Surfing Through "American Idol"

Fifties night -- and a semi-official big band night for many of the ladies -- proved the most satisfying yet singing-wise. One big overlooked reason why this show is successful? Every once in a while, sometimes more than once a show, someone gives a really entertaining, memorable performance. (Think "Summertime" or "This House Is Not A Home" from seasons past.) The verdict:

Mandisa -- the most complete performance of the evening. Simon is staying out of her way for the moment, but thinking, "Please, not another Ruben."
Bucky -- he can barely speak intelligibly, much less sing, and his "Oh Boy" was godawful.
Paris -- looked great; vocals a little rough in the low notes but gave some big flourishes that the audience loves. For the first time, I thought, "She's a little young and inexperienced." Like Mandisa, the clip chosen to remind viewers of her performance was clearly not the best moments of the song for her. (Don't put anything past the producers to stack the deck for or against someone.)
Chris Daughtry -- not a great vocal (especially early) but a very good reimagining of "I Walk The Line" that made it distinctively his own. Properly recorded, I could hear that one on the radio. The most consistently great, but since he's not a teen idol pin-up, does Daughtry appeal enough to the core 13-17 female voters to win it all? Let's face it, the people who would admire him most are not the biggest audience of the show.
McPhee -- richboy deserves full credit for spotting her early on. She continues to blossom a la Kelly and Clay (this was her best night yet) and clearly the producers like her (the clip chosen for her at the end was especially well-chosen).
Taylor Hicks -- a remarkably dull, sleep-inducing version of "Fade Away." Presumably people like him enough to carry Taylor for a week, but the bottom three would be a good wakeup call.
Lisa Tucker -- looked adorable and some nice runs, but "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" is a bear to sing and she didn't wrestle it to the ground. Simon nailed it by saying he felt like he was at a high school musical.
Kevin Covais -- his best performance yet, which of course isn't saying much. The sort of contestant who goes farther because of how well he handles himself with the judges and Ryan (just like Kellie) rather than their singing.
Elliott -- dreadful, as usual. My jaw drops when the judges praise his singing. I have no idea what's going on here. Not as bad as previous weeks, but still not good. The only reason he should stay in is to mimic the plotline of the Hugh Grant movie American Dreamz, an Idol spoof.
Kellie - she looked trashy, in a good way. Loads of makeup, a clingy top showing off her breasts -- Middle America ate it up. But this will be her peak. If she couldn't blow us away singing Patsy Cline (which I correctly predicted would be her song choice), she never will. By the way, she provided the strangest moment of the night when Barry Manilow said he was unfamiliar with Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight." Huh? How bizarre.
Ace -- Boy, is Ace going to be shocked when he gets cut from the show. Runway model (never print), daytime soap actor, strip-o-gram delivery boy -- these are the career paths Ace should consider. Who led him to believe that singing was an option when clearly he can't sing?
Barry Manilow -- excellent. We got actual glimpses into what an arranger does and he clearly gave some thought into helping the kids as best he could. Unlike Randy and Paula, he also gave thoughtful if polite assessments of the singers that were dead-on. "I think he got it" meant "this kid can't sing." Offering a spot on his tour? The kid's got it.
The judges -- weak. Always easy to pick on. (How can you give constructive criticism to someone who can't sing?) But watching Paula and Randy ignore Taylor's deadly dull routine (the crowd barely reacted and even his family and friends looked concerned) reinforces their blandness. And Simon lately seems more interested in making elaborate comments (It was like a drunken karaoke performance by a dad) rather than just giving a simple, correct assessment. Why not say to Taylor, "You can hear the difference in the crowd reaction to Mandisa or Chris to your performance tonight. They like you but barely stirred while you were singing even though you bounced all over the stage.") Clearly, I just want to be a judge.

Primetime Preview

It's 50s night on American Idol. (Barry Manilow -- who just hit #1 with his 50s themed album, performs Wednesday). I predict Pickler will do Patsy Cline. My picks for the Top Five: Hicks, Doughtry, Paris, Mandisa and McPhee. Most everything else from 8 to 10 p.m. is in reruns, except for new episodes of Sons & Daughters (which I sampled about five minutes of) and Scrubs. At 10 p.m., Tom Selleck is still guesting on Boston Legal. Late night, Letterman has the very cool Jenny Lewis performing while Ferguson has Rosanne Cash, whose new album is one of the best of the year.

