Fall premiere week has come and gone and while I was disappointed with a few favorites, I was more than happy with Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family and even pleasantly surprised by some new shows.
Here is my take on a few of the season premieres (there may be some mild spoilers scattered throughout):
Castle: A show that started out as Jeff making fun of me for watching (I adore Nathan Fillion), quickly turned into a show that has become his favorite. The comaraderie between the main cast (Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever) is so fun and the storylines are always interesting. I was pretty sleepy while watching this but I managed to pay attention. The episode was funny and sweet and very cleverly done. It didn't really focus on last season's cliffhanger (which was small) but it was still fun.
How I Met Your Mother: It was a decent opener and had both Jeff and I laughing. I have to admit though that I am a little sick of the teases of "almost" meeting the mother. Yes, I know that is the basis of the show but for goodness sakes! The producers are saying that this is going to be their best season ever. I am looking forward to seeing if that's true.
Glee: Oh, my wonderfully fun Glee is back! Hooray! First an observation: Lea Michele and Cory Monteith are tan and way skinny. I liked this episode, but I didn't love it. I honestly thought it was a little depressing and I was expecting more of an upbeat episode. Maybe my expectations were set too high? I loooved Sue and Schue working together to take out the new football coach (Coach Beiste) and while i'm not crazy about the new characters they are introducing, I really loved the boys performance in the choir room. I thought it was fantastic! Next week is the Britney Spears episode. I am very much looking forward to seeing it, but not seeing Britney Spears herself.
Running Wilde: This is one of the new comedies on FOX, starring Keri Russell and Will Arnett. I'll start off by saying I love, love, love Keri Russell, so right off the bat I am telling myself that I will like this show. I thought it was a real good start to a new comedy series, though I really don't know how long they will be able to sustain the storyline of her trying to "fix" Will Arnett's character by making him a better man. The little girl who plays her daughter, Puddle (Stefanie Owen), was brilliantly cast. She looks just like Keri Russell and she's a good little actress! Will Arnett was great and the fella who plays his neghbor, Fa'ad (Peter Serafinowicz), had me cracking up. Also, tiny horses make me laugh real hard. I'll keep watching this show, not only to support my favorite Felicity alum, but because I am curious to see how they can sustain the funny.
Detroit 1-8-7: I decided to watch this because I was curious. Curious to see how they represented the "D" and I wanted to see what kinds of Detroit references they would make. It was better than I expected it to be and it was cool seeing all the Detroit stuff (street signs and things of that nature). I wasn't crazy about Michael Imperiolli playing the typical "grumpy veteran cop, who doesn't like his new over-eagar rookie partner". I guess that's supposed to be one of the interesting aspects of the show? It just seemed kind of cliche to me. It ended very unexpectedly though and I love when a tv show can surprise me like that, so, with that being said, I will be giving it another shot.
Modern Family: Words cannot describe how much I love this show. It's funny. SO, so funny and that is how a comedy is supposed to be. Consistently funny every week and I respect that so much. There isn't much else to say, except, if you aren't watching this show, then you don't enjoy laughing. It's fantastic and I am so happy it's back! Also, "WHAT'S THE PLAN, PHIL??"
Bones: This show has a tendency to really miss the mark when it comes to important episodes. I hated their season finale last Spring, so I went into the premiere with low expectations. While I was happy to see my favorite characters again (Booth, Sweets), I feel disconnected from this show. Something is off and I can't quite place what it is. I'm glad it's back though so it can find its footing again... At least I hope it can.
The Office: Yes, we finally caught up on all those episodes from last season. I ended up really enjoying them and was happy with the premiere, particularly the opening:
I am still worried about the whole Steve Carell thing, but i'm also interested to see what they do with it.
Grey's Anatomy: Last year at this time, Grey's Anatomy and I were fighting. I was furious with what Shonda Rhimes had done to one of my favorite shows and was VERY ready to give up on it, but, I am happy to say that she has redeemed herself (slightly). The season finale from last Spring will probably be ranked in my top 5 most favorite finales ever. It was that good. The premiere this season was a great capper to that finale. I am very happy with the direction the show seems to be taking this season and can't wait to watch more of it. Welcome back, Grey's. Welcome back.
Undercovers: Anyone want to guess if I liked it? Surpise, surprise, I didn't. Whether I am overly critical of all spy shows or not, I found it boring. I didn't care about the mission Steven and Samantha Bloom (Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Boris Kodjoe) had to go on and I honestly thought they were too gooey-gooey in love. Blech. I may be way too harsh off the bat because this is a J.J. Abrams show and I don't understand why he would need to delve back into the spy genre for a tv series. Maybe i'm a little bitter? Maybe. After watching it though, it just depressed me and made me miss Sydney and Vaughn a whole, whole lot. I may watch it again just to see if I like the next episode more, but I think I am way too critical when it comes to this to be fair.
I left Chuck off my little list here because I am still working my way toward last season's finale. I believe we have 3 episodes to go and I am thoroughly enjoying them. I love hearing good things about this show because it's so fun and deserves having good things said about it. I look forward to finally catching up with Chuck Bartowski!
What did everyone else think about all the premiere's? Particularly Undercovers? Am I being too much of a snob?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Killer Goes Solo
When it was announced that Brandon would be putting out a solo record, I thought it was a brilliant idea. Not only is he handsome, but he has the stage presence, energy, talent (he plays the piano/synthesizer as well) and the pipes to pull it off. Let me tell you, he pulled it off. His first solo record, Flamingo was released last Tuesday (September, 14th) and it's awesome.
