It's been awhile since I've found any INXS vinyl that I didn't already have, but yesterday I found a 12" copy of "Devil Inside" which means now I have the 12", 10" and 7" singles. And I can check that off my list. Here's a few other things I'm on the lookout for:
Live Baby Live
Welcome to Wherever You Are
"New Sensation" 7" (how I haven't found this is beyond me)
Right now I'm reading I Want My MTV, which is an oral history of MTV from 1981-1992. This book is so relevant to my interests it's insane. In some of the chapters they talk about specific videos, and despite my ridiculous memory for videos, I find myself wanting to watch them anyway. So here's a few that are mentioned in the book, from the parts I've read so far (I'm only to 1985):
Eurythmics- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Eurthymics- Love is a Stranger (I'd never seen this one before but it's one of my favorite Eurhymics songs)
Tears For Fears- Pale Shelter
Duran Duran- Hungry Like the Wolf
Billy Squier- Rock Me Tonight (I hate Billy Squier, but there's a whole chapter on this one because it's so special)
I'll be posting my favorite
albums list next week. PJ Harvey released an album that may or may not be
my favorite of the year. In honor of that uncertainty, here's 5 of my favorite PJ Harvey songs.
I'll be posting my favorite
albums list in a couple of weeks. Sondre Lerche released an album that may or may not be
my favorite of the year. In honor of that uncertainty, here's 5 of my favorite Sondre Lerche songs.
Right now I'm reading Are We Not New Wave?, which is all about new wave in the late 70s to mid 80s. It's a pretty interesting read for someone like me who is a big fan of music from that time. The author goes pretty in depth in analyzing certain songs, which creates a sort of playlist to go along with the book. Some of the songs covered:
Halloween is on Monday. I hate Halloween. I used to enjoy it as a kid (of course), but instead of just becoming indifferent to it as a non-child-having adult, I've come to be annoyed by it. It seems like it's a bigger deal for adults now than it is for kids. But before I start yelling at kids to get off my lawn, here are 5 costumes I wore as a kid.
Strawberry Shortcake (see below)
Barbie and the Rockers
Witch
Monster clown (last minute hand me down from my brother)
Witch (I was a witch 2 years in a row out of laziness)
Been listening to and enjoying The Hurting, Tears For Fears' debut album, which got me thinking about other debut albums I love. I have a soft spot for debut albums, and not just because they might be the first album I heard from a band. A lot of the time debut albums are very different from what comes after. And there's something about that that I enjoy. So here are 5 debut albums that are better than everything that came after.
The next 5 books on my reading list (in no particular order):
A Visit From the Goon Squad- Jennifer Egan
The Marriage Plot- Jeffery Eugenides (really excited for this one)
In The Woods- Tana French
Before I Go To Sleep- S.J. Watson
Double Dexter- Jeff Lindsay
I have so many books that I haven't read yet and there's at least 3 coming out in October that I've been waiting for, so I think I'll be doing a lot of reading this fall.
It's over! After too many months (6) and too many episodes, we made to the end of 90210. It was only half of the series all except for the first 2 seasons, but holy hell it was long. It's going to be a very very long time before I'll be able to watch again (if ever). I'd never seen the finale before, and I was suprised at how few of the old cast they brought back. I get that the show had seriously fallen off in popularity by the time it ended, but it was a big time show in its prime. I think if a show like that ended today, the finale would be all about bringing people back.
5 Ridiculous Things About the Finale
How fast the wedding came together: Matt and Kelly were planning their wedding for longer than Donna and David were even engaged. No way in hell you pull a big wedding together that quickly. I think the audience is supposed to believe they used all the stuff Matt and Kelly had arranged, but the details were all different.
The bachelor/bachelorette parties: Why would any parents be there? Even better question, why in the hell would your HIGH SCHOOL PRINICPAL be there? Give me a break.
Brandon's absence: Total cop out.
Kelly and Dylan thinking they belong together: They spent more time pining for each other than they did actually being together. And when they were together, they spent most of their time fighting. Soulmates right there.
The end: Really? That's how it ends? Other than the group celebration at the very end, it was no different than a season finale. A little anticlimactic for a show that was all about drama.
Like the Police, the boyfriend and I have also been going through and listening to all the Bowie albums chronologically. He's a pretty big Bowie fan, but most of his albums I haven't heard. So basically the opposite of the Police. We just moved on to Aladdin Sane this week which means, 5 down, many more to go.
Season 9 of 90210 done! Only one to go! Hooray! Sad to say that I think this season might have actually improved as it went along. The beginning of the season was so painful it made me rethink this whole stupid thing. Brandon got the most pathetic sendoff ever. Even Valerie's sendoff was better. I was actually a little sad when she left (don't judge).
Season 9 storylines I would've liked to have seen:
Dylan comes back with Brenda: Imagine all the storylines that creates: Dylan-Brenda-Kelly triangle, Brenda's reaction to Brandon & Kelly's relationship, etc.
Valerie stays, Dylan comes back, and they get together: This prevents Dylan and Gina from getting together which is fantastic because holy hell they are annoying together. Bonus, Kelly would hate it.
