Ten Years Gone: The Truman Show

This entry is part of an ongoing series in where I take a look back at landmark films and albums released 10 years ago.


In 1998, the concept of The Truman Show seemed inconceiveable. How could the entired world be caught up in a television show that claimed to be real, but was in fact artificial and manufactured? And how could a program that tracked the life of a man 24/7 even make it onto the air in the first place? Indeed, at the time, it did feel like a fantasy. Flash forward 10 years later and we find ourselves not all that far from a Truman Show-esque world. Two years after The Truman Show, a little show called Survivor captured the attention of a nation. It surprisingly kickstarted a genre and gave birth to a new phrase: reality television.

Why I Can't Wait To See Speed Racer

Surely you all have seen the trailer for the upcoming Speed Racer movie, right? If not, please take a gander.



I'm sold. I have to admit that when it was announced that a Speed Racer movie was going into production, I didn't have high hopes, even with the Wachowski Bros. attached. I was pretty sure there would be some nifty action with them helming it, but the whole idea of a big-screen adaptation made me groan. The show was so goofy and frenetic to begin with and any real life interpretation would likely result in an empty and soulless product.

Tally Hall - "Taken For A Ride"

Tally Hall isn't really all that new. Their debut album on Atlantic Records, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, is just a remixed and remastered version of the same album they released on an indie label a few years back (it even cracked my top 100 list in '06). But even a couple of years on, the songs are still fresh. I remember the first time I ever heard of these guys. I saw them open up for Puffy AmiYumi and had no idea what to expect. All I knew is that a lot of tweens were there solely for them and they had quite a following. They opened up with "Good Day", which I thought didn't completely suck at the time, but it didn't raise my hopes. Then came another so-so song which I can't recall and I thought I was going to be in for the longest 45 minutes of my life. Not too long after that, they went into "Welcome To Tally Hall" and I was won over by its mix of goofy hip-hop charm and power pop. The next song after that was "Taken For A Ride", which is where they totally earned my respect. It was a composition that seemingly had a surprise at nearly every turn. It started off in ELO territory, turned into a Beatlesque ballad for the choruses and somehow became a new wave tune before it was all over. It was there where I understood the appeal of Tally Hall. More than just the gimmicky ties, they deservedly earned their following with their chops and songcraft. Even in 2008, "Taken For A Ride" still gets major spins from me and with good reason. Tally Hall have learned well from their power pop forefathers and taken the most melodic and vibrant elements and injected them with a heavy dose of glee. I honestly think these guys have the potential to blow our minds away after a couple more albums.

Tally Hall - "Taken For A Ride"

To buy Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum from Amazon, click here

The Latest in Singles

Flo Rida F/ Timbaland - Elevator



Flo Rida sure does love the ladies. I'm all for guys making strictly dance cuts to get the floor filled, and so far he's 2-for-2, but for all his massive success, I just wish the guy had a little more personality in his songs. I really can't tell the difference between him and a hundred other guys. The production saves the day once again, but barely. Rating: 6


Girls Aloud - Can't Speak French



Enjoy this while it lasts. There will come a time when Girls Aloud isn't the greatest singles group in the world and we're left to deal with someone far less exciting. They've covered a multitude of genres through their short career and this time up, they've given us a delicious slice of pop-funk. Relish the moment, people. Rating: 9

Ten On Tuesdays: Ten Movie Characters I'd Like To Meet In Real Life

Mary Poppins from Mary Poppins, played by Julie Andrews
Being around someone who's practically perfect in every way could make you feel a bit inferior at times, but her cheery disposition would brighten even the gloomiest day. The woman makes drawings come to life and has an out of this world vocal range. She's automatically on the guest list for any party that I'm throwing.

Amélie Poulain from Amélie, played by Audrey Tautou
Has there ever been a sweeter character in cinema who was also bright and this fully rounded as a protagnoist? Her presence makes me smile all the time because her heart never fails to be in the right place. Ideal for riding bikes together along the lakefront.

My Personal Kelis Retrospective

Jive just released a Kelis career retrospective, titled The Hits, this past Tuesday. They did an okay job, but I think there are some key songs missing. For starters, I'd get rid of "Got Your Money". It's an important track in Kelis' career since it was her first major appearance, but she's only on the hook. I guess it makes sense if you're trying to move units, but it probably won't make any new fans. Here is what my tracklist would look like.

1. Caught Out There
2. Young Fresh N' New
3. Trick Me
4. Good Stuff
5. Get Along With You
6. Suspended
7. Millionaire
8. Help Me (w/ Timo Maas)
9. Bossy
10. Blindfold Me
11. Milkshake
12. Rolling Through The Hood
13. Daddy
14. Perfect Day
15. I Don't Think So
16. Flash Back
17. Lil' Star
18. In The Morning

Wow. After compiling that, there's still some stuff I'd like to see on there. Kelis is awesome. Even if this thing is probably over 80 minutes.

Ten Years Gone: Madonna - Ray Of Light

This entry will be the first in what I hope will become a regular thing on this blog. I'm going to take a look back at certain albums and movies on their 10 year anniverseray and examine the impact they've made. First up is Madonna's Ray of Light.

So why Madonna as the first entry? Well, after looking at the list of '98 albums and films that I enjoyed, Ray of Light's release date was the earliest and I want these entries to coincide with their respective 10 year anniversaries.

So you still might have the question: Why Madonna?

