Weekend Music - White Stripes and The Gossip

I've got two videos for you today. One is from an all-time favorite band and the other is from a 'supa-hot right now' band from the UK that I thought I'd share.

First, is the new cut from the White Stripes. It's been my long held theory that Jack White will go down in music lore as being a freaking genius. This is kinda a creepy video, but the music is incredible. It's off the impending album of the same name as this cut - which is due to drop on June 19th.

White Stripes - Icky Thump



The next cut is from a UK band called The Gossip. A band which is making waves right now for the controversial cover of their lead singer, Beth Ditto.

Here's the second video for their hit Listen Up - it's been remixed to be a bit more Club Friendly (great cut for a work-out mix - jeez, I can't believe I just said that...I'm apparently that girl now) The original version is a tad more melancholy.

The Gossip - Listen Up

Liza on Huffington Post!!

I was offered an amazing opportunity to start blogging for the newly vamped Huffington Post and today my first entry was posted.

(If you don't want to know my political views, don't click on the link....)

And I'll post more obscure music tomorrow! I know youall can't wait!!!

Miss USA falls on her butt

I heard about Miss USA's slip on the radio and was prepared to write a short item about insane fashion standards. Why are women supposedly their most beautiful only when they are unable to actually walk?

I was going to rant about heels and lash out at overly restrictive gowns.

After watching the video, however, I have to say I am obsessed with another thought. What a graceful fall! And look at how she pops right up! I don't get up that smoothly when wearing sweats and sitting on the floor watching TV!

So it's off to pilates for me.

I actually mention a taped spill in my first novel, Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle. The princess first begins to realize she has an image problem after she takes a spectacular spill down the stairs wearing a ballgown. (They start calling her Dizzy Izzy.) Needless to say her fall was not nearly this graceful.

Weekend Music: Hello, Long Weekend!

I'm going back to my obscure band ways - I can't help myself...

But, this time I'm going to post one song for the video, one obscure one and one for your Memorial Day pleasures.

The first is more a whole piece of art - less about the music, more about the story of the video. You've got Goran Visnjic, that's a win. You've got Ian Astbury, lead singer of The Cult on vocals. And you've got this kind of literal apocalyptic thing going on about broken hearts and such.

UNKLE (feat. Ian Astbury)- Burn My Shadow



Next - the obscure bit. This is one of my obsessions right now (next to The National, which I can't get enough of). The lead singer is Finn Andrews and he's got such a whole thing going on - it's that intangible 'something'. Give a listen - and find The National if you can...

The Veils - Calliope


And the last - so I go online and google "top summer songs" and I keep getting either Kokomo or Boys of Summer. I can't bring myself to even view Kokomo for the love of god - John Stamos, wtf?! So, here's Boys of Summer - just because there's this one part in this video that ever since I was a teen, whenever this part came on:

"Out on the road today, I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.
A little voice inside my head said "Don't look back, you can never look back."
I thought I knew what love was. What did I know?
Those days are gone forever. I should just let them go but..."

I would look behind me. Just 'cause. Still do to this day...it's a nice compulsion I've given myself. Like the one where I tapped the car ceiling when I went through a yellow light. I've rid myself of that one...through months and months of aversion therapy. But, this one...the 'don't look back, you can never look back'one...I'm stuck with foreverrrrrr.

Boys of Summer - Don Henley

Hot "Nerd" Boys

One of my guilty pleasures is reading VH-1's Best Week Ever blog. When I happened upon it recently their blogger Michelle Collins (whom I love for her adoration of The Office) had thankfully compiled a list of the hottest of the hot nerd boys.

Below is Michelle Collins' list of the original 15 Hot Nerds:

15. Hugh Laurie
Nothing says “sexy” like a Cambridge graduate who made his name primarily as a comedic actor, starring alongside Rowan Atkinson on the legendary show Blackadder, who has somehow managed to catapult himself to stateside fame on his hit show House. Plus, he suffers from clinical depression… and if there’s one thing a smart girl loves, it’s a guy who’s really f**ked in the brain.

14. Topher Grace.
This lanky teen with the huge, thirsty eyes became an overnight success as the funny, wry Eric Forman on That 70’s Show. And even when he’s playing a sort of minor d-bag, as he did in In Good Company, he underlying hipsterness still proudly shines through. Bonus fact: When he was little, Chloe Sevigny was his babysitter. You don’t get much more cool indie cred that that.

13. The South Park Guys.
Who wouldn’t want to be the meat in between these toasted heroes? The duo, made up of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, manage to combine that “maniac genius vibe” (Towelie, anybody?) with a pinch of “we don’t take ourselves too seriously” — and throw that combination into an old-timey computer, punch some buttons, wait 15 minutes, and you know what the little receipt at the end of the process is going to read? Sexy.

12. Donald Faison.
Most of you first fell in love with Donald as Dionne’s ultra-supportive boyfy Murray in the 1995 classic Clueless. But as Dr. Turk on the hit show Scrubs, he manages to reach Zach Braff’s level of zaniness without all that added smarminess. And while his current relationship with former Jessica Simpson assistant CaCee Cobb is nearly enough to throw him off of that list, his grin won us over and, well, here he is.

