Best of the Week: 8/10/13

Quote of the Week: Entonces sólo eres un asesino en serie si te gusta. (Fausto Galvan, The Bridge)

Song of the Week: Get Lucky – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams (The Colbert Report)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Do Not Piss Off Stephan Colbert: Stephan Colbert has been hyping a Daft Punk appearance for a while now which was a pretty big deal considering the robot duo does not do much television. They have not done anything since releasing their last album in May. But Tuesday came and went and no Daft Punk. The reason was not some canned excuses like illness and Stephan was more than willing to tell everyone the real reason Daft Punk did not show up: they were already booked exclusively to make a surprise appearance on the Video Music Awards sometime in September on VH1 hosted by Chris Brown (at least according to Colbert). So, surprise.

Sure the controversy does not quite pass the smell test considering Viacom owns both Comedy Central and MTV and it took an entire month to notice the conflict of interest. Not to mention Colbert says he did not learn of Daft Punk’s cancellation until Monday but had enough time to book Robin Thicke, who has that other massive summer hit, to replace Daft Punk (oh yeah, and it turns out he taped that segment last week) and create a video featuring Hugh Laurie, Jeff Bridges, Jimmy Fallon, the cast of Breaking Bad and America’s Got Talent, Jon Stewart, Matt Damon, and Henry Kissinger. But hey, Daft Punk is essentially confirmed the VMA’s which means there will be at least one reason to watch it. That is one more reason that last year’s show.

Preview Picture of the Week:

"Asylum" Perception, Tuesday at 10:00 on TNT

Free Download of the Week: The Wrong Direction EP – Passenger (NoiseTrade)

New Album Release of the Week: Paracosm - Washed Out

New DVD Release of the Week: Emperor

Video of the Week: We are seven week out until the third season premiere of Homeland and the series premiere Masters of Sex and Showtime recently released full trailers for both. Not that surprisingly the Homeland trailer features bombings, congressional hearings (they blew up the CIA last season all), a crazy wall map, and Brody sheering his signature ginger hair (although the only people that will not recognize him are the same people who do not recognize Superman when he is wearing glasses). And as I predicted way back in the first season, it looks like Dana may finally be converting to her father’s religion. But also a few shockers most notably Carrie in a hospital gown and handcuffs. Uh oh. And Dana texting seems like a creepy storyline. But then again it cannot be worse than the hit and run storyline. Feel free to watch the trailer on a loop for the next seven weeks, I probably will.


Showtime also released the first full trailer for Masters of Sex, but to be honest, they already had me at Lizzy Caplan starring in a show called Masters of Sex.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Franklin and Bash, Wednesday at 9:00 on TNT: Another TNT shut up for the summer next week and Franklin & Bash will be going out with a bang as the promo monkeys promise a guest star so big they cannot tell you who it is. Um, I hate to break it to you promo monkeys, but anyone who watched last week already realize that it is Rob Lowe. Pinder has been stalking him all season and even popped up at the end of the last scene, just seconds before you hyped a guest star so big you cannot tell us who it is. I really hate promo monkeys.

Around the Tubes: 8/9/13

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 Heroes of Cosplay, Americans in Bed, Enough Said, Breaking Bad, Jack Black, Poor Remy, Bel Heir, Jessica Campbell, The Breedings, Haven, and PBS.

- The new Syfy series, Heroes of Cosplay premieres Tuesday at 10:30 (after a new season of Face Off) and here is a first look:


- The U.S. has one of the highest marriage rates in the developed world, as well as the third-highest rate of divorce, with as many as half of unions failing. Brimming with genuine emotion and honesty, Americans in Bed, premiering Monday at 9:00 exclusively on HBO spotlights some of the many reasons people come together - and grow apart. Check out the trailer below:


- Last week I shared the Enough Said poster and now you can watch the trailer for the film starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini over at Apple Trailers.

- My sources tell me the final season of Breaking Bad started up this weekend and Blip.tv has a parody video looking at what Jesse just might do after the show ends and he gets his own spin-off.

- If you are having a Breaking Bad viewing party this Sunday and want to make sure they did not bring any meth to celebrate, try Touch and Know USA test 22 illicit substances.

- Football Fandemonium is upon us! Kick off the season with Jack Black, the leader in premium grooming products! In celebration of the return of football, Jack Black wants to give you and a friend the chance to win tickets to a professional football game. Click here to enter to win tickets for two to a local 2013 NFL game, a Jack Black gift set and weekly random drawing to win Jack Black products.

- If you cannot get enough of the folk rock explosion boom, check out Ohio’s own Poor Remy below.



- If you enjoy the more moodier sounds of Daughter and The Neighborhood, give Bel Heir (no relations to the Fresh Prince) a try.



- Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jessica Campbell is taking part in the current installment of Crate & Barrel’s “Get The Download” offer. Campbell’s song “Be You” is available via free download from Crate & Barrel; the offer is presented on in-store cards (while supplies last), as well as online at the Crate & Barrel website and in Crate & Barrel catalogs. The promotion runs from August through October 2013.

- The Breedings are a brother and sister country duo based out of Nashville, TN. Originally hailing from Lexington, KY, the duo sings original material penned by singer/songwriter Willie Breeding, who released two solo albums while living in Brooklyn, NY. Big sister Erin, who was working as an accountant in Boston and singing occasional backup for her brother, stepped up in 2008 to become the lead singer. Stream their album Fayette at thebreedingsmusic.com.

- Emma Lahana (Hellcats, Emily Owens M.D.) and Christian Camargo (Dexter, The Hurt Locker) will join the cast of Syfy’s popular sseries Haven when the show returns for its fourth season on Friday, September 13 at 10PM (ET/PT). Both actors join Colin Ferguson (Eureka, Coupling) who portrays William, a handsome mysterious stranger whose secret agenda leads him to Audrey (Emily Rose), as recurring guest stars this fall.

- PBS had their TCA session earlier this week and announced a few new programs. Here are some highlights:

THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE to Return to PBS for Second Season Bolstering Sunday Night Drama
THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE is returning to PBS for a second season. The four-part series will air on Sunday nights in spring 2014. A production of World Productions (United, “Line of Duty”) and distributed worldwide by Content Television, the series premiered in the U.S. last spring to critical acclaim. The show will top off an evening of destination drama on Sunday nights on PBS, including season three of CALL THE MIDWIFE at 8:00 p.m. and season two of MASTERPIECE “Mr. Selfridge” at 9:00 p.m.

COMING BACK WITH WES MOORE EXPLORES THE PERSONAL STORIES OF VETERANS’ RETURN TO LIFE AT HOME
PBS announced the premiere of COMING BACK WITH WES MOORE, a three-part special that personalizes the experiences of returning veterans and celebrates the lives of this group of exceptional people. The special, hosted by combat veteran and New York Times best-selling author Wes Moore, is slated to premiere in May 2014 on PBS. The program tells the personal stories of returning U.S. veterans, the challenges they face readjusting to life at home and their courageous efforts to overcome obstacles in the quest to forge lives of meaningful service in their communities. The program adds touching and humanizing context to the reintegration process of our service men and women.

HOW WE GOT TO NOW With Steven Johnson
PBS announced the premiere of HOW WE GOT TO NOW with Steven Johnson in fall 2014. The six-part series, to be produced for PBS by Nutopia and hosted by the popular American science author and media theorist, explores the power and the legacy of great ideas. Topics explored in the series include why and how ideas happen, and their sometimes unintended results, including how the search for clean water opened the way to invention of the iPhone, and how the nagging problem of overheating in a New York printing business led to the invention of air conditioning, which inspired mass migration and a political transformation. Johnson explains how the answers to the questions he poses in each episode — such as “how do we make something cold?” or “how do we create light?”— have driven other discoveries through the web of ideas and innovations that made each finding possible.

PBS NEWSHOUR NAMES GWEN IFILL AND JUDY WOODRUFF CO-ANCHORS AND MANAGING EDITORS
Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff will be co-anchors and managing editors for the PBS NEWSHOUR. Ifill and Woodruff will anchor the broadcast together Monday through Thursday each week. On Fridays, Woodruff will anchor solo as Ifill hosts WASHINGTON WEEK that evening. This will mark the first time a network broadcast has had a female co-anchor team. It was also announced that Hari Sreenivasan will serve as Senior Correspondent for the PBS NEWSHOUR with Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff, reporting several times a week from WNET’s Tisch Studios in New York, along with his duties anchoring PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND Saturdays and Sundays beginning September 7.

Additional information was also shared today on two previously announced programs:

PBS Pays Tribute to President John F. Kennedy with Week of Special Programming
PBS announced today the details of a series of primetime special programs to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s death that airs November 11-13. The specials will offer new perspectives on the life and death of President John F. Kennedy, as well as provide audiences with a comprehensive examination of timely issues.

PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL 2013 Kicks Off October 18 Festival Spotlights Broadway Shows and Top-Flight Stars
The 2013 PBS Arts Fall Festival returns in October with seven weekly programs that highlight Broadway classics, music from around the country, and legendary superstar Barbra Streisand. Underscoring PBS’ ongoing commitment to giving audiences a front row seat and a backstage pass to the best of the arts on-air and online, the series will be hosted by award-winning television, film and stage star Anna Deavere Smith (“Nurse Jackie,” “The West Wing”) starting Friday, October 18, 2013 at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).

