The Heavy Ninja Tune

Holy crap this band is awesome. Definitely one of the best bands I’ve heard in a long time and their newest album, The House That Dirt Built, is fantastic from start to finish. The Heavy revels in new-wave soul and funk, and have plenty of attitude to spare. The group, from Noid, England (like The Noid from the old Dominos ads), made a splash in 2008 at SXSW and gained some publicity through publicaiton like SPIN and Rolling Stone. However, you probably have heard them in that new KIA commercial where the toys and stuffed animals take the car joyriding and go to some bars and dance clubs in Vegas. This song is incredible, this album is incredible and everything about this band, so far, is, well, incredible. Plus their label is called Ninja Tune. Awesome.

-John

Welcome back to another exciting edition of GTM-OE. I’m happy to be back here guest-hosting while your usual host, Rhett, continues to orbit our Earth preparing to dock with the International Space Station and make critical repairs. As always, the picture above is your first clue, post your guesses in the comments section and I’ll update as needed. Good luck…

Update: We have a winner! The correct answer was Joy Ride starring a bunch of people and the always awesome Steve Zahn, who adopted the CB handle “candycane” to trick a homicidal trucker into thinking he was going to get laid. Steve Zahn is the man - love that guy. Congratulations to this week’s winner CC. Be sure to tell all your friends how great you are CC, but only for this week, because two weeks seems like a long time to carry around the pressure of being great. Thanks to everyone for playing and we’ll see you back here next week.

CC’s Prize:

-John

So, a couple of weeks ago the Academy Award nominations were released, and, quite honestly, there weren’t a lot of surprises. Most of the actors and actresses we thought would be there are there, all the directors we thought would get nominated did - and the decision to nominate ten films for best picture was just as dumb as we all thought it would be. Seriously, it’s ridiculous. Basically, if you thought about making a movie last year it is being considered for an Academy Award. I thought about submitting a film I made about how my upstairs carpet produces what I think to be an abnormally large amount of lint. It had it all: drama, suspense and riveting plot twists. I decided not to enter it because it didn’t seem fair to everyone else; somtimes greatest needs to be put on hold. Anyway, let’s take a look at the nominees and I’ll provide some killer commentary.

Supporting Actress:

Penelope Cruz, Nine
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Mo’nique, Precious
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart

Did anyone see Nine? Wasn’t there an animated Tim Burton movie with the same name this year? Kind of weird. That movie had a bunch of hot women in it so I guess that deserves a nomination. Kendrick and Farmiga are both great in Up in the Air and I heard Gyllenhaal was a nice compliment to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, but this is Mo’nique’s award. She’ll win this easily and deserves every bit of it. Her performance was savagely intense and ran the gamut of emotions, often sliding in and out of dissappointed tears and off-kilter rage in the same scene. Great stuff from her. Who would have guessed that the chick who poured mustard on a guy, while violently riding him, in Beerfest, would go on to win an Oscar? She caught someone’s eye.

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Matt Damon, Invictus
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger

From what I understand, The Lovely Bones was a lovely pile of dog vomit (way worse than regular vomit), so I find it strange that Stanley Tucci was moinated at all - but maybe he was really good. I think he’s a good ballroom dancer in real life. So, there’s that. Matt Damon is the man and all, but I feel like he was nominated because he was in a movie about Apartheid, so no real merit there. Plummer was in a movie I’ve never heard of (and I’ve heard of a lot of movies) but I hope is about Station from Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. Woody is, and always will be, awesome and I heard he was great in The Messenger, but I would support him much more if he were nominated for his turn in Zombieland. That movie was the bomb track. Unfortunately for Woody, Christopher Waltz was too much of a beast in Basterds. He crushed. Flawless execution of coniving evil and sinister charm, and his performance in the opening scene alone is masterful. Look for him in the upcoming Green Hornet with Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz.

Best Actress:

Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia
Sandra Bullock, The Blindside
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Carey Mulligan, An Education

Mirren, Mulligan and Streep? Boring! Mulligan is supposed to be a breakout star in her role but that movie looked like a snooze-fest, and if Meryl Streep released a sex tape she would get a nomination for it, so hers seems rather obligatory. Sidibe was great in Precious and really captured the hopelessness of ghetto-life, but it’s America’s newest sweetheart, Ms. Bullock, who’s going to take this one down. I remember having a conversation back in the early fall that there was a real lack of quality female roles this year, and Bullock had a chance for a nomination. It sounded ridiculous at the time but it started to snowball as that film continued to kill it at the box office, and now a possible nomination has turned into a probable win. And really - it’s not that different from when Julia Roberts won hers. Similiar roles, similar lack of competition - so what’s the big deal? I’ve always liked Sandra Bullock (can never turn off Forces of Nature when it’s on TBS or TNT, which is all the f-ing time) so I’m happy for her. She had a huge year at the box office, and no one else really ran away with it - so give it to her. Everyone else can get over it.

