Pop Ramblings » get fired up

GET FIRED UP: AUGUST

the rambler — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:14:23 +0000

Well, I took a little break, had a pretty crazy July, but I’m back. Sorry! I’ll try to work my way back into writing, but I’ll probably be a little rusty. Together though I think we can knock off the rust. And now onto what to look for in August:

The guy from GLEE loves Sbarro. That’s definitely what this show is about. (via AMC)

Rubicon- AMC, Sundays- Those of us who pay attention to AMC have already seen half of the pilot (it’s a full two hours) and it was a subtly done, gripping start. I know I’ll be setting my watch to these episodes in expectation. I hope the series lives up to the AMC standard and if it does, we’re in for a great ride. Rubicon follows a government employee as he traces a secret arm of the government. Here we go rabbit hole!

MUSIC

The Burbs never sounded so good.

The Suburbs by Arcade Fire- August 2- Can’t wait for this. Their releases have been epic in scope and sound and The Suburbs looks to be another in the line of hits. So far we’ve heard a few tracks and I think it’s safe to say that we are getting more of the awesome from Arcade Fire. AHHHH. I haven’t been this excited about singles from an upcoming album in a LONG time and if there’s one thing AF does really well it’s composing a whole album.
Also look for: Land of Talk’s Cloak and Cipher

MOVIES
The Expendables and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World- Looks like August 13th is gonna be pretty epic.
The Expendables is every guy my age’s dream movie. All of our favorite action stars from our youth coming together for one epic body-counting, compound-detonating, gun-playing romp. Just get ready for everything over the top. It’s the third film this year featuring a group of specialized commandos. We’ll see what happens and if this group can pull it off any better than the previous two. My vote’s on YES.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World- I’ll admit I haven’t read this comic and have had literally every intention of doing so since I first read about it about 2 years ago. It for some reason has slipped through my cracks. But I think I’m going to pick it up and read it before I see the film. There is so much going for this film, the cast and director alone are enough to get me in the mix. Combine that with the way people are talking about it and I can’t even contain myself. Looks fun, funny, and COMPLETELY unique. I may just have to have a double feature on August 13th.

That’s it for August, should be a pretty great month guys, so buckle up. Now I’m going to watch Children of Men again after I get some WaWa. Go on be jealous.

GET FIRED UP!: JUNE 2010

the rambler — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:48:19 +0000

It’s about this time of the year when I remember how very hot my city gets. VERY HOT. To the point where simply walking to and from work would ideally involve a change of clothing, but rarely does. Take today for instance, I walked to work, leaving my house at about 7:30 in the morning and was sweating within 3 minutes. Now I do owe some of this to my parents, thanks mom and dad for all of the best genes! But also, it’s just beastly here already. We went straight from late winter/early spring to THE EQUATOR. Full Disclosure: I have never been to the equator. But I imagine that the time it would take to make me sweat would be similar. (Could this guy talk about sweat anymore?!?!!?). Anyways, sweating is gross. (YES HE CAN!).

Making Sweat sexy: Me and this guy!

What’s not gross is what Hollywood/New York/Parts Unknown have cooked up for you in the coming month! NAILED IT.

Review Snippets from April’s Entries:

Movies

Iron Man 2- Haven’t seen it. Fire me now.

Music

Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene- Really good, not great. Probably listened to the least of all the music this month, but that is in no way a marker on its quality! Check it out for yourself, what do I know? 7/10

Together by The New Pornographers- If you like this band, you’ll like this record. Things haven’t changed much, which is actually a good thing with this crew. 7/10

Heaven Is Whenever by The Hold Steady- I like this record! It’s good, they have yet to live up to Boys and Girls in America but when you set the bar THAT high it’s easy to miss. Definitely grab “Hurricane J” and “The Weekenders,” both of which have made it into my like top 6-7 fave THS songs. 7.5/10

High Violet by The National- GOOD GOOD album. Just not right for this time of the year, if this had been released 5 months ago I would be gushing about it. I still am kinda gushing about it because it’s real good, but it’s just a really broody album it’s like the Ryan Atwood of indie rock albums.8.5/10

The High Violet of Teen Heartthrobs

Infinite Arms by Band of Horses- K, I love this band, but I think this is their worst record, the more I listen to it, the less it sticks with me. Don’t get me wrong, some good tracks, but it lacks the punch of the first two albums, that being said “Blue Beard” is one of their best songs. 6/10

