Back from vacation! And needing a vacation from my vacation, sigh. I are exhausted.

sainfoin_fields asked me to upload a "Jolene" cover. It has taken me an inexcusably long time to do so, and I apologize. I also decided to go ahead and upload a couple of other Dolly Parton covers that I was saving for my next coverpost. Which I will probably never get around to, sigh.

"Jolene" - Dolly Parton
The original version FTW!

"Jolene" (Live) - The White Stripes

"Jolene" - Susanna and the Magical Orchestra
They do a lot of super-mellow covers, and while I'm a big fan of their version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," this version is a little too mellow for me. To me, "Jolene" is an inherently desperate song, and this cover is just too sparse.

"Shine" - Dolly Parton (with Nickel Creek)
I was the biggest Collective Soul fan in middle and high school. So this cover was full of awesome for me. Dolly plus Nickel Creek plus Collective Soul? THERE IS NO BAD!

"Stairway To Heaven" - Dolly Parton

Thinking about how much I love "Jolene" (and how much so many other people seem to love it too) made me think about WHY I love it so much. I speculated with Candice that one reason we both like it is how it approaches a well-trod story from an interesting perspective. There's probably nothing I value more in song writing than an interesting narrative.

And on that note, I have decided that my contribution to sainfoin_fields's awesome idea for an Opposites Playlist is "Summer Love'" by Justin Timberlake vs. "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley. Or the Ataris if you're in that kind of mood.

Also, it is kind of crazy how Lil Wayne managed to combine three overplayed songs I hate into one song that I kind of love in spite of everything in me knowing that I should hate it completely because it is embarrassingly dirty and all kinds of degrading. 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" + the Black Eyed Peas's "My Humps" + Ludacris's "What's Your Fantasy" = "Lollipop"! I am telling you guys, it is practically SCIENTIFIC.

Okay, this is awesome. You know NaNoWriMo, in which thousands of amateur writers attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in one month? Amateur musicians have the same thing! It's called the RPM Challenge, and over 2,000 artists with varying levels of experience wrote and recorded albums in February! I heard about it when one of the songs from an RPM Challenge album made it's way onto a new release podcast I listen to pretty regularly.

I also watched the Legion of Super Heroes (or something) finale with my littlest sister. It's SO INFERIOR to Teen Titans, but it is endlessly entertaining because there is TOTALLY PURPOSEFUL slash happening between Superman and Brainiac 5. You guys know that I do not exaggerate about slashiness! For instance! The Legion is set in the future, and when Superman had to go back to the past, Brainiac 5 missed him so much that he went into the simulator training facility he invented and did a program where he and Superman are fighting baddies together. And when simulation!Superman saved him, he enjoyed being in Superman's arms. He was all like, "Oh, Superman! You saved me!" I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. Everything about their relationship is completely shippy and adorable.

This week, with the Top 5 meme making the rounds again, I realized that I have NEVER done a Top 5 meme in the history of my journal! Never!

So! Fannish Top 5's. Go!

I am buying some R&Bish hip hop on iTunes, because it's that time of year. And I took one listen to the explicit preview of the song AND BOUGHT THE CLEANED UP KIDDIE VERSION. When did I turn old? Lameness!

My favorite radio show just added a new segment called iPod Roulette. They take a guest's iPod, put it on shuffle, and play three songs. And then the guest talks about each song, no matter how random or embarrassing! So I wanted to give it a try.

( iPod Roulette )

I heard Helo from BSG has been cast on Dollhouse. Which, ha, does not bode well for me watching the show. Not that Tahmoh isn't hot and everything, but I hate Helo and think Tahmoh is at least partly to blame. A better actor might have been able to pull off Helo without making his moral! virtue! come off as insufferable prickitude. Tahmoh is not a better actor. Also, it's not exactly like he raised the level on Smallville or Need for Speed: Most Wanted. /snideness

+ Remember when Jon Stewart had Ishmael Beah, who wrote a memoir about being a boy soldier in Sierra Leone, on The Daily Show? And Beah went on to sell hundreds of thousands of books and become a spokesperson for UNICEF? Well, now allegations have surfaced that he embellished his autobiography, James Frey style. I can't help feeling like I've seen this episode of television before.

