The New Best Network on TV: "CW"

It was announced today that CBS and Warner Brothers will be launching a new network in the fall called CW. It will be a blend of the programming on the WB and UPN, and both those networks will go away. They have not even announced a preliminary lineup yet, but I can promise you this: I will spend more time watching this network this fall than any other television station on cable. Easy.

Let's look at a short list of programs that this new station will have to draw from:

Veronica Mars
Smallville
Gilmore Girls
Beauty and the Geek
WWE Smackdown
Everybody Hates Chris
Charmed

Does any other network have a lineup that strong? Honestly? No. They might have hours that can compete ("Lost", or "Earl"/"Office", or "Idol"). But trust me: if this new network creates a night with "Chris" at 8, a new decent comedy at 8:30, and "Veronica Mars" at 9, I will cancel all my plans for the rest of the year. This is a huge deal. I think this new network will finally begin to compete with the heavyweights before long, especially seeing the weak crop of shows on the air right now.

Categories: TV

My 20 Favorite Albums of 2005

Well, I have finally compiled a list of everything that was released in 2005, and thrown out a lot of it because I never heard it, and then somehow ranked the 20 releases that stand out most for me this year. This is the biggest list I have ever put together at the end of a year, which is a testament to a) how good this year was for music, and b) how much less music I ought to listen to. At any rate, we start with my most anticipated album of the year, and end with the pre-season favorite to win it all. (Many of these albums were reviewed by me at 75 Or Less, so I will link to my reviews where appropriate.)

20. 311 - Don't Tread On Me: I wrote at great length about this record on this site when it was released, and my passion for it hasn't diminished one bit.

19. Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak

18. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway: OK, I know I will have to defend this. This list represents my FAVORITE albums this year. Ask me in five years and I might laugh at this choice. However, at this moment... the first three songs on this record OWN me. The rest is excellent pop music as well, but if you want the best example of pop perfection released this year, you must listen to the first 11 minutes of this album.

17. Beck - Guero

16. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

15. The Duhks - The Duhks

14. Esthero - Wikked Lil Girls

13. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart

12. Common - Be

11. Spoon - Gimme Fiction: That this ended up outside my top 10 is just a demonstration of how deep I thought this year was. In other years, this would be MUCH higher than 11.

10. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs: In addition to having some of the best album art of the year, this record goes punch for punch with the consensus songwriting albums of the year (Apple, Oberst, Stevens). If you haven't heard this one, but like any of those other albums, do yourself a favor and pick it up. Genius.

9. System Of A Down - Mezmerize/Hypnotize: This would have been higher if Hypnotize had reached the heights of its predecessor. However, it is still easily the metal album of the year. Their popularity is a testament to the growth of the casual music fan over the last 25 years.

8. Gorillaz - Demon Days: My opinion of this record has grown exponentially since my initial review. I now feel that this album is superior to the first in almost every way. It is just so different that it took me some time to realize it.

7. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall: The best jazz album I have ever heard. A "must buy".

6. Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

5. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine: Better than it has any right being. Fiona Apple used to sit next to Tori Amos on my "Useless Unless You Hate Men and Penises" shelf. No longer. This album borders on ridiculous in a very, very good way. You can see instantly why these songs were such a production challenge; they exist on a higher plane of mastery than anything being written today. Like Aimee Mann but six times more versatile. Even if you see this in the store and are sure that you would hate it... you wouldn't. Trust me.

4. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise: I resisted this album at first, but it won me over. Big time. Not the second coming that some psychos have touted, but its darn good. (In fact, Sufjan fans are this year's musical equivalent of Firefly/Serenity fans like me; so obnoxious that they actually turn people off from the thing they are promoting.) If Bright Eyes lived on the Polyphonic Spree's compound for a year, the output would be pretty close to this.

