The Year That Was 2009 pt 1

I've been neglecting the blog lately and want to get back into posting so to start up again I'm going to subscribe to the "Out with the old and in with the new" routine. My first two posts of 2010 will be to review the year that was 2009. The first post is music and the second is everything else.

2009 was a year of big hype and modest pay offs in music. It was the year the King of Pop died, ironically sparking a career re-evaluation as audiences were able to separate the music from the person. It was the year of Glambert and Susan Boyle keeping reality tv's foot in the door of pop music. It was the year of free live concerts streaming on the internet. It was the year people went gaga for Gaga and told Kanye he's heartless. Maybe he was upset that it was the year of Taylor Swift, the lanky Country teen dominated everyone and everything else in her path.

For me personally it was the year I completed my Top 100 Favorite albums posts. It only took what, two years? I'm big on lists though, as my wife says I have lists of my lists. And true to my self, here's more lists-

To start things off, here's my Top 5 favorite albums of 2009:

5. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers Vol. 2 / Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot (tie)

When old timers pool their talents, sometimes they can come up with something a little fresher than if they worked on their own. Fan that I am of Matthew Sweet and of his first pairing with the lead Bangle (2006's Vol 1.) I anxiously looked forward to this set of 70's covers. And fan that I am of Saint Sammy, how could I resist a combo with guitar god Joe Satriani, ex VH Mike Anthony and funky drummer Chad Smith? In both cases, the teams came up with solid discs touched with earnest excitement and heavenly bright spots. Sweet and Hoffs were a little more mechanical this time out than on their first combo yet still found magic in well worn power pop(Raspberries, Todd Rundgren) and classic rock (Rod Stewart, Yes) scripture. Meanwhile AOR geeks rejoiced, basking in the glory of hard hitting guitar driven grooves ("Soap On A Rope"), high flying rockers ("My Kinda Girl") and power balladry ("Learning To Fall") that's Hagar's stock in trade.

4. U2 - No Line On The Horizon

The Irish quartet returned to save the world again with their most subdued effort since...The Unforgettable Fire (1984)? I was turned off by the weak techno pop lead single "Get On Your Boots" which turned out to be the hardest rocking thing on the album. That's not to say No Line is a bad album, it's actually pretty good. The dream reteaming of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois ensures the dreamy atmospherics envelope everything in its path, creating a disc that is as grey and cloudy as its album cover. Though "Moment Of Surrender" is a nice ballad, I found myself really digging the clunky rocker "Stand Up Comedy" in addition to the classic U2 flag waver "Magnificent" and the catchy "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight". But U2's quiet ways were too mysterious with their mass audience leading to weak sales. Wonder if they'll bring back the thunder next time out?

3. Pearl Jam - Backspacer

When I first picked up this disc I was somewhat disappointed that it seemed a little weak lyrically and that they had removed the anthem rock element they just reclaimed on '06's self titled album. A little after that I was notified I would be losing my job and this album took on special meaning to me. The enervated vibe, open ended lyrics and classic Vedder clenched teeth me-against-the-world delivery provided the motivating soundtrack to a month of hell. I've already gone on about this album in other posts so I'll end it by saying my feelings about this disc has increased greatly since my initial review of it.

2. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King

For most of the past decade, Matthews seemed to be on the run from his own band - creatively that is. DMB brought in producers to try to swerve the sound away from the intricate jam band tendencies they built their name on. But the passing of saxophonist Leroi Moore seemed to change all that and as a result we got the loosest, grooviest DMB disc in ages. The slam bang breezy rock of "Why I Am" was a highlight on an album packed with the natural, tight and instrumentally impressive music that made DMB famous. Other highlights included the gently loping "You and Me", the Cameo "Word Up" send up "Shake Me Like A Monkey" and the Lillywhite Sessions reminiscent "Lying In The Hands Of God". Of studio albums, this was the best of the year. But I'm not done yet...

1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Live Anthology

I debated over whether or not to include this, seeing how its an anthology of performances spanning back to the 70's and not a disc of new material. It's just I'm so blown away by this set (if I had done a separate post to review it Dixie would have given ten barks) that I feel compelled to include it. This is an outstanding set, five discs in all, of live performances taken from all phases of Petty's career with the Heartbreakers. Big hits, deep cuts, covers and what not are sewn together to form the facsimile of a live concert. Each song features a strong emotional performance and stack together to form something greater than the sum of its parts. This is one of the best box sets I've heard, it captures a spirit of the different facets of a brilliant artist better than most other box sets and does it with live cuts. I was lucky to get this set as a gift and even though I haven't watched the DVDs that came with it yet I will say that if you have the money to spend on this, it's well worth the price.

And now, my Top 10 songs of 2009:

10. The Lonely Island "I'm On A Boat" and Bruce Springsteen "The Wrestler" (tie)

Is having a tie a way of cheating so I can include an extra song or album in a countdown? Yup, and that won't stop me either. Comedy rappers The Lonely Island floated in "I'm On A Boat" early in the year and I turned a deaf ear to it until it was featured on a mash up with the movie Ponyo. I haven't gotten the song out of my head since then, with my flippy floppys while you're at Kinkos straight makin' copies! On the other end, The Boss provided a song for a movie soundtrack finding him in grumbly acoustic serious guy mode. He captures the soul of a beautiful loser perfectly. Technically this song is from 2008 but since I didn't listen to it until I bought this years Working On A Dream album I'm including it here.

9. Green Day "21 Guns"

All in all, I found Green Day's heavily hyped follow up to their modern classic American Idiot to be a fair but bloated affair. Except for a handful of cuts, one of them being "21 Guns" with its steady march beat and defiant chorus. Never did figure out what the song is actually about, after watching the overblown video for it I went off the song for a little while. I went back to it later, when you get to brass taxes I just like the beat and melody here.

8. Foreigner "Can't Slow Down"

A full review is to follow of the new Foreigner disc I got for Christmas. There's a lot of slow numbers on the new one, but the opening cut is a hard charging rocker that shares its title with the album. The current lead singer gets his Lou Gramm on (Grammophone?) to great affect as the guitars hammer onward to a charged anthemic chorus. A slice of AOR awesomeness on a stick.

7. U2 "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"

Easily the catchiest tune on the recent U2 effort, you know a song is listener friendly when you hear it playing over the sound system of Home Depot while you shop for bricks. In one of those lazy susan musical influence deals, "Crazy" bears some resemblance to the sound Coldplay has employed to amazing success, the sound that borrows a lot from Radiohead and U2. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Either way, this is a pleasant pop rock feel good song.

6. Franz Ferdinand "No You Girls"

New new wavers Franz Ferdinand went from future stars to yesterdays news in a heartbeat between their first and second albums. On their third disc a desperate move (infusing their angular guitars with techno dance sound effects / beats) paid off with strong results peaking with "No You Girls". Balanced on a groove that is almost disco, the Scottish quartet bring the alternative rock cool on and back it up with a killer hook. The chorus has me flashing back to Greg Kihn's "Jeopardy". Normally I hate when a song is referred to as "hip". Franz Ferdinand justifies use of that word.

