Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (4/7/13)

A good Sunday morning.  The Michigan victory last night put a bright spot on the Spring of 2013.  ON to Monday and one chance to be Champions.  A more traditional Spring week - baseball practices, Christian had two games (losses) and Caleb had soccer (win) and baseball (our first game finally with a loss).  Dee is staying after school for a project so there are late nights for her too.  The week ahead is even more of those types of activities.  Today is relatively free with some cleaning, napping and writing to get done.  Until then, just planning the menu for Monday night.  And listening to some smokey tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

PJ HARVEY - THE DESPERATE KINGDOM OF LOVE.  Off the 2004 album, "Uh Huh Her" - this is the rare PJ Harvey album and especially this song that shows off a relatively tender side of Miss Harvey. This album might not have the anger and energy of her first albums.  But I think it's some of the best songwriting she's ever done.  And it's a very underrated album.  This song perfectly describes that out of love feeling - "there's another who looks from behind your eyes."

DORIS DAY - TOYLAND.  It's a little early for Christmas music.  But we're almost halfway to the point.  Not sure yet if this year will be one that I'll be into Christmas music as early as usual.  We'll see when it gets here.  But it's nice to hear Doris Day's voice this morning and this 1964 tune is a reasonable song that is almost not even too Christmas-y despite being about toys.  Happy that this one came up this morning.

SOS BAND - JUST BE GOOD TO ME.  This 1983 single is one of the first times I remember hearing about Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis producing a song.  This is the 12" version that does have nine good minutes of dance funk.  Fun song that hints at some of the Janet Jackson dance tunes.  I don't know why this doesn't get played much anymore.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . Something a little light with exercise ball falls . . .  and the trailer for a Korean film - PIETA

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . Jack Pardee was one of the Junction Boys for Texas A&M (although I didn't know that until the movie) but I remember him in my youth as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and then for years with the Houston Oilers . . . Roger  Ebert was in my Top Ten film reviewers of all-time.  I worry that almost everyone knows him only from TV reviews.  But in his writing he really bloomed and told me more about films in his reviews than most - including Miss Kael . . . I mainly think of Carmine Infantino as a Batman artist and I think of his work on the Flash as what my default vision of the Flash still is from childhood to today . . . Chuck Fairbanks from Detroit, played for the Spartans but I remember him mainly as a mid-70s coach of the New England Patriots and then as a coach for the USFL, New Jersey Generals . . .Jess Franco was a key director for Gen X - never a huge success, he made great looking underground films and you can find many of them on Netflix.  I'd say to choose THE AWFUL DR ORLOFF, COUNT DRACULA (w/Christopher Lee) and VAMPYROS LESBOS . . . Jane Henson was the wife of Jim Henson and a key player in the creation of The Muppets, they were a true team . . . 

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

BEST DOCUMENTARIES OF THE 1990'S

10.  MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE (1991)  Not the best music doc that you'll see.  But I've grown to like this film as quite the time piece for the early 90s.  
9.  HOOP DREAMS (1994)  Following two inner-city Chicago youths trying to follow their dreams was one of my favorite films at the time.  Over the years, there's a manipulation to the emotions of the stories that tires me out.  And knowing the lack of future success for the two kind of tempers the excitement of the story. Still, it's another great story of pursuing your dreams.
8.  HEART OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER'S APOCALYPSE (1991)  What would usually be an extra on a DVD or Blu-ray turns into a movie that reveals more about Francis Ford Coppola and the heart of an artist trying to make a movie more than a film about making a film.  There feels like raw emotion from the director here that you don't see in other docs.
7.  PARIS IS BURNING (1990)  The decade got off to a strong doc start with a film that's about the drag and transexual scene in New York City in the late 70s and through the 80s.  It's fun and educational and feels like it sets the tone for TV shows and channels to come the next twenty years.

