fripodding and blogging for action – water

Posted on October 15, 2010 by t. sterling — Leave a comment

Today in Internetland is Blog Action Day. What is that? Check it out for yourself. But in short, every year, those who participate all discuss one topic on their blog. One topic that we as a society truly care about and want to take action to help change. This year the topic is WATER. Not just how good it is and how good for you, but how so many people on this planet are without it. It’s truly sad that something so vital to our survival, as humans, isn’t accessible to all humans.

So for those that can, take the time to donate to one of the many charities that offer help to countries and people who are struggling to obtain water. My guess is, if you’re able to read this blog now, you have easy access to water. And the point I mean to make by that is: don’t take it for granted. If you can do something to help, please do so. Or the very least, help me and the others around the world spread the word! (I have a widget on my sidebar to click on, as well as the links in this post.)

Water isn’t my particular charity I’d like to donate to. I do support Child Fund and I consider myself an arts activist of sorts. I’ve somewhat expanded my quest to education, since arts in schools seem to be disappearing. Well, it was in mine. BUT that’s not what we’re talking about today… it’s all about water for those who can’t get water.

When I heard about the topic this year, I knew just the song to include with today’s friPod! (I also found it coincidental that Blog Action Day landed on a Friday.) Here is one of the best and most talented names in hip hop, and self admitted conspiracy theorist, (and a pretty good actor too), Mos Def dropping truth bombs about water in today’s world. What I also find interesting is this album is timeless. Released in the 90’s, many of his socially conscious songs still relate to today’s times, including this one.

Later on, I remembered a favorite Temptations song which really isn’t as socially conscious as the song posted above, but metaphorically can be connected. Plus it’s a good song and anytime for a Temptation song is a good time. But please donate to some charities to get some wells built or they will run dry.

Tagged with: blog action day, change, charity, friday, fripod, mos def, new world water, no more water in the well, the temptations, water
Posted in blog action day, change, charity, fripodding, music

special fripod post – late edition: james hunter live

Posted on October 10, 2010 by t. sterling — 1 Comment

James Hunter / Photo by Magdalena Polec

Let’s officially say I discovered the great Mr. James Hunter on May, 14th of this year. Once I got a good listen to a few of his tracked, I bought his most recent album The Hard Way. Never did I imagine less than half a year later I’d be sitting less than 10 feet away from him, listening to him sing a few of his owns songs and several covers of many other songs he loves while enjoying a delicious chicken parmesan panini in the heart of Manhattan. Oh, and I had the lovely accompaniment from a dearest friend and great appreciator of music (and film) like myself. You might see her commenting here and there as Koala.

In any event, we spent the night out on the town enjoying Hunter’s catalog of soul and blues tunes that clearly influenced him as an artist. In between songs he would tell short antidotes about the conception of some of his songs or how he “stole” them from other writers.

What always amazes people, including myself, is that if your heard this guy on the radio–meaning you have no idea what he looks like–you wouldn’t expect to see a white guy. I’m not saying that’s a problem at all, it’s just surprising. Then to hear him speak? What?! This dude is English? It’s pretty crazy but for us, that just made him all that more unique.

He played a few songs from his recent album, a few from his older album(s), which I felt like a bad fan for not hearing prior to this event, a few covers of other older songs like “Lonely Teardrops” and “Please, Please, Please” and even gave us a couple new songs which hopefully means another Hunter album soon. What Koala and I (and several others, actually) were waiting for was the song “Carina” which happens to be the song we jointly declare to be our favorite. I love many other songs too, actually. Sadly, he never played this song even though it was requested. In the crowd he heard “Jacqueline” so he sang that one instead. I can’t be mad at that. The song is about his wife. It’s also a really good song too.

So overall, we weren’t disappointed. Sadly, though, we missed out chance to actually meet the guy backstage. Possibly two or three times. The first time he escaped us for a smoke break. We didn’t know if we were allowed where he was, but I noticed another fan out there, so I decided we should go back in to find him. But by the time we did, he was gone. As we stood backstage, we heard what sounded like his voice, but it’s possible it may have been a friend of his or something, so we decided to leave. It’s not like we left empty handed.

