2013 9th Green Holiday Schedule

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, or as those outside the U.S. like to call it, Thursday. So I hope you have (or had, depending on when you read this) a great Turkey Day. Just a heads up with the holidays upon us, here’s a look at the schedule the 9th Green will be taking the next couple weeks as well as a list of the best of 2013 and on day that are not listed, they will be filled by the regular reviews and such you have come to find at the 9th Green (card subject to change):


November 28-29 - Off for Thanksgiving
November 30 – ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas Schedule
December 2 - Induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame
December 19 - Lyrics Quiz: Best of 2013
December 21 - Worst Songs of 2013
December 22 – Best Performances of 2013
December 23 - Best Albums of 2013
December 24-25 - Off for Christmas
December 26 - Best Videos of 2013
December 27 - Best Mash-ups of 2013
December 28 - The Most Entertaining People of 2013
December 29 – 9th Green’s Reader’s Favorite Songs of 2013*
December 30 - 100 Best Songs of 2013
December 31/January 1 - Off for New Years
January 2 - Induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame
January 3 - Best Movies of 2013


*As you may have noticed, on the 29th I will have a Reader’s poll on what you all thought were the best songs of the year.

All you have to do is fill out the form below. If you have problems with it, feel free to e-mail me, ScooterMcGavin9thGreen(at)gmail(dot)com, your list. So if you would sometime time before Christmas fill out the form below, I will put a link at the top of the sidebar if you want to think about it. And as an added bonus, if you send me your list this year you can win a $5 Gift Certificate to iTunes. Please note, only people with American accounts can win but foreigners are still welcome to voice their opinions. Winners will be contacted sometime between Christmas and New Years.


If you need a refresher of songs from the last twelve months, check out the list of the albums I reviewed, just look at the labels in the side bar. All the songs from those albums are eligible, look through the music videos I highlighted the past year and of course any song released this year is okay too even if I didn’t talk about it. Your nominations will be confidential and I won’t disclose it here at the 9th Green, so if you enjoy the 9th Green please fill out the form by December 26.

Previewing Boston's Finest and Marshal Law: Texas

Even though they were not filming during Patriots Day, the Boston Bombing looms large after the first episode of the new season of Boston’s Finest. It opens on July 4, the first major event since the bombing at the Boston Marathon and the cops and the general public is hesitant about the festivities. Of course the Boston Police Department has deployed extra forces and most of the officers you met last season are on duty. This includes Jenn Penton, who joined the force after a military stint on Afghanistan; Diamantino “D” Araujo and Manny Canuto, members of the gang squad (gangs use the holiday to mask gunshots with the sound of firecrackers); and Greg and Nancy Dankers who work opposite shifts. This season we also go on Boston Harbor where there are different difficulties from their land stricken breather.

After Boston’s Finest, TNT will travel almost 2,000 miles southwest to Houston for their newest show Marshal Law: Texas. Nope, Governor Rick Perry has not declared Martial law for a reality series, despite the similar sounding phrase this show follows the U.S. Marshal Service located in Houston, Texas. Think Justified: The Reality Series. But where Raylan Givens never leaves the headquarters without his trusty hat, these Marshals routinely go on the hunt looking more like S.W.A.T. teams compete with helmets and bulletproof vests.

Business is booming for the Marshal Service in Houston with 30,000 fugitives on the lamb in the city, some of them for very violent crimes. But much like Raylan, these Marshals are not messing around. For instance, in tonight’s premiere, they corner a fugitive in a house currently for sale and bust out most windows, tearing down blinds to get a better looked at an armed man who is wanted for shooting his girlfriend and go in armed with semi-automatic weapons. To give each case deeper importance, we also get to hear from victims of the fugitives or their family. If you enjoyed the first season of Boston’s Finest, you will definitely want to stick around for Marshal Law: Texas.

Boston’s Finest airs Tuesdays at 9:00 on TNT followed by Marshal Law: Texas at 10:00. You can download Boston's Finest on iTunes

Previewing Major Crimes: Season 2 Winter Half

Major Crimes returns tonight to close out its last eight episodes of the season tonight. This past summer, Raydor and the detectives in the squad finally settled into a good working relationship. But they are now under the watchful eye of Deputy District Attorney Emma Rios, who has been assigned to shadow investigations and work with Raydor’s team to build successful cases and secure plea deals whenever possible. Then there was Rusty who struggled to come to terms with his past and pushed away a female classmate without explanation.

The winter season starts off with a double murder of two teenagers who get caught with the new drug of choice, molly, laced with a little something extra. This of course brings in the local NARC to help solve the case. Next week’s installment entitled Jailbait bring a new double meaning to the term when a juvenile rapist is murdered and the team is tasked with finding the murderer. Usually on shows like this I can spot the perp a half an hour before the reveal, but this episode was one of the few times I was legitimately shocked by who did it.

The detectives also follow a money trail full of surprises when a body turns up at a posh country club. These episodes also promise to reveal the mysterious person sending letters to Rusty and Raydor, while Rusty finally testifies against Phillip Stroh. Jon Tenney will also return to direct the December 16 episode and will appear as FBI Agent Fritz Howard in two episodes.

Major Crimes airs Mondays at 9:00 on TNT. You can also download Major Crimes on iTunes.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/24/13

Once Upon a Time: Just when I thought they could not ruin Peter Pan anymore, they make his origin story an adult. Sure it makes absolutely no sense that Peter Pan’s shadow predates Peter Pan, but that is the kind of writing you get on this show. And even though I doubt that either will stick, but I have no problem with Henry dying or Rumplestilkin getting trapped in Pandora’s Box. And though the promo monkeys suggested not guessing what happens next, they bring Henry back to life and the second half of the season is Henry becoming the new leader of the Lost Boys.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Homeland: I was hoping he would just rot in the half finished building for the rest of eternity but it looks like Brody will be back on American soil by next episode. And he will probably get a full pardon even though he is a known associate of Abu Nazir, tried to blow up the Vice President and other high ranking officials, and they succeeded in killing the Vice President the following season. Maybe if we are lucky, they will ship him overseas to help their asset in Iran.

The Walking Dead: Where has the fake cop been this whole time? Of course like every interesting character this show introduces, I fully expect her to be dead by the end of next episode. I do wonder if these new people are cousins to the Greene family because it is distracting how much the one looks exactly like Maggie.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Revenge: When the promo monkeys hyped someone from Emily’s past coming back, I rolled my eyes when her gay husband showed up. Oops, he was not it. Then when the reporter got all Deep Throat meeting in a parking garage, I just assumed the British chick was back in town. Nope, Lydia is back from the dead. Wait, what? I thought she was dead, except I do not remember how. I remember he falling off her balcony onto a car but I thought she survived that. (I had to look it up, she was supposed to be on the airplane that exploded at the end of season one. So Lydia was not on it, Victoria was not on it, who exactly was on the airplane?)
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: An episode of Masters of Sex without any sex. Unless you consider seeing the inside of a lady count. I do now wonder if Dr. Haas and Vivian will meet each other again in the sex study. Now that she has had an orgasm it seems like she would try to reenroll (unless she was too embarrassed by the first rejection). And I wonder if Barton himself will ever partake in some sort a way even if it is just a way to “cure” himself.

