Late Night , Goodbyes

I've watched Late Night with Conan O'Brien since I was a wee tween. Crude geeky adolescent humor? What's not to love? So I was quite sad to hear that Conan will be leaving New York for the West Coast. My biggest regret was not hauling ass over to Rockefeller Center for a live tapping. Lord knows I had the time to do it. Sadness.



I cried.

And then a couple of days later I went to the NBC Store and bought myself a replica of that mug sitting on his desk right there. Most expensive mug ever. Sab came with, gave hugs, and then we ate chocolate covered gummy bears. Feeling a bit better now.

We will miss you Conan.

Use Protection.

Yikes, our markets caught business syphillis! Stephen Colbert explains:

Judgement Day

Season 2 of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles premieres tonight on Fox.

I caught all of Season 1 on Hulu, and I am a believer now-- this is a great show. I hope Season 2 is just as good. Me thinks it will because Shirley Manson joins the cast, playing Zeiracorp executive, Catherine Weaver. Tune in tonight!

By far my favorite Garbage B-side...

Garbage- Trip My Wire

During her hiatus from Garbage, Shirley helped Jane's Addiction's Eric Avery with his solo album, lending a hand with lyrics and vocals. It certainly doesn't sound like anything Jane's Addiction or Garbage has ever released, but it's got kind of a lovely post-apocalyptic, off-beat charm. (Yeah, I don't think I've ever used "apocalypse" and "charming" in the same breath before.)

Eric Avery- Maybe ft. Shirley Manson

(Buy the album, Help Wanted)

The Notorious C.H.O

Growing up as an Asian American in the 90s meant slim pickings when it came to representation in the media. My idols were Kristi Yamaguchi, and Margaret Cho. One is an Olympic gold medalist, and the other just got a g-shot in her vagina.

You gotta love The Cho.

Now the All-American Girl has a reality show on VH1 called “The Cho Show,” and you can watch the first episode online here!

She may also add Broken Social Scene member to her resume soon.

Could this be the result of pleading with Kevin Drew’s answering machine during her visit to The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos?

Hi Kevin Drew,

This is Margaret Cho. I am such a fan of yours and I wanna join the Broken Social Scene! There are so many people in the band no one will notice if there’s just one more person. I wanna join, and I can play any instrument. I’ll learn really fast. I’m Asian! I’m a quick study. Please let me join your band!

Will she rock the rain stick or the triangle? I can’t wait to find out.

Broken Social Scene: Cause=Time
(Buy the album here)

Birthdays: Shirley Manson

Happy Birthday! Shirley Manson turns 42 years old today.

There are only maybe a handful of musicians who I would piss my pants if I ever met. Not surprisingly, kick-ass female rockers are at the top of the list, including Melissa Auf Der Maur, Emily Haines, Alison Mosshart, and of course, Shirley Manson.

I’m beyond disappointed that her record label is shelving her new album, which apparently they believe is too “noir” to turn a profit.

"I've had a really successful career. I don't really need to do anything for money and I certainly have no intention of doing that. I just want to live a creative life and sing songs that have some meaning for me personally," she says in an interview with The Scotsman.

You can catch her on The Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles this fall as well. But mostly, I'm rooting for that album release.

Stay Golden

The Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress, Estelle Getty, passed away earlier today from advanced dementia. She was 84 years old.

She played Sophia Petrillo, the feisty Sicilian matriarch of the long running sitcom, The Golden Girls. Growing up, I used to watch GG with my great grandmother every week, and Sophia was her favorite character. It's still one of my favorite shows.

You can still catch Sophia deliver her clever zingers on the Lifetime channel’s GG reruns.

Ms. Getty, you are a legend.

It's All About Air Control

Just goes to show you that you don't need fancy instruments to make music.



Nothin' but respect for kazoos.

Sensible Deductions

MadTV's Keegan-Michael Key's Sensual Seduction spoof reminds us to maximize our deductions on this last day for filing tax returns. He might have some trouble writing off the bong and the mountain of weed though, but just sayin' is all.



Also, this gentleman ,who might be your accountant, is jumping in on this musical fun too. Steve Zelin quit his job to pursue music full time and he's something like the Weird-Al Yankovic of CPAs. He does accountant-themed parodies, so his audience must be rather limited. Not that we can't all appreciate "Tax Busters", a spirited rendition of "Ghost Busters," but maybe he should keep his day job.

