I Know What I am Chasing, I Know that this Is Changing Me

For those of us whose formative years happened during the nineties, Automatic for the People was a seminal album by R.E.M. Released just nineteen short months after Out of Time, which pushed the band into the mainstream after being college rock gods for the previous decade, Automatic for the People hit a major chord with their newfound melodic sound and Michael Stipe’s impassioned lyrics. But in the nineteen years since the release, they have yet to release an album up to that standard which makes you wonder how much drummer Bill Berry, who left the band two albums later when he suffered an aneurysm during the Monster tour, had to do with the greatness of those nineties albums. But at this point I would be happy if the band released an album as good as Monster.

That has not to say the remaining three hasn’t scrapped together a few great songs in their drummer’s absent, but they never have seemed to fill a full album of them. Their fifth post Berry album (fifteenth overall) is their best work since Monster. Collapse Into Now mixes songs that have the energy of their eighties college rock days and melodic songs from the nineties, though definitely leaning more towards the former.

Album opener Discoverer can make any middle-aged remember back to college when they were in some sweaty bar seeing the band for the first time as you shout along with the chorus with one fist in the air. The band prominently breaks out a mandolin for the first time since Losing My Religion for Oh My Heart, the band’s catchiest songs since At My Most Beautiful. While Überlin sounds like a perfect blend of the band’s first two decades. And the boys brings back Patti Smith to close out the album with Blue and the spoken word is reminiscent of their last hook out on E-Bow the Letter.

Song to Download – Oh My Heart

Collapse into Now gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Assessing the Fall 2011 Network Pilots

TV Guide recently ran down the pilots, eighty-two in all, which the networks are considering considering for their fall schedule. It is premature to predict what is going to be good or not since we are still two months away from any of these shows from being picked up and six months before any of them premiere. But they did not called me Premature Scooter in college for no reason so I am going to do some predicting anyway. Here are five shows I would like to make it on their respective schedules.

Wonder Woman (NBC) – Sure the scripted has been ripped to shreds online and David E Kelly doesn’t seem like a good fit guiding the show, I would certainly tune in to see Trya Collette don the red, white, and blue spandex every week.

Once Upon a Time (ABC) – Considering this is being described as “A woman travels to a town where fairy tales are real” we may have to wait until this weekend to see how well Red Riding Hood does at the box office to gauge the chances this show has to getting picked up. Though I would be more confident if a show like this came from someone like Bryan Fuller, it was instead created by two writers from Lost who seemed to do a lot of Hurley-centric episode. And it stars Ginnifer Goodwin (Diane Snyder returns to free TV!) as Snow White. NBC will also have their own fairy tale themed show Grimm from Buffy / Angel writers.

Work It (ABC) – I have waited almost three decades for a Bosom Buddies reboot and this may be as close as it gets with two unemployed car salesmen dress in drag to get jobs a pharmaceutical representative. We will also get the bonus enjoyment figuring out which of the two will go on to be Tom Hanks and the other Peter Scolari.

Two Broke Girls (CBS) – Kat Dennings, who is great with passive aggressive dialogue, staring as a waitress co-written by Whitney Cummings, a standout of recent Comedy Central Roasts. Cumming also has her own starring vehicle for NBC from the creator of My Boys.

Playboy (NBC) – Let be the last red blooded American boy on the internet to get excited to hear they are doing a Playboy Club themed show (donning the bunny suits will be the absurdly hot Amber Hear and moderately attractive Naturi Naughton and Jenna Dewan) only to be let down to hear it will be on NBC, not HBO.


And as the great philosopher Butt-Head once told his understudy Beavis, “If it weren’t for things that sucked, how would we know if something was awesome?” And this year looks like there is a bunch of crap that hopefully never makes it to your televisions.

Charlie’s Angels (ABC) – Whenever something is successful is on television it spreads like wildflower (seriously, just count the number of three different couples themed shows that have popped up since Modern Family), and that is understandable. But why do networks continue to reboot show considering every single one in the past decade has failed miserably? And as much as I would like to see Lyla Garrity kick bad guy butt in skimpy clothing every week, I just cannot see this being any good and “from the producers of Smallville” doesn’t help.