11. Flight of the Conchords.
2 Men. 2 Guitars. 2 New Zealand accents. 2 Shaggy haircuts An upcoming series on HBO. Multiply those numbers together and you get: 2 Hot Hot Nerdy Crushes. Add them as Myspace friends, send them a million love comments, and check out their HBO pilot here.

10. Jason Schwartzman.
DUHHH. Possibly one of the most classic nerd crushed of all time. Do you remember that feeling you got after watching Rushmore, that light, fuzzy feeling inside where you just couldn’t stop thinking about him all. the. time., then you go home to stalk him online, your little secret discovery man, only to find out his mom was in Rocky and his Uncle is Francy Ford Coppy? That was funny. In the meantown, this tiny, sweet-faced actor has left us begging for more, churning out only a couple of movies over the past few years (stay tuned for The Darjeeling Limited). But hey — he’s in a band! Hott.

9. Will Arnett.
One of the most hilarious men who used to be on the best television show. Funny in interviews. Tall. Amazing voice. Married (boo) to a hilarious lady (yay). And yes, his show was cancelled. But Arnett fans need to seriously chill: HE HAS 17 UPCOMING PROJECTS. But to us, he will always be Gob.

8. Mos Def.
An incredible rapper, and an equally astounding actor, we’ve come to know and love that sweet face under that shiny bald head. Also? He’s the only rapper that skateboards. Do we ♥ Mos Def? The answer is in his name.

7. Ewan McGregor.
Probably the flat-out hunkiest guy on this list, Ewan is a nerds dream come true. Let’s kick it off with the fact that he played a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first three Star Wars movies. Nothing says hotness like a man so confident in his masculinity, he has no problems wearing skirts, or talking about package-enhancing underwear. Ewan is one of the few actors in the world who can freely make out with men on camera while wearing a speedskating costume made out of feathers, and yet manage to stay so, so very manly (like driving his motorcycle for months ag a time). He’ll also flash his wang at the drop of a hat, which is a plus.

6. Wes Anderson.
King of the nerds. That is all.

5. Louis Theroux.
Many of you may not be familiar with Louis Theroux, the Oxford educated son of author Paul Theroux who made a name for himself as a British television presenter. Many years ago, he made appearances on the Michael Moore show TV Nation, and briefly had a spot on Bravo with his show Weird Weekends, a weird combination of The Daily Show and Penn & Teller’s Bulllsh*t before either show existed.. Lately, you hear very little about this adorable bespeckled Brit stateside, though he’s still going strong over in England, making documentaries such as this one, The Most Hated Family in America. Check it out, and have fun swooning the rest of the weekend.

4. Daniel Radcliffe.
While placing a 17-year-old on a list of “hunks” is a lil’ inappropes, because Dan has already had public erections on stage during the Equus production, technically this doesn’t seem to be pushing any boundaries. And even though Dan has grown from boy to slightly taller boy before our very eyes, he’s got all the makings of a nerd heartthrob: Sweet, quiet personality, pasty skin, lanky limbs, soft British accent, and hundreds of millions of dollars. Check out this pic, but be warned of his superfluous bulge.

3. Masi Oka.
Is Masi Oka the best part about Heroes? Clearly. Let the fellas save their cheerleader. Nerd ladies want to spoon Masi. For God’s sake, he was plucked from obscurity while working at George Lucas‘ ILM to become one of the most recognizable faces on television. Masi also has a large part in an upcoming movie about our favorite sport, ping-pong, called Balls of Fury, alongside Christopher Walken. Get in on Masi now before the fame goes to his head and he’s blowing rails with Adrien Grenier.

2. John Krasinski.
It’s sort of hard to preach to the converted when it comes to John Krasinski, aka Lanky Brewster, i.e. Jim from The Office. Most of you already know he went to Brown, interned at Conan, is tall, blue-eyed and floppy-haired, and now holds his own comedically and otherwise as part of one of the best American sitcoms ever. The bad news: He’s already been on People’s sexiest list, meaning you will never, ever date him. But hey! No need to throw out that 6-foot tall cardboard cut-out of him you were planning on taking to prom! Send it over here, we’ll laminate it and read him your pen pal letters. Huh? Sigh. We have no idea anymore.

1. Jon Stewart.
What else is there to say? The guy gets hotter with age, is as brilliant as anybody on television right now, funnier than 99 percent of the human beings on the face of the earth, and has turned a nighttime gig as the Daily Show host on Comedy Central into an Emmy-winning bonanza that has given the real news a run for its money. Sadly, he’s married… but that’s OK. You can still date guys who wear t-shirts encouraging him to run for President, if that sort of thing doesn’t embarrass you. Jon Stewart is the epitome of nerdy hotness, and we encourage you to agree with us.


*****
As I was going through the list, I was thinking...THESE are Nerd Boys...sheesh, as far as I can see these men are the cream of the crop, the top of the heap, kings of the hill.

