Gone gaga

Don't know how it happened exactly, but I saw Lady Gaga's video for "Bad Romance" recently and have become rather enamoured of it, even going so far as to download the song for my iPod.  The video is marvelous, creepy and glam - like what might happen if Madonna and Guillermo del Toro made a music video together.  Lady Gaga is clearly the heir-apparent to Madonna's genius of timing and self-promotion but actually surpasses the Material Girl in terms of visual art.  This guy explains the Gaga-phenomenon much better than I ever could.  (Also, he seems to have a lot of time on his hands to have been able to come up with all that.)

Lame, I know

Between the U.S. Open and S2 of Gossip Girl on DVD (OMFG! I totally love GG! I'm so embarrassed to admit it!), I haven't seen much to report back to you, dear reader(s). And thus I must take refuge in the Pathetic Post of the Desperate Blogger: the next ten songs on my current iPod playlist.

• Pump It Up - Elvis Costello
• Pot Kettle Black - Tilly and the Wall
• A Comet Appears - the Shins
• Fall Behind Me - the Donnas
• Stigmata - Ministry
• She Hates Me - Puddle of Mudd
• Faith - Limp Bizkit
• I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow - the Soggy Bottom Boys
• Not My Idea - Garbage
• Stand - R.E.M.

I did watch Clash of the Titans recently, but that's nearly as lame as this post, so I almost didn't menton it.

Slacker Mouse

I'd like to use as my excuse that the Writers' strike (go, WGA!) has really hurt this little blog which is, as subtitled above, a "a recap blog for my friends too busy to watch t.v." But that would be a big lie because I've definitely got the raw material from which to blog ... I just haven't gotten around to putting fingers to keyboard. I apologize. I'm a big slacker. In the meantime:

The plan is to have the S3E1 of Deadwood (final season - I'm so heartbroken) up tomorrow. Mr. Mouse and I have powered through the first four episodes and are now anxiously awaiting the next Blockbuster Online delivery. Once I get my groove back, there'll be recaps galore.

What else have I been doing? Well, I'm two chapters into a wicked funny book about punctuation - yeah, I said punctuation. I'll have a review of that up as soon as I finish it. It's a lot of fun but, because of the subject matter, you do sort of have to be in the mood to read it.

Mr. Mouse was too sick to go skiing yesterday and, instead of watching the SciFi Channel's traditional New Year's Day marathon of Twilight Zone episodes, we watched the Fox Reality Channel's marathon of The Biggest Loser - Australia. The Australians were a hoot: not only did they have those great accents (I've been walking around attempting that accent myself and Mr. Mouse just stares balefully at me, shaking his head) but they were completely fearless in calling other competitors out for being whiny backstabbers. And watching a few episodes guilted us into going to the gym - so that's good too.

Please note for the record that I am completely opposed to reality television as a general rule. I hate it and I feel it has done a lot of damage to quality scripted television: why bother to pay writers (go, WGA!) when you can fill the timeslots with cheap shows "starring" stupid, annoying bimbos [I'm using "bimbos" in a non-gender-specific way - both guys and girls] who are willing to do anything just to get on the idiot box. That being said, I do like The Biggest Loser series. I'm not interested in all the drama; I like seeing the trainers change these peoples' bodies and lives. Mr. Mouse has a crush on Jillian!

I'm almost all the way through the Cowboy Bebop movie too. Unfortunately it's been a couple of years since I first watched (and fell in love with) the series, so I've forgotten a lot and have fallen asleep a couple of times. Still soldiering on, though.

Latest purchases getting serious playtime on my iPod: "Chick Habit" from April March, off the Death Proof soundtrack; and the entire soundtrack to Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus. I haven't seen this documentary yet but BBQ Bob was playing the CD last summer when we picked up some ribs and pulled pork, and I haven't been able to forget about it. Great stuff - both the food and the tunes.

Finally, here's a list of 2007 movies that I didn't get around to seeing in the theaters and will be adding to my queue as soon as they become available: I Am Legend, Lars and the Real Girl, Juno, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Bridge to Terebithia, The Simpsons Movie, Enchanted, Persepolis, The Lookout, Lust Caution, Rescue Dawn, Gone Baby Gone, The Savages, Eastern Promises, Michael Clayton and Ratatouille. If you've seen any of them, I'd love for you to share your thoughts about them in the comments - hint hint!

Oh, the shame of it! Guilty pleasure

I was listening to my iPod on the drive into work, which I always do because the radio in my town is pretty bad and the morning programs are simply horrible. I ask you, why do radio stations assume that their listeners want to hear moronic DJ banter in the morning? The last thing I want to do before I've even had caffeine is listen to inane talk from people who are not nearly as smart or funny as they think they are.

Then this one song came on that made me laugh out loud, glance around sheepishly, and then sing at the top of my voice. It was truly the lamest song on my playlist and I reveled in it. What is this embarrassing song, you ask, your curiosity piqued? Well, let’s run down the top contenders:

It’s not a song by Duran Duran. In seventh grade I discovered this Fab Five and have been a stalwart fan ever since. Their Rio album is fantastic and, while they’ve wavered in some of their other offerings, their 2004 singles were pretty darn strong for such aging New Romantics. (Plus: John Taylor? Still very pretty.)

It’s not a Bon Jovi song either. Another ‘80s mega-band who has actually done really well with their comeback, these Jersey boys’ 2005 hit, “It’s My Life,” prompted me to purchase several tracks off 1986’s Slippery When Wet from iTunes. I was singing “Living on a Prayer” on this morning’s commute as well but I’m not ashamed of that. (Also, Jon Bon Jovi? see above re: John Taylor).

It isn’t from N’Sync or the Backstreet Boys. I like to jog to N’Sync because they’re peppy little fellows. And I only have two BB songs: the one featured in Napoleon Dynamite and the one with that half-concept (movie monsters)/half-dance video.

It’s not even by the Pussycat Dolls. I would normally draw the line at these pop-harlots but a dear friend of mine made me a CD which had the Dolls on it, as well as a bunch of fun music from Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette.

Here it is: I am very embarrassed to say that the most cringe-inducing song on my iPod is “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” by the Cutting Crew (1986). It’s a terrible song by a one-hit ‘80s band, one of those synth-heavy, not-quite-a-ballad monstrosities so prevalent in the mid-1980s. It’s awful … and I sing along every time it comes up – which is not often, thankfully.

So, ‘fess up: what’s the guiltiest pleasure on your iPod?

Top Ten Cover Songs on my iPod

If you were to take a scroll through my iPod (that is, if I were to let go of it long enough for you to do so), you would almost immediately see that I am an '80s and '90s kind of person. Sure, there's both newer and older stuff in there too, but I am predominantly stuck in a retro sort of place. I'm fine with that.

One little subgenre for which I've discovered an affinity are cover songs, with some partiality for modern bands covering songs from the 1980s. My Top 10 are listed below, in alphabetical-by-band order.

• Smooth Criminal covered by Alien Ant Farm
• I Will Survive covered by Cake
• Sweet Jane covered by the Cowboy Junkies
• Land of Confusion covered by Disturbed
• Shout covered by Disturbed
• Suspicious Minds covered by Fine Young Cannibals
• Word Up! covered by Korn
• Oops! I Did It Again covered by Richard Thompson
• Dear Prudence covered by Siouxsie and the Banshees
• I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself covered by the White Stripes

My current favorite is the Richard Thompson - you gotta love a folk god covering Britney Spears. Runner-up is Word Up! (best played really, really loudly). If anyone has other good cover song suggestions, I'm interested!