This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem- Destined for the upper reaches of many end-of-the-year lists, this is a good album, one that I’m sure will be pumping in my backyard all summer. Fun dancy jams. 8/10

So Runs The World Away by Josh Ritter- My fave of the month actually. Something old and familiar and new and expansive about this album, it has grown on me from day one and “The Curse” is my favorite song released this month. Really pretty stuff. Highly recommended to those of you who like their troubadours clever, soulful, and cocky. 8.5/10

The end of LOST- While I let my younger, smarter sister do the legwork for LOST on the site, I love it almost as much. Here’s my thoughts on the finale, it ended the way it had to. Personally I was satisfied, in fact about 3/4 or more of the way through I thought I was watching what was potentially one of the best finales ever filmed. The END didn’t really tickle me but then again I am notoriously difficult to tickle. I will ardently disagree with anyone who says the show was a waste of time and that it’s legacy is tainted by not answering questions. Actually I will simply say “DID YOU ACTUALLY watch!? They never answered questions. What exactly would have been a fitting end to the show for you!?” They made a habit of not answering anything, so why expect answers to come marching out two by two Noah’s Ark-style in the final 2.5 hours? I was satisfied. I found the end to the people I was wrapped up in and for me that was enough. I respect your opinion if you feel differently, but I was happy.

On to JUNESIES!

Movies
Toy Story 3- HANDS DOWN. I’m not going to rave about Pixar again. Just read someone else’s take on how great they are. I literally just had several to choose from by googling “why pixar rules.” That says it all. Our favorite characters are back and here Pixar tries something new in going for their first trilogy. I, for one, will be there with 3D glasses on.

I miss these. They made me feel like I was in Back to the Future.

Music
American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem- If they’re good enough for The Boss, they’re good enough for me. For some reason I’m avoiding listening spoilers for this album. I have high hopes that they will blow me away as they did with The ’59 Sound. And if they don’t then I won’t have to go to another concert where I’m the oldest person there by a solid 5 or 6 years.

Destroyer of the Void By Blitzen Trapper- One of my favorite albums of the last few years was this group’s effort, Furr. A nonstop wild ride of neo southern rock/folk/electronics (?), yeah I think I’ll take another dose of that. Also isn’t the title suppppppppppper cool. That was pronounced like SUPER not SUPPER. That title is Dinner Cool, RIGHT?

TV
Season finale of Breaking Bad- Well, if you haven’t started watching this show yet, you have now missed out on three season’s worth of EPIC TV-making. The beginning of this third season started with a slow, creeping burn and has accelerated into a full-on conflagration. The writing and acting on this show are probably the best on basic cable and while the show is crazy, it never seems too far out there. Bryan Cranston has again given an impeccable performance, but I’ve been really floored by his TV wife, Anna Gunn’s performance and his partner in crime, Aaron Paul. Paul has really come into his own this year and has been on a tough road of his own warped brand of redemption turned revenge. I honestly think that Breaking Bad is the best show on television right now and the end of the season will surely be a doozie. It’s so good it ALMOST makes me want to take up meth. Or drive around in an RV. Or open up a chicken joint. You would understand all of these references if you watched!

Potential Future Employer

Guilty Pleasure
Entourage- (returns 6/27 to HBO)- I don’t know what bugs me more, how good this show used to be or that I still watch it. I’m married to these clowns for no discernible reason. I honestly can’t give you a solid why. But I’m okay with that if they turn it around. The show has been less funny and more aggressive every season for the last 3 seasons. Yet I’ve continued to watch in hopes that they would turn it around. I’m not delusional about what this show offers it is like GUY porn. 4 dudes living the “dream.” I get it, but it also used to be funny and insightful, where now it just seems like they are lazy and really went with the guy porn idea completely. Here’s to hoping that my once beloved can turn it around.

Unlike Jon Moxon, I DO WANT. YOUR LIFE.

Anything special you’re looking forward to in June? I know there is a lot coming down the pipe, so share with Rambling nation what’s on your agenda!

