The Countdown, Day 11

Another short and sweet entry today as I try to finish recuperating from this nasty stomach bug that has absolutely wrecked me the last couple of days. I thought today's song - "Daydreamin'" by Lupe Fiasco - was appropriate since that is about all I've been able to do for some time now.

Still, I do find myself dreaming about Bonnaroo and seeing such diverse acts as Lupe Fiasco. As mentioned earlier this week, Lupe is currently on the Kanye West Glow in the Dark tour and will follow Mr. West to Manchester for the festival. Given the fact that his first hit was the skateboarding masterpiece "Kick, Push", I shouldn't be surprised that Lupe was up for performing a set for the Roo crowd. I look forward for to seeing his show as I liked his debut album Food & Liquor quite a bit. If you like the slick production of a Kanye mixed with the "alternative" rap of Jurassic 5, you should like Lupe Fiasco.

"Daydreamin'" was a Grammy winner for Lupe and collaborator Jill Scott at this years awards. It's also a "hey, I know that song" winner due to it's use in a current cell phone campaign. Today, I offer it up as a download. Don't say I never gave you people anything!

Daydreamin' - Lupe Fiasco

Times Like These

It's time like these that I know that I love Dave Grohl. And I am not talking about a "he's kind of cool, I bet we could hang" kind of love. I have full on bro love for the guy. C'mon, in the last week alone he calls out Metallica and tells basically tells them not to put out another shitty album and that he is available to record the drum tracks (take that Lars, you pompous son of a gun!) And today, the Smoking Gun website posts this hilarious rider from the band.

Do yourself a favor and read it. Experience the hilarity and develop your man love crush on Dave and the Foo too.

The Countdown, Day 10

Keeping it short and sweet today, kind of like the song we are featuring. Today's artist is Rilo Kiley, brainchild of two former child actors - Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett. Never heard of them? Me either, until every article on this band mentioned their thespian background. The band broke out this year with their album Under the Blacklight and today's song is their second single from this disc, "Silver Lining". Enjoy.

Links, Links, Links

Ah, it's Tuesday so it must be time for another batch of links. This time, I am fighting through the worst case of food poisoning/stomach flu that I have ever experienced in order to bring you want you want. You can thank me later.

It appears to be official. One of the worst kept secrets in Hollywood is out and Jimmy Fallon will be stepping in Conan O'Brien's massive shoes as host of "Late Night" when NBC finally puts Leno out to pasture in 2009. I have no doubt that Conan will be successful on "The Tonight Show", but Fallon? Who knows?

Thank goodness that the CW didn't blow it. "Reaper" has been renewed!

So I got an email from Slick yesterday about this turd being green lighted by Hollywood. Seriously? "Hot Tub Time Machine"??? I guess Slick and I need to get cracking on that long gestating screenplay of ours because movie studios are sounding desperate.

Narrow Stairs, the new disc from Death Cab from Cutie, drops today in a store near you. Want to hear it before you buy it? Thanks to AOL, you can listen to the whole album. Sounds like a winner to me.

It's official. John Mayer is officially a male gigolo. He and Jennifer Aniston are a couple according to E! Let's look at his lists of conquests, shall we? Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Simpson, Nicole Scherzinger, "Friday Night Lights" Minka Kelly. Whether you like his music or not, the dude is a player! And who knew that he had a sleeve of tattoos?

Speaking of Jessica Simpson lovers, Tony Romo should keep his day job. This performance at Wrigley on Sunday made even Mike Ditka sound like Pavarotti.

You know after the often silly and – dare I say it – boring aspects of the last 3 Star Wars movies, I should not be excited for this. But, darn it, once I hear John Williams' score, the little kid in me comes alive and the fanboy in me resurfaces. Plus, I love the look on my 3 year olds face when he sees Yoda.

Oh good Lord! Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon might be gay, but her girlfriend is definitely a DUDE.

And finally, I am digging the ingenuity shown in the Dick Trickle All-Stars. Yahoo put together the list of MLB players with names that belong on the NASCAR circuit. Buck Coats and Jimmy Gobble have got to be straight out of Darlington.

I Want to Believe

I think the tag line for the new X-Files movie pretty much sums up my thoughts on it. I want to believe. It's not that I want to believe in aliens, monsters, and ghosts. I just want to believe that this movie sequel is not going to be a waste of my time. I mean, it comes ten years after the release of the first movie and a decade is a long time. It comes 7 years after the show went off the air. Still, I want to believe. I want Duchovny and Anderson to still have that chemistry. I want the movie to still creep me out. I want this not to be a waste of my time.



But what I think I want more than anything is not the closure that some fans are looking for from this franchise. I simply want a good X-Files story. Give me something on par with The Fluke Man or the creepy inbred family. Give me some meat and potatoes - something that will creep me out and leave me entertained. Give me a reason to remember why I LOVED this show, before it got consumed in the muck and the mire of it's own conspiracy theories and red herrings. Make me believe.

Anyone excited for this?

You know, maybe it has been way too long since the finale of the abbreviated "Season 2" aired, but I am just not excited about the new teaser trailer for "Heroes".





Is it really a good idea to do something like this in May? I know it was created and disseminated in order to keep the brand name out in the public eye, but 1) it's not that good of a trailer, 2) it's still 4 months from the fall debut, and 3) it doesn't do anything to pique the viewers curiosity. Perhaps Tim Kring, Jeph Loeb, etc will rope me back in with superb story telling a la LOST last year, but I have to admit to being "meh" about the show right now.

Your thoughts?

The Countdown, Day 9

"George Bush hates black people."

Man, oh man, our featured performer of the day has never lived down those post Katrina words in the eyes of most Americans. His political ranting aside, Kanye West is part of what makes today's hip-hop great, especially to white America. And let's face it, he will be performing (a bold choice, I might add) in front of a 99% white crowd at this year's Bonnaroo. Currently on the road with his "Glow in the Dark" tour, Kanye and tour mate, Lupe Fiasco, are making a detour to Manchester after the tour wraps up in Cincy on June 13th.

No matter what you think of him and his eccentric ways, Mr. West has done nothing but bring the hits since his debut album (and even before that, as a producer on Jay-Z's The Blueprint). And, from all accounts, his current tour has to be seen to be believed. Filled with enough laser lights to make stoner Pink Floyd fans happy, the glow in the dark extravaganza is one the I look forward to experiencing.

Today's track is "Good Life" from his current album, Graduation.

The Countdown, Day 8

How in the world do I follow up near kiddie porn pictures of Scott Baio, you might be asking yourself. Well, how about we go 180 degrees and head to Texas. The father of "outlaw country" will be gracing Bonnaroo with his presence this year. Willie Nelson - who is 75 years old this year (and finally the age that he looks) - is still going strong and will be on stage to show all of us neo-hippies what a real hippie and Texan is made of.

Willie has lived a full life (4 wives and 7 kids) full of lots of touring, boozing, and weed but also of accolades (10 Grammy's), success (21 number one hits), and honors (the man has a Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor named after him for crying out loud!) For our selection today, I thought I would show Willie's diversity. The man that written for Patsy Cline, Julio Iglesias, Dolly Parton, and Ray Charles is no stranger to trying new things, but this tune was unexpected when he put this cover on his 2006 Ryan Adams produced disc Songbird.

Here is his creative take on the Leonard Cohen classic, "Hallelujah".

The Countdown, Day 7

The end of the first week of the countdown to Bonnaroo and we thought we would highlight another young and up and coming band, Vampire Weekend. Hipsters, their magazines, and their blogs fell head over heels in love with this New York City group who met while attending Columbia University. The bloggers first hailed Vampire Weekend as the next big thing and SPIN magazine followed up in March 2008 by naming them "The Year's Best New Band". To me, the best thing about the band is that the bassist, Chris Baio, is the nephew of Scott Baio. Chachi rules!

If you caught them on Lettermen or SNL, you might recognize this tune. This is their third single, "A-Punk". Not bad, not great in my opinion - tell me what you think in the comments if you feel so inclined.










