Outside Lands Music Fest '09

I wasn't able to make it to the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco (although I made the trip to SanFran last May for the first time and loved it) but luckily lots of others people made the trek and were rewarded with a performance by the great M.I.A.. Here she is about to sing "Pull Up The People":


Jack White's band The Dead Weather featuring vocals by the ingenious and entrancing Allison Mossheart, made their first festival appearance. I saw them at Terminal 5 in July and they absolutely killed it. There's a great high quality video of their performance of "So Far From Your Weapons" from this weekend:

Sesame Street

Yeah I know, Sesame Street is for kids, but come on, it was the show that defined our childhood. Here's most of the cast of the show on stage at last night's Daytime Emmy Awards.


Brings back so many memories.

Emmy Watch 2009 Part 3

Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Drama Series

24 • FOX • Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television in association with Teakwood Lane Productions Cherry Jones, as President Allison Taylor

Damages • FX Networks • FX Productions and Sony Pictures Television Rose Byrne, as Ellen Parsons

Grey's Anatomy • ABC • ABC Studios Sandra Oh, as Dr. Cristina Yang

Grey's Anatomy • ABC • ABC Studios Chandra Wilson, as Dr. Miranda Bailey

In Treatment • HBO • Leverage, Closest To The Hole Productions and Sheleg in association with HBO Entertainment Dianne Wiest, as Gina

In Treatment • HBO • Leverage, Closest To The Hole Productions and Sheleg in association with HBO Entertainment Hope Davis, as Mia

I thought maybe I'd been spending too much time focusing on comedy, so for today's Emmy Watch I decided to highlight the Supporting Actress in a Drama. I'll make it quick: Chandra Wilson or Sandra Oh deserve it. They've been on the ball this season of Grey's Anatomy, even though the writing and plot lines have been all over the place. These two kept the show grounded. If I had to pick between the two, I'd say Sandra Oh deserves it more if only because Chandra Wilson cried a bit too much this season (I feel bad for you, Bailey, but you're supposed to be the strong one. Buck up a little). This season, Oh's Cristina Yang showed such promising signs of development: she was able to stick out a relationship without being cynical about every little thing, she showed true emotion and concern for her fellow doctors, primarily towards Dr. Owen Hunt. Below, find one of the couple's crowning scenes together, in which Hunt, suffering from severe post traumatic stress disorder (he is recently back from Iraq) hurts Cristina in her sleep. The scene is harrowing but a true test of Oh's ability as an actress.



Hope Davis was excellent this season too, so I wouldn't be surprised if she or Dianne Wiest take the award.

Emmy Watch 2009

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series

30 Rock • Gavin Volure • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios Steve Martin, as Gavin Volure

30 Rock • The Bubble • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios Jon Hamm, as Dr. Drew Baird

30 Rock • Mamma Mia • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios Alan Alda, as Milton Greene

Desperate Housewives • The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened • ABC • ABC Studios Beau Bridges, as Eli Scruggs

Saturday Night Live • Host: Justin Timberlake • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video Justin Timberlake, as Various Characters

I'll be completely honest from the start: I didn't see Beau Bridges' performance in Desperate Housewives because, well, I don't watch it! So it could be the greatest comedic performance of all time and I wouldn't know it. Sorry. Moving on...

As I've told friends, I thought Steve Martin was just ANNOYING as Gavin Volure. Yes, we get it, you're playing an eccentric "billionaire" who lusts for Tina Fey's Liz Lemon. Could you tone it down, just a bit, or maybe bring something original to the performance? Don't think I don't love Steve Martin; I saw him host Saturday Night Live this year and it was a relatively hilarious show. Love his book too. But this just wasn't my cup of tea (probably the only episode of 30 Rock I didn't love this year).

