encounters students who change her life.

- Soar across the dizzying heights of Mount McKinley. Swoop down on the glimmering seas surrounding Kodiak Island. Hover above stunning aqua-blue melt ponds on the world’s largest glacier and crawl across the barren landscape left behind by the biggest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, as the most expansive aerial series in U.S. television history takes flight on a stunning journey across our nation’s largest state: Alaska. In a special extended back-to-back two-hour programming block, Smithsonian Channel celebrates the last great frontier, taking flight in Aerial America: Alaska, premiering Sunday, July 6 at 8:00 and 9:00.

- Quincy Jones is coming to Turner Classic Movies (TCM) this month as part of an all-night tribute to the entertainment legend. Jones will join TCM host Robert Osborne on Monday, June 30, for a night of films featuring scores composed by Jones. The evening is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 with Jones' debut film as a composer, The Pawnbroker (1965), starring Rod Steiger. Also included in the lineup are The Slender Thread (1965), starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft; In the Heat of the Night (1967), the Best Picture Oscar® winner starring Steiger and Poitier; The Italian Job (1969), starring Michael Caine; and $ (Dollars) (1971), starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn.

- GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced this week the premiere dates for its two new original summer series, Skin Wars, on Wednesday August 6 at 9:00 and Idiot Test, on Tuesday, August 12 at 8:00. Skin Wars, hosted by actress Rebecca Romijn (X-Men) is an eight-episode, hour-long competition show that seeks to find the most talented and versatile body painters in the country. Judges in the series include legendary entertainer RuPaul and body painting icons Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina. Idiot Test, hosted by comedian Ben Gleib and based on the highly popular app games, gives two pairs of contestants the opportunity to face off in several rounds of rapid-fire questions whose answers any "idiot" should know: Every question involves a fun, colorful and often whimsical scene that tests observation and attention to detail as much it tests general knowledge. Contestants play the game on a giant touch screen in the center of the set.

- Showtime has given a pilot production order to Roadies, a comedy that follows the day-to-day life of a successful rock tour as seen through the eyes of music’s unsung background players – the crew members who help get the show on the road. Cameron Crowe, who won an Oscar® for brilliantly chronicling the highs and lows of rock and roll life as witnessed by a Rolling Stone magazine cub reporter in his semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous, wrote and will direct the one-hour pilot (for a potential half-hour series).

- Syfy’s fan-favorite series Haven will get a new resident when Laura Mennell (Alphas, The Watchmen) joins the cast in a recurring role playing Dr. Erin Reid, a brilliant and beautiful epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who fears the town of Haven is on the verge of a deadly viral outbreak. Filming for the series’ 26-episode fifth season is currently underway on location in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In other Syfy casting news, they also announced the cast of Z Nation, an all-new zombie series set to debut in the fall. From production company The Asylum (Sharknado), the 13-episode action-horror series depicts the epic struggle to save humanity after a zombie apocalypse. Harold Perrineau (Oz, Lost) Tom Everett Scott (Southland, Beauty and the Beast), DJ Qualls (Supernatural), Michael Welch (Twilight trilogy) and Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show) have joined the ensemble drama, currently in production in Spokane, WA.

Previewing The Last Ship

Two falls ago ABC premiered an ambitious new show called Last Resort about a submarine ship that refused its ordered to fire its nuclear warhead which undoubtedly would have started World War III. The Pilot was one of the best ion recent memories with an idea that was a great idea… for a movie. A television show? Not so much. By the second episode they were docked at some island in the Pacific and declared themselves their own nation. That and subsequent episodes never came close to that first episode.

This summer TNT is launching a similar sounding show called The Last Ship. Instead of a submarine this is a war ship and instead of nuclear warheads, they are hosting a possible cure for a virus that has wiped out half the world’s population and another half a million each day. But the biggest difference is that where Last Resort docked at a remote island and rarely went back to sea, it seems, at least for the first couple episodes, the titular vessel will stay on the move, from the arctic to France to Gitmo (where, of course, there are a few Al Qaida rebels still alive) to keep away from the infected on land and away from rouge Russian who want the cure for themselves. Still, The Last Ship sounds like it would have been better suited as a movie instead of a weekly series.

One major downgrade from Last Resort is the cast. Instead of the great Andre Braugher, we get Eric Dane who is hard to take serious after being pegged with a silly nickname on some crappy nighttime soap. I spent most of the first couple episodes wishing he would switch roles with his second in command Adam Baldwin (Chuck) someone actually worthy of going into battle for. And since this is a show about a virus, of course there is an absurdly hot doctor set to save the world, this time it is Rhona Mitra (Hollow Man).

There are others in the cast but there is no reason talking about none of them are flushed out because this is a Michael Bay production, the guy who like to blow up things from Bad Boys to all four of the Transformer movies. So in lieu of any character exposition, there is plenty of kiss, kiss, bang, bang. And more than enough of the latter, there are more explosions in the first three episodes than most action television shows have in their entire run. The Last Ship really is a mini-summer action blockbuster every week. But I do not think anyone want to see a ten hour action movie so at some point hopefully they make the characters engaging otherwise The Last Ship will likely be sunk after one season.

The Last Ship airs Sundays at 9:00 on TNT. You can download The Last Ship on iTunes.

Previewing Falling Skies:Season Four

While the middle of the seasons can get meandering, Falling Skies can produces some very thought provoking season finales. At the end of season four, Tom was finally reunited with Ann and their weeks old daughter who has already grown into the size of a gradeschooler. The previous season finale introduced a new player, the Volm, who we later learned have been in an intergalactic war with the Espheni and helped the 2nd Mass beat back the original invaders. By the end of season the 2nd Mass learned that Cochise’s father wanted to keep the humans out of the war and ship them to the safe haven of Brazil.

Apparently the 2nd Mass decided they did not want the free trip to the World Cup (I assume that would still go on even after an alien invasion) and instead split with the Volm and go back to Charleston on their own. We meet back up with them twenty-two days after the end of last season as they arrived on the outskirts of Charleston. Being Falling Skies, this is not a warm welcome as they are greeted with an attack by the Espheni that separates the group and we are introduced to a new kind of skitter which somehow manages to be significantly scarier than the kind we have already seen.

