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Parenthood, "Man Versus Possum": The Bob Dylan of autism

A review of tonight’s “Parenthood” coming up just as soon as I forget my worry beads… “Parenthood” has a huge cast, and this early in the series, I’m sure there’s both internal and external pressure to service them all as much as possible. Down the road, I wouldn’t be surprised to see episodes where, say, we focus largely on Sarah and her kids, with the other family members seen only from Sarah’s perspective. For now, though, Jason Katims and company want “Parenthood” to be clearly an ensemble, and that means some stories wind up more undercooked than others. Once again, the plot with the strongest sense of focus was Adam coping with Max’s Asperger diagnosis - or, rather, living in denial of it until being set straight by “the Bob Dylan of autism.”(*) Peter Krause did a very good job at playing the confusion and need for a quick-fix that many dads would feel in that situation, and I thought Adam and Kristina’s half-intimidated, half-horrified visit to meet the Asperger-veteran parents was really funny without really seeming to make too much fun of the other couple. (By the end, you could tell the Braverman’s were suffering from information overload but were also kind of impressed that the Lessings know so much, even if sometimes they just let their own kid jump around the house and play loud music.) (*) Bob Dylan did, in fact, have several albums hit number one, both here and in the UK, so is Max limiting his definition of “record” to mean “single” (where he got as high as #2 a few times)? Or did the creative team screw up not with the Asperger’s, but with the music knowledge? I also found it interesting that, after the pilot featured Dylan’s “Forever Young” at several points, an episode that repeatedly namechecked Dylan instead closed with Paul Simon’s “St. Judy’s Comet.” I suppose they don’t want to get pigeon-holed as “that show with the Dylan soundtrack.” That, or his songs ain’t cheap enough to license every week. There was also another very entertaining scene with all the siblings (plus their mom) coming together after the auction, and partaking of the weed Adam found in his yard. These actors work very well together, and while seeing the whole clan get together this often is probably the show’s biggest fantasy, seeing the brothers and sisters interact helps give us a clearer sense of who they are when they’re each off in their own stories. And those other individual plotlines were a bit sketchier than Adam’s. Crosby, in particular, feels like he’s not getting enough screen-time - and I’m surprised to be making that complaint about the Dax Shepard character in a show that co-stars Peter Krause, Lauren Graham and Erika Christensen - as I really enjoyed his breakfast date with his son (the grown-up questions thing, delivered deadpan by Shepard, was quite funny) and want to have a better sense of his relationship with Katie, which is mostly played as a goof. I feel like I’ve seen the exact story with Julia feeling jealous of the stay-at-home mom on another show, but I’m blanking on what show that was. (Did Rachel Griffiths go through the same thing on “Brothers & Sisters,” maybe?) Right now, Julia’s the sibling who most verges on cliche, so I want to see where they take her in the future. And Sarah actually got two stories in one, with her losing out on the dream job (though it was ambiguous whether she ever really had a shot, or if even the positive first interview was the guy sucking up to Adam by proxy) and then going to bat for Amber with her principal. Graham has the most experience of anyone in the cast on trying to do comedy and drama simultaneously, and you can see the creative team leaning on her for that, as we get to see Sarah be amusingly bumbling at picking out a good interview outfit, then awkward but ultimately charming in that interview, and then full-on mama bear in trying to get Amber out of the 10th grade. I also think Graham and Christensen play well off each other (or appear to, since their interactions are usually over the phone). What did everybody else think? Here is the original: Parenthood, "Man Versus Possum": The Bob Dylan of autism

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New Designs from the THE PERFECT WHITE SHIRT

Buy 5 or more shirts from my The Perfect White Shirt albums and I would give them for free shipping within Metro Manila! Ü You can choose from several designs available: 1) Little Miss Shirts http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/39/Little_Miss_Shirts 2) Mr. Shirts http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/40/Mr._Shirts 3) Save The Climate Shirts http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/41/Save_The_Cimate_Shirt 4) Statement Shirts http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/42/Statement_Shirt 5) Think Tees/University Tees http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/43/Think_Tees_University_Tees 6) Men's Plain Shirts http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/44/Mens_Plain_Shirt 7) Classic Tees for Women http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/45/Classic_Tees_for_Women 8) Hoodies http://shopaholicbeachbabe.multiply.com/photos/album/96/NEW_HOODIES 9) ...

