Best Music of 2008

I can't believe it's time once again for a year-end best of list. Time sure does fly. A lot happened in 2008 - historic election, a deepening recession, Britney's supposed comeback - and the list goes on. Whatever you feel about this past year, I think we can all agree that a lot of great music was made. The following are my favorites of the year.

Albums:

10) Robert Plant and Allison Krauss, Raising Sand - I bought this album, not knowing what to expect, after hearing "Killing the Blues" on JCPenney ads early on in the year. My favorites turned out to be "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" and "Please Read the Letter." Krauss has the voice of an angel and compliments Plant's gruff vocals and raw style.


9) John Mayer, Where the Light Is (Live) - I'm a huge Mayer fan and have been since his debut album. While this live set lacks some of his earlier work, it does a good job of capturing the energy and true musicianship that Mayer brings to the table. The nine-minute version of "Gravity" alone makes this an album worth remembering.


8) Taylor Swift, Fearless - It's no secret that I have some qualms with Swift, especially when it comes to live vocals, but this album is full of great songwriting and catchy hooks. Some of the lyrics are a little trite, but credit her for writing or co-writing every track on the album and remember, she is only eighteen. "White Horse," "Fifteen" and "The Best Day" are among my favorites on this album.


7) Flight of the Conchords, Flight of the Conchords - So, I'm cheating a little on this pick because I didn't actually buy the album, but I've seen all of the episodes of this duo's show on HBO, own the DVDs and watched as many of the live concerts on YouTube to know that the songs are absolutely hilarious. All must bow down to the awesomeness of "Bowie," "Mutha'uckas" and "Business Time." That's why they call them business socks, ya know.


6) Jason Mraz, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things - I was so happy to hear that Mraz would be releasing his third studio album this year, though a little disappointed that his first single was a re-recording of a B-side from his so-so sophomore effort. But the new "I'm Yours" worked, and actually seemed even more relevant since he'd been out of the spotlight for a while. It also brought some freshness and relevance back to the vocally gifted singer-songwriter. Check out "A Beautiful Mess," "Details in the Fabric" and "If It Kills Me" if you have some time.


5) Gavin DeGraw, Gavin DeGraw - I have some odd hangup when an artist (other than Sheryl Crow) self-titles any album other than their first. I don't know why and I can't explain it - it just irritates me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this album. Like his first, this collection can be listened to and enjoyed straight through. "In Love With A Girl" got me to buy the album, but "Let It Go" kept me listening for months.


4) The Killers, Day and Age - The Killers are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. Lead singer Brandon Flowers is definitely quirky, especially while performing, but that quirkiness does the band well on odd, but extremely catchy tunes like "Spaceman" and "I Can't Stay." I'm particularly fond of "This Is Your Life" and the hit single "Human".


3) Sheryl Crow, Detours - I'm a little surprised with myself that I didn't automatically catapult this album to the top of my list simply because of the Crow pedigree. My one qualm with the album is that it feels like two separate albums - the first half being overly political and the second half quietly introspective. All of the songs are great and the performance on tracks like "Diamond Ring" and "Make It Go Away (Radiation Song)" will break your heart. I would love it if Sheryl would throw her pop sensibilities out the window and make a true grungy rock record next go around.


2) Kings of Leon, Only by the Night - I had never heard of this band until their September 20 performance on Saturday Night Live. I loved what I heard and bought their new album days later. I love this album! It's quiet, but loud, familiarly melodic, but unexpected and full of some great (and naughty!) lyrics ("Your sex is on fire. Consumed with what's to transpire"). "Use Somebody" and "Revelry" are my personal favs. I can't wait to explore their earlier work in the year to come.


1) Coldplay, Viva la Vida - I just don't know what to say about this album other than it's awesome and you should be listening from start to finish once a day like I've been since purchasing it in June. In addition to this album, Coldplay also released the "Prospeckt's March" EP a few weeks ago, which delivers alternative versions to some of the tracks on Viva la Vida and a few others that didn't make the album cut ("Glass of Water!"). This is a fully realized concept album that will surely go down as one of the band's best career achievements. I'll certainly be routing for them when the "Album of the Year" category is announced at this year's Grammy Awards broadcast.

Favorite Singles (in no particular order):

Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis
In Love With A Girl, Gavin DeGraw
Shattered, O.A.R.
Human, The Killers
Live Your Life, TI Featuring Rhianna
I'm Yours, Jason Mraz
Chasing Pavements, Adele
Stop and Stare, One Republic
Broken, Lifehouse
Viva la Vida, Coldplay
Love Remains the Same, Gavin Rossdale
Last Name, Carrie Underwood
You're Gonna Miss This, Trace Adkins
Sweet and Low, Augustana
Nine in the Afternooon, Panic at the Disco

Happy or Scared?

Wait ... did Barack Obama just get elected president or did Godzilla attack the city of Chicago? You decide.

Ka-Ching! ... Not

I will be the first to admit that I know very little about money. I've taken the advice of many and invested in 401K and 403B plans, but in all honesty, I have no idea what they are. I just know what they are supposed to do for me in the future.