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Renner was great in The Hurt Locker, but I don’t think he’s going to pull it out; same with Clooney. Freeman played Mandella in a movie and therefore got a required nomination (see Damon above) even though I’m sure he’s really great in it. I’m just saying you have to really go out of your way to get the role of Mandella and not get an Oscar nomination. You’d have to speak with a French accent and pretend Mandella was a midnight livestock trucker to effectively sabotage yourself. Didn’t see A Single Man, but Firth supposedly comes correct. But all that coming-correctness was all in vain in my opinion because I think Bridges is going home with the hardware. He’s put in his dues as an actor and delivers every time no matter the role. He’s waited patiently and has been rewarded with a part that allowed him to be the centerpiece. The Dude abides.

Best Director/Screenplay/Picture

James Cameron will get the director nod, because Avatar is not going to win best picture. Reitman is going to get a screenplay award because Up in the Air is not going to win best picture. The Hurt Locker will win best picture because I think the Academy is going to reject the Avatar hype and go with a well-received war film. Some will call it an upset, but it really won’t be. Avatar is a cool movie and worth seeing because it is a decent story and represents the next step in film-making technology. The special effects and imagination are dazzling and certianly worthy of praise - it’s just not the best movie of the year. It just isn’t. And even though the Academy makes mistakes sometimes, I don’t think it’s going to do it this time around. I just get the feeling they’re not buying in like everyone else is. Mark it down - The Hurt Locker, champion movie of the world.

Now you have my expert picks and can enter your office Oscar pool with confidence and bravado. Start talking trash now. Tell Ron in accounting his Oscar picks should be written on toilet paper because you’re going to wipe your ass with them. Seriously - do it. Ron has always been kind of a dick…

The Academy Awards are on March 7th, 8:00pm on ABC

-John

I usually go to bed around 11:00 every night - give or take 10 minutes or so. My typical routine is to scan a few channels and watch a little TV before I fall asleep, and in doing so, I’ve honed in on a few particular programs. Sometimes I’ll land on some MMA fighting on Spike, or a Real World rerun on MTV. I even watched most of the Jersey Shore on MTV reruns at 11:30pm. But those are all shows you guys probably know about. I want to highlight three shows you may not have heard of and that I have found myself following in their late night timeslots. It may help to know that I pretty much cycle through five channels while I’m in bed: ESPN, MTV, Comedy Central, Spike and FX. They’re all right near each other numerically on my cable provider so it’s easy to flip back and forth. Laziness has brought these shows into my life.

My Life as Liz - MTV

This show is not breaking through any new ground in terms of redefining high school drama. There’s our protagonist, Liz - the smart, different girl who’s into indie rock and doesn’t quite fit in. She has cool hair, wears sweet retro Nike’s and is cute but not pretty. Of course this all makes her kind of an outcast. There are her nerdy friends who sit on the social-scene sidelines, the popular blonde cheerleaders who make her life hell, and the smart, alternative guy whom she has a crush on. Textbook stuff. What kind of got me interested in the show is the way it’s shot. It’s all done on hand-held or common digital video cameras. It has a real documentary feel to it, although it’s not a documentary. There are a few times that Liz addresses the camera directly but it’s done in more of an inner monologue kind of way rather than an acknowledgement that she’s being filmed. The dialogue is also very realistic in that there are a lot of “umms” and “uhs” and the characters don’t speak in polished monologues like on Dawson’s Creek. In fact, they speak and behave like actual high school students. Kind of an interesting take but the genuine style still allows for some nice moments. There’s real tension during the talent show episode and a few poignant encounters between Liz and her classmates. It’s not the greatest show I’ve ever seen and may not appeal to everyone, but I kind of like it and recommend at least giving one episode a chance.

