Chris Issak - Free Download

I've always been a big fan of Chris Issak. I even watched his Showtime TV show. I think I was the only one. Unfortunately, I've never seen him in concert. It's a goal of mine. Anyway, he has a new album coming out soon. Download his new song Live It Up for free!

Song of the Week - Mat Kearney/Hey Mama

A nice toe-tapping diddy from Mat Kearney. You know this one makes you want to get up and move!

Louie Season One - TV Review

Louie

*As I went to write my review for Season Two of Louie, I found this entirely written post on my impressions of Season One. For some reason, it never got posted. So, tonight I will post this old one and tomorrow I’ll post my insights on Season Two.

I realize this show is certainly not for everyone, heck Louis C.K. is not for everyone, but some of us need him.

See I was raised to be a connoisseur of comedy. My father loved stand-up comedy and funny was funny, there was no censoring in my house. I grew up listening to comedy albums by clean comics like Bill Crosby and The Smothers Brothers, but there was also, George Carlin, Richard Pryor and Red Foxx. Believe me; Red Foxx’s stand up was nothing like his character in Sanford and Son! In our house comedy was king and stand-up was a true art form. All this needs to be taken in to account when you spend time with Louis C.K.

Watching his new FX show made me want to really dive into to his comedic history. I remember watching a few episodes of his short-lived HBO show Lucky Louie, but at the time it didn’t stick with me. I went back and watched every episode and all of his stand- up specials. He’s truly a comic’s comic.

Look, there’s a lot of stuff he says that I find offensive, but when he hits that right thing…man! His observations on parenthood are spot on. Really listen to him, this guy loves his kids, but it doesn’t mean they don’t work your every last nerve. We know that’s true, you’re just not supposed to say it. This is where I respect Louie as a comedian. He is raw and really puts it out there. To not censor yourself the way he does is amazingly impressive. I think even he’s not okay with some of the things he says, but to be true to the process he’s putting it all out there.

Louis C.K. has been around for a long time and has done a lot of writing for other comedians and TV shows. In the past, it would have been difficult for a guy like him to get a show, but with shows, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Tosh.0the masses have finally come around the accepting his type of crude un-censored humor.

The first season has been a bit of a hit and miss. The 5th episode where he does a gig in the South was hysterical! But then on the flip side, I don’t think episode 11, dealing with religion, really came across well. I appreciate the creativity though, I really feel like there’s something new and fresh going on here and I’m willing to let the creators work it out.

Another interesting note, much like a Seinfeld episode, each episode of Louie is interspersed with clips of him doing his stand-up act. Unlike Seinfeld, these are often the best part of the show. His bits are fall down funny. I’m often rewinding to hear the jokes again and again. Remember how cheesy Jerry Seinfeld’s bits were? You would groan and hope they would hurry back to the great sitcom banter.


I look forward to season two. The first season ended so sweetly with Louie eating pancakes with his daughters at a diner at 4:00am. It truly warmed my heart. I certainly do not want or expect the show to go in a more gentle and sweet direction, but these tiny touches, thrown in with the brashness, really feels authentic.

Lastly, I enjoy reading credits. You can pick up a lot of interesting facts. It’s common to see an actor has directed a particular episode, but I was surprised to see Louis C.K. with the credit of editor on most of the episodes. That’s different!

I did write about Louie a couple of times last summer. You can check those out here and here.

Song of the Week - It's Good to be in Love/Frou Frou

Post script*8/27/11
What a bad blogger I am! I scheduled this video in advance and never added text to it. I'm in the processing of trying to catch up since my back injury. What I wanted to say originally, is how much I love Imogen Heap's voice. She has a unique sound that I find very soothing. I'm a full time cubicle dweller. I NEED music to get me through my day, but I have to keep the volume pretty low. Frou Frou is perfect for keeping it chilling without it being too "elevator!"

Joss Stone LP1 - Album Review

So if Adele isn't quite bluesy enough for you, give Joss Stone's new album a try. She continally puts out stellar music. Her voice is a little less formal. I can easily picture her at a bus station sing her heart out with a cup on the ground. For this album she paired with Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics fame. I found an interesting video of their collaboration on "Landlord," clearly the break out song on this offering. Also check out "Karma" and "Boatyard."

Do you have this album? What do you think? What are your favorite tracks?

