plug o' the week - february 2-6, 2009.

happy new year and month. i've been lusy. or bazy. busy lazy? lazy busy? i don't even know. but it's been a long while since i've plugged an noise. so now noise will be plugged.

look at it. with it's noisy plugging.

mad pluggsin.

word.

film plug o' the week -



slumdog millionaire.
blown. away. that's all i can say about this film. man. i know it sucks to get on any pop culture train, and if everyone likes it, i shouldn't, but, dang, yo. this is the feel good movie of the year. this film has the happy, the sad, the love, the drama, and the beautiful cinematography. what a well filmed piece. i really liked the characters and the idea of how the gameshow is the catalyst for the main character to tell his life story. stay for the end. the credits are spectacular.

music plug o' the week -



neptune city - nicole atkins & the sea.
so this dame has just about the most amazing singing voice i've ever accidentally heard. the naughty monkey, his lady friend and i went to see the raveonettes (which were also amazing) and nicole opened for them. monkey and i stood there in a trance the entire time. it was incredible. i've never heard anyone sing like that live. i've seen her a couple times now and cannot get over the music or the voice. wonderful album. enjoy.

television plug o' the week -



battlestar galactica.
by far the best show on television, if not the best show i've ever seen. obviously these are opinions, but i've never seen a more amazing character study, political drama or soap opera wrapped into one program. and then, to top it all off, it's in frakkin' space! mmmm. space dog fights. genius. i feel like the writing is top notch and the characters, while not always the happiest, are pretty real, and true to their spirit throughout. the score by bear mccreary is one of the best for any television series. i like how that is seemingly so much more important these days. it's on par with any film. i'm sad that there's only a hand full of episodes left, but i think it makes it more intense and poignant.


so those are the first plugs for 2009. sorry it took me over a month to do new ones. my guess is, you still got all your sleep.

groove.

plug o' the week - december 22-26, 2008.

plugsie plugsies!

it's christmahannakwanza!!!

woot!

also it's cold as testecles (read: testuhkleeze) outside.

and the snow. so much snow. who was that guy?

guy who decided to make snow: 'ahhh. condensation in below freezing temperatures.'

best friend: 'i like it. let's try and see what happens.'

fail.

anywho, there's christmas and presents and ham and family and friends and sleep. that makes up for a heckfire lots of things. mmm-hmm. and ham.

on to this week's plugs! don't soil yourself all that much.


film plug o' the week -


it's a wonderful life.
i know. i know. it's so old. and it's on tv like every 37 seconds. and your parents made you watch it as kids. and you hate black & white. and...wait. what is this? it's funny. and sad. and jimmy stewart is amazing. and there's actual heart in the story. and maybe, maybe, i've been depressed enough once or twice to think that maybe i shouldn't have been born. well, friend, this is the flick for you. it's good, wholesome christmas fun. and donna reed is in it. two very cool people. not to mention, that bert and ernie of seasme street were named after the mailman and the cop in this flick. it makes the cockles warm a little doesn't? mmmmm. christmas movie. also, there's an awesome saturday night clip somewhere in the world (and by 'somewhere in the world', i mean 'on this blog') where dana carvey does the alternate ending to this movie and kicks potter's tuchas. it's amazing. made me love the movie all over again.

music plug o' the week -


wintersong - sarah mclachlan.
i like it. it's christmasy. her voice is amazing. most of these could be in a film or tv show in the sad/lonely/slow motion/snowing-christmas-montage. not that film or tv would ever need to play with people's emotions like that. i'm just sayin', if it ever came to that, this album would work. can be enjoyed by a fire, in a car driving to see the fam, or hangin' out drinking wine. songs i enjoy are 'happy xmas (the war is over)', 'river', 'wintersong', 'i'll be home for christmas', 'have yourself a merry little christmas', and 'o little town of bethlehem.'


televsion plug o' the week -


ed.
i miss this show a million bajillion. it was so amazing. it was the show that basically opened my eyes to the non-laughtrack comedy/drama. it was so clever and funny and the $10 bets. good grief. and the mac kid always being foolish and ed feeling sorry for him. and the lawyer/bowling alley manager. genius. and good ol' carol vessey. the high school teacher that all of us younger single guys totally wanted to hang out with, like our names were edward j. stevens. luckily, nbc sucks gnats and has not put it on dvd for all of us folks to enjoy. what's even sadder is that amazon.com has a page already set up for the possibility of it ever being produced on dvd. sad. i guess that's my one christmas wish.


