Aaron Paul won an Emmy last night for Breaking Bad, so it should now only be a matter of not much time before Weird makes it into theatres.
Now That Aaron Paul is an Emmy Winner, Let’s Get “Weird” a Theatrical Release
August 30, 2010
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The 20 Greatest Classic Rock Singers (According to Jmunney)
August 19, 2010
1. Freddie Mercury
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Another One Bites the Dust”
2. Robert Plant
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Immigrant Song”
3. Roger Daltrey
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (featuring the most iconic rock ‘n’ roll scream of all time)
4. Ann Wilson
Song That Really Shows Off Her Chops: “Crazy on You”
5. Paul McCartney
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Hey Jude”
6. Geddy Lee
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Closer to the Heart”
7. Jon Anderson
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “I’ve Seen All Good People”
8. Jim Morrisson
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Break on Through (to the Other Side)”
9. Pat Benatar
Song That Really Shows Off Her Chops: “Heartbreaker”
10. Paul Rodgers
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “All Right Now”
11. Brad Delp
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Peace of Mind”
12. Grace Slick
Song That Really Shows Off Her Chops: “White Rabbit”
13. Greg Lake
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Lucky Man”
14. David Bowie
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Fame”
15. Steven Tyler
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Dream On”
16. Bruce Springsteen
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Spirit in the Night”
17. Janis Joplin
Song That Really Shows Off Here Chops: “Piece of My Heart”
18. Tom Petty
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Refugee”
19. John Fogerty
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Born on the Bayou”
20. Steve Perry
Song That Really Shows Off His Chops: “Don’t Stop Believing” (But if you can’t stand the cheese, go with “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’”)
It should not be construed that anyone I have excluded does not deserve to be mentioned among great classic rock singers. The nature of keeping a list to a certain number means that some deserving people will be left out. With that in mind, here are some
Honorable Mentions:
Lou Gramm, Bon Scott/Brian Johnson, Van Morrisson, Justin Heyward, The Guy from Scorpions
The Greatest Classic Rock Singers of All Time
August 18, 2010
102.9 WMGK, Philadelphia’s classic rock station, recently unveiled its list of the twenty greatest classic rock singers of all time. The list was determined by the votes of MGK’s At-Work Network members. I am a member of the At-Work Network, but I did not pay close attention to the voting deadline. So I forgot to vote. But I still have some thoughts on the selections!
1. Freddie Mercury
The At-Work Network got this one right. With a voice that would have been equally at home in opera, Freddie transcended the arena of rock vocals while simultaneously being firmly planted in it.
2. Paul McCartney
Sir Paul is the epitome of the pop-rock vocalist. His voice is pretty enough to be accessible in the pop world, but there is also an edge to it that makes him deserving of a spot on this list.
3. Robert Plant
The banshee wail of Robert Plant is what many rock singers aspire to, and rightfully so. But he is also versatile such that his vocal oeuvre shows off Zeppelin’s blues roots and his own folk-style tendencies.
4. Bruce Springsteen
The gravelly character of Bruce’s voice appears to be a matter of choice (much more so than in the cases of Petty or Dylan). One gets the sense that his voice could be cleaner, but he made the right choice to fit his music.
5. Roger Daltrey
He employs a scream that can melt your face just as much as any Pete Townshend guitar solo.
6. Paul Rodgers
A surprisingly (though not undeservedly) high showing from Rodgers, considering that a cynical viewpoint could view him as a poor man’s Daltrey. But he does distinguish himself, particularly with his knack for solidly controlled trilling. The only entrant in this list to have fronted two successful bands (Free and Bad Company).
7. Billy Joel
With music that is too piano-driven to completely belong in the rest of the classic rock world, Billy is too much of a pop vocalist to belong on this list.
8. John Lennon
John would definitely jump in to lend his chops for the Beatles, but he hardly accomplished enough to be considered one of the top ten vocalists of all time.
9. Jim Morrison
Apparently a lounge-style singing voice has its place in the rock world. Who knew? Well, when that voice is as ferocious as Morrison’s, the notion no longer sounds that crazy.
