Best of the Week: 2/8/13

Quote of the Week: (Expletive deleted) Obamacare, what kind of a system do we live in that you have to cripple yourself to keep you alive? (Frank Gallagher, Shameless)

Song of the Week: Kyrie – Mr. Mister (The Goldbergs)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: A Melancholy Happy Trails to Philip Seymour Hoffman: Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the guys who you tend to forget because someones he may be fifth or lower on the marquee of the movies he is in but when you look back he is usually first or second in memorable performances from the film. But it is a shame that he will be mostly known for how he went out. So it has to be said to the kids out there do not do drugs.

Preview Picture of the Week:

"Kill the Messanger" Justified, Tuesday at 10:00 on FX

Free Download of the Week: Bloodshot Records Sampler 2014 (NoiseTrade)

Deal of the Week: 100 Albums for $5: This month’s $5 albums include U2, The Avett Brothers, The Steve Miller Band, and Beck.


New Album Release of the Week: Acoustic at the Ryman - Band of Horses

New DVD Release of the Week: The Americans: Season One

Video of the Week: Super Bowl advertising has always seemed silly to me, there has to be better ways to spend four million dollars in advertising even if this is the one time of year that people actually sit through the ads. Movie trailers seemed even sillier, spending that many dimes in January / February for a movie that does not even debut until sometime between May and July. A lot of studios wisely have pulled out of the Super Bowl recently and the few that did air this year come on during the cheaper pre-game show. One trailer we got to see was The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Quickly after the trailer aired, an extended version hit the internets which pretty much spoils Jamie Foxx’s Electro origin story in its entirety. You have been warned.


Next Week Pick of the Week: The Walking Dead, Sunday at 9:00 on AMC: Where all the other channels cower in fear of the Olympics, the most watched show on cable is actually returning on second day of competition. Of course now that the prison has fallen, now what? It is interesting that Carol show up at the cast interview on Conan earlier this week. Ever since Rick drove away from her, I never thought that was the end of her and I thought she would run into The Governor. Now that he is (presumably) dead, I think she is the leading candidate to have rescued the baby from the prison attack, either that or the sister who then run into Carol first.

Around the Tubes: 2/7/14

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 Brain Games, Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman, Ultimate Survival Alaska, Glamour, Upload with Shaquille O'Neal, Stagecoach Festival, The Allman Brothers, Elton John, Archer, The Bright Smoke, Ringo Starr, getTV, Funniest Wins, and Sharknado 2: The Second One.

- Next week is Valentine’s Day and after a day with that special one, cuddled up together and watch a special Laws of Attraction episode of Brain Games at 9:30 on National Geographic Channel. Like previous episode, the episode explains why the brain is attracted to who we are attracted to (hint: opposites attract less often than crappy romatic comedies would have you believe). They even hook up brain waves to see which couples are more “in sync” a duo on their first date, newlyweds, and a couple married twenty-five years.

- Acclaimed African-American painter Mickalene Thomas makes her film directing debut with Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman, a poignant personal profile of the life and longings of her mother and artistic muse, former runway model Sandra Bush. Premiering on HBO during Black History Month, Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman is a tender and intimate look at a lifetime’s worth of hopes, regrets and redemption. In just 23 minutes, Thomas creates a vivid and loving portrait of her mother, whose dream of becoming the first African-American supermodel dissolved into addiction and despair, but who later achieved celebrity as the model for some of Thomas’ best-known and widely admired paintings. Using personal and archival photos, as well as intimate interviews with “Mama Bush,” Thomas’ film chronicles her mother’s personal and professional struggles, including a turbulent marriage, drug abuse and chronic illness, painting a video portrait of a woman who found the adulation she dreamed of through her daughter’s art. Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman premieres on HBO on Monday, February 24, at 9:00.

- Want to be on Ultimate Survival Alaska? download an application at natgeotv.com. Only the toughest and most intrepid adventurers should apply. Applications will be reviewed by the production team for an opportunity to join the extreme expedition through the rugged Alaskan wilderness later this year. The current season of Ultimate Survival Alaska continues Sundays through March 9 at its new time, 10:00.

- Go behind the scenes at Taylor Swift’S MARCH 2014 Glamour cover-shoot where Taylor gives you fashion tips, shares with you who is her style icon and what advice she would give her younger self. This is your opportunity to get an insider’s look at the photo shoot and insight to Taylor’s favorite birthday, which also inspired a memorable song.


- Shaquille O'Neal and friends are ready to ramp up the hilarity this winter in all-new episodes of truTV's outrageously funny series Upload with Shaquille O'Neal. The series, which features Shaq, his buddies and special guests riffing on online videos, is set to air with back-to-back episodes Tuesdays at 10:30 and 11:00 beginning Feb. 26.

- AXS TV further cements its status as TV’s home for live music festivals, announcing today that it will be the official broadcaster of the 2014 Stagecoach Country Music Festival. The network has acquired the rights to air the fan-favorite spectacular for the second consecutive year with StubHub as the Official Broadcast Partner. Stagecoach—now in its eighth year—will take place from Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27, boasting incredible performances from Country music’s biggest stars, and sending viewers on a one-of-a-kind experience that spans decades of classics and modern hits. The complete Stagecoach festival line up is available at Stagecoachfestival.com. AXS TV will be on site at Stagecoach, broadcasting over 12 hours of live coverage over three days. This is the only multi-day live country music broadcast on television.

- Few people know The Allman Brothers Band better than Alan Paul, who’s been covering them for over 25 years. One of America’s most influential and legendary bands, the story of The Allman Brothers has never been told in full—until now. Chronicling the band’s journey from its formation in 1969 to today, One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band (St. Martin’s, 2/18) offers exclusive musical insights, riveting tales of violence and betrayal, drug and alcohol use, murder allegations, tragic early deaths, and outrageous road stories—as told by the members themselves. Written in oral history format with the band’s full participation, One Way Out is based on exclusive interviews with over 60 people intimately related to the band—including all surviving members. It features never-before-seen photos, letters and memorabilia as well as a foreword and afterword by founding members Butch Trucks and Jaimoe.


- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the seminal, 1973 breakthrough album from Goodbye Elton John, has been remastered and will be issued on CD, vinyl, limited-edition yellow vinyl, and in a box set featuring recordings of “Live at Hammersmith 1973”on CD, a DVD of Bryan Forbes’ 1973 film Elton John and Bernie Taupin Say Goodbye to Norma Jean and Other Things, along with a 100-page illustrated hardback book packed with rare photos, memorabilia and a new essay containing interviews with Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Also included in the Deluxe Edition and box set versions is a suite of nine, new cover versions of classic songs from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road performed by Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sandé, Fall Out Boy, Hunter Hayes, Imelda May, John Grant, Miguel featuring Wale, The Band Perry, and Zac Brown Band.


- In one of the most exciting developments in FX history – if not world history – the network’s award-winning animated half-hour comedy smash Archer is spawning a 12-track album, Cherlene, featuring original music, which will be released on all digital platforms on Monday, March 3. The album will be highlighted by a duet with Cherlene and pop music icon Kenny Loggins. Cherlene is the reimagined alter ego of Archer’s Cheryl Tunt, also referred to as Carol Tunt. She and Loggins join forces to put all of their stunning musical talents on display in the previously-released song Danger Zone (also a favorite Sterling Archer catchphrase). A world premiere video of the tune will play in Episode 6 of Archer’s fifth season the night of March 3. Season 5 of the series launched on January 13 at 10:00, marking the show’s move to a new night.

- Check out The Bright Smoke's single Wild Again. This low-key arrangement, filled with full-bodied beats and a harrowing piano tune, is the fifth track off of the band's recently released EP, Virginia Et Al., the follow up release to their first full-length album Late For War.



- Variety magazine revealed Ringo Starr will launch another leg with this current All Starr Band from Casinorama in Rama, Ontario on June 6. They will do two shows at New York’s Beacon Theater June 17 and 18, and finish in Los Angeles at The Greek on July 19. On July 7, Ringo’s birthday, he will be in Los Angeles and invites everyone everywhere to join him at a Peace & Love celebration. Details to be announced closer to the date. This is the same line up Ringo has played with since 2012 and features Steve Lukather, Richard Page, Gregg Rolie, Todd Rundgren and Gregg Bissonette. Check local listings for on sale dates and for more information please visit: ringostarr.com,

- getTV, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks’ new U.S. digital broadcast television network, showcasing Hollywood’s most memorable films from the 1930s through the 1960s, is launching today in more than 44 percent of the U.S. television households. Carried as a digital subchannel on Univision Television Group-owned stations and others, getTV is launching in 24 markets, representing 17 of the top 20 DMAs. getTV is available across the country, from Los Angeles to New York on cable and free-to-air. The network will announce additional affiliates shortly. “getTV is bringing the brightest stars and most unforgettable films from classic Hollywood into the living rooms of television viewers across the U.S. Our programming showcases the epic stories, legendary characters and glamour of the golden age of film. We believe that getTV will become a favorite network for movie fans looking for strong stories and rich characters,” said Superna Kalle, senior vice president, U.S. networks, SPT and general manager, Sony Movie Channel, Cine Sony Television and getTV, who manages the network.

- TBS is teaming up with comedy heavyweight and WhatTheFunny.com founder Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie, In Living Color, The Wayans Bros.) on a new competition series that's all about the laughs. The network has greenlit Funniest Wins (working title), in which Wayans, along with some of his comedian friends and family members, will set out to find the funniest multi-talented comedian out there today. TBS has ordered eight one-hour episodes of Funniest Wins, with plans to launch the series this summer.

- Sharknado 2: The Second One. Ian Ziering. Tara Reid. July. You have been warned.

Don't Call it a Comeback: 2014 Reunion Edition

2013 was the year of the reunion album from ones you though you would never see (Black Sabbath original line up, 35 years), bands you forgot about (Mazzy Star, 17 years), blink and you missed them reunions (The Postal Service, 10 years), reunions you did not think you wanted (Fall Out Boy, 5 years); Daft Punk even won Album of the Year after an eight year lay-off (if you do not count them scoring 2010’s Tron Soundtrack).

We are less than a week into the second month of 2014, but there have already been two high profile reunion announcements. OutKast, who have not put out an album together since 2006, will be basically headlining every festival this year. While Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac will be touring together for the first time since Christine McVie left the group in 1998. It is unclear if either will be releasing new music together this year (depending on if you believe Queen Latifah who says there is a new Outkast album coming; Fleetwood Mac just released a new EP last year) there are some long awaited albums from out in 2014. This does not even include rumoured comeback albums from of Jodeci (19 years), D12 (10 years), or if you are to be believed TMZ ambushed interviews, Gnarls Barkley (6 years).

Every once in a while I post something in my Don’t Call it a Comeback, where I highlight an artist I hope would come back into the public consciousness and here are three acts that have already announced that new music on the way.

The Afghan Whigs (16 years): The band got back together in 2011, but will not be releasing their first record since 1998 until April 15 with Do to the Beast. To be honest, I never got into the band back in the day and only have three of their songs in my library and they are all covers: Barry White’s Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe for the criminally forgotten Beautiful Girls Soundtrack (I blame Michael Rappaport because everyone tries to scrub anything Rappaport from their brains; I fear for this season of Justified), TLC’s Creep, and most recently Frank Ocean’s Lovecrimes.



George Michael (10 years): It has been a decade since George Michael released an album an arguably almost two decades since he released any music anyone cared about. It probably does not help that whenever you bring up the singer, discussions of park bathrooms are sure to follow. That discussion probably will not change when Symphonica is released March 17, but I do like the first single Let Her Down Easy (a song written by another long forgotten artist Terrence Trent D'Arby though apparently he released a new album just last year now under the moniker Sananda Maitreya) which reminds me of a stripped down version of one of my favorite Michael’s song Mother’s Pride. But a warning before you click the play button below: it features a woman taking off her clothes. For a gay dude, George Michael sure likes to fill his music videos with hot naked chicks.