And -- as others have pointed out -- is CBS purposefully trying to kill its Amazing Race franchise? First they schedule a disastrous family season and keep the globe-trotting series stuck mostly in the US. Now they've put the very family friendly series on at 10 p.m. Genius.

Carville V Matalin...In High School

Here's a reality show premise I find goofily intriguing. A new Lifetime series called Election debuts this fall. In it, James Carville and Mary Matalin will each go head-to-head with their own candidates...for high school president. Frankly, I love it. The only problem is that it's on Lifetime. It's a perfect fit for MTV or CSPAN or one of the networks in the summer. But Lifetime? A good show on the wrong network just doesn't sit well. The fine British con artist series Hustle got lost on AMC because it didn't belong there. And Election makes no sense on Lifetime, though I suppose they'll emphasize the husband-and-wife angle on how competing affects their relationship -- which is exactly the least interesting part of the concept.

"Arrested" Update: It's All Up To The Creator

Here's a good update on Arrested Development from the Hollywood Reporter. It's all up to the show's creator Mitch Hurwitz. He's got a solid offer from Showtime for 26 more episodes. He's also got the actors and behind-the-scenes talent locked up till June. So he's got about eight weeks to decide if he wants the show to continue. Hurwitz is reportedly burnt out and wants a lot of money (which is silly, since the show is just a critical fave and Showtime doesn't have the pockets of Fox). But if he wants it to happen, it will.

The Next iPod You Can't Live Without...

...will have a "widescreen" video surface covering the entire iPod (you'll watch it on its side), a "virtual" click wheel that only appears when you touch the screen and Bluetooth headphones. Still no radio. So that 60 GB video iPod you bought in October for $400? Outdated.

Beatles Travesty, Vol. 2

I'm a fanatic Beatles fan, but not an unreasonable soul. So believe me when I say The Capitol Albums, Volume 1 was one of the most shoddily packaged boxed sets for a major artist I have ever seen. It came in a flimsy, cheap cardboard box mimicking the "longbox" format popular 15 years ago. The four CDs themselves came in pseudo-LP jackets also very cheaply made without any album listings on the spine. All four of them were housed in a super-cheap cardboard slipcase that folded back onto itself so it could at least be housed in the same space as regular CDs -- except it too had no info on its spine, so if you placed it on your bookcase alongside other Beatles albums, it offered just a generic, blank front that gave you no clue as to what it actually contained. Most Beatles bootlegs are put together with far more care. This was the first sonic upgrade since the Beatles debuted on CD in the '80s, making it LONG overdue. So I bought the junky, insulting packaging to get the songs -- which are presented in the same order as their original US releases. Thank God for iPod; I just took the newly remastered songs and plugged them into the original album order as much as possible. The outcry over such a pathetic release was universal, so now Capitol is releasing Vol. 2 on April 11...and apparently doing it just as cheaply the second time around. Well done! Only a true idiot could mess up something as sure fire as a "new" release by the Beatles.

Popsurfing Through "24" and "Prison Break"

They haven't missed a step yet this season on this crackerjack thriller. I love how the show offers office politics on a grand scale -- Homeland Security is using the terrorist attack as an excuse to absorb CTU into its department and bigfoot the people in charge. But in reality, it's just about how annoying a new boss and new coworkers who suddenly expect you to jump to their demands can truly be. Jack Bauer, of course, makes them look foolish as he plays games with the "wet list" -- the super duper top secret list of all known terrorists in Germany -- that he uses as bait to get the info he wants. The most iconic moment for me: when a sexy intelligence broker is brought in for questioning and we see her handcuffed to a metal cage, one leg nonchalantly crossed over the other and showing off her leather knee-high boots to tremendous effect. This is popcorn fun of the highest order. And exactly how many people can Bauer choke in one season? He shows the Heimlich maneuver for the panty-waisted, outdated technique that it is.