As I said, we were about 10 feet away. I took advantage of this distance and my phone (which I don’t think has a zoom feature) and recorded him performing his “last” song. He came back for an encore, much to our delight. By the way, this is my first official YouTube upload. I really wanted this entire friPod post to be a video, even if that meant posting it a couple days late… like it already is. I ran into a few tech problems getting it uploaded in the first place, but here it is, J. Hunter live performing “Please, Please, Please.”

I loved the intimate setting provided by Joe’s Pub. It was a little too intimate, due to the limited space, but it wasn’t too terrible. I just felt bad for anyone who had to use the restroom because that would require making everyone in your path get up from their seats rather than “suck in”. Regardless, it was a very cozy atmosphere and I loved the candles on the tables. The lighting was nice too. It was bad if you were trying to see what you were eating, providing you can make out whatever there is to be seen via candlelight and from some of the stage lights, but that wasn’t a concern of mine.

Koala and I sat next to an old married couple from Florida. They hadn’t heard of James Hunter before and I wanted to ask him if they enjoyed the show, but they left before I got a chance to. He seemed like he did, nodding his head a little to the beat. The wife seemed a bit cold and frigid, she barely moved or even had much of an expression. Unlike other patrons, who were either clapping or dancing in their chairs or applauding wilding after almost every song. A lot of people enjoyed his guitar solos and when he played the harmonica. Quite the talent. And no other band members either! I’m sure he would’ve slaughtered had he brought at least a drummer… but with the songs he played, he didn’t need them. He used his foot most of the time and at one point almost accidentally sent his microphone into the face of one of the audience members sitting by the edge of the stage! But in true class and professionalism, he caught the microphone, still holding (and possibly still playing) his guitar, threw in a quick joke, all while still singing without missing a beat. Impressive.

His show was only an hour, I wish there was more. The amazing thing about this whole experience is that I had no idea he was performing until two weeks before it happened. On top of that, this is the second time I was introduced to an artist and then got the opportunity to see them live in the same year. Also, for this show, I got to go with the only other fan that I know. It’s good to go to a concert with a fellow fan.

However, my experience in the city that day is another story, for another post. Due to being out in the city and also not getting this video online the same night, I obviously couldn’t post this on the same day. By the time I got home, it was already 1AM and I was in no condition to recount the awesome show I had witnessed hours earlier. Plus I was having problems uploading the video. But there’s also a post coming that should have been written months ago regarding on our reliance on GPS and other technologies, so stay tuned for that.

Tagged with: concert, fripod, indoob, james brown, james hunter, joe's pub, manhattan, nyc, please please please
Posted in fripodding, music, new york

fripodding and drowning – “in the air tonight” phil collins

Posted on October 1, 2010 by t. sterling — 4 Comments

We’ve all heard the story, which is maybe now in myth or legend territory now, about the story behind this song, why it was written, who it was written for, and the dramatic scene in which it was performed. Sure it’s false, but isn’t it just great in an eerie if not totally unbelievable way? Well… the unbelievable part is the “dramatic scene in which it was performed” part.

In case you never heard the rumor about this song, one night, singer-songwriter Phil Collins and out and about being singer-songwriter Phil Collins… presumably out by some body of water. Well, legend has it that singer-songwriter Phil Collins noticed someone drowning and pleading for help from some dude who either put him in such a drowning situation or just stood there watching this poor drowning man suffer. Apparently, singer-songwriter Phil Collins wasn’t close enough to save this man himself, or else maybe this song would be dramatically different and not so dark and eerie as it sounds. Anyway, after the supposed crime is committed, the non-savior gets away scott-free… apparently grinning that he got away with murder. Or would it be attempted murder? Involuntary manslaughter? Surely there’s a proper name for not helping to save someone from dying. Anyway, singer-songwriter Phil Collins goes out and hires a private eye to track this guy down to give him a free ticket to a concert. The dude attends the concert unaware that singer-songwriter Phil Collins wrote a song all about what he did, and when he performs the song, there is a spotlight on the let-’em-drowner and only on him, just to say “hey buddy, this one’s for you because I know what you did and now the rest of the world does too.”

But, needless to say, the story isn’t true. I still like it and like to pretend that happened. I’ve heard variations on the truth such as the song is about the bitter break up of singer-songwriter Phil Collins and his wife, or the song’s lyrics don’t really mean much of anything. However, the latter I might be getting confused with “Stairway to Heaven”… another song without real interpretation. Don’t let the truth ruin a good story, right?