+ The final Democratic debate was truly excellent last night, but all the cutaways to celebrities were distracting and unnecessary. When they caught Josh Lyman on camera, for two seconds I actually wondered which candidate he was working for.

+ Look at mailers the Obama campaign is sending out! They are just like the notorious "Harry and Louise" ads that targeted Hillary back in the 90s. (I'm also not a huge fan of his Committed Christian mailers, but at least I understand why he's sending those out. He said himself last night that his healthcare package is 95% similar to Hillary's, and these mailers are unfair and unhelpful.) So, you know, a politician is a politician, and it's not just the Clintons who play games. I would appreciate less sanctimony is all I am saying.

+ The Nation has posted a pretty persuasive case for Obama's nomination, from a liberal perspective.

+ The newest Gallup poll says Obama and Clinton are separated by a mere three points nationally. DailyKos says we might not know who our nominee is until as late as March 4th. This had better be the ONLY close part of this presidential election, you guys.

+ ( that make-your-fake-album meme... )

+ ( that top five songs of the moment meme... )

I watched the Gossip Girl special last night INSTEAD of the State of the Union. It's the first time I haven't watched since I was seventeen. IT WAS AWESOME. (I mean not watching the State of the Union was awesome, not rewatching Gossip Girl. I enjoyed the special, but Maddy was right about the pilot -- it is kind of mediocre.) Less than one year. His last State of the Union ever! Awesomeness.

I was going through my blog roll, and John Mayer wankily bahleeted his entire blog and posted an ambiguous quote and graphic. Why so melodramatic, John? I hope it's temporary because his blog is actually pretty awesome and hilarious. Anyway, it reminded me of what rez_lo always says about stuff like this. "There is no real life, only fandom wank." Or something!

Gnarles Barkley's new single has leaked. I think it's pretty fun.

And, oh my gosh, I totally love this. It's America Ferrera and Amber Tambyln interviewing Hillary Clinton. Like, they filmed it themselves and do terrible dances and talk about not letting the Man get them down. It's completely adorable. (Even if Hillary should take some of her own advice, sigh.)

Disclaimer: And, you know, just to be clear since it's got the Vote Hillary stuff at the end... I am not endorsing Hillary or telling anybody who to vote for. I know people get ill about that. I just think this is so, so cute.

1. Almost every time I watch Pirates of the Caribbean, I end up having a conversation about whether or not Jack and Will's stunt with the overturned boat would have worked. Anyone who has ever owned pool toys knows that trying to drag a noodle or a boogie board (or anything intended to float) underwater is very tough to do, and it seems like it would be impossible to hold an air-filled boat under the water, unless you were in possession of super human strength. I'd thought maybe the weight of a wooden boat would help keep it submerged, but I've never been convinced that it was actually possible. IT BOTHERS ME, OKAY. So I was thrilled to see that Mythbusters is doing an episode on PotC during which they will put this trick to the test. Wednesday at 9:00!

2. I feel very strongly that if you are in a band and your band fails at enunciation, then you have an OBLIGATION to print your lyrics in the liner notes. If your label won't spring for more than four pages, or if you are a pretentious asshat who prefers cryptic artwork or elaborate photo shoots, then you should at least have the courtesy to post your lyrics at your website. In an obvious place and labeled properly! I do not want to have to poke all over your stupid webspace to find them because you are too creative to have an intuitive site. GOD. Why do I even buy music?

3. One of my sisters loves the Jonas Brothers, and it is not who you would think. Little Miss Ten Whole Years actually calls them the Bogus Brothers -- and she claims to have made that up herself which, frankly, makes me proud. Heather is the fan, and she has been inflicting them on the rest of us all weekend. Surprisingly, I think they are kind of cute and do not mind them at all. I keep catching myself humming "Hold On."

4. I did manage to see Enchanted, so go me. It was so overwhelmingly sweet that I sort of felt as if I should go eat a lemon or seventy afterwards, but it was a fun time at the movies. It is very much a homage to the Disney Princess classics, so if you like those I would definitely recommend it.