Who ever said that a little Chachi doesn't brighten your day?

LOST Again

I am absolutely loving LOST these days. I really think the agreement at the end of last season to set an end date and fix the remaining number of hours was the best thing that could have happened to the show. The contract's in place, so they don't have to worry about rushing an ending to fit an early cancellation,nor do they have to tread water to satisfy a network that wants to keep milking the show endlessly. They can put the plot twists out there exactly as they want. And they've been awesome all season.

So what did we learn this week?

-Firstly, that John Locke really is as "chosen" as he's always believed himself to be.

-That, no matter how much it might have scared Richard Alpert, John's choice of the knife really was the right one. When Matthew Abbadon suggested John's Walkabout, he said, "Just you and a knife, and you learn what you're made of." The case of knives John took on walkabout enabled the castaways to hunt boar and survive. John used a knife to kill Naomi, an act he performed in service of protecting the island.

-That Richard Alpert is either ageless or a time traveler. I lean toward ageless, since he appeared the same in two time periods on the island (when recruiting young Ben away from Dharma, and in 2004). It is disappointing that Locke, upon meeting him on the island last season, didn't recognize him from the brief-but-memorable childhood visit.

-It's interesting that Locke's teacher insisted that John was born to be a man of science and Locke denied that destiny, since the show's dichotomy has long been"Man of Science, Man of Faith," between Jack and John.

-The conspiracy theorist fans who have always thought Jack's dad was a key to the island appear to be right,though he's not (apparently) Jacob. And now he has Claire with him, seeming calm, content, and kind of saucy, even after abandoning Aaron. Is she dead, like her father? I must say, after many, many episodes of Claire being kind of a cypher, I'm pumped to see where she fits into the mythology.

-Apparently, if you travel to the island on a proper heading (like the chopper crew, or Sayid), you can get there in real time. But if you approach randomly, like the body of the doctor, you'll slip in the timeline and arrive who-knows-when. Hmm.

-Move the island? Guess we know why everybody's always looking for it, and why Ben said Widmore would never find it (even though Widmore's boat already had).

-Locke owes Matthew Abbadon one, as threatened. Without Abbadon's suggestion of walkabout, Locke would never have come to his destiny on the island. But Abbadon put together at least part of the team that's attacking the island. So when Locke does see him again, will he be split between his loyalty to the island and his gratefulness to Abbadon?

-Is Abbadon really an enemy of the island? Clearly, Keamy is, and probably so is Widmore, but Abbadon has only been seen assembling the research team (Naomi,Charlotte, Daniel, Miles, Frank), some of whom (especially Frank) we have seen to be against Keamy's destructive nature. So maybe he's working against Widmore's interests, and on behalf of the island.

Who knows?

Okay, that's what I've got right now. What a mind scramble. Next week: part one of the two-night, three-hour finale! (The final two hours air two weeks later, on 5/29, because GREY'S ANATOMY has a two-hour finale scheduled for 5/22.)

-Slick

The Countdown, Day 6

Today's countdown to Bonnaroo entry is a funk and soul band that you would swear hailed from down south, but come straight out of Jersey. Led by Robert Randolph (naturally) and his amazing steel guitar work, Robert Randolph & The Family Band are billed for the festival as Robert Randloph's Revival; possibly a tip of the hat to Randolph's church roots. Are they holding church on Sunday? If so, count me in as a parishoner at the church of rock and funk.

Today's track is a favorite of mine from the 2003 release Unclassified. This is "I Need More Love" and I dare you not to tap your toe or shake your booty.

The Countdown, Day 5

Athens Georgia has produced some truly great bands over the years and a new favorite of mine are The Whigs. Just now breaking through on major rock outlets like Ethel (XM Radio), I discovered The Whigs a couple of months back courtesy of the PASTE Magazine new music sampler that featured our song of the day, "Right Hand over My Heart". And, thanks to my good buddy Carol, I followed that up with their first major label release, Mission Control. I've been hooked ever since.

With a vibe that falls somewhere between an excellent night at the bar and a major concert hall, I am excited about catching The Whigs on the first day at Bonnaroo.

