Quick Take: Food, Inc.

This documentary will change the way you view the grocery store. It'll definitely make you want to change the way you eat. There were so many aspects of the film that made me cringe from the way the animals are handled to the family who had to eat fast food because it was cheaper then buying healthy groceries. It was so sad seeing the little girl who wanted some pears but couldn't get them because a pound of pears was only three pears and it was just too expensive for the family. It bought back some memories that I don't care to remember.

I am glad I watched the film. I would rather know most of the truth then feel blind. It was a telling fact that none of the food manufacturers would agree to be interviewed for the documentary.

I think everyone should see this film but be warned. It will make you change the way you do your grocery shopping.

Quick Take: The Voice

Watched the voice this morning and I was impressed with the show. I liked that the people were judged by voice first before the judges really knew what they looked like. It was a nice concept that I think worked well.

It was fun to watch how the confidence in the singers grew when the judges hit their buttons to turn around. It was also sad when you saw that none of the judges were hitting the buttons and you see the concern in the singers voices and faces.

The one singer that really impressed me was Javier Colon. His acoustic take on Time After Time was beautiful and I was glad all four judges wanted him on their teams. It was worth giving the show a try and I'll keep giving the show a chance.

Tuesday Top Ten: Song Covers

It took me awhile to make this list. It ended up being several days of work because when I started writing down the list I came up with a list of 96 covers that I really liked and if I kept going I could have came up with alot more so I just stopped at 96. Weird number but I wasn't counting as I was thinking of them. Then I made three rules:

1. Only one song per artist: I had to pick through the list and pick my favorite cover done by that artist. That eliminated quite a few choices.

2. The song had to be as good as the original and bonus points if I liked it better then the original. That eliminated a lot of the list because even through I loved the covers I love the originals a lot more. This rule removed all the Glee covers. It also removed Smashing Pumpkins version of "Landslide" and Matchbox 20's cover of "Time After Time."

3. Once a song was removed from the list it could not be placed back on. That stopped me from any second thoughts and saved a lot of time.

From there I just kept listening to the songs and removing them from the list until I was down to only ten songs. And here they are:

                 

10.  Starfucker: Girls Just Want to Have Fun

The original is such a guilty pleasure now and when I heard Starfucker's cover I get the same fun experience I get when I dance badly to Cyndi Lauper.

 

   

9. Mozella: Say It Ain’t So

One of my favorite Weezer songs and somehow Mozella makes it better. She has a haunting way of singing the lyrics and adding a new meaning to the song.

8.  Ben Taylor: I Try

I love the lyrics of this song but Macy Gray`s voice gives me a headache. Ben Taylor solves that problem.

7.   Ingrid Michaelson: Can’t Help Falling in Love

It`s impossible to do a version better then Elvis but Ingrid Michaelson comes close. She simplified the song and got right down to the core of the song. 

 6. Jack Savoretti: Ring of Fire

 This one comes the closest to being equal with the original without really being better then the original. Both versions bring a different flavor to the table.

5.  Chantal Kreviazuk: Feels Like Home

I don`t care for the original at all. I just never felt like Randy Newman`s voice brought much to the song but Chantal Kreviazuk is amazing on the song.

4. Kris Allen: Heartless

While I love the original I find that the meaning of the lyrics get lost in the auto tune and the beat. Kris Allen took away all the sugar coating and just got down to the lyrics and showed that it is actually a really well written song.

 

3.      Eva Cassidy: Fields of Gold

I never really card for any of Sting`s music after he left The Police but I always liked this song. Eva Cassidy`s voice on the cover is beautiful as it is on a lot of the covers she did. When I was making the list  it came down to this song or her cover of Time After Time which is equally beautiful but in the end this was the song that introduced me to her music.

2. Johnny Cash: Hurt

Even through I would never call myself a fan of Nine Inch Nails I have to admit that Trent Reznor is a great song writer and it is proven on this song. I`ve always been a fan of Johnny Cash and seeing him look over his life in the music video is a haunting.

1. Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’olw: Over The Rainbow/ What A Wonderful World

Any artist who can take two classics and infuse them into one beautiful and inspiration song has to be at the top of the list. He was able to take the songs and make them his which is a hard thing to do.

Music Monday: Bruno Mars "The Lazy Song"

Today I don't feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone
'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything
Nothing at all, nothing at all

I love this song. It's such a laid back song and since I wake up every morning feeling lazy. It's such a honest but fun song. It gets stuck in your and all you can do is bob you head to the beat in your head. 