5. I watched some of the Planet Earth encore with my sister tonight and got a little weepy during several parts. We have such a beautiful planet, you guys! But I am kinda disappointed with Fearless Earth. It is very... melodramatic.

6. I find it difficult to comprehend that Japan is going to kill 50 Humpback Whales from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Can you imagine going into a restaurant and being all like, "I WILL HAVE THE HUMPBACK WHALE. MEDIUM RARE, PLZ." You must have to be a SERIOUS DOUCHEBAG. I assume it is a conspicuously expensive meal, which makes it even grosser. According to this article linked by gelxgel, the Japanese government is actually spending millions of dollars to promote the consumption of whale meat, which has waned in popularity over the past few decades. How messed up is that! I also read that whale (and dolphin) meat is particularly high in mercury and other toxins. So it makes even less sense to me than it did before. JAPAN MUST BE STOPPED, YOU GUYS. Somebody call Hayden Panettiere!

7. Blake Lively is awesome in this clip from The View. She addresses a rumor that she and Leighton aren't getting along, and instead of just denying it, she points out how sexist the rumor is and that none of her male costars have had to deal with articles speculating about their professional relationships. FTW!

8. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE SEC, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN. Tennessee won in their fourth overtime, which was hard to stomach since it means that Georgia's season is basically over, aside from whichever probably awesome bowl game we will get. And watching the LSU/Arkansas game was SO CRAZY. On the one hand, Arkansas winning was a fun upset, and I do enjoy seeing grown men cry. But LSU is >>> OSU and Kansas and probably Missouri, so it is sad that they will not get to play for the championship. But that is always the way! The SEC eats its own and then watches other teams play for the glory. (Admittedly, we were not as fantastic as usual this year, but neither was anyone else, so.)

9. I am really, really hoping the the WGA strike will end this week. Talks resume today, and everyone sounds hopeful, so fingers crossed. In the meantime, go watch the best video to come out of the strike so far: hungVP158 gives us the AMPTP's perspective on the issues. God, I miss The Colbert Report.

So this weekend I discovered that I still know ALL of the words to every Real McCoy song ever. That's not quite as impressive as it could be, since I'm pretty sure they only ever released one album in the States. But it's still kind of horrifying!

Also, you guys were so right about Chuck! The pilot was so cute and funny! I am really, really looking forward to watching the show.

So today is Kanye West's newest album release. I'm not buying it just yet (because I am loathe to be part of Fiddy and Kanye's fake war to sell more CDs), but I've had the leaked version for two weeks now. I was reading the NYT review (which I strongly disagree with), and I decided that, hey, I am just going to write my own damn review.

( Graduation - Kanye West )

So, you know. It's pretty good. BUT IT'S STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE MY SUMMER ALBUM. But with the sun doing it's Fall Thing, I suppose that ship has sailed anyway. Siiiigh.

Not really related, but you can't think about hip-hop without thinking about race... The story about those six white people who tortured a young black woman in West Virginia is completely insane. It reminded me that one of the Jena Six kids is supposed to be sentenced next Thursday. I generally like to think that scary-bad racism like this is a thing of the past, but apparently not.

I am thinking about taking Heather to see Linkin' Park for her birthday present. Which doesn't even involve that much sacrifice on my part! I actually kind of like most of Linkin' Park's old singles, back from when I was in high school. I especially liked their IN THE END IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER song, which was the soundtrack to my final exams in 2002.

EXCEPT. They are performing with My Chemical Romance. And, look. I am sure they are very good if you like that kind of Fall Out Romance At the Disco type of music that all the kids are listening to right now. But I am not a fan. I do think their costumes are totally cute, and I do not dislike "Helena." But I know I will HATE them if I have to listen to them play for an hour.

And, I mean, there is the matter of the crowd. And the heat. It's in an outdoor arena in the middle of August, so it will be sweltering, and we will probably be surrounded by sweaty teenaged boys. And hopefully we will skip most of the other bands, but there'll also be HIM and Placebo and all of these other probably shitty alterna-rock bands that I have never heard of before in my life. Oh, and also Taking Back Sunday. (See, this is why I believe in karma.)