What I am smart enough to grasp, however, is that this most recent financial crisis is absolutely maddening. Two days ago both presidential candidates opposed any sort of government bailout of financial giant AIG. By the end of that day, when news was announced that the government was pumping almost $600 billion to bailout AIG, both candidates changed their tune, saying that it was necessary in order for our financial system to survive.

This morning news came that the government is also going to assume almost $500 billion dollars in bad bank debt, which was created when banks practically started giving away mortgages like candy. If you're keeping tabs here, that's $1.1 TRILLION dollars that the tax payers -- yes, that's you and me -- must now pay. Math proof time -- $1.1 trillion divided by roughly 301 million Americans equals about $3,650 extra that we are going to have to pay in taxes to clean up Wall Street's mess. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't have $3,650 just sitting around. How does the government suggest we pay this when gas prices are at record levels, the price to heat and cool our homes keeps rising, a gallon of milk is $4.50, and employers can't even promise to keep up with the COLA - or that you will even have a job next year - due to budget cuts?

This whole system just doesn't make any sense to me - and I consider myself a pretty smart person. Is there anyone in our government looking out for the average American? All I know is that a relocation to Switzerland is looking more and more appealing.

Imaginationland wins an Emmy!

The minute I saw this year's Emmy nominations, I was hoping and praying for the moment when I would hear that Imaginationland, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's brilliant South Park trilogy, was an Emmy winner. Well, that day is finally here. If you haven't seen these three South Park episodes, stop reading this immediately and go do yourself a favor and watch them!

I got the news from this article, which contains quite possibly the best sentence I've ever read;

Our congratulations go out to Matt and Trey and the entire South Park team for their win for the "Imaginationland" episode, which at press time marks the first time in Emmy history an award was given to a storyline involving one character placing another character's balls in his mouth.

Now, don't you want to watch that?

This is my life

The following is a real depiction of my everyday life:

Me: "So, after all the music I said I wanted to buy on iTunes I just ended up buying Hanson."

Wife: [With quite possibly the biggest look of disappointment I've ever seen on her face] "Babe."

Me: "What? I know, I know...But I mean, just listen."

Wife: [Walking out of the door] Goodnight.

Me: "I can't help it. I'm a fan and I'm not going to be ashamed."

Now, I'm just sitting here alone listening to Hanson. What's wrong with me?

Officially Old

I realized tonight a very sad truth that I am no longer young. I suppose one could make the argument that the fact that I'm attempting to "live-blog" the MTV VMA Awards says something about my youth, but what's more telling is that I literally do not understand anything that is happening on this show!

Let's start with the host, Russel Brand. Who is he and why is he hosting this show? All I can say as I watch this show on TV is, "What is he saying?" or "Wow, this guy is saying some really inappropriate stuff about the Jonas Brothers and Madonna." The fact that I'm slightly offended by his attempt at humor is clue #1 that I am getting older.

Then there's the aforementioned Jonas Brothers. I don't really understand why they are famous, though, this is coming from someone who's been a Hanson fan for years. This means that I am being hypocritical just because a younger generation finds the appeal in something I don't and I'm criticizing something simply because I don't understand it, like parents in the 80s criticized hair bands or Miami Vice (thank you Youth and the Media classes at Ithaca). This is clue #2 that I'm getting older.

I consider myself a lover of all music. While rap isn't exactly my favorite music, I can appreciate some of it. Yet clue #3 that I'm getting old is that as Lil Wayne or Young Jeezy (they're both the same, right?) was performing all I could think was, "This is just noise," in the same voice my grandma would say it when I was listening to the Lion King soundtrack.

But, I don't feel so bad about all of this, honestly. See, as I write this, Slash just took the stage to present an award and my lovely wife said, "Is Slash still relevant? I mean, what's up with that hat?" Years ago we probably would have been all over that sh**. Now, we're just two old geezers who need to get to bed because it's approaching 10:15 p.m.

Note: Before I could save and post this, Pink took the stage to perform her new song, So What. The final clue that I'm not as young as I once was is that I thought to myself, "Hmm, I could get into this song," but then changed my mind after she stuck her tongue out and made a fart noise at the end of her song. Apparently, I found that wildly inappropriate.

Laughed Until I Cried

I remember being one of the only people in middle and high school who thought Norm McDonald (of SNL fame) was funny. I would quote his David Letterman impressions with my friend Nikki ("Uhhh, ya got any gum?") for hours. I dare you to listen to "Tex Hooper" from his CD Ridiculous and not laugh out loud.

Well, apparently, the following series of video from Bob Sagat's Comedy Central Roast proves that I'm still among a very small group of people who think he's hilarious. I think the other comedians up on stage get the joke, as well as some savvy audience members. But what's even more humorous is the uncomfortable awkwardness felt by many in the room.

If you watch this and can't contain your laughter at least once, we should really be hanging out more.

Me, Yearbooked

Through the most amazing piece of web programming ever, I was able to yearbook myself through time. Some of these images almost made me pee my pants, and one is eerily scary to one of my dad's yearbook photos. I apologize in advance for any nightmares the following images may create.

1952
1960
1970
198019881998
2000

I'm not sure why I ballooned in '98, but luckily I laid off the ham sandwiches long enough to have a decent picture in 2000. Please yearbook yourself and share it in the comments. I may need a good laugh while I'm at work.