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Pitchfork Reviews Albums That Don't Exist

A Good Thing Is Wonderful by Lowdermilk practically begs reviewers to grab either or both adjectives from the title, and, hell, if the band or the album existed, I’d give them “good,” “wonderful,” and maybe even throw in “holy shit.” Straight up: this album would be one of the more impressive débuts of 2010 if it was or ever had been created by a band that was at some point formed. “Truckish Delight,” the first single from the album, is a stunner of a pop song (one imagines), while “Obdurance” builds on a backbeat so subtly and smartly constructed that it could turn any jaded hater into a believer, if anyone ever got a chance to listen to it. Anyway, leave it to a band that never arose from the still-pretty-grungy aural atmosphere of Seattle to effortlessly blend the noise symphonies of Animal Collective with the disaffected guitar rock of a foregone era and come out with something that sounds real—even if it isn't. 8.3. I Knew It Then as Purpose by 1605 would sound familiar. In fact, it would sound exactly like both of 1605’s previous efforts, neither of which existed either. But it’s also familiar in a more general sense: these would be the frantic, desperate noises of a band trying to grasp onto “what made us successful in the first place,” when all that made them successful in the first place was a lucky break and a semi-popular song (“Jacob”) that demonstrated an ability to mutilate power chords in a mildly entertaining way—had any of that ever happened. Anyway, despite what 1605 might want (if they were a real band made of actual people), don’t call this a comeback. They were never really here to begin with. 5.2. LMNOP by Hangdog. L.A. rapper Hangdog might be hip-hop’s most unpredictable artist. From track to track and album to album, you never know if you’ll hear an impeccable lyricist at the top of his game or a shameless hack, squawking out another mediocre track about all his Benzes. LMNOP is further proof that you just can’t trust a man who can rhyme “Kilimanjaro” with itself and make it sound like a whole other word on one song (“Mt. Kilimanjaro”) and rap for nearly five minutes about “another turd in tha bowl” on another song (“Another Turd in Tha Bowl”). This album, like Hangdog’s entire career, is a long exercise in frustration. Of course, the most frustrating part is when you wake up and realize that you dreamed the whole thing when you fell asleep at your desk--and it wasn’t even that good of a dream. 6.1. Belch by Kurt Cobain. After Cobain alterna-historically did not commit suicide and instead disbanded Nirvana in mid-1994 to try and “get away from all this shit,” he was lambasted by fans and critics and dubbed the “Yoko Ono of his own band,” according to no one. But when Cobain didn’t release Belch on February 14, 1996, he was suddenly just plain old Kurt again. This non-reissue of one of the greatest solo albums never to actually hit shelves or be an extant thing is a superb re-mastering of a theoretically masterful collection of songs. What’s even more surprising is that the never-before-heard songs left off the original (“Hey” and “Yardbird”) are just as powerful as the rest of the never-before-written-sung-or-played tracks. What an obscenely great album this would have been. Dammit. 9.5. The Funniest Joke in the World by Plasmoid. Powerless pop. Thank God (if He existed) that this was never recorded. 2.6. Lucas Klauss hails from Georgia and lives in Brooklyn. He reads books with names like Lacrosse Firestorm for a living. His work can be found at McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Apiary, and lucasklauss.blogspot.com.

