Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV(6/30/13)

Another strange week.  Going to be awhile before I get into some kind of pattern.  It was an ending and another beginning.  I'm done with Follett at UNT and I'm started as a B&N employee at UNT.  Getting to know my new cohorts and trying to keep up with everything else.  So, once again, this week the blog is pretty lackluster.  Not up to my relatively low standards.  I'll get better, promise.  The kids are all in a break of activities for a few weeks - so you are spared those updates.  Today, I'm headed out to the Rangers game for a hot afternoon at the Stadium.  Excited to see the boys.  So, I have to go get my workout in quickly and then off to the game.  Until then, catching up on the last of the 1st of the month bills and listening to some cool tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

WHAM! - THE EDGE OF HEAVEN.  The final Wham! single isn't their best.  But it was a good transition to the solo work of George Michael.  I've grown to like the song - just not completely familiar with it like the earlier hits.  The most remarkable thing that I take from this is the piano of Elton John on the song - kinda makes you wish they would have done more work together.

BRIA VALENTE - HERE EYE COME.  This is one of the better tracks off her debut album, "Elixer" that was part of the triple album set Lotusflower from Prince.  It's got a Janet Jackson meets funky Prince sound.  Really pretty mild R&B - not terrible, nothing I seek out.  I don't know what became of her - I'm pretty sure she isn't associated with Prince anymore.  In fact, until I see the name on iTunes, I'd be hard pressed to come up with her name. 

PAUL SIMON - ALLERGIES.  This single off of Paul's late 1983 release "Hearts and Bones" was probably the first single.  I remember it being pretty big around that Christmas.  It's a largely not remembered album that didn't produce a hit.  This song got airplay but you never hear it on the radio anymore.  Even as a deep cut.  The album has really grown on me - it has some interesting features in that Garfunkel works on some of the songs with him (this after their hugely successful concert in Central Park) and many of the songs are influenced by his ongoing relationship with Carrie Fisher at the time.  Fun little tune that brings back some good memories.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . I hate PepsiMax but I love Dynamo - so, here's Dynamo . . . and is Instagram with video the end of Vine? Likely.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . .  catching up for a couple weeks . . . Bobby Bland, the Hall of Fame, blues singer passed last week . . . the great writer Richard Matheson is known best for "Twilight Zone" episodes "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and HELL HOUSE and the screenwriter of the Spielberg debut, DUEL . . . lots has been written about James Gandolfini - I'll mention to of my most favorites - TRUE ROMANCE and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE . . . Kim Thompson was the underrated contributor to the world of comics as the publisher of the incredible Fantagraphics . . . that falsetto of Slim Whitman was a staple on my Grandpa Miller's record player, his death put some very vivid memories in my head. I can still hear "Indian Love Call" . . .  

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

BEST SUPERMAN STORIES OF ALL-TIME

10.  BRAINIAC (2009)  (Action Comics)  This Geoff Johns and Gary Frank story is one of the few "newer" stories that I've read and I love what they've done with Superman and one of my favorite villains.

9.  ON OUR SPECIAL DAY (2006)  (Superman)  It's part of a larger storyline but it stands alone and is written by the great Kurt Busiek.  It's a rare tender moment between Clark and Lois that isn't too cheesy romantic.

8.  THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN (1992) I think you had to be there when it happened.  Even when you knew what was happening - it was a week to week build up through all the books. Few stories in comics, in my lifetime had that kind of weekly must read tension.  A little hard to imagine for more ADD readers these days.  But great at the time.

7.  SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS (1993)  One of the best Elseworlds stories to come out of that line.  DeMatteis' story has Kal-El landing in Gotham City and being raised by the Wayne family instead of them having a son.  Until the Wayne family is murdered and young Kal-El develops amazing powers.  Fun, fun story.

6.  MAN OF STEEL (1986).  John Byrne told a good fun origin story that become the origin story that all other writers followed for decades afterwards.  Simple by todays standards but it hits all the high points that you know about Superman.

5.  WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? (1986)   Alan Moore writes essentially the Series Finale to the first decades of Superman right before the John Byrne revolution.  Curt Swan adds amazing art to a story that hits right to the bone as we find out Superman's last stand through the eyes of an older Lois.

