2009-02-07
2009-02-06
Top Five Friday: RAIN!
Don't call it a comeback - just call it the long awaited return of Top Five Friday!
In honor of the rainy weather (my favorite) washing down all over Southern California and the craziness of Madonna's "Rain" coming up on random during my drive home, I decided to make this list.
Without further adieu...
THE TOP FIVE SONGS IN MY ITUNES LIBRARY WITH "RAIN" IN THE TITLE!
5. Rain King - Counting Crows
Ahhh, Counting Crows. I used to love them. I don't think I've heard anything new from them in years but that first album from them was golden. I couldn't even begin to imagine how many times that disc got spun round and round. The other thing that I'll always remember about them is that they were the first band that I listened to that my aunts got into later. For years it was the opposite - Springsteen, Petty, Styx, The Eagles, whatever. But the Crows were the first that I had first! Oh, and the live version I'm linking to is pretty fun. They sound like they're having a good time.
4. No Rain - Blind Melon
Now THIS one takes me back. Unfortunately, the first memory that came to mind only took me back a few months but that's okay. One of the girls at work said they planned on going as a bumblebee for Halloween and I queried if they were going for the Bee Girl. Looks of puzzlement ensued and I felt old. Turns out she had no idea who the Bee Girl was nor did she know Blind Melon. A quick YouTubin' made her recognize the song but she'd never seen the video. I blame MTV and their lack of livin' up to their name if you ask me.
3. Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
I don't think I have any funny stories about this song. But it's an awesome song with "rain" in the title so... nyah!
2. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
It's odd that two of my favorite CCR songs both involve "rain." It's even odder that perhaps my most vivid memory of this song is an R.E.M. show from several years ago. I remember it quite well because as long-time readers of this page know, R.E.M. is one of the Missus' favorite bands. We had tickets for a show at the nearby venue formerly known as Irvine Meadows and now known as OUTDOOR VENUE SOLD TO THE HIGHEST CORPORATE WHORE. So, we were supposed to go see R.E.M. at OVSTTHCW but it had been raining all day. Now, you know how your Ticketbastard tickets say "Rain Or Shine" on them? Fuck it all if they don't actually mean that shit. The debate was on - do we swallow the price of the tickets and skip the show or do we brave the elements and hope the rain doesn't arrive? Much to my dismay, we did the latter - which turned out okay for most of the night. But at one opportune moment, the skies opened up and it started to sprinkle which prompted this absolutely awesome one minute of stage time where Michael Stipe did an impromptu cover of this song as the rain fell down upon him. And so I say... simply... awesome.
And the #1 song with the word "Rain" in the title currently in my iTunes library...
1. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
Oh, don't act so surprised. Now, I can share two memories of this song for you. First? Remember when this song "hit it big" and all the Top 40 stations wanted to play it for all the little fuckers who saw the video on MTV? Remember how they bastardized it by ripping out the guitar solo and the end of the song? No? Well, obviously I do and I'm scarred for life over it! Oh, my other memory of this song? When I saw GNR in concert a couple of years ago and my friend Poff and I ceased and desisted all searching for our missing, drunk friend Phil so that we could watch this song be performed. Hey - you've got to have priorities, people.
And that's that. Let it rain!
SeeqPod - Playable Search
In honor of the rainy weather (my favorite) washing down all over Southern California and the craziness of Madonna's "Rain" coming up on random during my drive home, I decided to make this list.
Without further adieu...
THE TOP FIVE SONGS IN MY ITUNES LIBRARY WITH "RAIN" IN THE TITLE!
5. Rain King - Counting Crows
Ahhh, Counting Crows. I used to love them. I don't think I've heard anything new from them in years but that first album from them was golden. I couldn't even begin to imagine how many times that disc got spun round and round. The other thing that I'll always remember about them is that they were the first band that I listened to that my aunts got into later. For years it was the opposite - Springsteen, Petty, Styx, The Eagles, whatever. But the Crows were the first that I had first! Oh, and the live version I'm linking to is pretty fun. They sound like they're having a good time.
