Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 2/21/12

February 23, 2012

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Here we Go(tye).

Original Version
1. Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
2. LMFAO – “Sexy and I Know It”
3. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
4. fun. ft. Janelle Monáe – “We Are Young”
5. Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. – “Give Me All Your Luvin'”
6. Butch Walker and the Black Widows – “Synthesizers”
7. David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj – “Turn Me On”
8. Coldplay – “Charlie Brown”
9. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
10. Tyga – “Rack City”
11. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa ft. Bruno Mars – “Young, Wild & Free”
12. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
13. Adam Lambert – “Better Than I Know Myself”
14. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
15. The Wanted – “Glad You Came”
16. Drake ft. Lil’ Wayne and Tyga – “The Motto (Remix)”
17. Jessie J – “Domino”
18. Cassie – “King of Hearts”
19. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
20. Jay-Z and Kanye West – “N****s in Paris”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Somebody That I Used to Know
2. Sexy and I Know It
3. Good Feeling
4. We Are Young
5. Domino
6. N****s in Paris
7. Set Fire to the Rain
8. Turn Me On
9. Charlie Brown
10. Give Me All Your Luvin’
11. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
12. Rack City
13. King of Hearts
13. The Motto (Remix)
13. Synthesizers
16. Ass Back Home
17. Young, Wild & Free
18. Glad You Came
19. Better Than I Know Myself
20. International Love

SNL Video Recap February 18, 2012 Maya Rudolph/Sleigh Bells

February 22, 2012

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Leave a comment

Other Bests of 2011

February 21, 2012

jmunney Best of 2011, Fashion, Music, Music Videos, Sports, Television Leave a comment

As a finale to my Best of 2011 coverage, here are the best parts of 2011 that didn’t fit neatly into any of my categories.

Best Look – Katy Perry’s Smurfette Dress

Best Viral Videos
1. Today Now! Interviews the 5-Year-Old Screenwriter of Fast Five

2. Funny or Die’s Audio Tour

Best National Anthem Performance – Zooey Deschanel at Game 4 of the World Series

Late Night Talk Show Musical Guest MVP’s
St. Vincent

St. Vincent – “She is Beyond Good and Evil” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino – “Bonfire” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

 

Best Single Dance Move in a Music Video – The Tofo Tofo dancers and Beyoncé  drop to their knees and kick back up in the “Run the World (Girls)” music video.

Best Hip-Shaking – Ellie Goulding in the “Lights” Music Video

Best of Film 2011: Best Scenes and Other Bric-a-Brac of the Year

February 21, 2012

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Best of 2011, Cinema 2 Comments

Midnight in Paris – Meeting the Surrealists
To paraphrase Chevy Chase, “I’m Salvador Dalí, and you just may be, too.”

Bridesmaids – Dress Fitting
“I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”

Best Death Scenes
1. Final Destination 5 – Worst Dismount Ever
The most creative and surpising of the FD series’ deaths had tension to match the bomb in Touch of Evil.

2. X-Men: First Class – Show Me the Money
My friend Walt asked if the makers of X-Men: First Class were guilty of stereotyping by having Magneto, a Jewish man, kill someone with a coin.  I responded that it would have been truly offensive if they showed him picking up the coin.

Best Action Scenes
1. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Scaling the Burj Khalifa
I have literally been rendered speechless.

2. Final Destination 5 – Highway Bridge Collapse
As Rajeesh Koothrappali would say, “Oh, snap.”

3. Fast Five – Cars vs. Trains
“I believe I can fly.”

Best Scene in an Otherwise Bad Movie:
Another Earth – Space Strawberries
A member of NASA makes contact with her counterpart on the other Earth, and in a WTF?! moment to match any of the revelations on Lost, they simultaneously reveal that they both bought space strawberries during a childhood vacation to Cape Canaveral.

Best On-Screen Chemistry:
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in The Adjustment Bureau
 

Dogs
1. Uggie as The Dog in The Artist
 

2. Arthur as Cosmo in Beginners
 

3. Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin
 

Best of Film 2011: Best Elements of Film of the Year

February 21, 2012

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(A.K.A., The Best Parts of Film That Are Oscar Categories, Excluding the Shorts and Foreign Film)

Best Film
Bridesmaids
Moneyball
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Muppets
The Descendants
Midnight in Paris
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Margin Call
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Director
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Paul Feig, Bridesmaids
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Martin Scorcese, Hugo

Lead Actor
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
George Clooney, The Descendants
Mel Gibson, The Beaver
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life

Lead Actress
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Viola Davis, The Help
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Supporting Actor
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Kevin Spacey, Margin Call

Supporting Actress
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Mélanie Laurent, Beginners
Judy Greer, The Descendants

Adapted Screenplay
Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin, and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, The Muppets
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Diablo Cody, Young Adult

Editing
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball
Lee Haxall, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Conrad Buff and Mark Goldblatt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Matthew Newman, Drive
Paul Hirsch, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Brendan Galvin, Immortals
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse

Art Direction
Melancholia
The Tree of Life
Immortals
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Muppets

Sound Mixing
Hugo
Drive
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Muppets
Real Steel