Nickel Creek (9 years): I got into Nickel Creek right around their third album. Of course they went on hiatus shortly after. But the individuals have been busy releasing sixteen albums between them in that time. The bluegrass trio got a big boost in the wake of O Brother, Where Art Thou? And this is the perfect time to come back as there is an even bigger folk boon going on today (who did not initially bring up Nickel Creek while trying to describe The Lumineers who kind of stole their career). There is no official street date for a new album or even name yet, but there is a new single Destination which stand up with their already stellar catalogue and will surely dominate public radio this year.



Lily Allen (5 years): Also no official album announcement yet, but over the past three months, Lily has released three new songs (a fourth on Girls Soundtrack Volume 2 coming next week), the latest is the super catchy Air Balloon which sounds like classic Lily. Hopefully a full length album release date will not be too far away.

After the Disco All of the Shine Just Faded Away

In an era where dance music has gotten increasingly annoying will all the beeping, repetitious beats, and bass dropping, Daft Punk recruited Nile Rodgers and had the biggest dance song of last year and the best disco song since 1978. Now I am not sure if Broken Bells recorded After the Disco in direct response to Get Lucky but it makes the perfect counterpoint to their smash hit. It is the most depressing soundtrack to the closing of Studio 64, Disco Demolition Night, and probably could have replaced Sister Christian in that Boogie Nights scene (although we would have missed out on a great air-drumming sequence).

After the Disco is the second album from Broken Bells, the duo made up of singer James Mercer of The Shins and producer Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley (2014 will be busy for him producing the upcoming U2 album and contributing to the new Frank Ocean and The Black Keys records). Mercer goes full Barry Gibb in the chorus of the first single Holding on for Life. Even though there is a pulsing bass, do not expect John Travolta to strut to the song. Instead this is a song that would be played on some warped planet in a future episode of a Star Trek reboot. The title track is slightly more danceable as far as beats go but lyrically may be more depressing. For anyone who likes sad song, but likes to dance, After the Disco is the album for you.

The sophomore Broken Bells record reminds me a lot of the second Gnarls Barkley album; it is more cohesive and better as a whole but individually, nothing is nearly as good as the first single off the first album. After the Disco is better as a whole than the self titled debut, but nothing on the new album that is as good as The High Road. Of course, after mentioning Gnarls Barkley, it is hard not to mention how that long awaited third album would be more satisfying than a second Broken Bells LP.

Song to Download – After the Disco

After the Disco gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television: 2/4/14

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.

Can't Remember to Forget You - Shakira featuring Rihanna


It is interesting in a time when almost every song on the radio has an EDM twist to it, Shakira went rock tinged ska on her new single and, um, why I am still tying, no one is reading this, they are just hitting repeat for the next hour.


Ain’t it Fun – Paramore


Paramore breaking the most world records in a music video sounds like a novel idea until you realize the old record was maybe just one. If I were in an indie band trying to make a name for myself, I would trying to make a music video breaking every record in this video plus one bonus one.


Everyday Robots – Damon Albarn


After two decades of being in bands, from Blur to Gorillaz, and even a one off groups like The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Damon Albarn is releasing his first solo album later this year. And the computer animated music video, which builds his head from the bottom up, is freaking me the frack out. It is even creepier than the Lionel Ritchie bust from Hello.


All Wash Out – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros


Sophia Glaser was a fan of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros who made a music video for their song All Wash Out. After the band received a letter from her sister, they officially released Caroline’s version as their official music video for the song. Here is the full letter:

Dear Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Thank you for your incredible music. I first heard your songs, when my sweet sister Sophie entered a music video contest producing a video for your song: "All Wash Out". The combination of your beautiful music and her great talent has left an eternal imprint on my mind.
Sophie, my little sister was just 20 when she entered the contest. This Sunday we played the video at her memorial service. She passed away recently during an exchange semester in Prague. She suffered from a brain hemorrhage and just never woke up from her sleep one night.

I find the description (which went along with her video); "A girl goes on a journey to wash away what's behind her leading to her rebirth" incredibly moving as she would have no idea that she would soon leave this earth. Sophie was not meant to act in the video, but due to incredible karmic circumstances, the actress who was supposed to participate was prevented to come (last minute) and Sophie stepped in. Both acting and directing.

It gives indescribable joy and comfort to be able to turn to this video, during this period of grieving and to know that it will stay with us. She spread such an unbelievable amount of joy and light during her -- much too short -- life. And has left the world forever richer.

I realize that it is a long shot, but it would mean very, very much to us if there were any way you would be able to help share this last memory of Sophie.

In any case, I truly thank you for having been a catalyst in Soph leaving the world this beautiful video.

I apologize that my English is not sufficient to express my emotions (I am from Denmark), but I hope it has made sense.

Thank you again, Luna.

Super Bowl Shuffle 2014

This year is the tenth anniversary of the infamous wardrobe malfunction which means thing could be ready to get frisky again. But alas, nothing exciting happened, the Red Hot Chili Peppers did not even come out in their signature socks. But that Super Bowl also was the start of an improbable run where the games were more entertaining than the Super Bowl with every game still undecided going into the fourth quarter. Awe, parity. That streak was broken this year when the Seahawks drummed the Broncos in a Super Bowl reminiscent of all the blow outs in the eighties and nineties. With the all around bad play and ugly orange jerseys, I thought maybe Denver was switched out with the Browns. Of course that may be the only way Cleveland could get to play in a Super Bowl. But hey, just like the old NFL ads said, everyone is undefeated today. Of course then the Browns will just pick another thirty year old quarterback in the draft in April. But anyway, here are some other thoughts on the big game.

- Wait, so Queen Latifah did not awkwardly marry people before Madonna came out of no where for no reason. Well that was a disappointing way to start the show.

- The Broncos had six captains? How is that even legal? I understand thre, one for each phase of the game, but at that point, just send out your whole team.

- Now that is how you start a Super Bowl. How much did safety on the first play pay off? Makes you wonder how different the game would have been if that first hand off came off without a hitch.

- Two really dumb challenges at the start of the game by both coaches. Not that it mattered.

- So what exactly what was that Seinfeld thing for? It was not an ad (that I understand). It was not NBC resurrecting their golden goose. Just an odd piece of nostalgia because the game took place in New York City.