Feed Your iPod vol. LXXIII: Clarity

John Mayer releases a new album later this month which may be for the best because the last one released just fifteen months ago was a bit of a bore, and the one before that was his worst of his career. But his first three stand up as one of the best trio of first three albums by most artists so hopefully Paradise Valley rekindles some of that magic (first single Paper Doll is already better than anything on Born and Raised). It is a little disconcerting that Mayer’s second album Heavier Thing turns ten years old next month. My favorite track off that album was the second single Clarity which undeservedly floundered on the charts. It is an uncharacteristic John Mayer song, the guitar is pushed to the back in favor of piano and horns section (the song also features Questlove on the drums). As Heavier Things hits the decade mark, it is time to go back and give it another listen, especially Clarity.

Clarity – John Mayer

What Rhymes with Hug Me?

Had you told me back in January that the song of the summer would end up coming from Robin Thicke, I would have thought you were crazy (granted had you told me in January 2012 that the song of that summer would come courtesy of a Canadian Idol castoff, I would have thought you were much crazier). Nothing against Robin Thicke, but up to this point he had been making middle of the road blue eye soul that was much more suited for the bedroom than the block party. Yet here we are in the middle of summer and it looks like Blurred Lines will end up edging out the superior Get Lucky as the unofficial song of the summer.

Sure Thicke has an unfair advantage considering that the song was already an established summer jam when Marvin Gaye released the song under the title Got to Give It Up, Pt. 1 all the way back in the summer of 1977 (well that and hot naked chicks). Much like the song, the album Blurred Lines is Robin’s first full foray into dance music. There really is only one slow jam, and the Rest of My Life does not even show up until late in the album at track number nine.

Thicke’s transition into dance music is not as smooth as the song Blurred Lines the song would suggest. The lyrics can get very cringworthy like the obvious date-rapey vibe of the title track (though I find the lyrics to sound like that of a middle school boy hoping to get lucky by being persistent). Even worse is when he actually admits, “I want to shop for your underwear” during Take it Easy on Me. The beats are not much better. Unfortunately Pharrell only produced the title track while Thicke himself co-produced over half of the other tracks. Dr. Luke produced the worst track on the album Give it 2 U which sounded like a LMFAO castoff that Thick tried to imagine.

The album is so derivative, there are times where I actually thought I was listening to a new Justin Timberlake song (most notably Ooo La La), and that is not meant to be a compliment. The best track on the album is one of the few non-dance songs and is not even a baby-making song. The Good Life is a mid-tempo driving with the windows on a summer evening kind of song. Almost modern do-wop but not too much where it sounds like he is stealing Bruno Mars soun. The album would have been much better if there were more songs like this and fewer songs that were completely derivative of significantly better songs.

Song to Download – The Good Life

Blurred Lines gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Don’t Want to Fight but I’ll Fight For You if I Have To

What exactly is going on with The Civil Wars? The release the best debut album of the decade so far, start winning Grammy’s with Taylor Swift, then out of nowhere while on tour in Europe, they canceled the remainder of that tour and went on hiatus due to “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition.” What!?! Despite the discord they managed to record another album (or two if you count the predominately instrumental soundtrack to A Place at the Table with T-Bone Burnett). The discord continued with the lack of promotion of the album which so far has only involved two interviews by Joy Williams and a music video which is just a bare bones behind the scenes recording the song. The other half of the duo, John Paul White, has yet to say anything on the album or pretty much everything since the dilution of the tour last year.

In the interviews, Joy continually says that if you want to know to the group, just listen to the new album. We got a sneak peak last month when the duo released the first single of the self titled sophomore album The One that Got Away. As in “I wish you were the one that got away.” It actually reminded me of I Got This Friend from the first album with the line “If the right one came along” and The One That Got Away is the dark twisted sequel to I Got This Friend. The One That Got Away is that dark and ominous. Sure most of their debut was very moody, but The One that Got Away made most of Barton Hollow sound like I Want You Back. The Jackson 5 version.

On first listen as the album as a whole, it is hard not to dwell on the “irreconcilable differences of ambition” part of the statement because it is very noticeable who much more of Joy is heard on the album with John Paul relegated to just harmonies on half of the tracks. It is easy to assume that Joy is the more “ambitious” at least in terms of output which is backed up by she is the only one currently doing press.

After the first single the best song on the album is Dust to Dust (which follows the equally troublingly titled Same Old Same Old). The song features the closest thing the group has ever done to a groove, and it is a slow groove that could have become a Middle School slow dance staple if the subject matter was not so depressing. And to emphasize just how darker this album is (aside from the eerie cloud of smoke on the cover) is the choice of cover last time around. As previously mention lat time out, they turned I Want You Back into a ballad. On The Civil Wars, the do opted for Disarm, the one of the angstiest of all the angsty Smashing Pumpkins song which children of the nineties will remember as the song where Billy Corgan screamed over and over again, “I used to be a little boy.” The Civil Wars stripped the song of any angst, and pretty much everything else but an acoustic guitar and turned it into the most haunting song in the short catalogue. Which is saying a lot.

