That's Me in the Corner, That's Me in the Spotlight

There were no truer words spoken on The Voice when Blake Shelton said about Dia Frampton, “This girl isn’t just someone who can sing, this girl is someone who has a vision.” Where everyone in the competition is still content with singing straight karaoke versions of their songs, Dia is clearly spending her rehearsal time tweaking her performance all week, not settling on a strong vocal performance, she seems to be the only one on the show who is working to make a great song. Those hand claps at the chorus were so simple, but yet so brilliant and really to her dreamy version of Losing My Religion and turned it into a great performance. If Dia Frampton wins The Voice, she will give instant credibility to the show that the other finalist would not.

Semi-finals: Dia Frampton Sings "Losing My Religion"


Compare that to arguably the best overall performance of the week by Vicci Martinez (faux-hawks aside) ; seriously, it is hard to beat a drum line, but there is no way I would ever buy her version. I already have the Florence + the Machine version on my iPod, why would I want an inferior version in every way, from vocals to music, it is just a bland version compared to the original. Sure Dia cannot compete vocally with Michael Stipe either (of course he does have one of the great voices in rock and roll history) but she changed it up enough to make it a worth wild version on its own merits where you do not naturally compare their vocals.

Semi-finals: Vicci Martinez Sings "Dog Days Are Over"


When they announced that each team’s America’s Vote would go against the Coach’s Save I had to think of Mark Burnett’s other show Survivor and its recent Redemption Island twist. Sure the idea of Redemption Island was cool, but I figured they would immediately vote out whoever got back in the game and that happened. And on The Voice having an America’s Vote and a Coach’s Save is good theater, I thought to myself, America is just going to vote for the same person unless that person runs off the stage crying during their performance. But I also assumed that all the coaches would not give anyone over fifty-five points and Adam shocked me when he put almost all his eggs in Javier Colon’s basket.

But that wasn’t the shocking moment of the week from Adam Levine who admitted he changed his mind from Jeff Jenkins to Casey Weston at the last minute. I wonder what change his mind. I thought Jeff should have been kicked off the show right after his “legal Thomson sister” comment. Though it may have more to do with Casey outselling Jeff on iTunes last week. But I wonder since Adam and Cee Lo had the advantage of seeing their singers practice for a week had any influence on their picks. And considering Jeff was set to perform I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, one of the worst power ballads ever in the history of the world, I would not be surprised if that played a part. I actually knew a couple who chose that song as their first dance at their wedding and I took the under on the length of their marriage. Needless to say I may a pretty penny off that wager. And Curtis Grimes fans rejoice, you can actually buy the songs by the rejects on iTunes where you can purchase his version of Colder Weather. Also available are the Thompson Sisters Cowboy Take Me Away (um nevermind, it was on iTunes yesterday, but seems to have disappeared), and Devon Barley giving Animal by Neon Trees a spin.

But Adam did not have the most shocking moment of the week. That went to Nakia who turns out to have a boyfriend. In the immortal words of Hurley, “Didn’t see that one coming.” So next week on The Voice the final four will be performing a duet with their coaches (I wonder if Vegas is taking bets on who will over-sing more Christina/Beverly or Adam/Javier) and an original song. I wonder if Carson misspoke on the original song, but I hope they do do something original and are allowed to write their own songs if they want because I would much rather hear a song that Dia and Javier wrote themselves than some crappy American-Karaoke style championship song. Then again there will be a short voting window with the results show airing again on Wednesday.

Semi-final Results: George Michael Medley

I Want My Music Television - 6/22/11

There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.


Perform This Way - "Weird Al" Yankovic



I have been listening to “Weird Al” Yankovic my whole life, would tape the Dr. Demento Show whenever he was on, even bought his Box Set release even though I owned all his albums, but I really need the Men in Black mind eraser gadget so I can wipe this music video from my memory. Remember his song Do I Creep You Out? I can finally answer that question with an emphatic yes.


Block after Block – Matt and Kim



Matt and Kim are back to their guerilla tactics on the streets of New York City, but managed to keep their clothes on. Why cannot all music videos be this fun?