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J.Period & Ralph McDaniels

J.PERIOD & RALPH MCDANIELS - MARCH 9 VIDEO REMIX COLLECTION New York, NY (Tuesday March 9, 2010) – Whether remixing Lauryn Hill, Q-Tip, K’NAAN or Nneka, J.Period Mixtapes have been hailed for their “cinematic” quality, weaving remixes, interviews, and sound bytes into mixtapes that play like movies. Now, J.Period joins forces with another visual storyteller, hip hop’s undisputed video king, “Uncle” Ralph McDaniels (Video Music Box, The Bridge), to push these boundaries even further with the March 9: Video Remix Collection. Since March 9, 2007 (the 10th Anniversary of B.I.G.’s passing), J.Period has paid tribute to Brooklyn’s Finest each year with a new installment of the March 9 Project, co-produced by DJ G Brown. Named 2008’s “Top Street Albums” by MTV, March 9 re-imagines classic B.I.G. verses over different musical landscapes, wondering: what would hip hop be like if B.I.G. were still alive? Now, pairing exclusive March 9 remixes with B.I.G. music videos, J.Period & Ralph McDaniels offer a glimpse of what that might look like—a thrilling optical illusion: B.I.G., alive on celluloid, performing new versions of classic tracks in a way you’ve never seen or heard before. Today, March 9, 2010, J.Period and “Uncle” Ralph are pleased to present the first installment of the March 9: Video Remix Collection: “Flava in Ya Ear (March 9 Video Remix),” a club-shattering blend of old and new that will have you pressing the rewind button… repeatedly. Then tonight, join J.Period & Ralph McDaniels as they premiere additional videos from the March 9: Video Remix Collection at Diddy & Mr. Cee’s B.I.G. Tribute at The Lab in Brooklyn, NY!! And later this month, tune in as BET’s “The Deal” premieres March 9: Video Remixes as part of its own B.I.G. tribute. Want the latest? All March 9: Video Remixes and original remixes will be available throughout the month at: www.jperiod.com/march9 “I’m thrilled to be working with a legend like “Uncle” Ralph, who is still so passionate and creative after 25 years in the game,” says J.Period. “Ralph’s vast knowledge of hip hop makes him the perfect collaborator for what I do. Teaming up to pay tribute to B.I.G. felt like the perfect way to spark that collaboration.” Ralph echoes this sentiment: “It’s been a pleasure working with J.Period. What he creates is more than just a CD, or mixtape. He’s like a documentarian. The collabo on this March 9 project is gonna be crazy...” J.Period releases the March 9: Video Remix Collection on the heels of a featured role in Activision’s blockbuster DJ Hero (2009’s #1 ranked video game), and a stirring collaboration with Nigerian rising star, Nneka, called The Madness. Released in December to rave reviews (Beyond Race Magazine’s “Top Albums of 2009”), The Madness has already earned over 80.000 plays/downloads. Indeed, 2009 marked a banner year for J.Period downloads, with his 5 mixtape tributes (Q-Tip, Kweli, K’NAAN, Nneka, MJ) earning over 800K downloads throughout the year. To anyone that knows hip hop, Ralph McDaniels needs no introduction. For over 25 years, no name has been more synonymous with hip hop videos than “Uncle” Ralph, legenadary VJ and creator of Video Music Box. Since 1984, “Uncle” Ralph has directed over 200 music videos for hip hop icons including Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Ice-T, and Blackmoon, worked on countless hip hop films (associate producer for Juice), and truly earned his moniker: “The King of All Videos.” In recent years, Ralph has also seized on technology to create groundbreaking audio/visual DJ sets that draw from his vast video archive, performing at clubs and arenas around the world. This video-mixing technology was key in the creation of the March 9: Video Remix Collection. The March 9: Video Remix Collection launches today, March 9, 2010 at www.jperiod.com/march9 and will feature a new video each week this month, culminating in the release of a full-length video mixtape, the March 9: Video Remix Collection, scheduled for release in April. And with the blueprint laid out, look out for more upcoming collaborations between J.Period & Ralph McDaniels in the future! J.Period & Ralph McDaniels f. The Notorious B.I.G. - "Flava in Ya Ear (March 9 Video Remix)" from Truelements Music on Vimeo.

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Harry Connick, Jr.

A gifted singer, pianist and actor, Harry Connick Jr. was poised to become one of the biggest stars of the 1990s. While that didn't quite happen, Connick is big -- both as an performer and actor. A native of New Orleans, he was a child prodigy who fell in love with jazz piano, and the rich musical legacy of his hometown has always informed his work. After moving to New York City, the handsome and charismatic Connick took a friend's advice and threw on some retro duds, he quickly landed a major recording contract. Connick's first two albums were jazz piano affairs, but when his pseudo-soundtrack for When Harry Met Sally (done in Frank Sinatra's patented 1950s Swingin' Lovers style) became a surprise smash hit that stayed atop the jazz charts for years, Connick kept the Sinatra thing going for a while. Then came an ill-advised but heartfelt New Orleans R&B detour. His old school R&B wasn't embarrassing, but since he'd always incorporated the feel of the city into much of his work, it did feel a bit redundant. When Connick returned to jazz-based pop music with 1997's To See You, one could hear his renewed enthusiasm - in fact, his recordings from this point on are often better and more exciting than some of his earlier, better-selling releases. Many critics have failed to see (or hear) how much Connick's singing, songwriting and piano playing have matured over the years. His single greatest development may be in the unheralded field of arrangements; his imaginative band charts on albums such as Come By Me and Songs I Heard show an originality and spark that would earn him acclaim in the jazz world if he weren't a pop star. At the same time, Connick take pains to strip all the other instruments away and show off his uncompromising jazz piano playing, often on Branford Marsalis' label. In 2007, he returned to New Orleans for Oh, My Nola, an album that contains all the verve and fire that his earlier efforts in the style sometimes lacked. - Nick Dedina

