Conan and Tiny Set

I have no idea why Conan would want to do his show on a tiny set. For me it would be just fine, but Conan's a big guy! I'm sure he and Andy had some vicious back aches later. Well, it was enjoyable for us and darn those puppies are cute!

Song of the Week - Special Edition

There’s so many new songs hitting the airwaves, I thought I do a Song of the Week Special Edition…Digging, Not Digging.”

Many of the artists I enjoy are putting out new tunes, but some just aren’t doing it for me. To be fair, I’ll put on all the videos and maybe you can tell me what I’m missing in these songs.

Not Digging

Jason Mraz - I Won't Give Up

I feel like Mr. Mraz phoned this one in. It has such a simple quality to it and it doesn't feel like his style at all.

Train - Drive By
One of the things I hate about this song is how catchy it is. I keep singing it, even though I hate it. The whole "Drive By" thing doesn't work for me. I can't help but thinking of shootings. I've never heard that term used for a one night stand. Have you?

John Mayer - Shadow Days


I love John Mayers music and I have all his cds. I'm torn with this one. The guitar work is awesome, but it rubs me the wrong way that he's telling me he's a good man, with a good heart. Can you say that about yourself? And much like Jason Mraz, this has a country feel that I'm simply not digging.

How do you feel about these? Are any of these your new fav? Tell me why.
Now on to some new songs that I'm digging and are playing in heavy rotation in my car.

Snow Patrol - Called Out In the Dark

This is a great new song from Snow Patrol and the video is great too!

The Shins - Simple Song

I have already listened to this song a gazillion times. I'm so excited for the new album, but sadly, I need to wait till payday. Hold on Shins, I'm coming!

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

Ya know, I don't want to like this song. It's very pop-lite. Still, I know every word and it does make me feel a tinge of girl power. Turn up the volume. Go Kelly!

The Muppets - On DVD Tomorrow!

It would be easy to write this review quickly and simply say that the new Muppet movie was…perfection. However, I will remove my rose-colored glasses and do my best to give it a real review.

Full disclosure, The Muppets are very close to my heart and were a major part of my childhood. My Dad was a huge fan and I can’t remember them not being around. I remember Muppets on SNL and I had a super cool Animal puppet. I don’t have the puppet anymore, but I still have the motion picture soundtrack on vinyl and I have Christmas Muppet Babies that always adorn my holiday tree.

When The Muppet Show was on in the 1970’s to the early 80’s, it brought my family together. We would crack up and “ahhh” the sweeter moments. The one thing the Muppets always seemed to do was never offend yet be hilariously funny.

For many Muppet fans, dusting off these icons posed a huge risk. These felt puppets encased our childhood and there always has been a pure and innocent spirit about them, which is largely due to their creator Jim Henson. Now that he has passed, exploiting Kermit and the gang would be an abomination. I was sad when Jim Henson passed away in 1990. The first time I heard Kermit talk in some TV appearance, I bawled like a baby. He just didn’t sound like my Kermie.

I tell you all of this because I’m someone that would be a hard sell for a re-boot of this cherished franchise. Somehow, it all slowly fell into place and I was so excited, I rushed out opening day because I couldn’t wait another moment.

First, I read that Jason Segel was responsible for Disney giving the Muppets a new lease on life. I was instantly relived. Not only do I love this guy’s work, he was a fan. Someone who actually loves the Muppets is much better than some corporate big-wig looking to make a quick buck.

The icing on the cake was Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords doing the music. I’m a huge fan. After that tidbit, I was fully in.

I originally planned on seeing the film on Friday, after Thanksgiving. I could not contain myself though and ended up seeing it Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving.

I could not be more pleased with the end result. The Muppets, is a fully realized film with great music and a big heart. The times I wasn’t crying, I sat with a huge smile on my face. It felt wonderful to be back in the company of friends.

The story is one told many times over. The old Muppet theatre is going to be torn down, so all the Muppets must reunite and put on a “Big Show” to stop this from happening. Leave it to The Muppets though to take an otherwise tired plot line and make it a complete joy from beginning to end.

My only disappointment is there wasn’t enough. To drive the story along, it was important focus on certain characters, so there was no time for The Swedish Chef to make a meal or Professor Honeydew to report from his lab. Also, no pigs went into space.

This seems like a great problem to have because it leaves room for new movies. Thankfully, Bret McKenzie snagged that Oscar for “Man or Muppet” to ensure they’ll be back to the drawing board for another installment.

Henson created something very special with his puppets and it’s important for a new generation of children to enjoy his CGI-less creations. There’s been some backlash about this being anti-corporation and FOX News accused them of pushing a liberal-bias onto children. That’s crazy. The Muppets’ message is simple. Believe in yourself, keep you’re friends close and look for the rainbow connection. Some people really are lovers and dreamers. Actually, I don’t need to come to The Muppets defensive. They can take care of themselves. Check this out:

We’re all grown up I guess. I sure did enjoy going down memory lane though and I hope a new crop of youngins’ will embrace The Muppets. Am I buying the DVD? Of course I am, silly!

Song of the Week - My Door Bell/The White Stripes

This song was stuck in my head all weekend. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the weather was beautiful. It was the kind of weather that made you feel like Spring is near. This is the type of song that's good for cranking with the windows rolled. Maybe it's just me?

Warhorse - Movie Review

I wasn’t too interested in Warhorse. It looked pretty boring to me. Horses are beautiful creatures, but they don’t quite come off on screen as well as dogs. That and the World War I backdrop did not put this one high on my list. Still, it was getting some pretty good buzz and it did seem like a film that should be experienced on the big screen.

A few weeks back, I took in three movies in one day. I saw Hugo, My Week with Marilyn and the showtimes enabled me to fit in Warhorse, so I decided to go for it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen three movies in one day (except for a special screening of the three original Stars Wars flicks in 1985) and Warhorse and Hugo both clocked in over 2 hours. It was quite an accomplishment and luckily my neck and back did not suffer from my over indulgence.

Although I feel Warhorse was not good enough to garner a Best Picture nomination, it still exceeded my expectations and I’m glad I saw it.

Read more »