Castle: Number one rule of television: if you do not find a body, they are not dead. And even if you do find a body, there is still a fifteen percent chance they still not turn out to be dead. So I never for a moment thought the serial killer was actually dead. And now that he has a plastic surgeon girlfriend, he could end up being anyone. He may even show up as Ryan’s doppelganger at some point.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I was worried when they said the episode would tie into the movie because I do not like going to movies and prefer to watch them from the comforts of the couch. Thankfully they did not spoil anything (sure they were cleaning up after London was destroyed but you could tell from the trailer a city was getting destroyed; that an a city inevitably gets destroyed in every superhero movie). But it was a bit disappointing that they had a movie tie in episode and none of the characters from the movie showed up. They really could not have run into Natalie Pirtman for a second or two?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: Wow, they actually killed off Clay. He had to die at some point, but after he survived two gunshot to the chest from Opie I assumed he was going to manage to survive until closer the series finale. But here he is shot by Jax during the antepenultimate episode of the penultimate season. So now what? The series has always been about a power struggle between Jax and Clay and now with Clay off the board for the reminder of the series there is a gaping hole. The rest of the series cannot possibly be about the power struggle between Tara and Gemma could it?
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water: If I had not seen just the day before a dude shoot his step-father in the throat in front of his mother and wife, what Ciera did to her mother would have been the most coldblooded thing on television this week. It is one thing to vote your mother out, it is other to writer her name down then put “mom” in parentheses so she, and everyone in the world, knows that you shot your mother in the throat. And it was awesome and almost makes this horrible Blood vs. Water idea worth it. The most bizarre thing is that Ciera could be in the driver’s seat. The promo monkeys make it seem like the newbies are going to ban together to oust the veterans. The she could easily get in the final three. Once there she could actually win because people may be weary of voting for Caleb (because Colton is evil) and Hayden (who already won a rival reality show). Of course whenever the promo monkeys suggests something, it almost always goes wrong, which means one of the newbies will either not flip on the veterans or let the veterans get wind and Tyson will use his Idol.
You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download Survivor: Blood vs. Water on iTunes.

Nashville: If I were Rayna I would have totally let the police arrest me and then win the war in the court of public opinion. I really doubt a digital single is really going to completely placate the head of the record label.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: It doe not even matter if Amy pointed out how wrong it was, the writers should have never have heldon make the slavery comparison, it just was not funny. It did not help that this episode just aired after Sarah Palin also made a very inappropriate slavery comparison.
You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Parenthood: Max is typically my least favorite character on the show, but Max asking out Hank’s daughter and the uncomfortable position that put Hank in was hilarious. Can’t they just have Hank’s daughter move back to California permanently? It would completely make up for the downer that the Julia storyline has been this season.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 11/23/13

Quote of the Week: I had people yell “Show me your boobs” so much you’d have thought it was hit song. (Rayna James, Nashville)

Song of the Week: Sabotage - Beastie Boys (How I Met Your Mother)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: The CW May Have Started Trying: I like to ding The CW because it is so easy. In successive years after its creation they canceled they only quality programs they inherited Veronica Mars and Everybody Hates Chris yet continued to renew crap like One Tree Hill and Supernatural past their decade mark. Now that the network is closing in on a decade itself, it routinely gets out rated by basic cable programs mostly because it continues to green light trashy teen focused dramas. Then news broke this week they were developing not one, but two Homeland type-show. Hopefully whichever one makes it to air stars Lyla Garrity as it could easily be one of the greatest hate watching shows of all time. Add this to the Rob Thomas / zombie show, and The CW may actually become watchable for the first time in eight seasons. But then again, these three shows will probably not make it to air but the proposed Fred Durst bio-series will instead.

Preview Picture of the Week:

Christmas Bounty, Tuesday at 8:00 on ABC Family

Free Download and Deal of the Week: 90’s Discount (Google Play): Last week Google had a rock fire sale and this week they go back into the nineties with free tracks and albums as low as $3.99 from artists like Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, 2 Pac, and Alanis Morrissette.

New Album Release of the Week: Foreverly - Billy Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones

New DVD Release of the Week: Breaking Bad: The Complete Series

Video of the Week: R. Kelly has a new album coming out next week and there really is only two things Kells is known for: Trapped in the Closet and weird sex songs. Unfortunately Black Panties does not have any new chapters of Trapped in the Closet but it does have songs entitled Crazy Sex and Marry That (Expletive Deleted) (the Deluxe Edition also has Show Ya (Expletive Deleted) and Every Position). So Rolling Stone tested the theory that Robert could write sex songs about anything and gave him three challenges. And they were awesome.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday at 9:00 A.M. on NBC: Thanksgiving just is not Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce from a can and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year will feature apprences and performances from Big Apple Circus, Kristin Chenoweth, Cherokee National Youth Choir, Chica and the gang from Sprout, Cirque du Soleil, Gavin DeGraw, Brett Eldredge, Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots with the cast of "Sesame Street," Fifth Harmony, Florida Georgia Line, Goo Goo Dolls, Ariana Grande, Jack Hannah, Megan Hilty, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, Sandra Lee, Cher Lloyd, Austin Mahone, Mannheim Steamroller, Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri, NFL legends Bart Oates, Amani Toomer and Hines Ward, NHL legends Cam Neely and Mike Richter, as well as Kellie Pickler, The Robertson family from A&E's hit series "Duck Dynasty," Debby Ryan, Richard Simmons, and The Summer Set.

Around the Tubes: 11/22/13

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 Getting On, Ja’mie: Private School Girl, Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn, Party On, Face Off, Dallas, and Being Human.

- HBO’s latest series Getting On premieres this Sunday at 10:00 which will be followed by Ja’mie: Private School Girl. Check out a preview for both below:




- Barbra Streisand's heralded hometown return at the brand new 19,000-seat, billion-dollar Barclays Center, Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn, airs on THIRTEEN's Great Performances Friday, November 29 at 9 p.m. as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival (check local listings). Mixing her trademark classics with rarer older material and selections from her more recent albums, Streisand, in her first concert appearance in six years, and backed by a 60-piece orchestra led by William Ross, keeps the capacity house enthralled. In all, she sings 27 songs, nine of which she never before performed live, and three which she sings in different ways; that is, either with different arrangements or with newly composed lyrics. Streisand masterfully holds the stage for two hours, joined by special guests Il Volo, trumpeter Chris Botti, and (making it a true family affair) son Jason Gould, who thrilled the audience singing solo and in a duet with his mother.

