One More Thing...

Of all the words that I have thought to use to describe Eli Manning I can honestly say that UNSTOPPABLE is not one of them.

As usual...Andrew beat me to blogging about this topic and did far better than I could have hoped to do so I will just let you read what he wrote as it pretty much sums up my take on the situation. I don't like Eli...but I do feel bad for him.

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/suburbs/?p=330

Up All Night Long and There's Something Very Wrong

I dedicate this post to Kevin L who told me recently that he believes that Blink 182 is the best band ever. He is obviously wrong...since the best band ever is Bon Jovi but I would put Blink in the Top 10.

I miss Blink 182. Writing about them last night...however so briefly, made me realize that I really enjoyed them and miss their music. In fact, the best non Bon Jovi concert I have been to was Green Day and Blink 182. I am not gullible enough to think that there will be a reunion...but here's hoping. I liked Blink because they made me laugh with their cleverly written punk tunes. During their prime Blink was everywhere which is what lead to their demise. You know that they were on top by the fact that they played themselves on an episode of The Simpsons. If you haven't been on The Simpsons and/or South Park...you are still playing in the minor league.

So here is my list of essential Blink 182 songs for your enjoyment.

Click Lips - I laugh every time I hear this song...as I suspect that just about every other reformed bad child does. It almost seems as if they were hanging out in my house when they wrote this song. Unlike the troubled youth of the song...my dad continued to trust me even though I had blown it at least once before. The line(s) for this song "Can I blame it on one of my dumb friends? Its been awhile since I used that line."

Dammit - This is the song that really seemed to launch Blink 182 into the mainstream. It is not one of my favorite Blink 182 songs but it is still better than a lot of the crap that passes for music these days. Whenever I hear this song I think of the scene in Can't Hardly Wait when the cops come to bust up the party since it was playing while everyone tried to get away. I smile and remember all the times that the parties that I attended were broken up by the cops. Blink hit it on the head with the line "I guess this is growing up". You didn't live in high school if you didn't run from the cops at least once.

I Miss You - See last night's blog. Good tune.

The Party Song - Who didn't know their town's version of the girl in this song? I would have probably even have been friends with her back in my partying days. Many of my SWAT friends were burned by the girl in this song. The line "She'll never be fun and you should just turn and run." is good advice for all drunken frat boys to follow.

Before I go into the next two songs...let me say that they came off my favorite album...which is Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. It would be about a year before I would finally get the title...which is apparently only funny to me and the person that pointed it out to me.

The Rock Show - This might be my favorite song by Blink 182. The line "When we said we were gonna move to Vegas, I remember the look her mother gave us." Although in my case it was father vice mother and the look was followed by strong language.

First Date - I think that everyone can relate to this song. Who doesn't get nervous on their first date? Who doesn't want to make that magic first date feeling last forever? Usually it is the girl who is so nervous that she can't eat on the first date....so that line makes the song kind of cute. The line for this song is "When you smile I melt inside."

Josie - Forget that Michael Bolton nonsense...this is a true love song. "Everything is gonna be fine."

Every Time I Look For You - This song is on here for one reason...but that reason is my own. It is a catchy tune so download it without me giving you a reason to.

You're Already The Voice Inside My Head

So the thing about being a music geek is that there is always music. I honestly cannot think of a moment when there is not a song playing...either from my iPod or my memory. Silence is rare in my world...and most of the time it is a good thing. Other times it is haunting...as most songs are accompanied by memories of someone or something. In spite of this...I wouldn't change my wacky musically inspired brain for anything. Here are a few of the songs that have been stuck in my brain as of late. My hope is that they will become stuck in your head as well...as I had to be alone in my musical madness.

(You Want To) Make A Memory by Bon Jovi - If read this blog with any regularity you are probably sick of hearing about me talk about this song. It has been stuck in my head just about non-stop since the concert so it is a damn good thing that it is an awesome song. I think what touches me the most about this song is that unlike most love songs there is no promise of forever. It is a song about that one moment...about that one chance to "steal a piece of time" and "make a memory". Memories are the only thing that really stand a chance of being forever anyway so that is all I could really ask for.

Apologize by OneRepublic and Timbaland - It doesn't help that this song is always on the damn radio but it seems to have been stuck in my head for awhile. It is a strange song...as it seems like it should be a slow song but Timbaland added a slight dance beat to it...but not enough to turn it into a true groove tune. Thus...I am actually slightly perplexed by it. Oh well.