My top 10 things about Los Angeles

I recently visited the cozy little town of Los Angeles and so many wonderful things happened that I felt it necessary to share the top 10 reasons why I love L.A. Think of this post as you would a Media McNuggets post, but replace media with Los Angeles. And begin...

10) The Elephant Bar is in L.A. and is home to what the wife and I like to call, "the big f*cking brownie." Enough said.

9) Where else can you see Kal Penn enjoying a light lunch outside?

8) Apparently Fantastic Sams is the most popular place for haircuts and everyone in L.A. knows it. What a crazy town!

7) The Coffee Bean is cooler than Starbucks, however, it won't be a true battle until Dunkin Donuts increases their presence in the city of angels. Seriously, where are all of the Dunkin Donuts?

6) Pebbles lives in L.A. and makes phone calls like this..."Mommy, I've been watching Cast Away on TBS all day and I can't find the clicker. Please come home. Love, Pebbles."

5) No one actually works at the Wendy's in Silver Lake, CA...and no one seems to care! Luckily Arby's has two employees to make up for it.

4) No matter how many times you've seen it, the Hollywood sign is still exciting, even if there is an ugly tower right next to it.

3) Just sitting on the beach can be more entertaining than a movie, especially when you see cavemen children throwing sand at and spearing birds, two grown men "wrestle" each other for an hour in the ocean and a flock of seagulls annihilate a bag of Frito's.

2) The Rachos Las Lomas exists and is a beautiful place to have a wedding. If only the wild birds and growling Bengal Tigers would be quite long enough to let the bridal party finish their speeches. As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!"

1) Somewhere on this page is the name of a Martian who traveled to Earth during the big bang explosion/a living, breathing Tom-Tom navigation system posing as a narrator of the Griffith Observatory's Centered In the Universe planetarium show. "Welcome to your hooooooome."

My trip to L.A. was truly bananas!

Follow me on Twitter

I'm trying out some new (well, new to me) technologies and I want you to join me! Follow me on Twitter as I provide short updates on what I'm doing during the day.

What's the point of this, you ask? Well, there really is no point other than it's a fun way to know what I'm doing. When I need a break from work, I'll post. When I'm on my way home from work and I think of something funny, I'll post, via text. When I'm taking a twosie and I have my cell phone near me, I just might post! I'll still be blogging when I have the time, but my Twitter feed just might be the perfect thing to tide you over between posts. Pretty soon, I'll own the Internets!

Leave Me Alone, Please

On behalf of my wife and I, This post is for all of those waitresses and waiters out there, especially at The Olive Garden, who too frequently visit our table while we are eating to see how we are doing and if we need anything else. Trust me when I say that we are fine and if we are in dire need of something, one of us will track you down the next time you walk by. If we didn't need a new soda or extra cheese on our Tour of Italy or shrimp fettuccine two minutes ago, odds are we are not going to need it now. I find it extremely frustrating when I am trying to have a pleasant conversation with my wife and I am continuously interrupted with, "Is your food okay?" Do you really have that little confidence in your food that you must ask repeatedly if we are enjoying it? Should I be worried about my food for some reason? Did it fall on the floor or is it laced with some sort of narcotic? If so, then we have a whole other issue that needs to be addressed. I'm fine! Leave me alone, please, and let me and my wife eat in peace. Thank you.

Oh, one more thing. We would like you to visit our table at the end of the meal to give us our check so we can leave and finish our errands. See, we sort of expected you to be visiting our table every minute on the minute, so when you disappear for 15 minutes after we are done eating, we get a little frustrated. To summarize, come less often during the meal unless you see that we need something - in that case just bring it and don't feel the need to converse with us - and come more often at the end of the meal to get our plates off of the table and give us our check. Geesh!

UPDATE: Dear Olive Garden waitress, If you belong to this group, please disregard this open letter of hatred and accept my sincere apologies.

UPDATE #2: Boy, did I have some spelling errors in that post. They have been corrected. I hope this doesn't hurt my street cred with the literary circle in academia.

10 Piece Media McNuggets - They're Baaaaaack

By popular demand (ahem...Chris) the Media McNuggets portion of this blog has returned. Savor every bite because, like the McRib, who knows when they will return.

10. Budget cuts forcing you to cut back at the office? Just be glad you don't work at the following office:
9. Don't you just hate it when you are almost blinded by a defective thong? The following quote pretty much sums up this story: “I was putting on my underwear from Victoria’s Secret, and the metal popped into my eye. It happened really quickly. I was in excruciating pain. I screamed. That’s what happened.” Riveting.

8. This list of 100 new classic movies of the last 25 years was a pretty good read, though I'm disturbed that Forrest Gump and American Beauty, two of my favorite movies from the 90's, are absent from the list. I think the editors at Entertainment Weekly are forgetting that Forrest Gump was the Oscar winner for best picture over their number one choice.

7. So, a whole bunch of girls at a high school in Massachusetts made a pact to get pregnant so they could raise their children together. Another reason why Juno is ruining our society.

6. I try to resist the temptation to blog about Britney Spears, but when a picture like this exists in the world, how can you not?

5. Something about the following animated GIF is out of place, but I can't quite put my finger on it.


4. I could probably fill this entire list with SNL Digital Shorts. In case you missed it, here's one from earlier this season that made me laugh. Fred and Sharon would be so proud.