Calgary – Bon Iver



After working with Kanye West for his Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I was interested on if Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) would take any of that influence into his new album. And from the sounds of Calgary, in this song at least his sound is fuller. And he also seemed to take Kanye’s recent penchant for weird visuals in his music video.


Life Is Life – Noah and the Whale



When we last saw Noah and the Whale they were telling us that life goes on (or at least spelling it) and now Life Is Life. But with the cheerleaders in the performance shots I cannot help but think of the lost nineties gen Popular by Nada Surf.

One Ring to Rule Them All

Sure The Lord of the Rings movies were released individually a couple months ago on blu-ray, but who bought The Fellowship of the Ring and thought to themselves, that’s really the only one I want. Most fanatics knew that the full set would get a blu-ray release eventually and a week from today is that day when you can buy The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy, fifteen disks in all, and Warner Bros is going all out for the release. Highlighted by a midnight release party in West Los Angeles where actors from the film will be there to autograph your newly purchased blu-ray and a costume contest with a grand prize of a VIP Tour of Middle-earth (an all-expense paid trip to New Zealand where the movies were filmed). For a full run down of what Warner Bros is doing to celebrate (including the re-airing of The Big Bang Theory’s Lord of the Rings parody), here is the full press release from Warner Bros:

One Ring. One Release. One Unforgettable Night.

Count-Down to “Middle-earth Midnight Madness” Launch Celebration,

Theatre Screenings Lead Huge Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group Push for The Lord of the Rings™ The Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition

Special Event Featuring Cast Member Greetings, Costume Contest With Fabulous Prize Packages, and More at Best Buy in West Los Angeles to Celebrate Warner Home Video's June 28 Midnight Release.

Facebook Page, with 5.2 Million Friends, is Official Destination for Insider Information, “Wisdom Wednesday” Q&A with Weta Workshop Talent and new Elvish Name Translator application!

Burbank, Calif., June 17, 2011 -- On June 28, Warner Home Video will release all three of Peter Jackson’s visual masterpieces on Blu-ray in a 15-disc stunning collection entitled The Lord of the Rings™ The Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition. To celebrate the occasion, Warner Home Video has announced a count-down to “Middle-earth Midnight Madness” celebratory event at Best Buy’s West Los Angeles location, 11301 W. Pico Blvd., where fans can join in the anticipation of the magic moment when they’ll finally be able to own the new extended edition trilogy on Blu-ray.

Brimming with enthusiasm, fans from all over the country (and possibly worldwide) will be encouraged to arrive for the festivities at 12:00 PM on June 27 -- dressed as their favorite Middle-earth characters. The Aragorn, Frodo, Gandalf and other look-alikes will be eligible to win one of several exciting prizes[1], with one lucky contestant capturing the Grand Prize of a VIP “Tour of Middle-earth” – an all-expense-paid trip to New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown), courtesy of Air New Zealand and Weta Workshop. Highlights of the Grand Prize package itinerary will include a VIP tour hosted by Hobbiton Movie Set Tours, visits to The Lord of the Rings movie locations, a SKYCITY Grand Hotel VIP experience in Auckland and being hosted at the Weta Cave by the crew from Weta Workshop. Two Second Prize winners will receive an Official 10k Solid Gold version of The One™ Ring from Noble Collections (consumer value $495 each). Three Third Prize winners will receive a life-sized replica of The Sting Sword™, Frodo’s sword used throughout the Trilogy, also supplied by Noble Collections (consumer value $295).

All attendees will be winners, as they marvel at the specially created atmosphere, with autographs from celebrities, and themed give-aways, topped off with the choreographed countdown to midnight and the satisfaction of being the first people in the world to get their new Blu-ray copy of The Lord of the Rings™ The Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition.

In attendance will be talent from the trilogy as well as broadcast, print, radio and online media to report on all activities, including the fan-favored online destination TheOneRing.net. TheOneRing.net staff will be on hand, as the line starts officially at 12:00 PM on June 27th, to celebrate the release with trivia, games, fan profiles and more! Smaller prizes and swag will be handed out throughout the day. Costumes will be judged by representatives from TheOneRing.net as well as by Richard Taylor who will judge the finalists via Skype. Taylor, co-owner and creative lead at Weta Workshop is co-founder of the Weta companies in New Zealand. Weta Workshop has an international reputation as one of the film industry’s most successful special effects studios. Richard and the team worked on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy for seven years designing and creating armour, weapons, prosthetics and miniatures for these films, and Richard received four Oscars® and three BAFTAs for Weta’s work on the trilogy in the disciplines of Costume; Make up and Visual Effects.