GET FIRED UP!: MAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

the rambler — Tue, 04 May 2010 01:39:32 +0000

May is one of my favorite months because it holds my birthday and it also is kind of just the best in many ways. First in real life: BBQs, the unofficial start to summer, the May flowers wrought by April showers, Cinco De Mayo (mexican food!), the list goes on(?). And it also kind of really rocks in 2 out 3 major pop culture areas where summer movies start to ramp up and radios start kicking summer jams. So like I said May FTW. And this May of the Year Two Thousand and Ten is no different, in fact, in music it’s one of the best single months I’ve ever witnessed. Get excited! No NO NO GET FIRED UP:

Quick Review of April’s Fired Up Features:

Kick-Ass- Great R-Rated comic book movie. Some serious violence, a fun story, and the action set-pieces are excellent. This is th first time I can remember dying to have a spin-off of one of the other characters; Hit Girl in this case. I think what really struck me about the movie and story is that it focuses on Batman style superheroes. They don’t have any superpowers, they are just people who think they can make a difference, and they do. It also is a semi-coming-of-age story which I have a soft spot for. All in all I think Kick-Ass was a great triumph and I hope there is impetus for a sequel, if the story is good and original creator Mark Millar is on board, well I’m definitely on board too. 8/10

MGMT- Congratulations- Hmmm. So far this album hasn’t taken up permanent residence on my playlist like I’d expected it to. It’s weirder than their debut Oracular Spectacular, which is one of those weird albums that gets everyone. I guess what’s missing on this collection is the hooks. Oracular was like made in a underground secret hook lab, because those songs are infectious. I didn’t get that from this album right away. That being said, I can see this album as being a grower, meaning one that I’ll like a lot the more I listen to it. 6/10

Friday Night Lights- One of my readers who recently read the Summer movie preview said I should have included FNL on the list just because it is one of the best things coming out of Hollywood right now. I can’t argue with that. FNL has already done something that most shows struggle with mightily: worked in like half of a new cast and refocused the entire storylines on these folks. It’s been excellent to meet some new Dillon residents, my personal favorite addition is Steve Harris (The Practice) as a father who owns a BBQ stand and raises football-loving kids even though his football past puts him on edge toward Dillon’s favorite sons. Pitting the town against each other was a stroke of genius and I’m excited to see the rest of the season play out (Ok, I cheated and saw it when it was on DirecTV, but it’s so good!) 9/10.

For the April Win!

Top Chef Masters- ERRR. Incomplete grade. I’ve only seen like 15 minutes of one episode. Whoops. Maybe that speaks for itself though, Masters lacks the drama of the original and often times the chefs come off rather pompous. Regardless, incomplete grade.

Now onto May’s Offerings:
Movies

Iron Man 2 (5/7)- Ahhhh it’s this weekend. I’m not gonna say much more about it because you can read my thoughts here. But suffice it to say I am excited for this. I’ve seen reviews that are less than glowing, but I’m sure it’s going to be a fun ride.

Music
An illustration to show you how great this month will be; in this photo We are the Donkey and our iPods are the good musics:

Broken Social Scene- Forgiveness Rock Record (5/4)- I have only listened to this album once through, but it’s hard to go wrong with BSS.

The Hold Steady- Heaven is Whenever (5/4)- listened to a few of these jams so far and I can tell you that “The Weekenders” is already vying for my favorite THS song and that’s saying something.

The New Pornographers- Together (5/4)- Supergroup plays classic songs of their style with familiar, but not boring results.

Josh Ritter- So Runs the World Away (5/4)- If you haven’t been a Josh Ritter fan yet, this one can push you over the edge. I have been waiting for this album with bated breath and the first listen through was lovely, quiet, and spacious.

The National- High Violet (5/11)- Not my ideal summer music. But definitely my ideal brooding music. “Bloodbuzz Ohio” is one of the best singles so far this year and will probably remain very close to the top of that list when the clock strikes 12 on this music year.

Band of Horses- Infinite Arms (5/18)- I just love this band, if you don’t love them well then sorry. But I’ve listened to this album a bit and I know that “Older”, which I’ve heard in concert several times and loved, is on there and it’s a great, great tune. It has a kind of wistfulness and whimsy that BOH sometimes lack.

LCD Soundsystem- This is Happening (5/18)- Mr. Murphy returns with songs to get down to. He’s promised big things and has hinted that this might be the best LCD record and also the last. Going out on top? Time will tell, but I see a lot of end-of-the-year lists for this album.

So thanks May music releases, you’ve made a donkey of us all.

The end of LOST (5/23)- This one is kind of MIXED EMOTIONS!!!! for me. I know a couple things:

1. I am excited to see where this thing ends.

2. It’s been a great ride.

3. I am ready for disappointment both at the lack of answers and one of my favorite shows of ever is ending.

4. Kate is the smoke monster. (Or Not).

5. We will be left with one great question, things will not be wrapped up in a bow.

The Wizards in their Words Lair

Guilty Pleasure

Nothing I feel guilty about this month. Might be a sign of me just not caring about all of you JUDGING me anymore. Yeah I watch(ed) Gilmore Girls. Yeah I enjoyed Fall Out Boy‘s last record. And yeah I’ll probably see Babies in theaters. What of it?