Four months later, the 2nd Mass is now in four smaller groups. Most importantly, over those four months the gradschooler sized Lexi has now grown into an absurdly attractive woman with strikingly white hair (as played by new cast member Scarlett Byrne from the Harry Potter movies). She is clearly from the house of Targaryen but without the dragons or nudity, but she does have some special powers of her own. One o my main problem with the show are no characters worth caring about but Lexi shoots right up to the top of the Most Interesting Characters Power Rankings for the show. And with the plot twist at the end of episode two, she only gets even more interesting.


Falling Skies airs Sundays at 10:00 on TNT. You can download Falling Skies on iTunes. For those that cannot wait until Sunday, the season premiere is currently available on iTunes for free.

Previewing Rizzoli and Isles: Season Five and Perception: Season Three

In the second time in as many years, a TNT show lost an actor while on the air. Dallas had to change course in the middle of the season when Larry Hagman died. Rizzoli and Isles only had to alter the season four finale when Lee Thompson Young took his own life during the filming of the finale. In the episode Barry Frost “went on vacation” and he stays there for first episode of the new season and the viewers will learn the character’s fate by the end of the season premiere with most of the fall out coming in the second episode of the season.

The big news on screen was that Jane is pregnant and Maura continues to be the only one to know at the beginning of the season. Maura had her own secret with her shared kiss with Frankie Jr. Of course there are some cases and the first one of the season hits a little too close to home to the soon to be mother when a woman is killed in the park and kid is taken from the scene. Next week seems like an easier case when a woman comes into the station covered in blood saying she has killed someone. Since the show is an hour long, and cases just do not solve themselves this easily, there is more to this story.

Rizzoli and Isles airs Tuesdays at 9:00 on TNT. You can download Rizzoli and Isles on iTunes.

When we last saw Dr. Daniel Pierce on Perception, he quit his job after it was downgraded at the university and went to Paris to reunite with the Cellist that got away. This season opens up with the Eiffel Tower in the background and despite being in a different country; the FBI still needs his help. Or does it? As always with Dr. Pierce, it could all be a figment of his imagination. All of Perception’s episode end absurdly but the season three premiere may be its most absurd yet. Back in the States, we get some entertaining comic relief as Lewicki and Dean Haley try to get Daniel’s job back without him knowing or with his blessings. Later this season, Daniel will be getting a visit from his father in the form of Peter Coyote.

Perception airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on TNT. You can download Perception on iTunes.

Previewing Miracle Landing on the Hudson

It has been five years since a flock of Canadian geese flew into the engines of a U.S. Airways Flight 1549 resulting in an emergency landing on the Hudson River during a cold day in January. This Sunday the National Geographic Channel will take an in depth look at the event with Miracle Landing on the Hudson. The two hour special will feature firsthand stories of the passengers on board (some of which actually contradict each other) with reenactments to give you a better idea of what they went through.

The special starts off with someone retelling of a dream of them standing on the banks of a river watching a plane crash. She went to the airport only decide not the board the plane. The next plane she boarded days later turned out to be the fateful U.S. Airways plane. Another tells a story of the day before the flight praying to God to take him instead of his wife who was wait on a cancer result. It came back negative and found himself on the plane the very next day thinking God was collecting on the bargain.

About ten passengers in all share their stories, including a family with a small child and a baby, and a woman and the husband she called moments before impact. Also interviewed are a stewardess, the air flight controller on duty that day, a couple of the first responders, and the co-pilot on the flight (Captain Sully Sullenberger is noticeably absent). After hearing these firsthand accounts it becomes even more amazing that all 150 passengers not only made it off the plane alive, but there were very few serious injuries that occurred that day.

Miracle Landing on the Hudson premieres this Sunday at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel.

Previewing Combat Rescue: The Last Stand

Last year National Geographic Channel premiered Inside Combat Rescue that followed around Pararescuemen while they try to save critically wounded soldiers in Afghanistan. Tonight the channel returns to the front lines with the two hour special Combat Rescue: The Last Stand. Operation Enduring Freedom may be winding down there are still plenty of insurgents left ready to put American soldiers in harm’s way.

For the special, camera will follow around “Reapers” an elite Air Force unit tasked with capturing or killing the highest level Taliban targets who threaten lives of the 36,000 people who call Bagram home. The specific Taliban commander is Subhanullah who is suspected of orchestrating multiple attacks on American in Afghanistan including possible involvement in a rocket attack that killed four soldiers waiting at a bus stop on base. Camera will follow a high ranking colonel into a Taliban-controlled village that may be harboring him in hopes that the town will give him up all the while the potential of an ambush still in play.

The special will also head to the skies once again to follow Pararescuemen, this time of the 83rd Rescue Squadron as they fly into hostile territory to rescue wounded comrades, coalition forces, and Afghan citizens. During the tumultuous month of July, when Independence Day attacks are known to spike, the PJs spring into action, flying into the heat of battle to save the critically wounded following a massive attack at a compound in the city of Kabul that killed seven people. Much like the series, Combat Rescue: The Last Stand is a well done documentary of some of the hardest jobs at war.

Combat Rescue: The Last Stand premieres tonight at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/14/14

Quote of the Week: Post Script: Your father loves you very much and will do anything to save you. But I love you in a different way. I love you enough to kill you. (Vanessa Ives, Penny Dreadful)

Song of the Week: Vacation – The Go Go’s (Growing Up Fisher)

Big News of the Week: Dynasties Over?: The NBA Finals started much like last year, Spurs and Heat trading wins (they did so until the Heat won the final two games), that was until in game four when the Spurs embarrassed the Heat for the second straight game in Miami. It is not outside the realm of possibility that the Heat could win three straight games, but it would be the first time a team came back from a 3-1 deficit. So what would be next for both teams? It is highly speculated that pop Tim Duncan and Greg Popavich would go out on top, five championships in fifteen years. Then there is the Heat, all of the big three can opt out. There are rumors that LeBron could take his talents to LA or back home to Cleveland. But losing in the finals (the second time in four trips), could all three come back and add on a big fourth in Carmelo Anthony, who I like to refer to as the worst star in the history of the sport.

Preview Picture of the Week:

"Paris" Perception Season Premiere, Tuesday at 10:00 on TNT

Orphan Black: I am all for more clones on the show, which is lacking so far this season aside from one we met via video who is already dead, , but Tony may have gone one clone too far. And that was before Felix made out with the dude who looks exactly like his sister.
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Penny Dreadful: We finally learned more about Vanessa like how her ties with Sir Malcolm goes way back and she is possibly the reason Mina was targeted. We met the demon that torments her in very explicit fashion that actually scares her mother to death. But there are still plenty of questions surrounding her.

