VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 6/18/11

June 18, 2011

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Is “Last Friday Night” a good song or do I just like it for its video?

Original Version
1. Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull – “On the Floor”
2. Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song”
3. Taylor Swift – “The Story of Us”
4. Andy Grammer – “Keep Your Head Up”
5. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
6. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
7. Train – “Save Me San Francisco”
8. Christina Perri – “Arms”
9. Britney Spears – “Till the World Ends”
10. Jason Derülo – “Don’t Wanna Go Home”
11. Foo Fighters – “Walk”
12. OneRepublic – “Good Life”
13. Linkin Park – “Iridescent”
14. Steven Tyler – “(It) Feels So Good”
15. Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
16. Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer – “Give Me Everything”
17. David Cook – “The Last Goodbye”
18. Raphael Saadiq – “Stone Rollin'”
19. Beyoncé – “Run the World (Girls)”
20. Kings of Leon – “Back Down South”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Stone Rollin’
3. Walk
4. The Story of Us
5. Barton Hollow
6. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
7. Good Life
8. Back Down South
9. Run the World (Girls)
10. Till the World Ends
11. On the Floor
12. Save Me San Francisco
13. Iridescent
14. Give Me Everything
15. Arms
16. Don’t Wanna Go Home
17. The Last Goodbye
18. (It) Feels So Good
19. Keep Your Head Up
20. The Lazy Song

Best Episode of the Season: Community Season 2

June 16, 2011

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“Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design”

The thing about poorly constructed conspiracy-laden stories is that as the conspiracy unravels, the story becomes less and less compelling.  The truth is revealed, and that truth is that the way in which the conspiracy was wrapped up in itself was the only interesting thing there ever was about the story.  The writers of Community get this concept, and thus they crafted an episode about a conspiracy that was about a conspiracy, which kept having more layers and tangents added to it until it could no longer really be considered a conspiracy, but instead just “random crap.”  As Jeff attempted to convince Dean Pelton of the validity of his fraudulent independent study, “Professor Professorson” burst out to declare that cliché bon mot, “One man’s lies are another man’s truth.”  Despite the meaninglessness of that line, it was filled with depth and charisma, as Professorson (really Woolery) was portrayed by supporting player extraordinaire Kevin Corrigan, who elevates whatever he appears in exponentially.  In the role that he is probably best known for – Uncle Eddie on Grounded for Life – Corrigan seemed like he was in a completely different show than every other character.  Such an acting style was profoundly apt for the role of Professorson, and a microcosmic representation of Community as a whole.  Here is a show that is so beautifully wrapped up in itself.  Blanket fort town, anyone?

Next up: Smallville

Best Episode of the Season: Fringe Season 3

June 15, 2011

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“Subject 13”

Can all Fringe episodes be set in the eighties?  Alas, I cannot make that request with full sincerity, because if every episode of Fringe was a flashback episode, then they probably would not all reach the storytelling heights that were reached last season with “Peter” and this season with “Subject 13.”  John Noble’s portrayals of the two Walter’s became more and more legendary in an episode that screamed multidimensionality.  As the main-universe Walter, he alternated between an overreaching manipulator and a surrogate father figure for a young Olivia abused by her stepfather (I get choked up just thinking about the moment when Walter warns her stepfather what he will do if he ever harms her again).  As Walternate, he was not yet the obsessed revenge-seeker that Fringe fans had come to know him as, but instead a man driven to despair, both because of the loss of his child and the failure and of his cognitive abilities, as he was unable to figure out the circumstances of his son’s kidnapping.  The most tantalizing scene was the test footage of Walter attempting to coax Olivia’s ability to cross over.  Another J.J. Abrams creation – Lost – was most consistently successful in terms of amping up a mysterious mood with its use of test footage, and Fringe has now shown itself to be just as capable with this simple, yet clever technique.  The scene in which Olivia crosses over and speaks to Walternate teased what was still to come, thankfully making it clear that the eighties storyline is not finished.

Next up: Community

Best Episode of the Season: 30 Rock Season 5

June 14, 2011

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“TGS Hates Women”

“Augh!  My period!  You’re all fired!”