10. Mick Jagger
Mick is the vocalist on this list who most gets away with not having that much natural talent. His showman style allowed him to get away with many of his shortcomings. While his singing was not often technically impressive, it was always interesting.
11. Elton John
Of the two classic rock piano men, Elton is the more interesting of the two (and more often rock-driven) but he also is too much of a pop vocalist to belong on this list.
12. Justin Heyward
The most surprising entrant, the Moody Blues’ Justin Heyward made it in as a write-in vote. The soaring beauty of his voice is undeniable, but is it rocking enough?
13. Steve Perry
Perry’s skill as a vocalist is undeniable, but it is too often employed for what veers into thick ’80s cheese. Thankfully, there are enough times when he gets plenty intense on tracks such as “Any Way You Want It.”
14. Brad Delp
Listen to any Boston song and try to find some way to pick apart Delp’s voice. It is so technically perfect, so clean.
15. Steven Tyler
Silly Aerosmith (“Love in an Elevator,” “Dude Looks Like a Lady”) may obscure Steven Tyler’s talent, but he can pull off screeching, rich high notes, and scat just as well.
16. Don Henley
Don Henley? Really? His work with the Eagles is so boring. Well, okay, “One of These Nights” isn’t too bad.
17. David Bowie
He may be best known for his wild outfits and his general strangeness, but he should also be known for being the most versatile vocalist in classic rock. He can sing about Ziggy and hold his own against Bing.
18. Ann Wilson
If there had to be only one woman on this list (and there should have been more than one), then it had to be Ann Wilson. The closest anyone has ever been to a female Robert Plant, Annie Wilson’s overpowering vocals should have driven her higher on this list.
19. Phil Collins
Phil holds the distinction of being the only drummer on this list. He was always a serviceable vocalist with Genesis and then on his own, but he never established himself as an all-time great until his work for Disney’s Tarzan (which isn’t exactly rock).
20. Bob Seger
There is a certain weariness to Bob Seger’s voice that lent an appreciable depth to his hits, but it is not spectacular enough to earn him a spot on this list.
And here are the most egregious exclusions:
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson does not sing falsetto. His natural singing and speaking voice is above the tenor range. Also, his normal speaking voice sounds like Grover the Muppet.
Pat Benatar
She can hold a blistering high note long enough to break plenty of hearts on her own.
Janis Joplin
There is an all-out quality to Janis Joplin’s voice. She gives her entire heart and soul to every syllable.
Greg Lake
He might sound quite similar to Roger Daltrey, but that is not a bad voice to sound similar to. And Daltrey never sang about a gypsy queen in a glaze of Vaseline.
Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee’s idiosyncratic high tenor may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there can be no denying the difficulty in pulling off a voice as absurd as his.
Grace Slick
It took more than just the presence of a female rock singer to make it known that women could rock; it also took someone with the power of Grace Slick to show that the ladies could not only exist, but thrive alongside the boys.
And tomorrow, my list of the top 20.
All These Magical Ladies are the Same
August 7, 2010
I have noticed a trend over the last several years in which just about every film that features a female character with magical powers uses the song “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” either in the trailer or the film proper (or possibly both). It has been in the trailers for both Nanny McPhee and Nanny McPhee Returns (just where is she returning from anyway?) and the credits for Bewitched (and possibly at some earlier point in Bewitched – I haven’t seen the whole movie, just the credits). This list I just came up with does not look too long, actually … can anyone else think of any others? I feel like there must have been more, or maybe it just started feeling that way when the Police made their third appearance. The second time was already overkill, so the third time would then naturally give one a sense of ubiquity. Anyway, are all the little things that Nicole Kidman and Emma Thompson just as magical as everything else they do? Has this crutch of a song given us the wrong impression, or is there no magical deed too small for magical folk, just as there is no evil deed too small for evil folk?
Inception: Another Piece of the Puzzle
July 26, 2010
“Non, je ne regrette rien,” the song used as the cue for when the kick is happening in Inception, was most famously recorded by French songbird Edith Piaf. Piaf was portrayed in the 2007 biopic La Vie en Rose by Marion Cotillard, who won an Oscar for that performance. Marion is currently starring in Inception as Mal, the deceased wife of Leonardo Dicaprio’s Cobb. Does this mean anything regarding the mysterious elements of Inception that have been left open to interpretation? We can probably only ever know in our subconsciouses.