Pretty Little Liars: Wait, so Shanna has been A this whole time? I thought she has know Allison’s whereabouts. Granted I am sure there is probably more A’s out there or we will learn she was just part of the A-Team. Although it looks like Mona might be starting up her own B-team.
You can download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

The Challenge: Free Agents: I routinely mention how Survivor should steal The Challenge challenge makers, but this week The Challenge actually stole Survivor’s triangle puzzle. Nothing else much to talk about since this was the week when the show foes its once a season, end the episode before the final duel which I always hate. It does seem safe to assume that CT will win the men’s side because in the Next Time On we saw him punch through the dry wall wrist deep o one punch. Then on the other side it seems like Laurel has the clear advantage with the length, oh yeah, and she has two functioning hands.
You can download The Challenge: Free Agents on iTunes.


Free Download of the Week: Try - Colbie Caillat (iTunes)

New Album Release of the Week: Mutineers - David Gray

New DVD Release of the Week: Walk of Shame

Video of the Week: For Seth Rogan and James Franco’s next movie, The Interview, there are going to kill Kim Jun Un. Awesome. Though the characters’ names are not mentioned in the trailer, I am just going to go ahead and hope this is a sequil to This Is the End where they are playing themselves. Unfortunately with Lizzy Caplan showing up as some government agent, this is probably not the case. And that is the first time anyone has used the words “unfortunately” and “Lizzy Caplan” in the same sentence.


Next Week Pick of the Week: World Cup, Monday at 5:30 on ESPN: The World Cup started earlier this week but for us xenophobes, it really does not start until Monday when the red, white and blue take the field (quite literally, and the jerseys are kind of hideous in a vertical French flag kind of way). It will be a hard road to the Knockout Round, only Group D with all four teams in the FIFA top 35 World Ranking. But Group G features two of the top four teams in the world (Germany and Portugal). At least America gets to start off with the easiest match of the group: Ghana (37th in the world) except the African country knocked the USA out of the last two World Cups. The next match is Sunday against Portugal also at 5:30 and they close the round robin against Germany, Thursday (6/26) at 11:30 A.M. both on ESPN.

Around the Tubes: 6/13/14

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 Tyrant, The Wil wheaton Project, Heroes of Cosplay, After, Captain America, Oraneg Is the New Black, Fake Off, Face Off, Californication, and Ben Fields.

- Enter the seductive and perilous world of FX's new series. Discover how tyranny reigns over a family and a country. Tyrant premieres Tuesday, June 24.


- New episodes of The Wil Wheaton Project will now air Tuesdays at 9:00 while new episodes of Heroes of Cosplay will now air Tuesdays at 10:00.

- Set in the winter of 2002 in chilly upstate New York, After tells the story of a middle class family struggling with the financial consequences of a failing family business and a series of intergenerational conflicts and rivalries. But, what truly threatens to upset their delicate balance-- and shatter the emotionally fragile family matriarch, (played by Academy Award-nominee, Kathleen Quinlan)-- is an intricately buried secret that, if revealed, could alter their lives irrevocably. A searing study of denial, deception, and self-delusion, AFTER is also a powerful portrait of the lengths we go to protect those we love.


- Building upon the success of their 2013 event, Kiehl’s has once again teamed with Marvel Custom Solutions and enlisted a Triple Threat of Super Heroes for a Limited Edition custom Captain America comic book that delivers an all-new adventure set in Kiehl’s historic New York flagship store. The 12-page story by writer William Harms and artists Tom Grummett and Scott Kolins features Captain America, Black Widow and Falcon as they fight to save the world in the Mighty Marvel Manner.

- In light of the highly-anticipated Season 2 premiere of Orange is The New Black this past Friday, Netflix launched an Orange Is the New App app. The app is a photo-sharing application, which lets you customize cards with your own messages and photos, generate OITNB-themed memes and more! All of the features can be easily shared to your social networks and via SMS.

- Actor and dancer Robert Hoffman (Step Up 2: The Streets, 90210) will host truTV's new series Fake Off, which will feature ten teams from around the country competing against each other in the captivating art of Faking. The teams better bring their A-game to every performance, as they will face an impressive judging panel that includes music superstar and five-time Grammy winner Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of the mega-group TLC; actor-dancer-choreographer Harry Shum Jr. (Glee, The LXD); and world renowned visual & concept designer Michael Curry (Broadway’s The Lion King, Cirque du Soleil’s Love). Fake Off, which is slated to premiere on truTV this fall, will take viewers into the visually stunning world of Faking, a mix of theater, acrobatics, black light and illusion. In an elimination competition unlike anything American audiences have seen before, teams will reimagine iconic moments in pop culture to see who’s got the skills to be named America's Fake-Off Champions. Produced by Shine America.

- Syfy’s acclaimed unscripted series, Face Off, returns for a seventh season themed “Life and Death” on Tuesday, July 22 at 9:00. Sixteen talented special effects make-up artists arrive to Los Angeles, only to discover they are not on the show just yet, and will compete in a Sudden Death challenge where they must create a character that represents either life or death. After facing the judges, two artists are eliminated before ever moving into the Face Offhouse or stepping into the lab. Freddy Krueger himself, actor Robert Englund, makes an appearance and offers advice on creating a convincing makeup. “Pay attention to your model,” he tells the artists. “Look at his face and build on that. I think one of the successes of the Freddy makeup is that they kept some of my own facial structures which I was able to animate easier.” In a Face Off first, Syfy rolls out an interactive social integration for season 7, calling on viewers to each week tweet about their favorite contestant using #FaceOff. Viewer tweets will determine who the weekly fan favorite is, and at the season’s end, the contestant who ranked the overall most favorite will be rewarded with $10,000.

- he final run of the hit Showtime comedy series Californication wouldn’t be complete without a jaw-dropping appearance from the combustible Eddie Nero. This Sunday, guest star Rob Lowe returns for his final appearance as the mentally unstable movie star, in full method-actor mode for his starring role in the new television series, Santa Monica Cop. Hank’s (David Duchovny) romantic evening with Karen (Natascha McElhone) is ruined by the badly timed arrival of Charlie (Evan Handler), Marcy (Pamela Adlon), Julia (guest star Heather Graham), son Levon (guest star Oliver Cooper) - with escort in tow - and rock-and-roll butler Krull (guest star Steve Jones). But the night goes up in flames when Nero rolls through the door, literally, in a wheelchair.

