MY SIX QUICK PICKS:
(What I’m endorsing this week)
By JOHN YOUNGREN
1. The Couric Watch – Don’t know if you’ve heard, but Katie Couric is taking over CBS News. Can you feel it? She hasn’t been on the air since leaving “Today” in late May – a move which, in itself, knocked off a crazy spiral of on-air musical chairs that continues to ripple across all aspects of TV news – but the media can’t get enough of watching and waiting for Katie Couric’s Sept. 5 debut in her new gig, as anchor and managing editor of “The CBS Evening News.” Various media websites and internet bloggers (including this one, I guess, now) have been breathlessly commenting on Couric’s every public utterance since May, and CBS has done a good job of keeping their new girl pretty close to the spotlight – taking her on a multi-city tour, announcing she’ll be doing a blog, reporting for “60 Minutes,” having her newscast simulcast on the web, etc., etc. But, as the date draws near, the big guns are just rolling out; if it’s possible, Katie is finally going mainstream media. She turned up on the cover of Parade last weekend, and she was front and center in USA Today this week. I’d expect a TV Guide cover – hell, maybe a Time cover: “She’s tanned, she’s rested, she’s ready,” like they did for David Letterman when he went from NBC to CBS – and People feature within the next couple of weeks, not to mention appearances on Letterman and with Larry King. America, can you wait? Observers are already buzzing over how she looks and what she’ll be wearing when she debuts, not to mention how she’ll impact the evening news race with Brian Williams and Charles Gibson. Does she have the gravitas? Will she be able to project personality? Will she show off her legs? Will she wear spike heels? Seriously. It’s more fun to talk about than any reality. With all this build-up, her actual debut on Sept. 5 is going to be a letdown. “I have to focus on the work and the new ideas that are percolating here at CBS,” Katie told USA Today. C’mon, Katie. You should at least be having as much fun as everyone else. The waiting is the greatest part.
2. “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” on A&E cable. I’m not a big KISS fan, though I respect the group’s legacy. Still, I have friends who still paint themselves up like demons and cats. And I’ve always had mixed emotions about Gene Simmons, the most famous of the KISS army, who’s now taken a page out of the Osbourne playbook with his behind-the-scenes reality show (featuring his “happily unmarried” partner, former Playmate Shannon Tweed and their teenage children, Nick and Sophie). I have to admit, I stumbled into a few back-to-back repeats of this 30-minute wonder during a Saturday afternoon mini-marathon. And I am entirely amused by Simmons and his brood, who seem to have a very natural, loving relationship down underneath all that makeup. Simmons’ ego can be a bit much to take at times, but he seems to be willing to laugh at himself throughout the series’ contrived situations. Best of yet, his non-wife and kids seem to be able to laugh at him, too. It reminds me of the way my cousins and Aunt Susan make fun of Uncle David. (Simmons' son, Nick, even does a kick-ass Gene Simmons voice impersonation.) New episodes are seen Monday nights, I think. It just debuted a couple of weeks ago. Mini-dot rating: •••
3. Jergens New! Natural Glow Moisturizer. Talk about a Godsend! Well, short of the actual sun, that is. A few years ago, I was rubbing that Neutrogena Sunless Tanning lotion all over myself, so desperate was I to get that summer glow without actually venturing into the sun. Result? I over-rubbed, basically, and in the space of about 10 days I turned my feet orange – kind of a glowing, Martian orange – and didn’t feel comfortable going without socks for about two years. Then I saw that babe Julie Bowen (my favorite part of “Ed” and one of my favorite parts of “Boston Legal,” not to mention that she’s Jack’s ex-wife in “Lost”) doing commercials for the Neutrogena follow-up: MicroMist Tanning. And, thank the good lord above, this seemed like the answer: “No orange hands!,” (as Julie pointed out in the commercials) and for me, “No orange feet!” So I was spraying that around for a summer or two and it seemed to work pretty well, until I discovered that the backs of my feet (mainly around the ankles) and toenails were turning a kind of sickening, maybe-it’s-the-flu orange, like a dirt stain that wouldn’t go away. After people laughed and laughed and I began wearing cowboy boots with my shorts, a friend introduced me to the Jergens New! Natural Glow Moisturizer, which seems like – if you rub it on regularly and remember to exfoliate – it provides a much more natural glow than that Martian shit. I’ve been pleased – in my shower, anyway. I still haven’t gotten around to taking my boots and socks off in public. (I buy the one for medium skin tones, by the way. I am not fucking shy.)
4. “Tim McGraw” by Taylor Swift. This 16-year-old wunderkind has come up with a song Carrie Underwood’s team of writers couldn’t stumble into if they drank all the moonshine in Nashville: It’s a sentimental look at summer romance gone by, all set to the memory of a Tim McGraw song. A bit of a minx, Swift co-wrote the song and stars in the video, which is quickly making an impression on GAC and CMT. It’s about heartbreak and memories, with the metaphor being the Tim McGraw song (never specifically named) Taylor and her dim-bulb boyfriend used to dance to by the lake. Sure, it’s country and nostalgic – but it’s also a hot video and well conceived angle for a new country song. Tim McGraw has now entered the pantheon of George Strait, Merle Haggard and Chris LeDoux: Other songwriters are now name-checking him during their own lyrics. Get on iTunes and download “Tim McGraw.” It’s 99 cents, and it will make you smile with memories of your own innocent days. (Whether or not they happened to include making out with a foxy little blonde singer down by a lake is really your problem. Songs can only do so much.)
5. “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” MSNBC cable. Olbermann is about as mercurial as they come, and his vaunted career (that began in sports) – L.A. local sports, CNN, ESPN, CNBC, etc., etc. – has been somewhat jumpy in the past decade or so. He’s the New York guy who doesn’t drive, the L.A. bachelor who doesn’t date and the sports guy with erudite opinions. That’s why I think he’s found his mark – after a couple of years of studying the pitching – with “Countdown,” making more and more noise this year as a alternative to that fucking Bill O’Reilly on Fox News and making hay by tweaking jackasses like O’Reilly and Ann Coultier, that fucking conservative crazy bitch who basically has nothing to say. Olbermann’s format – counting backwards to forwards, his dumbest stories first – and irreverent approach are perfectly served in the “Countdown” format, making for a lively and wry hour, filled with Olbermann’s intelligence, wit and – more and more, especially when it comes to the O’Reillys and Coultiers of the world – passion, rarely seen in his sporting guise. I still think Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann were the best-ever team on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” especially back in the Sunday-night day. But Keith expands his depth, and breadth, in “Countdown.” It’s one helluva ride, and well worth joining.
6. “Hips Don’t Lie,” single (and video) by Shakira. I didn’t realize that Shakira’s “Oral Fixation Vol. 2” CD had come out late last year without the hit single “Hips Don’t Lie,” which was evidently recorded and added later, to a remixed version of the album. But who really cares? Because “Hips Don’t Lie,” by that smokin’ hot Colombian goddess, is such a catchy song – let’s not talk about the VH-1 video – that it makes up for any such oversights. “Shakira, Shakira,” sings Wyclef Jean. “I never really knew that she could dance like this. She makes a man want to speak Spanish.” (It rhymes in context.) And then Shakira sings, “Oh, baby when you talk like that, you make a woman go mad … I’m on tonight and though my hips don’t lie and I’m starting to feel this way…” And then I go home, hot and bothered. And remember – this is just after the song. I’m not talking about the video, because whatever I say wouldn’t do it justice.
# # #
ON THE DOT: Now back in business (with a modified rating system) the “John Youngren Dot Com” blog (once known as “Pop Stew”) should be updated regularly. And remember, as always, this is just an exhibition; it is not a competition – so please, no wagering. To contact John, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com
Sunday, August 13, 2006
SIX ON THE DOT: (6 things I’m into this week...)
By JOHN YOUNGREN
1. “California Girls” music video, by Gretchen Wilson. The song itself wasn’t a particular favorite of mine when I first heard it (off Wilson’s “All Jacked Up” CD, released late last year), but the video – ah, the video – is another matter indeed. Liberally showing off her newly buff, tanned body, Wilson’s a knockout in this summer beach romp. My favorite part? When she shows off her “dirty dancing to Merle” moves wearing nothing but short shorts, a cowboy hat, a bikini top and cowboy boots. That’s how they do it in Dixie. Smoking. The woman who once sang, “I may not be a 10 but the boys say I clean up good” was never more out of order.
2. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” complete fifth season DVD, with Larry David. It had its moments, but I must confess I was never a particular fan of the fourth season of David’s groundbreaking HBO show. Somehow, Larry starring in “The Producers” on Broadway seemed to be far away from this show’s central snarky conceit. But with season five, it’s clear Larry found Larry again, and his self-absorbed neurosis and unlucky penchant for putting his foot in his mouth (that damn racist dog!) make every episode a gem.
3. Ambien. Sleeping medication. I’ve long had a policy that I can’t get on an airplane (even a one- or two-hour flight) without four magazines and a book I’m halfway through. So even these extreme stories of restrictions in the wake of new terrorism (no carry-ons, nothing but wallets and tickets and prescription drugs) have me quavering. There’s no way I could sit on a fucking flight and re-read the goddamn “In Flight” catalogue for more than 11 minutes on the concourse. While I prefer Lorazepam, all my friends who have regularly downed Ambien prior to jumping onto flights may be more right than ever.
4. Christina Aguilera, “Ain’t No Other Man” single. This is what ITunes is all about – 99 cents well spent. Despite my inclusion of her hit single “Beautiful” on a mix CD I made a few years ago, I’m no huge fan of “Xtina,” though I like her look and at least some of her music. But her new “Ain’t No Other Man” single (and sort of, its video) has me captivated, more for its bump-and-grind beat and bigger-than-she vocals than anything else. I doubt I’ll buy “Back to Basics,” her new double CD. But pop in the strutting single, “Ain’t No Other Man,” (“just do your thing, baby”) and race me to the dance floor, Mister. Or MIssy.
5. “Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip” previews. I’ve got to admit it – no network show has my brain racing like this one, the Aaron Sorkin-produced and created drama about life behind the scenes of a “Saturday Night Live”-type of show on big network TV. Sorkin, the brilliant mind behind “The West Wing” and “Sports Night” (two of my favorite shows, period, ever) surely writes about what he knows when it comes to network politics and star histrionics in a show-biz scenario. The dialogue and scenes look snappy, in the know and funny. And the cast? Matthew Perry. Bradley Whitford. Amanda Peet, Amanda Peet, Amanda Peet. Steven Weber. Judd HIrsch. Oh, and Amanda Peet. I don’t know if it can carry, but I’ll be there for “Studio’s” opening night.
6. “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles,” by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey, Gotham Books, 374 pages, $26. It came out earlier this year, and a friend recommended I pick it up, given my long fascination with all things Fab Four. And this is basically a book by, as the jacket emphasizes, “the innovative recording engineer [Emerick] who recorded the Beatles’ greatest albums.” Turns out, as Emerick insists, that he was the guy who convinced the Beatles to call the album “Sgt. Pepper,” not “Captain Salt.” Emerick insisted the Beatles stay a foursome, even after they wanted to add a second drummer and a female backup singer. And it was he – no one else – who invented Abbey Road, the Beatles’ recording studio. That Geoff. He even told John to concentrate on writing the music and Ringo to stick to drums. All of the above? Not really. Emerick’s claims strike you as too much, but they’re really pretty pedestrian. (He figured out where to put a microphone to get the best sound out of Paul’s bass during “Revolver.” Big fucking deal.) He does take a lot of credit for the Beatles' mid-career, groundbreaking sound (from “Revolver” through “Abbey Road,” though he grumbles along the way), which is made more palatable by his behind-the-scenes anecdotes and recording session war stories from back in the day.