and there ya have it. the christmas plugs. you all enjoy yourselves the nesxt couple of weeks with the eating and gifts and merriment.

and naps.

mmmmmmmm.

groove.

plug o' the week - december 8-12, 2008.

i know. i missed a week. life is crazy. work is melting my face off with all of the things i'm doing. gosh. stop being so mean all the time. demandy pants. that's what i say.

also, who came up with this 'awake' jazz? that was a bad idea. seriously. why didn't i get to be in that meeting?

so i shall make up for the lack of plugs last week by doing a regular ol' fashioned plug this week.

carry on.


film plug o' the week -



a christmas story.
dude. it's christmas. so i had to put a christmas story on here. it is, in fact, about christmas. the frakkin' name of the movie has christmas in it. i would be foolish to not do this. am i right, or am i right? this is one of the greatest kids movies from the past. my little sister arielle used to watch it every day. she called it 'the boys'. i found that cute. but it's about this family from back in the day that really wants to rock the christmas spirit, even if it means losing an eye. watch out for any bb guns this year. don't lick any frozen poles. also, fragile is an italian word. fudge.


music plug o' the week -


all of the sudden i miss everyone - explosions in the sky.
mmmm. rock. with no words. some people refer to this as 'ambient rock.' that sounds so hippyish and floaty. if words were sung over it, i'm guessing the same people would just call it rock. to me it's instrumental rock. they rock and they play instruments. i don't feel like that's a big leap. this is wonderful music to listen to if you need to chill, or draw, or read and you want some mood music that isn't just white noise or ocean waves. and when i'm listening to music i don't always want singers to be making me listen to their words. i'm a little rebellious that way.


television plug o' the week -



bones.
i know. there's like 30 gabajillion crime dramas in the world. seriously. i'm scared of how many crime shows are in new york. do i really want to go there? hmmmm. bones makes the crime drama okay. that's what i think. i'm always impressed with the mix of humor and drama. i know the show is hella gory, but they always come up with interesting ways that people were knocked off. a lot of shows are big into having a new secretary or lawyer every episode if the people aren't main characters, but they use the same ones consistently. well played. also, i was a pretty big fan of buffy the vampire slayer when it was on the air and it's really awesome to see david boreanaz continue his career. he originally wasn't one of my favorite actors, but in this show he really comes through. i think he's a much better fbi agent than he was a vampire. word up.


so those are the plugs. that's what they are. enjoy if you want. hate if you must. party hardy this holiday season.

groove.

plug o' the week - november 17-21, 2008.

hella late.

my bad. it's totally a different week.

you're sad.

or maybe you don't even know or care.

in which case, it's right on time. word up.

mmm. turkey. or to the veggies out there, tofurkey. word. i'm an equal opportunity thanksgivinger.

on to the pluggie mcpluggerstons.

hence forth.

to wit.


film plug o' the week -



wall-e.
let's see. what has pixar done wrong? nothing. crackers! these cats are good. even cars was good, and it was about talking cars. i'm not saying it's my favorite of their films, but it's still good. this here movie, though, kinda blew my mind. it's so well done. i love the characters, and the story and the fact that fred willard is the only real person in the whole thing. genius. sure it's that old 'robot dude meets robot chick and falls in love, and sure she's hotter than he is and has better hardware and faster more updated software, but he's so cute and clever and saves the day' story. saving the day really works out for those robot dude's and their love lives. also, taking the soundtrack from hello, dolly and using it for the film was very cheeky. and then i wanted to dance. god bless you pixar, wherever you are.


music plug o' the week -



med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust - sigur røs.
ever since i first heard these guys my mind was a little blown away. they had a song on wes anderson's film the life aquatic with steve zissou and i really liked it, but i had no idea what it was. luckily the scerri brothers and josh honig where like, 'you've never heard of sigur røs?!?!' then they beat me about the skull, and when i came too, i realized that they were amazing. i've also had a chance to see them live twice. crazy spiritual experience. my faves off this album are 'inni mer syngur vitleysingur', 'vid spilum endalaust', 'festival', 'ara batur' and 'fljotavik'. if you don't understand most of these words, that's cool. they're from iceland. they have a different language.


