Clip of the Week

I already put up my SNL CLip of the week, but I like this cliup from the same episode so much I decided to make it my clip of the week.

SNL Clip of the Week

Each week I will find an SNL clip, whether new or old, and put it up. I did two clips of the week in the past and they were both SNL clips so I have decided to do both SNL and non-SNL clips of this week.

This weeks SNL clip of the week is from this past weekend. The Rock was the host and this was one of my favorite sketches in the show.

Artist of the Month

Music will now be on Mondays

U2

This month the new artist of the month is U2! I know what you're thinking. Did you do this because they just released their new album last week and the answer is a not-so-surprising...yes! I saved them for this month because of the release of the new album. I haven't yet purchased the new album but I have heard all the songs and I enjoy a fair a mount of them. it's not my favorite album, but there are certain songs that are favorite classics. Without going too much into who they are, I want to point out that they're a couple of boys from the land of Eire who rock (and roll) better than almost everyband out there! and they've been doing it for over 20 years. With Larry Mullen, Jr. on drums, Adam Clayton on bass, The Edge on guitar and backing vocals and the legendary Bono singing lead and guitar as well, they are one of the most well put-together bands of the late 20th century and early 21! They are one of my favorite bands and have the staying power of such greats as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. This month I will feature a new song and older song each week.

My first new song, from the new album No Line on the Horizon is the single "Get On Your Boots". It's a different song, for me, as I'm not the most devoted fans and I love the grungy/pop punk-ish vibe I get from the song. I couldn't get a good version of the music video so I have a live version form the Brit Awards 2009.

My choice for the first older song is my personal favorite by U2 is "Sweetest Thing". This song has always had a special place in my heart and it still does. Released as a single, and reportedly an apology to Bono's wife for forgetting her birthday during the Joshua Tree sessions, it is one of those songs that I really wish I wrote about someone. I have a Lego version of the music video and I think it's genius.

Sports Through My Glasses

Brief note...I have changed the title of this weekly post on the sports world from "Sports Through Glasses" to "Sports Through My Glasses".

To start off this week or so in sports I thought I would talk about 3 (three) huge transactions in the Patriots realm. Our beloved New england Patriots have traded Matt "Not-Quite-Tom-Brady-But-Still-Damn-Good-And-I-Wish-His-Name-Was-Castle" Cassel and Mike Vrabel, who, for now, actually lives in my hometown, as most people reading this would know anyway. Vrabel and Cassel were traded to the Cheifs for a second-round draft pick. I guess there comes a time when you see good players you like go, but this raises the question, do I root for the Cheifs now? No. Sorry for even asking. Good luck to Vrabel and Cassel. Go Pats! (and to a lesser degree Go Jags!)

Speaking of the Jaguars, they're all-time rushing leader, Mr. Fred Taylor, has been signed by our beloved Patriots and I couldn't be happier. Not that Morris, Green-Ellis, Maroney and Faulk couldn't get it done last year. They did a great job. But throwing in a veteran back like Taylor should really help our run game and I'm giddy at one of my favorite players not on the Pats now on the Pats. Go Pats!

Spring training for the Sox is happening folks! The White Sox are in spring training. But I don't care about them. However, the Red Sox are also in sping training, way down in the Grapefruit League in Florida. So far we've seen some good pitching by many players, especially Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz. Though only 2-4 at the time of writing, they seem to be doing well, and with a couple players headed to the World Baseball Classic (such as AL MVP Dustin Pedroia and AL MVP 2nd runner-up Kevin Youkilis) many of the younger players will have a chance to shine and earn the last covetted roser spot for hitters.

Did I just mention the World Baseball Classic (WBC)? Why, yes. Yes I did. This year seems to be a good one with a great number of MLB players in the classic, including Roy Oswalt, Brian McCann, Derek Jeter, Ryan Braun and the aforementioned Pedroia and Youkilis for Team USA. Other players involved with other teams include Dice-K, Ortiz, A-Rod, Pudge and many other players. The first game is Thursday between Japan and China. Team USA's first game is Saturday at 2pm, and they'll be taking on Jason Bay and Team Canada.