- Bruno Mars really is the modern day James Brown. You know if James Brown wrote bland pop songs. But just a random transition to Give it Away. And then Bruno just had to run the momentum by finishing the set with the super boring Just the Way You Are.

- Micheal Strahan is not a very good interviewer, how about going with Erin Andrews for the biggest interview of the year?

- Enough football, here are the best commercials from this year's game:

1. The Phone Call: RadioShack Commercial


2. Big Game Ad Starring Terry Crews and the Muppets | 2014 Toyota Highlander
3. NFL draft with Deion Sanders (I cannot seem to find a link; this is almost a big a fail as Super Bowl Shuffle no longer being on YouTube)
4. Ian Up For Whatever TV 60 -- 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII Commercial | Bud Light
5. Jaguar 2014 Big Game Commercial | British Villains
6. Budweiser Super Bowl XLVIII Commercial -- "Puppy Love"
7. Ellen Features in "The Right Music" for Beats Music and AT&T
8. Ford "Nearly Double" Big Game Ad | Rob Riggle & James Franco
9. Wonderful Pistachios Stephen Colbert Super Bowl Commercial 2014, Part 2
10. Audi 2014 Big Game Commercial - Doberhuahua

And since the great philopher Butt-Head once pondered, how we know what was cool if there weren't stuff that sucked, here are the commercials that were complete waste of four million dollars.

1. Doritos® - Time Machine -- Crash the Super Bowl Top 5 Finalist
2. 2014 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial: Wings
3. Cool Twist-- 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII Commercial | Bud Light
4. Tim Tebow shows you what you can do with #nocontract |T-Mobile Commercial
5. Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt - The Spill

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 2/2/14

Shameless: I knew it was coming as soon as Frank did not identify himself to his daughter, but it was still extremely cringeworthy seeing his daughter jump on him. Also not that surprising that Fiona hooked up with her boss’s brother, I am just a little surprised that it happened in the first episode they meet. I agree with the brother, it will not be the last time.

House of Lies: Holy Dick Casablancas sighting! Although I did not need to see Veronica Mars ride him. Interesting he had a very similar pitcher / catcher conversation as Dick. But now it looks like Jennie and Doug have migrated to Kaan and Associates so now how long until Clyde join them to get the gang back together. But then again, would Marty want him back after he jumped ship to his ex-wife’s team?

Switched at Birth: I had to laugh when Sherrie sort of tried to play the race card with the black principal. I was waiting for the principal to call her out for it but that never quite happened.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Switched at Birth on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: The mother felt like a bad fit since she appeared earlier this season and after a dedicated episode to her, it is clearly the case. The show took nine seasons to be able to explain how Ted met the mother and they managed to do the opposite in about twenty minutes. And it is clear why the mother is bad television, she is the male version of Ted and Ted was already the least interesting character on the show.
You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Blacklist: So Red is just going to let Mira walk, not telling anyone of who was really behind the leak? Odd for a guy who when on a killing spree last week to find out who the mole was two episodes ago. I wonder if he will ever tell Lizzie of her co-worker’s misdeed. But my favorite part of the episode was when Ressler got hit with the truck. Add them to him getting shot in the leg a couple weeks ago, I hope this starts a trend of him getting hurt every week. That may be the only thing he would be for on the show.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: After swearing off boys, Hanna has taken up… reading? But just the last two pages. Awesome. And it cannot be a coincidence that the detective just so happened to tip Hanna to the dental records plot twist in the middle. We did learn this week that Erza is working with somebody (possibly for, I have a sinking suspicion that he is being blackmailed so they can put Erza and Aria back together without it being weird, but that pairing will always be weird and creepy). Plus it would be hard to have a slice of boysenberry pie, perform dental work on Hanna, and seranande Emily with heavy metal all in one night by himself.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Justified: A melancholy happy trails to Wade Messner. I will miss his meeting of the minds with Dewey. Or maybe this will pave the way for Dicky Bennett to come back into his life, who was always his best cohort. But Wade’s demise did lead to the best part of the episode where Dewey promised Jesus he would turn his life around if he would let him kill Messner. And I really hope that Kendell Crowe does not hook up in Foster Care, although those two would make for a great spin-off idea. I certainly would be better than that horrible Foster Care show on ABC Family.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

Nashville: Juliette Barnes started out as that cheesy pop-country that relies heavy on auto-tune and gimmicks, but here half way through the second season, she has turned into the kind of country artist I wish actually existed, the out-law country of the sixties and seventies who instead of apologize for something she should not have to apologies for, she just goes on stage says her record label wants to apologize and instead of doing so, busts into a song entitled Don't Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet. Awesome. Hopefully she signs with Rayna’s record label next week because everyone knows it will happen eventually.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: Has James Earl Jones never done comedy before? More importantly where was the director to say, “Hey James, how about pulling back just a tad?” Even though he was way over the top the whole episode, I was still thoroughly entertained by the whole thing.
You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Community: So we get the second Brie Larson sighting on the show (it is odd that Dan Harmon would bring back someone introduced during his exile) and yet she again does not run into Alison Brie. Does the show worry that having them on screen together at the same time would be too much awesomeness that it could rip the fabric of space and time? Come to think of it, that could very well happen.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

King of the Nerds: Every reality show has their heels, but on King of the Nerds, their antagonists are one botched experiment away from turning into Supervillains. Thankfully the volcano experiment did not go horribly wrong otherwise Batman may have had to be called in to wrangle with Josh.
You can download King of the Nerds on iTunes.

Cant You See Me Standing Here I Got My Back Against the Record Machine

It does not take a math genius or even a calculator to realize that this year is the thirtieth anniversary of 1984, as in the Van Halen, not the book which turns 65 this year. Up until that point, Van Halen was mostly an underground band whose biggest hit up to that point was a cover of a Roy Orbison song that bordered on novelty. Then 1984 arrived with four massive hits on radio and a new music video channel. Unfortunately the band got too big and we did not get a proper follow up to the album by the collaboration of the Van Halen brothers and lead singer David Lee Roth (even then founding member Michael Anthony was let go for a third Van Helen member) and even that turned out to be the underwhelming A Different Kind of Truth.

