Over Analyzing Pop Culture

Dear Mr. Neeson. Please Stop Dying.

2010-04-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

Liam Neeson. The man you may now see in theaters as Zues (his immortality in this is ironic considering the rest of this article) in the newest version of 'Clash of the Titans'. Not necessarily the biggest name in Hollywood. I mean, he's no Brangelina. Whenever I bring his name up in a conversation with my friends, one out of three (ok, I only have three friends. so what?) won't know who he is. I usually have to name a few movies he is in before they can put a face to the name. Despite this, he is one of my favorite actors. In his youth he had small roles in great movies like "The Mission" and "The Bounty". He also starred in the groundbreaking Spielberg Holocaust movie, "Schindler's List" as Oskar Schindler himself. He played Jean Valjean in a great rendition of 'Les Miserables', with a performance that is sure to move you. But I digress. For the true matter that is at hand is that of his mortality. Sure, we all have to die...once. Mr. Neeson has died an unusual amount of 14 times in film. To make matters worse, he is always very likable. He always plays the mentor, the father-figure of the film. The one who bestows his knowledge on our hero. But then, just as we have accepted him and opened our hearts to him, he is 'Taken'(a little actor humor) from us. We don't know if we can ever trust again. The man is addicted to watching himself die. Here are five ideal examples:

THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!

Gangs of New York
A great Scorsese masterpiece. The opening fight scene is one for the books. It is a battle between the rival gangs of that of Daniel Day-Lewis aka The Butcher and Liam Neeson's aka Priest. As Liam Neeson gives wisdom to his son (soon to grow up into Leonardo DiCaprio) he then gives him a final speech before going and dying in battle. Neeson's death becomes the driving force behind the whole movie. And his final words to his son are uttered again and again. "The blood stays on the blade"

Kingdom of Heaven
Lets face it. Orlando Bloom strikes everybody as a sissy. Even with a character as cool as Legolas he was hardly able to step out of his sissyness for it. In 'Troy' Orlando showed us his true colors by causing a whole war just for being a pansy. Yet this post is not about him or his girliness. In 'Kingdom of Heaven', Orlando is living in Europe during the Crusades. He is trying his hardest to be cool by killing someone for beheading his dead wife (amazingly not her cause of death) but still comes off looking like a little biatch. Then riding in comes Baron Godfrey (Liam Neeson) and reveals that he is Orlando's father. Immediately Orlando's cool points go up a few notches. Then a lot of stuff happens which i don't have time to get into. Fast forward to a scene in the woods where Godfrey and his badass knights (although one of them has pigtails. Badass nonetheless) have to defend Orlando from the big bad soldiers coming to arrest him (Orlando is probably in the fetal position pissing himself and wishing he was on the set of 'Pirates'). Godfrey becomes mortally wounded defending his son and then precedes to give one of the best knighting speeches ever given.

"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath. (SLAPS ORLANDO IN THE FACE) And that's so you remember it. Arise a knight and Baron of Ibelin."

Then he dies. And magically, after being knighted by the coolest mentor figure ever, Orlando goes on to not be as much of a girl as he usually is.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Ok, so here Neeson is played by CGI. He voices Aslan, C.S. Lewis' analogy for The Almighty. He is feared in all the land, everyone stands in awe of his every word/roar, and yes, he dies. He is resurrected, but he still dies. And everyone has to go through the grieving that comes with seeing one of the most beloved characters of all time (voice by one of the most beloved film father-figures of all time) for a few minutes before these news are given to us of his resurrection. By this point it is too late. We are already crying and pretending a piece of dust got in our eye (who cries at a kids move for crying out loud!).

Star Wars: Episode 1
Ah the ultimate mentorship. A Jedi Master and his padawan. He mentors Obi-Wan Kenobi and partially Anakin Skywalker, two of the most pivotal characters of the whole series, and he doesn't even make it past one film. After showing you how cool he looks with long hair and a beard, and how he showed amazing patience and restraint by never melting Jar-Jar Binks' face with his lightsaber after sharing more than a minutes' screentime with him, he goes and dies. This was supposed to be the happy film where Darth Vader doesn't exist yet. Nope, bust out the Kleenex, because Neeson is dead again.

Batman Begins
Still doubting his awesomeness? He also effing trained Batman. Trained him. There would be no Heath Ledger Joker or his sympathy Oscar if it was not for this man. Batman would have not just ceased to be, but never would have been in the first place. Bruce Wayne would have died in that prison where those chinese men kept trying to kill him for no reason (plus let's face it, Christian Bale is one handsome man. He wouldn't have lasted much longer in those showers without having to become someone's property). And how does the ol' Dark Knight repay him? By blowing him up in a friggin train (we told you Christian Bale had a temper...)

Mr. Neeson, please stop playing with our heartstrings. We can't bear to watch you die anymore.

Love,
A concerned fan

Oh, and he is cast as Honest Abe in the upcoming Lincoln movie by Spielberg. Let's hope he lives through that one...

Other mentionable deaths by Liam:
Seraphim Falls (a surprisingly great western with Pierce Bronsman)
Michael Collins
High Spirits
The Mission

The Script Reads Him

2010-03-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

There is something magical about the Englishman Daniel Day-Lewis. His acting is beyond himself. This is what separates him from the Hollywood litter. When even the most famous actors are playing a role, you see them as the actor first, then the character. For example, in amazing performances like Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, you see Hanks first, then Forrest. Or more recently, Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine in Inglorious Basterds, on the screen you still see Brad Pitt first, then Lt. Raine. Part of the fault of that falls on the obsession America has to know the details of every celebrity's personal life (Brangelina anyone?). When you know so much about a person's life, it is hard to separate that knowledge from the performance. Even when that feat is conquered, you still are never really convinced of the transformation. Little is known about Daniel Day-Lewis' personal life because he rarely lets us know it. He lives quietly and modestly in a way that it avoids paparazzi from seeking a scandal. As for the transformation, when Day-Lewis puts on his character, he steps outside of himself, completely separating the ties between the two, and makes you forget Daniel Day-Lewis even exists. A new person is born, and using the shell of Daniel Day-Lewis, he is seen in silver screens across the world.

Selective about his roles, he has even waited 5 years between them which is almost unheard of in Hollywood, the town that easily forgets. Famously known as a method actor, most people do not realize the extent and commitment that this entails. He puts his own health and well-being aside, considering the performance as the priority.

