Best of the Week: 4/12/14

Quote of the Week: Didn’t, I told you, you were going to wish I killed you? Well, Don’t you? (Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, Justified)

Song of the Week: (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: Stephan Colbert Gets Called up to the Majors: Just a week after David Letterman announced his retirement, CBS has already found its replacement. Interestingly as Dave was announcing his long goodbye (he is set to continue until sometime next year), Colbert was in a mild scandal over what some called a racist tweet (note to self: do not say something that can be construed as racist to make fun of racist people). Even with the mild scandal, the announcement is not a surprise because Colbert’s was the first name that was floated as a possible replacement. It should be interesting to see how viewers react to Colbert who has been playing a parody of a conservative talking head for over a decade now, so dedicated to the persona; no one has seen the real Colbert on camera for a very long time. Or maybe Colbert really is a conservative blow hard and the joke has been on the viewers all this time. Either way, one can only hope that Daft Punk performs on his first show.

Preview Picture of the Week:

“Where There’s Smoke” Dallas Winter Finale, Monday at 9:00 on TNT

Free Download of the Week: Somebody Loves You - Betty Who (iTunes)

New Album Release of the Week: Illmatic XX - Nas

New DVD Release of the Week: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Video of the Week: This year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class have been waiting awhile to get in. Hall & Oates, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, and Kiss had been eligible for a combined 87 years before being inducted. Even the E Street Band had to wait fifteen years after Bruce Springsteen was inducted by himself. The lone first ballot inductee (or one that did not have to wait more than a decade) was Nirvana. The surviving members had not played any Nirvana songs live since Kurt Cobain died, but Krist Novoselic did play bass and accordion on Foo Fighters 2011 song I Should Have Known. The following year Novoselic, Dave Grohl, and touring guitarist Pat Smear teamed up with Paul McCartney for a new song off the soundtrack of Ghohl’s Sound City documentary.

But since they never played any Nirvana songs together so there was some debate if they would do so for the Hall of Fame, and then the bigger question, who would sing? That in part answered earlier this week when Grohl posted a picture to his Instragram account of his drums, Novoselic’s bass, Smear’s guitar along with Joan Jett’s guitar. Jett, who herself has been eligible since 2005 (2001 if you count The Runaways) came out and sang Smells Like Teen Spirit. But the band did not stop there, Kim Gordon would sing Aneurysm, and St. Vincent would come out to perform Lithium (she covered the song recently on the anniversary of Cobain’s death). Then Novoselic introduced Lorde to sing All Apologies in a bright pink suit. Did not see that coming. I guess the video that popped up a month of two with Novoselic playing Royals on accordion makes a little more sense now. The crappy cell phone videos will have to do for now because The 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Special does not air May 31 on HBO. Seriously HBO, it is 2014, how does it take something seven weeks to make it to air?


Next Week Pick of the Week: Mad Men, Sunday at 10:00 on AMC: It is the beginning of the end for Mad Men with its final season premiere. Granted it will be a while until the actual end because AMC split the season in two so the series finale will not air until sometime in 2015. Ugg.

Around the Tubes: 4/11/14

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 Inside the Hunt for the Boston Bombers, NBC Comedy Playground, Life Below Zero, Welcome to Sweden, ABC Family, Eric Church, The Voice, The 2014 Billboard Music Awards, Our Wild America, Jane Ellen Bryant, Flipping Boston, The Librarians, new Syfy series, and Global Force Wrestling.

- Tuesday will mark the one year anniversary of the Boston Bombings and though the even played out in real time on 24 hour news channels and the internet, Inside the Hunt for the Boston Bombers compiles the entire event from moments before the blast to the catching of the fugitive in the most comprehensive special to date. It will feature reenactment of the events culled from interviews from victims, former Boston Mayor Tomas M. Menino, Governor Deval Patrick, the superintendant and commissioner of the Boston Police Department, officers and FBI agents on the scenes, and even the carjacking victim of the bombers and the owner of the boat that one of the bombers hid out in. Inside the Hunt of the Boston Bomber airs Sunday at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel.

- In an effort to uncover additional sources of talent and open the door for aspiring comedy writers, NBC has created a ground-breaking grassroots comedy campaign, “NBC Comedy Playground”. Beginning May 1, aspiring comedy writers can submit their pitches to be considered for both digital and network comedy shows. Once submitted, the concepts will be vetted by A-list comedic talents, including Aziz Ansari, Jason Bateman, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, and others. For more on the NBC Comedy Playground: nbccomedyplayground.com.

- The return of winter brings a flurry of activity for people around the globe. But if you’re living in the remote wilderness of Alaska, the winter is about one thing only: survival. National Geographic Channel’s cult hit series Life Below Zero will return on Thursday, April 17 at 9:00 for a new season of battles against the bitter cold, unpredictable weather and hungry wildlife. Produced by Adjacent Productions, the series covers every obstacle from every angle, be it beneath the ice or the end of a hunter’s gun.

- I had not heard of Welcome to Sweden until I got the press release this week, but it is an upcoming NBC comedy starring Greg Poehler who was able to pull his sister Amy and her friends in for come cameos. Take a look of the trailer below. Welcome to Sweden will premiere July 10 at 9:00 on NBC.


- ABC Family will be airing a Mother’s Day marathon on May 10 which will feature Ice Princess (7:00 AM), Secretariat (9:00 AM), Sister Act (11:30 AM), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1:30), Mamma Mia! (3:30), Forrest Gump (6:00), and concluding with The Blind Side (9:00).

- Eric Church recently announced the first leg of his Outsiders World Tour starting in September. Check out the dates on via the video below. Fans have the chance to gain access to pre-sale tickets for each show by becoming a Standard or Premium member of the Church Choir. Join the Church Choir by visiting: http://smarturl.it/churchchoir.


- Fans of the hit NBC show, “The Voice”, can finally see their favorite contestants live as the season’s talented top Finalists and favorite past stars hit the road on a huge summer tour. Talpa Media and AEG Live announced today the 31-show concert tour launches June 21st in San Antonio, TX and stops in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto, ON before wrapping in Redmond, WA on August 2. Tickets go on sale April 17 at 10:00 AM local via thevoice.com/tour. Already confirmed on the tour is Jamaica native and Season 5 champ, Tessanne Chin. Also joining the tour from Season 5 is soul-pop teen artist, and runner up, Jacquie Lee and vocal powerhouse and family man, Will Champlin. Dia Frampton, a Team Blake favorite, from Season One will be hitting the road too, along with this season’s Winner, Runner Up, and 3rd place. Another fan favorite is guaranteed to tour and will be determined in the month of May by America via social media.

- The 2014 Billboard Music Awards will broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 18, on ABC from 8:00. Finalists Imagine Dragons and Lorde lead with twelve categories each. Imagine Dragons is vying for its first Billboard Music Award this year. Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis follow with 11, 10 and 8 categories respectively. For additional information on the 2014 Billboard Music Awards visit billboardmusicawards.com.

- Our Wild America has developed into a popular attraction on the NYC club scene (Rockwood Music Hall, The Living Room, Mercury Lounge, Spike Hill, etc.), and it’s clear that the band’s musical preoccupation with songs that revolve around death, suicide, war, betrayal, and “other uplifting concerns,” as the band’s singer-songwriter Alec Gross puts it, has not proven to be an obstacle in finding an audience. Our Wild America’s self-titled debut will be released on May 13, 2014, on vinyl, CD, and digital download. Listen to You Don’t Love Me (The Way I Love You) which you can download for free.


- Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jane Ellen Bryant releases her new single, Here We Are, a follow up track to her acclaimed sophomore album Hourglass. The Americana-folk song features Bryant’s soaring, ethereal vocals. Take a listen, and download below:



- There I a new episode of Flipping Boston tomorrow at 12 PM on A&E which takes you on Peter and Dave’s journey of buying, flipping, restoring, renovating, designing, and selling houses. With over 18 years of combined experience, Dave and Peter are nationally known for their creative and innovative approach to renovating houses. Upcoming episodes will feature appearances by Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Medford, Massachusetts Mayor, Michael J. McGlynn.

- TNT is returning to the world of its hit movie franchise The Librarian with a brand new series from Electric Entertainment and executive producers Dean Devlin,John Rogers and Marc Roskin. Rebecca Romijn (X-Men, TNT’s King & Maxwell) is set to lead the cast of the new series, which is entitled The Librarians. Noah Wyle (Falling Skies, ER) will executive-produce and play a recurring role in the series, reprising his role as Flynn Carsen from TNT’s movie trilogy. Christian Kane (TNT’s Leverage, Angel),Lindy Booth (Dawn of the Dead, The Philanthropist) andJohn Kim (Neighbors, The Pacific) are set to round out the cast as the newest protectors of the world’s mystical treasures, with Emmy® winner John Larroquette (Night Court, Deception) slated to play their reluctant caretaker. Also appearing from the movie trilogy will be Emmy winners Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory, The Bob Newhart Show) and Jane Curtin (Kate & Allie, 3rd Rock from the Sun). And Matt Frewer (Max Headroom, TNT’s Falling Skies) is set to play a recurring role. TNT has ordered 10 episodes of The Librarians, with plans to launch the series in late 2014.

- Syfy this week announced Z Nation, a 13-episode zombie series set to debut in the fall. From production company The Asylum (Sharknado), the action-horror series depicts the epic struggle to save humanity after a zombie apocalypse. The series, which will air on Syfy, will be produced by The Asylum and sold internationally by Dynamic Television. Karl Schaefer (Eerie Indiana, Eureka, The Dead Zone) will serve as executive producer and showrunner. "Z Nation will take viewers where no zombie has gone before,” says Schaefer. The show, he continues, adds “a sense of hope to the horror of the apocalypse – our everyday heroes take the fight to the zombies. It’ll be an epic journey unlike anything you've seen before.” Syfy is also giving a series greenlight to 12 Monkeys, a drama based on the 1995 Universal Pictures film directed by Terry Gilliam, it was announced today by Syfy President, Dave Howe. Syfy is ordering 12 episodes in addition to the pilot which was filmed last year. One more from the cable channel, Olympus, which will take viewers into the action-packed world of humans, Gods and monsters. The 13-part series of one hour episodes will premiere on Syfy in 2015.

- Legendary performer and third-generation promoter Jeff Jarrett and his wife, Karen, are set to unveil Global Force Wrestling (GlobalForceWrestling.com), which promises to be the most fan-interactive and immersive wrestling experience in history. “Because of new media, new technology and more ‘in-tune’ fans than we’ve ever had, wrestling is poised for another boom like it experienced in the mid-1980s and late 1990s,” Jeff Jarrett said. “What we’re going to deliver is a multi-platform, innovative brand that will engage fans in ways they’ve never experienced. It will provide a fresh perspective inside the business that fans have been clamoring for.”

Previewing the Final Season of Californication

After six seasons of six years of debauchery, Californication has finally ran out of kinky and humiliating sex acts because the seventh season will be its last. Although they may have run out of kinky and humiliating sex acts last season because even though it still takes place on the west coast, the fornication is at a minimum in the last season. But since there is still one season, Hank will need a job and after burning bridges in the literary world, music, education, movies, and theater, so really the only place left for him to go is in television. Or as Hank calls it, “The house the mediocrity built.”

Hank conveniently lands a spot on the writing team for Santa Monica Cop, yes the movie he worked on two seasons ago with RZA. Well that movie never got finished and instead got converted into a series complete with the director that Hank did not get along with when it was a movie. Ironically the fake television show stars Brandon T. Jackson who was cast in the Beverly Hills Cop television show as Axl Foley’s kid last year that never actually made it to air.

Of course the writers’ room is filled with interesting characters. Hank’s boss is Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) who has spent his time since filming liquor ads growing his hair out to hippie levels. Mary Lynn Rajskub (24) is another writer and someone Charlie eyes as a potential client. And what would the final season be without an Eddie Nero sighting, who wants on the show so he can get an EGOT (though he does not entirely know what exactly what it stands for).

The final season actually starts right where last season left off, with Hank knocking on Karen’s door. Hank decided not to go on the road with a rock star to reconnect with his baby mama. The baby in question showed she was not in fact a baby to go on a road trip with a boyfriend (Becca spend most of the final season on the road, not popping back up until the penultimate episode). Also last season, Charlie and Marcy got remarried.

Without his daughter around, Hank takes an interview with a writer for a college newspaper in the season premiere. Although Oliver Cooper (Project X) spends most of time on screen ripping off Jonah Hill’s early career baboonery obese kid act. Heather Graham (Boogie Nights) will show up as his mother which leads to, well this is Californication, it is pretty obvious were this is heading with Hank. But the best part of the finale season is, even though Charlie won the girl, his feud with Stu is still has plenty of laughs to milk.

In the middle of season, there is your very special episode filled with the obligatory flashbacks which every season of the show seems to have. And with the debacle that was the How I Met Your Mother finale still fresh in people’s memory, the ending of Californication should be much less frustrating for longtime viewers.

Californication airs Sundays at 9:30 on Showtime after new episodes of Nurse Jackie.

Previewing Years of Living Dangerously

The environment used to not be a political issue; it was Richard Nixon who started the Environmental Protection Agency. Now Nixon’s own party tries its very best to dismantle the agency and discredit climate chance even when every major scientist suggests its real with mountains of fact to back it up. Showtime’s nine part documentary series Years of Living Dangerously is meant to spread a light on many climate issues. Sure the right will probably try to discredit the series as leftist propaganda, but the series is being executive produced by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the opening sequence features former president George HW Bush talking about the pearls of climate change.

Okay, aside from Arnold, the series does featured some of the very left leaning celebrities you would expect on a self serving series like this including Matt Damon and Don Cheadle. And it will be easy to attack these celebrities for using very bad for the environment (probably private) jets to cross the globe to highlight regions devastated by climate change. It does not help that the first scene of the series is Harrison Ford flying a fighter jet just to collect CO2 levels (spoiler alert: they are very high).

Pretentiousness aside, these celebrities do have facts on their side. Ford is in the first two episodes looking at why we are destroying our forests which is the main cause for the high CO2 levels (forests absorb the gas) which is something called palm oil, check your ingredients list in your pantry, it is a lot of thing you eat. The most interesting parts of his segment come next week when Ford confronts forest minister of Indonesia and gives him the “get off my plane” look to the guy when he openly admits he is corrupt.

Joining Ford tonight is Cheadle who travels to Texas to a town who has resorted to praying for rain because a drought forced the closing of a meat-packing plant, the biggest employer in the area. Don also finds the rare evangelical Christian who is also a climate scientist who believes that climate change is affecting the Earth. Then Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman how climate change is affecting civil war in Syria. It is just Harrison and Arnold next week, the latter of which will be joining an elite team of wild-land firefighters as they battle a new breed of forest fighters that are cause by climate change.