# # #
Now back in business (with a modified rating system) the “John Youngren Dot Com” blog (once known as “Pop Stew”) should be updated regularly. No wagering, however. To contact John, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com
By JOHN YOUNGREN
1. “California Girls” music video, by Gretchen Wilson. The song itself wasn’t a particular favorite of mine when I first heard it (off Wilson’s “All Jacked Up” CD, released late last year), but the video – ah, the video – is another matter indeed. Liberally showing off her newly buff, tanned body, Wilson’s a knockout in this summer beach romp. My favorite part? When she shows off her “dirty dancing to Merle” moves wearing nothing but short shorts, a cowboy hat, a bikini top and cowboy boots. That’s how they do it in Dixie. Smoking. The woman who once sang, “I may not be a 10 but the boys say I clean up good” was never more out of order.
2. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” complete fifth season DVD, with Larry David. It had its moments, but I must confess I was never a particular fan of the fourth season of David’s groundbreaking HBO show. Somehow, Larry starring in “The Producers” on Broadway seemed to be far away from this show’s central snarky conceit. But with season five, it’s clear Larry found Larry again, and his self-absorbed neurosis and unlucky penchant for putting his foot in his mouth (that damn racist dog!) make every episode a gem.
3. Ambien. Sleeping medication. I’ve long had a policy that I can’t get on an airplane (even a one- or two-hour flight) without four magazines and a book I’m halfway through. So even these extreme stories of restrictions in the wake of new terrorism (no carry-ons, nothing but wallets and tickets and prescription drugs) have me quavering. There’s no way I could sit on a fucking flight and re-read the goddamn “In Flight” catalogue for more than 11 minutes on the concourse. While I prefer Lorazepam, all my friends who have regularly downed Ambien prior to jumping onto flights may be more right than ever.
4. Christina Aguilera, “Ain’t No Other Man” single. This is what ITunes is all about – 99 cents well spent. Despite my inclusion of her hit single “Beautiful” on a mix CD I made a few years ago, I’m no huge fan of “Xtina,” though I like her look and at least some of her music. But her new “Ain’t No Other Man” single (and sort of, its video) has me captivated, more for its bump-and-grind beat and bigger-than-she vocals than anything else. I doubt I’ll buy “Back to Basics,” her new double CD. But pop in the strutting single, “Ain’t No Other Man,” (“just do your thing, baby”) and race me to the dance floor, Mister. Or MIssy.
5. “Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip” previews. I’ve got to admit it – no network show has my brain racing like this one, the Aaron Sorkin-produced and created drama about life behind the scenes of a “Saturday Night Live”-type of show on big network TV. Sorkin, the brilliant mind behind “The West Wing” and “Sports Night” (two of my favorite shows, period, ever) surely writes about what he knows when it comes to network politics and star histrionics in a show-biz scenario. The dialogue and scenes look snappy, in the know and funny. And the cast? Matthew Perry. Bradley Whitford. Amanda Peet, Amanda Peet, Amanda Peet. Steven Weber. Judd HIrsch. Oh, and Amanda Peet. I don’t know if it can carry, but I’ll be there for “Studio’s” opening night.
6. “Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles,” by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey, Gotham Books, 374 pages, $26. It came out earlier this year, and a friend recommended I pick it up, given my long fascination with all things Fab Four. And this is basically a book by, as the jacket emphasizes, “the innovative recording engineer [Emerick] who recorded the Beatles’ greatest albums.” Turns out, as Emerick insists, that he was the guy who convinced the Beatles to call the album “Sgt. Pepper,” not “Captain Salt.” Emerick insisted the Beatles stay a foursome, even after they wanted to add a second drummer and a female backup singer. And it was he – no one else – who invented Abbey Road, the Beatles’ recording studio. That Geoff. He even told John to concentrate on writing the music and Ringo to stick to drums. All of the above? Not really. Emerick’s claims strike you as too much, but they’re really pretty pedestrian. (He figured out where to put a microphone to get the best sound out of Paul’s bass during “Revolver.” Big fucking deal.) He does take a lot of credit for the Beatles' mid-career, groundbreaking sound (from “Revolver” through “Abbey Road,” though he grumbles along the way), which is made more palatable by his behind-the-scenes anecdotes and recording session war stories from back in the day.
# # #
Now back in business (with a modified rating system) the “John Youngren Dot Com” blog (once known as “Pop Stew”) should be updated regularly. No wagering, however. To contact John, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com
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