Monday, March 29, 2010
I'm An Uncle!!
I haven't had time to blog since I was away on vacation but while I was away, I became an uncle :) My sister gave birth to a beautiful 6 pound 2 ounce baby boy. His name is Connor Emmanuel and he's cute as a button. I can't wait to meet him!
Posted by soft rock star at 9:52 AM
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Nip/Tuck Goes Out Like A Lamb
A friend of mine got me into Nip/Tuck as it began it's second season. I was immediately hooked. Normally I don't get into TV shows or movies that are filled with deeply flawed characters that continually make decisions that ruin their lives and then never learn from those mistakes and just continue to make the same mistake again and again. And Nip/Tuck is stocked full of characters that do just that. Yet, at the same time, the story lines were so intriguing and the plots so over the top, you couldn't help but stay hooked... until this season. I thought this final season was incredibly boring and directionless. I found myself wondering when things would get started. How would this crazy show spiral to it's inevitably unhinged ending? Well, it turns out this season just never would take off. The hip, edgy series went out with a 37-year old Art Garfunkel hit and complete whimper of a storyline. Everyone went their separate ways and life went on. I just couldn't help but feel cheated and disappointed. Why not just stay true to the aesthetic of the show and blaze toward an insane and entertaining ending? To try and redeem these irredeemable characters seemed to go against type. I just didn't buy it. It's easy to expect too much of a show that was so pleasurable for so long. But I just feel like this entire season was a mess. I guess the producers and writers lost interest and it really showed. It was a sad way to see it end.
Posted by soft rock star at 12:27 AM
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Lisztomania! Kids Style
I just came across this video. Having promoted the Phoenix album and second single, "Lisztomania," this one definitely caught my eye. The PS22 Chorus is an elementary school chorus from Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island. It is comprised of 60-70 fifth-graders, and is directed by Gregg Breinberg. Students are assigned to the chorus after an annual auditioning process at the beginning of each school year. They've performed with a wide range of artists including Tori Amos, Common, Stevie Nicks and Neil Finn of Crowded House. They've covered artists including the aforementioned Tori Amos as well as Björk, Beyonce & Lady Gaga.
"Lisztomania" is a fantastic song and gets a wonderfully unexpected reworking here. I love that kids this young are being exposed to such a great band and I was simply blown away by how passionately each and every one of them sings! So heartwarming.
Posted by soft rock star at 6:44 PM
Monday, March 8, 2010
Missing Mom
Today is the anniversary of my mom's death. I guess living away from my family I tend to think about these things more than usual. It's been a long time she's been gone, yet I can remember that day so clearly. You never get over losing your mom. You just deal with it. So much time has passed... it seems like a lifetime ago. I can't really imagine how she would fit into my life now or how different my life would be if she hadn't died. There is no way to know. I'd give just about anything to have her back but that isn't living in reality. I just hope that someday I get to see her again. She was absolutely the best mom. I say that knowing all the flaws and the occasional fights. I say that because she loved me so perfectly, even when I was an idiot and took for granted that our time together would end up being so short. The bond between a mother and son is sacred. I have the most wonderful memories of her. I have the most intense pain when I think of her illness and the day she died. But it's the wonderful times I try to focus on. Because my childhood and life now would not be anywhere near as good had I not had nineteen years with her. I love you and I miss you mom.
Posted by soft rock star at 7:46 PM
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Madness? Genius? You Be The Judge!
Ok, I have absolutely NO idea what this is, where it came from and how it's intended to make you feel. All I know is it's creepy, weird, and thoroughly entertaining! It's sort of like Will Farrell but funny. Tiny Tim but Russian. The Lawrence Welk Show on acid. And it's the most entertaining thing I've seen on YouTube so far this year. Enjoy!Posted by soft rock star at 2:00 PM
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The New (Interchangable) Faces Of Pop Music
When I was a kid I used to love Top 40 radio. I followed the charts and listened to the radio all the time. SO I still keep an eye on what is out there. I know a whole lot less of what is on the charts these days when I look them over. Part of that is lack of interest and part of it is that it's all starting to sound the same to me. The one thing you can always count on when listening to pop music is that when one kind of artist becomes successful, a bevy of sound-alike artists will come out of the woodwork and beat that style of music to death to such a degree that people get sick of it and want something new. It's the cyclical way it's been since the beginning and I'm sure always will be. Case-in-point now are solo male singers with R&B vocals and dance beats. Guys like Akon, Ne-Yo and Sean Kingston have carried the torch for a little while now but suddenly the cycle seems to have accelerated at an even faster pace than ever before. These four guys pictured above account for seven of the most played songs at Top 40 radio right now. Do you know who is who? I know I couldn't have told you what at least two of them even looked like until I looked their pictures up. And if you made me listen to their songs, I know I wouldn't be able to tell any of them apart. They are catchy, to be sure, but they are faceless, completely unoriginal songs that you could put all on one album and most people would just assume it's one singer.
I'd like to say the American public deserves more credit. That they hunger for unique, interesting music. But these songs aren't just getting the crap played out of them by the Clear Channel cluster... they are getting downloaded like crazy too. So if you are a fan of generic, R&B male vocals and dance beats, enjoy it while it lasts! I'll be kinda surprised if Jay Sean, Jason Derulo, Iyaz and Taio Cruz (I had to look up how to spell that last one, lol) will be dominating the charts the way they are now in a year or two.
Posted by soft rock star at 11:39 PM
Monday, March 1, 2010
Vancouver 2010 Olympics
I have fond memories of watching the Olympics growing up. And after not paying much attention to the last Winter Olympics, I have to say, I really enjoyed this years event. Apparently it was the second most watched Olympics ever which doesn't really surprise me. Besides being engaging I think a combination of the fickle weather, the crumby economy, a desire to see something positive on TV and there really being nothing else new on, were good reasons to tune in. 
There were a lot of great/inspiring stories: Joannie Rochette's gutsy medal-winning performance in the wake of her mother's unexpected death, Alexandre Bilodeau winning Canada's first Gold on home soil with his autistic brother cheering him on, Canada's Gold winning Men's Hockey game capping off Canada's record breaking 14 Gold Metals (the most ever at a games), Apolo Anton Ohno's unprecedented eight medals in three Olympics in the thrilling short track skating, Xue Xue & Hongbo Zhao winning Pair's Figure Skating Gold after so many years of trying, the US team winning the most overall medals for the first time. From bobsled & luge, to skiing and skating, it was just a lot of fun. 
I'd say the only thing I didn't enjoy were the attitudes of a few athletes. One is Shaun White, who if I never saw again I'd be happy. His cocky attitude rubbed me the wrong way every time I was subjected to hearing his voice. He oozes smugness and it's disgusting. Bode Miller seems like a royal cock too. Confidence is one thing but I'm sorry, he seems like an asshole. And Evgeni Plushenko was a sore loser when his clearly more sloppy performance wasn't awarded the Gold just because he did a quad jump. Gloating and whining. Two of sports uglier sides and with so many people competing, I guess a few rotten apples had to be in the mix.
It's over now. But it was a nice respite from the barrage of reality TV and faux celebrity coverage littering the TV landscape.
