Song(s) of the week

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I’m currently working my way through the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia box set that Santa gave me. That guy just gets me.

Still no new episodes to report on, but to pass the time here’s another new song of the week.

“Lonely’s Lunch” by You Say Party!

Yes, for the first time in the history of the song of the week, I’ve chosen only one song. It truly is a great day.

Where I found You Say Party: On one of the few remaining channels that still play music videos. Legend has it, if you stay up really late at night, you can still find videos from bands outside the top 40.

What I like: Well first off, I’m a big fan of the video. It reminds me a lot of District 9, which, for me at least, is a positive. I love when bands do something outside of the norm.

And that’s what this band is really all about. They’re a great fusion between rock and dance music, and while that’s not exactly a new concept, no one does it quite like these guys (and girls). The layered harmonies in the chorus really make the song for me, and combined with the intensity of lead singer Becky Ninkovic’s vocal, give the song a great angsty (awesome word) feel. “Lonely’s Lunch” is a pop song with a lot of depth. Hopefully you agree. Enjoy!

Lonely's Lunch - You Say Party

Song(s) of the week

I apologise for not blogging much this week. Unfortunately all the shows I normally cover have gone away on their midseason breaks and the only new episode this week was from The Big Bang Theory. Don’t worry though, if you’ve been yearning all week to hear my opinion of this week’s episode, just look under the song of the week – I’ve left it for you there.

On a related note, if my blogging becomes somewhat scarce in the next few weeks, do not fret, I will be back in full force after Christmas as shows start coming back from the break. Until then please continue to enjoy the worldwide sensation that is the song of the week.

This week’s picks are:

“Stay Positive”, “Sequestered In Memphis”, and “Lord, I’m Discouraged” by The Hold Steady

Alright, I admit this week this segment should have been called band of the week, considering my inability to pick only one song. Come to think of it, every week so far probably should have be called band of the week. Oh well.

Where I found The Hold Steady: A few years ago I was working at a summer job when my boss at the time decided to throw me on the night shift. At the time, I was pretty pissed (I still am sort of).  The decision left me in an almost deserted lab night after night, tediously working on whatever tests were required for that shift. There was one upside though – the lab I worked in was basically soundproofed and I could play whatever music I wanted using the computers in the room. Naturally, I began scouring the internet for whatever new music I could get my hands on. I found The Hold Steady located at the top of a music critic’s (for the life of me I can’t remember who) top five albums of the year, and the rest is history.

You may eventually notice that my future song of the week picks are skewed disproportionally toward songs from 2008 – you can chalk that up to my time on the night shift.

What I like: Their lead singer (Craig Finn) has a very unique vocal delivery. This may throw some at first but trust me, it grows on you, and if you were to pick one thing that this band knows how to do, it’s write a hook. “Our songs are sing-along songs” sings Finn in The Hold Steady’s “Constructive Summer” – it’s hard to think of a better descriptor than that.

But I don’t want to limit them to just hooks. This is one of the great storytelling bands out there, and some of the lyrics they come up with are brilliant. “Lord, I’m Discouraged” perfectly captures what it’s like to be into someone who isn’t nearly as into you (you can just trust me on that one), and combined with their ability to throw together intoxicatingly catchy choruses, you’ll find yourself singing along with random lines like “subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis” like it were a universal experience.

Stay Positive - The Hold Steady

Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady

Lord, I'm Discouraged - The Hold Steady

***Spoilers***

The Big Bang Theory – “The Justice League Recombination” (B)

This episode was a marked improvement over last weeks. I’m happy they’ve gone back to the Leonard and Penny storyline. Even for those who didn’t like the original relationship it has to be nice to see the show pick up a recurring storyline featuring either of these two – neither of them have had much to do lately. Plus, who doesn’t love a little sexual tension?

