Attack of the blog! Joss Whedon strikes again!

If you haven’t seen Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog yet, where have you been and what have you been doing with your online time? Joss Whedon returns with a vengeance, but on the net, with Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and other awesome cast members with a musical that showcases some serious comedic timing, entertaining musical sequences and of course, would it be Joss Whedon without lines packed with sexual innuendo it’s hard to stay in your seat? The success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Once More With Feeling” musical episode was so huge that Whedonesque.com hosts a Buffy sing-a-long to the episode during Comic-Con and there is a NY-based theater group or something that screens the episode in theaters, along with little prompts and props for more audience interaction. So it’s not exactly a secret that Joss Whedon is good at this. With the help of his two brothers Zack and Jed, Joss came up with the perfect answer to the Hollywood machine that is the studio: bring the power back to the people! Web domination!

And sure enough, any person with internet access when Dr. Horrible went live, answered this cry for revolution. Only a few minutes after the show had been online, so many people were trying to get on to see it again or for the first time that the site crashed! A week later, the show is still one of the most downloaded ones on iTunes, and damn it, that Freeze Ray song is catchy!

Neil Patrick Harris as the adorable yet scheming Dr. Horrible, blogging his evil deeds in hopes that the Evil League of Evil takes notice.

There are a great deal of memorable scenes in the whole show, especially the ones where Dr. Horrible [Neil Patrick Harris] is blogging and it’s just such a dead-on impression of how people do video blogs that I am absolutely amazed at how on-point Harris is, and the writing is. The opening “mwahahaha” part is particularly hilarious, and I think that NPH is absolutely brilliant as the evil-wannabe Dr. Horrible, who broadcasts his evil deeds on a blog in an attempt to prove himself worthy of membership to the Evil League of Evil, headed by a “dude” (you’ll see, you’ll see) by the name of Bad Horse, whose letters pop up as three mustashioed cowboys singing the actual note. The lines for this show are also pretty classic Joss, such as this one:

“It’s not about making money, it’s about taking money. Destroying the status quo. Because the status is not…quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.” - Dr. Horrible

Since the show is mostly a musical, it has to be mentioned that the cast does some excellent singing. My personal favorites are Neil Patrick Harris’ numbers, such as the aforementioned Freeze Ray song (known to bloggers as Laundry Day, which Joss and the panel at Comic-Con have denounced as the wrong title) and the Nathan Fillion/Felicia Day/NPH collaboration “A Man’s Gotta Do What a Man’s Gotta Do”. In this number, Nathan Fillion absolutely blows my mind. He just encapsulates Captain Hammer, and I feel like the character was written with him specifically in mind.

At the Comic-Con panel, Joss and co. confirmed that there will be more Dr. Horrible, which is awesome, and I am sure everyone is psyched for more Captain Hammer goodness. There is also a DVD in the works, so that one will be something we can look forward to. In the meantime, you can view Dr. Horrible for free on www.drhorrible.com or download it on iTunes.

Internet killed the radio star

So we all know the power of the mighty Interweb. If you’re reading this now, obviously you are aware that most teenagers these days are so tech-savvy they pretty much know more about gizmogadgetry than 10 old geezers combined (well, 10 old geezers excluding Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, of course). Gone are the days when musicians needed to tour their asses off just to get the word out about their music. You don’t need to have a lot of connections, or a lot of money. All you need to be an internet star is a computer and a webcam, your choice of musical instrument, and voila: instant stardom. That is, of course, considering you have talent.

The strangest things can be found on the internet. A friend of mine has a disturbing fascination with watching internet videos of people getting shit on [Off topic question: what is the past participle of shit, anyway?], while my mother is piqued by the videos of Journey that have been posted on YouTube. It’s true, with the internet, everything is at your fingertips. Nowdays, google is a word you can find in the dictionary.

I like to browse the web for acoustic performances of bands and offbeat antics from music stars. And sometimes you stumble on a few acts that are actually pretty amazing. Here are a few easter eggs found on the interweb:

This band Boyce Avenue likes to post their covers of their favorite songs on YouTube. Some of their performances are even better than the originals, in my opinion; such as this one, a cover of Leona Lewis’ overplayed single “Bleeding Love”:

Now this guy is like a super internet star. His name is Luke Sandoval, and his voice is absolutely amazing. This guy has a really nice voice. He does many covers, and they are all great but this one is a standout for me, only because I absolutely adore Chris Garneau. Here is his cover of “Not Nice”, one of my favorite tracks off of Music for Tourists. The nice thing about this video is he also shows some emotion when he sings–like he really understands the song’s lyrics.