6.  WHEN WE WERE KINGS (1996)  The story of the Ali-Foreman fight in 1974 is the story of two men at crossroads in their lives, it's the story of a country trying to get out from under oppression, it's the story of celebration of African culture when the eyes of the world were on it.  You probably need to at least half enjoying boxing to get this but it's still a fascinating story.
5.  MR. DEATH: THE RISE & FALL OF FRED A LEUCHTER, JR. (1999)  Errol Morris has a knack for picking interesting subjects.  Fred Leuchter is the perfect example because he's a character the lead an interesting life on the fringes of civilization.  Fascinating story of a man involved in execution technology and the as a reluctant supporter of Holocaust Denial.
4.  AMERICAN MOVIE (1999)  As the decade came to an end - the genre had come a long way in ten years.  This film showed the future of combining interesting subjects and crazy topics.  A movie like this seems to border on fictional.  But you might not see a better movie on the pursuit of the "American Dream".

3.  FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL (1997)  Another Errol Morris film that takes a slightly different look at the world.  Instead of just one subject for the film - he tells the stories of four different odd, interesting folks - a topiary gardner, robot designer, naked mole rat specialist and wild animal trainer.  As he tells these stories, he also uses lots of fun extraneous footage.  It's a fun new way to tell these stories, which is what the 90s seemed to be about.
2.  CRUMB (1994)  If you love comics, then this is a must see.  If you like interesting people, then this is a must see.  There's so much more than just a movie about a comic artist here.  It's about family and it's about art.  I've watched this film over a dozen times and I still come away with something new each time.

1.  PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS (1996)  Still a chilling film.  The best documentaries seem to present the subject and let the viewers make their own conclusions.  This film may not be completely fair and balanced but there's plenty of room for discussion when it's over.  The power of this film?  There's at least two sequels and we really still don't seem to be at the end of the story.

The sheer number of documentaries this decade made it list worthy.  There was an explosion in the genre that coincided with the extra attention being paid to American Independent films.  And it was aided by the expansion of cable outlets and video stores (like Gen X).  There are lots of good films that didn't make this list like 4 LITTLE GIRLS, HANDS ON A HARD BODY, KURT & COURTNEY and MICROCOSMOS.  What a great decade for documentaries.  Left off the list are some of the great TV documentaries of all-time - BASEBALL, CIVIL WAR and BEATLES ANTHOLOGY.  The most over-rated?  BROTHER'S KEEPER isn't as interesting as people will tell you.  And the Hughe's Brothers' AMERICAN PIMP should have been much, much better.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . .  you can never go wrong with an Audrey Hepburn rainy day movie but it's been forever since ROMAN HOLIDAY was on Instant Watch . . . if you want creepy, PET SEMETARY and CARRIE will make a good double feature . . . and with all the Cartoon Network shows now on Netflix - my starting suggestions would be to go through DEXTER'S LABORATORY and POWERPUFF GIRLS . . . 

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#25  - Frosty The Snowman
#310 - Almost Famous
#422 - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE project.  For the first time this year, I got back on this project for a little bit this last week.  And I still love these old episodes (still on the 2nd season) because there is a combination of actors and musical artists that were huge risks for the network at the time.  Just finished an episode with a very young Candice Bergen - she has the most flaws of any host up to this point and then the musical intrigue of Frank Zappa doing "The Purple Lagoon" and "I'm The Slime".  I can't imagine the current SNL putting on such a counterculture artist or taking a chance on such an unproven actress.  Next up - the first appearance of Bill Murray.

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

#41 Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

A year after "Revolver", the Beatle's pushed music forward another huge step - this was like five years of steps all at once.  I know that there will be some questioning putting this album at #41 since it ranks so high on so many other lists by professionals.  I think it's here because, while I recognize the greatness, I came to this group of songs rather late in my Beatles' fandom.  I was first introduced to the first half of their albums and then spent lots of time with Abbey Road.   The evolution of the band was more than I can remember for any band.  Most of it came from the progression that each member made on their own before coming back together - George making a huge impact with his trip to India, John with his work on film, Paul working with George Martin and Ringo maturing as a husband and father. And yet the strongest songs for me are the ones that come from their childhood memories - "Penny Lane", "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "Strawberry Fields Forever".  This is an album I could write a whole blog on but for the benefit of Mr. Kite, I'll just leave it that the musical brilliance of this album is unquestioned, it's just what it meant to me that keeps it down.

