BG Announces Its End

Battlestar Galactica producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore announced that the upcoming 22 episode fourth season will be the show's last.

I haven't watched it yet, but any critic or person I talked to who gave it a chance called it one of the best shows on television.

It's a bummer, but at least it's going out on the producers' terms, which means there should be some sort of closure. And they should be able to fit in a lot of closure in 22 episodes.

The Hagar Best Of

So, here's the mix CD I made for a friend.


A couple of notes: she has the Van Halen Best of Both Worlds, which is pretty comprehensive, so no need to add Van Halen songs to the mix. I also added a few songs that might not normally make the cut because there are a few that were tailored to her. And after nearly two-dozen albums, he's got a lot of songs to choose from. I added a few songs in this mix that maybe wouldn't make the cut on a different day because I may have feel more strongly about something else. That's the tough thing about Best Of's...

I'll get around to my definitive Hagar Best Of in the future. I will say that there are some official Best Of's out there: namely The Essential Red Collection and the remastered Classic Masters. Most of this mix CD I made came from those because they're remastered. I'll try to include the original album (if I could determine it-- his Capitol label era has tons of best of and live stuff) as well as the album I used to make the mix.



1. "Bad Motor Scooter"; Montrose (Montrose)/Essential Red Collection. Hagar's first tune, made when he fronted Montrose. It's also got a meaning for my friend-- or at least I tie the song to her.

2. "Red"; Red/Essential Red. The song that will forever link him to the color and gave him his Red Rocker nickname.

3. "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"; single/Classic Masters. This Otis Redding cover was a hit for him. It also showcases his talented voice.

4. "Rock 'N' Roll Weekend"; Red/Classic Masters. Just a cool tune. You can imagine him and his friends hangin' at the beach, drinking beers, and listening to the radio.

5. "Cruisin' & Boozin'"; Red/Classic Masters. I like the rhythm of the verses. And it's just a fun song.

6. "I've Done Everything For You"; B-side to "Dock of the Bay"/Classic Masters. If you listen hard enough, you can hear the disappointment in his voice when he realizes all his efforts were for naught. And, for the record, Hagar wrote the song (and put it on vinyl), and Rick Springfield covered it three years later.

7. "You Make Me Crazy"; Musical Chairs/Classic Masters. Another early hit. I like the tune of it.

8. "Three Lock Box"; Three Lock Box/Unboxed. One of those great "singalong" songs that are cool to hear live.

9. "There's Only One Way to Rock" Standing Hampton/Essential Red. Great hard rock vibe. Also a great one to hear live. He did a mean version with Van Halen on Right Here, Right Now where Ed just went wild.

10. "I'll Fall in Love Again"; Standing Hampton/Essential Red. One of my favorite songs. It's one of those turning point songs everyone has when they're growing up. It really got me through some rough times.

11. "Fast Times At Ridgemont High"; Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack/Essential Red. One of my friend's favorite movies. And the song has some cool sounds in it.

12. "Heavy Metal"; VOA/Essential Red. Great hard rock tune.

13. "I Can't Drive 55"; VOA/Essential Red. Probably the song he's best known for.

14. "Give to Live"; I Never Said Goodbye/Essential Red. Another of those seminal songs for me growing up off the first Hagar album I ever bought.

15. "High Hopes"; Unboxed/Essential Red. Probably doesn't need to be in here, but I was feeling it at the time.

16. "Little White Lies"; Marching to Mars/Essential Red. Probably my favorite Hagar song (which changes depending on my mood-- it's always in the Top Five). This song proved to me that he'd be okay after the Van Halen split. The rage from the Van Halen mess just comes through so clearly. He got some game-changing help from friends like Slash and Huey Lewis as well. The acoustic opening with the crunching electric guitar breaks during the first two verses, sliding into Lewis' harmonica solo (with the ominous electric getting closer), and then the full-blown hard rock ending that just drops on you. Perfect.

17. "Mas Tequila"; Red Voodoo/Essential Red. A "reimagination" of "Rock and Roll II" that he made his own. A fun song to party with.

