Thursday, March 29, 2007

Reality Rant

So I like to blog about reality shows, OK? Got a problem with that?

So, yeah, it's only Thursday and no Race or Survivor has yet been watched.

However, there is a new player in the Reality game. This is the 2nd season I've watched Dancing with the Stars. This week Paulina Porizkova was sent home. Sure, maybe she wasn't the best dancer, but she wasn't the worst. The thing about Paulina is she was witty, funny and more than a little silly. She was entertaining. Voting her off was a big mistake. Overall, the show is more than a little annoying. I don't like the female host very much. The judges can be irritating and any of the "professional" dances that aren't competition is a little uninteresting. But, it's still fun to see what happens.

Watched Idol last night. Fucking Sanjaya. He didn't even make it in the bottom 3. Haley, Chris and Phil all were. All are about 4x better than motherfuckinsanjaya. Chris, who was one of my favorites, got voted off. He's had a couple of sub-par weeks and it might not be able to have won it, but he's in a whole different category from san-fucking-bear-dick-jaya. I heard someone (was it Simon Cowell?) make a comment that America is voting who they want. That's the big problem. America is fucking stupid and they think it's funny to keep this kid with the stupid hair (did you happen to see his ridiculous fucking mohawk?) on the program while talented people get sent home. Yeah, it's a problem. I have a solution.

America wants to see Sanjaya? Really? OK, then let's make everyone who voted for Sanjaya sit through an entire concert of his "work". OK? Yeah, you like that moglie look-alike with the freakishly huge mouth? You wanna vote for him when real singers get voted off? Cool, then plunk down $50 and go see him rock his silly-ass style for a couple hours. I can only imagine the absurdity a complete body of his work would produce. Go, Sanjaya fans. Go see him. Fucking morons.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Remember the 80s?

I grew up in the 80s. Maybe that's dating myself, but it's true.

Do you remember the dorky/dumb things you did when you were a kid? In the 80s we did some of these things.

1) We pegged our pants. Seriously. What you do is pull out the cuff so it's tight, then fold it back so it is tight against your ankle. THEN you roll up each leg a couple of times, "setting" the fold. So, essentially you shorten and thin your leg. Some guys even had their mom's alter their pant legs so that they were slimmer. Talk about dorky!

2) Carried a comb. I've never really had that much hair. But, in the mid-80s I carried one of those de-tangling plastic combs. You know, the kind with the handle and the wavey teeth? My hair never got tangled, but I had to have one of those combs. I also think I carried a "pick" for a while. Afro anyone?

3) Trapper Keeper. Remember those obnoxious things with the velcro openings? Mine usually lasted all of 3 weeks before the plastic wore out, or I'd doodled on it so much you couldn't see the cool skateboard design or something. Rarely did I actually use it to organize shit. I threw everything in the main compartment and just closed it up.

What kind of things do you remember from the 80s?

Sunday, March 25, 2007

My reality week ends on Sunday

So I was traveling this week and had to work to not see certain shows that I was TiVoing at home.

(Again -spoiler alert if you haven't watched reality TV from 3/20-25)

Survivor was interesting. They changed the teams and I found it more interesting than so far this season. I felt bad for Anthony, who was eliminated. He was the "geeky" guy. Yeah, he was a little whiny, but I'd liked to have seen someone else eliminated. Rocky is starting to irritate me and he's being a royal cock to Anthony, so I'd like to have seen Rocky go instead of Anthony, but oh well.

Idol. Oh Idol. What Sanjaya did was different this week, but I still think he sucked. Let me clarify... He's talented. He has a good voice. But I think he's the weekest competitor left. By far. He butchered "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks (Yes, Van Halen did a good version of that song in their debut album, but it was a cover of the Kinks, not written by Van Halen as many think). OK, so Sanjaya wasn't voted off. Stephanie was. Once again, while I don't think Stephanie was going to win the whole thing, she is infinitely more talented than Sanjaya. The shocking thing is, Sanjaya wasn't even in the bottom 3. Chris Richardson and Stephanie were the bottom two. Chris is one of my favorites, not because he sings my type of music or anything, but because he has a good voice, great stage prescence and is possibly the most marketable of all of the contestants. And, he was in the bottom 2, but not Sanjaya. The show has almost become a joke to me now. Sanjaya should have been gone weeks ago. My only hope that he leaves this week, because (have I mentioned this before?) everyone else left is much more talented.

SIDE NOTE: If you didn't catch SNL with Peyton Manning as host this week, you simply have to see it. Andy Samberg does an excellent Sanjaya. I think the current cast of SNL are some of the most talented folks that have been on in quite a while.