Her post was so popular that she had to amend it with the out-pouring of suggestions from foamy-mouthed womens nominating their favorite. Why Jason Bateman was left off the original list is quite possibly a greater mystery than Area 51, but I digress.

Anyway...have a looksee and definitely leave your two cents as to whether or not you think the list is an accurate one.

Weekend Music: I've failed

Remember the whole 'I'm going to live free and not be such a music snob' post? Yeah...bullshit. All of it.

My car broke down a yesterday. It was the whole 9 yards - stop car, hear sound, is that...is that coming from my car? Shhhhhhhhhhhh -like a tire losing air. From under the hood. For like 20 minutes after I turned that shit off. Shhhhhhhhhh. So, I call the tow truck - he gets to the car. Of course it's stopped doing it. OF COURSE. He walks over to the car and asks, in that voice saved for his women patrons, I'm sure - "Is it making the noise now?" No, bitch. DO YOU HEAR A NOISE?! Which then leads to me having to replicate the noise - shhhhhhhhh. He looks at me like I'm a poor, insipid li'l lady. They tow the car. I have to rent a giant Yukon in the interim.

I panic. No iPod hook-up?! Whaaaaat???? How does one...ummm, is there....oh lorddddieeeeee.

I immediately go home and make a playlist entitled "Yukon", burn it to a CD and have been playing that.

There's no hope for me.

So, for this installment of Weekend Music, I'm going to go back to my shitty ways of bringing you obscure music that no one has really heard of.

Today I'm sharing one of my all time favorite bands - Son Volt. This is my go-to band for all things Road Trip - the music is luscious - Jay Farrar's voice...it makes me melt. I'm actually posting a live version of Catching On (Track 9 - my theory that Track 9s are the best still holds), because you can really hear that smoky-resonant loveliness that just gives me goosebumps...

Enjoy.

Son Volt - Catching On

According to June's Marie Claire...

Megan's Frenemies belongs in the ultimate beach bag, alongside such essentials as water, sunblock, and the iPod Nano. That's right, not just any old beach bag but the ultimate.

And here it is (edited by Megan because you all need to SEE this):

Weekend Music - Alanis and New Edition: Is it a concert on Cloud 9?!

I was recently decrying to Megan that I've kind of snobbed my way right into a little velvet cage when it comes to music. I've become so dependant on my iPod that I no longer listen to the radio and only hear new music if it's recommended on the snooty music blogs that I patronize. Therefore I have a ton of music by obscure bands (the new Kings of Leon album is amazing) and nary a Nelly Furtado tune in the bunch (Say it Right rocks - thank you Megan, my pop music pusherman).

I realize I've lost that balance that true music lovers have. The beauty in listening to all types of music, not just super specific tracks that I've pre-programmed for exact situations. My entire life can be boiled down to a playlist. Mellow party? Got it. In the car with my nieces? Got it. Drive up the coast? Got it. What I don't got - is any kind of spontaneity. And that's a damn shame.

I also was thinking that because of this new iPod generation - I no longer listen to albums - like whole albums. It's the same idea behind always using a digital camera - sometimes pictures that aren't perfect are the best and truest snapshots of that event...but now we'll just delete them.

I just re-discovered Thank U by Alanis Morissette. Which then prompted an entire back and forth discovery that Under Rug Swept was a pivotal album for both Megan and I. I felt this wave of sadness...like the days of popping a CD into the car stereo were somehow over. CDs have become a nuisance for me - these little dusty things that I save as a precaution just in case my computer crashes. Yes, I have a trillion songs on my iTunes. But I know them all. That's the idea.

My point was driven home further earlier today. I was getting my eyebrows waxed today at my favorite waxing place in Silver Lake. I was sitting waiting to be called and Cool it Now came on. It took a second for me to recognize it. And then I couldn't help myself - I blurted, "IS THIS FUCKING NEW EDITION?!" A little awkward, sure. As I sat there I was then treated to If It Isn't Love which I still know the music video dance moves to, thank you very much and then the glorious finale? Can You Stand the Rain. I got chills. I mean, don't even get me started about Johnny Gill. Sigh. And Bell Biv Devoe? P-P-Poison?!

I think I'm going to re-think my snobby, sheltered ways and start listening to whole albums again, maybe even venturing back into the jungles of radio. I'll start easy - maybe take in KCRW in controlled playlist-ian spurts. I wouldn't want to be too hasty in all of this.

So, in honor of these discoveries I give you the track that started it all.


Oh and who am I kidding...New Edition, why can't I quit you.

Free Time...

When I think of all the time I spend procrastinating, it's kind of sad that I never rally a bunch of people together to do fun stuff like this:



But that would probably mean I'd have to change out of my pajamas and leave the house.

Shameless 5 Spot Promotion by Megan

You know you want to read more about Frenemies, due out in just over a month. And you're in luck!

Read The Concept of the Frenemy on the Hachette website.

And while you're there, you should also read this essay by Holly. Because I know you can't wait until July, when Five Things I Can't Live Without comes out, either!