Do not put unauthorized cinnamon on the table!

Alright, I felt so bad about the low level of information in the previous post that I'm doubling up this week to give you some moments of humor and joy:


First off I'm sure everyone has heard of the Steely Dan vs You Me and Dupree battle by now. For those of you not in the know, Steely Dan is pissed because they wrote a song called "My Cousin Dupree" about a slacker who crashes on his family's couch. But they wrote a friggin' hilarious letter to Luke Wilson you can see here:

http://www.steelydan.com/heyluke.html

(thanks for the link Erin)

Also from Ainitcool/YouTube but reposted here...

2 ANIMATICS FROM THE SIMPSONS MOVIE!!!!!!!










Alright you crazy cats enjoy.

Until next time:

"I have learned to accept, Mr. Swearengen, that events sharing some effect on my interest does not make them part of a plot."

"You ain't the center of the universe in other words."

"Exactly."

" Don't that lead you to despair?"

"No sir."

"You're stronger minded than I."

Honey, do I need to recap my Concerned Dad lectures? No running with scissors, no candy from strangers, no smartening up the local criminal element.

Mustard: We wants it. We needs it.

So we’re going just random rumblings today:

Comic Con:

Once again it seems this is less and less to do with comics and more to do with a large platform with which to make announcements. Why is there big Lost panel there? Even more confusing, why is there a Veronica Mars panel? At least Lost you can say is sci-fi but Veronica Mars? But the big announcements:

- New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie out in ’07. See the trailer here. All CG, hopefully they don’t make it too kiddy (did you know that originally first movie was supposedly going to be rated R? Now that would’ve pissed off a lot of parents.).

- Spider-man 3 officially showing off Venom for the first time. Now if someone with a camera phone will kindly post a picture…

- The trailer for the Frank Miller’s 300 (based on the battle of Thermopylae) supposedly was the surprise hit of the show. Now if they’d post it for us people who didn’t happen to be in San Diego. Note to director Zack Snyder: pray that this movie goes off well cause I don’t think you have a shot in hell of doing Watchmen to fanboy standards. It’s just too complex a project to make them all happy and this is their holy grail you’re playing with here.

- Major buzz surround the Tenacious D footage. This can’t get here quick enough.

- Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime will in fact voice the character in the upcoming Michael Bay movie. Fanboys everywhere wet themselves.

So not only is Lost going 6 and 16 next season but those first 6 episodes are going to be shot like a “mini-series” according to producers. So we might not even get to really see some characters until the 16 series starts up (correction from an earlier post, it’ll supposedly be in January).

Caught the pilot for the Sci-Fi original series Eureka the other day. Definitely a “meh”. The idea is interesting enough but quite frankly it reminded me of Eerie Indiana meets Northern Exposure meet the X-Files and it does of none of them particularly well. The characters are shallow cutouts pretty much designed to have one trait important to the plot and the humor turning into Sci-Fi turning to just plain bizarre doesn’t blend well just comes off as jarring and choppy.

Got Erin hooked on Veronica Mars. I’m so happy!

I swear I’m the only person in the country who has yet to see Pirate of the Caribbean 2. One of these days…

Alright, this was weak. I’ll do better next time. Look for Ep III commentary soon.

Until next time:

“I would rather die than call that snake charmer for help. He'll never let me hear the end of it!”

“Alright boys you heard your father, we're all gonna die. So you might wanna line yourself up so that the spikes will pierce your brain or heart. Alright, alright lets get started positioning ourselves, no fun bleeding to death.”

I got to admit I always want to get Edgar Allen Poe in a headlock. That thing is like a pumpkin.

Mustard… better than a frying pan to the back of the head.

So I’m going a little technical here and trying out embedded youtube videos. First off youtube? I love it. Best place in the world to find truly random video clips such as William Shatner’s performance of Rocketman (fantastically parodied by Family Guy).

But in the interest of the ongoing debate/war on net neutrality between the telecos who want to be able to splinter the internet according to their whims and everyone else who doesn’t want to be held hostage (yeah, you can tell what side I’m on), this video is at once friggin hilarious and frightening as you realize that these people are who are deciding the fate of the net and the best way they can describe the internet is that it’s not a big truck you can dump stuff on….

Yeah, I send internets back and forth all the time. You putz.

Oh and before anyone cries foul over what side I’m on, yes I realize that right now this debate is all over theoretical future uses of the internet. Despite the Senators problems with sent internets, at this point traffic is not so congested as to be causing real problems. Will Hi-Def video on demand cause the “series of tubes” to fill up? Maybe.

In the end we the consumers are still getting stuck with the price tag for it whether it be passed down from the telecos/ISPs charging more for their bandwidth or the online companies passing the extra charges they have to pay to the telecos for using the “fastlane” tier. But personally, I’d rather it be an open internet we’re all paying more for than to have the telecos be able to extort money in order to ensure prompt delivery from certain sites while they themselves have the ability to ensure other content (perhaps their own competing content?) get through just fine.

If you want to know more about net neutrality (as I’ve been talking about it in terms of people who are familiar with the current situation), try here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_neutrality. Note that it’s under dispute as to it’s neutrality (which is pretty damn funny if you think about it), but I think it highlights the issues pretty well. Let’s face it, any article that highlights a contentious debate is going to have its neutrality disputed if one side doesn’t think it helps them enough.

Music You Should Be Listening To:

Joshua Radin – We Were Here

So Mr. Radin went out and got him self signed by a big time label. This has lead to a lot more production than his more sparse EP. It definitely throws you off when some of the changes sneak up on you. Closer appropriately takes the spotlight on this album as it’s easily his best song. The added background bells and strings only add stronger emphasis to Radin’s remarkably strong hooks and lyrics. Interestingly enough Today has actually had the production dropped from its performance on the EP to being a simple acoustic number. Everything is Gonna be Alright brings to mind a simple acoustic James Taylor. Sundrenched World has a little Elliot Smith to it while Star Mile reminds me of a good Nickel Creek number with maybe even a little folksy Simon & Garfunkel sneaking in. Overall Radin proves that he’s got what it takes to move up to the big leagues. Plus it doesn’t hurt to have buddy Zach Braff plugging for him.

Alexi Murdoch – Time Without Consequence

Talk about a guy who wears his Nick Drake influences on his sleeve, Murdoch is also making his jump from EP to full on album complete with upped production. But if he keeps putting out albums like this, I can’t complain about any aping of Drake. Both All of My Days and Song For You have the up front, very deliberate guitar picking complete with back strings. On Home, Murdoch suddenly decided to hop into Thom Yorke Radiohead land. It’s entertaining if a little seemingly out of left field. And Orange Sky has received a face lift after the EP version appeared in just about every movie and tv soundtrack in the past four years to feature independent music. Aided now by a piano and a clapping percussion, Murdoch’s re-recording seems to have a more confident sound to it.

News and notes:

Ok, so what the hell, Lost apparently is only going to have 6 new non-interrupted episodes this fall and then 16 non-interrupted in the spring? So that means it stops in November and doesn’t start back up again til February? No me gusta!

Oh, and this is friggin hilarious (Warning! Crude language ahead! You’ve been warned!)

Until next time:

“Is your Daddy here? Or is he busy peeking in people's windows?”

“You stop dressing up like Little Bo Peep, he'll stop peeking.”

I am sitting in the charred remains of my once-mighty Flying Cocoon. Anyone want to explain why my Cocoon is charred?

Back in yellow, I hit the… Mustard…?

Anyways, so after last weeks debacle of Emmy noms, I’m staying the hell away from that topic this week. So what do we move onto? How bout the fact that once again the National League CANNOT win an All-Star game. Why do I care so much? Cause this year the Mets may actually have a shot at the series and wouldn’t that have been nice to have home field advantage?

How bout that David Wright though? Runner up in the HR Derby and hitting a homer in his first All-Star at-bat? Now consider this: he’s only making $370,000 this year as part of a 1 year contract. The Mets sure as hell better make sure they take care of him the minute this season is over. I’m talking 5 or 6 year multi-million dollar offer because this kid is someone to start building a team around and he’s only 23! Ditto Jose Reyes. I was rough on the guy last year when he didn’t exhibit the ability to take a pitch but he’s grown up this year in a big way and come on, 6 more stolen bases than the 2^nd place SB leader?

Oh and Carlos Beltran stealing like a maniac? When he’s healthy, he’s worth every penny they paid for him.

I don’t care what people are saying, I’ve seen Superman Returns twice now and it’s a good movie. It earns points automatically by not having the resolution be Superman flying backwards around the earth to turn back time (why the hell would that stop the earthquake from happening all over again? Can someone please explain that to me?). Yeah, it’s a little long. Yeah, people who didn’t care for the original Donner movies might get annoyed at the constant references to them. No, I don’t think it’s better than Batman Begins. But it's infinitely better than Superman 3 and yeah, that’s a low standard to meet but then again, Superman 4 didn’t manage to hurdle it. The casting is well done. Brandon Routh makes both an excellent Clark Kent and Superman. No, he’s not as good as Christopher Reeve but come on, you can’t fault the guy for not living up to that. Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane bothered a lot of people, but not me. Maybe it’s cause I never like the Margot Kidder Lois (honestly, she wasn’t “spunky”, she was a pain in the ass). I like Kevin Spacey’s Luthor, however I was a little disappointed where they took the character or rather where they didn’t go. There’s a great line where in the beginning of the movie as Luthor exclaims that he’s not a God because “Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes and don't share their power with mankind.” I thought, wow maybe their really going to get who Lex Luthor is. Not necessarily a cheesy super villain but rather a man who, while he is unscrupulous and power hungry, also views Superman as a threat to all humanity. But after that interesting beginning, they end up going the crazy real estate Hackman-esque scheme which doesn’t really develop Luthor into anything more than a jerk who wants money and power. But I can’t fault Spacey for that. Kal Penn is excellent as the guy who nods. He may only have one line in the movie. I say “may” because it’s a line spoken off screen in a group so you’re not exactly sure who said it. Overall though this was a good reboot for the series and Joss Whedon now has the pressure on as he takes on the last leg of the DC Universe pillars with Wonder Woman.

Music you should be listening to:

The Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree

My thanks to Crowley for giving me the heads up on this band. Reminding me much of Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning only with less of a country and more lo-fi rock slant, this not a happy album. Focusing mainly on the childhood trauma at the hands of an abusive step-father, there’s enough pain going on here to fill an Elliot Smith album. In fact the song Pale Green Things does remind me of a soft Smith number. Up the Wolves uses a brilliant analogy of the story of Romulus and Remus to the overcoming of physical and more importantly emotional abandonment. The catchy upbeat tempo of Dance Music plays an effective counterpoint to not so upbeat lyrics. By far the best number though is the biting This Year. The minimal drums and guitar adds emphasis on the lyrics and the desperation in the chorus of “I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me”. Bleak? A little. Excellent album? Absolutely.

The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics

Let’s face it, either you like the Flaming Lips or you don’t. If you couldn’t stand Yoshimi Versus the Pink Robots, don’t bother with this album. Lucky for me, I loved those Pink Robots, so Mystics is right up my alley. The album is a little more mainstream pop/rock (if any Flaming Lips album can be call “mainstream”) than Yoshimi but that’s not necessarily a terrible thing. Take the Yeah Yeah Yeah song. Probably the most radio friendly song on the album, it starts out with a steady chorus of “yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah” before breaking into a uptempo jam complete with vocalizer (man, between these guys and Imogen Heap, the vocalizer sure is making a comeback). Free Radicals crosses a funk guitar base with the electric trappings of Beck (minus all the Spanish). It Overtakes Me harkens back to Yoshimi with its sirens, spacey electric distortion and any number of seemingly random musical effects. Mr. Ambulance Driver has been put through a little more production since it’s appearance on the Wedding Crashers soundtrack but still maintains it’s soft, melancholy tone. On the whole I still think I prefer Yoshimi however I have no qualms putting this album right beside it.