Jon Hamm was perfection as Dr. Baird and I'm so glad he submitted "The Bubble" as his episode (his arc lasted three episodes). While I do find Mad Men overrated, I thoroughly enjoy Hamm's performance on the show. By playing Dr. Baird, he was able to mess with television audiences by playing two very different characters on two very different shows. The revelation that his character gets everything handed to him on a plate because of his looks; as Liz Lemon says, "You can't put Gatorade on salmon."

Alan Alda, very funny in Mamma Mia. Tina Fey stole the episode though with her bright eyed look at the prospects of there being a real Mamma Mia.

Justin Timberlake is a consistently solid Saturday Night Live host, but this years' appearance was nothing different from the ones in the past. Very, very funny, but a little stale.

Win goes to Jon Hamm.

R.I.P. DJ AM

Earlier today, DJ AM was found in his New York city apartment, dead of an apparent drug overdose. Rest in Peace, you will be missed.

UPDATE: AM was in New York to throw out the first pitch at the Mets game at Citi Field just a few days ago. On August 23, he tweeted "Off to Citi Stadium to throw out the 1st pitch at the Mets game! Ho-lee shiz I'm nervous. How the F does a DJ get this honor? Thank you G0D!" So, so sad.

Oasis-How Many Times is this Wonderwall Going to Fall?

In a brief statement on the Oasis' website, Noel Gallagher said: "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight." Isn't this something like the eighth time Oasis has "broken up"? Anyway, I expect to be posting soon that they've reconciled.

James Cameron's Avatar...Done Before?

Fathom Studios, the company behind the MASSIVE flop Delgo are considering a lawsuit against James Cameron and the makers of the upcoming epic Avatar, 20th Century Fox. With a budget of roughly $40 million, Delgo, which featured the voices of Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt (two washed out celebrities who should be happy that the lawsuit might shed some notice on their careers), grossed only $700 thousand, making it 2008's biggest failed movie. Meanwhile, Avatar, directed by Cameron (his first picture since Titanic), has a reported budget of $400 million, making it one of the most expensive movies of all time. What do you think? Do Delgo and Avatar look similar? Or are the creators of Delgo just doing everything they can to garner some publicity for home-video sales?

"Shock Value 2" EXCLUSIVE SCOOP

The great Timbaland has been hard at work on the followup to his platinum album Shock Value. Ingeniously titled, Shock Value 2 promises to feature guests the likes of Estelle, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Drake (the most in demand rapper right now), Keri Hilson (having the best year of her life), Usher (really?), Chris Brown (FAIL), and the Neptunes. He also has tunes in the can with Madonna (one that was meant for her most recent album), the Jonas Brothers, Daughtry, and Hollywood Undead.

The last time there was any excitement over this was about eight months ago, when an unconfirmed track from the album featuring T-Pain leaked to the Internet. Here it is for your listening pleasure.

Jon Minus Nine Plus Hailey Glassman

I'm sure everyone has heard, in one way or another, about the mess that is the "empire" of Jon and Kate Plus Eight. For those who don't know, Jon has been seeing a trashy girl from Long Island named Hailey Glassman. Here's her Match.com profile (not really, but it's as close to reality as possible).

Hailey Glassman Match.com Profile Video - watch more funny videos

Have fun with your five minutes of fame, Hailey.

A Book Review: "Everything Matters!"

In Ron Currie Junior's second novel, "Everything Matters!" a fetus is greeted by an unnamed narrator who soothingly says "First, enjoy this time! Never again will you bear so little responsibility for your own survival.” Soon after, the voice outlines the rest of Junior Thibodeau's life, proclaiming that exactly 36 years and 168 days after he is born, a runaway comet will smash violently into Earth, destroying it.

Where can a book go from here, you may ask? The bitingly funny Currie Jr. manages to defy the conventional "end of the world is near" stereotype by taking his protagonist on a journey with many different side roads. Early sections follow the course of Junior’s evolving consciousness. He understands that his mother is loving but unreliable (later he grasps that she is, in fact, an alcoholic); his father tough and taciturn but devoted to his family (he works in a bakery 16 hours a day); his older brother, Rodney, is a bully. Then Junior, after being terrified by the sight of an atomic blast on television, transforms into a worried and serious child. “The world is so big, how can it be obliterated?” he asks at just age 5, establishing a pattern that will extend throughout the book.