I have a feeling I would have enjoyed this episode more if I knew more about the Justice League characters they were dressed up as. As big of a nerd as I am, my knowledge of comic books is lacking (don’t worry, I still know more about Star Wars than you do). I did like watching the remarkably stupid Zack interact with the rest of the group though. Pairing up a character like that with a bunch of PhDs (and one Masters Degree) was a good call, and I wouldn’t mind watching him stick around for a couple more episodes.

I’m Riding This Wave Straight To Hell!

Hello loyal blog readers, fellow members of the Brain Trust, Brainers if you will. Today I give you my thoughts on the fifth season of Dexter, as well as review the latest episodes of How I Met Your Mother and the Big Bang Theory. Really random subjects I know, but I like to be economical with my posts.

As usual, there will be spoilers.

Dexter – Season 5

To be honest, I’ve been wondering how Dexter was going to top itself ever since the second season when it was Dexter himself being hunted. And to my delight, each year they’ve come up with a brand new angle for each season that’s managed to keep it interesting.

This season was enjoyable – and I do mean that – but I can’t help but think what it could have been. The way they’d been setting it up all season I really thought someone – either Deb or Quinn – would find out the truth about Dexter. Now the groundwork is certainly there for Quinn to eventually figure it out, if he hasn’t already, but what this show really needed in its finale was for something to up the stakes for the series. We’ve seen all of the elements of this season before, and while it was wonderfully done, this show can’t afford to rest on its laurels.

And there-in lies my slight disappointment with the finale – at times it felt like it was a cop out. Lumen was a great character, and I enjoyed watching her and Dexter together over the course of the season. One of my favourite moments from this season stems from this relationship – the scene where Astor asks Dexter if helping Lumen makes him feel better about Rita. I didn’t like the way they handled her exit though. I have no problem with the reasoning behind her leaving, but it felt too much like they were writing her off because she was a guest star than it did because it was a natural progression in the story.

I had the same issue with Dexter and Lumen’s final confrontation with Deb. Deb letting them go was definitely warranted – it’s the same reason I thought Deb would find out Dexter’s secret at the end of the season – but that plastic sheet was just  a little to convenient for me. There’s a fine line between coincidence and ridiculous, and this show flirted dangerously close to it in this scene.

My other gripes are smaller. They never really explained why Chase and Emily (that girl whose blood he wore around his neck) were so weird together. Why did she continue to follow him long after what he did to her? I was also a little taken aback about how quickly they dropped that new cop from the storyline – not that I was a huge fan of her, but they seemed to put in more time than was necessary to develop such a one-note character. And what about the second brother who got away in that club shooting? It was never a very important part of the season I know, but at the same time watching the police department completely forget about a criminal who very publicly embarrassed them took me out of the show a little. If they explained all this already then I apologise, but as I see it now they sort of pushed these questions to the side.

Now I know, you could never tell it with this review, but I did enjoy this season of Dexter – there were certainly some great episodes. Nevertheless, I do think that next season will be an important one for the series. If something doesn’t upset the status quo of this show, or take it somewhere it hasn’t been before, Dexter is really going to fall in quality. It’s been one of the most consistent shows on television over the past few years, but after five seasons even the best shows can grow stale. I hope that doesn’t happen to Dexter.

The Big Bang Theory  – “The Alien Parasite Hypothesis” (C)

I have a somewhat love-hate relationship with this show. I really love nerd humour, and you’d be hard pressed to find another show on television that embraces it more than the Big Bang Theory. On the other hand, I really love character development too, and you’d be hard pressed to find another show with more static characters than the Big Bang Theory, the worst offender being Sheldon.

Now pleaseee, don’t take this the wrong way. Sheldon is pretty much the epicenter of the show, Jim Parsons does a great job playing him, and without him this show would only be a shell of what it is. That’s not what I mean. My problem is the show tends to over-rely on his character, which has remained virtually unchanged since the beginning of the show. Now that they’re in their fourth season it’s starting to feel like we’re getting hammered with the same jokes over and over again.