To round out the event, tickets will be given away for the last and final exclusive in-theater screening taking place in more than 500 theaters across the country. Several lucky fans will have the chance to attend The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Theatrical Series – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on Tuesday, June 28th in Los Angeles 7:00 PM PST. For tickets to other Fathom events and screenings visit www.fathomevents.com.

Other key initiatives heralding the Blu-ray release:

The Lord of the Rings Facebook page (facebook.com/lordoftheringstrilogy), with 5.2 million fans, is the official destination for insider information, talent access, and new content. The all new Elvish Name Translator application, allowing fans to explore the history of the Elvish language and translate their name into the official Elven font, launched on the page on June 6th. Additionally, June 8th marked the beginning of “Wisdom Wednesdays,” a Q&A format where fans get to hear from the legendary talent behind the trilogy. Alan Lee and John Howe, illustrators and conceptual artists for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as well as Academy Award®[2] winning talent Richard Taylor, Design and Effects Supervisor for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy will respond to fan questions, previously gathered through the Facebook destination. Answers began posting on June 8th with future video postings on June 15th and 22nd.

TNT scheduled airings of the theatrical versions include The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Saturday June 18th at 8:00pm ET/11:00pm PT followed by the July 3rd airings of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at 1:00pm ET/4:00pm PT and an encore of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at 4:45pm ET/7:45pm PT.

Additionally, on June 30th, CBS’s hit network comedy series, “The Big Bang Theory,” is scheduled to show, both on air and via cbs.com, a re-broadcast of their highly-rated The Lord of the Rings parody episode, “The Precious Fragmentation.”

Exclusive in-theater screenings of the trilogy in high definition are taking place on three consecutive Tuesdays this month, each in 500 theaters across the country. Presented by NCM Fathom and Warner Home Video as The Lord of the Rings™ The Motion Picture Trilogy Extended Edition Event, the screenings will be as follows: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ on June 14; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers™ on June 21; and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ on June 28, all at 7:00 p.m. local time. During each event, theater audiences will also view, on the big screen and in hi-def, nearly an hour of additional feature footage per film with extended scenes carefully selected under the supervision of director Peter Jackson. In addition, fans will be treated to personal introductions to each film in the trilogy from Jackson.

Coming soon is the new videogame The Lord of the Rings: War in the North! In this co-op based Action RPG, you must work together or die alone in an epic quest to turn the tides in the War of the Ring. Fight new enemies, visit new lands, and live the untold adventure. Available on Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, and Games for Windows®. Fans can pre-order the game at www.bestbuy.com or any Best Buy store.

About the Extended Edition:

This highly anticipated extended edition (Blu-ray) set will be released in English 6.1 DTS-HD MA audio and includes a new transfer of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ which was remastered from the original 2k digital files. The set boasts more than 26 hours of additional content, highlighted by the rare behind-the-scenes documentaries created by Costa Botes, the filmmaker given unprecedented access to the set of each production by Peter Jackson. The feature-length documentaries, with more than four and a half hours of footage, focus on a number of complexities and circumstances that tested the filmmakers, cast and crew during the shoot, as well as a look at some of the comical antics and personal moments on the set. The Costa Botes documentaries accompany acclaimed special features by Michael Pellerin from the original extended cut releases to make this the most comprehensive The Lord of the Rings compilation ever. The Lord of the Rings™ The Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition (Blu-ray) will be packaged in multi-disc elite packaging inside a premium rigid slipcase and will retail for $119.98 SRP.


[1] NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal U.S. residents. A parent or legal guardian must accompany any participant under 18 years of age at all times during the event. For official Registration Form and complete Official Rules including costume guidelines and prize descriptions, visit www.lordofthering.net.