Much like Fleetwood Mac Rumours, the music The Civil Wars made out of internal discord is heartbreakingly awesome (The One That Got Away even features a similar bass breakdown from The Chain). Hopefully much like Fleetwood Mac, The Civil Wars can find a way to continue to make great music together for another decade. Or three.

Song to Download – The One That Got Away

The Civil Wars gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television: 8/5/13

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.


Picasso Baby – Jay-Z


Last month Jay-Z performed this song for about six hours straight and now we get to see why, he was just rapping it over and over again for people to cut it together for a “performance art film” which apparently is just music video with credits (which thankfully were there otherwise I would not have noticed the legendary Fab 5 Freddy). But seriously, when you spend your time hanging out with the cast of Girls, you have really lost touch with reality.


Wake Me Up - Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc


As far as modern dance music is concerned, the new Avicii song is actually tolerable, but I still wish Aloe Blacc would release an “acoustic” version of the song. Seriously, this song is a ballad; you should not be adding an electronic dance breakdown to it. And the music video is borderline offensive. They completely ripped of the concept for the No Rain music video but replaced the Bee Girl with an impossibly cute girl and her absurdly attractive sister (I am assuming). I am sorry if I do not feel bad for outcasts who look like they stepped right out of an Abercrombie commercial.


Made To Love - John Legend


It looks like John Legend is jumping on the gratuitous nudity trend of 2013 though he does keep all the bits and pieces covered (it I only a matter of time before we get a “director’s cut”). Though it did distract me enough to forget to actually listen to the song. Is there any actually verses in the song or does he just repeat the chorus over and over for four minutes?


Hearts Like Ours – The Naked and Famous


The Naked adn Famous caught my ear two years ago with Young Blood, a song so catchy I informally created the Peter Bjorn and John Award for the Catchiest Indie Pop Song of the Summer (which I made a real thing the next year). The rest of the album was alright, but I wished there was more song that were upbeat like Young Blood and less drowned in synthesizers like the rest of the album. They have a new album In Rolling Waves coming out next month and though the first single is not as catchy as Young Blood, I think I do like it better than pretty much everything on Passive Me, Aggressive You. And the video reminds me of a darker version of the Young Blood video.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 8/4/13

Falling Skies: So Tom was able to figure out who the mole is because someone said something similar to what he remember Lourdes said hours before but did not realize it did not make sense to him when she first said it? I hate when writers continually put these kinds of revelations into scripts. Way too cute, just have someone walk in on Lourdes trying to kill Cochise. The reveal would have been more satisfying and less absurd.
You can download Falling Skies on iTunes.

Ray Donovan: I wonder what exactly Ray’s wife thinks he does for a living. Is she just a she no evil her no evil, blind to the fact who just does not ask as long as there is food on the table. Or the kind that does know deep down, but will not say anything because she has grown accustomed to her lifestyle. Or does she really know, does not care, and is just mad that he may be cheating on her and that is the preverbal line.

Switched at Birth: ASL karaoke: who knew? And I am not sure if I should have laughed at all the cheesy ASL pick up lines that Travis was trying. It should be interesting to watch his date with MaryBeth which I have a feeling may devolve into the episode of The Big Bang Theory where Raj went on a date with the chick who plays Daphne with Howard as the interpreter.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Switched at Birth on iTunes.

Siberia: When the show first appeared I theorized that it would turn out to be a rip off of The Cabin In The Woods, and if that is the case, the Powers that Be sure pumped in the pheromones this episode because there were people hooking up all over the place. I also had to think of another horror movie, Evil Dead, when the Serbian dude found the book. I was screaming at the dude, you do open up creepy books that are hidden. But at least he did not try reading from it. Yet.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Siberia on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Oh Mona, you sneaky devil. But did she fall on the sword to make it up to Hanna for all the A stuff, or does she have a devious master plan that she is not letting on. Either way, she probably could get off, she worked out the self defense claim with Hanna, and worse case scenario, she could just e declared insane again and go back to Bradley, which may very well be her masterplan.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

The Bridge: So not only is the creepy trailer dude not a murderer, he is actually coyote for Mexican prostitutes trying to get up from under the thumb from an evil sex trafficking drug lord(who can easily get a million dollars to Marco to pay for his other stolen property). Oh yeah, and he is so compassionate, he will even help snakes across the street. Alrighty. And it took me about half the episode to realize that was a clean shaven and fully functioning Johnny Crowder as the FBI agent. Considering what happened to him, it may have been better had I not recognized him.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Bridge on iTunes.