The Buried Life - MTV

This show comes on right before My Life as Liz so I usually end up watching at least part of the episodes. The basic premise is simple: four guys, who I think are from Canada, drive around in a bus going from town to town trying to cross off items on their list of life goals responding to the question: What do you want to do before you die? It’s kind of like making a bucket list (did the movie The Bucket List introduce that term into our social lexicon? If so, what a legacy for such a crappy movie) and then starting on it when you’re still really young. One caveat to that is that they find a random person in whatever town they happen to be in and help them accomplish something they really want to do. The premise could really take this show in an ultra-lame, overly sappy direction, a la Extreme Home Makeover, and have the guys just going around doing good deeds and saying that’s what they’ve always wanted to do. Not saying helping people is wrong, but let’s be realistic about what would actually be on such a list. Fortunately they have things on their list like: attend a party at the Playboy mansion, compete in a Krumping dance contest, compete in a Mexican boxing match, give a toast at a stranger’s wedding and tell a joke on a late night talk show. It’s cool to see what their goals are and how they try to achieve them. Sometimes they try networking, just greasing palms and making phone calls, and other times they try lying and trickery. They also have helped a guy get his song played on the radio, reunited some old friends at their childhood summer hangout and helped a girl get to her mother’s grave for the first time - several states away. These are nice moments and are just touching enough without being overly dramatic or mushy. This is a good, casual show that you can pick up easily in mid-episode and still watch to the end and enjoy it.

Archer - FX

This is FX’s stab at bringing some animated entertainment to their repertoire. I have to say, they did a good job. The show is about a secret agent named Archer who works for an agency directed by his mother. Archer is a good looking, sometimes smooth-talking agent who is extremely shallow and dimwitted in times of real crisis. The show is rounded out by the rest of the agency’s staff - office workers and other agents alike - with whom Archer generally finds himself at odds. The show’s appeal comes from hilarious oneliners, fast-talking dialogue, ridiculous character actions, strange plotlines, and just overall goofiness. It’s James Bond with a heavy dose of Harvey Birdman, a touch of Johnny Bravo and some definite Arrested Development influence. It’s a nice compliment to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and some of the other more “mature” shows in FX’s current programming. If you’re a fan of Adult Swim you’ll definitely like this show.

-John

Time for another round of Lady Internet’s finest offerings. I’ve combed her vast bounty (not as gross as it sounds) and hand picked these selections because I want you all to make good use of your time at work by wasting it. Waste it so good.

For all of my fellow LOST fan’s I want to share this guy’s take on the show. He hasn’t seen any episodes before and is blogging about each episode of season 6 as he experiences LOST both for the first time, and 5 seasons behind. The link takes you to an error page for some reason, but just click on the latest posts and you’ll be fine. I recommend starting with the introduction and then reading the posts in order - they are hilarious. Well worth the time if you’re a fan of the show.

Here’s a beuatiful short entitled Nuit Blanche. Can’t get the direct link to work, so type Nuit Blanche in the search box on the Motionographer main page. It’s about 3 and a half minutes long and is shot almost entirely with a phantom camera which gives you that crystal clear super slow-motion. Pretty cool.
(thanks to PCC2C reader CC for the tip)

Looking to hunt down the best under-the-radar music in the world? Do you put a bounty on the hottest new artists? If you answered yes, check out this site and fulfill your hunting desires. It lets you see all of the hottest “emerging” downloads from around the globe. Dig that.
(Thanks to PCC2C reader Nick S. for the tip, which he got from PCC2C reader TK)

This guy makes a compelling case for moving to Houston and being his roommate. His place has walls and a bathroom!!
(Thanks to PCC2C reader Hales for the tip)

Head over to Adult Swim, preview some new shows and vote for your favorites. Neko Case featured as Cheyenne Cinnamon? Word.

And finally, is Birdemic the greatest movie ever? Probably.

Footnote: Did you know David Lynch does the voice of Gus the bartender on The Cleveland Show? Did anyone know that? Does David Lynch know that?

-John

The Big Pink 4AD

Hadn’t had anyone on here from England in a while so I thought I’d bring out London-based, electro-rock duo, Big Pink. Consisting of Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze, Big Pink has been around for a few years recording and doing some studio mixing, but took England by storm with their 2009 release A Brief History of Love. Combining layers of traditional rock with a digital producer’s touch, Big Pink provides complex audio backdrops to compliment their bravado-filled lyrics. The song below is about running through a string of women as all young rock stars should do. At least that’s what TV tells me. Enjoy.