18. "Let Sally Drive"; Ten13. Another one that maybe didn't need to be included, but it's a fun song nonetheless. I love when everything stops for a split-second and then "Drive drive drive, Sally drive!"

19. "Serious Juju"; Ten13. I love this song. It didn't work so well live, but the studio track is great. It's dark and mean and a departure from regular Hagar fare. And I'm not clear on who did the lead guitar (Sam or Vic Johnson), but it sure ruled. It'd be perfect entrance music for Al Gore when he does his global warming presentations. "Mother Earth will punish you... with some... serious... juju."

20. "Sam I Am"; Livin' it Up. A fun little tune off his most recent album that my friend said she liked.

21. "Let Me Take You There"; Livin' it Up. Another borderline tune, but it's different, so I thought it would round the mix out.

Not a bad track listing if I do say so myself. It runs the gamut from his first song to his most recent. There's some rocking songs, party songs, serious songs, ballads; some that feature his voice, others that feature his guitars. Some that you just need to sing along with, and others that you don't dare try to sing. And, most importantly, they are all his songs (or ones he put his own touch on). You can play any one of them, and say "This is a Sammy Hagar song."

So, I'm going to sound the call out again: who is your favorite artist? Who are you an expert on? Make a Best Of mix that tells a novice everything they need to know about your favorite. [One of my loyal readers is a Hagar expert himself, so I'm curious to hear what he thinks (you know who you are).]

Write a comment to this post with your Best Of, or e-mail me at teameckblog@charter.net, and I'll work it into a post. As I said in my last post, there are no right or wrong answers. There are no right or wrong artists. This is just suppsoed to be a fun exercise-- and maybe a little way to brag about what you're an expert on. Do a track listing of 15-20 songs that you'd play for someone who wanted to know what your artist is about; what "their sound" is. And, for fun, throw in an oddball you really like as a "bonus track" (for Hagar, I'd probably do one of his guest appearances on another artist's album).

I'd like this to be a summer-long project. Send your Best Of for a favorite band and then spend some time on another artist. I could do a Hagar one, a non-solo career Hagar, a Van Halen one, a Roth-era VH, a Hagar-era VH, a Best of Eddie Van Halen. Hell, I've got all but one of Roth's albums, too, so I could even do one of his. Make a workout album like I posted about a few months ago. The possibilities are endless.

And you may be surprised by what happens when you do it. I made a Traveling Wilburys mix for my four-year old that had Wilburys tunes (the ones that weren't too adult-- amazing how being a parent of little people changes your outlook) and Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty songs from around the time of the supergroup. I couldn't even put all my favorite tunes in due to content and whatnot, and I was amazed by how much I actually liked the album anyway. It totally brought me back to that magical time in my life: high school. It's also funny to hear my little guys sing songs that I just couldn't help but sing along with in front of them (I do not have a good singing voice, so I tend not to sing around them at all).

So, hey, have fun. If you're shy, don't tell me your name (and if I know it, I won't offer it unless given permission).

Who knows, you might just create a new fan for your favorite artist. The friend I made the Hagar mix is becoming a fan because of me. The Hagar expert I hoped would share his thoughts on my list? Who do you think turned him on to Hagar? Do the same for your favorite.

Best Of's

I'm gonna kind of link some various thoughts I've alluded to on previous posts together. Bear with me.

I don't get a chance to listen to music much. When I'm driving in my own car, I tend to listen to talk radio or audiobooks (because I just can't stop thinking). My car also has a cassette player, so I've got nothing to play on it more recent than 1991, and what I do have to listen to has been listened to a lot in my day and even though it's been years since I've listened to it, it's still tiresome for the most part.

I also just haven't found any really good music lately. The radio stations around here (and any other place I've lived) suck. You have your classic rock, which is, basically, the same 100 songs-- no matter what station you're listening to. You have your modern rock, which is just a little too much; there's nothing there that really hooks me (or wasn't when I actually tried listening to it). And it's all about how depressed people are and how their daddies didn't love them. What happened to good old sex, drugs, and rock and roll?