Best Episode of the Season: Glee
July 8, 2010
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“Throwdown”
Glee is serial in its format, and therefore the episodes tend to bleed into each other. Barring a few exceptions (the Madonna and Lady Gaga editions), they do not conspicuously stand out from the other episodes immediately before or after. Thus, my criterion for picking the best Glee episode of the year was based on which one featured the best Sue Sylvester moment of the year. The scene in Principal Figgins’ office in which Mr. Schuester took Sue to task over the issue of many of her Cheerios failing Spanish (“Oh, Will, we all know about your devotion to that dying language”) was enough to make “Throwdown” an instant classic in the span of two minutes.
Best Episode of the Season: The Big Bang Theory
July 7, 2010
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“The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary”
“WHEATONNNNN!!!”
Family Guy has James Woods, and now The Big Bang Theory has Wil Wheaton; to paraphrase Bobby Wheat, what is the deal with actors playing evil versions of themselves in sitcoms? This is essentially a matter of, “Why not?” Sitcoms are best when they embrace the fact that they are in the business of silly make-em-up’s. The make-em-ups do not have to make sense when they are first proposed; the masterfulness will come as long as they are put into action in an entertaining way. Giving your main character the personal enemy of Ensign Wesley Crusher is going to work if your main character is played by Jim Parsons in the role of a lifetime. Of course, Sheldon is great on every single episode of BBT, so what pushed “The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary” into best episode of the season territory was the Leonard-Penny storyline, in which Penny set up Howard with Bernadette, a co-worker of hers from the Cheesecake Factory. The horror stories that Howard and Bernadette shared about their meddling mothers was beautiful television. Unsurprisingly, though, the one moment most worth mentioning came from Dr. Cooper: flipping through the back issue bin at the comic store, he went through his usual refrain of, “Got it. Got it…”, and then burst forth a prodigious note of disgust, prompted by his discovery of an issue of Betty and Veronica.
An honorable mention goes to “The Pirate Solution,” in which Raj worked with (or for) Sheldon to avoid deportation. Their contemplation of a particularly difficult equation was set to the tune of the most hilarious parodic use of “Eye of the Tiger” ever.
Next (and last) up: Glee
Best Episode of the Season: How I Met Your Mother
July 6, 2010
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“The Playbook”
They are known as static characters. They are not the main characters (or at least, they should not be). They do not change over the course of the story, but they do not have to. Change is only demanded of the protagonist (and maybe of the antagonist). It would be too much to keep up with if all the supporting characters changed as much as the leads. Barney Stinson is a static character. He is a 21st century lothario, and it is expected that he will remain that way for the entire run of How I Met Your Mother. Even if he does settle into a steady relationship for good, he ought to never give up his “Playbook.” Following his breakup with Robin, Barney went full force back into the Playbook. Eventually, he broke down and admitted that relying on the Playbook was his way of coping with the breakup, which he was truly hurt by. It was interesting to see a version of Barney on the verge of reforming his ways, but it simply did not feel right that that version should last. Ultimately, the breakdown turned out to be a part of Barney’s most elaborate con ever, and all was right. Barney was still what we loved him to be. But somehow in maintaining the status quo, we were given a glimpse behind the master’s work and a peek at a what-if scenario. And it was all intriguing enough to suggest that maybe it was not all part of the con.