Regardless of the facts or fictions of this song, it’s one of the classics. I don’t think I really need to explain why it is, but I’d be surprised if I meet anyone over 20 that hasn’t heard it. How many movies has it been featured in? I don’t really know, but there’s The Hangover, Big Trouble and Miami Vice the movie and TV show just to name a few. But it’s just one of those kinds of songs everyone knows.

What exactly singer-songwriter Phil Collins feels in the air tonight, I was never entirely sure. But whatever it is, or was, it can’t be good. But I can’t help but think singer-songwriter Sir Elton John might have picked up a similar vibe or may have been inspired by happier things while listening to the song that helped him to write “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” Just a thought, and a wild connection to link Phil Collins, Elton John, Disney classics The Lion King and Tarzan together. Too much of a stretch? Okay, sorry.

Tagged with: big trouble, drowning, fripod, in the air tonight, music, myth, phil collins, the hangover, true story, urban legend
Posted in fripodding, music, music video, story, storytelling

“the social network” film review

Posted on October 1, 2010 by t. sterling — 2 Comments

As I walked out of the theater, I asked myself how I was going to start this review. I try to avoid reading any reviews because I don’t like to get hyped up for something just to be let down. Well, this is one I can tell you to believe the hype. This might be one of the most culturally relevant and significant films of the year if not the decade.

Once this movie’s story starts, it doesn’t stop. It may slow down here and there for dramatic effect, but between the action, the music, the directing, the editing and of course the writing… this doesn’t feel dry or boring at all. And from a critic’s point of view, I kinda forgot to even look at these points because I was so wrapped up in the story. And we all know the story, or at least we think we know the story of how Facebook became what it is today.

I’m not really going to give you a summary… I don’t think I really ever do anyway, but you know the main player: Mark Zuckerberg, played excellently by Jesse Eisenberg. I kinda wonder if these guys will one day shake hands, and if that does happen, will the universe explode? I haven’t seen or heard enough of the real Mark to know if that’s how he really talks, but the looks are dead on. But if Mark really talks like Jesse portrays him, then you better listen close. The dialogue reminded me of the rapid fire speeches of His Girl Friday. (And if I’m talking to a young generation who has only seen one or two black + white movies, make that film your third.)

The acting is awesome across the board. I know I said I didn’t like to read reviews before movies, but I did read Oscar buzz about a few of these actors, and I would give a thumbs up for any of them. Even Mr. Sexyback himself, Justin Timberlake, who I feel is an underrated actor. But I applaud his performance as a reckless risk-taker who “helps” Mark further his business. Marks only friend and business parter, Eduardo, is played brilliantly by a Andrew Garfield. I’m not familiar with his work, but he is definitely getting buzz for this role.

I mentioned the music. It’s by Trent Reznor, who is Nine Inch Nails for those not familiar with his name. He is also a one-man-band and quite an impressive score for this movie.

The director, big time guy… Fight Club, Se7en, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button… David Fincher. If you don’t know his name, you should, and now you do. Although I wasn’t crazy about Button, that doesn’t make him any less of a great director and this film can be added to the list.

And last but quite important: Aaron Sorkin, screenplay. Actually an adapted screenplay from the book The Accidental Millionaire, but credit goes to Mr. Sorkin for the perfect dialogue. I don’t know another other way to describe it. If felt natural yet witty. When I said that this story moved, I meant that the pace of the film kept going swiftly. When people spoke, it was something important. And if it wasn’t that important, well, it was for pure entertainment to better enhance what was going on and it made it feel real.

Overall, this is a film that will undoubtably be nominated for something and should definitely win something. The Globes, the Oscars, even something from MTV. Not only is this movie that awards love, but it’s really good entertainment! By the end of the movie, I was left wondering if this Mark guy really a bad guy. Should I pity him? I mean, what would you do in his situation? And he’s a very smart man. He gave you the blunt truth even if he didn’t really want to. So throughout the whole movie, I wasn’t sure if I was really on his side. And I leave this debate with my storytelling, literary, writing friends… hero? Villain? Anti-hero? Protagonist? Where does a character like him fit in? Or does he at all?

