http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Thu, 27 May 2004 14:04:57 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/05/27/140457.php wKenSacramento has a new live music venue in the midtown area. It's called the Empire, and I went there for the first time the other night to see Sleater-Kinney. The place has the size and location to make it a good draw for national acts that have a hard time filling an arena or large auditorium, but still need more than a couple hundred paid admissions to make a profit.Sleater-Kinney was great. This was my first time seeing them live. I had tickets to see them last year, but got sick the day of the show. I'm glad I got a second chance.The band is made up of two guitarists, Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, and drummer Janet Weiss. They have been playing together for about a decade, and have recorded some great music. The ladies rock live.I've never seen a crowd with so many women wearing glasses. It was kinda sexy. There were even some kids in the audience, as it was an "all ages" show.My only gripes were that the sound quality sucked, but that's true of most bands playing before a crowd of more than 50 people, and that the band didn't interact with the audience. The only words I heard anyone in the band say were "thank you" after the applause for a couple of songs and also after being called back for an encore or "turn up my monitor" to the crew. I like to feel some connection with a band, when I see them live. That usually takes some small talk from the artist. Otherwise, I could stay home and listen to a recording.Despite the lack of conversation, I would highly recommend Sleater-Kinney for anyone that likes alt-rock, or whatever category people want to classify them with. See them live, if you get the chance, or download their music and see what you missed. Music16043@blogcritics.org Thu, 27 May 2004 14:04:57 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/23/104612.php wKenFriday night I walked over to The Distillery to see the Texas band, Honky. Honky is a rock trio that is led by bassist Jeff Pinkus (or as a local paper identified him, as "JD Pinkett" (isn't that Will Smith's wife?)), formerly of Butthole Surfers. The band also includes Bobby Landgraf on guitar and drummer Kenny Wagner. Honky doesn't sound anything like Butthole Surfers, which Pinkus left a year before the release of their radio hit, "Pepper". In fact, describing how a band sounds is hard. Usually, you just have to compare them to somebody else. Honky has a shot of ZZ Top and a splash of Van Halen mixed into their music, but that really won't give you a feel for how they sound live.Rock music should be loud, the way god intended. It should make you thirsty for whisky. It should make your body jerk uncontrollably in odd looking spasms. It should make you get hard or wet, depending on your plumbing. It should make your ears buzz so that you can't hold a conversation without yelling for a few hours after the show. You should be smiling without even knowing it.That's what Honky did to me. That's rock. Music13056@blogcritics.org Mon, 23 Feb 2004 10:46:12 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/20/203540.php wKenThe aging UK band, The Alarm, have succeeded in pulling a prank on the record buying public. The middle-aged group, best known for their 1983 song "68 Guns", recorded a new single under the fake band name of The Poppyfields. The single, titled "45RPM", is currently number 28 on the British Charts. It was released with a video in which a younger group of men lip-sync to the song."We wanted the song to be judged on its merits and stir up the water a little bit," singer Mike Peters is quoted as saying.Obviously, the look is at least as important as the sound for many music buyers. Music12996@blogcritics.org Fri, 20 Feb 2004 20:35:40 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/14/203927.php wKenIt happens almost all the time. Somebody has an unexpected success with a movie, and then they try to repeat that success by following the same basic formula again. I really enjoyed "The Wedding Singer". That's why I expected the new Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore vehicle, "50 First Dates", to totally suck. I was pleasantly surprised. It didn't suck at all.Sandler plays Henry Roth, a veterinarian at an aquarium park in Hawaii, who's personal life is an endless series of one-night stands with women tourists. Then he meets Barrymore in a local diner, and finds himself wanting a longer relationship. Unfortunately for him, Drew's character, Lucy, has suffered a serious head injury and her short term memory is erased every night as she sleeps. It's "Groundhog Day" and "Memento" and a number of other film plots cast into a very good romantic comedy. It shouldn't work, but it does.I think it works mainly because Sandler and Barrymore are not your average romantic leads. It's easier to see ourselves in them than it is with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts or some other model couple. Also, the story highlights their gentler, more likable qualities, rather than