Something Requisitely Witty and Urbane

5 trailers for Season 5 of The Wire

I'm exceedingly excited that were are only a little over a month from the 5th and final season of The Wire.

Check here for 5 trailers of for the upcoming season (Note: Rob... Alan... DO NOT WATCH!)

Playing to your image

I'm not a fan of Nip-Tuck (never actually watched it), but I am a big fan of TV shows or movies where actors play off their public image (see Neil Patrick Harris in Harold and Kumar or Stephen Collins on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia).

So, it made me laugh when, on a preview for next week's Nip-Tuck, they promoted a guest-star appearance by Rosie O'Donnell going to the clinic for a procedure which will require the doctor's to sew her mouth shut.

New Ted Leo video - Colleen

It's over at Stereogum.

"That's why you always leave a note..."

Arrested Development rocks... seriously. It's not too late for you.

The title has nothing to do with this post because, if it were to mean something having to do with this post it would read, "That's why you don't make promises you can't keep..."

In this case, the promise would be, "I'm gonna post every day this month." Real life intervenes (Unless you are Ty, who's putting me to shame by posting everyday while simultaneously MOVING TO CHICAGO!). It turns out that this is a busy time of year when your new job involves holiday shopping, and I worked about 15 hours on a project yesterday that I'm maybe halfway done with.

Anyway, mea culpa. It used to be that promising to post IN a post would force me to, you know, actually post. Nows-a-days, not so much.

But, how've you been?

Giving Parcells his due...

There are a lot of reasons why the Cowboys underachieved while Parcells was here. Some of it was youth and inexperience. A lot of it was his unwillingness to open up the offense (which, in retrospect was the wrong move but one that you couldn't fault him for making considering his green rookie).

But as the Cowboys put the finishing touches on the Philadelphia Eagles (a win that is always sweet) and improve their record to an improbably 7-1, I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that he deserves a share of the credit for how good this team is now. He took a loser and found the horses which could make it a winner.

And he believed in #9.

I don't know if this team can win a Superbowl this year (especially considering the powerhouse Patriots) but it's pretty clear that they are the team to beat in the NFC. There's a long way to go, but you've gotta like the way their are looking. Coach Parcells should take some pride in what they are doing today.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ Hailey's, Denton - 11/3

This is the second time that I've seen Ted Leo on this tour. The first time was a few months back and I, unfortunately (and quite out of character for me), got a little too liberal with the giggle juice before the concert. Subsequently, my recollections of the show are a bit hazy.

So, I drove out to Denton with nary a raised blood alcohol point and settled in for my second-chance viewing of one of my favorite artists out there. Man, am I glad I got the opportunity.

The DIY-iness of the Ted Leo ethic is striking. Walking into the venue, the infamous Ted Leo tour van (bio-dieseled out) was parked right out front with the band just chilling out. They drive the van (actually, Ted does the bulk of the driving) across country to their gigs. The fact that one of the more important rockers of our time still plays college gigs tells you a lot of what you need to know about him.

The other thing is that, on stage, he's pure energy. It's non-stop. It's the punk rocker in Ted that, though sometimes not immediately evident in his music, is immediately evident when you see him live.

The set list started with very similarly to the rest of the tour up to this point (Sons of Cain, Dial Up, Me and Mia, Army Bound), but that's where the similarities ended. Present where tour rarities like I'm a Ghost (maybe my favorite part of the night).And he was absolutely engaged with the crowd, taking earnest attempts as the crowd shouted obscure cover requests (from The Buzzcuts, to Daft Punk's Digital Love, which Ted misheard as Addicted to Love causing him to wonder out loud, "Why would anyone request a Robert Palmer Cover?").

It was that back and forth with the crowd of about 50 which really made this a special night. He talked about everything from Paul Stanley's between song banter ("Much better than KISS's actual songs", he said) to when he talked with me about shoe-tying techniques (which, eventually, led to a member of his band calling him "Bunny Ears").

While starting the slow roll into Counting Down the Hours a fan yelled, "Yes! This is my favorite song!" Ted stopped saying, "Really? Of ours or in general?" When the fan replied, "Of yours and in general," he responded, "Well, that's awfully nice of you to say but, I mean, there's a lot of really good tunes out there. There's, like, a whole E.L.O boxset out there before you even get close to Shake The Sheets." It was that kind of playfulness that typified the night.