Also this season, Jessica Alba follows three Climate Corps fellows as they attempt to green the corporate sector. Food journalist Mark Bittman shoots two pieces: he explores rising sea levels and the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, with a focus on Union Beach, New Jersey; and, in an investigation that takes him all across the country, he tries to determine just how clean natural gas is. Matt Damon examines the public health impact of heat waves as they sweep across Los Angeles and other cities around the globe. America Ferrera explores wind and solar power: if they're so good, why are so many people trying to block them? Journalist Thomas Friedman investigates how climate change impacts national sovereignty in the Middle East.  Michael C. Hall goes to Bangladesh to see a vision of our climate-changed future.

Chris Hayes shoots two pieces involving Super Storm Sandy: a U.S. congressman comes face to face with climate change when extreme weather hits close to home; two Far Rockaway families endure the winter following the destructive storm. Olivia Munn) reports from Washington State as a new governor makes combating global warming a top priority. Dr. M. Sanjayan (lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy) sets out on an epic journey around the world to see the effects of climate change firsthand. Will he be convinced that climate change is real? Ian Somerhalder follows Anna Jane Joyner, the 28-year-old daughter of Evangelical preacher Rick Joyner, as she tries to convince congregations and preachers across North Carolina – including her father – that they need to join the fight. And Lesley Stahl travels to Greenland to explore the fate of the Arctic as global temperature increases melt the ice sheet at an unprecedented rate and unlock all sorts of new riches.

The main problem with Years of Living Dangerously will likely be preaching to the choir and those that would benefit from watching the documentary will probably not watch it. I bet the only far right conservatives that will watch are the ones who will try to twist facts, get angry at the facts (the Susan Rice interview will not help) or want to make fun of the celebrities and their pet cause. Pretentious celebrities aside, everyone should check out the documentary series because you will undoubtedly learn something.


Years of Living Dangerously airs Sundays at 10:00 on Showtime.

The Voice Season Six Battle Rounds II Power Rankings

I post my Power Rankings the day before the next round starts which gives me a week to write it. Since The Playoff start the day after the end of the Battle Round II I this will short. Not that is much to say other than the Battle Round II sucked massively. The conceit was stupid, the song selection was horrible, and the coaches’ decisions were even worse, I actually disagree with everyone the coaches picked last night (combined with about half of who they picked last week). It seems as if Shakira wants to take Christina Aguilera’s worst coach in the history of the show crown. Adam looks like he has takes Blake’s philosophy from last season of letting a new coach win, while Usher looks to be employing Adam’s previous philosophy of having one chosen one (Bria) and sabotage the rest of his team so they have less of a challenge in the Live Shows. He could have had the best team and three of the final four with Bria, Madilyn, and Morgan, but now he will probably end up taking Stevie Jo and T.J. to the Live Show , the latter two will probably gone after everyone from Shakira’s team is sent home. And Madilyn and Morgan probably will not make it that far as all the coaches shed their Steals before America is allowed to vote. So congratulations Blake, go ahead and make room for another trophy because you have the best chance of winning because you again picked amassed a team of singers that America will want to vote for. Since I have nothing to say about the Battle Round II aside that all the battles sucked aside from Have a Little Faith in Me, here is the latest power ranking with just a list, no comments.

1. Tess Boyer (Team Usher Blake Shakira)
2. Madilyn Paige (Team Usher Blake)
3. Josh Kaufman (Team Adam Usher)
4. Sisaundra Lewis (Team Blake)
5. Audra McLaughlin (Team Blake)
6. Morgan Wallen (Team Usher Adam)
7. T.J. Wilkins (Team Usher)
8. Bria Kelly (Team Usher)
9. Delvin Choice (Team Adam)
10. Patrick Thompson (Team Adam Shakira)
11. Melissa Jimenez (Team Usher)
12. Jake Worthington (Team Blake)
13. Jake Barker (Team Usher Adam)
14. Kat Perkins (Team Adam)
15. Stevie Jo (Team Usher)
16. Christina Grimmie (Team Adam)
17. Ryan Whyte Maloney (Team Blake)
18. Dani Moz (Team Shakira)
19. Deja Hall (Team Shakira)
20. Kristen Merlin (Team Shakira)

Oh Shakira, what were you thinking? You had my favorite team coming out of the Blind Auditions and now you have maybe the worst team ever to go into the Playoffs, yes, as bad as Christina in seasons one and three. Twice Shakira said she was going to go with who she thought she could help the most. No Shakira, pick who was the best, or the very least has the most potential. If you want to help someone who needs it, do it on your own time. Oh well here are how the teams stack up if you award a point to the last place and twenty to number one:

Blake – 65
Usher – 61
Adam – 47
Shakira – 37

But who cares what I think, here is a look at how high everyone charted on the top 1500 on the iTunes charts. It looks like music buyers hated the new Battle Round as much as I did.

1. Jake Worthington (100)
2. Sisaundra Lewis (184)
3. Christina Grimmie (189)
4. Morgan Wallen (216)
5. Stevie Jo (303)
6. Tess Boyer (334)
7. Deja Hall (351)
8. Josh Kaufman - Happy (416)
9. T.J. Wilkins (422)
10. Jake Barker (434)
11. Sam Behymer – Give Me Love (570)
12. Audra McLughlin (612)
13. Kristen Merlin (632)
14. Jake Worthington – It Goes Like This (645)
15. Josh Kaufman (745)
16. Madilyn Paige – Everything Has Changed (821)
17. Delvin Choice (894)
18. Madilyn Paige (919)
19. Jake Worthington - Don’t Close Your Eyes (1002)
20. Christina Grimmie – Wrecking Ball (1191)
21. Christina Grimmie – I Knew You Were Trouble (1342)

The first thing that pops out to be is that of the four steal, three of the stolen singers charted higher than the person that “won” their battle, so apparently I was not the only one who thought the coaches did a horrible job picking their teams this season. The next thing that jumps out at me is that the week old Sam Behymer song charted higher than eleven people who are moving on. Six of the top twenty could not even crack the top 1500. Compared that to last year when only one person failed to chart during the Knockout Round.

To show you just how bad the coaches were at picking their teams, if you look back at the top ten Blind Audition sales, six of them (Dawn and Hawkes, Clarissa Serna, Josh Kaufman, Madilyn Paige, Morgan Wallen, and Emily B) lost their round two Battle. A seventh (Alaska & Madi) did not even make it this far.

1. Jake Worthington (213)
2. Christina Grimmie (237.3)
3. Josh Kaufman (349.3)
4. Madilyn Paige (412)
5. Stevie Jo (421)
6. Sisaundra Lewis (511.6)
7. Morgan Wallen (531)
8. Jake Baker (539)
9. Kristen Merlin (563.3)
10. Audra McLaughlin (718.3)

That is not good that only half of the top twenty managed to have all three of their songs chart in the top 1500. For comparison, last year fifteen of them did. Of the other five, four of them had two songs chart. Only one had only one song chart. And of those five, all five did not get voted through by America during the Playoffs (Kat Robichaud was saved by her coach and managed another week because of the stupid Twitter Save) This season there were five who only charted two, three that only charted one. And there were two that did not chart at all in the top 1500. Here is how those other ten charted.

11. Bria Kelly (126, 459, NC)
12. T.J. Wilkins (714, NC, 422)
13. Delvin Choice (416, NC, 894)
14. Kat Perkins (451, 943, NC)
15. Deja Hall (1190, NC, 351)
16. Tess Boyer (NC, NC, 334)
17. Ryan White Maloney (917, NC, NC)
18. Dani Moz (NR, 1314, NR)
19. Melissa Jimenez / Patrick Thompson did not reach the top 1500 once

That is really embarrassing. It is really laughable that Melissa and Patrick are still in and Dawn and Hawkes, Clarissa Serna or even Sam Behymer and Kaleigh Glanton who were able to sell both of their songs, are all sitting at home. And since the coach decide the top 12 this season by themselves, I have a feeling their coaches will favor their own team over steals which may means Josh, Madilyn, and probably either Morgan or Jake will also not make it to be voted on by the public despite outselling most people who advance. I suggested this last season, but for the Live Show, they should introduce a fifth judge (be it Chris Martin, or breakout star Jill Scott) who picks three outcasts to rejoin the competition. I bet a team of Dawn and Hawkes, Clarissa, and Sam (or Josh, Madilyn, and Morgan if it comes to that) would be better threesome then any come this season will come up with. Or next season replaces these coaches with people who can actually spot talent.