4. No Rain - Blind Melon
Now THIS one takes me back. Unfortunately, the first memory that came to mind only took me back a few months but that's okay. One of the girls at work said they planned on going as a bumblebee for Halloween and I queried if they were going for the Bee Girl. Looks of puzzlement ensued and I felt old. Turns out she had no idea who the Bee Girl was nor did she know Blind Melon. A quick YouTubin' made her recognize the song but she'd never seen the video. I blame MTV and their lack of livin' up to their name if you ask me.
3. Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
I don't think I have any funny stories about this song. But it's an awesome song with "rain" in the title so... nyah!
2. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
It's odd that two of my favorite CCR songs both involve "rain." It's even odder that perhaps my most vivid memory of this song is an R.E.M. show from several years ago. I remember it quite well because as long-time readers of this page know, R.E.M. is one of the Missus' favorite bands. We had tickets for a show at the nearby venue formerly known as Irvine Meadows and now known as OUTDOOR VENUE SOLD TO THE HIGHEST CORPORATE WHORE. So, we were supposed to go see R.E.M. at OVSTTHCW but it had been raining all day. Now, you know how your Ticketbastard tickets say "Rain Or Shine" on them? Fuck it all if they don't actually mean that shit. The debate was on - do we swallow the price of the tickets and skip the show or do we brave the elements and hope the rain doesn't arrive? Much to my dismay, we did the latter - which turned out okay for most of the night. But at one opportune moment, the skies opened up and it started to sprinkle which prompted this absolutely awesome one minute of stage time where Michael Stipe did an impromptu cover of this song as the rain fell down upon him. And so I say... simply... awesome.
And the #1 song with the word "Rain" in the title currently in my iTunes library...
1. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
Oh, don't act so surprised. Now, I can share two memories of this song for you. First? Remember when this song "hit it big" and all the Top 40 stations wanted to play it for all the little fuckers who saw the video on MTV? Remember how they bastardized it by ripping out the guitar solo and the end of the song? No? Well, obviously I do and I'm scarred for life over it! Oh, my other memory of this song? When I saw GNR in concert a couple of years ago and my friend Poff and I ceased and desisted all searching for our missing, drunk friend Phil so that we could watch this song be performed. Hey - you've got to have priorities, people.
And that's that. Let it rain!
SeeqPod - Playable Search
2009-02-05
2009-02-04
The Facts Are These...
On a night where my brain feels a little mushy after enduring the absolute glory that is Group Day on American Idol (arguably the greatest day of the Idol season for sheer amazing trainwreck television) and another swirly mindbending episode of Lost, I needed some assistance in finding the way to a (somewhat) coherent post. So, I dug "deep" into Yahoo and pulled up about ten headlines that looked interesting from every section. Let's see if I was right!
U.S. Government Helps Angry Springsteen Fans
The facts are these - Ticketmaster had a fuck-up during a Bruce on-sale over the weekend. Apparently some people attempting to buy from the pre-sale got "accidentally" redirected to Ticketmaster's resale site where buyers sell their high demand tickets at a premium. Many fans cried "scam!" and got Ticketmaster to issue a statement offering to refund the difference to anyone who felt they bought from the resale site in error. Somewhere in here, the government decided to intervene and tell Ticketmaster they fucked up. That's good. Because it's not like there are more important problems the government should be addressing right now. Fuck, man - it's almost enough to make you become an anarchist at times.
My thoughts? Remember the good ol' days when it was "illegal" to resell tickets and you had to go to a "licensed ticket broker" like Night On The Town tickets. Do those places still exist? How is it possible to maintain the overhead to have an office like that when everyone and their mother is selling Miley Cyrus tickets through eBay, Craigslist, StubHub, or some other online store? Oh, the story - nah, I doubt Ticketmaster really tried to defraud people. I'm sure it's just another in a long line of historic Ticketmaster fuckups. Hey, remember when Pearl Jam told Ticketmaster to fuck off over their huge service charges? I sure do. Every time I pay those service charges for any show - especially Pearl Jam. Can't fight City Hall.