1984, this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame, was a shock to the fans of the guitar virtuoso of Eddie Van Hanel they came to love as the first single and opening track Jump was very synth heavy, borrowing from the New Wave movement of the time but still was able to sound like a rock song. It was a smooth transition as a short guitar solo does come in at the end of the song. That single was followed up but another synthesizer heavy I’ll Wait which was more menacing than the jukebox anthem that preceded it.

Rock purists finally got the rock heroes they were used to when Panama dropped. A hard driving song with one of the greatest breaks in rock history when the band slows it down, and David Lee Roth purred, “We’re running a little bit hot tonight. I can barely see the road from the heat coming off of it. I reach down in between my legs… ease the seat back.” Before the song comes roaring back for a triumphant finish. Both Van Halen brothers shine on Hot for Teacher, possibly drummer Alex’s best work ever while Roth was never on his friskiest than on the song. Of course who could forget one of the early great music videos on MTV that probably has you wondering right now whatever did happen to Waldo?

After the album Roth embarked on a only memorable because of the music videos solo career while the Van Halen with Michael Anthony dominated the soft rock landscape for the second half of the eighties after recruiting singer Sammy Hager. Neither was able to recapture the hard rock flamboyance magic of 1984. Roth was brought back into the fold when the band was working on a Greatest Hit package which was short lived after the brothers Van Halen were embarrassed by his antics at the MTV Video Music Awards. Of course that was not nearly as embarrassing as the Gary Cherone era.

Best of the Week: 1/31/14

Quote of the Week: Are you a midget because that’s a midget shovel. (Dewey Crowe, Justified)

Song of the Week: The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) - The Tokens (as sung by Sheldon Cooper and James Earl Jones, The Big Bang Theory)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: #DeportBieber: When Barack Obama was elected president he promised a new era of transparency (six years later and an NSA scandal, that is debatable). One initiative he unveiled was a petition site where if you collected 25,000 signatures, the White House would respond to the petition. This led to a bunch of Star Wars geeks to petition the government to make their own Death Star. The White House humorously responded by saying it would not be fiscally responsible to spend on trillions of dollars that "can be exploited by a one-man starship." Everyone got a good laugh and the White House soon raised the signature threshold to 100,000 and had to reach that number within a month of its launch.

Well twice that number this week signed a petition to deport Justin Bieber after his (alleged) drug filled drag race in Miami last week because, "(Bieber) is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth." For comparison, the inevitable do not deport Bieber petition, of which there are already three of as of Friday, the most of which topped out at 3,000 signatures. Of course even though the deport Bieber petition has hit the signature threshold, do not expect much of a response from the White House other than something along the lines of not being able to comment on an ongoing investigation. It certainly will not be as entertaining as their Death Star response.

Preview Picture of the Week:

“Along Came a Spider” Ravenswood Winter Finale, Tuesday at 9:00 on ABC Family

Free Download and Deal of the Week: Halftime All-Stars (Google Play): In honor of the big game, Google Play has free songs and discounted album from halftime performers past and present including Bruno Mars and his guests Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as U2, Prince., and many more.

New Album Release of the Week: After the Disco - Broken Bells

New DVD Release of the Week: About Time

Video of the Week: Super Bowl tomorrow which means Super Bowl commercials. Some have already hit the internet (although I refuse to acknowledge any Full House reunion that does not involve Kimmie Gibler) as well as a few that you will not (sorry Scarlett Johansson, you cannot throw other soda brands under the bus). Unfortunately we will not see Anna Kedrick in a beer commercial this year, but we can her Anna Kendrick talk about not being in a Super Bowl beer commercial.


Next Week Pick of the Week: 2014 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies, Friday at 7:30 on NBC: Forget the football game tomorrow (although the cold weather does make it more intriguing even though it does not look like it will snow tomorrow; but I do have a prediction: Seahawks by 10), the better sporting event will start Friday with the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. Okay, the actually Olympics start with Figure Skating (Team Male and Team Pairs short programs) Ladies’ Moguls qualifications, Snowboard Slopestle qualifications. As for the marquee event, hockey starts up Saturday while the United States opens up its Olympic Hockey tournament February 13 against Slovakia (not to be confused with Slovenia which they take on 2/16). Host country Russia is the other team in their pool which will go down 2/15. Unfortunately Curling does not start up until Monday, but be on the lookout for the Norwegian team who will be hard to miss with their zigzag uniforms.

There will more than just sports to watch out for this year, and I am not talking about Figure Skating which not a real sport. Terrorism has hung its head over every Olympics since 9/11 but this is the first Olympics where there is a specific threat and recent attacks in Sochi. And after Vladimir Putin gay propaganda ban, it will be interesting if anyone will have a Tommie Smith / John Carlos type moment.

Around the Tubes: 1/30/13

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 Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, Hannibal, Chopped, The Saturday Evening Post, Plan C, Cute Him Up, Mobb Deep, Haven, Saint George, and Fish Bowl.

- PBS and Thirteen's American Masters series present a special in memoriam broadcast of the 2008 documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song beginning tonight at 7:30 nationwide on PBS (check local listings). The film will also stream online atpbs.org/americanmasters.

- Hannibal will be returning right after the Olympics are over, February 28 to be exact, and here is a six minute recap of the first season to refresh your memory (or give you a primer for those that want to jump in and do not want to watch the first season in it entirety):


- Pizza maestro Bruno DiFabio will join top chefs Amanda Freitag (Empire Diner) and Alex Guarnaschelli (Butter) to preside over the first-ever pizza episode of Chopped. The chefs have pizza dough as a basket ingredient in every single round. The chefs learn the will be expected to make a pizza perfect meal. In the first round one of the competition, competitors take a loose interpretation of the theme: How will the judges react? Then some unusual toppings must make their way onto the entrée pizzas. And the finalists must make pizza for dessert, with candied mushrooms and salted caramel sauce. The special episode premieres at 9:00 Super Bowl Sunday on the Food Network, with an encore next Tuesday, February 4th at 9:00.
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- One of the most highly anticipated flights touched down 50 years ago this February and The Saturday Evening Post reports in its latest cover story that America has never been the same. With the arrival of Pan Am Flight 101 at New York’s Kennedy International Airport, the Beatles landed to the roar of an adoring teenage audience and their parents’ consternation.