- Oscar® nominee, three-time Emmy® winner and Tony Award® winner Hugh Jackman is set to host TNT's annual holiday spectacular Christmas in Washington. Jackman will introduce this year's lineup of musical performers, including Backstreet Boys, Sheryl Crow, Anna Kendrick, Janelle Monáe and Pat Monahan. In addition, the concert will feature a special guest appearance by NBA Hall of Famer and analyst for TNT's Inside the NBA Charles Barkley. The star-studded Christmas in Washington will premiere Friday, Dec. 20, at 8:00, exclusively on TNT.

- E!'s new show, Party On, which takes viewers into the world's most glamorous destinations and huge A-list hotspots, hosted by The Bold and the Beautiful's Jacqueline M. Wood, will be premiering December 5th at 10:00. Each week, Jackie takes viewers to a new destination like the Croatian Island of Hvar, St. Tropez, and Istanbul, and Turkey. Get a sneak peek of some of the beautiful locations


- Syfy’s smash hit and acclaimed unscripted series, Face Off, is back for a bold and extreme sixth season Tuesday, January 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Fifteen up-and-coming special effects make-up artists are introduced, all eager for the opportunity to achieve success in the competitive special effects makeup field. And in a Face Off first, the contestants travel to the other side of the globe for a special episode shot in Tokyo, Japan, where they are tasked with creating a stylized anime character based on their own alter ego.

- Dallas now has a third season premiere date: Monday February 24 at 9:00 on TNT.

- If you like the music you hear on Being Human, now you can listen to the songs all in once place on the Being Human playlist on Spotify.

Previewing Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana

When you think of the Nashville music scene, it probably conjures up images of rednecks in a beat up pick truck blaring music that is played at the CMA’s but the city has been attracting more and more musicians that do not fit in the traditional country ideals like Jack White and The Black Keys. Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana premiering tomorrow on PBS (check your local listings) takes a look at that burgeoning sub-genre of country music: neo-folk from Emmylou Harris up to the new boom that bands like Mumford and Sons created.

The special includes an impressive list of artist performances and discussions about the genre and songwriting in general including Alabama Shakes, The Avett Brothers, Billy Bragg, Laura Cantrell, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rosanne Cash, The Civil Wars, Elizabeth Cook, Rodney Crowell, Dawes, Jerry Douglas, John Fullbright, Shakey Graves, Emmylou Harris, The James Hunter Six, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Jim Lauderdale, The Lone Bellow, The Mavericks, The Milk Carton Kids, Buddy Miller, Mumford and Sons, Shovels & Rope, Richard Thompson, and Dwight Yoakam. You may want to keep that list handy because I found myself searching many of them out after watching the special. Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana is a much watch for any fan of the genre or anyone who needs a deep dive into the scene. Sure there were a few holes (Fleet Foxes, Ryan Adams) and I was hoping it would take more of an Metal Evolution approach to storytelling where they took a deep dive into the lineage, but still a great watch.

Nashville 2.0 kicks off the “PBS Americana Music Weekend,” which pairs this documentary with an Americana music concert from PBS’ iconic Austin City Limits (ACL) series. In a special episode, ACL travels to Nashville to capture performance highlights from the 2013 Americana Music Association Honors & Awards. ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2013 airs November 23rd on PBS in select markets (check local listings for broadcast dates and times) with an incredible line-up of artists that highlights the best of Americana. Recorded in September at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, the program -- like Nashville 2.0 -- showcases both established and rising stars. Many of the Americana Music Association award winners perform and participate in musical collaborations. ACL Presents features Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, Shovels & Rope, Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, The Milk Carton Kids, Old Crow Medicine Show, Holly Williams, Dr. John, Duane Eddy, John Fullbright, Stephen Stills, Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale. Full ACL episodes are available online at acltv.com following their initial broadcast.

Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana premieres tomorrow (Friday) at 8:00 on PBS (check your local listings).

Previewing Big Cat Week

Next week is Thanksgivings and for those who are smart enough to stay in on Black Friday, you can cuddle up next to the television and watch another species go wild with the start of Nat Geo Wild’s Big Cat Week. First off at 9:00 is a showdown between two of the fastest humans, Tennessee Titans Chris Johnson and Chicago Bears Hester go head to head in a foot race… with a cheetah. Also showing up during Big Cat Week is Betty White. Here is a complete run down of all the new programming airing during the fourth annual Big Cat Week:

Man v. Cheetah
Premieres Friday, November 29, 2013, at 9:00
Take nature’s fastest land mammal vs. two of the quickest and most elusive athletes in all of professional sports: who wins ... and what shocking secrets are revealed? Nat Geo WILD gets a front row seat as the Tennessee Titans’ Chris Johnson — the NFL’s fastest running back — and the Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester — the super-agile wide receiver and kick returner — take part in an extraordinary first-ever one-on-one challenge against a cheetah. It’s the race of a lifetime that has never been attempted before as cheetahs from Busch Gardens Tampa’s Cheetah Run attraction race NFL’s finest. Who will win? Could a human beat the animal kingdom’s fastest cat? Anything is possible.

Super Cat
Premieres Friday, November 29, 2013, at 10:00
Take Kobe Bryant’s ability to jump, add Michelle Kwan’s grace and beauty, then mix well with Stephen Hawking’s problem-solving genius — and you’ve got the recipe for Super Cat. We’ve combined the most amazing features of big cats to showcase the most awe-inspiring capabilities ever seen in action. Watch this ultimate feline live all nine lives as its superpowers of strength, endurance and stealth are put to the test.

Killer Queen
Premieres Saturday, November 30, 2013, at 9:00
Soon after the summer rains have fallen, lioness Manyari’s pride faces trouble when two nomadic males seek a pride of their own to lead. With a sixth sense for imminent trouble, Manyari makes a bid to escape to ensure the survival of her young cubs. Forced to fend for herself and her cubs alone in the wild, Manyari sacrifices her own security for her offspring’s safety. Constantly looking for food and shelter, and doing her best to stay out of marauders’ lines of sight, this former queen and her cubs make the odyssey to find safety and security.

Cougar v. Wolf
Premieres Saturday, November 30, 2013, at 10:00
Wolves and cougars are increasingly at war because wolf packs continue to multiply and spread into parts of the Rocky Mountains dominated for decades by cougars. Now, big cat wrangler Boone Smith tracks the most recent wolf and cat skirmishes as he delves into why these two big predators carry on the cats vs. dogs rivalry. In his big cat forensic investigation, Boone’s goal is to pinpoint the places where cougar-wolf conflicts most often occur by gathering clues about each creature’s hunting, feeding and fighting behaviors. Boone applies all the skills he’s acquired tracking big cats around the world to unravel the truth about what happens in a cougar v. wolf showdown.

