Ultranormal

Category: entertainment

  • Scientology

    There has been a lot of talk lately about Scientology. Most of that is probably to do with Tom Cruise talking nonstop about it. Then of course the media had to make it an even bigger story by talking nonstop about Tom Cruise talking nonstop about it. What I don’t get is what is the big deal? The teachings of Scientology are a little odd, but frankly aren’t all religions? I don’t want anyone to start bashing Scientology, but I seriously don’t get why people are freaked out by it. Tom Cruise most definitely shouldn’t have called out Brooke Shields by name, in my opinion, but if he is against something like mood altering drugs, I have no problem with him speaking out. (And I am on some.) Other religions don’t belive in blood transfusions and some don’t believe in partaking in modern medicine at all. I know they are secretive about things, but again, so are many other religions. Is this “freak out” just because this is a 20th C religion? A lot of people call it a cult. Why is that? Again, wouldn’t most religions be considered cults then? So, if any of you know why the media is making such a big deal about this, I would love to hear it.\
    P.S.- Watch Veronica Mars on Wednesdays at 9pm on UPN.

  • First Tracks

    While I’m waiting for someone to get out of the file I need, I’ll just bang this out while I’m thinking about it. Album first songs. I know it’s almost dead now, what with the single-ification of everything. But, there’s something special about the first song on an album. It creates your expectations for the rest of the album, sets the mood, lays out the tablecloth and silverware… you know.\
    I’ve been listening to a lot more rock lately… and there are some really good first songs out there. Like:

    • Untitled off of Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol – I don’t think I’ve loved the open guitar solo of a song more since The Smiths How Soon Is Now. Listen, you’ll see.
    • E-Pro off of Guero by Beck – Yeah, this one rocks too. It doesn’t fool around with a gentle intro. It jumps right in and rocks on.
    • Fight Test from Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robot by The Flaming Lips – Concept albums almost feel like cheating, but it works so freakin’ well.
    • I Fought The Angels from Universal Audio by The Delgados – I never get tired of this album, and this song in particular. It’s so good. Simple, elegant and rockin’.
    • Grace Kelly Blues by Eels from Daisies of the Galaxy – You know an album will be fun when it starts with a brass band, and goes into a bouncy little number like this. Perfectly sets up the artful quirk of the rest of the album.\
      Ok, back to work…

  • Too Busy To Think

    There are so many things I want to say about India, but I’m back at work and have been thrown into a huge project with a tight deadline, and all thinking will have to wait.\
    But, I have watched Veronica Mars and Jen was right about all of it. I’m sure she’ll post later and gloat. Oh, and I was wrong about who the murderer was – but so was Jen, so I don’t feel so bad.

  • Another Veronica Mars Spiel

    Another Veronica Mars spiel – watch it Wed at 9pm on UPN\
    I finally got Kevin to watch the first five episodes of “Veronica Mars” and he admitted he really liked it and “it wasn’t what [he] thought it would be.” While the show is set in high school, it is not a high school show. It is definitely an adult show. (I don’t mean an “Oz” or “Sex and the City” type adult show). I mean that the show is not a teen soap opera.\
    Tonight’s episode is #6 “Return of the Kane.” Prepare to be amazed by Harry Hamlin, Jason Dohring, and the ofttimes subtle writing. Again, for new viewers check out the recaps at Television Without Pity for the skipped episodes only (you don’t want to be spoiled.) Also UPN is rerunning the episode during the weekend, so check your local listings if you are a Wednesday night partier and can’t make it home in time to watch Veronica Mars.

  • Watch Veronica Mars

    Tomorrow night, Tuesday, June 14, on UPN the Veronica Mars pilot you have all been waiting for – check it out!! Set your TIVOs, DVRs, VCRs, or just mark it on the calendar. It is a great show, one not to be missed.\
    The following night, Wednesday, June 15, UPN will air another episode. Wheeeeeeeee. Enjoy the ride, folks!

  • Jen’s Ode To Veronica Mars

    Blogging note– I begged, pleaded, and promised Kevin sex if he would let me post this here. And what do you know, he agreed. So, Jen, not Kevin, writes this.\
    A love letter to Veronica Mars and a plea for you to watch it. Reruns of Veronica Mars will be airing starting in mid-June on UPN. I know, UPN, insert joke here. Seriously though, Veronica Mars is without a doubt the best-written and well-acted show in the last ten years.\
    Veronica is a former-popular-cheerleader-turned-outcast trying to solve her best friends murder. It is a season long mystery that gives a little all along the way. I beg you, if you watch, stay away from spoilers and forums on the internet. You dont want to be spoiled about the mysteries. I was positive I knew who had done it and positive I knew who hadnt done it. Of course, I was wrong. The best part, the mysteries (there are about 5 big ones) are wrapped up by the end of the finale. It is obvious the storylines were planned before the season started, unlike some shows that make it up as they go. Because the summer season is shorter than the regular season, some of the episodes are going to be skipped. I suggest you check out the Couch Barons recaps at Television Without Pity for the episodes that are being skipped.