Here’s another favorite Luke Sandoval cover, “Casimir Pulaski Day”, one of my favorite Sufjan Stevens songs.

So as you can see, it’s easy to be an Internet star. What’s not easy is to inherit the same amount of talent these people have.

Obama FTW!

So it has been an intense and grueling journey for the American presidency, and I’m only talking about the battle in the Democratic side of the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The race ended yesterday after the final primaries in South Dakota and Montana were finished, and Obama emerged the presumptive nominee after crossing the 2,118 line of pledged delegates required to be the Democratic nominee. Finally! Many people have started to worry that Clinton was becoming this crazy, psycho weirdo who was somehow under the delusion that she would still be able to win the nomination, even though the numbers were against her.

Needless to say, I am extremely relieved the fight is over, and we can now move on to the bigger picture: November. I don’t think that John McCain has a chance in hell of winning the presidency, so I am banking on Obama and I am confident that the Democratic Party will come together and unite around him. Obama’s speech in St. Paul, Minnesota yesterday proclaimed: “This is our time,” and it seemed like after he said that, all over the nation people were either cheering ecstatically or bawling for Hillary.

Unfortunately Clinton still hasn’t conceded, although there are rumors that she will later this week. Hopefully she can put everything behind her and move on. Now the question on everyone’s mind is: Will Obama appoint her for the Vice Presidency? Will there be a dream ticket? Personally, I think it would be a bad idea to have Clinton for VP. I think she is so invested in the presidency that she’s not humble enough to take some consolation prize from Barack Obama. However, Obama does have a significant problem when it comes to getting Clinton’s supporters over to his side. Polls show that most of Clinton’s supporters claim to rather stay home in November than vote for Obama. So many people are trying to pressure Obama into submitting and into making Clinton his VP. Former president Jimmy Carter says this would be “the worst mistake that could be made”, and I agree with him. Clinton on the ticket would mean party unity yes, but it would not help Obama’s message of “change”. Clinton is also way too overbearing and way too persistent when it comes to pushing her points of view, so I think instead of being a harmonious pair, they would be a disaster.

My choice for VP would be Joe Biden, who is strong where Obama is weak: namely, foreign policy. This would create a really strong ticket, because Joe Biden is pretty well-known, and he’s got a great track record. Against John McCain, I think this would be the best pair. On the other hand, people are talking about a Barack Obama-Bill Richardson ticket. I don’t think it’s a good idea, because I don’t think that America is ready for a dual-minority ticket, even though the name Bill Richardson doesn’t exactly reflect which minority the governor of New Mexico belongs to. Caroline Kennedy is just one of the few people appointed by Obama to search for his VP, and in the next few weeks, it will be most exciting to see how this will all unfold.

In the meantime, congratulations to Barack Obama, and I’m looking forward to the debates he and John McCain have over the next few months. And in the meantime, as well, for you people who’ve got time on their hands, this video by Jerry O’Connell is hilarious. See young Hillary Clinton in this hilarious skit:

Got Apple?

I’ve always been a fan of the iTunes/iPod commercials, mainly because they’ve managed to perfectly encapsulate the love of music through their 30-seconds ads. I remember flipping out when at the first one I saw; it was the ad featuring Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” and it was so awesome. I know it made me want to get an iPod at the time.

Apple has become such a trendsetter that almost every artist on the planet acknowledges the power of the internet. Radiohead released their newest album exclusively online for about a month or two, and some artists have started to simply sell their stuff online and then coming out with the CD later. Apple has been able to also set the trends in terms of which artists to listen to. They basically put Feist on the map as a mainstream artist (which, as a music snob, I have to say, about damn time, since I’d been listening to Feist forever), and they also make already well-known artists seem even cooler by showcasing their new tunes, such as U2’s “Vertigo” and more recently, Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”.

I have to say, Apple and Coldplay have completely outdone themselves this time around. I think this is the best commercial ever, and this is evidenced by the fact that I can’t stop watching this 30-second ad! I had to download it because it was so good. It’s 30 seconds of pure bliss, and everytime I watch it it makes me feel like I’m flying or something. The ambiance and the trademark silhouette visuals of the ad are particularly awesome, and add to that the excellent Viva La Vida track and the band rocking out…30 seconds of awesome!