trying to be either too juvenile or witty. The low brow humor is left to Rob Schneider, who play's Henry's best friend and coworker. Fortunately, there is a limit put on the lowbrow stuff.Don't think too hard about the logic of the plot. It's really just a device for setting up the romance. Since Lucy forgets Henry each night, he has to make her fall in love with him again each day. Things never have a chance to grow old or routine. Each day is a new "first kiss". Sure, it's sappy. Go ahead and call me a sap, because I liked it.It's a perfect Valentine's Day date movie, and is funny enough to be enjoyed any time of year. Grab the love of your life or your love for right now and go have a good laugh and maybe even a little cry. It'll do you good. Video12756@blogcritics.org Sat, 14 Feb 2004 20:39:27 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/11/115833.php wKenReality TV is no longer just a joke. What was once an embarrassing oddity has become a tidal wave of programming. Cheap production costs and a seemingly endless supply of people willing to debase themselves in the pursuit of 'celebrity' make it likely that Reality TV will stay as much a staple of network broadcasts as situation comedies and police dramas.There have been so many different shows on the air in the last few years, that it's hard to determine the absolute worst. Still, I've decided to make a list of the 10 most degrading reality TV shows so far.To narrow the field down some, I need to define what I'm excluding from the list. No celebrity shows, such as The Surreal Life, Celebrity Mole, The Anna Nicole Show or The Osbournes are included because it could be argued (barely) that the cast members have a real career incentive to participate. I'll include The Simple Life in that group, even though I'm not sure why Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are considered celebrities. Celebrities seeking more notoriety are definitely a reality of life, but I'm sticking with amateurs for my list.Also, I'm only including shows which involve some form of competition. Many talk shows, such as the regular 'paternity test' episodes involve non-celebrities, are about real life, and are definitely degrading to the participants, but Reality TV really should have a game show feel, I think. So here's the list, with comments, of the 10 most degrading, competitive, non-celebrity Reality TV shows: 10. The Real World/Road Rules Competitions It isn't degrading, all by itself, to be a cast member on one of the seasons of The Real World or Road Rules. Some of those shows were very good, and some of the participants were quite interesting. When it becomes an alternative to getting a real job and a real life, though, things get ugly. I'm sick of hearing wannabe professional wrestler "The Miz" roar, or seeing how bitchy Coral can be. You know the show is sad when even Puck won't appear on it. Please move on with your lives, aging MTV kids, and leave the entertainment to the professionals.9. Fear Factor Couples Relationships are hard. Relationships stressed by jumping from helicopters or bobbing for chicken feet while buried in live rats are soon to be history. If you really love your partner, I can't imagine placing them in such a disgusting and doomed situation. Watching a husband cursing his wife for letting go of a rope while being dragged behind a vehicle through the desert is enough to make me very embarrassed for them, and glad that I'm single.8. Temptation Island The couple self-abuse continues with this show. I love you. You love me. Let's go to a tropical resort and cheat on each other while being videotaped. Why? For a free vacation, of course.7. Meet My Folks This show extends the embarrassment to the whole family, and again, for a free vacation (to Hawaii). Parents allow themselves to look like fools. Their child looks like a slut (whether male or female). The three potential suitors expose all their past failures. Are people really that hard up for a free trip? Evidently.6. Average Joe Less than average looking men expect a better than average looking woman to overlook their looks and see the real man inside, while seeing nothing but how good she looks. If there is nothing wrong with looking "average", why is everyone fighting over one attractive person? It's a shallow group made even more shallow when "the hunks" show up. We are all attracted to beauty in some form, so accept it and don't make ugly appear noble simply for being ugly.5. Joe Millionaire Does she love his model looks or big bank account? Is she so shallow that she would dump a guy who turns out to be poor or because he lied to her about everything for weeks? Why are men such dogs? Why are women such ho's? Why do people find this crap entertaining?4. Who Wants to Marry My Dad? Great idea. Let's choose our next mother by giving dad away as a game show prize. Let's make the whole family look like idiots on national TV. Let's not and say we did, okay?3. The Bachelor More of the "women are ho's and men are dogs" brand of television programming. Take a handsome rich guy who could easily get most any woman that he wanted, then set him up in a mansion with a harem of beautiful young women who will do anything to stay for another episode. That's a sure way to build a long lasting, committed and loving relationship. Never before has a rose been worth so little.2. The Littlest Groom I admit that I haven't actually seen this show, as it hasn't aired yet. I have only seen the ads and read about it. So here's the idea. Take The Bachelor, and use little people. Then, like Average Joe, throw everyone a curve by bringing in average size beauties to compete against the little women. Showing different body types on TV can be a positive thing. Using those differences for shock value is nothing short of a freak show. Obviously, the series will be on the Fox network.1. Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire This show was so disturbing to audiences (which were huge), that a scheduled encore presentation had to be cancelled after numerous protests. You would have thought it was a gay union, instead of straight people who were damaging the institution of marriage. The multimillionaire turned out to be not so rich, and the blushing bride turned out to be a lying whore. Fox, which broadcast the show and then promised to never show anything so degrading again, just turned out more crap for the viewing masses.I think the next group I'll list are the worst "let some questionable experts completely make you or your home over in a very short period of time and on a limited budget" shows. Stay tuned. Video12638@blogcritics.org Wed, 11 Feb 2004 11:58:33 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/06/131324.php wKenChuck D, of the group Public Enemy and Rapstation.com, is not your average successful rapper. You won't see him showing off his plasma TV's and tricked out Hummer on MTV. He isn't likely to be hanging in the VIP room with Paris Hilton and P Diddy. If you're lucky, though, you might catch him speaking at one of the 50 college campuses he visits each year, currently touring with his State of the Union Address and Vibe Session. For 14 years, he has been on the lecture circuit, attempting to represent what is currently described as the "Hip Hop culture" in a positive manner. Don't let the word "positive" fool you, though. While his voice may copy the rhythm and tone of a preacher at times, you aren't likely to hear a sermon so heavily laced with "nigger", unless you attend church with the Ku Klux Klan. Chuck D spends a fair amount of his speech using "the 'N' word" as an example of the harmful effects of mass media, or what he calls the "radiation of a radio-TV-movie nation". He isn't happy that a word which was a degrading insult for hundreds of years, and likely yelled "on a slave ship at the crack of a whip", has been sold as harmless slang to the current generation.In fact, there is plenty that Chuck D is unhappy about. As he said, if he only talked about positive things, he would be finished in "10 minutes". Instead, he spoke for almost two hours and then stayed after to answer questions and sign autographs for the audience.The gist of his presentation was how important a good education and critical thinking are. Stupidity is what gets attention, rather than logic and reason. In his opinion, too many people believe the distorted view of reality shown on television. They need to recognize that the Media's image is as realistic as "a cartoon", and trying to live our lives based on what we see on TV would be about as successful as "the coyote is chasing the road runner off the edge of a cliff". He also covered politics in the music business, with some tough words for BET ("booty and thug network"), The Source magazine, Jay-Z and Russell Simmons. His imitations of Simmons talking to his wife about her huge collection of shoes and 'renting' religious leaders had the audience cracking up. There was even time to discuss the currently hot topic of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl half-time show.Chuck D hit on a number of topics, and while he is a very talented and charismatic speaker, I felt a tighter outline and more structure would have made him even better. He was freestylin' in what he calls a "Vibe Session", rather than a formal speech, and that was his biggest weakness, it seemed to me.Overall, it was a very interesting evening, listening to someone in my age group (I'm 45 and Chuck D is 44) who has lived a different lifestyle and yet has come to many of the same conclusions about the world that I and other thinking people have. As a person that travels around the globe each year, he was able to point out the importance of broadening out in our viewpoint. "The best American", he said "is the one who is able to see outside this 3,000 mile box called 'the United States' ." You may not agree with everything Chuck D has to say, but he will make you think about your own beliefs in a new way, and that has to be a positive thing. I definitely recommend attending his vibe session, when he appears at a college in your area. It won't hurt a bit. Music12456@blogcritics.org Fri, 6 Feb 2004 13:13:24 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/03/123618.php wKenA