5. Dream Theater "The Best Of Times" (pts 1 and 2)

My favorite song off the musically spectacular but lyrically insipid DT disc Black Clouds and Silver Linings. The heartfelt intent of the words to "The Best Of Times" (not to be confused with the Styx song) about a man thanking his dying Dad is enough to overcome the maudlin sentimentality of the piece. Best of all, the proggy metalheads weave a tight fabric of instrumental virtuosity that pays off with a stunning John Petrucci guitar solo at the end. It's epic in all the right ways that make Dream Theater great.

4. Mandy Moore "I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week"

Unlikely 70's inflected pop from a former teen queen Britney Spears type singer, Mandy Moore hauled in a hand clap beat and cheap keyboards to finesse a tune that would have sounded right on an AM radio channel in 1973. And I'm a sucker for songs that use the days of the week in the chorus (see "Seven Days" under Sting for details). Amid the heavy clutter of machines and calculated marketing moves that make up modern pop music, Mandy Moore sounded like a breath of fresh air in '09. And yes, this is the same girl who once sang "Candy" and starred in those teen romance movies.

3. Bon Jovi "We Weren't Born To Follow"

OK, you're Jon Bon Jovi and you think: you know what a new Bon Jovi album needs? "Born To Be My Baby" with different lyrics! Yes, that's precisely what was needed Jon Bon Jovi. That sir, is why you earn the big bucks. Musical cop out that it is, I freakin love this song. Maybe it was the timing, I certainly could use encouraging music from a familiar artist. "We Weren't Born To Follow" (just noticed this title even has "Born" in it!) hit home and meant a lot to me. And thank you Richie Sambora for redoing that guitar solo.

2. Lady Antebellum "Need You Now"

Well look at that, I picked a Country song for number two. My cousin gave me the debut album which I thought was decent pop rock done Country style so when their new song for their second album popped up I gave it a shot. Well, I was floored by how good the new song is. A straightforward pop rock duet rendered nicely with able vocalists. Sure, this is about as Country as say Restless Hearts "When She Cries" (meaning its not) but that's fine with me, I don't listen to hardcore Country. This is like Starship's "Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now" for the new millennium. Which I guess isn't that new anymore since we're up to 2010.

1. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs "Go All The Way"

Duets are us it seems, Sweet and Hoffs Marvel Team Up hit a home run with their cover of The Raspberries / Eric Carmen classic "Go All The Way". The revved up guitar riff and intertwining voices make for audio ecstasy thanks to an inspired performance by the dynamic duo. It may also help that my copy of the original song sounds like crap even though it's from a Time Life collection. Anyway, this cover encapsulated everything that makes the pairing of these two great. (The only place I could find the song online is their myspace page, you have to click on the song to play)

2009, so glad its gone. Next is the year in movies, tv and whatever else I can think of media related. Vampires you say? That is so last year and I hear they suck.

The Design Of A Decade pt deux: Post Flannel Fury!

All that you can't leave behind is how to dismantle an atomic bomb because there is no line on the horizon.

The Grunge and Alterna Rock boom of the early 90's was the last significant movement in Rock music that would hit on a mass scale in my book. When the 2000's rolled around many of those flannel wearing acts had broken up or gone back to the underground. At the same time there were artists who did persevere, gliding into the second stage of their career proving they still had some potency left past their 20s. Of those that survived, here are my favorites:

All That You Can't Leave Behind...Luggage!

U2's 2000 release All That You Can't Leave Behind is my top pick from this genre, though technically they were an 80's band. Top flight songs (the hits "Beautiful Day", "Stuck In A Moment", "Elevation" and "Walk On" all stem from this disc) broadcasting a weary, melancholy sense of hope became my soundtrack to the feeling after 9/11. It also brought guitars back to the band's sound after spending the 90's tinkering with electronic noise. A great album.

With The Lights Out, It's Less Dangerous

The Smashing Pumpkins kicked off the new millennium with what was supposed to be their swan song, Machina/The Machines Of God (2000). While the album is a little abstract (it was the remnants of a planned concept disc that didn't go through) there is some good stuff here. Not the greatest Pumpkins disc, but not an embarrassment either. Anyway, it was Pearl Jam's return to anthemic songwriting that pushed their self titled Pearl Jam (2006) to the top of the ex flannel heap. Scorchers like "Life Wasted" or "Big Wave" exploded on impact. Former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl led his Foo Fighters through Echoes Silence Patience Grace (2007), a decent disc highlighted by two outstanding jams "The Pretender" and "Long Road To Ruin". Coming in at the end of the Grunge era was Weezer, who sat out the last part of the 90's only to return armed with an inspired set of compelling nerd rock on 2001's Weezer (the green album). "Island In The Sun" still gets my head bopping.

It Is The Distant Future, The Year 2000

Like the album cover, Green Day caught everyone off guard with a masterstroke pop punk concept album American Idiot (2004) going off like a grenade. An artistic triumph, Green Day spoke to the disaffected with a strong set of songs that hung together thematically. American Idiot was one of the discs I played the most within the last couple of years. And no one saw it coming from a trio that was written off as lightweight has beens.

Radiohead has been the barometer for everything considered great about rock music following The Bends in 1995. Many Best Of The Decade lists I've seen rate Kid A (2000) near the top, an album I could not get into. Electronic doodling in rock music is nice as an additional extra, like buying an accent piece of furniture, but I hate when rock bands remove guitars completely in favor of blips and bloops (lookin' at you U2 and Radiohead!). The Radiohead album I did get into was the famous freebee In Rainbows (2007). A sturdy bunch of songs packed with that whiny croony thing Thom Yorke does so well. Along similar lines, Coldplay became one of the few new stadium bands of the 21st Century thanks to a string of polished, glossy U2/Radiohead style balladry. A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002) was a compelling listen evoking a sort of post modern yearning for something more. It's a mellow ride through a mildly tortured soul. The lone downside is that "Clocks" threatened to become as ubiquitous in montages as Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" was five years before it. Once I heard "Clocks" used in a scene from ER I saw there was no getting away from that song. Ever.

Not to be left in the past, alternative techno rock icon Trent Reznor served up the pretty good With Teeth (2005) for his Nine Inch Nails. It wasn't as inspired as his best work, instead it was consistently good with "Only" becoming my favorite NIN song.

Shiny Happy People Marching

R.E.M. spent most of the time making mediocre albums to a fanbase that kept wondering - when was R.E.M. going to be great again? What happened to those sublime post punk songs with the riddle filled lyrics? In 2008, R.E.M. took a shot at regaining their own title back as jangle rock kings on Accelerate and came damn close to succeeding. On its own terms, Accelerate powers forward by embracing the bands past but not copying it.

R.E.M. had their roots in college rock or what's now called Indie rock which will be the next genre on my list here. Because that's me in the corner, that's me in the spot. light.

December 8th Add On

There were two CDs that I went back and forth on including and ultimately I decided to tack them on. The first is Pearl Jam's latest Backspacer (2009). I didn't think much of this disc when I first got it but since then it has grown and resonated with me strongly so I am adding it on. Also, power pop ace Matthew Sweet generated Kimi Ga Suki (2003) should have been included for its pure chimy catchiness.

