The Useless Critic 2.0

Ok, so I posted a few weeks ago about the band "The Sequel." I said they sucked, and I scolded Emily Osment for her judgment on this band, but I've changed my mind on one of their songs. The song "Everybody Knows." is sooooooooooooo addictive. The lyrics are cheap, but it has a good sound.

Just writing an updawebdate on one of my favorite singers. Davis Gaines has a relatively new video out on the internet now, of him singing the famous “Ol’ Man River” from the musical “Show Boat.” Davis is one of my favorite vocalists and for his Showy genre he has an interesting voice, and an interesting vocal technique. He is most famous for performing the title character in “The Phantom of the Opera,” which he performed over 2,000 times on Broadway and performing different roles in “Sweeney Todd,” which is available on the internet and on DVD. I used to describe him as Josh Groban, but with a more mature voice. But I will confess that he is not as flawless as Groban. Some of his low notes are a little to garglely…not a word, but that’s how I describe it. However, if you're still comparing him to Groban, he has more Clarity when he belts loud notes. And I know it's called tonality in music. But I call it clarity for him because well, the notes sound so clear. When I first hear

So there is some heated debate going on in the midst of the Olympics. US Skier, Julia Mancuso (two silver medals at 2010) has made a statement that US Gold Medalist, Lindsey Vonn is getting too much attention from the media. It has roused a debate as to who is actually better? But forget all that skiing stuff. QATFYG: Who is hotter? Julia Mancuso or Lindsey Vonn? Lindsey Vonn Julia Mancuso Personally, I'd go for some Julia M. She has more energy. Hey, Energy can be a turn on.

Question does anybody know where online I can find the miniseries "Buddha of Suburbia" with Naveen Andrews from Lost. Or I might have to read the novel first, who knows? I am very excited to see this, but I can't find it. QATFYG: Do you know where the Buddha is hiding?

Would anyone want to do this with me?????

Concerts of interest for nearby region: Joanna Newsom- March 29, Southern Theatre, Columbus (I will be there!) Julian Casablancas - April 3, House of Blues, Cleveland Fanfarlo- April 8, Grog Shop, Cleveland Owen Pallett AKA Final Fantasy - April 14, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Josh Ritter- May 18 Diesel, Pittsburgh Kings of Convenience- June 6, 9:30 Club, Washington D.C. (a bit of a drive but IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT) As for me, I leave for Phoenix tomorrow. bai! Also, Celtic Woman and Sylvia Browne will be in Erie shortly. but I don't know when. and don't forget about Le Loup and Surfer Blood at Allegheny- I guess both shows are free?

So I think during “New Moon,” they played the trailer from “Remember Me.” The whole theatre went crazy for Robert Pattinson, but I forgot about it until I saw another preview today on you tube. So this a movie about a guy (R Patz) who has no direction in life, and he gets beaten up by Chris Cooper, a police officer. However, that’s not the most important part. He moves on to seduce Chris Cooper’s daughter, the darling Emilie de Ravin. This is not my genre at all when it comes to movies. For the most part, I tend to stay away from romance. And these days, angsty romance has been something I've detested, but I do not say that for this film. It looks rather interesting. Although, some lines by Pattinson seemed a little too grandiose to be digestible, I won't be focusing on him for most of the movie. Go EMILIE! The first thing I noticed about this movie was that it has 3 major actors, Pierce Brosnan, Emilie de Ravin, and Robert Pattinson all of which are not American, but playing

So I just caught the trailer for "Hot Tub Time Machine," about a bunch of guys that travel back into the 80's because of some supernatural powers with their hot tub. First Thought: WTF!?! Second Thought: Wow, that might actually be funny and propose some original comic ideas. Third Thought: It has John Cusack, and he annoys the fu*k out of me! Fourth Thought: I will think hardly and intensely before I would go see this movie. I mean, you might laugh some. So that would be worth it in its own right. QATFYG: Do you like Time Travel movies and tv shows? Do you like John Cusack?

Why because I felt like it? Go Georgia anway.

So there has been lots of talk on whether or not Howard Stern would be a good judge on "American Idol." But Simon Cowell, the dastardly departed, offers his idea of a replacement. Saying: "Perez Hilton , he'd be funny. You know, he's got good taste in music, he's a personality. That could work." Is this true? I think Perez would be a much better judge than Howard Stern. I think he fits the "American Idol" setting a lot better, and his comments would be very entertaining. Perez could also start some major diva action between him and lousy contestants. It will be a milestone to replace Simon, but I would think of Perez as an awesome host. QATFYG: Who would you pick to replace Simon?