"Within You, Without You" - George Harrison rules here . . .

"She's Leaving Home"

"When I'm Sixty-Four"

Previous Rankings

#42 - Prince - 1999 (1982)
#43 - James Brown - The Payback (1973)

#44 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
#45 - The B-52's - The B-52's (1979)

#46 - Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY
BATES MOTEL (A&E)  Still haven't watched but after examining the commercials a few times - finally dawned on me that Norman is the lead from CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.  And it turns out he was a good friend of Daniel Radcliffe before they both started acting.

NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP (CBS)  Just sayin'.  Go Blue!!!

TUESDAY
THE MINDY PROJECT (FOX)  I think the show has found a good pace towards the end of this season.  It's got some momentum towards a second season.  I particularly like Morgan Tookers (Ike Barinholtz) - his run as the rival pitcher on "Eastbound & Down" was equally awesome.

COUGAR TOWN (TBS)  This show was on for a whole season?  Talk about under the radar.  And it seems that it's coming back for another season.

WEDNESDAY
SPIES OF WARSAW (BBC)  Haven't watched the first episode yet but I'm excited to see the Tenth Doctor in pictures of the 50th Doctor Who Anniversary script read and in ads for "Broadchurch" coming later this year.

SURVIVOR: CARAMOAN (CBS)  You just can't have so many returning "favorites" in a season - the advantage is too huge.  That said - how has Phillip lasted this long???  The man is ridiculous - don't they all see it?

THURSDAY
ARCHER (FX)  Another fine season of this animation comes to an end with another crossover into "Sealab 2021" territory as ISIS battles Captain Murphy again.

THE OFFICE (NBC)  I keep thinking that the season and series has ended. It constantly has that beat at the end of episodes like we've already said goodbyes but it's still getting it's coat on and waiting for the car to be warm enough to leave.  Roseanne Barr stops in tonight - that seems like a good ending note.

FRIDAY
SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! (TCM)  A fun story of army nurses in the Philippines in WWII.  Starring the beautiful ladies of the mid-1940s - Claudette Colbert and Veronica Lake.

SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED (STARZ)  This saga ends tonight without me watching even one episode.  But after sitting in a panel at last year's Comic Con - I admire the loyalty of the fans of this show.

SATURDAY
LOUIS C.K.: OH MY GOD (HBO)  New material!!!

DOCTOR WHO (BBC)  Quite a few important developments last episode.  I won't ruin it but I think this half of the season is off to a great start and tonight there is trouble with a nuclear sub.

SUNDAY
GAME OF THRONES and VEEP (HBO)  How is this channel not worth the monthly fee?  So glad to have GOT back last week - it felt like home again.  And the return of Veep is equally exciting.

THE '80s (NAT GEO)  A six part documentary on the decade that made me who I am today.  Not just VH-1 type "I Love The 80s" show but a little more, like you'd expect from Nat Geo.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  long a fan of all Jack In The Box ads.  What's better than Meat Riot doing Hot Mess . . . 

This Jack In Th eBox ad for their breakfast is awesome because of the squirrel flipping the guy off . . . 

And a close 2nd to Jack In the Box for fast food ads are Sonic ads.  Last Summer they reinvented the hot dog with the wholly guacamole dog and the chili cheese fritos dog.  What will they think of this summer???

"What do I do when my love is away
Does it worry you to be alone?
How do I feel by the end of the day
Are you sad because you're on your own?"
With a little help from your friends.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (12/23/12)

This is the last actual Sunday Morning Tuneage of the year.  The next two weeks will be Part 1 and Part 2 of my Best of 2012.