As for Prison Break, it's a comic book compared to the James Bond-like tension of 24. I never wanted to see these shows paired since their cliff-hanger appeal is so similar. Certainly PB comes off the poorer, though I can't stop rooting for Wentworth Miller.

Brooklyn Bridge Explained By CNN

CNN has an interesting story about a cache of food and medical supplies stored within the Brooklyn Bridge during the height of the Cold War. But what I loved was this explanatory sentence towards the end:

"The bridge is a popular landmark that links Manhattan to Brooklyn."

What's next? Referring to the Empire State Building as "a large office building in midtown popular with tourists and monkeys and often seen in films"? Hat tip to alfredboy aka redstateboy aka priv8pete for that story.

Susan Sarandon's Breasts Are Overrated?

That's what Sarandon says, in a delightful profile in the Guardian UK. (I disagree, as an impartial observer.) Sarandon also says she's not too interested in "chronology" but maybe her lover Louis Malle had an affair with Candice Bergen before they broke up. Asked if she would have an affair, Sarandon says, "I get offers." She says Kevin Costner had to fight for both her and Tim Robbins for Bull Durham -- first choices like Meryl Streep didn't make the cut because Costner insisted the three-way chemistry meant everyone had to audition. And then there's her childhood, where Sarandon grew up one of nine kids in a world where all the neighbors had at least 7 kids and sometimes 20. "My mum would have had more babies, but some of them died, some were miscarriages." Women were trotting kids out, she says, "like one of those Mimeograph machines."

Overnight TV Ratings

Julia Louise-Dreyfuss's new sitcom looks like a hit -- it improved on its debut ratings from last week, which means the people who watched enjoyed it enough to come back and bring their friends. Deal Or No Deal -- Howie Mandel's witless gameshow ("Point at a box!" How exciting.) -- also holds steady. And of course 24 takes no prisoners. (Prison Break does take prisoners and did fine, too.) The losers? ABC's reality show Miracle Workers -- which makes me glad. Frankly, it creeped me out to realize that the poor people dealing with dire medical conditions had to expose their lives (and the lives sometimes of their kids)in exchange for medical treatment they could never afford otherwise. And the biggest loser of all? Donald Trump, whose The Apprentice is losing steam rapidly. The combination of Martha Stewart's duplicate hour and a timeslot change is driving it to an early grave. And much as I love My Name Is Earl, it's not like that's tearing up the ratings in the Thursday slot either.

New CDs This Week

If you're headed to the record stores, here are the CDs I'm checking out. The new Prince (no, it won't be great, but maybe a few songs will be keepers), Loose Fur (the Wilco spinoff that outdoes itself on this sophomore release), Ben Harper (who I finally grew to like after his collaboration with the Five Blind Boys of Alabama), and the terrific new CD by Sparks, a UK duo I'd ignored for years but now love. I'll also buy the Elvis Costello reissue The Juliet Letters, though I'm slightly disappointed. I admired the original album, but was BLOWN AWAY when I saw Costello and the quartet in concert. They had really gelled tremendously since recording the songs, all of which sounded vastly superior live to their studio versions. I'd hoped at the time, they would record a live album or at least put out a live DVD since it seemed so obvious how much better the songs sounded. Now this reissue includes a bonus disc with live cuts, but most of them are of other songs. I know it would have been fanatical, but I'd have loved a complete concert on that second disc to confirm what I'd believed at the time. Oh well. Go to NYCD.com for more info and cheap prices.

New DVDs: "Capote," "Squid," "Chicken"

Check out my NY Post DVD column, which gives a brief look at Capote, The Squid and the Whale and Chicken Little, with a shout-out to the engrossing Keane.

Hollywood Scandal Trial: Private Eye Pellicano Wants To Represent Himself

What, Vin Diesel wasn't available?

UK Music Charts -- It's Chico Time!

The UK singles charts are always fun -- whether or not the acts will cross over to US success. The new #1 single in the country is "No Tomorrow" by Orson, a Hollywood, California band named after Orson Welles. It premiered at #5, then went to #2 and now #1 in typically meteoric fashion for that music-mad country. Dropping to #2 is "It's Chico Time" by Chico, a Moroccan sheepherder who rocketed to fame via Simon Cowell's "The X Factor" reality series. At #5 is Corrine Bailey Rae with "Put Your Records On." She just hit #1 on the album charts, thanks as much to critical acclaim as that single. Rae's a highly touted singer whose debut album I hurriedly obtained but have yet to listen to -- I'll change that immediately.

The Winner Of The WBC? Baseball!

In an exciting finale to the World Baseball Classic that even the most casual of fans could enjoy, Japan beat Cuba 10-6 in a game that became a nail-biter in the last two innings. (Japan clinched it with a beautifully laid bunt and an aggressive slide at home plate in a "small ball" rally that warmed my heart.) I'd picked Cuba to do really well for the obvious reasons (they were halfway through their regular season, they took a month off to prepare, and they had the incentive of playing for a dictator who might execute them if they didn't perform). But I was glad Japan ultimately triumphed since it avoided tainting the first WBC with politics. The big loser? Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees. If he'd played he would have angered Steinbrenner, endangered his consecutive game streak and put wear and tear on his aging body. By not playing, he damaged his stellar, god-like image in Japan and maybe queered his chances of being the manager of the Giants when he retires. And Matsui had to watch Ichiro be the standout player on a team that played hard and went all the way. If they just switch the WBC to November in 2009, it will be a winner for everyone.

Primetime Preview

I'm off to get mail and eat some lunch, but I'm DVRing the new Prison Break and 24. It's a night of cliffhangars! And for those of you who emailed me about the string of deleted comments in my "I'm back" posting...wow, nothing generates interest like "censorship." The comments I deleted were just automatic postings of ads for websites where you can make real money! and porn sites. I'd leave up the links to porn sites as a service, but I'm afraid of being fined by the FCC.

FCC Idiocy -- Warning: Not Appropriate For Minors!

The recent record fines against CBS for an episode of the adult drama Without A Trace and other details prove how ludicrous it is for the government to be telling TV networks -- and you and me -- what is acceptable. (The FCC nailed Trace -- even though it's a 10 p.m. show and therefore kids are assumed to be asleep -- by simply fining the stations that showed it at 9 p.m. in the Central time zones.) Among their "findings" detailed in a Mediaweek story:

1. "Shit" is now just as offensive as "fuck" and would draw an automatic fine, barring extremely unusual circumstances
2. "Dickhead" however, is not as inherently offensive as "Bullshit."
3. "The depiction of female cartoon characters dancing in lingerie" could be indecent but wasn't in an episode of The Simpsons because no character was shown completely nude. (No wonder we've never seen Marge do full frontal.) Presumably male cartoon characters can dance around in lingerie as much as they want. (By the way, as foolish as this sounds, a recent rerun of "Family Guy" blurred out the naked butt of the baby because Fox was worried it would draw a fine.)
4. Steven Spielberg can say "fuck" but Martin Scorsese can't. Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan got away with salty language when it aired in primetime because of its artistic merit. But Scorsese's documentary on the blues got fined for using the same word. Obviously, we can't have kids flocking to films about Leadbelly and Robert Johnson in the titillating hope of hearing foul language.

"Thank You For Smoking" -- The Popsurfing Review

Saw Thank You For Smoking over the weekend with directorboy and richboy. I thought it was pretty funny, if scattershot. Aaron Eckhart was certainly well cast as a tobacco company spokesperson, reinforcing his evil Ken doll persona. The best scenes involved him bribing the original Marlboro Man who now has lung cancer and having lunch with spokespeople for liquor and guns where Eckhart mocks the low number of deaths caused by their products. Directorboy was annoyed by the confusing tone of the film: sometimes it was a broad satire (Rob Lowe in full Japanese garb) and sometimes it was vaguely earnest and "realistic" (with Eckhart dealing with his ex-wife and son). Richboy snoozed through half of it, which just about says it all. For the dead zone of March, it was fairly welcome, but I probably defended the movie more than I should have afterwards. (Adam Brody of "The OC" was of course brilliant as Rob Lowe's assistant.) ** 1/2 out of ****.

Death To The Templars!

I'm still angry that the NYTimes bestseller list is a lie -- instead of listing the best-selling books in the country, they arbitrarily eliminated children's books during the height of the Harry Potter craze. Countless books like Oh The Places You'll Go and Where The Sidewalk Ends and numerous others from the past might never have crossed over. Certainly newer books like the fantasy trilogy of Philip Pullman have been cheated out of a much wider audience. And it's so arbitrary. Why not eliminate all the Da Vinci Code books clogging up the charts instead? The current NYT bestseller list includes The Da Vince Code (155 weeks and counting) at #3, The Templar Legacy at #6, The Last Templar at #7 and Labyrinth at #12 (it delves into the Holy Grail). Thank God for old school pro Jeffrey Archer, out of jail and spinning a non-Templar related story of art thieves and a Van Gogh in False Impression, debuting at #8.

Brave And Bold Emmy Predictions

What's a blog for if not to mock other people's online pieces? GoldDerby -- the LA Times section devoted to the awards season -- has a remarkably timid Emmys prediction story. (Since The Emmys switched to new procedures for its voting, there's hope the same old shows won't get automatic nods this year.) Tom O'Neil looks at the changes, highlights some critical favorites who've been snubbed (like Gilmore Girls) and then -- drumroll please -- goes out on a limb to make some Emmy predictions. Here, for example, are his insightful picks as the front runners for Best Drama:

"Big Love"
"C.S.I."
"The Closer"
"Grey’s Anatomy"
"House"
"Huff"
"Law & Order"
"Lost"
"Rescue Me"
"Rome"
"The Shield"
"Six Feet Under"
"The Sopranos"
"24"
"Veronica Mars"
"The West Wing"

THEN he lists more shows as "Possible" --

"Alias"
"Battlestar Gallactica"
"Commander-in-Chief"
"C.S.I: Miami"
"E.R."
"Law & Order: SVU"
"Medium"
"N.C.I.S."
"Nip/Tuck"
"Prison Break"
"Without a Trace"

Good God, that's 27 shows "singled out" for five slots! Talk about covering your bets.

Mel Gibson New Movie A Slap At Bush?

Time magazine has a look at Mel Gibson's new movie Apocalypto. (The name alone should guarantee a chunk of his far right Christian audience turns out again. Even I think the title sounds pretty cool.) Two items stick out. One, Gibson describes his movies like Braveheart as being about "penitental hardship," which is about as dead-on as it gets. Two, he takes a swipe at Bush (though Time is being silly when it says he's akin to liberals). The movie, about Mayan civilisation during its downfall phase, shows Mayan leaders demanding more and more monuments and human sacrifices to appease the gods or the crops will fail. "The fearmongering we depict in this film reminds me a little of President Bush and his guys," says Gibson. If Bush is even losing people like Gibson, he's really hurting.

Overnight TV Ratings

On Friday, Howie Mandel's game show Deal Or No Deal proved mindless fun and a good lead-in for the relocated Las Vegas. Let's see how Vegas does against CBS's regular lineup (it was basketball this weekend) and let's see how Deal does as a regular series. Feels to me like it should remain stunt programming during repeat-heavy months like March and the summer. On Sundays, Grey's Anatomy has fully capitalized on that Super Bowl spotlight to be bigger than ever. Since Desperate Housewives has to face off against The Sopranos, I wouldn't read too much into GA outscoring it in the ratings. As for basketball, it's down just a tad from last year, which is great news since CBS is doing blockbuster business online with people checking in for video feeds, the latest scores and so on. And for some reason, Sunday's special on the WB didn't do well. Could it have something to do with the incredibly dorky name of The Jamm X Kids All Star Dance Special 2? Uh, yeah. If you're a ratings geek like me, subscribe to Mediaweek's free daily email overnight ratings service.

"Brokeback Mountain" Comes Out On DVD April 4

They just sent out the press release a few minutes ago, so this is pretty last minute. Obviously, they were hoping for another two months in movie theaters after what should have been an Oscar win for Best Picture. Still, this "little" movie has grossed about $85 million in the US, $170 million worldwide (and counting) and seems exactly the sort of movie (like Ray) that should outstrip its box office in DVD sales. So you're looking at $400 million worldwide, which is pretty conservative if you include TV, cable, satellite, Video on Demand, and so on. Will you buy it?