- Ben Fields will be featured on an upcoming episode of The Bachelorette. The episode will feature Fields performing his hit “Extraordinary Light” during a one-on-one date with one lucky suitor and the newest Bachelorette, Andi Dorfman. The episode is scheduled to air Monday at 8:00 on ABC.

Previewing Wonder of Dogs

Coming from wolves, there are now over 300 hundred different breeds of dogs today coming in all different shapes and sizes. Dogs actually have the biggest size range of any land mammal. The three part series Wonder of Dogs digs deeper into a dog’s DNA to learn what makes one fog different from the next.

The series will also take a look at the extraordinary behind some of the world’s most iconic breeds and discover what they can actually tell us about our own human history. The show will go to ancient Mexico to find out why now extinct civilizations bred the Chihuahua and just why the Poodle is groomed the way they are. Yes there is a practical reason to that look. We also learn what each breed paw can tell us about the dog that walks on them.

The show starts off in Brightwell, England where the hosts look into the just how diverse the dog population is just in their little village. Probably the most entertaining part of the first episode is when they use a high speed camera to slow down to show how different breeds shake differently. Granted I was just entertained by how they tried to get the dogs to shake in front of the camera on cue.

Wonder of Dogs airs Saturday 14 at 10:00 on Nat Geo Wild.

Previewing David Beckham Into the Unknown

David Beckham may have a movie named after him but has never been on camera as anything but a football (soccer to us Americans) player. After a twenty-two year career, Beckham is now officially a former football player and like many retirees he has gotten a little stir crazy. But unlike many retirees, he has a sizable bank account that allows him to do almost anything and go almost anywhere. So where to go: the Amazon. And film it for a documentary

Naturally football has taken Beckham to Brazil (the site of this year’s World Cup which starts tomorrow) before but he never traveled outside the hotel or stadium. This time around Beckham is taking to the streets playing beach volleyball soccer (basically volleyball where you cannot you’re your hands) but his main reason is to travel through the Amazon by motorbike, boat, and small plane to meet the remote Yanomami. Okay he is not going completely off the grid as he is seen playing Flappy Birds at night and occasionally calling home.

Joining Beckham is joined by friends Derek White and Dave Gardner as they start at the edge of the Amazon in Manaus (one of the few sites at the World Cup not on the coastline and where America will battle Portugal June 22) and of course some cameras to document for David Beckham Into the Unknown. They are guided along the 800 mile journey by locals and even travel like locals do including leaking boats on the Cuieras River where passengers have to bail out the water to avoid sinking.

The documentary is a nice look at the host country of this year’s World Cup by one of the sport’s most recognizable stars. It can get a bit self induldgent at times (Beckham revels not being recognized with his hemet on but also says how much he likes getting to spend time with the fans). Of course Posh Spice makes an appearance to question what is he going to do with his hair without the comforts of his bathroom (not the only person who wonders this; he answers a hat both times, but you will get to see the hair in the jungle sans hat multiple times). Even if you are not a fan of the football player, the documentary is worth watching for the beautiful scenery of the Amazon.

David Beckham Into the Unknown premieres Friday at 9:00 on Showtime.

Every Single Bone in My Brain Is Electric

The nineties were a great time for rock feuds: Nirvana vs. Guns n Roses, when the Gallagher brothers were not fighting with themselves, Oasis would take aim at Blur, there were bizarre feuds like Coolio vs. Weird Al, Metallica vs. Napster, Sinead O’Conner vs. Frank Sinatra and the pope, and in rap, there was even a huge East coast vs. West coast feud. All those feuds were organic and came from places of pure hatred. Today’s feuds seemed to calculated fueled more for promotional reasons than hatred. And whenever someone is caught hating someone or something else, a quick press release apology that sounds like it was edited by multiple public relations representatives is released. Most of those do not even need to be released it is just that the media routinely takes quotes out of context in hopes of firing up a feud.

That is what makes Jack White so refreshing, he has not problem starting up a good old fashion feud. He (reportedly) banned The Black Keys guitarist from his studio and does not even want his kids at the same school. The band kind of took the high road in Rolling Stone blaming more faults at the people that leaked the information, but still thinking White is not the best guy in the world. But Jack could not find common ground at hating leakers furthered his hatred at that other two-piece in the very next issue of Rolling Stone claiming they blatantly ripped them off and would be nothing without him. Of course the media would blow his rational out of proportion with his comparison that Amy Winehouse is the reason Adele was able to have success. (I agree with Jack that there is always some who opens the door for other artist to walk through, granted the first is not always the best.)

Next came the inevitable apology but Jack White certainly did not employ a PR firm to compose it as it was dripping in sarcasm in between the line and filled with back handed comments, I find it hardly coincidently that White brought up Danger Mouse in the apology out of nowhere as basically to say, The Black Keys need a co-writer and producer to make hit records. If there is one take away from the Rolling Stone article and the subsequent apology is Jack White really likes to complain which he freely admits he does quite frequently in the article.

Jack White’s hatred of The Black Keys stems from their similar sound to his former band The White Stripes but the biggest White Stripes plagiarist may actually be Jack himself. Each of his band have a very distinctive sound, The Raconteurs were power pop, The Dead Weather were hard rock, but when it came to his solo album it was a blues rock album in the vein of The White Stripes just with more musicians (the Stripes famously only recorded songs that the duo could perform live by themselves).

White’s second solo album Lazaretto is more the same, simply good blues mixed with rock and roll with most of the songs sounding liked more fleshed out versions of The White Stripes songs. But just like the first solo album, I have to wonder if Jack White is more entertaining when he puts constraints on himself like he did with the White Stripes because when he has everything at his disposal, it somehow manages not to be as interesting. There are bits and pieces as interesting material on Lazaretto like the instrumental High Ball Stepper but nothing that makes me not wish he would patch things up with Meg White. Really the only truly interesting part of listening to Lazaretto I had was trying to figure out which bands is backing him on which songs, his all-male band The Buzzards or the all female one, The Peacocks.

Song to Download – Lazaretto

Lazeretto gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Previewing Murder in the First

I was looking through someone’s summer television preview and was shocked to see The Killing on the list. I knew that Netflix had picked it up for a third season, but I never heard anyone talk about that assumed that was it. Why Netflix picked it up in the first place was puzzling considering the show was the most universally hated thing on television since the Lost finale. Of course networks do not make decisions based on quality, only on people watching even if they were hate watching like me.

