I Want My Music Television - 12/5/11

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.

Ours – Taylor Swift



We now know what Matt Sarasen has been up to since Friday Night Lights closed up show and I do not think Julie will be happy to learn that he has been passing notes with Taylor Swift.


The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball – The Killers



It is that time of year again: a weird Christmas song and video from The Killers. This year’s installment goes for the western them in moth music and visuals. Usually I find anything Christmas media without snow an epic fail, but a dancing robot makes up for the lack of the white stuff.


How Come You Never Go There - Feist




Wow, that is a lot of hair Feist is sporting these days. And it is nice to see the Smoke Monster from Lost can still find work after the show ended.


Say You Like Me – We the Kings



Sure the latest video from We the Kings is not as creative or entertaining as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but their video game inspired video is still fairly amusing.

57 Channels and Only This Is On - 12/4/11

Once Upon a Time: I am not sure what made me laugh harder: Jiminy managing to grab onto Ted Mosby’s worst girlfriend with his umbrella even though there is no way his umbrella is really that long (or has a good enough grip) or learning that his real world last name is Hopper.
You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time.

The Walking Dead: So we spent six whole episodes looking for Sophia, a character we barely saw in the first six episodes, two other characters get shot while looking for her and another eaten (R.I.P. Otis) and six weeks later she turns up (un) dead. What the frack? It seemed like even before it premiered, AMC was already unhappy with the show and was ready to cancel it except that it did so well in the rating, beating many network shows that there was no way they could possibly cancel it. Now the channel looks like it is trying to sabotage the show with everything that went on behind the scenes between the seasons and with this episode it looks like the writers are in on the sabotage now. Just when you think the characters could not get any more unlikeable, Shane opens up the zombie barn then everyone opens fire on Hershel’s family right in front of him. Sure they needed to be put down, but you do not massacre a man’s family while he is watching. The second half of the season can open next year with Hershel killing everyone else in revenge and I could care less because they really do need to purge the whole cast. And the writers. Basically everyone involved with the show but the makeup artists. If I were to list every show I am currently watching right now in a row, The Walking Dead would rank dead last. And I am still watching Last Man Standing.
You can stream recent episodes over at amc.com. You can also download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Homeland: I guess the biggest question coming out of this episode was who was actually responsible for the bombing: the United States or did Abu Nazir plan it to get Brady on his side? Both are equally plausible. But the show really has been slowing down these last couple episodes. Maybe it is time to get Carrie off her meds.

The Sing Off: What is it whenever America is left to vote for something, be it a meaningless award show or lame reality series; they almost always get it wrong. It is befuddling to me that Antoine Merriweather did not get one hundred percent of the vote. I would suggest he get into the Republican primary, but I am sure Americans will still stupidly nominate Mitt Romney instead. Almost as disappointing as his loss was that Antoine did not also pull the attractive redhead from Delilah onstage during Paradise By the Dashboard Light. If I am lucky the two will join forces for a super group next season. If they need a ringer for the whistling part in an acapella version of Patience, hopefully they will shout me a holla.



You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Sing-Off on iTunes.

Parenthood: We moved move step closer to my dream scenario of Julia letting the coffee girl move and raise her baby as one big happy family. And is it just me or were Haddie and Drew getting a little too close during the ED commercial than cousins should be?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: From the moment after I realized that the bullet went into Clay’s shoulder I knew they would manage to keep him alive now I fear that they will keep him alive another season by carting him off to jail out of the way from Jax. If Jax does not kill Clay this season, we may be in for another Ireland type cumbersome season next year.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: South Pacific: Cochran talking about the other tribe mates as a cult brought back bad flashbacks from last season when the six were a legitimate cult. Hopefully things turn out differently this time around, but since they got rid of Cochran first it looks like we may be in for another long final month.
You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Beavis and Butt-Head: I was all for the Beavis and Butt-Head movie reviews up until they actually started to show footage from Human Centipede, there are good reasons I have avoided the film and just those clips gave me nightmares. But it was nice to finally see Principal McVicker and Coach Buzzcut.
You can stream recent episodes over at mtv.com. You can also download Beavis and Butt-Head on iTunes.