Game of Lions
Premieres Sunday, December 1, 2013, at 10:00
From award-winning filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert comes their next feature film, exclusively for Nat Geo WILD. According to Dereck Joubert, there are 20,000 lions left on Earth. Only 3,500 of those are males. Although they are born at a 50/50 ratio, by the time they reach maturity, only one in eight male lions survive. We follow the journey of the lives of young males in the African bush and their potential to be king. From the birth of a male to his exile from his pride, our cameras follow along as males roam the jungles in an effort to spread their bloodlines through the kingdom. The Jouberts take an unflinching look at what happens to these lions in this spirited, moving and heartbreaking film.

Betty White Goes Wild!
Premieres Tuesday, December 3, 2013, at 9:00
“If it hadn’t been for Hollywood, I’d have fulfilled my other childhood dream … to be a zookeeper,” says Betty White when speaking about her love for animals. We take a rare look into one of White’s true passions — big cats! Head with her to the Los Angeles and San Diego zoos to get up close to big cats. White weaves her natural wit as we look at the cats’ individual behavioral traits and learn where they live, how many are left in the wild and the challenges they face.

Additional programming to air during Big Cat Week includes Swamp Lions, Cat Wars, The Last Lions, Built for Kill: Lions, Tiger Dynasty, Lion Army, Cheetah: Fatal Instinct and Lion Battle Zone.

Feed Your iPod LXXIX: Don't Follow

With the new album by Pearl Jam and the 20th anniversary of In Utero (Nirvana Unplugged was also recorded twenty years ago yesterday) I have been thinking about grunge lately and let’s face it: the genre has not aged well. Sure you can blame it on the second wave of grunge acts like Bush and Candlebox and it got completely bastardized by the time Nickelback co-opted the sound. Lackluster reunions recently by Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots certainly did not help either (at least Bush has stayed retired). Despite the unnecessary reunion, Alice in Chains is one of the few grunge acts I still look back fondly at. Would? remains my favorite grunge song of all time (naturally it was on the Single soundtrack). The band also has some deep cut that need to be rediscovered mostly on their two lesser owned EP. Don’t Follow on the Jar of Flies EP is the rare power balled from the band that even had a down south vibe to it thanks to a well placed harmonica.

Don’t Follow – Alice in Chains

I Want My Music Television: 11/18/13

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.

Hard Out Here – Lily Allen


Oh Lily Allen, it has been too long. At least she came back hard ripping on the duo who were responsible for the most embarrassing Video Music Award performance ever Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke. Sure the lyrics veer very close to that other song of 2013 Royals, Lily is much more cheechy in her delivery than Lorde. Here is hoping a full album will soon follow. The musical landscape really needs Lilly Allen right now.


Wake Me Up (Acoustic) - Aloe Blacc


I did not mind the Avicii version of Wake Me Up (but I was glad when Aloe Blacc released an acoustic version) but I hated the music video with a fiery passion as it co-opted the theme of No Rain and make the bee girl an impossibly hot chick and her annoyingly cute sister (brought to you by some product I refuse to mention because I am not getting any of that money), Blacc version is much more touching dealing with the real life implications of our current immigration policies.


What Now – Rihanna


If it is fall it is time for a new Rihanna album, she has released one in November each of the past four years. Except it is already fall and there is no release date. And she is certainly not the type of artist to drop an album within a month of announcing it like Jay-Z or Radiohead, she needs that promotional machine going for two to three months first. Instead she has just released the fifth single off her last album, and, um, it sounds like a fifth single off an album by a singer who usually only has two to three good songs per album. The video recalls her creepier efforts like Disturbia complete with The Last Exorcism contortion bending over backwards pose. But I do wonder with a lackluster fifth single being released in the fall instead of a new single off a new album, if we are witnessing the end of the Rihanna era as biggest pop star in the land.


Country Girl - Carolina Chocolate Drops


Over the weekend I watched a screener for PSB’s Nashville 2.0 premiering Friday about the rise of Americana music from Emmylou Harris to Mumford & Sons. I will have a full review later this week. But one new artist that caught my eye was Carolina Chocolate Drops which mixes Americana with soul music. Here is a music video for their first single, but if you have the time I highly recommend looking up their countrified version of Hit 'Em Up Style which was also featured in the special.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/17/13

Once Upon a Time: So the Darling boys grew old enough to be in their twenties before Peter Pan kept them in a un-aging state, but Wendy looks exactly the same she did the last time we saw her. Alrighty.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Homeland: Most shows have a point of view character, someone who speaks for the viewers, usually a newbie to the team, who asks the questions that the people watching would want to know. I am beginning to think Senator Lockhart is such the character on Homeland. He is the new guy to the CIA and looks around and asks, what the frack is wrong with you people and they ends the episode locked in the dark. Yep, that pretty much sums up the viewing experience of this season on Homeland.

The Walking Dead: Just like Brody on Homeland, it was only a matter of time before The Governor showed up. Brody was given pretty much a whole episode, three into the season (and has not been seen since) whereas The Governor only got a cameo at the end of episode five. Last week I predicted he would run into Carol, but it looks like he did not travel that far away from the prison. So that puts him in play for feeding the zombies rats that we saw early in the season.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Masters of Sex: Well that was the least sexy sex scene ever. At least between two relatively attractive people. I never thought anything involving Lizzy Caplan would be possible. I do wonder who Masters will impregnate first, his wife or his assistant. I am a little surmised the talk of contraception has yet to come up in the research. Did they even have readily available contraception back in the fifties?

The Voice: It is hard to quit the show cold turkey because I need something to watch between 2 Broke Girls and the Blacklist and The Goldbergs and Sons of Anarchy so I half watched those hour and a half while flipping around and making pithy comments on Twitter (#VoiceSave Holly Henry). I was a little interested to how the Instant Save turned out hoping it failed miserably. And it kind of did. After making my pithy comment I decided to scroll the hashtag results and saw about 80-90% of them for Jonny, Blake even pointed this out when Carson asked him who he thought America would save. Even the retweet of The Voice’s official tweets were the most for Jonny (followed by Josh with Kat in the hole). Yet the first person eliminated with the lowest amount of tweets was Jonny. Huh? My first thought was there must have been a lot of tweeters who misspelled his name (most people would naturally want to put an “h” in it like Johnny Cash) but supposedle the show allows five different misspellings (people like Jonny, Jaquie, and Tessann need such a thing but it is funny to see the five ways you are allowed to misspell Ray). This just does not pass the sniff test. Unfortunately the Instant Save will not be going anywhere, at least no time soon because the ratings were way up from last week’s results show which was a series low for the show and even matched last week’s Tuesday performance show. Hopefully the novelty wears off and ratings drop again like I thought would when you pull a stunt that alienates half the country and it is scrapped for next season. But really all I want next season is better talent than what makes up this top ten.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs performed this week with the widget at right.