television plug o' the week -


30 rock.
good ol' tina fey. she rocked some good weekend update back in the day. and then she decided to spread her wings and make one of the funniest shows on television. ever. anytime you can make alec baldwin a bad ass republican who cares only about money and is in love with a democrat under the table, that's okay in my book. if you can take tracey morgan's brush with the law and subsequent ankle bracelet and make it a running gag on your show, that is pretty super duper in the book. also when you can make a saying out of the word 'myurt', that's even more splendiferous in my book. crikey, that show makes me laugh aloud. last season when the cast was randomly singing 'midnight train to georiga' i know an angel got his wings.


those are all the plugs this here in week.

well, technically for last week. but don't tell anyone. that'd be embarassing.

i will leave on a wonderful little snippet of humor from tina fey and alec baldwin from 30 rock -

Jack: So what are you gonna do with your money? Put it into a 401K?

Liz: Yeah, I gotta get one of those.

Jack: What?! Where do you invest your money, Lemon?

Liz: I've got like twelve grand in checking.

Jack: Are you an immigrant?

groove.

and giggle.

plug o' the week - november 10-14 , 2008.

yay brits!

and that's not a reference to britney spears. it's not. even if you think it is. man. you're out of control with all of your thinking, and what not. gosh.

no. it's a reference to our cousins across the pond on the little island. they're always making some good music, film, and, yes, television.

in honor of quantum of solace opening today, this week's plugs are all britishly minded.

word.


film plug o' the week -


casino royale.
i loved sean connery. he was the best. no doubt in my mind. george lazenby, while no sean, was pretty awesome. he was definitely in one of the best bond movies of all time. then came roger moore. he reminds me a lot of adam west and william shatner. those three guys should be in a movie together. wow. and then timothy dalton. really? what were they thinking there. i mean, i remember not hating living daylights, but i also remember not really caring. and then there was poor pierce. pierce brosnan has always been one of my boys, but sadly, the writers and directors decided to suck a lot and make his bond cheesy with bad oneliners. luckily, 24 and the jason bourne series seemed to wake the bond people up. why not have a badass bond that actually got injured and couldn't make everything magically happen his way? daniel craig. god bless that guy. it made me a believer in what bond could be again. i think ian fleming is smiling somewhere.


music plug o' the week -



their satanic majestic request - the rolling stones.
these guys have always rocked my face off. even when i didn't know anything about them. when 'she's like a rainbow' was playing on the new imac ads 10 years ago, i instantly fell in love. i had to search hi and low for that noise. thank god i had a crazy roommate who loved them as well and had that song. he played it one day and i was like, 'what the whosits?!?! that's my jam!!!' it may not have actually completely gone down like that, but i'm taking artistic license. oddly enough, when i went to find the actual album this is on, i only know one other song. '2000 man.' another one of my favorite from them. i'm totally checking out this whole album later. you bet your sweet bippy.


television plug o' the week -


mi-5 aka spooks.
this is a good spy show. i mentioned 24 earlier. that to me is not that good. i mean, people are always hyped about it, but that seems so formulaic to me. like, jack is an agent. the world is in danger. every main character dies. except for jack. and there's a bomb. and there's a poison. and there's a mean boss. after the third season i was pretty done with that. now mi-5, which to our british bretheren and sisteren is referred to as spooks, is a frakkin' awesome show that deals with british spies. the characters are great. the story is always getting change ups. and the style is really amazing. the camera work is beautiful and the music score ever more delivers. the double edged sword with this show though, is that characters can be replaced, killed or disapear forever. what i like about that is that you never know who will make from episode to episode. what is sad about that is that characters i like are gone. but, that's not unlike life. so, i can live with that. word up. anyway, it's good, action packed, spy thriller, chocolate coated entertainment. enjoy.

clever plugs those.

chip chip. bravo. tea. biscuits. lad. cheerio. posh. football. by jove. chips. english jargon and the like.

plug o' the week - november 3-7, 2008

holy crackers!

another week already? what the snap is up with that?

this is why i'm tired. this week felt like two days. and then some.