Is Tina Fey the official voice of reason when it comes to women’s affairs today?  As perhaps the biggest female name in comedy today, she is certainly in a position to be a major influence on the representation of women in a field that has often been characterized as a boys’ club.  So by taking on the article from the Jezebel blog that criticized The Daily Show’s hiring of Olivia Munn with the storyline of “TGS Hates Women,” she made it clear that this sort of thing is a complicated issue.  Liz Lemon hires a female writer in an attempt to assuage criticisms of TGS as misogynistic.  But it blows up in her face in more ways than one, and all TGS is left with during Tracy’s absence are sketches about Hilary Clinton, Amelia Earhart, and Wonder Woman getting their period at inopportune times, which Liz tries to characterize as “ironic re-appropriation[s],” and they really are, whether they were meant to be or not, considering how absurdly nonsensical they are.  At least they come off as ironic to viewers, as 30 Rock consistently represents TGS as a hopelessly dumb show.  Meanwhile, Jack competes with Kaylee, Kabletown CEO Hank Hooper’s granddaughter, as he tries to position himself as the top candidate to succeed Hank as CEO.  Kaylee, as played by the prodigious Chloë Grace-Moretz, proves to be the most formidable competition Jack has ever faced in the area of corporate climbing.  Jack distracts Kaylee from succession by encouraging her love of marine biology, a love that she faked as a scheme to lead Jack back toward his love of marine biology.  Ultimately, once each figures the other one out, they lay down the law with each other, Kaylee making it clear that she is not above accusing Jack of giving alcohol to a minor and Jack making it clear that he is not above seducing Kaylee’s teachers for the sake of having them flunk her.

Next up: Fringe

Best Episode of the Season: Perfect Couples Season 1 (First and Only Season!)

June 13, 2011

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“Perfect House”

“Do you even know I’m a woman?”

I was sad to see Perfect Couples depart from the airwaves after only one season, as it was that rare show with a clearly stated premise that actually followed through on that premise.  Here were three “perfect” couples: obviously they weren’t actually perfect, but the general openness about the problems in their relationships (whether that openness came from themselves or one of the members of the other couples) made them about as perfect as they could possibly be in this modern world.  The standout pair on the show was Hayes MacArthur and Olivia Munn as Rex and Leigh, the husband and wife who have read every piece of relationship advice and who both actually seem to follow it all.  Olivia Munn can pull off that rare awesome trifecta of being sexy, funny, and actually seeming like a real person, so it was an engaging change of pace to see her miserably flailing about at tennis and at dealing with the jealousy over the sports-bred camaraderie Rex shares with his sister Julia.  Rex and Leigh are like the couple who have everything, partly because of the attitude they share of a desire to be number one at everything.  A couple like that needs to be knocked down a peg, but it was heartening to see that being knocked down did essentially no harm to their relationship.  “Perfect House” was also notable for its very real take on “Telling Stories,” featuring these choice quotes:

Julia: “You mean the black guy?”
Dave: “Oh, uh, ye-, black.”
Julia: “Bravo, Dave, so enlightened.  You mean you didn’t even notice?  Woo!  Get a new dream, Martin Luther King.  This one just came true.”

Vance: “Okay, that detail doesn’t matter, will you just get to the end? … What is pertinent, like, I can’t follow the thread.”

Leigh: “I’m sorry.  Are we boring you?
Rex: “Like the story about your kid’s play was so riveting.  At least we’re trying.”

Julia: “What is that movie I love so much?  Men in- unh, what is that word?  It has that actor, Will Smith, you know, the tall guy.”
Dave: “You know what, excuse me for being sensitive.”
Julia: “No, Dave, I am in awe.  I mean, where does it stop?  Do you see gender?  Do you even know I’m a woman?
Dave: “I’m walking the dog.”
Julia: “Well, he is a dog?” (Dave: “Bye-bye.”) “Or he is just a horizontal life-force?”

Next up: 30 Rock

Best Episode of the Season: V Season 2 (Final Season!)

June 12, 2011

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“Concordia”

The major problem with much of the first season of V was that hardly anything of significance happened.  The major problem with the second, and ultimately ultimate, season was that when something did happen, the status quo rarely changed.  Double crossings were re-crossed, and major characters seemed safe from death (until the finale, whose explosiveness was rendered moot thanks to cancellation).  “Concordia” worked in that the Fifth Column finally decided to take act against the Visitors in a way that would have repercussions and could not be reversed.  Though Anna was protected against assassination and Marcus’s chances for survival were considerable, the message of this action could not be ignored.  Viewers now had a general sense of character loyalty that not every character was aware of, throwing matters into a state of disarray that demanded resolution that was eventually cut short by cancellation.

Next up: Perfect Couples

Portlandia: Season 1 Sketch of the Year

June 11, 2011

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“Did You Read?”

Sharp, enduring sketch comedy can make its viewers uncomfortable, in that they see these ridiculous characters and wonder, “Oh my God, is that me?”  Fans of satire are likely well-read (otherwise, how would they come to understand the satire?), so the characters played by Fred and Carrie in “Did You Read?” are probably not too dissimilar from Portlandia fans.  With the sheer volume of reading material available in the twenty-first century, the pursuit of discussing that reading material with friends can be a daunting task, and thus we may forgo actual exploration of themes and merely resort to list-making and descend into one-upmanship.  But thankfully such a discussion, though shallow, can still be entertaining if a few choice quips are thrown in (“eco-chairs and eco-ways to sit,” “I thought it was cute,” “I did not like the end of it”).  Though “Did You Read?” was not the heaviest laugh-inducer, it has among all Portlandia sketches endured most strongly in my mind, as it is the most meaningful (along with “Technology Loop”) to people who care to immerse themselves in all that modern life has to offer.  The ending left something to be desired, but that is often enough the case in sketch comedy to be beside the point.