Previewing Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi

Long before Kim Jung Un there was Mammar Gaddafi who set the bar fairly high for modern despots. Dressed like Michael Jackson in concert, the billion dollars of oil his country produced per week allowed him every extravagancy he could think of. A cruise ship with a shark tank for his son? Done. Dubbed the Mad Dog of the Middle East by Ronald Reagan (who was good at coining things in the eighties as he also turned the Soviet Union into the Evil Empire) Gaddafi had school children here in the United States calling for Libya to be blown off the map.

Regan did show some restraint by not blowing the nation state off the map instead imposing severe sanctions that kept the dictator out of the public consciousness here until the “rehabilitated” ruler was all but forgiven for his crimes by George W. Bush and Tony Blair to the point he was even taking pictures with Barack Obama. But just at the time he was being accepted by the West, the Arab Spring happened and he was one of the early causalities.

Even though we saw the Arab Spring live on cable television, there was still plenty unknown about Muammar Gaddafi that the general public did not know even back when he was the world’s public enemy number one. Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi, premiering Friday at 9:00 0n Showtime, uncovers the hidden atrocities he committed during his decade long run in power, even when he was being embraced by the west.

The documentary talks with poison dealers who did deals with the country as well as others still wanted by the FBI as well as one of his former female guards. There are also interviewed with CIA counter-proliferation operative Valerie Plame (yes that Valerie Plame) and those actually tortured by the man countrymen were forced to call Brother Leader. The tales told are bigger than the previous one, from hosting a terrorist Woodstock to keeping his enemies on ice so he can occasionally see his conquests. Mad Dog is a harrowing tale which shows what happens when mad men gain too much power.

Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi premieres Friday at 9:00 on Showtime.

Previewing Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet

Nat Geo Wild found some success with The Incredible Dr. Pol which routinely sets rating record for the channel. But now there is a new veterinarian. But do not call Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet, which premiers this Saturday at 9:00, a rip-off because this vet is different in almost every way aside from their job title. Michelle Oakley is much younger (and very much a different gender) and where Weidman, Michigan is within driving distance of bigger cities where Dr. Pol has some competition, as the title of her suggests, Dr. Oakley is very literally in the middle of nowhere where she is one of the few vets in Canada’s most northern, western providence.

Sure she still sees plenty of your usual house pets like cats and dogs, but the remote location means Dr. Oakley sees animals big and small, sometimes driving three hundred miles in the snow to see a patient. In the first couple episodes you will see her help out muskox, yaks, lynx, and caribou. Including her own practice where she works out of her house, home visits, Dr. Oakley also runs a satellite clinic in Haines, Alaska with the American Bald Eagle Foundation and is an on-call vet for the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.

Working out of her home does give her time to spend some time with her three teenage daughters, but there are too young to help out too much. Things do get even more hectic around the house when her husband, a firefighter, get called away to fight fires up and down the west coast. The viewers will get to know the whole Oakley family as they celebrate Michelle’s birthday and await word on one of the daughter’s application into acting school that would move her away from the family.

Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet airs Saturdays at 9:00 on Nat Geo Wild.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: 4/6/14

Once Upon a Time: It is probably not a good sign when you laugh through a whole death scene, but Neil’s death was just silly. C’mon, how about at least trying true love’s kiss to revive him?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.

Shameless: So Frank finally got his liver and then thinks the little girl in the next bed who died is Fiona. So will that actually be the catylist for him to be a better man? I am guessing he will be back to destroying his new liver by next season’s premiere.

The Walking Dead: In the lead up to the season finale, the questioned seemed like it would not be if one of the main characters died, or even which one (Rick already being booked for Talking Dead for the very first time seemed ominous), but how many. Well it ended up being none. Sure there was a very gruesome death; Rick ripping out the neck of some dude with his teeth was nearly as gruesome as any zombie on human violence in the show, but it still was anti-climatic that the foursome all made it out with only a black eye to show for it. We also found out that Terminus was naturally not what it seemed. Glen went in the front door and Rick went through the back but still ended up in the same place. It was dark, but it I did not see Carol, Tyrese, or even Beth. Now I have to spend seven months debating if to check out the graphic novel spoilers to see what I actually up with Terminus.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.

Resurrection: So is this going to turn into a new dead person a week type show? The latest zombie is the most interesting of the three we have met, one that committed suicide but no longer wants to die and kind of wants to rekindle her old flame who just so happens to be married now. That is a lot more interesting than the kid and the criminal.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Resurrection on iTunes.

Revenge: Why is every time Aiden leaves, they still find a dumb reason to bring him back? Just let him go, he brings nothing to the show. Or better yet, just kill him off so you are not tempted to bring him back.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.

House of Lies: Finally they killed off T.I. He really dragged down this season. I am glad Marty accused Dre of setting up a gang hit so it seemed less racist when it first crossed my mind.

The Voice: So the big twist this season is that there is a second round of battles instead of the Knockout Round with the big difference being that this round the singers get to pick the song they sing. Except as we found out, the song they had to pick was from a short list of three songs. And I wonder if they really had a choice between the three because Stevie Jo and Morgan Wallen settling on One Direction looked like really bad acting.

We did not even get to learn the other two for half of the battles this week and with so many bad songs this week I have to wonder just how much worse the other were. You had Christina Grimmie and Sam Behymer doing the horrible One Republic song which was used in a Battle just last season. It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World was also used in a Battle last year. Then there was the horrible Miley Cyrus song which I think Blake included just so he could make a twerking joke. The only song choice this week that did not have me rolling my eyes was Have a Little Faith in Me, one of the greatest songs ever written.

And as bad as the song selection was, some of the coaches’ decisions were worse. I disagreed with five of the nine Battles shown (as for the one montage, I would have also would have seen Emily B advance). Personally I would have gone with Tess Boyer, Sam, and Ddendyl to win their Battles. Then there was the curious case of the steals this week. I was scratching my head when Usher and the other coaches were talking like Stevie Jo was the frontrunner when Morgan has been better (maybe he really bombed in his montaged first Battle). And then Usher let Morgan get stolen by Adam even though he could easily go further with the voter than Stevie Jo. But I am only assuming Usher let Adam have Morgan because Adam inexplicitly let Josh Kaufman go to Team Usher when Josh was Adam’s best chance of winning this season.

Now I doubt Josh and Morgan will make the Live Shows (which will not be until the top 12 this season) because I do not think any stolen contestant will make it that far except for Tess just because someone on Team Shakira has to advance besides Clarissa Serna and a third random singer who will be voted out first (I am assuming will be Deja Hall). I think we may have to pencil Blake in for a fourth win in five seasons because he is the only person that has not made a colossally bad decision so far this season and looks like he will go into the top 12 with three singers, Audra McLaughlin, Sisaundra Lewis, and Jake Worthington, that would contend to win this season. Of course there is still another round and a half for him to make a colossally bad decision himself. But this is the guy who last season dumped Holly Henry for the worst singer to ever make the Live Show.


You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs performed this week with the widget at right.