quarter of a million people came to Blogcritics yesterday to read other people's opinions on Janet Jackson's boob, huh? Isn't that amazing?I thought the flashing stunt was inappropriate for the occasion, and the way it was performed, as a simulated assault, bothered me more than just seeing a beautiful woman's nearly nude breast. Still, wouldn't it be nice if people got as interested in things that actually affect their own lives?Millions of Americans are unemployed or underemployed, and millions more aren't even counted as being out of work anymore because they have become so discouraged from long term unemployment that they've stopped trying to find a job. Meanwhile, corporate profits are up, partially due to lower cost foreign labor and government aid. Unfortunately, those profits don't filter down to most working people.Hundreds of Americans have died in military conflict in the last year, and thousands more have been seriously wounded. Not "wounded" like in the movies, where the person is 100% better after a week or two, but many are maimed or disfigured for life. The body count is adding up faster, too, with no defined ending objective for the various conflicts our men and women are stationed in. There is nothing similar to a VE or VJ day, that I can see, in our current war's future, despite what Richard Perle might say about "an end to evil". Millions of Americans have no health insurance, and those that do find the costs increasing every year. Co-payments go up, and covered services or medications decrease. Doctors are weighed down by unbelievable high education loan debt and malpractice insurance rates, while hospitals are burdened with providing free care for the poor and uninsured. Nobody seems to be benefiting, except insurance companies, lawyers and the politicians they support.Of course, I could go on and on. There have to be a million things going on in the world that are more important than a quick view of a woman's right breast. It's just that spending time thinking about important things isn't nearly as much fun as being appalled at celebrities. It also doesn't sell as many newspapers or TV ads, and money drives the medium.While a Super Bowl half-time show may not have been the best place to do it, Janet Jackson (or any other woman, for that matter) can show me her breasts any time she likes, and I'll be thankful (NWS link). If that's the worst thing we had to deal with in life, we should all be very thankful. Video12322@blogcritics.org Tue, 3 Feb 2004 12:36:18 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/02/02/091534.php wKenWhat's that you say? You're sick of movie sequels, remakes of old TV shows and all the other unoriginal films that Hollywood regularly turns out like sausage? Well, I just saw a movie which is perhaps more original than most people can handle.The movie is called Bubba Ho-Tep, and it has been slowly making its way to theaters around the country. I know, it sounds like an exercise video or a Star Wars character, but the title, according to the film's opening segment, translates roughly as "trailer park pharaoh".The plot, based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, revolves around Elvis Presley and President John F. Kennedy, who are actually still alive and staying in an old folks home in rural East Texas. They've discovered that an Egyptian mummy, which ended up in a nearby river after its tour show bus crashed, has come to life and is sucking the souls from residents of the seedy rest home. Tell me that you've already seen that story line in a movie. Go ahead, try and say it's been done before.In the film, Elvis lived beyond his public death after switching places with an Elvis impersonator in the 1970's in order to escape his meaningless life as a drug addicted celebrity. Jack Kennedy claims that Lyndon Johnson planned the assassination attempt in Dallas, and then replaced the chunk of missing brain in his head with a sand bag and had the President dyed to look like an African American so that nobody would recognize him or believe he was still alive. The jokes derived from such a bizarre situation are harsh sometimes, but very funny.Bruce Campbell plays Elvis, and Ossie Davis costars as President Kennedy. While many of the lines are hilarious, the two actors play their parts totally straight. That makes all the difference in the world. It isn't important whether the two men are actually who they claim to be. All that matters is that they believe they are an ex President and an aging King of rock and roll. The film couldn't work any other way.The movie was definitely shot on a low budget. The horror aspect of the story, involving a mummy who wears cowboy boots and a feathered hat, is about as scary as an old Night Stalker episode. I liked Night Stalker, though, so it isn't that bad. Just don't expect expensive special effects, as I'm guessing the whole film was made for less than the catering bill of your average Hollywood feature.If you've seen either of The Matrix sequels, you know that no amount of money or special effects will make up for a lousy script. The script for Bubba Ho-Tep is really