[2] * Academy Awards® and Oscar® are both registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

You Might as Well Face it You’re not Addicted to Curtis Grimes

My favorite part of this episode did not actually stem from anything that happened on screen, but the press release that NBC sent me the next day with links to all the performances with its usual positive adjectives for all the singers like “aggressive and commanding,” “booming vocals,” and “stirring” with one exception that simply read, “Curtis Grimes performs the ‘80s hit “Addicted to Love.” Naturally that was the first one I had to watch and to NBC’s PR team credit, it was one of the few performances that lived up to its description. With Cee Lo and Adam’s teams not being finalized until right before the final eight are set to perform, I wonder if all their team members will get to rehearse a song this week or are they just going to say to Curtis (and the Chicken Little dude) not to bother to show up to practice this week. I would have included the sisters to this list but I do not want to underestimate the pervyness of Cee-Lo.

Curtis Grimes Sings Addicted to Love


As for the eliminations, I was a little shocked that everyone was so shocked that Blake Shelton picked Xenia including Carson Daly. Have they not been paying attention last week? (Of course the answer for Carson is probably yes.) For those that have not been able to depicter the coach’s comments here it is: if they speak in superlatives, they thought the performance was okay. If they sexually harass the singer they did not like the performance. And if they speak in hyperbole, they loved it (except for Christina Aguilera who instead gets a befuddled look on her face as if she cannot comprehend how anyone could be a better performer than her and tries to hide her jealousy by deflecting attention away from the performance). So if you watched last week, Patrick Thomas was sexually harassed, Jared Blake just received superlatives, while Blake said of Xenia, “America is watching a star being born” and actually went on stage to give her a hug. It also did not hurt that going into the show, she had two of the five most popular songs from The Voice on iTunes (Team Black actually accounted for four of the top six). Considering she was one of my three favorite voices from the blind audition, I was glad that she is advancing.

As for the other remaining member of Blake’s team it was refreshing to see Dia Frampton actually get the America Save (you can read my lengthy analysis of her performance here: (You Got a New Friends, I Got Homies) because whenever America is left up to voting for something, they get it wrong ninety-five percent of the time. It may be because of The Voice’s voting system, where other things that have internet voting throw integrity out of the window by encourage losers to sit in front of their computers for hours on end to increase ad click thru rates, The Voice limits ten votes per person but more importantly includes iTunes downloads as a vote, which is the true sign of the support if you are willing to drop $1.29 to buy the song, I just wished The Voice would weigh iTunes download more because of that. And even though she is safely through and no longer count as votes, Dia has been neck and neck earlier this week on the iTunes charts with early front runner Javier Colon and has started to pull away this weekend (as I write this she has a twenty-five spot lead on him. Xenia is managing some staying power too with the fourth most popular download from The Voice). Though I do not fully understand the love of his performance, sure Javier has the best pure voice in the competition, but the guy adds so many vocal gymnastics (really how is not on Christina’s team) it just ruins the song. But I wonder of all the other contestants ran out to take piano lessons this week considering the two most popular performances of the round used the instrument.

Now that the final sixteen have perform it is clear to me with these performances it is like Dia is playing in the major league while everyone else in the competition is still playing tee ball except for Javier and Nakia who are trolling around the minors. Speaking of Nakia, his was my favorite performance of the week. I’m feeling the burn big guy.

Nakia Sings Sex on Fire


For those that have not checked your local television listings, The Voice is changing its rules once again, and having a results show Wednesday at 8:00, so instead of a full week of voting it will be less than twenty-four hours. I do not know why NBC could not keep the full week voting in tack for this next round and have a results show on next Monday when they are airing nothing but reruns. Giving people a full week to vote allows performance to go viral and bring in new fans, and their buying dollars to iTunes. Sure Dia has shown that people are still willing to buy truly brilliant performance a week later, but I bet more people are willing to part with $1.29 if they think it means something. So if you are a fan of any of the elite eight, be sure to get your votes in after the show because you will not have a full week to do so. Hopefully this gets ironed out better next season. One change I would like to see is the contestants go against each other, not just their team in this round because no one on Team Bald deserved to be in the final eight let alone the final four. It would be a shame if someone from Blake or Cee-Lo’s teams (assuming he does not choose the sisters) not make the finals just so Christina is represented.