I have decided to add another list to my year end celebrations and this one culminated everything I talk about here on the 9th Green from music to television and every part of pop culture. So here is the inertial Most Entertaining People of the Year.
Let’s face it, R. Kelly is clinically insane. Not a crazy genius like Prince but they shouldn’t be let out in the general population crazy like Britney Spears. He has gotten to a point where nothing he does anymore raises an eyebrow, it is just Kells being Kells. Yodeling? Okay. A hip hop opera in twenty-two parts? Alrighty. A song with Celine Dion? Sure, why not. So an album of Motown and Philly Soul inspired songs may be the least surprising thing R. Kelly has ever done.
And guess what, Love Letter, filled entirely with old school RnB tracks is R. Kelly’s best album in over a decade. But it wouldn’t be an R. Kelly joint without some eccentricities. Where saner artist may have spoken the intro to the album shouting out bootleggers and future baby mommas, or just resigned it to the liner notes, of course Kells goes up and down the scales to sing, accentuating every syllable, even where there aren’t real syllables to be found. And there are not one, but three title tracks, the Love Letter Prelude, the straight forward Love Letter, and the holiday themed Love Letter Christmas where Kells adds a verse about being a snowman, a spoken word breakdown, and what Christmas song would be complete without a cowbell.
With most songs throwing back to a time past, Kelly goes all out, not holding anything back on his vocal, singing to the point where his voice almost breaks. He brings in K. Michelle to be his own personal Tammi Terrell on Love Is. Surprisingly on this old school album, the best track is the one that sounds most modern. Taxi Cab is classic R. Kelly with him sings about getting down with a lyrical version of Taxi Cab Confessions. Complete with bongos that picks up more instruments as it goes along including a stirring guitar, Taxi Cab it ranks as near the top of Kelly’s best songs of his career.
So congratulations on your best album is a while Kells. Now how about a couple more chapters of Trapped in the Closet? I have been waiting three long years to find out what “The Package” is.
Quote of the Week: Well Nick, throughout this competition, we all really have grown from Boyz II Men, we have shown the nation we’re not just Pussycats anymore, um, I’m just really proud we haven’t Ben Folding under the pressure and I just wish the judges would give us One More Night (Una Noche). (Josh, The Sing-Off)
Big News of the Week: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2011 Inductees Announced: Well this should make for an interesting end of concert jam session. Going into the Hall next year will be crooner Neil Diamond, shock rocker Alice Cooper, gravel voiced Tom Waits, jazzman Dr. John, and R&B sidekick Darlene Love. The only way it could have been more eclectic is if they would have finally inducted the Beastie Boys who got snubbed again this year.
The Sing-Off: There was a clear pecking order with the judges from the first episode: Jerry Lawson and the Talk of the Town and Committed at the top with Streetcorner Symphony and the Backbeats just behind. It was clear On the Rocks would get the boot first and I was interested on who the judges would actually kick off after there. And not so surprisingly they decided to send them all to the final. But did they have to tell Jerry last, it look like he was heartbroken, then about to have a heart attack. It is understandable no one went home because I do not have a problem with any of these acts winning. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from the show on iTunes. Here was my favorite performance of the past week:
How I Met Your Mother: Maybe cause I watched Inception and it dream within a dream, within a dream, within a dream just two days earlier, but the shows flashback within a flashback, within a flashback was more annoying that it usually when the show goes to it. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.
Glory Daze: What an anticlimactic ending. It is not surpising that the Jew couldn’t make it to the finish line, but when the brothers were content with it, I thought maybe they had one more prank up their sleeve, and then nothing. You can stream recent episodes over at TBS.com.
Survivor: Nicaragua: Really, these are the dumbest Survivors ever. First you have Chase with the worst poker face ever in the history of the world of bluff who tries to tell Jane that it is Dan going before breaking down and telling it is her. Then even everyone including the channeling of Jeff Probst’s mom think well why not have Jane join up with Fabio and Dan, those two doofuses were like, no, we have no problem being in the minority. Which is especially surprising for Dan who has absolutely no show at winning immunity, or he has been trying to get voted off since before the tribes got mixed. It’s as if no one wants to win this season. I feel bad for the people who actually tried to win this season like Marty, Alina, Jill, Kelly B, for having to watch these quitters and idiots get further in the game than them. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.
The Big Bang Theory: I was ready to call this the best episode of the season until Raj uttered the line, “Scooter sucks, he’s the Aquaman of the muppet babies.” That hurts man. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.
New Album Release of the Week: All You Need Is Love – Duran Duran (iTunes only release; physical disk being released 2/11)
Free Download of the Week: You’ll Never Find My Christmas – Bishop Allen (Target): If you have watched television in the past month you have undoubtedly seen the Target commercial with the absurdly catchy You’ll Never Find My Christmas tune. Well the store is giving away free downloads of that and thirteen other Christmas songs.
Deal of the Week: The Big Blu Ray Sale (The Dark Knight, Lord of the Rings, Life)
Video of the Week: Despite the old adage, I have long belived that you can judge a book by its cover. If the words inside are so good, how could someone not come up with a worthy cover? If there is a movie corollary, can a movie named after an Eddie Money song possibly be good? Well it is set in the eighties, so that will get me to check it out when it hit the Blu-Ray. Until then, here is the trailer for Take Me Home Tonight.
Next Week Pick of the Week: The Sing-Off, Monday at 8:00: Ben Folds and the dude from Boyz II Men have done all they could and now it is up to us to crown the new Sing-Off champs. But before that is announced the groups get to perform with Neil Diamond, Sheryl Crow, Boyz II Men, and Sara Bareilles. After the finale, NBC will be giving a sneak peak of Perfect Couples, and as much as I enjoy having even more Olivia Munn on my television screen, I can’t imagine this being very good by the look of the promos.
1. Kanye West
10. Eric Stonestreet
20. Jon Stewart
30. Nestor Carbonell
40. Michael Cera
50. Jack Johnson
60. Broken Bells
70. Julie Bowen
80. Tom Hanks
90. M.C. Gainey
? I have been waiting three long years to find out what “The Package” is.![Terror Alert Level: High [ORANGE]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebDZ0qqwOVKMZj7oFSUe8Hm3ax54U9Hp1fThJPgiddTyzcdwx_5SV6E3b7hkKyxbaDiym4COmUXT2YJnsKCUjBHI_a2xZtNoY7qFQRslP5AGO5gLkJwn2ZbO0wIF80ycbKrgPPA/s400/small_high.png)
on my 
(The Dark Knight, Lord of the Rings, Life)