The Challenge: Rivals II: When I saw the title of this episode was Mortuusequusphobia‬, I got excited because I assumed it would be another spelling challenge this week. Silly me, they would never use a word longer than five letters in the spelling challenge. I guess it is safe to assume that mortuusequusphobia‬ is the fear of ketchup or condiments in general. But as great as the Jemmye mental breakdown was, the Jungle was as equally disappointing. C’mon promo monkeys, you do not hype the most dangerious elimination round ever only not to have one.
You can download The Challenge: Rivals II on iTunes.

The Hero: Patty?!? Seriously America? Apparently the only people who watched (and or voted) besides me bored housewives who thought they were Patty. And Patty winning is probably the best reason why there will not be a second season. If only the casted the inaugural season better.
You can download The Hero on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 8/3/13

Quote of the Week: Who the (expletive deleted) are you Ray? (Abby Donovan, Ray Donovan)

Song of the Week: Bad Things – Meiko (Pretty Little Liars)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: If You Use the N-Word at a Kenny Chesney Concert, You May Be a Redneck: Last week, I have never heard the name Riley Cooper, but the guy ended up leading Pardon the Interruption three straight days this week (and may continue into next week) after using the derogatory term at security guard at a country concert. But to Cooper’s credit, he quickly apologized and took full responsibility for his drunken stupidity (unlike other racists this summer). But how does the NFL not give the guy an obligatory one game suspension? Hopefully the “sizable fine” he received was at least one game check.

Preview Picture of the Week:

“There’s No Place Like Home” guest starring Tim Conway, Paul Dooley, Ron Glass, Marion Ross, and Doris Roberts, Major Crimes, Monday at 9:00 on TNT

Free Download of the Week: Best Day Ever – Bob Schneider (NoiseTrade)

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5 Each: This month’s discounted albums include greatest hits from U2, The Beastie Boys, James Brown, and Tears for Fears.


New Album Release of the Week: The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars

New DVD Release of the Week: Community: The Complete Fourth Season

Video of the Week: Bad Milo is a movie which features Ken Marino with a killer tumor that comes out of his butt. Why is this movie not out now? Please not below is the red band trailer, so you may want to avoid watching it at work, around your family, are around anyone without a sense of humor.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Falling Skies, Sunday at 10:00 on TNT: It seems like the third season of Falling Skies just started up, but here we are at the finale already (will the fall season just next month, I guess all the summer shows will be winding down soon). This season was all about spies and double cross with two (and maybe more) humans with bugs controlling them and we still not know what the Volm are really up to (but the promo monkeys would have us believe they are up to something). Hopefully the show can come up with another finale like last season that saw the introduction of the Volm.

Around the Tubes: 8/2/13

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 Hard Knocks, Dreamchaser: In Concert, Casting By, Face Off, Hawaii Five-O, Helix, Continuum, Enough Said, Howard Stern Show, Irocke, The Dough Rollers, and Rod Stewart.

- Yesterday may have been just the start of August, but pre-season football starts up next week end and with it comes the new season of Hard Knocks on HBO premiering Tuesday at 10:00. The five-episode edition features the Cincinnati Bengals again this year.

- Starting August 3, Sarah Brightman's PBS concert special Dreamchaser: In Concert will begin airing on PBS stations nationwide. The concert is inspired by the beauty of space and incorporates all of Brightman's major milestones- from her starring role in Lloyd Webber's original Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera, to fulfilling her lifelong dream: a space trip to the International Space Station. Check out the trailer below:


- Perhaps the foremost casting director, Marion Dougherty plucked several now-iconic actors out of obscurity, among them James Dean, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, Christopher Walken and Glenn Close, giving them their first break in front of the camera. With strong, original opinions about authenticity and a knack for discovering unique talent, she turned the old Hollywood system on its head by using actors with a nuanced sense of character and individuality, rather than depending on typecasting, and broke racial barriers by pairing Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon series. Casting By premieres Monday, August 5 at 9:00 exclusively on HBO.

- The new season of Face Off returns Tuesday, August 13 at 9:00 with Veterans vs. Newbies theme. There will also be a two hour Face Off: The Vets Strike Back, Tuesday, August 6 at 9:00 which will look back on the past seasons to highlight the veteran contestants’ best and worst moments. You can check out what the veterans have been up to below:


- TNT is hitting the beach this summer as the network adds the action-packed drama series Hawaii Five-0 to the primetime lineup. The series is set to air on TNT Thursdays at 9 and 10 p.m. beginning Aug. 8.