The video also entertains me. Anything with a monkey mask is amazing. It's a fun summer song and I'll enjoy it while it's cool.

Things that bother me #2

I read today how the state of Tennessee passed a Bill that makes it illegal to discuss homosexuality to children before the ninth grade. While I can understand that some topics should not be discussed I also think that children need to learn that there is nothing wrong with being gay. It sends the wrong message and sadly too many people still judge gay people as being evil or worth less then straight people.

I look forward to the day when a wiser generation can run and be elected into government. A younger generation that accepts people for who they are. A group of kind individuals who will allow all people to be married wherever they want to be married and despite who they fall in love with.

Love is one the best things that can happen to someone and it's wrong that some people's relationships are treated with hatred.

There are a lot of topics that shouldn't be discussed before the ninth grade but pretending that a part of the human population doesn't exist is just wrong. Talking about it can help a kid feel accepted and maybe not be driven to someone as horrible as suicide. There is no reason that any child should have to feel alone with no one to talk to.

Tuesday Top Ten: TV shows that introduced me to great Music.

Doing this list was fun because I rediscovered some songs I didn't have on my iPod or just haven't listened to in a while. It also made me remember a lot of great scenes in my favorite TV shows and want to watch a lot of TV which is nothing new for me but I want to watch a lot of old shows all at once which is a little difficult.

Without any more waiting here's the list. Amy and Lisa can debate my list below :)

10. Eli Stone – Aqualung: Something to Believe In

Honourable Mention: John Butler Trio, Chad Doucette, "The One You Knew" by Joshua Radin

9. Friday Night Lights – Bright Eyes: Devil Town

 Honourable Mention: Mat Kearney, Explosions In The Sky, Drive-By Truckers, "Goodbye" by Steve Earle

  

8. Roswell – Sheryl Crow: I Shall Believe

Honourable Mention: Sensefield, Dido, "Fear" by Sarah McLachlan, Filter

  

7. Grey’s Anatomy – Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars

Honourable Mention: Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers Greg Laswell

 6. Smallville – Mindy Smith: One More Moment

Honourable Mention: Remy Zero, Stabbing Westward, Stretch Princess, Greg Jones, Eva Cassidy

5. Everwood – Jack Harlen: Please Don't Pass Me By

Honourable Mention: Jonny Lang, Matt Nathanson, Jump Little Children, David Mead, Jars of Clay

4. Scrubs - Josh Radin: Winter

Honourable Mention: Jeremy Kay, Colin Hay, Del Amitri, Josh Radin, Lazlo Bane, Obadiah Parker

3. The OC – Patrick Park: Life is a Song

Honourable Mention : Phantom Planet, Imogen Heap, Jem, Nada Surf,  Joesph Arthur, Matt Pond PA

2. Dawson’s Creek – Pancho’s Lament: Promise Me This

Honourable Mention: Eagle Eye Cherry, Sophie B. Hawkins, Five For Fighting, Shawn Colvin, Splender, Shawn Mullins, Mary Beth Maziarz,  Deb Talan, Billie Myers

1. One Tree Hill - Switchfoot: Dare You To Move

 Honourable Mention: Jimmy Eat World, Gavin Degraw, Laura Izabor, Matt White, Ray LaMontagne, Kate Voegele, Pete Frances, Eastmoutainsouth, Howie Day, Augustana, Tyler Hilton, The Weepies

Music Monday: The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

I totally stole this from Lisa but she did say it was ok so I don't feel so bad. She is totally free to steal any of my topics as well as I think it's all fair. I'll always include a video of the song and my favorite lyric from the song as well as why I love it.

Three words that became hard to say
I and love and you

Like many great songs I listen to I found this song by watching One Tree Hill. Say what you will about the show but one thing they have always done right is the music they use to set the scenes. In my opinion they have done the best job with music selection of any TV show ever. The only ones that may come close are Grey's Anatomy and The OC.

I like the song because it's such a sad song. Listening to it reminds me of my parents. They separated when I was young and even through it sucked then, looking back it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I'm not saying being raised by one parent is a great thing. I truly believe that ever child deserves to be raised by loving parents. But when the situation is wrong. When one of the people just doesn't want to be a parent. When it's hard to say I Love You to someone it's time to move on and start the next phrase of your life. Being raised by a single mother made me stronger and it made me know what love is. It's something that should never be hard to say. I grew into a loving husband because of that early lesson. But the song is a reminder of that lesson and a reminder to always say I Love You because it's so easy to say it when you mean it.