Music and Lyrics. Drum roll please...

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won an Oscar for best original song last night at the Academy Awards, beating out songs from Hollywood blockbusters like Enchanted and August Rush.



It was sweet that Jon Stewart let Marketa got to come back out and give her speech after she was cut off by the orchestra.

Also, how cute is Laura Linney? Seems like she is a huge fan of "Once" -- she looks like she's their proud mama or something.

Celebs Sure Do Love That Swag

Props to Jimmy Kimmel airing these old clips so the writers on strike can get their residual paychecks.

I too have wondered where some of these musicians get ideas for names of their band. I guess I can cross The Killers off that list!

Superstar, You Are What You Say You Are

Lupe Fiasco and Matthew Santos cross picket lines last night to drop this on the Late Show with David Letterman:



Letterman keeps calling him "Lupee." Maybe that's just the writers-solidarity beard muffling his speech. Anyway my sister watched it and said, "Wow, that Maroon 5 guy can get down." Come to think of it, Matthew Santos does bear a resemblence to Adam Levine. You think?

Catch Lupe on tour!
(New Yorkers, he'll be at Nokia Theatre on February 2nd.)

Lupe Fiasco ft. Matthew Santos- Superstar (link expired)
(Buy The Cool)

What We Keep

Turkey day came and went, and then came the numerous ways to use up leftover turkey. Turkey chili, turkey sandwiches-- frankly, I'm all turkeyed out. The only thing I want to do now is take a nap. Oh, and catch up on my Weeds.

Last Monday was the season finale and everything is changing for my favorite drug-dealing soccer mom, Nancy Botwin. If you haven't seen the finale yet, or you like your TV on DVD, I won't spoil it for you. But I would like to add that a really great song called, "Keepsake" was played during this episode, and it's by State Radio, a band fronted by the former singer of Dispatch. I haven't heard the rest of this EP, but if Keepsake is any indication of what the rest of the album sounds like, then it shouldn't be missed.

State Radio- Keepsake (link expired)

(Buy the Peace Between Nations EP)

Get the first two seasons of Weeds on DVD here.

The Ka-push.

Erykah Badu's The Kabah is being pushed back once again to a release date for February 29th. Bummers...

The single "Honey" will still be released later this month on November 20th so we can look forward to that. Check out the cover art-- tres sweet. She's also guest starring on an episode of Girlfriends on Monday, November 12th. Check out the CW for a short preview.

"You baaad Badu! Nobody can do Badu like you do!"

The Brunettes @ Soundfix 10.19.07

The rumors about The Brunettes are true.

They are, in fact, brunette! Great, now that the debate on hair color is settled, the band played a short set at Soundfix last Friday and the music was thoroughly adorable, just like these Kiwis. The stage was too small to fit the band and their equipment, so singer Jonathan Bree had to stand on the floor. They brought hip back to the Village people when they sang and spelled B-A-B-Y on the track “Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth”.

I planned to return to Soundfix for The Rosebuds yesterday, but never quite made it. I woke up and felt interminably lazy so it turned into a Weeds and No Reservations/A Cook’s Tour day in my pajamas. (If you haven’t seen the No Reservations Leftovers episode on youtube, it’s so funny—a must see for Anthony Bourdain fans).

Speaking of food, off to brunch….

The Brunettes- Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth (B-A-B-Y)

(Buy Structure & Cosmetics)

Uh... welcome to New York.

You know I love me some New York Noise, but whoever is making decisions about programming over there, you need to put down the crackpipe. This interview with The Cribs is probably the most absurd thing I've ever witnessed. Still, it's not every day a punk band from England gets interviewed by a New Yorker in a tiara.

Boy band redux

Band break ups are as common as Hollywood divorces, but unlike Britney Spears, some careers might have a chance to rebound. History tells us that disparate frontmen go on to other musical acts and become hugely successful-- like New Order or Audioslave.

But, I'm thinking this will not be the case for Sureshot, a boy... er.. man-group, I should say, composed of former pop stars of 90s boy bands: Color Me Badd, 98 Degrees, N'SYNC, and LFO. Yes, even a Lyte Funkie One, famous for badmouthing Chinese food and popularizing Abercrombie & Fitch, is not immune to the surreal world of celebreality.