This is "Crossfire", the first single from the cd. I have posted this on Facebook before, but why not watch it again?? The video features himself and Charlize Theron:
Some of the songs remind me a bit of the tracks from Ben Folds, Songs For Silverman, not lyrically, but musically (if that makes any sense). My favorite song (today) from Flamingo is "Was it something I said?". It's upbeat and fun and tells a story and makes me smile (even though it's about a girl leaving him, haha). The other song I really like is one of the bonus tracks, "The Clock Was Tickin'". It's probably the most "country" you will ever hear him and the song starts off really sweet about a couple meeting and falling in love...you can listen to it to find out how the song ends, but I love it and I believe this is Jeff's favorite from the cd as well.
If you plan on purchasing Flamingo, make sure to get the deluxe edition. It has 4 extra songs on it that he could have very easily incorporated into the regular version. Every song is great. All in all, I would give the cd 5 out of 5, but I am easily swayed by the sound of his voice and his dreamy looks. Go buy it for yourself and let me know what you think!
Also, he is coming in concert to The Royal Oak Music Theater in November. Dawn and I are going. You should all check him out too because hearing his voice live is a pretty amazing experience.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Keep on Rocking in the free world...
When I think of the MTV Video Music Awards, I immediately think of this:
I remember watching this performance (from the 1993 VMA's) over and over again with Dennis and our friends. Now, I am not a big Neil Young fan, but we thought this was amazing. Right before they sang "Keep on Rocking in the Free World", Pearl Jam did "Animal" which was the new single from their 2nd cd,Vs. We were all eagerly anticipating their performance and hearing something new from them so much, that I think the excitement carried on over to the duet with Neil Young. We loved it. That whole performance sums up what our excitement was like for that awards show back then.
Dennis and I always made a big deal about the awards. It was usually the night before we went back to school and some times (after we were sent to bed for the night), we would sneak down stairs to catch a glimpse of what was happening. I remember doing this when Guns N' Roses were performing "Live and Let Die" and being so upset I couldn't sit and watch it. Of course, this was back when MTV still played videos and we could discuss which ones we thought should win and which ones were going to win.
These days, MTV doesn't play videos. At all. So the fact that they still have an award show boggles my mind. I get it, it's a tradition, but really? Who is seeing these videos? Other than Lady Gaga, I didn't think artists even made videos anymore. Do the bands/artists/performers make the video and then it gets sent immediately to the MTV website? I know there are other stations who show videos, but MTV is not one of them. Perhaps it's time to let one of the other legitimate music networks take this award show over?
I'll admit, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the show last night. I fast forwarded through the entire first hour, but what I did see of it, wasn't too exciting. Maybe i'm too old now, maybe i'm not "with it", but the performances didn't do much for me and a good majority of them were lip synced. That's one of the things that I can respect about Lady Gaga. She may be kooky and out there and wear dresses and hats made of meat, but she is talented. Her voice is amazing and as extravagant as her musical performances are, she always sings live (as far as I know anyway). That's awesome.
Watching the VMA's is more of a joke now. Who is going to make a fool of themselves? Who is actually going to sing live? Who is going to interrupt who? At least I will always have those fun memories of staying up late on a school night, with my brother and watching our favorite bands rock out.
Now, the reason I dvr'd the first half of the VMA's is because we were watching the season finale of True Blood. It literally pains me to say how disappointed I am in the finale. It started off fantastic. It is probably the best Sookie episode so far. She was funny and finally, FINALLY stood up for herself and got her snarkiness on. So fun! The Eric parts had me riveted, not only because I love Eric, but because they were the most interesting parts of the episode. Other than that, the whole thing fell flat. The timing seemed off and to be quite honest, I don't think I care about any of the cliffhangers they left off with. A small part of me thinks I am being hugely biased because of the books. For the most part, I try to separate the books and the show. I know each is their own world, but when it veers off so much from the characters and story I love, it irks me... and I am irked. I won't get into specifics because I don't want to spoil anyone but I am a little annoyed. The only thing I wanted them to do with that episode, was set up the following season. As far as i'm concerned, there was no set up. Not if they are following the books anyway. If you know me, or have spoken to me about the Sookie books, you know #4 is my most favorite of all 10. L O V E it. The finale should have ended in a very specific way... I have the final shot they should have used in my mind and when it didn't, it left me disappointed. Maybe I need to not be so critical and just enjoy the ride? Oh well, I'm still looking forward to next season!
I remember watching this performance (from the 1993 VMA's) over and over again with Dennis and our friends. Now, I am not a big Neil Young fan, but we thought this was amazing. Right before they sang "Keep on Rocking in the Free World", Pearl Jam did "Animal" which was the new single from their 2nd cd,Vs. We were all eagerly anticipating their performance and hearing something new from them so much, that I think the excitement carried on over to the duet with Neil Young. We loved it. That whole performance sums up what our excitement was like for that awards show back then.
Dennis and I always made a big deal about the awards. It was usually the night before we went back to school and some times (after we were sent to bed for the night), we would sneak down stairs to catch a glimpse of what was happening. I remember doing this when Guns N' Roses were performing "Live and Let Die" and being so upset I couldn't sit and watch it. Of course, this was back when MTV still played videos and we could discuss which ones we thought should win and which ones were going to win.