its selling point. We've all gone to see bad movies just for the special effects or action sequences. Believe me, you'll feel more satisfied seeing a film with low quality special effects and action sequences, but a truly original story.While the horror is cheesy, and the humor is often raunchy or dark, the film has a real warmth to it. If you are like me, and find profound philosophical issues in The Simpsons and Seinfeld episodes, then you will see beyond the belly laughs and into the deeper soul of this movie. It makes you think about what growing old must be like. You will question your own values and ponder on what is truly important in life. Bubba Ho-Tep is not a Hollywood blockbuster designed by a committee to appeal to the maximum number of filmgoers, and that's what made me love it so much. If you can hardly wait for the Bewitched movie or Rush Hour 3, this may not be the film for you. There's nothing comforting, familiar or predigested about it. I like my flicks a little chewy, anyway. All I have to say to writer and director Don Cascarelli, quoting Mr. Presley, is "Thank you. Thank you very much." Video12270@blogcritics.org Mon, 2 Feb 2004 09:15:34 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/01/28/100113.php wKenI was cold and miserable sitting at the bus stop, waiting for a ride to see my doctor. The bus was 40 minutes late when it finally arrived, and I knew that the physician's staff wouldn't be very sympathetic to my transportation problems. As I squeezed onto a crowded city bus and stood pressed between other irritated passengers, I was remembering how much happier I was when I could drive myself wherever I wanted to go, whenever I needed to.John Stossel reported on ABC's 20/20 that it is a myth that money makes us happier. He pointed to various surveys, studies and good old common sense to show that the rich aren't really much happier than the rest of us. It sounds comforting to people that are constantly comparing themselves to the lifestyles shown on MTV Cribs and E!'s It'$ Good to be... that happiness is still available to them, even if they don't own a Bentley or bathe in Cristal champagne.I've had a fair amount of money, and I've been broke. Being broke sucks ass, and no philosophical argument about the relative value of material things makes up for not being able to pay the electric bill or buy necessary medications for your sick kids. Wealth is no guarantee of happiness, but poverty will definitely ruin your day.The problem I have with the upper class viewpoint of John Stossel and much of the other media is that the majority of people don't live that lifestyle. Stossel's report says that "more money makes people significantly happier only if their family income's below $30,000, but by $50,000, money makes no difference." Almost 60% of American households have an income of less than $50,000, according to the US Census Bureau. The 2002 figures (the most recent available) show that over 63 million American households have a combined income of under $50K. 40 million households earn below $30,000. That's the group in which it is admitted that additional money makes people "significantly happier."So Stossel apparently looks on 6 out of 10 people as being irrelevant. What he should be saying is that money doesn't make people who already have enough of it any happier than those that have a lot more. For most Americans, more money would significantly improve their lives and make them happier and healthier. Imagine how happy money would make the billions of people in the world that will never come close to the standard of living enjoyed by the average American.Millionaire journalists make lousy reporters on issues that affect most people. Maybe if I lived in a Manhattan townhouse and earned a seven figure salary, I might see things their way. I'm certainly open to such an experiment. I bet that would make a great 20/20 segment. Anyone know an ABC producer that I can pitch the idea to? I promise not to be any happier.Also published at wKenShow. Culture12115@blogcritics.org Wed, 28 Jan 2004 10:01:13 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/07/28/145133.php wKenSaturday night I went out to see a number of bands being filmed for the sequel to the documentary Trekkies. If you haven't bought the original DVD, you should. It's funny as hell.I'm not much of a Star Trek fan, though I did get into The Next Generation for a few seasons. The main reason I went was to see the headlining band No Kill I. I had an interesting encounter with one of its members and his girlfriend a while back, and I had been meaning to go see them perform ever since.Unfortunately, No Kill I doesn't perform very often, as they have a reputation for being permanently banned from clubs because of their drunken crazy behavior. I was happy to finally see them live.All the groups (most of which used some version of the same name), were fun to watch. I made a new slideshow from some of the photos I took there. Hopefully you will get some sense of how crazy the night was.Go check out my new work of art Punk Trek. Music7286@blogcritics.org Mon, 28 Jul 2003 14:51:33 EDT