I hate to say it, but I was intrigued. I watched the first episode and man, the only thing I took away from it is that life's a bitch. Rich Cronin (LFO) was diagnosed with Leukemia a few years ago and he's trying to get back in the game. Bryan Abrams has the saddest story of all. More than 10 years after Color Me Badd hit it big, he's now working in an auto shop, rolling tires, not really sexing anyone up. This is the sad reality of fame, but I honestly don't think a "Making The Band" type of show on VH1 would further a person's career for more than 15 minutes. I suppose, if you put four former stars together, you'd get an hour tops, but really, come on...

Mission: Man Band airs Mondays on VH1.

Mistaken for Strangers

New York Noise is one of my favorite programs, and is an epitome of public television done right. The latest episode followed lead singer, Matt Berninger of Brooklyn band,The National as he and his mom and dad took a tour of the United Nations. Little known facts about Berninger- he used to date Boutros Boutros-Ghali's speechwriter. And the video for Mistaken for Strangers? This was filmed in his apartment. I'm digging this song but it makes me a little sad. You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends...



Mister, my brainwaves are connected to the stereo too.

A friend of mine who has never heard of the National before, says they remind her a bit of Interpol. I don't think they sound much like Interpol at all. The sound isn't quite as dark. Or maybe she is just onto my not so subconscious obsession with Interpol as of late. You be the judge.

The National will play South Street Seaport (free!) on August 17th @ 6pm. See you there~

The National- Mistaken for Strangers (link expired)
(Buy the album: Boxer)

I'll have some BOOM with that toast.

After Sofiblu showed me a Flight of the Conchords video, I realize I really need to pay my cable bill because I am missing out big time. All this needs is a stiff drink and I'm ready to start the day. (Ahem, it's called "Irish" coffee....)



Flight of the Conchords- She's so hot, BOOM

Official site

Thank you for being a friend

My weekend was spent watching Golden Girls reruns. Are you a fan? I love The Golden Girls. I have many fond memories of watching this show as a kid with my great-grandmother. She didn’t speak English, and neither did I. I was too young for pre-school, but I picked up lots of English from television. We used to call this show “Those 4 Women” since I didn’t learn to read yet. But we watched The Golden Girls religiously. It was like having all the grannies over for tea.

Even today The Golden Girls are significant. It’s astonishing to see the resemblance between their lives and my life in college. It's a lifestyle I wouldn't mind having again someday. I mean, having your closest friends under the same roof, staying up all night talking over cheesecake and coffee-- that sounds pretty wonderful. And I can’t count the number of times I’ve done that in college. If you scrap the cheesecake for chicken wings, and the coffee for beer, it's like looking into a mirror. Jane Magazine's Stephanie Trong thinks this is a brilliant idea too. There’s a ton of pressure in your 20s to live up to career, social, and relationship expectations. How do you do it? The answer is so simple: marry all your friends.

Golden Girls Theme:



Andrew Gold- Thank you for being a friend

Flashback Friday: The original Dr. McDreamy

Ocean's Thirteen opens in theatres today. If you live on another planet, you might not know that this third installment stars George Clooney, and 12 other famous and talented people who I haven't bothered to learn the names of because my attention span on a Friday is dangerously short. But George Clooney...sigh, he is all that and a bucket of peanuts--at least back in the day when I was a huge ER fan, and also went to see Batman & Robin (twice, I'm afraid). I thought he was the hottest person on earth, up until I said this to some girl in junior high and she said, "My mom loves George Clooney." My cool factor went down 10 points that day.

But Dr. Doug Ross was the original Dr. McDreamy. He made me believe hot doctors with cute smiles and salt and pepper hair existed, and of course I’d be horribly disappointed if I landed in the emergency room at my local hospital and have to wait four hours only to be poked and prodded by an overworked chain-smoking, puffy-eyed jaded doctor. Oh well. Dr. Ross, We’ll always have County General.

Have a good weekend and netflix the first five seasons of ER... stat!

Salt-N-Pepa- Whatta Man (link expired)
(Buy Album: Very Necessary)