The Pope Has An iPod

One news story from while I was away caught my eye -- the Pope was given an iPod loaded with some classical music and other personal favorites of the Pontiff. He's been seen walking around the Vatican entranced with the toy. Reporters have failed to find out if the Pope has downloaded any new songs onto it, but I can't help thinking about the songs I'd love him to hear:

John Lennon "Love"
XTC "Dear God"
Bright Eyes "When The President Talks To God"
and Guns N Roses "Welcome To The Jungle" (for those mornings when he has to do an early Mass and needs to wake up)

What songs would you put on the Pope's iPod?

In Nail Biter For Fans, "The Simpsons" Is Renewed

Fox sent out a press release this morning announcing that The Simpsons was renewed for two more seasons and King of the Hill renewed for one more season. Both shows are well past their sell-by date, but the TV geek in me can't help finding it exciting. The Simpsons will hit 19 seasons at the end of this renewal and of course it's already the longest running sitcom in history, the longest running animated show in history and the longest running show currently on the air. One more season and it will tie Gunsmoke as the longest running comedy or drama in TV history. (Dick Wolf has been gunning for that title with Law & Order but the yellow Simpsons will beat him to it.) The unheralded KOTH (which wil hit 11 seasons) was at one point the most realistic and touching sitcom on TV but of course those days are long gone. Unlike The Simpsons, they would have been smart to let their characters age a la the comic strip Gasoline Alley. Creatively, like everyone else I wish The Simpsons had called it a day oh a DECADE ago, taken some time off and delivered a really great movie. It bid fair to be considered the greatest sitcom of all time, but ten years of so-so shows tend to dim that legacy.

Weekend Box Office Estimates

Hollywood Reporter has the estimates for the weekend box office. V For Vendetta got some better reviews than I expected (USA Today and the NY Post were very enthusiastic) and some weaker box office, failing to hit $30 million. But Sarah Jessica Parker may finally be a movie star: The Family Stone did well over the holidays and now Failure To Launch -- a romantic comedy with Matthew McConaughey -- held very well in its second weekend. Since the movie was lambasted by critics, that's even more impressive and a true sign of making it -- getting people to see a bad movie. (The Shaggy Dog also had great word of mouth for its second weekend.) In limited release, Thank You For Smoking burned it up, grossing more than $50,000 per screen, though I can't imagine that translating to big box office when it goes wider. And Vin Diesel's attempt at turning into a serious actor in Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty was dismissed for lack of evidence. The Top Ten:

V For Vendetta -- $26.1 million
Failure To Launch -- $15.8 ($48.5 million)
The Shaggy Dog -- $13.6 ($35.9 million)
She's The Man -- $11 million
The Hills Have Eyes -- $8.1 ($28.8 million)
16 Blocks -- $4.7 ($30.2 million)
Eight Below -- $4.2 ($73.1 million)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion $3 ($60.1 million)
The Pink Panther -- $2.5 ($78.6 million)
Aquamarine -- $2 ($50.7 million)

Did You Miss Me?

I predicted I'd be back to blogging on "Tuesday." Oh well, I was only 16 days off the mark. What a nightmare of moving and then fighting to get my DSL service turned on in the new apartment. Until I spent literally six hours on the phone arguing Monday, the turn on date was March 22nd. Amazing what can be accomplished when you make yourself a royal pain. Since I've been away, I've...