oh. i'm also tired because i had to watch a three year old last night. it's not so much a physical tired as it is a mental tired. man. she made me feel foolish a great deal. sheesh.

anyway, enough of my old age and the greater intelligence of a three year old. on to the plugs. woot!


film plug o' the week -



young@heart.
so the girlfriend and i had been looking forward to this. it's a documentary on an older chorus from massachusetts who sings rock songs and pop songs. wow. this may have been one of the best documentaries and/or films i've seen this year. it was funny, heartfelt, sad and had some amazing music in it. i never knew coldplay could make me cry. and yes, i cried. i mean, not like sobbing tears and snot, but one little tear would drop out. somehow it'd find its way. stoopid tearducts. seriously though, if you like old people and good music, this is the film for you.


music plug o' the week -



way to normal - ben folds.
mmmmm. ben folds. what this man does with a piano is silly. he makes beautiful music and then sings about hookers, crazy people and throws in cursing randomly. obviously, if you're mad crazy against cursing, don't listen to him, but he does it in such a natural and undramatic way that it just seems to roll off the tongue. he doesn't seem to do it to be like, 'hey! i'm cursing! yay!' his fun songs are fun. his beautiful songs are beautiful. the songs i really dig from this new album are 'hiroshima', 'you don't know me', 'cologne', 'free coffee', and 'effington'. hehehheheh. effington. shooo.


television plug o' the week -


er.
this one is in honor of the passing of michael crichton who came up with this show. it's also in honor of the fact that this show has been on for frakkin' fifteen years. that's insane on all the levels. i'm not saying this show is still as great as it was back in the day, but i still find it entertaining. i've kinda watched it on and off since george clooney left. he was the big draw. we all know about that. but i always enjoyed noah wyle's 'carter' who i think is actually the main character of the show. it always followed him from day one. even though he hasn't really been around the last couple years, i'm excited that he's coming back to finish off the series. also, they brought john stamos on board. that man and his stoopid amazing hair. he pretty much looks like he did 20 years ago. how that's even fair, i'll never know. grr. that hair. fist shaking. so, rest in peace, michael crichton and thank you for the science and the fiction that you brought into the world, including jurassic park, the andromeda strain and the first great train robbery. rest in peace er. it's been a long road.


that thar be the end of the plugs for this week.

sorry for all the old talk.

happy november, yo.

groove.

plug o' the week - october 27-31, 2008.

happy all hallow's eve! woot!

mmm.

candy.

clever that.

also, yay for plugs!

my first plug is for possibly the greatest halloween picture i have ever seen. more woot!



words can not express the happiness that brings me.

it reminds me of the old calvin and hobbes snowman pics. ahhhh. childhood.

now on to more important matters, like politics, religion and money.

oh man. did i get you. you were all like, 'whoza whatsits? what blog am i on now?' shoot. you so silly.


film plug o' the week -




ghostbusters.
if you're shocked, you're foolish. again, it's close to halloween. by 'close' i do mean 'is'. this has been one of my favorite films since i was a kid. i was over at christopher neyhart's house when i was like 7 or something, and his parents let him watch it, so i got to watch it. i don't think my parents would have, in a bajillion years, let that happen. but i prevailed. and i loved it. and then the geniuses behind it went and made an awesome cartoon as well. bless them all. i love the sarcasm and the wit. bill murray, man. he's okay in my book. as an actor. i hear he makes for a bad husband. but he tickles the funny bone. and egon yelling, 'your mother!!!' at walter peck will forever be one of my favorite moments in film history. there's also rumors that the writers behind the office are planning on writing a script for a third film. giggle!

'dogs and cats, living together. mass hysteria.'


music plug o' the week -



the things we do - angela mccluskey.
so i was watching a thing on the teevee, and a diaper commercial came on, and i was like, 'why does a diaper commercial have amy winehouse singing a song on here?' was i ever fooled. and had a little egg on my face. this was angela mccluskey. like amy winehouse, but scottish and not in rehab. her voice is amazing. and she's got the old 1940's feel that makes the music ears happy. i dig her a lot, and i think she's better than winehouse. definitely less trashy. definitely a good 'beer, sittin' on the porch, thinkin' about things' album.


