You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May 2009.
I haven’t been keeping up with my Hottie McDotties as much as I once was, but to make up for it a bit, I shall offer my dear readers (I know there are a few) a couple pictures of my newest celebrity obsession, Zachary Quinto. Enjoy (I know I will).
Why do people always assume that if a person voted for President Obama, then they must “love” him, or think that he’s their “savior,” or whatever rot. Yes, there are plenty of people who think this. But there are also plenty of people, myself included, who voted for him because he is a Democrat, and they are Democrats as well. I voted for him because I couldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, and he was the next best thing. I don’t agree with him on some things and I’m as worried about the economy as anyone else. Yes, I voted for him, and yes, I’ll give him my support and trust, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to bow down and worship him, nor am I unable to see his flaws.
I don’t subscribe to Netflix, but if I did (a.k.a. if I could afford it), here’s a list of movies I would put in my queue. I keep this list in my notebooks and check the films off when I see them. (List behind the cut).
So, finally the show that I’ve been anticipating for months has premiered, and I can definitely say that it didn’t disappoint. It was smart, funny, and moving, just as I’d hoped (and secretly knew) it would be.
Uh, yeah. I “stole” these pictures from EW.com. But I gave them credit here, so we’re even…?
Well, it’s finally finale time (heh). I’m still not completely sure who I want to win. I think, when all is said and done, I like Adam more and am more likely to buy his CD. However, I almost think he would benefit more from not being under the typical “American Idol” winner contract (which keeps them under 19 Entertainment’s thumb for five years, I believe). He could display more artistic freedom at another label, and I think he’d need that artistic freedom. But, I like both of the guys and will be fine with either of them winning.
Well, let me hop back up on my soapbox again. I posted something similar to this about Coldplay the other day, and now I’ve been hearing the same allegations of plagiarism being thrown at comedian Dane Cook. Now, I like stand-up comedy, and I’ve listened to or watched a few of Dane Cook’s specials. I will say the man has a crazy energy on stage that makes it look like he’s having a good time, and that’s infectious. However, his material isn’t anything new, it’s not particularly original or world-changing, and sometimes it’s not even funny. Listening to or reading his material diminishes the “funny” factor by about a million. I truly believe the mark of a good comedian is when their words, being read silently, in someone’s head or whatever, without facial expressions, hand gestures, or voice inflection, is still funny. Dane Cook does not fall into this category of comedian.
Still, I think he’s tolerable. He doesn’t incite hatred in me the way blatantly idiotic, one-joke, plagiarizing comedians like Carlos Mencia do. That is until I found out about some of this “stealing jokes” crap. There are situations where comedians can come up with similar bits. However, this Demetri Martin bit (and the Dane Cook bit that follows) are so blatantly similar, one cannot really make the argument that it was merely an accident or something.
They both mention being given a smaller-sized shoe, and wondering if the salesperson at the shoe store expects them to lose/have lost their toes. That’s uncannily similar.
Now here’s one comparing Dane Cook bits to Louis CK bits, and they are eerily similar. (I think the title of the video, “Louis CK steals from Dane Cook!” is meant to be funny/ironic. That YouTube user also has one titled, “Queen steals from Vanilla Ice!”).
So there you have it. Dane Cook = the Vanilla Ice of comedy. Yeah, “Ice Ice Baby” is a cool song, and you like to listen to it occasionally, but then you hear “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie and you think, “Whoa, why in god’s name did I ever think that butt licker Vanilla Ice made good music?” And that’s basically Dane Cook and comedy.
Ending with some fun stuff, here’s a video of a (arguably less famous) comedian doing a great Dane Cook impersonation.
Song titles are links to the songs on YouTube.
1.) You Are the Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne
I’ve really been digging Ray LaMontagne lately, even if I can never say his last name right. He’s got a raspy, soulful voice that reminds me of the music of singer-songwriters from the ’60s and ’70s. This is one of his more upbeat tracks.
2.) December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
This song has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid (of course, back then I had no idea what the gender of the high-voiced lead singer could be). Maybe it’s odd to put a song about a December evening on a summer playlist, but it’s such a peppy song, so I don’t care.
3.) Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
Yeah, this song seems pretty popular lately, I’ve noticed. I just really love the chorus: “Yea-hea! This sex is on fiy-ah!”
I downloaded a bunch of Nick Drake lately, and it was hard to pick just two songs of his that I like. He wrote some very, very beautiful music; he’s got a unique, smooth voice, and the guitar playing is amazing.
5.) Fly – Nick Drake
Ditto for above.
Such a catchy song, it’s been in my head all day. It’s got a bit of a story to it: the lead singer has a man named John who she can always depend on to be her lover when she needs him. She worries that one day he won’t be there, so she’d like him to marry her so that she can always have him when she needs him. It’s not a sad song, though (although maybe the John she’s singing to would disagree).
7.) Lisztomania – Phoenix
This is just a really fun song from Phoenix, who are from France (oui oui). I have no idea what it’s about, honestly, but it makes me happy.
A great rock song with a wee bit of pop thrown into the mix.
10.) Percussion Gun – White Rabbits
As the title suggests, there is a great drum part here.
11.) If You Want to Sing Out - Cat Stevens
An inspirational song from an artist that I need to listen more to. This one’s from his brilliant soundtrack to the equally brilliant film, “Harold and Maude.”
12.) She Runs Away – Duncan Sheik
Most probably know Duncan Sheik as a “one hit wonder” for his song “Barely Breathing,” from the ’90s, and more recently, he composed the music for the wonderful, award-winning Broadway musical, “Spring Awakening.” I really love the music to that show, and the handful of his songs that I’ve heard. So, I was really excited when I found his debut album for $1 at Half-Price Books the other day. I was even more excited to find that it’s pretty good. This was my favorite song, and also the first song on the album.