Links, Links, Links

Time to catch you folks up with a ton of links because I just know you would be lost in this great big interweb without The Outfield to point you in the right direction. Let's get started:

Mindy McCready continues her publicity tour at Roger Clemens expense, but guess what? No new album sales! Love it.

Just who is gay in the hip-hop world? Former MTV producer Terrence Dean is about to sell you some dirt in his new book. I love it when you call me big poppa!

Soldiers demand their porn and quasi porn! For heaven's sake, give these men some boobies to look at while they avoid mines and suicide bombers.

In a music video mood? Turn to the only place left to actually watch a video – the internet. Here is Rolling Stone's Top 25 fan picked videos of 2007 .

Move over Coldplay and don't bogart the heroin because Amy Winehouse is here. Amazon announced that Winehouse's Back to Black has replaced Chris Martin & Co.'s X&Y as its top selling CD of all time. Looking at the rest of Amazon's top 10, one thing is perfectly clear – only white people buy CD's from Amazon.

What was the best way to sneak booze into this year's Kentucky Derby? How about the Booze sandwich? Desperation + Alcoholism = Genius

How bad is it for Chicago's southsiders? The White Sox have resorted to blow-up dolls in their pregame preparations. Anyone surprised this, er…blew up on them??? Gives a new meaning to the term slump buster.

Everyone knows the vile hilarity of tshirthell.com. If you like them, try Shirt Pervert. If everyone chips in, we can buy Graven this for Christmas.

Holy leak photos, Batman! Warner Brothers and Christopher Nolan must be freaking out about the leaked photos of Aaron Eckhart's Two Face character from the upcoming Batman: The Dark Knight. BTW, can we say how freaking excited we are for this movie?

Of course, the new Batman flick comes hot on the heels of the supremely awesome Iron Man movie that absolutely crushed the competition at the box office last weekend. Excellent casting, great acting, seamless CGI effects. It was orgasmic to this comic geek. And, good news, the sequel is on the way!

Apatow & Mayer

That kooky John Mayer is bound and determined to get all of America to like him, including Slick. Check out this video from Funny or Die where Mayer videos his music making process. Watch out for the obligatory Kristen Bell sighting.

The Countdown, Day 4

Day 4 and the countdown to Bonnaroo rolls on with the newest track from Death Cab for Cutie. This Washington state group is about to release its fourth album Narrow Stairs next week on Tuesday May 13th. The first single "I Will Possess Your Heart" is our featured track today and this is the album version with the crazy long extended intro. Love the bass line. MTV has already said that Death Cab has gone insane with the new album (as evidenced by the intro here) and that Narrow Stairs is already a contender for album of the year. Good to hear!

Why so serious?

This has to be seen to be believed. Someone out there in YouTube Nation has managed to put together a Lego-animated version of the Dark Knight trailer (the one that's been running a while, not the brand-new one that premiered this weekend):

Very impressive.

The Countdown, Day 3

Here comes a track from one of my favorite bands of the last 2 years, The Raconteurs. Co-fronted by The White Stripes' Jack White and under appreciated singer/songwriter Brendan Benson, The Raconteurs bring the rock like few bands today. A nice blend of White and Benson's styles, the songs ebb back and forth from garage to southern rock and to intimate songs that both White and Benson excel at. Their vocals mesh seemlessly, giving the band a unique sound.

Today's song is the new single from The Raconteurs, "Salute Your Solution".

The Countdown, Day 2

Today's featured Bonnaroo performer is one that I know very little about, to be quite honest - MGMT. Their debut record has been labeled as a solid debut of sweet, experimental, psychedelic electro-pop. I cannot really define the sound that comes from this group (who happen to be Wesleyan grads I just read), but I do dig this song that I always seem to catch on Ethel on XM Radio. Performing on the opening Thursday of Bonnaroo, they are a band I looked forward to catching enough off to see if they are for real or just another product of the hype machine.

So give "Time to Pretend" by MGMT a spin and tell us what you think.