How I Met Your Mother: So we spent an entire weekend at Barney and Robin’s wedding just to see them get divorced about ten minutes into the series finale. But to put it in perspective, we spent nine years learning how Ted met the mother only for him to end up with Aunt Robin.
You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Blacklist: So Tom really thinks that he left behind no clues that link back to him from his evil abandoned warehouse? Maybe after his “brother” end up dead he will realize that maybe his wife may be on to him. Hopefully something finally goes down between the two in the next episode.
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.: I was going to be fairly disappointed if The Clairvoyant ended up just being Steven Hawkings but it looks like it will end up being a SHEILD agent. But I wonder if I should even watch the next episode for fear of having Captain American spoiled for me because I have an irrational dislike of movie theaters and will not be seeing it until it comes out on Blu-Ray at the earliest. Sure the post-Thor episode did not spoil anything other than London being destroyed (but you could see that in the trailer) because it mostly took place in Asgard. It is my assumption that Winter Soldier is all about the interworking of SHIELD which should have some sort of effect on a show based on the agency.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on iTunes.

Justified: Oh Raylan, you sneaky guy, you: having the judge go after Kendal as an adult to get Darryl to fess up for his crime. Of course that will not happen, but I am sure Wendy is not going to just go along with this, but who does she go after, Raylan or Darryl? But more importantly, what loophole will Dewey use to get him out of jail this time? Or are they finally going to greenlight my Dewey Dickie jail setting spin-off show. I am not sure if Ava will make it that long to star in a co-ed version.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

Survivor: Cagayan: I have really come to dislike this cast, but that was still a pretty entertaining Tribal Council, maybe even top five of all time. First you had two Immunity Idols, that no one but the owners knew about prior to being played, being traded. You had the mad scramble by the non-Idol holding alliance to someone new. They managed to land on someone who was not saved by an Idol making the big Idol play by the minority alliance the anti-Parvati. Oh, but that is not it, when the final name is called, it turned out all this Idol madness did not even matter because in one of the dumber moves in Survivor history, Cass flipped out of what looks to be pure spite to Sarah for being a preening schmo. Awesome. So Cass went from being in what look to be an almost lock for final three with the remaining Brains to being sixth in a six person alliance. I do not think they could have cast dumber “Brains” if they tried.
You can stream recent episodes on cbs.com. You can also download Survivor: Cagayan on iTunes.

The Americans: Oh my, Elizabeth seducing Clark went as well as I thought it might.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.

Nashville: Wait, Scarett shares the same mother with Tyra Collette (who is inexplicitly now a doctor on Jason Katim’s new show; god bless him for keeping Dillon alumni employed)?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.

Community: I did not buy an HDTV so I could watch poorly drawn seventies type cartoons. I bought so I could see Alison Brie in all of her high definition glory. But if you must do a crappy seventies cartoon episode, at least when Jeff comes to, have Annie dress up in her cartoon outfit.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Parenthood: Oh Julia, what have you done? Up until now, Joel was the idiot because nothing happened, but something did happen this time that cannot be unexplained.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Hannibal: When Beverly got caught in his basement, I theorized that Hannibal may keep her down there and might be saved, albeit with a few parts missing by the end of the season. Of course the very next week she was found sliced up debunking that theory. That is what makes the final scenes even more shocking, that Hannibal would keep Miriam Lass alive all this time. Up to now, Hannibal has stayed a step or five ahead of law enforcement and we have yet to see him make a mistake. So I have to wonder if Hannibal left Miriam there for Jack or is this his first mistake. Miriam does know that Hannibal is the one that did this to her but is she currently mental stable to remember what happened to her so it could go either way.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Hannibal on iTunes.

Best of the Week: 4/5/14

Quote of the Week: Let’s look at the facts here: You made us sit down and made us listen to this story about how you met mom, yet she is hardly in the story. No, this is the story about how you are totally in love with Aunt Robin. (Penny Mosby, How I Met Your Mother)

Song of the Week: Downtown Train – Everything But the Girl (How I Met Your Mother)

Scene of the Week:


Big News of the Week: A Premature Happy Trails to David Letterman: The late night talk show host announced his retirement this week. Granted he said he will not be stepping aside from The Late Show until 2015 which should give him about a full year for a parade of stars to stop by and kiss his ring one (or two) last times. That also gives us plenty of time to predict who will replace him. My I guess / recommend John Stewart.

Preview Picture of the Week:

"Catch & Release" Melissa and Joey, Wednesday at 8:00 on ABC Family

Free Download of the Week: ATO Records: A Spring Sampler (NoiseTrade)

New Album Release of the Week: Duets - Linda Ronstadt

New DVD Release of the Week: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Video of the Week: Maria Full of Grace was a good film in all, but do you know what is missing? Action. So what would happen if you put Maria in The Transporter and instead of heroin, load her up with the same drug that Bradley Cooper took in Limitless. That is exactly the vibe I am getting from the trailer of Lucy. I am mean that as a compliment.


Next Week Pick of the Week: Justified, Tuesday at 10:00 on FX: I was worried at the beginning season when it was announced that Michael Rappaport, one of the worst living actor, would be joining the show. And sure this has been the weakest season to date, but a bad season of Justified has still been more entertaining than most shows at their best. We learned the twelve foot rule and got more Dewey Crowe this season. Plus it is a safe assumption that Rappaport will not be back for the sixth and final season considering that Raylan assumes he is the triggerman in the assault on Art. So the only question is will be in jail or in the ground by the end of the season. And if it is the former, by who’s hand? You have the Marshall Service, the Mexicans, Boyd and Win Duffy, and I am guessing that Wendy is not going to let Kendal take the fall as an adult, so just how far will she go to get Darryl to confess.

Around the Tubes: 4/4/14

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 Justified, Inside Comedy, Warehouse 13, The Wil Wheaton Project, Helix, Defiance, Dominion, Nurse Jackie, Grace and Tony.

- Have questions about what's coming next on Justified? Join Timothy Olyphant for a LIVE Facebook chat today at 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT at facebook.com/JustifiedFX.

- On the season three finale of Inside Comedy on Monday on Showtime, Kevin Pollak recalls his childhood obsession with impersonating everyone from Robert Duvall to William Shatner; how Cosby influenced his acting career; and his early years coming up with buddy Dana Carvey. Bob Saget talks about his mother’s influence over his rebellious comedic style; his unexpected success in television; and the memories of visiting a famous member of The Three Stooges as a teenager. Also in this episode, Larry Miller reveals what happened behind the curtain right before his first appearance on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” as well an unforgettable gig performing at a police convention.

- Syfy’s long-running Emmy-nominated Warehouse 13 will open its doors on Monday, April 14 at 9:00 for the last time as it kicks off the series’ final six episodes. The new season picks up immediately after the events of the last season’s thrilling finale with new caretaker Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) in an epic battle with Paracelsus (guest star Anthony Head) for the soul of the Warehouse. However, their confrontation unleashes an unexpected horror and the Warehouse will never be the same again. In the new season, the entire Warehouse team will confront old questions while encountering new revelations. From a painful realization that Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) must face together, to Artie (Saul Rubinek) accompanying Claudia on a soul-searching journey regarding her long-lost sister, and Steve (Aaron Ashmore) colliding with his past, the final six episodes of Warehouse 13 will take viewers on an emotionally-charged roller coaster ride.

- Syfy has greenlit the 12-episode summer series, The Wil Wheaton Project (working title), a weekly topical comedy show hosted by actor, blogger and champion of geek culture Wil Wheaton. The 30-minute show will offer a fast-paced, lighthearted exploration and celebration of all things within the realm of science fiction and genre entertainment. The series premieres Tuesday, May 27 at 10:00.