Lastly, because I know this is a question some people will have… is this worth seeing in theaters? To be completely honest, I would say it’s up to you. It’s definitely a movie that should be seen whether you wait until DVD or rush out and see it today. If you use Facebook regularly, I’d say you should go see this in theaters. But it’s not like an Avatar or Inception kind of a movie. But it’s also just a very interesting story with stellar writing and awesome acting. I feel like this is one of those important movies that captures a part of our society. Compared to other films like this, based on actual events in our society… social networking is still growing and evolving.

There’s probably more I can say, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll get a feel for other’s reactions before I come back with more of a reflection.

Tagged with: aaron sorkin, facebook, facebook movie, indoob, jessie eisenberg, justin timberlake, mark zuckerberg, oscars, review, the social network
Posted in facebook, movie, review

“no ordinary family” pilot review

Posted on September 28, 2010 by t. sterling — Leave a comment

Sorry, I couldn’t think of a snappy pun of a title for this post, and what’s worse is that I had a couple weeks to write it. I’m feeling pretty special that I was able to get an advanced screening before it’s actual premiere… like a profession critic! Woot!

abc.com

Anyway, I alerted people about No Ordinary Family a couple posts ago and I think most of us had heard about this show a few months ago as we were going through LOST withdrawal and looking for our next serial fix. (JJ Abrams fans still have Fringe to look forward to.) But I think ABC is looking for another show to keep that “Lost” audience. Another show No Ordinary Family is filling the void for is Heroes. Do I really need to explain why? Super powers!

And based on the commercials, I had a feeling what I was getting into. A bit predictable, but this show isn’t meant to be a mind puzzle, it’s just supposed to entertain. So I really don’t mind that it makes me think of Fantastic Four (doubly due to Chiklis), The Incredibles, and of course Heroes but with less characters. In my opinion, this is what will help NOF survive since it won’t have to worry about keeping track of about 20 different characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love that format, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple. And to the point!

The show jumped right into the accident that caused their transformation. We, as the audience, had an inkling of what was happening to them but got to watch them discover it for themselves. Eventually, they pieced together the events from the crash and talked about it as a family, which, by the way, they had rarely done prior to the incident. They were shown to be a “dysfunctional” family that was too busy to actually be a family. No communication, always on the go, the son was at the low end of the intelligence pool, the daughter had regular teenage girl issues, the father was a depressed house husband, and the mother was always rushing but never on time. So, in a sense, it was a reflection of a typical modern family (this show would be perfect right after Modern Family, no?) in today’s busy-busy-busy society.

The father gets super strength, but he isn’t invincible. Oh, and he’s not Superman but maybe more like The Hulk without being green or angry. He also get’s a sidekick who provide test trials for him, and eventually a lair… with wifi. The contrast to his character is that before, he felt weak and insignificant. The mother gets super speed. She also has a friend who helps her test her limits. Her contrast is that prior to her powers, she was always rushing just in time to be late. But now, it seems, she has all the time in the world. What makes these parents with powers credible is their weaknesses. The father was shot and injured to near death. The mother must eat massive amounts of food and does get tired after so much running. But now with these powers, their esteem and even their boring marriage has been revived.

The children, in my opinion, have lesser powers but could prove handy when needed. Specifically the son who becomes a genius. Before, he was failing, behind in his class, needed special education due to learning disabilities. Then in class (a scene they saved closer to the end of the pilot after he was shown to be feeling left out) he takes a test that he masters after seeing the math problems magically make sense on the board. The daughter who is a typical teenage girl with boyfriend issues and gossiping girls discovers she is telepathic. Telepathy is always a win in the superhero world. Not necessarily a must like strength or speed, but definitely beneficial.

So this pilot, like any pilot, is used to set up our characters. It’s presented in a way that the parents are talking to a therapist, which we don’t learn until the end. They are in couples therapy which seems to be going well for this first episode, so they kinda narrate some of story. Meanwhile, the father is engaged in tracking a bad guy and also learns he and his family aren’t the only ones with special powers. This baddie can teleport! Nice little twist there and a pretty good fight scene ensues.

Apparently there are more super powered baddies out there and we may get into some kind of The Incredibles-esque fun. I won’t be surprised if there is some cross promotion… Disney own Pixar and ABC… so why not? But this show seems like it can be a lot of fun for the whole family. I don’t think it’s quite the LOST replacement, but it’s a great show to tune into with the family. Now that I have DVR, it might not be the show I’ll watch live unless I’m already home and not busy. But it’s definitely a show I’ll follow and hopefully will last.