U2 On You Tube U Can See For Free

In what has to be the best named rock music broadcast since Asia in Asia, U2 made their L.A. concert online for all to see via You Tube tonight with the label U2 on You Tube. As far as promotional stunts go, this one was a killer. An entire concert live for free from one of the world's greatest rock bands.

Add that the camera work and direction were truly professional quality, I can't recall any action or key moments lost in the 2 hour coverage of this event. And there was a lot of ground to cover, the bands' new 360 degree stage complete with an outer walkway ring and moving bridges would be a daunting challenge for camera coverage. Fortunately, there are only four members of U2 so it's not like you're going to lose track of them out there. Nonetheless, the event was captured with DVD quality work.

The concert itself was really good, despite getting off to a cold start (at least that's what it seemed like online, maybe the people actually there or viewers with complex media systems attached to their computer had a different experience) U2 were in excellent form. Challenging the audience with an opening salvo of three songs from their recent No Line On The Horizon disc fell flat with the crowd. "Breathe", "Get On Your Boots" and "Magnificent" failed to connect making it seem like U2 were performing in a vacuum.

Once the hits started to kick in with "Mysterious Ways" and "Beautiful Day" the audience started to warm up. An acoustic version of "Stuck In The Moment" was nice and by the time U2 hit "Elevation" the group and thousands of their fans were finally on the same page. This seemed to fire up Bono in particular as he bounded around the stage pushing his voice to nail those high notes.

The rest of the set sustained the momentum by delivering a series of hit songs with a focus on the last three albums. Well known tracks like "City Of Blinding Lights", "Vertigo", "Walk On", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "With Or Without You" were met with rapturous applause from the fans. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was recast into a context of Iran instantly modernizing the context of the tune. The catchiest song from No Line On The Horizon, "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" was given a lively arrangement to pack afro beat drumming in the mix.

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Two encores for the show packed the real heat with their best known stuff including "One" and "Where The Streets Have No Name".

The rhythm section of drummer Larry Mullen and bassist Adam Clayton were on point, their throbbing grooves still intact. The Edge played with fire and displayed impressive backing vocals throughout. Bono fought hard to pump up the audience early on and once the group and crowd connected was able to go for the big gestures he's known for. Late in the show it seemed like his voice started to give out as he started to duck the high notes, nonetheless the momentum built up by then made this forgivable.

U2 on You Tube was so well done I'll be shocked if this isn't released on DVD in the near future. They used this platform to effectively gain exposure for the No Line On The Horizon album which has sold poorly in comparison to their other albums (it's a mere Platinum which is funny to write because most bands would kill for a Platinum disc). Most of the songs from this cd were played and once they started to pepper individual songs in between the hits came across better.

The relatively weak sales of No Line On The Horizon could be due to the subdued nature of the disc or worse, suggest that the band has at long last hit oldies status where the audience could care less about new material. Like the Stones, U2 can still sell CDs to the ever declining faithful yet sell out stadiums at the drop of a hat. In any case, U2 on You Tube is a strong show definitely worth viewing for free :)

Meet The Beatles Again

Thanks to Rock Band: The Beatles video game there is a renaissance of their music taking place, the likes of which hasn't been seen since 1995. 2009 may be the year of rediscovering old music, what with Michael Jackson's death sparking a flooding of the airwaves with his music a few months ago followed by this new wave of Beatlemania. What's next, the return of Frank Sinatra?

And who am I to stand in the way of a fad? I can't stop it so I may as well roll with it. I've already done a Top 10 favorite song list, so I'm just gonna hit the high points on the impact their music has had on my life and/or random memories about The Beatles

• My Mom is a fan of the Beatles, so I grew up with Beatles records in the house. Rubber Soul is her favorite album of theirs. My Mom thought Paul McCartney was cute.


• I watch Yellow Submarine whenever I can on tv as a boy, because its a cartoon


• "Revolution" is the first song not related to a tv show that I can remember really liking a lot. I liked the idea of a revolution.


• Being Asian, I have to hear a lot of Yoko Ono insults growing up.


• I start to like The Beatles a lot and so we go to see Beatlemania (The Beatles tribute band) live which may have been the first concert I went to, I had forgotten about that until now. I remember it being colorful and loud.


• The movie Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is released starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees. At the time I liked this movie a lot. Earth Wind & Fire's cover of "Got To Get You Into My Life" is still definitive over the original to me. Aerosmith kicks ass as the evil band performing "Come Together". And I found the dreamy segment for "A Day In The Life" spellbinding. Now, as an adult, I can see how dull and poorly constructed this movie really is. At the time I really dugged it, man. Give Frampton his Oscar now.


• John Lennon is assassinated :(


• Paul McCartney becomes the duet king. First he's the Ivory to Stevie Wonder's Ebony in "Ebony and Ivory" (spawning the classic SNL parody with Eddie Murphy as Stevie Wonder and Joe Piscopo as Frank Sinatra). Then he playfully argues with Michael Jackson that "The Girl Is Mine" (you can guess who won that argument) before having his last "Say Say Say". Then Jacko and McCartney stop being friends after the gloved one buys the Beatles catalog.


• Motley Crue cover "Helter Skelter". Cool.


• John Lennon's posthumous single "Nobody Told Me" is released and plays constantly everywhere. I hated this song and it drove me nuts it was played so much. Particularly that music video made up of old clips of Lennon in a boat or some kinda crap. Interestingly, this song came up on my IPOD a few months ago and I didn't mind it.


• Paul McCartney's song "No More Lonely Nights" plays constantly after its release as well, kinda gets on my nerves a bit after awhile. It doesn't bother me too much now though. The inclusion of "Eleanor Rigby" in McCartney's film Give My Regards To Broad Street catches my ear, it becomes a favorite Beatles tune for me. Friday Night Videos could not get enough of "No More Lonely Nights".


• I lost interest in The Beatles after that, except as a novelty. The inclusion of "Twist and Shout" in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off motivates me to buy the 45. Save Ferris!


• The movie Can't Buy Me Love is a teen classic!


• The Thompson Twins wreck "Revolution" at Live Aid. What the hell happened to my jam?


• In college, I have a roommate who loves The Beatles. Through him I hear every single Beatles album multiple times. For some reason Beatles '65 stands out to me from that time period. "I'll Follow The Sun" I liked at the time. But my favorite Beatles record to listen to at that time? A Hard Day's Night.


• George Harrison has a big hit with the catchy "I've Got My Mind Set On You", though I like Weird Al Yankovic's version "This Song Is Just Six Words Long" more.


• Late night at Tower Records, me and my friend hear the most bizarre version of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." My friend who is also a Star Trek fan pegs the voice as William Shatner. I buy the tape and become a lifelong fan of the great one's warblings.


• I get into James Bond movies, McCartney's "Live and Let Die" becomes a favorite of mine.


• U2 cover "Helter Skelter". Meh.