Geoff Ogilvy beat Paul Casey this weekend at the Accenture Match Play Championship this past weekend. In what was an extremely difficult round, Ogilvy came out on top after making his way past all the other players out there. I am a fan of Match Play. It's kind of exciting to watch.

I also want to say, yeah Tom Brady for getting married. WR Houshmanzadeh was picked up by the Seahawks and I can't wait for two things. The NFL draft and...my fantasy Baseball Draft. I'll keep you updated, don't worry.

Finally, 2 NFL players (Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper) and 2 former college football players (Nick Schuyler and William Bleakley) went out for a fishing trip off of Clearwater, FL the other day and their boat was capsized by waves. All of the men were able to get lifevests but three of the men were seperated from the boat. Thankfully, Nick Schuyler was found on the hull of the capsized boat, but the other three men are still at sea. After 18 hours in the water hypothermia becomes a major risk in cold water. The Coast Guard continues to look for them, but the probability of finding these men, never mind alive, goes down with each hour. From my own training I know that you can only survive so long without food, water and sleep. Without these three things it is very difficult to survive, even on land. Hopefully these three men are found, and soon. My thoughts and prayers go out to their families.

That's it for me today. Tune in next week for a new edition of Sports Through My Glasses.

I'm Back!

Sorry about my little departure from the blog early on. Though what am I thinking, there's only one or two of you reading this anyway. Anywhozawhatzits (yeah i said anywhozawhatzits), just thought I'd say I am back and I am going to be updating regularly, again. Look for my weekly sports update Tuesday, the new artist of the month on Wednesday, and a blog post either Thursday or Friday. Have a good one person/people.

Good TV

I seem to watch a good bit of TV and one of the shows I've been following as of late is Bones on Fox. For those who don't know it, the show is about an FBI agent, Boothe (David Boreanaz), and his forsensic anthropologist partner Bones (Emily Deschanel). Together they solve murders and still seem to keep it funny and entertaining. Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz are great actors. They're chemistry is amazing and the way they play two people who cannot admit that they love each other is more believable than almost any other show using that plot device.

I couldn't find a clip that really showed how great the show is so I'm including the whole episode, so if you're going to watch it, clear out a 40 minute window.

Song of the Week: Ding-Dong Daddy

The Ding-Dong Daddy of the D-Car Line

The newest song I want to talk about by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, our Artist of the Month, is "The Ding-Dong Daddy of the D-Car Line".

I have loved this song from the first moment I heard it. It's off of the 1997 album Zoot Suit Riot and Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and was specifically recorded for the album, where as many other songs on the album are from previously recorded albums. This is swing music at it's finest with a great instrumental break in the middle with a breakdown in there as well. The vocals are tremendous and the entrie song gets my toes tapping and my heart pumping for the music which I love so much, swing. The song is about a man who sleeps with a lot of women. He's pretty much a womanizer that "could not restrain himself when he saw a nice caboose." My favorite lyrics have to be about the women he's "loved" getting together to confront him while on the D-Car Line reminding him that "this ain't Salt Lake" (meaning he's not Mormon so he doesn't get to have them all at once) and he "ain't Don Juan".

The ladies got together and decided they'd been had

This ain't Salt Lake and you ain't Don Juan, man

We've got to give you credit we was happy for a time

But you're the Ding-Dong Daddy of the D-Car Line

I found a nice live version of the song on Youtube.com I thought you would like to see.



Join me next Wednesday for the next song by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.

Sports Through Glasses

On Tuesdays I have decided to take a quick look at sports and the events in the sports world that kind of matter to me. I'll call it Sports Through Glasses.