4.  SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY (2004)  Another Kurt Busiek take on superheroes - where they only exist in books.  But this ends up being a heartfelt love story about superheroes.  It's about a boy named Clark Kent who discovers he has powers that no one else believes exist.  The Stuart Immonen art is a perfect compliment.

3.  ALL-STAR SUPERMAN ( 2008)  Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely capture just about everything I love about Superman.  It's disjointed in places but I'm along for the ride like a little kid.

2.  KINGDOM COME (1996)  Mark Waid and Alex Ross rocked my world.  To the comic core.  This Elseworlds story isn't all about Superman but he's enough of the focus for me to include it here.  This darker tale of an older Justice League being brought together by Superman is a gift that still keeps on giving.  Read it for the first time.  Read it again.  Today.  

1.  SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1992) Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale came right off "Batman: Long Halloween" and did this tribute to Big Blue.  It's like the Art Film take on Superman and it works perfectly.  A little too abstract and symbolic for some readers but mature readers will be rewarded for paying attention.  In my lifetime, there will be a worthy adaptation of this story and it will be the most wonderful thing ever.

Bunch of great stories left off this list.  Feel free to call me out - there are at least 10 other stories that could have been added.  But I don't see anything I'd take off the list.  I'm sure I could come up with some terrible Superman stories for the bottom ten but all that comes to mind right now is a terrible alternate history story about Hitler kidnapping Bruce Wayne.  I think it's "Superman: At Earth's End".

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . the best addition is THE AVENGERS, either if you've seen it or need to watch it again . . . did I mention earlier that ROB DELANEY: LIVE AT THE BOWERY BALLROOM is now on Instant - not for all ages!!! . . . KNUCKLEBALL is a great companion to the 60 Minutes story - this longer doc further examines the most baffling pitch in baseball.  It's a Physics nightmare to explain.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#168  Mullholland Dr.

#702   Fast Times at Ridgemont High

#707  Spaceballs

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   Next week I'll do some project.

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

#31  Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV  (more on this awesome album next week)

Previous Rankings

#32 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

#33 - Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)

#34 - Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989

#35 - U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

#36 - Elton John - Captain Fantastic and Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY
BIZARRE FOODS AMERICA (TRAVEL)  Hanging in LA with some yellow pig-head tamales.  I'd probably eat that.

GIDEON'S ARMY (HBO)  Always tune into HBO on Monday night's in the Summer for their docs.  This is the story of three young public defenders in the South - trying to balance good cases with paying off student loans.

TUESDAY
TABOO USA (NAT GEO)  Woman that collects zombie dolls to the extreme.  And the fact that she'll never find love???

EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS (ABC)  Married couple with twins.  He's 362lb and she's 290lb.  They start the weight loss journey together.

WEDNESDAY
THE SOUP (E!)  I forget to watch this but then when I come across it I remember how much it cracks me up.  Joel McHale is a funny, different personality on this show.

THROUGH THE WORMHOLE w/MORGAN FREEMAN (SCI)  Scientists are actually working on a way to hack into people's brains to read thoughts and memories.  I knew it.

THURSDAY
NATHAN'S FAMOUS 4th OF JULY INTL HOT DOG EATING CONTEST (ESPN)  My Joey fixation continues.  I'm predicting 68 dogs to tie the record.

ELEMENTARY (CBS)  A repeat but one of the better mysteries of the season.  The suspect in the murder has an alibi - she's in a coma.

FRIDAY
OUTRAGEOUS ACTS OF SCIENCE (SCI)  A marathon of the cool science for everyman show.

THE 400 BLOWS (TCM)  This Truffaut film belongs on your Movie Lover list.  And it's on tonight w/out commercials.

SATURDAY
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS (PBS)  Steve Miller Band plays the Blues.

KEY LARGO (TCM)  One of the best Bogart films - John Houston directs a pretty gritty drama.

SUNDAY
COPPER (BBC)  Haven't watched this season yet, but I'm so glad to see it there on Tivo.

PICNIC (TCM)  This is a Labor Day film on just after 4th of July.  But it's also one of my Top 200 Films.  A perfect way to chill on a Saturday night.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  happier than a camel on Wednesday.  This guy is brilliant . . .

"I wanna wake you from your dream
I wanna know just who you're talking to
When you're singing in your sleep."  - Guster

Find out what it means.  Stay hard.

sb