Teenagers. Bad music. Sweat. Dehydration. This is basically my idea of the seventh level of hell. So I have sort of talked myself out of it. But it would be such an awesome birthday present!

1. A couple weeks ago, I heard that Hollywood is making a Teen Titans movie. I was all like WOOHOO, because I have pure, unadulterated love for Cartoon Network's Teen Titans. I have desperately missed Cyborg and Beast Boy and Raven and Robin/Starfire (OTP OF MY SOUL!) since it went off the air. But today I found out that someone from Smallville and Battlestar Galactica is writing/producing. And Superman Returns is the tone he is going for.

Smallville + Battlestar Galactica + Superman Returns = OBVIOUSLY GOING TO SUCK!

OH, LIFE. YOU ARE SO UNFAIR.

ETA: I checked this dude's IMDB profile hoping that maybe he was from first season BSG. No dice! He motherfrakking wrote "Black Market," I SHIT YOU NOT.

2. Also of the suck? The WB sold the publishing rights for Veronica Mars to DC Comics, meaning that there will be comics instead of books. Sigh.

3. Not quite so of the suck? Nancy Drew. (Disclaimer: I own the entire yellow and blue Nancy Drew series. I read all of the Nancy Drew Files, many of the Nancy Drew Notebooks and nearly all of the Nancy Drew On Campus books. I totally ship Nancy/Frank Hardy.) It is definitely not fabulous or anything, ( but I still enjoyed it. )

4. Remember how last summer I bitched about that S.O.S. song, because it would come on the radio and I would get all excited thinking "Tainted Love" was going to play, but it was actually just Rihanna? Sampling is one thing, but she basically sang a new song over the old song! It was weird.

Anyway, I freaking love her "Umbrella" song, so I was listening to her whole CD, and there's this one song on there, and I was like I KNOW THIS SONG, but I couldn't think of what it was with Rihanna's lyrics in the way. Anyway, I finally placed it, and she did it again! She's going to work her way through all of the awesome 80s songs! But I'll let you see if recognize it on your own.

So the new "iTunes Plus" tracks that are supposedly DRM-free come with your name and e-mail address embedded in them.

DRM-free?! That's an even scarier kind of DRM! I would never share a marked track like that, just because I'd be afraid that it would somehow get out and be traced back to me. (I also can't tell the difference between a "Plus" track and a regular one, and I have pretty nice speakers.)

The 30¢ price-hike was bad enough, but Apple is full of FAIL and LIEZ for this.

+ This is the weirdest thing ever: Kanye West raps over samples of Daft Punk. It's supposedly the first track off Graduation. Also weird, he's lately rapped over samples from Thom Yorke's (of Radiohead) "The Eraser" and Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks." WEIRD.

+ I have the leaked version of the new Kelly Clarkson. Does anyone want? Kelly Clarkson's My December (Warning: The leak is not CD quality!)

My very first impression of it is kind of Meh. It's just not hooky enough to be good pop, it's just plain not good enough to be decent grrrlrock, and there is no "Since U Been Gone" to redeem it. Some of the stuff, like "Haunted," sounds like it would fit seamlessly into an Evanescense album. I do like the last song a lot, though. 411: her next single is "Sober," which seems entirely weird to me. The song is really long, and it takes forever to build. Does this make me Team Clive?

+ Geez, it is like all-Kanye-all-the-time this week. The elusive track he recorded with John Mayer for Late Registration -- "Bittersweet" -- has made its way online. It didn't make it onto the album because Kanye said it just didn't fit.

+ I went through my userpics today and deleted the vast majority of my Veronica Mars icons. STILL NOTHING. I'm not sure when it's going to finally hit me that my show is not coming back. I wish it was.

+ I wish that I could find a good copy of Beverly Cleary's Fifteen. I know it's super dated nowadays -- it was dated when I read it back in gradeschool. But I still love it, and my flea-market copy is destroyed.