The Blacklist: I thought the promo monkeys said there was going to be a big reveal this week? Did I miss it? All I saw was more speculation that Red is really Lizzie’s father but no real confirmation.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Yep, Simmons is quickly becoming the most entertaining character by a long mile on the show. Her awkward encounter with Agent Sitwell was hilarious.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: Oh Tara, I told you that you should have turned on the club while you were in jail instead of concocting this elaborate plan that fell like a house of cards once you recruited a junkie and friend of the club. But now that she is at her breaking point, anything is possible with her. Speaking of anything is possible; Jax really tangled a web trying to get out of guns. Is he really going to turn rat and sell out both the Irish and the Koreans?
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water: I like when they start doubling up Tribal Councils post merge, especially when the votes are as obvious as Vytas and Tina. I also liked Vystas just throwing bombs all over Tribal on his way out. He called out Monica, pointed out the chicks could easily take over the game. I am surprised more people do not do it when they know their number is up. And though I am glad they retired the gross eating challenge seasons ago, I am glad they brought it back for Gervase to have to partake in it again. And he almost won this time. I wonder if he spent the last decade eating strange delicacies for this very moment.
You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download Survivor: Blood vs. Water on iTunes.

Parenthood: It is weird the election storyline is expanding well past the real world elections. But I wonder if there will be a point where Amber goes to the press without Kristina’s consent. I was kind of assuming that was going to happen this week.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 11/16/13

Quote of the Week: Oh and the last thing was Olivia Gondek, it says that I wanted to eat her (expletive deleted). Olivia Gondek. I’ve never said that in my life to her. I would never do that. I’m happily married. I’ve got more than enough to eat at home. (Toronto Mayor Rob Ford)

Song of the Week: Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship (The Goldbergs)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: The Typhoon in the Philippines: As usual in situations like this, if you have anything to give in this season of Thanksgiving, please donate to the redcross.org.

Preview Picture of the Week:

“Scared to Death” Ravenswood Fall Finale, Tuesday at 8:00 on ABC Family

Free Download / Deal of the Week: Google Play is having a rock classics sale where you can get music from Guns and Roses, Weezer, Bon Jovi, and The Velvet Underground for as low as $3.99 and free songs from each of those artists and six others.

New Album Release of the Week: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013

New DVD Release of the Week: We're the Millers

Video of the Week: The quote of the week is usually reserved for the funniest or most poignant statement uttered on television over the past seven days, but no words were said this week than those of the crack smoking, black-out drunk mayor of Toronto. But the written words just does not do the quote justice, watch it with the whole segment on the mayor on The Daily Show where John Stewart reacts to the quote the way I, and I am sure everyone else responded the first time they heard the quote.


Next Week Pick of the Week: You Oughta Know Live, Thursday at 9:00 on VH1: Ever since the nineties, it seems like VH1 tries a new yearly live show every three years or so. First there was Divas Live, then Big In (insert year here) Awards, then Hip Hop snd Rock Honors (I wish they would bring back the Hip-Hop Honors). Now they are trotting out the You Oughta Know Live concert featuring artists that VH1 have highlighted over the past couple years (it is basically VH1’s version of Buzzworthy dating back to 2005 with Anna Nalick as the first artist that you should have known). Performing are The Lumineers, Lorde, Ed Sheeran, Haim, Matt Nathanson, Emeli Sandé, and someone named Johnnyswim (apparently they did not do a very good job getting the word out on that last group).There will also be some surprise collaborations. A video of Haim being joined on stage by Lorde to sing Sheryl Crow in the internet this week but was quickly taken down. Note to VH1: if you do not want your concert to hit the web before you air it, do not film the concert ten days in advance.

Around the Tubes: 11/15/13

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 Secrets of Scotland Yard, Chicago PD, Syfy programming, Rizzoli and Isles, Perception, Cougar Town, Soul Train Awards, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo, and Arrested Development.

- This Sunday, Secrets of Scotland Yard concluding this fall’s series of Secrets of... specials. From Dickens to Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie to James Bond - no police institution in the world has caught the public imagination in quite the same way as Scotland Yard. The name has become synonymous with the police force itself - but actually derives from the location of the original London Metropolitan Police HQ. Its officers and ‘Bobbies’ can be seen not only as characters in fiction but also on the news, standing beside the Royal Family or other officials in their role as protectors. Above all else however, Scotland Yard is associated with a particular type of professional police officer–the Detective. By meeting with some modern-day sleuths we’ll uncover the secrets of what it takes to become a contemporary Sherlock as well as finding out all the grim and grisly details of detectives who have gone before.

- Chicago PD, the spinoff of Chicago Fire, does not premiere until January 8, but you can take a first look at the show below:


- Syfy will shake up the Thanksgiving Weekend (November 28-December 1) with its annual two day James Bond marathon featuring a dozen movies starring Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore and yes -- even Timothy Dalton. The 007-fest fires its first shot with Tomorrow Never Dies on Thursday, November 28 at 1AM (ET/PT) and includes special Thanksgiving primetime presentations of Die Another Day (6PM) and Casino Royale (9PM), concluding Friday, November 29. For those viewers who like their action in space, Syfy will beam down six Star Trek movies on Saturday, November 30, highlighted by Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (6:30PM) and Star Trek VII: Generations (9PM). The holiday movie festival ends on Sunday, December 1 at 8PM with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.-

- Set your calendars, Rizzoli and Isles returns Tuesday, February 25 at 9:00 followed by new episodes of Perception at 10:00 on TNT.

- Four-time Emmy® nominee Matthew Perry is set to reunite with Friends co-star Courteney Cox this winter in an episode of the TBS's hit comedy Cougar Town. TBS is set to launch the fifth season of Cougar Town on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 10:00.

- In anticipation of the upcoming Soul Train Awards 2013, CENTRIC, a BET Network, has kicked off the Soul Train Effect Tour(#soultraineffect). Throughout November, CENTRIC’s Soul Train video team is taking over top clubs in six east coast cities and inviting locals to show their old school flavor in front of the cameras. The best moves from each night will be hosted on video clips airing on bet.com/soultraineffect.

- National Geographic Channel this week announced Michael Ian Black, Tom Papa, and Seth Herzog as co-hosts of the new series Duck Quacks Don’t Echo. With production set to begin in New York City, Duck Quacks Don’t Echo puts an entertaining spin on assessing the validity of weird, unusual and over-the-top hypotheses through a series of interactive, original scientific tests. As co-hosts of the series, Black, Papa and Herzog will challenge each other by presenting their best theories — ranging from “Can shrimp run longer than the average human?” to “Is it impossible for a blindfolded person to walk, swim or drive in a straight line?” — and then put them to the test with real, in-studio and field experiments.