- Saturday Night Live cast member Beck Bennett stars in the riotous animated short film, Plan C from Writer Todd Waldman (ABC's "Happy Endings", "Awkward") and Director Joey Boukadakis("Dinner with Raphael", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamond"). The half live-action, half animated comedy explores a "Planned Parenthood" type scenario with an unexpected twist.


- Fujisankei, the production company behind Iron Chef, has just launched their second foray in online programming. The series is called Cute Him Up, and is a short and sweet male makeover show. You can view the series on YouTube.

- Seminal hip hop duo Mobb Deep consisting of artists Havoc and Prodigy, has announced a pre-order campaign for their upcoming double disc album The Infamous Mobb Deep, choosing to work with direct-to-fan platform PledgeMusic to better reach their loyal fans with this release. The Double Disc CD set features a brand new full length Mobb Deep album on one disc and a second disc featuring a digitally re-mastered version of the group's classic platinum album The Infamous.

- The series premiere of FX’s newest 10/90 model comedy, Saint George, has been set for Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 9:00. Saint George is a half-hour, multi-camera ensemble comedy that follows the chaotic life of “George Lopez,” a recently divorced working class Mexican-American turned successful entrepreneur caught between two cultures. He struggles to balance the parenting demands of his All-American Anglo ex-wife, “Mackenzie,” and the cultural expectations of his overbearing Mexican-American mother, “Alma.” As George attempts to relate to his 11-year-old son, “Harper,” his life is further complicated by his fun-loving but freeloading uncle “Tio” and cousin “Junior.” As a wealthy businessman, George also gives back by teaching history to a multi-cultural classroom at a night school in downtown Los Angeles, where he’s supervised by tough and sexy Assistant Principal “Concepcion.” Ultimately, Saint George is a celebration of a multi-generational family that humorously wrestles with cultural differences.

- Syfy has greenlit 26 new episodes of its hit series Haven, which posted growth in both Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49 last year. The first 13 episodes of Season 5 are set to premiere this fall with the remaining 13 episodes scheduled to air in 2015.

- Nat Geo Wild’s newest star, Goldie, welcomes us into her “bowl” for an intimate look at how she is prepping for her debut on Fish Bowl, premiering Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014, at 6:00. They sat down with Goldie to get a better idea of what we’ll see, who she’ll be wearing for the red carpet, and how she is preparing for the big day.

Q: What can we expect to see on Fish Bowl?
A: Fans at home will see me take the stage in the first ever Fish Bowl. My special guests include puppies, cats, kids, a scuba diver, crazy red crabs and even a surprise visit from my good friends at Nat Geo WILD, Dr. Pol and Cesar Millan. We’re not holding back, this event will be complete with plenty of salsa, guacamole, pizza and chips for all!

Q: How did you land this role?
A: I auditioned a few months back in Los Angeles. There were so many upcoming goldfish actresses who wanted the part, I was so pleased when I got the call from Geoff Daniels, Nat Geo WILD’s EVP and General Manager. What an honor!

Q: What are you doing to prep for Fish Bowl?
A: I’ve been watching my water intake to ensure I don’t get dehydrated and making multiple laps around the bowl to keep the endurance up.

Q: What do you plan to wear for the red carpet?
A: I’m really excited to wear a new designer called au naturale.

Q: Any tips you can give us on getting ready and staying relaxed?
A: I always get my beauty sleep and make sure I have the best hair and makeup team at my side.

Previewing Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust – The Bridge to Russia

By the time I bought Billy Joel’s Kohuept, his live album that he recorded in Russia, the cold war was all but over. I really never put any thought in to what Joel’s presence in the communist country meant while listening to it, I just enjoyed the music. I was a kid when the concerts happened which was at the end of the cold war, long after the Cuban Missile Crisis and the other events the escalated the feuding countries over the end. As an adult, I can put the almost century old conflict in perspective as we currently wage a war on terrorism that looks to never die down.

Last year marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of those Russian concerts and tomorrow Showtime is airing Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust – The Bridge to Russia a documentary and retrospective on the first rock act to perform in Mother Russia. Touching down in former Russian state Georgia (not far from the site of this year’s Winter Olympics), where Joel would visit Gregorian chanters who he would then introduce doo-wop to. Joel would bring his three and a half hour show to the capital Moscow and Leningrad (a place we would write about on his next album Storm Front).

But it was a rocky start as he got booed in New Jersey when announcing the trip. Just image what the 24-hour networks would say if they were around like they are today. Might look like how they covered Dennis Rodman going to North Korea, but with less nipple rings. Then there were not enough seating in the venues he played and show promontories had to bring in chairs from local churches and union halls. And in true American rock and roll tradition, some of the concerts featured unplanned stage crashers and smashed instruments.

The documentary also features modern day interviews from Joel himself, ex-wife Christie Brinkley who accompanied him on the trip with their young daughter (who apparently was too young to remember anything because she is absent from the film), band members, Joel’s personal translator on the trip, Wayne Isham who was documenting the trip at the time, and even underground Soviet rock artists from the era. The documentary is a facilitating look at another small ray of sunshine that helped melt the cold war. But still a little depressing to think that anyone born the last time Billy Joel last released an album of new material is now old enough to drink.

Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust – The Bridge to Russia premieres Friday at 9:00 on Showtime.

I Want My Music Television: 1/28/14

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.


Sleeping with a Friend – Neon Trees


I always Neon Trees would have fit in well during the pop-rock band of the late ninties (as signified by having a McG directed music video), but the band went full eighties with their latest video and I am not sure if it make me nostalgic or is giving me bad flashbacks.


Hold On - Colbie Caillat


Who would have guessed the Lilest Lilith Fair music video would be made by Colbie Caillat in 2014. How did Paula Cole not make this video seventeen years ago?