And now here was an episode where they could have done something about it. When they ended last season with the promise of Sheldon finally dating I was hoping they would use it to take Sheldon’s character to a new place. They’ve done this to a point, but they’ve never really taken his character too far out of his comfort zone. I would have liked to see Sheldon’s character move it to the next level with Amy Farrah Fowler when she started expressing an interest in another man (after apparently being sexually aroused for the first time in her life). Instead the writers kept him in familiar waters, which I find a little boring. Now I know he acted exactly like Sheldon would have acted, but that’s exactly my point – if we don’t get to see him in different contexts then he gets stale, sitcom or not.

That’s just my take on it. I know the Big Bang Theory is a popular show, and I wouldn’t be watching it at all if I didn’t like something about it, so I know I’m bound to find someone out there who disagrees with me. If this sounds like you please let me know why in the comments.

How I Met Your Mother – False Positive (B+)

I liked this episode – a classic How I Met Your Mother non-linear narrative that’s been at the heart of the series since its beginning. Everyone’s storyline here brought something to the table – there was really no weak link – and the ending with Ted talking some sense into the entire gang, capped off with his hilariously short exchange with Punchy (I like Punchy) was really well done.

I particularly enjoyed watching Lilly and Marshall’s freak out. I laughed pretty hard when Marshall seemed to be rationally responding to the situation only to end with an even bigger freak out than before. I could see how there would be some who wouldn’t like this sequence as it’s somewhat gimmicky, but still, how could you not laugh a little at this:

MARSHALL: Lilly we have to relax, there’s no need to panic. True, there’s a lot to do, but we’ve got nine months to prepare. So I say that we just make a list of everything that needs to get done before the baby arrives, and DO EVERYTHING ON THAT LIST TONIGHT!

One last thing – based on the scene at the end of the episode where Robin asks Ted to be her best man if she ever got married, I’d be willing to bet that the wedding shown at the start of the season is hers, and that Punchy’s wedding is probably just a decoy. It was a bit of a throwaway line I know, but it’s also the kind of line that could foreshadow something yet to come. Just a thought...

Alright, I’m done. I’m going to go enjoy a Christmas themed movie snack.

Song(s) of the week

I’ve spent all week on youtube watching the artist from this week’s song of the week. I think I may have problem.

Today’s pick is:

“Everywhere I Go” by Lissie

Where I found Lissie: I’m pretty sure I first heard Lissie on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. See -- there are still some perks to watching that show. Whoever their music supervisor is deserves an epic high five.

What I like: This girl’s voice is phenomenal. You really just have to hear her to understand. The absolutely piercing chorus vocal on this song manages to send chills down my spine every time I hear it. Wow, listen to me – I sound like the James Lipton of music here. Whatever, I stand by it.

I’ve posted two versions of this song. The first is from her EP “Why You Runnin’”, and in my opinion is the better of the two. I think the minimalist arrangement and slower tempo in this version gives the song a better overall vibe. On the other hand, the version off her new album “Catching a Tiger” has an adorable elephant in the video, and I would never deprive you guys of that. I’ll let you decide which one you feel is better.

And also, because I am so in love with this girl, I’ve added a video of her covering Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness”. I really want to give a huge shout out to the guy in the video playing drums with his feet while simultaneously playing bass and singing back-up vocals. Unfortunately, this is a level of coordination I will likely never obtain.

Everywhere I Go - Lissie (Why You Runnin')

Everywhere I Go - Lissie (Catching a Tiger)


 Pursuit of Happiness - Lissie (Kid Cudi Cover)

Damn, It Got Real Up In That Memory Cave

My loyal readers may have noticed that I’ve classed up the blog with a new layout. You’re welcome. This is how I spend the time I should be using to sleep.