This brings me to Amazing Race. Charla and Mirna are back using their annoying fake accents. As I watch, they are currently in the lead, which makes me sick. The only thing that tempers that a bit is that Charla was sick on the boat too, puking over the side of a boat. But, that didn't prevent them from finishing 1st again. These people are rude to everyone, including most of the local folk they meet. They prayed with one on this trip (highly awkward for him) and then kept saying (again, in their fake spanish accent) "hurry up, we're not on a leisurely trip" to people like cab drivers, etc. Frankly, I think they're jerks, annoying, mean and I was ready for them to go weeks ago. Maybe they and Sanjaya can take a trip to somewhere far from any TV cameras together? Please? Teri and Ian, the older couple on the Race were eliminated. Nice people. Too bad Mirna and Schmirna weren't the ones :(

Does anyone else even watch this stuff?

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Reality continues to disappoint

Ug. Sanjaya made it through last week's Idol. Brandon, while probably not someone who would have won, was voted off. Are the people who vote idiots or do I have no right to complain since I don't vote? I still think the whole system is wrong. Judges and voters should have equal influence.

And watching Amazing Race right now and Charla and Mirna have arrived first. While they weren't quite as annoying this week, I still want them gone. They are so phony and mean and then act like everyone else is mean to them. And, what's with their fucking accents? They speak normal English one minute, the next they sound like a bad actor portraying a mexican in a b-grade movie. They need to go! Instead, Uchenna and Joyce were last but they were NOT eliminated. I am so relieved, because I really like them, even though they are past winners. I still hope the "'irna" team chokes next week. I could stand to see the Guido's gone too, though.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

The 2006 Music Review

I started my 2006 Music review in January, but haven't gotten it finished. Since it's March, I figured some is better than none, so here it is

2006 was a pretty good year for music. My tastes lean more towards the heavy stuff, but there were quite a few albums that I think deserve recognition this year.

Pop Album of the year: Corinne Bailey Raeself-titled

While the songs from this album weren’t exactly top-of-the-charts, I did hear them on several venues, including late night talk shows and SNL. Corinne’s voice is full and clear, but still allows smoky jazz undertones. The music is groovy and fun yet has substance. I often pick this to play when entertaining. It sounds a bit like old-school Jazz (Billie Holiday) but her English accent gives it a different twist.

Metal Album of the year: Hatebreed - Supremacy

Hatebreed has been a staple of anti-establishment affirmation metal for some years now. But, I believe this album provides a higher degree of cross-over than any of their previous offerings. Despite its name, Hatebreed is all about building yourself up, rather than tearing others down. Traditionally Hatebreed is "Hardcore", meaning it's not straight metal like Pantera, but has punk undertones and is speadier, without being dubbed "speed metal".

Rock and Roll Album of the year : Black Stone Cherry - Black Stone Cherry

Roadrunner Records has another star with Black Stone Cherry . I first heard Black Stone Cherry on Headbanger's Ball. I thought "this isn't really metal". But what it was was rock and roll. Not since...well, Soundgarden...have I heard a group that reminds me so much like Soundgarden. This is not to say that they sound like Soundgarden, but merely that they remind me of them. Certainly they don't have the distinctive vocals of Chris Cornell, but they have similar cadence, guitars and sound. However, they have a southern lilt to their work, reminiscent of Pantera. These guys are not metal. But, what they also aren't are pop. It's not synthesized, yet it isn't yelling. It is harder than Audioslave and it's not folky like R.E.M. While it sounds like part of a lot of different bands, it is its own entity. Try it out. I was happily surprised by the strength of the album.

Album of the year : Silent Civilian - Rebirth of the Temple

Silent Civilian released its first album in 2006 and I liked it from the first time I heard it. Most people would consider it metal, but I think it is definitely more mainstream, sort of like Avenged Sevenfold. However, I think Silent Civilian’s songs are more diverse than A7X’s stuff. Rebirth of the Temple provides all sorts of sound and feeling. You can understand the lyrics and the music, while catchy and invigorating, isn’t popish or cliquey. It is simple good hard rock-n-roll. This album transcends rock, metal and alternative music. Give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Honorable Mentions
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (best album since Blood Sugar Sex Magic)
All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals
Atreyu - A Death Grip on Yesterday
Buckcherry - 15
Gnarles Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
Helmet - Monochrome (disappointing, but it's still Helmet)
In Extremo - Raue Spree (German Metal with Bagpipes!)
Prince - 3121 (Most complete album since Purple Rain)

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Reality TV

I've never been a big fan of reality TV. I didn't understand the whole hype about Survivor or American Idol. Yeah, I've watched the Amazing Race for several seasons, but that is the only show I watched.