But I've found that music is extremely powerful at evoking memories and feelings. I went through a bit of an emotional crisis in February. My company decided to relocate my department, and my three minute commute became a thirty-five minute commute (thirty, if I'm really running late). My favorite people to work with were all leaving in droves, and I felt this enormous loss. But I also pulled out some tapes to play during my long drive and found comfort in the music I listened to during my last big emotional crisis-- the dreaded high school and girls mix. It was comforting-- and it helped me cope with the upheaval in my life now just as it did for me half a lifetime ago.

Music is important. It's also one of the few things I try not to disparage. If a TV show sucks, I'll usually say it to anyone who asks my opinion (and even those who don't). Same with movies, comics, books, etc. But music is sacred. I guess I look at music being so personal, it's hard to say "that sucks" because it may mean as much to someone else as my favorite music does to me.

That attitude probably also stems from the fact that I was a big late-'80s Van Halen fan. That meant Sammy Hagar. I spent my high school and college lives hearing how Roth was better in the band, and I had to defend my favorite lineup whenever the subject came up.

Hmmmm. I'm not wrapping it up real well, am I?

Let's just get to the point:

I noted in a recent post that it's hard to come up with a Best Of list of any sort unless you're an expert on the subject. I'm not an "expert" at much, but I do know a lot about a few things (TV of the last ten years, comic books of the last twenty-five, Van Halen). So, when a friend asked me to make her a Sammy Hagar mix CD, I jumped at the chance. Here, I was able to actually put my knowledge to use-- and try to create another fan. Then I thought: what a great idea for a blog post.

And also: what an idea to actually get some communication going. I've gotten good feedback from people I know who read this, but I don't give much of an opportunity to open the gates.

So here it is. Time to earn your keep. Make a best of CD of your favorite band. Make an 80 minute mix for me (15-20 songs). If you were going to make a fan, what would you put on the CD? And, as a bonus, throw in a song that means something to you that may not get put on an "official" Best Of; a bonus track if you will.

I'm out of time, so I'll post my Hagar Best Of within the next day or two. In the meantime, get to work. I know one of my readers is a U2 fan and another is a Queensryche fan. Sell me on them.

Post a reply to the post or e-mail your best of to me at teameckblog@charter.net .

And sorry I didn't proofread this-- outta time....

Turning the Other Cheek

I can't in good conscience recommend [adult swim]'s Moral Orel because it's pretty sacrilegious (I'm not religious myself, but there's no need in getting the Bible-thumpers all pissed off about a show that's well under their radar.) "Sacrilegious" may be too strong; let's just say it takes Christian dogma and views it from a skewed angle.


But I have to say the episode that aired two weeks ago, "Turn the Other Cheek" was pretty good-- even if you don't find humor in religion.

Orel is a very enthusiastic young Christian who wakes up early and listens to a song about turning the other cheek. One day, school bully Walt punches him to the ground. Orel is ecstatic because he can finally turn the other cheek. He tells his friend Dougie that he's going to teach Walt a lesson, and he turns his other cheek. And Walt gives him a second black eye.

This goes on, day after day. Orel gets beaten to a pulp, and he enthusiastically asks for more.

Soon though, his mom is worried because Orel's clothes are getting so bloody. She takes the problem to her husband, who sees no problem that she has to wash clothes every day. ...Until she informs him that she has to double her laundry detergent budget.

Orel's dad asks him what's going on (because it's so bad that his wife has to talk to him, and "no one wants that"). After Orel explains, his father tells him that God wants him to protect himself and maybe it's time Orel makes Walt turn the other cheek. He also tells Orel that a fist is just one hand praying by itself, so it's not really a bad thing to make one.

Orel finds a new purpose in life: teaching God's word by his actions. He starts beating on Walt, then a sick kid who needed to make a fist to have blood drawn, then other school kids, then a cat he kicks across the street. He's terrorizing the neighborhood and is oblivious to the whole thing.

Finally he comes home and sees his mom's fist, holding a feather duster. He knocks her to the ground and starts wailing on her. His dad comes home and sees Orel going to town on his mom. He hesitates for a second and then screams at him. He reaches for the spanking paddle Orel made in shop class (made because his father's pants fall down every time he has to take his belt to Orel) and got ready to connect.