I'll start with A-Rod. I already wrote about him, but I am going to say, it's nice of him to atleast man-up and profess to using certain performance enhancing drugs that are no deemed illegal in baseball, but it still doesn't change the fact that he used them between 2001 and 2003. Big Papi made a good point. Everyone across the board should be tested for steroids and if they test positive they should have a season-long ban. (That would also help the Sox win, which I'm always in favor of) I have to agree that the MLB, as wlel as many other sports leagues, need to have a more aggresive approach to performance enhancing drugs and the people who test positive for using them.

Pitt recently beat #1 UConn! Wooh! Ever since I went to my first PC basketball game I have been a fan. I don't follow religiously, but I do follow them more than every NBA team that are the Celtics and I am glad to see a number 1, and PC's rival, team being beat. I'm sure DF, a PC Alum, was more than pumped by UConn's loss, though probably would have liked to see PC beat them.

In NFL news the all-time leading rusher for the Jaguars, Fred Tayler, was cut by the team. He was next on the list after Jerry Porter and Drayton Florence. With Maurice Jones-Drew now officially the RB1, we'll see how my Jags do next year. Also let go, only a day later, was Saints RB Deuce McAllister. These two players, both amazing running backs, will be looking for new teams to run with this season as they are not done playing yet.

Matt Kenseth, who started in the 39th position, won the Daytona 500. I don't really care too much about this with my two favorite drivers, Earnhardt Jr. and Martin not winning though they did finish in 27th and 16th, respectively.

That's it for my thoughts on the sports world so far this week. Tune in next week.

Clip of the Week

This week the Clip of the Week is from SNL, again, but only because it's wicked funny.



Enjoy it.

Good TV

Each Friday I will put up a clip from a TV Show that I enjoy for your enjoyment.

Psych


This week my "Good TV" clip will be from one of my favorite comedies, "Psych". The show is about an uber-observation master, Shawn Spencer (played by the hilarious James Roday), who pretends to be pyschic to help the police without actually having to become a police officer himself. His best friend Guster Burton (Dule Hill), or Gus for short, is his partner in their fake pyschic detective agency, the aptly named Psych. The show is full of obscure 80's and 90's refernces and perfect comedic timing by the entire cast (which includes Timothy Omundson whosome may remember from Disney's Luck of the Irish. Can I get a hell yeah?). The pairing of Roday and Hill is TV gold and the chemistry between real life couple James Roday and (the hot) Maggie Lawson pours through the camera. It's no wonder to me why this is one of USA's best television shows. (USA the television channel, not the country) In all a great show and maybe with a couple clips form the show I can get some other people to watch too!

V-Day: A Day To Never Remember

Valentine's Day!

It is February, and that means Valentines Day! Time for roses, chocolate candies, stuffed animals and expensive dinners leading to a romp in the bedroom. This year, sadly, I join most of my friends in the world of being single, what I like to call Singletopia. Why do I call it Singletopia you may be asking? Well, because I do, so just deal with it. Instead of getting presents from a girl whom I adore but only tolerates me, the gifts I get will be a chocolate rose from my sister that she bought at her middle school and a heart-shaped Reese's Peanut Butter Cup! As thrilled as I am for the rose and peanut butter cup, I am that much more excited that I don't have to spend any money on anyone (unless of course I buy myself a good romantic comedy at a local shoppping area and a carton of ice cream...ah, I mean, umm, an action movie with blood and guts and a bag of chips. Yeah I meant the later one. I swear).

Since this is the first Valentine's Day that I've been single since 2003 so I'm looking for things to do and thought I'd put some of my ideas down here.

1. Buy a 30 of Natty Ice and a box of chocolates. Throw The Notebook in the good ole Playstation 2 in and proceed to drink the Natty Ice and eat the chocolate. Why Natty Ice? So I get drunk quicker and I feel the pain of being single.

2. Find a couple single guy friends and head to a bar for a night of drinking and not hooking up with girls because most of the ones going out that I will end up talking to have boyfriends and the ones that go out that I won't talk to because their crazy don't have boyfriends.