I had some leftover credits from my last iTunes gift card so I used that to download “Viva La Vida” off iTunes. It’s definitely a cool song, and it should be, considering Coldplay teamed up with music maestro Brian Eno to produce this whole album. I am definitely excited to see what Chris Martin and co. have in store for us in this European-inspired album with the Frida Kahlo painting namesake.

Your inner musical geek

For those of you who spend way too much time making playlists and telling the world about this one song you think is just awesome, you can go to www.musicaltaste.com, where you can recommend songs and albums to people are as music-minded as you. It’s a pretty neat site. It’s not very popular, it’s only got a couple thousand members, but it’s a good place to get some ideas on new music and the like, or simply peruse through recommendations and see if there are like-minded people on there.

www.musicaltaste.com

Here are my recommendations for the day:

1. Missy Higgins - Warm Whispers

2. Matt Pond PA - Closer

3. Regina Spektor - Hotel Song

4. Peter Bjorn & John - Paris 2004

5. The Perishers - Almost Pretty

6. The Kooks - One Last Time

7. Death Cab for Cutie - Steadier Footing

8. Athlete - Flying Over Bus Stops

9. British Sea Power - Trip Out

10. Islands - Rough Gem

11. Tokyo Police Club - If It Works

12. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - We Can’t Help You

Hell hath no fury

Uh…So my biggest wonder is how the contestants of Hell’s Kitchen ever made it to this show, and if they even know how to cook. I don’t know if it’s just the setting and the conditions of the show, where Chef Ramsay is screaming expletives at them left and right, but their food sure looks like shit. Compared to Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen seems like it’s only exciting because of the shouting matches that Ramsay does every episode.

I’m confused, because the prize of this show seems far bigger than the Top Chef prize. I mean, the winner of Hell’s Kitchen gets to be executive chef of a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Come on. I mean, that’s better than going to Aspen to watch people cook, right? The thing I don’t like about Hell’s Kitchen is that it looks like the place they are cooking at is completely unsanitary. The chefs look really bad, sloppy, and they just seem like people who got picked off the streets to cook. I mean, at one point a stay-at-home dad was in the competition! Really? You would give the helm of your new restaurant to a stay-at-home dad with no culinary experience?

Anyway, on the upside I watched Tuesday’s episode of HK at Hulu.com, my new favorite website. It’s like the YouTube of TV shows. It’s free! Still growing, but it’s free!

THEY EXIST!

Slay you, I shall!

So I felt like I was in high school all over again as I played Diablo II for oh, about three hours straight. My back started to hurt, my wrist began to throb and my eyes started to droop. Ah sweet nostalgia. Nothing like a good ol’ RPG to get your mind off things, right?

The thing I love about Diablo II is (well, it’s kind of like a love/hate thing) that it’s so fucking scary. The background music is terrifying, and those monsters just show up from nowhere. I think this is the only RPG I’ve played where I’ve shrieked repeatedly as I tried to flee a boss. And no matter how many times I play this game, I always get freaked out when facing bosses. Especially in dungeons. I hate dungeons. It’s dark, dank and the music is annoyingly creepy. Thankfully due to my hack-and-slashing prowess, my character hasn’t died yet (we who’ve braved the Diablo II world know how painful it is to retrieve your character’s body when you die).

I’m playing an assassin, which I kind of have an affinity for. I think in high school I played a sorceress and a paladin once, but those two didn’t quite fit with me. I thought the assassin was more versatile and proactive. The sorceress was annoying because you need to be cerebral when using her character. You need to think about which spells to use and how best to maneuver yourself when faced with a throng of those little shaman gremlin things. I don’t know about you, but when I play hack and slash, I kind of prefer to hack and slash. I don’t want to be doing too many things, like running away and casting spells. The sorceress was cool because she could summon stuff and have all these cool tricks. But with her, it just seemed like the game went on forever, because it takes more time to cast spells and recharge your mana, flee and summon stuff at the same time. Whereas with an assassin, I just march right up to the boss and then jab ‘em with my trusty spear and voila! Dead.

Anyhoo, I’m taking a breather before I jump back in for another 3 hours. I miss playing RPGs! The last one I played was Fable, and despite how enjoyable some of the parts were, the end was ultimately disappointing and I think I remember ranting about it somewhere here. Anyhoo, wish me luck. I am now about to find Charsi’s hammer at the monastery and face the Smith! Freaky!