I'm a big fan of Ted Leo. I think he's a unique voice of dissent and an equally important musician. He's never really disappointed me and, because of the humble nature of his career, it's hard to imagine he ever will. He doesn't have to continually reinvent himself because his music is as unique as it is simple. I'm really glad I got a second chance to see him again.

Democratic Candidate's Halloween Party

Saturday Night Live seems to be ramping up for their usual election year spike in credibility.

New Pornographers and Spoon at the House of Blues Dallas, 11/2

The New Pornographers

What's amazing about the Pornos is that the incredibly intricate sound you hear on their albums is exactly what you hear when they do it live. In fact, I think, it's far better hearing (and watching) it live, than on their albums.

A lot of the reviews that I've read of shows they've done in the past always expressed a disappointment at not every member of the band being there. I know Neko Case is sometimes touring on her solo stuff and is unable tour with the band.

So, I guess maybe I was a little be lucky to catch them yesterday at the House of Blues (which kinda sucks, honestly... a pretty bad venue) because everyone was there.

The band's catchy, anthemic sound plays so well live. It's the kind of show that makes me wish I was a better writer so I could describe the scene. There's so much going on during their set, but it's never too much. They just pound out song after song and, while the band has a definite sound, it never gets monotonous. Every song built on the other until their last song (I'm not familiar enough with their catalog to recognize it, but it was awesome and I'll name it as soon as I can figure it out A little bird told me that it was Bleeding Hearts Show)  just exploded off the stage.

I'm really glad I got to see this set.

UPDATE: Here's the set list (Thanks to Blogs are for Dogs):

All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth / Use It / Myriad Harbour / All the Old Showstoppers / The Laws Have Changed / Challengers / Jackie Dressed in Cobras / My Rights vs Yours / Mass Romantic / The Spirit of Giving / Twin Cinema / Go Places / Sing Me Spanish Techno / Bleeding Heart Show

Spoon

I guess I had no idea how big Spoon has gotten. I know the Austin connection is a big reason why they would have such a devoted following here in Dallas, but the crowd was into this band.

Me? Meh.

I mean, they are good. You know the scene in Back to the Future when Marty McFly is playing Earth Angel, and due to warps in the space/time continuum, has his hand start to disappear on him as he is snuffed out of existence? The sound that comes out of his guitar during that scene is a lot like frontman Britt Daniel's style.

That's not to say it's bad. The band is interesting live, and I'm not trying to say they were bad. I just thought it got a bit old after a while. He plays rhythm guitar, but it's almost like he's playing lead the way he attacks the negative space.

And, make no mistake about it: He's a great front man. He's captivating and energetic. As the Morning News said this morning, he creates a very dirty sound that is very interesting.

I'm not that big a fan of bands that rely overly on effects pedals. Bands like Wilco certainly do it, but they do it as a compliment to the music. Spoon, I think, goes a little overboard with it.

As to be expected, they were great on songs like You Got Yr Cherry Bomb and The Underdog and, the surprise of the night for me, The Ghost of You Lingers was much better live than it is on the album where it is really just a throwaway track for me.

I like 'em, but I'm not in love with 'em. But I'm definitely in the minority here. This band is blowing up.

UPDATE: Spoon set list (Again, from Blogs are for Dogs):

Small Stakes / Don’t You Evah / You Got Yr Cherry Bomb* / Stay Don’t Go* / Delicate Place / The Minor Tough / The Ghost of You Lingers / Rhythm & Soul / The Beast & Dragon Adored / Me and the Bean / Vittorio E / The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine / They Never Got You / I Summon You / I Turn My Camera On / Don’t Make Me a Target / Jonathan Fisk* / The Underdog* / Black Like Me // Encore: Japanese Cigarette Case / Peace Like a River (Paul Simon) / Quincy Punk Episode / My Mathematical Mind  (*with four-piece brass)

Spoon, New Pornographers and NaBloPoMo

I'm going to see Spoon and the New Pornographers tomorrow, and then Ted Leo (again... maybe this time I'll stay sober enough to enjoy the concert a little more) on Saturday... a big weekend and I'm very excited.

Also, this month is National Blog Posting Month, where you are supposed to post every day for the month of November.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to jump in, but I think I'm going to because, one of the suggestions that I saw on the website was this: Follow a news story for the month; get deeper into an issue that you want to educate yourself about.

I'm gonna try to do this, but I'm not sure what I should pick. I'll give myself through the weekend to figure it out, but if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!