• "Imagine" becomes a standard, being covered by everyone with a half decent voice. I'm still fascinated that a song that openly states a wish for the end of religion could be so popular. Anyway, of the covers I've heard Tracie Spencer's comes to mind as being the best one.


• In the early 90's, my favorite tv show was the Sunday night family drama Life Goes On. The Beatles song "Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da" is used as the theme song. C'mon Corky, fight the power!
• Guns N' Roses revive "Live And Let Die" as their own, Axl does his damned best to try to make kilts cool.


• Shortly after being married, my wife and I take up record collecting. The Bunny becomes adept at spotting Vee Jay label counterfeits and mono recording Capitol label Beatles records. We become obsessed with and eventually buy a poor copy of the famous "butcher cover" record sleeve (featured at the top of the post). Which we later lost to a used record store guy named Zig when his shop closed (he was selling on consignment for us).


• The Anthology series is released on CD and as a tv miniseries. We take in all of it, I enjoyed the new Beatles singles "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love". The a capella version of "Because" is awesome. Everyone loves The Beatles even more.


• I think it's Intel that uses "Getting Better" as a theme song in commercials, so I get a copy of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to get that one.


• Ozzy Osbourne comes up with a memorable cover of "In My Life".


• Lennon's "Instant Karma" appears in shoe commercials, hooking me on that song.


• Eddie Vedder covers "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", which I like more than the original.


• Some loser stabs George Harrison in his own house.


• A few years later George Harrison passes away. "Here Comes The Sun" gets played all over the world.


• Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard gets into heavy rotation on my CD player. I play "Jenny Wren" a lot.


• I go through a Beatles phase and pick up some of their CDs, Abbey Road becomes my favorite Beatles album. This happens around the time of The Beatles1. Coincidence? I think not!


• Tried to watch the movie Across The Universe, couldn't get past the first ten minutes. Something about a cute lesbian cheerleader singing about another cheerleader, it didn't grab me so I fell asleep. It looked like it was going to be one of those ensemble musicals.


• Paul McCartney and U2 perform the "Sgt Pepper" song at the start of Live 8. Cool.


• The Beatles: Rock Band video game is released. People party like it's 1995.

And that's my Beatles story. Not a lot too it, I was a big fan as a kid afterwards I thought they were good. Their music is legendary and has been everywhere throughout my life. In terms of influence, there isn't a rock band that has had more impact.

Midnight Madness - Record Store Day

This week is support your local record store week so today I will be doing my duty by going to the only store in town. While I don't purchase vinyl anymore and don't plan to today, Rasputin's is the local record store in my town (though I guess Best Buy counts too now that they've been pushing some vinyl for collectors). After starting to listen to a lot of music in my early teens, I have a lot of memories of going to record stores. I've been to Tower Records (now defunct) all over California and in Seattle, perusing through 45's of the Top 100 singles and latest releases of the day. The overpriced music chains Wherehouse, Musicland and Sam Goody, now all but extinct, also have a lot of hours of my time logged.

As much as I like digital music's convenience (I like it a lot), I also like the shopping and evaluating of the physical artifact. That's why one of my favorite things to do is to go to Rasputin's and shop through their $3.00 bin of used CDs. It's a thrill to sort through a pile of crap like Britney Spears or N'Sync Cds to find Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks or Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare hidden in the crowd. So support your local music store, because someday soon they will probably be gone.

Go Bunny! - My wife made her weight loss goal this week (as posted on her blog here). Great job Bunny! She is also doing really well on Wii Sports Tennis. Her score is now over 2000.

Close to the Edge - A Prog Rock fan's dream tour is coming up with Yes and Asia hitting the road together. It will be the original Asia lineup along with the Jon Anderson-less Yes. I should be more excited about this tour but having seen outstanding performances from both bands in the past coupled with my expectation that they couldn't top what I've already seen, I feel indifferent. That is, until the actual tour date in my area arrives at which time I'll regret not going but probably forget about it the next day.

American Idol Update - The judges finally exercised their "get out of jail free" card by sparing Matt Girard from elimination this week. My question is, why? Girard is likeable and has talent but I don't think he stands a chance of winning. They're going to feel real stupid if a front runner gets voted off next week. Performance wise for movie week Quintan Tarantino directed the singers and did a good job of it. Particularly with Anoop Desai, Tarantino gave direction to sound more like Bryan Adams on "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" which I thought was a huge mistake until I actually heard it sung. It was one of Desai's best performances. Underdog Kris Allen gave a committed, emotional performance of "Falling Slowly", my favorite performance of the night. The judges, or at least Simon, have their sights set on 'Lil Rounds after she gospelized "The Rose" and was accused of copying the original. I think it was a bad move to use the save this week because next week is Disco week. On that week anybody can burn baby burn their way out of the show.

Hogan Knows Best? - Hulk Hogan was recently quoted as saying he "understands O.J." after being asked about his ex-wife. Fortunately, I don't think Hogan would really do anything to his ex, it's just not a good thing to say though. But if Linda Hogan suffers an injury by a leg drop, we'll know who to point the finger at.

Live To Tell - Madonna was injured after falling from her horse when it was startled by photographers. I didn't know she rode horses, I thought horses...never mind.

The Spector of Guilt - Famous record producer Phil Spector was found guilty of murder after what seemed like a long trial. He can now add iron bars to his wall of sound.

Drunken Master - Jackie Chan offended a huge chunk of his own Country by saying that Chinese people "need to be controlled." If that were true, shouldn't China outsource it's government to another race of people then? Because the government there I assume is made up of Chinese people. Just doing the math here.

No Home On The Horizon - Malibu residents object to plans for a new home planned by U2's guitarist The Edge. The makers of MTV's Cribs begin crying in their sleep.

Passings - Bad week for superstars from the '70's. Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, a Detroit Tigers pitcher who had a big start to his career before it tailed off, passed away this week. Also one of the first porn stars, Marilyn Chambers, met an untimely end.

Rule Brittania - Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle pulled off two amazing feats: Delivering a tremendous performance of a Les Miserable song and making a magic moment in reality tv.

Not Obsessed - The latest movie to saturate the television is Obsessed, the Beyonce' hatin' on cheaters film coming up. It's commercial is on like every ten minutes. What troubles me is apparently all movies must be one word titles now. Like we don't have the attention span left for a two or more word title.

Speaking of hatin' on cheaters...-Mel Gibson is in for an expensive divorce from his wife of 28 years and is rumored to have been a little on the unfaithful side. You know that point where a celebrity has had so many public embarrassments where they stop being funny and are just sad. I'm sorry to say Mad Mel has hit that point. Still like most of his movies though.

The Best of What's Around - I don't know if it's still going, the Dave Matthews Band is giving away their first single from the new album as a free download on their website. "Funny The Way It Is" is a pretty good tune.

Passion and Warfare - Since buying it from the $3.00 bin, I've been playing Steve Vai's CD a lot because it's really really good. Great pick Bunny! So to wrap things up, here's a video for the best known song from the album, "For The Love Of God".