    • The writing:
      • Written by smart people, for smart people.
      • Nice combination of over the top (“you got a trophy for a rim job?” Yes that aired on network tv) and subtle (no example, I dont want you to be spoiled.)
      • Continuity heaven (too many examples to list, watch for them yourself.)
    • The music selection is top-notch too. It deserves its own section, but I am not gonna. Just know that it is wonderful.
    • The cast:
      • Acting is the best all around.
      • Chemistry to spare! (Check out Lamb, Logan, and Weevil in particular. Just for the record, I want to punch Lamb in the face every time I see him.)
      • Kristen Bell (Veronica) is a super star in the making.
      • Jason Dohring (Logan) absolutely deserves an Emmy.
      • Harry Hamlin (Aaron) is wonderful! Who thought they would read that ever? Every single scene he delivers the goods, baby.
      • Teddy Dunn (Duncan) has been getting a bad rap. Watch the season, then watch it again. He probably has the hardest part in the show.
      • Percy Daggs (Wallace) was strained in the beginning, but finally settled into a groove about midway through the season.
    • The extras are nice to watch also, especially in the later episodes. It is obvious they are the stars of their own life, not just backdrop. Props to whoever is in charge of them\
      While the show isn’t perfect, it is the best thing on. It took until the latter part of the season for it to become appointment television for me. So, watch it, give it some time, and then come to love it.

  • Driving Songs

    This year on Top Gear, they’re doing a write-in survey of the best driving songs of all time. Since I love lists, and I love thinking about lists, I decided to give it a shot. This is the seriously jet-lagged malaria-pill-induced-hysteria list, so I reserve the right to look at this list in a couple days, call myself a tool, and redo it.\
    Before I bust out the list, let’s review what makes a good driving song. First, I’ll tell you what it isn’t – a good coding song. They’re two different things. Coding songs put you in a zonked out place where you can code without getting outside yourself – it pulls you into yourself. A driving song heightens everything. It makes you do everything a little crisper: accelerate, turn, brake, check your mirrors, etc. It also doesn’t have to be about driving… Anyway, here’s the list in no particular order (and feel free to add your own):

    • Busy Child – Crystal Method
    • Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf: Duh, come on… this is the original and still king of driving songs.
    • Saturday Morning – Eels: Often blaring when Max and I go out to breakfast on Saturday mornings.
    • Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel: Actually, the whole second disc of Secret World could be in this spot, but I said songs, not albums, right?
    • Back in Black – Living Colour: The AC/DC version will do in a pinch, but I love the Living Colour cover. It’s balls out, no kidding around, and Corey Glover just runs away with it (you know, actually singing instead of screaming).
    • Cowgirl – Underworld: Pick your remix, doesn’t really matter. This song kicks so much ass, it needs a list of its own (you could probably easily do a top ten Cowgirl remixes).
    • I See You Baby – Groove Armada: See Cowgirl, all the same things apply. The remix from Boom is especially good.
    • Communication – INXS: Good piano riff, good guitar riff, and Michael Hutchence at his finest. Oh, and meaningless lyrics, which is a plus for any good driving song.
    • The Mango Song – Phish: A bonus feature for driving songs is length… the longer, the better. Six and a half minutes is just about perfect, and this song nails it. It’s not the hardest song on this list, but it flows so well it’s just a sublime driving song.
    • Short Skirt/Long Jacket – Cake: Cake could run over this list if I really thought about it (see malaria-pill-induced-hysteria). For driving albums, they could have the top two or three spots, easily. This song is my favorite. It has catchy lyrics, and a hook to die for. Oh, and rock trumpets kick balls, man (it’s like kicking ass, but it does it head on).\
      An honorable mention goes to Junior Senior for both Move Your Feet and Shake Your Coconuts (a song that needs more mash-ups, come on interweb!). I’m sure there are more, but it’s time for petit dejeuner (hooray, breakfast!).

  • Bookmark Now!

    I don’t pretend that I’m a writer, and that’s probably a good thing. Apparently, being a writer is both hard work, and the easiest thing in the world. I just finished Kevin Smokler’s new book, Bookmark Now. A collection of essays about reading and writing in the internet age, it’s a fascinating look into the minds of writers, an interesting examination of modern publishing, and a big sloppy wet kiss to the internet from young(ish) writers from all over.\
    There are some brilliant essays here, and the entire book presents an overriding theme of hope for writing, reading, and all the stuff in the middle. My personal favorites were the pieces by Dan Kennedy, Adam Johnson and Kelley Eskridge and Nicola Griffith (they wrote the crown jewel of that section). They were all from the same section of the book: The Writing Life. Each of them gave a little glimpse into the process of a writer, not only how they see the world, but how they attack writing, how they deal with setbacks and criticism.\
    As someone who’s always toying with the idea of writing a book, this book was a good chunk of inspiration to put towards that goal. If you’re at all interested in reading or writing, you’ll get a kick out of Bookmark Now.