'90s Pop Star May Add Drama To New 'Survivor'
The facts are these - Tamara "Taj" Johnson, formerly of SWV, is going to be on the next Survivor.
My thoughts? Two come to mind. 1) Who is the dopey ass "journalist" writing these headlines and having the nerve to call this chick a "star?" Talk about writing a headline only for the click-through. This fucker's no better than on those shitty wrestling newz sites that have headlines like, "HOGAN AT WRESTLEMANIA!" only to find out when you click through that Reliant Stadium has a janitor named Steve Hogan who will be cleaning up some spilled beer after the show. The other? Does anyone still fucking watch Survivor? I'm sorry for all the swearing tonight. I'm feeling a little cranky.
Era of $60 Video Games May Be Ending
The facts are these - some older video game titles had their prices cut for the holidays and then didn't go back up after the holidays ended. But all the other "news" in this article says they expect new titles to keep their higher price point.
My thoughts? What the fuck was the point of this story? How slow of a news day is it? You wrote an article teasing lower video game prices only to state straight-away that there's basically no fucking chance that's happening?
Baseball Commissioner's Surprisingly Large Salary
The facts are these - I'm sure most people have read this one by now. Bud Selig - yes, the Bud Selig who had a World Series cancelled on his watch... yep, also the one who let an All-Star Game end in a tie... yes, the one who let the steroid saga spiral all out of control until the U.S. Government had to intervene [another fantastic use of their time by the way]... he's been paid a shitload of money. Just shy of 18 million in 2007 to be precise.
My thoughts? I thought the fucker was overpaid when I thought he was getting paid a shitload less. No wonder he's stalled so long in leaving the job he said he'd leave ages ago. My other thought? Did anyone else hear the talk that Bush might take the Commissioner job he's always wanted when Selig steps down? And did anyone else have total faith that MLB would be bankrupt and invading Iran a few months after he gets the gig? He already fucked up the country - do we really need him fucking up our National Pastime as well?
NBA Adds H-O-R-S-E To All-Star Weekend
The facts are these - after getting absolutely drilled by the sports media over the past few years for how awful they've allowed the fun parts of the All Star Game to slip, the NBA is scrambling to become hip again. Of course, they once had Hall And Oates perform at an All Star Game so I have little hope that David Stern will suddenly be street.
My thoughts? This could be a lot of fun although the "no dunking" rule already makes me a little annoyed. However, I fully expect that the NBA will be unable to compel their big stars to compete in this - just like the Slam Dunk contest - and it will probably suck balls. But all is not lost because where else besides All Star Weekend can I see Bill Laimbeer tossing up half-court shots competitively?
You know... I just don't think I can do the rest of these.
There's a story about the FBI searching the home of a man linked to poisoning Tylenol in 1982.
1982?
Seriously?
OJ really MIGHT find Nicole's killer before the fuzz.
There's another one about Russia wanting to help the U.S. in Afghanistan while spouting lots of anti-U.S. rhetoric and making strong demands of the Obama administration. I swear to God, these two countries just aren't happy unless the threat of global annihilation hangs over us all. I hope we didn't mothballs all the air raid sirens. But with all the movies and such that have been made about nuclear wars, do you think we can still convince people they'd survive a nuclear strike if they got under their desk and covered their head with their arms?
The last one is just so damn awful, it doesn't even merit discussion. It's such a disgusting yet dead-on-balls-accurate statement of society as a whole, I don't even think I can joke about it.
Well, I probably could but...
Let's let it speak for itself.
Insert your own punchline.... HERE!
