Monday, February 26, 2007

I like an Oscar...

I was watching the Oscars last night and didn't have much to say about how things turned out, with the exception of one category--Best Supporting Actor.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I didn't like Little Miss Sunshine much. I didn't think it was a funny movie. I thought it tried to hard to be an indie film by trying to keep an air of "indie-ness" about it. In being intentionally bizarre, the film lost its funny.

For me, the one bright spot was Steve Carrell's performance as Frank, the foremost Proust scholar in the United States recovering from a suicide attempt. I thought that Carrell's performance was nuanced and that he was able to convey Frank's pain without being over-the-top like Greg Kinear and Adam Arkin. More importantly, though, I thought that Carell's performance was a stretch for him. After all, this is the guy who might be best known either from the US version of The Office or for voicing Hammy in Over the Hedge.

I was disappointed that The Academy overlooked Carrell's performance in Little Miss Sunshine. I was even more disappointed that they chose, instead, to nominate Arkin. I didn't feel like Arkin's performance was noteworthy in the least. I thought that his portrayal of the smackhead grandpa was heavy-handed and that we were never exposed to his character's private pain.

Imagine, then, my horror when Arkin won.

When you compare his performance to the other nominees, he falls short in my opinion.

I'm baffled and disappointed.

Then again, I thought that Will Ferrell should have been nominated for Stranger Than Fiction, so maybe my barometer is a little off...

Sunday, February 25, 2007

New iTunes purchases (2/25)

What I bought:
1. Tokyo Police Club's A lesson in crime. It was $5.99, and I liked the free samples I heard. They remind me a lot of Artic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. I'm not sure if this is a good thing.

2. All time low's Put up or shut up. It was $4.99, and I am a sucker for pop punk. They remind me of the Ataris. I loved So long Astoria. Yes, I'm putting that in writing. Shut up, you. What? You think you're better than me because you have disdain for pop punk. You're probably right...

3. Erin McKeown's We will become like birds. It was the priciest of my purchases. I hadn't ever heard of McKeown until Entertainment Weekly did a review of her newest album Sing you sinners. I did listen to that one, but decided on the earlier album. Her voice is mezmerizing, and I was curious to hear her sing her own songs as opposed to standards. She reminds me of Nelly McKay, but without the whimsical randomness.


What I listened to but didn't buy:
1. Bloc Party's Silent alarm. The free samples were okay. As a rule, though, I don't usually buy albums by Critics' Darlings. And, if I remember correctly, people wet their pants over Bloc Party.

2. Kate Havnevik's Melankton. If Bjork and Sinead O'Connor got drunk and made a baby, this is what the baby would sound like when she got old enough to get a recording contract and make an album.

3. Young Love's Too young to fight it. It's incredibly pop-y. And produced by Def Jam. So I thought 'hey, I bet I would like this.' And when I listened to it, I was so very confused.

4. The Shins' Wincing the night away. Remember when I told you that I don't buy albums by Critics' Darlings? Well, The Shins fit that bill. Every critic and his dog has said how awesome The Shins are. And, not to knock people who like them, but I don't get it. They're okay, but they sound like a lot like Death Cab for Cutie. And, Death Cab for Cutie does precious emo rock much better than they do.

Podcast, podcasts, roly poly podcasts...

In my working life, I spend a lot of time in front of the computer doing mundane and repetitive work. This is not to say that I am not satisfied career-wise. I am. I love my job. But, my mind sometimes wonders when I'm doing this work.

Some friends of mine were telling me how they like to listen to podcasts when they do work that is repetitive. It engages their minds while their fingers to the typing.

What the heck, I thought, let's give it a try.

I already subscribed to Brini Maxwell's hints for gracious living. Brini is a stitch and a topic for another day...

I picked up Science Friday from Talk of the Nation, Fresh air, This American life, It's only a game, and ESPN's the Big Show with Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that podcasts do allow me to work without letting my mind wander. And, since Monday, I've learned about avian flu, pandemics, Mark Wahlburg's career, and a film called "The Lives of others" that is nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Film.

And, I guess, if you took a podcast out to see a movie you wouldn't have to buy it a ticket....

Right back 'atcha!

The Spares came to town this weekend and played a show at Off Broadway. Y'all remember me telling you how great they are, right? And you all went to their website (www.thespares.net) or to iTunes and bought their newest album, right?

Anyway, I got a shoutout at the show. I was "the mysterious Mrs. Dude."

Their set was fantastic. They peppered their set with songs from both Beautiful and Treacherous Thing and Hand Me Down. And, I believe, they threw a little Johnny Cash in too. You know, for good measure. Because if there's one thing we all know, it's that you can't have too much Johnny Cash. The vocals, both Jodee's and Steve's, were spot on. And man...that mandolin? Wicked awesome.

It was fun to see them play in a setting other than Church. They have a great stage presence and playing a concert allowed them to interact with the crowd in a way that they can't in a church setting. And, as much as I love to hear them play hymns (and I do), playing in a smoky bar allows them to be freer with their vocals and their playing.

Today, The Spares played at Church. And, like last time, they were awesome. As an added bonus, they played two songs from Beautiful and Treacherous Thing.

I went up to Steve after they played and introduced myself as Mrs. Dude. We chatted for a few minutes and I was left with the feeling that not only are The Spares an amazingly talented band but that they are really nice, too.

So, I'm giving them a shoutout back! Hooray, The Spares!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Time to laugh and shiver and cry...

I'd forgotten how much I love Clone High. It aired in 2002 on MTV and lasted only a season, and I was obsessed with it. For Christmas, The Dude's parents got me the DVD but I hadn't gotten around to watching it yet. Last night I popped it in and watched 2 episodes.

Clone High's premise is disarmingly simple--scientists made clones of famous people and now these clones are in High School. The show revolves around Abe, Joan of Arc, Cleo (Cleopatra's clone), JFK, and Gandhi.

It got some press when it came out because the people of India didn't like their revered leader portrayed as a goofy, socially inept partier. I get that. I do. But man is Gandhi funny.

My favorite Gandhi bit is when he becomes a rapper with the stage name G-Spot. His rap? "What's my name? G-Spot. And what do I rock? The G-Spot."

Good times.

I'd urge you to try to find the DVD. It contains the entire first season, including 5 episodes that didn't air on MTV (the series originally ran in Canada).

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Is this thing on?

So, I got quiet in the last few weeks. Basically, there hasn't been a lot that I've been excited about, so I've kept quiet.

I expect, though, that in the next few weeks there will be more feedback. I've got a ton of stuff on the TiFaux (3 episodes Veronica Mars--4 after tonight, 3 episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and goodness knows what else...), 3 movies from Blockbuster Online, and a lot of music floating around my house that I haven't listened to and a lot of books to be read. So, I'm certain that I'll have a lot to talk about.

Stay tuned...