Finally... TV is Back

It's been a long 2 months but shows are finally coming back for there stretch runs. With most shows leaving on cliffhangers here are some story lines I am impatiently waiting to find resolution on. Be careful ... The below may contain spoilers based on what you have already seen.

Gossip Girl: What will happen between Blair and Dan? The writers surprised me with the pairing and I grew to really enjoy the "couple" for lack of a better word. Of course it's Gossip Girl and they'll find a way to ruin it.

One Tree Hill: Will Brooke and Julian get their baby? There's always drama on OTH and I just hope Brooke gets her happy ending.

Fringe: What will Peter do when he finds out he has a child on the other side? The show has done a great job of balancing the two sides and I want to know how they'll resolve the conflict between the alternate worlds.

Smallville: Will Clark fly? It's the end of the show. They have to put him in the suit and let him fly.

Grey's Anatomy: Will Callie's baby be ok and will they ever give Alex something real to do? I would hate for the baby to be killed off and if you're not gonna use Alex then give him a spin off or something.

How I Met Your Mother: I know it'll never happen but just show the damn mother already.

Quick Take Redux: Friday Night Lights Pilot

I went back and started rewatching Friday Night Lights Season one.

I loved this show from the start. The characters and emotions in this show are real and relatable. They didn't try to make characters perfect. They let them make mistakes and let them have flaws.

I can understand why people wouldn't like the show. The camera work is done cheaply and moves around a lot almost like its filmed with a handheld.

But even with the shaky camera the storylines are well done if you can get past it. Not many shows would permanantly injury the star quarterback and not have him come back from it.

My favorite show is the relationship between Coach and Tami. They have a wonderful give and take relationship. You can tell they are best friends and really love each other. The pressure that it takes to be a football coach in Texas is crazy but they show that it is just as hard to be the coach's wife.

With the show already finished its sad to know it won't be coming back. But we were able to have five seasons of a show that in normal circumstances wouldn't make it out of the first season. Atleast they were able to end it in their own terms which is always a good thing.

Tuesday Top Ten: World of Warcraft in Pop Culture

I have recently decided to return to World of Warcraft since my wife and some close friends are also returning to the game. So this week the top ten will be my favorite WOW references in Pop Culture.

10. Judge Judy







9. Moonlight








8. Mountain Dew soda

7. Celebrity Commercials








6. Zombieland - Apparently only myself and Spanish people like this clip.








5. How I Met Your Mother








4. Jeopardy - There's no way no one knew the answer








3. The Guild

2. The Big Bang Theory

1. South park

Current Five (April)

So every month I'm gonna post five things I am either enjoying or looking forward to. It can be anything at all that I am currently excited about. So let's get started:

1. Matt White music - I was watching a One Tree Hill rerun on tv and heard one of his songs that I really liked.I remembered listening to him a lot when the episode first aired and I had to download some of his songs. I even snuck some on to Nessa's iPod and she enjoyed it. Songs played the most would be "Wait for love" "Falling in Love (With my Best Friend), and Best Days.

2. Friday Night Lights - The fifth and final season was just released on DVD which is a good thing because it's quicker to just buy it and watch on a TV then to download it and have to watch on my laptop. So because I'm a geek I had to go back and watch the entire series from the start. The acting in this show is amazing as long as you can get past the camera movements. Also whoever thought of putting TV shows on DVD is a genius.

3. Poppit Sprint - Nessa has been playing it a lot lately and I watched her play a bit and got hooked. She's really good at it. Even though I suck at it I am strangely addicted to the game.

4. America's Best Dance Crew - I hope this show lasts forever. It's a reality shows that knows they are cheesy and are 100% ok with it. Along with judges that are ok with telling people they suck. Any show that can give crews that clog and dance on roller skates is cool in my book.  It doesn't hurt that the dance numbers are cool most of the time.

5. Smallville - The last five episodes of the series start next week. I've watched the show since the beginning and am ok with the fact that it is ending this year and that it was announced as the final season last year so a proper ending could be built for the show. Now if only some other aging shows could do the same thing I can make way for some new TV shows.

Quick Take on The Kids Are Alright

This movie was good but not as good as I had expected it to be. With all the critical acclaim it was given I expected more to it then what was delivered.

The story was realistic which I liked. I fully understood the children's need to know where they came from. To discover what the other half is. To wonder not only what the other person is like but to also try to get a glimpse of who may you someday be. I also understood the need of the adults to feel needed and appreciated. The emotions involved were very truthful and human.