3. Find a couple single female friends and head to a bar for a night of drinking and not hooking up with girls because none of my friends will hook up with me or help me find a girl to hook up with. Bitches.

4. Find all my single friends and head to a bar for a night of drinking and not hooking up with girls because my good-looking guy friends will beat me to the single girls that aren't crazy, leaving me with the, um, larger girls, and the crazies and my single girl friends will be hitting on any and every single guy there. Also I'll probably end up singing along to a song that I like and getting some Irish guy to come up to me and tell me "I'm not over you either, boy-o." (Ok, he didn't actually say "boy-o", he said "man". But I like to think he did cause he's Irish. And maybe he wans't gay but his friend was wearing a bright purple scarf and that's iffy).

5. Secretly find out what/who all my ex's are doing and go pay a visit. Be really creepy and run into them at the local bar or club they go to, making them feel very uncomfortable around their men and friends and making me laugh. Also, it makes me look creepy, or dark and mysterious, depending on the level of your sanity.

6. Sit at home with a box of tissues and a chick flick movie.

7. Sit at home with a box of tissues and a chick getting "flicked" movie.

8. Call the girl I know I could hook up with but most likely wouldn't want to for a variety of reasons. (If you haven't gotten the hint that I'm not into you then see the movie He's Just Not That Into You and see if that gives you any hints as towards what my actions mean).

9. Call the other girl I could hook up with but most likely wouldn't get to for a variety of reasons, such as she isn't looking for a relationship, which leaves me single on Valentine's Day but with a chance of action. (I expect to wait for the sequal She's Just Not That Into You and watch that myself).

Or, 10. I can just sit back with available friends and have a few drinks and good laughs.

Whichever idea I choose it doens't change the fact that I, like many American's, am single on Valentine's Day. But because I'm single doesn't mean I have to be alone. I mean you, the reader, may even want to hangout, huh? Would ya? No? Alright, I thought it was worth a shot. So whether you're alone, with friends or spending the night with your special someone remember the poor sap (me) and others like him that are single but still having fun and have a Happy Valentines Day!


Bitches.

Artist of the Month

This week I am choosing the artist of the month for February and it is (drumroll please)*bddddddddddddddddd* the Cherry Poppin' Daddies!


For those of you who didn't attend a junior high or high school dance in the late 90's the Cherry Poppin' Daddies were one of the front-running bands during the swing revival of that time. With the expert use of ska, pop and swing they exploded onto the scene with "Zoot Suit Riot". The Daddies are based out of Oregon and were found and lead by Steve Perry (not the Journey front man). Though once popular they, like many bands with hits during the swing revival, have pretty much fallen into general obscurity, they released an album as late as 2007. Throughout the month I will look at a different song each week starting with their only hit "Zoot Suit Riot".

Zoot Suit Riot

Recorded for their 1997 Album Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, "Zoot Suit Riot" is one of the most memorable songs of the late 90's swing revival and is one of the best known and beloved songs of the decade.

The song is about the zoot suit riots, if you weren't aware, of the 1940's in Los Angeles. Like some of the lyrics suggest, sailors from the Navy were given leave to go into the city while their ships were stationed in the area and fights and scuffles broke out between the sailors and the Mexican nightclub customers known for wearing their "zoot suits", which were big lavish suits with flamboyantly bright colors and matching hats. Most of the time the fights were about or over women.

Who's that whispering in the trees?

It's two sailors and they're on leave.

Pipes and chains and swingin' hands.

Who's your daddy? Yes I am.

The drum solo to start the song preps you for the swing vibe which is pulled into full swing with the blaring horn section. Throughout the song the piano and horns create a dancing atmosphere that makes you want to get up and dance to the beats of drummer Tim Donahue. Altogether, it's a very well written song with great music and the catchy lyrics and stunning vocals to go along provided by Steve Perry.

