June 8, 2016
jmunney
Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Television
Billboard, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Empire of the Sun, Walking on a Dream
Longtime readers of my blog may know that I used to watch VH1’s and Fuse’s Top 20 Countdowns and then post my rearranged order of those lists. But apparently countdown shows are no longer a thing. But I still like to keep up with current music, so I have decided to check the Billboard Hot Rock Songs each week and then rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality.
Original Version
1. twenty one pilots – “Stressed Out”
2. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
3. James Bay – “Let It Go”
4. Disturbed – “The Sound of Silence”
5. X Ambassadors – “Unsteady”
6. The Lumineers – “Ophelia”
7. The Strumbellas – “Spirits”
8. Coldplay – “Adventure of a Lifetime”
9. Coldplay – “Hymn for the Weekend”
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Dark Necessities”
11. Ben Rector – “Brand New”
12. Fitz and the Tantrums – “HandClap”
13. blink-182 – “Bored to Death”
14. Empire of the Sun – “Walking on a Dream”
15. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
16. Bishop Briggs – “River”
17. Elle King – “America’s Sweetheart”
18. Panic! at the Disco – “Death of a Bachelor”
19. Prince – “When Doves Cry”
20. Miike Snow – “Genghis Khan”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Walking on a Dream
2. When Doves Cry
3. River
4. Way Down We Go
5. Ophelia
6. Unsteady
7. Ride
8. Dark Necessities
9. Stressed Out
10. Genghis Khan
11. Adventure of a Lifetime
12. Death of a Bachelor
13. The Sound of Silence
14. America’s Sweetheart
15. Spirits
16. Hymn for the Weekend
17. HandClap
18. Let It Go
19. Brand New
20. Bored to Death
June 5, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
American Dad!, Comedy Bang! Bang!, French Open, Garbine Muguruza, Inside Amy Schumer, Maya & Marty, Silicon Valley, The Chris Gethard Show
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 – Silicon Valley
Monday – American Dad!
Tuesday – The Civil War letter writing sketch from Maya & Marty
Wednesday – The Chris Gethard Show … ?!
Thursday – Inside Amy Schumer (Hacky sitcom parodies always get me.)
Friday – Comedy Bang! Bang!
Saturday – Ladies French Open Final – is this the beginning of an all-time great?
May 30, 2016
jmunney
Better Call Saul, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Difficult People, Happy Endings, Mr. Robot, Television
Better Call Saul, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Difficult People, Happy Endings, How Did This Get Made?, Mr. Robot, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Vulture, Vulture Festival, You're the Worst, Younger
Last weekend, I attended several panels at the Vulture Festival, an annual pop culture extravaganza thrown by the entertainment wing of New York Magazine. Here’s how it went down.
DAY 1: SATURDAY, 5/21/2016
Breaking Better Call Saul
Vulture TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz chatted with Rhea Seehorn, Michael McKean, and BCS co-creator Peter Gould. Bob Odenkirk joined in via phone (which was unfortunate because he is not the type of guy who will be all “Awkward setup be damned!” and just jump into the conversation). This was a rather engaging discussion, as these folks are eager and eloquent when discussing their process. One major point was the inevitability posed by Breaking Bad already establishing where Jimmy/Saul’s life is headed. To this end, Peter noted how fans often ask him if Kim and Chuck will die, which he at first thought was due to a lack of imagination but then realized it was more about a concern from people in the hope that their favorite fictional characters will remain alive and well.
I had a chance to talk with Rhea Seehorn after the panel. I asked her if she would be submitting as Lead or Supporting for the Emmys this year. She said that her publicists take care of that, but she was pretty sure they would be putting her down for Supporting. When I mentioned that I blog my Emmy prognostications every year, she asked for my info so that she could check out my stuff.
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May 29, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
2CGS, CashOrTrash, Fresh Off the Boat, Last Week Tonight, Orphan Black, The Chris Gethard Show, The Detour, VICE
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 – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – The Detour
Tuesday – Fresh Off the Boat
Wednesday – A bonkers, mindblowing Chris Gethard Show
Thursday – Orphan Black
Friday – In “State of Surveillance,” VICE watches you.Saturday – Sports!