Also new this week, I start actually rating the shows. I’m a little worried this is going to end up backfiring on me but I’ll give it a try for now. I do however reserve the right to get bored with it and stop whenever I want. If you do disagree with me I’d love to hear why in the comments. Otherwise, I will take any lack of comments as universal acceptance of my near king-like status in the world of television reviews.

Modern Family – “Dance Dance Revelation” (B-)

Manny and Luke really need their own spin-off, maybe something in the buddy cop genre. Whatever it is I will watch it. Whenever these two are paired together it is almost always funny. The episode where the whole extended family went on vacation and these two shared a room is probably one of my favourite moments from this series. This episode was no exception. Please give us more.

Other than that I’d say the episode was pretty good. I’m having trouble not comparing it to the awesome Thursday night line up I just finished watching, but it was still decent in its own right. Watching Phil collapse under Jay’s scrutiny was pretty funny, especially his tirade on the perfume sampler. I also liked watching Cam and Mitchell struggle to keep Lilly from biting people. It wasn’t a huge part of the episode but whenever they were on it was funny, especially Cam’s “it’s like Twilight back here” comment.

I was not a fan of Claire and Gloria’s storyline this week though. The whole you’re-invading-my-turf-and-I-feel-threatened thing is an old TV cliché. Normally this show does a great job of taking a cliché and making it feel new, but this week it just felt a little stale. I did like Claire stuffing her bra though -- that was pretty funny.

Cougar Town – “The Same Old You” (B+)

For those of you who don’t watch this show because of its terrible title, please give it another chance. The show is nothing like the title would suggest. In fact, one of my favourite parts every week is seeing how they make fun of the name on their title card (names are hard guys).

This was a really good episode for Cougar Town. I was pretty surprised by the ending to be honest. It really made question what’s going to happen next on the series, and it isn’t exactly the kind of show that does this a whole lot. Now that Bobby’s boat has been sunk it’ll be interesting to see where he ends up staying. The obvious choice would be at Jules’ house, but I could also see him staying with Grayson, or, dare I say it, with Trav in his dorm room. It’s a long shot, but I think it would be pretty funny.

My favourite character on this show has to be Andy (Ian Gomez), and I’ve gotta give him a huge shout out on this episode. It’s hilarious how in love Andy is with Bobby (similar to the dynamic between Turk and JD on Scrubs, one of my all time favourite shows). Watching him follow Bobby around on the golf course was hilarious. I really hope if Bobby continues on to the PGA tour (or wherever he’s going, I didn’t really understand what placing 6th meant) that Andy tags along with him.

Community – “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” (A)

Whoever thought up the idea for this episode is a genius.

If you can’t already tell I absolutely loved Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas. Right out of the vein of pretty much every Christmas classic I can think of, this episode had everything going for it. Claymation, check. Talking snowman, check. Christmas pterodactyl, check.

Listening to the gang play through Abed’s fantasy from the study room was awesome, especially the frequent interjections from Professor Duncan. I loved the way they could change his imaginary world however they wanted to as they traveled through it. When Troy and Annie finally hijacked the fantasy to let Abed keep going it was both touching and hilarious.

The final showdown in Santa’s workshop was amazing. Watching the whole gang come back for a virtually catatonic Abed was an emotional moment. Watching them all sing a Christmas song while shooting at Duncan with exaggerated Christmas weapons was a hilarious moment. And as Abed finally realized the true meaning of Christmas, I couldn’t help but agree with his closing statement. Thanks Lost.

I seriously cannot say enough good things about this episode. I feel like if I include all of my favourite moments this post will spiral out of control. If you haven’t seen the episode yet please go watch it, and if you still don’t watch Community, please start. This is one more fantastic reason why you should.

30 Rock – “Christmas Attack Zone” (A-)

This was another solid Christmas episode. Jack and his extended family really stole the show here. I could watch that family dynamic forever. There are just so many comedic angles they can attack us from.