Tagged with: abc, indoob, Lost, no ordinary family, pilot, review, tv, tv show
Posted in review, tv

fripodding and the end of summer: (500) days of summer soundtrack

Posted on September 24, 2010 by t. sterling — 1 Comment

Sadly, I can’t really do this soundtrack justice today. I’m having a very busy week without much time for writing my much beloeved blog post about music, movies and TV shows… especially this week! But I’ll have updates on all those things sooner than later.

Anyway, this week, I finally got around to listening to the acclaimed soundtrack for the acclaimed movie (500) Days of Summer. I first saw the movie months ago and thought it was awesome, if not a little painful. Sometimes–sometimes–the best movies are the ones that you can really connect and relate to on a personal level. But not only was it a really good movie, it look me listening to the soundtrack to figure out another reason why I resonated with this film. I’ll be honest, since there’s been such a large gap between watching this movie and listening to its’ soundtrack, I don’t remember half of the songs in the movie.

But, this only makes me want to see it all the more because I enjoyed the music so much. And as I started out saying, I can’t do this friPod justice and talk about the songs in particular that I really liked or how it affected the movie… but rest assured I will return once I own the movie and have ample time to really expand on what so many people already know and kept telling me about.

In the mean time, check out these past friPod posts:

Oh, and goodbye summer.

Tagged with: 500 days of summer, fripod, movie, music, soundtrack
Posted in albums, fripodding, movie, music

“the event” and other events last night

Posted on September 21, 2010 by t. sterling — 11 Comments

The Event is not this phone call.

Last night kicked off the beginning of premiere week for the new fall TV season. Technically, it started Sunday, but most were watching football or doing nothing at all. Many fan favorites returning from cliffhangers while some showed debuted for the first time ever, hoping to attract a brand new audience to their brand new show. I tuned into two brand new shows and one returning. How I Met Your Mother, The Event and Hawaii Five-O. The 30 minutes in between HIMYM and The Event I spent at Cartoon Network, in case anyone is wondering.

Just to get it out of the way, HIMYM was funny as usual. I may have to rewatch this episode due to missing a few things due to a badly timed nap and later a badly timed phone call. But apparently we are off to a good start.

I’m going to jump ahead and talk about Hawaii Five-O which I’ll admit I didn’t give my full attention to. For what it’s worth, it’s not a bad show and I’ll watch a few episodes due to my like of Daniel Dae Kim aka Jin from LOST and Scott Caan who I’m a fan of due to the Ocean’s movies. From what I saw, it wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t blown away, nor was I expecting to be. I never watched the original show, so I really didn’t know what to expect to be honest. But despite not fully paying attention or being thoroughly impressed, I’ll try out the show a few more times but I don’t see myself making any commitments to watch it. I even wonder if this show is a hit, I haven’t read too many reviews about it yet, but I know a lot of the Twitterverse followed the same route I did and tuned into this show after The Event. And like The Event, a good chunk of people liked it, while the others dismissed it.

And it’s The Event that I’ve been waiting to see and here to talk about. All the while, replaying the teasers and commercials we saw all summer long telling us what wasn’t “the event.” I was also convinced over the summer that “the event” wouldn’t be shown until possibly the second episode… unless that was deliberately misleading information. To which I say, good show sir. Even if it wasn’t the last five minutes of the show, or we won’t see it until the last episode, I’m interested.

But what everyone is and was talking about: is this our answer to the void left by LOST (and apparently 24 for those who watched that show)? Or is this possibly a show that will follow in FlashForward‘s footsteps and only be a one season show? I hope not, because like FlashForward, The Event has a five season plan that I hope they can follow through.

It’s no question LOST changed the game when it comes to best pilot ever for a serial drama. I think Heroes may have come close and kept it going with their stellar first season. But I hope The Event learns from past serial shows how to survive in this ADD entertainment world we live in. What is that exactly? As most shows do, they take a break in the winter. Where I think FlashForward failed is they took too long of a break, and fans forgot and/or lost interest by the time it came back on. I know I did. Plus a good handful of the writers/producers left the show, so there were signs something was wrong. The same happened with Heroes. I didn’t follow LOST until late in the game, but I like how they handled their last season, they only showed one rerun.

