Talking to Americans...

Sorry, but this is just too hilarious not to pass along, though I expect some of you may have seen it. Not all Americans are this ridiculous (dear lord, I hope), and obviously they're taking the most extreme interviews for effect, but it's kind of heart breaking to me that people are that belligerent about stuff they are so uninformed about.

Sick a camera in someone's face and unless they're practiced at interviewing they're going stumble, mix their words, whatever, but to be so aggressive about things you have no knowledge about... scary... also, kind of hilarious...

At any rate, some actual music-related content up tomorrow (PoTW #47), I'll have another email exchange up at the beginning of the week, and now that I'm back and healthy things should get back to business as usual.

How to Beat Teen Wolf, the Watchmen, CollegeHoops, Hoora... for the Raptors, Alela Diane

• I found out last week - or maybe someone just reminded me - that Kyle's BFF Misha wrote this hilarious piece on McSweeney's "Covering Teen Wolf: One Coach's Guide" which is really worth the 7 mins it'll take you to read it.

• Liz and I went to see the Watchmen.  And, after reading Sepinwall's review - where he says that basically the movie was unmakeable, ie. it was too dense, too many themes/backstories to cover.  I haven't read the comic, and I walked away from the movie kind of indifferent.  The action sequences were pretty cool, I loved/thought the idea of an alternate reality with Nixon as President was hilarious, but it wasn't anything I'm going to discuss at length with anyone.

• Did anyone see any the end of the Ten-MissSt. SEC final on... Sunday?  There were at least 5 turnovers and somehow .3 seconds were added to the clock.  Exciting? Yes.  Entertaining? Yes. But please don't make that argument that this is better than the NBA...

• Speaking of the NBA... how 'bout those RAP-tors?  I think their game vs. the Pacers on Sunday is probably the first game I've watched - in its entirety - in a good couple of months.  Love the addition of Pops Mensa-Bonsu (or any Spurs castoff, really)... I don't love that BC is going to pay him WAY too much in the off season, or that its not going to fix the fact that the Raps look they have no idea how they're going to beat teams... but, hey, its a nice lil' silver lining...  Also, on a hilarious note: during Sunday's telecast I'm about 95% confident that Jack Armstrong picked the Lakers, Cavs, Celts, and Magic as his final four despite the fact that 3 of them play in the same conference... way to do your homework Jack.

• Alela Diane's To Be Still - particularly since Liz likes it also - has been playing a lot around here this weekend.  So, it bears repeating, if you like Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, et.al., you really ought to have a listen to this album.  
  

The Real Shaq, Shawn Marion, Fired Up!, Metric, The Acorn on Daytrotter

• A hilarious (and nice) story about Shaq in a diner, and twitter... which is why I've got a twitter account now

• ... bear with me here ... my buddy Cam sent me a message saying that a friend of his spotted Shawn Marion doing groceries on Sunday after the Raps win over NYK. For anyone interested in what he bought:

- Fiji Bottled Water (2 x 12 packs)
- Fruité Brand Fruit Drink (1 x Fruit Punch, 1 x Grape - I'm pretty sure)
- Kraft Singles
- Doritos (Original Nacho Cheese)
- Mr. Noodles (4 packs)
- Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter
- Cashmere Brand Toilet Paper (12 pack Double Roll - *sale item*)
- Pizza Pops

.... the odds of Shawn Marion putting on 30lbs immediately after he retires? I'm going to guess pretty good...

• Liz and I saw Fired Up! on Sunday night. And yes, that's the one with the Cheerleaders. I went into thinking that I would like it in the same way that I like Bromance, The Hills, The Real World, etc., but it was actually legitimately funny... plus its hard to beat the $10 student deal (movie, drink, popcorn) at the North York Centre.

• I don't normally spend a lot of time trolling around Pitchfork, but they have a really cool interview with Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw of Metric.

• (via Herohill) The Acorn on Daytrotter

[mp3] The Acorn - Glory (live, Daytrotter session)

The Worst Album Ever, Album Art Rip-off, Great Canadian Mixtape, Flight of the Conchords/Crazy Dogggz, Kyle, A-Stod, Defiance

• Matthew has a review of an album which he thinks might be the worst ever.

• Amid some controversy about U2 ripping off the album art for its up coming album Bonoisagiantdouche (or at least that's what I assume its called) Music for Kids Who Can't Read Good posted a bunch of album look-a-likes.

