JIM BREUER-”Let’s Clear the Air” (DVD)

Posted on July 31st, 2009 by ekko

I just received Jim Breuer’s new Comedy Central DVD, “Let’s Clear the Air.” Originally, I was going to give this away, but goddamn it, I like it too much.

If you don’t know NYC’s Jim Breuer, he’s been on Saturday Night Live (albeit during its lowest point, from 1995 to 1998) where he was “Goat Boy,” or from his role in Artie Lange’s Beer League film, but the place where he really shines is on stage (and in the studio with Howard Stern).

On the DVD he does his brilliant standup routine, which includes stories about wild experiences with guys like Dave Chappelle and Tracey Morgan. Yeah, you can see it on Comedy Central on Saturday, July 25, at 11:00 pm, but the DVD version has over 25 minutes of unaired material, photo shoot footage, and a “Fireside Chat With Dad”.

Buy it!

He’s an ace impersonator—notably of Joe Pesci and . . . Metallica! And check him out on Stern. If this doesn’t sell you on him, nothing will:

Tags: Television

PICTURE OF THE DAY: Vagina Bike!

Posted on July 31st, 2009 by ekko

Tags: Picture of the day, Vaginer

THOSE DARLINS-”Those Darlins”

Posted on July 30th, 2009 by ekko

I owe Those Darlins a big apology. I’ve been sitting on their self-titled debut for a month now, even though I knew from the first two songs (“Red Light Love” and “Wild One”) that I’d be reviewing this three-chicks-and-a-guy band from Tennessee.

Are Kelley Darlin, Jessi Darlin and Nikki Darlin really sisters? I doubt it. Think of them as the hipster country chick version of the Ramones. The album is stellar country/pop with witty lyrics and noticeable punk undertones. It’s an exciting ride from track to track, without a loser in the bunch.

There are so many nice moments on the album that it is hard to pick only a few to write about. There’s the loving, sweet song “Mama’s Heart,” in which the singer tells a courter that “there’s nothing I won’t do to keep my mama from feeling blue” and “when you break my mama’s heart, you’re also breakin’ mine.” Sort of a country version of Tupac’s “Dear Mama.” For those who prefer sexy lyrics, the album’s single, “Wild One,” slyly brags, “I may be the sweetheart you’ve dreamed of all your life/Just ’cause I’m sweet don’t mean I’m always nice.”) And then there’s the hilarious “Snaggle Tooth Mama.”

A joyous ride of western swing, great vocals, and tight songwriting, Those Darlins have released one of the best debuts of th year.

Wild One (direct download)

A Glass To You (direct download) (Daytrotter show)

QUIXOTE-”Self Titled”

Posted on July 29th, 2009 by ekko

Quixote are a bunch of sneaky bastards.

They begin their self-titled debut album with a stutter-stop indie-rock lick that sounds like so many other bands I can’t even figure out what it’s most like.  Yet as that first song, “Annunaki,” moves along, it picks up speed and keeps me reasonably interested, and then takes a left turn somewhere around Pink Floyd’s “Animals” period.  Yes, I’m interested, but still not surprised.

Then comes “Hubris,” which mixes acoustic/electric guitar and fiddle employing that same stuccato sound, only now making it sound country.  What the hell are these guys about, making such intricate music and screaming like Modest Mouse?  Most of the songs creep like this, stuttering and stumbling along, sometimes even ending abruptly and without warning–almost as if by accident.  Yet they never stray too far from the indie rock formula, so that every tune sounds a little like one you’ve heard before, only slightly through the looking glass.  The band has managed to make an amazingly catchy and fascinating album without breaking any new ground.  It leaves the listener asking, “How the fuck did they do that?”

It’s no wonder their album cover is sideways.

Hubris

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on July 29th, 2009 by ekko

The steroid photo album.  There’s a bunch of pictures like this here.  These two are my favorites.  But definitely go visit the site–there’s a special celebrity picture there.  And it’s not of a person you’d expect.

I wonder which one will be the next Governor of California?

Tags: Picture of the day

THE BEST AND WORST X-MEN, X-VILLAINS, X-WOMEN, AND RELATED CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME

Posted on July 28th, 2009 by ekko

My youngest is, as I write this, watching the first X-Men movie again (for the 5th time?). Such a great film. And lately, I’ve been ripping through Joss Whedon’s astonishing run on Astonishing X-Men (the best X-book of all time, hands down) and the pretty nifty Ultimate X-Men bound volumes (Mark Millar is becoming one of my favorite writers, and I really dig Kubert’s art as well). Add to that list the current Deadpool books, Wolverine First Class, Claremont’s pretty-good-but-too-soon-to-tell return to the X-Men, and you’ve got a renaissance for X-books.