But Orel sees the fist clenched on the paddle and springs on his dad like a wild animal. I practically fell off the couch from laughing. Anyway, Orel's laying into his dad; even going so far as grabbing the paddle and giving his dad a few whacks, while enthusiastically informing him that he's "Getting a lesson from Jesus."

It was one of the funniest things I've watched since the season finales of my favorite shows a few weeks back.

So while I still can't recommend the show to everyone, I still think it's worth checking out if you can accept the humor. The thing is, Orel is unbelievably naive, but his desire to be the best Christian he can be is what makes the humor work (and it makes Orel someone to root for-- even if he's more dedicated than the most fanatical fundamentalists). And, in my opinion, there are lots of things that people have taken too far in the name of religion and anything that can show the ridiculousness of such things is something worth watching.

Or just forget the religious aspects altogether and just laugh at the antics of a young man who is completely clueless about the world around him.

TV GUIDE's Dream Emmy Noms

For the sixth year in a row, the TV Guide crew made a dream Emmy nominations list. I can't say I disagree with it (and I find numerous faults with most lists-- as my post about the EW Sci-Fi list proved).

Kinsey and Helms from The Office may have been a stretch; deserving, yes, but don't have enough screen time compared to others who could have made the list. But they were inspired choices, for sure.

Another quibble: 30 Rock isn't that great. It's funny, but it was painful to watch the early episodes. Baldwin did (and should have) gotten on the list, but some of the others (including the show itself)...?

But at least, there are no groaners (like Kelsey Grammar's way too many noms for Fraiser).

Check it out at the link:

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/2007-Dream-Emmy/800016062

And EW makes my WTF!? list

I really like the Entertainment Weekly magazine. I think the articles are informative without being trashy, and the reviewers are not too snobby and they actually are quite helpful when it comes to what to watch/read.

But they certainly didn't earn an "A" in a recent issue. My friend, Tom, tried to warn me before I read it (I borrow it from the library, so I'm always a week or three behind), but we ended up getting into a discussion of how much of an expert does one have to be before s/he can make a credible "Best Of" list? So his warning didn't hit me until I actually had the issue in my hand.

In issue #933 (May 11, 2007), the editors/critics/staffers made a list of the Top 25 Sci-Fi movies and TV of the last 25 years. The list isn't too bad. I'm certainly no expert anymore, and I haven't seen all the entries, but they did make one glaring omission. Now that I think of it, they also missed another big one. Now, if it was me, you can expect something being forgotten about, but I don't get paid to make lists that should be credible-- and I also work solo. There were TWELVE different people who wrote the explanatory pieces for each show/film, so it can be assumed that at least those twelve came up with the list.

Let's see what they did pick:

1. The Matrix. Hmm. Haven't seen it. Heard it's good. Also heard it's overrated.
2. Battlestar Galactica. (The current show). I've heard nothing but good about it. Probably deserves to be here.
3. Blade Runner. Haven't seen it from beginning to end, but it's considered a classic among those "in the know".
4. The X-Files. Acceptable.
5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Naturally.
6. Brazil. Haven't seen it, but I've heard it's excellent.
7. E.T. Absolutely. Not my idea of sci-fi, but the the conceits of these lists is: as long as it's set in the future or deals with time travel or alternate histories or has an alien, it's sci-fi.
8. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Probably the best pure sci-fi show ever.
9. Aliens. Sure.
10. The Thing. Another I haven't seen (I really have to dig out the tape I have of it...), but have heard it's excellent.
11. Lost. Heard it's good. Could be stretching the term "sci-fi" a little, though.
12. Back to the Future. Another one I don't think of as sci-fi, but the time travel makes it a viable candidate.
13. The Terminator/Terminator 2. Sure.
14. Children of Men. I have heard this is sci-fi, but it certainly didn't fall into my sci-fi radar. Heard it's an excellent film, too.
15. Firefly/Serenity. I liked the show, and liked the movie much more than I thought I thought I would. Acceptable, considering some on this list, but I think it's overrated.
16. Total Recall. Okay.
17. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Haven't seen it, but have never seen it referred to as sci-fi until this list.
18. Heroes. Ummm; it makes the list before the first season is even done? It could totally be worthy of the list, but I think it made it just to give it some "current stuff" love. And if this show made the list, where are the super-hero movies (Spider-Man, Batman) of the past 25 years?
19. Starship Troopers. Worthy. Unfortunately, the write-up just called it harmless fun. It is more than that.
20. Star Wars: Clone Wars. Worthy for sure.
21. Futurama. Okay, but not at the expense of what was left off.
22. Quantum Leap. Another I don't think of as sci-fi, but it's great it made the list. It's completely underrated.
23. Doctor Who. Haven't seen it in any incarnation, but it's a classic.
24. Galaxy Quest. Great movie; but not at the expense of what's not on the list.
25. V: The Miniseries. I was huge into this when I was a kid. I'm glad to see it get some love.