Love Today by MIKA - Once again let me make it known that my musical crush of the moment is MIKA. The more I hear him...the more I download...the more I love MIKA. This song is no exception. Much like Big Girls, this song makes me want to get up and dance...and if I am able...I usually do. MIKA is taking over my iPod playlists.

I Miss You by Blink 182 - This is one of the few songs that doesn't make me laugh by Blink 182. It is a sweet lament for the one that is missed. Its' reference to The Nightmare Before Christmas is a bonus. (I really love that movie.) Who wouldn't want to live like Jack and Sally? It has a decent opening line...which is "Hello there, angel from my nightmare." What makes this song special is the simplicity of just saying "I Miss You". Sometimes it is so hard to say those three words out loud even when the feeling is strong.

How Far We've Come by Matchbox Twenty- So never has a song with such depressing lyrics made me feel so optimistic. Go Figure. I too "believe the world is burning to the ground and I guess we are going to find out". What can I say?? This is just such a catchy tune.

Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - I don't know what possessed me to download this song because the truth is that I had never heard it before. (Maybe it was a free Starbucks download.) Anyway...I did and don't think that I listened to it until about three weeks later. As I stood in the shower one afternoon about two weeks ago...attempting to clear my head, the shuffle feature on my iPod played this song. (When I am trying to block things out of my head...I focus on the lyrics as my defense against whatever I am trying to avoid.) Funny how things work out. This song put everything into perspective for me and reaffirmed that "I will never let you fall" and "I know I'll be okay".

My life would truly be dull without music.

Not Tonight

Ahh Socialmoth...how I have come to love thee. At first I thought that it was pretty stupid but one of my "friends" added it to their Facebook profile and invited me to join. Much to my surprise...I am totally hooked! It is like therapy with no bill and no retribution...as it is completely anonymous.

For those of you who have not ventured into the realm of Facebook...or every deep into it....allow me to explain. Socialmoth is one of the zillion features on Facebook where people post thoughts, wishes, rants and raves, secrets, etc. It is totally anonymous which is cool. People can reply to your posting or just give it a heart. I prefer the hearts because it makes me feel less alone to know that someone else can relate. Again...it is a small somewhat silly thing...yet it is nice.

Fellow blogger, Facebooker and pop geek Andrew and I have discussed the pros and cons of cyber friendships and recognize that there are some risks to it. There is something pretty fucked up about that the fact that I reveal more on my blog and Facebook Groups than I do in person. Sometimes the shocking reality of it sends us both into a panic about ending up alone. But then we just "poke" or email the other one and all is well. Technology is a funny thing.

So this is my excuse for not posting anything of substance tonight...I am choosing to lose myself in the world of Facebook tonight. If you are a Facebook subscriber...poke me!

Honoring The 4400

I have been putting off writing about this...as I foolishly hoped that the producers would change their minds on this one. Sadly...they have not and probably will not so let's have a moment of silence for one of the more entertaining shows on cable TV.

I am far too tired to really outline that travesty that this is as I am running on about two hours of sleep again. Let's just say that I am pretty pissed off. It's not that I expected the show to last forever but at least expected some closure. Oh well. Enjoy the photo montage..

My heart went out to Tom...I understand his dilemas.

I think that I liked Diana's character because I see myself in her.

I always believed that Jordan was good.

Shawn was always getting hurt because he wanted so much to believe in people.

Poor Maya...what a burden for a kid.

Kyle just wanted to believe in something.

Isabelle didn't ask to be born evil.

Ahh the night it all went to hell....

Hope

I would have taken the shot.

I never liked Elana.


So wait...NTAC isn't real?? (kidding)

Jordan was the father to Kyle that Tom should have been.

Poor Shawn was surrounded by people yet was alone.

If only damn USA Network would give us one more season to see if Jordan and Kyle were successful. I believe that they would have been.

Oh how I cried during this scene.

Damn it all...all of the good shows are either gone or in their last season. My Blogger and Facebooks addictions are only going to get worse.

Worst/Best of 2007 - TV

So after much consideration I realized that I have not watched enough TV to have this to be a strong category...though to be fair if TV hadn't become total shit I would have watched more of it. This is minor detail and I will march on in spite of it. So let's make TV just one entry and be done with it.