So, being a list fan . . . Here’s my favorite X- (and X-related) characters of all time. And my least favorite.

THE 15 COOLEST X-HEROES

15. Longshot. Why? As drawn by the great Art Adams, complete with a cool sword, Longshot was the best looking straight guy in leather. I know lots of readers will be pissed that Longshot knocked Gambit off the list, but deal with it. I’m not a big Gambit fan.

14. Storm. Why? Her relationship with Black Panther, her backstory as a claustrophobic pickpocket, and her pure white hair.

13. Armor. Why? From Astonishing X-Men, she can create some kind of force-field/armor. Yeah, the name isn’t very imaginative (but see “Strong Guy,” below), but she’s a great, well-written character.

12. Cannonball. Why? I just dig the guy’s powers is all.

11. Kitty Pryde. Why? Her first walk through the danger room was priceless, and her fight against the brood in X-Men #143 was one of my favorite stories of the ’80s.

10. Jean Grey. Why? I know lots of folks love Marvel Girl, but I always thought she was a second fiddle, made interesting because of her relationships with men. The Phoenix stuff was awesome, of course (at least the first time), but how many times can she die and come back? It gets a little tedious. That’s why she doesn’t rate higher. But she was one of the originals, and, let’s face it, the death of Phoenix was one of the most important and influential comic book stories of all time.

9. Iceman. Why? He’s so cool, he’s covered in ice.

8. Rogue. Why? Avengers Annual #10 is one of the greatest comics of all time, hands down, and her power is one we all wish for: To absorb the powers of others.

7. Deadpool. Why? If you’re not reading the current Deadpool series, you’re a shmuck. He’s not really an X-Man–he got famous in Cable and Deadpool, and I don’t think he ever appeared in a proper X-book–but he’s part of Wolverine’s backstory and he’s cool-as-hell. He can regenerate even after being beheaded!

6. Scarlet Witch. Why? She has the power to change probabilities. She also could have been on the villain list, but I prefer her as a hero (even though she was really more of an Avenger than an X-Man).

5. Nightcrawler. Why? He’s got a cool power–he can teleport–but when he uses it, he stinks. Literally. His portrayal in the X-movies was awesome–my favorite live-action hero, at least cgi-wise. Plus, he’s got a sense of humor, something often lacking from the mutant books.

4. Colossus. Why? He’s hunky!

3. Cyclops. Why? He’s the conflicted leader with the lame power but the coolest look. He’s a great character in the books, but in the movie they kinda turned him into white bread.

2. The Beast. Why? Hank McCoy’s struggle to find a cure–which led to him being covered in blue fur–is the most tragic/funny tale in X-Men lore.

1. Wolverine. Why? I hate to be cliche, but Wolverine is the coolest. He’s got the most complex backstory, and exemplifies why humans love/hate mutants: They make great weapons, but they’re terribly hard to control.

THE TOP 10 X-VILLAINS

10. Mystique. Why? You did see the X-Men movie, right? If you didn’t, both reasons can be seen in the still shot, above.

9. Danger. Why? The story of how the danger room became self-aware and capable of independent thought, but could not escape its own conscience clause, is a remarkable, deep, and seemingly possible sci-fi tale. Who’d have thought that one of the most tortured, well-written characters in comics would be a sentient machine?

8. Sabretooth. Why? ‘Cause he’s the anti-Wolverine.

7. Pyro. Why? His look is awesome–portable flame thrower and all–and his power is terrifying: He can control flame.

6. The Blob. Why? He’s a fat dude, with strength!

5. The Brood. Why? An alien race that looks fucking awesome and tries to eat Kitty.

4. Emma Frost. Why? Looks alone, of course. Looks alone. Doesn’t seem to matter who draws her, they all make her look something like a playboy bunny. Sometimes, she’s a hero. But I like her best as a villain.

3. Magneto. Why? He’s one of the most complicated villains in history–a Malcolm X to Xavier’s Dr. King.

2. The Sentinels. Why? See X-Men #141-142.

1. Juggernaut. Why? Because nothing can stop the Juggernaut.

LAMEST X-ERS

10. Strong Guy. Why? If you’re not going to bother to make a name for the dude, why create him in the first place?

9. Slipstream. Why? The poor man’s version of Silver Surfer.

8. Thunderbird. Why? This is an example of tokenism at its worst. Claremont wanted to show how interracial his new X-team could be, so he invents a Native American mutant but fails to give him any kind of cool power. He just makes him kinda tough. And then he kills the guy on the team’s second mission.