Some of the sidetracks Currie Jr. puts Junior on involve: his brothers addiction and subsequent brain damage due to "that white powder" that he found in his uncles drawer (read: cocaine); his mothers' alcoholism; the cancer that his father fights with; his own alcoholism and deep depression stemming from everyone's dismissal of his "far-fetched theories"; his roller-coaster relationship with Amy, the girl of his dreams.

Above all “Everything Matters!” radiates pure confidence. The excitement that drives the reader from page to page is not just about the wonderfully written characters. It’s about seeing what Mr. Currie will try next.

Jay-Z and The Blueprint 3

Recently, a few songs off of Jay-Z's upcoming album, The Blueprint 3, leaked. The first, "Off That," is Jay-Z at his best. Rife with his acerbic disses ("Please tell Bill O'Reilly to fall back / Tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls / This 2010 ain't 186") and killer beats (produced by Timbaland), “Off That” features a blistering hook brought to your ears by king of the summer, Drake (the up-and-coming rapper from Canada and one of Lil Wayne's many proteges). Check it out below.



The next song, which has garnered far more hype than "Off That" is "Run This Town" featuring Rihanna and Kanye West. Judging by the names on the track, the song was expected to be phenomenal, one of the best songs of the year. However, it falls flat. Rihanna seems dull and listless, as if she doesn't care about the words she is singing. Jay's raps are weak; perhaps he thought the other two would carry the song for him. The only redeemable thing about the track is Kanye's verse, which in my opinion, isn't even Kanye at his best. Even though it was released as the first single, it's received little airplay and is slowly falling off the charts. I eagerly await the American public's response to the better song, "Off That."

Couldn't find a direct link to the song, so here's the video instead. It's pretty intense.

R.I.P. Reading Rainbow

Today marks the end of an era: the final episode of the classic television show Reading Rainbow hosted by the great LeVar Burton airs today. The memorable theme song is echoing in my head as I write this post:




Reading Rainbow taught me to love reading. I used to watch it religiously as a child, always excited to see what new books I would find on the show. A few summers ago, I was a camp counselor in Williamstown, MA. On the Fourth of July, we showed the kids a classic episode of Rainbow and to my surprise, several of them had actually seen the episode. It was the type of show that parents and kids could watch together on a Saturday morning.

Reading Rainbow, you will be missed.

61st Primetime Emmy Awards

What with the Emmy Awards rapidly approaching, I thought I'd take this opportunity to offer my predictions for the major categories. Each day, I'll post about a new category.

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios

Entourage • HBO • Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

Family Guy • FOX • Fox Television Animation

Flight Of The Conchords • HBO • Dakota Pictures and Comedy Arts in association with HBO Entertainment

How I Met Your Mother • CBS • Bays & Thomas Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television

The Office • NBC • Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille LLC in association with Universal Media Studios

Weeds • Showtime • Showtime Presents in association with Lionsgate Television and Tilted Productions, Inc.

This year, the Best Comedy award absolutely deserves to go to 30 Rock. This season was tighter, crisper, and smarter than the previous two. Tina Fey learned from her (few) mistakes and made the show the cool/best show to watch on television. With an outstanding supporting cast (Tracy Morgan basically playing himself, Jack McBrayer as the lovable and naive Kenneth the Page), the show has brought the funny back to NBC (although The Office certainly holds its own in the time slot before Rock).
The fact that Entourage was nominated at all is SUCH a joke; that show hasn't been funny in years. It's basically a bunch of douches rejoicing their own douchebaggery. Family Guy had a good year, but it wasn't good enough to trump the likes of Flight of the Conchords, How I Met Your Mother, and The Office. And as for Weeds? Meh. Just, meh.