+ I wish I could kick everyone involved with POTC3 in the shin. That stupid thing I've been bitching about? THE PLOT THICKENS. It sounds as if the director/producers purposefully cut out the pertinent lines and scenes. It could have been for time, but it might have been creative. So I'm not sure if I should go with the writers' special clarification or Verbinski's final cut. Even if we got confirmation that the writers' intentions were ignored, fans will never be able to settle on what's what. Honestly. Please allow me to offer a sincere FUCK YOU to everyone involved in this abject stupidity.

+ I like the new Nine Inch Nails CD. I just don't know if I want to buy it; I like some of the songs on it a lot, but I deleted several of them from my library after my first listen. I wish I wanted to buy it, because Trent Reznor is kind of awesome. And also, it changes colors!

+ The air is so smokey. I had to shower twice this evening because of it. It's because of the forest fires in South Georgia, and the forest fires are because of the drought, and the drought is courtesy of global warming. I so wish Al would run.

+ When the hell does Avatar come back? Is it coming back? WTF.

+ I still don't have a Wii.

It's the summer, and I am ready for a Summer Album that I can play. Like Kanye West's Late Registration or Common's Be or Bloc Party's Silent Alarm or Coldplay's XY or Tom Vek's We Have Sound -- all excellent summer albums. But where is my Summer Album of 2007? I can't even think of any upcoming releases that I should be excited about! Troubling.

I have got a bit of a tan, which is unusual for me. I am very fair-skinned, and I generally use the lightest foundation/powder -- ivory this, porcelain that, etc. I was putting on my makeup today, and it seemed too light, and I couldn't figure out why until it hit me that I've been outside so much lately that, duh, I have a tan. I guess I need to go buy all new makeup now. Does everyone have to do this during the summer?

Also, a group of people are talking about starting a gigantic new fanfiction archive, sort of like FF.N, except better and without any censorship. The idea seems to be a response to FanLib.com, a fanfiction archive funded by $3M from venture capitalists and set up by dot-com opportunists looking to make money. It's very... wrong. Fandom should never be corporate. If you're interested in following the project, the original post is here and the community is otw_news.

ETA: FanLib is also headed up entirely by men, whereas fandom is mostly made up of women. rez_lo talks more about how WRONG FanLib is. And, ha, the RIAA is sort of involved, too. IT FIGURES.

Poll #973543
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Who's got the phatest falsetto?

Prettiest indie pin-up boy?

Who should win American Idol?

But who will *actually* win American Idol?

Kate Walsh's new bangs are __________.

How do you feel about the Addison's Anatomy spin-off?

Which brand of peanut butter do you use?

Will Harry Potter die in the seventh book?

Best thing since sliced bread?

What's your favorite YouTube video that anyone who hasn't been living under a rock has seen? (i.e. Where the Hell is Matt, The Evolution of Dance, Otters Holding Hands, etc.)

And in what will possibly be my most important contribution of all time to music collections everywhere, I present "Stranger" or "Why I Totally Dumped That Skeazy Fuckwad, Joel Madden" by Hilary Duff.

So I retract the retraction of my dismay over GG winning S.O.S. And, geez, If they ever do the S.O.S. poll again, they should do it by e-mail like they did last year. Because right now the comments are a mass of "YOUR FANDOM CHEATED MORE THAN MY FANDOM" whining.

ETA: HA. It's not just me. Hilary Duff's new album is getting pretty good reviews!

I have a band for all you losers who just loooove your Snow Patrol. Vega4. [iTunes link] Their album is even produced by the same guy who produces Snow Patrol's stuff. Seriously, you'll love them. And I will be right over here vomiting.



iConcertCal is a plug-in for iTunes that catalogues your music and compiles a calendar that shows when any of the artists in your library are performing in your town. It tells you who they're playing with, where they're playing at, and it even gives you a link to the venue. It's basically the BEST. PLUG-IN. EVER. You can get it here.

ETA: WTF, Grey's. On the one hand, here's to using a non-crappy song for once. On the other hand, "The Story" has possibly been RUINED for me forever. Woe.

I stole Hilary Duff's new album from my little sister, and not only is it much better than the last (full) album, it's also kind of ambitious for something out of Buena Vista. It's dancey and almost electronic. She must have been listening to her Goldfrapp! I love it! I just wish she had enough credibility to attract the kind of producers that could help her make an album with some staying power. I am pleased she dumped that Good Charlotte dude, though. You can do better, Hilary! Like at least an All-American Reject or something.