Best of the Week - 12/3/11

Quote of the Week: Jeff you don't need to worry about what foreigners think about you, that's your right as an American. (Shirley – Community)

Song of the Week: Everybody Knows – Leonard Cohan (Homeland)

Scene of the Week:



Big News of the Week: Grammy Nominations Announced: The biggest shock this year is Bon Iver got nominated for three of the big four award (the most shocking of which being Best New Artist considering he released a highly regarded album in 2008 and The Civil Wars deserved a spot). The only big award he did not get nominated foe was Album of the Year which had some head scratching inclusions. Aside from obvious selection of ADELE, there was also the critically mixed inclusions of Lady GaGa (who has yet to have a smash single like her previous album and only sold a million copies thanks to a $.99 sale on Amazon MP3 when released), Foo Fighters (who many people do not even remember released an album in the past year), Rihanna (who fills her albums with a bunch of decent songs but no one has ever said, wow that is a great Rihanna album) and Bruno Mars (who only seems like he released his album around the time Bon Iver released his first one). It seems like about they made too many people say “who” when Arcade Fire walked away with the Best Album trophy by nominated the biggest pop names. Actually only Foo Fighters is not nominated in the Best Pop Album category. It is a bit surprising that they left out actual well received albums by Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Tony Bennett, Wilco, Radiohead, The Civil Wars and Fleet Foxes which were all downgraded to genre specific Album categories. But let’s keep the Grammy’s in perspective: Hilary Clinton and Milli Vanilli have won more Grammy Awards than the Beach Boys and Bob Marley. Here are some other thoughts on the lesser categories:

El DeBarge nominated for Best R&B album. Seriously. In 2011.

Tina Fey vs. Betty White for Best Spoken Word Album.

"Weird Al" Yankovic nominated for Best Short Form Video for Perform This Way; not nominated in the category: Lady Gaga.

Free Download of the Week: O Come Emmanuel - Single of the Week - The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars (iTunes)

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5: A new batch of albums are on sale for $5.00 this month over at Amazon MP3 including The Civil Wars, Sara Bareilles, John Mayer and Jack Johnson.



New Album Release of the Week: El Camino - The Black Keys

New DVD Release of the Week: The Help

Video of the Week: With Friday Night Lights wrapping up its last season there is now a void for best television show on television. Justified is currently in the poll position but with Ma Bennett drinking her own apple pie and Loretta McCreary moving to the suburbs to live with Tim the Toolman Taylor, the show is going to have to refill the bench. Recruiting Carla Gugino to be Raylan’s bosses boss may help. Promos for the third season have started to air before the it returns Tuesday January 17 at 10:00 on FX and here is one of them:

The Hat


Next Week Pick of the Week: The Sing-Off, Monday at 8:00 on NBC: Antoine Merriweather may have unceremoniously denied the championship for the third season of The Sing-Off, but he and all stars from all three seasons will return tomorrow for a holiday special that will for some reason also include Flo Rida singing a non-Christmas song. But then again, when you think acapella Christmas, who does not instantly think Flo Rida?

Around the Tubes - 12/2/11

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 Neverland, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Haven, Alaskan State Troopers, Whitney Cummings, Fear and Desire, Kristen Schaal, Dallas, and charity.

- Syfy’s latest miniseries Neverland finally premieres this Sunday at 9:00 and finishes up Monday at the same time. Here is one sneak peak:

Neverland Sneak Peak


- In other Syfy news, the channel is getting into the holiday spirit next Tuesday with Christmas themed episodes of Eureka (8:00), Warehouse 13 (9:00), and Haven (10:00). My sources tell me there will even be some stop motion animation during one of the episodes.

- National Geographic Channel’s number one show, Alaskan State Troopers, returns this Sunday at 9:00 for its third season. In the two hour premiere a woman who was trying to walk eleven miles across a frozen river. And stop me if you heard this one before: a dude in a bear suit walks into a bar… on shrooms.

Alaska Mushroom Madness


- In this month’s New Yorker, Emily Nussbaum wrote her first review as the magazine’s television critic about Whitney Cummings two new shows Whitney and 2 Broke Girls.

- Stanley Kubrick fans will want to mark December 14 on their calendars because that is the day Turner Classics Movies will air the world television premiere of his rare film Fear and Desire at 8:00.

- Fans of old school television shows like Cheers, Taxi, The Brady Bunch or Love Boat (or has someone on their Christmas list that is) CBS recently launched ShopTVCity.com selling apparel from those shows and many other classics.

- You have certainly seen Kristen Schaal before even if you do not recognize her name as she has appeared in everything from Dinner for Schmucks to Modern Family to lending her voice to Toy Story 3. And now she is trying to sell you the Sony Eperia Play (a smartphone that offers a 1Ghz SnapDragon processor and gaming keypad optimized for all of your mobile gaming needs).in some humorous commercial including the one below:



- The latest trailer to the TNT reboot of Dallas has hit the internet and here it is though you will have to wait until next summer until the show hits your television.



- Christmas and charity has always gone hand in hand and this year every purchase you make at over 2,500 retailers (from Amazon to Zales) can earn a free donation to your favorite charity. GoodShop.com is helping you do just that. See how it works here.

- For this installment of Political Story of the Week, Watchdog.org has caught on the petition to recall Wisconsin’s governor Walker, the name of Vicki McKenna, a staunch Walker supporter who not happy someone forged her name.