This is Day Two of what is my longest "staying home" days off stretch of the year.  Worked Friday and now no actual work until Thursday.  Finished off the week with a little movie - THE HOBBIT - yesterday and the last couple items of Christmas shopping.  So, I'm hoping to stay inside for a day or two except for a trip or two to the gym this weekend.  No basketball or football or baseball to worry about this week.  Unfortunately we may be missing my Mom this week for Christmas - she's not feeling well enough to make the trip up here.  Spending the morning trying to see how to make my Blogger better, considering what Tivo to catch up on first and listening to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

TEARS FOR FEARS - MAD WORLD.  I sound like quite the hipster dufus to say that I was into this song in 1982 - a mere 19 years before Gary Jules covered it for DONNIE DARKO.  But it's true.  I was an original, early adopter fan of Tears For Fears and "The Hurting" was an album to obsess over.  I've heard the Jules version so much over the past few years - it's good to hear this version again.  I love that percussion beat over the top of the song - pop songs don't understand that as well these days.  And it is a mad world, ain't it?

"All around me are familiar faces . . ."

ROMAN HOLIDAY - DON'T TRY TO STOP IT.  This was a Summer of 1983 hit - the only one that you would ever recognize from Roman Holiday.  It's a solid New Wave release that you'd put in the same UK sound as JoBoxers, Dexy's Midinight Runners, etc.  It's a happy song and makes me smile as we approach Christmas.  I even purchased this album - just to get this song.

BLACK JOE LEWIS - SUGARFOOT.  I like that these guys keep coming up in my Random Play on iTunes.  Is it too late to say that what were 2009 up and coming darlings are probably not going to be the break out stars that were predicted?  This is a fun bluesy, funk single off their first full album "Tell 'Em What Your Name Is."  I still keep my Amazon alerts up to see if they release new stuff.  Nothing this year.  They are playing New Years Eve in Austin if anyone wants to go . . . 

IT WAS 30 YEARS AGO TODAY . . .  Chaminade of Hawaii defeated #1 Virginia and Ralph Sampson in what is still one of the biggest upsets of a top rated team . . .  Wayne Gretzky names Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year . . .  President Reagan appoints Alan Greenspan to the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board- he was previously an economic advisor under President Ford. . . 

DEADLIGHTS OF 2012 . . . Willie Ackerman was a drummer of note.  Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and even the Monkees.  You can hear a sample of his work on Marty Robbin's "El Paso" . . . Detroit guitar hero - Eddie "Guitar" Burns passed away last week.  His Blues guitar was considered second to none.  He's a legend that not enough Motown folks know about.

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

MOST DEFINITIVE CHRISTMAS SONG VERSIONS

10. WHAM! - LAST CHRISTMAS.  For a song that's just from 1984 - there seems to be a rash of covers recently.  And none of them seem to understand the way that Wham! and their semi-herterosexual lyrics captured the Christmas spirit perfectly. While female voices sound nice - this is best portrayed as a man singing.  Decent covers - Coldplay, Taylor Swift.

9.  NAT KING COLE - THE CHRISTMAS SONG.  Written by Mel Torme.  But Nat King Cole made it what it is.  Don't fall for his original version - it took until 1953 for him to do a full orchestra version and that's what really works for me.  Interesting covers - Herb Alpert, Babyface and James Brown.
8.  BAND AID - DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS.  Another 1984 classic Christmas tune.  The charity single genre has practically disappeared.  But certainly you'd think that few people are brazen enough to cover it.  This song has had 2 other official Band Aid covers and a number of bands have tried to sing it with a single artist.  Why don't people cover "We Are The World"?  Because they shouldn't try.  Leave this one alone.  BTW - I can still identify just about every voice on the song.  Good covers - None.

7.  BURL IVES - A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS.  Johnny Marks wrote this song and many others including "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer".   Burl Ives wasn't the original artist but can you imagine any other artist doing a better job?  Me neither.  It's a song that doesn't get a ton of covers and that's good.  Good covers - None come to mind.
6.  THE WAITRESSES - CHRISTMAS WRAPPING.  I love this version so much.  But it's interesting that most of the covers don't cover it word for word - it's one of the more changed lyric songs I can recall.  The song's a great template.  Best covers - The Donnas, Miranda Cosgrove.

