The best pop music song this century?

In the late 1990s there was a Swedish pop star who crossed the Atlantic Ocean and had a big hit or two. Her stage name was Robyn and after trying to replicate the success of her initial couple hits here in the states she faded into relative obscurity.

It took over a decade for her to regain a sort of foothold in the UnitedStates music scene and her small bit of success should shave been much larger with hits like Dancing on My Own and the even better Call Your Girlfriend. She performed both of those hits on the venerable SNL but that never translated to radio airplay.

No matter what happened, those two songs -- especially Call Your Girlfriend -- are pop music gems. They are high energy, ultra danceable and have an infectious beat. The video for Call Your Girlfriend is a classic continuous-shot video but as fascinating and odd as Robyn's dancing is, the making of the video is even better. I, for one, love seeing the work it takes behind the scenes to produce a perfect four minute music video.

Here is the finished music video...


Here is the making of the video feature...

NBC comedy trailer 'A to Z'

Because the 2013-14 television season hasn't completely wrapped up yet, it's time to check out some trailers for television series which haven't produced more than one episode yet. Let's take a look at 2014 NBC comedy A to Z from former Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones. A romantic comedy that feels mildly like the recently ended How I Met Your Mother from CBS. A guy who likes to put the cart in front of the horse in terms of relationships and a quirky girl (HIMYM's Cristin Milioti) who meet one time before officially meeting at an online dating company where said pushy guy works.




Overall, A to Z looks like it is worthy of a shot. It has sight gags to make you laugh, an endearing story about a likely drawn out and pitfall-filled romance and Katey Sagal as a narrator (at least in the pilot preview). Give it a look this fall at 9:30 (8:30 CT) on Thursday evenings on NBC. It seems like a smart comedy and it fits the ongoing trend of single camera comedies.

The Replacements - Alex Chilton - at Coachella 2014

If you watch just one YouTube video from Coachella 2014, make sure it's this one of the reunited Replacements performing Alex Chilton with the help of Billie Joe Armstrong on guitar. It is the definition of pop rock and, as one commenter said, it sounds like they actually rehearsed which they did -- for months.

What was the last song that made a difference?

Let's face it, musical tastes and formats have fragmented severely in the past twenty or so years. No longer is one song hailed by the throngs and made, over time, into a milepost in musical history. Throw in the fact that we live in an increasingly disposable society and everything has a shortened shelf life.

By my best estimate, the last song to make such a cultural shift in the musical landscape was Nirvana and their breakout hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The band's entire image was about hopelessness and despair. The music, though, was not depressing. It was earthy and rough and birthed the entire grunge genre which thrust the alternative rock format into the mainstream and forever changed and, in turn, fragmented music as we know it.

Unfortunately, with that change and subsequent fragmentation, it brought to an end the kind of songs that a wide swath of the population will agree upon as being a sort of cultural landmark. What will the "oldies" look like in twenty years? Will people listen to the likes of Seether, Breaking Benjamin and Green Day alongside Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and P!nk? Where would bands like Grouplove, The Killers and Of Monsters and Men fit in to the mix? Will there still be some sort of all-encompassing classic rock format still alive on radio stations playing the bands in the first and last categories? Will radio's so-called classic hits format continue to add artists from subsequent decades resulting in the power players in popular music being cultural landmarks in their own respect?

What, though, happens to the lesser-know bands of today? Will they ever achieve cult favorite status and be unearthed by future generations like some radio stations have managed to do for me with the likes of The Tubes and The Raspberries?

The only reason I thought of this topic at all that I heard a kick-ass song by a band I was unfamiliar with until yesterday. Where will a band like Dinosaur Pile-Up and their song "Peninsula" fit into the musical landscape in twenty years? My ears say that they are worthy of wider recognition but that is likely a pipe dream. Give it a listen below and see what you think.

Sarah Silverman's un-aired 2012 NBC comedy pilot

Each year, prior to a slate of new television series being picked up to air during the upcoming television season, dozens of pilots are filmed. Only a small percentage of those make it to the broadcast airwaves and some are better left un-aired. NBC, though, has been in no position for the past decade or so to leave a stone unturned. While it would be cost-prohibitive to film even six episodes of each pilot the network considered, it's a strategy worth considering for NBC who basically put its only stable comedy, Parks and Recreation, on hiatus for the remainder of the calendar year.