So not only did that horrible first season finale of The Killing warrant three more seasons based on the numbers, it was successful enough to spawn more television series that focus on just one case. Last summer saw the premiere of the uneven The Bridge on FX. This summer TNT is unveiling their own single case mystery Murder in the First, points for not having "The" in the title.

One of my other big problem with the show (after no conclusion after the first season) was I did not care for the characters as people, by the end; I barely cared for them as officers of the law. So I was wary of Murder in the First as before we see a dead body, we get to see Kathleen Robertson (Boss) as a single mother getting her daughter for school while the ex-husband hits her up for money (that storyline may have been dropped because when he showed up in the next two episodes he did not come across as a deadbeat) and Taye Diggs (Go) getting news that his wife cancer is incurable.

The murder in question is that of a drug addict. This should be simple right? Dick Wolfe solves five to ten of these cases in one episode per various Law in Order seasons. And this one seems to be easy too; there is even a confession early on. Except a second dead body tied to the dead drug addict’s son (Tom Felton, The Apparition) who just so happens to be the youngest billionaire on the planet: part Steve Job, part modern day King Joffrey, one hundred percent douchebag. You kind of want him to be murderer just so he can get his comeuppance.

The first couple episodes also have a few more people of interest that caught my eye, first and foremost is Steven Weber (Wings) who plays Felton’s driver and pilot and co-worker of the second victim (the person who watches too much television in me has to wonder why you would bring in Steven Weber to just be a glorified chauffeur). Then there is Richard Schiff (The West Wing) as Felton’s trusted lawyer who is always ready for a quick retort adding some humor to the show which is solely missing from its peers.

After making it through the first two seasons of The Killing and one of The Bridge, I am beginning to wonder if one case can sustain a ten episode season. Nothing n the first couple episodes of Murder in the First really change my mind. Of course with a show like this it is about sticking the landing. The Killing did not with a silly; the aunt did it, but did not know she was doing it ending. The Bridge was slightly better but way over the top. And though nothing in Murder in the First grabbed me, I will continue to watch to find out who really did it because I am a sucker for a good murder mystery. And even bad ones, like I said, I made it through two seasons The Killing.

Murder in the First airs Mondays at 10:00 on TNT. It is preceded by Major Crimes at 9:00. You can download Murder in the First on iTunes.

I Want My Music Television: 6/8/14

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.


Lazaretto - Jack White


I am not going to lie, I kind of want Jack White’s suit from this video.


Boom Clap – Charlie XCX


Last week I did not have kind words for Iggy Azalia and her Fancy song, but honestly, I kind of like Charli XCX on that song (though being attracted to her as Brittney Murphy is kind of creepy), and kind of like her in general. Sure she is all sorts of bad (let it never be forgotten she was that wrote that horrible I Love It song from last year) but this is actually kind of catchy in its horribleness. If this keeps up, Charli XCX (another reason not to like her, that name, it is annoying to write and what does it mean? 90-10?) could challenge Pretty Little Liars for the guiltiest guilty please of the 10’s.


Best Friend - Foster the People


Foster the People may have only recorded one song worth listening to but they almost always release music videos worth giving a look. We have seen maneater videos plenty of times, but this is the first womaneater I remember seeing.


Zigzagging Towards the Light – Conner Oberst


Conor Oberst was the indie king as Bright Eyes for over a decade but decided it was time to sell out and sign to a major label (the same that turned The Black Keys into the defacto biggest band in the world). If their idea to bring Oberast to the masses was a two and a half minute dialogue with an omnipresent voice during a new future dystopia in black and white, maybe he should have stayed independent. Or they better have a better idea for what will be continued.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 6/7/14

Quote of the Week: I atone you Vic, you’re atoned. (Sarah Manning, Orphan Black)

Song of the Week: Love Is All Around – The Troggs (Orphan Black)

Big News of the Week: 90’s Week: It was 90’s week here at the 9th Green where I counted down the 100 Greatest Songs from the Golden Age of Alternative Rock and even added 25 Deep Cuts as an added bonus. Now that you have seen the lists, you can now listen to them on Spotify, I have embedded them below. The National Geographic Channel was so excited by my list that this week they sent me CD of Sublime’s self titled album. For the kiddies out there, compact disks were how we listened to music in the nineties. It is also possibly they sent me the CD to hype their upcoming mini-series The 90’s: The Last Great Decade?. For those interested, it starts Sunday, July 6 and will feature interviews with Kurt Loder, Vanilla Ice, Matthew Perry, Newt Gingrich, Monica Lewinsky, and Julie Genry of the very first The Real World. Be sure to turn in so maybe I can get a Dodgeball Blu-Ray when they promote inevitable The 00’s: Well That Sucked sometime in the next year or two.


Preview Picture of the Week:

“Pilot” Chasing Life, Tuesday at 9:00 on ABC Family

Orphan Black: I have never been a fan of binge watching shows; I actually prefer watching them week to week, giving you time to think about it. But I did watch the ten episodes of the first season over seven days last summer, but now that I am watching week to week, I have found my entertainment level drop this season. One of the benefits of binge watching sci-fi is it is easier to follow things if you just saw it a day (or seconds) before. This season it is hard to follow the science part of the show. And with the clones separate this season also hurts the entertainment value. Until this week, the only time I believe we have seen a clone imitate another clone was the season premiere when Sarah pretended to be Cosima to get into a party. Sarah as Alison was the highlight of the season so far so hopefully they get the clones to interact more in the second half of the season.
You can download Orphan Black on iTunes.

Crisis: Interesting that the kids all think Gibson was forced to kill the kid and none came to the realization that he could be involved. I guess you would not want to think the worst of your father and ignore all the glaring warning signs. Now the question is just how Gibson gets out of the house and reunites with the blood samples. Obvious he has something planned, just what?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Crisis on iTunes.

The Challenge: Free Agents: Who knew Jessica had that in her? I was expecting a blow out that we ended up getting from LeRoy / Cuhutta. But really had she not try to shoot the ball like a free throw instead of a slam dunk, she could have actually won that duel. But the star of the episode, much like the entire season, was Nany who took the worst blow of the challenge and still managed to win. But the best came on the After Show, which was inexplicably absent last week when they desperately needed one to discuss the Nany / Johnny / Cohutta situation. Unfortunately Nany was joined randomly by Devon (granted she did give a very interesting conspiracy against the black contestants this season) not any of the boys, but we did get some good reation shots of Nany looking back at her time on the show so far. I think Nany may have taken Camilla’s spot for the most entertaining contestant of the current generation.
You can download The Challenge: Free Agents on iTunes.