Easily earning his first Academy Award for his performance on "My Left Foot", he portrayed a man who was born with cerebral palsy and could only control his left foot. DDL, at the time not the world renown actor he is today, refused to break character long after the cameras stopped rolling. He stayed in his wheelchair (and hunched over position) and the crew resented him for having to lift him and wheel him around, being annoyed by the dedication. DDL learned of his character's embarrassments and sense of being a burden. This gave him the amazing insight to portray the character as marvelously as he did. Oh, and did I mention he broke two ribs from staying in that hunched position in the wheelchair for so many weeks? He just kept on going. Yeah, that's how much of a badass he is.

For his character Hawkeye in "The Last of the Mohicans", he lived in the woods and did intensive physical training. He actually learned to live off of the land where his character lived. He learned to fish and hunt and skin animals using only the primitive techniques of the Indians. He was never seen without his long rifle with which he literally slept with.

He earned his second Oscar nomination for the film, "In The Name Of The Father" in which he was a political prisoner. He spent weeks living inside of a prison cell and instructed the crew to physically and verbally abuse him. Next he played the iconic John Proctor in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" and even went to meet and learn from Miller himself (marrying Miller's daughter shortly after.)

Still, my favorite performance by the greatest actor alive is his role in Scorcese's "Gangs of New York". Having seen this as a teenager I remember being traumatized by the amount of gruesome gore and violence and remembered little of DDL's performance. After growing up a bit, I decided to revisit one of my childhood traumas only for the sake of DDL. I was heavily rewarded. Playing Bill 'The Butcher', he embodied an American Nationalist in the age of America's formation. A villain with principles and honor. A man you hate but understand and somehow respect (not an easy feat to make us hate you and respect you at the same time). For his performance he spoke in his New York accent on and off the set and took lessons as an apprentice butcher. He even was diagnosed with pneumonia during filming but refused to take treatment because it didn't go along with the time period. This earned him another Academy nod.

His most recent Oscar comes from his performance in "There Will Be Blood" where his research involved finding and studying letters written from wealthy oilmen of the era. He assumed the role of a man much older than himself and added an early American accent along with a snarl and a hunched posture. As the film proceeds you grow to hate his greedy character Daniel Plainview who puts his own greediness in front of his own son's well-being.

This chameleon is a modern treasure. He is able to change his voice and body drastically all for the sake of cinema. Accents from all over the world with impeccable diction. Postures and weight varying from film to film. Robert Downy Jr.'s character on 'Tropic Thunder', Kirk Lazarus, is based on him. And in Kirk's hilarious own words, "Man, I don't drop character 'till I done the DVD commentary" and "I don't read the script. The script reads me". Watching him act is like watching Michael Jordan play basketball or TIger Woods play golf. No one has mastered the craft like he has. Brilliance at its finest. Each second on screen is like watching an artist add another stroke to his masterpiece. Daniel Day-Lewis, we are eagerly anticipating your next move.

7 Artists You Should Be Listening To

2010-03-13T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is a list of my current relatively unknown bands. Some have gotten more exposure than others, but I will not assume anything to make sure you don't miss them. All worth checking out. If you're not convinced to buy the album, go on their myspace page or search them on YouTube to give them a preview. You will not be disappointed.

1. Wild Sweet Orange- Maybe they did hit the big time. I mean, they were on Letterman and "The Land of No Return" was featured on a Grey's Anatomy episode (which sadly is today's equivalent of the 'Big Time'). Yet every time I ask someone if they've heard of this band named after a discontinued tea at Starbucks I usually get the same confused look. I saw them on accident as the opening band. They stole the show. I immediately went online and bought all of their released music and have seen them another 4 times in concert. Their only album, "We Have Cause To Be Uneasy" was my favorite album of 2008. Definitely my most listened to. I have given copies of this album to all of my close friends and anyone who will listen really. They recently broke up temporarily only to come back a year later with some new members (and some old loved ones gone). They released a couple of songs on an album called "The Birmingham Tapes" as a new band. I am eager to see what they will provide for us in the future. Their amazing indie-folk sound and haunting poetic lyrics never gets old.

Download: "The Land of No Return" and "Wrestle With God"

2. The Great Book Of John- This band is a product of the previous one, as it was a side project for two of the members of WSO. But when Wild Sweet Orange broke up, their guitarist and their drummer, Taylor Shaw and Chip Kilpatrick, went full-time with this band with Shaw on lead vocals. They took their name from the Hank Williams song "They Angel Of Death". They ran with Wild Sweet Orange's folk sound and took it to the next level stripping aside most electronics and seeking the pure folk that single-handedly caused a revolution in the 60's. I cannot stop listening to them, and after any of their songs are over I immediately want to hear them again. The symphony of heavy harmonica, violin, dead-on background vocals, acoustic driven folk that makes it's way to your ears is nothing short of bliss. Great build-ups that bring the song to the climax. With a heavy and honest style of songwriting, this is a band that I definitely hope to hear more from.

Download: "Political Song" and "James"

3.Ray LaMontagne: Okay, okay, so he was featured on SNL and is played non-stop at Starbucks' across the nation. This still doesnt mean that you have perked up and taken notice. With a raspy, rough, yet beautiful voice, he wins you over after just a few notes. His energy and sensitivity towards music is unmatched. Watch his performance on SNL.

Download: "Empty"

4. Mumford and Sons-This quartet is relatively new on the music scene. I don't have much to say about them except that they will rock your face off. Their whole "Sigh No More" album is relentless from cover to cover.

Download: "Winter Winds" and "Sigh No More"

5. Delta Spirit-This is music that will make your foot stomp. Their music overtakes your body with an overwhelming feeling to dance. Everything you want from an indie band.

Download: "People C'mon"

6. The Tallest Man On Earth: Although he is actually normal sized, TMOE is a stripped down, straight up, reincarnation of Bobby Dylan. Maybe he will never reach the influence or cause the movement that Bob did, but he definitely has the spark. Another similarity is that his voice is not the easiest on the ears at first, yet it's rawness grows on you. This man is singing you the truth.

Download: "The Blizzard's Never Seen The Dessert Sands"

7. The Avett Brothers- This three man band is banjo-driven. They vocals are clear and precise with a harmony that makes your first listen feel like you have been listening to them for years. Unique in their style, they are like the product of what would happen if country and inde-folk got married.

Download: "Die Die Die" and "The Weight of Lies"

There it is. Give me your feedback on what you thought of the bands suggested on the comments section here.

Noting Feet: I like to give credit where credit is due. Thank you to my brother Emiliano for introducing me to 3 of these bands, Christopher Noerr for challenging me to search for music instead of letting it come to you, and Mat Kearny who had a great major label debut album ('Nothing Left To Lose') through whom by a spider-web of trails I have come across several great artists. (Mat, you're follow-up was mediocre at best).

Movies' Biggest Night

2010-02-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

With the Oscars a fortnight away, it's time to start making predictions. Now you may be asking, "Junkie, Oscar nominations have been out for weeks now, why did you wait so long to start making predictions?" and the answer to that is simple. I waited til 2 weeks before the ceremony in order to use the word 'fortnight' in my blog. Don't worry, I'm only gonna predict the good ones...

Visual Effects:
Predicted Winner-Avatar
Deserving Winner-Avatar

The film was too groundbreaking in this area to be otherwise although I do wish Star Trek would have come out a year earlier to have given it the proper chance it deserved.

Animated Film:
Predicted Winner-Up
Deserving Winner-Fantastic Mr. Fox

Pixar's submission to this category was great. It just lacked a "wow" factor that Fox possesed. Amazing stop-motion animation and very original. Fantastic job Mr. Wes Anderson.

Original Score:
Predicted Winner-Avatar
Deserving Winner-Sherlock Holmes

Two words: Hans friggin Zimmer

Original Song:
Predicted Winner-either Randy Newman song
Deserving Winner-The Weary Kind (from Crazy Heart)

The Academy looooooves Randy. Its bad enough that U2 got snubbed for their song "Winter"

Cinematography:
Predicted Winner-Avatar (sigh)
Deserving Winner-Inglorious Basterds

The amazing retro look that Quentin pleased our eyes with should not go unrewarded.

Screenplay Written for Screen:
Predicted Winner-Inglorious Basterds
Deserving Winner-Inglorious Basterds

Give Tarantino an Oscar for this movie. Please.

Director:
Predicted Winner-Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Deserving Winner- Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds)

Supporting Actress:
Predicted Winner-Mo'Nique (Precious)
Deserving Winner-Mo'Nique (Precious)

What's that? You don't watch Oprah so you haven't heard of this movie? No, Precious isn't a Lord Of the Rings Spinoff.

Supporting Actor
Predicted Winner-Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)
Deserving Winner-Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

When an unheard can upstage the great Brad Pitt, it must go rewarded. He will go down in the books as one of Tarantino's greatest characters.

Best Actress:
Predicted Winner-Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Deserving Winner-Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

The most nominated actress ever.

Best Actor:
Predicted Winner-George Clooney (Up In The Air)
Deserving Winner-Morgan Freeman (Invictus)

Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. You can't ask for better casting. Although I do wish I could create another category for Jeff Bridges who did a great job.

BEST PICTURE:
Predicted Winner-The Hurt Locker
Deserving Winner-probably the Hurt Locker, but who i want to win is Inglorious Basterds.

There ya have it. Place your bets at your office pool. March 7th the Academy is in session. If you didn't catch it from the predictions, i think that Avatar is highly overrated and over-hyped. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will be co-hosting the ceremony. Alec Baldwin I am excited about since he showed us with 30 Rock that he has impeccable comedic timing. Steve Martin on the other hand hasn't come up with a decent flick since 'Bowfinger' in 1999, and his last really great performance was 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles' in 1987 (you may be thinkin, "that can't be right", but it is. I dare you to think of a great lead performance by Martin since then.). Let's hope he shows us the stuff that made him a legend and not his lousy Inspector Clouseau impression

Mel's Return

2010-02-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Despite the sad turn that Mel Gibson's personal life has taken in the last few years (the post-Passion days), I believe it is my duty (as is every moviegoer's) to distinguish his personal from professional. He is still a damn fine actor. His most recent film, Edge of Darkness is a must-see. His first major starring role since 2002's "Signs", its a triumphant return.

This film is dark and sometimes gruesome. A suspenseful thriller, that is based on an old BBC television series, of a cop who is trying to solve his daughter's murder. I will not go into the storyline too much because I urge you to watch it for yourself. There are characters a-plenty. Every main character is complex and memorable. The line of right and wrong becomes a nice shade of gray. Mel brought his A-game to this film with top of the line acting. The desperation can be seen in his eyes, sparks of insanity linger on his face, and that deep raspy voice sets the tone. The ensemble that is Mel Gibson comes together to bring you a revenge-driven mystery with twists and turns. Specifically watch for the scenes of Mel Gibon's character, Thomas Craven, trying to really keep himself together and hold back tears. The true work of a veteran. Go see this movie. A superior film than it's box office conquerer "Avatar".

8.5/10 stars

Best of the Decade

2010-01-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

I decided to wait a couple of posts between this list and my list of my favorite ones of the year. But since we have reached the end of a decade, its only right that I give the 00s the respect they deserve. Here is my decade in review:

Albums:

1. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb-U2 (2004)
2. A Rush of Blood to the Head-Coldplay (2002)
3. Funeral-Arcade Fire (2004)
4. I'm Not There official soundtrack-Various (Sufjan, Glen Hansard, Jim James, Jeff Tweedy, Eddie Vedder, Iron & Wine, Cat Power, Karen O, Jack Johnson, Black Keys and Calexico all covering Bob Dylan songs. come on now) (2008)
5. We Have Cause To Be Uneasy-Wild Sweet Orange (2008)
6. All That You Can't Leave Behind-U2 (2001)
7. Viva La Vida and Death to All of His Friends-Coldplay (2008)
8. everything Jason Upton released this decade....all 11 albums
9. The Okonokos Project-My Morning Jacket (2005)
10. For Emma, Forever Ago- Bon Iver (2008)
11. No Line On The Horizon-U2 (2009)
12. Hello Hurricane-Switchfoot (2009)
13. Give Up-Postal Service (2003)
14. Plans-Death Cab For Cutie (2005)
15. Can't Love, Can't Hurt-Augustana (2008)
16. Cease to Begin-Band of Horses (2007)
17. Chutes Too Narrow-The Shins (2003)
18. Public Radio-Mark Mathis (2005)
19. Absolution-Muse (2003)
20. Nothing Left To Lose-Mat Kearney (2006)

Favorite Film of the Decade- Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
runner up: Memento (2000)

Favorite Director-Wes Anderson:Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited, and Mr Fox. All in a decade's work. Bravo Mr. Anderson. You truly are fantastic.
runner up: Judd Apatow

Favorite Performance- Daniel Day-Lewis as The Butcher in 'Gangs of New York'

Favorite Comedic Performance: Will Ferrell as Mugatu and Ron Burgandy are comedic brilliance.

Television: Arrested Development takes the cake. (2003-2006)
honorable mention: Extras (The Office creator's other, superior show) (2005-2006)
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (our generation's Seinfeld) (2005-???)

TV Host-Colbert and Stewart win. It was a great decade to be a political pundit. So much to work with!
runner up: Conan O'brien. it was a close race.

TV moment-The return of Family Guy to FOX in 2004 after being cancelled in 2001. Although the show has slightly gone downhill since the original 3 seasons, it is very rare that a network accepts a mistake and un-cancels a show (A.D.!!!). It was great to see the little guy win for once.

Hope For Haiti

2010-01-25T19:56:00.000-08:00

So although this is usually a lighthearted blog, I feel obliged to at least point your attention towards something. The tragedy in Haiti has been making front page headlines for a couple of weeks now, and the pictures of the situation are not for the faint of heart. There are many ways that you as an individual can help, without having to suck your bank account dry. In regards to pop culture, music's biggest names came together for the "Hope For Haiti" special hosted by George Clooney. Coldplay remixed their x&y song, "The Message" to fit the situation. Their song was 'love', and they had to get that message home. Justin Timberlake sang heartbreaking cover of Cohen's "Hallelujah" with Matt Morris. Dave Matthews and Neil Young teamed up for a track. My favorite track was Jay-Z, Bono, the Edge, and Rihanna singing an original track written for the Haiti disaster called, "Stranded". A great track that speaks volumes on taking action.

"When the sky falls and the earth quakes
We gonna put this back together
We won't break."
Here is a link to the performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAhLPG_lIQI

other performers include Sting, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Sherryl Crowe and The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. You can download the album fully on iTunes for 7.99 and all proceeds go directly to aid for Haiti. Thats 20 songs for 7.99. Help the effort and get some great music while you're at it.

For maximum aid, here is a place that will match your donation dollar for dollar:
http://www.razoo.com/p/haiti

I'm With Coco: A Casualty of Ratings

2010-01-14T20:29:00.000-08:00

It seems that only yesterday Conan launched his reign of The Tonight Show by running across the United States from New York to Los Angeles. And it was just the other day that he held a real focus group disguised as an older gentleman who was moderating it to get people's real opinions of him. Yet that honeymoon period is over.

Being a long-time Late Night with Conan O'Brien viewer, I could not have been happier with the decision made by NBC to promote him in June. Now, after only seven short months, they are stabbing him in the back.

The troubles first started when in September, they decided to bring Jay Leno out of "retirement" and into a new variety show called the Jay Leno Show that once again preceded Conan's show. This split the viewers of NBC because by the time the Tonight Show came around, people already had their fill of monologues and interviews. This is like having two presidential candidates from the same party. It splits the votes.

The ratings were obviously low for Jay's new show (as he is corny and dated). As for the Tonight Show, NBC panicked because for the first time in years, David Letterman's show was beating the Tonight Show. It wasn't the quality of the show that was keeping the ratings down, it was just the fact that when you change a host you initially lose viewers. The viewers have to be wooed again. The new host has to win them over. Leno got the chance to do that when Johnny Carson gave him the show, as his ratings dropped initially. Conan was never given this chance. So, after only seven months, they decided to bump Conan's Tonight Show to 12:05 and give Leno his old time slot back. Conan said in his official statement (which is a great, short, hilarious read that everyone should check out), "It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both."

Conan also said in that statement that he "will not participate in what I honestly believe is it's [The Tonight Show's] destruction.". This is a bold statement in show business. He is not holding out for more money. Conan leaving is in fact what some NBC executives want so that they can easily give Jay his show back. He is simply standing up for what he believes in. He is putting his job on the line to save the show's integrity that goes beyond Leno or Conan. And he is getting the raw end of the deal.

Over the past week Conan has been very open about his frustrations with the network. He compares his relationship with NBC as a lifetime original movie about a man in an abusive relationship with his network. He has openly criticized NBC's executives and decisions. He is burning a lot of bridges along the way with the network, but he is speaking his mind. In short, he has balls. The best part about his criticisms of NBC is that they are not only sadly true, but he makes them the butt of his jokes. And some hilarious jokes have come out of the networks expense. Conan's relationship with NBC is permanently damaged and no money or deals could completely heal this wound. The trust has been lost.

So here we are, on the verge of losing the funniest talk show host out there. The internet has almost unanimously gathered behind Conan. The President of the United States has gone on record backing Conan. Conan passed up many much more "lucrative offers"(his statement) in the past 6 years when he signed the contract for the show. This is because it was Conan's childhood dream to fill Johnny Carson's shoes. This was his dream job. The tragedy in all this lies in the fact that he got to taste his dream only to have it be stripped away from him. He joked last Wednesday: "Kids, you can do anything you want in life...unless Jay Leno wants to do that too." On top of all that, most of the staff uprooted their families in New York to move to LA and do the show.

To show more of Conan's true colors, in last night's show he used a whole segment (this is a big deal because they are most likely down to their last shows) to emphasize how little the feud actually matters and that there are people out there with real problems. He spoke on the earthquake in Haiti and offered a way to help. In his official statement Conan also said, "In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky."

I don't have a solution. I am just a speculator with no answers. There is no win. Conan will most likely not stay on NBC and will probably move to a different network. This may lead to more network meddling. Things can't go back to how they were. It was a show killed in it's infancy. NBC spent more time building the studio than using it.

Highlights of the past week have been definitely the monologues but please watch the interview with Ricky Gervais on Hulu. It is hilarious and a great sum up of how they have been approaching these last few episodes. Conan said at another point that he has "nothing to lose" anymore and can now really freely do the show. It's sad, but true.

My hat is off to you Conan O'Brien, a casualty of ratings like many other great things (an Arrested Development plug fits great here). Your writing in SNL and the Simpsons (for what many consider the 'glory years' of the show) and your hilarious and original way of hosting a show with a trademark silliness that no one can duplicate has changed television forever.

O Captain, My Captain, thank you for the last 17 years and amazing bits such as "In The Year 2000 (3000 for the Tonight Show)", your amazing adventures outside the studio, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, "secrets", your Finland trip (to meet the president that you honestly helped elect), and the "Walker Texas Ranger Lever". Thank you for placing the joke in front of your own physical safety and well being (we all remember your concussion). Thank you for being original and genuine every night. Thank you for the distinct brand of comedy that you have inspired and invented. A personal thank you for always being there to cheer me up at the end of the many hard days I have had. Thank you, Conan. Even if this is your last hurrah, you will never be forgotten.

And Jay, Johnny Carson is rolling over in his grave.

MyTwitFaceFriend: Thoughts on social networking with a slight focus on Twitter

2009-12-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

Oh the world of social networks. First was Friendster who was mimicked and mastered by MySpace, who was followed by Facebook which took us into Twitter. Everyone has something to say. Everyone feels important. Everyone self-promotes. Now, I realize the inevitable irony of posting this on a blog, which I will most likely hyperlink on my Twitter page and maybe Facebook (if the mood's right). Let's move past that. Let's focus on a specific area that most of these hold in common. The status.

Myspace started the early form of a status by giving you a limited amount of space by your profile picture to insert anything on your mind. People used it for good quotes, lyrics, dumb jokes, promotion, or just plain wit. Then Facebook gave us a new vessel and placed our name in front of our status with the word, "is" and then a blank slate to inform the world of our doings. After the reformatting of FB(which also brought about thousands of useless applications which plague my newsfeed to this day), they decided to erase the word "is" and add a seemingly unlimited amount of characters to give people more freedom to post their thoughts ("What's on your mind?"). Then, Twitter came along and mastered the status. It stripped and simplified it to 140 characters or less. A format that would be world renown and celebrities and common-folk alike would join this revolution of information overload.

The 140 characters or less rule is brilliant. it keeps people from going overboard. People need rules. Nothing is more annoying than when you post a tweet in 3 parts. If you feel compelled to write a paragraph, save it for Facebook. Twitter has become a sanctuary for braggers and whiners. But maybe more importantly, it was become a sanctuary to people who posses the word trapped inside of "Twitter". Wit.

Examples (actual tweets): "You know what this guitar needs? Lessons"-(Tony_D)

"I just realized Chewbacca carries a purse"-(unknown)

"It's happened. I've developed real emotions for my iPhone. Actually, its no surprise because i was raised by a TV and a microwave."-(stuartpaap)

This is why the funnest people to follow are those with the one-liners. Mitch Hedberg would have ruled the Twitter-verse with the most followers had he lived to 2006. Stephen Colbert is one of my favorite people to follow because of his amazing commentary. And what list of witty tweeters would be complete without the Twitter celebrity who got a sitcom deal with CBS solely based on his twitter account called "shitmydadsays" which is simply shit that his 70 year old father says, usually conversational. He has rightfully earned 968,568 followers. (Warning: tweets are often senile and inappropriate....and usually hilarious)

Example: "A mule kicked Uncle Bob once. Broke his ribs. He punched it in the face...My point? You have an ingrown fucking toenail. Stop bitching."

I once asked a friend why they didn't have a Twitter account and she said, "I'm just not witty enough." As I was going to try to convince her, I realized I wish more people had her self control. People use Twitter as an outlet to whine to the whole world wide web. Others use it as an overly-detailed narrative of their lives. People post anything. The following is a compiled list of things which I have deemed acceptable to post on Twitter in the order of their importance:

1. Wit
2. Observational Humor
3. Puns
4. Big news (baby, weddings, deaths, ect.)
5. Hyperlinks to other things worth note (use discretion please!)
6. Pictures
7. Updates (use discretion)
8. Condensed Anecdotes (make them be at least somewhat amusing)
9. Quotes (whether inspirational, applicable, humorous. RT count in this category)
10. Replies (sometimes a tweet just asks to be replied. don't go overboard with these)

REMINDER: this list mainly applies to common-folk. Celebrities like Ashton or Shaq, or bands like Coldplay play by very different rules on very different playing-fields. For them Twitter is all about the public relations aspect, less about the heart of it. They are just in it to sell. Let me know if you deem anything else worthy of making it to the list that I missed.

Let's remember that Twitter is a tool to be used to stay connected to those we cannot spend every waking moment with, yet we can carry their words in our pocket hiding inside our cell phones. Above all remember to USE DISCRETION. If people stop following you for no reason, you are probably tweeting too much about nothing. We don't want to hear every little detail about every little thing. Don't waste our web space with mindless jibber-jabber (thanks Mr. T!) that nobody cares to hear just to remind us that you are alive. I am trying my hardest not to sound as bitter as I really am and I myself am not innocent of all the crimes that I have just named. I am just trying to make the internet more enjoyable for all of us. Just because you are having fun posting those tweets, doesn't mean we are having fun reading 'em. Momma used to tell all of us that "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all". I think that if momma was hip enough to even know what Twitter was, she would say, "If you don't have anything worth saying, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL."

#Twitter #isnt #for #everyone

Holiday Cheer (REVISED FOR 2010)

2009-12-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

I hate christmas music. It's obnoxious, cheesy, loud, repetitive, and overkill "jolly". Whether you decide to make up words in order to make your song rhyme with a cutesy Christmas feel (i.e. "O by gosh by golly, its time for mistletoe and holly") or a skanky seductive song to an old man who brings presents, Christmas music is usually my least favorite part of the season. Not to mention the quantity that we receive it in. Every store is playing it (and its usually the same 10 songs everywhere just different versions), everyone is whistling it, and it is stuck in everyone's heads. My friends call me a Grinch or a Scrooge. This is not the case. I love Christmas and most of its traditions. I love baby Jesus. Some Christmas music can get pretty deep and I like that. I just hate singing about jingling bells, I don't care how much they rock. But like every good rule, here are the exceptions to the rule (I made 12 to be more in the holiday spirit [parenthesis inside the parenthesis, the revised version is going to have 13 instead of 12. My true love would not be happy...]):

1.Jason Upton-"Glory To the Newborn King"
An original song thats my favorite Christmas song ever. Great lyrics, lots of truth, and Jason Upton is one of my favorite artists. It helps us brush aside all the junk that has come along with the Christmas season and brought it back to some real meaning. I know that Jesus wasn't really born December 25th so don't bother pointing that out, yet I think that what the season symbolizes is brought back to something bigger than ourselves. The song does a great job of changing from just a pretty song to sing on Christmas to something beyond it. There's a reason why we celebrate His birth, and this song brings it full circle. Here is a free download of it so you can hear it yourself because it's a pretty rare track. He's never technically released it. Just click DOWNLOAD after clicking on the link. Jason Upton - It's You Lord">

2.The Sufjan Stevens Christmas album, "Songs For Christmas" is the best Christmas album around. The way he does the old hymns is awesome. My personal favorite track of it is "Sister Winter". It's pretty epic. Here is a link so you can have a taste of what you are missing. Great build up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0AXpufpHug

3. Coldplay-This year they released a song called "Christmas Lights" that is quickly becoming a classic Christmas song in my book. I am probably going to be playing this song every Christmas for the rest of my life. Here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1rYmzQ8C9Q

They also do a great rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" but it's nowhere near as the greatness they achieved with "Christmas Lights"

4. U2 has two good Christmas tracks. "Baby Please Come Home" and "I Believe in Father Christmas". Neither are originally by them, but they are both great covers and not cheesy.

5. Death Cab For Cutie also does "Baby Please Come Home" on an album called "Maybe This Christmas Tree" that is pretty good. it also has Copeland doing "Do You Hear What I Hear"

6. Dave Matthews' "Christmas Song"

7. Ben Kweller-"Rock of Ages on The O.C. "Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah? Weird place to find a good Christmas song, but it's great nonetheless. Link:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/B0sCEvP4-VE/

8. On the Elf soundtrack, Zooey Deschanel does the best version of "Baby it's cold outside" I've ever heard.

9. The Fray singing Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is over)"

10. Pedro the Lion's "I heard the bells on Christmas"

11. Sting's recently released "If on a Winter's Night"

12. Rosie Thomas singing "Why can't it be Christmastime all year" is surprisingly good.

13. "Carol of the Bells" is a classic I can get behind.

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

Honorable mention: "O Holy Night" is an excellent song if done right. Good lyrics. It's just gotten butchered over the years by bad rendition after bad rendition. Everyone wants to sing it to try to showcase their singing talent, yet the song is about so much more than that.

There. I have just made your holiday season a lot more enjoyable. Most of these can be found on iTunes, so for a small price you can have the perfect Christmas playlist. Remember, this Christmas drink eggnog, watch "It's a Wonderful Life", love your family, friends, Jesus, and by any means necessary stay away from Celine Dion's Christmas album. Your ears will thank me. Happy Christmas!

Best Albums of 2009

2009-11-25T23:22:00.000-08:00

Best Albums of 2009

No Line On The Horizon-U2
definitely not the greatest U2 record ever, but a solid one that provided us with new tunes to sing. It shows growth since the last one which is hard to achieve after being a band for 30 years. Has great new classics like "Breathe" and "Moment of Surrender".

download:No Line On The Horizon

Hello Hurricane-Switchfoot
the band's 7th studio album, and their best. they showed that becoming and independent paid off. More musical creativity, some of their best lyrics, and all around a great record. Deals with pain, storms, surrender, commitment, and hope. there is a past blog reviewing this album to its entirety. convicting and unashamed. buy it.

download: "Always" and "Your Love is a Song"

Noble Beast-Andrew Bird
i couldnt get this cd out of my cd player for months. sometimes i would listen to a song and as soon as it was over listen to it again. its that good. Mr. Bird at a career high.

download: Privateers

It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright!-mewithoutYou
mewithoutYou took a wild turn in their discography that was foreshadowed by their previous album, "Brother, Sister". They went soft on us. A band that was once categorized with other hardcore bands changed their sound dramatically to that more of an indie rock band. The album has a tuba in it. But this is a good thing. Aaron Weiss' lyrics are still strong, but he has fallen in love with a storytelling songwriting that is different from the past. Good different.

download: Allah, Allah, Allah

Wolfgang Amadeus-Phoenix
SNL had to introduce me to this band that has been around for quite some time. I am embarrassed to admit that. Regardless, i was very impressed and grew to respect this French import. Solid album that is getting them noticed around the world.

download: Lisztomania

Big Whiskey and the Groo Grux King-Dave Matthews Band
First band release since the death of LeRoi, a key member of the band. However, the album is an homage to him, and one of DMB's best. They captured their live enthusiasm and energy into a studio album.

download: Alligator Pie

Middle Cyclone-Neko Case
She will sing your face off. Enchanting voice in an enchanting record. A very under-hyped artist with original and creative ideas.

download: Next time you say "Forever"

Monsters of Folk-Monsters of Folk
called by many the greatest collaboration since Traveling Willburys, composed of M.Ward (She&Him), Jim James (MMJ) and Conor Oburst (Bright Eyes), a folk band for the ages. Its always great to see things like this happen and work. M.Ward's breathy voice, Jim James' haunting sound, Conor Oburst's Dylan-esque songwriting, whats not to love?

download: Say Please

The Blueprint III- Jay-Z
i'm not usually a rap listener, but when Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed this at the VMA's i was forced to take notice. i have always been a Jay-Z fan and i consider this one of this best works. If anything, he has too many guest appearances on the record (have some faith in yourself Jay!). Youtube the VMA performance of Empire State of Mind. Will leave you breathless.

download:Young Forever

Far-Regina Spektor
The follow up cd to the one that made her mainstream, she gives her fans a good and solid record. Sadly it is missing some of the "strangeness" that was Regina, and the personality that it gave her albums. maybe she was too "out there" for some people and when she toned it down she got airplay? who knows, but her sound is definitely honed and perfected. A beautiful record.

download: Eet

Honorable Mention:

New Moon-Various
as much as we all hate to admit it, the Twilight series did something right. At least when it comes to the music. With new tracks by Death Cab, the Killers, Thom York, Muse, Bon Iver and more. an indie dream come true.

Reaching Maturity

2009-11-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Switchfoot is releasing their 7th studio album, Hello Hurricane, this November 10th. They have come a long way from their freshman album, "Legend of Chin". They have grown in multiple ways. First in the most obvious is the fact that they now have 5 members as opposed to the 3 they started out with (Jon and Tim Foreman and Chad Butler). In addition this has caused them to grow in their music. They have evolved. They dont find a happy formula and stick to it because it has worked before. Because of this, each new album they release is filled with something new, something that they have never tried before.

This is the first album released on their new independent record label lowercase people records. This is good news because it gave them creative rights over all of it and took the pressure off from the big time labels. And it shows. They tackle issues like God, pain, drug abuse, commitment and much more layered things. The band's personal beliefs bleed into the record making it very personal.
I have listened to the album several times and am flabbergasted (yes I just used that word) by it. It is a window to the human soul. The album is full of hurt and sometimes despair. But more than anything its full of hope. The title track, Hello Hurricane, is an amazing glimpse into the identity of the record. The chorus is welcoming the storm, letting it know that it cannot prevail. "Hello hurricane, you're not enough. Hello hurricane, you can't silence my love". It is a "though storms may come" kind of track of someone holding on to real hope. Lead singer Jon Foreman quotes the Apostle Paul and says, "everything I have I count as loss". It is a song about surrender to something bigger and greater than himself. The first single, Mess Of Me, is a harder, full on rock kind of song. With a driving guitar riff, Jon Foreman has referenced the infamous line of the film Braveheart as being the inspiration: "Every man dies, not every man really lives." This comparison is seen easily as in the chorus he says, "I wanna spend the rest of my life alive". It is also a cry against drug abuse and showing them that it is not the answer. When they first released this single, they hid thousands of copies of it all over the world and on Twitter posted the locations. Followers of Switchfoot would find them, and upon Switchfoot's request copied it, hid it somewhere else, and Tweeted the location. A great launch.
My personal favorite is the song Always. It is a track of commitment to the Heavenly Father. It talks about surrender, scars from the journey, sin, and second chances. It is ultimately a worship song sang in thanksgiving to someone full of grace.
Needle And Haystack Life is the opening track, and is very U2-esque. The tempo of the song is like U2 around Unforgettable Fire, but the maturity of the lyrics and vocals are like U2 around How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
The album has a great variety of songs that range from upbeat guitar rock songs to great ballads and heart-wrenching songs. Cover to cover this is an amazing album and is in my opinion Switchfoot's best. Jon Foreman did a few solo E.P.'s before this album was made and you can see that he learned a lot about songwriting from that experience and has since carried over to Switchfoot. Mark your calendars, on November 10th, go and get one of the best albums of the year.

Jon Stewart is the new Cronkite. And thats the way it is

2009-10-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

In maybe one the most hilarious social tragedies i have ever seen, it states that Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, is the most trusted name in news. This is bittersweet to me.

Let's start with the sweet. I love Jon Stewart. Although he is very Liberal, at least he is honest about where he stands. This is contrary to Fox News who claim to be "Fair and Balanced" (insert puking noise here) yet are more right-sided than Ronald Reagan's balls. Also, when i first started watching his show, i realized i had been accidentally learning. All of a sudden i could join in on political conversations that i had avoided before with the risk of looking foolish. I also found myself finding particular stories interesting or bizarre and researching them to look for the facts. I enjoyed seeing Stewart call people out on their hypocrisy. Sometimes to the general audience by showing two contradicting statements made by the same person in clips, other times to the person themselves. This man was educating me on things that i had never been aware of, or even cared about before...and was making me laugh while doing it. Even on depressing issues like war and recession, Stewart managed to squeeze some laughs out of us. And this is no easy feat. Satire, bathroom humor, high-brow, and interviews were all weapons in informing the public. Although my political views are on the other side of the map, this liberal had more honesty than Rush or O'Reilly. In painful interviews with Jim Cramer or his appearance on CNN's Crossfire (which Stewart gets the credit for getting it canceled after the interview. also he called Tucker a "d***" on national TV), you can trust what this man is saying (keeping in mind that it comes from a left mindset) and know that he is not lying to the public. He calls out democrats and republicans alike on their political B.S.. In fact, some conservatives are prefferring to be interviewed by him than some of the jackasses on the "news". Cliff May said of Stewart, ""There is genuine intellectual curiosity. He's a staunch liberal, but he's a thoughtful liberal, and I respect that.". John Bolton (Bush's ambassador to the U.N.) said "He always gives you a chance to answer, which some people don't do", he continued to say "He's got his perspective, but he's been fair. In general, a lot of the media, especially on the left, has lost interest in debate and analysis. It has been much more ad hominem. Stewart fundamentally wants to talk about the issues. That's what I want to do." Real discussion happens on the Daily Show, not just scripted fluff.

As mentioned, this show is on Comedy Central, a cable channel with other shows that have obese kids eating cheesy poofs and prank calling puppets. Not the place i would go to for news. So it is actually really sad (this is the bitter part) that i would have to resort to coming here for a trusted source. And i am not alone. According to TIME 44% claim to trust him over Couric and Williams. This is the public making a statement. Like when fellow comedian Stephen Colbert ran for president in South Carolina and was actually ahead of real politicians in the polls. The public was saying they would rather vote for a comedian than another lying politician. It's depressing that in the world of 24-hour news networks, at least a significant part of the American public would rather tune in to a half hour comedy show for their information. Fox has to be able to admit that not everything that Obama does is evil. MSNBC has to realize the good that Bush did do. But both sides are so set in their ways that America is starting to lose taste for that kind of reporting.

http://www.timepolls.com/hppolls/archive/poll_results_417.html

Still Sunny

2009-10-17T23:19:00.001-07:00

The new season of "It's Sunny In Philadelphia" is in full swing. i have laughed hysterically thus far. from Charlie becoming a crab-man, to milksteak, to playing "nightcrawlers" (the visual picture that comes with this when you watch it is amazing), to baby surrogates, to danny devito hanging himself, to bird law and fillibuster. i beg of you to watch this new season. all of the episodes are on Hulu.com right now (although they are 8 days behind the date which it originally airs). this new season has not dissapointed. in fact, i think it has set the bar higher. if you have never seen Sunny, please make this a priorety in your list of TV shows to watch. although it can run on the risky side of the fence, i think this is what we love about it. its unpredictability. also the characters and their lack of decency is a factory of endless laughter. i have come close to pissing myself multiple times because i have laughed so hard and is definately great to quote.

Wild Thing

2009-10-17T00:08:00.001-07:00

tonight i saw Where The Wild Things Are on its opening night. Not knowing what to expect from a movie based on a short picture book, but placing my trust in Spike Jonze's hands, i went along for the ride. i will try to stay away from spoilers as much as possible. Max Records plays Max the main character with the imagination style that i remember having as a kid his age. It was actually a very personal movie for me because in a lot of the harder things i experienced in my childhood, i always had this make-believe land that i could run away to.

The film itself is visually stunning. the Wild Things are all amazingly done. the great part about it is that the book doesnt even name the wild things, yet here they all have names, personalities, and work as a dysfunctional family. the dialogue is hilarious and i was seriously not expecting it to be as funny as it actually was. the cinematography and camera angles are top-notch from a director who clearly knows what he's doing. i couldnt have been more impressed. the imagination that went into bringing this full legnth film out of a small picture book is unfathomable. There are a lot of callbacks between the real world and this place of where the wild things are. the movie is about imagination, so all of the Wild Things have a characteristic of Max that he is subconciously displaying and finally seeing the for what they really are. he learns a lot from hanging out with these wild things because of their similarities to him.

You grow to love every single one of the Wild Things (except the bull, he only speaks once) who are voiced by an all-star cast. James Gandolfini voices Carol the main Wild Thing form the posters, others include Paul Dano(There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine), Forrest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), and Chris Cooper (Bourne Identity, Seabiscuit). A very emotional movie with a lot of heart and soul to accompany it. it brings out the inner-child and the inner-wild thing out of all of us. i was anticipating this film at first mainly because of the use of Arcade Fire in the trailer, but i was seriously impressed. also Max Records is astounding in it.

The music by Karen O (lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), was also beautiful and very fitting in every area. it set the mood to each scene. after the movie was over i went home and bought the OST on iTunes.

Fall TV

2009-09-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, its that time of the year again. A beautiful and glorious time when that box in the middle of your living room comes to life. The new seasons of the best shows on television are returning. 30 Rock is on its way to us, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is on its 5th season that premieres on the 17th (the kitten mittens preview on hulu has me laughing hysterically already and its only 30 seconds long), Michael Scott makes his way back to our homes (and our hearts) after giving me a scare that the series was ending when he quit last season. The Office does have a challenge though to keep its viewers because the Jim/Pam (Jam?) relationship is going so great that people are beginning to lose interest in that area of the show which was their biggest draw. Personally i always thought that the Jam(yes, i went for it) relationship was getting in the way of the good comedy. the 30 minute long episodes would be filled with 15 minutes of "will they, won't they" and i just wanted to see Dwight pepper spray someone, or Andy Bernard harmonize with himself. How I Met Your Mother is possibly the only current show that i love that still has a laugh track. I think laugh tracks are silly and outdated. i dont need a crowd of people telling me when to laugh (be sure to thank Ricky Gervais for getting us past those into a new era of sitcoms). But still, Jason Segal as Marshall practically makes the show for me (and i wouldnt mind seeing him in more movies seeing as "I Love You Man" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" were both fantastic) but the other characters are strong and the show is original. The Simpsons come back and hopefully this season they will come out of that 4 year slump they have been in. I do still chuckle and laugh at the episodes, but they are nothing like the golden years (Season 3-Season 8).

Interestingly enough, "Sit Down, Shut Up" is back for a new season i think (they were supposed to be cancelled but a new episode just hit Hulu). Mitch Hurwitz(Creator and writer of Arrested Development) is the writer of this offbeat cartoon which features the voices of Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Henry Wrinkler (barry zuckercorn on AD. he's very good), Kenan Thompson, Will Forte, and Cheri Oteri. Its nowhere near the greatness of Arrested Development, but it is still a fresh cartoon that isnt constantly trying to put us over the edge like Family Guy. Also unlike Family Guy, it doesn't rip off half of it's material from the Simpsons. So watch this before it gets cancelled (again. its bound to happen. the american public cant handle mitch's creativeness as they have shown time and time again).

VMAs, MTV and a nice surprise

2009-09-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

So last night i decided to momentarily lift a personal boycott that i have had on MTV for as long as i can remember. Before you scoff in judgmental preconceptions, hear me out. MUSE made their american television debut on the Video Music Awards last night. So i decided to catch it. It was a great performance of a new song from their recently released album "The Resistance" with a great but brief guitar solo from Matt Bellamy, and lived up to my expectations. Surprisingly, it wasnt the highlight of the night. More on that later.

But since i was already on that channel, and since i happen to like russell brand a lot, i decided to keep watching. i would flip back and forth from this and other channels so i didnt catch the whole show, but it was a pretty eventful night. All of you have heard of Kanye's outburst and Beyonce's heart of gold (funny thing about kanye is that he swore never to come back to MTV a few years back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-631TgPP2s but yet there he was) I'm not gonna beat that dead horse. Janet Jackson paid tribute to her late, great brother, and the man who practically owned MTV in the 80s. Sadly they didnt give Russell Brand enough of the show, but when you compare the time he did have to his stand-up, this didnt really...stand up (all puns intended). And Mr. Brand also called Jimmy Fallon the "David Letterman of our generation" which i dont know if he meant sarcastically, but i hope he did.

What stole the night away for me wasnt the Kanye and Taylor Swift's "feud", or Beyonce's single ladies, or even the highly anticipated MUSE performance. It was Jay-Z and Alicia Keys(whom i highly underestimated) performance of "Empire State of Mind". Alicia Keys seriously killed onstage as an amazing counterpart to the Mayor of New York who in this song calls himself "The New Sinatra". It was a phenomanal. Chills went down my spine. here is a link to the best part of the night.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/435686/empire-state-of-mind-live.jhtml#id

BTW watch out for the girl's outfit sitting next to Beyonce. i think its lady gaga. also here is a great article addressing the stupidity of the girl who went onstage at the end.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1621469/20090914/keys_alicia.jhtml