- Syfy’s newest original scripted series Helix from Sony Pictures Television began production this past weekend in Montreal, Canada. The 13-episode drama is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander), Steven Maeda (Lost, The X-Files) who is also showrunner, and Lynda Obst (Sleepless in Seattle, Contact). Cameron Porsandeh, who wrote the pilot, will serve as a Co-Executive Producer. Helix is an intense thriller about a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who travel to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that may hold the key to mankind’s salvation or total annihilation. However, the lethal threat is just the tip of the iceberg, and as the virus evolves, the chilling truth begins to unravel.

- In other Syfy news, since it was already renewed in Canada, it was only a matter of time before Continuum would get renewed by the American channel that airs it and Syfy confirmed it this week and will air the thirteen episode season starting in 2014.

- Coming to select theaters on Friday September 20, Enough Said is about A divorced and single parent, Eva (Julia Louis Dreyfus) spends her days enjoying work as a masseuse but dreading her daughter's impending departure for college. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini) - a sweet, funny and like-minded man also facing an empty nest.

- On Howard Stern Show this week, Howard interviewed Robin Thicke about creating a career in the shadow of his father, the genesis of his hit song “Blurred Lines,” how he has changed his wife and he gave a live performance. The complete, wide-ranging interview can only be seen on Howard TV On Demand now, but here is a brief clip.


- Irocke, the #1 source for live streaming concerts worldwide, announces the schedule of live streaming concerts to be broadcast during week-long Forever Festival, Earth’s First Live Digital Music Festival, from Sunday, August 4, 2013 at 5:00pm PDT to Sunday, August 11, 2013 at 11:59pm PDT. Live music fans tuning into the Forever Festival website 4evrfest.com and partner sites will discover and enjoy over 200 free and PPV performances by a wide range of artists in collaboration with more than 30 leading live digital concert venues in more than 10 countries around the world.

- If you are looking for some good old fashion rock and roll, naturally you will find it on Third Man Records artist The Dough Rollers. Check out Little Lily below:



In celebration of the 50th performance of Rod Stewart: The Hits., Rod Stewart today announced that he will extend his original two year contract at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and will return with his critically acclaimed show "Rod Stewart: The Hits." for two more years beginning this fall. As the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer wraps his summer run of performances this week, nine new November concerts have been added from November 6 through 24.

Take Me Where You Go Only Higher

If you were born the last time Toad the Wet Sprocket released an album, you may just received your driver’s license but the band recently reconvened and will be releasing their new album in the new reality in the new millennium, through crowd sourcing (their Kickstarter has already been funded but if they reach $250,000 by Sunday, all backers will receive Live EP from their August Tour). For those born before their time, Toad the Wet Sprocket was a college rock band in the age of alternative music, more R.E.M. than Smashing Pumpkins. Yet the same year, R.E.M. relented to the times and made its grungiest album ever with Monster, Toad stayed the course and made their best album of their career, Dulcinea which is this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame.

Granted by today’s standard, Toad the Wet Sprocket could be considered Dad Rock with mellow songs like the album opener Fly from Heaven, the plaintive Windmills, the playful Nanci, and the moody and retrospective Something’s Always Wrong. But to show you just how out of touch they were with the agro guys of the time, I remember the local disk jockey pronouncing the title “Dull-Cin-da” once even in front of the band during an interview. Apparently the guys at the alternative rock station were not familiar with the Don Quixote love interest.

That is not to say Toad could not rock, though they never went full agro, there was still some heaviness to songs like Woodburning, which may have been the closest thing the band themselves ever got to grunge. The best song on the album was the one Toad song that would not sound out of place in a mosh pit: Fall Down. The frantic track verges on paranoia and anxiety as we transitioned into the mid-nineties, but the song never lost control which many of the alternative bands of the time would have done. The upcoming album New Constellations may not live up to Dulcinea, but it is good to have Toad the Wet Sprocket back on the scene.

The Ten Most Absurd "Related Artists" on Spotify

Last week, Grantland featured a story on the art of the comeback explaining how to do it (Daft Punk) and what not to do (Guns N' Roses). Not surprisingly the writer suggests not letting the back-story overshadow your record, you know, like taking fourteen years and thirteen millions dollars to record it and certainly do not wait until Dr. Pepper guilt you into releasing it because it will turn out bad for the both of you (five years later I still have not bought a Dr. Pepper after getting stiffed on my free can that I was promised). But in the article, the writer suggested that Chinese Democracy is better that you probably remember which made me pop up Spotify to give it a first listen in five years (nope, still extremely disappointing). I bring this up because while on Spotify I had a big laugh at who was listed as Guns n’ Roses top “Related Artists” according to Spotify. I got such a good laugh out of it I decided to comb through the sight for the most absurb “Related Artists” according to Spotify and here are the top ten I found.

1. Guns n’ Roses – When I think Guns ‘n’ Roses I think eighties Sunset Strip and the hair bands of the era or possibly the other hard rock heavyweights of the time Metallica who they had an ill fated tour with back in the nineties. But nope, the most related artists to Guns n’ Roses is The Proclaimers. Yes the creepy twins one hit wonder from Scotland who sang I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).