Song of the Week - Jason Mraz/The Remedy

The best songs of the week are the old ones that I've forgotten about. This song came on the radio last week and my reaction was of course, "I love this song! I haven't heard this in forever!" To me, this is why there could never be a replacement for radio. The whole mystery aspect and uncovering buried treasure, is something that can never be replaced by an iPod.
I was not able to embed the original video, but I did find this live performance. He doesn't quite hit that high note in the chorus...
On a side note, I have some old posts that are half done. I threw my back out on Friday, so sitting long periods at the computer were not an option. I'm feeling old, but I'm on the mend. So, look for some backdated posts for last weekend. I'm hoping to get them all up tomorrow. I'm also working on Woody Week. I have three more Woody Allen movies to watch and hopefully, I'll be ready to launch this Sunday.
I'm also dealing with back to school. Tomorrow is a half school day and then "the getting of the school supplies!" Is everyone else's life this crazy right now?

Ric Ocasek Sits Down With Stephen Colbert

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Ric Ocasek
www.colbertnation.com
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I enjoyed Ric Ocasek's recent interview on The Colbert Report. It was interesting to see because I saw The Cars in concert back in their heyday the 80's. It was the worst concert I ever went to. This was in large because of Ocasek. He clearly did not want to be there and he actually sat on a stool and glared at the audience when he wasn't singing. I felt that he was ungrateful for his fame and wasn't giving his fans their money's worth. Now this was pre-interenet so I never heard anything about that night. For all I know he was very sick, but in "the show must go on" mode. I was a kid and I judged solely by what I saw that night and so he was always an asshole after that to me. Getting older can be a wonderful thing though. Maybe he became sweet or maybe I'm more open minded that something must have been going on that night. Anyways, he won me over and I was ecstatic to hear that he was still married to supermodel Paulina Porizkova. How many of those marriages last? By the way, that woman looks fantastic! So Ric, you're back in my good graces. I also totally dug the new Cars song. I just might download that album. I've put it here for your listening pleasure.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Cars - "Keep on Knocking"
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Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Also, enjoy one of their classics. If you happen to be young and reading this blog, maybe you didn't know who I've been rambling on about. If you listen to this you'll say, "Oh yeah! I've heard that song!" Don't they sound amazing for a bunch of old geezers?

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Exclusive - The Cars - "My Best Friend's Girl"
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Cowboys and Aliens - Movie Review

It seems like summer 2011 is all about fun at the movies. Cowboys and Aliens is yet another, popcorn-munching, special effects extravaganza.

I think a lot of people were on the fence about this one. Seriously, a western involving alien attacks? Even with the star quality of Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Jon Favreau in the director’s chair, this still could have been a huge stinker.

Surprisingly, the concept works. Largely, this is because the western storyline is very strong. The aliens didn’t need to show up to make this movie compelling. You have all the right elements of a great western. A struggling town, stranger with a past and an overbearing colonel making the whole town jump to his orders.

Craig and Ford turn in strong performances and play well off of each other. You can always count on Ford to bring a little bit more. His character is not one-sided. His scenes with his son, his assistant and the young boy in town are his strongest moments.

I haven’t seen a Daniel Craig film so I was not familiar with his work. I’m also one of the few women to not find him attractive; he’s a bit rough around the edges for my taste. Frankly, I’ll still take Ford over Craig! I was impressed though and I feel pretty good now about him taking over the lead for the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He was a believable cowboy and tough guy. He played the role straight, as did all the actors, so that even in the midst of alien absurdity, the plot stayed grounded in some form of reality.

We do need to talk about those aliens though don’t we? Well they were pretty cool. They were cringe inducing and made me jump few times. The audience does have to buy into the fact that this is where this movie is going to go. A little crazy and different, yet accepting it fully will guarantee you one fun day at the cinema.

So what are your thoughts? Did you see it? Did the concept work for you?

Song of the Week - Comeback Kid/ Brett Dennen

Comeback Kid – Brett Dennen

"Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)" Official Music Video from Brett Dennen on Vimeo.

This guy always seems to make fun songs that just make me feel good.

In Time - Trailer

I got my first glimpse at this trailer when I went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This movie looks very interesting. I was quite impressed with Justin Timberlake's acting skills in The Social Network and it will be interesting to see if he carry a whole film. Since I'm not a fan of his music, yet enjoy his SNL stints, I would be completely okay if ditched bringing sexy back and concentrated on acting. How about you? Will you see this? Do you think Timberlake can handle a lead role?