Yeah Right

Download These Songs Now (And Thank Me Later)

Grizzly Bear with Michael McDonald - "While You Wait for the Others"
The Drums - "Saddest Summer"
The Cribs - "Cheat On Me"
Brand New - "Bed"
The Hold Steady - "Heaven Is Whenever"

File Under: Guilty Pleasures

Meet the cast of Celebrity Fit Club 7.  Highlights include K-Fed, his baby mama Shar Jackson, and Project Runway's Jay McCarroll.

Boobtoobapallooza '09: Eastwick (ABC Wednesdays)

With the arrival of Fall comes the the arrival of new television shows.  In an effort to help you separate the wheat from the chaff amongst all of your new TV viewing options, YR contributor Isangeles will be reviewing the major networks' newest offerings (with the exception of Cougar Town -- he says it's a matter of honor.)

Today's review?  ABC's new dramedy Eastwick.

I Love Girls

Do you remember what its like to fall in love with a band?  I had nearly forgotten. Sure, I have enjoyed a few passionate affairs with individual albums in recent years, and yes, I have mature loving relationships with several favorite groups.  Some musicians, with whom I used to have a thing, I can hardly stand to see them anymore, but I still appreciate those early songs, like a rediscovered love letter in the bottom of a drawer.  But more and more, I just download a song here and there -- purposeless flirting you might call it.  

But the debut album (titled Album) of the San Fran band, Girls, has put butterflies back in my stomach. I'll be honest, it feels a bit like Pavement and 1992 all over again.  Why?  Let me tell you...

Phew

Neve Campbell signed on to Scream 4.  I'm still pessimistic.  But a Scream movie without Sidney Prescott just wouldn't be right.

More TV Talk

Hopefully you've been reading our Boobtoobapallooza series to get caught up on all the new TV shows.  Other than Glee, I've been sticking to old shows.  A few of my shows are attempting to rebound from lackluster seasons.  Let's take a look at 90210 and Heroes.
 
Toward the end of last season, their was a leadership change in the 90210 camp.  Ethan was kicked out (too boring) and we were promised more drama (good) and less of the old 90210 gang (bad).  So what has this reinvention (really a reinvention of a reinvention, no?) looked like in reality?  I identify three main changes:
 
1) They changed the theme song.  File under: unnecessary.  It's also painfully bad, especially for a show that prides itself on awesome music (Amanda Blank, Santigold, etc.).
 
2) They've increased the the bitch/slut factor by 10 times this season.  That is saying a lot considering the first episode ever started with a guy getting a blow job in his car before school.  Thank goodness 90210 can still teach us valuable life lessons such as "don't get drunk and let a guy take a topless picture of you on his cell phone because it will be sent around school via text message."  But on the bright side, your dad will still let you go to a party that week because it's on the yatch on a movie star (really, Harry, really?).
 
3) The new character, Teddy (aka new Steve Sanders), looks like he is 30.  This is a vintage 90210 casting move.  Every 90210 cast needs a Gabrielle Carteris.
 
The other show I enjoy that's coming off a mediocre (make that two mediocre seasons) is Heroes.  Let's be honest, it's been all downhill since the fabulous season one.  There is a limit to how many times Ali Larter's character can die and come back to life before I declare shenanigans.  Luckily, NBC realizes the downhill slide and promised changes for season four.  Unfortunately, their idea of "change" is to introduce a pack of characters from a traveling carnival.  A pack of carny is supposed to make Heroes interesting again.  Color me skeptical.

Ninja Power

I'm pretty confident that this is the weirdest/coolest song about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that you'll hear today.

Boobtoobapallooza '09: Modern Family (ABC Wednesdays)

With the arrival of Fall comes the the arrival of new television shows.  In an effort to help you separate the wheat from the chaff amongst all of your new TV viewing options, YR contributor Isangeles will be reviewing the major networks' newest offerings (with the exception of Cougar Town -- he says it's a matter of honor.)

Today's review?  ABC's new comedy Modern Family.

Dancing with the Hammer - Week Two

Well the Hammer was back last night, doing his thing on DWTS. This time it was a tango and the result, again, was not too bad. He actually looked very good to my untrained eye, until the very end where he kinda dropped his partner. But the crowd was once again on his side and booed loudly when the judges only gave him an 18. One reason was that he was dancing with a foot injury and was obviously hurting badly, but he played through the pain and didn't complain. I think he'll make it through to the next week, but whatever happens something surprising has occurred...Tom Delay has captured the hearts of, well if not America, at least a sizable chunk of the DWTS audience. PS I stuck around and watched Donny Osmond dance too, right after the Hammer. God may strike me dead for saying this, but that guy can really dance.

Boobtoobapallooza '09: The Good Wife (CBS Tuesdays)

I don't have the same dedication as lsangeles (nor a DVR at the moment) but I did catch one new series premiere last week, The Good Wife.  

The show's premise should be familiar by now.  It's the behind the scenes look at what political wives must endure with their philandering husbands.  Haven't we all wondered what made Hilary Clinton, Elizabeth Edwards, Silda Spitzer, amongst others stand by their men?  

Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) has to rebuild life for her and her children.  The plot of the pilot episode centered around Alicia's work on a pro bono law case as she tries to reestablish the law career that she had put on a 13 year hiatus.  It will be interesting to see how much they'll use this Law&Order-esque format for the episodic subplots.  There's a lot of potential for complicated, messy relationships for Alicia.  First there's her deplorable husband (the hunky Chris Noth).  Then, her mother-in-law played by Mary Beth Piel (Grams from Dawson's Creek) who promises to cause Alicia a fair amount of grief as she meddles with the family and pressures her daughter-in-law to forgive her son.  Add in two kids, a hot coworker, and a state attorney general gunning to bring her husband down and things get fun.  Julianna Marguilies is a beautiful, compelling, and relatable actress.  I'm excited to see where this goes.

Check out the second episode tonight at 10/9Central on CBS.