Speaking of torture…
Did anybody catch ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” last night? If not, then good for you. The party I was at put it on for the ball drop, and let me tell you, it was painful to watch.
I honestly don’t understand why they decided to bring the guy in this year. His voice was horrible and creepy and sometimes he didn’t even make sense.
I mean, I understand he’s sort of this institution that is popular with a certain segment of America and he likely pushed to be on this year, but all he ended up doing is making the audience really uncomfortable. Viewers were left worrying about his state, which took their attention away from blissfully ringing in the new year.
But enough about Ryan Seacrest, the Dick Clark moments were pretty awkward too.
More of a public favorite now
Flavor Flav’s third VH-1 show is set to premiere tonight. That’s right, his third. First he appeared on “The Surreal Life 3,” then came “Strange Love,” and now he’s set to star in “Flavor of Love.”
VH-1 explains the premise of the show, which is set to kick off tonight at 10 EST:
After his failed romance with Brigitte Nielsen, Flavor Flav is ready for a new and true romance. In “Flavor of Love,” 20 single women from all walks of life, selected for their expressed love for Flav, will move into a “phat crib” in Los Angeles and vie for his affection. With help and advice from Big Rick, Flav’s gigantic body-guard and chauffeur, Flavor Flav will date all of the women, weed out the ones who are only after his fame and fortune…and in the end will choose his one true love.
So not only is VH-1 trotting out a hackneyed celebrity in their “Celebreality” tradition, but the channel is also throwing him into a totally tired dating show, ala “The Bachelor.”
So you might have noticed that Flavor Flav has decided to take a somewhat different route than his former Public Enemy bandmate Chuck D, who hosts his own show on Air America Radio, launched a Web site called Rapstation.com to further hip hop music, started his own record label — SlamJamz. He also writes, does public speaking and is politically active.
But yeah, I’ll probably check out “Flavor of Love,” boooyyyyyyy.
You’re my boy, Blue
Cue “Dust In The Wind”
Patrick Cranshaw has passed away at the age of 86.
Although Cranshaw had been an actor since the mid-20th century, you probably remember him best as the frail elderly man named Blue from the 2003 movie “Old School.” In the flick, he joined the frat before dying while wrestling a pair of topless women. Of course, at his funeral, Will Ferrell’s character sang “Dust In The Wind” before screaming out, “You’re my boy, Blue.”
The role and the line resulted in a sudden surge in fame for Cranshaw, as the AP explains:
Fans would yell the signature line whenever they saw the actor and erected Web sites paying homage to his “Old School” character. He was even invited to meet with the Texas Rangers when they played the Angels in Anaheim.
The Rangers? Couldn’t we have given this guy some better perks? Like at least the A’s or something.
Larry David not big on gay cowboys
I’m planning on seeing “Brokeback Mountain” tonight, so my review should be up on Crap Filter soon. To hold you over, check out this hilarious and all-so-true Op-Ed about the movie from the New York Times written by Larry David of “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fame.
I love gay people. Hey, I’ve got gay acquaintances. Good acquaintances, who know they can call me anytime if they had my phone number. I’m for gay marriage, gay divorce, gay this and gay that. I just don’t want to watch two straight men, alone on the prairie, fall in love and kiss and hug and hold hands and whatnot. That’s all.
Is that so terrible? Does that mean I’m homophobic? And if I am, well, then that’s too bad. Because you can call me any name you want, but I’m still not going to that movie.
To my surprise, I have some straight friends who’ve not only seen the movie but liked it. “One of the best love stories ever,” one gushed. Another went on, “Oh, my God, you completely forget that it’s two men. You in particular will love it.”
“Why me?”
Haunted Arkade
- Arkade - The Story of Hiding
- Morose and deeply affecting, Seattle's Arkade serenades the macabre in their outstanding 2004 release.
Seattle’s Arkade is a difficult band to peg.
For one, their effusively melancholic and keyboard-rich sound comes across more as mood-enhancing theatrical score than full-fledged rock and roll. Haunting and introspective and rife with dreary symbolism, you’d sooner expect to find Arkade’s songs packaged in a soundtrack to films about murder, revenge and ghosts, rather than compiled together and standing on their own, like on the LP The Story of Hiding.
But that’s exactly what this record is; fifty minutes of eerie, thought-provoking music that gets inside your head like a poltergeist and never seems to let go. Regardless of the non-traditional arrangements and lack of complexity, The Story of Hiding is such an extraordinarily emotional and powerful collection of songs that it defies convention and commands recognition.
Time to cop a plea for ‘Lost’ ladies
We’ve been sort of lacking in the “Lost” news department lately, what with the show being on one of its ridiculously long hiatuses and all. Danielle won’t be checking in with her preview until next week, but just because the show has taken a break, that doesn’t mean the drama has.
In today’s news, it looks like Cynthia Watros plans to take the quitter’s way out and plead guilty to her Dec. 1 drunken driving charge, which kind of brings an uneventful end to her tale. I expected more out of Michelle Rodriguez somehow, and I wasn’t let down.