Relive all your favorite “Arrested Development” moments with this must-have companion book to the ground-breaking comedy series entitled Arrested Development: And That’s Why . . .You Always Leave a Note. Full of the most memorable quotes and images from some of the best moments from the original three seasons of the show, Arrested Development offers valuable life lessons and wisdom from Michael, G.O.B., Lucille, George Sr., Lindsay, George Michael, Tobias, and the rest of the Bluth gang with chapters including: Family First, Huge Mistakes, Parental Guidance, Risky Business, and more.

Feed Your iPod LXXVIII: The Chase, Part II

This week twenty years ago saw the release of the debut album from Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), R.Kelly’s first solo outing 12 Play, and the best Tribe Called Quest album Midnight Marauders (if you thought that was a great release date, that was not even the most impressive week a Tribe album dropped; The Low End Theory was released on the same day as Nevermind, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and the first CD I ever bought, Bryan Adam’s Waking Up the Neighbours). Even the casual rap fan knows Award Tour (which was number four on my list of the 100 Greatest Songs from the Golden Age of Hip-Hop) as well as Electric Relaxation, so let me highlight another song from the album, which was actually the bane of my existence shortly after hearing it.

Stuck near the end of the album is The Chase, Part II, another slow head nodder which features Phife Dog rapping, “you’re styles are incomplete same as Vinnie Testeverde.” For the youngsters out there, as the lyric suggest Vinnie was a horrible quarterback who was always near the top of the league in interceptions and holds the record for most loses for a starting quarterback in NFL history. Of course the Cleveland Browns just signed him when the album was released and the team then turned around and traded beloved local hero Bernie Kosar (who would go on to win a Super Bowl ring that season). After the Browns signed Vinnie, they became so bad that the owner was able to move the team and the Browns have made the playoff twice since the song was released and only had three winning seasons. As Bill Simmons would say, “God hates Cleveland.”

The Chase, Part II – A Tribe Called Quest

I Was Wrong When I Decided I Would Never Meet Somebody Like You

With The Civil Wars on what looks to be an indefinite hiatus, there is an opening for the co-ed folk duo with weird sexual tension corner. Enter Grace and Tony, a self described “punkgrass” band with the same esthetic as The Civil Wars. Oh yeah, and Tony in Grace and Toby is Tony White, little brother of John Paul White of The Civil Wars. But where The Civil Wars sound like later day, Rick Rubin produced albums by The Avett Brothers, Grace and Tony sound like the rawer early records of The Avett Brothers.

But where the individual members of The Civil Wars are actually married to other people, Grace and Tony is an actual couple married to each other. Maybe this is why their debut album November is a bit cheery than his older brother band. They introduce themselves on November with Hey Grace, Hey Tony, a bouncing, old timey duet. That is followed up with the most angst riddled song Holy Hand Grenade, but still something that will get your toe tapping.

The most haunting the duo gets on the album is the title track. But there is really nothing on November which suggests they will have much success crossing over like The Civil Wars or even get they song played on crappy television shows when the writers run out of ideas and just throw in a montage to fill the hour. This duo will probably appeal to a very small niche; basically those who hear the term “punkgrass” and think cool. I am sure Grace and Tony will also be big at the next Steam Punk convention, especially the song Electricity Bomb.

Song to Download – Holy Hand Grenade

November gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television: 11/12/13

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.


Bad Things – Meiko


I guess a video for a song called Bad Things should be creepy, but still, I will never eat whipped cream ever again. Or get the image of Meiko with a mustache out of my head.


Lies – Chvrches


I probably should not like Chvrches. Aside from the unnecessary “V” in their name, I really have not been a big fan of synth heavy music since back when New Wave was actually new. But there is just something transfixing about the lead singer’s voice.


Faden Away - 7 Days of Funk with Snoopzilla and Dâm-Funk


Barely a year after rechristening himself Snoop Lion, the artist formally known as Snoop Doggy Dogg has a new name: Snoopzilla. I guess it is for the best because with all the name changes, I can just pretend Snoop Dogg actually stopped releasing music not long after Drop it Like it’s Hot.


Daydreaming – Paramore


I am getting tired of the shoddily shot music videos (and other mediums) where they are meant to look like two friends documenting their travels to a Paramore concert but were obviously professionally done.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 11/10/13

Once Upon a Time: I was not expecting much from CGI Ursula, but that was really cheesy looking. Only worse was the real Ursula all CGI. And if mermaids can easily transport back and forth between worlds, then why not summon Ariel earlier and ride her back, why mess with the magic beans? The better question is why am I still questioning the massive plot holes on this show.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Homeland: So that was Saul’s big master plan: use Carrie to get to the Iranian dude, and then blackmail him into talking to him? Ugg. At least we know why the Iranian dude was creepily watching the kid playing in the yard last episode. Though how easy was it to find his grandson? If the wife was in witness protection, why was the kid not? And what was with the pregnancy tests? I would think that the mental health facility would have run some sort of blood test to see if Carrie was pregnant.

Of course the best part of the episode was a shout out to Scooter McGavin’s 9th Green in the episode. At least I am assuming that Majid Javadi holing up off the 9th Green of a golf course was a reference to this site.

The Walking Dead: During the season premiere Rick mentioned he has three questions newbies have to answer before they are allowed to join the chain gang in the prison. We finally learned one of them, “How zombies have you killed?” I wonder if we will learn the other two by the end of the season. Rick did finally make his first decision of the season my exiling Carol for killing the two sick people. She is not dead so there is a good chance we will see her again eventually (it did take a couple seasons to see the guy from the Pilot again). The Governor is still out there somewhere and I do not remember them running into each other last season. I just hope she does not turn out to be the lead in the proposed Walking Dead spin-off.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Revenge: So Emily’s big take down this week was… her own home? Alrighty.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

The Voice: I am pretty much out on this season after realizing I only watched an hour and a half of the five hours this week and was pretty bored with what I saw. To be honest I was out the moment Holly Henry was inexplicatively booted from the show for dude to butcher Blurred Lines and get booted himself the very next week. The show has a serious problem when Holly’s seven week old version of The Scientist was charting higher on Monday and Tuesday than two songs performed that day by Grey and Amber Nicole. Now with Preston Pohl, who got stuck with the worst song selection this week, also given the boot, the two biggest fan favorites are gone before even the top ten despite being the only two whose audition songs made the top twenty-five this season (or even the top eighty for that matter).

