LOST "THE CONSTANT"

I know there are some of you who think that LOST is silly, and that the creators have no idea what they're doing, and when it comes down to it, it's more about the premise of the show, than the characters and storytelling.



You really should track down a copy of last night's episode, "The Constant."



Simply put, it was the best episode of television I've seen in recent memory. Even if you've not followed the story or kept up with the various plots thus far, it stands on it's own as a amazing feat of network TV.



It was like a trippy version of a Darren Aronofsky film. Flipping back and forth between 1996 and 2004 at a lightning quick pace, this episode really needs to be seen to believed.



And you don't get tears in your eyes by the climax at the end, you have no soul...

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE...

It'll probably be removed by the time you try and watch it, but this skit was the best thing from last weekend's Saturday Night Live:



I laughed my ass off when Plainview shouts, "I'VE LOST MY BOY! I'VE ABANDONED MY CHILD!!! Oh, there you are..."

BODY OF WAR

Even though I own most of these songs, (and in fact have put most of them on my previous XMAS CDS) this is still an impressive collection of musicans and the money's going to a great cause. (All proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit Iraq Veterans Against the War.)



"Tomas Young, compiled two discs worth of music that inspired him when he was paralyzed from the chest after being shot during his first week of duty in Iraq. The soundtrack, titled Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran, features songs “that inspired, motivated, and at times, literally saved me over the past few years,” explains Young. The 30-song, two-disc album will be released March 18 via Warner Music's Sire Records label."

Disc One
“Hero’s Song” - Brendan James
“American Terrorist” - Lupe Fiasco
“Light Up Ya Lighter” - Michael Franti & Spearhead
“Guerilla Radio” - Rage Against The Machine
“Son Of A Bush” - Public Enemy
“Empty Walls” - Serj Tankian
“Let Them Eat War” - Bad Religion
“White People For Peace” - Against Me!
“Letter From Iraq” - Bouncing Souls
“War” - Dilated Peoples
“Overcome (The Recapitulation)” - RX Bandits
“Fields Of Agony” - No Use For A Name
“Bushonomics” - Talib Kweli & Cornel West
“The 4th Branch” - Immortal Technique
“B.Y.O.B.” - System Of A Down
“No More” (Live) - Eddie Vedder & Ben Harper

Disc Two
“Devils & Dust” - Bruce Springsteen
“Masters Of War” (Live) - Pearl Jam
“When The President Talks To God” - Bright Eyes
“Gimme Some Truth” - John Lennon
“The Restless Consumer” - Neil Young
“Battle Hymns” - The Nightwatchman
“Anthrax” - Kimya Dawson
“WMD” - Blow Up Hollywood
“State Of The Union” - David Ford
“Yo George” - Tori Amos
“Love Vigilantes” - Laura Cantrell
“Black Rain” - Ben Harper
“To Kill The Child” - Roger Waters
“Day After Tomorrow” - Tom Waits

MY OSCAR PICKS...

...since everyone else is doin' it. (my "putting my money down" picks are in bold, who I'd rather win are in italic. Some are both.)


BEST PICTURE
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Brad Bird, Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird, "Ratatouille"
Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Sarah Polley, "Away From Her"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Beaufort" (Israel)
"The Counterfeiters" (Austria)
"Katyn" (Poland)
"Mongol" (Kazakhstan)
"12" (Russia)
(haven't any actually seen any of these...)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille"
"Surf's Up" (just kidding)

BEST ART DIRECTION
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"The Golden Compass"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"There Will Be Blood"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" Roger Deakins
"Atonement," Seamus Mcgarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Janusz Kaminski
"No Country For Old Men," Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood," Robert Elswit

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Across the Universe," Albert Wolsky
"Atonement," Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie En Rose," Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street," Colleen Atwood

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"No End in Sight"
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"
"Sicko"
"Taxi to the Dark Side"
"War/Dance"

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Freeheld"
"La Corona" ("The Crown")
"Salim Baba"
"Sari's Mother"
(seriously, you haven't seen these either...)

BEST FILM EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum," Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild," Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men," Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood," Dylan Tichenor

BEST MAKEUP
"La Vie en Rose"
"Norbit"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Atonement", Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner", Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton", James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille", Michael Giacchino (also does LOST...shut it)
"3:10 to Yuma", Marco Beltrami

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from "Once"
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush"
"So Close" from "Enchanted"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"
(we needed THREE fucking songs from Enchanted?! Eddie Vedder got robbed.)

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)"
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)"
"Peter & the Wolf"
(quit lying, you're guessing too...)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"At Night"
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)"
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)"
"Tanghi Argentini"
"The Tonto Woman"
(are we done yet?!)

BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Transformers"

BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Transformers"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Golden Compass"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
"Transformers"

FIFTY PERCENT GREY

I guess this guy landed the Directing gig for a live-action AKIRA movie. While I have my doubts that A) it'll actually ever happen or B) it's going to be anywhere as awesome as the anime, his short film is pretty damn amazing:

WANNA WATCH A COUPLE GOOD MOVIES?!

Sure you do.





Both came out today on DVD, killer. Go Netflix that shit.

KEITH OLBERMANN ON THE FISA BILL

One of his best Special Comments thus far...