3. This is for all of the men out there. I began crying with laughter after number 9 and it just kept going after that.

2. The trailer for Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman looks amazing. Let's hope it's more like Moulin Rouge in style than Pearl Harbor.

and the #1 McNugget is...

1. Viva La Vida by Coldplay. Do yourself a favor and buy this album. It's a huge step forward for the band, as if they needed to take another step forward. If you can't afford the whole album, download Lost!, Yes, Lovers In Japan and Strawberry Swing (assuming of course that you've already purchased their most successful single Viva la Vida.) Since I can't link to the album for your listening enjoyment, how about the Sonic ad for Mac?

That's all for this week. Maybe next week the McNuggets will return meatier and juicier than ever.

The Other U.S. Open

When I think of the U.S. Open, I immediately and only think of the obvious tennis tournament held in late August in Queens, NY. You know, the one Roger Federer has won for the past four years? Well, out of complete boredom and perhaps because of all of the golf-themed Father's Day cards I was perusing the other day, I tuned into the U.S. Open golf tournament for the first extended period of time in my life and I have to say I enjoyed it.

After a while I started getting just as excited as I do during tennis tournaments. Of course, I know just enough about golf to understand and enjoy what I am watching and who doesn't know about the legend of Tiger Woods? I've willingly tuned into some tournaments to watch a little of the action, but it was never as exciting to me as it was last night.

Tiger's back nine play on Saturday night seemed nothing short of mastery. Battling an injured knee and tee shots deep in the rough, Tiger's "comeback" started to reminded me of Pete Sampras' epic battle with Alex Corretja in the 1996 U.S. Open. After hearing the roar of the fans when Tiger eagled hole 13, it was impossible not to feel excited. I even started thinking that I may need to start taking some golf lessons so I can enjoy the game more. Maybe for the time being I will just try to master Wii Golf.

I always wondered why Father's Day and golf seemed so synonymous - now because of the U.S. Open tournament, I understand.

The Forgotten Art of the Transition

This video is just too damn funny. This guy must study the Ron Burgundy style of news reading, where he literally just reads everything on the teleprompter. I wish there was a follow up video of the next day at the office between the co-anchors.

These Hard Times

I don't often write about politics or the state of our Union, but with things going the way they are in this country, it's hard to sit by and say nothing. I just heard on The Nightly News that many professionals in the energy and oil business strongly believe that gas prices will hit $6 a gallon, at least, by the end of this summer. That is ridiculous.

Because of the rise in oil prices, American Airlines has decided to charge for any checked baggage, a service that has always been free. People will no longer be able to travel period if this continues. It's only a matter of time before bus, train and metro prices rise to level of airfare.

Truckers are using cocaine and speed to stay awake so that they can make more deliveries because the gas prices are so bad. So now when we are driving to work (which we soon will not be able to afford) we are at risk of getting killed by a coked-out truck driver trying to deliver cases of oil to Jiffy Lube, whose Signature Service will most likey soon rise to $400 every three months.

All of this while companies like Exxon-Mobile and BP report record profits in the tens of billions! BILLIONS! Yet, Americans can't not buy gas. Even if we take public transportation, it takes gasoline to get a bus or train moving. No one is proposing a viable alternative to oil as an energy source. Why? Because oil makes people ridiculously rich and as long as those people are rich, they will have power...power to keep things running exactly the way they have been and will be for years to come. We need to find a better way to do things before we're all forced to give up entertainment, Christmas, cell phones, general hygiene products, food and Nintendo Wii. If we don't, we are all going to die of ragey-rabies sooner than we think!

Mid-Year Music Checkup

Wow...this has got to be the most unoriginal blog post title to date. Anyhow, 2008 is almost halfway over so I thought it would be a good idea to check in on what's rocked my lobes so far this year. With most of my money going towards gas these days ("Don't get me started, don't even get me started"), I haven't had the chance to buy a lot of music this year. Luckily, Coldplay came to the rescue by giving their first single, Violet Hill, away for free. This brings me to my top pick of the year so far...

1) Coldplay! - I love this band, and from the sounds of the two songs I've heard so far, all of America is going to fall in love with them too (if they haven't already) with the release of their fourth studio album, Viva La Vida. Strings?? Church Bells??? Synthesizers???? Awesome!

2) Gavin Degraw - Not sure about the self-titled album title, but the material on his sophomore effort is rock solid. In Love with a Girl is as hooky, yet lyrically sound as ever, but the hidden gem on this record is Let It Go.

3) I'm Yours by Jason Mraz - If you bought Mraz's second album on iTunes in 2005, you likely know this song. It was included as a bonus track and among the better songs on the entire album. Remixed and with a more upbeat tempo, it's now the lead single on his third album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. Somehow the lyrics are more fitting now then they were when the song was originally released.

4) Sheryl Crow - I've blogged enough about Sheryl this year, but this album is definitely worth purchasing. Some of you may be shocked that she only lands at #4 on this list. To be honest, I've stopped listening to the CD and it's only been three months! I think I listened to it way too much the first month and needed a serious Sheryl break. I promise I'll start listening again soon. If you don't feel like buying the entire album, at least purchase Diamond Ring and Make It Go Away (Radiation Song), songs that will never reach radio but are definitely worth your hard earned 99 cents.