Liz’s obsession with the Mentalist over the course of the episode was super funny as well, especially in the scene where she basically outs Jack for not telling his mother about the baby. I laughed pretty hard watching Liz slowly figure out that the person to Jack’s right was her. It was also fun to watch Jack’s reaction to both Avery and Liz bombarding him over his lack of disclosure.

This episode was, as usual, incredibly quotable, so I’m going to end with my three favourites (it was that hard to narrow down).

MILTON: Listen to me, I’m a doctor!
JACK: Of History! In what emergency would you be necessary -- if someone wanted to know if the 60s were awesome or not?
MILTON: They were!

LIZ: Who hasn’t made mistakes? I once french kissed a dog to impress what turned out to be a really tall twelve year-old.

TRACEY: Ladies of the battered women’s shelter, please be quiet, a man is talking!

The Office – “Classy Christmas” (A-)

This has been two good episodes in a row for the Office. Maybe it’s coming back. It was certainly nice to see Michael step back into his Holly plotline. I think Holly is the odds on favourite for how Michael will leave the show at the end of the season, and having her back now really sets the groundwork for this to happen. As clueless as Michael is I think his character deserves a happy send off, so I’m glad to see her back.

I really thought this episode was a return to form for Pam as well. It was nice watching her help Darryl try to win over his daughter, and her scene with Michael in the parking lot was fantastic. Pam used to be one of the more practical characters on this show, but in the past few seasons I feel like the writers have moved her away from this in favour of making her character the source of more comedy. That’s why it was a nice throwback to see her subtly pick up on the fact that Darryl was having a problem, or know exactly the right thing to say to Michael when he was having troubles with Holly. To me Pam is much funnier when she’s reacting to the ridiculousness happening around her than she is as the source of the material itself, and I hope the writers continue writing her character the way they did in this episode.

I also just want to mention how great it was to see Dwight finally get the upper hand on Jim. While the constant fear joke isn’t a new one (slap bet anyone), they had enough good gags in the episode that I thought it kept it entertaining. Dwight’s last line was pretty great too – “In the end, the greatest snowball isn’t a snowball at all—it’s fear. Merry Christmas!” So true Dwight, so true.

Who's the Eye Broccoli?

I’ve finally caught up on my viewing schedule. Today I discuss this week’s episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Running Wilde, and, in excruciating detail, explain why I continue to shame watch Grey’s Anatomy. It’s too bad they don’t give out Pulitzers for blogging.

Spoilers... now!

How I Met Your Mother – “The Mermaid Theory”

Yes, I know -- this show isn’t as good as it used to be, when are they going to show us the mother, etc. This episode was alright. The Mermaid Theory wasn’t the best or the worst of the many theories and rules this show has come up with. I was a fan of the Manatee costumes sparkled throughout the episode, especially as Robin was slowly turning into a mermaid and the two costumes began to overlap.

I had more mixed feelings about the Barney and Lilly side story. It was a really unique way of eventually revealing that Lilly would soon be pregnant, and a good new take on the shows whole unreliable narrator thing. My gripe with it is that at times it was a little confusing and tended to drag on while future Ted was trying to figure out the story.

Running Wilde - “It’s a Trade-off”

I doubt this show will ever completely climb out from under Arrested Development’s shadow. It was really hit or miss for the first few episodes and I don’t know how well it’s doing in the ratings, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it lately. I really think Keri Russell is doing a great job and obviously Will Arnett is still as funny as ever, so hopefully this show can last for a little while longer.

This episode was really funny. I love watching these characters take everything to ridiculous extremes and this week was no exception. Steve hiring a private investigator to figure out how to find Puddle’s school was awesome. There were so many great one-liners in this episode it was hard for me to keep track of them all, but I loved Emmy’s “I’ve been coned” line when she woke up on the catwalk. Also great was Steve’s explanation for why he had to party so hard.

STEVE: “I’m on page six so people forget what my family did on page one”

Here’s hoping for a few more episodes like this one.