Until next time:

“Logan, can I have a word”

“Anthropomorphic. All yours, big boy.”

I look like Santa’s magic janitor.

So the Emmy nominations came out and I quickly realized there had to have been some mistake. After proudly announcing a new selection system that would be sure to give more shows a chance to be recognized, the Academy promptly went out and nominated the same shows it always does.

In my confusion I quickly dialed up the Academy to find out what happened:

Me: So how did that new selection system work out for you?

Academy: Oh terrific. It allowed us to continue to nominate the same old things, but we can pretend we tried a lot harder.

Me: Hey, wouldn’t be great if maybe some of the great work done by Lauren Graham was finally rewarded?

The Academy: Lauren who? Nah, we don’t know her, she sounds new and what’s new is weird and scary to us. Let’s nominate Stockard Channing. Wait, what’s that you say? Her show was canceled after 14 episodes? Eh, that doesn’t bother us. After all, we nominated Kevin James and he really hasn’t done quality acting in all eight years of the King of Queens.

Me: Well how about Kristen Bell and Veronica Mars?

Academy: Hell, no, that’s on UPN. We don’t award shows on UPN. That’s why we also didn’t nominate Everybody Hates Chris.

Me: You know, I hear that Donald Faison easily had one of the greatest season performances ever over on Scrubs not to mention that John C. McGinley has done as consistently good a job over the years as the aforementioned Lauren Graham?

Academy: Donald Faison? Wasn’t he the guy from Clueless? And John McGinley? Nah, not lovable enough. How bout that Jon Cryer and that Sean Hayes. Those guys are lovable. We can’t tell which is which but man oh man they bring a smile to our face.

Me: Aren’t you a little worried that next year you’re losing 4 of your nominees for Lead Actress in a Comedy?

Academy: Oh don’t worry, we’ve been scouring the ranks of the CBS sitcoms and we’ll have them ready to be plugged in come next year.

Me: Now, I’m a little confused here. Lost won best Drama series last year and this year it doesn’t even get nominated? And wasn’t the Sopranos supposed to be not nearly as good this year as in the past? And 24, though I dearly love the show, isn’t that the equivalent of nominating a Michael Bay movie for best picture?

Academy: Well, you don’t understand. The Sopranos has to be nominated every year, much like Will & Grace and the West Wing and all the shows in the past that have been nominated regardless of peaking and waning quality. And as for 24, Pearl Harbor was only the greatest movie ever! It’s a travesty it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar!

Me: How do you sleep with yourself at night?

Academy: On top of a big pile of money surrounded by many beautiful women.

You know what folks? I just don’t even know anymore. I’ll cheer for the Comedy Series race as Arrested Development, Scrub, the Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm go head to head but if Two and a Half Men win (why the hell is this nominated over Entourage? It's makes no goram sense!) I’m just going to officially declare the Emmys worthless. On a scale of 1 to 10 they are at .05 with how much I care mostly due to that category and Jeremy Piven’s nomination (I loved Will Arnett in AD but Jeremy Piven absolutely deserves to win). Normally I just don’t give that much of a rats ass but with the hype surrounding the new system I thought maybe some of the great shows would finally get recognized. I guess I also should’ve started believing in Leprechauns while I was at it.

Until next time:

“What the hell are we supposed to do with this crap? Make them laugh so hard they blow malt liquor out their noses?”
“No, I think you’ll have that covered when you storm the room in butterfly uniforms.”
“Oh ha ha ha ha ha. Nice onesie, Dick. Put snaps in the back so you can make poopie?”
“This is a speed suit, mister, not a onesie.”
“Fine. Maybe they’ll think you’re a three-year old with pyrexia and take pity on us.”