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J. Geils Band

Led by Bronx-bred blues connoisseur and sometime art student Peter Wolf (nee Blakefield), the Hallucinations were an attraction on the Boston club circuit from their formation in 1967. Renamed the J. Geils Band for their lead guitarist, the group signed with Atlantic Records, which issued a self-titled debut in 1970. Their bar-band energy, along with Wolf's jive stage talk -- he was a former DJ for seminal Boston FM-rock outlet WBCN, and dubbed himself the "Woofa Goofa with the green teeth" -- quickly made them a nationwide favorite. (The cover art for their second release, The Morning After, was shot in a Virginia Beach motel room.) Road warriors to the highest degree, the Geils Band spent the 1970s missing as much as hitting (although their chart successes included "Give It to Me," "Must of Got Lost" and a breakneck cover of Bobby Womack's "Lookin' for a Love"), but always putting asses in the seats: their discography includes three live albums. Moving to break out of a sometimes confining artistic stance, they stretched themselves on admired if commercially failed LPs such as Ladies Invite and Monkey Island (credited simply to "Geils," the 1977 disc would be their last for Atlantic). A new pact with EMI America saw the J. Geils Band slowly turning their fortunes around. Their second album for the label, 1980's Love Stinks, partook of a New Wave-influenced sound and attitude; it marked the first time two consecutive Geils 45s ("Come Back" and the deathless title cut) hit the Billboard Top 40. Sanctuary (1978) and Love Stinks both went gold, but the decade-plus veterans had an unexpected career record up their sleeves. Freeze Frame appeared in 1981, and was soon a phenomenon. Its first single, "Centerfold," was an insanely catchy ode to a high-school crush with a new occupation, and wound up spending six weeks at No. 1. With the album certified platinum, its title track hit the Top 5, and its electro-funkin' B-side, "Flamethrower," went to No. 25 on the R&B charts. But even as the J. Geils Band triumphantly headlined arenas, they were falling apart. Freeze Frame proved to be their last studio release with Wolf. As he went on to solo fame with "Lights Out" and "Come As You Are," a hobbled Geils Band issued a flop LP, You're Getting' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd. Wolf continues to make well-received discs, while "Jay Geils" and harp master Magic Dick worked together again in the '90s. Geils' first solo album, Jay Geils Plays Jazz, came out in 2004. - Jaan Uhelszki

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Bad Company

The members of Bad Company were stars before their first concert in March 1974. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke had been members of Free, Mick Ralphs had been Ian Hunter's main sidekick in Mott the Hoople, and Boz Burrell had played with King Crimson. Their self-titled debut album, recorded in only 10 days with a minimum of overdubs in Ronnie Lane's mobile studio, eclipsed all that by going Number One worldwide with the single "Can't Get Enough." The album from which it came also hit Number 1 and to date has sold more than 5 million copies. Playing sparse, elemental hard rock dominated by Rodgers' husky vocals and Ralphs' power chords, the original Bad Company sold more than 12 million records worldwide. Its 1975 release, Straight Shooter, yielded the Top 10 single "Feel Like Makin' Love" (Number 10, 1975) while Run With the Pack was the group's third consecutive album to go platinum. On Desolation Angels (which included the Rodgers-penned hit "Rock and Roll Fantasy," Number 13, 1979), Bad Company added synthesizers and strings. Indicative of its increasingly sporadic activities, three years elapsed between Angels and Rough Diamonds, which seemed an anachronism upon its 1982 release. The group disbanded that year, with Rodgers releasing a solo LP in 1983, then forming yet another supergroup, the Firm, with Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist Tony Franklin, and drummer Chris Slade. The Firm never came close to matching the level of success its two principals had enjoyed with their previous groups. After two LPs, the quartet broke up in 1986, just as Ralphs and Kirke were putting Bad Company back together. Former Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe stood in for Rodgers. The group stuck closely to the original lineup's riffy blues-rock formula, but its first album, Fame and Fortune, disappeared from the chart after just nine weeks. However, Dangerous Age eventually went gold, while Holy Water went platinum and produced a Top 20 power ballad, "If You Needed Somebody." Here Comes Trouble also sold in excess of 1 million copies and gave the group two more Top 40 hits. In 1993 Bad Company expanded into a quintet, adding journeyman bassist Rick Wills (Frampton's Camel, Roxy Music, Foreigner) and rhythm guitarist Dave Colwell, and celebrated its 20th anniversary with a live greatest-hits album. Rodgers, meanwhile, struggled to find musical direction. The Law, a hard-rock duo with drummer Kenney Jones, couldn't get arrested, and the singer returned to a solo career, first releasing two curious tribute albums, one interpreting the music of Muddy Waters, the other a live set of Jimi Hendrix tunes featuring Neal Schon on guitar. In the fall of 1998 Rodgers and Burrell joined Ralphs and Kirke for a reunion of the original lineup. The group contributed four new songs, including the single "Hey, Hey," to the 2-CD set The "Original" Bad Co. Anthology, then embarked on a farewell tour in 1999. Rodgers has announced that he would resume his solo career afterward, when he is not playing as part of the original Bad Company. Rodgers would go on to take over Freddie Mercury's role in Queen, and the newly-christened Queen + Paul Rodgers released The Cosmos Rocks in October 2008.

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