Is there anything you all are looking forward to in the world of pop culture this month? There’s a lot going on in pop culture land so dive into some of it. Remember you can always listen to that new album while you play frisbee with your hippie friends in quad. Or take that cute girl you just met to one of the summer blockbusters. Here it comes so much fun! Tell me what you’re fired up for.

GET FIRED UP: For April!

the rambler — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:54:28 +0000

April Showers bring great pop culture!

My cleverness knows no bounds. This is really the time of year when we start to get geared up for our summer jams and our popcorn movies and it’s all very exciting. Here’s what I’m pumped for in April:

Movies
Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D- (April 21, 2010)- When a few 3D concert films were released last year (Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers) I thought to myself, when is Kenny Chesney going to get in on that? Because he is like the KING OF CONCERTS. He is like Jimmy Buffett Jr. or Jimmy Buffett II: Jimmy Buffetter. I don’t know if his legions of fans have a catchy name like “Parrotheads,” but they are just as crazy and to be honest they deserve the 3D experience just as much as the teen girls at the above mentioned concert films. Or maybe they don’t. Who am I to judge. JUST MAKE SURE YOU SEE THIS THE DAY IT COMES OUT.

THIS BUS IS GONNA BE 3D, WE NEED THIS MOVIE Photo via Flickr user auburnxc

Music
Insane Clown Posse- Bang! Pow! Boom! Nuclear Version (April 6)-ONLY one more week until the Nuclear Version drops y’all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting since the Radioactive Version of Bang! Pow! Boom! dropped for the Nuclear Version to come and BLOW ME AWAY and here it is. I mean seriously these guys have to be the best group dressed like killer clowns in the rap game today. Because for them it’s not about the show, it’s about living the life. You know: tiny cars, water-spraying flowers, squeaky noses, cocaine, shenanigans, balloon animals, balloon animals full of cocaine. That such a seminal album (B!P!B!) gets a Nuclear Version should be no surprise. It basically changed the rap game forever, ICP FOREVS. BANG POW BOOM!

They LIVE THE LIFE! Via Flickr Bludgeoner 86

TV
Real American Stories on Fox News (April 1)- This is almost too good to be true. When I heard the show debuted on April Fool’s I thought: “TOO GOOD to be true. Good one Fox News. Just a brilliant joke, but you could never get this show off the ground.” Then I found out it was real. So duh! I’m so excited to see the REAL America that Sarah Palin is going to show us. I think basically this is going to be like Profiles in Courage: 2K10 Edition: Now with more Palin! Sarah Palin is truly the REAL American, she went from Governor of a state that most people can’t name 2 cities in to vice-presidential candidate/mother of a pregnant teen whose baby daddy later posed in Playgirl magazine. If THAT isn’t a REAL AMERICAN STORY, what is?! She is the everyman/woman. Palin for President!

Alaska's Current Governor via hickerphoto.com

Guilty Pleasure
Bacon Mugs- What is a bacon mug and how does it relate to pop culture in any way you might ask? Stop asking questions nerd and feast your eyes and mouth on this:

Photo/Clogged Arteries by K8 Via thisiswhyyourefat.com

Have a great April! This stuff is totes gonna rock your socks off. Until May!

Actually looking forward to: Kick-Ass, MGMT’s Congratulations, and Friday Night Lights Season 4, Top Chef Masters.

Get Fired Up: March 2010

the rambler — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:48:00 +0000

You know what they say about March: “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.” (TWILIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!)

First and probably only Twilight reference, ramblers. March is a great month. I have mixed emotions about March. First, it’s still cold, then it’s like kinda warm sometimes, but never like realllllllllllly warm enough to make you feel comfortable in wearing warm-like clothes. Also, rain. Rain happens. All that snow that was pretty and white (except this year, too much snow El Nino. PACK IT IN!) turns into nasty rain because of the kinda warm weather. But also, March Madness. And THIS is why we call this blog Pop RAMBLINGS. Love it or hate it, thanks to a calendar created 500 years ago, we get this month, semi-appropriately named for the Roman god of war. Since we’re stuck with it, we may as well go ahead and GET FIRED UP, here’s why:

Movies
Green Zone (March 12th)- Matt Damon. Paul Greengrass. You remember them from a little movie franchise tagged with the name “Bourne.” Well, from the trailer it appears this dream team has taken Bourne to Iraq. When speaking about this film to a few of my friends last week I said “It’s the guys who brought you Bourne and if that’s not enough, Matt Damon takes out a helicopter by himself, so there.” And that’s really how I feel on the subject. Helicopter vs. Man where the man wins is always a draw for me. I’m a simple man, folks. Especially, with recent news that there will not be a Bourne 4 with these two involved, this may be our last taste of the this dynamic duo, so drink up while the drinking’s good.
Also: Hot Tub Time Machine (March 26)- This movie is singlehandedly trying to bring back the high top fade. I’m in.