These days, MTV doesn't play videos. At all. So the fact that they still have an award show boggles my mind. I get it, it's a tradition, but really? Who is seeing these videos? Other than Lady Gaga, I didn't think artists even made videos anymore. Do the bands/artists/performers make the video and then it gets sent immediately to the MTV website? I know there are other stations who show videos, but MTV is not one of them. Perhaps it's time to let one of the other legitimate music networks take this award show over?
I'll admit, I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the show last night. I fast forwarded through the entire first hour, but what I did see of it, wasn't too exciting. Maybe i'm too old now, maybe i'm not "with it", but the performances didn't do much for me and a good majority of them were lip synced. That's one of the things that I can respect about Lady Gaga. She may be kooky and out there and wear dresses and hats made of meat, but she is talented. Her voice is amazing and as extravagant as her musical performances are, she always sings live (as far as I know anyway). That's awesome.
Watching the VMA's is more of a joke now. Who is going to make a fool of themselves? Who is actually going to sing live? Who is going to interrupt who? At least I will always have those fun memories of staying up late on a school night, with my brother and watching our favorite bands rock out.
Now, the reason I dvr'd the first half of the VMA's is because we were watching the season finale of True Blood. It literally pains me to say how disappointed I am in the finale. It started off fantastic. It is probably the best Sookie episode so far. She was funny and finally, FINALLY stood up for herself and got her snarkiness on. So fun! The Eric parts had me riveted, not only because I love Eric, but because they were the most interesting parts of the episode. Other than that, the whole thing fell flat. The timing seemed off and to be quite honest, I don't think I care about any of the cliffhangers they left off with. A small part of me thinks I am being hugely biased because of the books. For the most part, I try to separate the books and the show. I know each is their own world, but when it veers off so much from the characters and story I love, it irks me... and I am irked. I won't get into specifics because I don't want to spoil anyone but I am a little annoyed. The only thing I wanted them to do with that episode, was set up the following season. As far as i'm concerned, there was no set up. Not if they are following the books anyway. If you know me, or have spoken to me about the Sookie books, you know #4 is my most favorite of all 10. L O V E it. The finale should have ended in a very specific way... I have the final shot they should have used in my mind and when it didn't, it left me disappointed. Maybe I need to not be so critical and just enjoy the ride? Oh well, I'm still looking forward to next season!
Monday, September 6, 2010
A mish-mash of TV rants, reviews and thoughts.
It has been a week and to say that I am disappointed with The Emmy's would be an understatement. While I get that Breaking Bad and Mad Men are excellent shows, this was Lost's last hurrah, their last chance to get the recognition they deserve and what did they get? Absolutely nothing. Zero. Nada. They got a funny tribute performed by Jimmy Fallon as Billie Joe from Green Day (which I loved), but that's not the point. Whether you liked this show or not, whether you "got it" or you didn't, you cannot deny that what Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and J.J. Abrams created was unlike anything on television before. THAT alone should be rewarded.
Through 6 seasons they had their ups and downs. I admit that I was ready to give up very early on in season 3, but they realized what was wrong (unlike so many other shows, coughHEROEScough), owned up to it and fixed it beautifully. The show was creative, clever and had fantastic characters. It NEEDS to be recognized for that. How many buddy cop shows, Law and Order's and CSI's are on your tv right now? A TON. They thought outside the box and challenged viewers without dumbing down their storylines and I loved that. The worst Alias episodes were always when they tried to "catch viewers up" and remind them what was going on. We don't need reminders. If you are truly invested in a show, you get what's going on. Those actors, Matthew Fox, Terry O' Quinn, Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell (to name a few), should have been rewarded for their efforts. They were fantastic and I guarantee you will not see characters such as their's again... or at least for a very long time.
That concludes my bitter Emmy rant.
What did I love about The Emmy's? This:
Jeff and I still have yet to catch up on The Office. We have 5 episodes remaining. It makes me sad that I don't feel like watching. I'm irritated because most of last season was painful to watch and I think I am a little disheartened by the fact that Steve Carell is leaving and they want to continue without him. Here's some advice for The Office peeps; Don't do that.
True Blood's season finale is next week and I have no clue how they are going to wrap things up. They created loads of new stories, so I am very curious to see what happens. I'm also VERY sad that it's coming to end. I am going to miss my weekly Eric Northman fix.
Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries begins on Thursday (9/9), YAY! Even Jeff is excited for that to come back (though, he probably won't like me telling everyone that). This show is so fantastic at surprising you and they reveal important things every week. It keeps the momentum going and never lets the viewer get bored. Also, Ian Somerhalder is AMAZING in it. AMAZING. I didn't care for him as Boone on Lost, but as Damon on VD? Awesome. Love it.
The season finale of White Collar is tomorrow night and I have yet to hear about a season 3 renewal. Let me tell you, I will not be happy if this show doesn't get picked up for another season. If they gave they go ahead to Covert Affairs (Alias Lite) and not White Collar, I may feel obligated to write a letter to the USA Network. Seriously. My television cannot be without Matt Bomer. Nope. Also, I stopped watching Covert Affairs after the 2nd episode. Not only was it boring, but I really can't get over all the Alias rip-offs. And I can't justify watching a show with Sendhil Ramamurthy. No thank you.
The coming weeks will be bringing back all my favorite shows, yippeeee! I can't wait!