**UPDATE**: Yeahhhh... I just read that this show is pretty much cancelled. Too bad.

Grey’s Anatomy - “Adrift and At Peace”

Yes, I will admit as a 23 year old male I am not this show’s core audience. I will also readily admit that its quality has significantly dropped since the end of the second season. So why, you ask, do I continue to watch this show? Well it’s certainly not all the street cred it gives me. Frankly, I am a sucker for doctor shows. Always have been, probably always will be. I’ve watched so many medical shows I pretty much am a doctor now, and yes, you should put some ointment on that rash -- that’s disgusting.

Despite this affliction (and maybe even because of it), I am well aware of the problems on this show. Many of the patients are ridiculous, and like a lot of medical dramas, feel the need to conveniently broadcast their entire life stories just around the time the doctors start conducting rounds. They also tend to start storylines with no clear idea how they are going to finish them, then get bored and just dump them altogether half-way through (**cough** Haan, George and Izzie, that surgeon with Asberger’s **cough**). 

But I’ve come to accept Grey’s for what it is. It has its flaws, but it does have its moments too. For one, this show clearly knows how to do a season finale -- the last two of them have been phenomenal. And this season’s documentary style episode, it was really well done, and did a great job of giving us a fresh perspective on characters we’ve known for a while now. Every time I feel like quitting this show it gives me one of these moments, and convinces me to keep watching. Or who knows, maybe I just have trouble letting go.

Anyways, I digress. This week’s episode was pretty average for me. I’ve liked the Derek and Christina storyline all this season and this episode was no exception. I’ve always viewed Derek as a bit of an arrogant character at times, so it’s nice to see him acknowledge the sacrifice Christina made for him. I’m not sure if I totally buy her big nervous breakdown -- it seems a bit forced -- but I’ve certainly enjoyed watching her and Derek interact over the last few episodes.

I wasn’t so impressed with Bailey’s storyline this week. It wasn’t terrible but it’s the kind of story this show has done to death. I particularly didn’t like the scene where she bursts into the conference room, apparently so excited she was unable to just tell the Chief what she’d figured out.

I’m looking forward to seeing Teddy’s new storyline play out after the break, if only because it involves Scott Foley. You may remember his awesome role as Sean on Scrubs. It’ll also be interesting to watch Arizona and Callie try and work things out. That door slamming at the end of the episode was cold. They clearly have some work to do.

Oh The Event, Keep Holding On To That Dream

I’ve decided I’m going to hold off on a review of this week’s episode of Dexter. Being as next week is the finale I think it’s more appropriate if I wait and review the season as a whole instead. In the meantime here are my thoughts on this week’s episode of the Event.

Spoilers below.

The Event – “Everything Will Change”

The big send off to the first half of the season. You knew there was going to be some sort of shocking twist at the end of it. It’s just too bad that it took them so long to get to it.

First off, I’m getting a little bored with the Sean and Leila storyline. I don’t dislike either character, but other than the big revelation at the end of this episode they haven’t added much in terms of driving the plot forward. Earlier in the season, when Sean was paired up with Agent Collier and Leila was being held captive by Vicky, their storyline had a hint of suspense to it. Now it seems like they spend entire episodes without really finding out anything. Because of the fact we get to watch President Martinez and his staff search for answers, not to mention watching Sophia and the rest of the NTBs interact, Sean and Leila rarely discover anything we didn’t already know.

The Sophia and Thomas power struggle has been a little more interesting, but the way the show has handled it has been somewhat frustrating. Last week, after Thomas openly betrayed Sophia you would have thought she would have kept a better eye on him. The fact that she basically let him betray her again was a bit of a cheap set-up for the episode’s finale.

Now with all the problems this show seems to be having I do want to give the writers some credit. The mythology surrounding this show is actually quite interesting, and it’s what’s kept me watching up until this point. My frustrations lie in the execution.