-John

Welcome back to another exciting edition of GTM-OE. I’m happy to be back guest hosting while my counterpart, Rhett, is preparing for his run in the free-style aerial skiing up in Vancouver. His dedication will hopefully payoff with an Olympic medal. As always, the picture above is your first clue, leave your guesses in the comments section and I’ll update as necessary. Good luck…

Update: We have a winner! Ever since the shoutout I pitched a couple of weeks ago with PCU, you guys have been on fire. The movie was Who Framed Roger Rabbit Rabbit? which featured a band of crazy weasels working for the judge. That’s a kick-ass movie, and, on a sidenote, that’s a kick-ass picture of a weasel I posted. I’m also impressed how many of you knew it was a weasel. Great guess from James with Encino Man making the Pauly Shore/weasel connection. Good stuff James. However, better stuff from Batey who is this week’s grand champion. Be sure to tell all your friends how great you are Batey, but only for this week because I’m sending the repo-man out on Monday to reclaim your greatness. Enjoy it while it lasts. Thanks to everyone for playing and I’ll see you back here next week.

Batey’s Prize:

-John

NBC has always tried to dominate the Thursday night lineup and their success in doing so made it become the marquis night for television, especially for comedy. It dates way back to The Cosby Show and Cheers and, over the 90s, evolved into the historic “Must See TV” that gave us mega-hits Seinfeld and Friends. But when Friends departed in 2004, many people pointed to that moment as the end of NBC’s reign, and to some extent, that was true. In fact, current ratings would suggest it’s still true. However, I contend that the current Thursday night lineup is as good as it has ever been. Maybe the best it’s ever been.

I’m not insane - think about it: has NBC ever put out a Thursday comedy lineup where all four shows where really good? Back in the Friends/Seinfeld days, they were fortunate to have Frasier as a quality addition for a little while (until it was moved to Tuesdays), but then there was also Will & Grace. Newsflash: even though that show was really popular, it sucked. I get it - gay people are different and therefore, apparently hilarious. Awesome. Let’s drag that premise out for, like, seven years. Mad About You? No thanks. Never was a big Paul Reiser fan and the show just didn’t seem very fresh or original to me. I’m not saying it’s as bad as Two and a Half Men or anything (nothing’s that bad, except for Two and a Half Men) but it just didn’t do it for me. The point is, many good shows have come and gone through the coveted 2-hour window, but NBC has never been able to throw strikes all four times. Until now. Let’s take a look at each one.

Community

I’ll keep this brief, because I just recently wrote about Community here, but I’ll just say the show continues to get stronger, utilizing each character as a cog in a well-oiled machine. There’s never too much screen time given to one person so the storylines don’t get stale and the A+ lines are spread around so that everyone is valuable to the scene. The recent episode where they go around the table eye-balling each other thinking about whether or not they would hook up with that person was just genius. All seven actors nailed it and turned a mundane scene on a script page into a brilliant piece of comedy.

Parks & Rec

The always insightful Whitney Matheson over at Pop Candy theorizes that this show has surpassed The Office and 30 Rock and is the star of the entire lineup. While I can’t crown it the best just yet, I will say it has been the standout the past two weeks (with Community a close second). The turn-around from last season has been dramatic to say the least. This is another large ensemble cast but Amy Poehler is allowed to drive the show. She is fantastic in possessing enough of Michael Scott’s cluelessness for some awkward gags, but having the distinct difference of being very responsible and committed to her job. It makes for a nice paradox. The supporting cast has really started to come into their own, with Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari and Aubrey Plaza all doing outstanding jobs as Andy, Ron, Tom and April, respectively. Andy’s one-liners, April’s dead-pan looks, Tom’s ridiculousness (his LCD belt was awesome and how could anyone not like DJ Roomba? DJ Roomba!) and Ron Swanson’s strong and silent, manly hilarity all blend nicely and convey a sense or realism for their Americana, every-town setting. They use subtle looks and glances to convey moments of genuine emotion (the way The Office used to) and have just done a better job with their storylines this year. I think the writers have really found the comedic voice for each character, fostering their development, which allows the audience to get more invested. The show is knocking it out of the park and upcoming guest stars like Andy Samberg should only keep that train rolling.