Well, the past couple years, my interest has expanded. I've watched the last couple seasons of Survivor and really like it. I've also watched Beauty and the Geek and a few other reality TV shows. This year is the first I've watched American Idol, having never watched a complete episode before this year. I have to say that I'm entertained. I also started with my first full season of "The Apprentice". Trish has been a fan of that one for a while, but I've never been interested.

*******SPOILER ALERTS - if you haven't watched the latest episodes of reality shows, go no further**************

This season's Survivor is disappointing. Not only is there a distinct lack of personality in the pool, but one team has consistently lost every single competition. They haven't won reward or immunity at all. Last week's episode was so disheartening, seeing the downtrodden team losing once again. I'm almost to the point where I can't watch them lose anymore.

Apprentice is actually getting ridiculous, in my opinion. A show that started out moderately interesting has turned into a showcase for how pompous and idiotic someone can be. This last episode, Donald Trump fired a guy out of turn (he wasn't on the chopping block yet) because he referred to himself as "white trash". The guy was obviously joking around, referring to his roots, but of course Donald took it too seriously and just fired him. Donald Trump is not only a complete dickhead, but his "fame" and success have gone to his head. He's an overbearing prick who gets off on throwing his considerable weight around. I think I'm done with this one. I'll probably watch a few more episodes, but I'm certainly not going to be excited about it.

The Amazing Race tonight was disappointing too. Charla and Mirna, the biggest crybabbies in the history of AR (well, except for the 'bama team) managed to beat Rob and Amber and get them eliminated. Mirna and Shmirna should be gone. They fight with every team, are not entertaining or nice at all, and are just not fun. Rob and Amber, however, whether you love 'em or hate 'em, are entertaining and also good racers. My only hope is that "the cousins 'irna" get eliminated this next leg. They gotta go.

Finally, my greatest disappointment in the last week of reality TV was American Idol. I think all of the people who went to Hollywood were talented. However, there is definitely a tier of singers. One of the guys, Sanjaya, is 17 and has a nice voice. But, he doesn't have the performance capabilities of the other guys. Additionally, the last 2 weeks his performances have been...well, let's just say "lackluster" would be kind. But, America voted and he was retained last week. This week his performance was even worse and I was sure he was going home. Likewise for Haley, one of the girls. She's good, but she isn't of the quality of the rest of the girls. America decided to send home Jared Cotter, who, while not one of the top guys, was still infinitely better than Sanjaya. While this didn't bother me too much, the other guy eliminated was Sundance, one of my favorites. Sundance was consistently better than many of the guys and I don't know WTF the voters were thinking. Sundance was a real singer. Sanjaya is a 17 yr old kid who can sing OK, hasn't been good and really has no stage presence. Likewise on the girls side, while I could see that Antonella Barber had gone as far as she should have, the voters kept Haley and voted out Sabrina Sloan, who is much more talented than Haley. I don't think Sabrina would have won it, but she really deserves to be there above Haley. The judges were shocked. I just think these final rounds kinda suck. It should NOT be all based on America's votes. I think, like Dancing with the Stars, the scoring should reflect a 50/50 split between what the judges think and what America thinks. Letting an audience who obviously knows shit-all about singing or performance is really sad.

Overall it's been a very disappointing week in reality TV. I can only hope that someone on Survivor gains a personalty, Trump gets some humility, the cousins trip over each-other in AR, and America grows some balls on Idol.

All this and I just learned I have to wait until June for Rescue Me, the best show on TV. It's going to be a long spring...

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Meat please

I don't think I'd be able to be a vegetarian.

Last night Trish and I went to Outback (Eerrtbeerk sterrk herse)and, after contemplating a salad or pasta or something like that, I decided to go with my standby, the filet. I like salad. I love Outback's chop salad and I ate ever bit of it. But, even though I wasn't hungering for steak, the filet was wonderful. I get it medium rare and this was cooked to perfection. Not dripping blood, but red in the middle and pink the rest of the way through. I wasn't super hungry, so I finished about 1/2 of the 9oz filet, but I did that knowing that I'd be eating the leftovers, possibly cold.

Today, in an attempt to eat things we have on hand instead of ordering/buying something, I cooked two pieces of bacon and put it on some leftover jalapeno foccacia bread. It's funny when you make something on a whim or with leftovers that is great. This was great. Bread would probably be my #2 desire behind meat. No secret that I love sandwiches as they include both.

Maybe I'm just thinking about food because Trish and I are planning a "cleanse" in a couple of weeks. What this does is takes all the toxins from your body and allows you to absorb nutrients again. It's a 9-day cleanse and the first and last 2 days, you eat no solid food. For the other 5, you only get one "normal" meal a day. I'm looking forward to it, because I want to "reset" my body and start working out again, etc. But, I will certainly miss the flesh that I love.

I guess some of us are just carnivores.