- In other Syfy news, the channel has renewed Helix for a second season and unveiled its new Thursday line up. Starting June 19, Defiance will air at 8:00 followed by new show Dominion at 9:00.

- In other renewal news, Nurse Jackie has been renewed for a seventh season even though season six does not start until April 13 at 9:00.

- Loretto,TN-based duo Grace & Tony, the husband-and wife pair responsible for the progressive blend of musical styles dubbed “punkgrass,” have announced the launch of their collaborative video series, “Grace & Tony Greenroom Sessions.” The series kicks off today with a clip featuring the duo’s performance with Malcolm Parson of Carolina Chocolate Drops of the brand new Grace & Tony song, “The 1.” The video, along with all future session clips, will premiere exclusively on TheBoot.com. New sessions will be posted twice each month.

- Driven by Mike McFadden’s crisp vocals and magnetic poise, Brooklyn’s Animal Years brings a fresh face to indie roots rock. Now, they've teamed up with The Orchard to re-release their debut album Sun Will Rise in a Deluxe Edition, featuring four never before heard songs. The first of which, Leah, has just premiered on Indie Shuffle. Take a listen below:

This Time I’ve Got no Hesitation and I’ll Be Moving on to Where I Belong

I finally got into Nickel Creek when they released their fifth album Why Should This Fire Die? I had an irrational hatred of country music in my youth, and once that thawed I was ready to look at artists pushing the conventions of the genre like Nickel Creek who drew on a heavy influence of folk too but still hung out on the outskirts of country music. Of course once I finally discovered the band, they went on an indefinite hiatus. Well at least I had the previous four albums to go back and check out and despite the hiatus, the individual members continued to make music by themselves, with the Punch Brothers, Fiction Family, and many other side projects.

In the nine years since their album, Mumford and Sons brought folk to the mainstream opening up the door of other likeminded artists to breakthrough, including The Lumineers who basically took the Nickel Creek esthetic and created a huge pop success out of it. Now Nickel Creek is back and ready to take back the folk crown. Where most groups reunite and put out a new album as an excuse to tour behind it, the first song Nickel Creek released in almost a decade, Destination, stands with everything already in their catalogue. The upbeat song features everything you loved about Nickel Creek, Sara Watkins beautiful voice, tight harmonies, and a great interplay of mandolin and fiddle.

The rest of A Dotted Line proves the trio has not lost a step. It sounds as if they spend the last nine years just saving their best song ideas for the inevitable reunion album. The rest of the album I mostly what you would expect from the group, nice folk ballads and of course there is a beautiful instrumental track Elsie. But they also push their sound further with Hayloft which is the most danceable song ever in the traditional, non-hoedown kind of way as well as their least Nickel Creek sounding song ever. It seems like we will not be getting a Christmas album from the group anytime soon because there is the beautiful Christmas Eve which could be another of those rare holiday track.

When bands have been away for almost a decade or more, the comeback album is just put out to promote the comeback tour and then play the hits on that tour with one or two new songs which are used as bathroom breaks for fans. Nickel Creek bucks that trend with one of their best albums yet. If you go and see them, make sure your bladder is empty before they start because you definitely do not want to miss these new songs live. Hopefully we do not have to wait another nine years for the next one.

Song to Download – Destination

A Dotted Line gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television: 4/2/14

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.


Empire - Shakira


I may be reading into it too much but the whole runaway bride could explain why Shakira has yet to walk down the aisles with her baby daddy. And I usually do not comment on these sorts of things, but whoever the cinematographer Shakira has been working with needs some sort of award because her last two are just absolutely beautifully shot.


Supernova - Ray LaMontagne


Listening to the new Ray Lamontange song and its seventies pop-rock vibe and hearing that he brought in The Black Keys Dan Auerbach to produce made me think that the singer is finally trying to be an actual rock star. He even released his very first music video. Sure it has the production value of your average lyric video, but hey, its baby steps.


Gulls – David Gray


Recently Coldplay went full Bon Iver for the first song off their upcoming album and it sounds like David Gray has been listening a lot to the Minnesota woodsman too. He even combined that sound with a trippy music video. Coldplay quickly followed up that Bon Iver sounding song with a more traditional sounding song, I hope the same goes for David Gray, but I am not really digging this new musical path.


High Ball Stepper – Jack White


As previously mentioned, I thought Coldplay releasing a Bon Iver meets Radiohead type song was a weird first impression to make. But at least it had words; the first song we get to hear off the upcoming Jack White album is an instrumental. But the paint and glitter in speakers motif of the music video is all sorts of awesome.

A Long, Long, Long, Long Time Ago, Before the Wind, Before the Snow

A year after the release of Blood Sugar Sex Magik, this month's induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s prior record label released a greatest Hits package entitled What Hits!? (the second most self aware greatest hit package after Jimmy Buffett's Song(s) You Know By Heart). It was a sly nod to the fact that their first four albums could at best be considered a modest success and a cheap way to cash in on the band’s new found stardom on a different label. Back during those eighties albums, the Peppers were lucky to get played during 120 Minutes but in the post-Nirvana world, videos from Blood Sugar Sex Magic were in heavy rotation on MTV and alternative radio that popped up in the early nineties.

Unlike some grunge coattail-riders like Stone Temple Pilots and Bush, the Chili Peppers may gave benefited from the music that came out of the Pacific Northwest, but they were something entirely different, a mix of rock, funk, and rap, with three musicians that pushed every boundary and a lyricist that poured his whole heart on the page. John Frusciante created some of the most inventive riffs of all time which played off well with Flea’s funky bass and his rhythm section partner, the underappreciated Chad Smith.

Even though Frusciante and Smith were on their second album with the band, but the missing ingredient may have been producer Rick Rubin. As he tends to do, Rick took the other the top, hyperactive group and focused them leading to a more cohesive and more easily accessible sound. Rubin also famously found Anthony Kiedis’ poetry book and convinced him to take one entitled Under the Bridge to the band. Of course that song ended up being the album’s breakout hit and remains one of the biggest in the band’s history.

Under the Bridge may have broke the band in a big way, but first single Give it Away opened the door. The song was just pure focused energy, punk rock mixed with a funky bass line which makes it danceable if mosh pits are not your thing. Then there was the Anton Corbin music video, filmed in black in white in the desert with each band member with an increasingly epic hairdo.

And the album is not just pure funk with the random power ballad in the middle; the Peppers pushed their sound with songs like Breaking the Girl. An acoustic track with weird percussion and other instrumentation that sounds like it came from a medieval fair, and somehow it worked completely. The album concludes with Sir Psycho Sexy (not counting quick hidden Robert Johnson cover), weird song that sounds like it was built around a pig inspired syth patch where Kiedis goes on for over eight minutes about a freak in the Garden of Eden and being stopped by lady cops in an explicit fashion.

A decade after the first greatest hits, the Red Hot Chili Pepper released a new best of album that is actually worthy of the title with many legitimate hits from subsequent albums. Well many legitimate hits and one song from the Dave Navarro era that most people would like to forget.

The Voice Season Six Battle Rounds I Power Rankings

I hate the Battle Rounds with a fiery passion. There may be four great performances in six season (none of which happened this season) and many more bad ones. It seems like best case scenario is that you get a complete train wreck. I thought the advent of the Steal in season three would make things better but it is now worse. Things have gotten even more predictable, I guessed 22 of the 24 winners before the contestants took the stage, one of the two I got wrong ended in a Steal anyway so it did not matter much. Plus it has become clear that each episode will end in a Steal so there is really no reason to watch it. And worse now that they are montaging Battle, that means no more train wrecks. Blake apparently forgetting the Erin Martin / The Shields Brothers debacle of a season two gave a female / male duet What’s Love Got to Do with It which may not have been as big a train wreck as the first time, but we will never know because it was montage. And in possible the worse rule change in the history of the show, they are actually adding a second Battle Round. Ugg. Hopefully they do more than three Battles per hour. Or just montage the whole round. But anyway. Here is my updated Power Ranking:

1. Sisaundra Lewis (Team Blake): Just like the coaches mentioned, let me bring up that note at the end: that was otherworldly. My goodness.