The Office

The Office became the gold standard of television comedy once the show found its own footing and brand of humor in the second season. Everyone was enamored with Jim and Pam, baffled by Michael Scott and left in stitches by Dwight Schrute. Left in stitches? Do people say that anymore? Did anyone ever say that? Not sure where that came from. Most likely the 1920s. Anyway, over the past couple of seasons the show kind of tapered off a bit - although still was much better than 95% of the shows on TV - losing some of its bite. All shows have weak episodes, it’s inevitable, but something was happening with the characters. They were changing, and not for the better. That’s why this season (especially the last 3-4 episodes) have been so key. The buyout of the company by Sabre has allowed the show to return to its normal state via a plausible storyline. Having Jim as co-manager neutered his ability to be office prankster (the source of some of his best comedic bits), but now he’s back on the sales team. This is so important. The basic setup for any comedy team is the funny man and the straight man and Jim and Pam have served as that show’s straight man for a number of years. They are the audience’s voice of reason in a workplace full of bizarre personalities and general incompetence. Never has this been more evident than when Jim and Pam were on their honeymoon and every storyline was insane. Kevin cancelled their credit card, Michael, Dwight and Andy thought a customer was in the mob and Oscar and Co. collapsed under the weight of having to try and maintain order. That episode was a mess because good comedy needs a straight man. The Office needs Jim and Pam. The buyout has got them back on track recently and the show is showing some of its old form. The Office in the role of the old, recognizable name, regaining its stride amidst some shows on the rise is exactly what NBC needs right now. Sidenote - how hilarious was David Wallace as the unemployed former executive? Too funny. I hope they keep going back to that well for jokes, he was great.

30 Rock

Honestly, I’m probably not the best person to comment on this particular show since I just started watching it this season. The format of the show is why I never became such a devoted follower. There’s really not much structure to the plot. Storylines are pretty thin and serve to move the characters from one scene to another so they can get off one-liners and crazy jokes. This year I’ve learned to just accept it for the jokes, because usually they’re hilarious. So what if it doesn’t fit in to any really advanced plot point - “Meat Cat” is hilarious. What it lacks in form it more than makes up for in social commentary, pop-culture references, clever quips and flat-out silliness. It really covers all levels and styles of comedy, and I can certainly appreciate that. I think Liz Lemon is a great blend of intelligence and awkwardness and nothing is funnier than her with a moustache, spilling milk all over herself because she has no grace or feminine charm. Fey does a great job going and back and forth between those two character elements. Baldwin is a comedic genius, I don’t need to tout him here, and Tracy Morgan has become a legitimate comedy name thanks to this show. It’s a star-maker and I’m glad I learned to appreciate what it has to offer.

There you have it: four shows, four great comedy elements - all in succession. I think it’s the most complete Thursday night lineup NBC has ever had.

(sidenote: I also like how all of these shows do episodes centered around the holiday seasons: Halloween, Valentine’s, etc. All the great sitcoms used to do it, but not all shows do that anymore except for Christmas episodes. I like holiday eps - just saying.)

-John

Heavy Trash Yep Roc

Remember that guy Jon Spencer who had his own explosion of blues? Well, his blues exploded so many times that he decided to be in a new band. Heavy Trash is that band. Based out of NYC, Heavy Trash has maintained some of that bluesy sound and mixed it with some country and punk stylings while highlighting Spencer’s frenetic energy. I think that’s actually the exact formula for creating a rockabilly band. They just put out their third album in 2009 (Midnight Soul Serenade) and have toured on and off for the last five years or so. Worth checking out if they’re ever in your area. Or in an area near by.

-John

Welcome back to another exciting edition of GTM-OE. I’m happy to be back guest-hosting while my compatriot Rhett is working to rebuild stable governments, based in democracy, in former Soviet states. There was no winner last week, so maybe this week will be better. As always, the picture above is the first clue, leave your guesses in the comments section and I’ll update as necessary. Good luck…

Update II: No correct guesses so far, but Hales is correct in guessing what the picture actually is: a rib with sesame seeds on it and perhaps a teriyaki glaze? Probably, but I can’t say for sure. Anyway, your next clue is the picture below:

Update II: We have a winner! The correct answer was I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, from Keenan Ivory and Damon Wayans featuring a young Chris Rock in a memorable scene inquiring about the price of only one rib. CC is the big winner, so tell all of your friends how great you are CC, but only for this week because next week is national “no greatness allowed for CC” week. Thanks to everyone for playing and I’ll see you back here next week.

CC’s Prize:

-John