And just when you thought The Voice could not get any worse than letting the two early favorites fall by the waste side, next week they are introducing the Instant Save next week. For those that have not heard yet, starting next week (and will continue through the top 6 week) they will announce a bottom three and then for the next five minutes, Twitter users will be able to vote which singer to save. First off, way to alienate half your audience. Anyone who lives on the west coast will either have sit though spoilers to see if their favorites are in the bottom three just to vote for them, or watch when it is on and not be able to participate.

Most importantly, this will undoubtably backfire. As is, voters have thirteen hours from the end of the show to vote, be it the phone, the internet via nbc.com, or downloading songs on iTunes. Now you are going to give the reigns to a very small minority of Twitter users, mostly on the east coast only five minutes to decide. This is just ripe for manipulation. Even though Vote for the Worst closed up shop earlier this year, some other prankster, or just run of the mill spammers, could easily manipulate things so undeserving people make it further than they should. And how is the show going to know with just a five minute vote window? The person who gets the least amount of votes next week could easily make it to the final four/five by Twitter alone. And let face it, the cutest boy is likely to get the Instant Save every week. Hopefully the show quietly eliminates the Instant Save before it begins because it will ruin the show as much as dumping talent a lot sooner than it should (the Instant Save will probably end up saving people who do not deserve it). If not, I highly recommend instead of saving someone in the bottom three, Tweet the show a contestant that should not have been eliminated in the first place instead (I will be tweeting Holly Henry).

Unfortunately it is too late to make any suggestion for next season because I believe the Blind Auditions (and maybe even the Battle and Knockout Rounds) have already been taped. They even start casting for season seven next month. But most importantly for the upcoming casting, they need to find better singer. Enough with the amateur hour, leave those contestants for the crappy Fox singing show. It is time to start recruiting professionals again. Seriously, have they run out of Warped Tout chicks and Alicia Keys backup singers (this season lacked both for the first time)? This is the second straight season where I did not know any of the singers who audition. They need to go back to casting semi to full professional singers and stop it with all the teenagers who are not ready for primetime. For every Caroline Pennell and Danielle Bradbery, there are about twenty teenagers who do not even get a chair to turn around or make a quick exit during the Battle Round (and are montage most of the time).

I do make these suggestions because it does seem like the show does take my suggestions to heart. The last time I may suggestions on how to make the show better, I suggested that they needed to open their songbook because they had been recycling way too many song from previous season (sometimes even in the same season, last season saw two versions of Teenage Dream and Feelin’ Good) and this week only saw two recycled songs. And when ranting against repeat songs, I mentioned that I was surprised Seven Nation Army was performed on three straight season when I thought The White Stripes song most likely to become a standard would be We’re Going to Be Friends and low and behold Caroline Pennell performed the latter this week. Still even with the new songs, nothing I saw this week was as good as the latest video Holly Henry posted this week of her singing Daughter’s Youth.


The Blacklist: Between the end with Red reminiscing about his daughter and the promo for next week, it is almost guaranteed that Lizzie will turn out to be his daughter. Hopefully they come out and say it next week because everyone guessed it during the first trailer they released for the show. There are already on episode six, it is already been dragged on too long already, hopefully we get a definitive answer next week.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Castle: The problems wit procedurals is sometimes it is easy to figure out who the killer is even in the first act. The biggest indicator is whenever a recognizable guest star is in the episode. And then there are cases like this week when the cop being a total jerk early in the episode which led me to think he was the actual killer. Despite a few red herrings, fifty minute later I was right.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: When ABC announced Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I was assuming that the Item 47 which was on The Avengers DVD was essentially the Pilot. Unfortunately Lizzy Caplan got herself cast in Masters of sex making her unavailable for this show (okay, it is not that unfortunately because I would much rather have Caplan on a show called Masters of Sex). Instead they replaced Caplan with a token hot chick with nominal acting skill. (Caplan has said she could still pop up on the show but since Masters of Sex has already been renewed for a second season, it probably will not be for a lengthy amount of episodes.) Titus Welliver, who was also in the Item 47, made his first appearance on the show. I wonder if he will be showing up more in the future with his own team which may or may not include Caplan.

As I mentioned earlier, the people they did cast on the show are not the best actors in the world. But I may have been wrong about Fitz because she did a very good job in this episode (or was it Simmons, I still not sure which one is which). I only liked her up to this point because when I squint, she looks exactly like Keira Knightley. Maybe they should give more for her to do and less to the token hot chick.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: I knew Tara’s plan would crumble quickly, but I am surprised that Jax figured it out that quickly. I have no idea how this would turn out. If I were Tara, I would go to the DA and give her the club in exchange for immunity from her current case and witness protection for her and her kids. But then again the DA may even reject that if Jax does in fact deliver the Irish to her. Though my favorite part of the episode was when the lady cop asked where the DA’s wig went, the black cop spouted some urban slang and after he walked away, simply said, “I did not understand a word of that.” It may have been a little sitcom-y, but I enjoyed what essentially a throw away line
You can download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water: Just when you thought that Ciera just making the merge was amazing, the fate of this season rested in her hands; either stick with her stag alliance even though he mother came back in the game or join a couples alliance. Granted it turned out the fate was not entirely in her hands as Tina and Aras stupidly thought Gervise and Monica would be okay being in an alliance with two couples. But the craziness could continue because Ciera has a legitimate shot at actually winning this season as long as her mother does not screw things up.
You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download Survivor: Blood vs. Water on iTunes.

Parenthood: It is getting to be distracting just how much Drew’s booty call looks like a smaller version of Alison Brie. I guess that will be the closest to a an Alison Brie fix I can get until next year.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 11/9/13

Quote of the Week: Saul, you don’t look like a man who landed the biggest asset of his career. (Majid Javadi, Homeland)

Song of the Week: I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (How I Met Your Mother)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Bullying in the NFL: Back when I played sports, hazing was an accepted practice, but we now live in a “It gets better world” (even though it does not, but that is a rant for another day) and apparently hazing is not even acceptable in the most “manly” of institutions the NFL. Sure what Richie Incognito said was horrible, but no worse than what is shouted at players every Sunday. That is not to say Incognito should not be cut (considering his rap sheet, no one should have signed him in the first place), but it is weird to continually hear about bullying in the NFL.

Preview Picture of the Week:

“Huang Wu” Sons of Anarchy, Tuesday at 10:00 on FX

Free Download of the Week: The Triple Threat – The Hush Sound (NoiseTrade): I am a bit surprised that The Hush Sound did not hit that wave of indie pop from the middle of last decade, Wine Red was ultra catchy and could have easily been the soundtrack to one of the silhouette iPod commercials. But the group recently got back together and has a sampler of their new work which sound more mature than their earlier songs.