U.S. Government Helps Angry Springsteen Fans
The facts are these - Ticketmaster had a fuck-up during a Bruce on-sale over the weekend. Apparently some people attempting to buy from the pre-sale got "accidentally" redirected to Ticketmaster's resale site where buyers sell their high demand tickets at a premium. Many fans cried "scam!" and got Ticketmaster to issue a statement offering to refund the difference to anyone who felt they bought from the resale site in error. Somewhere in here, the government decided to intervene and tell Ticketmaster they fucked up. That's good. Because it's not like there are more important problems the government should be addressing right now. Fuck, man - it's almost enough to make you become an anarchist at times.
My thoughts? Remember the good ol' days when it was "illegal" to resell tickets and you had to go to a "licensed ticket broker" like Night On The Town tickets. Do those places still exist? How is it possible to maintain the overhead to have an office like that when everyone and their mother is selling Miley Cyrus tickets through eBay, Craigslist, StubHub, or some other online store? Oh, the story - nah, I doubt Ticketmaster really tried to defraud people. I'm sure it's just another in a long line of historic Ticketmaster fuckups. Hey, remember when Pearl Jam told Ticketmaster to fuck off over their huge service charges? I sure do. Every time I pay those service charges for any show - especially Pearl Jam. Can't fight City Hall.
'90s Pop Star May Add Drama To New 'Survivor'
The facts are these - Tamara "Taj" Johnson, formerly of SWV, is going to be on the next Survivor.
My thoughts? Two come to mind. 1) Who is the dopey ass "journalist" writing these headlines and having the nerve to call this chick a "star?" Talk about writing a headline only for the click-through. This fucker's no better than on those shitty wrestling newz sites that have headlines like, "HOGAN AT WRESTLEMANIA!" only to find out when you click through that Reliant Stadium has a janitor named Steve Hogan who will be cleaning up some spilled beer after the show. The other? Does anyone still fucking watch Survivor? I'm sorry for all the swearing tonight. I'm feeling a little cranky.
Era of $60 Video Games May Be Ending
The facts are these - some older video game titles had their prices cut for the holidays and then didn't go back up after the holidays ended. But all the other "news" in this article says they expect new titles to keep their higher price point.
My thoughts? What the fuck was the point of this story? How slow of a news day is it? You wrote an article teasing lower video game prices only to state straight-away that there's basically no fucking chance that's happening?
Baseball Commissioner's Surprisingly Large Salary
The facts are these - I'm sure most people have read this one by now. Bud Selig - yes, the Bud Selig who had a World Series cancelled on his watch... yep, also the one who let an All-Star Game end in a tie... yes, the one who let the steroid saga spiral all out of control until the U.S. Government had to intervene [another fantastic use of their time by the way]... he's been paid a shitload of money. Just shy of 18 million in 2007 to be precise.
My thoughts? I thought the fucker was overpaid when I thought he was getting paid a shitload less. No wonder he's stalled so long in leaving the job he said he'd leave ages ago. My other thought? Did anyone else hear the talk that Bush might take the Commissioner job he's always wanted when Selig steps down? And did anyone else have total faith that MLB would be bankrupt and invading Iran a few months after he gets the gig? He already fucked up the country - do we really need him fucking up our National Pastime as well?
NBA Adds H-O-R-S-E To All-Star Weekend
The facts are these - after getting absolutely drilled by the sports media over the past few years for how awful they've allowed the fun parts of the All Star Game to slip, the NBA is scrambling to become hip again. Of course, they once had Hall And Oates perform at an All Star Game so I have little hope that David Stern will suddenly be street.
My thoughts? This could be a lot of fun although the "no dunking" rule already makes me a little annoyed. However, I fully expect that the NBA will be unable to compel their big stars to compete in this - just like the Slam Dunk contest - and it will probably suck balls. But all is not lost because where else besides All Star Weekend can I see Bill Laimbeer tossing up half-court shots competitively?
You know... I just don't think I can do the rest of these.
There's a story about the FBI searching the home of a man linked to poisoning Tylenol in 1982.
1982?
Seriously?
OJ really MIGHT find Nicole's killer before the fuzz.
There's another one about Russia wanting to help the U.S. in Afghanistan while spouting lots of anti-U.S. rhetoric and making strong demands of the Obama administration. I swear to God, these two countries just aren't happy unless the threat of global annihilation hangs over us all. I hope we didn't mothballs all the air raid sirens. But with all the movies and such that have been made about nuclear wars, do you think we can still convince people they'd survive a nuclear strike if they got under their desk and covered their head with their arms?
The last one is just so damn awful, it doesn't even merit discussion. It's such a disgusting yet dead-on-balls-accurate statement of society as a whole, I don't even think I can joke about it.
Well, I probably could but...
Let's let it speak for itself.
The ex-husband of one of the nine people killed at a Christmas Eve party in Covina has received demands from a landlord to pay the dead woman's rent.
Broadcrest Foothill Apartment Homes claims Alicia Ortiz broke her lease on an Upland apartment when she and her 17-year-old son were killed by her sister's disgruntled ex-husband. The landlord informed her former husband, Carlos Ortiz, that she gave "insufficient notice to vacate." The company says it is owed $2,821 in rent and penalties.
Insert your own punchline.... HERE!
2009-02-03
Manny Watch Continues
Honestly, I'm getting a little sick of all this so I'm going to make this my last post discussing the Manny Ramirez situation until he's signed - here or elsewhere.
Last night took an interesting turn in the saga as the Dodgers offered up a one year, $25 million dollar offer that would have:
a] Allowed the Dodgers to dangle the free agency carrot over his head all year, presumably ensuring maximum effort while also ensuring he would be able to hit the free agency market next winter when he could hope for better results
b] Make Manny the second highest paid player in the Major Leagues - not too shabby
c] Keep the Dodgers payroll-flexible beyond this season
Within 24 hours, Manny and his puppetmaster had rejected the deal. No big surprise to me. I didn't think his pride [or Boras' bank account] would let him take a one year deal after all the bluster about needing 4 or 5 years. Apparently, somewhere and somehow, Boras must think there's a better offer out there.
Not from the Nationals who shot down rumors of their interest today. The Mets did likewise last week.
That basically leaves the Giants as the only other team with public interest and they appear to not be willing to go past two years. So, will they go higher than the Dodgers originally offered for the two year + option deal? If they don't, Mr. Boras may find himself minus one high profile client in the near future.
So, will the Dodgers stay in this little race?
Right now, the odds are pointing against it. Check out these little tidbits.
** Once again, the Dodgers are showing signs of weariness at dealing with Boras. Frank McCourt was quoted as saying, "His agent is challenging to work with. It's been over three months, and [we're] two weeks away from spring training, and we still have not received a specific number from the agent. At some point in time, it's time to move on." Now that may be a lot of public posturing but it could also mean that I'm not the only one growing tired of being jerked around by the Dreadlocked One and his minion.
** There has been an increase in rumors over recent days that many in the Dodgers Front Office are advocating spending the Manny money on Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson, and either Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn. Coletti restated the team's interest in Abreu today as well according to Abreu's agent. Dunn is playing the waiting game as well as the Dodgers are apparently his top choice if the Manny negotiations go south.
** "We have tried to bring closure to this," McCourt said. "Three times, we've tried to bring closure to this. It's not for a lack of effort. What should be clear to everyone is that signing Manny was -- and remains -- a priority. How long that remains a priority will depend on other things that happen as we get closer and closer to the real season."
Closure, huh?
Sounds kinda nice, doesn't it?
Despite signs pointing the other direction, Coletti apparently did not contact the agents for any of the Dunn/Abreu/Hudson triumvirate today - holding firm to the company line that they're still trying to bring back Manny.
I'm sure I'm not alone - Larry Bowa agrees! - in thinking that (a happy) Manny is the Dodgers' best option and if at all possible, they should make that happen.
By the same token, they can not allow themselves to be held hostage by Scott Boras and Manny Ramirez at the possible expense of other free agents that could be gotten to make the team better. Is Adam Dunn a better player than Manny? Hell no. But at a fraction of the cost and to go into Spring Training with your full squad? Possibly.
I think the Dodgers owe it to themselves, their fans, and to Manny to make one final offer. Make it the very best offer you're willing to make and slap a deadline on it. 24 hours, 48 hours, 5 days - whatever works.
If it's accepted, the streets of Los Angeles will be lined with dreadlocks and dreams of playing in October once more.
If it's rejected or ignored, it's time to move on - for all of us.
2009-02-02
Lost vs BSG: Week Two
TOTALLY forgot to do this last week until someone reminded me on Sunday.
So, last week featured a showdown between a FRICKIN' HYDROGEN BOMB on the Lost island and... well... complete and unbridled chaos on BSG.
Lost was incredibly good as we dove even deeper into the whole time travel thing - Desmond getting involved (maybe TOO involved for his own good) in trying to discover what happened and getting obsessed with himself being the only person to potentially save the people on the island. We found out that Farraday FUCKED SHIT UP before vanishing off the face of the Earth. We also got more of the Locke and Richard story. Plus, the Others speak Latin? What the fuck? It was some crazy shit going down... and oh, did I mention A FUCKING HYDROGEN BOMB?!?!
I really didn't think BSG stood a chance of knocking Lost off their lofty perch in Week 2 of this head-to-head showdown and to be honest, I hadn't really given the show much thought when I dragged my tired ass home late on Friday after working a closing shift. By the way, if I haven't said it before, I believe there's a special circle oF Hell reserved for the person who invented the late closing shift on Friday.
So, there I was... tired and ready for sleep when I decided that I should probably give BSG a watch before I went to bed.
There's this science fiction story that some of you may have heard of. Starts off with a pretty basic set-up...
"It is a period of civil war."
That saga turned out pretty okay so I guess it's only fitting that before BSG wanders off into the nostalgia of our minds that they go through their own civil war.
AND WHAT A CIVIL WAR IT'S TURNING OUT TO BE!
Badass Adama and Ty throwin' down with the young punks, whippin' out assault rifles and pistols like they're on Arnold's team in Predator. We've got Starbuck blastin' suckas like she's straight out of Boyz N The Hood - or that scene in Swingers where Sue gets stepped to. Plus, there's Lee getting suckerpunched by some fool. Balthar and the President working together - sorta. And so much more.
And don't forget that weaselly little fuck Gaeta stirring shit up all the while. Ohhh, I want to see that fucker sucked out an airlock in the worst possible way right now. Adama better not forget that shit. We do not train to be merciful here - mercy is for the weak.
To wrap things up, we've got Ty and Adama like Butch and Sundance ready for one final gunfight.
AND THEN IT ENDS?!?!
The judging should end there - I know this. But I have to give BSG bonus points for the teaser of next week's show - Ty dead? Adama getting airlocked? And Bad Ass Roslin screaming "I'M COMING FOR YOU ALL!"
Holy crap!
If you haven't guessed yet, BSG takes this week in a walk. As awesome as Lost was, I'm SOOOOO much more looking forward to this week's BSG and that's the real test.
After two weeks of battle...
Lost - 1
BSG - 1
Tune in next week - same frakin' time, same frakin' channel.
So, last week featured a showdown between a FRICKIN' HYDROGEN BOMB on the Lost island and... well... complete and unbridled chaos on BSG.
Lost was incredibly good as we dove even deeper into the whole time travel thing - Desmond getting involved (maybe TOO involved for his own good) in trying to discover what happened and getting obsessed with himself being the only person to potentially save the people on the island. We found out that Farraday FUCKED SHIT UP before vanishing off the face of the Earth. We also got more of the Locke and Richard story. Plus, the Others speak Latin? What the fuck? It was some crazy shit going down... and oh, did I mention A FUCKING HYDROGEN BOMB?!?!
I really didn't think BSG stood a chance of knocking Lost off their lofty perch in Week 2 of this head-to-head showdown and to be honest, I hadn't really given the show much thought when I dragged my tired ass home late on Friday after working a closing shift. By the way, if I haven't said it before, I believe there's a special circle oF Hell reserved for the person who invented the late closing shift on Friday.
So, there I was... tired and ready for sleep when I decided that I should probably give BSG a watch before I went to bed.
There's this science fiction story that some of you may have heard of. Starts off with a pretty basic set-up...
"It is a period of civil war."
That saga turned out pretty okay so I guess it's only fitting that before BSG wanders off into the nostalgia of our minds that they go through their own civil war.
AND WHAT A CIVIL WAR IT'S TURNING OUT TO BE!
Badass Adama and Ty throwin' down with the young punks, whippin' out assault rifles and pistols like they're on Arnold's team in Predator. We've got Starbuck blastin' suckas like she's straight out of Boyz N The Hood - or that scene in Swingers where Sue gets stepped to. Plus, there's Lee getting suckerpunched by some fool. Balthar and the President working together - sorta. And so much more.
And don't forget that weaselly little fuck Gaeta stirring shit up all the while. Ohhh, I want to see that fucker sucked out an airlock in the worst possible way right now. Adama better not forget that shit. We do not train to be merciful here - mercy is for the weak.
To wrap things up, we've got Ty and Adama like Butch and Sundance ready for one final gunfight.
AND THEN IT ENDS?!?!
The judging should end there - I know this. But I have to give BSG bonus points for the teaser of next week's show - Ty dead? Adama getting airlocked? And Bad Ass Roslin screaming "I'M COMING FOR YOU ALL!"
Holy crap!
If you haven't guessed yet, BSG takes this week in a walk. As awesome as Lost was, I'm SOOOOO much more looking forward to this week's BSG and that's the real test.
After two weeks of battle...
Lost - 1
BSG - 1
Tune in next week - same frakin' time, same frakin' channel.
2009-02-01
January In Music
I decided to make a conscious effort to cover music a little more around here in 2009 and I think I've been doing okay thusfar. If you were here at the end of the past couple years, you know that I usually end up posting a Top of the previous year. But for '09, I've elected to do one of those each and every month.
Without further adieu, the Top 5 Most Played "New" Songs of January 2009:
Honorable Mention:
You You You You You - The 6ths And Katharine Whalen
Half Asleep - School Of Seven Bells
Let It Slip - The School
More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
5. The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen
If this was a subjective list instead of based on playcount, I'd have this as my Number One song of the month. I hadn't really heard much of the song until we went to actually see The Wrestler a couple of weeks ago. So, after this fantastic, gripping, heartbreaking story that hits far too close to home for someone who has watched pro wrestling since the mid-80s, the end credits come on and this song starts up. If there's such a thing as an absolutely perfect song to sum up a movie, it's this one. One of my favorite "new" Bruce songs ever.
4. Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
It's Soundtrack Mania here at the B-Spot for the month of January as three of the Top 5 spots are held by songs from movies. I dug the hell out of Slumdog. As much as I loved The Wrestler, I thought Slumdog was even better. And I'm really glad I didn't see Slumdog in 2008 so I wouldn't have to face the struggle between that and The Dark Knight as my favorite movie of 2008. But what really surprised me was how much I liked the soundtrack. I'm not much of an electronica guy and even less of a guy who likes "world music." But somehow, they knocked that combo out of the park with the Slumdog soundtrack that I bought the night we saw the movie.
3. Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle - The Mountain Goats & Kaki King
Okay, okay - I'll admit it. I downloaded the song because of the Super Mario reference. Are you happy now? But the beauty of it was that the song turned out not to be some gimmicky tune aimed at those of us feelin' the nostalgia of the 80s - it's actually a good damn song. I always have to give credit to a band that has the balls to stick their vocalist out there all alone to sing with hardly any accompaniment. That's got to be a tremendously difficult thing to pull off. But with a simple piano backing and a little shuffling percussion, the lead singer here knocks this the hell out of the park Roy Hobbs style.