Rodriguez, whose post-arrest theatrics rivaled her best onscreen work (“I don’t f—king belong here! Why don’t you just put a gun to my head and shoot me! You’ve already taken my freedom! You might as well take my life too,” she was quoted in the police report), is a different story. Her lawyer, Steve Barta, entered a not guilty plea and her trial was set for March 30.
In true “Lost” fashion, our girl Michelle has decided to stretch this plot way too thin and drag this story out a few more months by pleading not guilty.
I’m no expert on these things, but unless you’re really, really not guilty, it’s probably best to add one more role to your drunken driving resume, get a driver to cart you around, and hit the bottle even harder next time.
Year of the dog
Thank the Lord that 2005 is over… a year in which I held two awful jobs (one I am currently vying to leave), TO and injuries ripped my Birds to pieces, annoying dance-rock and Houston shit-hop wouldn’t go away, Dave Chappelle was driven out of America by Oprah and the Nation of Islam, the fat suit became a household phenomenon, TomKat got pregnant, and Nick and Jessica called it quits (if those crazy kids can’t make it, who can?). 2006 (Chinese “Year of the Dog”) has come to the rescue, and here are some of my predictions:
2006 will usher in some musical trends that both don’t suck and aren’t disgustingly repetitive. Sure some dance-rock acts were great this past year, but if I have to hear Banquet by Bloc Party one more time, I may puke… and half of the bands playing this type of music can’t be decyphered from one another. Maybe more underground hip-hop artists will rise and take out Houston (minus Scarface, you can’t take him out because real gangsta-ass niggas play they cards right). AND MAYBE, FINALLY, musical trends ending in “-core” and/or related to overproduced, undertalented emo/pop-punk can die out… but first someone needs to tell Victory Records that Hawthorne Heights sucks. Continues after the jump »
From ‘Ghost’ to Ghostfaced Killah
Hey Justin, looks like music is off to a good start in 2006. Patrick Swayze wants to be a rapper.
I’m serious.
Here’s more from AllHipHop.com: The World’s Most Dangerous Site (Really, I checked it out — It’s fucking dangerous):
After years of being indirectly involved with Hip-Hop music, actor/pop singer Patrick Swayze is finally experimenting with rap music.
Swayze recently said he was experimenting with “rap rhythms as an emotional undercurrent for ballads.”
Well, he ain’t exactly got the lingo down yet, but give him time. When he blows up I’d love to see a freestyle rap-off between him and Kevin Federline on the streets of Beverly Hills.
Making mountains out of ‘Mountain’
- Brokeback Mountain
- It's difficult to find any flaws in this epic film about two men who share a forbidden love... unless you're homophobic.
I don’t think there was ever a great time to see “Brokeback Mountain,” but not for the reason you might suspect (the whole gay cowboy thing). Even before it was released in New York City, it had that “Oscar buzz.”
I hate Oscar buzz because it makes it seem like the only reason intelligent movies are made and the only reason we end up seeing them is to decide if they are indeed contenders for the Oscars. As a result, the whole artistic process gets skewed and the movie-going experience gets tainted. The discussion becomes “Will this movie win Best Picture?” instead of “Was this a great movie?”
So I didn’t rush out to see “Brokeback Mountain” even though I wanted to see it. Even before I had thought about planning a trip to the theater, the Ang Lee-directed flick had already received critics awards, four stars, five stars, two thumbs up, the top spot on Top 10 lists, etc. The reason why this sucks is ultimately I’d be forced to go into this movie with huge expectations, even if I willfully tried to temper them a bit. And I hate going into movies like that. I also end up being overly critical, as if to out-pretentious all those movie reviewers claiming this is one fantastic masterpiece.
I remember seeing “The Matrix” with my boys Wooster and Eli up at Syracuse in 1999 and being totally blown away. Why? Because I had no expectations for it. It was a sci-fi flick starring Keanu Reeves, and I’ve never really been a fan of either. Such moments at the theater are so rare now though. Everything gets the hype treatment, whether it’s a blockbuster or an indie pic.
So there I was, seeing “Brokeback Mountain” weeks after it had been released in NYC. My strategy of waiting until some of the hysteria died down had worked a bit. I found myself able to just sit back and relax and prepare for some gay sex scenes. Continues after the jump »
Under the radar: Straitlaced
Philadelphia based rock quartet, Straitlaced, is young and on the right track. Sure, they are a lot of bands that play punk-influenced emotion-laden rock, but most don’t do it as well. Straitlaced knows how to produce solid rhythm and catchy hooks, while setting themselves apart with their high level of professionalism. They’ve toured all over and played with some huge names in the process. Locally, they have gotten press from several Philly area magazines and have secured a solid fanbase ranging from teenage kids to accomplished musicians. With a tight sound and a solid direction, it’s no surprise.
With a solid sound, I was curious as to their greatest influences. “Carson Daly, Ashley Simpson, and Subway,” was their reply when I inquired, showing they don’t take themselves too seriously despite being serious about their music. I always find this refreshing, because being a serious musician shouldn’t mean that you don’t like to have fun… and many artists think in order to be taken seriously as a band, you have to present yourself as serious people. Straitlaced proves that a professional approach to music can be accompanied by a jovial and fun attitude about life. Continues after the jump »
