98 posts tagged “popular culture”
I heard the Magic Kids on my XM radio yesterday and was thoroughly impressed. They have a sound like the Beach Boys meets the Pipettes meets the Brady Bunch. This song certainly makes me happy (like all of the other bands mentioned above normally do)!
I can't get much info on them from their Myspace page (they're apparently from Tennessee). Hopefully, we'll only hear more from this group.
The trailer for the action-comedy Date Night is online.
When I read the IMDB synopsis ("In New York City, a case of mistaken identity turns a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous and romantic evening into something more thrilling and dangerous"), I thought this movie sounded cute. It actually reminded me of Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton play a middle-aged married couple who discover a murderer in their apartment complex (with hilarious results!).
However, by the looks of the Date Night preview, it looks a little more Get Smart, a little less New York neurotic. I find this troubling since I like the two leads so much. I just don't know if I want to see them in a pseudo, geeked-down Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
I first sense trouble in this preview when Mark Wahlberg appears, using gadgets and computers like something out of a sci-fi movie. I sense trouble again when James Franco and Mila Kunis show up. Because Carell and Fey are so quirky, we want to see them in something quirky. I just don't think this looks like something that will make them comedically shine.
I'll be sticking to the marital hijinks of Carol and Larry Lipton, thank you very much.
Carrie Prejean, the Miss California USA with a sex tape, was on "Larry 'Inappropriate' King Live" last night, and she refused to answer any questions. This is pretty much one of my favorite television clips of 2009.
I find it strange that this woman would want to be on a talk show only to avoid talking about every issue and controversy in which she's involved, deeming everything Larry said, "inappropriate." Why even go on the show to begin with? I suppose even bad publicity is good publicity.
I feel bad that Larry King was left in the dark on what questions he could ask her, though. Although, I'm pretty sure he probably is always in the dark.
P.S. With January Jones from "Mad Men" hosting "Saturday Night Live" soon, I hope they include her in a skit where she plays Carrie Prejean. Don't they look alike!
Most recently, I decided to take a stab at reading Ayn Rand's Atlas, Shrugged. But once I took a look at the length of the book (clocking in around 1,000 pages in my paperback 70's edition), I realized it was going to be a challenge for my reading stamina. I find it a struggle to read a long book, unless of course it's remarkably written (I haven't yet been able to judge Rand since I'm only about ten pages in).
I've realized I simply love short stories. I believe that short stories capture real life more than any novel ever could.
I think that's why I like misterab.com. Each video is a short little tale that makes you think and doesn't require more than two minutes of your time.
They post a new video every Wednesday! Here's the latest!
With "Saturday Night Live" not delivering the comedic goods lately, at least there's some good news about the program.
Last night, on "Weekend Update," Seth Meyers was the first to let me know that Lilith Fair (the all female music festival helmed by Sarah McLachlan) is coming back in 2010!
I went to all three Lilith Fairs that came to the Pittsburgh area, own all of the Lilith Fair live CDs, and still have my dog tags from the inaugural event (I just found them the other day, actually!). I suddenly have a renewed interest in summer concerts. I wonder if Sheryl Crow will go back on tour with the other fabulous ladies again!
The bad news: while my interest in summer music is renewed, my interest in "Saturday Night Live" still wanes. Especially with the Sarah McLachlan skit they did last night. If they were going to talk about Lilith Fair, I was really hoping they'd bring back Ana Gasteyer for her Cinder Calhoun skit.
It's no secret that the sitcom is dead. People have been talking about this for years. However, when probed about why I like the NBC show "Community," I say that "I like the characters even though nothing really happens."
Then, I got to thinking about all of the other shows I watch on television. This year, more than ever, I am more excited about the shows on the air right now, including "Modern Family," "Community," "30 Rock," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and "Mad Men." Yet, these shows are character driven. Aside from "Mad Men" ("Who are you Don Draper?"), there's no major conflict looming over the heads of the characters on the other shows, meaning there's no "situation" in these comedies. People tune in each week because they like the characters. I think nowadays people tune in for the characters and not the situation. If you can write a great character, you have it made.
The cancellation of "Arrested Development" marked the ultimate death of the sitcom, in my opinion. Even though it was pretty fresh and subversive in its execution, at the heart of the story was a sitcom premise: a man has to help his crazy family get back on their feet (emotionally and financially). Yet, I think its character development has inspired some of these shows on the air today.
I think most shows on the air today have great characters. "Modern Family' is a perfect example. Every character on the show is believably flawed and entertaining to watch. The scenarios feel real.
With "Community," I think it isn't the leads that carry the show. It's the side characters. Senor Chang is probably the funniest character on the show. Professor Ian Duncan and Professor Whitman ("I'll have. . .a birthday cake!") are also standouts. Without all of these wacky characters, the show about Community College life has the potential to wane because, again, nothing really happens. (I have a theory that "Community" is really like "Lost," where the characters are all stuck in some sort of purgatory known as Community College. We never see their home life! It almost appears as if they all live on campus -- which I actually like).
Like any trend, the sitcom could make a comeback sometime in the future (although who would have thought the reality show craze would still be around). But for now, it's good to know that people like Sweet Dee, Dennis, Mac, Charlie, and Frank will continue to be misanthropes, blindly repelling people in every episode with no end or goal in sight. I'll continue to tune in.
This week, the 20th anniversary edition DVD of Say Anything was released. Say Anything was Cameron Crowe's directorial debut and the first in a line of Crowe movies to utilize a kick-ass soundtrack to play with the viewers' emotions (I still can't hear "The Wind" by Cat Stevens without thinking of Penny Lane twirling alone on stage).
To commemorate the release of the movie, the band Lloyd Dobler Effect (and a slew of Lloyd Doblers) took to Time Square.
I love Say Anything, but always wondered what the appeal was about this movie. It's got a typical high school movie plot (boy from the wrong side of the tracks likes a girl from the right side of the tracks), yet I think the character of Lloyd Dobler is what really makes people love this movie. He's a loveable loser you can't help but root for. Plus,I think the other attribute is that the characters don't talk like they're from a high school movie.
However, my favorite John Cusack role is and will always remain Walter "Gib" Gibson from The Sure Thing. I feel like this Cusack character doesn't get enough love. He's a real guy's guy. The kind of guy who doesn't mind if you puke in his car. He may be rough around the edges, but he definitely comes through as a romantic in the end.
ABC debuts the sci-fi remake "V" tonight, starring Elizabeth Mitchell from "Lost."
This intrigues me. Especially because I learned to love Juliet on "Lost" and will basically follow Mitchell anywhere at this point. It starts tonight at 8 p.m. I need my sci-fi mix while "Lost" is still on hiatus.
My best friend called me at midnight last night, despite my text message that I would call him in the morning because I had to get up early. However, it was an emergency. Apparently, THE KID FROM ABOUT A BOY IS NOW GROWN UP AND HOT AND ROMANCING COLIN FIRTH IN THE FILM A SINGLE MAN.
I can still remember his boyish voice hitting those sweet notes in "Killing Me Softly" with Hugh Grant. Now, well, he's just hitting Colin Firth.
I've seen a lot of commercials for the HTC phone lately and was struck by the music in the ad.
I believe it's the opening keys from Nina Simone's "Sinnerman." I wonder if the tagline, "Quietly Brilliant" had anything to do with their selection of music.