Deal of the Week: Blu-Ray Under $10: Home Alone Collection, Zombieland, Inception, Gremlins 2: The New Batch

New Album Release of the Week: November - Grace and Tony

New DVD Release of the Week: Dexter: The Complete Final Season

Video of the Week: The new TBS comedy Ground Floor premieres Thursday but you can actually watch it now over at tbs.com. If you are not sure if you want to send the next twenty-minutes watching the whole thing, check out this short clip first.



Next Week Pick of the Week: Killing Kennedy, Sunday at 8:00 on National Geographic Channel: After the success of Killing Lincoln, it was only a matter of time before Bill-O’Reilly’s other books get their own movie. And just in time for the fifth anniversary of his assassination is Killing Lincoln with Rob Lowe in the titular role and Ginnifer Goodwin and Jackie O.

Around the Tubes: 11/8/13

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 PBS JFK specials, Helix, Burning Love, The Sound of Music Live!, The Battle of Amfar, 12 Monkeys, TLC Kitchen: 150 Timeless Recipes From Our Family To Yours, APB with Troy Dunn, FX renewal and premiere dates.

- We are nearing the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination and PBS is commemorating the occasion with a week a specials starting Monday.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “JFK” – This new four-hour portrait offers a fresh assessment of the enigmatic man, his accomplishments and his unfulfilled promise, featuring interviews with Kennedy family members and historians Robert Dallek, Robert Caro and Evan Thomas. Monday, November 11 and Tuesday, November 12, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET.

NOVA “Cold Case JFK” – For decades, the assassination of John F. Kennedy has fueled dark rumors of conspiracies and mishandled evidence. Now, 50 years later, NOVA asks: Could modern investigators do better? Wednesday, November 13, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET.

“JFK: One PM Central Standard Time” – Narrated by George Clooney, who appears on camera, this Secrets of the Dead special presentation, recounts the riveting story of the reporting from Dallas, Texas, and the CBS newsroom in New York from the moment President Kennedy was shot until Walter Cronkite’s emotional pronouncement of his death at 1 p.m. CST. The program features interviews with President Bill Clinton and Brian Williams, anchor & managing editor, NBC Nightly News and Rock Center with Brian Williams, rarely seen archival footage of Kennedy, Cronkite and moving memories from the producers, writers and reporters who were there on the day. Wednesday, November 13, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET.

FRONTLINE “Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?” – At the heart of the Kennedy assassination lies the puzzle of Lee Harvey Oswald: Was he the emotionally disturbed lone gunman of the 1964 Warren Commission report? Was he, as the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded, probably part of a conspiracy on that day in Dallas? Or was he an unwitting fall guy, the patsy, as Oswald himself claimed when he was arrested on November 22, 1963? FRONTLINE marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination with a two-hour reprise of its investigative biography of the man at the center of the political crime of the 20th century." Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 10:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. ET.

- The first Helix trailer hit the internets this week, you can check it out below and mark your calendars for January 10 when the show premieres on Syfy.


- E! continues to give viewers the clever comedy they crave with weekly half-hour episodes of seasons two and three of the critically acclaimed, Emmy nominated web phenomenon Burning Love. In season two, psychologically damaged yet destined for the kind of love that is only found on reality TV, Julie Gristlewhite (June Diane Raphael) has her choice of hunky bachelors, including studs played by Michael Cera, Jerry O’Connell and Ryan Hansen. Following the conclusion of season two, season three kicks off with a group of the best loved “Burning Love” participants competing for the ultimate cash prize -- $900. Season two of “Burning Love” premieres Wednesday, November 13 at 10:30, following “The Soup,” and the network will air season three in the same weekly timeslot immediately following season two starting Wednesday, January 1 at 10:30.

- In honor of the upcoming production of The Sound of Music Live!, coming to NBC on December 5, the network offering you the chance to star in a music video singing Do-Re-Mi with Carrie Underwood! Head over to soundofmusicmashup.com for more details and instructions on how to post a video submission.

- The Battle of AmfAR (premiering on HBO December 2nd at 9:00 with a sneak preview on HBO 2 on December 1st - World AIDS Day) tells the true story of when AIDS struck and two very different and extraordinary women – Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim – joined forces to take a stand and create America’s first AIDS research foundation, AmfAR. Their goal: to unveil the truth of the disease as a worldwide pandemic in desperate need of funding for scientific research to find a cure. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and executive produced by fashion mogul Kenneth Cole, THE BATTLE OF AMFAR chronicles the organization’s history and continuing importance in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Check out the trailer below:


- Syfy’s pilot 12 Monkeys has cast Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull in the project’s two lead roles. Also joining in key positions behind the camera are Natalie Chaidez (In Plain Sight, V, Heroes) as Executive Producer/Showrunner and Jeffrey Reiner (Helix, Friday Night Lights, Caprica) who will direct the pilot and also serve as Executive Producer. The 60-minute pilot is being produced by Universal Cable Productions and Atlas Entertainment, producer of the original Bruce Willis-Brad Pitt theatrical directed by Terry Gilliam and released by Universal Pictures. Production is slated to begin in December in Detroit.

- Discovery Communications, the world’s number-one nonfiction media company, and Parragon, Inc., a leading publisher with over 100 million cookbooks sold globally over the last four years, today announced the publication of TLC Kitchen: 150 Timeless Recipes From Our Family To Yours. The cookbook serves up delicious, easy-to-make recipes from a variety of chefs, featuring contributions from stars of TLC’s most popular series. The 256-page hardcover book (SRP $19.99) is available at a variety of retailers including Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and TLCStore.com. Featured TLC personalities include Buddy Valastro (Cake Boss), June “Mama June” Shannon (Here Comes Honey Boo Boo), Jen Arnoldand Bill Klein (The Little Couple), Randy Fenoli (Say Yes to the Dress), Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne (DC Cupcakes), and Marisa Lopez (Next Great Baker).

- TNT has greenlit APB with Troy Dunn (working title), a new investigation series featuring Troy Dunn (The Locator), the nation’s foremost expert in locating and reuniting long-lost persons. TNT has ordered six episodes of the unscripted program, which will incorporate a newsocial media app designed to help bring loved ones back together. APB with Troy Dunn comes to TNT from Shed Media US (Who Do You Think You Are?, The Real Housewives of New York City), with Troy Dunn, Pamela Healey, Dan Peirson and Ted Haimes (The Locator, Aftermath with William Shatner) serving as executive producers. The show is slated to premiere Friday, Jan. 17, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), following the season-two premiere of TNT's real-life investigation series Cold Justice.

- FX has ordered a fourth installment of American Horror Story for 13 episodes.

- FX and FXX has announced their winter 2014 including:

Justified, Tuesday January 7 at 10:00 on FX
Archer, Monday January 13 at 10:00 on FXX
Chozen, Monday January 13 at 10:30 on FXX
No specific dates yet but The Americans, on FX, and Legit and the debut of Ali G: Rezurection, both on FXX are all slated to premiere in February.