Story is also of crucial importance. And so far, there is more than enough going on in The Event that I don’t worry that will be its’ problem. It was and is continuing to be compared to LOST in many ways: airplanes, flashbacks, tropical areas, multiple character back stories. Oh yeah, and lots of mystery. All that’s missing is a couple polar bears and a smoke monster. Who are these prisoners? (I guessed aliens, like a bunch of other critics did too.) Where did this dude’s girlfriend go? What’s so special about these characters and who are they really? And by the way, for people like me, character development is what made LOST and even Heroes so great.

I wanted to keep this somewhat spoiler free so people still have the chance to watch the pilot for themselves. I’m pretty sure it’s not really a secret at this point, but the payoff was definitely worth the build-up of that hour watching these characters fight about this airplane and vacationing in paradise and dealing with government cover-ups.

So I don’t know about you, but I’m in. For the sake of having at least one serial drama to be committed to (since there aren’t any left unless you want to count Fringe), I ask that you check it out too. I’m interested in seeing where this is going and hoping this show becomes a hit so I can at least see a second season. But it’s so early in the game, who knows what’s in store? And in time, I think the LOST comparisons will start to fade as long as this show gets the chance to make a name for itself and NBC doesn’t do anything foolish. What’s also interesting, and probably what producers intended, it’s got people talking. If the ads didn’t get you, hearing your friends and family talk about it will. Or it might. Some have already signed off. Some are reluctant. I know this, and so do they. But I’m always up for a good story and I hope we get to see this one played out until it’s planned ending.

But we shall see. See you at The Event next Monday at 9PM, Indoobians!

And for the reviews I’ve read so far: CNN, EW’s Ken Tucker and Doc Jensen.

Tagged with: Heroes, indoob, Lost, NBC, new show, pilot, premiere, review, the event, tv, tv show
Posted in review, tv

107.5 fm

Posted on September 19, 2010 by t. sterling — 2 Comments

This is for Radio Shack, that lady who just made a return, and everyone else out there who ever bought one of those iPod/MP3 player radio transmitters for their car and it never seems to work properly or get clear reception. I know and feel your pain and I’m here to hopefully help.

I’m calling out Radio Shack and that customer because I overheard them making the return transaction while I was shopping for semi-related audio tech. She complained she couldn’t get a clear station anywhere on the dial. The sales associate agreed and said how Connecticut is filled with radio stations that are used. I wanted to jump in and suggest or recommend a few stations I found success… such as 107.5 FM. Generally, the low end and the high end of the dial is where you want to tune your transmitter to. In fact, a few of these transmitters only have those settings. You’ll get the least interference and the clearest reception with those stations. But I did not speak up and butt in with this insider knowledge. I felt that would be rude. Plus maybe she just needed the money back for something else. Or maybe the one she bought just really sucks.

But I know sometimes these transmitters do just suck. Sometimes it’s not loud enough. Sometimes all you get is static regardless if the station is free. And sometimes the most expensive isn’t the best. My lone tip isn’t guarenteed, but maybe it’ll help somebody in the future when it comes to purchasing or getting your transmitter to work properly. I’m not telling what station I use so no one jams my station. (Not that its a big deal, but I now use 87.9.) But play around with the transmitter and radio stations available. And what works for one transmitter may not work for another. So don’t get too frustrated… unless of course the device you bought really does suck. Sorry.

This is DJ Sterling Silver signing off.

Tagged with: ipod, radio, tips, transmitter
Posted in Uncategorized

what i’ll watch this fall 2010

Posted on September 18, 2010 by t. sterling — 1 Comment

It’s time for fall, which means back to school, changing colors of the leaves, and bundling up your children (if applicable) before they go outside. It’s also time for TV show premieres! Some of them returning, some of them new, and some of them returning at a new time, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your schedule, what you are used to and if it conflicts with another show you watch, or if you don’t have DVR.

Allow me to say that I do not plan my life around television. As much as I love entertainment as a whole, I value more important things in my life than what’s on TV. Tennis ball collecting and cataloguing, for example. However, on occasion there are a few TV shows that have been deemed “appointment TV”, and I find myself rushing home or to the nearest television so I can get my fix. Those of you who were Losties like myself know exactly what I mean. And since one of the best shows on TV said goodbye a few months ago, we need to find a new show to make an appointment for. No worries. Rather than point to a show that has the possibility of failure (sorry about that FLASHFORWARD call), I will point to the shows that I’ll be checking out this season, whether they are new or returning. Check the schedule cheat sheet to follow along or map out your TV watching this fall. Sadly this doesn’t include cable shows.