2. Beastie Boys – Most people think of the Beastie Boys as rappers but they have released punk albums too back in the day, and this may very well lead to the most random top five related artists currently on Spotify: classic rock God the The Jimi Hendrix Experience, underground hip-hop group Jurassic 5, the industrial Nine Inch Nails, alternative rockers Smashing Pumpkins, and the indie group Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Pull up the full Related Artists page and it gets even more random: Justice (dance), The Heavy (funk), Soundgarden (grunge), The White Stripes (garage rock), Wu-Tang Clan (hardcore rap), and Blind Melon (one hit wonders).

3. The Chemical Brothers – Here is another group that is listed as a Related Artist of the Beastie Boys but just because their top Related Artist is another Related Artist of the Beastie Boys (though I have no idea how either group are related to the Beastie Boys) does not make it any less head-scratching because do not ask me how the electronic group from the nineties is at all related to punk forefathers The Clash.

4. Taylor Swift – Taylor is a country artist whose records get poppier and poppier as they are released and other female contry crossover artists Carrie Underwood, The Band Perry and Sugarland are all in her top five, but number one? The YouTube superstars and elecro-pop duo Karmin.

5. Rage Against the Machine – Sure Rage and Thin Lizzy are both technically rock artists that were featured on VH1 Classic’s Metal Evolution but it was two entirely different episodes, sub-genres, and eras. Granted if I were Rage Against the Machine, I would not want to be linked to the horrible nu-metal moment that came after them either.

6. Snow Patrol – Earlier this month when I posted my Greatest Eras in Rock and Roll History, Snow Patrol was featured in the Pop-Rock wave of the early 00’s and I would have figured other acts I had with them, Coldplay, David Gray, The Killers, would be among their top artists. Nope, instead it is the teenaged cover artists who takes every song and turns it into a mopey depressing ode, Birdy. Snow Patrol is not even one of the bands she covered. The rest of Snow Patrol’s top five which includes Lissie, Paloma Faith, and Counting Crows is almost as head scratching).

7. Lionel Richie – Lionel was one of the biggest acts of the eighties and I fully expected to see other RnB-pop acts of the time like Michael Jackson or Prince in his Related Artists or even his former group The Commodores. Instead his top five in order are new wave band Berlin number one followed by Cyndi Lauper, Phil Collins (who is also absurdly Jackson’s top Related Artist), Chicago, and Eric Carmen.

8. Robin Thicke –Considering he has the biggest song on the planet, Spotify would get this blue eyed soul man some artist of his ilk like contemporary Mayer Hawthorne or maybe the greatest blue-eyed soul man ever Daryl Hall, either solo or with Oates, but no, his top artist is Janet Jackson while other female nineties RnB acts TLC and Aaliyah also populate his top five.

9. Weezer – Sure Weezer and Stone Temple Pilots both are under the very large alternative rock of the nineties tent, but I would like think Spotify would be smart to have Weezer grouped together with other geek rockers Barenaked Ladies or Ben Folds Five instead of the second wave of grunge.

10. The Breeders - The Breeders were an alternative rock one hit wonder off shoot of The Pixies from the nineties, Robert Johnson was a blues singer who was born 102 years ago. Seriously Spotify, how does this even happen?

I Want My Music Television: 7/30/13

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.


Love Illumination – Franz Ferdinand


When I first saw the title of the new Love Illumination song, I thought it said “Love Illusion” and after watching the music video for the song, I may not have been the only one because there are some freaky illusions there, to the point it started to make my head hurt.


The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind) – Joss Stone


I did not think much of The Soul Sessions vol. 2 when it came out as it did not live up to the first installment (Joss Stone really should have brought back ?uestlove to produce it). After hearing this song, I may have to revisit because this is pretty good baby making music. Maybe Joss should just go ahead and make an entire album of baby making music. I fully endorse that idea.


Future Away (Romance Police) – Lissie


I am digging the new Lissie and and the video has a cool seventies vibe, but that muscle stirt she wears in a couple scenes is disturbingly distracting. She really should just have stuck with the Jane’s Addiction shirt the whole time.


The Rock – Deer Tick


As weird as the previously mentioned Franz Ferdinand video is, the new Deer Tick video may actually be creepier with its close up on the Ryan Gosling look-a-like.

The 10 Best Episodes of Veronica Mars

Production on the Veronica Mars Movie wrapped last week which gives you about six to nine months until the movie hits theaters or Netflix. That is plenty of time to watch or re-watch the series which only ran for three seasons and sixty-four episodes (watching one a day will get you close to finish before the fall television season kicks into high gear). But if you do not have the time for the entire series but want to see what the hoopla around the show is and get the gist of the series before the movie comes out, here are the ten best episodes you definitely check out. But just jot down the episode titles (and rearrange them chronologically), because my descriptions will get a little spoilery.

1. Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1): Who would have guessed a show about a teenage detective would be so good? Luckily the buzz around the show was so great that I had to check it out and the premiere lived up to the hype. When we meet Veronica Mars, she is the disgraced daughter of the disgraced sheriff who bundled the murder of her best friend, bumping her down from the upper echelon of the social hierarchy to the very bottom. And to add insult to injury, she was roofied and raped on her way to the bottom. This is the start of her road to redemption and what a trip it ended up being.

2. A Trip to the Dentist (Season 1, Episode 21): Usually a show leaves its best for last, but the show has so much to wrap up they had plenty to fill the penultimate episode of the season which ended up being slightly better than the finale. After learning Logan was the one supplying the Rohypnol at Shelly Pomroy’s End of the World Party, Ronnie was slowly able to piece together what happened that night with the help of many retuning Neptune students from throughout the first season until she leaned that Madison Sinclaire gave her a “trip to the dentist” with a cup Dick meant to loosen up his girlfriend at the time. The episode even left us with one more suspect in the Lily Kane murder list when Vee discovered the Echoll’s video room and the episode ended for the second straight time with Veronica standing Logan up.

3. Donut Run (Season 2, Episode 11): The fond (almost) farewell of Duncan Kane. I have to admit Duncan and Ronnie had me fooled, but in the end they came up with an ingenuous plan to get Duncan out of the country with the aid of Vinnie and VanLowe (and unwillingly Sheriff Lamb). The episode capped with one of the best musical moments on the show with Adelaide playing by The Old 97’s playing as Vee starred at her fortune cookie complete with the Lost numbers (mmm, I just may have to do The Greatest Musical Moment on Veronica Mars around the time the movie is released).

4. The Bitch Is Back (Season 3, Episode 20): If you are going out, might as well go out with a bang. After being publically humiliated and ostracized after a video of her just as the way God made her hit the internets, we saw the return of season one Ronnie as she went on the warpath to find those responsible which even involved a run in from Jake Kane, not seen since the first season.

5. Leave It to Beaver (Season 1, Episode 22): Talk about hiding in plain sight. Despite being a violent psychopath, it never dawned on me that Aaron was the one that killed Lily leading the climactic scene with the action star stalking Veronica in her car and the subsequent showdown with Keith in a fiery back yard.

6. Normal Is the Watchword (Season 2, Episode 1): After a near perfect first season, the show could have easily fallen into a sophomore slump, but over the course of an hour, the show nicely wrapped up the burning questions from last season, solved a case of false positive drug test, and set up two season long mysteries masterfully with who killed Felix and why did the bus which included Meg Manning fall off a cliff. The season also promoted the Casablancas boys to cast members and introduced us to the Goodman family (Steve Guttenberg and Krystan Ritter) and Vice President Clemmons’s son Butters.

7. Spit & Eggs (Season 3, Episode 9): We got condensed mysteries in the third season, but the conclusion of the Heart Rapist storyline was just as epic with Ronnie having a showdown with the evil perp. And how apropos was it that it was Parker who was the one that saved Veronica (which begs the question, was does she always needing saving by the Big Bad’s).

8. Not Pictured (Season 2, Episode 22): Okay, the reveal was a bit over the top, Cassidy blew up the bus just to shut up the two other ball boys who wanted to go public about Woody Goodman’s extracurricular activities, that killed Woody (and to Veronica’s knowledge) her father right in front of her just so no one would find out that Woody also molested him. Oh yeah, and it turned out that Beaver actually did rape her at Shelly Pomroy’s party. Alrighty. Once you get past Beaver’s mustache twirling, still a solid finale to the second season. Plus the writers may have tipped their cap with the possible third season with the Duncan Clarence Weidman conversation, “CW?” “It’s a done deal.”

9. Welcome Wagon (Season 3, Episode 1): Transition to college can be tricky for television shows (and real life) but Veronica Mars made the change smoothly mostly because it was always more than a high school show. Ronnie quickly took up the case to find Wallace’s new roommate’s stolen stuff and, well, boom goes the dynamite.

10. Silence of the Lambs (Season 1, Episode 11): Mac and Madison Sinclaire return for a second episode and who would have guessed that they were switched at birth? Ironically the episode featured a blink and you will miss it cameo from Katie LeClerc who would go on to star in Switched at Birth in her first profession role. The episode also featured future Emmy winner Aaron Paul as a Girl Gone Bad wannabe cameraman. We also get our first look at the latest addition to the Neptune sheriff’s office: Deputy Leo, the Ronnie suitor I would most like to see her end up with in the movie.