1. Moved a one bedroom apartment, including 107 boxes of books, DVDs and CDs.
2. Changed my cell phone provider because my old one (Sprint) had so many dead zones in my neighborhood and T-Mobile takes sim cards so I can use it in Europe cheaply when I go to Cannes and London. Turns out T-Mobile ALSO has dead zones in my neighborhood. I can use it in my new apartment if I stand in the living room and hold it up in the air. It doesn't work anywhere else with consistency. At least the plan is half the price ($50 for 1500 minutes instead of $100 for 2000 minutes.) I've switched my home phone to a flat rate so I pay for unlimited long distance at home and my cell phone for less than my old cell phone bill alone.
3. Struggled with my cable -- my stereo still isn't hooked up properly.
4. Scoured the town looking for cheap shelving for my two storage units in the basement. Unsuccessfully.
5. Spent days on the phone struggling to get DSL installed.
6. Spent days trying to hook up dial-up service while waiting for DSL only to find out that when my phone company turned on the phone, they didn't turn on the jacks, heaven forfend. I had to pay another $100 to get them to come out and do that.
7. Spent $127 at Kinkos to file the few stories I could get done over the last two weeks.
8. Freaked out over the awesomely exciting season finale of "Battlestar Galactica."
9. Watched the only "Idol" I had a crush on get eliminated before the final 12. (No reason to go see them on tour now.)
10. Read the following:

The Adventures of Pinnochio by Carlo Collodi/translation Nicolas J. Perella) ***
Children of the New Forest by Captain Marryat ** 1/2
Writing Home by Alan Bennett *** 1/2
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ****

11. Went to the following shows:

The Music Teacher by Wallace Shawn *
Lesley Gore at Joe's Pub ***
Ring of Fire on Broadway *
Hedda Gabler with Cate Blanchett at BAM ***

12. Saw the following movies/DVDs:

Lady and the Tramp *** 1/2
The Ice Harvest *
Murder, She Said **
Murder at the Gallop **
Murder Ahoy! ** 1/2 (all Miss Marple movies)
Dave Chappelle's Block Party ** 1/2
Shadow Boxers *
Keane *** 1/2
Liza With A "Z" at the Ziegfeld *** 1/2

13. Listened to the following CDs:

Linda Ronstadt: The Best of the Capitol Years -- but really listening over and over to last 10 tracks that comprise Heart Like A Wheel a **** album.
James Hand -- The Truth Will Set You Free *** 1/2
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs -- UnderThe Covers Vol l *** (but could go higher)
Mott The Hoople -- All The Young Dudes *** (but I need to play it louder)
Marley's Ghost -- Spoooked **
Crosby Stills and Nash *** 1/2
The Little Willies ** 1/2

14. Got 19 out of the 24 Academy Award picks right (you'll have to trust me since I couldn't post my picks) but didn't care since the only one that mattered Best Picture went to my least favorie movie, "Crash."
15. Missed my friend Robin's birthday.
16. Missed the premiere of a new mass by a talented young composer.
17. Enjoyed spending the afternoon with my cousin Jonathan, visiting from Canada.
18. Got an estimate for putting in shelving in my storage units and two alcoves in the apartment. For $3500. Bought a carpentry book.

Will you forgive me for being gone so long? I'm going to be going through my 1199 emails now. I'm also hoping to install new software next week that lets me post blogs autmoatically so I can keep the updates coming without being tied to my computer. Look for serious blogging to begin Monday since I still haven't unpacked.

Michael

The Poltics of "Galactica"

Here's my NY Post feature on Battlestar Galactica, which focuses on the politics of the show and how it tweaks the expectations of both the left and the right. It's the best show on TV and tonight's episode is -- typically -- a doozy. (I've got the two-part season finale in hand and can't wait to watch it.)

Popsurfing Is Moving!

Well, I am. A million things to do -- like pack away tons of books and CDs, build shelving in my new apartment, clean the new one, clean the old one, buy a new bed, and move on Monday. So my computer needs to be dismantled too at some point. But this is also the weekend they screen the Oscar shorts. So look for a quiet Popsurfing weekend, with a breakdown of all the Oscar shorts, how good they were and who I think will win. Then on Tuesday, back to surfing.

James Frey Is Fried By Publisher

Finally, someone realizes that a fraud like James Frey is no one to do business with. While Frey's previous publisher continues to lie to the public by marketing his pack of lies as a "memoir," Frey's new publisher Riverhead just canceled his two-book deal. In contrast, JT Leroy -- the nom de plume of a couple -- continues to deliver work for the simple fact that Leroy publishes fiction. Yes, "Leroy" implied their life was a model for the work -- and if I was one of the celebs duped by this couple, I'd be pissed. But their fairly dull fiction is still fiction, so deceptive (or clever) marketing of it isn't the same thing.