2. Madilyn Paige (Team Usher): I found it interesting that right before picking her, Usher talked about her maybe thriving on Blake or someone else’s team. When Usher said that it did give me pause that he may have picked the other guy even though this Battle seemed like the second most obvious winner of any Battle and that Madilyn deserved it. But could Usher’s comment be foreshadowing for the next round? I kind of hope so because I always thought she would be better off on Blake’s team.

3. Sam Behymer (Team Adam): I wanted to like Sam’s Blind Audition but it sounded like she was trying to add too many moments and when you try to make too many parts of a song a moment, nothing ends up being special about it. After the round I hopped that Adam would iron out those issues (the studio version of Royals was significantly better and maybe my favorite studio recording of the round). Thankfully on the rehearsals Adam and Aloe really hammered those out unnecessary moments and Sam ended up having one of the standout performances of the Battle Rounds. And since she had more control, when she hit the line, “give a little time to me we’ll burn this down” really stood out as a defining moment.

4. Audra McLaughlin (Team Blake): The Battle Round is my least favorite part of the show; it is really hard for anyone to stand out unless you completely blow your opponent out of the water. It is even worse when you go up against a duo and there were times when Audra felt like a third wheel and other times when she tried too hard to out[-sing two voices which ended up being too loud. But she clearly has one of the best voices in the competition and the studio version is significantly better than the live performance. Unfortunately there is another Battle Round this season, but on the bright side, there are no more duos left on Team Blake.

5. Josh Kaufman (Team Adam): I am under the assumption that singers get montaged for one of two reasons, because they were simply not good, or because they go up against a frontrunner in the Battle Round and maybe should have won. Even though Josh has the much better voice, I thought Austin Ellis may have actually had a slightly better performance. But I do think the song was more in Austin’s wheelhouse, and Josh has a much higher potential. The question is will Adam be able to find better songs that suit Josh from here on out that are better for him than Happy was.

6. Kaleigh Glanton (Team Blake): Is a familiar Battle Round scenario, coach pairs two singers of different styles, gives them a song that is in one of the singer’s wheelhouse, and then picks that singer as the winner. So when Blake gave Kaleigh and lounge singer Noah a Michael Buble song, I figured Carson might as well have raised Noah’s hand right then and there. Except Kaleigh amazingly did the lounge song better than the actual lounge singer.

7. Clarissa Serna (Team Shakira): It became apparent to me during the behind the scenes package that Clarissa should go with the straight hair more often.

8. Brittnee Camelle (Team Usher Adam): I did not think much of her Blind audition; probably that most had to do with the horrible song selection. But give this girl an actual good song and, wow. I do not know what Usher was thinking about letting her go. It may have been smarter to go with Shakira who took both her Steals to the Live Show last year while Adam, who did take three Steals to the Lives the first two seasons, dumped both his Steals in the Knockout Round last season even though they were probably better. Hopefully Adam gives her more sexy RnB and no cheesy pop songs but she is much better at the former.

9. Ddendyl (Team Shakira): Montage win… yawn.

10. Tess Boyer (Team Usher Blake): I have never been a fan of Janis Joplin so I definitely liked Tess’ more subtle approach to the song.

11. Morgan Wallen (Team Usher): Montage win… yawn.

12. Dawn and Hawkes (Team Adam): I talked earlier how it is hard for Audra to go up against a duo but it is also challenging for duos to go against a singular artist. You have to present yourselves as individuals, as a duo, and then force yourself into a trio for parts of the song. The performance was a bit sleepy which worked well for their first performance, but I wanted more during this round.

13. Patrick Thompson (Team Adam Shakira): When Adam did not choose him, I figured if anyone, Blake would steal him, possibly even Usher since he was similar Ryan Innes. I did not see Shakira being the only one to push her button.

14. Biff Gore (Team Usher Blake): I would have given Biff the slight edge in his battle but the song did benefit him a bit more because he can let go in the way that the song need.

15. T.J. Wilkins (Team Usher): I would have given the Battle to Biff, but T.J. may be around longer because while he is too clean to properly sing a song like Ain’t too Proud to Beg, he seems to be more versatile and with the right songs, he could be a dark horse this season.

16. Bria Kelly (Team Usher): I found this performance less annoying than the very shout-y Blind Audition, but she still remains a little too much for me. Unfortunately shout-y females (Juliet Simms, Jackie Lee) have done well on the show.

17. Kat Perkins (Team Adam): I had to laugh when Adam said, “It’s a shame that they are both together.” Hey idiot, you were the one that put them together. If you think they are both top five artists then why put them together. Unless you think the other three are also on your team. Granted Adam’s hubris probably thinks that. Even though I thought Patrick was better this round, both were definitely two of the top thirty-two singers this season and should have advanced. I would not go as far to say both, or either, are top five like Adam did.

18. Melissa Jimenez (Team Usher): A couple seasons ago, Loren Allred got montaged twice and then somehow advanced to the next round because she hit a note at the end her performance even though her opponent was much more consistent. Personally I would have taken Britnee who was much better throughout the battle than Melissa who only hit one great note.

19. Stevie Jo (Team Usher): I would have given Stevie Jo the win too, but mostly by default. Instead of both advancing, if I had the decision, I would have been content with both going home.

20. Delvin Choice (Team Adam): There were a few times this season where I would have been content if both would have been sent home, this was at the top of that list. If one had to advance, I guess Delvin was the right, I hate to do this, choice, because it sounded like Caleb Elder was singing “I’m a man.” Seriously, how do you mess up the lyrics in the title of the song?

21. Cierra Mickens (Team Shakira Usher): It is interesting that Shakira put Ciera and Emily together because for both singers I liked their Blind Auditions but wondered if I liked them because they picked songs that are hard to screw up. I did not like their Battle Round, but again, I wonder if it had more to do with the song selection, Brave is kind of boring and bland and there really is not much you can do with it. I guess I will have one more round to figure out if I like either.

22. Emily B (Team Shakira): Basically what I said about Cierra applies here.

23. Jake Barker (Team Usher Adam): I am surprised anyone wanted to Steal him, let alone all three. Grated it could have been very well that only Adam wanted him and Shakira hit her button because she always has to press her button second and Blake, well Blake just did it to irritate Adam. But in a season filled with unworthy four button pushes, it is only apropos that there was also an unworthy three button Steal.

24. Ryan Whyte Maloney (Team Blake): Yeah, not that surprising a dude singing What’s Love Got to Do with It got montaged. Oh Blake, what were you thinking? The Shields Brothers are the only dudes that should sing that song.

25. Jake Worthington (Team Blake): I have long assumed that performances get montaged because they were not good, if that is the case, I wonder how bad the montage Battles were that they did not shown so this Battle was. One of the worst Battles the show has ever aired.

26. Deja Hall (Team Shakira): Winning the least entertaining (shown) Battle does not make me think she will be going much further.

27. Josh Murley (Team Adam Shakira): Not the most head-scratching Steal ever, but you have to wonder what Shakira was thinking unless she has started to use the philosophy of the other coaches to treat their Steals like fodder. But that would be weird for Shakira whose best performer last year was a stolen artist. She would have been much better off stealing Alaska and Madi.