Here is the worst of it...

American Idol Season 6 -Okay so the idea behind American Idol is still heart-warming...bright kid with big dreams and big voice wins over judges and America and wins show and takes over the world. Sadly...America seems to have run out of a great talent. Not only that but it seems that the non-winners are better than the people that actually end up winning the show i.e Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, Elliot Yamin...etc. This season was incredibly terrible...and disappointing. How is that the thing that everyone remembers is that damn Sanjaya dude? That of course spawned the phrase...Sanjaya-Gate...WTF? The show is clearly past its prime.

Carlos Mencia's Bud Light Commercial - Just what we need...a commercial encouraging people to not to speak English.

Cavemen - I still can't believe that this was a real show. The damn Geico commercials were bad enough...but to give them a damn show?!?!?!?!? I hope whatever creative dumbass behind this one is now working at WalMart.

The Sopranos Finale - Not to beat a dead horse but seriously...that's it?

America's Most Smartest Model - So here is the deal with this show...it was pointless. Sure it had funny moments but models aren't supposed to be smart. If they were smart...they wouldn't be models. Enough already with the model obsession.

The Sierra Mist Free Commercial - You know the one...with the guy with the comb over who is wearing roller skates. They just took it too far. It went from funny to stupid because they got greedy.
FrankTV - So I don't know if this show has started yet and I honestly don't care. You know why I don't care...because I saw so many damn commercials for it while watching the MLB playoffs that I never wanted to hear about it again.

Apple iPod Video Nano Commercial - Dear Apple...please for the love of BobCat Bob...please stop playing this damn commercial. It is wonderful that Feist can count to 4...and it is wonderful that she can dance in bright blue spandex and not feel like a dumbass. It as also wonderful that you have given the opportunity for the world to watch this on a two inch screen. Yes yes...everything that Apple does is wonderful. What is not wonderful is that I have seen this bloody commercial a zillion times and it makes me want to do very bad things...such as throw things at the TV. I am so haunted by the overplaying of this commercial...and consequently the song...that when I hear it in the car I have to fight the urge to start ramming the car in front of me. So for me and for the well being of those around me...please make the madness stop.

I Love New York - I am so sick of New York. I am happy that she has finally found love...but only because that means no more reality shows. This woman is just plain crazy.

Here is the best of it...

Pushing Daisies - It is funny and romantic...and it has dead people. What more could you ask for in a TV show? Did I mention that it is actually well-written...or at least it was until the whole writers strike. More people need to watch this show...because it is awesome!

How I Met Your Mother - No it is not just because Neil is on the show. It is funny as hell. Neil being on the show is just a bonus. It is one of the few decent shows on these days.

Bon Jovi Hosting SNL - Need I say more.

Smallville - Sure it has lost hundreds of viewers...but it still a decent show. The reason it makes my best of list is because they finally escalated Lana from damsel in distress to vicious bitch and it is awesome. She has become ruthless and she accepts Clark's secret which is about damn time. I am no longer wishing that someone bad guy would come along and kill off her character so she'll stop whining. She killed off her own character and came back twice the Luthor that Lex is. (I rejoiced when I saw her whack Lionel with a shovel.) No one is going to mess with her again...Girl Power indeed.

Rock of Love - So this was my guilty pleasure over the summer. The girls on this show were CRAZY. Thousands of Bret Michaels fans bonded on Facebook over their hatred of Lacy. Not only that but we were all able to fall back in love with Bret. We all pulled for Jess to win, mainly because we all wanted Heather to lose because she was dumb enough to get a guy's name tattooed on her after a week. Ahh..celebrity reality...what gems will you bring us next year.

Robert Goulet's Emerald Nuts Commercial - This is my second favorite commercial of the year. How totally random yet funny was it to see Robert Goulet crawling around the office sabotaging everyone stuff?? In my opinion...it was his finest performance. I am sad that Mr. Goulet is no longer with us...and I am sorry for the whole rice crispy incident.

Every Commercial by Peyton Manning - This guy makes the best commercials on TV. Visit YouTube if you don't know what I am talking about.