Whine and moan: the new sensation

So everyone on the internet has been raving about this show Quarterlife, which is basically a place for “artists, thinkers and do-ers” to post their video blogs. Okay, to put it simply, it’s quarterlife.com and people post their video diaries for the internet community to gawk at. It’s art! It’s art! Waa waa waa. And the site has a show that revolves around the site, if that makes sense. Basically the show is about 6 friends who are going through the twentysomething crisis of not knowing what do with yourself. It’s a predicament that plagues twentysomethings everywhere: you’re in a rut; you thought you’d be brilliant and successful at age 23 but you’re interning for a company that you don’t believe in, and your boss is a crazy bitch, and you have a nonexistential love life (or a love life that’s comprised of a series of meaningless hook-ups that only serve to fulfill that instant gratification drive your Id is screaming at you to fulfill). Waa waa waa, bitch and moan. It’s easily relatable. And who spends the most time on the internet griping about their inadequacies and insecurities but the twentysomethings? With the steady rising of blogs as media of expression, it’s only understandable and inevitable that the next step, video blogging (as in the case of lonelygirl15, which turned out to be a complete hoax. Ha ha, you got punk’d!) would start to gain popularity.

Anyhoo, so I know one face on that cast, and it’s Scott Michael Foster, who plays Cappie in one of my favorite shows, ABC’s Greek (which returns this March! Woohoo!). He’s pretty much the same character on this show, only more melodramatic and less charismatic. I’ll admit, the show is pretty addictive. 15 minutes of pure, unadulterated narcissism from characters who think they’re supposed to be interesting. The storylines are pretty blah. Our protagonist, the annoyingly tortured soul Dylan, is programmed to meet the twentysomething ideal of representative to the demographic. Basically, Dylan is supposed to be the epitome of the twentysomething artist: painfully introverted (yet shamelessly blogging about what she thinks of everyone else’s life), insecure, tactless and unsure of herself. Yet here’s the kicker: her endearing qualities are supposed to be that she’s unaware of how gorgeous she is (as seen in one episode where conventionally prettier character Lisa tells Dylan she’s got sexuality, to which I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time).

Okay, the show is inventive, sure. There’s nothing like it elsewhere. Let’s give it points for originality. However, the fact that each character is in love with another character within this little circle is reminiscent of, oh, a little show called Dawson’s Creek, and it’s annoying. Everyone’s in love with everyone else, there are all these melodramatic love quadrangles and declarations of sex. The humor of the show is somewhat interesting and there have been some fun scenes to watch. However, it seems like the show is in love with itself. The characters are in love with themselves. The main character Dylan’s room is carefully designed to appropriately reflect what an artist’s room looks like: unkempt, littered with posters from unknown, unsigned bands and vintage paraphernalia. Insert product placement of the Apple laptop she uses to masterfully craft her self-obsessed snippets. It’s too Juno. By this I mean that the concept is there, but the delivery is just a bit too-cool-for-school. All these “the bourgeoisie exists to blah blah blah consumerism”. Please. It’s that Chuck Klosterman quality that makes this show a bit tiresome.

Which is not to say that the show is not without merit. It’s definitely something new and fresh. Heck, it’s very timely, what with the whole Barack Obama thing and the buzz about how the internet is such a revolution these days. And video diaries aren’t necessarily new ideas, but the way it’s being used in the show is interesting. But really, I shouldn’t talk, right? I mean, a blog has pretty much the exact same degree of narcissism that quarterlife has. It’s all me, me, me after all.

Ah well. Maybe I am just a twentysomething going through the motions of the seemingly inescapable rut that is my quarter life. In which case, maybe a video blog is the answer. It’s art! It’s art!

Oh, shut up.

Celebs for Obama

I saw this on YouTube and had to put it up. John Legend is amazing! That voice is enough to reel you in. And Tatiana Ali! Lots of really cool people in this video, including Brian Greenberg [Prime, One Tree Hill], Nicole Sherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, Kate Walsh of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, and even Harold Perrineau of Lost. This was put together by Will.i.Am. I like that they chose Obama’s New Hampshire speech, because it was one I remember I sat fixated watching. Such riveting words, a commanding presence…quite presidential, if you ask me hahaha. Anyway, here’s the video: