Let's get this out of the way immediately. I don't like MGMT. They're bland psychedelia with an extra helping of bland for good measure. Their initial charm for me was in their EP with "indie rokkers." I was able to get behind the workings of that song and the musical directions present therein. With Oracular Spectacular, they went in the direction of their song "Kids," and lost my interest completely. Did their new album Congratulations change anything for me?

Absolutely not. The new album is a bust, with every song bleeding into each other without anything to distinguish them apart from each other. The first track shows promise in much of the same way as "indie rokkers" did, but the interesting sound pretty much ceases after that and the whole affair becomes the familiar psychedelic whining that we were given in the first album. The band has stated that this was a "no singles" album, and it shows. Here's hoping they grow and mature some in their next outing. You can check out the "Oracular Spectacular B-Sides" over at NPR, where they have an advanced preview. The album goes on sale on April 13.

If you want something along these lines that has a more of a unique sound, you might consider the Islands' Vapours.

We've got a documentary about Disney animators, a documentary of a young man who crosses the world to become a dancer, another Dreamworks CG animated "masterpiece" and an interesting looking thriller with the dumb blonde from Mean Girls. Oh yeah, and there's also a little epic you may have heard of that features a bunch of Titans clashing in all sorts of violent ways. In short, it's a pretty decent weekend to go to your local cinema. I would recommend checking out Waking Sleeping Beauty as well as Chloe. Train Your Dragon looks somewhat humorous, but it's difficult to tell based off the standard-fare trailer. Bluebeard seems like it would be an interesting film, but that one might be a little harder to find.

Anyway, get your ass to the multiplex or art house and check out at least one of these films. Who knows, you might get some entertainment out of it.

You may or may not have heard about a little musical pairing called She & Him. It's a folk band by M. Ward and my super-crush Zooey Deschanel. This is a band that's always maintained a place just under my radar. Volume 1 was a solid album, but I found it slow and dragging in more than a few parts. Even the album's single "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" kind of moseyed its way into my heart with the speed of a teenager asked to wash dishes...by hand. That's not to say that I didn't like the album, because I did. It just didn't appeal to my more "pop" sensibilities.

Enter Volume 2, which dropped on the 23rd. Having seen the music video for "In the Sun" I was anxious to hear how the rest of the album played out. NPR once again had a play-through of the entire album, and I finally gave it a listen. From the get-go, I was drawn in thanks to the livelier tunes and the tighter songs. Instead of wondering when a song would end, I found myself wishing songs would go on just a little bit longer.

I realize that complaining about the pacing in a folk album is somewhat akin to bitching about Pizza Hut pizzas having too much grease, but for me it's truly the difference between a "good" album and a "REALLY GOOD" album. And folks, it IS a REALLY GOOD album. Even if you're not that big of a Deschanel fan, I suggest you give the band a second chance with this album. Who knows, you might even tap your toes a bit.

I try to hold off on seeing trailers as long as possible. There are a few reasons for this, but the biggest reason is that they tend to spoil too much of the film for me. It used to be that I could ignore the spoilerific content and still have a good time when I eventually saw the movie, but nothing on screen would ever truly surprise or thrill me. Never was this more glaring to me than when I watched the trailer for the Iron Man sequel coming out in May.

A movie trailer has a lot to do in the minute or two that it has in front of your eyes. It has to give you some sort of idea of the story and what the main plot is going to be while at the same time showing off just enough whiz-bang to get you into the seat. In short, trailers need to excite you. This is the rule with action, comedy, sci fi and comic book films and there are absolutely no exceptions. If Spider-man were to face the camera and talk about how awesome his new movie is going to be, would you actually go? No. You want to see the webhead dodge traffic while swinging from his white, gooey vines in pursuit of Doctor Octopus who has taken the effervescent Mary Jane Watson captive. It's these money shots that are going to get you into the film.

And it's these money shots that are making movies less fun. Back to Iron Man 2. We see War Machine in full outfit fighting side by side with Iron Man. There's one scene that will no longer impress me. There's another shot at the end of the trailer where Iron Man essentially reveals his portable Iron Man suit and steps into it on the race track. It's an impressive shot, and now completely old hat.

What's left, now that the creators have shot their load? Is there going to be something even more awesome in the film than what I've seen in the trailers? It's hard to imagine that since what I saw was already really damn cool. I hate to say it, but the chances of me going to see the movie in the theaters has dropped from 100% to about 60%. I think I might be able to wait for the DVD..

Great News! I was going to make my first post an insightful and academic essay on the state of modern music, but instead, boobs distracted me. Feel free to forgive me at your leisure.

It turns out that Disney is not interested in fake boobs--and who is, right? Right? Anyone?--for their new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. You can follow the link if you want, but I’m going to go ahead and quote the important part for you.

“Filmmakers sent out a casting call last week, according to the paper, seeking 'beautiful female fit models. Must be 5 feet 7 inches-5 feet 8 inches, size 4 or 6, no bigger or smaller. Age 18-25. Must have a lean dancer body. Must have real breasts. Do not submit if you have implants.' The potential ladies will also have to undergo a test involving jiggling and jogging to determine their breasts' authenticity, the Post says." From: http://www2.seattlepi.com/articles/417172.html

Now, obviously we, being logical and rational individuals, can deduce that, since this movie involves pirates who aren’t from Somalia, it is probably set in a time period where fake tits would be anachronistic at best and a surgical nightmare at worst, but where's the fun in that? Instead, because this story broke an hour or so ago, I’m going to get the jump on every other blog site and post every possible joke anyone can make about this situation. Click "Continue Reading" to see what I'm talking about.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I present a Technicolor Commentary exclusive.

1. Needed: Flat-Chested blond girl to replace Orlando Bloom.
2. This marks the first time a woman lost a job because of her fake chest.
3. This marks the first time a woman got a job because of her real chest.
4. Any bigger than C cups and Johnny Depp just won’t look them in the eye.
5. “Oh no... The costumes came back from the shop and they’re all fitted for 15 year old girls.”
6. Now fake asses on the other hand…
7. Never taunt the Kraken.
8. Contractually, Penélope Cruz must have the biggest breasts on set. If not, Penélope gets jealous. And when Penélope gets jealous, motherfuckers get killed.
9. Life preservers ruin the atmosphere of danger.
10. Historical Fact: All pirates were allergic to silicone.
11. Apparently Casting Directors have the best job in the world
12. Too many kids were confusing the franchise with “Pirates.” Way different.
13. See, the movie industry isn’t shallow and sex-obsessed after all.
14. Don’t worry. They’ll CGI them in later.
15. I hear the skeletons are going to be real in this one, too.
16. Beautiful fit females without fake breasts? Good luck.
17. Most disappointing bar wenches EVER!
18. Turns out pirates just don’t care about boobs anymore.
19. Fake boobs look too real in HD.
20. Contractually, Geoffrey Rush must have the second largest breasts on set. If not, then Geoffrey gets real sad.
21. Only the Make-up Department gets to apply scars.
22. I guess they needed another reason for Roger Ebert to hate the film.
23. No Keira Knightly and no fake boobs? Now what am I going to masturbate to?

Jesus Christ, how does Letterman turn this shit out? Anyway, if anyone out there in Internetland sees one of these jokes or something similar, be sure to tell me so I can gloat about how much bigger my e-penis is. Special thanks to Mike Stevens and Andrew Wilkens for making this post possible.

I thought I would brighten your hump day by showing off a few trailers for films coming out this week. We've got a Matt Damon goes to war movie, a forgettable Robert Pattinson movie, and a movie about an exploding girl. I may just have to see that last one. Anyway, here you go, in no particular order.

Found via CBR (THANKS!):

The film looks like it will be pretty cool. I just hope it's not another Alice in Wonderland in that it's pretty but with no substance. That would just be a dick move on Disney's part, right? Also, who's the Bowie wannabe in this trailer? He seems interesting. Note: If the trailer doesn't work, just follow the link to the CBR site.

I'm going to admit off the bat that I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse. The closest I've come to anything with his mark on it would have to be Gnarls Barkley and the second Gorillaz album, which still holds up for me all these years later. Well, today is the release date for his collaboration with The Shins' James Mercer, titled Broken Bells. As with the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach, NPR had a preview up all of last week for fans to sample. I gave this one a rather ridiculous amount of play since I'm a rabid fan of The Shins.

My thoughts? It's solid.

I read through a few early reviews and the general consensus on them is that the album is "meh" or just for the Zach Braff brand of hipster. Their problems with the album, however, are what I like about it. The album is simple, and Mercer proves that he can still work his vocal wonders while evolving his musical styling at the same time. There are moments here and there where the album gets a little slow, and that's really the only place where I agree with most of the reviewers out there.

If you like either of these two artists and what they do, you'll want to pick up this album. Like I said, it's solid and enjoyable.

Today marks the release of Plastic Beach, the third album by virtual band Gorillaz. If you're up to date on your music news, you'll know that NPR has had a preview of the entire album up on it's site to give fans an early listen. After about a dozen or so listens, I thought I would share some kind of review for you. Short version: It's good and you need to go buy it right away.

Slightly less short version: If you're expecting the same kind of album as Demon Days or their self-titled debut, you might be a little disappointed. There are less standalone singles here than in previous albums. The trade off, though, is that the album feels more connected and flows way better. From first to the last track, it's an entire experience. Granted, nothing quite to the extent of Girl Talk's Feed The Animals, but it gets close and you will find yourself going through the entire album more than once without realizing how many tracks have passed.

I have a little bias in this review as I've enjoyed Damon Albarn's band since the beginning and could tell I would enjoy this new album immediately after listening to Stylo when it was leaked awhile back. And the singles on this track are difficult to get out of your head, from the frenetic "Superfast Jellyfish" to the somber "On Melancholy Hill." It's a finely crafted album and I heartily recommend you get it at your earliest convenience.

Need more proof? Check out the music video for Stylo below!

The Oscars are here again, and I thought I would do a rough "live blog" about my thoughts as the winners are announced this year. Since I haven't seen quite as many of the films nominated as I would have liked this year, my commentary will probably come off as humorous. I  mean, how can I bitch and complain about movies that I haven't seen winning awards I could care less about, right? Haha, well, this IS TCC and we're all about "that little extra kick!" Anyway, keep checking back to this post for my reactions to this year's Academy Awards! That is, if you care.

Note for time zones behind mine: Spoiler Alert.

Okay, starting with the red carpet shit.

I'm also over at Row Three doing their live blogging event. Come in and say hi!

General Comments

RED CARPET (PRESHOW) SHIT

- Kathryn Bigelow is quite stunning. Filmmaker crush alert! She can direct me ANY day.

- Barbara Walters isn't doing her special anymore apparently, and still no one cares.

- George Clooney spotted. He's..attractive.

- Colin Firth spotted. I'm sorry. Don't see why the ladies swoon over him. (EDIT: Jandy set me straight there..I guess..)

- Haven't seen any CRAZY fashion yet. Too bad.

- Kirsten Stewart needs to date me, ASAP.

- Ryan Seacrest is describing that the Awards are changing and being more "Idol" like. Uh oh..

- Currently watching the Red Carpet on E! I got through ten minutes of The Wa Wa special and got too bored.

- Gerard Butler. I can almost divorce him from "THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAA"

- I heart Jason Bateman. Is that an accent? My mind is blown.

- Now onto the official red carpet show. We're being introduced to people with mics who hardly matter.

- Maggie is tall, and Clooney is high-fiving the crowds. What a nice fellow. He's attractive.

- Prince of Persia? Psh. Whatever.

- Zach Efron near anything resembling awards is kind of weird. "I feel like I snuck in." Oh. That's how he's there. Makes sense. Apparently he plays the young Simon from Firefly (pointed out by Joe P.). MIND BLOWN.

- God's daughter looks fabulous.

- Still trying to figure out why The Blind Side was nominated for anything but the Trite Award..

- Was that Antonio Banderas rocking the mountain man beard?!

- Every year I wish someone would run up and tackle the peeps carrying the votes. Every year I'm disappointed.

- Two things: Miley needs to shut the hell up (forever), and Tina Fey is so pretty. *swoon*

THE SHOW ITSELF

- Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin better not disappoint.

- NEIL PATRICK HARRIS ALERT!!! FUCKING CHRIST. I DON'T NEED TO SEE THE REST OF THE OSCARS!