5) Singles - I'm digging Take A Bow (Rihanna), Sweet & Low (Augustana), Nine in the Afternoon (Panic at the Disco), Falling Slowly (Oscar winners Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova), Stop & Stare (One Republic), Realize (Colbie Caillat), Trying to Stop Your Leaving (Dierks Bentley), Laughed Until We Cried (Jason Aldean), Say (John Mayer), How Far We've Come (Matchbox Twenty).

Things I'm over:

1) Madonna and Mariah. Stop making music, please.

2) The word Shawty (Shorty, Shortie, etc.) in every freaking song! Having that word in your song does not make your song good. Stop using it. Immediately.

3) Taylor Swift. Such a dilemma here - she's a talented songwriter and pretty hot, but has anyone else noticed that she can't sing? Isn't that a problem for a professional singer?

4) Sara Bareilles' Love Song - She's awesome and the song is great, but that doesn't mean it needs to be used in every commercial, movie soundtrack, Valentine's Day highlight package, etc. The song is over. Move on, please.

5) British People besides Coldplay - Corrine Bailey Rae came along and sounded cool. Then Lily Allen, who wanted to be the opposite of CBR, came onto the scene. Then Trainwreck Winehouse won a whole bunch of Grammy's. Now there's Duffy and Adele. They are all the same person and all fighting to sound cool with a throwback sound. Newsflash - you all sound the same, which makes you uncool. How about some originality?

That's it for my half-year roundup. Feel free to leave me some comments and tell me what you are listening too.

A Promise I Couldn't Keep

I know in my previous post I mentioned that I was reinvigorated and ready to blog the night away again. Immediately after I wrote that, something happened that has caused me to reassess my previous statement: I became the proud papa to a beautiful little puppy. I can't go into details about how cute he is because he is currently eating my work socks, but I can attach some pictures and let you judge for yourself how irresistible his little cute face is.




So, in an effort to not make anymore false promises...I'll be blogging again when Thunder (or Thunder-Pants as we like to call him) isn't eating daddy's work socks.

Only Vegas

I've taken quite a leave of absence of late, so I'd be surprised if anyone was actually reading this post. That said, being at NAB this week in Vegas has me re-energized to act my age and blog, consume more web video and audio than my brain can humanly process and start creating interesting and meaningful content that you, my trusty and loyal audience, will appreciate and enjoy.

It's been an interesting week here in Vegas. The past few days I've experienced such things as seeing the executive producers of Lost speak, listening to a network executive ream out someone on his staff for letting a deal fall apart, feeling really good about winning money one minute and then wanting to jump off my 10th floor balcony minutes later for losing all of that money, paying $5 for a Diet Coke, and desperately wanting to go to bed at 9 PM because I couldn't stand the thought of attempting to win my money back and lose it all again. What a week!

If nothing else, I hope this week taught me that it is okay to sit in front of a computer and blog and be all up in the digital scene. That's the way of the world and will be for years and years to come. That means look out for more blog posts -- for about a week or so.

Radio Willmott

I just received great news from my friend Ben Willmott that he will be touring for a couple of dates with musician, singer-songwriter Jesse Harris. Harris is best known for writing "Don't Know Why," the song that made Norah Jones a household name. I know him best for his awesome album The Secret Sun. Tracks 1-5 on that album are essentially the soundtrack of my 2003 summer.

I'm so proud of Ben for his musical accomplishments in such a short time. He is an awesome musician and if you're ever in the New England area you should definitely check him out. If you don't travel to that area much, why don't you check him out on the radio...tonight! Of course, you can always visit his web site or his blog. Man, this guy's everywhere!

Look for Ben's latest album, Rich With Love, due May 30, 2008. And go out and buy some Jesse Harris albums too!

Oscar Tops

I've found that it's really hard to watch the Oscar's when you aren't rooting for any particular movie. It's difficult to get excited about watching someone except an award when you've only seen two of the films nominated for Best Picture, one of which you thought really shouldn't have been nominated. Plus, the whole nominating and campaigning process is becoming way too political for me. It's almost like the winners have been determined months in advance. That said, there were plenty of moments that kept me entertained before and during the show this year. Below are my top five Oscar moments for 2008.

5) Seeing Diablo Cody win for Best Original Screenplay - NOT because I think she deserved to win, because she definitely did not, but because it gave America a chance to see just how much of a trainwreck she is. What was up with that dramatic exit?

4) Steve Carrell getting upset after finding out that he wasn't presenting an award for the gritty, meaningful Best Documentary, but rather for the Best Animated Movie. Anne Hathaway did a very nice job of consoling him.

3) The bazaar exchange between Jennifer Garner, Ryan Seacrest and Gary Busey on the red carpet prior to the awards. Garner looked scared for her life as an obviously drunk or drugged Busey went to hug and kiss her on the neck, while Seacrest had absolutely no idea what to do during the situation. How did Gary Busey even get in there?

2) Oscar's tribute to binoculars and periscopes as well as their moving "awakening from a bad dream" montage. This was supposed to give us a taste of what the show would have been like if if had been affected by the writer's strike. It would have been hilarious, that's what it would have been!

...and my number one Oscar 2008 moment...