7. Maggot. Why? He’s basically a dude with a tapeworm living inside him so he basically can eat anything. Since when is being a host to a parasite a power? Basically, all you have to do to be an X-Man is eat bad sushi?

6. Cable. Why? Dude makes no sense both as a character and as a mutant. I guess he has powers, but mostly he uses a gun that’s bigger than his torso. Which is also steroid-huge.

5. Bishop. Why? See Cable.

4. Forge. Why? He can invent cool stuff. So can Steve Jobs.

3. Dazzler. Why? A mutant whose main power is that she’s a light source. Why?

2. Jubilee. Why? A mutant who is actually less powerful than Dazzler. But at least Dazzler was hot.

1. Professor X. Why? It wasn’t until Ultimate X-Men that someone finally figured out that having the world’s most powerful telepath as a team leader and political organizer basically means that he could get the world to do whatever he wants anyway, so why does he struggle so much? He’s a character who has never really made a lot of sense–sometimes he’s like a civillian version of Nick Fury, but mostly he’s like Charlie from Charlie’s Angels. Only unlike Charlie, who was just a little squawk box on a desk, Xavier is powerful enough to do all the work himself, so why does he keep sending all his children into harm’s way?

Tags: Comic books, Superheroes

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Posted on July 27th, 2009 by ekko

Tags: Picture of the day

COMICS BREAK-”Blackest Night”

Posted on July 26th, 2009 by ekko

Introducing the latest member of the Berkeley Place team, CD the comics writer!  A little bio info, and then his first article–on Blackest Night, the D.C. “event” of the year.  Usually events are risky–and usually they are bloated and confusing.  Will BN be another “Crisis” or Skrull Invasion?  Let’s see what Chris thinks . . .

Bio: In what can only be considered a move of baffling misunderstanding on his part, Ekko reached out to me to throw in my occasional two cents regarding what’s hot in the comic book industry these days.  As part of the process, I’ve been asked to put together a brief “bio” to explain to the fine readers of Berkeley Place who the new schmuck is thinking he can write about such things.

I started collecting comics in the early 80s, thanks in large part to winning a cash prize at an Easter Egg Hunt and not having anything better to do with the money at the time.  Of course, comics were about 65 cents at the time, but that’s another story; I’ll tell it during a later post, when I start bitching about walking to school, uphill both ways, in the snow.  Damn kids.

Anyway, I was a pretty avid collector through the early 90s, leaving the game when I left for college.  It didn’t hurt that this was shortly after the X-Men’s Goblin Queen story arc when things started getting crappy writing-wise in all my favorite books.  About five years ago, while waiting for the family dog to finish up at the groomer, I found myself in the comic book store next door.  A scant few years later, I’m spending about $50 a week on the rags and, for a 35-year-old, get far too excited when it’s Free Comic Book Day or complimentary Black Lantern rings are given away as promos.  I also happen to write music reviews for a number of different sites, including http://lesenfantsterriblesmusic.blogspot.com/ and others.  Since I wouldn’t be here today without their help (eternal damnation of my soul?), I need to give some love to my dealer, er, comic book store, of choice: http://laughingogrecomics.com/.  If you happen to find yourself in Lansdowne, Va., anytime soon, ask for Drew or the heavily bearded Matt (call him “Chops” behind his back; I do), and you’ll be treated to some of the most knowledgeable and good guys I’ve met.  If you’re really lucky, Blair will be there, too.  Not to make anyone jealous, but he’s my bartender of choice.

For the record, I do not look like the Simpson’s Comic Book Guy.  I’m bald.

BLACKEST NIGHT: A Review and a Primer

In the interest of full disclosure, I probably should mention I’m not a huge DC fan.  Quite frankly, their heroes tend to lack depth beyond archetypes, and their insistence on freaky time travel/parallel universes/dimensional weirdness never resonated with me.  Throw into the mix that their last few all-encompassing “DC Universe Events” (Countdown to Crisis, Infinite Crisis, Crisis on Whole Wheat, etc) have been terrible, and it’s clear I’m fully in the Marvel Camp.  The one caveat has been I follow all of the Bat titles, but since the weak handling of “R.I.P.” and “Battle for the Cowl,” those days might be limited, too.  So it was with a fair amount of trepidation that I finally caved into Blair’s advice and started following Green Lantern (Green Lantern Corps. and Green Lantern) a while back at the launch of the “Sinestro Corps Wars” and following into “Prelude to Blackest Night.”  Not only is it easily the best thing going in DC right now, it currently may be one of the best titles out today.  Period.