( I hate American Idol. )

( House )

I wish the actor who plays Brad Carlton on Y&R would stop playing his character like Brad is actually a nice guy. BECAUSE HE IS SUCH A MANIPULATIVE, GOLDDIGGING JACKASS. I think maybe the actor just doesn't get this or something? WTF. Also, if Dru and Sharon went over a cliff, you cannot even tell me that Sharon would be the one to live. Dru is a fighter! I know that no one ever dies on soap operas, but still. Dru > Sharon.

I know I talk a lot of shit about my alma mater, but today UGA announced that they're giving the Peabody Award to what in my opinion are the two best new television shows of the 06-07 season: Ugly Betty and Friday Night Lights. (Good Eats and The Office also received awards!)

Speaking of Good Eats, I read an interview with Alton Brown in Atlanta magazine yesterday, and it was kind of... disappointing. It just didn't line up with who I thought Alton Brown was or why he did the show, which is surprising because I've read a fair amount of Alton on the matter himself. THIS is why I never want to meet the artists/actors/celebs I really love IRL. This is why I have taken to studiously avoiding any and all celebrity news about John Mayer. No good can come of knowing more than you have to about your theoretically favorite people.

( Apple and EMI to consumers: Congratulations! You get to pay more! )

+ Amy Winehouse's album [iTunes preview] is finally out in the U.S., and I really like the vintage, 60s girlband sound of it. I've posted my favorite songs from the album here.

+ I didn't realize NIN's new CD (a potentially pretentious concept album about the apocalypse) was coming out so soon. The new single is already available to download on iTunes, and I don't much like it, although that's not necessarily bad news for fans because I tend to like their more commercial stuff. I do think it's cool that they also released a GarageBand file of their single, so anyone with a Mac can try their hand at remixing it.

+ And speaking of iTunes, I thought this WSJ article about how the iTMS decides which artists to feature on Home Page and in those ubiquitous banners was interesting. Apparently the iTMS trades advertising for special features, discount pricing, bonus tracks, live sessions and access to artists for celebrity playlists, etc. As usual, the industry whines. Because that is what they do. Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine.

+ I was catching up on podcasts, and Soundcheck did a piece on TV music placement that included an interview with the music supervisor for Grey's Anatomy. One of the tidbits that cracked me up is that at the producers' request, she commissioned "Grace" from Kate Havnevik for the Derek/Meredith scene in last season's finale. Derek and Meredith got speshul music espeshully written for their soft-focused sluttiness love-making!

+ ( In which I rag a bit on Snow Patrol. )

Damn, you guys. I've had some problems with the past few episodes, but every ep of this arc has felt more and more like VM is getting its groove back, and I thought tonight was fantastic.

( Veronica Mars )

them0rgue asked for some newish hip hop, and I uploaded a couple of CDs and tracks that I like for her. Anyone is welcome to take. They're all highly recommended.

+ The Roots's Game Theory (the real Hip Hop Album of the Year)
+ Common's Be
+ The Clipse's Hell Hath No Fury*
+ Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor
+ Jay-Z's Kingdom Come (actually, this was only just okay)
+ "They Reminisce Over You" - Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth (a fave classic)
+ "Hip Hop" - Dead Prez
+ "Standing Room Only" - Asamov
+ "Boombox" - Asamov
+ "A Day In the Life" - Skyzoo & 9th Wonder
+ "My Favorite Mutiny" - The Coup ft. Black Thought and Talib Kweli
+ "All Day" - Chapter 13
+ "Smoke in the Air" - C.L. Smooth
+ "Land of the Gun" - Breez Evahflowin & Immortal Technique
+ "Make It Rain" - Fat Joe ft. Lil Wayne

* This is an incredibly guilty pleasure for me because it's full of everything I dislike about hip hop: materialism, misogyny, drugs, gangster worship, and glorification of violence. But it's so damn good that I can't bring myself to care. I do not know exactly what a "twinkie train" or a "re-up" is, but hey. SO. GOOD. It's Neptunes-produced, too!