The ending of this episode was quite good, but at the same time a little confusing. I’m assuming Thomas is calling home with his newly launched satellite. It would be interesting to see exactly where the satellite is pointed – I’d love to find out exactly where this group is from. I’m guessing since there home planet has been described as barely habitable that the reason this group is there is to scout out new places to live. Sophia had a comment early on in the season about hoping one day her people would be welcomed like any other immigrants to a new country -- it would seem to support my migration theory. If I am right then I’m willing to bet that Thomas is calling the rest of his civilization to come on over and make themselves comfortable – although they do have some sort of prime directive don’t-interfere-with-the-primitive-species thing going on so who knows.

The other big revelation from this episode is that father Buchanan is actually one of the NTBs --or involved in age experiments, but they don’t seem to have those down yet so I’m going to guess it’s the latter. This is an interesting twist, and one I’d considered earlier in the season (he says that now) but had dismissed. Here’s what confuses me. The government has basically had custody of this guy since the third episode. At the same time he was also suffering from some mystery disease given to him by Thomas’s crew. When they were treating him for this did they not notice that he had a completely different circulatory system than a normal human being? If Simon had to insert a vein into his arm to pass his CIA medical how did they miss (and continue to miss) this in Michael Buchanan? I really hope if they do end up making him an NTB they give him some added back story so it makes a little more sense than it does now. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt until then.

This also brings up a good question of whether Michael’s now deceased wife was also an alien. The whole half-human half-alien thing is an idea I’ve been throwing around in my head for a while now with this show. It takes me back to when Battlestar did it with the half-Cylon half-human baby. If this is the case then it would certainly make Leila’s character more interesting, and may help spark her and Sean’s storyline.

With the way this show’s been falling in the ratings lately it really needs a shake-up to get it back on track. I hope they can find a way to improve it without betraying the overall mythology they’ve already established. I'm not giving up on you yet The Event.

Song(s) of the week

This is pretty much destined to become a worldwide sensation. Basically each week (until I get bored), I’m going to share with you a song (or songs) that I have come to love, from bands most of my friends have never heard of (except for when I force them to listen). Hopefully they will be songs you haven’t heard before, but I can’t really guarantee that (I have very little idea what is popular anymore)... so, if you have heard any of these songs give yourself a pat on the back for having such excellent taste in music and please check back next week for a song you hopefully haven’t heard yet.

This week’s picks:  

“Sleepyhead” and “Little Secrets” by Passion Pit

Where I found them: A few months back I was trying to find tickets to a Metric concert. I was way too late to get tickets to their show, but I did happen to notice who was opening for them. I gave the band a quick look up and I was pleasantly surprised. I may have heard part of “Sleepyhead” before this in a phone commercial or something, but I’m not really sure. Either way I don’t think you really get the full impact of the song until you’ve listen to it in its entirety.

What I Like: This band is super upbeat and their songs are catchy as shit. Some people I’ve shown this to seem to have trouble with the pitch of the guy’s voice, but in all honesty I think it’s a huge part of what I like about the band. Not only is it super hard to sing like that, but I think it helps to give them a distinguished sound. My favourite parts are the keyboard solo in “Sleepyhead” and the kid like chant in the chorus of “Little Secrets”. Enjoy!

Sleepyhead - Passion Pit


Little Secrets - Passion Pit

Happy Expulsion from a Uterus Troy

I’ve been a big fan of NBC’s Thursday night line-up for a while now, so I figured I would give you my thoughts on last night’s episodes. Except for Outsourced, I can’t watch that show.

This goes without saying, but obviously there will be spoilers.

Community – “Mixology Certification”

This was a great episode from a show that has, for me at least, been the most consistently funny show on television over the past year. The only shows on network television that I could consider competing with it are Parks and Recreation or Modern Family. Unfortunately Parks and Rec won’t be on until after New Years, and although I do love Modern Family, it’s had a couple of off episodes this season (please don’t hate me fans of Modern Family, I’m on your team).