30 Rock is back in town nerds!

To my delight, new photos popped up of Tina Fey and the cast of the Emmy-winning 30 Rock filming in New York this week. Banter!
I love Tina Fey's shirt.

Also on the 30 Rock front, a new casting notice has been sent out for:
[DANNY] – a handsome, all-American guy, ages 22-30, who performs a robot act in Times Square. Danny is new in town and hoping to make it in show biz. RECURRING GUEST STAR.

Who do you think would best fill the role?

Cloverfield...2?

A supposed trailer for the planned sequel to Cloverfield (sidenote: really? Did we need a sequel?) just leaked and, even though I'm hesitant to admit it, it looks pretty cool. Cloverfield itself was a solid movie, the kind of movie you walk out of feeling pretty satisfied. Anyway, watch the "trailer" here and decide for yourself.

This is a "Lost" Post

I'm really liking these new posters for Lost. As described by their website, "In celebration of LOST's final season and as a project of fan appreciation, 16 top designers and artists, who are also fans of the show, were commissioned to create artwork celebrating one of the series' most memorable, and unforgettable, "water cooler" moments."

So far they've released one for Hugo Reyes (Hurley) and one for John Locke. Check them out.



Also, the Lost viral-game continues to keep fans entertained during the break. People who purchased the Hurley poster were given this note:

The first six people who showed up were given laser engraved wooden Dharma Initiative skate-decks.

The First of What Will Surely Be Many "Glee" Posts

Last May, the Fox network aired the pilot episode of a groundbreaking new show, Glee. Critics and audiences alike loved it (unlike the last attempt by a major studio to resuscitate the musical/TV show, Viva Laughlin. Way to go CBS). I caught the last half of it while on vacation in San Francisco, but only recently was I able to watch the episode in its entirety.

Created by the minds behind Nip/Tuck, Glee is a breath of fresh air to an otherwise boring network. For one thing, I was engaged throughout the entire hour. I couldn't wait to hear what song would be sung next. Huge songs like Amy Winehouse's "Rehab", "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, and "Respect" by Aretha Franklin are re imagined in such drastic but incredible renditions that I never ceased to be astonished. This show has the potential to be a phenomenon, and fans are already catching on. After just ONE episode, Glee launched it's very own tour this summer, featuring all the major cast members. The term "Gleek" has already been coined to describe the obsession with the show. New clips from upcoming episodes have been viewed millions of times by eager (rightfully so) fans.

Glee isn't entertaining only because of the songs, however. A large part of the show's success lies in the genius casting of the show. Choosing relatively unknown actors to helm the show was indeed a risk, but it truly pays off; theater nerds will recognize the supremely talented (though, apparently, VERY snippy) Lea Michele as the "leader" of the Glee Club, Rachel Berry. Equally talented is Matthew Morrison (previously in the great A Light in the Piazza) as Mr. Schuester, the leader of the club. Bringing her trademark with to the show is the great Jane Lynch who never ceases to be hilarious (even in Julie and Julia, Lynch pulls the rug right under the otherwise very-sturdy Meryl Streep). However, it is the real newcomers who pack the biggest punch: never before have I heard pipes the likes of the phenomenal Amber Riley, who plays the diva-esque Mercedes Jones. Bringing the sass in their first rehearsal, Riley crackles with the fire of a seasoned actress when she declares "Oh, HELL to the no! Look, I'm not down with this background singin' nonsense. I'm Beyoncé, I ain't no Kelly Rowland."

Keep in mind, this is all based on Episode #1. However, all evidence points to the show's first (of many, I hope) season following suit: iTunes has quietly been releasing full-length songs from the show (Michele's full audition, "On My Own", Riley's mind-bending vocals on "Bust the Windows" by Jazmine Sullivan, and the whole casts' bring-the-house-down "Gold Digger" by Kanye West). Please, Glee, please, stay the way you are, at least for this season. If you do, you're bound to blow the socks off of America's people who don't yet know the theater lovers that they really are.