28. Christina Grimmie (Team Adam): Montage win… yawn.

29. Dani Moz (Team Shakira): There was a Battle last season when it seemed pretty clear that Shakira picked someone based solely not on who she thought was better but on the assumption that someone would steal the loser. I wonder if that was her thinking with Dani and De'Shawn Washington because my jaw dropped in shock when she picked Dani. Did she think just because Blake and Usher thought DeShawn won (Adam was indecisive) that one of them would steal him? If that is the case she may be overtaking Christina as the worst coach on the team.

30. Music Box (Team Shakira) Usher): I am all for pseudonyms, but Music Box does not work for a singular person. But this is not a reality show trying to find the greatest nom de plume, and her voice was way too over the top the whole time and was the main reason why this was the worst Battle of this round. And for the first time in the history of the Steal, Blake was not the coach who made the dumbest Steal of the season.

31. Kristen Merlin (Team Shakira): So after her big pitch to her two country artists that she secured this season was that Shakira would bring in Miranda Lambert to mentor them, they ended up montaging their battle. Alrighty. Maybe Miranda was not that good of a mentor.

32. Megan Rüger (Team Blake): Montage win… yawn.

As I always do, it is fun to see who has the strongest team. So I rank each contestant, giving one point to last place and thirty-two to number one and add up each team and here is how they stack up after the Battle Round:

Blake – 148
Adam – 148
Usher – 132
Shakira – 100

After the Blind Auditions, Shakira had a slight lead and now way at the bottom. It certainly did not help that she does not have anyone in my top eight. Bad pairings, bad picks, and some bad song selections did not help her. It is amazing that she got anyone to steal one of her artists when Blake was not poached once. Blake jumped from third to tied for first with Adam who was fourth and far behind after the Blind Auditions. Adam did have the best of the lackluster steals this season. But who care what I think? Here is how the iTunes buyers rank the Battle Round winners (and Steals) by how high they charted in the top 1500. I also included Blind Auditions that charted during the Battle Round to give you an idea of who may have some staying power this season.

1. Madilyn Paige (142)
2. Josh Kaufman (168)
3. Sam Behymer (266)
4. Kristen Merlin (371)
5. Jake Worthington (399)
6. Jake Baker (429)
7. Christina Grimmie (450)
8. Madilyn Paige – Titanium (455)
9. Stevie Jo (457)
10. Bria Kelly (459)
11. Clarissa Serna – Zombie (501)
12. Dawn and Hawkes – I’ve Just Seen a Face (507)
13. Kaleigh Glanton (507)
14. Christina Grimmie – Wrecking Ball (603)
15. Dawn and Hawkes (597)
16. Sisaundra Lewis (611)
17. Jake Worthington - Don’t Close Your Eyes (634)
18. Josh Kaufman – One More Try (742)
19. Kat Perkins (943)
20. Clarissa Serna (1111)
21. Morgan Wallen (1193)
22. Audra McLaughlin (1291)
23. Dani Moz (1314)
24. Bria Kelly – Steamroller Blues (1397)

The first thing I noticed from the iTunes list is how many contestants did not even show up in the top 1500: only 17 of the 32 advancing made the list. For comparison, last season 27 charted somewhere including three in the top 100. If you count the Blind Auditions, 36 songs charted sometime during the Battle Rounds. The second thing that jumped out at me was how high Kristen Merlin charted being montaged. Sure there have been a few that were montaged during the Battles that charted fairly high, Cassadee Pope made the Overall Top 200, last season, Holly Henry made the Top 100 Pop Charts. But those two had good selling Blind Auditions, Kristen’s Battle Round song charted 300 spots higher than her Blind Audition. Kristen even out charted Christina Grimmie despite the latter being touted as a YouTube star. I guess when your fan base is used to streaming your music for free, they are not that inclined to buy it. But it did help make Team Adam have 6 of his 8 member on the chart. Shakira only had three, even worse; one of those was the montage Kristen so six of her contestants who performances in full did not make the top 1500. To give a better idea of who is the most popular this season, I took the average of how high their first two songs charted and here is how those artists rank.

1. Josh Kaufman (152)
2. Madilyn Paige (158.5)
3. Chistina Grimmie (261.5)
4. Jake Worthington (269.5)
5. Bria Kelly (292.5)
6. Dawn and Hawkes (310.5)
7. Sam Behymer (408.5)
8. Stevie Jo (480)
9. Kaleigh Glanton (495)
10. Kristen Merlin (529.5)
11. Jake Barker (591.5)
12. Clarissa Serna (598.5)
13. Sisaundra Lewis (675.5)
14. Morgan Wallen (688.5)
15. Kat Perkins (697)
16. Audra McLaughlin (771.5)


Again, not an impressive showing compared to last season where 23 of those advancing to the third round had both their songs make the top 1500. Also, number one on this list, Josh, would have been the fourth highest on last season’s list behind Holly Henry who did not even have her second performance aired. Making things worse, last season had to compete with multiple marquee albums that come out in the fall, there still has not been a big name album to come out this year so far so you would think it would be easier to chart.

Now it is time some spoilery talk. The Battle Round II preview spoiled almost all the pairing except four, but two of those could be figured out by process of elimination, so there are only two Battles that are completely unclear (but can be assumed because of like genres). Looking at the Battle Round II match ups, some coaches made some dumb matchup because some of the higher iTunes charters are going up against each other. The other coaches may be wise to do some stealing, but I fear they will just go with more fodder. Here is the match ups, I listed who I think will win first and ordered the teams with how confident I am with my picks

Team Adam
Christina vs. Sam (S to Shakira)
Josh vs. Delvin (S to Usher)
Dawn and Hawkes vs. Kat
Jake vs. Brittnee (interesting that Adam would have his two stolen artists going against each other)

Team Blake
Sissaundra vs. Biff
Audra vs. Megan
Jake vs. Tess
Kaliegh vs. Ryan

Team Shakira
Clarissa vs. Dani (S to Adam)
Emily B. vs. Kristen
(Here are the two that are unclear but I am assuming these are the matchup based on similarities; again it will be odd that Shakira is pairing her two stolen artists)
Ddendyl vs. Deja
Patrick Thompson vs. Josh Murley

Team Usher
Melissa vs. Music Box
T.J. vs. Ceirra
Morgan vs. Stevie Jo
Bria vs. Madilyn (S to Blake)

So thanks to Usher and Adam, four of the top seven best selling singers on iTunes this season will be going up against each other. Since Bria is getting a major push (she closed out two episodes including the season premiere which is what I consider the pimpiest of the pimp slots) she is likely to win and despite being montage, I would still consider Christina the favorite in her second Battle (though it is entirely possible she got the Holly Henry treatment this season: heavily featured in first promo, early four chair turning Blind Audition, late Battle Round montage, out in the third round). If that is the case, that means the coffeehouse singer contingent, which has done fairly well on the show, especially iTunes, will be completely gone. Hopefully I am either wrong or coaches actually use their Steals wisely on Madilyn and / or Sam otherwise the show may see another dramatic drop in the rating again this season. I do not think it is a coincidence that the rating went way down the last two season when the coffeehouse singer fan favorites Caroline Glaser and Holly Henry went home prematurely. But the thing is as the ratings tanked the last two seasons as the show went on, the overall view ship stays mostly the same meaning the show is getting progressively older, much like American Idol in its middle seasons. Of course few people, young or old watch that show anymore these days . If The Voice keeps eliminating fan favorites before they can vote for them, they may quickly match American Idols in the ratings sooner than later.