Home Base (CBS) – Speaking of failed ideas, was NFL player who goes home already failed recently? Executive producer Marky Mark is also a serious red flag.

Touched (Fox) – Seriously, how does Heroes creator Tim Kring keep finding work? Only Lane Kiffin has fallen upwards faster.

Ringer (CBS) – I hate to break it to Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, Sarah Michelle Gellar cannot act. She is only passable when Joss Whedon is putting words in her mouth, and since he won’t and Supernatural writers will, this will be unwatchable.

Grace (ABC) – Nothing could get me to run further from a show than “from Dancing with the Stars judge” but here’s the catch, this show isn’t some crappy dance themed reality show, it’s a drama. Staring Eric Roberts. Of course it is set in the world of professional dance.

Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea (NBC) – Sure Laura Prepon was surprisingly good as Nikki Heat, but portraying Chelsea Hander (who inexplicably will play he older sister) screams unwatchable.

Partners (ABC) – No description made me laugh harder than, “Two female police detectives are fiercely loyal to one another... because they're also secretly sisters.” Actually, I may have to move this to the please get picked up pile because this may be so bad it’s good.

College Has Been Everything I Ever Imagined it to Be

Back in college, one thing all the graduate assistants I worked with agreed on, do not do graduate work at the same school you did your undergrad. I could not help think of those words of wisdom when watching this season of Greek. Though I did not have any plans of going to grad school after graduating, watching Casey Cartwright this season I could see exactly why everyone suggested not continuing even higher learning at the same school.

Sure hanging out with undergrads you were friends with just three months ago may not seem that band, but how quickly you turn into that old guy at the college bar. And I got that vibe that Greek itself may have stayed one season too long and may have been better if the series would have just ended when Casey and Even Chambers graduated. Instead Casey and Cappie end up riding off into the sunset one semester too late (leaving Evan to wallow by himself yet again).

We even got a steady parade of returning alumni this season with Frannie, Katherine, Ashleigh, and Wade all finding their way back to Cypress Rhoades this season to mixed results but with one common theme, they did so with their tails between their legs. Again, you may be able to go home again, but that doesn’t mean you should. Even Lonegirl15 inexplicably popped up for no apparent reason. Who knew she was still attending CRU? Which begs the question whatever happened to Ben Bennett?

That is not to say season four was a complete waste. Dale, always the series MVP, finally got a major storyline worthy of the spotlight when the former president of USAG (fun fact: Abed from Community was also a founding member) actually rushed a fraternity and taught the guys who only gave a bid to get back at Rusty a thing or two about brotherhood. And his work as the ZBZ hasher was always comedy gold especially whenever Rebecca was involved.

Greek did miss the usual ten years later epilogue you expect at the end of college stories, but at least Dale finally got that kiss from Casey he had been pining for since he first laid eyes on her at his Darwin Lied concert. Here is hoping they do not come back to Cypress Rhoades except for the occational Homecoming weekends.

Greek 4.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Greek the Series gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television - 3/7/11

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.


Uncharted - Sara Bareilles



I thought this was going to be another one of those fan made video until I went, “wait, isn't that Pharrell? And Josh Groban singing into a banana? Turns out Sara Bareilles got all her singer-songwriters friends to film videos of them lip-syncing her new song. Apparently no one in Maroon 5 has been on YouTube because their camera is too high quality and do not ham it up enough.


From the Clouds – Jack Johnson



Leave it to naturist Jack Johnson to shoot a beautiful video featuring the ocean. This screams view me in HD. And for anyone who would like to download this song for free (and more important legally) head over to Jack Johnson Music to do just that. The catch though is you have to post the link on your Facebook page or Twitter it to get the download. But for me free is free.


Uberlin – R.E.M.



At least the new R.E.M. video is less seizure inducing than their last one.


Freaks and Geeks – Childish Gambino



Yes that is the dude from Community (Childish Gambino is what a Wu-Tang Clan name generator gave him back in college; for those wondering, mine is Illmaster Assasin). I keep on going back and forth on if I actually like the song. Dude’s got wordplay skill, but the nasally delivery puts me off. But bonus points for including a shotout to time slot rival and fellow LaVar Burton fan, The Big Bang Theory.