Sundays, I rarely watch primetime TV. But my sources say that whatever you were watching will still be there. CSI: MIAMI is the only new show, so I’ll probably tune in for the first few minutes to watch Caruso delivery a corny line and put on his sunglasses.

Monday used to be the night for HEROES… which had a downward spiral since season 2. We won’t talk about that though. I’ve been a fan of CBS’s HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER for the past couple years but I’ve never really been home to watch it at 8. (Lately, I’ve been at Cartoon Network for a cartoon called ADVENTURE TIME, REGULAR SHOW and MAD, all starting at 8.) Also at the same time is CHUCK, which I keep hearing is an awesome show, but I can’t personally cosign on it yet. However, NBC has a new show that it has been teasing since late spring called THE EVENT starting at 9. I’ll be watching that to figure out what it is and if it’s a suitable LOST replacement. Speaking of
LOST, Daniel Dae Kim will be starring in the reimaging of HAWAII FIVE-0 on CBS starting at 10. I never watched the original. ‘Twas before my time, and I wasn’t interested in TV Land reruns. But it features HEROES alum Masi Oka, so that could be fun. If it isn’t, hopefully I’ll own a Wii by then so I can have my own fun.

I’m excited about Tuesday because of a new show called NO ORDINARY FAMILY. Simple premise, an ordinary family gets superhuman powers. It reminds me of Fantastic Four (for more than one reason), HEROES and THE INCREDIBLES. It starts at 8 on ABC. I actually caught an advanced screening; this is a show I would follow. Unless there’s something on cable, I might take 30 minutes to work on my knitting until RUNNING WILDE comes on. I like Will Arnett and those who are fans of the cancelled-too-soon cult comedy ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT I hear won’t be disappointed. That’s on Fox at 9:30. At 10, I may watch the news or pull out my Crayolas and a coloring book.

I only had one important show to watch on Wednesdays: Emmy winning, hilarious hit comedy MODERN FAMILY. If you haven’t watched this show yet, please do so. Every episode in season one was a blast. That’s at 9 on ABC. I try to be home for this show. But let’s back up to 8pm because J.J. Abrams, one of the geniuses behind LOST, FRINGE, ALIAS, etc. is on NBC with a new show called UNDERCOVERS. I don’t care what it’s about, if Abrams is attached, I’m there. But rest assured you know I know what it’s about: married undercover agents. I was thinking of the movie MR. & MRS. SMITH, but this show might be better. Oh, and I ignored COURGAR TOWN for a while, but it’s not so bad. It’s on after Modern Family on ABC. I’m no longer desperately looking to change the channel.However, Wednesdays at 10 have been reserved for USA network show PSYCH. They are going on hiatus until the winter, so I may check out THE WHOLE TRUTH. Apparently it’s a different kind of legal drama where you see both sides of the story, so we’ll see how that goes. Another new show at the same time is TERRIERS on FX. Just a warning, it’s more adult themed. I’d list shows like TRUE BLOOD and DEXTER but I don’t have HBO or Showtime. Sadness.

Thursday has two blocks of comedy starting at 8 on CBS and NBC. The shows I really want to see start at 8:30, though. The CBS show stars William Shatner called BLEEP MY DAD SAYS, the NBC show is a long time favorite of mine 30 ROCK. I have a feeling Tina Fey will probably win my heart. At least this season she isn’t competing with FRINGE at 9 on Fox. Fringe is must see TV for me. After that, I’m either on a trip to go mountain climbing or working in my laboratory.

Fridays have generally been known as the death slot for TV shows. Like a curse. I hope that isn’t the case for my new favorite cop show THE GOOD GUYS, on Fox at 9. I generally don’t plan on being home at all on a Friday. But if I’m not as some exclusive party in Manhattan or Hollywood, then I’ll at least watch that show if not picking up a movie.

I don’t really need to talk about Saturdays. No one is home anywhere in America to watch anything, and if they are, it’s DVR. And that hasn’t been lost on me: many people DVR everything, or catch it online the next day. So let’s make Saturdays official Catch-Up Days.