• The guys at Herohill put out the Saskatchewan edition of their Great Canadian Mixtape "Elgaard Your Grill". And, for those of you who are thinking to yourselves are there really that many bands from Saskatchewan that are worth listening to!?! I'd reply, I don't know, but I can tell you that Rah Rah (pick of the week #2) definitely is. But I would say you ought to click on the link if only to see the album art (actually pictured above), if not to download the Mixtape for free.

• Its official, Liz is the best ever... we got tickets to the Crazy Dogggz, Flute of the Commadores, or whatever they're called at Massey Hall, April ____. Sweet.

• Kyle posted his Best Albums of '08.

• There've been rumours floating around about Amare Stoudamire is on the trading block. A Bulls fan urges Bulls GM J-Pax to "just say no"... and let me be the first to say the same to BC... we already have one PF who doesn't play any defence...

• Liz and I saw Defiance last night and, despite receiving 50-odd % on Rotten Tomatoes, I thought it was a really interesting vinette in the larger story of WWII. I don't think it was a cinematic masterpiece or anything, but it was a good movie.
  

Zetterberg & $$$, the RAA, Tradewatch ft. Chris Bosh, The Road, Golden Hands Before Blog

• I'm not a hockey guy so I could be way off on this, but Henrik Zetterberg for 12 years? Really? You're going to pay him $7mil when he's 36-37? Really? I'm just not sure who thinks this is a good idea...

• (Via Jen's FB page) Nice to see the RAA (Rural Alberta Advantage) getting some love from south of the border after their first show in NYC.

• This may be a moo point by the time this gets posted (like a cow's opinion), but its interesting to note that Chris Bosh was included in Chad Ford's "Trade Watch". Glad to know that I'm not the only one who's been milling around with the idea that getting some value for CB4 right now might be a good thing before he takes off to play with Dwayne Wade in Miami...

• On a related note, Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail suggests that a Bosh for Aldridge, Bayless, (and I'd push for Outlaw as well) might be a good move for the Raps. And, I'll also add that if the O'Neal for Marion/Banks deal goes through - which looks less likely with each passing day - the Raps would have a really interesting team: Bargnani, Aldridge, Marion, Parker, Calderon with Bayless, Kapono, (Outlaw) and Graham coming off the bench.

• I've been reading (and am almost finished) Cormac MacCarthy's The Road, which apparently has been turned into a movie. The book is incredbily haunting, but what's more haunting is that the guy they've got to direct the movie basically has nothing in his IMBD profile to suggest that he's going to put out something worth watching; which is to say that directing commercials doesn't really qualify you to produce a feature film of a pulitzer prize winning novel.
  

• Saving the best for last, Jamie Greer of the Golden Hands Before God has a blog entitled "For All Greerkind".

UPDATE: My buddy Andrew just MSNed me and was (outraged?) that I didn't comment on the Aussie Open final, particularly after I said last week that I thought Fed might be the GOAT, to which Andrew replied that the GOAT was on the court, but it wasn't Fed, and then something about Nadal winning #7 in May and only being 23.

Counter-point: Nadal may yet be the GOAT, which is to say, he may become the GOAT, but he definitely isn't yet. He's won 6 majors, one on each surface (but Agassi has done that), which, while impressive, still leaves him 8 behind Sampras and 7 behind Fed. Meanwhile Federer has had a stunning win loss record, has made it to at least the semis of every slam in the last 4?5? years? So, right now, Fed's got to be the guy that, when you get to chose a player to win a tournament to save your life, and you don't know anything about the tournament Feds the guy you pick....

That said, as I MSNed my buddy Andrew back saying that I thought that Nadal is in the MJ-zone right now where he basically goes into "there's no way this guy is going to beat me mode" and puts a Darth Vader-eque mind meld on his opponent until they quit. Simply put, he's playing the best tennis, I think, that anyone has ever played, but still has 3-4-5 majors until he's the GOAT... maybe Colangelo should have him sit down with CB4

Burgeoning Metropolis: Best of January

I thought rather than doing another round up of a bunch of albums only a few people have heard of it might be a time to do a little monthly round-up.

Best Movie: The Wrestler (although I thought Benjamin Button and Milk were both quite good also) which didn't try and do too much, and told a really compelling story about the athletes we glorify after their prime.

Most Disappointing Movie: There Will Be Blood - I bought this movie at Blockbuster for 5 bucks just after Christmikkah and Liz and I finally got around to watching it this week. After all the Oscar hype last year for Daniel Day-Lewis (who was excellent) I was expecting a better film, and not a story that seemed like it would never end.