3. My Morning Jacket - Z

2. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, Its Morning

1. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

Categories: Music

Movie: Brokeback Mountain

The supposed frontrunner in the Oscar race was the first film in my annual January/February "see-all-the-year's-best-movies-at-once" marathon. I was able to catch a Tuesday night screening at the Avon Cinema (the best movie theater in Rhode Island). Despite some aggravating projection problems (2/3 of the movie was exceptionally dim), I found I very much enjoyed the film, but question whether it is a runaway Best Picture winner.

The basic premise should be familiar to everyone. (If you aren't familiar, I'll recap: gay cowboys in love.) The film depicts a period of over 20 years in the lives of Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), which immediately sets this film apart from most celluloid love stories. This is not a movie about that adorable moment when two people fall in love. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find that moment in Brokeback Mountain. This is a movie about a love that develops and changes and strengthens despite the considerable forces pulling them apart. For this reason, you will hear people complain that the film is "too slow" or "boring". Those people are wrong.

This film should win its fair share of Oscars. I would say that Ang Lee (Best Director), Heath Ledger (Best Actor) and Rodrigo Prieto (Best Cinematography) are locks. Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, and Gustavo Santaolalla (Best Score) will also be serious contenders. But I have doubts about the Best Picture race. This might be a case where the film is less than the sum of its parts. Which is not to imply that I didn't like the film; I loved it. But I expect that in the upcoming weeks, I will love Munich more. Or Crash. Or Good Night, and Good Luck. Or The New World. I won't be shocked if Brokeback wins, but I'll be disappointed that it was the best movie made this year.

Categories: Movies

Game: HSX

For those who prefer the online variety of entertainment, here is my main source of computer-based procrastination. It is a site called the Hollywood Stock Exchange (www.hsx.com). It is a free game that allows you to trade upcoming film projects and movie stars as if they were securities in the stock market.

Basically, the prices are meant to reflect box office returns. When a film opens, its stock price is adjusted to match its weekend gross earnings. After some time, the security will delist at its gross earnings total, and the "bonds" for all the film's stars will update in price as well. However, the majority of price movement (like any good stock market simulator) is dictated by transaction volume. So don't base your investment strategy solely on earnings; figuring out which projects are bound to attract the most interest among investors is a key to success.

Each account starts with $2 million in "Hollywood bucks". I've grown my account to over $30 mil in less than a year. If you have as much interest in the Hollywood development cycle as I do, and need a good source of online entertainment, give this underappreciated gem a try.

Categories: Games

Game: Deflexion

Well, the 2006 rededication of the blog has begun, and I will write about the coolest geek toy in my possession at the moment: Deflexion. And that is no slam on my recently acquired Russel and Noodle figures by KidRobot; its just that Deflexion has to be one of the coolest toys I have ever owned. On the surface, it seems awesome enough: a chess-like game that uses lasers and mirrors to obliterate your opponent. However, after seeing over two dozen games play out in the three days since the game was delivered, I can confidently say that the depth of gameplay and strategy available elevates this game from awesome gimmick to boardgame staple of my household. This might be the first game I have ever played that has caused almost every player I've seen to burst into laughter at the sheer joy of its gameplay.

It is a simple enough concept. If a laser hits a mirror at a 45 degree angle, it will make a 90 degree turn. So, by building pieces with imbedded mirrors, a group from Tulane University devised a game that allows players to direct laser beams in a strategic fashion by moving and turning the mirrors on the gameboard. When the laser hits a non-reflective surface on a gamepiece, it is decimated. (Well, it glows slightly and is politely removed from the board, but any game using Egyptian imagery blended with laser warfare is just begging for imagination.) There are a couple small caveats, and that's all the direction you need to start playing.

And the gameplay is surprisingly varied. What is the best way to protect your Pharoah? Are the Obelisks as useless as they seem? Is it easier to manipulate your own laser, or that of your opponent? Even in the short time I have seen the game played, a number of viable opening maneuvers have emerged, as have many defensive and offensive strategies. I'm going to need a 74-pack of AAA batteries by the end of the week...

Categories: Games