Stephanie March Diane Neal Once again on the s/s cyber stage there is a tie! If you’ve followed the blog, you’ll know that I love Law and Order: SVU. And recently, a certain anonymous person introduced me to Tvshack.net, a place where I can watch every episode of Law and Order: Special Vicitms Unit ever. But of course, I'm still trying to track down the Russian version of the show No joke, it’s hard to find online because of rights and legalities and all that jazzy pants stuff. Speaking of Legalities the s/s is shared between Stephanie March and Daine Neal, both famous for playing the lead female ADA’s on the show. There has been much debate over the past few years as to which ADA is better….Diane Neal with her Laura Prepon changing hair or Stephanie March and her secret identity in the witness protection program (Her name was Emily (If that’s incorrect shoot me.)). Both of these actors added so much to the show, respect. Anyway, I watched the pilot of SVU from 1999, and it is stil

Valentine's Day, as we all know thanks to Hallmark and various sources, is supposed to be about the one you love. BUT. I AM DEDICATING THIS POST TO MY FAMILY to my sister: (btw- I am seeing her in Columbus next month! ah!) to my brother: to my mother: to my father: HA to my best friend: I'm not going to say why I chose the songs, I think sometimes it's pretty obvious. you love your family, even if you are home for the weekend and they grate your nerves. and for you, dear reader: http://www.last.fm/music/Pogo/_/Go+Out+And+Love+Someone Very much like the Books, and a free song! considering my laptop is temporarily useless, that will have to do. much love

Nodar Kumaritashvili 1988-2010 Yesterday the ceremony of the Winter Olympics kicked off in Vancouver, and during the day the Olympics saw tragedy with the death of Georgian Luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili. The Georgian team, which only had 8 athletes before the tragedy looked so sad during the parade of athletes. Also, the Olympic flame sculpture malfunctioned during the ceremony, and there was a large awkward pause for technical difficulties. Some critics are already calling the Olympics a flop, and as for the ceremony it was almost impossible to top the performance of the Chinese in Beijing. Thank you Zhang Yimou (sp). Also, it was great too Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns as one of the final torch bearers. He is probably my favorite Caucasian athlete. I liked that there was a strong presence of the First Nations in the ceremony, as they are a great part of the Canadian country. The footage of Iqaluit on Baffin Island was really good to see, and the

Concluding this silly series of songs to play while you think of getting your freak on with your significant other this blessed weekend: you can't deny this is one of the best pop songs ever written. I used to hate it until a few years ago, because my mom played this song TO DEATH WHEN I WAS GROWING UP OMG. or every time it comes on the radio, she does this head-bob thing and is like "ooh this is my song!" like no no it's not please stop. And dig the Smothers Brothers! Happy Valentine's Day, Mom!

(more of the Valentine's series- and how appropiate! an actual saint! LOL) someone else's arms.

The new crop of potential Next Top Models has been released! After the absolute perfection that was last season's winner (Nicole, aka The Best Model This Damn Show Has Ever Seen), it'll be hard for this season to produce someone of equal quality as a winner. Based on the photos... it'll be very hard. Here's an example: (View photos of this season's cast on LiveJournal .) I am, shall we say, somewhat underwhelmed. But then again, the pre-show photos are always underwhelming. My favorites are probably Simone, Brenda, Krista, and Jessica. Naduah is interesting, but, um, her hair. Well. Yes. On the plus side, this season has Andre Leon Talley, Editor-at-Large of Vogue magazine, as a judge. Maybe he'll give the show some legitimacy? No, wait, just kidding. What do you think? Who's going to be AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL????!!!!

Does this photo creep you out? For some reason when I look at it I'm invading her intimate space. Anyway, What is the best Julia Stiles movie? So for a rather long period of time, Julia Stiles was on her way to becoming a legend in Hollywood. I’ve just been curious, as to what people think is the best Julia Stiles movie. I’ll post her IMDB (including television but it’s all righteous). Would you say……Ten Things I Hate About You? Mona Lisa Smile? The Prince and Me? That television movie known as The 60’s? 1. Passage (2009/I) .... Ella 2. The Cry of the Owl (2009) .... Jenny Thierolf ... aka Der Schrei der Eule (Germany: DVD title) ... aka Le cri du hibou (France) 3. Gospel Hill (2008) .... Rosie 4. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) .... Nicky Parsons ... aka Das Bourne Ultimatum (Germany) 5. The Omen (2006) .... Katherine Thorn 6. A Little Trip to Heaven (2005) .... Isold 7. Edmond (2005) .... Glenna 8. The Bourne Supremacy (2004) .... Nicky ... aka Die Bourne Verschwörung (Germany) 9. Th