Free Download of the Week: Night Like This – LP (iTunes)

New Album Release of the Week: Stay Gold - First Aid Kit

New DVD Release of the Week: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Video of the Week: Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of the theatrical release of the first Ghostbusters and what better way to celebrate with quite possibly the greatest movie theme song in the history of cinema (sorry Bobby Brown). The film is coming back to theaters to mark the anniversary but not until August 29 (probably because it is closer to Halloween) and of course that will be followed by a 30th Anniversary Special Edition Blu-Ray which will feature both movies and a Slimer figurine.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Pretty Little Liars, Tuesday at 8:00 on ABC Family: The guiltiest guilty pleasure returns this week after an explosive season four finale of Pretty Little Liars which saw A shoot Ezra who was just about to reveal who A was. Unfortunately the TV Guide description of the episode already spoils his fate in the description for those that cannot wait a couple days to find out.

Around the Tubes: 6/6/14

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 Wicked Tuna, Young and Hungry, The Hollywood Reporter Roundtables, A Star-Spangled Story: Battle for America, Grace and Tony, Monogem, Fozzy, Bari Leigh, Major Crimes, Motor City Masters, Penny Dreadful, King of the Nerds, Ascension, and Homeland.

- An age-old battle wages off the coast of Gloucester, Mass., in the icy waters of the Atlantic. As the final weeks of bluefin season approach for the fishermen on National Geographic Channel’s hit series Wicked Tuna, no captain will rest until they climb to the top of the leaderboard to snag the championship. The heart-pounding Wicked Tuna season three finale premieres Sunday at 9:00, followed immediately by the debut of National Geographic Channel’s first live talk show, Reel Talk Live, at 10:00 (tape delayed on the West Coast). Fan-favorite captains and crewmen join host Mike Salk (@TheMikeSalk; sports radio host and Boston area native) before a live audience to answer fan questions, reveal behind-the-scenes scoop and look ahead to the future of the successful Wicked Tuna franchise.

- In anticipation of the upcoming premiere of new original comedy Young & Hungry, ABC Family has launched the Young & Hungry Selfie Sweepstakes. Viewers can enter for a chance to win free groceries for a year. From now through Monday, June 30, fans can enter by posting a “selfie” of themselves on Instagram with their favorite food and include the hashtag #YoungandHungrySelfieSweeps. To be eligible to win, fans may follow the show’s Instagram @YoungandHungryABCF. For more information, visit the YoungandHungrySweepstakes.com.

- A&E Network and The Hollywood Reporter have partnered to produce The Hollywood Reporter Roundtables series, featuring Hollywood's leading Emmy-contenders in intimate discussions leading up to the award nominations. The four-part Emmy roundtables will air on A&E Network on June 8 and 15. A&E will premiere the four-part Emmy series beginning Sunday June 8 with two programs, the Drama Actor Roundtable at 8am and Drama Actress Roundtable at 9am. On Sunday, June 15, A&E will air the Comedy Actor Roundtable at 8am ET/PT and Comedy Actress Roundtable at 9am ET/PT. The Drama Actor Roundtable hosts Jon Hamm, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Michael Sheen, Jeff Daniels, and Josh Charles. The Drama Actress Roundtable hosts Julianna Margulies, Claire Danes, Jessica Pare, Keri Russell, Sarah Paulson, and Vera Farmiga. The Comedy Actor Roundtable features top comedic talents Andy Samberg, Jason Biggs, William H. Macy, Matt LeBlanc, Tony Hale, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The Comedy Actress Roundtable hosts Emmy hopefuls Taylor Schilling, Edie Falco, Mindy Kaling, Zooey Deschanel, Kaley Cuoco, and Emmy Rossum.

- Sung before almost every sporting event in the nation, The Star-Spangled Banner has stirring lyrics and a powerful melody. But many Americans don’t actually know the words or the historic events that inspired them. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Francis Scott Key’s iconic song, Smithsonian Channel will premiere A Star-Spangled Story: Battle for America, an original one-hour documentary revealing the story surrounding America’s National Anthem, on Saturday, June 14 at 9:00. Two hundred years ago, America was a young nation battling the British Empire in a conflict known as the War of 1812. By late summer 1814, the fate of the entire country hung in the balance. Washington was in flames. The President and Congress had fled the city, the American army had collapsed, and conquering troops were burning the nation’s capital. But out of this catastrophic time was born an inspiration and rallying song recognized by every: The Star-Spangled Banner.

- Loretto,TN-based husband-and-wife duo Grace and Tony’s latest Greenroom Session video clip, which went live on TheBoot.com yesterday, features Tony’s brother, John Paul White (formerly of The Civil Wars) joining them on a cover of the Grace & Tony song, November.

- Fans of indie-pop, give a listen to Follow You by Monogem:



- Fozzy have announced they will release their highly anticipated, new full-length studio album Do You Wanna Start a War (Century Media Records) on July 22nd! Fans can now pre-order the 12-track album at iTunes and receive an instant download of the song "One Crazed Anarchist."

- Boldness can take many forms. On the one hand, it can mean brazen, fearless, assured; on the other hand, sensitive, intimate, authentic. Nashville-based singer-songwriter Bari Leigh uniquely understands and embraces this duality: it's in her character. It's in both the sweetness and swagger of her music. And, it's at the heart of what her debut album, Tonight, I'm Unchained, is all about.

- As fans of TNT's Top 10 drama Major Crimes prepare for the start of an all-new season, they will get the chance to enjoy a 19-hour marathon of the entire previous season. The marathon will begin running Sunday, June 8, at 2 a.m. and will continue right up until the season three premiere on Monday, June 9, at 9 p.m.

- Motor City Masters is off to the races. truTV's new car design competition series will be at the center of an immersive car-design installation to be located in Pocono Raceway's Fan Fair for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from Pocono 400 during the weekend of June 7-8. Produced in collaboration with Chevrolet and premieringTuesday, June 24, at 10:00, Motor City Masters will bring together 10 experienced designers, with various specialties and backgrounds, all of whom share a passion for car design.

- Showtime has picked up a second season of its critically acclaimed drama series Penny Dreadful, it was announced this week by David Nevins, President, Showtime Networks Inc. The network has given an expanded order of ten episodes to the series. Created, written and executive produced by three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan, Penny Dreadful has been embraced by the network’s subscribers, drawing 4.8 million weekly viewers across platforms since its launch.