Best Episode of the Season: Portlandia Season 1

June 11, 2011

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Most of the Portlandia episodes from Season 1 featured a storyline running throughout each episode in the midst of the self-contained sketches.  “Mayor is Missing” stood out for its through line, as it had a greater span than “A Song for Portland” and “Aimee” and was less esoteric and confusing than “Blunderbuss.”  The “Baseball” storyline may have actually been tops for the years, but “Mayor is Missing” won the overall episode battle thanks to its stand-alone sketches.  (“Did You Read?” was a better opener than the unemployment PSA; the house-sitting sketch with the “Put a Bird on It” couple was a more hilarious visit from recurring characters than the Feminist Bookstore journal class.)  But the clinching moment for “Mayor is Missing” and Portlandia as a whole in its inaugural season came with the cell phone store sketch.  I was willing to check out Portlandia thanks to its promise of targeting hipster culture, but I wondered if Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein could make that concept last as a series, especially since they limited themselves to one city.  But with the help of Kumail Nanjiani, they showed that they had made the wise decision of not confining themselves into a self-imposed obligation to focus only on hipster skewering.  The humor of confused and abused uses of language (“It is one time in that you only pay one time a year”) is a form of humor that Portlandia would be wise to stick to (it is a forte of Fred Armisen), and it seems intent on doing so, which could be the show’s formula for long-term success.

Next up: V

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 6/11/11

June 11, 2011

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Linkin Park, you did not live up to the Transformers soundtrack-level quality that you set for yourself.  Let’s see what Mastodon has to offer.

Original Version
1. Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song”
2. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
3. Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull – “On the Floor”
4. Andy Grammer – “Keep Your Head Up”
5. Taylor Swift – “The Story of Us”
6. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
7. Christina Perri – “Arms”
8. Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.”
9. Train – “Save Me San Francisco”
10. Britney Spears – “Till the World Ends”
11. Jason Derülo – “Don’t Wanna Go Home”
12. Sara Bareilles – “Uncharted”
13. Fitz and the Tantrums – “Money Grabber”
14. Beyoncé – “Run the World (Girls)”
15. Linkin Park – “Iridescent”
16. Foo Fighters – “Walk”
17. Death Cab for Cutie – “You Are a Tourist”
18. Steven Tyler – “(It) Feels So Good”
19. Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer – “Give Me Everything”
20. Raphael Saadiq – “Stone Rollin'”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Stone Rollin’
3. Money Grabber
4. Walk
5. You Are a Tourist
6. E.T.
7. The Story of Us
8. Barton Hollow
9. Run the World (Girls)
10. Till the World Ends
11. On the Floor
12. Save Me San Francisco
13. Uncharted
14. Iridescent
15. Arms
16. Give Me Everything
17. Don’t Wanna Go Home
18. Keep Your Head Up
19. The Lazy Song
20. (It) Feels So Good

Best Episode of the Season: Hannah Montana Season 4 (Final Season!)

June 8, 2011

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“Hannah Montana to the Principal’s Office”

“I could leap across this desk, throw you through a window, because I’m tired of people asking for SPECIAL TREATMENT!”

It may be the case that generally when big-name stars make guest appearances on a Disney Channel or Nickelodeon show, they are allowed to play a version of themselves or a version of their typical characters, but they are also forced to subsume their personae into  a “kid-friendly” environ (whatever that means – usually it means something unbearable).  But in Hannah Montana’s tradition of guest stars, this has not really been the case, at least not completely.  It certainly was not the case when Ray Liotta appeared as the principal of Miley’s high school.  He wasn’t allowed to cuss up a storm, but he was allowed to deliver lines like the one above.  And when it comes to Ray Liotta, that is enough.  Unlike the later episodes of this ultimate season, there were not too many sappy moments or annoying musical montages detracting from the usual zany moments, especially the mugging from the ever-reliable Emily Osment.  But it would be pointless for me to explain what made this the best Hannah Montana episode of the season without singularly focusing on Ray Liotta.  The moment at which the thought of “Wow, they really did let Ray Liotta guest star on Hannah Montana” was the strongest came when, as Principal Luger, he took a picture on his cell phone with Miley as Hannah and then insisted that they retake the shot because, as he said, “I got crazy eyes in this one!”  And he really did have crazy eyes.  Then he declared to a mob of classmates/fans in the hallway, “Ahhhhhh!  Hannah Montana wants to be treated like a regular student! … A.  Regular.  Girl.”  I would not be surprised if some of those extras voided their bowels at that moment.

Next Up: Portlandia

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