Ray of Light is a very special album in the catalogue of one the world's most beloved pop icons. Madonna's work has always been provocative and ever-changing, but never before had she let us this deep into her personal life. A lot of Madonna songs have a narrative that could be ambigiuosly biographical ("Papa Don't Preach", "Secret"), but there is no confusion that Madonna herself is the subject for most of Ray of Light.

Stephen "Static" Garrett 1974-2008

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.6456/title.producer-songwriter-static-passes-away

Deaths like these are usually the hardest to take when the person is so young and it comes unexpectedly. I really feel for Garrett's family and the folks at Blackground, who had to deal with another tragic event with Aaliyah back in 2001. One look at Stephen "Static" Garrett's songwriting credits and there is no doubt that he left behind an impressive body of work which stands up there with some of the best the modern R&B era has seen. Here are some highlights.


Ginuwine - "Pony" (1996)



"Pony" is one of those songs that appear to be amazingly raunchy on the surface, but is clever in its wordplay. There is a fine line between sexy and silly when dealing with songs about about sex. They either make you giggle or want to gyrate your hips. For a song that uses a pony as a metaphor, it's lasciviousness is pretty powerful.


Aaliyah - "Are You That Somebody?" (1998)



The thing I love about this song that probably gets overlooked a lot is the speaker's desire to not give it up so easy. Even back in 1998, radio was still not a place for patience. "Are You That Somebody?" was so refreshing at the time because you had a young lady saying, "Hey, I dig you, but you gotta show me some respect first," which is a message that I've always found admirable.

Van Hunt - Popular

As some of you may have heard, Van Hunt has been dropped from Blue Note/EMI. This does not come as much of a surprise since EMI was one of the latest of the Big Four to have massive layoffs and his previous two albums, Van Hunt and On The Jungle Floor, failed to garner much attention. In such hit-starved times, Mr. Hunt would eventually be the odd man out. The news of his departure from Blue Note came only several weeks before his third LP, Popular, was to drop, leaving the album's release date in limbo.

I can't say how much of a shame it is since Popular is one of the finest albums I have heard in this young year. Building on the wild and daring attitude of On The Jungle Floor, Popular continues in the same boundless vein with a collection of dark and sexy songs sure to please his fans.

Van Hunt's kinkier side has been hinted at in a few songs and the sound of his compositions have never lacked sex appeal, but he has become more explicit in his thoughts. Before, Hunt simply replied "Yeah" three times to a woman who asked him "If I take you home, will you still respect me in the morning?"

American Idol Shocker: Songs That Don't Suck

I have not tried to hide the fact that I'm an American Idol fan. I think it has always made for fantastic television and once the competition starts, it's hard not to get addicted. Now, I'm also a music fan, and sometimes good music and American Idol don't neccessarily go together. Some contestants have gone on to release decent albums (Fantasia, Carrie Underwood) and only one, in my opinion, has had a legitimately good recording career (Kelly Clarkson). But every now and then, you'll hear a song from a former contestant that's surprisingly solid and repeat-worthy. After the first season only yielded one star, a song from an Idol runner-up comes pre-packaged with low expectations. It's expected for the winner to have at least one strong song, but whenever the runner-ups release something good, it's always a shock.

When Ad Execs Show Hip Taste #1

I love how over the past decade, the songs in commercials have become incredibly chic and hip. I'm not the kind of person that will decry the use of a song in a commercial just because I view it as selling out (a term that gets thrown around too loosely nowadays). I actually welcome it as long as it makes sense artistically and the commercial doesn't overly bastardize the theme of the song. A lot of my favorite artists don't get mainstream attention, but that doesn't mean that I don't think people should know about a good unknown song.

While The Chemical Brothers aren't neccessarily obscure, it's not often that the casual music listener will come across one of their album tracks. "Dream On" is the closer to their last great album, 1999's Surrender, and it provides the soundtrack to the latest monster.com commercial. Good deal, Monster!




To buy Surrender from Amazon, click here

Live Blogging the 2008 Grammys

Okay, I got in the house a little later than I expected, but I recorded the first 10 minutes, so I will get back to them at the end of the night

7:19 First off, great to see Morris Day & The Time onstage again. Along with Rihanna nonetheless! Singing "Umbrella" over "Jungle Love" and then seguing into "Don't Stop The Music". If there is a better moment tonight, this will already be better than last year's ceremonies.

Also, for those wondering whether Amy Winehouse would take home one of the big 4 categories, I think her win for Best Pop Vocal Album at least secures Best New Artist and/or Record Of The Year.

7:25 I love The Beatles and all, but didn't we just have a Beatles tribute on the Grammys a few years ago? Hopefully they do a better job this time around. Oddly enough, Pharrell Williams on drums was the only thing that made sense.

7:29 Okay, they've somehow made the tribute from a few years back look like a stroke of genius. This whole Cirque du Soleil thing just doesn't translate well at an awards ceremony, even though I'm sure it would be amazing live. The best thing about this I guess is that there are probably some kids out there who were listening to "A Day In The Life" and had their mind blown.

Alice & Janelle

This entry is particularly exciting for me because I have been in love with these two songs for some time. I know that I say that a lot on this blog, but I am always very sincere whenever I say something like that. This entry is also exciting because I think it will be enjoyable for some of my readers who may not exactly listen to R&B.

Alice Smith and Janelle Monáe are two of R&B's brightest young talents, but describing their sound as just R&B is still a stretch. Alice Smith's debut, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, is full of melodies better suited for pop and rock, but Smith's bluesy delivery makes her overall sound hard to classify. Monáe's music goes beyond what is considered modern R&B and is reminiscent of the experimental territory covered by Kelis' first two albums and Gnarls Barkley.