5.  ELVIS - BLUE CHRISTMAS.  The beauty of Christmas songs are all the genres that it encompasses - soul, pop. country, etc.  And they aren't all happy songs - there are sad ones about breaking up with your lady too.  Elvis sings breakups as well as any singer ever.  The song was 9 years old when Elvis made his version.  That should have been all we needed.  Perfectly captured.  Best covers - The Beach Boys, Michael Buble.
4. EARTHA KITT - SANTA BABY.  I love the debate if this is really a tongue in cheek song.  It's weird to think how the lyrics to a 1953 song are still relevant and fun today.  Eartha's version is saucy and naughty in just the perfect levels.  Other versions try to be too sexy.  And rarely does it work.  Best covers - Madonna, Miss Piggy.
3.  FRANK SINATRA - WINTER WONDERLAND.  This 1934 song might be the one I think of as being covered the most.  I don't have official statistics on the number of covers for the songs on this list but this one has lots.  And I like some of them.  It suits most voices and is a good little ditty.  Frank captured the whimsy of the song and it shows off the great timbre of his voice.  Good versions - Perry Como, Elvis, Ella Fitzgerald.
2.  JUDY GARLAND - HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS.  In this case, the original version from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS is unbeatable.  And if you don't cry just a little - you might not have a heart.  To me this song and #1 are what define Christmas and the Holidays.  Best other versions - John Denver and the Muppets, The Carpenters, and Take 6.

1.  BING CROSBY - WHITE CHRISTMAS.  Irving Berlin wrote what is the best selling single of all-time.  The opening stanza is often left off - it helps set the mood that the singer is in Los Angeles and wants to be back home in the North.  It defines Christmas and Bing's voice captures it perfectly.  Hard always to imagine it in the hands of any other artist.  Still my favorite version of any single Christmas song.  Good covers - Jo Stafford (really, really good version), Perry Como and The Partridge Family.

Definitive means the versions of the song that comes to mind when I hear that title.  It isn't always the first but it's typically the bet and the one where I say - every subsequent version is playing in the shadow of that one.  Some just don't get covered much - like "Feliz Navidad" and when they do, it's usually not something you would put in your top Christmas songs.  Also off the list for that reason - "Christmastime Is Here", "The Chipmunk Song" and "Happy Xmas (War is Over)".  The Worst?  Or is it least definitive?  I can't decide the best version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town".  Bruce has a claim but I think there are better versions to be had. And the same for "Jingle Bell Rock".  And there's something wrong that I don't have any John Denver Christmas song on the list.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . .  sometimes the best docs just take you to a place you'll never go - THE HIGHEST PASS is about the highest altitude navigable road - this one in the Himalayas. . . THE 50 GREATEST FINISHING MOVES OF THE WWE is here well, just because they made it.  And I want to see another Stunner. . . and I'm still in the middle of Season One but now I can catch up with PORTLANDIA (Season Two) . . . 

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#147 - High Fidelity
#367 - Thank You For Smoking
#368 - The Aristocats

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The MST3K project is coming along quite well, thank you.  I'm working my way up to the halfway point of Season Six.  These are from October of 1994 now.  I would have been watching and taping these as I worked on Saturdays at Gen X.  These are the episodes that I watched over and over for a week until the next one came along.  I made it through THE CREEPING TERROR which is a hilarious Blob-ish creature.  I'm up to the fun but failed TV pilot - CODE NAME: DIAMOND HEAD.  But the best thing with these episodes is the addition of shorts.  They've gone off blueprint of just doing a movie and now the best things are the shorts and the vignettes and the letters that make it seem like a comic book.  Coming soon - the standout - THE VIOLENT YEARS (written by Ed Wood).