Steve Vai "For The Love Of God"

Midnight Madness - Alison Iraheta Edition

Rock rock til you drop: 16 year old Alison Iraheta has shown potential on American Idol but will probably get kicked off the show soon.

It's been a few weeks since I've felt like a Midnight Madness, tonight I think I have enough to post about. This week's post goes to Alison Iraheta, American Idol is continuing it's tradition of raspy voiced rocker girls who have no shot of winning but are fun to watch. She's sort of like a coherent version of Amanda Overmeyer from last year. Iraheta's been in the bottom three twice already, so enjoy watching her while it lasts. On with the Madness!

American Idol Update - Country and Motown weeks went over well, the singers picked up their game and delivered solid to outstanding performances. Then this week the whole group suddenly sucked big time when they got the chance to select whatever song they wanted. Really not sure what happened, but here's what we've got so far: Adam Lambert is schooling the other contestants, particularly with his soft take on "Tracks Of My Tears". Meanwhile, my favorite Alison Iraheta has been underperforming except for a strong rendition of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". Pixie soul belter Alexis Grace was surprisingly booted a few weeks back followed by roughneck Michael Sarver and bird cawing Megan Joy. Can the singer's rebound this week?

This Is Not A Test - A few weeks ago former WWE wrestler Test died. Pretty shocking because he was a young guy. Test was a featured player and occasionally got big pushes, having on screen relationships with the McMahons as well as the tag team T&A. Sad to see another grappler go.

...And Justice For All - Metallica officially was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cool! Run D.M.C. was inducted too. Why? For one half of a rock song?

Gone Gone Gone - Bad Company is reuniting for a few shows on the Eastern side of the U.S. so they can keep their band name. C'mon, no love for the West Coast? What's up with that?

You Are Gold - Spandau Ballet is reuniting for a tour. Their four remaining American fans get excited, busting out the hair gel and trenchcoats for all to see. You know this much is true.

Pumpkin Patch - Drummer Jimmy Chamberlain has quit the Smashing Pumpkins leaving Billy Corgan the sole Pumpkin left in the group. Now we'll have to see if Corgan's antics causes enough pressure to make himself quit. Then he'll probably bad mouth himself in the press and file lawsuits against himself too.

It's not Cameltoe, it's...- Chickenfoot, the supergroup featuring Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith are getting a lot of attention for their upcoming CD. Can it live up to the hype? Sounds promising so far.

Rorschach Test - Jackie Earle Haley will star as Freddy Kruger in a Nightmare On Elm Street reboot. You know, they really should try to get enough money together for a Johnny Depp cameo if they're gonna do this thing right. Or put him up against Jodie Foster for a Bad News Bears On Elm Street combo reboot.

Chicago's Last Hope - The long running TV series ER wrapped things up this week, I've recorded the finale so I'll get to see all those old faces return. For many years a quality program worth watching in reruns (that's how I saw the show anyway), we can finally declare ER the winner of the hospital show wars once and for all (when ER debuted it was up against Chicago Hope, another hospital show drama set in Chicago. Many wondered who would win out of two similar programs. That's how old this show is, I have to explain my bad jokes with trivia).

The Fast and the Superfluous - Does anyone care about the latest reunion movie sequel in the Fast & the Furious franchise? It's the #1 movie this weekend, so I guess the answer is yes. He's the beast from the east he's the best from the west he's the Vin man. Bonus points if anyone can name the 80's movie that's from.

Web Slinging Insanity - When reading a recent issue of Rolling Stone, I read that Bono and Edge of U2 have written music for a stage musical about Spider Man. Now I've read online that they're starting to have casting calls for this thing so I guess it's not a joke. I shouldn't judge it without hearing anything first, but it's so hard when you read about something this bad.

Natasha Richardson - I realize it happened a few weeks ago, still it was sad to see talented actress Natasha Richarson pass away. I remembered her best from the film The Handmaid's Tale way back when.

Mini Movie Reviews:

• The Visitor - A slow moving film about a closed off College prof who encounters and befriends illegal immigrants living in his New York Apartment. Well acted and relatively realistic. It tries to show the human side of the immigration experience post 9/11 but is only modestly affecting to me. It's not bad but skippable.


• Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Decent comedy about a TV music writer who gets dumped by his TV star girlfriend and ends up in Hawaii at the same time as her. Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) wrote and stars as the dorky guy crushed by the rejection and is ably assisted by Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) as the women in his life. It's not non stop fun but it does create likeable characters and has a good sense of humor. I guess this is the film that made British comedian Russell Brand a name here, he's amusing but overrated in my opinion.


• Kung Fu Panda - Jack Black's animated animal martial arts comedy is zippy fun from start to finish. Panda pulls every cliched martial arts movie storytelling device in the book which should make it dull. Instead the Panda team use hyperkinetic direction, celebrity voices and Jack Black's ritalin resistant jokes to keep things moving. A great ride for all ages.

I couldn't embed the video so I got an audio version of the song that my wife and I have been stuck on since seeing it on VH1's One Hit Wonders of the 80's. Oran Juice Jones. The Rain!

Oran "Juice" Jones - The Rain

European Dance Party

They don't need to put on the red light: Franz Ferdinand slides onto the dance floor with their twitchy rock intact.

Two of the CDs I got a little while ago have little in common on the surface: one disc is by a one hit wonder from 2004 and the other is by one of the best known rock bands of the past twenty years. Yet they bear strong similarities in 2009. Need a hint about these bands? They both are European, have four members and combine an alternative rock sound with techno beats. Yup, you got it, it's Franz Ferdinand and U2.

Franz Ferdinand came on the scene strong with a vigorous debut album and smash single Take Me Out. The sophomore jinx caught up with them on a solid yet unsatisfying second disc pushing the Scottish foursome to take a different approach for their third record, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand. I have to admit to being skeptical of what to expect this time out, for about a year or so there were many reports of the group supplanting their Gang of Four slam with boogie beats. Usually these hybrid attempts at music come off as desperate and tacked on, so I was a little surprised at how good this CD is. The combination of dance floor grooves and Alt rock kick blends seamlessly, allowing Franz to take their next step artistically.

Throughout the disc, Franz' familiar sense of ironic, dour melody and brittle guitars continue their traditional style as the beat gets enhanced with the latest electronic bells and whistles. The Apple I-whatever commercial has gotten exposure for one of the best songs, the bouncing jaunty No You Girls. "Ulysses" is a good lead single with their well known "la la la la" style chorus intact to draw some attention. For me, the best song was Lucid Dreams which starts off with the band and then evolves into something like Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" groove at the end.

It's still not as good as their first album, but for a good time in the post recession economy you can call on Franz Ferdinand to bring the party. After the party's over, who's gonna save the world?

U2 returns to the spotlight to answer that question. The follow up to their slightly schizophrenic 2004 release How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb which rocked like a like a boulder in a catapult the first half and then pulled all the juice on the second half, No Line on the Horizon brings the Irish group back with their best known producers at the board. As with any U2 album there is a ton of hype and a lot of reviews already out there, so I'll just speak broadly about this one.

Some people thought this disc would be a summation of all the previous versions of U2's sound: The chiming guitars and hearty anthems of the 80's mixed with the cool jokey dance floor vibe of the 90's. Well, for the most part those people were right. No Line on the Horizon does sound like that quite a bit. Electronic sounds buzz and swarm about before giving way to Edge's famous serrated guitar sound and Bono's belting. There is a bit of a World music feel in parts and the stellar production team of Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite find the right balance of spacious openness and meaty substance. The rhythm section of Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen are in fine form, providing a pulsing drive and slapping percussion to ground the sound.

While the first single Get On Your Boots with it's jumpin' electronica groove and drum break fails to kill me (though it is better in the context of the disc than as a stand alone) much of the album is quite good. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight is a mid tempo pop rocker filled with hooks. The ballad Moment of Surrender is packed with all the bleeding heart chest thumping sensitivity that they're known for and has a great chorus to boot. Another ballad, White as Snow, has a lyrical beauty and has the feel of a deep soundtrack cut for an art house movie.

U2 pretty much said this is their bid to remain relevant and on that scale the album is a success. Nothing on No Line comes off as rote or tired, the album hangs together as a collective statement and maintains a level of ambition. U2 still wants to rule the planet or at least save it, though there are no obvious smash hit songs this time out No Line on the Horizon proves they still matter.

Numbers 19 to 14

Bono saving the world one football stadium at a time

A lot of time has gone by since I’ve updated my 100 Favorite CD list, I missed all of January. To make up for lost time, I’m going to hit Numbers 19 thru 14 this round.

Number 19: U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2001)


My favorite U2 album, one that seemed destined to be. When U2 released this CD fans were buzzing about the reduced presence of techno that have pervaded their 90’s work. Beautiful Day was all over the place, a soaring upbeat piece of old school U2. Then 9/11 happened and though this was released before the tragedy, the times changed how I perceived the album. The slow healing in songs like Walk On and Stuck In A Moment and You Can’t Get Out Of It became the soundtrack to the weeks that followed. At the same time, the Lara Croft worthy Elevation brought a rush of disco rock to keep the album from becoming a ballad fest.

Number 18: AC / DC – Highway To Hell (1979)


The last album with the late Bon Scott, Highway To Hell was amped, driven sleaze streamlined and sharpened by super Producer Mutt Lange. The take no prisoners approach included the classic title track anthem (a song that meant a lot to us in Catholic school), the ultimate middle finger to the establishment at the time. Girls Got Rhythm, Beating Around The Bush and Touch Too Much brought hooks, humor and slamming power chords to the party. AC / DC would go on to further greatness, but they were never more dangerous than here.

Number 17: Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (1993)


Billy Corgan went all Tom Scholz and took over the studio recordings, freezing bassist D’Arcy and second guitarist James Iha out of the creative process. Handling almost everything but the drums, Siamese Dream became the Alt rock answer to Boston: Tight, layered sonics with songs buried under mountains of guitar tracks. The Guitar Hero classic Cherub Rock took aim at Corgan’s detractors while the 120 minutes ready Today and the dramatic ballad Disarm tore up the MTV rotation. I bought the disc during a camping trip with my wife a few years later, who knew grungy riffola on cuts like Geek USA or Rocket would go so well with hot dogs and beer?

Number 16: Def Leppard – Pyromania (1983)


Mutt Lange (there’s that name again) followed up on his work with the prior record by taking an even more meticulous approach to recording. By the time recording finished, the band had switched lead guitarists and had a near perfect pop metal album when that idea was still new. Photograph made the Lep darlings of MTV as the follow up video singles Rock of Ages and Foolin’ became part of a generational vocabulary (Unta Gleebin Glossen Globen). Flamethrower rockers like Rock Rock Til You Drop and Comin Under Fire blazed through my little walkman as the ballad Too Late For Love got heavy radio play. Union Jack and snotty attitude ensured the Lep lots of coverage in Circus magazine as they dominated the Hard Rock field with their polished sound.

Number 15: Peter Gabriel – So (1986)


He seemed so unlikely to become a Pop star, yet that’s what happened when Gabriel made a stop motion video about his Sledgehammer. His combo of Progressive rock melodies with world beat rhythms, personal subject matter and atmospheric synths became irresistible. Big Time was the other big hit as slight a song as it is. What pushed he album over the top was In Your Eyes, a minor hit made into a pop culture phenomenon once John Cusack held a boombox over his head in the film Say Anything. This album was part of the backdrop to my college years that sounds as deep and fascinating now as it did then.

Number 14: Journey – Greatest Hits (1988)
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One of the best selling albums of all time and with good reason, Steve Perry and crew collated their best soaring rock anthems and power ballads into a single set. Focused squarely on the bands peak period of 1978 to 1987, Greatest Hits serves up classics like Don’t Stop Believin and Faithfully alongside medium sized hits like Girl Can’t Help It and Send Her My Love. While fans like myself can quibble about what’s not there (No Stone in Love, no Anytime, no Line of Fire, etc) if you want a solid shot of what made this Bay Area band great you can’t do better.

And that’s it for this round, we’re getting close to the Top 10 of the list. I may actually finish this list this year. Yay!

Midnight Madness - The Rain

We've had a drought the past few months which has been a bummer (although it's made driving this time of year easier). This weekend the rain finally came, much needed rain, to California. It's supposed to rain into next week, hopefully it will help us get back on track. Our state is already out of money, it would be nice if we didn't have to sit through water rationing too (which some parts of the state already started on). We have some minor leaks on the back porch which sucks, but other than that we need water. So let it rain!

Disturbia - The more info that comes out about the Rihanna and Chris Brown episode, the worse it gets. I would say Brown is done professionally in the court of public opinion if it wasn't for posts I've seen on the net blaming Rihanna for pissing him off. Huh? Really?

You've got to have Faith, Faith, Faith - Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood have announced a US tour. May I suggest the Can't Find My Way Home tour as their tour name?

Sand Castles - Following their Grammy victory, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have announced plans for a second CD. Grammy hogs!

When Love Comes to Town - U2 will be kicking off the release of their new album No Line on the Horizon by appearing throughout the week of March 2nd on The Late Show with David Letterman.

What's My Age Again? - Blink 182 are getting back together. I'm now so old that bands who peaked in the late 90's are breaking up and then reforming. Oh Elizabeth, I'm coming to see you Elizabeth, this is the big one!

Human Rights Now! - Peter Gabriel has refused to play at the Academy Awards because he does not want to play his song "Down to Earth" as part of a medley. He would only get about a minute, it's understandable why Gabriel would not want to waste his time playing 60 seconds it just seems funny compared to the stuff he usually protests.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation merge - great, now we'll probably incur a service fee for their service fees.

Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore engage - it really pays to be a sad guy Alt rocker these days when it comes to marrying actresses.

Watch Me Shine - This season's American Idol contestant Joanna Pacitti kept crying every chance she got to the point she was like "The Crying Girl" part 2. Now she really has a reason to cry as she was DQ'd from the show due to having personal and professional links with the show's execs. I'd defend her but I didn't think her performances were particuarly strong anyway, particularly with the amount of professional experience she's had.