television plug o' the week -



chuck.
yeah. i know. computer nerds hate this show because of all the lack of actual computer truthiness. and i know word nerds hate the word 'truthiness'. i've seen it. i know. but holy crap, is it funny. and that's what i enjoy. also there's adam baldwin. and after firefly, how can you not love this guy? i'm always a little confused by people who get so upset by shows that are pushing the reality limit. it's fiction. it can do that. it's supposed to be fun. it is. i've read things about the whole, 'how can he have a computer downloaded into his brain?' and 'why does the government only have one super computer instead of multiple?' you know most of these picky pants are the same people who love spider-man. (which i also do.) remember when spider-man was bitten by a radioactive spider and received the powers of a spider? that happens everyday. so that's why that's a good story. gosh. if you want some good clean funny with a dash of action, chuck is the non-computer geek for you. word up.


so there ya be. enjoy if you want. hate if you must. them's the plugs.

go getchyoself some candy.

groove.

plug o' the week - october 20-24, 2008.

so. i have a blog. i do. i say that because i'm typing on one, and most likely you're reading it. i mean, if you're not, then you're probably not here any way so you don't know i have a blog. that's a large possibility. i also have a few other things. none of which really pertain to this blog, but this blog is not all i have. i am typing aimlessly. you actually don't have to read any of this.

anywho, so i thought to myself, 'self, what do you do when you have a blog?' it seems most people make lists and tell people what they like, and what's hip, and cool, and red all over. maybe not the red part, but it started sounding like one of those jokes. am i right or am i right?

so in the shower this very ante meridian, i decided i would do a weekly 'plug o' the week'. the 'o'' should be pronounced 'oh', not 'ah'. just to let you know. i will plug films, music and television shows that i personally enjoy, and think others might as well. if you don't like after reading it here, that's cool, and if you don't like before reading it here, that's also cool. these are just opinions and things i like.

also, i'd dislike any kinds of threats or anger from things i like even if they do suck a great deal.

also, also, if you disagree, you're a cotton headed ninny muggins.

that's not true. that was uncalled for. i apologize.


film plug o' the week -

shaun of the dead.
hecks yes i love this film. and since it's so close to halloween i thought i'd plug this bad boy. i mean, any film that has an electronics store manager drinking guinness and killing zombies is okay in my book. simon pegg and his cohorts are wonderful. they're also in charge of hot fuzz which blew my mind. it's funny, and scary, and hilarious, and they throw records at zombies. i mean. wow. genius. i recommend this to anyone who likes goodness. if you don't like goodness, go watch jurassic park 3.


music plug o' the week -


boxer - the national.
so, kristina and i were watching chuck the other night. that show rocks. i know mcg produces it, and he's a bit of a hack, but the characters are cool, it's frakkin' funny, and more often than not there are some good jams in there. in this one episode, chuck is rollin' up to his bodyguard/crush sarah's hotel room with a flower and some wine, and this song kicks in that's pretty slow, but has an awesome drum/rhythm thing going on. and i was definitely down. so the next morning i checked out adtunes, and low and behold, it was the national. i have a few songs from these cats, and they rock. i don't know a lot about them, but i know the lead singers voice is awesome, and the music is sweet. and they're from brooklyn. so i purchased the album. it's nice. one of my all time favorite things is when you hear a good song, and you're like, 'that's a good song. i wonder who does it.' then you do some sleuthing and it's from a band you already like. makes me think of rainbows, and gumdrops, and unicorns. word.


television plug o' the week -

pushing daisies.
mmmmmmmmmmmm. this show is so tasty. i can't get over how amazing it is all the time. it's funny and heartfelt and genius. the dialogue is super fast and the scenery is breathtaking. the characters, and even their names, are wonderful. names like charlotte 'chuck' charles, emerson cod, the darling mermaid darlings, and olive snook. also, on occasion, cast members randomly break out into song. woot! there are only geniuses involved with this show. sadly, besides kristina and myself, i think only three other people watch it, so there's a strong chance it'll get canceled. that makes me sad. thankfully wonderful shows like the poorly written, directed, acted, filmed and edited new knight rider are already being renewed. yay america! enjoy the amazingment that is pushing daisies before it is gone forever. mmm. pie.

so ends the first plug noise. let me know if you have thoughts and/or feelings.

groove.