...just finished watching "Mulholland Drive" again for the first time in almost five years and it dawned on me that it is a lot like "The Wizard of Oz" in at least one major way....so I Googled both film titles together and found a really interesting article...


For those who haven't seen MD, don't read the following, but if you have seen it and have always wondered what the heck it's all about this is one of the best critiques I've ever read and one I think nails the film perfectly:


read here

Last night on "Chuck" (awesome episode!) the Jeffster decided to take matters into their own hands and confiscate the push mix cd of two parents-to-be and replace it with an impromptu live performance of "Push It." (see it here)

After I finished laughing (maybe the Nyquil I was on made it funnier than it really is?) I thought about an earlier comment the infamous fictional Buy More duo made to a nurse: "Without us, this kid is going to grow up listening to Snow Patrol...and Coldplay." (both groups said with the most disdainful tone imaginable.) I love both Snow Patrol and Coldplay, but I know a lot of people who would agree with that comment.

Jeffster: you either love 'em or hate 'em, but you just can't look away!:)

This album is amazing!! It's what you would get if you took the Squirrel Nut Zippers, some of the Fratellis (of whom founding member Jon Lawler appears here as half of the Codeine Velvet Club) and 60s Vegas lounge.

"They conjure up a Sixties-inspired sound that's equal parts Phil Spector's teenage symphonies and John Barry's sharp 007 soundtracks" - News of the World

I love all of the tracks, but my favorite ones are "The Black Roses", "Little Sister," "Reste Avec Moi" and "Like a Full Moon." The underlying dark atmosphere and sensual give and take between both singers has made me change my mind about duets for the better!

(DO NOT READ if you watch "Medium" and haven't seen the finale yet!)





I just finished watching the series finale of "Medium." I don't normally say this, but I'm going to anyway: WTF?  I started watching already sad to see the show go since it's one of my favorites, but by the time the credits rolled I was sad, very disappointed and rather angry. The writers and producers gave a terrific show bleak and mostly tragic closure when it should given it something more buoyant and "upward and onward."

Those of us who love "Medium" watched tonight as Allison mourned the loss of her husband for seven years. And then, just when all hope was gone, she discovered he somehow survived a horrible plane crash and washed up on a beach in Mexico...but wait, that turned out to be false hope because Allison was really just dreaming and Joe (her husband) woke up her (in a rather abrupt and coldly detached manner, I thought) to tell her he was, indeed, completely, without a doubt, "this is no dream" dead.

Those seven years never happened and it was actually just minutes after Joe died during his return flight from a business flight in Hawaii.

If you don't watch "Medium" this probably doesn't make much sense. Of course, I'm tired and in a bad mood, so I'm not sure I'm writing in a clear or direct manner anyway.

Maybe I should put it this way: tonight's finale should have been warm and fuzzy and left devoted viewers with the beloved and familiar image of what, for the past seven seasons, has been a mostly happy family doing family-like things in a way that is more like what a real family would do than a tv one. Modern film and tv is so bent on constantly having that dark edge on things that it seems like "warm and fuzzy" is somehow dirty and useless.

Yes, "Medium" has often had a dark side when it comes to its crimes and the people behind them, but the family itself? No.

I wanted warm and fuzzy. I wanted Allison and Joe and the girls to have another crazy morning of hurried breakfast and "who's driving the girls to school today?"...for there to be several more mornings like that in the Dubois family's future...for Joe and Allison to still have their healthy marital arguments...for Allison to wake Joe up because she had a bad dream.

Instead, though on a much, much less intense level, I felt the way I do when I wake from dreaming of a departed loved one's miraculous return: depleted and despondent that the bleaker version, not the pleasant one in my dreams, is the true version of what happened.

Phil Collins' newest album took me surprise when I listened to it earlier this evening. Not only is it one of his best albums in years, Going Back is one of the best albums of covers I've heard in quite some time. His  decision to remain completely faithful to the original arrangements (not changing anything) pays off well.

Sure, there are a couple of misses. "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave" should only ever be sung by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (only!!!) and "Standing in the Shadows of Love" is just a tad weak vocally.

But the rest is Motown magic!! On "Jimmy Mack" Collins tweaks the cover by singing a plee to Jimmy to come back soon before he (Collins) takes Jimmy's girlfriend away; otherwise it's every bit as catchy and sweet as the original. Other stand-outs include the lovely "In My Lonely Room," "Do I Love You" and the powerful "Papa Was A Rolling Stone."

I've never been a big Phil Collins fan, but Going Back is inspiring me to give it repeat listens!! Great album for feeling good and feeding your nostalgic side!