Best TV Show: Friday Night Lights despite the fact that the story line of the show throughout season 3 is incredibly choppy (although, you might note that my complaints about this show should be tempered against the fact that I've been re-watching the Wire lately - thanks Liz's Mom and Dad for the best Christmas present ever). That said, the show has some of the best characters on TV: The Riggins Bros., Buddy Garrity, Mr. and Mrs. Coach, Saracsen (sp?), I even like the new QB. And, although it seems unlikely, I'm really crossing my fingers for a forth season.

Best Sports Story: Roger Federer becomes the GOAT (regardless of how he fairs in the Aussie Open Final). If he wins, he ties Sampras and gets the nod by virtue of having success on all surfaces and having much more consistent results; if he loses, at least he's shown that he can gut out a win or two and will have lost to a guy who is a top-10 best ever.
(Note: Although Fed is 6 - 12 vs. Nadal lifetime he is 3-2 on hard courts, winning the last two on hard both in Shanghai. Its also interesting to note that if you take out all the matches they've played on clay Federer is 4-2. See the Federer-Nadal rivalry page.)

Best Live Performance:
Ketch Harbour Wolves was good, Jessica Lee Mayfield was very good, and Bruce Peninsula (tonight) promises to be unbelievable.

Best Albums:
#3 Bon Iver Blood Bank EP
[mp3] Bon Iver - Beach Baby

#2 Bruce Peninsula A Mountain is a Mouth (pick of the week #4)
[mp3] Bruce Peninsula - Steamroller

#1 Rah Rah going steady (pick of the week #2)
[mp3] Rah Rah - The Betrayal pt.1

Most Anticipated Albums (February):

Lily Allen It's Not Me, It's You
Mos Def The Ecstatic
M. Ward Hold Time
K'NaanTroubador
Beirut March of the Zapotec/Holland EP
N.A.S.A. The Spirit of Apollo

... feels like its going to be a good month... see you in February.

Serena Williams on Obama, Brad Gilbert, Roger Federer, Allan, AI, Truehoop, Kevin Love, The Wrestler, New Beirut

Probably an inordinate amount of tennis stuff today, but, sorry, the Australian Open is (kind of) on TV now... feel free to skip down to the fourth bullet if tennis isn't your thing.

• An explanation of why Serena Williams didn't vote for Barack Obama.

• A defense of Brad Gilbert.

• Roger Federer has a come back win over Thomas Berdych, which makes me think that he may now be the GOAT. Before my argument was that Sampras was the greatest basically by virtue of how he was able to gut out some huge, memorable matches (the Corretja vomit match, the entire Aussie Open after his coach, Tim Gullikson died, and the entire 2002 US Open run); and that if I wanted someone to play one match for my life, it was going to be Sampras - if he got down, he'd fight. Now with the Berdych win here, Andreev in the US Open last year, Federer is starting to show something other than an unbelieavably pretty game.

• Allan explains that New Zealand is going to stamp out music blogging... note to self: cancel trip to visit Frodo Baggins.

• Allen Iverson as a starter on the East All-Star team... really? If you get to be an All-Star for making a team significantly worse upon your arrival shouldn't Elton Brand and Baron Davis have got spots on the team too?
  

• Henry Abbott of TrueHoop on what makes an All-Star and why All-Stars tend to come from teams with winning records... and, of course, my favourite part is the analogy he uses to working in an office.

• Also, Truehoop determines, or tries to determine, what makes Kevin Love such a good a rebounder. The verdict: he understands the "dark arts of rebounding", which makes me think that if Jamario Moon knew half of what Kevin Love knows he might be averaging more than 4.5 rebounds per game.

• I saw the Wrestler on Sunday night... highly recommended especially if you are a fan of sports at all. It really made me think about what happens to people who don't "make it"... scary.

• Lastly, thanks to B for the heads up on the new Beirut album leaking... not that I support illegal downloading.

My New Oprah Diary, Golden Hands Before God, Michael Jordan, LBJ and the LeBrowns, Matthew De Zoete, Kyle, Marion to the Raps?

Just as a pre-emptive apology to everyone before my (what I assume will be obsessive) campaigning to be on Jen/Tyler's podcast... and yes, I plan on taking a page out of David Letterman's book and beginning my own version of the "Oprah Diary" ... please tell me someone else remembers this...

• On a sad note, Jamie from the Golden Hands Before God sent a few bloggers a message saying that the band is taking a hiatus for a few months. Sad, but at least they're not breaking up. On a brighter note a few side projects from the band: The Unsettlers and the Waverly Bros.

