Best of the Week - 1/29/11

Quote of the Week: The rich girls steal, the pretty girls lie, the smart girls play dumb, and the dumb girls spend their days trying to be all of the above. (Caleb, Pretty Little Liars)

Song of the Week: When the Night Comes - Dan Auerbach (Lights Out)

Big News of the Week: Keith Olbermann Fired: After the shooting in Arizona there was a lot of talk about civility, and I thought it was just that: talk, and it would die down and we would be back to politics as usually within a month. Surprisingly last Friday MSNBC fired the biggest offender of lack of civility (and their highest rated talking head), Mr. Worst Persons in the World himself Keith Olbermann. Now if only Glen Beck, Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow follow him into the unemployment line we can actually get back to civility.

Ironically, shortly afterwards it was announced that Aaron Sorkin was working with HBO on a series about the backstage of a cable new show much like Countdown with Keith Olbermann, note that Olbermann former gig on Sportscenter was the inspiration for Sports Night.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: El Camino - Amos Lee (Amazon MP3): If one free Amos Lee song is not enough for you, you can also get his song Violin for the low, low price of nothing on iTunes.

New Album Release of the Week: Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh PA September 23, 1980 [2 CD Deluxe Edition]

New DVD Release of the Week: Let Me In

Video of the Week: Just in time for his departure, Michael Scott met his British counterpoint David Brent on The Office this week. For those that missed it, below is the meeting of the minds.



Next Week Pick of the Week: Super Bowl XLV, All Day Next Sunday, Fox: Even if you a fan of one of the teams playing, it is wise to stay in the comfort of your own home and watch the game on your HDTV because word on the streets of Texas that there is a rapist in Arlington and he’s climbing in your windows, he’s snatching your people up trying to rape them. So y’all need to high your kids, hide your wife. In fact you may want to hide your husband ‘cause they’re raping everybody out there. After the big game is a new episode of Glee which I’ll probably have to skip because I liked the show a lot better when it was called Kids Incorporated.

Around the Tubes - 1/28/11

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 Ultimate Factories, Restrepo, Still Bill, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, Life After Film School, Lizzie Olsen, Operation Repo, One Born Every Minute, Discover and Travel Channel DVD's, and Archer.

- Car fanatics will want to turn into the National Geographic Channel next Thursday at 10:00 for the new series Ultimate Factories. The first episode will follow the making of the making of Dodge Challenger in the first episode and will later feature Maserati, Mercedez-Benz, Dodge Viper, and Bentley. Check out a preview below:

The Paint Shop


- In other National Geographic Channel news, for those that missed it when it originally ran, the channel is re-airing the now Oscar nominated documentary Restrepo Wednesday at 8:00. You can also go back and read my original Preview of Restrepo.

- One of my personal favorite soul singers of all-time, Bill Withers is getting a documentary treatment on Showtime next month. Next Friday on Showtime, tune into Still Bill will feature concert footage and interviews with music legends, peers, family and his closest friends.

- After all the hype, what may be the greatest movie ever (or the least greatest ever made for basic cable movie) premieres tomorrow. Of course I am referring to Tiffany / Debby Gibson showdown, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. Below is a preview of the throw down between the former teen idols.



- This Sunday Justified executive producer and showrunner Graham Yost will be the guest on Fox Movie Channel’s Life After Film School. And do not forget Justified returns for its second season Wednesday, February 9.

- Who better to cover the Sundance Film Festival than the Sundance Channel? Below is an interview with Lizzie Olsen, star of Sundance films Martha Marcy May Marlene and Silent House (and, yes, she is the sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley).



- If you enjoy TruTV’s Operation Repo you will want to head over to Facebook to like the show because if they reach 500,000 “likes” by the end of the season in April, truTV will create and present a bonus, full-length, fans-only episode on the Operation Repo Facebook fan page.

- Lifetime has a new series premiering next week. One Born Every Minute takes an in-depth look at life inside the maternity ward at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Here is a promo of the show that will air eight episodes Tuesdays at 10:00.

