The Useless Critic 2.0

So in the neverending story of how reality television dominated the world, it is impossible to overlook where it all began. "The Real World" was one of the first shows that pulled Amerikay and the rest of the globe into reality tv, and it still hasn't been canceled. Tonight was the premiere of it's latest location, where 8 strangers live in a Washington D.C. house and do God knows what... Yes, that's 8...not 7. This season on the show where people stop being polite and start being real, there are 4 guys and 4 girls out there to enchant us. So yeah, this season there are some people who will be really interesting and others that are totally fake and not worth a second of your time. One jerk/woman was so annoying...she's all like "I heart obama! I own a passport,but I've never used it." Another was a blonde nincompoop, who has nothing to say. There is also a rather attractive girl who grew up in the church but is now a wild child. And of course.......

most of these songs I've discussed already, so I'm skipping the ones I have for the most part and a few that I feel are just blah blah blah: "Boat Behind"- Kings of Convenience "1901"- Phoenix "Treat Me Like Your Mother"- The Dead Weather "Dog Days Are Over"- Florence and the Machine "I Don't Like Your Band"- Annie " Relator "- Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johannson "Laughing With a Mouth of Blood"- St. Vincent "Crystallized"- The Xx "You and I"- Wilco featuring Feist "If Only"- Sondre Lerche "Daniel"- Bat For Lashes I think Natasha Khan is one of the coolest girls ever. in my mind, I AM her. She's like a revamped Kate Bush. love it. "Seven"- Fever Ray I haven't yet fully sat down and indulged in Fever Ray, but this song has struck a chord with me. eerie and yet ... POIGNANT. it reminds me of on Christmas Eve when my grandma and I watched "White...

So on a completely random and gratuitous note.....the highlight of 2009 for me was learning that Demi Lovato and I have the same favorite colors. The B and R. Black and Red are awesome. Red is not too girleee, not too boyish, it's just real. And black is kickass. This made my year!! Also, we're both Dimmu Borgir fans. ;) QATFYG: Do you wear lots of red and/or black? PS: I haven't been followed her music, but who predicted she'd be huge? ME, that's who. Her latest album debuted at #2 and made it to number 1. I called this way back when.

Sup homedogs? Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Moving across the world, working, etc kind of sucks up a lot of time. I should have a little more time now so I'll try to get back to posting on a semi-regular basis again. Something I enjoy doing is typing in a random word or grouping of letters into the search bar in iTunes and playing whatever comes up. It's a great way to find songs and bands which have been lost in the annals of your iTunes folders. Tonight I typed in "call." Here's a short selection of the songs I heard: Listen on YouTube: Islands - Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby Florence and the Machine - I'm Not Calling You A Liar Long Distance Calling - I Know You, Stanley Milgram! Eric Prydz - Call On Me Watch: Download: Bjork - Alarm Call (view video above) Call Me Alice - Life 101 Out Hud - Dad, There's A Little Phrase Called Too Much Information

This is where I wrap up relatively "new" artists of the year and recommend them to you. what I discovered this year and what you might discover too! IT'S MUTUAL! LET US EXPLORE Chris Garneau Like Sufjan Stevens if his balls were eaten by bunny rabbits. Good Shoes Just a really fun Britpop band, think a la the Maccabees or even Arctic Monkeys or Art Brut. A lot of Britpop bands sound SO ALIKE OMG. Good Shoes stands out. Check out their last.fm for a free MP3. Adam's girl, Florence and the Machine She's a legend in the making. Truly talented. my personal favorite: SO EPIC Greg Laswell His voice is beautiful- what seperates him from the dozens of other unmemorable singer-songwriters out there at the moment- shit, his talent. his cover of Kristin Hersh's "Your Ghost" gives me shivers. He has a very slowcore thing about him, a la American Music Club. But I gotta keep my eye on him in the future. He's currently touring with, yes, Ingrid Michaelson. plu...

...is Dutchman Jasper Schuringa, aka THIS GUY: http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/hero-passenger-we-heard-bang-17324097 who I think is awesome and it's not just because he's Dutch! Okay so the explosives didn't work but still. I don't think my reflexes would have been so fast! I would have been like UHHH, looking up from my Cosmopolitan (how to give him the best orgasm ever!) and then POOOOOOF. And so what if he's demanding money after CNN took his cell phone image. I would demand money too!!!! also, I was genuinely freaked out this happened somewhere so close. I mean, Detroit. doesn't that city have enough problems? LESSON NUMBER ONE TERRORISTS, AVOID THE RUST BELT.

In case you haven't heard, Vic Chestnutt, an acclaimed singer-songwriter who was discovered by Michael Stipe of R.E.M., died yesterday. He was 45. I'm not going to claim to have listened to him before, because I never really did. but he was obviously very talented and I'm listening to him right now- there's a very Americana, Townes Van Zandt vibe to his music. worth a listen. http://www.last.fm/music/Vic+Chesnutt/+charts?rangetype=week&subtype=tracks (some streamable tracks here) RIP.

p.s. forgive my last post. I'll delete it in a few days, haha. They say It's coming on to christmas Hello Saferide, light a candle on the christmas tree They say It's gonna be all parties and carols Well I disagree Well I disagree You left on the 10th of december Guess there'll be no nobel award from me Far as standing outside by your window, shouting "I disagree" "I disagree" And as for present, you fuck, I had an Ipod nano With your name written on it It's gonna fit well into my new life listening To Gloria Gaynor, singing "I will survive" They say there's suppose to be three wise men I've been searching but I haven't found a single one Angels brought a baby to a virgin me I'll just settle for some good old fun Settle for some good old fun And as for presenta, you fuck, I had an Ipod nano With your name written on it It's gonna fit well into my new life listening To Gloria Gaynor, singing "I will survive"...