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

#54 -  Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (1972)

It was 1984 when I discovered this album.  I was familiar with some of Steely Dan's work but didn't own any of their albums.  I heard the album at Believe In Music while perusing the video rental section.  They weren't finished with Side One when I plopped down my money to purchase the album.  I've gone on to enjoy most of their albums but this first one holds an important place in my heart.  I've got lots of respect for Donald Fagen and  Walter Becker.  These ten songs fit together for 40 minutes of incredible jazz influenced rock.  It certainly backs up the claim of all movies and albums from 1972 being awesome.  The two hits - "Reelin' In 'The 'Years" and "Do It Again" certainly define the sound of this group.  But the other tunes like "Dirty Work", "Kings" and "Only A Fool Would Say That" are worthy of a listen.  Smart lyrics and interesting guitar work.  This might be a Top 50 album if I thought hard enough on it.

Previous Rankings

#55 - The Doors - The Doors (1967)

#56 - Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends (1968)

#57 - REM - Automatic For The People (1992)

#58 - The Who - Who's Next (1971)

#59 - Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (NBC)  Whatever your Christmas Eve night brings - putting this on in the background is the best thing you can do for yourself.  If you haven't seen it in a while - pay attention and feel better about the world.

A CHRISTMAS STORY (TBS)  Marathon time again.

DINERS, DRIVE-INS & DIVES (FOOD)  There's a marathon tonight that includes his best moments in all seasons and it ends with a new episode that includes a gas station selling some great seafood.

TUESDAY

DOCTOR WHO: THE SNOWMEN (BBC)  A depressed Doctor is hanging out in 1892 with a top hat.  At least that's the picture I've seen from the annual special.  You forget how much you miss having new Doctor Who episodes around until you go a couple months without one.

K-9 MARATHON (SYFY)  For those who need a little more Who - this is a marathon of the 2009 series.  Thirteen hours should test your patience.

WEDNESDAY

DARK MATTERS: TWISTED BUT TRUE (SCI)  The latest season comes to an end tonight with the true story of Typhoid Mary.  This series doesn't seem to be running out of weird science facts to lay on me.

BEN & KATE (FOX)  Jeremy says I should be watching this show.  Tonight's got the four best episodes and I may end up putting them on the Tivo.

THURSDAY

HAPPY NEW YEAR, CHARLIE BROWN (ABC)  I hope my own children can learn a lesson from this one as Charlie Brown can't enjoy the New Year party with his girl because he put off reading "War and Peace" all vacation.

THE MINDY PROJECT (FOX)  There have been some great episodes.  But there have been a share of clunkers.  Because of that I can't decide if this is a keeper yet.  Might have to replace it with "Ben & Kate" but you decide tonight with a mini-four pack of Mindy.

FRIDAY
UNDERCOVER BOSS (CBS)  Because it's the end of the year and they know that nobody is watching.  There's not much else on tonight for you so you might end up on this innocuous show.  They're giving you a three hour marathon for you to make your decision.

DUCK DYNASTY (A&E)  I believe this is the 4th marathon of episodes in the last 5 nights.  Poor "Storage Wars", the days of you ruling this network are done.

SATURDAY
STORAGE WARS (A&E)  Well, you do get Saturday nights to yourself, "Storage Wars".  Live with it.  But know that the Ducks rule the roost now.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (ABC)  Post College Football - ABC airs alternating combinations of Harry Potter films, Pirates and Pixar films.  You could do worse.

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS (PBS)  Sonic Youth and their "The Eternal" album.


SUNDAY
CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL (PBS)  Much like "Downton Abbey" last year - as we get to the end of the year, the more juice this show seems to be getting.  Climb on board before the rest of your friends.  This looks like a good introduction to the series.

UNITED STATES OF BACON (DESTINATION)  Todd Fisher is a bacon expert?  Who do you apply for that?  And now he's got a show eating his way across America.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . Jack In The Box ads are the best.  You know I've always defended their commercials - not the food.  Here there was a nugging . . . 

Three words - weiner dog lasers . . . 

These Diesel shoes look fun and I like the line - "The shoes don't care."

The Ticket Oak creeps me out already but add in the dude in the Santa hat and his scream and I'm spooked. . . 

"They tell me that I'm lazy
Worldly wise
I realize
That everybody's crazy
A woman's voice reminds me
To serve and not to speak."  - Steely Dan

Decline to walk the line.  There's fire in the hole. Stay hard.

sb