One Born Every Minute Trailer


- Discovery Communications has a couple DVD’s hitting shelves next month including Eyewitness to Jesus, out 2/8, which follows Matthew D’Ancona of Magdelena College in Oxford on his journey from Egypt to the Holy Land in search of evidence that can prove this papyrus was, in fact, written during the life and times of Jesus. Then Speed of Life, out 2/1, exposes life invisible to the naked eye by using modern technology to manipulate time, light, and size to reveal the hidden splendor of nature.

- Travel Channel is also releasing some DVD’s of their own including Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern Collection 4/Part 2 and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, both out now.

- Just in time for Archer’s return yesterday, Pandora has created a Archer Horizontal Mambo Mix.

I Want My Music Television - 1/27/11

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.

Don’t Look Back – She & Him



For those wondering what MTV would have looked back in the sixties, this looks like She & Him asked Don Draper to create a music video for them.


Electric Love – Dirty Vegas



Supposedly this video by Dirty Vegas is the first of three videos that serve as a primer to Jena Malone’s upcoming film Sucker Punch coming out in March. Though I am not entirely sure what Malone’s, um, interesting dance technique have to do with the movie but color me excited.


Cameras – Matt and Kim



Matt & Kim sure like to go all out for their video be it graphic nudity of the previous clip or the graphic violence here.

She’s Got Nothing On (But the Radio) – Roxette



Holy Roxette sighting!

Breaking Down the 1000 Greatest Songs of the 00’s

Back in 2006 someone asked me what I thought was the best song of the year was and I responded that Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy wasn’t just the best song of the year, but it was the greatest song of the decade. It was at that moment I thought about doing a Greatest Songs of the 00’s list and started a playlist that ended up with around 1400 songs four that I then widdled down to my favorite even thousand. If you have not done so yet, head over to The 1000 Greatest Songs of the 00’s for the complete list. Here is how the list broke down by the numbers. Now if excuss me, I need to get started on my list of the 1000 Greatest Songs of the 10's.


Artist with Double Digit Songs:
Kanye West - 22
Jay-Z – 17
U2 - 17
Coldplay – 16
John Mayer (Trio) - 15
Alicia Keys - 14
Dixie Chicks – 13
Dave Matthews (Band) – 12
Snow Patrol - 12
Jack Johnson – 11
Michelle Branch (The Wreckers) – 11
Nelly Furtado – 11
Beyoncé (Destiny's Child) - 10
The Roots – 10
Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs) – 10


Songs by Genre
Pop - 204
Rock- 191
Rap – 159
Alternative - 155
Adult Contemporary – 142
RnB - 97
Country – 40
Electronic – 12

Songs by Year
2000 - 91
2001 – 94
2002 – 96
2003 – 77
2004 – 96
2005 – 91
2006 – 90
2007 – 116
2008 – 124
2009 - 125


Top 100 by Year
2000 – 12
2001 – 12
2002 – 11
2003 – 10
2004 – 11
2005 – 9
2006 – 9
2007 – 8
2008 – 11
2009 – 7

Top 100 by Genre
Adult Contemporary – 28
Alternative – 19
Rap – 19
Rock - 12
Pop – 8
RnB - 8
Country – 5
Electronic - 1


Most Songs in top 100 – The Killers (5)
100’s – John Mayer (5)
200’s – U2 (3)
300’s – Jack Johnson, Jay-Z (3)
400’s – Alicia Keys (5)
500’s – The Roots (4)
600’s – Coldplay (3)
700’s – Dixie Chicks (4)
800’s – Kanye West (4)
900’s – LeAnn Rimes (3)

Artist with 1 Song: 201

Number of Cover Songs: 34
Number of 00’s Cover Songs: 6
Television Theme Songs: 4

Shortest Song: Fell in Love with a Girl (1:50)

Longest Song: I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab for Cutie (8:36)

Time it would take you to listen to the 1000 Greatest Songs of the 00's: 2 days, 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 46 seconds.