People vs. FHM

FHM’s annual poll of the top 100 Sexiest Women in the World has been released as has People's Top 100 Beautiful People. Now, while we all know these lists are highly subjective and are aimed at two totally different demographics when it comes to sales, how in the world can the opinions differ this much?

FHM has "Transformers" star Megan Fox down as its sexiest women while Kate Hudson is tabbed by People as the most beautiful. While I have not seen the complete lists nor the issues themeselves, I am willing to bet Fox is not listed at all in People and Hudson probably didn't crack FHM's top 25.

There are undoubtedly some question marks on both lists. FHM claims that almost nine million votes were cast for the magazine’s 14th annual poll with Kim Kardashian ranked #17, Paris Hilton placed at #77, and Britney Spears coming in last at #100. People's list (compiled by editors and staff) has such notable "hotties" as Sarah Silverman and Rumer Willis!!!!!

Take a minute and tell us what you think. Ladies - is Kate just too wholesome and natural a beauty? Is Fox sexy or trashy? Do you agree with their rankings? Let us know.

Let the 'Roo Countdown Begin

We here at The Outfield will be on hiatus from June 12-15th in order to have one final summer send off to our youth. For four days, we will be descending into the unbathed, patchouli smelling masses that will inhabit a farm in Manchester TN for the concert du jour known as Bonnaroo. In an effort to get you as excited as we are, we will be posting tracks from the various acts who will be gracing us with their presence at the 'Roo.

To start things off, we are going to head up to the cold & rainy Northwest; to Seattle specifically. Pearl Jam (long time faves of The Outfield nation) will be headlining the festival this year and are primed for an epic marathon set late into the Tennessee Saturday night. So let's sit back and listen to an under appreciated cult classic from the PJ boys - "Present Tense".

Talk Derby to Me

Ah, Derby. The official holiday of the state of Kentucky. We here at the Outfield would be remiss if we didn't offer up a steaming helping of Derby related links for our faithful readers (all 5 of you). So with no further delay, here are your must read links for this Derby Weekend.

From our friends at The Sports Hernia, a look at some of the best chapeaus found at Churchill Downs. I likes me some #5.

From ESPN.com, an updated version of the fantastic 2006 guide to the Derby Infield, a guide to the Southern horse racin' vernacular, and a Derby A-Z

And the always good read, Deadspin, offers up their One-Stop Kentucky Derby Guide.

And finally, the always classy Frank Deford offers up his commentary courtesy of NPR's Morning Edition.

So, place your bets folks (I am going with Gayego), try not to tear up when you hear "My Old Kentucky Home", and enjoy the run for the roses.

It's Always the Quiet Ones

I swear, this has been a bonkers day. BONK-AIRS. First, it's Dwayne Wade having to deny that his doing to super nasty with Star Jones (ewwww, that's super nasty). Then this news about Marvin Harrision, Indianapolis Colts star wide receiver and, by all media reports, an all around swell dude. Now, he's a wanted man. From ESPN.com:

"The source said the alleged victim came into the bar, Playmakers, about 5 p.m. and engaged in an argument with Harrison, who was at the bar. The victim then left the bar, heading to his car, with Harrison following. Gunfire broke out, the victim was hit in the hand, and a young girl was slightly injured by flying glass from a car that apparently was hit by a bullet.

Police came to scene, but the victim did not identify a shooter. On Wednesday, according to the source, ballistic tests showed that the gun that had fired the shots was a custom-made Belgian weapon, and police determined that Harrison owned such a gun. A source told ESPN.com's John Clayton that the gun is registered.

Police then went to a Philadelphia car wash owned by Harrison to question him about the gun. Harrison admitted owning such a weapon, but claimed it never left his suburban Philadelphia home.

However, the source said the gun was discovered in a bucket at the car wash, and tests showed that it had fired seven bullets that matched those found at the scene.

The source said police were contacted Friday by an attorney representing a second alleged victim in the shooting, and police are now waiting for that individual to come forward."

So, for the record: Shot a brother, used a rare gun that practically no one else in the city would own and that is registered to him, fled the scene, lied to police when questioned, and finally, stupid enough to not get rid of the gun. Woowee, move over Pac Man Jones and Chris Henry!