So, as you can see, it's a pretty good list. And some things were on it that maybe should be, and others aren't on that should be but there are two omissions that are unforgivable.

Firstly, where is Farscape? The craziest, most inventive sci-fi series I have ever seen, and it doesn't make the list? WTF!?

And the biggest error: no Babylon 5? SERIOUSLY!? Are they on f***ing crack? Yeah, it had its flaws, but the pure saga of it all should have made it a shoo-in. I know I personally place it higher on my list (my favorite TV series-- ever) than it deserves to be, but, c'mon! Are they out of their minds?

I guess everyone makes mistakes.

So, take the list as I typed it out and make it it a Top 27. Throw the much-deserving Babylon 5 and Farscape on it and be happy.

Me? I'm just gonna add this to my to-do list if I ever rule the world: "Fix the Entertainment Weekly Sci-Fi list."

Don't they have people who check for this sort of thing?

I just read a great small report in Steve Fritz's weekly animation article he does for newsarama.com that shows why you should check every language you can before you create a show or character. The whole article is here: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=113615 but the part I loved is buried, so I'll paste it below.

And Joanie Loves Chachi will forever be tainted now that I've read it...


SOUTH FLORIDA MOM MAD AT ANIMATED PENGUIN

It appears a South Florida mother, Maida Rodriguez, is up in arms over a PBS animated series entitled Pingu. Aimed at pre-schoolers, it tells the tale of a CGI kid-friendly penguin. The problem? The little bird’s name is apparently the same as a Latin term referring to a particular part of a man’s anatomy.

Her daughter, Samantha, loves the show and anything associated with the Antarctic birds."Basically, the word 'pingu' stands for male genitalia," Rodriguez, of Miami Lakes, told CBS TV station WFOR. "Whenever she sees a penguin, be it a stuffed toy or what not, she says, 'Look Mommy, there’s a Pingu.' I've had a couple of people at stores give me the eye because my daughter is saying a very bad word," Samantha's mom said.

"I have to constantly tell her that she's saying something wrong, and she doesn't understand because it's a show for kids and it's a cartoon and it's got a lovely little song that repeats the song over and over and over and it's a really catchy little tune.”

Rodriguez said that she has called both PBS and cable system Comcast. However, she's been told that she can turn Pingu off if she doesn't like the show. Instead, the mom is thinking of canceling her Comcast cable service.

Obviously, the woman has never heard of blocking the show, either.

As one person later posted on the same news item, Rodriguez is probably going to be having issues with TV shows for some time in the future. After all, the word ‘chachi’ is another Latin American slang term for another piece of male anatomy. As the poster pointed out, this probably goes a long way towards explaining why Joannie loved it so much.

Hey-- He Doesn't Look Like He's Joking...

newsarama.com reported that the new Joker (played by Heath Ledger) in next year's Batman The Dark Knight movie had a picture "leaked". I'm sure a reader or two (*** say: Jack Burton***) will let me know if this is a scam, but I trust my favorite comic-releated new source.








It's nice to see them going against Nicholson's 1989 Joker (or, as I like to refer to it: "Jack doing his thing in white makeup"), but this one looks a little too creepy.

Of course, that may just be the way to go. I'm no hater. I'll make a decision when I actually see the film.

I wonder if the toy stores and fast food restaurants have seen this picture yet. Probably gonna be tough to cross-promote.

Then again, they did make a RoboCop cartoon, so anything's possible.