• JA Andande wrote this piece about how there will be never be another Jordan (um, duh?), but he linked to the original "Be Like Mike" Gatorade commercial, which I currently have stuck in my head and reminded me of the Jordan vs. Bird - MacDonald's H-O-R-S-E commercial.... maybe its just me, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find any athlete who'd associate themselves with MacDonalds today... can you picture LBJ, Tiger, or Federer pushing burgers?

• LBJ played one-on-five against a bunch of writers from GQ. And, for anyone in Cleveland who is hoping that LBJ is going to stay the "LeBrowns" is probably a good sign.

• Ack over at Herohill has a review of Matthew De Zoete's album Bottom of the World... he says that its a little safe, and I think I agree, although the more it gets played on my iTunes the less I'm concerned about it and the more I think its a nice singer-songwriter album. He's touring around SW Ontario and you check his myspace for dates, including the Feb. 28th date at the Tranzac here in the big smoke.

[mp3] Matthew De Zoete - Not on Fire (w/Jenn Grant)
[mp3] Matthew De Zoete - Warkworth Penitentary

• Kyle has emerged from hiding to list his Best TV Shows of '08.

• And, god, wouldn't it be great if that Raptors got Shawn Marion... that said, anything's gotta be better than where we are now.
  

Shark City!

Shark City is a movie about sharks taking over the world in the same vein as Planet of the Apes (or so I assume based solely on the title and the google image search I did) staring Vivica A. Fox, Corey Haim, and Carlo Rota. Normally this probably wouldn't be quite enough to compel me into writing something about it, but my buddy Don IS Campbell is scoring the moving (which I assume means that he's some type of sex-stunt double).

In all seriousness this is really cool since Donny is a good pal, and a hell of a dodgeball player. He plays jazz, cover songs, and originals and you should check him out - he plays all over the city (Toronto) all the time. His gigs are listed on his myspace page.

Shark City has a blog.
CityTV had a little write up on the film.

And, the best song I could think of with Shark in the name, which I suspect will not show up in the film... although if I can get Don drunk enough...

[mp3] Cadence Weapon - Sharks (feat. Final Fantasy)

Things and Stuff

Umm... you probably didn't notice, but I haven't been around. Although, that said, if you're here... you probably did.

So, anyways, I'm moving - will be in Toronto shortly, and will resume posting in September once school (hooray!) starts.

A couple of notes:

• My buddy Brain recommended Elliot Brood's new album Mountain Meadows. It's good, and I'm kicking myself for not going to see them when they we're in London earlier this year. Also, when I went away on a little vacay a couple of weeks ago I found myself listening to Adele's 19 a lot to put myself to sleep... reminds me of what the Winehouse would be like if she were, you know, clean and well, let's be honest, a little overweight. On a much less cruel note she has a very cool new (I assume) song up on her page called 'Many Shades of Black'.
  

• I'm planning on seeing some more shows, since, it turns out - Toronto gets a lot more music passing through than London. Also, I'm hoping I'll have some friends around so I don't have to drag Liz to everything.

• I'm starting to get excited about the Raptors '08, and am eagerly anticipating the purchase of a Calderon t-shirt jersey (I'm not made of money). Although I'm not expecting a tonne from Jermaine O'Neal, I suspect just having a little security blanket in the middle may push Bosh into having a career year. I'm not sure whether this is having any affect on him already, but from what I've been reading his Team USA teammates are raving about his defence. This bodes well for a Raptors team that was Terrible on D last year. And, if all else fails the Raps can trade his corpse/contract next year for cap-space to re-sign Bosh, which if he decides to play a little D could be very expensive.

• If there's anything that's really cool that you think I ought to hear, please send me an email/drop me a line. I need some new music.
  

Tales of Interest, Friday Afternoon... Kobe!

• Before I say anything else I should point out that my pre-playoff prediction of the Celtics over the Lakers in 6 is looking pretty good right now....

• My buddy Kyle has been back writing (which is a career many of my friends think that he should pursue) and has a couple of posts - a running dairy of the ESPN spelling bee, and best video games of the 90s, which are well worth your time to read... I'll take this opportunity to remind him if you become a lawyer you'll have to get up before noon eventually...
  

• I realize I may come off as being a little 'soft' after this... but, this move around the 0:55 second mark is terribly impressive...

• Lastly, the Besnard Lakes, Bionic (who I don't know) and the Golden Hands Before God are playing at Call the Office on Saturday, which should be excellent. See my review of the GHBG's new Here EP, and get there early to see them as they're the first ones on.