I bring up this name a lot because he intrigued me in ways that I hadn’t really experienced before. Eric B is known around the film and television world for random appearances in movies like “Blade: Trinity,” and being a principle character in “TalkRadio” and “Law and Order: CI,” but from this moment he will be remembered as one of the champions of the S/S. Eric is of Armenian descent (important?), and in world of theatre he is famous for performing ONE MAN SHOWS! One man, one stage, one univesrse. Like Nas said, all you need is one Mic. Eric has done some famous works such as “Notes from Underground.” Also, he has performed big hits such as “Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll.” The first one I saw him perform in was “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.” It was well done and funny, but I did not like some of the anti-deistic remarks he made. I don’t think I would watch that one again, but I will keep an open mind with his other works. He also did a good piece called “Molecules,” which was amazing

SO DISAPPOINTING. At least there's Phoenix ... but it just seems very unspired to me this year. AND WTF WAS UP WITH THEIR WAY OF INFORMING THE WORLD? OH MY GOD. LAME LAME LAME Standards the Flaming Lips will appear, and Weezer, and also, Chromeo with Daryl Hall. which is confusing for me. it's not like I can afford to go, but still. ugh! I'm getting pretty excited for the Jonsi album, in other news. Who is the lead singer of Sigur Ros- his solo project. see here:

More of the Valentine's series going around. The Maccabees....Orlando's voice took some of me getting used to it, but now: I am used to it. Catchy little song. Good band. Britpop! Check it out:

So recently there was a movie, “The Stepfather” starring Dylan Walsh released in theaters. I decided to travel back in time to 1987 and watch the original “The Stepfather.” Okay, my interest in this film is for two reasons. One was I happened to see it in a video store when I was roughly 5 years old, and I just remembered it. Two: It stars Terry O’Quinn from “Lost” as the psychotically-disturbed stepfather. And Terry O’Quinn is awesome. Also he is about as Irish as Timothy Omundson from “Psych.” So for the movie, it starts out with some creepy horror establishment shots, which were pretty good thanks to O’Quinn. Slowly, this film seems to be almost out of date. It doesn’t seem to hold the intensity of a timeless horror-film.i.e. Hitchcock. But there are some good scenes of cinematography and the fake blood wasn’t bad for the late 80’s. Just saying there is an awkward Co-ed boxing scene between the female lead and her boy toy. It reminds me of Alicia Sacramone punching an asshole-esqu

Lovely little song (ABOUT LOVE OMFGZ ISN'T VALENTINE'S DAY RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER) in the vein of Tunng and the Books. Warning: this video may make you feel bad.

AHHHHHH it wasn't as awful as the first? not to say it was great, but like, if you reduce your ... expectations and take in the fact that the young cast seems to have taken (some, Kristen Stewart, seriously, EMOTE) acting lessons in the past few months. but overall- the story itself is way too dry to do much with. and you know they're rushing these all out. meh. I enjoyed it. especially when the Grizzly Bear song played. Lykke Li and Thom Yorke also got nice parts. Taylor Lautner's six-pack (ten-pack? twelve-pack?) revealing drew hormonal gasps from the audience and one "IS THAT IT?" from some girl. Robert Pattinson...he just looks bad to me. But I'm going to dedicate this post to Ashley Green, who plays Alice, easily the only character on there that could keep my interest. AND HERE IS A NUGGET OF GOOD NEWS: Greene will be reuniting with her Twilight co-star Kellan Lutz in the upcoming movie Warrior[10] and will also be starring in an upcoming thriller film, S

So on the blog in the past, I’ve stated that I get a lot of music advice from Emily Osment, sister of Haley Joel. But lately, she’s been recommending this band known as “The Sequel.” Saying they is like super awesomes and such. They are promoting an Indie Americana angle, but really it’s more pop-rocky. I disagree with you Emily! Normally, Emily and I agree on certain tastes such as “Clinic” and Chewing on Bass guitars, but this band is just not Alive!! [Maybe Emily is just promoting them because she’s their Bestie .] Their music is just a little too flat (or sometimes it’s too sharp). From most of what I’ve heard their sound just isn’t original enough. I’m not feeling the heart behind the music. However, some of their pop-esque melodies might be trapped in your mind for a while. The Sequel: Myspace The song “Everybody Knows” is the one with a good melody, but I aint so huge on the lyrics. But then songs like “Hills and Manhattan” feature what I was saying about no heart. If anybody

Rubert Murdoch actually owns this blog.

So this is by far the S/S post that I am enjoying the most. Last Saturday I caught the movie "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser," which is the story of a German man, who was locked in a room for the first 17 years of his life and just showed up one day in a town square. Ten minutes into the film I noticed that the actor playing the lead, Kaspar, was amazing. So I read more about him. Bruno Schleinstein, otherwise known as Bruno S., is a man also with an interesting background. He was severly abused as a child and beaten so badly by his mother that he was deaf for a certain amount of time. Bruno grew up in and out of various institutions, but when his hearing came back he learned to play musical instruments, especially the piano. Her was the focus of the documentary "Bruno the Black," which led to his discovery for film acting by director Wernor Herzog. With no acting training, he was cast as the lead in "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser." Following this effort Wernor