Next up: The Big Bang Theory
Best Episode of the Season: Lost
July 5, 2010
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“Happily Ever After”
Desmond-centric episodes have a knack for being game changers for Lost and putting the entire series in a new context. “Flashes Before Your Eyes” introduced the issue of temporal paradoxes and confronted the matter of fate vs. free will head-on. “The Constant” dealt with time-traveling and consciousness-jumping and foreshadowed the island’s own unstuck in time journeys. If the middle of Lost’s sixth season needed anything, it was a Desmond episode. With many fans fretting over the purpose of the Sideways World, it should have been obvious that Desmond would be the vessel to make the connection between the Island and the Sideways realities. Before “Happily Ever After,” it still seemed possible that the producers had made the insane decision to mess around with the fans with a pointless plot device. Afterwards, it still was not yet clear what the Sideways world was, but it was now clear that it was something. The post-car crash moments were essential in this matter. When Charlie put his hand on the window, I knew that Desmond was going to have a “Not Penny’s Boat” flash, and then it happened, and I still threw my hands back in shock (and hit one of them pretty hard on the couch). The scene with Desmond and Penny in the stadium at the end could have come off as serial killer confronts jogger-style creepy, but we accepted it, because Henry Ian Cusick and Sonya Walger have had the most chemistry of any of the Lost couples.
Next up: How I Met Your Mother
My Emmy Thoughts, Part 2
July 4, 2010
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Apparently, I do not watch as many dramas as I do comedies. Or I do not watch as many quality dramas as I do quality comedies. When I consider all the dramas I follow, I do not find enough potential contenders to fill out each dramatic category for the Emmys. Since I can only reasonably limit myself to making my picks among the shows that I watch, I will only make a few choices per category, instead of rounding out the entire list of nominations as I did with the comedies.
Best Drama
Lost won this category its first season, and it ought to bookend that win with another in its essentially satisfying final year. Fringe has transcended its status as sci-fi procedural, laying thick some real emotional heft on its characters. Other dramas that I hear are good include Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and True Blood.
Lead Actor
John Noble is probably entered in the supporting race, but his role as Walter Bishop on Fringe is big enough for him to be considered a lead. Whichever race he ends up in, he ought to earn a nod for a performance that has been funny, poignant, and all-in-all, stunning.
Lead Actress
We all know that the best thing about Gossip Girl is Leighton Meester. But not all of us know that she is so good that she is deserving of an Emmy nomination. Well, for those of you who don’t know, she is. She simultaneously embodies and subverts the quintessential nighttime soap teen queen role, and she always looks great doing it.
Supporting Actor
The cast of Lost was aware that this was their last season, and they stepped up their games accordingly. Terry O’Quinn went balls-to-the-wall and had his best season yet in a dual role as Locke and Fake Locke/Smokey. Josh Holloway brought Sawyer down to a dark side with gumption following the death of Juliet. In the beginning of the season, I feared that Ben Linus’ prominence would be diminished, but Michael Emerson ultimately had as much as usual to chew on and could make it two in a row. On Fringe, Joshua Jackson’s quietly confident work has gone unheralded for too long. Now that Boston Legal is over, that means no more William Shatner in this category. So who will fill the token nomination of a role on a drama that is more comedic than dramatic? How about the loopy Fran Kranz of Dollhouse? (Too bad he can only fill it for only one year since Dollhouse is already off the air.) If we want to fill this category out with a sixth, we can go back to Lost, either with Nestor Carbonell, who dug deep into the psyche of Richard Alpert, or Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, who deserves a spot here if only for being the only person ever who sounds cool when calling people, “brother.”
Supporting Actress
The best part of the somewhat promising remake of V? That would be the profoundly chilling leader of the Visitors, Anna, played to icy perfection by Morena Baccarin. For a more matronly and friendlier version of icy, there is the very English Olivia Williams of Dollhouse.
Guest Actor and Actress
Jacob and the Man in Black ultimately did not appear often enough on Lost to fit into the supporting category, so Mark Pellegrino and Titus Welliver will have to duke it out here. I am not as enthusiastic about them as I would like to be, since they gave their best performances in the season 5 finale. But they were still freakishly solid. Leonard Nimoy was appropriately regal on Fringe. And Alan Tudyk went completely insane as one of the V’s. As for guest actress? Umm … Summer Glau on Dollhouse? Pam Grier on Smallville? Katey Sagal on Lost? Actually, there was at least one female guest appearance whose quality I can attest to without hesitation: Martha Plimpton as the multilayered (surprisingly so for a guest role) Sheriff Mathis on the “Northwest Passage” episode of Fringe.
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