2. We Rule The School - Belle & Sebastian
What was I saying about a band with the balls to toss their singer out there almost all alone to sing their hearts out? Oh yeah, Belle & Sebastian does that almost every single time out of the gates. I linked to a live version of this song instead of the studio version that the Blues have been rockin' out to over the past month but the point still stands. Belle & Sebastian are easily one of my favorite bands so it's always very cool to stumble upon a song from them that I haven't yet stumbled upon.
And the #1 song of January 2009...
1. Latika's Theme - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
Soundtrack Mania strikes again! Oh, and in this case, you can also say that the Missus strikes again because as much as I love this song and think it's probably the best piece of music on the Slumdog soundtrack, I did NOT listen to it eleven times in January! When I was updating iTunes this morning, this song had 5 plays until I plugged in Mrs. Blue's iPhone. As Joe Rogan would say... BAAAA-BLAAAAAAM!
But seriously, for those of you who haven't seen Slumdog yet or if you have and didn't bother to check out the soundtrack, listen to the two very different songs on the Top 5 of January and see if you change your tune.
Without further adieu, the Top 5 Most Played "New" Songs of January 2009:
Honorable Mention:
You You You You You - The 6ths And Katharine Whalen
Half Asleep - School Of Seven Bells
Let It Slip - The School
More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
5. The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen
If this was a subjective list instead of based on playcount, I'd have this as my Number One song of the month. I hadn't really heard much of the song until we went to actually see The Wrestler a couple of weeks ago. So, after this fantastic, gripping, heartbreaking story that hits far too close to home for someone who has watched pro wrestling since the mid-80s, the end credits come on and this song starts up. If there's such a thing as an absolutely perfect song to sum up a movie, it's this one. One of my favorite "new" Bruce songs ever.
4. Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
It's Soundtrack Mania here at the B-Spot for the month of January as three of the Top 5 spots are held by songs from movies. I dug the hell out of Slumdog. As much as I loved The Wrestler, I thought Slumdog was even better. And I'm really glad I didn't see Slumdog in 2008 so I wouldn't have to face the struggle between that and The Dark Knight as my favorite movie of 2008. But what really surprised me was how much I liked the soundtrack. I'm not much of an electronica guy and even less of a guy who likes "world music." But somehow, they knocked that combo out of the park with the Slumdog soundtrack that I bought the night we saw the movie.
3. Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle - The Mountain Goats & Kaki King
Okay, okay - I'll admit it. I downloaded the song because of the Super Mario reference. Are you happy now? But the beauty of it was that the song turned out not to be some gimmicky tune aimed at those of us feelin' the nostalgia of the 80s - it's actually a good damn song. I always have to give credit to a band that has the balls to stick their vocalist out there all alone to sing with hardly any accompaniment. That's got to be a tremendously difficult thing to pull off. But with a simple piano backing and a little shuffling percussion, the lead singer here knocks this the hell out of the park Roy Hobbs style.
2. We Rule The School - Belle & Sebastian
What was I saying about a band with the balls to toss their singer out there almost all alone to sing their hearts out? Oh yeah, Belle & Sebastian does that almost every single time out of the gates. I linked to a live version of this song instead of the studio version that the Blues have been rockin' out to over the past month but the point still stands. Belle & Sebastian are easily one of my favorite bands so it's always very cool to stumble upon a song from them that I haven't yet stumbled upon.
And the #1 song of January 2009...
1. Latika's Theme - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
Soundtrack Mania strikes again! Oh, and in this case, you can also say that the Missus strikes again because as much as I love this song and think it's probably the best piece of music on the Slumdog soundtrack, I did NOT listen to it eleven times in January! When I was updating iTunes this morning, this song had 5 plays until I plugged in Mrs. Blue's iPhone. As Joe Rogan would say... BAAAA-BLAAAAAAM!
But seriously, for those of you who haven't seen Slumdog yet or if you have and didn't bother to check out the soundtrack, listen to the two very different songs on the Top 5 of January and see if you change your tune.
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