While I could go on about the horrible state that NBC is in as a network, instead I'll cut to the chase. The studio behind the un-aired pilot for Susan: 313 starring Sarah Silverman was released online yesterday and while it's probably best that it remained un-aired, it does have more potential than some of the dreck that NBC did air last year. Think of 1600 Penn, Animal Practice, The New Normal, Guys With Kids and Save Me.



While Sarah Silverman's Susan: 313 would likely never have been as popular as anything shown on CBS, it seems polished enough to me and has enough potential that the 5th or sometimes 7th rated television network (NBC) would be wise to reconsider it.

Bee colony collapse and how to self-pollinate Zucchini

Reductions in bee and butterfly populations are hitting zucchini harvests hard: Without bees, pollination doesn’t happen, and zucchini buds literally die on the vine. But you can give nature a hand by pollinating zucchini blossoms yourself.

1. Determine which blossoms are male and contain pollen: Males stand on slender stalks.

2. Locate female blossoms, which have a small zucchinis beneath that will grow into an adult vegetable when pollinated.

Here’s a look at the happy couple.


3. Wait until morning when female blossoms open their petals. Then, shake the pollen from the male blossom onto the stigma in the center of the female blossom. You can use a cotton swab or paintbrush to push the pollen onto the stigma. Or just pluck off the male blossom leaves and shake the pollen directly onto the female.

4. Close the female blossom with a piece of pantyhose, and let nature take its course.

While this is a lot of work, it might be the only viable way to produce certain vegetables until something is done to stave off the declining honey bee population.

Miley Cyrus lookin' trashy

Alright, while this photo of Miley Cyrus isn't trashy in the least bit I do think that she is showing a bit too much side boob and that her latest attempt at reinventing her image is the perfect example of trying too hard.





If you want a great example of the former Disney star trying too hard, check out the video for her latest single, 'We Can't Stop'

Creed Bratton's song and a wrap-up of "The Office" finale

If there was one network sitcom that defined the past decade or so, for me it was "The Office". I don't know that I ever missed an episode of the uncomfortable at times workplace comedy on NBC. As far as cultural relevance of the series, it ushered in an acceptability of laughtrack-free and single camera sitcoms. It was a series whose comedy made you think. No longer were you pushed by recorded laughter to laugh at moments whom producers deemed laugh-worthy. Its brand of comedy was subtle at times and over-the-top zany at others. It felt like "The Office" could have actually been filmed in a mundane American workplace because much of the dialog and antics taking place during the show simply felt real.

The characters, too, from "The Office" felt genuine. They had layers just like real people do. Dwight Schrute was a bizarre man who was genuinely good at his job and, as the finale last night showed, he was the best manager that Dunder-Mifflin could have ever hoped for.

Pam Beesley was the receptionist-come-sales rep with a heart of gold. Her goals in life were simple and it seemed that she lived them out on the screen. She found the love of her life in co-worker Jim Halpert after one of the longest but most heartfelt courtships ever played out on television.

Andy Bernard, who joined the series in the third season, was the inept and awkward office worker who was simply searching for approval. He was never good enough for his father and he was a flat-out terrible manager of Dunder-Mifflin's Scranton, PA branch once that title was bestowed upon him. It seems that only after he burned his bridges to live out his dream and even fail at that did he truly find himself and find that approval, in former warehouse worker Darryl of all people, and find his way in life.

But "The Office" was about an expansive cast of supporting characters as well. Kevin, Oscar, Phyllis, Angela, Erin, Ryan, Stanley, Kelly and, of course, Creed, who managed to accent of even steal every scene.

It was only fitting, then, that Creed Bratton played a pivotal part in the emotional song-filled sendoff at the Dunder-Mifflin offices. Playing on his real singer/songwriter past as a member of 1960s group 'The Grass Roots', he played a song during what could possibly be the best moments of the entire finale episode of NBC's "The Office".



While "The Office" has officially ridden off into the sunset and ended its run as NBC's highest-rated sitcom of the moment, "The Office" is one of the few sitcoms which will stand the test of time, in my opinion at least, because it was groundbreaking. It re-invented comedies on television and it had a hell of a run even if it did have plenty of hills and valleys in its nine seasons. One thing is for sure, it will be missed.