You Sound Good to Me - Lucy Hale


Late last year a video circulated the internets claiming to be every country song of 2013 which features every song which sang about trucks driving down dirt roads, chicks in blue jeans named “Girl,” cold ones and about ten other country clichés. Really the video could have been every country radio hit of the past thirty years. And even though every country song that gets played on the radio sounds the same, Pretty Little Liars’ Lucy Hale somehow managed to come out with the most bland country song possibly ever. Even the music video looked recycled from some Carrie Underwood outtake. It somehow managed to be the most bland country song possibly ever.


M.A.A.D. City / Radioactive – Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar


I am not the biggest fan of Imagine Dragons or Kendrick Lamar and was weary when it was announced they were going to perform together at the Grammy’s but not only was it was the best performance of the night it also gave up the most GIF-able moments with many cutaways to Taylor Swift dancing and what may have been the first public appearance of Lorde smiling. I got excited when I saw a Kendrick Lamar Remix of Radioactive hit iTunes after the performance. Unfortunately the studio version just sounding like someone cut and pasted a random Kendrick rant that sort of had some time signature and put it in the middle of Radioactive. I never understand why artists do not put their award show performances on iTunes. I would have spent about ten dollars on this year’s Grammy’s alone. Instead I have to debate on whether to hunt down crappy version that someone ripped from their television. It certainly would have been nice to buy a high quality version of this performance without the lengthy bleeps or the Copy of A / My God Is the Sun closer without getting cut off (hey Grammy’s seriously just start at 7:00 and go four hours because that is how long the show overruns every year anyway).

We on Award Tour: 2014 Grammy Awards

After a lackluster 2013, this year's Grammy's was surprisingly not horrible. Only two performances had me reaching to switch to the Pro Bowl. Of course the no defense game had me back on CBS quickly. Here are some quick thought on the show.

- Beyoncé gave me a serious seizure. Not a very good way to start a show. Plus I do not really like the Grammy trend of opening up the show with someone who is not nominated but just promoting an album.

- LL Cool J has to be the most boring host ever. Seriously, can you get a host next year that will make at least one Justin Bieber joke. Why did they not have Anna Kendrick host? She was more more entertaining in two minutes than he was all night. Or at least have her present with Kendrick Lamar?

- Um, Lorde already did Royals at the nomination special. How about let her do something else. At least they did not force her to perform with Madonna.

- Remember how Best New Artist was a joke but last decade they managed to get it right ever year for almost ten straight year from Alicia Keys to Adele? Well it looks to being back to being a joke.

- Should I know who Hunter Hayes is, that performance was not very good. If that was The Voice, no one would have turned their chairs.

- Oscar winner Juicy J should be brought up at every award show. Katy Perry, not so much.

- Was Pharrell Williams the first interpreter at the Grammy's? I guess it should not be a surprise they did not speak, they are French.  He certainly was the first real life human to wear an oversized Dudley Do Right hat.

- Kevin Hart was in the house and still they had LL Cool J hosted?

- So Robin Thicke sings blurred Lines with Earth, Wind & Fire on the nomination special and with Chicago on the big show. Hey Grammy's how about stop double dipping. At least they were both an upgrade over Miley Cyrus.

- Having YouTube performances during the Pop categories was stupid.

- After Steve Hyden of Grantland suggested that a potential Lorde acceptance speech could be a mix between Pearl Jam circa 1996 and Fiona Apple on MTV, her acceptance speeches were a bit disappointing. But she definitely deserved it.

- I have a feeling one day we are going to learn the last twenty years or so of Ozzy Osbourne's life was a Weekend at Bernie's situation.

- Jamie Fox was only a little bit awkward focusing on Beyonce.

- I feel bad for Kacey Musgraves for having to follow the Imagine Dragons / Kendrick Lamar song. Whoever sequenced that did a really bad job. I still would have had Kendrick perform a mash up with Anna Kendrick instead. But I did love how Imagine Dragons did not bother to clean up after their performance. And Kacey's boots were awesome.

- Why does Taylor Swift not have her own dedicated dance cam stream? It is 2014 people.

- Mike Ditka on a wrecking ball during the "halftime show": something I will not be able to unsee.

- Where was Taylor Swift during the massive Daft Punk dance party? She could not have been pouting over losing the Best Country Album. Not only was Kacey Musgraves' better, it was an actual country album.

- Does Lars Ulrich really have a mullet?

- Same Love needed more Trombone Shorty and less Madonna.

- It is interesting that Miranda Lambert performed The Everly Brothers song with Billie Joe Armstrong instead of Norah Jones considering they just recorded an Everly's cover album together. Come to think of it I do not even remember them performing together to promote the album.

- Get Lucky is a great song but not great enough to get an otherwise underwhelming rest of the album worthy of Album of the Year. But then again it was a weak category this year.

- A solid closing performance, I really enjoy the Lindsey Buckingham enhanced version of Copy of A better than the original. Get that version on iTunes soon before I have to get a copy through nefarious means.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 1/26/14

Shameless: Of course Frank has an as to known unseen daughter. But this begs the question just how many kids does Frank have. Really the paternity of all the Gallagher’s is in question obviously Liam is not his) and who knows how many other kids out there he had out of wedlock? He may have to hunt down all of them this season looking for a donor.

Revenge: Coldblooded that Emily would bring in Sara’s mother to win her battle. But a bit of a dissatisfying ending because it was not full takedown. Has she even completely ruined anyone lately (I guess Lydia could count)? Maybe we will get a takedown when Takeda’s daughter puts two and two together and realize Aiden was the that killed her father and puts that practice of separating skin from flesh to good use. We two cliff hangers, Emily suffers her second blackout, the second of which results in her waking up in Conrad’s bed. Then we are left with a fist look at Conrad’s first wife. Hopefully she is the one to finally kick the show out of the rut it has been in for about a season and a half.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

House of Lies: Monica getting stabbed was all sorts of awesome. I am guessing she will be fired, but I kind of hope they find a way to bring the stabber back. Certainly Marty may not have much of a problem hiring someone who would stab his ex-wife. Oh well, they at least still play the stabber's AT&T commercial in heavy rotation.