Through 6 seasons they had their ups and downs. I admit that I was ready to give up very early on in season 3, but they realized what was wrong (unlike so many other shows, coughHEROEScough), owned up to it and fixed it beautifully. The show was creative, clever and had fantastic characters. It NEEDS to be recognized for that. How many buddy cop shows, Law and Order's and CSI's are on your tv right now? A TON. They thought outside the box and challenged viewers without dumbing down their storylines and I loved that. The worst Alias episodes were always when they tried to "catch viewers up" and remind them what was going on. We don't need reminders. If you are truly invested in a show, you get what's going on. Those actors, Matthew Fox, Terry O' Quinn, Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell (to name a few), should have been rewarded for their efforts. They were fantastic and I guarantee you will not see characters such as their's again... or at least for a very long time.
That concludes my bitter Emmy rant.
What did I love about The Emmy's? This:
Jeff and I still have yet to catch up on The Office. We have 5 episodes remaining. It makes me sad that I don't feel like watching. I'm irritated because most of last season was painful to watch and I think I am a little disheartened by the fact that Steve Carell is leaving and they want to continue without him. Here's some advice for The Office peeps; Don't do that.
True Blood's season finale is next week and I have no clue how they are going to wrap things up. They created loads of new stories, so I am very curious to see what happens. I'm also VERY sad that it's coming to end. I am going to miss my weekly Eric Northman fix.
Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries begins on Thursday (9/9), YAY! Even Jeff is excited for that to come back (though, he probably won't like me telling everyone that). This show is so fantastic at surprising you and they reveal important things every week. It keeps the momentum going and never lets the viewer get bored. Also, Ian Somerhalder is AMAZING in it. AMAZING. I didn't care for him as Boone on Lost, but as Damon on VD? Awesome. Love it.
The season finale of White Collar is tomorrow night and I have yet to hear about a season 3 renewal. Let me tell you, I will not be happy if this show doesn't get picked up for another season. If they gave they go ahead to Covert Affairs (Alias Lite) and not White Collar, I may feel obligated to write a letter to the USA Network. Seriously. My television cannot be without Matt Bomer. Nope. Also, I stopped watching Covert Affairs after the 2nd episode. Not only was it boring, but I really can't get over all the Alias rip-offs. And I can't justify watching a show with Sendhil Ramamurthy. No thank you.
The coming weeks will be bringing back all my favorite shows, yippeeee! I can't wait!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Summer Concert Review
I have been to several concerts this summer. It may be safe to say that I am Concert-ed (I made that up) out. While each one was super fun in it's own way, I think I will be happy to take a break from it all for a while... Unless Ben Folds or Brandon Flowers decides to come here... Or Steven Page... Or The Hip.. Or.. ok, i'll stop.
I have decided to give you lucky people a rundown of each of the shows I went to. In no particular order:
She and Him- Royal Oak Music Theater
I am shocked that I was able to find video from this concert because security was SO tight regarding cameras and recording devices. Every 5 minutes someone was getting yelled at for taking pictures. The show itself was awesome. Zooey Deschanel is adorable and has an incredible voice and can rock a tambourine! Dennis and I had a great time despite the PACKED in crowd, smelly people and being crazy tired from being on our feet for so long.
Gaelic Storm- The Ark in Ann Arbor
First off, if you have never been to The Ark for a concert, you need to. It is by far, the coolest place to see a live show. It's intimate and relaxing and you feel like you are in someone's basement. It's just really, really cool. Secondly, the majority of you probably don't know who Gaelic Storm is. In short, they are a ridiculously fun Irish band that Jeff and I adore. We love them a lot and they make us happy. To see a band like this at The Ark was such a treat. They talked to the crowd, told stories and just rocked the place. It was such a good show! The following video isn't from our particular concert, but it is just a taste of what a fun group they are. It's a true story about how the lead singer (Patrick Murphy) got into a fight with Russell Crowe years ago. Jeff and I love this song! Also, the boy off to the side, in the blue shirt is Peter Purvis. He is crazy, CRAZY talented. I am pretty sure he can play every instrument there ever was. Oh, and I have a real big crush on him. He's so cute.
Barenaked Ladies- The Toledo Zoo
It's kind of weird to see a concert at a zoo. It's even more weird to see a concert at a zoo, in Ohio. Ohio-ans are different. The seats we had (the actual seats, not the location) were so uncomfortable. Giant metal bleachers, ugh. This was mine and Carrie's first post-Steven Page BNL show. They sounded great and were just as fun as ever. They still sing some Steve songs. Some are done really well ("Old Apartment"), others are not ("Sound of Your Voice"). We had a lot of fun and it felt SO nice to be back laughing, dancing and listening to our most favorite band ever. The video below is from that show. It's also mine and Carrie's (lybf) favorite BNL song and believe me when I say, we were ecstatic that they played it. Ecstatic.
Tom Petty- Palace of Auburn Hills
This was an extra special concert because my whole family was going. Mom, Dad, Dennis, Jay, Natalie and myself. An occasion like that hasn't happened in a very long time. Unfortunately, my dad ended up getting really sick and wasn't able to go, but he was with us in spirit!! I was sick as well, but was able to enjoy myself. This is one of those concerts where you just know EVERY song they play. Seriously, everyone knows every song. It's so much fun! They sounded awesome and Tom Petty's voice is exactly the same as it was years ago. We had some super fans in front of us that danced really wacky and were on their feet the entire time, but I can respect that because they were having fun. Not only that, but they provided Dennis and I with some extra entertainment and when you go to a concert, there SHOULD be super fans. That's what it's all about, right? This video is from our show. I chose "American Girl" for my mom because after all, she is An American Girl!
