Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (7/14/13)

It's that week - the short work week leading up to my annual trip to San Diego for Comic Con.  I think we're looking at over 10 years consecutive at this point.  Slow week previous and time to catch up a little today.  But I do have to work this afternoon for Freshman Orientation - hand out some flyers and talk to the 1000 gathered folks.  Just time to go get a quick workout in.  No Sunday Morning Tuneage next week - but plan on more posts and tweets than you can handle.  There will be a full link to a summary when I'm done.  Until I have to get out of the house - looking over some new iPad games for travel and listening to some tuneage . . .

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

JUICE NEWTON - IT'S A HEARTACHE.  This used to happen back in the day - the same song was released the same year by two separate artists.  The Bonnie Tyler version became much more popular in the US and set up her later success with "Total Eclipse of the Heart".  Juice had a minor hit with this slightly more Country version.  She'd also have to wait to breakout later in the 80s.  This 1978 single sounds good to me today and I'm surprised it didn't outsell the Tyler version.

"It's a fool's game.  Nothing but a fool's game."

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . Been waiting for Instagram to shoot in horizontal mode - here it is . . .  and I love these really random Netflix suggestions - like you loved 8 1/2 so you'll love 9.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . Douglas Dayton was part of a brother combo that founded most of the stores of my Mall going days - Target, Hudson's and B. Daltons . . . Joe Conley was Ike the storekeeper on "The Waltons" . . . Corey Montieth was Finn on "Glee" and I was quite shocked to see his name come up on deaths of 2013.  I enjoyed his performances and wonder what it will do to the slightly ailing show. . . 

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

BEST FRUITS OF ALL-TIME

11.  RASPBERRIES.  I just don't get enough of these during their season.  They are part of the Rose family and look like a heart.  One of the best fruits to add to cereal.

10.   STAR FRUIT.  It's got a bit of a pineapple taste with a mango-ish interior.  You can even find them at the local Wal-Marts now.

9.  BLACKBERRIES.  The darker the berry the sweeter the taste.  I love these mixed in a salad with other berries.

8.  ORANGES.  Lots of options with the orange and it's one of the fruits that very few people have any trouble with.  Very lovely.  I love the Clementine and Mandarin versions the best.  

7.  BANANAS.  I like a good simple banana and it's a great fruit for cooking - like it in bread and as a banana cream pie.

6.  APPLES.  Like the Raspberry - it's part of the rose family.  And the varieties seem infinite.  Every time I think I've sampled all the varieties - they come up with more.  It's one that I really only like best raw.  Sorry, but pie is okay but not as good as other fruits in this list.

5.  STRAWBERRIES.  I love when it's strawberry season and I love strawberry flavors in my foods.  Great on a salad and in your foo foo fruity drinks.

4.  PINEAPPLES.  Fresh and sweet pineapple might be one of the finest joys of life. There is little to compare.  But it goes well as a juice and belongs in every fruit salad you ever make.  

3.  PEACHES.  I love these Texas peaches.  One of my favorite flavors and they make some of the best desserts of all-time.  A little peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream and you are in Heaven.

2.  BLUEBERRIES.  They've always been a favorite of mine.  Just eating them raw is my favorite way to consume them.  It doesn't hurt that they are about the healthiest of all fruits too.

1.  CHERRIES.  It's cherry season right now and I miss my Michigan sweet cherries.  It's my go to fruit and my comfort food of choice.  A cherry pie is food love for me.  True food love.

Here's a secret - I like fruit better than vegetable.  There are few fruits that I don't like to eat.  There are some great ones that are safe flavor-wise but don't make the list like grapes, kiwi, plums and mangoes.  The worst?  Probably some weird ones that I haven't tried.  But the most overrated - the apricot is just not that great a fruit.  It's relatively bland in original state and doesn't make a good flavor addition to anything.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . HIT & MISS is an awesome series with Chloe Sevigny from the "Shameless' creator Paul Abbott and one of my favorite shows last year . . . I still have yet to see the Ken Burns doc PROHIBITION but I can delete it off the Tivo because it's here for free.  Understand "Boardwalk Empire" better too . . .  and EXPENDABLES 2 is probably a ton of fun and a total fun waste of time . . .

