Quantum of Solace would be better on valium, James Bond seriously needs some gadgets, the Bond girls are boring, All I Want is pathetic but it has typewriters, even T-Pain’s top hat can’t ruin the Ludacris video “One More Drink,” the new Star Trek trailer makes Neal excited, and he wraps up his half with a review of a WSJ review of Slumdog Millionaire.
Then Nick takes over to discuss Uncanny X-Men #165-#175, the “From the Ashes” run by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith. Nick dissects their work, identifying the artistic nuances that make Smith’s pencils so incredible while noting how Claremont introduced so many classic X-Men elements in such a short space of time.
Arguing about Hancock, Jason Bateman, Gotham Chopra, Love Guru, Darrell Hammond, Kung Fu Panda, Teeth the movie, The Cool Kids, Twitter Feet, Avatar: The Last Airbender returns next week, perky positive girl, Mandy Moore, Weeds, Spider-Man, multidimensional superheroes, Kill All Parents, Vix #1, Secret Invasion and Final Crisis shirts at Hot Topic, scenesters, and more.
her: Happy 7th of July! me: What? her: Isn’t today an excellent day? me: It’s Monday, overcast, and storming. her: Perfect time to get a jump on the week!
That is the fictional conversation I had earlier with today’s subject: the perky positive girl (PPG). PPGs wear permanent smiles and are optimistic to the point of being insufferable. I like to picture Mandy Moore in the first act of Saved.Miley Cyrus and Reese Witherspoon fit the description too. PPGs see good even where there isn’t any. It is nearly impossible to bum these girls out. Many have strong religious convictions, but that isn’t a rule. Plenty of PPGs would just as readily sidestep that quagmire.
So, how could I be attracted to someone so sickeningly sweet? I suppose it’s physics. I radiate a lot of negative energy. I can’t help it - I expect the worst. When a PPG enters my space I am acutely aware of it. I am yin and she yang. Less cryptically, opposites attract. Flirtatious arguing ensues and then I’m smitten. Like a battery, we produce a lot of energy (she’s the cathode in this simile) and that’s kind of sexy.
Lastly, PPGs are in HR terms ‘internally motivated’. They will use any means necessary to achieve their goals, and that makes them valuable allies - as long as you don’t cross them. You can bet that Bonnie Parker was a PPG during her run with Clyde. Think about how this could work in your favor.
Happy 7th of July Perky Positive Girl. You are right, is an excellent day and I want to stick it to you!
Apparently, I missed a lot of 2007 music videos. Let’s take a minute to discuss Natasha Bedingfield’s Love like this, featuring Sean Kingston. We will consider four criteria: the beat, the video, the content, and the vocals. Ready? Lets go!
The Beat: I like it, plain and simple. The piano plays well off of the backbeat. It won’t win a Grammy for production - but it’s catchy and has replay value. Will you be humming this tomorrow after 4 listens? Possibly.
The Video: Light, breezy, and its got a motorcycle! What is not to like? I think they are even partying in a pool at the end. How cool is that? (I haven’t seen that since Mandy Moore’s breakout Candy)The video suits the song pretty well, so it is pretty hard for me to fault it. Bedingfield looks a lot like Kristen Bell in this video - and I sort of dig that. Our favorite reader Ro noted that the video-guy is “very very hot,” and lastly, could Kingston rock a larger chain? It looks like he has a gilded UPS box around his neck.
The Content: It’s a love song. No deep metaphors, no witty punchlines (even from Kingston), or anything similar. While I like my songs to be witty, this is pop music - not a Common record. No major complaints here.
The Vocals: You would think that a video that shoots 3/3 would have no problem making a slam dunk right? WRONG. Natasha, this little pop package was perfect until you had to go and wreck it with a Vocoder. Granted, Bedingfield’s offense is a minor misdemeanor compared to T-Pain’s felonious rapsheet , but it was totally unnecessary.
The Bottom Line? An otherwise very decent pop video is marred by the pervasive Vocoder Virus. If the Vocoder is not a deal breaker for you than this is pretty decent pop music; refreshing considering our last video review.
In college I took a history class called “The Roots of Rock and Roll” taught by Scott Sandage. One of the major lessons was to stop using words like ‘authentic’ in the context of music. Does authenticity really have any meaning or intrinsic value when it comes to music? Is Nirvana’s cover of In the Pines any less authentic or valuable than Leadbelly’s? Artists have been covering and adding their own flair to songs for centuries. This is how music grows and evolves.
I think it would be fair to say that Umbrella by Rihanna has a pretty wide appeal. It features a guest spot by Jay-Z, a fun beat, and well… Rihanna covered in silver paint. Critics may harp on the jarring chorus - but people also still dig the Macarena. The point is, the song is great for the treadmill, twerkin at the club, and generally rocking out.
The problem? Mandy Moore decided that she had to cover it over at Yahoo Music. Have you watched this shit? Is she seriously using a house band? A guitar? Does she really have her eyes closed as she tries to emote so passionately into the mic? Why does she have the video on in the background? The whole thing looks like some crap taped in 1998 when RealPlayer was still a big deal and you could get 60 million in venture capital without a viable product.
Pay attention to the intro, Mandy doesn’t even seem that into the song. It’s her favorite song ‘of the moment’, and she’s ‘not a big Top 40 sort of listener’. Oh Mandy you forgetful lass, your first single Candy was top 40 music! You owe all your initial success to the pop charts. Way to turn one of my favorite summer jams into a pile of steaming crap Mandy.
My open appeal to Ms. Moore: Stick to funny TV cameos with your boyfriend of the minute and romantic comedies. The way your wrinkle your face when you say “You can’t deny how melodic this song is,” is too good for this silly attempt at a music career. Please Mandy, step away from the mic and back on screen.
Quantum of Solace, All I Want, "One More Drink" by Ludacris, Uncanny X-Men #165 thru #175, Chris Claremont, and Paul Smith.
On The Next Podcast...
Neal watched David Hasselhoff in the Nick Fury movie just for Podcast Episode 057 on Tuesday, November 25, 2008. See the pain we endure for you to talk about media every week?
And Then...
On Tuesday, December 2, 2008, we've got an interview with comic creator Ross Campbell about his new Wet Moon 4: Drowned in Evil graphic novel from Oni Press in Podcast Episode 058!
her: Happy 7th of July!
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