Barenaked Ladies/Kris Allen- Pine Knob (DTE, whatever)
This show had a bit of drama, to put it lightly. We were asked to sit down by 3 different people (1 of which wasn't even in the correct seats) during Kris Allen and during BNL. Sit down? At a concert? No. I paid good money to see these people. I am a Proctor. My parents are Tom and Carol Proctor, I KNOW how to act at a concert, seeing as I have been to countless of them. YOU DO NOT SIT DOWN AT A CONCERT. Aside from that crap, we had a fantastic time at this show. Kris Allen was great and sounded amazing. Natalie and I were so excited to see him and he did such a good job. He sang a bunch of songs off his album and did a few covers as well, including "Man In the Mirror" and "Heartless". I can honestly say that I can't wait to see him again.
BNL were fantastic as per usual. They sang a few songs that we haven't heard them play in years and I love when that happens. We had great seats for this show and that made it even more fun (even though we were asked to sit down and politely declined). Kevin sang "Sound of Your Voice" again and thankfully it wasn't as horrendous as the first time I heard it. Though, I still wish he would just stop it. They have found their groove without Steven and I think that's great. But I have to admit that I still miss seeing him up there, doing his super kicks and hearing his voice. Each of the following videos were from our concert.
And seriously, go ahead and tell me Kris Allen isn't adorable. He's so handsome.
I picked an adlib clip for BNL because it's about Pine Knob and it's fun.
Green Day- Pine Knob
I have been to several Green Day concerts (the first one, being 16yrs ago, as was pointed out to me by Dennis). One of the things that's sort of frustrating about them is that they tend to do the same show over and over and over again (all while sounding great of course), so much so that we pretty much know when Billie Joe is going to say certain things. I am so happy to say that this was not the case last night. FINALLY they changed it up (for the most part) and did SO many old school songs, we were losing our minds. It was SO. Much. Fun. We were on the hill, which was a lot of fun. There were no people being holes around us (with the exception of one girl who would NOT shut up) and we brought a picnic basket and a cooler and relaxed. They sounded fantastic and we danced and sang at the top of our lungs and it was just a really awesome time. I love when bands change their set list. I LOVE it and I was so happy they decided to do that. Billie Joe swears A LOT. He also says "MICHIGAN!!!" a lot and "AAAAAAAAA OOOOOOOO" and it's fantastic. The video is from last night's show. This is the only one I could find, otherwise I would have put a song from Kerplunk! or one of the older songs on here.
My summer concert extravaganza has ended and I enjoyed each and every show. I love music and I love people who appreciate music. Just remember the next time you go to a show that everyone is there for the same reason; to listen to the band and enjoy themselves. No one needs to be knocking anyone else for whatever it is they are doing. Just sing, dance and be merry, people!
I have decided to give you lucky people a rundown of each of the shows I went to. In no particular order:
She and Him- Royal Oak Music Theater
I am shocked that I was able to find video from this concert because security was SO tight regarding cameras and recording devices. Every 5 minutes someone was getting yelled at for taking pictures. The show itself was awesome. Zooey Deschanel is adorable and has an incredible voice and can rock a tambourine! Dennis and I had a great time despite the PACKED in crowd, smelly people and being crazy tired from being on our feet for so long.
Gaelic Storm- The Ark in Ann Arbor
First off, if you have never been to The Ark for a concert, you need to. It is by far, the coolest place to see a live show. It's intimate and relaxing and you feel like you are in someone's basement. It's just really, really cool. Secondly, the majority of you probably don't know who Gaelic Storm is. In short, they are a ridiculously fun Irish band that Jeff and I adore. We love them a lot and they make us happy. To see a band like this at The Ark was such a treat. They talked to the crowd, told stories and just rocked the place. It was such a good show! The following video isn't from our particular concert, but it is just a taste of what a fun group they are. It's a true story about how the lead singer (Patrick Murphy) got into a fight with Russell Crowe years ago. Jeff and I love this song! Also, the boy off to the side, in the blue shirt is Peter Purvis. He is crazy, CRAZY talented. I am pretty sure he can play every instrument there ever was. Oh, and I have a real big crush on him. He's so cute.
Barenaked Ladies- The Toledo Zoo
It's kind of weird to see a concert at a zoo. It's even more weird to see a concert at a zoo, in Ohio. Ohio-ans are different. The seats we had (the actual seats, not the location) were so uncomfortable. Giant metal bleachers, ugh. This was mine and Carrie's first post-Steven Page BNL show. They sounded great and were just as fun as ever. They still sing some Steve songs. Some are done really well ("Old Apartment"), others are not ("Sound of Your Voice"). We had a lot of fun and it felt SO nice to be back laughing, dancing and listening to our most favorite band ever. The video below is from that show. It's also mine and Carrie's (lybf) favorite BNL song and believe me when I say, we were ecstatic that they played it. Ecstatic.
Tom Petty- Palace of Auburn Hills
This was an extra special concert because my whole family was going. Mom, Dad, Dennis, Jay, Natalie and myself. An occasion like that hasn't happened in a very long time. Unfortunately, my dad ended up getting really sick and wasn't able to go, but he was with us in spirit!! I was sick as well, but was able to enjoy myself. This is one of those concerts where you just know EVERY song they play. Seriously, everyone knows every song. It's so much fun! They sounded awesome and Tom Petty's voice is exactly the same as it was years ago. We had some super fans in front of us that danced really wacky and were on their feet the entire time, but I can respect that because they were having fun. Not only that, but they provided Dennis and I with some extra entertainment and when you go to a concert, there SHOULD be super fans. That's what it's all about, right? This video is from our show. I chose "American Girl" for my mom because after all, she is An American Girl!