And just for fun, I’m going to guess which shows aren’t going to make it to see season 2, or even a season finale. I have no real evidence or inkling these shows won’t make it, these are just the shows I’m least interested in watching at the moment and know the least about. And I have nothing against the CW, it’s just a channel I never paid attention to. I also have very little use for most reality TV. I could be wrong with the following shows, but they are only guesses based on my opinion and without having watched anything yet.

MIKE & MOLLY (I just don’t think it’ll last)

THE DEFENDERS, OUTLAW (No reason, just a guess)

OUTSOURCED (I have my doubts…)

DETROIT 1-8-7, BLUE BLOODS (There are so many cop shows, at least one isn’t going to make it, plus one of them is on a Friday)

RAISING HOPE, BETTER TOGETHER (These don’t look funny from the commercials, but that’s judging books by their covers)

Tagged with: adventure time, fall 2010, how i met your mother, indoob, Lost, modern family, no ordinary family, predictions, the event, the good guys, tv, tv schedule, tv show
Posted in tv

fripodding and trapping: the temper trap

Posted on September 17, 2010 by t. sterling — 3 Comments

Thanks to a fantastic friend of mine who shares many of the same musical tastes as I do, I found a new band I can’t stop listening to. My friend sent me 13 hours worth of music she loves and thought I would love too. To make a long story short, as of this posting, I’ve only gotten through about 3 hours of music and 1 of those hours happened to be the 1- track album called Conditions by an Australian band called The Temper Trap.

I had never heard of them before, but as I went through each song, I kept being blown away. Have you ever been in the mood for just hearing something new as well as really good? On top of that, you might be looking for a sound you just haven’t heard before? Well, that’s what The Temper Trap was for me. After many repeats, I found that certain songs invoked similarities to other artists I’ve heard before, which isn’t a bad thing. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were some sort of inspiration. Anyway, one song, “Soldier On” sounded like a Led Zeppelin song to me. Another song, “Fader” (nice music video, btw), had a Maroon 5 vibe to it. This is all in my opinion, by the way. But one thing is for sure, I feel these are some original artists and I may not understand what all of their songs are about, but that doesn’t keep me from looping it dozens of times in a single hour.

Coming soon to the Indoob is a Grooveshark widget feature which I will try out on the sidebar. Eventually I’ll change it up since I’d love for others to be exposed to the awesome music I enjoy regulary. This was brought to my attention by my same friend who introduced me to The Temper Trap, who, on a side note, I may be seeing in a couple weeks in NYC. So perhaps there might be a part 2?

But what in the world has come over me? How have I gone on and on talking about this band and not mention their most famous song which I’m pretty sure you’ve heard quite a few times on TV commercials, movie previews (if not the movie itself) and dozens of other places: “Sweet Disposition.” I think the first time I heard it was from (500) Days of Summer. Or a car commercial. Either way, once I heard those first few notes, I was like “I’ve heard this quite a few times on TV commercials, movie previews (if not the movie itself) and dozens of other places!”

And after listening to them practically all week, I finally peeped a few of their music videos. “Sweet Disposition” has 3, officially. I’m only going to post 2, let me know which one out of the two you like better. I think I like the space one, but the lead singer, Dougie, I like his hat. The songs I like the most are “Rest“, “Fader”, “Love Lost”, “Fools“, “Science of Fear” (another awesome video) and “Sweet Disposition.” Not necessarily in that order, but like I said, it’s only a 10 track album and the few I didn’t mention aren’t bad, I just don’t find myself keeping them on repeat as much. But this is one of the few albums I can play straight through without skipping. Sadly, quality albums like this are never long enough for me, hence the repeat button. And I found this fan-made video for “Love Lost” that I thought was pretty cool and I like better than the official, so check it out:

And call me a little crazy, and I don’t blame anyone for thinking I’m trying to make a stretch to connect this band or that last song I played to LOST, but doesn’t the lead singer kinda look like Miles Straume (Ken Leung), or is it just me?

Well I may be back for a special edition and addition post all about how they perform live. I expect nothing less than great and I can’t wait for their next album… even though this one pretty much just came out.

Tagged with: conditions, fripod, indoob, love lost, music, sweet disposition, the temper trap
Posted in fripodding, heavy rotation, music