Christmas is that one over-commercialized holiday that reinforces if you are alone, you are indeed very alone. don't fucking get me started on Valentine's Day. that holiday's a joke. Christmas is one prolonged jackoff, yes it is. and this season started out ok for me, as I always can't help but get a little into it, I loved Christmas as a kid because thata's what kids to do, if you are going to celebrate this holiday try and do so in the company of children, but to stay in the mood too long? hell no. anyway, I tried to watch a few holiday movies tonight, ha, but my parents were like WE DO NOT FEEL THE NEED TO WATCH THESE MOVIES, LET US WATCH LARRY KING INSTEAD. So no Elf for me, which, really was like- the highlight of my day, sad to say. because I am not in good spirits at all and I thought school letting out would uplift me but it hasn't. I am more miserable than ever. but it's cool. that's the way things are supposed to be, derrrrrr ! "Baby, It...

Hello/ Hola It was not easy having to decide on one actor that stood beyond all others in the 2000s. To make the decision I could not only give it to one person, so for the first time in Spotlight/Shoutout history the award is divided into two categories. Television Actor and Film Actor of the Decade. Let’s start with TV. Richard Coyle! This was the name that rose above them all. As I posted on my top television shows, the UK’s “Coupling” was the funniest show of all time. And it would not have made it that far, if not for the performance of Richard Coyle. He played the quirky, nervous, and socially awkward Jeff Murdock from 2000-2003 on the show. There is no other person on the planet who has entertained me better than Richard Coyle, his comic style was and is one of a kind. So many times I had almost fell on the floor laughing when he told jokes or was caught in awkward situations. After leaving “Coupling” Richard C moved to the London stage, performing in David Auburn’s Proof a...

Best Animated Feature This could go any way.... Coraline Super elaborate and well-done stop motion film that shattered with very complex animation. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Super popular animation film, fueled by a killer soundtrack and original ideas. Fantastic Mr. Fox Extremely well-crafted work from the mind of Dahl, and taken to the next level with Wes Anderson, not to mention hilarious. The Princess and the Frog History changing Disney film, where for the first time there is a princess of African Decent. Up Again, another popular animated flick that shocked audiences with dramatic value and character connections. QATFYG: It's a tough one, but who do you think will win? PS: The spotlight/shoutout will be here later today. I wouldn't let the world down.

A brief summary of things as they are: - Uffie has a new song that's leaked, "MCs Can Kiss." Uffie is precocious and kind of twitty, but I love her. the song "Dismissed"- those lyrics! made me love her. - Apparently Billy Corgan and Jessica Simpson are dating. yeah. - I am the second biggest user on Hype Machine. this should give you more of a reason why to follow me (brittnik, as for everything). - I am not going to do any personal reflection on 2009. Public or otherwise. This song will surmise my feelings on this stupid year: Go fuck yourself, 2009! - Is anyone excited for Sherlock Holmes with Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr, which opens on Christmas, much like Nine does? I don't care. Christmas will be spent being torn apart by children again. Speaking of, I have two Christmas posts coming up. you lucky people. Also read Al's TV post. it is incredible! tale care

By Nader Bouberhan Tragic times have fallen upon us with the loss of Brittany Murphy, and I will dedicate this to her. My Top Ten TV Shows of the Decade Buenas Noches, these are my top ten television shows as we say goodbye to 2009!! Here it goes . . . . . . 10. Family Guy Starting at number 10, “Family Guy” revived the world of animated humor, and it took off as a cultural phenomenon. During the years of 2004-2006 everybody was talking about “Family Guy” nonstop, and they still are. Creator Seth MacFarlane also has two other hit shows on FOX and is their powerhouse for animated comedy. 9. X-Men Evolution This show might surprise some as a top ten, but “X-Men Evolution” became a solid and reliable show for me. During one summer, I stayed up every night to catch the daily episode of XME on Cartoon Network. It brought back so many memories of the 90’s, but it was different. XME gave a new spin on the stories and helped connect them to teenagers. It had ways of joining old feelings ...

What timing- this is such a shock. apparently the 32-year-old actress we best know for Clueless died of a heart attack this morning. I know 2009 was like a big year for celebrities' deaths but she was so young and this was so unexpected- it's really a waste. it's always sad to see someone cut down in their prime. personally, I loved her in Girl, Interrupted.

as if you care! you don't! it's cool. I decided to base this list on a few pieces of criteria: - that they were albums I was actually familiar with (not like say Outkast or New Pornographers, because I've never listened to a full album by either of them) - they were included for artistic merit, somewhat - but also the effect they had on me - and how much I enjoyed them. warning! this post is EPIC! presenting.... 30 Best Albums of the 2000s 30.) "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter"- Josh Ritter Josh Ritter gets billed, sometimes, as the next Bob Dylan. I think this album gave that comparison credence. What a talented songwriter he is- seriously one of the best alt-country albums I ever heard. A classic of modern Americana- gorgeous, heartfelt. real and unpretentious. hear "To the Dogs or Whoever," "Last Temptation of Adam" and "Right Moves." listen to it here: http://www.last.fm/music/Josh+Ritter/The+Historical+Conquests+of+Josh+R...