Brandon and Kelly get married: I assume this didn't happen cause they knew Brandon was leaving, but it really would've eliminated a bunch of stupid fights and poor sad Kelly moments if they had.
Gina doesn't exist: I get that she's the
Valerie replacement, but does she really have to be the most annoying character on the show? Valerie may have been a bitch, but I didn't want to punch her every time she was on screen.
Gina steals Noah from Donna: Just because the Noah/Donna relationship is a snoozefest and this would allow Donna and David to get back together quicker.
1. Regatta de Blanc: Even after listening to all the albums, Regatta de Blanc is still my favorite. This is mainly because 2 of my top 3 favorite Police songs are on this album ("Does Everyone Stare" and "The Bed's Too Big Without You").
2. Synchronicity: Before
this, I didn't quite understand why people loved this album so much. I get it now. There are some excellent
songs on it. How come no one talks about how creepy "Tea in the Sahara"
is?* I'd rather have Mr. Every Breath You Take Stalker watching me than
being left in the middle of the desert TO DIE. Just saying.
3. Outlandos d'Amour: Overall, what I like best about this album is the raw quality to it. However, that's also its biggest downside. The songwriting (and production) improves so much after this. The band is not quite at their peak yet, but off to a great start.
4. Zenyatta Mondatta: I had the hardest time with this album, even though it's one of the ones I've listened to the most. I just couldn't get into it. I like all the songs but, compared to the other albums, there aren't as many really great songs.
5. Ghost in the Machine: Once my least favorite, always my least favorite. Now I've spent more time with it, I don't hate it anymore, but it's still the weakest of the 5 albums. They're clearly experimenting with a different sound and it's hit or miss here. On Synchronicity they get it right.
Side note: What do I have to do to get a copy of Regatta de Blanc on vinyl? I need to make this happen. Also, my copy of Synchronicity was one of my best finds, it's in good condition and only cost me 19 cents.
For the past month or so, the bf and I have been listening to all the Police albums in order. I got really into them a few years back but he doesn't know all that much about them. So he's learning to appreciate their greatness and I'm learning how to not hate Ghost in the Machine.
I'm currently working on some of my pages for the new site, including the collection page. Sometimes I forget what records I have. So here's 5 things I had no idea I had.
Tears for Fears- The Hurting
Depeche Mode- "People are People" 7"
Cornershop- "Brimful of Asha" 7"
Eurhythmics- "Here Comes the Rain Again" 7"
The Police- Outlandos d' Amour (which is why I now have 2 copies)
Getting so close to the end! I can't wait for Dylan to come back.
Season 8's style don'ts
Kelly's short haircut: I think it's the reason Brandon slept with Emma.
Donna's boob gap: Not new but I think it earned recurring character status this season. Its work in the season finale was top notch. And by top notch I mean horrifying.
Valerie's highlights: Wisely they didn't last very long. Not everyone is supposed to be blonde/blondish.
Noah's brooding eyebrows: The key to his "acting". Otherwise you'd never know what he was feeling.
Anything designed by Donna: No way an upscale store would want to sell her stuff. Talk about bor-ring. Kelly's wedding dress was the only decent thing she made.
I feel like it's been awhile since I did a music list for Friday. Since day happens to be Canada Day, I'll put 2 and 2 together and make a 5 (see what I did there?). So here's a list of awesome songs by Canadians.
After a long vacation delay, I finally finished season 7 of 90210. Definitely the worst season yet, although I suspect I'll be saying this for every season until the end. Here are the storylines that annoyed me most this season (in no particular order).
Donna has a stalker: Who would want to stalk Donna? No one, that's who. Also, did the writers completely forget that the guy who tried to rape her actually did rape multiple people? He should've still been in jail.
The Kelly-Brandon-Tracy triangle: First things first, Brandon treated Tracy like crap. I blame Keats for that. Second, Sad Kelly is annoying as hell. She chose "herself" rather than Brandon or Dylan and then wonders why she's alone. You made your bed, stupid, sleep in it alone.
David is manic depressive (for a week): The only problem I had with this storyline is that Kelly THE FREAKING PSYCH MAJOR didn't see what was going on with David. As a former psych major, I take offense to this.
Valerie has an affair with a married guy: Maybe it wasn't a giant cliche in 1997 but you'd have to be stupid not to see that it wasn't going to end well. Plus Kenny was a total smarmy loser.
Nat and Joan have a kid: This storyline carried over from the previous season, but it still needs to be said: Joan is too old to have a freaking kid. What was the point of this storyline anyway? They couldn't have just let them get married and have that be the end of it? More proof it was pointless, Joan and the baby were never seen the rest of the season, and only occasionally mentioned.
Finally watched all the Oscar movies, so here's how they stacked up for me.
Inception
True Grit
Black Swan
The King's Speech
Winter's Bone
127 Hours
The Fighter
Toy Story 3
The Social Network
The Kids are Alright (there had to be a more deserving best picture nominee than this)
They were all great movies (with the exception of The Kids are Alright). Black Swan, True Grit and Inception are really interchangeable for the top 3 spots.