Sound Editing
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Drive
Hugo
Real Steel
Thor

Costume Design
Midnight in Paris
Hugo
Bridesmaids
Thor
The Muppets

Score
Cliff Martinez, Drive
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
Cliff Martinez, Contagion
Roger Neill, David Palmer, and Brian Reitzell, Beginners

Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” written by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets
“I Didn’t Mean It,” written by Barbara and Ethan Gruska, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
“Life’s a Happy Song,” written by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets
“Endtapes,” written by Ritzy Bryan, Rhdyian Dafydd, and Matt Thomas, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
“Pictures in My Head,” written by Jeannie Luris, Aris Archontis, and Chen Neemn, The Muppets

Documentary
Tabloid
Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Animated Film
Arthur Christmas
The Adventures of Tintin

Visual Effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Real Steel
Thor
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Hugo

Makeup
I didn’t see any movies from 2011 with particularly great makeup, so I’m going to assume The Iron Lady – with its old people makeup, which I hear is hard to do well – was the best.

SNL Recap February 18, 2012: Maya Rudolph/Sleigh Bells

February 19, 2012

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As always, Worst in Show went to Ralph.

Cold Opening – New York Sports Now
If this was an accurate representation, then I didn’t realize how Lin-sane these puns have been.  Instead of introducing the racial insensitivity aspect, I think I would have preferred if they would have just continued with the punning, which, while not particularly unique, would have been steadily goofy.  Instead, it settled into a stale formula. B-

Maya Rudolph’s Monologue
Another singing monologue?  Ah, well, I guess it’s Maya. B-

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VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 2/18/12

February 19, 2012

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

I’m not that far ahead of the music cuve, am I?  SNL was ahead of me on this one.

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
2. Jessie J – “Domino”
3. Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
4. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
5. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
6. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
7. Foster the People – “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”
8. Gavin DeGraw – “Not Over You”
9. Outasight – “Tonight is the Night”
10. Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. – “Give Me All Your Luvin'”
11. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
12. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
13. Jay-Z and Kanye West – “N****s in Paris”
14. The Fray – “Heartbeat”
15. David Guetta ft. Usher – “Without You”
16. Young the Giant – “Cough Syrup”
17. Scars on 45 – “Heart on Fire”
18. Safetysuit – “These Times”
19. The All-American Rejects – “Beekeeper’s Daughter”
20. Ellie Goulding – “Lights”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Somebody That I Used to Know
2. Lights
3. Tonight is the Night
4. N****s in Paris
5. The One That Got Away
6. Domino
7. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
8. Cough Syrup
9. Without You
10. It Will Rain
11. Set Fire to the Rain
12. Give Me All Your Luvin’
13. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
14. Ass Back Home
15. Heart on Fire
16. These Times
17. International Love
18. Beekeeper’s Daughter
19. Heartbeat
20. Not Over You

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 2/14/12

February 15, 2012

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

How does a boring person make interesting music? Or does the camera add 10 pounds of boringness?

Original Version
1. Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
2. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
3. David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj – “Turn Me On”
4. Tyga – “Rack City”
5. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
6. Snood Dogg and Wiz Khalifa ft. Bruno Mars – “Young, Wild & Free”
7. Jessie J – “Domino”
8. Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. – “Give Me All Your Luvin'”
9. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
10. LMFAO – “Sexy and I Know It”
11. Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – “Moves Like Jagger”
12. Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – “We Found Love”
13. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
14. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
15. The Wanted – “Glad You Came”
16. Jack’s Mannequin – “My Racing Thoughts”
17. Big Sean ft. Nicki Minaj – “Dance (A$$)”
18. Drake ft. Lil’ Wayne and Tyga – “The Motto (Remix)”
19. fun. ft. Janelle Monáe – “We Are Young”
20. J. Cole – “Work Out”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. We Found Love
2. Sexy and I Know It
3. Good Feeling
4. We Are Young
5. Domino
6. Set Fire to the Rain
7. It Will Rain
8. Turn Me On
9. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
10. Give Me All Your Luvin’
11. The Motto (Remix)
12. Moves Like Jagger
13. Rack City
14. Ass Back Home
15. Young, Wild & Free
16. Glad You Came
17. Dance (A$$)
18. International Love
19. My Racing Thoughts
20. Work Out

SNL Video Recap February 11, 2012 Zooey Deschanel/Karmin

February 15, 2012

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SNL Recap February 11, 2011: Zooey Deschanel/Karmin

February 12, 2012

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All the dialogue is either whispered or screamed.

Cold Opening – Mitt Romney
I would have been happy if this sketch had only lasted a minute and thus only included Mitt talking about the Super Bowl. When Jason Sudeikis as Mitt Romney talks about football, it is a hoot. I was cracking up through that portion. Then he talked about other stuff. Then a dog kept barking. So, if this sketch had just been the first minute combined with the incessant dog barking, then we would have been good. B-

Zooey Deschanel’s Monologue
At first, I was surprised that recent divorcee Zooey Deschanel was singing a Valentine’s Day song, but then it was about the dark side of Valentine’s Day, and it all made sense. That moment when she twirled her hair was so Zooey. Was that improvised? B+

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