Finally...the best of TV in 2007 was...VH1's World Series of Pop Culture Tournament - This should not surprise anyone as my #1 pick as clearly these are my kind of people. But the best part of this years tournament was not the many tie-breakers or the fact that while playing severely medicated at home I still only missed three questions...the best part was The Twisted Misters. Never before has a group of geeks and inspired and rocked my world as much as these young lads from NYC. They are the pop culture geeks that I aspire to be. Victor won me over with his adorable arrogance (never knew that there was a such a thing) which was shocking for a geek. Andrew was brilliant and charming...also unusual for a geek. These young men showed everyone that geeks can be sexy and have inspired me to let my inner geek break through for more than just a few passing moments. Here's hoping that they take the title again next year... unless of course I manage to make it on the show in which case I plan to destroy them in the nicest possible way. Seriously...I love these guys.


I hate TV. This is why I watch reruns and movies over and over again.

Best of 2007 - Movies

Sadly...I have delayed this entry so long that there is no way for it to live up to the hype. The good news is that I highly doubt that my 16 subscribers and other random readers really care. So let's jump into it.

As I said in my worst of post...I did not see as many movies during this past year as I would have liked to see. The good news is that I was able to see the movies that we are about to discuss. All of them were great in their own way. Here they are and why...

Breach - So any movie with Chris Cooper is going to be good. He quickly became one of my favorite actors after seeing him in American Beauty. He has a very captivating persona on screen so that even if he is playing a total asshole you still feel for him. This was incredibly evident in Breach. Even though I knew that he engaged in some pretty bad acts, there was still a part of me that really hoped that it would all be a misunderstanding or that he would get away. Breach was entertaining from start to finish. It managed to be suspenseful even though the ending was known from the beginning because it is "loosely" based on a true story. Oh yeah, Ryan Phillipe is in the film too and delivers a decent performance...but the movie belongs to Chris Cooper.

Knocked Up - Okay...so how funny was this movie??? Honestly...I haven't laughed so hard in a movie since Jackass 2. Unlike Jackass 2, this movie also had heart which took it from average comedy to funny movie of the year. Every movie that I see Seth Rogen even makes me like him more. (The fact that he reminds me of Grant has little to do with it.) Everyone in this movie was on their "A" game. While many of the scenes were pretty damn funny...I have to admit that my favorite scene was the one with Ryan Seacrest. His tirade about Hollywood crybabies was truthful and hysterical. This scene inspired me to ask anyone who was pissed off around me if they would like a cookie for about a month after seeing this movie. I don't know if they got it but it made me laugh. The point is...in spite of the fact that the movie is about a pretty miserable situation yet it still manages to be realistic and funny...which is a rare combination. God I wish that I would have watched Freaks and Geeks when it was around....oh well.

Stardust - So I think that I might have been the only person to see this movie but that doesn't make it any less of great flick. The movie was narrated by Sir Ian McKellen for God's Sake! Surely that should have been enough to get people into the seats. Sadly it was not. I think that it seemed a little fairytale like for most adults to go see it, which explains the box office flop in spite of the fact that big named actors such as Michelle Pheiffer, Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, Peter O'Toole, and Ricky Gervais were all in it. Most adults do not want to watch a movie with a unicorn...at least they won't admit to it. I am comfortable in admitting that while I no longer believe in a land with unicorns I still long for the time when I did. I miss believing in fantasy...as the reality of life is that it pretty much sucks.
A Mighty Heart - Once again...I was one of the few people to actually see this movie and all I can say is that it was everyone else's loss. There was only about five other people in the theater when I saw it which made it less embarrassing to have cried in the movie as much as I did. When Angelina let out a movie defining scream upon hearing about her character's husband's fate, I sobbed along with the five other strangers in the theater. Angelina was the perfect choice for the role of Marianne Pearl. Yet the best part of the movie was that in spite of the tragic storyline, I left the movie theater feeling hopeful. Faced covered with mascara streaks from crying but hopeful.

The Simpson Movie - So this movie makes the list for one reason...it didn't let me down as a longtime Simpsons fan. What other movie could live up to over a decade's worth of anticipation?? Not only that...but what other movie sparked such overuse and abuse of it's lines? (Other than that damn 300 movie which completely sucked no matter what the drunken frat boys who love it say!!) I am so damn sick of hearing "Spider-Pig. Spider-Pig. Does whatever a Spider-Pig does." I am sick of hearing about "Bart's Doodle". Yet I recognize that this is actually what makes the movie great. It inspired people to make Spider Pig the ring tone on their phone. It also made Marge Simpson swear. So here's to The Simpsons family (cast and creators) for not letting us series-long fans down.

