Jeff "Jmunney" Malone's Self-Styled "Expert" Thoughts on Movies, TV, Music, and the Rest of Pop Culture
December 29, 2014
Television, What Won TV? Leave a comment
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – The Affair
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – Jeopardy!
Wednesday – Jeopardy!
Thursday – Doctor Who
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – SNL Vintage
December 22, 2014
Mulaney, Mulaney Episode Reviews, Television Leave a comment
There was a new episode of Mulaney last night, in case you were wondering: http://www.starpulse.com/news/Jeffrey_Malone/2014/12/22/mulaney-season-1-episode-8-recap-john-
December 22, 2014
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Amy Adams, One Direction, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 40, SNL, SNL Season 40 Leave a comment
SNL: Amy Adams, One Direction (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in December 2014.
The 2014 Christmas episode of “Saturday Night Live” took most of its inspiration from the holiday season, as “SNL” Christmas episodes are wont to do. Sometimes that resulted in sticking too close to tradition, while other times that tradition was rebelled against, resulting in memorably experimental Christmas sketches. It was one of those episodes where you take the good and you take the bad. In her second outing, Amy Adams was the sort of host who slotted in naturally to whatever role she was given without overshadowing the cast. Musical guest One Direction did what they do, surely pleasing their fans but not making any new ones. And it would not have been a Christmas episode without cameos, some of which were surprising and welcome and others which were welcome enough but a little too predictable.
A Very Somber Christmas with Sam Smith – Bringing in Mike Myers to reprise Dr. Evil, perhaps the most intrinsically ridiculous villain of all time, allowed for “SNL” to really get at what North Korea is all about: Kim Jong-un and his cronies categorically have no idea how to take a joke. Evil’s Lorne Michaels-inspired “Throw me a frickin’ bone here” attitude was exactly the sort of mediation that this situation needed. B+
December 22, 2014
Television, What Won TV? Leave a comment
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – Total Riff Off
Wednesday – Jeopardy!
Thursday – The Eric Andre Show
Friday – In the spirit of season finales, it’s a tie between Comedy Bang! Bang! and The Birthday Boys.
Saturday – SNL, thanks to evil doctors and rodents
December 21, 2014
Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown, VH1 Top 20 of the Year Leave a comment
Each week, I check out VH1’s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality. Then at the end of the year, when VH1 unveils their annual top 20 (or 40), I do the same thing with the year-end list.
Original Version
1. John Legend – “All of Me”
2. Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
3. Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun”
4. Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
5. Tove Lo – “Habits”
6. Nico & Vinz – “Am I Wrong”
7. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – “Timber”
8. Jason Derulo – “Talk Dirty”
9. Magic! – “Rude”
10. Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
11. Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off”
12. Meghan Trainor – “All About That Bass”
13. Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”
14. Lorde – “Team”
15. Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”
16. Maroon 5 – “Maps”
17. Disclosure ft. Sam Smith – “Latch”
18. Ed Sheeran – “Don’t”
19. Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”
20. One Direction – “Story Of My Life”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Dark Horse
2. Fancy
3. Happy
4. Boom Clap
5. Latch
6. Ain’t It Fun
7. Habits
8. Shake It Off
9. Stay With Me
10. Team
11. The Monster
12. Don’t
13. Timber
14. Am I Wrong
15. Maps
16. All About That Bass
17. Rude
18. Talk Dirty
19. All of Me
20. Story of My Life
(P.S. Where was “Chandelier”?)
December 21, 2014
Music, Television, Watch And/Or Listen to This Leave a comment
This is my new favorite talk show musical performance, for what I think are fairly obvious reasons.
December 17, 2014
Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment
Each week, I check out FUSE’s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. Taylor Swift – “Blank Space”
2. Tove Lo – “Habits (Stay High)”
3. Maroon 5 – “Animals”
4. Ed Sheeran – “Don’t”
5. Sam Smith – “I’m Not the Only One”
6. Hozier – “Take Me to Church”
7. Mr. Probz – “Waves”
8. Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off”
9. Meghan Trainor – “All About That Bass”
10. Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj – “Bang Bang”
11. Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd – “Love Me Harder”
12. Nick Jonas – “Jealous”
13. Calvin Harris ft. John Newman – “Blame”
14. Big Sean ft. E40 – “IDFWU”
15. I LOVE MAKONNEN ft. Drake – “Tuesday (Remix)”
16. Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Ora – “Black Widow”
17. Alesso ft. Tove Lo – “Heroes (We Could Be)”
18. Selena Gomez – “The Heart Wants What It Wants”
19. Chris Brown ft. Usher and Rick Ross – “New Flame”
20. Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Love Me Harder
2. Take Me to Church
3. Bang Bang
4. Jealous
5. Habits (Stay High)
6. Shake It Off
7. Blank Space
8. Uptown Funk
9. Black Widow
10. Blame
11. Waves
12. IDFWU
13. Don’t
14. The Heart Wants What It Wants
15. I’m Not the Only One
16. Heroes (We Could Be)
17. All About That Bass
18. Tuesday (Remix)
19. Animals
20. New Flame
December 15, 2014
Bob's Burgers, Bob's Burgers Episode Reviews, Television Leave a comment
Who among us still wears their thunderwear? http://www.starpulse.com/news/Jeffrey_Malone/2014/12/15/bobs-burgers-season-5-episode-7-recap-
December 15, 2014
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Charli XCX, Martin Freeman, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 40, SNL, SNL Season 40 Leave a comment
SNL: Charli XCX, Martin Freeman, Kenan Thompson (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in December 2014.
It was the British invasion on the penultimate 2014 episode of “SNL,” with first-time host Martin Freeman and first-time musical guest Charli XCX. It is not every week that “SNL” has the perfect actor to play nebbishy scamps, so this episode took every opportunity it could to fit Freeman into his wheelhouse. Indeed, at least regarding the host, this was one of the most well-cast episodes of “SNL” in a while. Meanwhile, the show in general continued its Season 40 pattern of focusing on original material, with a single character on Weekend Update serving as the lone recurring bit of the night.
Charlie Rose – It is not often that “SNL” extrapolates a broader social point from its timely political skethces, which is why this examination of a couple of architects of torture felt as fresh as it did. Bobby Moynihan and Kyle Mooney were keyed in perfectly to the roles of two men who love being great at their jobs, morals be damned. It was not clear, though, why this was presented in a “Charlie Rose” parody, other than for the joke about how it is torture to be stuck in a dark room for years. B
December 14, 2014
Television, What Won TV? Leave a comment
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – New Girl
Wednesday – Arrow, you’ve had a bumpy season so far, but know that I love you.
Thursday – The Eric Andre Show
Friday – Comedy Bang! Bang!, nearly perfect
Saturday – Charli XCX shaking her butt on the Saturday Night Live stage
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