All this, and more, is why I have named the Cherry Poppin' Daddies the Artist of the Month of February

Puff the Magic Gold Medal-winning Olympic Swimmer

Editor's Note: After talking to my friend K-Wal I have come up with the perfect defense for Phelps and everyone else involved. "It's weed. It's college. It happens."

So there's this guy who won a couple gold medals, or whatever, at this thing called the Olympics at some point during the summer. Not sure if you heard about it or anything but this man, Michael Phelps, is kind of a big deal in certain parts of the universe. Somebody decided to take a picture of him while he was hitting the bong at a party and BOOM! The media goes crazy!

The picture below compares Phelps, the infamous bong picture and my friend K-Wal. This picture could be either one of these guys.


Seriously, I understand why some people care, but he's still young. He's a 23! he's still up for parties and doing stupid things, and I say who cares. I know, I know. He's a role-model for today's youths and an All-American icon and so on and so forth but he's still a young guy. The picture could be of anyone that slightly resembles Phelps, but he had the balls to come out and say, "yes that is me". That takes a lot. Where other people (like Roger Clemens) keep denying things that we know as true, he came right out and was honest. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that a value to teach children? Fess up when you make a mistake, apologize and move on. I believe so.

I guess it is best left to the word's of Seth Meyers from SNL on 02/07/09.

Clip of the Week

Each week, I plan on picking a clip from a TV show or commercial or anything I find funny or entertaining.

For the first Clip of the Week I thought this SNL Digital Short was great...cause it's on a boat! Mother f*cker!

Baseball and Steroids

I remember the day Mark McGuire broke Roger Maris' single-season home run record. I remember when Barry Bonds one-uped Hank Aaron for career home runs. I remember these things. These were not just about baseball. Everybody seemed to wait on the edge of their seats for the next homerun. And what did these feats have in common with each other besides being some of my childhood memories? Steroids/HGH and other performance enhancers. Sosa, Bonds, McGuire and now...A-Rod.

It doesn't surprise me that A-Rod used steroids. In fact back then, in 2003, it was kind of difficult to imagine he wasn't using them. He went from a skinny rookie with the Mariners to a bulked up home run hitting Ranger, and only after he left Texas he started to slim down to a more "natural" bulk with the Yanks. The difference is visual in both person and looking at the stats. He was always a good hitter hitting a fair amount of homeruns, but, like Barry Bonds, he went from a normal amount to a huge amount in a little time.

Again, I'm not surprised to hear A-Rod tested positive for steroids in 2003. There were no penalties for testing positive at the time. They tested him, and many other ball players, to see if testing for steroids was something they should make manditory. Of course players are going to do everything they "legally" can to give themselves an edge. And as long as steroids were "legal", certain players would be, and did, using them to get the edge it took to hit those homeruns and become that power-hitting bat in the lineup.

So, I say it's no surprise that A-Rod used steroids, but it's still a disappointment. That year, he won the AL MVP award and hit the most homeruns. The question is, without the steroids, would he still have done so well at that time in his career, which would ultimately land him on the Yankees with the biggest pay-day at the time. But this raises up the steroid case again. Should players who have used steroids, or other performance enhancing drugs, be allowed to continue playing? Should they be allowed in the Hall of Fame? Should they're accomplishments still be recognized even if they were "on something" at the time? If so, should there be an asterisk next to their names and accomplishments? More than anything the biggest question is what has this done to baseball?

Now people are looking at some of the feats accomplished by men like Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens and just don't see the same ball players we watched in awe just a few years back. Ten years ago, if someone told me McGuire, Sosa or Clemens wasn't going to be in the Hall of Fame I would have laughed at them and pointed out the amazing things they had done over their career. But now? Now I would agree and say that, even though they did such remarkable things, they did not do them to the best of their natural ability, but to their enhanced unnatural abilities. It's a sad day for baseball to see a player, even one I no longer like, who could possibly become the greatest homerun hitter in the entire world, never mind the MLB, not make it into the Hall of Fame because of steroids. And even though I still like some of those players who admitted to steroid use, baseball has been violated by the men who "loved" the game.