Check Out: Amber Riley's amazing takeoff on R&B superstar Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows" HERE.

World's Greatest Dad

Yesterday I had the opportunity to check out Robin William's newest movie, World's Greatest Dad. Williams, no stanger to indie movies (see One Hour Photo, his brilliant takeoff on the horror genre) delivers a performance that elicits both laughter and tears. Let me start off by saying I've never been the biggest fan of Robin Williams. I liked him enough in Mrs. Doubtfire and he got the job done in Photo. In Dad, Williams throws aside all of the audiences preconceived notions about his work. While he is obviously recognizable, his depiction of a grieving father is radically different from anything he has ever done.

The movie follows William's Lance Clayton, a single father who teaches at the school his son Kyle (Daryl Sabara of Spy Kids fame) attends. Lance, a single dad (for reasons unmentioned by the movie) tries his hardest to connect to his loner of a son, but Kyle would rather sit in his room with the lights off while surfing the internet. Sabara's Kyle is such an insufferable asshole that he makes you want to get up and punch the screen. He hyper-analyzes every thing his father says and does. He treats his one friend in the world, Andrew (the excellent newcomer Evan Martin) like a sack of crap. He rejects every one of Lance's attempts to spend time together. To complicate things even further, Lance walks in on his son strangling himself while masturbating. There is such an obvious disconnect between father and son that it makes the viewer connect with Williams in a way he has never been able to achieve in his previous movies. In yet another attempt to reach out to the boy, Lance invites Kyle out to dinner with his girlfriend, fellow teacher Claire (Alexie Gilmore). Kyle pretends to like Claire, while truthfully he lusts after her and takes pictures of her under the table with his camera phone. Lance drops him off at home, only to find him in his room later that evening with a rope around his neck, dead from erotic-asphyxiation.

What ensues is an even blend of hilarity and sorrow. Lance decides he doesn't want his son to be found this way, so he stages the scene to make it seem like Kyle hung himself because he was depressed, faking a suicide note in the process. When the suicide note leaks to the school newspaper, Kyle becomes a posthumous cult figure. Students who had previously steered clear of the boy (for good reason, director Bobcat Goldthwait is quick to point out) begin to wear buttons adorned with Kyle's face, join Lance's previously near-empty poetry class, and fight over who liked him the most. Rife with irony, awkward moments, and genuine sympathy for Lance, World's Greatest Dad simultaneously tugs at your heartstrings and makes you laugh out loud. The overused "Dark Comedy" doesn't really apply here, because it's more of a hybrid emotional drama and ironic "comedy." Whatever you want to label this movie, it is a true masterpiece.

My Old, Familiar Friend

A couple days ago I came across a copy of musician Brendan Benson's newest CD, My Old, Familiar Friend. For those of you who have never heard of Benson, he was one-fourth of Jack White's first superband The Raconteurs. This is Benson's fourth solo disc, but his first since White's band was put on hold for yet another side project.

Whereas in The Raconteurs, Benson played a bluesy, southern rock, here he returns to his grander, more indie-rock roots infused with a tinge of country. On the CD's opener, "Eyes on the Horizon" Benson sets the tone for the whole album. His cheerful, fast paced, and breezy voice keeps the album moving along at a brisk, but never too quick pace. His songs range from edgy ("A Whole Lot Better") to ironic (the most memorable song on the whole album, "Don't Wanna Talk"). Such talent may overwhelm the average listener, but it’s enough to entice one to give the record another few listens because of it’s endless charm.