  • For Mash-Up Virgins

    Jim asked, so I figured I’d try to collect my favorite mash-up sites. For the uninitiated, mash-ups are, musically, a combination of two or more musical works into a new whole. Mostly done by DJ’s (or at least, the ones I’ve found), music editing technology has progressed to a point of simplicity (ie: Garageband) that the “normal human” can create mash-ups with some patience and willingness to learn.\
    They’re dubiously legal at the moment, and the debate is ongoing as to whether mash-ups fall under the “fair use” provisions of copyright, or they’re really really infringing. Personally, I think they’re great. They’re a fun look at a known quantity. It’s amazing to see the combinations that people come up with, and some of them are pulled off with amazing skill.\
    Enough explanation, here are my favorites:

    • The Kleptones – One of my first experiences with mash-ups was their unreal combination of Queen and classic hip-hop: A Night At The Hiphopera. It’s seamless in all the right ways, and done an unbelievable job at combining two genres.
    • dj BC Presents The Beastles – The Beatles vs. The Beastie Boys. Need I say more?
    • The Party Party – Some of the most amazing voice remixing you’ll ever hear. They make W sing Sunday Bloody Sunday, and many more. Their efforts are kind of uneven, but when they succeed, they’re not only great musically, but hysterical. My faves are the song I mentioned above, Dick Is A Killer, Imagine, and My Name Is Rx
    • Pheugoo – Mashes from all over the spectrum, with an emphasis on hip-hop/divas mixed with classic rock. Very good stuff.
    • Mash-ups.co.uk – A lot of dance mashed up with trip hop (which you know makes me happy). Slow Angel (Kylie vs. Massive Attack) and Leave It Dirty (Christina Aguilera vs. Living Colour – so much greater than the sum of its parts) are highlights.
    • ccc – Revolved – Mashes The Beatles’ Revolver with a lot of different stuff. Other than the less-than-awesome Eleanor Ciccone, the rest are excellent.
    • CCMixter – Totally legal, provides a forum for folks to create and mash-up Creative Commons licensed music. Some really good stuff. And, if you don’t have it already, you can get the Wired/Creative Commons remix CD.\
      To get a lot of the whole albums, you’ll need to be proficient with BitTorrent, but that’s a subject for another post. I have to go get my Typhoid shot now.

  • In Search Of The Source

    Someone at work has some of the best mash-ups I’ve ever heard, and they have no idea where they came from. Google doesn’t know anything about them. I’m turning to you, dear interweb, to help me track down the creators of these little masterpieces. They are:

    • Fatboy’s Love Shack – A fun mix of Funk Soul Brother and Love Shack.
    • 3000 Gonna Rock You – We Will Rock You mixed with a bunch of stuff I don’t think I’ve heard before, but it’s awesome. Some fun acoustic guitar over Freddie’s vocals. Might be Black Eyed Peas, but I really don’t know.
    • Twist & Sex Laws – Beck and the Beatles. This one’s not as good as the first two, but still solid.
    • Hella Good Mash – No Doubt and some disco-y number. Good stuff.
    • Elvis Conversation – No idea, but it’s awesome. A little Elvis, a little backbeat, some bass, some amazing sprinkle of something else. May be my favorite of the bunch.
    • Feeling Satisfaction – Annie Lennox (the song with “take these wings and fly” in it), and Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. Sounds goofy, but it’s SWEET.
    • It Wasn’t Me, Let It Be – Let It Be and some guy with a kind of high voice singing about a girl, a Jamaican rapper, and Lennon and McCartney. Yeah, baby.
    • Are You Gonna Be My Dirrty -I don’t know why, but I can only stand Christina Aguilera when she’s been mashed up. Mixed up with a great guitar stunner that I can’t place, but I’m sure I’ve heard before.
    • Hate To Say I Milkshake – I’m pretty sure that’s Boston in the background, but I can’t say which song. And, of course the “my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard” song that EVERYONE mashes, remixes and kanoodles with. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard the original.
    • Get Your Music Runnin’ – Steppenwolf vs. Can’t Stop The Rock (or is it Don’t Stop The Rock?) vs. some other stuff I’ve never heard before. This one will blow your headphones off.\
      Please help, oh internet. These mash-ups deserve the respect of having them associated with their creator. They’re excellent.