The acting in the movie was also very well done. I continue to be impressed with the range of character Mark Ruffalo can do and have always enjoyed Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. I also enjoyed to younger characters.

It's not that I didn't enjoy the movie. It's that I can't see myself wanting to watch it again. It's not a movie I would ever want to own. I most likely would watch it again if asked nicely but have no real desire to watch it again on my own. But I would say anyone should give it a try for the well acted stories.

Tuesday Top Ten: College Movies

To celebrate Nessa's last day of classes for her first year of University this week's Top Ten will be my favorite college movies. Following the same rules as before my lists continuously change based on what movies I remember. So without further ado my Top Ten College Movies:

10.  The Skulls – An underrated thriller starring Pacey Witter 

9. Sorority Boys – An underrated comedy. For some reason guys in drag always crack me up.

8.  Slackers – Great use of the Ace of Base classic “The Sign” and “She’ll Be Coming Around The Mountain”

7. Road Trip – I’m pretty sure this is the only time I have thought Tom Green was funny.

6. Dead Man on Campus – Zack Morris goes to college. How could anyone not like this movie?

5. Van Wilder – Any movie that makes Tara Reid funny has to be ranked high.

4. Rudy – A great feel good movie. I’m ready for the jokes.

3. St. Elmo’s Fire – A great look at life after college.

2. Old School – I use to watch this movie all the time. It’s definitely easily the best film for all three main stars.

1. Animal House – In my opinion the first great college movie and one of the best comedies ever.

Things that bother me #1

I was flipping through channels on my tv and I come across Almost Famous on Much More Music. One of my favorite movies. I hate movies on tv so I start flipping through my movie collection but I can't find it. I check my Shelves app on my phone and no Almost Famous. For some crazy reason I don't own this movie.

The bright side of the story is I own a dvr so I was able to record it so I could at least fast forward the commercials. By their is nothing worse then getting into a movie and being interrupted by a commercial for batteries or shampoo.

If R rated movies were meant to be played on tv then they would have been given a pg-13 rating. Where's the Parental Television Council to stop channels from removing the good parts of great movies.But if the movie is great enough and it's not on demand and I don't own the movie then I'll just have to suck it up and deal with the commercials.

It just means I'll be going to buy the dvd soon.

Quick Take on Mobbed and Grey's Anatomy the Musical Event

Mobbed:

I was intrigued by the premise of the show. Getting over 1000 people to dance and sing to surprise someone. There were parts that I couldn't understand why someone would agree to do it but luckily for those involved things worked out. There was a little drama but the producers and actors did a good job diffusing the situations before it could blow up.

Watching the final result of the mob was great. The reaction of the participant was sweet and the as she seen it all play out I teared up with her. I'm not sure how the show would work out in the long run but I'm interested in seeing more.

Grey's Anatomy:

First off I must say that the singing voices of the cast were amazing. Sara Ramirez was amazing in the episode and should enter the episode when she goes for Best Supporting Actress.

I thought the characters singing would be distracting but it worked as a "special" episode. It probably helps that I love musicals. I can definitely see why some people will hate the episode. The songs they choose to cover were excellent choices. I loved hearing different takes on some of my favorite songs like "How to Save A Life", "Chasing Cars", and "Breathe."

The scene with Alex's hickey was hilarious. Seattle Grace Mercy Death quote cracked me up. It's sad because I think they are using Alex in the same way they used George a few seasons ago. He is underused and it seems wrong because he is the character I have always enjoyed the most.

It did feel wrong that all the hospitals best doctors were working on Callie. I know she's a fellow doctor and all that but what about the other patients. Apparently no one else needs help.

Overall it was a good episode. I think other shows have executed the musical episode better. Scrubs and Fringe did better musical episodes. And I hear the Buffy musical episode was good. But I did enjoy the episode as a whole and liked that they used songs that were previous played in key moments during the show's run.

Quick Take on Tangled

Anyone that knows me knows I love all Disney movies. I've always had a soft spot for them and Tangled continues the streak. I loved the movie. The voices of Mandy Moore and Zachery Levi were perfect for the roles and their singing voices blended together so well.  Maximus the horse and the chameleon  were great sidekicks.

I didn't love all the songs. The one song I did love was "I See The Light." I had heard the stars sing it at the Oscars and it was nice to see it incorporated into the film.

What I liked best about the movie is what I love about all Disney movies. For two hours I can just watch the film and be a kid. I can just enjoy myself and not worry about anything else going on. It's not the greatest Disney movie but it's well worth watching.