For a bit of background, the storyline arose out of the “Sinestro Corps War” storyline.  For those of you with only a passing knowledge of GL, Sinestro was Hal Jordan’s (one of many Green Lanterns) arch nemesis on the old Super Friends cartoon.  That’s right, the baddie with the yellow ring.  Following a huge war between the two corps, it became obvious within the story’s universe that the Guardians of OA, keepers of the green rings, were not the stand-up good guys folks had assumed they were.  Previously portrayed as benevolent elders of the universe intent on keeping peace and order, in the aftermath of the destruction wrought to the Corps during a violent and bloody war with the Yellow Rings, the Guardians decided that enforced peace was the obvious route to stability.  The Laws of OA were changed to better fight this new fight—Green Lanterns were now allowed to kill, marriage between Lanterns was banned, etc., all in an effort for the Guardians to further their grasp on the tenuous situation.  A prophecy was coming to pass, one in which all the rings of the spectrum would begin to fight before a cataclysmic battle with the Black Lanterns was to begin.  “Prelude” introduces readers to most of the other colors (each associated with a different emotion) while simultaneously teasing about the disruption of the Green Corps.

Here’s the cheat sheet:

During the course of the Yellow conflict, the Green Lanterns seemingly won the day, destroying or capturing the bulk of the Fear Corps.  The cost, however, was further dissent among the troops who clearly saw that the GLs were headed down a potentially dangerous path.  While all this is underway, the new color groups beginning forming and making their presence known.  While it would have been easy for the writers to simply go with a “these colors are good, these colors are evil” scheme, they went to some lengths to give more depth to the situation.  The Greens could not be viewed automatically as the good guys anymore.  Hope works just as strongly for pure desires as impure.  Love does not always conquer all or even make things better, just different.  As all these forces and ideas merge, the prophecy comes to pass and the Black Rings are unleashed upon an unprepared universe.

So what makes the Blackest Night storylines so compelling?  Well, a number of things.  To begin with, the Green Lantern Corps is being shaken to its very foundation.  Heroes are taking a villainous slant, a nice shake-up to the status quo.  You’ve got a variety of either new characters and/or older, lesser characters being rehashed in a new light, which should keep older and newer fans alike buzzing.  And while the series overall is a fairly bloody affair, they’ve actually infused a lot of humor and human interest into the books, as well.  For example, the Orange Ring bearer Larfleeze essentially is an all-powerful spoiled brat and some of his desires are downright funny.  One of the Yellow Ring bearers, Kryb, kills Green Lanterns specifically to steal their children, bringing to the table loss of family, parental strife, nurture vs. nature, etc.  Pretty much the full spectrum of human emotion, which clearly is the point of the metaphor of the rings.  Hell, one normally would have to turn to Russian novelists or soap opera hacks to get this range of feelings.

“Blackest Night” actually launched this month.  Spoiler Alert—the Black Rings seek out the dead, so basically any dead DC character has the very real possibility of seeing a return during this run.  (Bruce Wayne, anyone?)  The series is going full DC Universe, crossing from the two GL titles to damn near every major book in DC (Batman, Superman, Titans, etc.), so they’re clearly hoping this will remove at least some of the bad taste left behind from their disastrous last few All Universe forays.

If you only read one comic book title this year, well, there probably are plenty of better ones out there.  If you want a great read, possibly DC’s best title today, then GL will not disappoint.

Tags: Superheroes

JAYDIOHEAD!

Posted on July 25th, 2009 by ekko

Jay-Z vs. Radiohead (duh).

Does it always work?  No.  But it’s cool to hear at least once.

1 – Air Roc (4:22)
2 – Life There (3:29)
3 – Reckoner’s Encore (3:45)
4 – Song and Cry (4:39)
5 – December Backdrifts (4:09)

Get the whole damn thing here.

Tags: Covers, Hip Hop

PLANTS AND ANIMALS-”Parc Avenue”

Posted on July 24th, 2009 by ekko

Ladies and gentlemen, at long last, the best album of 2008.  I can’t believe I didn’t get a chance to hear this until the last month, and then only because a small blogger turned me on to it.  What a revelation

Plants and Animals are from Montreal, and “Parc Avenue” is not their debut.  But it is extraordinary.  The lead cut is ironically named “Bye Bye Bye,” but it ain’t no N’Sync cover.  It’s an apt intro cut, with the refrain, “What’s gonna happen to you?  You have woke up too soon,” sung over soaring harmonies and horns, an epic beginning for a textured album that never sits still, never gets comfortable, and is never predictable.  I’m not even going to compare to to anything. It’s incomparable!

This is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard.  Have I raved enough yet?  Even the arty and picky Pitchfuck liked it, giving the album an “8.0.”  (Why do they need to use decimal points?  Are their ratings really that mathematically precise?)  You can score it at Amazon and lots of other places, and you should.  Now.

Guru