Free Funny Books

For 5 years, Free Comic Book Day has been a celebration of the industry and a way to draw in new readers. The event gets bigger every year and is now reaching a surprising amount of readers. It's estimated that approximately 500,000 people attended FCBD last year, and this year, the event will take place in nearly 2,000 comic book stores in 38 countries, with almost 2.2 million comics available to give away. You can read more in this article from Newsarama. You can also find more at the official FCBD website.

So it's more than just a big deal to me. Take a moment tomorrow and discover your inner kid with a free comic book. Did I mention it was FREE!

Rolling Stone Names Bonnaroo Best Festival

BEST FESTIVAL
Bonnaroo


Coachella might have Cameron Diaz in the VIP tent, and Lollapalooza might draw more fans, but Bonnaroo — where 80,000 congregate each summer in the wilds of Manchester, Tennessee — is the ultimate over-the-top summer festival. (The seventh edition kicks off June 12th, with Metallica, Pearl Jam and Jack Johnson.) From the freewheeling camping area — where you can buy everything from moonshine to mescaline — to legendary sets by everyone from Wilco to Ornette Coleman, Bonnaroo is super-fan-friendly. And artists love it too. "We've played at noon — that was hot and crazy and scary — and we've played on Sunday, when everyone was fried from partying," says My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James. Last year, Phil Lesh camped out in his RV, and this year, the Kings of Leon will drive down from Nashville even though they're not on the bill. "We make it a point to go down there with a whole posse of friends," says James, whose band will play a late-night set following Metallica and Chris Rock. If that trio doesn't sell you on Bonnaroo, listen to Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips: "I like Coachella and Lollapalooza, but as far as the magnitude and the weirdness, Bonnaroo is the one." AUSTIN SCAGGS

Well Said Tom

This is from Marvel Comics editor extraordinaire, Tom Breevort.

"For years, one of the major goals of comics fandom in general was gaining acceptance for the art form, getting to a point where reading a comic book in public wouldn't mark you as some kind of intellectual defective. And maybe I'm just feeling upbeat coming out of the New York show, but I think that, in large measure, we've made it.

At this point, comics and comic book derived properties rule the roost in terms of popular culture. A glance at this summer's slate of blockbuster movies proves it. And where at one time you might find one or two books of comics-derived material haphazardly tossed in among the humor section in your local bookstore, nowadays there isn't a bookseller who doesn't stock a wide selection of trade paperbacks, hardcovers and books about comics. And that's not even factoring in manga.

The free-flow of creators back and forth from more respectable media has helped to legitimize comics as well. With people like Joss Whedon, Brad Meltzer, Jonathan Lethem, Orson Scott Card, Kevin Smith, Jodi Picoult, J. Michael Straczynski, Stephen King and others of that caliber all contributing work on a more and more regular basis, it's become all the more difficult for anybody to denigrate the work we do. And the flipside is true, too, as filmmakers pull more and more of their inspiration more and more obviously from comic book stylings (and creators such as Frank Miller are beginning to become known as much for their motion picture directing chops as their graphic novel work.)

Magazines like Entertainment Weeky have begun covering comic book news on a regular basis, and with the same sort of zeal they'd apply to movies or television programs. And sites like MySpace are actively seeking out exclusive preview content, as they've realized how it can drive eyeballs and attention to where they are.

Now, it's not all sweetness and light, of course, and not every single person has gotten the message. But the penetration of the material we produce has become widespread and mainstream to a degree we could only dream about when I started in the business eighteen years ago. There's still plenty to do--including conquering the inevitable switch to digital media that's looming in the future of every company that produces entertainment of any sort. But some genuine strides have been made, and the future looks bright.

Heck, just take a look at this enormous banner of the Iron Man movie that's hanging from Madison Square Garden. Tell me there's somebody in this city that doesn't know this movie is coming--and that it's based on a Marvel comic.

More later.

Tom B

I couldn't have said it better myself. Viva the comic book geek revolution!