500 Days of Summer

I saw this movie with a couple of friends last month, going in expecting another carbon copy of Little Miss Sunshine. However, I walked away truly surprised. The film was visually stunning, beautifully scored, and extremely well acted. Who would've thought that little Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I watched growing up on 3rd Rock from the Sun, would turn out to have some of the best comedic timing of his generation? What was more incredible than the humor, in my opinion, was the way that director Marc Webb was able to make such a seemingly cheesy concept (a love story told out of order) so likable. This was due in part to the charming Zooey Deschanel, an actress whose work I greatly admire (even her bit part in Bridge to Terabithia, an otherwise atypical sob fest of a Disney movie). She has the singing voice of an indie-folk goddess which makes her that much more elegant in my opinion. The movie showcases her light and airy song (a cover) with collaborator M. Ward Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (their band, She and Him, was THE band to listen to last summer).

What works so well about this movie is the way Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt portray an honest to God chemistry the likes of which have not been seen in a Rom-Com in years. In addition to the movie, the pair filmed a short film (set to She and Him's Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?) for USA Today portraying a bank robber (Gordon-Levitt) and teller (Deschanel) who wind up falling for each other. Clearly the two of them realize the chemistry that they have and use it to its fullest potential.

The one scene that is keeping me from labeling the movie an "instant-classic" is the one in which JGL's character bursts out into song, complete with tweeting animated birds and eloquently choreographed backup dancers who also happen to be everyday people on the street. It seemed way too strained, and instead of coming off as the typical Romantic-Comedy's attempt to one-up the ones that came before it, it falls flat. Apart from this minor qualm, I absolutely loved the movie and highly recommend it to people who are, by now, sick of the typical summer fare.

Begin at the Beginning

Well I'm honestly not sure who's going to be reading this, but I've been extremely bored the last couple of days so I decided to start up a blog. I used to have one that I used while taking summer classes at Columbia in 2008 but I never updated on a regular basis.\

My name is Brennan and I currently reside in a small suburb of New York City, the very city in which I attended high school.

I'm now headed off to Boston for school with a planned major in Journalism.

I love movies. I try to see a new movie, whether in theaters or not, one to two times a week. I prefer smaller, indie movies (for instance, I just saw 500 Days of Summer which I loved. Another one of my favorites is Eulogy, also starring the illustriously beautiful and talented Zooey Deschanel. Sensing a theme?).

I'm also a huge music fan. I have a pretty extensive collection that I constantly add to. I like almost every kind of music (except really country and metal. Sorry if I'm alienating anyone this early on but I just can't find a reason to care about them!). I'm a huge Alt. Rock fan, and I also like indie music of all kind, hip hop, and oldies. Living in New York allowed me access to the best concert venues in the country, and this summer I saw shows by MGMT, Jarvis Cocker, The B-52s, and The Dead Weather to name a few. I'm always open to new suggestions.

I also watch far too much TV. My favorite shows (at the moment) are Lost, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, The West Wing, The Office, and True Blood. I love discovering old shows and introducing them to people in my generation (as I've done with shows like Freaks and Geeks). I think Mad Men is overhyped.

I'm also a huge book reader. Amazon's Kindle is God's gift to mankind. Who else could've come up with the ingenious idea of a handheld computer that stores hundreds of books yet weighs less than 1/4 of any of the Harry Potter books? Lately I've been on a fiction kick, but I also love reading non-fiction (David Sedaris is an inspiration, loved all of Sarah Vowell's books, and both of Chelsea Handler's cracked me up). The last book I read was the recent release "Everything Matters!" by Ron Currie Jr. Highly reccomend it!

The one thing tearing me up about transplanting my life to Boston is the thought of being ripped away from New York's theater scene. I've seen a lot of shows over the years, my most recent having been the fun, pithy "9 to 5" with the phenomenally talented Alison Janney.

Overall, I hope this blog to be a means for me to share advice about the entertainment world with others (whoever may read this!). I'm hoping to do a daily review (Movie, Music, Books, TV, and Theater). I generally tune in to see new shows (and at least the first episode of returning shows), I see movies frequently, listen to TONS of music, and read a lot, so hopefully I have enough in my arsenal to keep me going for a while. In addition, I'll post info on celebrities, entertainment world gossip, and stuff about myself.

Hope everyone enjoys!
-Brennan