TV Roundup - catching up with the TV Shows I've been following:

• Flight of the Conchords - The second season so far has continued with their silly antics, they still amuse but are not as sharp as the first season. There's been more focus on the supporting characters which is nice, the songs are pretty good just not up to the level of last year.


• Chuck - My favorite show right now returned with an OK episode in 3D. The end of the episode where Chuck gets over the mid season break cliff hanger in less than 30 seconds of seeing his beloved agent Sarah kill an unarmed man was jarring and unconvincing.


• American Idol - The giant shows signs of life as their old school approach begins to pay dividends. Their focus on the contestants personalities and building characters is working and they seemed to look for actual talent this year (which I'll credit to new judge Kara whose presence helps wake the others up). When you start to cringe every time that insanely self centered giggly girl shows up you know something is clicking.


• Terminator - Coming off the first half of a sluggish season 2, the Terminator gang kicks it into high gear for the second half with a strong episode. Can they keep it up?

Perfect - A recent comment from lostinube caused me to look up some old wrestling and I stumbled across this match between the late grapplers Kerry Von Erich and Curt Hennig for the Intercontinental Belt in 1990. The timing in this match is dead on, when modern wrestlers

went back to this mat based style a few years ago it shows how sloppy they were in comparison.

The Texas Tornado vs Mr Perfect

Midnight Madness - "Sully" Sullenberger Edition

Hero of the Day - Chesley Sullenberger III

It's been in the news a while now, still I thought it would be good to give a shout out to real life hero "Sully" Sullenberger for safely landing a jet in the water following engine failure. He saved a lot of lives that day by doing exactly what he was supposed to do and responding to a grave emergency with skill and dedication. It's been a long time since we've had a national hero, nice to see one with old school values that includes modesty. The rest of the crew and rescue teams also responded well to the disaster. I'll wrap up by saying thank you, Mr. Sullenberger, for a job well done.

Now, on to the Midnight Madness:

A Dark Night - For Batman fans hoping to get a little respect from the Academy. The Oscar noms limited their love for The Dark Knight to the late Heath Ledger (in the major categories at least). You would think Batman was some type of outlaw, running from the police after seeing how the Academy treats him. Bats is in good company though, Bruce Springsteen was also snubbed despite his excellent song for The Wrestler.

Hit The Lights - Meanwhile Metallica fans have reason to bang their head, the Metal band is going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jeff Beck and Run D.M.C. are being inducted as well (Little Anthony & the Imperials and Bobby Womack round out the induction honorees this year). I know it won't happen, but if the ending jam session with these guys includes Run D.M.C.'s It's Tricky that would make my day. Let's see James Hetfield cold bust some rhymes with some Jeff Beck soloing on top. Too cool.

Hell Yeah! - The awards season is in full swing, the first inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame is none other than the Rattlesnake! Stone Cold! Stone Cold! What? Stone Cold Steve Austin!

No Rod the Mod - Rod Stewart has put the kibosh on rumors of a Faces reunion. I guess we'll get stuck with whatever other ancient genre he decides to tackle next instead. I can see it now: Rod Stewart sings 19th Century sea shanties now on sale for $10.99. Hear Rod's new single "Blow the Man Down" available exclusively at Wal Mart. It comes with the bonus track "Row Row Your Boat".

Lemon? - The new U2 single Get On Your Boots is out and I have to admit to being a little disappointed. With Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite back in the producer's chair I was expecting something a little more classic leaning like their last album. Instead it seem's they're reviving some of that electronica Pop sound from the '90's. I'm still looking forward to the new disc and maybe this song will grow on me. Based on the few times I've heard it the song does get better on each listen. It wouldn't be the first time U2 put out music I was resistant to at first and dug later on. I did notice one of the other song titles on the new album is "Fez - Being Born". Did they write a song about that kid on That 70's Show?

Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? - Boy George has been sentenced to 15 months in jail for imprisoning and beating a male escort. Church of the Poisoned Mind indeed.

She's a little bit Charm School, He's a little bit Rock & Roll - The Osbournes are coming back to TV in a variety show planned for Fox. Sorry Ozzy, now that you're no longer a drug addled burn out you're just not as funny anymore. We all know you've cleaned up and are just fakin' it now.

Hey You Guys! - The Electric Company is returing to television. Can they get Morgan Freeman back?

Yippie Ki Yay! - While watching music videos I came across this parody of the Die Hard movies. It's pretty funny, what makes the clip really worthwhile is the amazing Bruce Willis imitation this guy does.

Die Hard Parody - I Love My Wife

Midnight Madness - Wii Edition

It's been a long time since I've actually cranked out a post this late at night, so here it goes! On my Birthday I received a Wii as a gift and it's become a fun way for my wife and I to play sports in the safety of our own home. Tennis, Golf and Bowling have become great past times for us as we play against the endlessly resourceful computer. Of all the game systems I have owned, the Wii is definitely the most active and I can see why that makes it stand out against the technically superior competition. Oh yeah, I also got Super Mario Galaxy which is also a blast. Mario rarely has let me down in the past and he doesn't here, running all crazy over little planets. Wheeeee!

On the Horizon? - U2 is preparing to release their disc No Line On the Horizon in March of '09. Get ready for another year of domination by Bono and the gang, I liked their previous disc and they delayed this album to write more songs so I'm optimistic this could be a really good one.

No More Garnishing Milk Money Allowances - The RIAA is giving up on suing teenagers (and other people) who steal their music into financial oblivion and will focus on working with ISP's to restrict or stop the internet services of their targets.

I Thought The Day Would Never Come - The long rumored Guitar Hero: Metallica game looks like it's going to be real. Wonder if people make tabs of Guitar Hero songs? That would be cool. "No, the chord before the solo is a red-yellow, not a blue-green". I look forward to flailing wildly to "Seek and Destroy" or "Battery"!

Metal Health Will Drive You Mad - An Australian doctor claims Headbanging causes medical problems in the head and neck. I thought this was old news? And somewhere Jason Newsted says "See? I told ya so."

The Curious Case of Jennifer Aniston - The ex-Friend steals some of her ex-husband's thunder by gettin' provocative on the cover of GQ magazine. Easily the best career move in a long time by Aniston as she has gotten a ton of press for this. We'll have to wait and see if this translates into box office Gold for the upcoming Marley & Me. Or will she remain an actress better known for her looks than her talent?

Let's Go Crazy - Prince is starting to show flashes of new material online and on the radio as he works on a new album.

Mamma Mia! - I learned from Melodicrock.com that a musical based on the music of 80's Power Rock called Rock of Ages is both Broadway and film bound. You've gotta like a musical that manages to include Europe's "The Final Countdown".

No New Doubt - The No Doubt reunion will have a tour but no new album is the latest word.

DVD Mini Reviews:

• I Am Legend - Will Smith joins the latest film wave of hunting Zombies as he places more or less the last man on Earth surrounded by the hungry malevolent creatures. Decent but not amazing, though Smith remains as charismatic as ever.