I DON'T WANNA SAY I'M SKEPTICAL...

...but I wonder what's the worst that could happen?

I say we warm up Bruce Willis and his crackpot team of awesomeness, allow NASA to loan them a shuttle, and get that giant drill ready, just in case.

(Also, cue Aerosmith)

NEW (OLD) MUSIC THIS WEEK!!!

GNARLS BARKLEY * RUN
Can't buy it any where, but the newest single from Gnarls Barkley is all over the internets. Might I suggest The Hype Machine?! It's like Outkast's B.O.B. in that it's fast and catchy!


MICHAEL JACKSON * THRILLER

Yes, I was four when this album came out and no, I never ever actually owned it. Even when I got older. Why? Because even though I loved Michael Jackson, shit like this managed to scare the ever-lovin-shit out of me!!!



Yeah, yeah...I know there's a million other reasons I should have been scared of Michael Jackson as a kid, but that video singlehandedly fucked up my childhood. Well, Gremlins also did a toll as well...



Don't gimme that shit about it "being a comedy" either. I cried for days after seeing that film. PG MY ASS!!!

...anyway, I'm getting off tack. Thriller was probably the first I'd heard of Michael Jackson, but I was too young to actually buy records (or cassettes) yet, so I just heard "about it" more than listened to it myself. That changed with MTV and music videos. Once I saw "Thriller" I was done. I could handle that Michael Jackson had the ability to fight (or snap at) guys in bars and in the street, and even go as far as to believe certain sections of the sidewalk would light up as he walked over them. But he can change into a werewolf?! Dance with zombies?! Who kept that a secret?! Why must I find out about this shit on my own?!

From then on, it was a double-edged sword. I adored Michael Jackson, but was scared shitless of that video. Even listening to Vincent Price's voice at the begining was enough to make me pee my pants.

One of the worst memories to this very day was the fact that my Mom bought me (and her) tickets to the Jackson 5 World Tour here in Kansas City. It was at Arrowhead Stadium, I remember being down on the field, and NOT needing binoculars to see them up on stage. I was probably 6 (it was 1985...but I don't remember the month) and did awesome for the first half dozen songs...then the stage went black, and you hear the coffin opening and the fog machines start up and I begin screaming and crying as loud as I possibly could. My Mom assured me that it was okay and that there was nothing to be upset about. Just about then, some back-up dancers made their way throughout the crowd and that was it. These damn zombies were going to come and steal me away from my Mother!!! I had to get out of there! And she took me all the way to the gates...trying to get me to calm down and stop crying.

"Can't we just watch it from up here, Travis?" I remember her saying, "Let's just finish watching the concert from up here, and nothing can get you." But no, being the lil' babyhead I was (am) I made her walk through the "gate of no return" and exit out to the parking lot. My Mom spent the rest of the concert sitting in her car, with the window down, listening to the concert. I eventually calmed down and felt awful. My poor Mom bought us tickets and everything, and I had completely ruined the whole evening.

Oh well.

It's been 25 years. Let that sink in for a second. We're getting OLD, people. It's amazing how incredible this album still holds up. "Wanna Be Startin' Something" still makes me shake my moneymaker. I totally forgot that "Beat It" was even on here. (shut it) Billie Jean still makes me want to figure out how to get the sidewalk to light up. It's fun to re-listen to this music again (and not cry or pee myself to sleep.)

SO...WHAT NOW?!

I ate it up last night. A giant bowl of politics. When I closed my eyes, I still saw the states flashing red or blue. Then, I dreamed of delegates. Sure, Molly and I maaaaaaaaaay have taken in a couple Law & Order SVU's in between waiting for the damn polls to close out West, (stupid time zones!) but I hung out until they called Missouri for Clinton and then re-called it for Obama! That was enough for me, I had to sleep sooner or later. (I'd STILL be up if I had decided to wait for the results in New Mexico!)

But I've had various people email me being like, "Are you sad? Are you still thinking Obama can pull an upset?" I suppose people thought California was the dealbreaker. I think it was important, but not the "either win it or go home" piece some of the networks were making it out to be.

Look at the ground Obama covered. This thing wasn't supposed to have been close. He had ONE WEEK to catch up to Hillary. She's had this election in the bag for months now. Her national polls consistantly showed her ahead by double digits. If Obama could at least break even on Super Tuesday, that would be a huge victory for him. And he did. Look at the final votes last night:

TOTAL VOTES CAST
Clinton: 50.2% (7,347,971)
Obama: 49.8% (7,294,851)

As far, what the future means for Hillary and why she should be worried, this article sums it up pretty damn well.

1. She lost the delegate derby. Pure and simple, this is a war to win delegates, one that might not be decided until this summer’s Democratic convention.

And when the smoke cleared this morning, it appeared that Barack Obama had ended up with slightly more delegates in the 22 states.

Obama’s campaign says the senator finished ahead by 14 delegates.

With results still coming in, Clinton’s campaign says the candidates finished within five or six delegates of each other. Either way, Super Tuesday was essentially a draw.

Clinton may still hold the edge overall, but Obama is closing in rapidly.

OBEY OBAMA

Wish I could have gotten one of these.