The Blacklist: The promo monkeys pulled a quick one on me this week. I actually thought that the chick in the black wig was Lizzie but just turned out to be a victim of The Alchemist. But why exactly did Red need The Alchemist to uncover the mole. Does this mean Meera changed her DNA and is not who she says she is?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Blacklist on iTunes.

Castle: The reason why Justified is the best crime drama on television is that the criminals on the shows are idiots. So I got a good laugh this week when killer got caught because she did not bother to “burn” her burner phone. And is there any chance they keep the starlet around to be Alexis’ new best friend? Or even better have a spin off where the starlet starts imitating her art and becomes a optically challenged P.I. at night with Alexis as her sidekick. They can air it on ABC Family. I would watch that.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

Pretty Little Liars: Are there really places you can go to throw plates at walls? That cannot be cheap.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.

Justified: I am glad Rachel brought up the theory that Raylan’s booty call just may have been working with the baseball bat guy. It certainly crossed my mind because that scenario has happened to Raylan before with the waitress and the UFC fighter which ended hilariously with a bean bag shotgun. Speaking of non lethal projectiles, it was seeing Wynn getting back to his psychotic ways. It seems like after Robert Quarels show up as the obligatory psycho, Wynn let him to all the evil stuff.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

Nashville: That Zac Brown Band segment was really awkward. But Scarlett calling out Raina for having a co-dependent relationship with her exes was awkwardly awesome.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

Community: Despite being another paintball-type episode, the lava floor episode was still thoroughly entertaining. At least it was until Annie went out way too soon and Britta got her way and got Troy and Abed to talk about their feelings.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Parenthood: After a yawn fest of a first half of the season with boring storyline (Camille in Italy) after boring storyline (Drew’s bootie calls) after excruciating storyline (Joel and Julie long and played out separation), I finally got excited for one of the rare times this season for a potential storyline: Kristina starting her own school. Hopefully this pulls the show out of its doldrums.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 1/25/14

Quote of the Week: That was my fault. I shoulda been clearer. Standing up ain’t the only way to get me to take this bat to you. Calling her a (expletive deleted) will get us there too. (Raylan Givens, Justified)

Song of the Week: Satellite Call – Sara Bareilles (Pretty Little Liars)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Peter Pan Coming Back to the Small Screen: Haters be damned, After The Sound of Music Live! put up monster numbers, the question was not if they would put on another live musical but what would it be. I had my money on West Side Story but NBC instead went with what I thought would be the second most likely: Peter Pan. Of course as soon as the news broke, casting wish lists came flooding in (the NBC president jokingly said he wanted Miley Cyrus as the titular character; at least I hope he was joking).

Ever since The Sound of Music, I have been posting fake musical casts and a couple weeks ago I even did one for Peter Pan that was a little Scott Pilgrim vs. The World heavy. For Peter Pan I had Brie Larson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Tigerlily. Unlike Carrie Underwood, who has a great voice but limited acting experience, both of my choices are good actresses with singing experience, Larson sang in Scott Pilgrim and actually released a Avril Lavigne type album as a teenage (yes there is a video on YouTube and yes it is awesomely bad and I cannot confirm nor denied I downloaded the song), while MEW supposedly has an album with Dan the Automator coming out sometime this year. Then for Captain Hook, I suggested another actor who dabbles in music, Jack Black.

Of course NBC wants to screw Peter Pan up because after the Miley Cyrus joke, the president said they are actually looking into casting a young male as Peter Pan. Yeah the character is a young male except the role was written for a young woman. That is what the music is written for, a woman’s voice. And more importantly having a grown women pretending to be a teenage boy pretending to be a woman who seduces Captain Hook like in the screenplay is creepy enough, but having an actual teenage boy seduce a grown man may mean Chris Hansen will get involved. Plus what young boy is famous to put on a marquee? The only one that comes to mind is Justin Bieber, but he may be detained for the foreseeable future and may not even be allowed in the country by the time the special is supposed to air in December.

Preview Picture of the Week:

"Fountain" Switched at Birth, Monday at 8:00 on ABC Family

Free Download of the Week: Hangout Festival Sampler (Noisetrade): The Hangout Festival is hitting the Gulf Shore of Alabama starting May with headliners The Black Keys, The Killers, and like every other festival in 2014, Outkast. Okay, those three artists are absent from the sampler, but you can still get free tracks from Jack Johnson, The Avett Brothers, Los Lobos, and twenty other acts playing the festival.

New Album Release of the Week: B-Sides - The Gaslight Anthem

New DVD Release of the Week: Bonnie & Clyde

Video of the Week: As previously mentioned, before going on to be a critical darling, teenaged Brie Larson was an aspiring pop singer. And there is even video evidence (what would we do before YouTube). At least her participation in Scott Pilgrim redeemed her musically.




Next Week Pick of the Week: The 56th Grammy Awards, Sunday at 8:00 on CBS: I came to the realization while making my list of the 100 Best Songs of 2013 that it was a horrible year for music. Case in point: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are nominated in the Grammy’s Big Four. How Lorde did not get that honor is a bit befuddling especially her omission from Best New Artist especially over James Blake, who garnered no other nominations, and Ed Sheeran, who was nominated for Song of the Year last year (and also nabbed no other nominations this year). Of course that could mean Lorde can grab Best New Artist at the 2015 show. But this year those two will be performing along with Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, Madonna, and a bunch of duets: Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Niles Rodgers, and Stevie Wonder, Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar, P!nk and Nate Ruess, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Blake Shelton, John Legend and Keith Urban, Metallica and Lang Lang, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Robin Thicke and Chicago, Sara Bareilles and Carol King, Billy Joe Armstrong and Miranda Lambert will pay tribute to Phil Everly, and the grouping of Dave Grohl, Lindsey Buckingham, Nine Inch Nails, and Queens of the Stone Age closing out the show. So all those, some weird, pairing it may be worth checking out the show despite what may have been the worst year in music since 1999. Well that and to see if Grohl will pick up what will only be Nirvana’s second Grammy ever (Best Alternative Music Album for MTV Unplugged is currently their only gramophone) for Best Rap Song. Seriously. They are listed as songwriters because Jay-Z sang a line from Smells Like Teen Spirit in Holy Grail.