We’re Gonna Have the Hap-Hap-Happiest Christmas Since Bing Crosby Tap-danced with Danny Kaye

Christmas movies are the comfort food of the holidays, with multiple days off work or school and temperature too cold to actually go outside during the Christmas vacation, it is easy to sit in front of the television with a blanket on and watch some holiday fare, and since ‘tis the season any movie with snow will do. There are few Christmas movies that are legitimately good any time of year and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is one of the few and this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame.

Like the first two Vacation movies, Chevy Chase (Fletch) and Beverly D’Angelo (The House Bunny) reprise themselves as the married Griswolds. And like the previous two movies, their children are played by entirely different actors; this time inexplicably Audrey became older than Rusty for the first in the film and were played by the relatively unknown at the time Johnny Galecki (Suicide Kings) and Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers). There was also the returning Randy Quaid (who could not make it to Europe in the previous film) who torments the Griswolds in their own home this time around.

But like every Vacation movie, no matter how many people they try to bring in to steal his thunder, the star of the movie remains Chevy Chase as the bumbling father who thinks he has a chance with a younger woman and has one massive breakdown per movie because everything that could wrong does. And there were plenty of reasons for a break down this time around from unannounced guests to a light show that does not work right. But it is the lack of a Christmas bonus (or more specifically one that turns into jello) that sends him, and Cousin Eddie, who kidnaps his Scrooge of a boss and his wife, over the edge to high comedic results.

My fondest memory of the film happened in high school when my math teacher decided to show the movie before our Christmas vacation and “forgot” to bring the School Board edit version and instead watched the full unedited version instead (actually this was a common occurrence of my teacher as we also got the real version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in English one time). For those that do not have cool enough teachers, you can catch the movie playing on ABC Family this month on 12/7 and 12/12 both at 9:00.

ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas 2011 Schedule

It is that time of year ago when you just stay inside with a blanket on and watch Christmas specials for a month straight. And ABC Family is happy to accommodate with its 25 Days of Christmas (Harry Potter and Pixar marathons notwithstanding). Some highlights include new original movie 12 Dates of Christmas (12/11 at 8:00) starring Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar who relive the same Christmas Eve first date over and over again Groundhog Day style until she learns to open up and stop living in the past. This year also features the ABC Family premieres of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (12/4 at 8:30), Disney/Pixar’s Up (12/16 at 9:00) and one of the all time great holiday classics, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.


Thursday, December 1
(7:00) The Santa Clause


Friday, December 2
(6:00) Dr. Seuss on the Loose
(8:00) Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Live Action)


Saturday, December 3
(All Day Long) Harry Potter Marathon


Monday, December 4
(All Day Long) Harry Potter Marathon)
(8:30) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


Monday, December 5
(7:00) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys
(8:30) The Polar Express


Tuesday, December 6
(6:00) 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
(8:30) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York


Wedensday, December 7
(6:00) A Very Pink Christmas
(9:00) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - ABC Family Premiere


Thursday, December 8
(7:00) Frosty's Winter Wonderland
(7:30) Cranberry Christmas
(9:00) The Year Without a Santa Claus


Friday, December 9
(7:00) Santa Claus is Comin' to Town


Saturday, December 10
(All Day Long) holiday Movie Marathon
(8:00) The Santa Clause 3 - The Escape Clause


Sunday, December 11
(6:00) Holiday in Handcuffs
(8:00) 12 Dates of Christmas – A New ABC Family Original Movie


Monday, December 12
(9:00) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation


Tuesday, December 13
(7:00) Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat (Animated)
(7:30) Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat


Wednesday, December 14
(8:30) Dinsney∙Pixar’s Finding Nemo


Thursday, December 15
(9:00) Beauty and the Beast


Friday, December 17
(9:00) Dinsney∙Pixar’s Up - ABC Family Premiere


Saturday, December 18
(All Day Long) Holiday Classics Marathon
(8:00) Dinsney∙Pixar’s Toy Story


Sunday, December 18
(8:00) Dinsney∙Pixar’s Toy Story 2


Monday, December 19
(6:30) Aladdin
(8:30) Disney∙Pixar’s The Incredibles


Tuesday, December 20
(6:00) Mickey's Christmas Special
(9:00) The Polar Express


Wednesday, December 21
(7:00) Disney's Prep and Landing
(8:00) The Santa Clause


Thursday, December 22
(7:00) The Santa Clause 3 - The Escape Clause


Friday, December 23
(8:00) Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Live Action)


Saturday, December 24
(All Day Long) Holiday Classics Marathon
(7:00) Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
(8:00) The Year Without a Santa Claus


Sunday, December 25
(8:00) The Polar Express


For those that missed ABC Family’s other new original movie this year Desperately Seeking Santa (which for some reason they premiered before Thanksgiving), you can currently watch the full movie on Hulu. Or just check it out below: