Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (3/10/13)

And then it was Spring Break.  The kids have the week off but I have a full week of work ahead - the days of school being completely closed seem far in the past.  No plans this year for the break - Christian has baseball games and practice every day (coming off a 3 game victory streak to win a Tournament this weekend), Caleb has practice (still getting ready for baseball and his soccer team has put together some recent victories) and Dee continues to practice her dance.  Today is a bit of catch up for the Tivo and if the rain holds, maybe nap, and then some baseball practice tonight.  In the meantime, looking over the lunch options while I get ready to head to the gym.  And having some deep conversations with Miles and Desmond while I listen to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

PEARL JAM - ALIVE.   Back in 1991 when I heard Eddie wail "Son, she said . . . " I knew that I was hearing the next evolution of the Grunge movement.  I was aware of Mother Love Bone before but this debut of Pearl Jam and their "Ten" album was a more traditional rock effort than the Nirvana punk rock influences.  This song combines great lyrics about the singer finding that the man he thought was his father wasn't his biological father.  I like the music here but I just keep coming back to the gravely raw angry voice that Eddie brought to the scene.  This still ranks among my favorite 1990s songs.

ERYKAH BADU - BAG LADY.  Taking a little trip back to 2000 this morning, y'all.  I love the "Mama's Gun" album.  And this was the song that got me into that album.  It's still a classic of the last decade.  I love the message too - that she can't begin a new relationship because she has too much "baggage" from her previous relationship.  Her advice is to pack light and good things will happen.  "Let it go, let it go, let it go . . ."

RONNIE MILSAP - DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU.  In that late 1983 and early 1984  timeframe, Ronnie was dominating the Country radio.  I'm really in love with "Stranger In My House" but I knew of this single then too.  And it shows up on a Greatest Hits package I picked up from the library years ago.  It's a decent single - captures those days - but you'll have to look elsewhere for Ronnie's best.  It gets much better.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . .  Always interested in putting hockey fights on here but this one ended with a real knockout!!!       And if for some reason, hockey violence isn't your thing - try this awesome behind the back ping pong shot.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . .  Bobby Rogers was one of the founders of The Miracles before it was even Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.  He was one of the most important singers for Motown that isn't always a household name.  Hear him on "Shop Around" and on the seminal "Tracks Of My Tears" . . . I thought her name was actually Ann Romano not Bonnie Franklin for many years.  She was a great actress for that part.  In recent years she was on "Hot In Cleveland" and had a run on "Young and the Restless" recently . . . Van Cliburn was a big deal.  Maybe a bigger deal around here in the DFW area.  He was the premiere American piano player of our generation.  If you don't know him - YouTube him playing Tchaikovsky from the late 50s and early 60s.  It's amazing stuff. . . .Dale Robertson was the last host I remember of "Death Valley Days" . . . Hugo Chavez died and there really isn't much to say about the crazy man and his wacky outfits . . . 

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST FISH OF ALL-TIME

10.  SARDINES.  Not the salt heavy ones from the can that I used to eat on crackers.  But get some at the fish counter - they're from the Pacific Northwest usually.  You can take these little guys and put on a light breading and they're tasty.  Good in a salad too.

9.  HALIBUT.  Haven't had it in a long time but it's always one I tend to order if it's on a menu.

8.  BASS.  Either from a fresh lake in Michigan or a Chilean Sea variety.  It isn't the healthiest but it has good flavor from that fat!

7.  BLUE GILL.  One of the first fish I ever caught.  And it's a tasty pan fried fish over a campfire.  Want to have a good camping night - let's bring a bucket of blue gills.

6.  RAINBOW TROUT.  Used to eat this one from the Great Lakes all the time.  Don't find it around as much - especially here in Texas.  Best served simply fried up in a pan.

5.  TUNA.   Give me the Toro at the sushi place, let's have a tuna steak with veggies and I'll put it in just about any kind of salad (without the mayo please - try it with mustard)

4.  CATFISH.  This is the shakiest of all fish dishes.  You are taking your chances when ordering at a restaurant.  It can be a flaky tasty fish.  Or you can get a fish that tastes like a shoe and you're burping up fish taste all day.  Done well you are rewarded.  Play some fish roulette.

3.  SMELT.  These are on here for my Nana Bourdo.  On a Summer night, she would fry up pounds and pounds of smelt.  These tiny fishes you break open and take out the spine and eat.  Dipped in flour, fried in butter and salt and peppered.  You ate as many as you could hold and the cats lined up all day knowing they'd get the leftovers.  I have such vivid memories of those nights and times that I almost will never be able to eat these again.

2.  SALMON.  Like most fish at the top half of the list - it has lots of uses.  It's good in sushi, with bbq sauce and with lemons and veggies.  It took me years to learn to love it but now I'm always looking for a new way to try it.  If you have a choice - get the Alaskan varieties in place of the Atlantic versions.

1.  TILAPIA.   Not the healthiest - but healthy.  And really not a ton of varieties.  But why is it my current favorite?  Because of all the things you can do with it.  The mild taste lends to putting all kinds of interesting sauces and add ons with it.  In the hands of an accomplished cook - it can make a meal that will melt me.  The Maxey Tilapia is on my need to eat list.

Leaving off shellfish because that might have to be a different list itself.  And it would dominate this list.  I'm a huge fan of fish.  Part of it growing up in an environment of lakes and part of it watching my cholesterol and weight.  And it just tastes great.  The worst fish?  Really don't understand the appeal of caviar.  Nor what good a Grouper is.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . .  Vanessa Redgrave stars in this British import that's been getting "Downton Abbey" type of positive feedback.  Watch CALL THE MIDWIFE (Series 1) now . . . for a long time, I used it as the butt of many movie jokes, but GHOST DAD isn't nearly as bad as it sounds - used to watch it on HBO all the time . . . and just found that one of my favorites is on Watch Now - THIEVES LIKE US is an underrated Robert Altman film from 1974 starring Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#342 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day
#495 - Parenthood
#990 - Scary Movie

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The BUFFY project.   I feel like I took a long break from this project just as I was getting to the end of Season 4.  So I buckled down to finish up the two parter - "The Yoko Factor" and "Primeval" to finish out the Adam story.  I like that there was an overreaching story to this season and I've grown used to the transition to college in a way I didn't expect to like.  The increasing Angel crossover means I need to get back over to finish Season One there to be even in both.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#45   B-52's - B-52's (1979)

I didn't catch up to this album until about 1981.  It was like getting a 40 minute party on vinyl.  They often get put under the New Wave label.  But much like the Talking Heads, they approached their music with a Punk vibe.  They brought something to music that I hadn't really even considered at the time, kitsch.   I love the call and response dynamics of the group - the girls vs the guys really works here.  There are merely nine songs and they all are very entertaining.  Fred, Cindy, Kate, Keith and Ricky made a unique combination that captured something that is always needed and makes a top 45 album - fun!!!

Previous Rankings

#46 - Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)
#47 - Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)
#48 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
#49 - Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (1986)

#50 - Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove (1978)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

BIGGEST LOSER (NBC)  My favorites are hanging in there.  But I was a little underwhelmed by Makeover Week.  This week starts with five contestants and quickly gets us down to the Final Three.  And the Finale is just around the corner.  I've really enjoyed the season despite not having my usual BL mojo.

HINDENBURG: THE LAST FLIGHT (ENCORE)  I with this two part miniseries wasn't on a channel that I don't normally subscribe to because this is a historical event that always fascinates me.

TUESDAY
HELL'S KITCHEN (FOX)  This show enters Season 11???  I haven't watched a whole season ever - it's the type of show I seem to able to drop in and out of comfortably.  I'm in a cooking mood lately, so I might need to get some food time in with this season.

NEW GIRL (FOX)  It's been a decent season - not up to first season standards.  But this newest Nick and Jess coupling isn't doing it for me.  But I think that they had to go somewhere like this with the show.  Might not be enough to save the show for next season.  Fox is tough on comedies.

WEDNESDAY
THE AMERICANS (FX)  I messed up, right?  I should be watching.  Going to check Tivo to see if there's a marathon on the horizon.  Hulu, you got me?

FOOD PARADISE (TRAVEL)  Fajitas in Texas, Chimichangas in Arizona and the best tamales in San Diego.  Mmmm.  I'm salivating.  Who wants to go get some nachos?

THURSDAY
COMMUNITY (NBC)  I missed this show.  It's not what it was but it's still one of the highlights of my week.  Chang back with his Changnesia as Kevin is making me laugh.  More on that subplot this week.

ELEMENTARY (CBS)  The mid-season change to make Watson more of a "partner" was a great move and the show has found a new strength that will get it moving into the end of this season and the start of next.

FRIDAY
THE WIZARDS RETURN: ALEX VS ALEX (DISNEY)  I'm conflicted.  I was a huge fan of the show mainly because of my kids.  For the years of their preteens and early tweens - it was our Friday night tradition - fish sticks and Disney TV.  Those days ended almost exactly when the show ended.  And now it returns and it may just me by myself watching it.  

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY (SHOW)  Love him or hate him - I'm curious to see how he's portrayed in this doc.  With a title like that - I don't expect it to be completely serious.

SATURDAY
TOO CUTE! (ANIMAL)  As far as I can tell, this is like a long version of the Puppy Bowl with puppies roaming around.  Tonight is a Great Dane puppy!!!

SO GRAHAM NORTON (BBC)  In case you missed this past season - tonight is a fun Best Of for Season 12.

SUNDAY
COLLEGE BASKETBALL - BIG 10 TOURNAMENT FINAL (CBS)  Based on how the past few weeks of this Conference has gone - this could be a really, really interesting weekend and the final should be amazing.

GIRLS (HBO)  Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham cowrote the season finale tonight.  I'm cheering for Hannah at the end of the season.  I think it'll be interesting to see how they focus on the multiple stories for a Season Three.  I expect a contraction of characters and much more of a Hannah focus.

JOHN FORD'S IRELAND (TCM)  Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with one of the best Irish directors of all-time.  Not exactly "Irish" history but I do love John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in Ford's THE QUIET MAN.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . . not sure there are many ads currently getting me excited.  Or I'm just not watching enough shows at 3x speed.  So, maybe this is a good place to pull out some classics for some of the new viewers. . . 

First a long one with the great accent of Robert Carlyle and the awesome history of Johnnie Walker . . . 

And then the great fun of Darth Vader playing golf . . . 

And a flashback first to Smurfberry Crunch (not a bad taste but embarrassingly bad commercial) . . . 

And I forgot until someone mentioned it this week how refreshing Five Alive was . . . 

"Walk talk in the name of love 

Before you break my heart

Think it over, think it over

Roll it over in your mind."  - B-52's

Dance this mess around.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (3/3/12)

March is upon us and 2013 has started to look slightly better.  The crazy busy times of January and February is coming slowly to an end.  Basketball season is completely over and March brings Spring Break for the kids and at UNT, so I'm actually looking at a few two day weekends in the next month.  Yesterday was a longish day for NT Preview - but not as long as Inventory the week before.  The boys had baseball practice all week but no games.  Christian will play again this coming weekend.  Just a baseball practice this afternoon - so hopefully a little lunch and some quality time with Tivo who's been ignored for the past couple weeks.  Right now I'm looking for all my tax forms to get that done and listening to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

BADFINGER - BABY BLUE.  I became a fan of Badfinger in the mid-80s.  I think I always mistook their music for other bands - including the Beatles.  This Todd Rundgren produced song sounds like one that he might have done on his own albums.  Apple Records didn't have much to do with marketing the band at this point but the song has managed to find a semi-life on Classic Rock stations.  Glad this ended up on my iTunes through some 70s compilations.

HERBIE HANCOCK - MAIDEN VOYAGE (LIVE)    This jazz classic is from 1965.  I'm not sure the source of this live version because it's off a lost copy of the Hancock Box Set.  I won't embarrass myself by trying to say anything about the music.  It's off one of my favorite jazz albums of the 60s - all about going to sea in a boat.  This is the first track - so I'm assuming it's about the boat leaving port.  And it's just cool.

LITTLE RIVER BAND - YOU'RE DRIVING ME OUT OF MY MIND.  This was the end of the line for LRB.  It was late in 1983 and I barely remember this song but it was enough of a hit to appear on their "Greatest Hits" album.  It is about rock bottom for their hits.  Not sure I even remember it anymore - I had to look back at the iTunes to even remember what the title of the song is.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . .  Obama actually used the term "Jedi mind meld" in a press conference about the Sequestration   and  the new Facebook Timeline design for later this week is already in use in New Zealand

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . .  C. Everett Koop might be the only Surgeon General I can name and that might only be because of his Civil War era beard . . . Paul McIlhenny was the CEO of Tabasco for a long time.  You might think you wouldn't necessarily recognize the CEO of a tabasco sauce company but this guy was in their ads and I know I've seen him in at least 4 different food shows on the making of the sauce . . . Scott Clark was one of the steadier artists in the Wildstorm bullpen for a long time.  Recently saw some new work of his in "Grifter" - still was plugging along at the time of his death . . . Raymond Cusick designed the awesomeness of the Daleks back in the mid 1960s.  I don't know much else about him but what else did he need to do? . . . 

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST ZOMBIE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (as of today)

10.  DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004)  Zack Snyder pulled off a great Romero tribute that kinda outdoes the original if only for the money spent on the effects.  A promising start to Mr Snyder's career.
9.  THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW (1988)  Bill Pullman has actually been in a role or two where he wasn't the President.  It's a good role for him and the zombies here aren't all over - they are more localized.  Decent, forgotten film.  Director Wes Craven doesn't get enough credit for coming through with a cool zombie flick here.

8.  LAND OF THE DEAD (2005)  Zombies or not, this film was going to be awesome because Dennis Hopper is in charge of the few remaining living folks.

7.  VERSUS (2000) I'm fuzzy remembering this film - but I know I loved it and I think they were zombies and not just demons, right???  I have to give the Japanese some undead credit in this list.
6.  RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)  "They're back from the grave and ready to party".  This is a time machine movie for 1985.  It's definitely in the category of movies that I remember more fondly than they actually are upon reviewing.  But as far as zombies go - you'd do worse.
5.  PONTYPOOL (2009)  This film makes the list because it's another film that takes a unique take on the zombie world.  This is a scary world and even though the film gets out of whack towards the end - it's still on e of my favorites.

4.  28 DAYS LATER (2002)   Danny Boyle is a great filmmaker.  It doesn't matter what genre he's doing - he does it with panache.   Great idea to finally do away with those old man slow zombies.

3.  SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)  Just what the genre needed was this kick in the pants - the start of the rom-com-zom film genre.  Edgar Wright understands what we love about zombie films and didn't let us down.  But this type of humor was just what was missing for decades.
2.  NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)  This was my first and maybe a 1A instead of #2.  This used to air on PBS on Saturday nights all through the year.  It was one of the first films I taped on VHS and wore it out.  Still just as creepy.  "They're coming to get you, Barbara."
1.  DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)  Not the first zombie film I ever watched but the one I've probably watched the most times.  Romero has it all working here - the gore, the social commentary and the perfect setting of a Mall.  I was so fascinated with this in my youth and it still holds my attention today.  If you know someone just getting into the genre, point them in this direction. ASAP.

This list will have changed by tomorrow.  I first recall being aware of the zombie film genre in about 1983 or 1984.  It instantly became a top favorite of mine.  There have been some lean times but now we are positively in the hey day of the undead films and TV shows.  Who knew that a zombie tv show AND a show talking about the same zombie tv show would be among the highest rated shows on all of tv.  Not included are medically reanimated folks like FRANKENSTEIN or REANIMATOR or demon possession like EVIL DEAD.  Ones that didn't make it because I haven't seen them - DEAD SNOW, DIARY OF THE DEAD and the whole RESIDENT EVIL set.  I would have loved to have included two TV shows - "The Walking Dead" (obviously) and the UK zombie spectacular "Dead Set".  The worst?  I AM LEGEND?  and the remake of THE CRAZIES?  

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . .  LOUIS C.K.: LIVE AT THE BEACON THEATRE is all new material.  Well, it was new in 2011.  But it's still Louis material - not all of which made it into his show . . .  AMELIE is great on so many levels - it looks great (the cinematography) and the actors (Audrey Tautou) and you can watch all the time now . . .  HARDWARE is a really cool robot film with Dylan McDermott and Iggy Pop and it's very stylish and if you think you like "different" films this belongs in your vocabulary.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#455 - X-Men (2000)
#799 - The Spy Who Loved Me
#800 - Broken Arrow

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The SAMURAI 7 project.  It took a new friend pointing me in the direction of this 2004 anime series to realize it's based on Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI.  Of course it is (insert head slap) and I have no idea why that didn't kick in before.    I started the 26 episode this last week and after some late nights, I've just passed the halfway point.  It started out a little weird but now that we're back in the village and the battle is just starting - I'm way into it.  I like the different take on the Kurosawa film yet keeping the same themes.  Favorite characters so far - Katsushiro, Kikuchiyo (the cyborg), and the lovely Kirara.  So glad this was brought to my attention.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#46  Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)  I gave some press to this album when I did my double album list a few weeks ago.  It's been a road trip staple for many years - especially in the long road voyages of the 1980s on cassette.  So many of the last few albums have consisted of only 8-10 songs, really strong songs.  This double album has 26 songs.  I can't tell you that all 26 are the strongest.  But this album is about the story.  It's got one of the more coherent stories of any rock opera that you'll hear.  The building of the Wall and the tormented feelings inside the Wall you've built are palpable.  I love the Syd Barrett references throughout and yet the story goes beyond just telling his bio.  This band is at its best when Roger Waters is writing inspired music and lyrics and David Gilmour is playing guitar with material that he believes in.  This might be the last moments when these two truly worked together.  Tempted to get in the car for a two hour drive just to make my way through it again tonight.

Previous Rankings

#47 - Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)
#48 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
#49 - Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (1986)

#50 - Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove (1978)
#51 - Steely Dan - Aja (1977)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY
THE BIGGEST LOSER (NBC)  It's makeover week with Tim Gunn.  It used to be my favorite week of the season.  But it's hard to come up with new ways to surprise their families.  Everyone knows it's coming - like the "meet the family" episodes on "Survivor".

LA SHRINKS (BRAVO)  When's the last time you stopped on this channel?  This new reality show takes you into the offices of four LA therapists - of all the places with crazy people, this might be the best.

TUESDAY
WILD THINGS w/DOMINIC MONAGHAN (BBC)  For all the times that the description of this show has tickled me, you'd think I'd have watched it.  But nope.  This week - giant honeybees.  Woo!

GOOD NEWS (TCM)  Never seen this 1947 film but I like the description of "A college comedy with a football hero, a librarian, a vamp and a cutup."  A cutup!!!

WEDNESDAY
KIM NOVAK: LIVE FROM THE TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL (TCM)  Robert Osborn has a one hour interview with one of my all-time crushes.  And you get a four pack of her best films afterwards including PICNIC and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.

THE AMERICANS (FX)  Now after a few weeks, everyone wants to step up and say this is a good show.  Where were you when I could still have DVR'd the first episode???

THURSDAY
COMMUNITY (NBC)  The Dad Of The Year?  It's James Brolin again, this time as Jeff Winger's dad in this slightly delayed Thanksgiving episode.

FREAKSHOW (AMC)  At first I just knew this as the show after COMIC BOOK MEN.  But I'm extra curious about these folks and I think it's time to watch this week with fire-eaters and tattooed Marcus reconnecting with his daughter.

FRIDAY
GRIMM (NBC)  It's back.  I guess I didn't want to watch it that bad if I didn't know it's been off the air for a while.

GREAT PERFORMANCES (PBS)  First hour is on the making of The Beatles' MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR and the second hour is the restored version of the film.

SATURDAY
RIPPER STREET (BBC)  I know, I know.  The Tivo is yelling at me.  I'm going to start it this week.

WILD HEARTS (HALLMARK)  How old am I?  Rick (not Ricky) Schroder stars and directs his daughter in a Western.  I'm old.

SUNDAY
GIRLS (HBO)  Started out slow - thought it picked up - not I'm not sure I even like the show anymore.  Uneven season that's been good for Lena Dunham but bad for the supporting cast.

SHAMELESS (SHOW)  The show seemed like it was running out of gas to start this season. But unlike "Girls" it go going and now it's back in the "totally wrong" groove.  Enjoying all the wrongness in the middle of this season.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . . who's going out for Taco Bell with me on Thursday???  Hola!!!

Been fascinated with robots lately a little more than normal.  I was reminded of this Adobe ad from a while ago.  Too good.

And Geico is back at it again with this hilarious happier than Dikembe blocking a shot ad (check out the great shot of the kid getting his cereal blocked) . . . 

"Hey you! out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old, can you feel me
Hey you! standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles, can you feel me."  - Pink Floyd

Don't give in without a fight.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (2/24/13)

Just when the year started looking a little better - I had to end it with Inventory.  That meant a long day on Friday and even longer day on Saturday.  That prep work means I missed a few of Christian's baseball games (not terrible since it was like 40 degrees all week) and Caleb's last basketball game yesterday.  Which was a victory!  Also, he started soccer yesterday with a tie.  Crazy.  I did manage to wedge in 2 baseball practices and 2 basketball practices for Caleb.  We've got a basketball team party this afternoon and a baseball practice.  Hopefully the week ahead lightens up a bit.  March on the horizon!!  Looking outside at the fence that isn't there still - when are they going to start building the new one? - and listening to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

P.M. DAWN - A WATCHER'S POINT OF VIEW.    It's the first single that I heard of Prince B and Doc G. in 1991.  They would blow up quickly after this with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" but I had this one on a compilation and it was enough to know that there was something very interesting about this group.  The song samples one of my favorite Doobie Brothers songs that not many people remember - "Feelin' Down Farther".  I may even like this more than "Set Adrift" and "Looking Through Patient Eyes".  Solid single to get my morning started.

JOHN WILLIAMS - HARRY'S WONDEROUS WORLD.  It doesn't have the cultural significance of "Hedwig's Theme".  But I'm a huge fan of this piece from HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE.  But it was a tough year to be nominated for Oscar for movie scores as he lost to Howard Shore for LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP.  I need to fill in the iTunes gaps in my Potter scores.  But this is one that always brings back the best memories.

ZZ TOP - SHARP DRESSED MAN.   This used to just be one of those 1983 songs that I enjoyed for what it was - a decent video and alright guitar riff.  And now it dominates again as the theme from "Duck Dynasty".  I guess it's meant to represent men with long beards.  I liked many other songs on their "Eliminator" album better than this.  But you can't deny the catchy lyrics and guitars.  Simple song but doesn't fit this morning's other tunes very well.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . So Ann Coulter got booed during a debate with John Stossel. Insulting Libertarians and making crazy statements about gay marriage.


DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . .  Jerry Buss was the majority owner of the Lakers going back to the Showtime days.  Always respected the way the man ran his team even if I wanted the Pistons to beat them every time.  I also loved the trivia that he lived in Mary Pickford's old mansion . . . Elspet Gray was a British TV actress that you'd recognize if you like the best shows that the BBC has to offer.  She was in "Fawlty Towers", "Blackadder" and "Catweazle" . . . Damon Harris joined the Temptations in the early 1970s and you know his voice on "Papa Was  A Rolling Stone" and "Superstar" . . . Mindy McCready took the cowards way out.  I liked some of the songs off her first couple albums but drugs and alcohol seemed to rob from her voice the past couple years . . .  Tony Sheridan was one of the early Beatles and has an interesting story.  He was responsible for much of the rockabilly sound of the early Beatles.  This isn't the first time he's died - he was reported dead during the Vietnam War too.  But this one seems more final. . . Lou Myers was Mr Gaines on "A Different World", other than that I only remember him as Clint in TIN CUP. . . "What do you want on your Tombstone" was a great ad campaign in the 80s and with the death this week of Pep Simek who created the cardboard thin frozen pizza. . . .

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

WORST GRAMMY MISTAKES OF ALL-TIME

10.  STEELY DAN - TWO AGAINST NATURE (Best Album 2001).  C'mon, Grammys.  This won over Radiohead - OK Computer and Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP.  True it would have been going out on a cool limb to award either.  But Steely Dan is two decades too late.
9.  MILLI VANILLI (Best New Artist 1990)  Because this was later revoked it doesn't rank higher than #9.  But even if they weren't faking it - you pick them over Neneh Cherry, Indigo Girls, Soul II Soul and Tone Loc???
8.  HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH (Best New Artist 1996).  Just ignore the huge new release from Alanis Morissette in 1996.  And nothing will ever happen for that Shania Twain.
7.  A TASTE OF HONEY (Best New Artist 1979).  Sure I like me some "Boogie, Oogie, Oogie" but as disco was starting a three year death knell, these ladies won over Elvis Costello and The Cars.
6.  JETHRO TULL - CREST OF A KNAVE (Best Hard Rock / Metal 1989)  And Metallica with their "And Justice For All" album release sat there with mouths agape as Jethro Tull walked up to accept the award for a category I don't think they even knew they qualified for.
5.  CREED - WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN (Best Rock Song 2001)  I don't know that there were many other good choices in a year full of some crappy rock.  But certainly it wasn't this one.  I would have gone Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication" or even Lenny Kravitz "Again".  But Creed???
4.  ERIC CLAPTON - LAYLA (UNPLUGGED) (Best Rock Song 1992)  An unplugged version of a song that was mostly famous because of it's electric guitars.  And it beat out maybe the most important song of the decade - Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"!!!  Kurt just couldn't take it . . . 
3.  YOUNG MC - BUST A MOVE (Best Rap Performance 1990)  Sure it was catchy.  But first you might look to Tone Loc's "Funky Cold Medina" and the big change brought on by De La Soul's "Me, Myself and I".  But even if that doesn't do it for you - how about the ground breaking Public Enemy "Fight The Power".  What a mistake.
2.  CHRISTOPHER CROSS - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (Album Of The Year 1981)  I love this album, I won't deny.  But look around and you see Billy Joel "Glass Houses" and Pink Floyd "The Wall" just to mention a couple albums that should have beat it out.
1. NEW VAUDEVILLE BAND - WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL (Best Rock and Roll Recording 1967).  Sure you've never heard the song.  And it beat out Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" and Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" and two albums full of new Jimi Hendrix songs. I could have lived with Monkees "Last Train To Clarksville" or Mamas and the Papas "Monday Monday" winning.

Not that I generally expect the Grammys to be the measure of what great music is - much like the Academy Awards don't represent the "best" movies of any year.  This list is just a way to show some frustration when common sense seems to fly out the door.  I don't have a Best Grammy mistakes.  Generally I think they do a good job capturing a decent pick with Best Album and Best Song these days.  It's still interesting to see the terrible track record for Best New Artist and some of the genre categories.  Saw part of this years and it grades out to a big meh in general.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . Some good ESPN docs have shown up this week - GOING BIG is the man chosen in the NBA draft ahead of Michael Jordan.  Sam Bowie is usually the butt of jokes but this puts him in perspective . . . BENJI is about the boy who appeared he would go on to be the next Michael Jordan when he was in High School in Chicago but was the victim of a tragic shooting.  Good details on a story that I only barely remember . . . MAKE ME SUPERHUMAN is a fun Nat Geo special that explores exoskeletons and other add-ons that can help give us mere humans superhero like powers.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#223 - Pirates of the Caribbean:  Dead Man's Chest
#985 - Sleepy Hollow
#1056 - Titan A.E.

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The BREAKING BAD project.  I've been off of this show for too long.  I was a couple episodes in when I took a break.  I picked it back up this week and finished Season One.  I'm to the point where Walter has shaved his head and the drama over distributing the Meth has gone to another level.  I can see where through just 7 episodes that we are building a Universe with multiple levels that will be able to go another 50 episodes and build upon what happened here to start.  I'm excited about the series and want to rush through it and at the same time I want to savor it.  The 13 episode arc of Season Two is calling me.  The power of Netflix?  There are three times as many people watching the show now as back in 2009 when this was airing.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#47 Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)

Weeks ago I raved about "52nd Street".  But before Billy released that excellent album, he hit his stride with this masterpiece, "The Stranger".  I wasn't too aware of him at the time of this release but by 1980 I would discover all these songs.  It's merely nine songs but they all have a linked feel.  Joel took to telling a story with each song.  And it is a revelation.  I'll say this here that will apply quite a bit to the next 46 weeks but there isn't a bad song on this album.  Songs like "The Stranger" and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" show off Joel's unique vision of New York and the suffering he did trying to pursue his music.  And he's at his most romantic with "She's Always A Woman" and "Just The Way You Are".

"Well we all fall in love / But we disregard the danger"  tells me all I need to know.

Previous Rankings

#48 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
#49 - Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (1986)

#50 - Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove (1978)
#51 - Steely Dan - Aja (1977)

#52 - Prince - Dirty Mind (1980)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY
CASTLE (ABC)  Despite what I say - I keep going forward with it.  A little by little.  Only anxious for this week so we can meet Castle's dad - James Brolin.  

THE BIGGEST LOSER (NBC) I understand the theory of a weight loss show addressing the idea of fears.  But are we stretching just a little bit by bringing in sharks?  NBC, I am starting to understand why you are the 5th highest rated network.

TUESDAY
PARADE'S END (HBO)  This has lots of keywords that intrigue me - World War I, miniseries, and Benedict Cumberbatch from "Sherlock".  I love that it's described as challenging to the viewer.  I'm willing to pay attention to this UK based story.

ROBOT COMBAT LEAGUE (SYFY)  There are a cadre of crazy shows on this network.  I'm fascinated by robots - those living regular lives, those working, homeless ones and even these fighting Transformers.

WEDNESDAY
DUCK DYNASTY (A&E)  Season 3 starts tonight!!!  Need I say more.  It's one of those shows that no one seems to admit watching and yet when I slyly reference a line from the show I get knowing smiles.

ARROW (CW)  Deadshot is back.  This season is starting to wear me out - seems that the 2nd half has started to repeat itself.  But I'm down for Season 2 to see where it goes in the DC Universe.

THURSDAY
PARKS AND RECREATION (NBC)  While NBC goes down the toilet - is it too early for me to ask for a Andy and April spinoff?

ARCHER (FX)  Been a decent season, some disappointing moments but still worthy of laughs.  Looking forward to this week's guest appearance by Anthony Bourdain.

FRIDAY
SHARK TANK (ABC)  Home tattoo removal device?  Eww or "let me fix this quickly" device?

PORTLANDIA (IFC)  The 11 episode 3rd season comes to an end with a blackout in Portland.  And my crush on Carrie Brownstein since the Sleater Kinney days will have to take a break until next season.

SATURDAY
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (TCM)  This comedy is epic.  And award winning.  If you don't know David Niven and Shirley MacLaine as comedic actors - you gotta see this.  And a late appearance by Buster Keaton and Marlene Dietrich.

STORAGE WARS (A&E)  With so many shows on Sunday night - why the hell is there nothing on Saturday nights?  Except the "Ripper Street" I'm recording but not watching yet.  At least there's always the fallback of a marathon of bidding on crappy storage units.

SUNDAY
ALL-STAR CELEBRITY APPRENTICE (NBC)  The new season starts and as much as I will hate myself - I'll be watching mainly for Gary Busey and Rodman.  Ugh.  Not proud of myself.

VIKINGS (HIST)  I slept on "Hatfields and McCoys" but I'm a pretty big fan of Vikings in general - just not the Minnesota brand.  But this is a series not just a mini-series.  Not sure I can commit to anything else on Sunday nights.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . . Nike takes a different tack and I just don't know.  Kobe as the Black Mamba is something that they just don't want to give up on.  And his shoes are like snakes???

I love vampires.  And they each fruit crunchy granola bars?

I forgot to give love to this Volkswagen ad a few weeks ago.  It's not just the crazy cat lady and all the YouTube idiots that they brought together.  It's the Jimmy Cliff song that gets me going.  Spread a little love, my friends . . . 

"I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you"  - Billy Joel

Someone loves you just the way you are.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (2/17/13)

Survived another week of 2013.  That's pretty much the goal of the year so far.  Valentine's Day came and went relatively painlessly.  We're into the crossover of sports.  Christian is fully into baseball season and has done well at his first scrimmages.  Caleb is still ending basketball (a loss yesterday, ugh) and starting baseball practices (Dad is coach again).  The weather is holding today and we'll have a baseball practice in the late afternoon today.  Busy week at work next week getting ready for Inventory next Saturday.  Today is catching up on some Tivo and my workout before heading outside.  Right now I'm figuring out if we have all the "Young Justice" episodes we need to catch up and listening to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

RADIOHEAD - PUNCHDRUNK LOVESICK SINGALONG.  This is from the "My Iron Lung"  EP album. "A beautiful girl can turn your world to doubt" is what I think it says.  It could be "dust" but either way it's Thom nailing the imagery.  I still think he was a couple years from perfecting his writing but there is some of it on display here.  This 1994 song wouldn't really enter my life until I got it on the extended CD release of "The Bends".  Decent song overall but not one that would make your Top Twenty for the group.

RITA COOLIDGE - ALL TIME HIGH.  Was this OCTOPUSSY song perfect for 1983?  Yes.  The Bond films did it best when they went with a great voice and ignored current trends in music (not that I'm complaining about getting Duran Duran to do a theme song).  This is a very underrated song from the Bond genre.  It's kinda timeless and fun.  I love her voice - "We'll take on the world and win . . ."

ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - EYE IN THE SKY.  In 1982, I didn't know any of you that read this blog on a regular basis.  There may even be some that read this that weren't even born then.  But for a few of you - I feel like we're connected by an unspoken love for this song.  I know Mattie and I are on this song.  It's not the greatest Alan Parsons song and not off their best album.  But it is part of anyone's consciousness who remembers 1982.  If you had the album - the "Sirius" track that precedes it is awesome.  It's that much better named after the George Orwell novel, "1984".  

SOMETHING RANDOM . . .  Stephen Fry helped get a couple together for marriage on Valentines Day.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013 . . . Mark Balelo from "Storage Wars" committed suicide.  I don't even want to dignify that with a joke . . . I don't know where Tim Dog has been since 1991 but he's known for his "F*ck Compton" song best and his work with Ultramagnetic MCs and now he's dead . . . Shadow Morton had a cool name and he wrote some of the great girl group songs like "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" and "Walking In The Sand" . . . W. Watts Biggers was a writer but I know him best as creator of Underdog.  That and tons of other characters like "Go Go Gophers" and "Tennessee Tuxedo" just to mention a few. . . 

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

By request . . . BEST CASTLE CASES OF ALL-TIME

10.  A CHILL GOES THROUGH HER VEINS (S.1, E.5)  It was early on in the series but here was an episode that told me it was going to be worth the run.  Castle uses his skills from writing to solve the case, the two are at each other through the episode and Alexis and Castle have their laser tag games that are so cute.
9.  A ROSE FOR EVER AFTER (S.2, E.12)  It's a fun wedding mystery that plays out like an Agatha Christie novel.  But it's Alyssa Milano as Beckett's "one who got away" as the bride who steals the show.  And we finally get Beckett to admit some jealousy after she witnesses a kiss.
8.  THE DOUBLE DOWN (S.2, E.2)  I loved the game that was set forth when Ryan and Esposito made a bet as to who could solve their murder first.  It shows off the great supporting characters and the game of solving the murders was so fun.
7.  THE BLUE BUTTERFLY (S.4, E.14)  The series had started to devolve to gimmicks by Season 4.  But this film noir episode really worked and I love the inspirations of the alternate characters that let our favorite characters do something new and fun.
6.  UNDEAD AGAIN ( S.4, E.22)  I had been told to look forward to getting to this episode.  And few episodes usually lie up to that promise.  This one delivered.  Great mystery of a guy turning into a zombie.  One of my favorite memories of the show.  And little did I know my enjoyment of the show would be so close to ending.
5. TICK, TICK, TICK (S.2, E.17-18).  A two-parter came along at a good time for the show.  It's got a serial killer, Castle's books being optioned to be movies and Dana Delaney as FBI agent that adds some perfect spice to the mix.
4.  LAST CALL (S.3, E.10)  The mystery of 150 year old whiskey and Castle buying a new bar and Billy Joel's "Piano Man".   It's as fun as the stories get in the whole series.  And a good mystery to boot.
3.  ALWAYS (S.4, E.23)  It's part of the overall great story of finding the killer of Beckett's mother.  It brings that storyline around to a darker place.  But it is also is known as the episode at the end of Season Four that brings out lovers together.  It was a long time coming and I'm undecided it that's the moment the show ended for me.  But love won out and Castle was my favorite this last Summer when it was about love.
2.  KNOCKDOWN (S.3, E.13)  It's known as the first kiss episode.  But there are huge developments in the Johanna Beckett murder that set forth lots of important stories the rest of Season 3 and Season 4.
1.  KNOCKOUT (S.3, E.24)  Everything came to a head here - it could almost have been a series finale type of episode.  It solved mysteries from the previous three seasons and put a nice button on it with a cliffhanger to get us to Season Four.  Shootings, betrayals, and a ton of clues to the murder of Beckett's mother.


Worst episodes?  I could just start a list of most of Season 5 as it has become one similar episode after another.  All gimmicks up to this point.  But before that there were some clunkers showing up in Season 4 that pointed towards this happening - "Heartbreak Hotel" with all the Elvis impersonators didn't have that humor that I expect from the show.  And I thought they wasted the start of the season with "Kick The Ballistics" starting up after the end last season's shooting of Beckett.  All of a sudden, they cast Castle as a jilted boyfriend - it was a terrible plot point and glad they got past it quickly.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . still haven't got around to watching UNITED 93 but I keep hearing good things about it.  I guess after all these years, I can get around to it . . . 

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#192 - GoldenEye
#431 - Die Hard 2
#839 - The Town

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The EC project.  I'm still working my way through their War Comics - I'm on the 2nd volume of "Two Fisted Tales".   The series only runs 24 issues and I'm about 8 issues into it.  Lots of Korean War stories dominate but they are still haunting today.  I wish I would have been exposed to these stories when I was much younger - there is a wealth of great story and art here.  Harvey Kurtzman is amazing.  Think I'll look into "Shock Suspense Stories" next.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#48  Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)

Dre had just left NWA over some money disputes and while everyone knew that Ice Cube was destined for stardom - I don't recall people talking about Dre's ability to be a star.  And then this album hit and it changed the game again.  It took the edge off the Gangsta Rap genre by bringing back the deep G-Funk sound.  And then it launched the career of Snoop Dogg too.  These mellow laid back beats described the title of the album perfectly.  And it was instant love.  It was so hard to turn away from these songs when they hit in 1992 and 1993.  This wasn't an album to write home about but it's still all about the beats . . . the George Clinton "Atomic Dog" samples, James Brown's "Funky Drummer" and Leon Haywood's "I Wanna Do Something Freaky With You" on the "Nuthin' But A G-Thing".  Still sounds so fresh today.

Previous Rankings

#49 - Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (1986)

#50 - Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove (1978)
#51 - Steely Dan - Aja (1977)

#52 - Prince - Dirty Mind (1980)
#53 - The Stooges - The Stooges (1969)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

BUNHEADS (ABCFAM)  I've yet to watch an episode of this "Gilmore Girls" meets dancing show but my little Dee loves it and watches it the next day - something that doesn't even happen with "Glee" anymore.   Maybe it's the cute young guys I see on the ads that have something to do with this?

ADVENTURE TIME (TOON)  More of the gender switching universe with some Neil Patrick Harris as the male Princess Bubblegum and Donald Glover as the male version of Marceline.

TUESDAY

MINDY PROJECT (FOX)  Mindy's first kiss was with a young Seth Rogen at Jewish Summer Camp - he's back in her life again tonight.  I think this show has potential but I still give the chance at renewal and around 50%.

WINGS (TCM)  The first Best Film Oscar of all-time went to this silent film in 1927.  A great decade for film and this is one of the best - showing off lots of WWI era aviation dog fights.

WEDNESDAY

ARROW (CW)  I'm finding that the stories that don't involve Oliver are becoming the most interesting.  I like this feud slash love slash business relationship with the Mom and Malcolm.  So many questions.

AMERICAN IDOL (FOX)  How quickly I fell off the AI bandwagon.  I was caught up through most of the auditions.  But now I'm behind the Vegas week and not sure I'm going to even catch up through the Hollywood round that starts tonight.  Ten perform and five are eliminated.

THURSDAY

ARCHER (FX)  I'm still in love with this show.  But am I starting to feel like they've explored most of the stories that they can?  Archer is bitten by a snake on his you know what - taken from other shows?  But I'm sure their take will be hilarious.

GLORY HOUNDS (ANIMAL)  Two hours following Afghanistan based canine units and their bonds with their masters.  I'm not sure that even I can make it through this without my share of Kleenex.  I'm a sucker for service dogs.  And war based dogs are the most touching.

FRIDAY

OUT THERE (IFC)  This animated comedy uses the voices of Fred Armisen and Megan Mullaly is all I need to hear.  This network rarely lets me down.  Caught up with last couple seasons of "Portlandia" and becoming slightly obsessed.

HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (TCM)  This 1941 film with Claude Rains and Robert Montgomery is one of the first "feel good" movies I remember seeing.  Great stuff.

SATURDAY

STORAGE WARS (A&E)  Some of us need a long vacation where we can sit in a hotel room with a SW marathon and a really big bottle of bourbon.

ON THE WATERFRONT (TCM)  Warm up for the Oscars tomorrow with a Best Picture winner from 1954.  Marlon gets all the attention here but I love some Eva Marie Saint too (Best Supporting Actress!).

SUNDAY

THE 85TH ACADEMY AWARDS (ABC)  I had the best intentions of getting out to see all the Best Picture nominated films in January and February.  Didn't work out so well.  I'm maybe the least interested in this batch of awards than any in the past 4 years.  In fact, the 2009 awards was probably the last time I was really into it.  I'll try again next year.

GIRLS (HBO)  Slightly interested in this season - more than when it started.   Anxious to see how Rosanna Arquette works out on the show - she's always been a weird favorite of mine.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . . The R.I.F. (Reading Is Fundamental) ads of the 70s and 80s were great but they can't hold a candle to this ad.  It should be running on a loop in every library in the country . . . 

This Nike ad tells a great story and does everything but make me want to buy shoes.  One of the ads I missed adding to my Best Of 2012 list . . . 

And here's the extended version of the Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd ad from the Super Bowl.  Like an outtake on a DVD . . . 

"But I ain't trippin'
I'm just kickin' it."  - Dr. Dre

Swing down.  Stop and ride.  Stay hard.

sb