TV
Minute To Win It (March 14)- Tapping into that vein of innovation and ingenuity we all have, Minute To Win It pushes contestants to their very edges whilst playing games that no one has ever played before. Or if you have, it was probably when you were either so bored or so intoxicated that your creative juices were running high. It reminds me of the episode “Office Olympics” of The Office where they have made up every game like “Flonkerton.” I think the Average Joeness of the athletes and games is really fun and funny.

Music
Broken Bells- Broken Bells (March 9)- Danger Mouse teams up with The Shins’ James Mercer for a new project. One song I’ve heard a LOT, called “The High Road” promises really great things from this pairing. Is it a weird pairing? Yes. But we all know that Danger Mouse is kinda a wiz (See: Barkley, Gnarls), who seems to pull new things out of people and given that Mercer is one of my fave musicians (<3 The Shins), I think we are all in for a big treat. On the last Shins album, you could hear a bit more play with rhythm and beat (“Sea Legs”) so Mercer was clearly looking to explore some new sounds. I am pumped.
Also: March 9 is a BIG day, new Gorillaz- Plastic Beach, new Frightened Rabbit- The Winter of Mixed Drinks, The Morning Benders- Big Echo, and PR fave Ted Leo and the Pharmacists releases The Brutalist Bricks. And also a little harmonizing vocals paired with some banjo explosion in the form of Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More on March 2. Great month for tunes.

Remainders
God of War 3 (Playstation 3)- As far as cinematic, uber-violent, Mythology-based video games go, it’s pretty much impossible to beat this franchise. Kratos returns to just keep beating people up. This guy’s bed doesn’t HAVE a right side. He just doesn’t know when to stop slaying everything because he really just does that constantly. So fun to be had while taking down those lambs rocking your lion head gloves.

Oh wow! Did you see what I did there? Lions, lambs. March baby. Pure madness.

Get FIRED UP FOR: April!!!!

the rambler — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Yipes, these keep getting later and later for some reason. April is here bringing it’s perpetual showers which in turn are supposed to bring Mayflowers. Yes Pilgrims, they’re coming again heathens, be prepared! With the looming pilgrim invasion in mind, here are some things to enjoy in your last month of glorious, extravagant excess and squalor:

Movies- Observe & Report (April 10)- From Jody Hill and Seth Rogen comes this blackish comedy. Apparently it’s darker than it seems in the trailers, which seem hilarious to me. But it’s been getting crazy good buzz and I think seeing Mr. Rogen in a different role would be a nice change of pace. WOW me Rogen. Wow ME.

TV- My Boys- This little show on TBS has one of the cutest actresses on TV today and she also happens to play one of the coolest girls on TV as well. The cast is rounded out by her 5 friends (1 female, 4 male) and her brother (the totally amazing Jim Gaffigan, BACON). The show uses sports analogies as the “lesson” for the show and packs it full of jokes. I think part of the reason I like this show is because of the aforementioned leading lady, but a big part is because the friendships remind me of my friendships. They constantly rip on each other but you can tell they do it because they genuinely care about each other. I’m into that.

Music- Art Brut’s Art Brut vs. Satan- I’m not gonna lie I kinda chose this because of its’ title. How awesome is that title? Also Art Brut have made some really fun super quick blasts of songs. But how great is that title?

Guilty Pleasure- Tinted Windows’ Tinted Windows- The lineup of this band is the following: Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha, Cheap Trick’s Bun E. Carlos, Hanson’s Taylor Hanson and Fountains Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger. What? Yes. I have no idea. It’s like a semi-bizarro world supergroup. If the absolute craziest person in the world chose 4 people to form a band, I’m not sure it’d get any stranger than this one. Color me excited to hear some Tinted Windows. I have absolutely no idea what to expect.

So there ya go, before you succumb to the puritanical ways of our future past invaders, a few nuggets of the month for you to enjoy. Anything you’re looking forward to this month?