Back in January I decided to listen to every song currently on my mp3 player in alphabetical order. You know, just cause. Today after ~3000 songs (my mp3 player isn't close to being full and I'm lazy about adding things to it), I finally finished. Here's the last 5 songs.
First week in Texas. Every visit includes trips to as many local (or non-California) food places as possible, and eating whatever other stuff you can't get in California (like Blue Bell ice cream). This visit's to-do list:
Taco Cabana
Whataburger
Cracker Barrel
Five Guys (apparently there's one close-ish to where I live...who knew!)
Finished season 6 of 90210. It's definitely starting to go downhill. Yet, I'm still determined to get through the whole show. Why that is, I don't know, insanity most likely. But I like the idea of having a top 5 list for every season. Since there were so many new characters this season I thought that it was only fitting to rank them.
Season 6 New Character Power Rankings!
Colin "Pretentious Art" Robbins: He turned Kelly into a crackhead, got into a high speed chase, failed to turn himself in on time and basically caused problems for everyone directly or indirectly the entire season. Plus we had to look at his crappy paintings. Winner, winner.
Antonia "Noxzema" Marchette: She wasn't annoying, her storyline
wasn't ridiculous and her death caused one of the main characters to
leave the show.
Susan "Hypocrite" Keats: Brandon has awful taste in girlfriends. Susan was the one time he showed some good judgement and then she screws him over. It's all downhill from here for poor stupid Brandon's love life.
Jonathan "Poor Man's Young Ben Affleck" Casten: He was only in 5 episodes, but he wasn't likable in any of them and managed to torture Brandon and annoy Susan. That's making the most of a small role.
Joe "Bad Heart QB" Bradley: I don't buy him as a QB and he didn't have much in the way of personality. But he's the best boyfriend Donna has on the show, so that has to count for something.
Random "Hey It's That Actor/Actress!" Moment: Carla from Mad Men as a receptionist on the Queen Mary.
Been watching a lot of 90210 lately. Some of it I've seen before, most of it I haven't. Just finished season 5, the first one with Valerie, and quite possibly where the show starts its downward slide. So here are the 5 most ridiculous storylines from season 5.
Kelly gets burned in a fire and now has scars. Except that she doesn't. They couldn't even be bothered to do a half-assed makeup job a few episodes after the fire. And yet we're supposed to feel sorry for poor scarred Kelly.
Andrea has an affair. Andrea was perfectly happy in her marriage and then all of a sudden she isn't. Must be all that ambition Jesse has. What a bastard. You never see Andrea and Jesse fight until after he finds out about the affair.
Ray cheats on Donna with Valerie. I get Ray cheating on Donna since she won't give it up, but I don't buy that he would cheat on her with someone she knows and is "friends" with. Also, Ray is an abusive bastard and yet he can't handle Valerie and her manipulative BS?
Steve gets off vitually unpunished from the house fire. I know, rich kids' parents get them out of everything, but between the people who were hurt in the fire, the fact that they basically broke into the house to have the party, there should have been A LOT more charges for Steve (and Griffin) to get out of.
Dylan works on a screenplay with some guy he met at rehab. So stupid. I guess that if Dylan wasn't spiralling out of control the writers had no reason to write a good storyline for him.
For the past few years, the bf I have made a point of watching all the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. For this year's group we've only watched 2 so far, so it's too early for a list. So here are my 5 favorites from last year.
I forgot to do a Friday five last week because I forgot it was Friday. So this week is a double list. Here's 10 of my favorite songs. In no particular order.
Since I already did my Christmas-related list, I'm gonna go in another direction. I was going to do a list of movies from this year that I liked, then I realized I haven't seen ANYTHING that actually came out this year. So how bout a list of movies from 2010 I'm looking forward to seeing?
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
The Social Network (so I can find out what this "Facebook" thing is everyone talks about)
I'll be posting my favorite
albums list in a couple of weeks. The National released an album that may or may not be
my favorite of the year. In honor of that uncertainty, here's 5 of my favorite National songs.
Friday always comes so fast! I should really plan these posts ahead of time. Anywho, since it's the end of the year, I'll be posting my favorite albums list soon. David Usher released an album that may or may not be my favorite of the year (you can listen to it here). In honor of that uncertainty, here's 5 of my favorite David Usher songs.
My super exciting Black Friday shopping included taking advantage of Joann's sale on floss plus 20% off coupon. In honor of that, my favorite DMC colors.
New weekly site thingie cause there's no reason I can't update this bad boy more than once a week. And I enjoy making lists of things.
This week, some idiots at People magazine decided that Ryan Reynolds is the sexiest man alive. Once I convinced the Boycrab that he did, in fact, know who Ryan Reynolds was ("He should go back to the pizza place"), we took a look at the sexy dudes he beat out and came up with our own unofficial list.
In no particular order, other than #1.
Jon Hamm: our consensus pick for sexiest man. How he wasn't the pick is beyond me.
Justin Timberlake
Jake Gyllenhaal
Matt Damon
Matt Berninger (from The National). People is too stupid to know who this is