May 25, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Fresh Off the Boat, Funny Freddy, I Did Saturday's Right, Jane the Virgin, Jeopardy!, Last Week Tonight, Love From New York, Orphan Black, Saturday Night Live, SNL, The Middle
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 – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Jane the Virgin
Tuesday – Fresh Off the Boat
Wednesday – The Middle
Thursday – Orphan Black is Orphan ACK!
Friday – Jeopardy!* (with the caveat that I haven’t started watching Lady Dynamite yet)Saturday – Funny Freddy in “Love From New York, I Did Saturday’s Right” (SNL)
May 23, 2016
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Courtney Barnett, Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live 4121, Saturday Night Live Season 41, SNL, SNL Season 41
SNL: Courtney Barnett, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in May 2016.
It hardly feels like Fred Armisen, one of the longest-tenured “SNL” cast members of all time (11 seasons), has ever left 30 Rockefeller Plaza. He has returned to cameo 7 times in the 3 years since departing, and he regularly collaborates with other “SNL” vets on his current regular gigs, “Late Night” and “Portlandia” (both produced by Lorne Michaels). But he has shown restraint this season, only appearing once before (to memorialize David Bowie). So while his first time as host is in no way long overdue, it is also not overkill. Speaking of cameos, several other alums also stop by, as befitting a season finale. This means that there is some squeezing out of the regular cast, but not of the good ideas. Year 41 ends on a high note.
Bernie and Hillary – “SNL” wraps up one of its wackiest political years with its two all-star impressions: one that broke big exactly as expected and the other a delightful surprise. The dance between Kate McKinnon’s Hillary and Larry David’s Bernie is as testy as the real deal. As they really explore the studio, there is a celebratory air that the show reserves only for times when it knows it has something special to celebrate. But wisely, it is not all just kissing and making up, because there is plenty of tension in this primary that the last call setting brings into focus. This is a summary of the fictionalized version of a slice of this campaign that “SNL” has managed to have its pulse on. B
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May 21, 2016
jmunney
Jeopardy!, Television
Al Franken, Anderson Cooper, Jeopardy!, Jeopardy! Power Players, Lara Logan, Louis CK, Michael Steele
MVP
Louis C.K.
Most Likely to Repeat What He Just Said
Al Franken
Most Inexplicable Winner
Lara Logan
Most Out of Sorts
Anderson Cooper
The Not-Quite-Wolf Blitzer Award (as he had the good sense to hardly ring in)
Michael Steele
May 16, 2016
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Black Jeopardy, Drake, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live 4120, Saturday Night Live Season 41, SNL, SNL Season 41
SNL: Drake, Leslie Jones (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot)
This review was originally posted on Starpulse in May 2016.
Drake now finds himself in a select crowd of entertainers who have not just pulled “SNL” double duty as both host and musical guest, but done so multiple times. His first double threat gig was a highlight of Season 39, so in terms of potential hosting quality, he is a fine selection. But what about timeliness? He certainly remains big in the music world, but he is not quite as huge in the culture at large the way other repeat double dippers (Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus) have been. But he has the acting chops, so when it gets down to it, who cares? As for the material he is given, it represents a whole range of ideas, some of which work quite well, and others that only work sporadically. All in all, the expansive effort is appreciated.
Donald Trump Vice President Selection – There is not much to make fun of Donald Trump this week (at least, not much new), although the “Joey Pepperoni” quip points to a goofy path that could hold up for the future. So instead, the focus is on the mogul’s VP selection, which could offer new targets for humor, save for the fact that most of the candidates floated are casualties of this election cycle and thus have already been mocked. But sneaking George Zimmerman’s name in there is sharp and the right sort of dangerous. Otherwise, this is just putting down Chris Christie for being nakedly opportunistic, which is way too obvious and not pathetic enough to really make an impact. C+
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May 15, 2016
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Jeopardy!, Last Week Tonight, New Girl, Nick x Jess, Orphan Black, Saturday Night Live, SNL, The Goldbergs, The Grinder, The Middle
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 – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Tuesday – New Girl closed out Season 5 with hella urgency. (An Honorable Mention of course goes to the dearly departed Grinder … but what if it weren’t dearly departed?)
Wednesday – TIE: The Middle/The Goldbergs
Thursday – Orphan Black is on the Orphan ATTACK!
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – SNL, with the Black Jeopardy and the Drake as a professional chaperone
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