Barenaked Ladies/Kris Allen- Pine Knob (DTE, whatever)
This show had a bit of drama, to put it lightly. We were asked to sit down by 3 different people (1 of which wasn't even in the correct seats) during Kris Allen and during BNL. Sit down? At a concert? No. I paid good money to see these people. I am a Proctor. My parents are Tom and Carol Proctor, I KNOW how to act at a concert, seeing as I have been to countless of them. YOU DO NOT SIT DOWN AT A CONCERT. Aside from that crap, we had a fantastic time at this show. Kris Allen was great and sounded amazing. Natalie and I were so excited to see him and he did such a good job. He sang a bunch of songs off his album and did a few covers as well, including "Man In the Mirror" and "Heartless". I can honestly say that I can't wait to see him again.
BNL were fantastic as per usual. They sang a few songs that we haven't heard them play in years and I love when that happens. We had great seats for this show and that made it even more fun (even though we were asked to sit down and politely declined). Kevin sang "Sound of Your Voice" again and thankfully it wasn't as horrendous as the first time I heard it. Though, I still wish he would just stop it. They have found their groove without Steven and I think that's great. But I have to admit that I still miss seeing him up there, doing his super kicks and hearing his voice. Each of the following videos were from our concert.
And seriously, go ahead and tell me Kris Allen isn't adorable. He's so handsome.
I picked an adlib clip for BNL because it's about Pine Knob and it's fun.
Green Day- Pine Knob
I have been to several Green Day concerts (the first one, being 16yrs ago, as was pointed out to me by Dennis). One of the things that's sort of frustrating about them is that they tend to do the same show over and over and over again (all while sounding great of course), so much so that we pretty much know when Billie Joe is going to say certain things. I am so happy to say that this was not the case last night. FINALLY they changed it up (for the most part) and did SO many old school songs, we were losing our minds. It was SO. Much. Fun. We were on the hill, which was a lot of fun. There were no people being holes around us (with the exception of one girl who would NOT shut up) and we brought a picnic basket and a cooler and relaxed. They sounded fantastic and we danced and sang at the top of our lungs and it was just a really awesome time. I love when bands change their set list. I LOVE it and I was so happy they decided to do that. Billie Joe swears A LOT. He also says "MICHIGAN!!!" a lot and "AAAAAAAAA OOOOOOOO" and it's fantastic. The video is from last night's show. This is the only one I could find, otherwise I would have put a song from Kerplunk! or one of the older songs on here.
My summer concert extravaganza has ended and I enjoyed each and every show. I love music and I love people who appreciate music. Just remember the next time you go to a show that everyone is there for the same reason; to listen to the band and enjoy themselves. No one needs to be knocking anyone else for whatever it is they are doing. Just sing, dance and be merry, people!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Cakes, Comics, Vampires and A Hole.
In case you haven't noticed, I changed the design of the blog. Some people were saying the colors were making it hard to read, so I am going to try this one out. Don't be surprised if it looks different again the next time you stop by!
Since I finished re-reading the Sookie novels and the Flowers In The Attic books (apparently this is my summer for re-reading things), I have been filling my free time by watching cake shows (and trying to read Andromeda Klein, by Frank Portman). I'm not picky when it comes to these shows, I will pretty much watch all of them. Well, almost all of them...
I love Ace of Cakes (The Food Network) because I love the relaxed atmosphere of their bakery, Very rarely do you see any of them get stressed out over finishing a cake on time, or if something goes wrong during the design process. They all just go with the flow and that's awesome. Their cakes are always spot on, neat and clean. By that, I mean, they look simple and to the point. There is never anything too extravagant about the design and I love the simplicity of it. The end result is always, always impressive and by the end of the show, you just want to be friends with everyone who works at Charm City Cakes.
Since it aired, I have refused to watch Cake Boss (TLC). Why? I couldn't stand all the yelling. It wasn't until I sat down one night and forced myself to watch (because I wanted to see their process for creating/decorating the cakes), that I started to enjoy it. There, I said it, I enjoy Cake Boss. I am fascinated by how quickly Buddy can ice a cake, by the way he says "modeling chocolate" ("mwodeling chwocolate"), by the absolute busy-ness of that bakery and how many employees it takes to make it run efficiently. There are always TONS of people in the background working on different cakes and pastries. So. Much. Fun. I want to sample every delicious treat in there and help make little people sculptures right along with them. Some of the downsides to the show are his sister Mary being crazy annoying (I can't stand it when she yells at him) and at times, I find some of the cakes to be way over the top and almost gaudy looking. But I'll admit that one day, I would love to visit Carlo's bakery in person.
I have also been into Cupcake Wars (The Food Network) and Amazing Wedding Cakes (WE). I am absolutely enthralled by the decorating process and the way each bakery has their own techniques and recipes. I love it! The creativity of it all mesmerizes me and makes me want to practice, bake and eat delicious cupcakes!
I do not, repeat, DO NOT like DC Cupcakes (TLC). The two women who "ditched their corporate jobs to start a bakery" are not enjoyable to watch at all. All they do is bicker and call for their "mommy" and talk about their "signature swirl" (which any person with no baking experience could do). They are full of themselves and all of their employees seem miserable. I have no problem saying that I very strongly dislike the show and will not watch it.