Superbad - This officially proves it...Judd Apatow is a genius. He is to movies what Timbaland is to music. Okay so he didn't write this one...but there is no denying that the funniest movies of the past few years have had Judd's name attached to it in some form. Now I cannot relate to the main characters in this movie...but it kind of makes me wish that I could. If I had known back than that geeks were the way to go...I would have probably laughed more in high school. I wouldn't have been as popular but looking back I see that popularity was seriously overrated. So back to the movie...I pretty much laughed the ENTIRE time. This movie also spawned another pop culture gem..."McLovin". How awesome was McLovin???? Sure he wasn't one of the main characters but he certain broke out as the star. Seth Rogen was also pretty damn funny in the flick. I think that I will go see any movie that he is in just because I find him amusing.

30 Days of Night - This movie makes the list because it scared more than any other movie that came out this year. I kid you not...I did not sleep the entire night after I saw it. I actually ran to my car as I left the theater because I scared that something was going to get me. I did not sleep with the light off for 4 days after seeing it. I even saw it a second time because I thought that it would be funny and I would get over my fear by confronting it. Well guess what...it didn't work. So I spend another 3 days with the light one and with NO desire to ever to go to Alaska. It also made me laugh a little bit...especially when Josh Hartnett's character was running down the street trying to distract the vampires. I don't know what was so funny about it but it made me laugh. And it made me cry. The love story was pretty damn good...I believed that he loved her. This movie hit the jackpot...it made me laugh, cry, and scream. Not bad.

Hairspray - I LOVED this movie. I am a sucker for musicals to begin with but that is wasn't what made the movie good. It is a good story and had a great cast. Nikki Blonksy was a perfect Tracy! She took control of the movie in the opening scenes when she belted out Good Morning Baltimore. She had you rooting for her from note one. Every one of the singers sung the classic songs well which made me want to get up and sing with them. Queen Latifah was excellent as usual...as were fellow veteran actors Christopher Walken, John Travolta, and Michelle Pheiffer. James Marsden was pleasantly surprising as Corny Collins (oh that smile was something) and Elijah Kelly showed some serious star potential. As far as Zac Efron...he was good but I just don't see what all the fuss is about. Anyway...it is a feel good movie and I truly enjoyed. Damn it, I wish my life was a musical.

The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D - It might not be fair to have this one the list since it was first released 1993 but this year it was released in 3D! This movie is sheer magic and I love it and therefore it is on my list for the year.

Eastern Promises - So the plot for this movie is a little hard to follow...but it is worth it in the end if you can stick with it. Naomi Watts gave a stunning performance as midwife trying to find the family of the newborn in her care. Her persistence to uncover the truth is commendable as she is dealing with the Russian Mob and therefore spends the rest of the movie in danger. As wonderful as her performance is (it is wonderful, the best I have seen from her so far) the real reason to see this movie is Viggo Mortensen. My God...is there no role that this man cannot make wonderful? There is scene in which Viggo's character is fighting for his life and it was almost too much to watch because is so intense and he looks incredibly sexy. It is actually an intense but entertaining film from start to finish. Oh...and you get to see Viggo without a shirt which is always a bonus.

I am pleased to say that the movie that I was holding out for was worth it...so the final movie to make the list...

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - This there no project that Tim Burton cannot turn into gold? Is there no role that Johnny Depp cannot master and makes his own? As a loyal fan of both men...I truly hope not. Neither has ever disappointed me and Sweeney Todd was no exception. Johnny Depp had never appeared so evil as he did in this role...and that made him even sexier than usual. Even covered in blood he was appealing. In true Tim Burton fashion...the film was visibly appealing in a dark way that made me want to venture into the macabre. AND IT IS A MUSICAL!!! Who knew that Johnny Depp could sing? He is no Jon Bon Jovi but he sang well. It was worth the wait. Sure the killing was a little over the top...but did anyone really want it to be life-like? The sheer foolishness of the blood spurting out of the victims and the cracking of the bones as the bodies tumbled to the floor added comical relief. It helped get me through a movie where once again...the storyline is incredibly sad. As I said...Tim and Johnny always deliver movie magic and here's hoping that they continue to put out wonderful movies together.