This episode saw Troy finally turning 21 (it took him a while to figure it out) and the entire study group hits the bars to help him celebrate. I loved how the second they figured out that Troy was turning 21 instead of 20 Jeff decided that his current birthday party had become immediately “unacceptable”.  I also really liked the banter between Jeff and Brita over what they were drinking. Troy’s line “I can’t wait to understand these arguments” was perfectly timed and basically encapsulated my experience with drinking up until like last year (I’m lying, I still don’t understand these arguments).

The bit with Abed being hit on by a bar patron while he assaults the guy with science fiction jargon was also great. His line when the guy finally breaks down and asks him how he couldn’t pick up on the fact he was trying to have sex with him was priceless.

ABED: Oh I actually did pick up on it after a while.

MAN: And?

ABED: I really really like talking about Farscape. It’s a really good show.

I see a lot of myself in Abed.

While Abed (Danny Pudi) and Troy (Donald Glover) are easily my favourite part of this show, I do have to give a shout out to Annie, played by the remarkably funny Alison Bree. She’s slowly emerging as a force to be reckoned with in a cast full of standout performers. Her work in the last episode, “Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design” was hilarious, and watching Annie lose control with a bottle of chloroform in “Accounting for Lawyers” has been one of my favourite moments from the show this season.

 I can’t even wait to see the claymation Christmas episode next week. I love Rudolph so it should be entertaining.

30 Rock – “Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish”

TRACEY: You know Donald, my son who’s two years older than me.

While this show may not be as laugh out loud funny as it once was, it still holds its own against the best comedies out there. I thought this episode was one of the better ones I’ve seen from 30 Rock this season. Watching both Liz and Kenneth go back through their past traumas was awesome, especially Kenneth’s father pig. Also awesome, any scene with Tracey Morgan in it.

The Office – “China”

I was actually pleasantly surprised with this week’s episode of The Office. I’ve been disappointed with the show lately but I’ll save my reasons for another post. This episode was a nice return to form. They had a good character moment with Pam expressing her fear of failing again to Jim. It was nice to see the writers find a good use for Jim and Pam. These characters have been in a bit of a rut in recent seasons, and when they have gotten screen time it hasn’t been particularly funny. I’m not sure if I liked Dwight ending up as the puppet master at the end, but on the whole the story worked for me.

I enjoyed the side stories in this episode as well. Andy’s texts to Darryl were funny and his final redeeming text made me laugh. It was also fun to see the rest of the office grabbing at the opportunity to show up Oscar. Oscar is often the voice of reason in the office so it was cool to see the writers turn that on its head. Here’s hoping they can keep this up.

One last thing. Please check out this hilarious video of Conan pretending to do a video blog. Man did I miss him.

Stay tuned, I should have a review of this week’s episode of the Event pretty soon.  Whenever I get around to watching it...

Dear Internet

I have decided to blog.

Why now you ask? Because I am worried -- the internet is dangerously under populated when it comes to television and film blogs and no one seems to be doing anything about it. I will not stand idly by while people struggle to find answers to important questions like, should I be watching Community (you should), and is the new season of Dexter as good as the last (verdicts not out yet, but no -- the last one had Dick Solomon playing a serial killer)? It is a noble pursuit that clearly constitutes a need for this blog. Well that and I have nothing better to do with my time.

A little bit about myself. I have an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of film and television. I love discovering new series that bring something different to the table, show an interesting perspective, or are just straight up great at what they do. I one day hope to become a writer and follow in the footsteps of great writers like JJ Abrams, Bill Lawrence, and Judd Apatow, hence the blog. Believe it or not actually writing is an essential part of this process. I was surprised too.

I really have no idea the shape this blog will take, whether I’ll be reviewing shows on a weekly basis, discussing the various shenanigans I get myself into, or compiling melodramatic playlists to ex-girlfriends (I’m definitely doing that). Hopefully whatever it turns into will be entertaining and informative.