Sticking with television and things I have been watching, True Blood has been A M A Z I N G this season. That is not an overstatement or an exaggeration. It has been wonderfully fun and entertaining. They have done a great job of remaining faithful to the book, plus making it more exciting at the same time. The new cast members have been phenomenal, particularly Dennis O' Hare as Russell Edgington, Joe Manganiello as Alcide Herveaux (Mmmm) and James Frain as Franklin Mott. All three have exceeded my expectations with what they have done with their characters. They were perfectly cast and have brought spunk and charisma to a show that was already exploding with it. Also, Bill is so much more enjoyable this season and I think it has to do with him being away from Sookie (can you tell I am Team Eric?). I cannot wait to see what the second half of the season brings.
Comic Con was last weekend and one of my favorite things to come out of it, was hearing J.J. Abrams thoughts on the Lost finale:
"I personally believe that Damon and Carlton kicked incredible ass and wrote an amazingly emotional finale"
Awesome.
Watching all the Comic Con coverage prompted us to take Charley to his very first comic book store. He was begging us to take him to the convention, "let's by tickets to go there!" so we figured the comic store would be the next best thing. We took him to Comic City in Novi (they also have locations in Canton and Pontiac and the owners are fantastic people, who Jeff and I have known for years). He loved it (especially the Star Wars stuff) and came away with a new fascination for Spiderman. I came away wanting the $70 Dr. Horrible figurine that they had in the display case (ahem... my 30th birthday isn't far off if anyone is looking for ideas...) and Jeff came away with a longing for the comics he used to collect every week. Ladies and gentlemen, we are grooming our Charley Bear to be a huge nerd and couldn't be more proud of it!
On a more musical note, Steven Page released his first solo single yesterday, "Indecision" (since departing BNL in February of 2009). Listening to it (3 times in a row) made me realize how much I have missed his voice and that I now have a love/hate relationship with my one time #1 musical crush. I looooove his voice and could listen to it all the live long day, but now I cannot hear it without thinking of him as the hole who broke up my favorite band and made me feel bitter. Damn him for that! The single itself is good and very reminiscent of "Bull In a China Shop" (from BNL's Barenaked Ladies Are Me). Hearing it makes his absence more noticeable on BNL's new cd, All In Good Time (obviously) and made me realize that while it is a good record, THAT'S what is missing from it (again, obviously). Maybe as more time passes, I will be able to move on from his departure from the band, but in the meantime, I can always put both of their new cds on and hit shuffle and it will be as if nothing ever even happened.
Since I finished re-reading the Sookie novels and the Flowers In The Attic books (apparently this is my summer for re-reading things), I have been filling my free time by watching cake shows (and trying to read Andromeda Klein, by Frank Portman). I'm not picky when it comes to these shows, I will pretty much watch all of them. Well, almost all of them...
I love Ace of Cakes (The Food Network) because I love the relaxed atmosphere of their bakery, Very rarely do you see any of them get stressed out over finishing a cake on time, or if something goes wrong during the design process. They all just go with the flow and that's awesome. Their cakes are always spot on, neat and clean. By that, I mean, they look simple and to the point. There is never anything too extravagant about the design and I love the simplicity of it. The end result is always, always impressive and by the end of the show, you just want to be friends with everyone who works at Charm City Cakes.
Since it aired, I have refused to watch Cake Boss (TLC). Why? I couldn't stand all the yelling. It wasn't until I sat down one night and forced myself to watch (because I wanted to see their process for creating/decorating the cakes), that I started to enjoy it. There, I said it, I enjoy Cake Boss. I am fascinated by how quickly Buddy can ice a cake, by the way he says "modeling chocolate" ("mwodeling chwocolate"), by the absolute busy-ness of that bakery and how many employees it takes to make it run efficiently. There are always TONS of people in the background working on different cakes and pastries. So. Much. Fun. I want to sample every delicious treat in there and help make little people sculptures right along with them. Some of the downsides to the show are his sister Mary being crazy annoying (I can't stand it when she yells at him) and at times, I find some of the cakes to be way over the top and almost gaudy looking. But I'll admit that one day, I would love to visit Carlo's bakery in person.
I have also been into Cupcake Wars (The Food Network) and Amazing Wedding Cakes (WE). I am absolutely enthralled by the decorating process and the way each bakery has their own techniques and recipes. I love it! The creativity of it all mesmerizes me and makes me want to practice, bake and eat delicious cupcakes!
I do not, repeat, DO NOT like DC Cupcakes (TLC). The two women who "ditched their corporate jobs to start a bakery" are not enjoyable to watch at all. All they do is bicker and call for their "mommy" and talk about their "signature swirl" (which any person with no baking experience could do). They are full of themselves and all of their employees seem miserable. I have no problem saying that I very strongly dislike the show and will not watch it.
Sticking with television and things I have been watching, True Blood has been A M A Z I N G this season. That is not an overstatement or an exaggeration. It has been wonderfully fun and entertaining. They have done a great job of remaining faithful to the book, plus making it more exciting at the same time. The new cast members have been phenomenal, particularly Dennis O' Hare as Russell Edgington, Joe Manganiello as Alcide Herveaux (Mmmm) and James Frain as Franklin Mott. All three have exceeded my expectations with what they have done with their characters. They were perfectly cast and have brought spunk and charisma to a show that was already exploding with it. Also, Bill is so much more enjoyable this season and I think it has to do with him being away from Sookie (can you tell I am Team Eric?). I cannot wait to see what the second half of the season brings.