- I kind of want Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to be my gay adoptive parents.

- Lots of weird humor fail going on. But the Damn Helen Mirren joke was quite funny.

- The 3D joke was kind of funny. Bring back NPH.

- Clooney is getting kind of pissed.

NOW WE START (thank god)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner: Christoph Waltz.

Reaction: Makes sense. He was the only part of Inglorious Basterds that was good. Seriously. IB was fun, but Christoph didn't phone it in like everyone else.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Winner: Up.

Reaction: Doesn't deserve it. Was the weakest animated film this year. My vote was with Fantastic Mr. Fox. So much better. But Pixar is an Oscar darling and therefore can NEVER lose. Actually, Up kind of loses it's steam after the first third. Mr. Fox stayed delightful all the way through. And this is coming from someone who isn't always that impressed with Wes Anderson.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Winner: Crazy Heart

Reaction: Cool. Didn't see the movie and I generally care very little about this category. Yawn.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Reaction: A solid screenplay. I accept. In my opinion, QT is not a good screenwriter, so he doesn't need to be encouraged by awards. But I wouldn't say that Hurt Locker was an amazing screenplay either. Oof.

Best Short Film, Animated

Winner: Logorama

Reaction: I wish I had seen these. I REALLY wish I had seen these.

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

Winner: Music By Prudence

Reaction: What the FUCK is with the red head interrupting that fellow? Anyway. Mark this as a documentary short I need to see!

Best Short Film, Live Action

Winner: The New Tennants

Reaction: No opinion on the matter. Don't dig short films all that much. But no matter. I'll never get to see this anyway since short films are rarely as easy to get ahold of as animated shorts.

Best Achievement in Makeup

Winner: Star Trek

Reaction: It was good makeup work. Glad Star Trek wins one at least.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Winner: Precious.

Reaction: Saw it coming. But that's how things work when you write Oscar bait.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner: Monique, Precious

Reaction: Makes sense, I guess. Seems like Oscar bait though. I think it should have been Vera.

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Winner: Avatar

Reaction: Hey art direction peeps, you're no longer needed. Say hello to your replacement, the computer.

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Winner: The Young Victoria

Reaction: Sorry, but Parnassus was robbed completely in this category. Most period pieces have the same look and it seems like they're all cutting from a very basic template.

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Reaction: Oh cool. Just kidding. It had some pretty standard war-time film sound editing.

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Reaction: Really? Against Star Trek? Hell, Transformers 2 had better sound mixing. I like that Hurt Locker is winning out. But jeez. Very uninspired sound work.

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Winner: Avatar

Reaction: Didn't doubt you trendsetters for a minute. Inglorious Basterds did it WAY better, though.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Winner: Up.

Reaction: What a fucking shit score. Let's play four sad notes all the time. BRILLIANT!

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Winner: Avatar

Reaction: When the whole point of your movie is to look pretty, it makes sense to win this category.

Best Documentary, Features

Winner: The Cove

Reaction: Looks alright. I called this during the clip show.

Best Achievement in Editing

Winner: The Hurt Locker.

Reaction: Good. The film was edited very well.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Winner: The Secret In Her Eyes

Reaction: I never watch these films year in and year out. That's more of a slight against me as I feel like I should probably get on that one of these years. Oh but I don't want to READ my films WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Winner: Jeff Bridges

Reaction: The dude abides. Deservedly so.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Winner: Sandra Bullock

Reaction: For her role in "Rich White Girl Saves Black Kid From Poverty: The Movie." OH: Fuuuuuuuu---

Best Achievement in Directing

Winner: Kathryn Bigelow

Reaction: Yay. She did a GREAT job.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Reaction: I'm happy.

Wrapping Up This Whole Mess:

The Academy is still trying to figure out how to organize a good show, and they're ALMOST there. But they have a real problem with pacing. I mean, you cut out things from your itinerary to shorten your program, not so you can pad it with ridiculous crap. Interpretive dance? Bitch, please! Oh, and the writing bit between Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr was way more true than they might have intended. Writers are the bitter curmudgeons of the film industry. Unite!

What an anti-climactic ending to a still bloated show.