- Nerdvana will be searching for its next ruler as TBS has ordered a third season of its unique competition series King of the Nerds. Hosts Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong, who also serve as executive producers, will once again supervise the proceedings as competitors from across the nerd spectrum vie for the ultimate nerd title. TBS has ordered eight episodes for the third season of King of the Nerds, which is slated to air in early 2015. The renewal comes on the heels of TBS's announcement that it has extended its hit hidden-camera game show Deal With It for an additional 10 episodes to air this fall.

- Syfy this week announced that Brian Van Holt (Cougar Town, The Bridge) will star in the channel’s new original, six hour event series Ascension, portraying eponymous ship’s captain, William Denninger. Van Holt joins the previously announced Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) in the intergalactic mystery series; the two will play husband and wife.

- Today, Showtime and Fox 21 announced that acclaimed actors Laila Robins (Bored To Death, In Treatment) and Golden Globe®nominee Corey Stoll (House of Cards) have joined the fourth season of the Emmy® and Golden Globe Award-winning drama series Homeland. Robins joins as a series regular in the role of “Martha Boyd,” the United States Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, who is professional and put together, with a ship-to-ship voice and the personality to match. Stoll will guest star as “Sandy Bachman,” the CIA Chief of Station in Pakistan and a rising star in the Agency's firmament. The series’ fourth season will begin production later this month in Cape Town, South Africa. The network's No. 1 rated series with an average of seven million weekly viewers, HOMELAND will return to Showtime this fall.

I'm Not Just Some Face You Used to Know

Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters in music in pop history, of course you will never see him on a greatest singers list. So it is no surprised that many of his songs went on to be hits for other artists (and in some cases becoming the definitive version) like Jimi Hendrix, The Byrds, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel; Adele even did one of his songs on her debut album. Bon Iver's Justin Vernon is another great songwriter who singing is not as good, and the annoying vocoder does not help, most notably on Skinny Love.

Enter YouTube: an acoustic version of Skinny Love has been done by every wannabe singer with an account. Seriously, simple YouTube search will land you “about 851,000 results.” Of the hundreds of thousands of versions out there, the unequivocal winner of the Best Skinny Love cover came from Birdy. The fifteenyear old British singer gave a classical sound to the song while singing over a sparse piano accompaniment reminiscent to Adele’s Someone Like You.

Her debut album had more of the same, sparse versions of songs that deserved more acknowledgements to mixed results. Songs like White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes) and Shelter (The xx) were almost as beautifully as Skinny Love but it was a complete fail when she tried to slow down and class up Young Blood (The Naked and Famous) and managed to strip the song of all its youthful energy. Something you would never think an actually teenage would do.

At age seventeen, Birdy released her sophomore album Fire Within filled with her own material, some co-written with the biggest producers of the past decade incusing Ryan Tedder, Sia, Dan Wilson, and Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett. The US release finally came out this week and is basically the Bristish version with Skinny Love tacked on first and another song from the first album added as the final track.

Predictably Tedder gives Birdy a pop star makeover on Wings and Words as Weapons, the former is as loud and boring as you would expect from a Tedder assisted track. The latter starts out more acoustic, almost Mumford, before overproducing the song making it sound like one of the cheap Mumford style dance songs that are starting to get annoying. The Sia produced song Strange Birds is also predictably Sia in that it turns into the weirdest, darkest song on the album. It sours so high that all it needs is some more strings and it could pass as a Bond theme.

Also playing his part is Wilson, who actually wrote Someone Like You, who helps out on the piano ballad All You Never Say. His other contribution is Maybe, a bouncy acoustic track where for the first (and really only time) in two albums Birdy actually sounds like a teenager and ends up being a much better pop song than the two that Ryan Tedder overproduced. The third track Wilson helped out on, All About You, another sweet and stripped out mid temp song and another album standout. If her first album was showing the world she has a beautiful voice, the second album was trying to fit it within the current pop landscape. Hopefully by the third she find its but she is heading in the right direction when not working with Ryan Tedder.

Song to Download – Maybe

Fire Within gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

25 Deep Cuts from the Golden Age of Alternative Rock

Earlier this week I posted my list of the 100 Greatest Songs from the Golden Age of Alternative Rock. The mid nineties was a time when the music business was so prosperous that even minimal effort could result in a Gold record. I doubt anyone outside of the Deal family could name a second song by The Breeders yet Last Splash still went platinum. I contributed to many of those RIAA certifications (R.I.P. BMG 10 albums for a penny deals that they kept letting you quit and renew for a new batch of albums).

1. Anna Begins – Counting Crows: Not only one of my favorite deep cuts from the era, but one of my favorite songs ever in the history of the world. “Every time she sneezes I believe it is love” meant everything to me in my youth. Still does.

2. The World Has Turned and Left Me Here – Weezer: The Blue Album had the most songs of any album on my list as every song is great. This is my favorite of the rest, just another great teenage anthem.

3. Where Did You Sleep Last Night – Nirvana: Quite possibly the greatest performance ever to air on MTV Unplugged.

4. Warehouse – Dave Matthew Band: Record companies are usually good at releasing singles, but for some reasons the singles off of Dave Matthews Band albums are never my favorites. Ants Marching may be my fifth favorite song off their major label debut. The best is Warehouse which only get more epic when you hear it live. And thanks for the band’s penchant for releasing live albums, which will be easy to find because even though they always switch up set lists, there is always a good chance that this song will be represented.

5. Bad Habit – The Offspring: The ultimate road rage song. I probably listened to it way too much while learning to drive.

6. Immortality – Pearl Jam: No list is perfect and my own personal eyeballing of mine is there could have been a lot more Pearl Jam. It is probably after the success of the first album, they decided to step back from the spotlight not making music video or releasing proper singles leaving individual radio station to play their own favorites. Immortality is just the kind of mood I am in right now, but anything on those next two albums is worth checking out.

7. Let Me In – R.E.M.: Those first three R.E.M. albums from the nineties are worth checking out, this is probably the best track on their most fuzzed out album of the trio.

8. Happy Endings – Better than Ezra: I recently read an article where the lead singer suggested that they may have had Goo Goo Doll’s career had they been on a better record label and not one that went under. As a owner of all their albums sans their last I would have to agree as they made some of the best adult contemporary music of the past decade. You can hear them go down that root on songs like this.