Greatest Show on Earth!

There you have it folks! The Super Bowl XLIII Champion are the Pittsburgh Steelers after a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals! And if you're not from Pittsburgh then I'm guessing you don't give a crap, and thats ok, because neither do I. As soon as the Patriots, and my beloved Jaguars, were out of the playoffs I've been rooting for the Cardinals. Not because I like all their players. Not because I like Arizona. Not because I thought they could do it, but because I thought they couldn't. I thought they didn't stand a chance of making it past the Falcons! Nevermind making it to the Super Bowl. But congrats to them anyway. Great team but just couldn't get it together enough to beat Big ben and the Steelers.

As great as the Super Bowl was, the commercials are what I was most interested in. No, I'm not one of those people that watches just the commercials. I love the game of football, but a game between two teams I really don't care for either way just doesn't matter. In all, the commercials were good. Being a movie buff I loved seeing the previews for Year One, Transformers 2, the Will Ferrell comedy Land of the Lost, Fast and Furious, the Dan Brown novel adaptation Angels and Demons, and Dreamworks Monsters vs. Aliens. I also enjoyed many of the other commercials like GoDaddy.com, the E*Trade baby, Hulu, the Bud Light meeting, the Coca-Cola heist and the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Firestone commercials but my favorite (and runner-up) are posted below.

I guess I just really enjoy the physical comedy and the way all the guys take the pain like a man and our comforted by a cold beverage. The only way I would have liked this commercial more is if it was a beer commercial with the guys having a nice Budweiser afterwards. I give it a 4 out of 5. But this one by Teleflora takes the cake...

Talking flowers are always humorous, but insulting flowers that rip a girl apart on Valentine's Day and tell her "No one wants to see you naked", well that's down right hilarious. The reaction in her face makes it all worth it especially when the other office workers walk away except for Gary> Gary, most likely the office creep, tries to cheer her up but comes off as creepy anyways. It was effective in making me remember the funny commercial, and now I even know where to get good fresh, hand delivered, non-boxed flowers if I want to get a girl flowers. 5 out of 5! Thanks Teleflora! (this blog is not brought to you by Teleflora but sure wishes it was so I could make some money off of it)

All in all, it was a nice night with plenty of hard-hitting football action, humourous commercials, good trailers for movies I will lost likely see and like and a good dayoff from my life of sitting around and doing nothing!

Artist of the Month of January

Each second Wednesday of the month I will select an artist, either an old-beloved artist/band or a new one no one has heard of, or atleast very little people have heard of. As it's January, almost February, I want to get a quick one out there to test out my idea.

Aerosmith

Being a Boston boy, I feel it's only right to name Aerosmith as my first official Band/Artist of the Month. The band's of the 70's were about rockin' out and having a blast and Aerosmith epitomizes that 70's lifestyle that the Eagles once said is like living life "in the fastlane." "The Bad Boys of Boston" include Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford, Joe Perry and the ever recognizable Steven Tyler. With blues-based hard rock songs like "Same Old Song and Dance" Aeromsith burst on the music scene in the early-to-mid-70's. Other songs I recommend listening to: the first Top 40 song for Aerosmith "Sweet Emotion", the ever popular and always amazing "Walk This Way", the hauntingly beautiful "Dream On", the 80's-tastic "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" which always makes me think of Mrs. Doubtfire , and my personal favorite "Love In an Elevator". With hits like those, and many more, it's no wonder, to myself atleats, that I pick them as the first artist of the month.

Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

Ok! So I didn't do a very good job of keeping up with my blogging at all, considering my last entry was in the first couple months of 2008, but I plan on changing that very soon. I think I'll stay away from stuff like "Guitar Gods" and go in a new direction. I'm not sure what the direction is yet, but as soon as I know, whoever happens to be reading this will know as well. Alright, that's that. Here's my second first-entry, we'll see where I go from here.