• Definitely, Maybe - Ryan Reynolds and crew come up with an inventive rom com that is sort of like that TV show How I Met Your Mother. A good cast including Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weitz and Abigail Breslin help keep things moving. Not bad if you see it cheap, it's sort of like a TV movie with a film look.

Snikt! - The new trailer for the upcoming Wolverine movie is out. I'm not sure what to make of it, there's a lot that happens in the trailer but nothing really cohesive. I see action and grimacing faces and hey look it's Gambit kinda! But where's the bo staff and trenchcoat, mon chere? (what does "mon chere" mean anyway? He always said that in the comic.)

Wolverine Trailer

Midnight Madness - Peanut Butter Jelly Time edition

It's break time...Peanut Butter Jelly time with a baseball bat!

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I'm taking a break from the Blog for a little bit, got a lot of stuff to take care of so I'll be away for probably the rest of the week at least. If anyone happens to be reading, I thank you for stopping by and hope to resume soon! And now...I'll go out in a fit of Madness!

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Save us Y2J! - Chris Jericho becomes a World Champion again at Unforgiven. And as an awesome heel. Yeah!

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Heaven isn't too far away... - Jani Lane is out of Warrant again. I didn't even know he was back in Warrant. "Sometime She Cries" will never sound the same!

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Who you gonna call? - The word is there's work being done to make Ghostbusters 3. The 80's sequel revival is just going nuts now isn't it? I'm voting for a sequel to Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo then. I just feel there's more story to tell.

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Don LaFontaine - The voice to many movie trailers has passed on.

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Web Slingin twofer - Spider Man 4 and 5 are planned to be filmed back to back with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. Because back to back sequels worked so well for the Back to the Future sereis. And the Matrix series. Oh well, can always hope for a Lord of the Rings hot streak.

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The Heart of the Matter - The Wilson sisters express outrage that the Heart song "Barracuda" was used by the Republican Party.

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Mysterious Ways - U2 has pushed their album back to 2009 due to a creative roll.

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Stand Up to Cancer - Just wanted to include a link to their site, the telecast Stand Up to Cancer was on last week and is asking for donations for a worthy cause.

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You want a Piece of Me? - After spending all week advertising anarchy, the MTV Video Music Awards went off without too many hitches and a boring host. A rehabbed Britney Spears won awards and seemed both awake and aware. The VMAs have become the equivalent of Car Racing (people watch to see the horrible accidents) so there wasn't much of interest here. Nice production values on the music segments though.

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Go Phish - The famous jam band of the 90's reunited for a wedding gig.

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Mini CD Reviews:

• Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs: I really wanted to like this album and have found a few good tracks ("Cath" and "Long Division") but the wanna be Mitchell Froom production is annoying. Hopefully this will grow on me over time.
• Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies: A solid album with some highlights from the Sweetster. "Daisychain" rocks with power pop force while the sublime title track features background vocals from Susanna Hoffs.
• Duffy - Rockferry: I wasn't planning on getting this but I have a relative who likes the Duff so I checked it out. Very old school, a pleasant throw back to 60's with a soulful performance by the young singer. But still nothing outstanding and I'm just now getting over the huge marketing push she got a few months back.

Midnight Madness-No Scrubs Edition

All these years I never saw this show, now I'm somewhat hooked in a lazy sort of way. Like if it's on, I'll watch it now. I wouldn't record it or go out of my way for it though, it's not like it's the best show ever made. It did let me know what happened to the second girl to play Becky on Roseanne. Roseanne was a good show until the last two seasons, they really went off the deep end at that point with winning the lottery and being millionaires and what not. You ever see that movie Garden State with the Scrubs guy? That was pretty good, I thought it was Natalie Portman's best performance, much better than V for Vendetta. The soundtrack wasn't bad, you know, it was famous for getting people like me to listen to The Shins. Newwww Slaanngg...ba ba da ba da. Is this going on too long? Yeah, it's going on too long. Time to end this. Finito. Fin. El endo. cerrado. sayonara. arrivedechi.

Thank you Bunny! - I somehow managed to delete my ITunes library from the hard drive this week. My wonderful wife got a program so I could move songs from my IPod back to the hard drive. Yay!

All Because of You - U2 is rumored to have a new album ready for a possible November release with the potential title No Line on the Horizon. One of the greatest active bands in Rock returns! And the album title is shorter than How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by one word. Yes!

Hold on Buck-O! - Is what Richie Cunningham would say if he found out Lindsey Buckingham planned to release a new CD just two years after Under the Skin. Buckingham hasn't been this prolific since 1982. I watched a lot of Happy Days growing up. Does it show?

The Word of Genius - Recent interviews with Rick Springfield to promote his new disc Venus in Overdrive have popped up at some of my favorite sites, Melodicrock and Popdose . Awesome!

Up in Smoke - The legendary comedy duo Cheech and Chong are reuniting to do a comedy tour. I like Cheech and Chong, but will their stoner humor still strike a chord with fans twenty years later? I just remembered Tommy Chong was doing the stoner schtick on That 70's Show - OK, it should still be funny. In other news, rapper Snoop Dogg's tour bus was checked by Police resulting in two arrests for possession of Marajuana. Harsh buzz!

I Saw it on TV - Tv commercials is the new radio and a recent ad has gotten me hooked again on the recent Lenny Kravitz album by including the stomping title track in a commercial. Peace and buy stuff!

Like You'll Never See Me Again - R&B songstress Alicia Keys has teamed up with White Stripes leader Jack White to record the theme song to the upcoming Bond film Quantum of Solace. It's hard to imagine these two voices together, but Keys is pretty adaptable. Awkward!

But will you respect me in the morning? - Katy Perry has been on top of the charts with her vampy hit I Kissed A Girl for about six weeks now. It's shaping up to be the hit of the Summer, like this year's "Umbrella". I wonder if sales of Cherry Chapstick have gone up as well?

Thunderstruck - AC/DC have announced an 18 month tour in support of their upcoming album. Angus!

Mini TV Reviews - Just a few capsule reviews about TV shows I've seen in the past week.

• Gene Simmon's Family Jewels - Sort of the Hogan Knows Best of Rock music before the Hogan's imploded. Gene does his sleazy thing while ex Playmate Shannon Tweed looks on amused and their kids do normal teenage rich kid stuff. It's OK.


• Swingtown - The swingin' 70's are brought out with multiple couples looking to do key parties with each other. This was done before and much better by Ang Lee in The Ice Storm (1997). Swingtown always stays Uptown when it should be going Downtown if you know what I'm saying and I think you do.
  
• Scrubs - This show was on for years and I never watched it. The other night we saw it on TV and it had this great part where Colin Hay (Men at Work) sings "Overkill". I've seen a second episode now, it's not too bad. I guess it is better than Wings, which is the show I used to equate it to because I never felt the need to watch it.


• South Park - used to be really funny, I watched two episodes and Imaginationland this weekend and was mostly bored. My brother loves this show and I'm sure will disagree with me, but I say it's time to kill Kenny once and for all. You bastard! (bastard being me, not you)

To close, here's Colin Hay's appearance on Scrubs. Great stuff.

Colin Hay "Overkill"