9. Sad Songs and Waltzes – Cake: The band had a minor hit with their I Will Survive cover, another stand out on the same album was this Willie Nelson classic. The irony of course was during the alt-rock era, depressing songs were all the rage.

10. I'm the Ocean – Neil Young: The godfather of grunge hooked up with Pearl Jam and made an album which sounded exactly like you expected. This seven minute epic without a chorus is the highlight of the Mirror Ball album.

11. I Love You Mary Jane – Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill: When I first started working on my list I considered some more “alternative” rap song like Insane in the Brain. Instead I will include Cypress Hill’s awesomely weird collaboration with Sonic Youth for the Judgment Night Soundtrack where the two bonded over their love of the sticky icky. The song worked a lot better than their track with Pearl Jam.

12. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Smashing Pumpkins: In the of the alt-rock heyday, who would have expected the Smashing Pumpkins to start their double album with a sweet, well, melon collie, piano-based instrumental.

13. Sir Psycho Sexy – Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Peppers are weird to begin with, but this was easily their most bizarre track from Blood Sugar Sex Magic. The teenage version of myself loved the lady cop verse.

14. Slide Away – Oasis: That first album was brit-pop gold, this was definitely my favorite non-single.

15. The Wanderer – U2: Nirvana gets a lot of credit for the start of the alt-rock era, but with Achtung Baby, U2 was getting weird at the same time. They got even weirder on Zoorepa which ended with a country euro-trash song featuring Johnny Cash on vocals, a year before his carreer got resurrected with the American Recordings series.

16. Swing On This - Alice In Chains: Who would have guessed Alice in Chain would ever release a song that was actually danceable?

17. Pillar of Davidson – Live: There were plenty of epic songs on Throwing Copper, this song may have actually been the most epic.

18. Bogusflow – Beck: DGC Rarities vol. 1 was a must own by any alt-rock fan with plenty of rare gems. At the time, Beck was heading for one hit wonderdom and this drunken Bob Dylan type song was not going to help him out of that label but was awesome nonetheless. I am still waiting for vol. 2.

19. Mad Dog 20 / 20 – Teenage Fanclub: Fun fact: The first legal drink I ever bought was Mad Dog 20/20. I cannot confirm nor deny it is because of this song.

20. April 29, 1992 (Miami) – Sublime: Humorously the band actually got the date wrong in the actual lyrics song (April 26), legend has it that the take with the mistake was the best so they kept it.

21. Steven's Last Night In Town – Ben Folds Five: There were not many New Orleans inspired tracks during the alt rock era, but this one was really good.

22. Brother – Toad the Wet Sprocket: This was off their “rarities” album which was one of the few albums that was just as good as the “proper” albums in an artist discography.

23. Price to Pay – Blues Traveler: Just great storytelling in this song and of course plenty of harmonica.

24. Carrion – Fiona Apple: The big hits of this album were song of Fiona’s more angry songs; I also appreciate her more subtle songs like this one.

25. Nada – The Refreshments: In the introduction I mentioned how easy it was to get a Gold album, this is one of the few bands from the time that did not manage one and I am not sure why, I really enjoyed both of their albums. Maybe too southern and not enough alternative in their rock. And then too weird for the country crowd. Nada was a great way to end that first album.


Honorable Mentions

Shamrocks and Shenanigans (Butch Vig Mix) – House of Pain: Another rap song I considered for this list, but the Butch Vig version. Vig was fresh from producing Nevermind and a few years away from becoming a founding member of Garbage and gave an alt-rock bent to the song.

Iron Man – The Cardigans: I considered a couple songs by the band for this list but Lovefool was a bit too poppy and Been It just missed the cut (had I expanded the end date by a year, My Favorite Mistake would definitely made the list). But the album was much more weird and darker than you would expect from the group that brought you Lovefool, case in point this trippy cover of the Black Sabbath song.

I Want My Music Television: 6/3/14

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.

Problem – Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea


When I first saw Ariana Grande, I thought it was a Rebecca Black situation. Not that she was horrible, The Way was pleasurable in a guilty kind of way, but the video looked like mommy and daddy put their 401K into it while Ariana had a creepy dead behind the eyes stare to her and just looked uncomfortable the whole time. It turned out Grande is a real thing, and apparently a kiddie television star despite looking like she had never been in front of a camera for The Way. With her next hit Problem instantly going to number one, she is apparently turning out to be the next big thing. Yeah the new song is also moderately catchy (though I could have done without the rap, sure the Fancy video is kinda of awesome but can we please keep Iggy Azalea from becoming a thing please) still her visuals are uncomfortable. For the music video, she broke out the same awkward middle school talent show routine that was met with a resounding, “Huh?!?” from Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan at whatever award show that was. I know the modern pop star has to front and center in everything they do, but Ariana should really consider pulling a Pearl Jam and just stop making music videos for a while, or at the very least do what George Michael did and just fill your video with supermodels.


Talk (Expletive Deleted), Get Shot – Body Count


People have been throwing dirt on rock as a genre for a while now (myself included) but The Black Keys and Jack White have been putting out great music (even if they will not admit it about the other act) and racking up awards, just last week Coldplay had the biggest album debut of the year. So rock may be on life support, but it still has a pulse. Now heavy metal, that genre has been dead for a while now. Seriously, when was the last time you heard a good heavy metal song? There is probably why you rarely see any act from the past decade or two on That Metal Show. So when Ice-T debuted the new Body Count song on his Final Level Podcast (which comes highly recommended from me), I figured that I would listen to about thirty seconds and then fast forward to Ice talking Dungeons and Dragons again. Except the song actually turned out to be legitimately good. And I not just saying that because I fear the title may come to fruition if I did not like it. And the music video is just as entertaining as a more violet version of the plotline of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. (Fun fact: the I got the (Expletive Deleted) idea from this movie).


Simplethings – Miguel


There comes a time in every singer’s career when it is time to roll around on the beach with an absurdly attractive model in black and white. Everyone can thank Chris Isaak for that. So why is Miguel ending the music video right where should be starting. Is he saving that for his own personal collection?


Bridges - Broods


It seems like every month this year I am posting a new video for Bridges. The last one was the “international version” and this is apparently the “American version.” And much like Lorde’s Royals which the US version has 500% more Lorde, the US version of Bridges actually features Broods frolicking in what looks to be a clothing advertisement geared at teenage girls. Sadly that is how you sell new artists stateside.