Comic Con was last weekend and one of my favorite things to come out of it, was hearing J.J. Abrams thoughts on the Lost finale:
"I personally believe that Damon and Carlton kicked incredible ass and wrote an amazingly emotional finale"
Awesome.
Watching all the Comic Con coverage prompted us to take Charley to his very first comic book store. He was begging us to take him to the convention, "let's by tickets to go there!" so we figured the comic store would be the next best thing. We took him to Comic City in Novi (they also have locations in Canton and Pontiac and the owners are fantastic people, who Jeff and I have known for years). He loved it (especially the Star Wars stuff) and came away with a new fascination for Spiderman. I came away wanting the $70 Dr. Horrible figurine that they had in the display case (ahem... my 30th birthday isn't far off if anyone is looking for ideas...) and Jeff came away with a longing for the comics he used to collect every week. Ladies and gentlemen, we are grooming our Charley Bear to be a huge nerd and couldn't be more proud of it!
On a more musical note, Steven Page released his first solo single yesterday, "Indecision" (since departing BNL in February of 2009). Listening to it (3 times in a row) made me realize how much I have missed his voice and that I now have a love/hate relationship with my one time #1 musical crush. I looooove his voice and could listen to it all the live long day, but now I cannot hear it without thinking of him as the hole who broke up my favorite band and made me feel bitter. Damn him for that! The single itself is good and very reminiscent of "Bull In a China Shop" (from BNL's Barenaked Ladies Are Me). Hearing it makes his absence more noticeable on BNL's new cd, All In Good Time (obviously) and made me realize that while it is a good record, THAT'S what is missing from it (again, obviously). Maybe as more time passes, I will be able to move on from his departure from the band, but in the meantime, I can always put both of their new cds on and hit shuffle and it will be as if nothing ever even happened.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Alias "Lite"
It is a simple fact that I will always and forever compare all spy genre shows to my beloved Alias. It doesn't matter what the premise is, I will immediately say it's an Alias rip-off. When Chuck first came out, I was intrigued by it but at the same time, I was snotty about it and figured they were stealing things from the wonderful world of SD-6. They weren't. Like I said, i was just being an Alias snob. Chuck is actually a really, really fantastic show. It has all the fun spy stuff, it's super funny and they always leave you surprised. The storylines are original and it's this show that introduced me to Mr. Matthew Bomer (Of White Collar, which I will get into in a bit).So, of course I had mixed feelings about watching the premiere of Covert Affairs on USA (Tuesdays @ 10pm). It stars Piper Perabo (of Coyote Ugly fame) as Annie Walker, a 28yr old CIA agent leading a double life... and she works at a bank! Just kidding, she doesn't work at a bank. I think her "cover" is that she works at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. I won't get too much into the plot in case people want to watch it for themselves, but there were some semi interesting twists and turns. It didn't overly impress me, but I didn't hate it, so that's good. Separately, I really like everyone on the show. Christopher Gorham (most recently from Ugly Betty) is my favorite part about the show. He's the "tech guy" who just happens to be blind. I really enjoyed his part in the episode. It also stars Peter Gallagher ( The O.C. and Center Stage), Kari Matchett (Invasion, where she played a Dr./alien fish) and hold on to your hats Heroes fans because the fan favorite (not really) Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder Suresh) is in it as well. Though he wasn't in the Pilot episode, I am eagerly anticipating his appearance (not really).
Just a few observations (silly, yes, but they all ran through my mind as I watched the show):
- Some parts of the episode were ridiculous, like the extremely long car chase scene. I told Jeff it reminded me of the pod race in The Phantom Menace. It was unnecessarily long and kind of pointless.
- Annie Walker is no Sydney Bristow. At all. Though no one can compare to Sydney, she certainly doesn't kick ass like her. She is a likable character, but there is something off that I can't put my finger on.
- Her apartment (which is really her sister's pool house? Guest house?) looks just like Sydney's.
- Jeff kept saying the music was very Alias-like (though not as good, of course).
- "Truth is complicated" is the new "Truth takes time"
All in all, I will refer to the show as "Alias-lite" (props to Carrie for that one). I will keep watching and see where it goes, but really, all it does is make me want to watch Alias. If I hadn't had an episode of White Collar to watch, I probably would have watched "Truth Be Told" before I went to bed.
I also watched the 2nd season premiere of White Collar. The basic premise of the show is about a white collar criminal named Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) who cuts a deal with the FBI to help them with crimes using his expertise as an art thief and counterfeiter. His partner is Peter Burke (Tim Dekay), who is married to Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) and the 3 of them have a really fun relationship. They all play off of each other really well. There is always some crime (obviously) that they need to solve, but it is always done in a clever way. And the thing that always surprises me about the show is how funny it is. I love that. It also made me like Tiffani Thiessen again, who I liked on Saved By The Bell but hated on 90210. Willie Garson (Stanford from Sex and The City) plays "Moz" and he is actually one of the best parts about the show. It was a good season premiere and I am looking forward to next week's episode. I know I said it before, but if you are looking for something to watch this summer that isn't reality tv, you should check it out.
J.J. Abrams new spy series Undercovers premieres in the fall and you know I will have things to say about that. Hooray, something for all of you to look forward to!
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