FOX 2013-2014 fall new series TV previews

Almost Human — Drama

Produced by Bonanza Productions in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. From writer/executive producer JH Wyman, executive producers JJ Abrams and Bryan Burk, co-executive producer/director Brad Anderson and co-executive producers Kathy Lingg and Reid Shane:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine — Comedy Produced by Universal Television and 3 Arts Entertainment. From writers/executive producers Dan Goor and Michael Schur and executive producer David Miner: Dads — Comedy Produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Fuzzy Door Productions. From writers/executive producers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and executive producer Seth MacFarlane:  Enlisted — Comedy Produced by 20th Century Fox Television. From writer/executive producer Kevin Biegel and executive producer Mike Royce:   Rake — Drama Produced by Fedora Entertainment and Essential Media & Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television. From writer/executive producer Peter Duncan, executive producers Peter Tolan, Michael Wimer, Richard Roxburgh and Ian Collie, director/executive producer Sam Raimi and co-executive producers Gret Kinnear and Leslie Tolan:   Sleepy Hollow — Drama Produced by K/O Paper Products in association with 20th Century Fox Television. From writers/executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, director/executive producer Len Wiseman, writer/supervising producer Phillip Iscove and executive producer Heather Kadin:  Us & Them — Comedy Produced by Sony Pictures Television, BBC Worldwide Productions and Baby Cow Productions. From writer/executive producer David J. Rosen and executive producers Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, James Corden, Ruth Jones, Steve Coogan and Henry Normal:

NBC new show video trailers

NBC’s New Show Trailers: ‘Dracula’, ‘Ironside’, ‘Michael J Fox’, ‘Sean Saves The World’, ‘Welcome To The Family’, 'The Blacklist'



















While the key art for the line-up of new NBC comedies looks straight-up God-awful and the preview for 'Michael J Fox' is simply dreadful, I have to wonder mostly why NBC dumped 'The New Normal' only to replace it a year later with a somewhat similarly-themed 'Sean Saves The World'. 'Dracula' looks to be a decent niche-type drama along the vein of FOX's now-canceled 'Fringe' in size of audience appeal and could very well be a showpiece for what the networks can do in terms of matching the quality of cable dramas like 'Mad Men' and 'The Walking Dead'. The rest of the dramas look to be rather bland as NBC seems to be holding their best drama offerings ('Crisis' and 'After Hours') for midseason or on standby for canceled programs. On the comedy side, again, I am more intrigued by a couple who are being re-tooled for midseason possibilities -- 'Brenda Forever' (starring 'The Office's Ellie Kemper) and 'Assistance' starring Krysten Ritter from ABC's canceled 'Don't Trust The Bitch in Apartment 23'. At least midseason comedy 'About A Boy' starring David Walton shows promise. 2013-14 looks to be yet another rebuilding year for NBC with one or two legitimate drama hits and another one or two comedy hits while 'Revolution' will ride out its move to Wednesdays with sinking ratings and be canceled by the end of the upcoming season.

The Office Interview- What the Cast Wants From the Set

With The Office coming to an end in May, the cast of the long-running NBC sitcom including Ed Helms, Rainn Wilson, Craig Robinson, Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski reveals to show staff what mementos they want to keep from the sitcom's set. While not a hit on the level of Seinfeld, The Office and its nine season-long run has eclipsed the lifespan of dozens of other sitcoms on network television.

Severe winter storm coming to Minnesota [video]

This kid's depiction of the weather forecast for Minnesota (as deciphered from Nova Scotia) is spot on. It sounds like something you'd hear/see on The Weather Channel, only more professional and in a tone which seems to match the warnings of peril and almost certain death that today's weather forecasts convey. I'm looking for more videos from this kid because his dire warnings of a sever winter storm are downright hysterical to watch.

Fall Out Boy is back?

I can't believe I am saying this but I am strangely happy that Fall Out Boy is back making music. Maybe it's because their music is about as rock as popular music gets and while I love how much alternative-type music has crossed over to the pop music landscape, true pop-rock tailor made for pop radio is exactly what the repetitive radio stations need most right now. While "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)" really had the most nonsensical lyrics possible, the video above for Fall Out Boy's new single seems to signal that they are attempting a rebirth of their band. It's cool and it has a good beat and those two things alone should equate widespread success and appeal to the masses.