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#142 - Dawn of the Dead
#185 - Some Like It Hot

#336 - Brubaker

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   The BUFFY project.  Making my way through Season 5.  I was a little taken aback by the sudden introduction of a "sister" for Buffy - Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg).  But I did enjoy the double Xanders in "The Replacement" - it's a fun story with monsters - just why I love the show.  I'm still 60 hours away from finishing the series and then to get around to the "Angel" episodes. We'll see how this season goes - I'm really only tired of Riley - can we ditch him yet?

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

#30  NEW ORDER - POWER, CORRUPTION & LIES (1983)

For this album, I'm including the extra songs that were originally on the singles and part of the Collector's Edition CD.  I was really conflicted what album to put in this spot.  It could easily have been "Low-Life".  But this album came hard with the synth vibe compared to their previous album.  Their 2nd album broke ground in 1983 that most of the Universe wasn't ready to accept.  I didn't catch up with it until 1985 and even then I was barely ready to understand what was going on.  The album produced singles that define the last half of the 80s decade for me and still resonate today - "Blue Monday", "The Beach" and "Confusion".  But you can start with the classic "Age of Consent" and "We All Stand" that start the album to know that this is a classic.  The strength of "Age of Consent" that I heard one Saturday night at Schoolkids Records is what got this album into my collection.  I feel like it isn't as strong from top to bottom as some of the surrounding releases but the strength of the singles make it a Top 30 album for sure.  

Age of Consent

The Beach

Confusion

Previous Rankings

#31 - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

#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)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

TEEN WOLF (MTV)  Didn't see the first season, saw the second season and I'm not sure there's much reason to watch this third season.  Lost of good lookin' shirtless dudes.  But the special effects and stunts aren't up to the TV quality I expect.

THE WRONG BOX (TCM)  A hilarious and often missed film  with Michael Caine, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore among others.  The Brits make funny comedies about inheritance.

TUESDAY

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (CW)  The show moves to the CW without Drew Carey.  You still get Wayne, Ryan and Colin but with Aisha Tyler hosting.  I'm curious.  I've missed the show - good ideas for party games.

MLB ALL-STAR GAME (FOX)  I used to like watching it - then I fell out  of interest in it.  But after getting burned by the whole Home Field Advantage thing in two of the past three years - now I'm a little more interested.  Go American League.

WEDNESDAY
HER COMES HONEY BOO BOO (TLC)  I don't really care for this show - meaning positive or negative, I don't care.  But the idea of a "Watch 'n' Sniff" episode is disturbing and worrisome.

SEVEN FACES OF DR. LAO (TCM)  Not the comedy that I originally thought it would be.  Actually quite hard to put within a single genre.  But you watch it for Barbara Eden and the awesome makeup effects on Tony Randall's character.

THURSDAY
PROJECT RUNWAY (LIFE)  Not sure how this show made it to Season 12 - there is little about this show that makes me want to watch it - especially once you've seen a RuPaul show.

FOODOGRAPHY (COOK) Fun show that actually informs - this week Ice Cream is the subject.

FRIDAY
THE SOFT SKIN (TCM)  Not sure I've seen all of this Truffaut film about an adulterous affair.

DINERS, DIVES, DRIVE-INS (FOOD)  Not everybody enjoys this show - I usually like watching these marathons but I see "the cast of GROWN UPS 2" on this week. Really???

SATURDAY
THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (AMC)  Have I mentioned how cool this John Wayne and Dean Martin film is?  It's airing most of the month on AMC.

GASLIGHT (TCM)  Classic thriller with Ingrid Berman who goes insane and her husband, Charles Boyer, who help her along the way.

SUNDAY
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)  Haven't watched one second of this season - still stuck on last season.  But I'm hearing that it's back in good graces again.  I'll probably finish last season when this season ends.

MODERN TIMES (TCM)  The 1936 Chaplin film is about his most complete and really feels like one that any fan of "film" should have on their resume.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . . Samsung has outdone Apple lately as far a making fun of the competition . . . 

This Samsung ad shows how you can change a baby and talk on your Smartphone at the same time . . . 

Need to replay this awesome ad from earlier this year with the great Johnny Cash song and the puppy dog . . . 

"How does it feel to treat me like you do?
When you've had your hands upon me
And told me who you are."  - New Order

Walk down to the beach.  Stay hard.

sb

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