1) Jon Stewart having Marketa Irglova from the movie Once come back to the stage and give her acceptance speech after the orchestra cut her off. Her partner, Glen Hansard, used most of the alloted time in accepting the Best Song award and the microphone was cut off as she began to speak. Her speech, which lasted just under a minute was the absolute best of the night:

The fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just proof that no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible," Irglova said during take two. "And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream, and don't give up. This song was written from the perspective of hope, and hope, at the end of the day, connects us all, no matter how different we are.

It's moments like this that make staying up late to watch the Oscar's well worth it.

Ferras Fever

The side of me that is susceptible to hooky pop songs has once again resurfaced! Today, I can't stop humming Hollywood's Not America by Ferras, otherwise known as the lucky bastard who's song was hand-picked by American Idol producers as the sayonara song, as I like to call it. I'm assuming the message of the song is that Hollywood isn't the only place where you can live the American dream, so failing of not making it in that town isn't the end of the world. But, frankly, for a song like this I don't really care much what the message is. All I care about is hearing, "So long, put your bluejeans back on," otherwise known as the hook. I fall for the hook every time! Damn the hook!

The real question is, why does American Idol do such a good job of picking the sayonara song (remember Daniel Powter's Bad Day and Chris Daughtry's Home?) but such a terrible job picking the song that will eventually become the winner's first single (remember, This Is My Now and Believe...didn't think so)? American Idol needs to recruit some new talent to write a song with relevance and a good hook for this year's finale and ditch once and for all those stale songwriters who regurgitate the same song year after year.

That said, I am looking forward to this year's Idol competition. The talent seems much stronger than in year's past and a lot of the contestants are also quite impressive musicians. Let's hope the song in the finale does the eventual American Idol some justice. If not, you can always tune in just to hear Hollywood's Not America every week.

Old Spice, Moon Style

My love for all things Will Ferrell continues with this hilarious batch of commercials for Old Spice done in the character of Jackie Moon, Ferrell's latest brilliant creation for the new movie Semi-Pro. I can't wait for this movie much like I couldn't wait for Blades of Glory and Talladega Nights, especially after seeing these commercials. Enjoy!

Perez Elects Next President

I have officially seen it all in regard to this presidential election. Our society is bordering on ridiculousness when well established news organizations imply that people like Perez Hilton (yes, PEREZ HILTON!!) singlehandedly helped a presidential candidate win the votes of young people and women just because of his endorsement. Here's a newsflash for the media -- just because people use the Internet and like to read about pop culture does not mean that they blindly cast a vote for whoever the author of their fourteenth favorite blog endorses.

Also, newsflash for Sam Donaldson, who has been anchoring the news in some capacity for over 25 years -- The Internet was created decades ago and blogs aren't exactly a new technology. Is it really that inconceivable that Perez Hilton wrote a post about who he endorses for president AND one about a pregnant person -- in the same day!? Do you even know what a blog is?

After watching this video I have decided that I want to crawl in a hole loaded with Flight of the Conchords and How I Met Your Mother DVDs, Cheez-It's, and Sheryl's new album and not come out until this election is officially over. Can't we just have one day - just ONE day - where we don't have to hear how Perez Hilton elected the president or see Tim Russert blow his load all over the Today Show set because this race is just "so exciting?" Please? Ugh, I didn't think so. Hole, here I come.

A "Dynamite" Movie

starring in a movie from the team who brought us

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My new movie obsession! I'm just saying...

Detours, Song By Song

My copy of Detorus has downloaded. My ears are prepared for auditory excellence. My fingers are prepared to type for you my first reactions to Detours, song by sweet awesome song. It's a good day for all. Here goes...

1) God Bless This Mess - Completely stripped. Just Sheryl and a guitar. I wonder if she's playing the guitar here. Her voice cracks a little when she says "God" for the first time. I like that it's not polished. It's raw, which is appropriate for a song like this. Very political. I think she's saying what a lot of us are thinking. There are pieces to this country that are a mess right now. Good intro to the album.

2) Shine Over Babylon - One of the two songs I already know from the album. At first I thought the chorus was lazy, but it's melody gets stronger and stronger with every listen. I'm going to have to study these lyrics! The message here is a lot like God Bless This Mess - we're in need of something positive to overtake the messy, almost degenerate society we've created. There's an interesting instrumental effect in the background of the song that I love, but I can't place what instrument it is.

3) Love Is Free - The second of two songs that I knew going into the album. Very catchy. Reminds me a little of All I Wanna Do from Tuesday Night Music Club. Really good chorus. There's a weird instrumental effect in the bridge that sounds like a Nintendo sound effect when Mario jumps into one of those big round tubes. Distracting. The song makes me happy.

4) Peace Be Upon Us - Worldly instrumentals. I love when she harmonizes with herself. Sounds like an Arabic singer in the second verse. Wonder who it is. Interesting choice - maybe saying that music can bring these two cultures together. The chorus is catchy and the song has a nice beat.

5) Gasoline - Instantly love it. This album takes me back to her Globe Sessions album. I love when she kind of talks and sings at the same time. Sounds like something you'd hear in the 60's and 70's - or the Forrest Gump soundtrack to be more exact. Again, a political song if you couldn't figure that one out from the title. The jist is that we need to free ourselves from our gasoline addiction.

6) Out of Our Heads - Another worldly sounding song. Her voice sounds different here, almost like Madonna. Hmmm, the chorus is very catchy! Wow, I really like this. There is a nice choir singing in the chorus. It sounds like one of those African Freedom songs like Singabahambayo or Siyahamba.

7) Detours - The sound here reminds me of some of the Wildflower songs. Quiet, almost sad sounding. I'm a little iffy on this one. Good song, but it doesn't stand out for me.

8) Now That You're Gone - I love when songs start out with just a beat. Good start for me. This one is a little bluesy, almost R&B if you can believe it. I like the instrumentation in here. There are subtle strings in the background during the chorus and some nice guitar riffs. Not the catchiest song so far, but definitely a keeper.

9) Drunk With the Thought of You - I immediately thought Sad, Sad World, which is one of my favorite Sheryl Crow songs. I love the music in this one. I almost think her vocals could have been a little more distant in this. Maybe my stereo isn't mixing it well. Short song.

10) Diamond Ring - Short, syncopated beats - then the chorus comes and everything becomes elongated. I like the addition of reverb in the chorus. This song is obviously about Lance Armstrong, and her vocals are very raw. She goes hoarse in the middle of the song a little. This is a really good song. The bridge definitely made the song for me. She sings with a lot of raw emotion.

11) Motivation - This album is so good!! This is one of those songs that I instantly like. It will probably be my favorite for the first few weeks and then I won't be able to listen to it anymore. It's not overly political (not that I mind) and not about Lance Armstrong. I think I like it because it will make me think about how she came to write the song - and thinking about Sheryl is always a good thing. This is a fun song.

12) Make It Go Away (Radiation Song) - Not a radio song, but very good nonetheless. You can tell this is a very personal song for her. It's obviously referencing her recent bout with breast cancer. I'm really impressed with the musicality of this album and this song is a good example of it.

13) Love Is All There Is - Good melody to the song. Not too impressed with the chorus, but it's still a good song. Not my favorite. It's going to have to grow on me, which I'm sure it will.

14) Lullaby for Wyatt - So simple and really beautiful. Not overly produced. It sounds as it should - like a lullaby. The lyric is interesting. She talks about the day she is going to have to give her son away to the world as he becomes an adult. Interesting that she is thinking about that now.

Overall impressions - This album is great. Another "front to back" album where you don't have to skip songs. I can't wait to listen more and more to find some deeper meanings. You should go out and get your copy today! Grade A.

Happy Sherylday!

It's Sherylday! How are you going to celebrate? Oh, you're going to go pick up her latest album, Detorus, at your favorite music store? That sounds like a swell idea. See you there.

My First Wii

More than a year after its release, I finally had my first Nintendo Wii experience this past Friday. I haven't blogged about it until now because I'm just finally coming down from the euphoric high Wii's sensory remote and stunning graphics provided. The experience was enough to whet my appetite, but I'm afraid the hunger that is Nintendo Wii will soon resurface in by belly.

I enjoyed a few nice rounds of tennis, all of which I won, and I even bowled a few games, one of which I lost (!) because I embarrassingly lost my spin. I didn't make it through an entire round of golf because I was presented with birthday cake and got distracted, but that too seemed quite enjoyable. I was impressed with how quickly and sharply the system recognized my movements and the sound effects and graphics were just as I expected a 21st century gaming system's to be.

All in all, I'd say Wii-1, Savings Account-0.

Damon's Star Is Rising

Man, Matt Damon is everywhere these days. He was in last year's best picture of the year (The Departed), and had huge success with the third Bourne movie, The Bourne Ultimatum. But I'd have to say that his crowning success of the year is finally sticking it to Jimmy Kimmel by f***ing his girlfriend, Sarah Silverman. Way to go Matt Damon.

miMix - The Sheryl Edition

With the release of Detours, Sheryl Crow's sixth studio album, only a week away, I thought it would only be fitting to feature her as my miMix Artist of the Month -- hmm, that has a nice ring to it. The following are some of my favorite Sheryl songs. I even threw some songs in the mix that Sheryl has never personally recorded, but does have a writing credit on. Enjoy!

Maybe Angels - Sheryl Crow album
Members Only - The Globe Sessions album
Favorite Year - Dixie Chicks' Taking The Long Way album
If It Makes You Happy - Sheryl Crow album
C'mon, C'mon - C'mon, C'mon album
Riverwide - The Globe Sessions album
Somebody Stand By Me - Faith Hill's Faith album
Good Is Good - Wildflower album
Leaving Las Vegas - Tuesday Night Music Club album
Love Is A Good Thing - Sheryl Crow album

Detours Gets Reviewed

Mmmm, the smell of sweet music is in the air. Sheryl Crow's Detours is two weeks from arrival, and from some of the editorials coming out, it sounds like it's going to be a good one! Check out the review below from Amazon.com.

Sheryl also posts that her web site will be revamped as well. Hopefully that means a boatload of Sheryl pics will be posted. Ahhh, the next two weeks can't come fast enough!

Thematically, Detours may not seem like much of a detour to Sheryl Crow fans. Her politics pour out of these songs the way you might expect them to if you caught wind of her epic cross-country bus trip, with the activist Laurie David, to promote environmental awareness months prior to this release. From the quiet, faraway-sounding opener "God Bless This Mess"--a novel in a song--to the catchy but thought-provoking "Gasoline," it's clear that Crow has more on her mind these days than soaking up the sun or having a little fun, à la the Tuesday Night Music Club era. Yet there's not a groan-worthy song on this standout rock/pop/folk/blues album. If the themes are heavy (in addition to the political songs, there's an almost painfully tender lullaby for her son Wyatt and one, "Make It Go Away [Radiation Song]," that touches on her breast-cancer experience), the mood is cathartic, determined, hopeful at times and sad at others. "Now That You're Gone" grabs at clarity through the clouds of a devastating love affair and gets it, and "Peace Be Upon Us" picks apart pettiness and arrives at a wide-minded beauty. George Harrison seems present in some of these songs, especially the more personal ones ("Drunk with the Thought of You," "Love Is All There Is"). And that may be the highest compliment that Sheryl Crow, who seems to admire his gentle soul and shares his big heart, could ask for. --Tammy La Gorce

Boycotting Best Buy

I never thought I'd say this, but I am officially boycotting Best Buy due to their crass handling of Heath Ledger's passing. Now, I am level-headed enough to know that this was most likely an incident concentrated at one Best Buy location posted by one soulless, tasteless, devilish assistant manager and not a company-wide initiative. However, until Best Buy publicly apologizes for their employee's behavior and sends him or her to the fiery pits of hell where they belong, I will refuse to shop there (unless they beat Circuit City to the punch and get some Nintendo Wii's in stock...I mean, damn!)

miMix - 1/23/08

Sorry I'm a little bit late with the miMix this week. Hope you enjoy these songs. I could use some suggestions of songs old and new to put on my next miMix, so comment away.

Jenny Don't Be Hasty - Paolo Nutini
This River Is Wild - The Killers
Fallen - Sarah McLachlin
Girlfriend As Pretty As You Are - Stephen Kellogg
Day You Said Goodbye - Allison Moorer
I Don't Know What It Is - Rufus Wainwright
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room - John Mayer
Fall To Pieces - Avril Lavigne
Selfish Jean - Travis
Thank U - Alanis Morissette

Blast From the Past

This video has been making the rounds on my MySpace page, but I thought I'd also post it here for everyone's enjoyment. This was during my first trip to Vegas at the Luxor with Pete, Tracey, Rachel and Chris.

Highlights of this short video include 1) How angry Pete gets when I say buffet, 2) How angry I get that Pete suggests seafood to eat (even though all I could talk about right before this was eating crablegs) and 3) how the Sphinx at the Luxor looks like a giant penis.

Enjoy!

Biting it down the stairs

Please allow this video to get you through the long holiday weekend. I believe it will be funny each and every time you view it.

Pick Flick!

If only I had the time and motivation to come up with something this brilliant! If you're an Election fan, starring Reese Witherspoon, you're going to love this video.

"Hey, what do Juno?"

I saw my first critically acclaimed movie of the season this past weekend, and I have to be honest and say that it's not all it's hyped up to be. Don't get me wrong, Juno, starring Ellen Page as the titular pregnant teenager, was a very good movie. Page did an excellent job of playing a modern teenager who gets pregnant out of boredom and deserves all of the attention that she is getting for this role. I'm extremely surprised that Jennifer Garner isn't receiving just as much praise for her understated turn as a frustrated housewife desperate for a baby. The art direction and overall tone of the movie was also well executed. I particularly liked the opening title sequence.

All of the good, however, is overshadowed for me by one unexpected bad - the writing! I had very high expectations after reading that screenwriter Diablo Cody has become the go-to writer to capture the voice of the modern woman. I felt like there were moments of dialog that were just so forced and so unnatural that it ruined the movie. Maybe it's because I'm no longer a teenager and am having trouble relating to that world now, but I found it hard to believe that anyone says "wizard" instead of awesome. And when a gas station attendant uttered, "That ain't no Etch-a-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet," I almost lost it, and not in a good way.

I also had a problem with the lack of a dissenting voice in the film. Everyone, including Juno's parents, were pretty cool with her being pregnant at 16. For the movie to feel real to me, it would have been nice to see one disapproving character, one who was genuinely concerned with how life-altering this pregnancy would be for such a young girl. Instead, everyone just thought it was cool.

Don't let my review deter your from seeing this film. It really was a good film. I think it's important that a small film like this has had such a mainstream following. It also really boosts the presence of indie music that, without a movie like this, would most likely go unheard. I guess what I am most disappointed with is the hype. Something so hyped rarely lives up to the expectations you create for it in your mind.

miMix - 01/14/08

Here is miMix for the week. I really enjoyed mine from last week. I listened to it almost everyday in the car. Did you listen? Did you download any of the songs? Leave me some feedback and suggest some songs for future mixes.

Vampyre - Pete Yorn
Slow Dance - John Legend
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Broken - Lifehouse
God Made Woman - Keith Urban
Bottle It Up - Sara Bareilles
Stop and Stare - One Republic
Wasted - Brandi Carlile
You Don't Know How It Feels - Tom Petty
I Know - Fiona Apple