North Carolina hill person sees bigfoot

This hill-person type guy from North Carolina, in an interview with the local FOX TV affiliate, insists that he saw Bigfoot / a sasquatch on his property and "rough talked" the creature away all the while pointing a stick at him and telling big foot / sasquatch to "git away from here, git, git!" (yes, the spelling of 'git' is phonetic based on the man's pronunciation in the video)

Maybe it's the thick accent but I have trouble believing anyone describing a beast whom he is apparently afraid of as having "beautiful hair" and being "8-10 feet tall with six fingers".

We all know that bigfoot has only five fingers!

Watch a dummy get blackout drunk

It's guys like t his in the video below, bonging two full cans of some God-awful blue-raspberry / gasoline flavored Four Loko that gave the blackout-inducing candy-booze a bad name. Just because you can bong it in ten seconds flat doesn't mean that you should. Something tells me that the bro who bonged the nastiest of all canned malt liquors went down for a solid 14 hour nap after this video was filmed. Or maybe this was all an elaborate ploy to get the dumb guy drunk so the other guy filming him could draw permanent marker penises on his face.

I've been drinking my whisky all wrong

According to this fine apparently British gentleman who knows his way around whisky, I've been drinking it all wrong. Sure, I probably scared a few of you off by saying that the video below entire about properly tasting and sampling your fine whisky is done by a British man but this guy has a sense of humor and knows his way around his scotch and whisky. I would love to hang out with Richard Paterson because he knows his liquor and would teach even the most hardened whisky drinker a thing or two about how to properly taste whicky and truly enjoy it. One hint, avoid the ice!

Bikini Hockey League

To all of the NHL fans out there who are dreading the possibility of an NHL lockout this year which could doom the entire 2012-13 professional hockey season the two videos below should put you at ease somewhat because not all professional hockey will vanish this upcoming winter. Not even close. There's still the BHL - yep, the Bikini Hockey League. Bikini-clad women on skates taking to hockey rinks across the country. It should be at least as entertaining as the NHL usually is and will likely be as competitive and interesting to watch as the Lingerie Football League.

Music from the MySpace relaunch video

JJAMZ (pronounced juh-jams) is the band providing the soundtrack to today's MySpace relaunch video which, in itself, is pretty damn cool looking but what caught me was the music. The track, entitled Heartbeat, is catchy, infectious and seems to be custom-tailored for what MySpace is trying to achieve with their upcoming relaunch. The one lyric, "I haven't seen you in a long, long time" could be construed as meaning that the website has become a ghost town of sorts when compared to its mid-2000s heyday.

The video (below) for Heartbeat has a bit of a creepy vibe to it with an old man seeming to be chasing down a cute blond high schooler preparing for a dance.



As for the relaunch video for MySpace, it's cool as hell. If the website itself can live up to even half of the wow factor of the video touting the site's relaunch, MySpace can be a true competitor once again to Facebook and the up-and-coming Google+. The new MySpace, if it comes together as promised, has a mix of Pinterest, Facebook integration, a crisp feel due to the choice of the font package with photos at the forefront. I'm in if it can draw an audience compatible with my likings.

Frank Ocean - MTV VMA performance

Frank Ocean, whose music sort of defies genres, first made a splash in the music world a few weeks ago when it was announced that the mellow singer with R & B underpinnings announced that he was bisexual. Tonight, though, marked what I can only assume was his live television debut. While he didn't perform the song I am most familiar with, Lost, he has garnered all sorts of buzz from his MTV VMA performance of Thinking About You.




Frank Ocean makes his network television debut Saturday, September 15th where he will be the musical guest on the season debut of NBC's Saturday Night Live. The smart money is on Frank Ocean performing both Lost and Thinking About You.

Revolution - full episode premiere

While the first episode of the NBC drama Revolution won't premiere for over a week, the pilot episode of the sci-fi drama set fifteen years from now in a world where all forms of energy vanished, you guessed it, fifteen years ago; the first full episode is available below:




Ambitious in concept, I am curious whether or not Revolution will be this year's The Event or Terra Nova or if it will actually catch on given its post-The Voice 10 PM eastern/9 central time slot.

Don't let the fact that the lead character is a strong-willed female with a bow and arrow lead you to believe that this is a television version of The Hunger Games because this is as far from that particular movie as you can get.

Revolution and its multiple layers of conspiracies will either give NBC some much-needed recognition in a world where network television is regularly being eclipsed by equally well crafted cable dramas or this series will wither away by mid-November and slip from our memories.

I, for one, have strong hopes for what I think is either the strongest or second strongest drama to hit the networks this fall.